Badge System Research Articles

The integration of function and ontogeny in the evolution of status signals

We review functional and developmental hypotheses regarding signals of status, traits that provide only information about an individual’s ability to win in contests over a resource. The evidence that status signals are true badges (i.e., conventional signals with no production or maintenance costs) is relatively weak, and is based more on the lack of evidence for handicap signaling. We nevertheless review possible use costs that might preserve honesty in a true badge system. One type of a dominant-imposed cost has been well-tested, but we discuss other possibilities and some potential costs imposed by non-dominants. In general, we find that while recent theory has established a clear basis for stable signaling involving true badges, empirical work is mixed and in no system is there convincing evidence that costs and benefits combine to establish a stable signaling system. Costs are also integral to development. The ontogeny of conventional signals by definition cannot involve any costs, yet ability should somehow be incorporated into signal development. We review two possible mechanisms that could accomplish this, the dual-effect of hormones and social feedback. The evidence supporting the first is suggestive but weak and needs refining. No study has explicitly tested for social feedback, yet this seems the most likely mechanism to appropriately link the use costs maintaining reliability with signal development. Status-signals continue to provide opportunities for novel research, and they provide good test cases for broader ideas about the ecology and evolution of communication.

ガラスバッジを用いた単純Ｘ線撮影における患者被ばく線量の測定

Radiography is used in medical practices based on the principles of justification and optimization. Patients' exposure doses should be kept as low as still allows for image quality that does not disturb the diagnostic processes. To optimize diagnostic radiological procedures, the international commission on radiological protection (ICRP) advocated the establishment of diagnosis reference levels (DRLs) in the new basic recommendation (Publication 103) in 2007 by stating that "The DRL should be expressed as a readily measurable patient-dose-related quantity for the specified procedure." In this context, a simple and standardized dosimetric method is needed to verify the adaptability of a radiation dose to the DRLs. As a measuring instrument that has good availability, high accuracy, and easy operability, we adopted the glass badge system, which has been used for individual exposure dose management. We evaluated the accuracy of the system as a tool of simplified dosimetry of diagnostic X-rays by comparing it to the standard dosimetry of an ionization chamber. In an energy range of 50 to 140 kV for X-ray exposure, the glass badge showed values within 7% of or closer to those measured by the standard ionization chamber. Moreover, the glass badge measurement was independent of the rectification modes of the X-ray tubes. In conclusion, glass badge measurement is feasible for verifying diagnostic X-ray doses in relation to DRLs and can be widely used in hospitals and clinics.

Development of an algorithm for evaluating personal doses due to photon fields in terms of operational quantities for TLD badge system in India

In order to evaluate and report the personal doses in terms of personal dose equivalent, the performance of the CaSO(4):Dy based thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD) badge used for countrywide personnel monitoring in India is investigated using monoenergetic and narrow spectrum radiation qualities equivalent to those given in ISO standards. Algorithms suitable for evaluating H(p)(10) and H(p)(0.07) within +/- 30 % are developed from the responses of dosemeter elements/discs under different filters for normal as well as angular irradiation conditions using these beams. The algorithm is tested for TLD badges irradiated to mixtures of low- and high-energy ((137)Cs) beams in various proportions. The paper concludes with the results of test of algorithm by evaluation of badges used in the IAEA/RCA intercomparison studies and discussion on inherent limitations.

Identifying and facilitating social interaction with a wearable wireless sensor network

We have designed a highly versatile badge system to facilitate a variety of interaction at large professional or social events and serve as a platform for conducting research into human dynamics. The badges are equipped with a large LED display, wireless infrared and radio frequency networking, and a host of sensors to collect data that we have used to develop features and algorithms aimed at classifying and predicting individual and group behavior. This paper overviews our badge system, describes the interactions and capabilities that it enabled for the wearers, and presents data collected over several large deployments. This data is analyzed to track and socially classify the attendees, predict their interest in other people and demonstration installations, profile the restlessness of a crowd in an auditorium, and otherwise track the evolution and dynamics of the events at which the badges were run.

