Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System: Indigenous Australian Adaptation Model (ABAS: IAAM)

Science.gov (United States)

du Plessis, Santie

2015-01-01

The study objectives were to develop, trial and evaluate a cross-cultural adaptation of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition Teacher Form (ABAS-II TF) ages 5-21 for use with Indigenous Australian students ages 5-14. This study introduced a multiphase mixed-method design with semi-structured and informal interviews, school…

Assessing institutional capacities to adapt to climate change: integrating psychological dimensions in the Adaptive Capacity Wheel

Science.gov (United States)

Grothmann, T.; Grecksch, K.; Winges, M.; Siebenhüner, B.

2013-12-01

Several case studies show that social factors like institutions, perceptions and social capital strongly affect social capacities to adapt to climate change. Together with economic and technological development they are important for building social capacities. However, there are almost no methodologies for the systematic assessment of social factors. After reviewing existing methodologies we identify the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW) by Gupta et al. (2010), developed for assessing the adaptive capacity of institutions, as the most comprehensive and operationalised framework to assess social factors. The ACW differentiates 22 criteria to assess 6 dimensions: variety, learning capacity, room for autonomous change, leadership, availability of resources, fair governance. To include important psychological factors we extended the ACW by two dimensions: "adaptation motivation" refers to actors' motivation to realise, support and/or promote adaptation to climate; "adaptation belief" refers to actors' perceptions of realisability and effectiveness of adaptation measures. We applied the extended ACW to assess adaptive capacities of four sectors - water management, flood/coastal protection, civil protection and regional planning - in northwestern Germany. The assessments of adaptation motivation and belief provided a clear added value. The results also revealed some methodological problems in applying the ACW (e.g. overlap of dimensions), for which we propose methodological solutions.

Assessment of the second conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eklund, S A [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

1964-08-15

Full text: (Sigvard A. Eklund, Conference Secretary General of the Second Conference, 1958). The Geneva Conference of 1958 was up to then the world's biggest and most comprehensive conference concerned with science and technology. Its description - the peaceful uses of atomic energy - was somewhat deceptive, since the conference covered not only engineering applications and energy problems but the nuclear sciences as a whole. It promoted specialized information, but at the same time attempted to counteract the tendency for overspecialization by attracting scientists and technicians from all the various disciplines which have contributed to the development of atomic energy. Such a big international meeting held under the auspices of the United Nations was effective in a manner different to that of smaller meetings in that it stimulated Governments to release and review material which otherwise might have remained undigested or buried in sometimes inaccessible reports and documents. The timing of the conference was propitious. The advanced countries had successfully operated research reactors long enough to enable the less advanced nations to be provided with much needed information; radioisotopes had become available on a relatively large scale and at lower prices. Consequently research, which had previously been restricted to a small number of privileged institutions, could be carried out anywhere; industry could freely benefit from the same tools; and - perhaps most important from the human aspect - methods could be introduced in medicine which offered new possibilities. In theoretical physics a whole series of newly discovered particles with intriguing properties stimulated the imagination of physicists. After an experimental and testing period the first power reactors were going into operation. Data and experience on fuel and on constructional problems had become available which justified a technical evaluation of the situation. Following the 1955 conference

Assessment of the second conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eklund, S.A.

1964-01-01

Full text: (Sigvard A. Eklund, Conference Secretary General of the Second Conference, 1958). The Geneva Conference of 1958 was up to then the world's biggest and most comprehensive conference concerned with science and technology. Its description - the peaceful uses of atomic energy - was somewhat deceptive, since the conference covered not only engineering applications and energy problems but the nuclear sciences as a whole. It promoted specialized information, but at the same time attempted to counteract the tendency for overspecialization by attracting scientists and technicians from all the various disciplines which have contributed to the development of atomic energy. Such a big international meeting held under the auspices of the United Nations was effective in a manner different to that of smaller meetings in that it stimulated Governments to release and review material which otherwise might have remained undigested or buried in sometimes inaccessible reports and documents. The timing of the conference was propitious. The advanced countries had successfully operated research reactors long enough to enable the less advanced nations to be provided with much needed information; radioisotopes had become available on a relatively large scale and at lower prices. Consequently research, which had previously been restricted to a small number of privileged institutions, could be carried out anywhere; industry could freely benefit from the same tools; and - perhaps most important from the human aspect - methods could be introduced in medicine which offered new possibilities. In theoretical physics a whole series of newly discovered particles with intriguing properties stimulated the imagination of physicists. After an experimental and testing period the first power reactors were going into operation. Data and experience on fuel and on constructional problems had become available which justified a technical evaluation of the situation. Following the 1955 conference

Network-topology-adaptive quantum conference protocols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Sheng; Wang Jian; Tang Chao-Jing; Zhang Quan

2011-01-01

As an important application of the quantum network communication, quantum multiparty conference has made multiparty secret communication possible. Previous quantum multiparty conference schemes based on quantum data encryption are insensitive to network topology. However, the topology of the quantum network significantly affects the communication efficiency, e.g., parallel transmission in a channel with limited bandwidth. We have proposed two distinctive protocols, which work in two basic network topologies with efficiency higher than the existing ones. We first present a protocol which works in the reticulate network using Greeberger—Horne—Zeilinger states and entanglement swapping. Another protocol, based on quantum multicasting with quantum data compression, which can improve the efficiency of the network, works in the star-like network. The security of our protocols is guaranteed by quantum key distribution and one-time-pad encryption. In general, the two protocols can be applied to any quantum network where the topology can be equivalently transformed to one of the two structures we propose in our protocols. (general)

Assessing institutional capacities to adapt to climate change - integrating psychological dimensions in the Adaptive Capacity Wheel

Science.gov (United States)

Grothmann, T.; Grecksch, K.; Winges, M.; Siebenhüner, B.

2013-03-01

Several case studies show that "soft social factors" (e.g. institutions, perceptions, social capital) strongly affect social capacities to adapt to climate change. Many soft social factors can probably be changed faster than "hard social factors" (e.g. economic and technological development) and are therefore particularly important for building social capacities. However, there are almost no methodologies for the systematic assessment of soft social factors. Gupta et al. (2010) have developed the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW) for assessing the adaptive capacity of institutions. The ACW differentiates 22 criteria to assess six dimensions: variety, learning capacity, room for autonomous change, leadership, availability of resources, fair governance. To include important psychological factors we extended the ACW by two dimensions: "adaptation motivation" refers to actors' motivation to realise, support and/or promote adaptation to climate. "Adaptation belief" refers to actors' perceptions of realisability and effectiveness of adaptation measures. We applied the extended ACW to assess adaptive capacities of four sectors - water management, flood/coastal protection, civil protection and regional planning - in North Western Germany. The assessments of adaptation motivation and belief provided a clear added value. The results also revealed some methodological problems in applying the ACW (e.g. overlap of dimensions), for which we propose methodological solutions.

EDITORIAL: Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2010 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 10) (Philadelphia, PA, USA, 28 September-1 October 2010) Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2010 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 10) (Philadelphia, PA, USA, 28 September-1 October 2010)

Science.gov (United States)

Brei, Diann

2011-09-01

The third annual meeting of the AMSE/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) took place in the heart of historic Philadelphia's cultural district, and included a pioneer banquet in the National Constitutional Center. The applications emphasis of the 2010 conference was reflected in keynote talks by Dr Alan Taub, vice president of General Motors global research and development, 'Smart materials in the automotive industry'; Dr Charles R Farrar, engineering institute leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 'Future directions for structural health monitoring of civil engineering infrastructure'; and Professor Christopher S Lynch of the University of California Los Angeles, 'Ferroelectric materials and their applications'. The SMASIS conference was divided into six technical symposia each of which included basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. The six symposia were: SYMP 1 Multifunctional Materials; SYMP 2 Active Materials, Mechanics and Behavior; SYMP 3 Modeling, Simulation and Control; SYMP 4 Enabling Technologies and Integrated System Design; SYMP 5 Structural Health Monitoring/NDE; and SYMP 6 Bio-inspired Smart Materials and Structures. In addition, the conference introduced a new student and young professional development symposium. Authors of papers in the materials areas (symposia 1, 2 and 6) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this special issue of Smart Materials and Structures. This set of papers demonstrates the exceptional quality and originality of the conference presentations. We are appreciative of their efforts in producing this collection of highly relevant articles on smart materials.

The Adaptation Gap Report - a Preliminary Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alverson, Keith; Olhoff, Anne; Noble, Ian

This first Adaptation Gap report provides an equally sobering assessment of the gap between adaptation needs and reality, based on preliminary thinking on how baselines, future goals or targets, and gaps between them might be defined for climate change adaptation. The report focuses on gaps...... in developing countries in three important areas: finance, technology and knowledge....

Assessing the effectiveness of climate adaptation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Simon

2011-10-15

As governments and other agencies spend more money on adaptation to climate change they want to know that their investments are effective — that adaptation will keep development on track, that there is a fair distribution of costs and benefits, and that climate resilience is being built. But monitoring and evaluating adaptation policy and practice is not easy. Some approaches are unhelpful because they fail to integrate adaptation and development, use purely quantitative methods and do not include the perspectives of climate-vulnerable groups in their assessments. Enabling countries and organisations to effectively evaluate adaptation requires an inclusive approach built on sharing knowledge among all stakeholders — one that can capture behavioural and institutional changes and that answers to the needs of the climate-vulnerable poor.

Walking adaptability after a stroke and its assessment in clinical settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, Chitralakshmi K; Clark, David J; Fox, Emily J

2014-01-01

Control of walking has been described by a tripartite model consisting of stepping, equilibrium, and adaptability. This review focuses on walking adaptability, which is defined as the ability to modify walking to meet task goals and environmental demands. Walking adaptability is crucial to safe ambulation in the home and community environments and is often severely compromised after a stroke. Yet quantification of walking adaptability after stroke has received relatively little attention in the clinical setting. The objectives of this review were to examine the conceptual challenges for clinical measurement of walking adaptability and summarize the current state of clinical assessment for walking adaptability. We created nine domains of walking adaptability from dimensions of community mobility to address the conceptual challenges in measurement and reviewed performance-based clinical assessments of walking to determine if the assessments measure walking adaptability in these domains. Our literature review suggests the lack of a comprehensive well-tested clinical assessment tool for measuring walking adaptability. Accordingly, recommendations for the development of a comprehensive clinical assessment of walking adaptability after stroke have been presented. Such a clinical assessment will be essential for gauging recovery of walking adaptability with rehabilitation and for motivating novel strategies to enhance recovery of walking adaptability after stroke.

Towards Computerized Adaptive Assessment Based on Structured Tasks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tvarožek, Jozef; Kravcik, Milos; Bieliková, Mária

2008-01-01

Tvarožek, J., Kravčík, M., & Bieliková, M. (2008). Towards Computerized Adaptive Assessment Based on Structured Tasks. In W. Nejdl et al. (Eds.), Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-Based Systems (pp. 224-234). Springer Berlin / Heidelberg.

Adaptation in integrated assessment modeling: where do we stand?

OpenAIRE

Patt, A.; van Vuuren, D.P.; Berkhout, F.G.H.; Aaheim, A.; Hof, A.F.; Isaac, M.; Mechler, R.

2010-01-01

Adaptation is an important element on the climate change policy agenda. Integrated assessment models, which are key tools to assess climate change policies, have begun to address adaptation, either by including it implicitly in damage cost estimates, or by making it an explicit control variable. We analyze how modelers have chosen to describe adaptation within an integrated framework, and suggest many ways they could improve the treatment of adaptation by considering more of its bottom-up cha...

Adaptive and active materials: selected papers from the ASME 2013 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 13) (Snowbird, UT, USA, 16-18 September 2013)

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Nancy; Naguib, Hani; Turner, Travis; Anderson, Iain; Bassiri-Gharb, Nazanin; Daqaq, Mohammed; Baba Sundaresan, Vishnu; Sarles, Andy

2014-10-01

The sixth annual meeting of the ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) was held in the beautiful mountain encircled Snowbird Resort and Conference Center in Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the conference's objective to provide an up-to-date overview of research trends in the entire field of smart materials systems in a friendly casual forum conducive to the exchange of ideas and latest results. As each year we strive to grow and offer new experiences, this year we included special focused topic tracks on nanoscale multiferroic materials and origami engineering. The cross-disciplinary emphasis was reflected in keynote speeches by Professor Kaushik Bhattacharya (California Institute of Technology) on 'Cyclic Deformation and the Interplay between Phase Transformation and Plasticity in Shape Memory Alloys', by Professor Alison Flatau (University of Maryland at College Park) on 'Structural Magnetostrictive Alloys: The Other Smart Material', and by Dr Leslie Momoda (Director of the Sensors and Materials Laboratories, HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA) on 'Architecturing New Functional Materials: An Industrial Perspective'. SMASIS 2013 was divided into seven symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. SYMP 1. Development and Characterization of Multifunctional Materials. SYMP 2. Mechanics and Behavior of Active Materials. SYMP 3. Modeling, Simulation and Control of Adaptive Systems. SYMP 4. Integrated System Design and Implementation. SYMP 5. Structural Health Monitoring. SYMP 6. Bioinspired Smart Materials and Systems. SYMP 7. Energy Harvesting. Authors of selected papers in the materials areas (symposia 1, 2, and 6) as well as energy harvesting (symposium 7) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this special issue of Smart

Adaptive Assessment of Young Children with Visual Impairment

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiter, Selma; Nakken, Han; Janssen, Marleen; Van Der Meulen, Bieuwe; Looijestijn, Paul

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of adaptations for children with low vision of the Bayley Scales, a standardized developmental instrument widely used to assess development in young children. Low vision adaptations were made to the procedures, item instructions and play material of the Dutch version of the Bayley Scales of Infant…

The Future of Exposure Assessment: Perspectives from the X2012 Conference

Science.gov (United States)

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, in collaboration with the Institute of Occupational Medicine, the University of Manchester, the UK Health and Safety Executive, and the University of Aberdeen hosted the 7th International Conference on the Science of Exposure Assessment (...

Assessing Working Memory in Spanish-Speaking Children: Automated Working Memory Assessment Battery Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Injoque-Ricle, Irene; Calero, Alejandra D.; Alloway, Tracy P.; Burin, Debora I.

2011-01-01

The Automated Working Memory Assessment battery was designed to assess verbal and visuospatial passive and active working memory processing in children and adolescents. The aim of this paper is to present the adaptation and validation of the AWMA battery to Argentinean Spanish-speaking children aged 6 to 11 years. Verbal subtests were adapted and…

Adaptation in integrated assessment modeling: where do we stand?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Patt, A.; van Vuuren, D.P.; Berkhout, F.G.H.; Aaheim, A.; Hof, A.F.; Isaac, M.; Mechler, R.

2010-01-01

Adaptation is an important element on the climate change policy agenda. Integrated assessment models, which are key tools to assess climate change policies, have begun to address adaptation, either by including it implicitly in damage cost estimates, or by making it an explicit control variable. We

Facial soft-tissue fillers conference: assessing the state of the science.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohrich, Rod J; Hanke, C William; Busso, Mariano; Carruthers, Alastair; Carruthers, Jean; Fagien, Steven; Fitzgerald, Rebecca; Glogau, Richard; Greenberger, Phyllis E; Lorenc, Z Paul; Marmur, Ellen S; Monheit, Gary D; Pusic, Andrea; Rubin, Mark G; Rzany, Berthold; Sclafani, Anthony; Taylor, Susan; Weinkle, Susan; McGuire, Michael F; Pariser, David M; Casas, Laurie A; Collishaw, Karen J; Dailey, Roger A; Duffy, Stephen C; Edgar, Elizabeth Jan; Greenan, Barbara L; Haenlein, Kelly; Henrichs, Ronald A; Hume, Keith M; Lum, Flora; Nielsen, David R; Poulsen, Lisle; Shoaf, Lori; Schoaf, Lori; Seward, William; Begolka, Wendy Smith; Stanton, Robert G; Svedman, Katherine J; Thomas, J Regan; Sykes, Jonathan M; Wargo, Carol; Weiss, Robert A

2011-04-01

: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Academy of Dermatology, with the support of other sister societies, conducted the Facial Soft-Tissue Fillers: Assessing the State of the Science conference in December of 2009. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Academy of Dermatology established a panel of leading experts in the field of soft-tissue fillers-from researchers to clinicians-and other stakeholders for the conference to examine and discuss issues of patient safety, efficacy, and effectiveness in relation to the approved and off-label use of soft-tissue fillers, and other factors, including the training and level of experience of individuals administering fillers. This report represents the systematic literature review that examines comprehensively the available evidence and gaps in the evidence related to soft-tissue fillers, to inform and support the work of the state-of-the-science conference panel. This evidence-based medicine review will serve as the foundation for future evidence-based medicine reports in this growing field.

The Adaptation Finance Gap Update - with insights from the INDCs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olhoff, Anne; Bee, Skylar; Puig, Daniel

In 2014 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published its first global Adaptation Gap Report (AGR 2014) (UNEP, 2014), which put forward a preliminary framework for assessing adaptation gaps along with an initial assessment in three selected areas: finance, technology and knowledge....... Further to the positive reception of this report, several countries requested UNEP to produce follow up reports focusing on specific adaptation gaps. In response to these requests, UNEP has commissioned a new report with a special focus on finance gaps and options to bridge them. The report...... will be published in the spring of 2016. This update is intended as an input to discussions at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It brings together key findings on adaptation costs and finance from AGR 2014...

Assessment of the first conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitmann, W G

1964-08-15

Full text: (Professor Whitmann was Secretary-General of the 1955 Conference). The dramatic lifting of the Iron Curtain, which had for decades sealed off communication between East and West, was the outstanding feature of the first United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955. Many scientists had doubted that a truly scientific meeting would be permitted by governments, and had predicted that science would be submerged by political propaganda. Could this United Nations initiative be a creative instrumentality toward realizing that 'Open World' which Niels Bohr advocated with such eloquence? The Conference fully lived up to Mr. Hammarskjold's hopes that it would inaugurate a new era in intercommunication. Participating scientists were enthusiastic over the opportunity for direct association and discussion in a professional atmosphere, without significant political intervention. To laymen everywhere, the knowledge that the world's scientific elite was exchanging information and ideas about nuclear energy, with the purpose of developing its potential benefits to mankind, was most heartening. Here was long-delayed evidence of international co-operation. Papers and seminars on pure science were, naturally enough, more in evidence than those on engineering applications, both because of the relative state of knowledge and because of reticence to disclose engineering 'know-how' to potential competitors. Furthermore, it is quite evident in retrospect that the prospects for economical nuclear power at an early date were over-estimated by the enthusiasts. Even so, the creation of a body of informed opinion was an essential step to stimulate further research, design and sound economic analysis for the eventual development of useful power from the atom. A most significant initiative of this Conference was the recruiting of an international group of scientists within the staff of the United Nations to plan, to guide and to operate the

Assessment of the first conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitmann, W.G.

