scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Firearms Trigger Incidents

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Nixon
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Peak Force ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Trigger Mechanism ◽  
Test And Evaluation ◽  
Minimal Data ◽  
Evaluation Techniques

Firearms Trigger Operating Characteristics Have Long Been Evaluated Using Inappropriate Rudimentary Equipment That Yields Incomplete And Inconsistent Data. These Commonly Used, And Widely Accepted, Peak Force Techniques Yield Minimal Data That Are Inappropriate For Their Intended Purpose And, Consequently, Often Result In Erroneous Conclusions Being Drawn. The Majority Of Those Performing The Tests And Presenting Their Analyses In Courts Are Not Engineers, And Typically Refuse To Acknowledge The Shortcomings Of Their Test Procedures And Analytical Techniques, Even After Detailed Explanation Has Been Provided. Historically, Scientifically Valid Trigger Mechanism Evaluation Techniques Were Slow And Labor Intensive To Perform. The Advent Of Micro-Electronics Has Resulted In The Availability Of Cost Effective, Portable, Scientifically Valid, Accurate, Fast, And Reliable, Trigger Mechanism Evaluation Equipment. This Equipment Minimizes The Need For Firearm Disassembly And, Consequently, Greatly Diminishes Evidence Spoliation Concerns. This Paper Contrasts The Results Obtained From The Use Of Inappropriate And Outdated Peak Force Techniques When Compared To Modern Computerized Electromechanical Techniques. Actual Case Studies Are Used To Illustrate How Inappropriately Qualified Crime Lab Personnel Using The Established, Though Scientifically Invalid, Peak Force Evaluation Techniques May Lead To Injustice In Both Criminal And Civil Litigation. It Is Recommended That The Scientifically Invalid Peak Force Test Procedures Be Abandoned, And That Appropriately Qualified And Trained Professionals Adopt The Scientifically Valid Electro-Mechanical Trigger Test And Evaluation Techniques Described In This Paper.

Evolution of Emerging Environmental Testing and Evaluation Techniques

1986 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-42
Author(s):  
Alan Burkhard
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Environmental Testing ◽  
Test And Evaluation ◽  
Latent Defects ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Environmental Test ◽  
Mechanics Concepts ◽  
Evaluation Techniques

Contemporary statistically-based environmental test and evaluation techniques used to develop and qualify electronic systems will be too costly and time consuming for emerging equipment systems with much higher levels of reliability than current systems. The current emphasis on physical testing needs to be reduced and blended with the emerging analytical computerized tools to develop a more cost effective approach to evaluate the environmental suitability of electronic systems. It is proposed that an integrated approach based upon fracture mechanics concepts of latent defects growth and/or a nondestructive inspection techniques could yield such an approach.

Estimating the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve using partially ordered sets

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Zamanzade ◽  
Xinlei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Roc Curve ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Partially Ordered Sets ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ordered Sets ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Partially Ordered ◽  
Receiver Operating

AbstractRanked set sampling (RSS), known as a cost-effective sampling technique, requires that the ranker gives a complete ranking of the units in each set. Frey (2012) proposed a modification of RSS based on partially ordered sets, referred to as RSS-t in this paper, to allow the ranker to declare ties as much as he/she wishes. We consider the problem of estimating the area under a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve using RSS-t samples. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is commonly used as a measure for the effectiveness of diagnostic markers. We develop six nonparametric estimators of the AUC with/without utilizing tie information based on different approaches. We then compare the estimators using a Monte Carlo simulation and an empirical study with real data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The results show that utilizing tie information increases the efficiency of estimating the AUC. Suggestions about when to choose which estimator are also made available to practitioners.

scholarly journals DNA aptamer-based detection of prostate cancer

2015 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Jolly ◽  
Nello Formisano ◽  
Pedro Estrela
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Dna Aptamer ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Gradual Transition ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Promising Tool