Response of CaSO 4:Dy phosphor based TLD badge system to high energy electron beams from medical linear accelerator and estimation of whole body dose and skin dose

Response of thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) badge based on CaSO 4:Dy phosphor to high energy electron beams from medical linear accelerators was simulated using FLUKA Monte Carlo code and experimentally verified. This study was carried out in order to determine the response of TL discs under different filter regions of the TLD badge and their ratios under different irradiation conditions in the energy range 6–20 MeV of high energy electron beams. It was found that the response of TL disc under metal filters of the TLD badge (D1) is always higher than the response of the TL discs under Polystyrene filter (D2) and open window (D3) and its response was found to decrease with increase in the energy of the electron beam. Estimation of whole body dose and skin dose including its error was carried out as an extension of the present study in case of accidental exposure of radiation worker to high energy electron beam.

Study on the response of indigenously developed CaSO4:Dy phosphor-based neutron dosemeter

In the present paper, we report the indigenous development of a neutron-sensitive thermoluminescent dosemeter (TLD) based on CaSO4:Dy Teflon TL disc. The study includes indigenous development of a neutron dosemeter and its response in terms of operational quantity to different energies of neutrons under various irradiation conditions. It was found that the thermal neutron sensitivity of the CaSO4:Dy Teflon neutron disc is about one-third of TLD-600. However, the thermal neutron sensitivity with respect to CaSO4:Dy Teflon gamma disc is about 42 times for in-air irradiation and about 84 times for on-phantom irradiation condition. This newly developed neutron dosemeter can be used as a routine TLD with a slight change in the design of the TLD badge system in the mixed fields of gamma and neutrons of energy up to 500 keV for radiation workers engaged in nuclear fuel cycle operation and other applications.

Development of an algorithm for TLD badge system for dosimetry in the field of X and gamma radiation in terms of Hp(10)

In view of the introduction of International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements operational quantities Hp(10) and Hp(0.07), defined for individual monitoring, it became necessary to develop an algorithm that gives direct response of the dosemeter in terms of the operational quantities. Hence, for this purpose and also to improve the accuracy in dose estimation especially in the mixed fields of X ray and gamma, an algorithm was developed based on higher-order polynomial fit of the data points generated from the dose-response of discs under different filter regions of the present TL dosemeter system for known delivered doses. Study on the response of the BARC TL dosemeter system based on CaSO(4):Dy Teflon thermoluminescence dosemeter discs in the mixed fields of X and gamma radiation was carried out to ensure that the accuracies are within the prescribed limits recommended by the international organisations. The prevalent algorithm, based on the ratios of the disc response under various filters regions of the dosemeter to pure photons, was tested for different proportion of two radiations in case of mixed field dosimetry. It was found that the accuracy for few fields is beyond the acceptable limit in case of prevalent algorithm. The new proposed algorithm was also tested in mixed fields of photon fields and to pure photon fields of varied angles. It was found that the response of the dosemeter in mixed fields of photons and its angular response are satisfactory. The new algorithm can be used to record and report the personal dose in terms of Hp(10) as per the international recommendation for the present TL dosemeter.

Studies on automatic hot gas reader used in the countrywide personnel monitoring programme

In India, approximately 58,000 radiation workers are monitored using locally made CaSO4:Dy teflon embedded thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD) badge system. The automatic hot gas readers developed locally are also used in TL measurements. The hot gas reader system has many advantages over the manual readers used previously and has completely replaced the manual reader system in all TLD personnel monitoring units in India. In the present study, the new reader system is studied and a theoretical attempt has been made to interpret the experimentally obtained results. The glow curves are generated theoretically and are also plotted experimentally. It has been found that the heat capacity of the heating gas, which is responsible for the transfer of heat, has a role in deciding the position of peak and is verified experimentally using different gas flow rates of nitrogen and argon as heating gases in the reader. The theoretical study may also be helpful in fitting the experimentally obtained glow curves and, therefore, the elimination of unwanted non-radiation-induced contributions, such as dark current, electronic spikes, light leakage and triboluminescence that generally distort the glow curve shape, can be achieved.