1964-01-01

Full text: (Professor Whitmann was Secretary-General of the 1955 Conference). The dramatic lifting of the Iron Curtain, which had for decades sealed off communication between East and West, was the outstanding feature of the first United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955. Many scientists had doubted that a truly scientific meeting would be permitted by governments, and had predicted that science would be submerged by political propaganda. Could this United Nations initiative be a creative instrumentality toward realizing that 'Open World' which Niels Bohr advocated with such eloquence? The Conference fully lived up to Mr. Hammarskjold's hopes that it would inaugurate a new era in intercommunication. Participating scientists were enthusiastic over the opportunity for direct association and discussion in a professional atmosphere, without significant political intervention. To laymen everywhere, the knowledge that the world's scientific elite was exchanging information and ideas about nuclear energy, with the purpose of developing its potential benefits to mankind, was most heartening. Here was long-delayed evidence of international co-operation. Papers and seminars on pure science were, naturally enough, more in evidence than those on engineering applications, both because of the relative state of knowledge and because of reticence to disclose engineering 'know-how' to potential competitors. Furthermore, it is quite evident in retrospect that the prospects for economical nuclear power at an early date were over-estimated by the enthusiasts. Even so, the creation of a body of informed opinion was an essential step to stimulate further research, design and sound economic analysis for the eventual development of useful power from the atom. A most significant initiative of this Conference was the recruiting of an international group of scientists within the staff of the United Nations to plan, to guide and to operate the

Psychological adaptations for assessing gossip veracity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Nicole H; Hagen, Edward H

2006-09-01

Evolutionary models of human cooperation are increasingly emphasizing the role of reputation and the requisite truthful "gossiping" about reputation-relevant behavior. If resources were allocated among individuals according to their reputations, competition for resources via competition for "good" reputations would have created incentives for exaggerated or deceptive gossip about oneself and one's competitors in ancestral societies. Correspondingly, humans should have psychological adaptations to assess gossip veracity. Using social psychological methods, we explored cues of gossip veracity in four experiments. We found that simple reiteration increased gossip veracity, but only for those who found the gossip relatively uninteresting. Multiple sources of gossip increased its veracity, as did the independence of those sources. Information that suggested alternative, benign interpretations of gossip decreased its veracity. Competition between a gossiper and her target decreased gossip veracity. These results provide preliminary evidence for psychological adaptations for assessing gossip veracity, mechanisms that might be used to assess veracity in other domains involving social exchange of information.

Adaptive and active materials: selected papers from the ASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 12) (Stone Mountain, GA, USA, 19-21 September 2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Seelecke, Stefan; Erturk, Alper; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Naguib, Hani; Huber, John; Turner, Travis; Anderson, Iain; Philen, Michael; Baba Sundaresan, Vishnu

2013-09-01

The fifth annual meeting of the ASME/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) was held in beautiful Stone Mountain near Atlanta, GA. It is the conference's objective to provide an up-to-date overview of research trends in the entire field of smart materials systems. This was reflected in keynote speeches by Professor Eduard Arzt (Institute of New Materials and Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany) on 'Micro-patterned artificial 'Gecko' surfaces: a path to switchable adhesive function', by Professor Ray H Baughman (The Alan G MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas) on 'The diverse and growing family of carbon nanotube and related artificial muscles', and by Professor Richard James (University of Minnesota) on 'The direct conversion of heat to electricity using multiferroic materials with phase transformations'. SMASIS 2012 was divided into eight symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. • SYMP 1. Development and characterization of multifunctional materials. • SYMP 2. Mechanics and behavior of active materials. • SYMP 3. Modeling, simulation and control of adaptive systems. • SYMP 4. Integrated system design and implementation. • SYMP 5. Structural health monitoring/NDE. • SYMP 6. Bio-inspired materials and systems. • SYMP 7. Energy harvesting. • SYMP 8. Structural and materials logic. This year we were particularly excited to introduce a new symposium on energy harvesting, which has quickly matured from a special track in previous years to an independent symposium for the first time. The subject cuts across fields by studying different materials, ranging from piezoelectrics to electroactive polymers, as well as by emphasizing different energy sources from wind to waves and ambient vibrations. Modeling, experimental studies, and technology applications all

Impact of environmental adaptation on tear film assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagehi, R

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ocular environmental adaptation on clinical tear film assessment. Thirty subjects (male, mean age 23±2.5) participated in this study. A number of clinical tear film tests were applied, including: fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT), Schirmer test and tear prism height test (TPH). The tear physiology of each subject was evaluated twice, once immediately when they arrived from the external environment, and then after 30minutes adaptation in the exam room environment. The mean values were: Schirmer test A (22.1±2.99), Schirmer test B (24.2±2.63), FTBUT A (8.00±1.94), FTBUT B (9.13±2.04), TPH A (0.179±0.026) and TPH B* (0.187±0.023). Statistical testing using Wilcoxon-signed rank test showed a significant difference between the Schirmer test results measured at the different times (P=0.008). Also, the FTBUT and tear prism height test results showed significant differences between the two evaluation times, (P=0.001, 0.011, respectively) (A: tear assessed when the subject comes from the outside environment, B: tear film assessed after 30min adaptation in the clinical environment). This study showed a significant difference between the tear film test results evaluated when the subjects were assessed immediately from the outside environment and after an adaptation time in the clinic environment. Practitioners must consider the effect of differences between external and clinical environment adaptation on clinical tear film physiology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for smallholder agricultural systems in Uganda. ... from encroaching on swamps, which is one of the reported adaptation strategies to climate related stresses. Improving productivity of important crops (bananas for southwest, and sweet potatoes and bananas

Adaptive optics imaging of the retina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajani Battu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Adaptive optics is a relatively new tool that is available to ophthalmologists for study of cellular level details. In addition to the axial resolution provided by the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, adaptive optics provides an excellent lateral resolution, enabling visualization of the photoreceptors, blood vessels and details of the optic nerve head. We attempt a mini review of the current role of adaptive optics in retinal imaging. PubMed search was performed with key words Adaptive optics OR Retina OR Retinal imaging. Conference abstracts were searched from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO and American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO meetings. In total, 261 relevant publications and 389 conference abstracts were identified.

PREFACE: 11th International Conference on Damage Assessment of Structures (DAMAS 2015)

Science.gov (United States)

Wahab, M. A.

2015-07-01

This volume contains the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Damage Assessment of Structures (DAMAS) 2015. DAMAS has a long history of almost 20 years. The first DAMAS conference took place in 1995 (Pescara, Italy), followed by a biannual meeting in 1997 (Sheffield, UK), 1999 (Dublin, Ireland), 2001 (Cardiff, UK), 2003 (Southampton, UK), 2005 (Gdansk, Poland), 2007 (Torino, Italy), 2009 (Beijing, China), 2011 (Oxford, UK) and 2013 (Dublin, Ireland). The eleventh edition of DAMAS conference series, DAMAS 2015, is hosted by Ghent University, Belgium, and is held at the congress center Het Pand in Ghent city. Ghent is the capital and the largest city of the East Flanders province of the Flemish region of Belgium. Het Pand is the culture and congress center of Ghent University and is a historical monument. The conference is established as a major international forum for research topics relevant to damage assessment of engineering structures and systems including numerical simulations, signal processing of sensor measurements and theoretical techniques as well as experimental case studies. The presentations of DAMAS 2015 are divided into 6 main sessions, namely 1) Structural Health and Condition Monitoring, 2) Damage in Civil Engineering, 3) Damage in Machineries, 4) Damage in Composite Materials, 5) Sensing and Sensors and 6) Signal Processing. The organising committee is grateful to keynote speakers; Professor Guido De Roeck, Head of Structural Mechanics Division, KULeuven, Belgium, for his keynote lecture entitled 'Structural Health Monitoring: highlights and challenges', Professor Weidong Zhu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, USA, for his keynote lecture entitled 'Vibration-based Structural Damage Detection: Theory and Applications' and Professor Wieslaw Ostachowicz, Head of the Laboratory of Active Materials and Smart Structures, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, for his keynote lecture entitled 'Damage Assessment and

Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy

Science.gov (United States)

Adger, W. Neil; Brown, Iain; Surminski, Swenja

2018-01-01

Climate change risk assessment involves formal analysis of the consequences, likelihoods and responses to the impacts of climate change and the options for addressing these under societal constraints. Conventional approaches to risk assessment are challenged by the significant temporal and spatial dynamics of climate change; by the amplification of risks through societal preferences and values; and through the interaction of multiple risk factors. This paper introduces the theme issue by reviewing the current practice and frontiers of climate change risk assessment, with specific emphasis on the development of adaptation policy that aims to manage those risks. These frontiers include integrated assessments, dealing with climate risks across borders and scales, addressing systemic risks, and innovative co-production methods to prioritize solutions to climate challenges with decision-makers. By reviewing recent developments in the use of large-scale risk assessment for adaptation policy-making, we suggest a forward-looking research agenda to meet ongoing strategic policy requirements in local, national and international contexts. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy’. PMID:29712800

Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Adger, W Neil; Brown, Iain; Surminski, Swenja

2018-06-13

Climate change risk assessment involves formal analysis of the consequences, likelihoods and responses to the impacts of climate change and the options for addressing these under societal constraints. Conventional approaches to risk assessment are challenged by the significant temporal and spatial dynamics of climate change; by the amplification of risks through societal preferences and values; and through the interaction of multiple risk factors. This paper introduces the theme issue by reviewing the current practice and frontiers of climate change risk assessment, with specific emphasis on the development of adaptation policy that aims to manage those risks. These frontiers include integrated assessments, dealing with climate risks across borders and scales, addressing systemic risks, and innovative co-production methods to prioritize solutions to climate challenges with decision-makers. By reviewing recent developments in the use of large-scale risk assessment for adaptation policy-making, we suggest a forward-looking research agenda to meet ongoing strategic policy requirements in local, national and international contexts.This article is part of the theme issue 'Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy

Science.gov (United States)

Adger, W. Neil; Brown, Iain; Surminski, Swenja

2018-06-01

Climate change risk assessment involves formal analysis of the consequences, likelihoods and responses to the impacts of climate change and the options for addressing these under societal constraints. Conventional approaches to risk assessment are challenged by the significant temporal and spatial dynamics of climate change; by the amplification of risks through societal preferences and values; and through the interaction of multiple risk factors. This paper introduces the theme issue by reviewing the current practice and frontiers of climate change risk assessment, with specific emphasis on the development of adaptation policy that aims to manage those risks. These frontiers include integrated assessments, dealing with climate risks across borders and scales, addressing systemic risks, and innovative co-production methods to prioritize solutions to climate challenges with decision-makers. By reviewing recent developments in the use of large-scale risk assessment for adaptation policy-making, we suggest a forward-looking research agenda to meet ongoing strategic policy requirements in local, national and international contexts. This article is part of the theme issue `Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'.

IDRC at the Adaptation Futures Conference | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2018-06-07

Jun 7, 2018 ... Mapping the frontiers of adaptation research in the Global South: Identifying ... from climate insurance and risk pooling research in Africa and Asia ... and private investment in adaptation and mainstreaming adaptation finance.

Conference Analysis Report of Assessments on Defect and Damage for a High Temperature Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyeong Yeon

2008-11-01

This report presents the analysis on the state-of-the-art research trends on creep-fatigue damage, defect assessment of high temperature structure, development of heat resistant materials and their behavior at high temperature based on the papers presented in the two international conferences of ASME PVP 2008 which was held in Chicago in July 2008 and CF-5(5th International Conference on Creep, Fatigue and Creep-Fatigue) which was held in Kalpakkam, India in September 2008

Conference Analysis Report of Assessments on Defect and Damage for a High Temperature Structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyeong Yeon

2008-11-15

This report presents the analysis on the state-of-the-art research trends on creep-fatigue damage, defect assessment of high temperature structure, development of heat resistant materials and their behavior at high temperature based on the papers presented in the two international conferences of ASME PVP 2008 which was held in Chicago in July 2008 and CF-5(5th International Conference on Creep, Fatigue and Creep-Fatigue) which was held in Kalpakkam, India in September 2008.

Knowledge and institutional requirements to promote land degradation neutrality in drylands - An analysis of the outcomes of the 3rd UNCCD scientific conference

Science.gov (United States)

Akhtar-Schuster, Mariam; Safriel, Uriel; Abraham, Elena; de Vente, Joris; Essahli, Wafa; Escadafal, Richard; Stringer, Lindsay

2015-04-01

Achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN) through sustainable land management (SLM) targets the maintenance or restoration of the productivity of land, and therefore has to include decision-makers, knowledge generators and knowledge holders at the different relevant geographic scales. In order to enhance the implementation of the Convention, the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification therefore decided that each future session of its Committee on Science and Technology (CST) would be organized in a predominantly scientific and technical conference-style format. This contribution will outline the major outcomes of UNCCD's 3rd scientific conference that will be held in Cancún, Mexico, from 9 to 12 March 2015, on addressing desertification, land degradation and drought issues (DLDD) for poverty reduction and sustainable development. The conference follows an exceptional new round table conference format that will allow the various stakeholders to discuss scientific as well as the contribution of traditional knowledge and practices in combating land degradation. This format should provide two-way communication and enable deeper insight into the availability and contribution of all forms of knowledge for achieving LDN through the assessment of: • the vulnerability of lands to DLDD and climate change and the adaptive capacities of socio-ecosystems; • best examples of adapted, knowledge-based practices and technologies; • monitoring and assessment methods to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation practices and technologies. The outcomes of UNCCD's 3rd scientific conference will serve as a basis for discussing: • contributions of science to diagnose the status of land; • research gaps that need to be addressed to achieve LDN for poverty reduction; • additional institutional requirements to optimally bridge knowledge generation, knowledge maintenance and knowledge implementation at the science

Resolution VII International Conference Working Group on Birds of Prey of Northern Eurasia “Birds of Prey of Northern Eurasia: Problems and Adaptation Under Modern Conditions”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor V. Karyakin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available From 19 to 24 September, 2016 VII International Conference of the Working Group on Raptors of Northern Eurasia “Birds of prey of Northern Eurasia: problems and adaptation under modern conditions” was held on the basis of the Sochi National Park. Materials for the conference were presented by 198 ornithologists from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Estonia and the USA, who published 148 articles in two collections “Birds of prey of Northern Eurasia” and “Palearctic Harriers”.

Climate challenge 2012: growth and climate change - Socio-economical impacts of climate change. Conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orange-Louboutin, Mylene; Robinet, Olivier; Delalande, Daniel; Reysset, Bertrand; De Perthuis, Christian; Le Treut, Herve; Cottenceau, Jean-Baptiste; Ayong, Alain; Daubaire, Aurelien; Gaudin, Thomas

2012-01-01

The contributions of this conference session proposed comments and discussion on the relationship between climate change and 'green' growth, on the status of scientific knowledge on climate change (from global to local), on the way to perform carbon print assessment and to decide which actions to implement, on the costs and opportunity of impacts of climate change, on the economy of adaptation, on the benefits and costs of the adaptation policy, and on impacts of climate change on employment in quantitative terms and in terms of profession types

Flexible Adaptivity in AEHS Using Policies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koesling, Arne; Krause, Daniel; Herder, Eelco

2008-01-01

Koesling, A., Krause, D., & Herder, E. (2008). Flexible Adaptivity in AEHS Using Policies. In W. Nejdl, J. Kay, P. Pu & E. Herder (Eds.), Proceedings Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-Based Systems 5th International Conference, AH 2008 (pp. 410-415). July 29-August, 1, 2008, Hannover, Germany:

Assessing and Exploiting Functional Diversity in Germplasm Pools to Enhance Abiotic Stress Adaptation and Yield in Cereals and Food Legumes

Science.gov (United States)

Dwivedi, Sangam L.; Scheben, Armin; Edwards, David; Spillane, Charles; Ortiz, Rodomiro

2017-01-01

There is a need to accelerate crop improvement by introducing alleles conferring host plant resistance, abiotic stress adaptation, and high yield potential. Elite cultivars, landraces and wild relatives harbor useful genetic variation that needs to be more easily utilized in plant breeding. We review genome-wide approaches for assessing and identifying alleles associated with desirable agronomic traits in diverse germplasm pools of cereals and legumes. Major quantitative trait loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with desirable agronomic traits have been deployed to enhance crop productivity and resilience. These include alleles associated with variation conferring enhanced photoperiod and flowering traits. Genetic variants in the florigen pathway can provide both environmental flexibility and improved yields. SNPs associated with length of growing season and tolerance to abiotic stresses (precipitation, high temperature) are valuable resources for accelerating breeding for drought-prone environments. Both genomic selection and genome editing can also harness allelic diversity and increase productivity by improving multiple traits, including phenology, plant architecture, yield potential and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Discovering rare alleles and useful haplotypes also provides opportunities to enhance abiotic stress adaptation, while epigenetic variation has potential to enhance abiotic stress adaptation and productivity in crops. By reviewing current knowledge on specific traits and their genetic basis, we highlight recent developments in the understanding of crop functional diversity and identify potential candidate genes for future use. The storage and integration of genetic, genomic and phenotypic information will play an important role in ensuring broad and rapid application of novel genetic discoveries by the plant breeding community. Exploiting alleles for yield-related traits would allow improvement of selection efficiency and

Assessing and Exploiting Functional Diversity in Germplasm Pools to Enhance Abiotic Stress Adaptation and Yield in Cereals and Food Legumes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangam L. Dwivedi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available There is a need to accelerate crop improvement by introducing alleles conferring host plant resistance, abiotic stress adaptation, and high yield potential. Elite cultivars, landraces and wild relatives harbor useful genetic variation that needs to be more easily utilized in plant breeding. We review genome-wide approaches for assessing and identifying alleles associated with desirable agronomic traits in diverse germplasm pools of cereals and legumes. Major quantitative trait loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs associated with desirable agronomic traits have been deployed to enhance crop productivity and resilience. These include alleles associated with variation conferring enhanced photoperiod and flowering traits. Genetic variants in the florigen pathway can provide both environmental flexibility and improved yields. SNPs associated with length of growing season and tolerance to abiotic stresses (precipitation, high temperature are valuable resources for accelerating breeding for drought-prone environments. Both genomic selection and genome editing can also harness allelic diversity and increase productivity by improving multiple traits, including phenology, plant architecture, yield potential and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Discovering rare alleles and useful haplotypes also provides opportunities to enhance abiotic stress adaptation, while epigenetic variation has potential to enhance abiotic stress adaptation and productivity in crops. By reviewing current knowledge on specific traits and their genetic basis, we highlight recent developments in the understanding of crop functional diversity and identify potential candidate genes for future use. The storage and integration of genetic, genomic and phenotypic information will play an important role in ensuring broad and rapid application of novel genetic discoveries by the plant breeding community. Exploiting alleles for yield-related traits would allow improvement of selection

Proceedings from the 2001 NASA Occupational Health Conference: Risk Assessment and Management in 2001

Science.gov (United States)

Roberson, Sheri (Editor); Kelly, Bruce (Editor); Gettleman, Alan G. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This Conference convened approximately 86 registered participants of invited guest speakers, NASA presenters, and a broad spectrum of the Occupational Health disciplines representing NASA Headquarters and all NASA Field Centers. Two days' Professional Development Courses on Exposure Assessment Strategies and Statistics and on Advanced Cardiac Life Support training and recertification preceded the Conference. With the theme, 'Risk Assessment and Management in 2001,' conferees were first provided updates from the Program Principal Center Office and the Headquarters Office. Plenary sessions elaborated on several topics: biological terrorism, OSHA recordability, Workers' Compensation issues, Federal ergonomic standards, bridging aerospace medicine and occupational health-especially in management of risk in spaceflight, and EAP operations with mission failures. A keynote address dealt with resiliency skills for 21st century workers and two NASA astronaut speakers highlighted a tour of the Johnson Space Center. During discipline specific breakout sessions, current issues in occupational health management and policy, credentialing and privileging, health risk assessment, measurement and standardization, audits, database development, prevention and rehabilitation, international travel and infection control, employee assistance, nursing process, and environmental health were presented.

Making it personal: Diversity and deliberation in climate adaptation planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roopali Phadke

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The vulnerabilities and health burdens of climate change fall disproportionately upon lower income communities and communities of color. Yet the very groups who are most affected by climate change impacts are least likely to be involved in climate adaptation discussions. These communities face critical barriers to involvement including historical disenfranchisement, as well as a sense that climate change is distant and not personally relevant. Boundary organizations are increasingly playing an important role in bringing science to bear on policy decision-making with respect to climate change adaptation, an issue fraught with political and ideological tensions. Our project aimed to engage underrepresented communities in climate change adaptation decision-making using a neighborhood consensus conference model developed and tested in several diverse districts of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Our partnership, a “linked chain” of boundary organizations, devised a neighborhood consensus conference model to present best-available climate data as tangible, place-based scenarios. In so doing, we made climate change “personal” for those who remain outside of climate change planning discourses and opened an opportunity for them to assess their community’s vulnerabilities and communicate their priorities for public investment. Our neighborhood-based model built trust and social capital with local residents and allowed us to bring new voices into conversations around climate change adaptation concerns and priorities. We believe this work will have a long term impact on local climate adaptation planning decisions.