AbstractThe use of aptamers in biosensing has attracted considerable attention as an alternative to antibodies because of their unique properties such as long-term stability, cost-effectiveness and adjustability to various applications. Among cancers, the early diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the greatest concerns for ageing men worldwide. One of the most commonly used biomarkers for PCa is prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which can be found in elevated levels in patients with cancer. This review presents the gradual transition of research from antibody-based to aptamerbased biosensors, specifically for PSA. A brief description on aptamer-based biosensing for other PCa biomarkers is also presented. Special attention is given to electrochemical methods as analytical techniques for the development of simple, sensitive and cost-effective biosensors. The review also focuses on the different surface chemistries exploited for fabrication and their applications in clinical samples. The use of aptamers represents a promising tool for the development of point-ofcare biosensors for the early detection of prostate cancer. In view of the unmatched upper hand of aptamers, future prospects are also discussed, not only in the point-of-care format but also in other novel applications.

scholarly journals An Introduction to Economic Evaluation: What's in a Name?

2005 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S Hoch ◽  
Carolyn S Dewa
Keyword(s):  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Economic Study ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
A Value ◽  
Different Types ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Evaluation Techniques

Objective: This paper describes the main types of economic evaluation techniques. Method: To examine the strengths and limitations of different types of economic evaluations, we used a hypothetical example to review the reasoning underlying each method and to illustrate when it is appropriate to use each method. Results: The choice of economic evaluation method reflects a decision about what should represent “success” and how success should be valued. Measures of benefit and cost must be considered systematically and simultaneously. Claiming that a new treatment is cost-effective requires making a value judgment based on the personal beliefs of the claimant. Even when cost and effect data are objective, a verdict of cost-effective is subjective. The conclusions of an economic study can change significantly, depending on which patient outcome is used to measure success. Conclusions: Clinicians must be sure that important patient outcomes are not excluded from economic evaluations. Economic evaluation is a process designed to produce an estimate rather than a decision. New treatment can be more costly and still be cost-effective (if the extra benefit is valued more than the extra cost to produce it). However, since economic evaluation does not explicitly consider a decision maker's available budget, a new treatment can be deemed cost-effective but too expensive to approve.

A Kriging Based Fast and Efficient Method for Defect Detection in Massive Pipelines Using Magnetic Flux Leakages

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrata Mukherjee ◽  
Xuhui Huang ◽  
Lalita Udpa ◽  
Yiming Deng
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Defect Detection ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Lattice Points ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Similar Accuracy ◽  
Fast Procedure

Abstract Systems in service continue to degrade with passage of time. Pipelines are among the most common systems that wear away with usage. For public safety it is of utmost importance to monitor pipelines and detect new defects within the pipelines. Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing is a widely used nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique for defect detections within the pipelines, particularly those composed of ferromagnetic materials. Pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) procedure based on line-scans or 2D-scans can collect accurate MFL readings for defect detection. However, in real world applications involving large pipe-sectors such extensive scanning techniques are extremely time consuming and costly. In this paper, we develop a fast and cheap methodology that does not need MFL readings at all the points used in traditional PIG procedures but conducts defect detection with similar accuracy. We consider an under-sampling based scheme that collects MFL at uniformly chosen random scan-points over large lattices instead of extensive PIG scans over all lattice points. Based on readings for the chosen random scan points, we use Kriging to reconstruct MFL readings over the entire pipe-sectors. Thereafter, we use thresholding-based segmentation on the reconstructed data for detecting defective areas. We demonstrate the applicability of our methodology on synthetic data generated using popular finite element models as well as on MFL data collected via laboratory experiments. In these experiments spanning a wide range of defect types, our proposed novel MFL based NDE methodology is witnessed to have operating characteristics within the acceptable threshold of PIG based traditional methods and thus provide an extremely cost-effective, fast procedure with competing error rates that can be successfully used for scanning massive pipeline sectors.

scholarly journals Determination of Pesticide Residue in Brinjal Sample Using HPTLC and Developing a Cost-Effective Method Alternative to HPLC