Development of a personal dosimeter badge system using sintered LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors for photon fields

The badge system of personal thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeter for photon fields using LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material, which was developed by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) a few years ago, was developed by taking advantage of its dosimetric properties including energy dependencies. A badge filter system was designed by practical irradiation experiments supported by computational modeling using Monte Carlo simulation. Design properties and dosimetric characteristics such as photon energy response and angular dependence of new TL dosimeter system examined through the irradiation experiments are presented. Based on the experiments for the developed dosimeter, it is demonstrated that the deep dose response of dosimeter provided the value between 0.78 and 1.08, which is within the design limit by ISO standard. This multi-element TL dosimeter badge system allows the discrimination of the incident radiation type between photon and beta by using the ratios of the four TL detectors. Personal TL dosimeter using sintered LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors has the ability to measure a personal dose equivalent H p( d) for a wide range of photon energies.

Beam me up, Doctor McCoy

Interplanetary explorers in science fiction have long worn communicators to keep in voice contact with team members and deliver crucial information just when needed. Wearers simply ask the badge to contact appropriate individuals by name, function, or location-voila, they are connected. Moreover, the badges respond only to their owners, not to nearby casual conversations. They are always light, small, and casually portable. Best yet they are no longer fiction. To see how this concept translates to a real-life working organization with pressing scheduled and a busy staff, I spoke with representatives from Vocera Communications, which has developed a working communicator badge system for mobile users, and from St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, which has deployed the Vocera system. As with other pervasive systems we've covered, this one delivers information directly to mobile workers, at the point of service, thus saving numerous trips to distant telephones, terminals, and PCs to get needed data and messages.

Development of a personal dosimetry system based on optically stimulated luminescence of α-Al 2O 3 : C for mixed radiation fields

To develop a personal (OSL) optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry system for mixed radiation fields using α-Al 2O 3 : C, a discriminating badge filter system was designed by taking advantage of its optically stimulable properties and energy dependencies. This was done by designing a multi-element badge system for powder layered α-Al 2O 3 : C material and an optical reader system based on high-intensity blue light-emitting diode (LED). The design of the multi-element OSL dosimeter badge system developed allows the measurement of a personal dose equivalent value H p( d) in mixed radiation fields of β and γ. Dosimetric properties of the personal OSL dosimeter badge system investigated here were the dose response, energy response and multi-readability. Based on the computational simulations and experiments of the proposed dosimeter design, it was demonstrated that a multi-element dosimeter system with an OSL technology based on α-Al 2O 3 : C is suitable to obtain personal dose equivalent information in mixed radiation fields.

USING THE I2C INTERFACE AND LOCALIZATION INFORMATION TO ACHIEVE PERSONALIZATION OF A DEVICE OPERATION

The article refers to the part of the hardware and software research which concems the problem of personalization of a common used device operation. The proposed solution is bascd on the ABS system (Activc Badge System) developed by ORL (OUvetti research Laboratories) in the United Kingdom, which delivers localization and identification information, and the universal communication interface I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit) developed by PHILIPS. The two abovc mentioned elements were used to create both the system of the automatic video signal flow con- trol and the system to identify a TV program being currently viewed

Building a scalable and efficient component-oriented system using CORBA - an Active Badge system case study

This paper presents experience gathered through the implementation of a CORBA-based localization system for an office environment. The localization system simultaneously preserves the fine-grained object-oriented structure of the system and achieves efficient performance. The presented study is a practical lesson concerning the implementation of a scalable, information-dissemination system. The key idea is to represent a large observable collection of objects by a repository that provides access to them both as individual CORBA objects and as data records. The proper use of this duality may have a substantial impact on the overall system performance. The repository is equipped with a scalable notification mechanism built around the concepts of a notification dispatcher and a notification tree. Fundamental features of the proposed solution are illustrated by a performance study and a representative application.

Regis: a constructive development environment for distributed programs

Regis is a programming environment aimed at supporting the development and execution of distributed programs. It embodies a constructive approach to the development of programs based on separating program structure from communication and computation, The emphasis is on constructing programs from multiple parallel computational components which cooperate to achieve the overall goal. The environment is designed to easily accommodate multiple communication mechanisms and primitives. Both the computational and communication elements of Regis programs are programmed in the object oriented programming language C++. The elements are combined into distributed programs using the configuration language Darwin. The paper describes programming in Regis through a set of small example programs drawn from the implementation of an Active Badge system.