Adaptation and Livelihood Resilience | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Extrants. Articles de revue. Engendering adaptation to climate variability in Gujarat, India. Rapports. Exploring linkages between adaptation and development : proceedings of The Scientific and Technical Conference On Adapting to Climate Change in Asia, August 29-30, 2009, Hotel Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu, Nepal ...

Systematic, Multimethod Assessment of Adaptations Across Four Diverse Health Systems Interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borsika A. Rabin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available BackgroundMany health outcomes and implementation science studies have demonstrated the importance of tailoring evidence-based care interventions to local context to improve fit. By adapting to local culture, history, resources, characteristics, and priorities, interventions are more likely to lead to improved outcomes. However, it is unclear how best to adapt evidence-based programs and promising innovations. There are few guides or examples of how to best categorize or assess health-care adaptations, and even fewer that are brief and practical for use by non-researchers.Materials and methodsThis study describes the importance and potential of assessing adaptations before, during, and after the implementation of health systems interventions. We present a promising multilevel and multimethod approach developed and being applied across four different health systems interventions. Finally, we discuss implications and opportunities for future research.ResultsThe four case studies are diverse in the conditions addressed, interventions, and implementation strategies. They include two nurse coordinator-based transition of care interventions, a data and training-driven multimodal pain management project, and a cardiovascular patient-reported outcomes project, all of which are using audit and feedback. We used the same modified adaptation framework to document changes made to the interventions and implementation strategies. To create the modified framework, we started with the adaptation and modification model developed by Stirman and colleagues and expanded it by adding concepts from the RE-AIM framework. Our assessments address the intuitive domains of Who, How, When, What, and Why to classify and organize adaptations. For each case study, we discuss how the modified framework was operationalized, the multiple methods used to collect data, results to date and approaches utilized for data analysis. These methods include a real-time tracking system and

Cultural adaptation of a pediatric functional assessment for rehabilitation outcomes research.

Science.gov (United States)

Arestad, Kristen E; MacPhee, David; Lim, Chun Y; Khetani, Mary A

2017-09-15

Significant racial and ethnic health care disparities experienced by Hispanic children with special health care needs (CSHCN) create barriers to enacting culturally competent rehabilitation services. One way to minimize the impact of disparities in rehabilitation is to equip practitioners with culturally relevant functional assessments to accurately determine service needs. Current approaches to culturally adapting assessments have three major limitations: use of inconsistent translation processes; current processes assess for some, but not all, elements of cultural equivalence; and limited evidence to guide decision making about whether to undertake cultural adaptation with and without language translation. The aims of this observational study are (a) to examine similarities and differences of culturally adapting a pediatric functional assessment with and without language translation, and (b) to examine the feasibility of cultural adaptation processes. The Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM), a pediatric functional assessment, underwent cultural adaptation (i.e., language translation and cognitive testing) to establish Spanish and English pilot versions for use by caregivers of young CSHCN of Mexican descent. Following language translation to develop a Spanish YC-PEM pilot version, 7 caregivers (4 Spanish-speaking; 3 English-speaking) completed cognitive testing to inform decisions regarding content revisions to English and Spanish YC-PEM versions. Participant responses were content coded to established cultural equivalencies. Coded data were summed to draw comparisons on the number of revisions needed to achieve cultural equivalence between the two versions. Feasibility was assessed according to process data and data quality. Results suggest more revisions are required to achieve cultural equivalence for the translated (Spanish) version of the YC-PEM. However, issues around how the participation outcome is conceptualized were

International conference on comparative assessments of solar power technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, A.

1994-02-01

Many regions in the world which lack fossil fuel resources but possess ample sunshine seek to identify near-term solar technologies capable of gradually replacing their fuel imports in cost-effective fashion. The conference addresses the following topics: technical and economical studies specifying their underlying basic assumption, methods and rules for evaluation in order to enable meaningful comparison between different technologies and systems. Detailed delineation of numerical and graphical representations, critical analysis and comparison between simulations, and test validity. Generalized performance indicators for systems and subsystems, problems of measuring and evaluating physical parameters, of terminology and conceptual tools for comparative evaluations. Advances in research development, engineering and field performance, including implications pertaining to comparative assessments and definitions of criteria and standards helpful to comparative evaluation. Assessments of the full (and hidden) cost of fossil energies as compared to solar, including environmental costs. Cost/benefit studies for remote versus centralized systems. (ed.)

Final report on the Copper Mountain conference on multigrid methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-10-01

The Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid Methods was held on April 6-11, 1997. It took the same format used in the previous Copper Mountain Conferences on Multigrid Method conferences. Over 87 mathematicians from all over the world attended the meeting. 56 half-hour talks on current research topics were presented. Talks with similar content were organized into sessions. Session topics included: fluids; domain decomposition; iterative methods; basics; adaptive methods; non-linear filtering; CFD; applications; transport; algebraic solvers; supercomputing; and student paper winners.

Effectiveness of Adaptive Assessment versus Learner Control in a Multimedia Learning System

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ching-Huei; Chang, Shu-Wei

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of adaptive assessment versus learner control in a multimedia learning system designed to help secondary students learn science. Unlike other systems, this paper presents a workflow of adaptive assessment following instructional materials that better align with learners' cognitive…

2009 MICROBIAL POPULATION BIOLOGY GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCES JULY 19-24,2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ANTHONY DEAN

2009-07-24

The 2009 Gordon Conference on Microbial Population Biology will cover a diverse range of cutting edge issues in the microbial sciences and beyond. Firmly founded in evolutionary biology and with a strongly integrative approach, past Conferences have covered a range of topics from the dynamics and genetics of adaptation to the evolution of mutation rate, community ecology, evolutionary genomics, altruism, and epidemiology. The 2009 Conference is no exception, and will include sessions on the evolution of infectious diseases, social evolution, the evolution of symbioses, experimental evolution, adaptive landscapes, community dynamics, and the evolution of protein structure and function. While genomic approaches continue to make inroads, broadening our knowledge and encompassing new questions, the conference will also emphasize the use of experimental approaches to test hypotheses decisively. As in the past, this Conference provides young scientists and graduate students opportunities to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leading investigators from a broad spectrum of disciplines. This meeting is never dull: some of the most significant and contentious issues in biology have been thrashed out here. The 2009 meeting will be no exception.

Crowdsourcing based subjective quality assessment of adaptive video streaming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shahid, M.; Søgaard, Jacob; Pokhrel, J.

2014-01-01

In order to cater for user’s quality of experience (QoE) re- quirements, HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) based solutions of video services have become popular recently. User QoE feedback can be instrumental in improving the capabilities of such services. Perceptual quality experiments that involve...... humans are considered to be the most valid method of the as- sessment of QoE. Besides lab-based subjective experiments, crowdsourcing based subjective assessment of video quality is gaining popularity as an alternative method. This paper presents insights into a study that investigates perceptual pref......- erences of various adaptive video streaming scenarios through crowdsourcing based subjective quality assessment....

6. CNS international conference on CANDU maintenance. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The 6th CNS International Conference on CANDU Maintenance took place in Toronto, Ontario on November 16-18, 2003. The theme for the conference was 'Maintenance for Life'. About 270 delegates attended the conference held by the Canadian Nuclear Society. The conference consisted of four parallel sessions, a pattern that continued throughout the conference. Papers were grouped under the following headings: Fuel Channels and End Fittings - Assessments; Fuel Channels and End Fittings - Inspections; Fuel Channels and End Fittings - Maintenance; Fuel Channels and End Fittings - Universal Delivery Machine; Water Upgrading; Performance and Plant Life Improvement; Steam Generator Life Management; Steam Generator Modifications; Steam Generators - Inspections; Steam Generators - Assessments; Maintenance Programs; Feeder Inspections; Feeder Assessment and Mitigation; Valve Maintenance; Instrumentation and Control; Inspection Technology; and Fuel Handling

Assessing Adaptive Functioning in Death Penalty Cases after Hall and DSM-5.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagan, Leigh D; Drogin, Eric Y; Guilmette, Thomas J

2016-03-01

DSM-5 and Hall v. Florida (2014) have dramatically refocused attention on the assessment of adaptive functioning in death penalty cases. In this article, we address strategies for assessing the adaptive functioning of defendants who seek exemption from capital punishment pursuant to Atkins v. Virginia (2002). In particular, we assert that evaluations of adaptive functioning should address assets as well as deficits; seek to identify credible and reliable evidence concerning the developmental period and across the lifespan; distinguish incapacity from the mere absence of adaptive behavior; adhere faithfully to test manual instructions for using standardized measures of adaptive functioning; and account for potential bias on the part of informants. We conclude with brief caveats regarding the standard error of measurement (SEM) in light of Hall, with reference to examples of ordinary life activities that directly illuminate adaptive functioning relevant to capital cases. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

A modified theoretical framework to assess implementation fidelity of adaptive public health interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Dennis; Van der Stuyft, Patrick; Zabala, Maríadel Carmen; Castro, Marta; Lefèvre, Pierre

2016-07-08

One of the major debates in implementation research turns around fidelity and adaptation. Fidelity is the degree to which an intervention is implemented as intended by its developers. It is meant to ensure that the intervention maintains its intended effects. Adaptation is the process of implementers or users bringing changes to the original design of an intervention. Depending on the nature of the modifications brought, adaptation could either be potentially positive or could carry the risk of threatening the theoretical basis of the intervention, resulting in a negative effect on expected outcomes. Adaptive interventions are those for which adaptation is allowed or even encouraged. Classical fidelity dimensions and conceptual frameworks do not address the issue of how to adapt an intervention while still maintaining its effectiveness. We support the idea that fidelity and adaptation co-exist and that adaptations can impact either positively or negatively on the intervention's effectiveness. For adaptive interventions, research should answer the question how an adequate fidelity-adaptation balance can be reached. One way to address this issue is by looking systematically at the aspects of an intervention that are being adapted. We conducted fidelity research on the implementation of an empowerment strategy for dengue prevention in Cuba. In view of the adaptive nature of the strategy, we anticipated that the classical fidelity dimensions would be of limited use for assessing adaptations. The typology we used in the assessment-implemented, not-implemented, modified, or added components of the strategy-also had limitations. It did not allow us to answer the question which of the modifications introduced in the strategy contributed to or distracted from outcomes. We confronted our empirical research with existing literature on fidelity, and as a result, considered that the framework for implementation fidelity proposed by Carroll et al. in 2007 could potentially meet

Uncertainty assessment of climate change adaptation using an economic pluvial flood risk framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Qianqian; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten

2012-01-01

It is anticipated that climate change is likely to lead to an increasing risk level of flooding in cities in northern Europe. One challenging question is how to best address the increasing flood risk and assess the costs and benefits of adapting to such changes. We established an integrated...... approach for identification and assessment of climate change adaptation options by incorporating climate change impacts, flood inundation modelling, economic tool and risk assessment and management. The framework is further extended and adapted by embedding a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the total...

Stockholm Safety Conference. Analysis of the sessions on radiological protection, licensing and risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gea, A.

1981-01-01

A summary of the sessions on radiological protection, licensing and risk assessment in the safety conference of Stockholm is presented. It is considered the new point of view of the nuclear safety, probabilistic analysis, components failures probability and accident analysis. They are included conclusions applicable in many cases to development countries. (author)

Abstracts of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering annual conference including the general conference, the 1. international structural specialty conference, the 1. international construction specialty conference, and the 1. specialty conference on disaster mitigation : towards a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Badry, M.; Loov, R.E.; Ruwanpura, J.; El-Hacha, R.; Kroman, J.; Rankin, J.

2006-01-01

This conference provided a forum for national and international practicing engineers, researchers and technical experts to discuss sustainable solutions to infrastructure development. Discussions focused on recent developments in new technologies for building more economic and sustainable infrastructure, while improving the safety of buildings, bridges, roads, water supply and sewage treatment systems. The conference was held in conjunction with associated specialty conferences, including a first international structures specialty conference, a first international construction specialty conference, and a first specialty conference on disaster mitigation. This book of abstracts highlights all the specialty conferences and accompanies a CD-ROM that has the full text of all the papers. Manuscripts of the full papers submitted to the specialty conferences were peer-reviewed by international scientific committees. The general conference provided a forum to learn about new technologies and future directions in various areas of civil engineering. It included a special theme session on sustainable development and a special session on innovation and information technology. Other technical sessions focused on topics such as civil engineering history and education; infrastructure management and renewal; asset management; risk assessment and management; engineering materials and mechanics; environmental engineering and science; hydrotechnical engineering; cold region engineering; and, transportation engineering. The general conference featured 88 presentations, of which 15 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database

2010 Plant Molecular Biology Gordon Research Conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Sussman

2010-07-23

The Plant Molecular Biology Conference has traditionally covered a breadth of exciting topics and the 2010 conference will continue in that tradition. Emerging concerns about food security have inspired a program with three main themes: (1) genomics, natural variation and breeding to understand adaptation and crop improvement, (2) hormonal cross talk, and (3) plant/microbe interactions. There are also sessions on epigenetics and proteomics/metabolomics. Thus this conference will bring together a range of disciplines, will foster the exchange of ideas and enable participants to learn of the latest developments and ideas in diverse areas of plant biology. The conference provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to discuss their research because additional speakers in each session will be selected from submitted abstracts. There will also be a poster session each day for a two-hour period prior to dinner. In particular, this conference plays a key role in enabling students and postdocs (the next generation of research leaders) to mingle with pioneers in multiple areas of plant science.

Robots in the nuclear industry: conference report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochan, Anna.

1992-01-01

Current robotic technology is severely challenged by the conditions which nuclear environments present. In such applications, reliability demands are stringent; the environment is highly unstructured; and the ionizing radiation field is extremely hazardous to equipment. But an international conference, held recently in Marseille, indicated clearly that there is no shortage of robotic solutions adapted to these special needs. Organized by the Institut International de Robotique et d'Intelligence Artificelle in Marseille, the conference focused on telerobotics in hostile environments, including sessions on Perception of Environment; Man/machine Interface; and Technologies and Components. (Author)

EUFEMED London Conference 2017: Exploratory Medicines Development: Innovation and Risk Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luc Van Bortel

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The first formal conference of the EUropean Federation for Exploratory MEdicines Development (EUFEMED held in London was the result of a collaborative effort of its founding associations: the Association for Applied Human Pharmacology (AGAH; Germany, the Association for Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry (AHPPI; UK, the Belgian Association of Phase-I Units (BAPU; Belgium, and Club Phase-I (France. The conference focused on innovation and risk management in early clinical drug development. Among other innovations, immunotherapy in oncology and inflammatory diseases were discussed as well as the importance of adaptive trial designs in early clinical drug development. Consideration was given to assessing and mitigating risk in early clinical drug development, and included a preconference workshop. Different measures to minimize risks in healthy volunteers and patients in first-in-human trials were discussed in addition to the importance of non-clinical data, the need for reliable biomarkers, improved communication on adverse events (AEs and well-trained study sites with ready access to intensive care units and clinical specialists. The need for a European-wide system for prevention of over-volunteering was also discussed. The conference provided opportunity to discuss these developments and concerns and the changing regulatory environment with stakeholders from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency (EMA. Presentations given by invited speakers are published on http://www.eufemed.eu/london-conference-2017/.

EUFEMED London Conference 2017: Exploratory Medicines Development: Innovation and Risk Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Bortel, Luc; Sourgens, Hildegard; Breithaupt-Grögler, Kerstin; Caplain, Henri; Donazzolo, Yves; Klingmann, Ingrid; Hammond, Michael; Hardman, Timothy C; Stringer, Steffan; de Hoon, Jan

2017-01-01

The first formal conference of the EUropean Federation for Exploratory MEdicines Development (EUFEMED) held in London was the result of a collaborative effort of its founding associations: the Association for Applied Human Pharmacology (AGAH; Germany), the Association for Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry (AHPPI; UK), the Belgian Association of Phase-I Units (BAPU; Belgium), and Club Phase-I (France). The conference focused on innovation and risk management in early clinical drug development. Among other innovations, immunotherapy in oncology and inflammatory diseases were discussed as well as the importance of adaptive trial designs in early clinical drug development. Consideration was given to assessing and mitigating risk in early clinical drug development, and included a preconference workshop. Different measures to minimize risks in healthy volunteers and patients in first-in-human trials were discussed in addition to the importance of non-clinical data, the need for reliable biomarkers, improved communication on adverse events (AEs) and well-trained study sites with ready access to intensive care units and clinical specialists. The need for a European-wide system for prevention of over-volunteering was also discussed. The conference provided opportunity to discuss these developments and concerns and the changing regulatory environment with stakeholders from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Presentations given by invited speakers are published on http://www.eufemed.eu/london-conference-2017/.

Insight conference proceedings : natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The state of Quebec's energy industry was discussed at this conference. Quebec's energy market is distinct by the diversity of its clients, the resource exploitation sector and its types of industries. As such, the energy needs are specific and the strategies for developing natural gas should be adapted to meet these needs. This conference focused on recent energy policy developments at Quebec's Office of Energy and other regulatory bodies. Topics of discussion included the risks and opportunities of the natural gas export market; volatile gas prices; public consultation processes; perspectives of large energy consumers; hydrocarbon potential and exploration in Quebec; natural gas exploration and development in Quebec; energy security and strategies to address carbon dioxide emissions. Other topics of discussion included the investment climate in Quebec; the profitability of Canada's oil and gas sector and refining capacity in Quebec. The conference featured 17 presentations, of which 6 have been indexed separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Inaugural AGU Science Policy Conference

Science.gov (United States)

Uhlenbrock, Kristan

2012-01-01

AGU will present its inaugural Science Policy Conference, 30 April to 3 May 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, located in downtown Washington, D. C. This conference will bring together leading scientists, policy makers, industry professionals, press, and other stakeholders to discuss natural hazards, natural resources, oceans, and Arctic science and the role these sciences play in serving communities. To bridge the science and policy fields, AGU plans to host this conference every 2 years and focus on the applications of Earth and space sciences to serve local and national communities. "Our nation faces a myriad of challenges such as the sustainability of our natural resources, current and future energy needs, and the ability to mitigate and adapt to natural and manmade hazards," said Michael McPhaden, president of AGU. "It is essential that policies to address these challenges be built on a solid foundation of credible scientific knowledge."

Assessing climate adaptation options and uncertainties for cereal systems in West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, K.; Sultan, B.; Biasutti, M.; Lobell, D. B.

2015-12-01

The already fragile agriculture production system in West Africa faces further challenges in meeting food security in the coming decades, primarily due to a fast increasing population and risks of climate change. Successful adaptation of agriculture should not only benefit in the current climate but should also reduce negative (or enhance positive) impacts for climate change. Assessment of various possible adaptation options and their uncertainties provides key information for prioritizing adaptation investments. Here, based on the several robust aspects of climate projections in this region (i.e. temperature increases and rainfall pattern shifts), we use two well-validated crop models (i.e. APSIM and SARRA-H) and an ensemble of downscaled climate forcing to assess five possible and realistic adaptation options (late sowing, intensification, thermal time increase, water harvesting and increased resilience to heat stress) in West Africa for the staple crop production of sorghum. We adopt a new assessment framework to account for both the impacts of adaptation options in current climate and their ability to reduce impacts of future climate change, and also consider changes in both mean yield and its variability. Our results reveal that most proposed "adaptation options" are not more beneficial in the future than in the current climate, i.e. not really reduce the climate change impacts. Increased temperature resilience during grain number formation period is the main adaptation that emerges. We also find that changing from the traditional to modern cultivar, and later sowing in West Sahel appear to be robust adaptations.