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Muzammil Hussain ◽  
Kiran Aftab ◽  
Munawar Iqbal ◽  
Shafaqat Ali ◽  
Muhammad Rizwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Hplc Analysis ◽  
Organophosphorus Pesticide ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Standard Samples ◽  
Residual Concentration ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Cost Effective Method

Two analytical techniques HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) and HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) were validated to reveal the quality and quantity of pesticide residues (organophosphorus, organochlorine, and pyrethroids) in brinjal samples collected from a local market of Faisalabad. The HPTLC methods showed linear behavior for standard samples and residue was in the range of 1–130 ng. The organochlorine (α-endosulfan) contaminates the samples at 4, 5, 9, and 10 weeks, and detected quantity was less than MRL (minimum residue level) of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations), i.e., 0.5 mg·kg−1. The organophosphorus pesticide (chlorpyriphos, methamidophos, monocrotophos, dichlorvos, carbosulfan, profenophos, and dimethoate) residue contaminated the samples and violated the MRL limit. Pyrethroids (deltamethrin, β-cyhalothrin, and cypermethrin) were present at appreciable levels, in samples of 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 weeks. The concentration of β-cyhalothrin (0.25 mg·kg−1) and cypermethrin (0.205 mg·kg−1) was significantly higher than that of all detected pesticides. The carbosulfan and deltamethrin contaminated all 10-week samples. The HPLC analysis of samples was carried out to confirm the efficiency of HPTLC as cost-effective method. The concentration of α-endosulfan, chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, monocrotophos, profenophos, deltamethrin, and cypermethrin in brinjal samples through the HPTLC method showed similar residual concentration with HPLC analysis.

Marginal analysis and cost effectiveness in seed orchard management

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 510-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Thomson ◽  
Donald T. Lester ◽  
Jeanne A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Seed Orchard ◽  
Induction Treatment ◽  
Marginal Analysis ◽  
Orchard Management ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Four Quadrant ◽  
The Cost

We use marginal analysis for three seed orchard management decisions. First we consider the roguing of a seed orchard established with many untested trees. We show that inferior parents should be rogued to the point where the number of orchard trees times the average expected volume gain of trees from seed produced by that orchard is maximized. Marginal analysis also is useful where one must choose the number of trees to establish in an orchard planted after progeny tests have identified superior parents. The cost of establishing many ramets to meet early seed production goals can be balanced with the projected value of seed. For the example presented, an additional orchard tree is cost effective if its seed is needed at an orchard age of 12 to 15 years. Finally, we use marginal analysis to determine whether to induce a seed orchard to increase its seed production when there is an excess demand for seed. This decision is guided by balancing the cost of the induction treatment with the combined effect of expected increase in seed harvest, the amount of genetic gain, and the discount rate. We present a four-quadrant decision diagram for estimating this balance. In designing tree improvement programs, these analytical techniques can be applied to proposed alternatives as one way to structure decision making and to provide comparable economic assessments from which cost-effective choices can be made.

scholarly journals Genetic Renal Diseases: The Emerging Role of Zebrafish Models

Cells ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Elmonem ◽  
Sante Berlingerio ◽  
Lambertus van den Heuvel ◽  
Peter de Witte ◽  
Martin Lowe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
Larval Zebrafish ◽  
Zebrafish Pronephros ◽  
Evaluation Techniques ◽  
Renal Phenotype

The structural and functional similarity of the larval zebrafish pronephros to the human nephron, together with the recent development of easier and more precise techniques to manipulate the zebrafish genome have motivated many researchers to model human renal diseases in the zebrafish. Over the last few years, great advances have been made, not only in the modeling techniques of genetic diseases in the zebrafish, but also in how to validate and exploit these models, crossing the bridge towards more informative explanations of disease pathophysiology and better designed therapeutic interventions in a cost-effective in vivo system. Here, we review the significant progress in these areas giving special attention to the renal phenotype evaluation techniques. We further discuss the future applications of such models, particularly their role in revealing new genetic diseases of the kidney and their potential use in personalized medicine.

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