From Achievement to Happiness: Girl Scouting In Middle Tennessee, 1910s-1960s

From Achievement to Happiness: GiW Scouting In Middle Tennessee, 1910s-1960s Elisabeth Israels Perry Girl Scouting, a recreational and framing program for young girls, was founded in the United States in 1912. Its popularity rose steadüy. By 1963,2,835,633 girls were Girl Scouts—one out of every seven girls between the ages of seven and seventeen; 720,250 adults were also in the program, serving as troop leaders, board members, or administrators.1 The size of this membership—a total of over three and a half million people in 1963 alone—indicates that over the course of the twentieth century Girl Scouting has interpreted, transmitted, even shaped sodet/s ideals of womanhood for a significant proportion of the American population. Despite Girl Scouting's popularity, few historians of women have analyzed its influence on partidpants.2 In 1990, when Girl Scout offidals from the program in Middle Tennessee asked for my help in preparing an historical exhibit for their new headquarters, I resisted the topic. Since I assodated the program's annual cookie sale, patriotic exercises, wearing of uniforms and badges, and emphasis on female propriety with an uncritical conformity to prevailing norms for women, I did not see the topic as opening new scholarly territory. Despite my reluctance, the offidals persuaded me to accept the assignment; it was not long before my view of Girl Scouting's influence underwent revision. I approached the project through both Middle Tennessee and national materials. Although the original Girl Scout program had, in fart, conformed to many of the gender norms that prevaüed before the resurgence of American feminism in the 1960s, in some ways it had also broken new ground. The first Girl Scout handbook blended late Victorian values and norms with those assodated with the turn-of-the-century "new woman."3 Thus, at the same time as it inspired girls to be modest and chaste, the program also trained them to "achieve" along lines usually reserved for boys. Using an incentive system of badges, pins, and ranks, it helped girls become self-reHant, informed about the world, and capable of surviving chaUenges and emergendes. Further, although it stressed the overriding importance of women's perfecting of domestic skills in the private realm, it also encouraged women to express their talents and abilities in pubHc. In the early 1930s, however, reflecting the larger culture's drift away from the ideals and rhetoric of the first woman's movement,4 national Girl Scout administrators changed the focus of the program. From emphasizing "achievement," they shifted the program's focus toward "happiness." © 1993 Journal of Women's History, Vol. 5 No. 2 (Fall) 76 Journal of Women's History Fall Although achievement remained a goal, teaching girls what to do to be happy took priority over showing them how to reach high levels of proficiency and become self-reHant. Moreover, the program's early thematic emphasis on the pubHc expression of women's talents disappeared. The resulting program, which remained in place for many decades, offered participants more activities that were "fun" but demanded less of them in terms of concrete accomplishment. My dose study of local Middle Tennessee materials revealed, however , that despite the revisions of the 1930s not aU opportunities to "achieve" through Girl Scouting had vanished. Local materials highHghted two key ways in which such opportunities persisted. First, the personahties of individual troop leaders turned out to be a significant variable in local implementation and experience of the program. Given considerable independence to define their own activities, the individuals who led troops—their ambitions, depth of commitment, and conception of program goals—profoundly influenced the appHcation of Girl Scout prindples. Documents from Middle Tennessee show that highly motivated leaders, women for whom Girl Scouting was not just an opportunity for casual volunteer work with girls but a "philosophy of life," achieved results surprisingly in keeping with the program's original intent. Second, as a female-run organization, Girl Scouting offered local women opportunities for leadership rarely available to them in other agendes. Single women benefitted most from these opportunities, but married women as weU found important roles to play in the organization. Minority women, in particular...