Climate adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Kinzig, Ann P.

2015-03-01

This paper is intended as a brief introduction to climate adaptation in a conference devoted otherwise to the physics of sustainable energy. Whereas mitigation involves measures to reduce the probability of a potential event, such as climate change, adaptation refers to actions that lessen the impact of climate change. Mitigation and adaptation differ in other ways as well. Adaptation does not necessarily have to be implemented immediately to be effective; it only needs to be in place before the threat arrives. Also, adaptation does not necessarily require global, coordinated action; many effective adaptation actions can be local. Some urban communities, because of land-use change and the urban heat-island effect, currently face changes similar to some expected under climate change, such as changes in water availability, heat-related morbidity, or changes in disease patterns. Concern over those impacts might motivate the implementation of measures that would also help in climate adaptation, despite skepticism among some policy makers about anthropogenic global warming. Studies of ancient civilizations in the southwestern US lends some insight into factors that may or may not be important to successful adaptation.

Computational Intelligence : International Joint Conference

CERN Document Server

Rosa, Agostinho; Cadenas, José; Dourado, António; Madani, Kurosh; Filipe, Joaquim

2016-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the sixth International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence (IJCCI 2014), held in Rome, Italy, from 22 to 24 October 2014. The conference was composed by three co-located conferences:  The International Conference on Evolutionary Computation Theory and Applications (ECTA), the International Conference on Fuzzy Computation Theory and Applications (FCTA), and the International Conference on Neural Computation Theory and Applications (NCTA). Recent progresses in scientific developments and applications in these three areas are reported in this book. IJCCI received 210 submissions, from 51 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, 15% were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality and audience in...

Climate change adaptation impact cost assessment in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This document reports the works of an inter-departmental group and of sector-based and transverse groups which aimed at assessing the impacts of climate change. After a first contribution about the assessment methodology, the works of sector-based groups and transverse groups are reported. These groups are dealing with agriculture, forest, infrastructures and built environment, tourism, energy, health, water, natural risks (and insurance and adaptation to climatic change in metropolitan France), biodiversity and land. For each of them, challenges, assessment approaches, first results and perspectives are discussed

Feedback in Videogame-based Adaptive Training

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-01

G. (1985). The geometry tutor. Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence . Los Altos, CA: Kaufmann. Anderson, R...Technical Report 1287 Feedback in Videogame -based Adaptive Training Iris D. Rivera Florida Institute of Technology...REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (from. . . to) August 2008 – April 2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Feedback in Videogame -based Adaptive

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Assessment of the Adaptation Potential of Personnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sesina Iryna M.

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to development of theoretical and methodological recommendations with respect to assessment of the adaptation potential of employees as an important prerequisite of development of employees and ensuring competitiveness of an enterprise. It contains the author’s interpretation of the adaptation potential as a possibility of adjusting to the environment with the aim of achieving socio-economic goals of an enterprise. Adaptation potential is a property of a person as a performer of labour functions and ability to master new methods of work, adjustment to new labour conditions, processing of information and also a communicative property. At the same time adaptation potential is an aggregate of motivational, professional, information and integration components of a person. For assessing the adaptation potential it is proposed to combine 360 degrees method and method of paired comparison, which facilitates increase of trustworthiness of results. The author marks out some criteria of assessment of the adaptation potential: ratio of professional experience, ratio of official experience, ratio of efficiency of work, independence in mastering new methods of work, fast adjustment to new labour conditions, ability to quickly process big volumes of information, mobility, high level of productivity under different labour conditions, sharpness of wit in different production situations, ability to form interpersonal relations in a collective and psychological features.

A Review of Cogent Reflection on the Economic Impact Assessment of Conferences – MICE Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumar J.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available MICE tourism has grown into an important economic sector in many places, and it is quite easy to understand the relevancy of estimating the economic impact of business tourists on the local and regional economies. Several industrial and academic researches has mentioned many methods for economic impact studies (direct, indirect and induced impacts of the conference - MICE tourism related events. Of these, the input-output (I-O model and general equilibrium models (REMI and REM II are widely used for the economic impact assessments. The current paper will review economic impact studies in the c conference - MICE tourism related events and then discusses the issues related to the I-O model and general equilibrium models framework

An Overview of Recent Developments in Cognitive Diagnostic Computer Adaptive Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Huebner

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Cognitive diagnostic modeling has become an exciting new field of psychometric research. These models aim to diagnose examinees' mastery status of a group of discretely defined skills, or attributes, thereby providing them with detailed information regarding their specific strengths and weaknesses. Combining cognitive diagnosis with computer adaptive assessments has emerged as an important part of this new field. This article aims to provide practitioners and researchers with an introduction to and overview of recent developments in cognitive diagnostic computer adaptive assessments.

Climate Adaptation in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parry, M.; McGlade, J.; Verschoor, M.; Isoard, S.; Anema, K.; Boer, J.; Cowan, C.; Collins, R.; Smeets, M.

2009-01-01

At the Conference of Parties in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 7-18, 2009 Change Magazine will present a special issue on 'Climate Adaptation in Europe'. The magazine contains articles on climate policy strategies in European countries and cross-border studies on climate change, articles on climate adaptation in the Alps, on water quality as a bottleneck for the agricultural sector, and drought in the mediterranean countries. How will member countries in the European Union tackle the climate crisis?.

3rd international conference, LDIC 2012

CERN Document Server

Scholz-Reiter, Bernd; Thoben, Klaus-Dieter

2013-01-01

The volume comprises the proceedings of the third International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics LDIC 2012. The scope of the conference targeted the identification, analysis, and description of the dynamics of logistic processes and networks. The spectrum ranged from the modeling and planning of processes and innovative methods like autonomous control and knowledge management to the new technologies provided by radio frequency identification, mobile communication, and networking. The growing dynamics in the area of logistics poses completely new challenges: Logistic processes and networks must rapidly and flexibly adapt to continuously changing conditions. LDIC 2012 provided a venue for researchers from academia and industry interested in the technical advances in dynamics in logistics. The conference addressed research in logistics from a wide range of fields, e.g. engineering, computer science and operations research. The volume consists of two invited papers and of 49 contributed papers divided into var...

Adapting a rapid assessment protocol to environmentally assess palm swamp (Veredas) springs in the Cerrado biome, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, Ariane; de Lima Rodrigues, Aline Sueli; Malafaia, Guilherme

2017-10-30

The exploitation and degradation of natural environments exert intense pressure on important ecosystems worldwide. Thus, it is necessary developing or adapting assessment methods to monitor environmental changes and to generate results to be applied to environmental management programs. The Brazilian Veredas (phytophysiognomies typical to the Cerrado biome) are threatened by several human activities; thus, the aim of the present study is to adapt a rapid assessment protocol (RAP) to be applied to Veredas springs, by using the upper course of the Vai-e-Vem stream watershed (Ipameri County, Goiás State, Brazil). Therefore, several springs in the study site were visited and 11 of them were considered Veredas springs. After the RAP was adapted, the instrument was validated and used to environmentally assess the springs in order to demonstrate its applicability. The present study has provided an instrument of option to monitor Veredas springs.

Assessing climate change risks to the natural environment to facilitate cross-sectoral adaptation policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Iain

2018-06-13

Climate change policy requires prioritization of adaptation actions across many diverse issues. The policy agenda for the natural environment includes not only biodiversity, soils and water, but also associated human benefits through agriculture, forestry, water resources, hazard alleviation, climate regulation and amenity value. To address this broad agenda, the use of comparative risk assessment is investigated with reference to statutory requirements of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Risk prioritization was defined by current adaptation progress relative to risk magnitude and implementation lead times. Use of an ecosystem approach provided insights into risk interactions, but challenges remain in quantifying ecosystem services. For all risks, indirect effects and potential systemic risks were identified from land-use change, responding to both climate and socio-economic drivers, and causing increased competition for land and water resources. Adaptation strategies enhancing natural ecosystem resilience can buffer risks and sustain ecosystem services but require improved cross-sectoral coordination and recognition of dynamic change. To facilitate this, risk assessments need to be reflexive and explicitly assess decision outcomes contingent on their riskiness and adaptability, including required levels of human intervention, influence of uncertainty and ethical dimensions. More national-scale information is also required on adaptation occurring in practice and its efficacy in moderating risks.This article is part of the theme issue 'Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Assessing climate change risks to the natural environment to facilitate cross-sectoral adaptation policy

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Iain

2018-06-01

Climate change policy requires prioritization of adaptation actions across many diverse issues. The policy agenda for the natural environment includes not only biodiversity, soils and water, but also associated human benefits through agriculture, forestry, water resources, hazard alleviation, climate regulation and amenity value. To address this broad agenda, the use of comparative risk assessment is investigated with reference to statutory requirements of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Risk prioritization was defined by current adaptation progress relative to risk magnitude and implementation lead times. Use of an ecosystem approach provided insights into risk interactions, but challenges remain in quantifying ecosystem services. For all risks, indirect effects and potential systemic risks were identified from land-use change, responding to both climate and socio-economic drivers, and causing increased competition for land and water resources. Adaptation strategies enhancing natural ecosystem resilience can buffer risks and sustain ecosystem services but require improved cross-sectoral coordination and recognition of dynamic change. To facilitate this, risk assessments need to be reflexive and explicitly assess decision outcomes contingent on their riskiness and adaptability, including required levels of human intervention, influence of uncertainty and ethical dimensions. More national-scale information is also required on adaptation occurring in practice and its efficacy in moderating risks. This article is part of the theme issue `Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'.

Web-Based System for Adaptable Rubrics: Case Study on CAD Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Company, Pedro; Contero, Manuel; Otey, Jeffrey; Camba, Jorge D.; Agost, María-Jesús; Pérez-López, David

2017-01-01

This paper describes the implementation and testing of our concept of adaptable rubrics, defined as analytical rubrics that arrange assessment criteria at multiple levels that can be expanded on demand. Because of its adaptable nature, these rubrics cannot be implemented in paper formats, neither are they supported by current Learning Management…

Laboratory tests for assessing adaptability and stickiness of dental composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosentritt, Martin; Buczovsky, Sebastian; Behr, Michael; Preis, Verena

2014-09-01

Handling (stickiness, adaptability) of a dental composite does strongly influence quality and success of a dental restoration. The purpose was to develop an in vitro test, which allows for evaluating adaptability and stickiness. 15 dentists were asked for providing individual assessment (school scores 1-6) of five dental composites addressing adaptability and stickiness. Composites were applied with a dental plugger (d=1.8 mm) in a class I cavity (human tooth 17). The tooth was fixed on a force gauge for simultaneous determination of application forces with varying storage (6/25°C) and application temperatures (6/25°C). On basis of these data tensile tests were performed with a dental plugger (application force 1N/2N; v=35 mm/min) on PMMA- or human tooth plates. Composite was dosed onto the tip of the plugger and applied. Application and unplugging was performed once and unplugging forces (UF) and length of the adhesive flags (LAF) were determined at different storage (6/25°C) and application temperatures (25/37°C). Unplugging work (UW) was calculated from area of UF and LAF data. The individual assessment revealed significantly different temperature-dependent application forces between 0.58 N and 2.23 N. Adaptability was assessed between 2.1 and 2.8 school scores. Stickiness varied significantly between the materials (scores: 2-3.2). UW differed significantly between the materials with values between 3.20 N mm and 37.83 N mm. Between PMMA substrate or tooth slides and between 1N or 2N application force only small UW differences were found. The presented in vitro unplugging work allows for an in vitro estimation of the handling parameters adaptability and stickiness. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing confidence in management adaptation approaches for climate-sensitive ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, J M; Julius, S H; Weaver, C P

2012-01-01

A number of options are available for adapting ecosystem management to improve resilience in the face of climatic changes. However, uncertainty exists as to the effectiveness of these options. A report prepared for the US Climate Change Science Program reviewed adaptation options for a range of federally managed systems in the United States. The report included a qualitative uncertainty analysis of conceptual approaches to adaptation derived from the review. The approaches included reducing anthropogenic stressors, protecting key ecosystem features, maintaining representation, replicating, restoring, identifying refugia and relocating organisms. The results showed that the expert teams had the greatest scientific confidence in adaptation options that reduce anthropogenic stresses. Confidence in other approaches was lower because of gaps in understanding of ecosystem function, climate change impacts on ecosystems, and management effectiveness. This letter discusses insights gained from the confidence exercise and proposes strategies for improving future assessments of confidence for management adaptations to climate change. (letter)

Peer Conferences in Calculus: The Impact of Systematic Training

Science.gov (United States)

Reinholz, Daniel

2017-01-01

This paper describes an intervention for improving the quality of peer assessment conferences in calculus. Although a body of work highlights the learning benefits of peer assessment, few papers have described the nature of student conversations during peer conferences/assessment in detail. This paper provides deeper insight into what those…

Impact assessment of adaptation options and strategies for coping ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Impact assessment of adaptation options and strategies for coping with climate change on the livelihoods of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Sudan' Butana area. Ibrahim, Abdelhamed M.M.. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10625/53410. Date: 2013-11 ...

EDITORIAL: Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 11) (Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 18-21 September 2011) Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 11) (Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 18-21 September 2011)

Science.gov (United States)

Brei, Diann

2012-09-01

The fourth annual meeting of the ASME/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) took place in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. Each year we strive to grow and offer new experiences. This year we held a special Guest Symposium on Sustainability along with two focused topic tracks on energy harvesting and active composites to encourage cross-fertilization between these important fields and our community. This cross-disciplinary emphasis was reflected in keynote talks by Dr Wayne Brown, President and founder of Dynalloy, Inc., 'Cross-Discipline Sharing'; Dr Brad Allenby, Arizona State University, 'You Want the Future? You can't Handle the Future!'; and Professor Aditi Chattopadhyay, Arizona State University, 'A Multidisciplinary Approach to Structural Health Monitoring and Prognosis'. SMASIS continues to grow our community through both social and technical interchange. The conference location, the exotic Firesky Resort and Spa, exemplified the theme of our Guest Symposium on Sustainability, being the only Green Seal certified resort in Arizona, and highlighting four elements thought to represent all that exist: fire, water, earth and air. Several special events were held around this theme including the night at the oasis reception sponsored by General Motors, sustainability bingo, smart trivia and student networking lunches, and an Arizona pow-wow with a spectacular Indian hoop dance. Our student and young professional development continues to grow strong with best paper and hardware competitions, scavenger student outing and games night. We are very proud that our students and young professionals are always seeking out ways to give back to the community, including organizing outreach to local high school talent. We thank all of our sponsors who made these special events possible. We hope that these social events provided participants with the opportunity to expand their own personal community and broaden their horizons. Our

Using a social justice and health framework to assess European climate change adaptation strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Boeckmann, Melanie; Zeeb, Hajo

2014-11-28

Climate change puts pressure on existing health vulnerabilities through higher frequency of extreme weather events, changes in disease vector distribution or exacerbated air pollution. Climate change adaptation policies may hold potential to reduce societal inequities. We assessed the role of public health and social justice in European climate change adaptation using a three-fold approach: a document analysis, a critical discourse analysis of a subgroup of strategies, and a ranking of strategies against our social justice framework. The ranking approach favored planning that includes various adaptation types, social issues and infrastructure changes. Themes on values identified in the five subgroup documents showed that risks are perceived as contradictory, technology is viewed as savior, responsibilities need to be negotiated, and social justice is advocated by only a few countries. Of 21 strategy documents assessed overall, those from Austria, England and Sweden received the highest scores in the ranking. Our qualitative assessment showed that in European adaptation planning, progress could still be made through community involvement into adaptation decisions, consistent consideration of social and demographic determinants, and a stronger link between infrastructural adaptation and the health sector. Overall, a social justice framework can serve as an evaluation guideline for adaptation policy documents.

Economic assessment of climate adaptation options for urban drainage design in Odense, Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Q; Halsnæs, K; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, K

2012-01-01

Climate change is likely to influence the water cycle by changing the precipitation patterns, in some cases leading to increased occurrences of precipitation extremes. Urban landscapes are vulnerable to such changes due to the concentrated population and socio-economic values in cities. Feasible adaptation requires better flood risk quantification and assessment of appropriate adaptation actions in term of costs and benefits. This paper presents an economic assessment of three prevailing climate adaptation options for urban drainage design in a Danish case study, Odense. A risk-based evaluation framework is used to give detailed insights of the physical and economic feasibilities of each option. Estimation of marginal benefits of adaptation options are carried out through a step-by-step cost-benefit analysis. The results are aimed at providing important information for decision making on how best to adapt to urban pluvial flooding due to climate impacts in cities.

Twitter use at the 2016 Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health: analyzing #DIScience16.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Caitlin G; Andersen, Brittany; Chambers, David A; Groshek, Jacob; Roberts, Megan C

2018-02-20

Poor dissemination of research findings may hamper the reach and impact of scientific discoveries. One key emerging platform for research dissemination is social media, including Twitter. While Twitter and other social media are increasingly being used to disseminate research content presented during scientific conferences, few studies have investigated the extent to which these tools are used throughout conferences and how they are being used. The aim for this study was to better understand the use of Twitter during the 2016 Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I conference). We performed an analysis of Twitter use before, during, and after the 2016 D&I conference, which took place from December 14 to 15. All tweets (posted between December 1 and 31) that included the conference-specific hashtag (#DIScience16) were assessed. We identified 2639 tweets using the data analytics platform NUVI. We used NUVI software to generate statistics about reach, influence, mentions, and origin of the tweets. Individual tweet content was also assessed using DiscoverText and coded for disease category, implementation outcomes discussed, category of tweet, and conference track. A total of 2639 tweets were analyzed; 89.1% of the tweets were posted during the conference. A total of 389 unique users participated on Twitter, representing 31 states and 22 locations outside of the USA. Most (56.8%) tweets were re-tweets and were used for scientific promotion (50.6%). Key conference speakers and implementation outcomes (de-implementation, adaptation, and fidelity) were commonly discussed. Our findings reveal that Twitter was used as a platform during the D&I conference, both to facilitate conference discussion and to promote scientific ideas. This work contributes to the existing data analytics and implementation science literature in two major ways: (1) by advancing knowledge of how social media is used during annual academic conferences and (2

Emerging contaminants: Presentations at the 2009 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murnyak, George; Vandenberg, John; Yaroschak, Paul J.; Williams, Larry; Prabhakaran, Krishnan; Hinz, John

2011-01-01

A session entitled 'Emerging Contaminants' was held in April 2009 in Cincinnati, OH at the 2009 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference. The purpose of the session was to share information on both programmatic and technical aspects associated with emerging contaminants. Emerging contaminants are chemicals or materials that are characterized by a perceived or real threat to human health or environment, a lack of published health standards or an evolving standard. A contaminant may also be 'emerging' because of the discovery of a new source, a new pathway to humans, or a new detection method or technology. The session included five speakers representing the Department of Defense (DoD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and each of the military services. The DoD created the Emerging Contaminant Directorate to proactively address environmental, health, and safety concerns associated with emerging contaminants. This session described the scan-watch-action list process, impact assessment methodology, and integrated risk management concept that DoD has implemented to manage emerging contaminants. EPA presented emerging trends in health risk assessment. Researchers made technical presentations on the status of some emerging contaminates in the assessment process (i.e. manganese, RDX, and naphthalene).

Framework for economic pluvial flood risk assessment considering climate change effects and adaptation benefits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Qianqian; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen; Halsnæs, Kirsten

2012-01-01

Climate change is likely to affect the water cycle by influencing the precipitation patterns. It is important to integrate the anticipated changes into the design of urban drainage in response to the increased risk level in cities. This paper presents a pluvial flood risk assessment framework...... to identify and assess adaptation options in the urban context. An integrated approach is adopted by incorporating climate change impact assessment, flood inundation modeling, economic tool, and risk assessment, hereby developing a step-by-step process for cost-benefit assessment of climate change adaptation...

NORADAPT. Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Norway; NORADAPT. Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Norway. Sluttrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oort, Bob van; Hovelsrud, Grete K.; Dannevig, Halvor; Bybraaten, Stine

2012-10-15

In NORADAPT, researchers from CICERO Center for Climate Research, Western Norway Research Institute, Eastern Norway Research Institute and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute worked in close cooperation with 8 selected municipalities, with the aim to help municipalities assess their vulnerability to climate change and develop adaptation strategies in collaboration with the research group. This report presents climate scenarios for all project municipalities and interprets the expected changes from the figures produced for each municipality. The report refers to socioeconomic scenarios which were developed as part of the project, describes progress throughout the project period and summarizes the main findings of the project through a summary of the final conference at Losby Gods 24-25 October 2011. The project has shown that municipalities are able to put climate change on the agenda, utilize scientific knowledge and implement adaptation measures, but that this depends on several factors, such as capacity, knowledge and involvement in local government, access to relevant knowledge and policy measures, and clear guidance and supervision from regional and national authorities. (Author)

Adaptive and integrated water management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pahl-Wostl, C.; Kabat, P.; Möltgen, J.

2007-01-01

Sustainable water management is a key environmental challenge of the 21st century. Developing and implementing innovative management approaches and how to cope with the increasing complexity and uncertainties was the theme of the first International Conference on Adaptive and Integrated Water

How assessment and reflection relate to more effective learning in adaptive management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harry Biggs

2011-05-01

Two other studies in the Kruger National Park, which have examined learning specifically, are also discussed. One of them suggests that in a complex environment, learning necessarily has a dual nature, with each component of seven contrasting pairs of the aspects of learning in partial tension with the other. We use these dualities to further probe assessment, reflection, inter-relatedness and learning in the cases presented. Each contrasting aspect of a ‘learning duality’ turns out to emphasise either assessment or reflection, which reinforces the idea that both are needed to facilitate sufficient learning for successful adaptive management. We hope this analysis can act as a springboard for further study, practice and reflection on these important and often underrated components of adaptive management. Conservation implications: The better understanding of assessment and reflection as being largely separate but complementary actions will assist adaptive management practitioners to give explicit attention to both, and to relate them better to each other.

SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2005-08-29

The Second SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering was held in San Diego from February 10-12, 2003. Total conference attendance was 553. This is a 23% increase in attendance over the first conference. The focus of this conference was to draw attention to the tremendous range of major computational efforts on large problems in science and engineering, to promote the interdisciplinary culture required to meet these large-scale challenges, and to encourage the training of the next generation of computational scientists. Computational Science & Engineering (CS&E) is now widely accepted, along with theory and experiment, as a crucial third mode of scientific investigation and engineering design. Aerospace, automotive, biological, chemical, semiconductor, and other industrial sectors now rely on simulation for technical decision support. For federal agencies also, CS&E has become an essential support for decisions on resources, transportation, and defense. CS&E is, by nature, interdisciplinary. It grows out of physical applications and it depends on computer architecture, but at its heart are powerful numerical algorithms and sophisticated computer science techniques. From an applied mathematics perspective, much of CS&E has involved analysis, but the future surely includes optimization and design, especially in the presence of uncertainty. Another mathematical frontier is the assimilation of very large data sets through such techniques as adaptive multi-resolution, automated feature search, and low-dimensional parameterization. The themes of the 2003 conference included, but were not limited to: Advanced Discretization Methods; Computational Biology and Bioinformatics; Computational Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Computational Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Computational Electromagnetics; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Computational Medicine and Bioengineering; Computational Physics and Astrophysics; Computational Solid Mechanics and Materials; CS

An Evolutionary Approach to Adaptive Capacity Assessment: A Case Study of Soufriere, Saint Lucia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Ryan Hogarth

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper assesses the capacity of Soufriere, Saint Lucia to adapt to climate change. A community-based vulnerability assessment was conducted that employed semi-structured interviews with community members. The results were analysed using the Local Adaptive Capacity (LAC framework, which characterises adaptive capacity based on five elements: asset base; institutions and entitlements; knowledge and information; innovation; and flexible forward-looking decision-making and governance. Beyond providing an in-depth analysis of Soufriere’s capacity to adapt to climate change, the paper argues that the elements of the LAC framework largely correspond with an evolutionary perspective on adaptive capacity. However, other evolutionary themes—such as structure, history, path-dependency, scale, agency, conservation of diversity, and the perils of specialisation—should also be taken into account.

Fourth Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Space Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Odell, Stephen L. (Compiler); Denton, Judith S. (Compiler); Vereen, Mary (Compiler)

1988-01-01

Proceedings of a conference held in Huntsville, Alabama, on November 15-16, 1988. The Fourth Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Space Applications brings together diverse technical and scientific work in order to help those who employ AI methods in space applications to identify common goals and to address issues of general interest in the AI community. Topics include the following: space applications of expert systems in fault diagnostics, in telemetry monitoring and data collection, in design and systems integration; and in planning and scheduling; knowledge representation, capture, verification, and management; robotics and vision; adaptive learning; and automatic programming.

A qualitative assessment of cross-cultural adaptation of intermediate measures for schizophrenia in multisite international studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, Jodi M; Rubin, Maureen; Fredrick, Megan M; Velligan, Dawn I

2013-04-30

In this substudy of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia we examined qualitative feedback on the cross-cultural adaptability of four intermediate measures of functional outcome (Independent Living Scales, UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment, Test of Adaptive Behavior in Schizophrenia, and Cognitive Assessment Interview). Feedback was provided by experienced English-fluent clinical researchers at 31 sites in eight countries familiar with medication trials. Researchers provided feedback on test subscales and items which were rated as having adaptation challenges. They noted the specific concern and made suggestions for adaptation to their culture. We analyzed the qualitative data using a modified Grounded Theory approach guided by the International Testing Commission Guidelines model for test adaptation. For each measure except the Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI), the majority of subscales were reported to require major adaptations in terms of content and concepts contained in the subscale. In particular, social, financial, transportation and health care systems varied widely across countries-systems which are often used to assess performance capacity in the U.S. We provide suggestions for how to address future international test development and adaptation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are adaptations self-organized, autonomous, and harmonious? Assessing the social-ecological resilience literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Hahn

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes how adaptability (adaptive capacity and adaptations is constructed in the literature on resilience of social-ecological systems (SES. According to some critics, this literature views adaptability as the capacity of SES to self-organize in an autonomous harmonious consensus-building process, ignoring strategies, conflicting goals, and power issues. We assessed 183 papers, coding two dimensions of adaptability: autonomous vs. intentional and descriptive vs. normative. We found a plurality of framings, where 51% of the papers perceived adaptability as autonomous, but one-third constructed adaptability as intentional processes driven by stakeholders; where social learning and networking are often used as strategies for changing power structures and achieving sustainability transformations. For the other dimension, adaptability was used normatively in 59% of the assessed papers, but one-third used descriptive framings. We found no evidence that the SES literature in general assumes a priori that adaptations are harmonious consensus-building processes. It is, rather, conflicts that are assumed, not spelled out, and assertions of "desirable" that are often not clarified by reference to policy documents or explicit normative frameworks. We discuss alternative definitions of adaptability and transformability to clarify or avoid the notion of desirability. Complex adaptive systems framing often precludes analysis of agency, but lately self-organization and emergence have been used to study actors with intentions, strategies, and conflicting interests. Transformations and power structures are increasingly being addressed in the SES literature. We conclude that ontological clashes between social science and SES research have resulted in multiple constructive pathways.

Conference report: formulating better medicines for children: 4th European Paediatric Formulation Initiative conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Jennifer; Mills, Simon

2013-01-01

The fourth annual European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI) conference on Formulating Better Medicines for Children was held on 19-20 September 2012 at the Institute of Molecular Genetics Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic. The 2-day conference concentrated on the latest advances, challenges and opportunities for developing medicinal products and administration devices for pediatric use, both from European and US perspectives. It was aimed specifically at providing exposure to emerging practical applications, and for illustrating remedies utilized by pediatric drug-development teams to overcome hurdles faced in developing medicines for pediatric patients. The conference format included plenary talks, focus sessions on each of the EuPFI work streams (extemporaneous preparations, excipients, pediatric administration devices, taste masking and taste assessment, age-appropriate formulations), case studies, soapbox sessions and a parallel poster display. This conference report summarizes the keynote lectures and also gives a flavor of other presentations and posters from the conference.

9th Conference of the European Social Simulation Association

CERN Document Server

Koloch, Grzegorz

2014-01-01

This book is the conference proceedings of ESSA 2013, the 9th Conference of the European Social Simulation Association. ESSA conferences constitute annual events which serve as an international platform for the exchange of ideas and discussion of cutting-edge research in the field of social simulations, both from the theoretical as well as applied perspective. This book consists of 33 articles, which are divided into four themes: Methods for the development of simulation models, Applications of agent-based modeling, Adaptive behavior, social interactions and global environmental change and Using qualitative data to inform behavioral rules. We are convinced that this book will serve interested readers as a useful compendium which presents in a nutshell the most recent advances at the frontiers of social simulation research.

Multiple cold resistance loci confer the high cold tolerance adaptation of Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) to its high-latitude habitat.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Donghai; Yu, Li; Chen, Dazhou; Li, Lanying; Zhu, Yuxing; Xiao, Yeqing; Zhang, Dechun; Chen, Caiyan

2015-07-01

Dongxiang wild rice is phylogenetically close to temperate japonica and contains multiple cold resistance loci conferring its adaptation to high-latitude habitat. Understanding the nature of adaptation in wild populations will benefit crop breeding in the development of climate-resilient crop varieties. Dongxiang wild rice (DXWR), the northernmost common wild rice known, possesses a high degree of cold tolerance and can survive overwintering in its native habitat. However, to date, it is still unclear how DXWR evolved to cope with low-temperature environment, resulting in limited application of DXWR in rice breeding programs. In this study, we carried out both QTL mapping and phylogenetic analysis to discern the genetic mechanism underlying the strong cold resistance. Through a combination of interval mapping and single locus analysis in two genetic populations, at least 13 QTLs for seedling cold tolerance were identified in DXWR. A phylogenetic study using both genome-wide InDel markers and markers associated with cold tolerance loci reveals that DXWR belongs to the Or-III group, which is most closely related to cold-tolerant Japonica rice rather than to the Indica cultivars that are predominant in the habitat where DXWR grows. Our study paves the way toward an understanding of the nature of adaptation to a northern habitat in O. rufipogon. The QTLs identified in DXWR in this study will be useful for molecular breeding of cold-tolerant rice.

2015 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Li, Hongbo

2015-01-01

Proceedings of the 2015 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’15, held in Fuzhou, China. The topics include adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, reconfigurable control, etc. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry and the government can gain valuable insights into interdisciplinary solutions in the field of intelligent automation.

Adapting crop rotations to climate change in regional impact modelling assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, Edmar I; de Ruiter, John; Ausseil, Anne-Gaelle; Daigneault, Adam; Johnstone, Paul; Holmes, Allister; Tait, Andrew; Ewert, Frank

2018-03-01

The environmental and economic sustainability of future cropping systems depends on adaptation to climate change. Adaptation studies commonly rely on agricultural systems models to integrate multiple components of production systems such as crops, weather, soil and farmers' management decisions. Previous adaptation studies have mostly focused on isolated monocultures. However, in many agricultural regions worldwide, multi-crop rotations better represent local production systems. It is unclear how adaptation interventions influence crops grown in sequences. We develop a catchment-scale assessment to investigate the effects of tactical adaptations (choice of genotype and sowing date) on yield and underlying crop-soil factors of rotations. Based on locally surveyed data, a silage-maize followed by catch-crop-wheat rotation was simulated with the APSIM model for the RCP 8.5 emission scenario, two time periods (1985-2004 and 2080-2100) and six climate models across the Kaituna catchment in New Zealand. Results showed that direction and magnitude of climate change impacts, and the response to adaptation, varied spatially and were affected by rotation carryover effects due to agronomical (e.g. timing of sowing and harvesting) and soil (e.g. residual nitrogen, N) aspects. For example, by adapting maize to early-sowing dates under a warmer climate, there was an advance in catch crop establishment which enhanced residual soil N uptake. This dynamics, however, differed with local environment and choice of short- or long-cycle maize genotypes. Adaptation was insufficient to neutralize rotation yield losses in lowlands but consistently enhanced yield gains in highlands, where other constraints limited arable cropping. The positive responses to adaptation were mainly due to increases in solar radiation interception across the entire growth season. These results provide deeper insights on the dynamics of climate change impacts for crop rotation systems. Such knowledge can be used

Technology-enabled assessment of health professions education: consensus statement and recommendations from the Ottawa 2010 Conference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amin, Zubair; Boulet, John R; Cook, David A

2011-01-01

The uptake of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in health professions education can have far-reaching consequences on assessment. The medical education community still needs to develop a deeper understanding of how technology can underpin and extend assessment practices....... This article was developed by the 2010 Ottawa Conference Consensus Group on technology-enabled assessment to guide practitioners and researchers working in this area. This article highlights the changing nature of ICTs in assessment, the importance of aligning technology-enabled assessment with local context...... and needs, the need for better evidence to support use of technologies in health profession education assessment, and a number of challenges, particularly validity threats, that need to be addressed while incorporating technology in assessment. Our recommendations are intended for all practitioners across...

Facilitating peer based learning through summative assessment - An adaptation of the Objective Structured Clinical Assessment tool for the blended learning environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wikander, Lolita; Bouchoucha, Stéphane L

2018-01-01

Adapting a course from face to face to blended delivery necessitates that assessments are modified accordingly. In Australia the Objective Structured Clinical Assessment tool, as a derivative from the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, has been used in the face-to-face delivery mode as a formative or summative assessment tool in medicine and nursing since 1990. The Objective Structured Clinical Assessment has been used at Charles Darwin University to assess nursing students' simulated clinical skills prior to the commencement of their clinical placements since 2008. Although the majority of the course is delivered online, students attend a one-week intensive clinical simulation block yearly, prior to attending clinical placements. Initially, the Objective Structured Clinical Assessment was introduced as a lecturer assessed summative assessment, over time it was adapted to better suit the blended learning environment. The modification of the tool from an academic to peer assessed assessment tool, was based on the empirical literature, student feedback and a cross-sectional, qualitative study exploring academics' perceptions of the Objective Structured Clinical Assessment (Bouchoucha et al., 2013a, b). This paper presents an overview of the process leading to the successful adaptation of the Objective Structured Clinical Assessment to suit the requirements of a preregistration nursing course delivered through blended learning. This is significant as many universities are moving their curriculum to fully online or blended delivery, yet little attention has been paid to adapting the assessment of simulated clinical skills. The aim is to identify the benefits and drawbacks of using the peer assessed Objective Structured Clinical Assessment and share recommendations for successful implementation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptation strategies in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gupta, J.; Klostermann, J.E.M.; Bergsma, E.; Jong, P.; Albrecht, E.; Schmidt, M.; Mißler-Behr, M.; Spyra, S.P.N.

2014-01-01

Although climate change has been prominently featured on the global scientific and political agendas since the World Climate Conference in 1979 (WCC 1979), the specific importance of adaptation to climate change has only been underlined about 20 years later. The Netherlands, because it lies largely

Graphical assessment of yield stability and adaptation in cowpeas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Graphical assessment of yield stability and adaptation in cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp). DK Ojo, MS Oduola, OA Oduwaye. Abstract. No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Genetics Vol. 20 2006: pp. 17-25. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT.

Conferences as Learning Communities: Some Early Lessons in Using "Back-Channel" Technologies at an Academic Conference--Distributed Intelligence or Divided Attention?

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, N.; McFarlane, A.

2005-01-01

Most, if not all, researchers attend conferences as a part of their practice, and yet it is an under-researched activity. Little attention has been paid either to developing a theoretically informed understanding of conference practice as knowledge building, or to assessing the extent to which conferences are successful. This paper addresses these…

Integrated assessment of adaptation to Climate change in Flevoland at the farm and regional level

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolf, J.; Mandryk, M.; Kanellopoulos, A.; Oort, van P.A.J.; Schaap, B.F.; Reidsma, P.; Ittersum, van M.K.

2011-01-01

A key objective of the AgriAdapt project is to assess climate change impacts on agriculture including adaptation at regional and farm type level in combination with market and technological changes. More specifically, the developed methodologies enable (a) the assessment of impacts, risks and

Conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

This volume contains summaries of 28 papers presented at the 27. conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association. These papers discuss the general situation of the Canadian nuclear industry and the CANDU reactor; dialogue with the public; the International Atomic Energy Agency; and economic goals and operating lessons. It also contains summaries of 70 papers presented at the 8. conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society, which discuss plant life extension; safety and the environment; reactor physics; thermalhydraulics; risk assessment; the CANDU spacer location and repositioning project; CANDU operations; safety research after Chernobyl; fuel channels; and nuclear technology developments. The individual papers are also available in INIS-mf--13673 (CNA), and INIS-mf--12909 (CNS). (L.L.)

Adaptation and Validation of the Spanish Version of the Leisure Assessment Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Badia, Marta; Orgaz-Baz, M. Begona; Verdugo, Miguel-Angel; Martinez-Aguirre, M. Magdalena; Longo-Araujo-de-Melo, Egmar; Ullan-de-la-Fuente, Ana M.

2012-01-01

"Participation"--defined as engagement in life situations, including leisure and recreational activities--is associated with the improvement of people with disabilities' quality of life. Several specific instruments assess leisure, but none of them has been adapted to the Spanish context. The goal of this study is to adapt and validate the Spanish…

Adapting to climate change. Towards a European framework for action. Impact Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-04-01

the general objective of promoting adaptation is translated into this context to specific objectives i.e. of identifying priority adaptation measures and of defining an action plan for the next 4 years. It also establishes operational objectives corresponding to the key problems identified in the previous section. This impact assessment is of a qualitative nature. A first set of options is presented in Chapter 4, these refer to the overall adaptation approaches, for which a proportionate assessment of the economic, environmental and social impacts is conducted to allow a prioritisation of adaptation actions. A second set of options is presented in Chapter 5, which refers to the specific actions to be undertaken in the short term. These options are assessed with respect to the operational criteria defined in chapter 3, and with respect to subsidiarity, knowledge basis and resources aspects. Chapter 6 describes the monitoring and evaluation actions to be undertaken in priority, to allow a further review of the action framework with respect to the operational objectives defined in chapter 3. The analysis is based on the 2008 EEA/JRC/WHO report on Climate Change Impacts, and on a list of other reports and papers quoted in footnotes or detailed in an appendix, together with a glossary and a report providing detailed results on the public and stakeholder consultations on the Green Paper. Annex 1 provides further details on the framework for integrated assessment of adaptation policies, including recent estimates on adaptation costs from the literature. A more detailed analysis of climate change vulnerability, adaptation potential and the need for EU action is provided for environmental cross cutting issues (Annex 2) and at Sectoral or geographical level (Annex 3). Annex 4 provides an overview of National adaptation strategies. Annex 5 provides details on the concrete measures that have been screened for the short-term EU action plan. An executive summary is presented in a

Development of a computerized adaptive test for Schizotypy assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Schizotypal traits in adolescents from the general population represent the behavioral expression of liability for psychotic disorders. Schizotypy assessment in this sector of population has advanced considerably in the last few years; however, it is necessary to incorporate recent advances in psychological and educational measurement. OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this study was to develop a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT to evaluate schizotypy through "The Oviedo Questionnaire for Schizotypy Assessment" (ESQUIZO-Q, in non-clinical adolescents. METHODS: The final sample consisted of 3,056 participants, 1,469 males, with a mean age of 15.9 years (SD=1.2. RESULTS: The results indicated that the ESQUIZO-Q scores presented adequate psychometric properties under both Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. The Information Function estimated using the Gradual Response Model indicated that the item pool effectively assesses schizotypy at the high end of the latent trait. The correlation between the CAT total scores and the paper-and-pencil test was 0.92. The mean number of presented items in the CAT with the standard error fixed at ≤ 0.30 was of 34 items. CONCLUSION: The CAT showed adequate psychometric properties for schizotypy assessment in the general adolescent population. The ESQUIZO-Q adaptive version could be used as a screening method for the detection of adolescents at risk for psychosis in both educational and mental health settings.