Mixed Field Multi-Element Beta/Gamma Dosemeter Design

Abstract A multi-element TLD badge system has been designed for use with a Teledyne Isotopes TLD system. The badge contains four areas, each with its unique filtration, to allow discrimination between beta and gamma contributions at the various energies present in a mixed radiation field. The active TL element in the badge consists of CaSO4:Dy embedded in Teflon. Filtration from three filter elements allows energy and radiation discrimination in the badge. These filters are designed as follows: (a) a beta shield to filter out 97% of the incident betas; (b) a gamma energy compensation filter to allow dose determination for photon radiation of all energies; and (c) a bias filter to record all high energy photons. Doses recorded by the TL element under each filter are compared with the total dose recorded under an open window. Intercomparisons of recorded doses from these four areas then allow both beta-gamma discrimination and gamma energy discrimination.

A filter method for the active and passive monitoring of sulfur dioxide in workplace air.

A method where sulfur dioxide is collected on impregnated filters (glycerol/potassium hydroxide solution) is described. Sampling can be done either with a pump or by the use of two different passive monitors available on the market. Analysis is made by ion chromatography. The methods have been evaluated and compared with a colorimetric air monitoring badge system (ProTek). Laboratory tests show that the accuracy of the filter methods is acceptable and that samples can be stored. Water vapor does not interfere, but hydrogen sulfide causes a minor decrease in recovery. ProTek has high accuracy but storage tends to decrease the recovery. Field tests in a steel rolling mill and a sulfate pulp mill showed a fairly good correspondence between the methods.

Development and evaluation of field methods for ammonia in air.

Three methods for measuring ammonia in air have been evaluated. Filters impregnated with 10% (volume/volume) phosphoric acid in methanol were used for two methods. Sampling was done either with a filter cassette connected to a pump or with the filters placed in a passive monitor (Gasbadge). The filters were leached with distilled water after the sampling and analyzed with ion chromatography or colorimetry (Nessler). The third method tested was a colorimetric air-monitoring badge system (ProTek). The tests showed that the accuracy of the filter methods is good and that the results are not affected by humidity. If ion chromatography is used for the analysis, amines do not interfere. The Gasbadge monitors increased their uptake when the air velocity over the sampler was raised from 0.2 to 1.0 m/s. The accuracy of the ProTek method was poor, the method was biased, and blank samples showed high values. In field tests carried out in a foundry and at a fertilizer plant, the agreement between the filter methods was good, whereas the results of the ProTek method deviated drastically from those of the other methods.

A new passive colorimetric air monitoring badge system for ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide

A new passive colorimetric air monitoring badge system has been developed to determine the time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of specific inorganic vapor contaminants in air. The system consists of a small passive badge which either can be worn by employees for personal monitoring or used as an area monitor and a portable colorimetric readout instrument which determines the exposure dose in ppm-hours. To date, systems have been developed for ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, and they will meet or exceed both NIOSH and OSH A accuracy requirements. The overall performance of these systems, based on laboratory tests designed to show overall accuracy, linearity, and environmental effects, is described. Field test results are also presented.

〔48〕個人被曝線量計の現状

Basic considerations on the significance of personnel dosimeters are discussed, followed by an analytic examination of the factors that affect the precision and accuracy of the dose measurements. The factors are classified into the four categories of: (1) theoretical characteristics based upon the dose measuring principles, (2) quality control techniques applied to the detector elements and measuring instruments, (3) techniques of pre-, and/or post-irradiation treatments, (4) techniques of normalization against dose standards.Using the national exposure standards issued by ETL, four kinds of personnel dosimeters currently used in Japan (Film-Badge, Pocket Dosimeter, Glass Dosimeter and Thermoluminescence Dosimeter) were inspected. The results obtained are presented with reference to (1) systematically and objectively reconsidered theoretical characteristics such as the energy response, and (2) data indicating the level of reliability of personnel dose monitoring systems available today in Japan.The results reveal that the reliability is largely dependent on the suitability of the monitoring system for securing good traceability against the dose standards, and on proper post-irradiation treatment. It is concluded that among the four kinds of dosimeters, the film badge system appears to be sometimes most doubtful in accuracy.In view of the increasing importance of measurements of geneticaly significant dose, medically considered scattering radiation dose, and environmental radiation dose, the reliability of the available personnel dose measurements would appear to call for improvement the world over.