Turning risk assessment and adaptation policy priorities into meaningful interventions and governance processes

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Kathryn; DiMauro, Manuela; Johns, Daniel; Holmes, Gemma; Thompson, David; Russell, Andrew; Style, David

2018-06-01

The UK is one of the first countries in the world to have set up a statutory system of national climate risk assessments followed by a national adaptation programme. Having this legal framework has been essential for enabling adaptation at the government level in a challenging political environment. However, using this framework to create an improvement in resilience to climate change across the country requires more than publishing a set of documents; it requires careful thought about what interventions work, how they can be enabled and what level of risk acceptability individuals, organizations and the country should be aiming for. This article is part of the theme issue `Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'.

Assessing and adapting to climate change in the Blue Mountains, Oregon (USA: Overview, biogeography, and climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica E. Halofsky

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership (BMAP was established to increase climate change awareness, assess vulnerability to climate change, and develop science-based adaptation strategies for national forest lands in the Blue Mountains region of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington (USA. The BMAP process included (1 development of a science-management partnership, (2 a vulnerability assessment of the effects of climate change on natural resources and infrastructure, (3 development of adaptation options that will help reduce negative effects of climate change and assist the transition of biological systems and management to a changing climate, and (4 ongoing dialogue and activities related to climate change in the Blue Mountains region. This special issue of Climate Services describes social context and climate change vulnerability assessments for water use and infrastructure, vegetation, and riparian ecosystems of the Blue Mountains region, as well as adaptation options for natural resource management. This manuscript introduces the special issue, describing the management, biogeographic, and climatic context for the Blue Mountains region; the climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation process used in BMAP; and the potential applications of the information described in the special issue. Although the institutional focus of information in the special issue is U.S. Forest Service lands (Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests, the broader social context and adaptation options should be applicable to other lands throughout this region and the Pacific Northwest. Keywords: Climate change adaptation, Pacific Northwest, Resource management, Vulnerability assessment, Blue Mountains

[Assessment of psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy in Brazilian pregnant women].

Science.gov (United States)

Lima E Silva, Janiny; Ferreira, Elizângela da Fonseca; Medeiros, Marcielle; Araújo, Maristela Lopes; Silva, Ana Gabriela Câmara Batista da; Viana, Elizabel de Souza Ramalho

2011-08-01

to evaluate psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy by translating and cross-culturally adapting a specific assessment instrument to be used with Brazilian women. this was a cross-sectional observational study. the translation and cross-cultural adaptation and of the Prenatal Self-evaluation Questionnaire (PSeQ) was performed following all the required methodological steps. another questionnaire was applied to characterize the sociodemographic and clinical status of the pregnant women (n=36). Statistical analysis consisted of the determination of the mean and standard deviation (SD) and of absolute and relative frequency. the statistical test used for the analysis of internal consistency was Cronbach's alpha coefficient, using SPSS version 17.0. the volunteers were of low socioeconomic status, aged on average 25.1 years ( 5.5), and had an average gestational age of 25.9 weeks ( 8.1). 58.3% of these volunteers had not planned their current pregnancy. the pretest showed that 75% of the pregnant women found the questionnaire easy to understand. Regarding the PSeQ instrument, the identification with the maternal role was the subcategory which showed the highest average, 24.8 ( 5.6), while the relationship with the mother had the lowest average 15.4 ( 7.7). the internal consistency ranged from 0.52 to 0.89. the assessment of psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy in pregnant women is very important during the progress of pregnancy and permits intervention through obstetric-neonatal actions of promotion and prevention regarding the well-being of mother and child.

CCTC 2009 : 2nd Climate Change Technology Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The 2nd Climate Change Technology Conference (CCTC2009) was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on May 12-15, 2009. CCTC2009 is a Canadian/International forum for engineers, scientists, policy advisors, industry and other stakeholders to share new information and ideas for dealing with climate change and global warming. It also provided an opportunity for participants to keep abreast of emerging techniques and technologies for the mitigation of and adaptation to, the impacts of climate change. The conference theme: 'Climate Change ..... Deal with It!' emphasized the need to develop practical engineering and administrative responses to address the impacts of climate change and global warming.

On user behaviour adaptation under interface change

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Rosman, Benjamin S

2014-02-01

Full Text Available International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, Haifa, Israel, 24-27 February 2014 On User Behaviour Adaptation Under Interface Change Benjamin Rosman_ Subramanian Ramamoorthy M. M. Hassan Mahmud School of Informatics University of Edinburgh...

Summarizing components of U.S. Department of the Interior vulnerability assessments to focus climate adaptation planning

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Laura M.; Staudinger, Michelle D.; Carter, Shawn L.

2015-09-29

A secretarial order identified climate adaptation as a critical performance objective for future management of U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) lands and resources in response to global change. Vulnerability assessments can inform climate adaptation planning by providing insight into what natural resources are most at risk and why. Three components of vulnerability—exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity—were defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as necessary for identifying climate adaptation strategies and actions. In 2011, the DOI requested all internal bureaus report ongoing or completed vulnerability assessments about a defined range of assessment targets or climate-related threats. Assessment targets were defined as freshwater resources, landscapes and wildlife habitat, native and cultural resources, and ocean health. Climate-related threats were defined as invasive species, wildfire risk, sea-level rise, and melting ice and permafrost. Four hundred and three projects were reported, but the original DOI survey did not specify that information be provided on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity collectively as part of the request, and it was unclear which projects adhered to the framework recommended by the IPCC. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center conducted a supplemental survey to determine how frequently each of the three vulnerability components was assessed. Information was categorized for 124 of the 403 reported projects (30.8 percent) based on the three vulnerability components, and it was discovered that exposure was the most common component assessed (87.9 percent), followed by sensitivity (68.5 percent) and adaptive capacity (33.1 percent). The majority of projects did not fully assess vulnerability; projects focused on landscapes/wildlife habitats and sea-level rise were among the minority that simultaneously addressed all three vulnerability

Adaptation and Assessment of a Public Speaking Rating Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Iberri-Shea, Gina

2017-01-01

Prominent spoken language assessments such as the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Test of Spoken English have been primarily concerned with speaking ability as it relates to conversation. This paper looks at an additional aspect of spoken language ability, namely public speaking. This study used an adapted form of a public speaking rating scale…

A vulnerability and risk assessment of SEPTA's regional rail : a transit climate change adaptation assessment pilot.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-01

This final report for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Transit Climate Change Adaptation Assessment Pilot describes the actions : taken, information gathered, analyses performed, and lessons learned throughout the pilot project. This report d...

Advances in exposure and toxicity assessment of particulate matter: An overview of presentations at the 2009 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunasekar, Palur G.; Stanek, Lindsay W.

2011-01-01

The 2009 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference (TRAC) session on 'Advances in Exposure and Toxicity Assessment of Particulate Matter' was held in April 2009 in West Chester, OH. The goal of this session was to bring together toxicology, geology and risk assessment experts from the Department of Defense and academia to examine issues in exposure assessment and report on recent epidemiological findings of health effects associated with particulate matter (PM) exposure. Important aspects of PM exposure research are to detect and monitor low levels of PM with various chemical compositions and to assess the health risks associated with these exposures. As part of the overall theme, some presenters discussed collection methods for sand and dust from Iraqi and Afghanistan regions, health issues among deployed personnel, and future directions for risk assessment research among these populations. The remaining speakers focused on the toxicity of ultrafine PM and the characterization of aerosols generated during ballistic impacts of tungsten heavy alloys.

Advancing national climate change risk assessment to deliver national adaptation plans

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, R. F.; Wilby, R. L.; Brown, K.; Watkiss, P.; Betts, Richard A.; Murphy, James M.; Lowe, Jason A.

2018-06-01

A wide range of climate vulnerability and risk assessments have been implemented using different approaches at different scales, some with a broad multi-sectoral scope and others focused on single risks or sectors. This paper describes the novel approach to vulnerability and risk assessment which was designed and put into practice in the United Kingdom's Second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA2) so as to build upon its earlier assessment (CCRA1). First, we summarize and critique the CCRA1 approach, and second describe the steps taken in the CCRA2 approach in detail, providing examples of how each was applied in practice. Novel elements of the approach include assessment of both present day and future vulnerability, a focus on the urgency of adaptation action, and a structure focused around systems of receptors rather than conventional sectors. Both stakeholders and reviewers generally regarded the approach as successful in providing advice on current risks and future opportunities to the UK from climate change, and the fulfilment of statutory duty. The need for a well-supported and open suite of impact indicators going forward is highlighted. This article is part of the theme issue `Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'.

Advancing national climate change risk assessment to deliver national adaptation plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, R F; Wilby, R L; Brown, K; Watkiss, P; Betts, Richard A; Murphy, James M; Lowe, Jason A

2018-06-13

A wide range of climate vulnerability and risk assessments have been implemented using different approaches at different scales, some with a broad multi-sectoral scope and others focused on single risks or sectors. This paper describes the novel approach to vulnerability and risk assessment which was designed and put into practice in the United Kingdom's Second Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA2) so as to build upon its earlier assessment (CCRA1). First, we summarize and critique the CCRA1 approach, and second describe the steps taken in the CCRA2 approach in detail, providing examples of how each was applied in practice. Novel elements of the approach include assessment of both present day and future vulnerability, a focus on the urgency of adaptation action, and a structure focused around systems of receptors rather than conventional sectors. Both stakeholders and reviewers generally regarded the approach as successful in providing advice on current risks and future opportunities to the UK from climate change, and the fulfilment of statutory duty. The need for a well-supported and open suite of impact indicators going forward is highlighted.This article is part of the theme issue 'Advances in risk assessment for climate change adaptation policy'. © 2018 The Author(s).

DMM assessments of attachment and adaptation: Procedures, validity and utility.

Science.gov (United States)

Farnfield, Steve; Hautamäki, Airi; Nørbech, Peder; Sahhar, Nicola

2010-07-01

This article gives a brief over view of the Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment and adaptation (DMM; Crittenden, 2008) together with the various DMM assessments of attachment that have been developed for specific stages of development. Each assessment is discussed in terms of procedure, outcomes, validity, advantages and limitations, comparable procedures and areas for further research and validation. The aims are twofold: to provide an introduction to DMM theory and its application that underlie the articles in this issue of CCPP; and to provide researchers and clinicians with a guide to DMM assessments.

Can You Hear Me Now? Assessing Students’ Classroom Communication Preferences via a Telephone Conference Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon G. Heilmann

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Telephone conference presentation delivery was compared to face-to-face classroom delivery in an undergraduate business course setting to assess whether concern over presenting in front of the class and/or gender impacted presentation mode preference. After completing a classroom exercise, students (n=102 were surveyed and asked to compare delivery methods from two courses, one requiring a telephone conference and the other requiring a face-to-face classroom presentation, in terms of perceived effectiveness, feedback, teamwork, instructor cues, preparation time, and overall comfort. Independent sample t-test results indicated respondents who worried about presenting in front of the class believed the telephone conference format required more attention to verbal presentation quality, and they also worried more about presenting in the telephone conference format than respondents who did not worry about presenting in front of the class. In terms of gender, female respondents indicated more attention to visual aid was required during the teleconference format, believed the teleconference presentation format allowed for the same opportunity for feedback from the instructor as the formal presentation, were more likely to indicate they were concerned about speaking in front of the classroom during formal presentations, and were also more concerned about speaking during the teleconference than male respondents. Overall, results indicated the teleconference activity was perceived to be a practical alternative to the traditional face-to-face delivery method; however, females’ perceptions of discomfort across both delivery formats warrant further study. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United States Government.

CNA/CNS conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This volume contains summaries of papers presented at the 32. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association and the 13. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. The full proceedings, and the individual papers contained therein, have been abstracted separately. Sessions on the following topics are included: Plenary; The international CANDU program; Canadian used fuel management program; Public information advocates; Fuel and electricity supply; In which direction should reactors advance?; Canadian advanced nuclear research program; International cooperation in operations; Safety in design, operation, regulation; Renovation of operating stations; Reactor physics; New concepts and Technology; Fuel behaviour; Reactor design; Safety analysis; Fuel channel behaviour; Equipment and design qualification; Compliance and licensing; Fusion science and technology; Darlington assessment; Plant aging and life assessment; Thermalhydraulic modelling and analysis; Diagnostics and data management; Operator training and certification

Climate change adaptation impact cost assessment in France. Second phase report. September 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Firstly, this report presents the context and challenges of works dealing with climate change adaptation assessment: observations and perspectives of climate change, concepts and definitions of adaptation to climate change, adaptation within national, European and international context, objectives and organisation of the France's inter-departmental Group. It describes the chosen methodology: hypothesis, methodological tools (climate model), bibliographical tool, and heat wave counting methodology. It discusses the present results, outlines the encountered difficulties and discusses the perspectives for future work

Climate Change Adaptation in Africa | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The poor in many parts of Africa will have to cope with more drought, more extreme temperatures, ... Stories from the field : adapting fishing policies to address climate change in West Africa ... IDRC at the ICLEI Resilient Cities 2018 conference.

QoS Adaptation in Multimedia Multicast Conference Applications for E-Learning Services

Science.gov (United States)

Deusdado, Sérgio; Carvalho, Paulo

2006-01-01

The evolution of the World Wide Web service has incorporated new distributed multimedia conference applications, powering a new generation of e-learning development and allowing improved interactivity and prohuman relations. Groupware applications are increasingly representative in the Internet home applications market, however, the Quality of…

Conference proceedings of the 4. international conference on CANDU fuel. V. 1,2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

These proceedings contain the full texts of all 65 papers presented at the 4th International Conference on CANDU fuel. As such, they represent an update on the state-of-the-art in such important CANDU fuel topics as International Development Programs and Operating Experience with CANDU fuel, Performance Assessments and Fuel Behavior Modeling, Fuel Properties, Licensing and Accident Analyses for CANDU fuel, Design, Testing and Manufacturing, and Advanced Fuel Designs. The large number of papers required the use of parallel sessions for the first time at a CANDU Fuel Conference

Conference proceedings of the 4. international conference on CANDU fuel. V. 1,2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

These proceedings contain the full texts of all 65 papers presented at the 4th International Conference on CANDU fuel. As such, they represent an update on the state-of-the-art in such important CANDU fuel topics as International Development Programs and Operating Experience with CANDU fuel, Performance Assessments and Fuel Behavior Modeling, Fuel Properties, Licensing and Accident Analyses for CANDU fuel, Design, Testing and Manufacturing, and Advanced Fuel Designs. The large number of papers required the use of parallel sessions for the first time at a CANDU Fuel Conference.

Joint Armaments Conference, Exhibition and Firing Demonstration. Volume 1. Monday - Tuesday

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-20

Systems Conference Dallas, Texas May 2010 Support Equipment Design J75189 Ground Handling Adapter J75196 Mount Rail J75199 Gun Transfer Adapter J75208...AP and HE Flex Chutes Primary Container Cover (HE) w/ Indexing Conveyor MK44 30mm Bushmaster II Gun and Dual Feeder 6NDIA Gun and Missile Systems... Transfer Program Manager ARDEC Tuesday , May 18, 2010 KEYNOTE ADDRESS · BrigGen Michael M. Brogan, USMC, Commander, Marine Corps Systems

Assessing the Quality of a Local Authority Conference and Hospitality Venue Using the ServQual Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donnelly Mike

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The close attention paid to service quality by successful private companies has become part of the environment within which most public service organizations now operate. The ServQual model has been used with success to help companies quantify customers' expectations and perceptions of their service and to use this analysis as the basis for improvement. More recently, the ServQual approach has been applied in public service contexts with mixed reliability and validity. This paper reports on the application of the ServQual model to a conference and hospitality venue operated by a Scottish local authority. The study investigates five distinct customer segments: conferences, meetings, receptions, performances, and weddings. The expectations-perceptions gaps are assessed for each of these segments using the ServQual model and the size and antecedents of ServQual Gap 1 is also examined.

Appalachian Rivers II Conference: Technology for Monitoring, Assessing, and Restoring Streams, Rivers, and Watersheds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None available

1999-07-29

On July 28-29, 1999, the Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) and the WMAC Foundation co-sponsored the Appalachian Rivers II Conference in Morgantown, West Virginia. This meeting brought together over 100 manufacturers, researchers, academicians, government agency representatives, watershed stewards, and administrators to examine technologies related to watershed assessment, monitoring, and restoration. Sessions included presentations and panel discussions concerning watershed analysis and modeling, decision-making considerations, and emerging technologies. The final session examined remediation and mitigation technologies to expedite the preservation of watershed ecosystems.

Cross-cultural Adaptation of Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire Needs to Assess the Measurement Properties: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Min; Zhu, Sen; Tian, Zi-Rui; Song, Yong-Jia; Yang, Long; Wang, Yong-Jun; Cui, Xue-Jun

2018-03-26

To assess the cross cultural-adaptations of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). English and Chinese databases were searched through December 2017. Cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties were evaluated using the Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Report Measures and the Quality Criteria for Psychometric Properties of Health Status Questionnaire. Among 34 studies, there were 31 RMDQ adaptations for 26 different languages/cultures. In the cross-cultural adaptation process, few studies reported expert committees completely constituted (3/31), and only ten studies complete the test of the pre-final version (10/31) due to insufficient sample sizes. As for the measurement properties, content validity (31/31) and construct validity (24/31) were assessed in most of the adaptations, whereas internal consistency (0/31), agreement (5/31), responsiveness (3/31), interpretability (6/31), and floor and ceiling effects (6/31) were not. The Hungarian and Moon's Korean adaptations were the highest quality translations. Where there were multiple adaptations for a language/culture, the Moon's Korean and Fan's simplified Chinese-Chinese Mainland adaptations are recommended over the other Korean or simplified Chinese-Chinese Mainland adaptations. Further studies are required to fully assess the measurement properties of the Arabic-Moroccan, Arabic-Tunisian, German- Austrian, Greek, Guajarati, Kim's Korean, Persian-Iranian, Polish, He's simplified Chinese-Chinese Mainland, Spanish, Spanish-Chilean, Thai, traditional Chinese-Taiwan, and Turkish adaptations of the RMDQ. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Assessing the components of adaptive capacity to improve conservation and management efforts under global change.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicotra, Adrienne B; Beever, Erik A; Robertson, Amanda L; Hofmann, Gretchen E; O'Leary, John

2015-10-01

Natural-resource managers and other conservation practitioners are under unprecedented pressure to categorize and quantify the vulnerability of natural systems based on assessment of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Despite the urgent need for these assessments, neither the theoretical basis of adaptive capacity nor the practical issues underlying its quantification has been articulated in a manner that is directly applicable to natural-resource management. Both are critical for researchers, managers, and other conservation practitioners to develop reliable strategies for assessing adaptive capacity. Drawing from principles of classical and contemporary research and examples from terrestrial, marine, plant, and animal systems, we examined broadly the theory behind the concept of adaptive capacity. We then considered how interdisciplinary, trait- and triage-based approaches encompassing the oft-overlooked interactions among components of adaptive capacity can be used to identify species and populations likely to have higher (or lower) adaptive capacity. We identified the challenges and value of such endeavors and argue for a concerted interdisciplinary research approach that combines ecology, ecological genetics, and eco-physiology to reflect the interacting components of adaptive capacity. We aimed to provide a basis for constructive discussion between natural-resource managers and researchers, discussions urgently needed to identify research directions that will deliver answers to real-world questions facing resource managers, other conservation practitioners, and policy makers. Directing research to both seek general patterns and identify ways to facilitate adaptive capacity of key species and populations within species, will enable conservation ecologists and resource managers to maximize returns on research and management investment and arrive at novel and dynamic management and policy decisions. © 2015 Society for

Assessing the components of adaptive capacity to improve conservation and management efforts under global change

Science.gov (United States)

Nicotra, Adrienne; Beever, Erik; Robertson, Amanda; Hofmann, Gretchen; O’Leary, John

2015-01-01

Natural-resource managers and other conservation practitioners are under unprecedented pressure to categorize and quantify the vulnerability of natural systems based on assessment of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Despite the urgent need for these assessments, neither the theoretical basis of adaptive capacity nor the practical issues underlying its quantification has been articulated in a manner that is directly applicable to natural-resource management. Both are critical for researchers, managers, and other conservation practitioners to develop reliable strategies for assessing adaptive capacity. Drawing from principles of classical and contemporary research and examples from terrestrial, marine, plant, and animal systems, we examined broadly the theory behind the concept of adaptive capacity. We then considered how interdisciplinary, trait- and triage-based approaches encompassing the oft-overlooked interactions among components of adaptive capacity can be used to identify species and populations likely to have higher (or lower) adaptive capacity. We identified the challenges and value of such endeavors and argue for a concerted interdisciplinary research approach that combines ecology, ecological genetics, and eco-physiology to reflect the interacting components of adaptive capacity. We aimed to provide a basis for constructive discussion between natural-resource managers and researchers, discussions urgently needed to identify research directions that will deliver answers to real-world questions facing resource managers, other conservation practitioners, and policy makers. Directing research to both seek general patterns and identify ways to facilitate adaptive capacity of key species and populations within species, will enable conservation ecologists and resource managers to maximize returns on research and management investment and arrive at novel and dynamic management and policy decisions.

Leadership Behaviors of Management for Complex Adaptive Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

Leadership Behaviors of Management for Complex Adaptive Systems Systems and Software Technology Conference April 2010 Dr. Suzette S. Johnson...2010 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2010 to 00-00-2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Leadership Behaviors of Management for Complex Adaptive...as they evolve – Control is dispersed and decentralized – Simple rules and governance used to direct behavior • Complexity Leadership Theory – Built on

Proceedings of the thirty fifth international conference on contemporary trends in optics and optoelectronics: conference digest - extended abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Optics and optoelectronics are indispensable in all spheres of human activity, ranging from day to day needs to advanced scientific and technological pursuits and their applications for the benefit of the society. This conference covers the following topics: adaptive optics, biomedical optics and imaging, classical and quantum optics, fibre optics, optics for space applications, optical metrology and NDT, optical information processing, optical and optoelectronic materials. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Assessing Management Regimes in Transboundary River Basins: Do They Support Adaptive Management?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.T. (Tom Raadgever

2008-06-01

Full Text Available River basin management is faced with complex problems that are characterized by uncertainty and change. In transboundary river basins, historical, legal, and cultural differences add to the complexity. The literature on adaptive management gives several suggestions for handling this complexity. It recognizes the importance of management regimes as enabling or limiting adaptive management, but there is no comprehensive overview of regime features that support adaptive management. This paper presents such an overview, focused on transboundary river basin management. It inventories the features that have been claimed to be central to effective transboundary river basin management and refines them using adaptive management literature. It then collates these features into a framework describing actor networks, policy processes, information management, and legal and financial aspects. Subsequently, this framework is applied to the Orange and Rhine basins. The paper concludes that the framework provides a consistent and comprehensive perspective on transboundary river basin management regimes, and can be used for assessing their capacity to support adaptive management.

Brazilian adaptation of the Hotel Task: A tool for the ecological assessment of executive functions

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Caroline de Oliveira; Zimmermann, Nicolle; Paraná, Camila Borges; Gindri, Gigiane; de Pereira, Ana Paula Almeida; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2015-01-01

Over recent years, neuropsychological research has been increasingly concerned with the need to develop more ecologically valid instruments for the assessment of executive functions. The Hotel Task is one of the most widely used ecological measures of executive functioning, and provides an assessment of planning, organization, self-monitoring and cognitive flexibility. Objective The goal of this study was to adapt the Hotel Task for use in the Brazilian population. Methods The sample comprised 27 participants (three translators, six expert judges, seven healthy adults, ten patients with traumatic brain injuries and one hotel manager). The adaptation process consisted of five steps, which were repeated until a satisfactory version of the task was produced. The steps were as follows: (1) Translation; (2) Development of new stimuli and brainstorming among the authors; (3) Analysis by expert judges; (4) Pilot studies; (5) Assessment by an expert in business administration and hotel management. Results The adapted version proved adequate and valid for the assessment of executive functions. However, further research must be conducted to obtain evidence of the reliability, as well as the construct and criterion validity, sensitivity and specificity, of the Hotel Task. Conclusion Many neurological and/or psychiatric populations may benefit from the adapted task, since it may make significant contributions to the assessment of dysexecutive syndromes and their impact on patient functioning. PMID:29213957

Brazilian adaptation of the Hotel Task: A tool for the ecological assessment of executive functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Caroline de Oliveira; Zimmermann, Nicolle; Paraná, Camila Borges; Gindri, Gigiane; de Pereira, Ana Paula Almeida; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2015-01-01

Over recent years, neuropsychological research has been increasingly concerned with the need to develop more ecologically valid instruments for the assessment of executive functions. The Hotel Task is one of the most widely used ecological measures of executive functioning, and provides an assessment of planning, organization, self-monitoring and cognitive flexibility. The goal of this study was to adapt the Hotel Task for use in the Brazilian population. The sample comprised 27 participants (three translators, six expert judges, seven healthy adults, ten patients with traumatic brain injuries and one hotel manager). The adaptation process consisted of five steps, which were repeated until a satisfactory version of the task was produced. The steps were as follows:(1) Translation;(2) Development of new stimuli and brainstorming among the authors;(3) Analysis by expert judges;(4) Pilot studies;(5) Assessment by an expert in business administration and hotel management. The adapted version proved adequate and valid for the assessment of executive functions. However, further research must be conducted to obtain evidence of the reliability, as well as the construct and criterion validity, sensitivity and specificity, of the Hotel Task. Many neurological and/or psychiatric populations may benefit from the adapted task, since it may make significant contributions to the assessment of dysexecutive syndromes and their impact on patient functioning.

Walking-adaptability assessments with the Interactive Walkway: Between-systems agreement and sensitivity to task and subject variations.

Science.gov (United States)

Geerse, Daphne J; Coolen, Bert H; Roerdink, Melvyn

2017-05-01

The ability to adapt walking to environmental circumstances is an important aspect of walking, yet difficult to assess. The Interactive Walkway was developed to assess walking adaptability by augmenting a multi-Kinect-v2 10-m walkway with gait-dependent visual context (stepping targets, obstacles) using real-time processed markerless full-body kinematics. In this study we determined Interactive Walkway's usability for walking-adaptability assessments in terms of between-systems agreement and sensitivity to task and subject variations. Under varying task constraints, 21 healthy subjects performed obstacle-avoidance, sudden-stops-and-starts and goal-directed-stepping tasks. Various continuous walking-adaptability outcome measures were concurrently determined with the Interactive Walkway and a gold-standard motion-registration system: available response time, obstacle-avoidance and sudden-stop margins, step length, stepping accuracy and walking speed. The same holds for dichotomous classifications of success and failure for obstacle-avoidance and sudden-stops tasks and performed short-stride versus long-stride obstacle-avoidance strategies. Continuous walking-adaptability outcome measures generally agreed well between systems (high intraclass correlation coefficients for absolute agreement, low biases and narrow limits of agreement) and were highly sensitive to task and subject variations. Success and failure ratings varied with available response times and obstacle types and agreed between systems for 85-96% of the trials while obstacle-avoidance strategies were always classified correctly. We conclude that Interactive Walkway walking-adaptability outcome measures are reliable and sensitive to task and subject variations, even in high-functioning subjects. We therefore deem Interactive Walkway walking-adaptability assessments usable for obtaining an objective and more task-specific examination of one's ability to walk, which may be feasible for both high

Inkjet-based adaptive planarization (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Singhal, Shrawan; Grigas, Michelle M.; Khusnatdinov, Niyaz; Sreenivasan, Srinivasan V.

2017-03-01

that should have been polished away. Preventive techniques like dummy fill and patterned resist can be used to reduce the variation in pattern density. These techniques increase the complexity of the planarization process and significantly limit the device design flexibility. Contact Planarization (CP) has also been reported as an alternative to the CMP processing [7], [8]. A substrate is spin coated with a photo curable material and pre baked to remove residual solvent. An ultra-flat surface or an optical flat is pressed on the spin-coated wafer. The material is forced to reflow. Pressure is used to spread out material evenly and achieve global planarization. The substrate is then exposed to UV radiation to harden the photo curable material. Although attractive, this process is not adaptive as it does not account for differences in surface topography of the wafer and the optical flat, nor can it address all the parasitics that arise during the process itself. The optical flat leads to undesirable planarization of even the substrate nominal shape and nanotopography, which corrupts the final film thickness profile. Hence, it becomes extremely difficult to eliminate this signature to a desirable extent without introducing other parasitic signatures. An example of this is shown in Figure 1. In this paper, a novel adaptive planarization process has been presented that potentially addresses the problems associated with planarization of varying pattern density, even in the presence of pre-existing substrate topography [9]. This process is called Inkjet-enabled Adaptive Planarization (IAP). The IAP process uses an inverse optimization scheme, built around a validated fluid mechanics-based forward model [10], that takes the pre-existing substrate topography and pattern layout as inputs. It then generates an inkjet drop pattern with a material distribution that is correlated with the desired planarization film profile. This allows a contiguous film to be formed with the desired

Integrated assessment of farm level adaptation to climate change in agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mandryk, M.

2016-01-01

The findings of the thesis allowed assessing plausible futures of agriculture in Flevoland around 2050 with insights in effective adaptation to climate change at different levels. Besides empirical findings, this thesis contributed methodologically to the portfolio of climate change impact and

Proceedings of the international conference on radiation environment - assessment, measurement and its impact: abstract and souvenir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

The international conference on radiation environment-assessment, measurement and its impact is a major step for evolving a consensual perspective on the future course of research in radiation physics and safety aspects in the entire country and global village in wider perspectives. The attempt is to welcome novel ideas and identify the strategies for enhancing safe lives without comprising the immense benefits of radiation sciences. The conference would present progress in radiation physics research. This international conference would strengthen the chain of research activities as well act as a catalyst. In the wake of the disaster at Fukushima, Japan such research activities are the need of the hour. While radiation hazards are immense and one might be quite impulsive in criticizing the so called radiation word, but we have to invite knowledge heads all over to further this science, despite its hazards, so that it may cater to the needs of young generation in present era. The discussion between learned teachers, far sighted scientists and scholars is very relevant and need of the hour. It is expected that a sharing of the current international experiences in radiation physics research through this international exposure will help in enriching understanding of our requirements in a globalised world. We must harness maximum benefit out of this science. It is quite encouraging that the main objective of the seminar is to probe critically the state of the art expertise available and hence deciphering the future prospects available with the field which can be achieved given proper utilization of the available resources. This conference touches many such aspects. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

4th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics

CERN Document Server

Pannek, Jürgen; Thoben, Klaus-Dieter

2016-01-01

This contributed volume brings together research papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics, held in Bremen, Germany in February 2014. The conference focused on the identification, analysis and description of the dynamics of logistics processes and networks. Topics covered range from the modeling and planning of processes, to innovative methods like autonomous control and knowledge management, to the latest technologies provided by radio frequency identification, mobile communication, and networking. The growing dynamic poses wholly new challenges: logistics processes and networks must be(come) able to rapidly and flexibly adapt to constantly changing conditions. The book primarily addresses the needs of researchers and practitioners from the field of logistics, but will also be beneficial for graduate students.

Uncertainty assessment of urban pluvial flood risk in a context of climate change adaptation decision making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten; Zhou, Qianqian

2014-01-01

uncertainty analysis, which can assess and quantify the overall uncertainty in relation to climate change adaptation to urban flash floods. The analysis is based on an uncertainty cascade that by means of Monte Carlo simulations of flood risk assessments incorporates climate change impacts as a key driver......There has been a significant increase in climatic extremes in many regions. In Central and Northern Europe, this has led to more frequent and more severe floods. Along with improved flood modelling technologies this has enabled development of economic assessment of climate change adaptation...... to increasing urban flood risk. Assessment of adaptation strategies often requires a comprehensive risk-based economic analysis of current risk, drivers of change of risk over time, and measures to reduce the risk. However, such studies are often associated with large uncertainties. The uncertainties arise from...

Health impacts of climate change in Vanuatu: an assessment and adaptation action plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Spickett, Jeffery T; Katscherian, Dianne; McIver, Lachlan

2013-01-30

Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges and Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable due to, among other factors, their geography, demography and level of economic development. A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) framework was used as a basis for the consideration of the potential health impacts of changes in the climate on the population of Vanuatu, to assess the risks and propose a range of potential adaptive responses appropriate for Vanuatu. The HIA process involved the participation of a broad range of stakeholders including expert sector representatives in the areas of bio-physical, socio-economic, infrastructure, environmental diseases and food, who provided informed comment and input into the understanding of the potential health impacts and development of adaptation strategies. The risk associated with each of these impacts was assessed with the application of a qualitative process that considered both the consequences and the likelihood of each of the potential health impacts occurring. Potential adaptation strategies and actions were developed which could be used to mitigate the identified health impacts and provide responses which could be used by the various sectors in Vanuatu to contribute to future decision making processes associated with the health impacts of climate change.

The 1990 NPT review conference: context and issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, J.

1990-01-01

On 20 August 1990, some hundreds of diplomats, government officials, nuclear energy specialists, arms control experts and representatives of non-governmental organisations and the press will gather in Geneva for the opening of the Fourth Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. NPT review conferences review the Treaty's operation 'with a view to assuring that the purposes of the preamble and the provisions of this Treaty are being realised' (Article VII.3). Holding NPT review conferences at regular intervals also serves to focus international attention upon non-proliferation issues once every five years. The purpose, scope and nature of the conferences is discussed and the main issues for 1990 assessed. (author)

Proceedings of the second international conference on environmental impact assessment of all economical activities. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Proceedings of the conference consist of 3 volumes: Vol. 1 - 'Environmental Impact Assessment of all Economical Activities including Industry'; Vol. 2 - 'Air Pollution Control and Prevention'; Vol. 3 - Waste Management and Environmental Problems in Construction Industry'. Out of 32 papers contained in Vol. 1, 2 were inputted to INIS. They deal with models of radionuclide transport in food chains and the use of aerial monitoring in the study of environmental contamination. (Z.S.)

EDITORIAL Smart materials, multifunctional composites, and morphing structures: selected papers from the 20th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST 2009) Smart materials, multifunctional composites, and morphing structures: selected papers from the 20th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST 2009)

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Wei-Hsin

2010-12-01

The 20th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST) was held on 20-22 October 2009 in Hong Kong. This special section of Smart Materials and Structures is derived from the research papers presented at the conference. Of the 106 papers presented at the conference, 11 papers were reviewed and accepted for this special section, following the regular review procedures of the journal. This special section is focused on smart materials, multifunctional composites, and applications on morphing structures. Smart materials. Smart materials are the foundation of adaptive structures and intelligent systems. The development of new materials will lead to significant improvement in various applications. Three articles are focused on the fabrication of new materials and investigation of their behaviors: Barium strontium zirconate titanate ((Ba1-xSrx)(ZrxTi1-x)O3; BSZT, x = 0.25 and 0.75) ceramics with a highly crystalline structure were fabricated using the combustion technique. The microstructure of BSZT powders exhibited an almost-spherical morphology and had a porous agglomerated form. Polyaniline (PANI)/clay nanoparticles with unique core-shell structure were synthesized via Pickering emulsion polymerization. By dispersing PANI/clay nanoparticles in silicone oil, the ER fluid was made. Magnetic field effects were investigated on the deposition rate and surface morphology of chromium nitride coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering for superior hardness, excellent wear and oxidation resistance. The surface morphology of chromium nitride films was also examined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Multifunctional composites. Composites are made from two or more constituent materials so they can combine the best properties of different materials. Five papers deal with fabrication, testing, and modeling of various multifunctional composites: A new active structural fiber (ASF) was fabricated by coating a single carbon fiber with a concentric

A new adaptive testing algorithm for shortening health literacy assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Currie Leanne M

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Low health literacy has a detrimental effect on health outcomes, as well as ability to use online health resources. Good health literacy assessment tools must be brief to be adopted in practice; test development from the perspective of item-response theory requires pretesting on large participant populations. Our objective was to develop a novel classification method for developing brief assessment instruments that does not require pretesting on large numbers of research participants, and that would be suitable for computerized adaptive testing. Methods We present a new algorithm that uses principles of measurement decision theory (MDT and Shannon's information theory. As a demonstration, we applied it to a secondary analysis of data sets from two assessment tests: a study that measured patients' familiarity with health terms (52 participants, 60 items and a study that assessed health numeracy (165 participants, 8 items. Results In the familiarity data set, the method correctly classified 88.5% of the subjects, and the average length of test was reduced by about 50%. In the numeracy data set, for a two-class classification scheme, 96.9% of the subjects were correctly classified with a more modest reduction in test length of 35.7%; a three-class scheme correctly classified 93.8% with a 17.7% reduction in test length. Conclusions MDT-based approaches are a promising alternative to approaches based on item-response theory, and are well-suited for computerized adaptive testing in the health domain.

Assessment of Coastal Governance for Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Ojwang, Lenice; Rosendo, Sergio; Celliers, Louis; Obura, David; Muiti, Anastasia; Kamula, James; Mwangi, Maina

2017-11-01

The coastline of Kenya already experiences effects of climate change, adding to existing pressures such as urbanization. Integrated coastal management (ICM) is increasingly recognized as a key policy response to deal with the multiple challenges facing coastal zones, including climate change. It can create an enabling governance environment for effective local action on climate change by facilitating a structured approach to dealing with coastal issues. It encompasses the actions of a wide range of actors, including local governments close to people and their activities affected by climate change. Functioning ICM also offers opportunities for reducing risks and building resilience. This article applied a modified capitals approach framework (CAF), consisting of five "capitals," to assess the status of county government capacity to respond to climate change within the context of coastal governance in three county governments in Kenya. The baseline was defined in terms of governance relating to the implementation of the interrelated policy systems of ICM and coastal climate change adaptation (CCA). The CAF framework provided a systematic approach to building a governance baseline against which to assess the progress of county governments in responding to climate change. It identified gaps in human capacity, financial resource allocation to adaptation and access to climate change information. Furthermore, it showed that having well-developed institutions, including regulatory frameworks at the national level can facilitate but does not automatically enable adaptation at the county level.

An analysis of adaptation negotiations in Poznan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnaud, B

2009-07-01

Hastily presented as one of the major accomplishments of the 14. United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Poznan, discussions on adaptation actually need careful analysis. Obviously, an increasing number of stakeholders (whether Parties, delegation members, civil society, businesses) see adaptation as a top concern, and this resulted in Poznan in a strong presence of the issue in plenary sessions, contact and informal groups, side events, press conferences, stands, etc. With respect to the historical treatment of adaptation, which has been quite light before COP 13 in Bali (2007), the vogue for adaptation may be good news. However, all the difficulty now lies in translating the semantic success and political momentum into operational outcomes. As the following critical synthesis shows, Poznan can hardly be considered as a major breakthrough in that regard although some significant steps forward have been made. In the past, little importance has been given to adaption in the climate change talks until the middle of this decade. In the early days of discussions (the 80's), climate change was not seen as a pressing matter, impacts were not expected to occur if action to reduce climate change was appropriately taken and there was thus no hurry to adapt. Then, in the late 90's adaptation was seen as a possible alternative to mitigation, and those defending adaptation as being resigned. Adaptation only started to gain some momentum in 2005 in Montreal, and was finally considered on an equal footage with mitigation in 2007 in Bali. Discussions on adaptation are thus still not at the level of those on mitigation, but Poznan was in a sense a major accomplishment in bringing adaptation on top of the agenda. Before Poznan, adaptation under the UNFCCC was limited to a couple of loose work programmes (see below) and three small funds financing adaptation activities in developing countries. One of these activities, arguably the most visible, is the realisation of

An analysis of adaptation negotiations in Poznan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnaud, B.

2009-01-01

Hastily presented as one of the major accomplishments of the 14. United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Poznan, discussions on adaptation actually need careful analysis. Obviously, an increasing number of stakeholders (whether Parties, delegation members, civil society, businesses) see adaptation as a top concern, and this resulted in Poznan in a strong presence of the issue in plenary sessions, contact and informal groups, side events, press conferences, stands, etc. With respect to the historical treatment of adaptation, which has been quite light before COP 13 in Bali (2007), the vogue for adaptation may be good news. However, all the difficulty now lies in translating the semantic success and political momentum into operational outcomes. As the following critical synthesis shows, Poznan can hardly be considered as a major breakthrough in that regard although some significant steps forward have been made. In the past, little importance has been given to adaption in the climate change talks until the middle of this decade. In the early days of discussions (the 80's), climate change was not seen as a pressing matter, impacts were not expected to occur if action to reduce climate change was appropriately taken and there was thus no hurry to adapt. Then, in the late 90's adaptation was seen as a possible alternative to mitigation, and those defending adaptation as being resigned. Adaptation only started to gain some momentum in 2005 in Montreal, and was finally considered on an equal footage with mitigation in 2007 in Bali. Discussions on adaptation are thus still not at the level of those on mitigation, but Poznan was in a sense a major accomplishment in bringing adaptation on top of the agenda. Before Poznan, adaptation under the UNFCCC was limited to a couple of loose work programmes (see below) and three small funds financing adaptation activities in developing countries. One of these activities, arguably the most visible, is the realisation of National

VGB conference 'Chemistry in the power plant 1984' - VGB feedwater conditioning conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The conference bears various aspects of feedwater conditioning for power plant cooling systems and steam generators as well as on the analytical assessment of water quality and its translation into operational method approaches. 5 out of the total 14 papers were entered separately in the database. (RB) [de

Genotypic adaptations associated with prolonged persistence of Lactobacillus plantarum in the murine digestive tract

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bokhorst-van de Veen, van H.; Smelt, M.J.; Wels, M.; Hijum, van S.A.F.T.; Vos, de P.; Kleerebezem, M.; Bron, P.A.

2013-01-01

Probiotic bacteria harbor effector molecules that confer health benefits, but also adaptation factors that enable them to persist in the gastrointestinal tract of the consumer. To study these adaptation factors, an antibiotic-resistant derivative of the probiotic model organism Lactobacillus

Genotypic adaptations associated with prolonged persistence of Lactobacillus plantarum in the murine digestive tract

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Bokhorst-van de Veen, Hermien; Smelt, Maaike J.; Wels, Michiel; van Hijum, Sacha A. F. T.; de Vos, Paul; Kleerebezem, Michiel; Bron, Peter A.

Probiotic bacteria harbor effector molecules that confer health benefits, but also adaptation factors that enable them to persist in the gastrointestinal tract of the consumer. To study these adaptation factors, an antibiotic-resistant derivative of the probiotic model organism Lactobacillus

13th International Conference on Motion and Vibration Control (MOVIC 2016) and the 12th International Conference on Recent Advances in Structural Dynamics (RASD 2016)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This volume contains the papers presented at the Thirteenth International Conference on Motion and Vibration Control (MoViC), together with the Twelfth International Conference on Recent Advances in Structural Dynamics (RASD). MoViC is an event that started in Yokohama, Japan in 1992 and has been organised every two years alternating between Japan, USA and Europe. The eleven previous RASD conferences have been held every three years or so since 1980 primarily in Southampton, UK. The idea of joining the two conferences came quite naturally because of the common ground of the two conferences and the chances of cross-pollination between two otherwise separate research groups. This joint conference is devoted to theoretical, numerical and experimental developments in motion/vibration/structural dynamics, their control and application to all types of structures and dynamical systems. The conference reflects the state-of-the- art in these topics, and is an excellent opportunity to exchange scientific, technical and experimental ideas. The Conference Proceedings include over 250 papers by authors from over 20 countries, forty technical sessions and five plenary presentations. The five invited speakers are Professor Roger Goodall (Loughborough University, UK) presenting “Motion and vibration control for railway vehicles”, Professor Takeshi Mizuno (Saitama University, Japan) presenting “Recent advances in magnetic suspension technology”, Professor Kevin Murphy (University of Louisville, USA) presenting “Dynamics of Passive Balancing Rings for Rotating Systems”, Professor David Wagg (University of Sheffield, UK) presenting “Reducing vibrations in structures using structural control”, and Professor Kon-Well Wang (University of Michigan, USA) presenting “From Muscles to Plants - Nature-Inspired Adaptive Metastructures for Structural Dynamics Enhancement”. I would like to thank members of the Organising Committee for their help, over the last year or so, in

The German Adaptation and Standardization of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI).

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, Julia A; Engel, Rolf R

2007-02-01

We developed the German Adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) under careful consideration of current adaptation literature and guidelines. The adaptation process included the translation of the 344 items into German, a back translation into English as well as the testing of the language equivalence using a bilingual sample. We then standardized the final German version of the PAI for the German population. We compared the American and German norm and reliability data. The observed differences in PAI scale means did not exceed 5 T scores. Internal consistency reliability showed a similar pattern in both language versions, although the German alpha coefficients were on average slightly lower than the American ones. Factor structure was similar in both versions. We discuss expectations about the German PAI and possible problems for its practical usefulness for the German-speaking population.

Conference assesses world oil supply scene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the Offshore Northern Seas conference heard a number of long term outlooks in Stavanger, Norway, last week, all with the same conclusion: the oil and gas industry needs massive investment if it is to match future demand. Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Bruntland built her scenario on a doubling of world population every 40 years. Mrs. Bruntland emphasized the growing dependence of the world economy on Middle East developments. Two thirds of the world's oil reserves are in the Persian Gulf region, she said, but only 28% of production comes from there. As the rest of the world depletes its reserves, dependence on Persian Gulf oil will grow

Second International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence (IJCCI 2010)

CERN Document Server

Correia, António; Rosa, Agostinho; Filipe, Joaquim; Computational Intelligence

2012-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the second International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence (IJCCI 2010), held in Valencia, Spain, from 24 to 26 October 2010. The conference was composed by three co-located conferences:  The International Conference on Fuzzy Computation (ICFC), the International Conference on Evolutionary Computation (ICEC), and the International Conference on Neural Computation (ICNC). Recent progresses in scientific developments and applications in these three areas are reported in this book. IJCCI received 236 submissions, from 49 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, only 30 submissions were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation, leading to a full paper acceptance ratio of 13%. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality and audience inte...

Efflux mediated adaptive and cross resistance to ciprofloxacin and benzalkonium chloride in Pseudomonas aeruginosa of dairy origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagedar, Ankita; Singh, Jitender; Batish, Virender K

2011-06-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of efflux pump activity (EPA) in conferring adaptive and cross resistances against ciprofloxacin (CF) and benzalkonium chloride (BC) in dairy isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biofilm formation potential was correlated with development of adaptive resistance in originally resistant strains. Irrespective of parent strains's susceptibility, isolates developed substantial adaptive resistance against CF and BC. Significant difference was observed in ability of non resistant isolates to develop adaptive resistance against CF and BC (P Reduction in adaptive resistances due to EPI was more evident in originally non resistant strains, which reaffirms EPA as probable mechanism of adaptive resistance. The present study perhaps first of its kind, suggests an active role of EPA in conferring adaptive and cross resistances in food related P. aeruginosa isolates and supports reverse hypothesis that antibiotic-resistant organisms eventually become tolerant to other antibacterial agents as well. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Professional Learning Communities Assessment: Adaptation, Internal Validity, and Multidimensional Model Testing in Turkish Context

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, Selçuk; Tatik, R. Samil; Yurtseven, Nihal

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to adapt and validate the Professional Learning Communities Assessment Revised (PLCA-R) by Olivier, Hipp, and Huffman within the context of Turkish schools. The instrument was translated and adapted to administer to teachers in Turkey. Internal structure of the Turkish version of PLCA-R was investigated by using…

9th International Conference on Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering and the 10th International Conference on Future Information Technology

CERN Document Server

Chao, Han-Chieh; Arabnia, Hamid; Yen, Neil; Advanced Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering : Future Information Technology; MUE-15; FutureTech 2015

This volume brings together contributions representing the state-of-the-art in new multimedia and future technology information research, currently a major topic in computer science and electronic engineering. Researchers aim to interoperate multimedia frameworks, transforming the way people work and  interact with multimedia data. This book covers future information technology topics including digital and multimedia convergence, ubiquitous and pervasive computing, intelligent computing and applications, embedded systems, mobile and wireless communications, bio-inspired computing, grid and cloud computing, semantic web, human-centric computing and social networks, adaptive and context-aware computing, security and trust computing and related areas.  Representing the combined proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering (MUE-15) and the 10th International Conference on Future Information Technology (FutureTech 2015), this book aims to provide a complete coverage of...

Adapting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations to Assess Social Work Students' Performance and Reflections

Science.gov (United States)

Bogo, Marion; Regehr, Cheryl; Logie, Carmen; Katz, Ellen; Mylopoulos, Maria; Regehr, Glenn

2011-01-01

The development of standardized, valid, and reliable methods for assessment of students' practice competence continues to be a challenge for social work educators. In this study, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), originally used in medicine to assess performance through simulated interviews, was adapted for social work to…

Assessment of the effectiveness of flood adaptation strategies for HCMC

Science.gov (United States)

Lasage, R.; Veldkamp, T. I. E.; de Moel, H.; Van, T. C.; Phi, H. L.; Vellinga, P.; Aerts, J. C. J. H.

2014-06-01

Coastal cities are vulnerable to flooding, and flood risk to coastal cities will increase due to sea-level rise. Moreover, Asian cities in particular are subject to considerable population growth and associated urban developments, increasing this risk even more. Empirical data on vulnerability and the cost and benefits of flood risk reduction measures are therefore paramount for sustainable development of these cities. This paper presents an approach to explore the impacts of sea-level rise and socio-economic developments on flood risk for the flood-prone District 4 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and to develop and evaluate the effects of different adaptation strategies (new levees, dry- and wet proofing of buildings and elevating roads and buildings). A flood damage model was developed to simulate current and future flood risk using the results from a household survey to establish stage-damage curves for residential buildings. The model has been used to assess the effects of several participatory developed adaptation strategies to reduce flood risk, expressed in expected annual damage (EAD). Adaptation strategies were evaluated assuming combinations of both sea-level scenarios and land-use scenarios. Together with information on costs of these strategies, we calculated the benefit-cost ratio and net present value for the adaptation strategies until 2100, taking into account depreciation rates of 2.5% and 5%. The results of this modelling study indicate that the current flood risk in District 4 is USD 0.31 million per year, increasing up to USD 0.78 million per year in 2100. The net present value and benefit-cost ratios using a discount rate of 5 % range from USD -107 to -1.5 million, and from 0.086 to 0.796 for the different strategies. Using a discount rate of 2.5% leads to an increase in both net present value and benefit-cost ratio. The adaptation strategies wet-proofing and dry-proofing generate the best results using these economic indicators. The information

Behavioral ecology of captive species: using behavioral adaptations to assess and enhance welfare of nonhuman zoo animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Koene, Paul

2013-01-01

This project aimed to estimate a species' adaptations in nature and in captivity, assess welfare, suggest environmental changes, and find species characteristics that underlie welfare problems in nonhuman animals in the zoo. First, the current status of zoo animal welfare assessment was reviewed, and the behavioral ecology approach was outlined. In this approach, databases of species characteristics were developed using (a) literature of natural behavior and (b) captive behavior. Species characteristics were grouped in 8 functional behavioral ecological fitness-related categories: space, time, metabolic, safety, reproductive, comfort, social, and information adaptations. Assessments of the strength of behavioral adaptations in relation to environmental demands were made based on the results available from the literature. The databases with literature at the species level were coupled with databases of (c) behavioral observations and (d) welfare assessments under captive conditions. Observation and welfare assessment methods were adapted from the animal on the farm realm and applied to zoo species. It was expected that the comparison of the repertoire of behaviors in natural and captive environments would highlight welfare problems, provide solutions to welfare problems by environmental changes, and identify species characteristics underlying zoo animal welfare problems.

Climate change impacts and adaptation options for the Greek agriculture in 2021–2050: A monetary assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Georgopoulou

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a quantitative assessment of mid-term (2021–2050 climate change impacts on and potential adaptation options for selected crops in Greece that are of importance in terms of their share in national agricultural production and gross value added. Central points in the assessment are the monetary evaluation of impacts and the cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options. To address local variability in current and future climate conditions, analysis is spatially disaggregated into geographical regions using as an input downscaled results from climatic models. For some crops (cereals, vegetables, pulses, grapevines, changes in future agricultural yields are assessed by means of agronomic simulation models, while for the rest crops changes are assessed through regression models. The expected effects on crop yields of a number of potential adaptation options are also investigated through the same models, and the costs and benefits of these options are also quantitatively assessed. The findings indicate that climate change may create winners and losers depending on their agricultural activity and location, while adaptation can mitigate adverse effects of climate change under cost-effective terms.

Addressing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Together: A Global Assessment of Agriculture and Forestry Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kongsager, Rico; Locatelli, Bruno; Chazarin, Florie

2016-01-01

to greenhouse gas emissions and removals, are vulnerable to climate variations, and form part of adaptive strategies for rural livelihoods. We assessed how climate change project design documents (PDDs) considered a joint contribution to adaptation and mitigation in forestry and agriculture in the tropics...

Report from the Third IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Freeland, Emily E.; Murphy, N.; Jang-Condell, H.; Gomez Maqueo Chew, Y.

2009-12-01

The Third IUPAP (International Union of Pure and Applied Physics) International Conference on Women in Physics was held in Seoul, South Korea from October 8-10, 2008 with 283 participants from 57 countries. Topics discussed included personal and professional development, attracting girls to physics, site visits for assessing and improving the climate for women, fundraising and leadership, and organizing women in physics working groups. Resolutions unanimously passed by the conference assembly recommend (1) the formation of additional regional or national working groups for women in physics, (2) promotion of site visits as an effective tool for improving the climate of the physics workplace, (3) increased professional development opportunities and outreach activities associated with conferences, and (4) a global survey of physicists in 2009 to assess the status of women in physics. See http://www.icwip2008.org/ for the text of the resolutions and the conference program. In this poster, AAS members who participated will report on this conference as well as resolutions from the first (Paris, 2002) and second (Rio de Janeiro, 2005) conferences. The next IUPAP Conference on Women in Physics is expected to occur in South Africa in 2011.

2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Deng, Zhidong

2013-01-01

Proceedings of the 2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’13, held in Yangzhou, China. The topics include e.g. adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, and reconfigurable control. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can gain an inside view of new solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent automation.   Zengqi Sun and Zhidong Deng are professors at the Department of Computer Science, Tsinghua University, China.

2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Deng, Zhidong

2013-01-01

Proceedings of the 2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’13, held in Yangzhou, China. The topics include e.g. adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, and reconfigurable control. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can gain an inside view of new solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent automation. Zengqi Sun and Zhidong Deng are professors at the Department of Computer Science, Tsinghua University, China.

5th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics

CERN Document Server

Kotzab, Herbert; Pannek, Jürgen

2017-01-01

These proceedings contain research papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics, held in Bremen, Germany, February 2016. The conference is concerned with dynamic aspects of logistic processes and networks. The spectrum of topics reaches from modeling, planning and control of processes over supply chain management and maritime logistics to innovative technologies and robotic applications for cyber-physical production and logistic systems. The growing dynamic confronts the area of logistics with completely new challenges: it must become possible to describe, identify and analyze the process changes. Moreover, logistic processes and networks must be redevised to be rapidly and flexibly adaptable to continuously changing conditions. The book primarily addresses researchers and practitioners from the field of industrial engineering and logistics, but it may also be beneficial for graduate students.

Assessment of vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate change and adaptation planning in Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Matin, M. A.; Chitale, V. S.

2016-12-01

Understanding ecosystem level vulnerability of forests and dependence of local communities on these ecosystems is a first step towards developing effective adaptation strategies. As forests are important components of livelihoods system for a large percentage of the population in the Himalayan region, they offer an important basis for creating and safeguarding more climate-resilient communities. Increased frequency, duration, and/or severity of drought and heat stress, changes in winter ecology, and pest and fire outbreaksunder climate change scenarios could fundamentally alter the composition, productivity and biogeography of forests affecting the potential ecosystem services offered and forest-based livelihoods. Hence, forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment to climate change and the development of a knowledgebase to identify and support relevant adaptation strategies is identified as an urgent need. Climate change vulnerability is measured as a function of exposure, sensitivity and the adaptive capacity of the system towards climate variability and extreme events. Effective adaptation to climate change depends on the availability of two important prerequisites: a) information on what, where, and how to adapt, and b) availability of resources to implement the adaptation measures. In the present study, we introduce the concept of two way multitier approach, which can support effective identification and implementation of adaptation measures in Nepal and the framework can be replicated in other countries in the HKH region. The assessment of overall vulnerability of forests comprises of two components: 1) understanding the relationship between exposure and sensitivity and positive feedback from adaptive capacity of forests; 2) quantifying the dependence of local communities on these ecosystems. We use climate datasets from Bioclim and biophysical products from MODIS, alongwith field datasets. We report that most of the forests along the high altitude areas and few

The Assessment, Development, Assurance Pharmacist's Tool (ADAPT) for ensuring quality implementation of health promotion programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, Hoai-An; Taylor, Catherine R; DiPietro, Natalie A

2012-02-10

To develop and validate the Assessment, Development, Assurance Pharmacist's Tool (ADAPT), an instrument for pharmacists and student pharmacists to use in developing and implementing health promotion programs. The 36-item ADAPT instrument was developed using the framework of public health's 3 core functions (assessment, policy development, and assurance) and 10 essential services. The tool's content and usage was assessed and conducted through peer-review and initial validity testing processes. Over 20 faculty members, preceptors, and student pharmacists at 5 institutions involved in planning and implementing health promotion initiatives reviewed the instrument and conducted validity testing. The instrument took approximately 15 minutes to complete and the findings resulted in changes and improvements to elements of the programs evaluated. The ADAPT instrument fills a need to more effectively plan, develop, implement, and evaluate pharmacist-directed public health programs that are evidence-based, high-quality, and compliant with laws and regulations and facilitates documentation of pharmacists' contributions to public health.

Fifth CNS international steam generator conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The Fifth CNS International Steam Generator Conference was held on November 26-29, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In contrast with other conferences which focus on specific aspects, this conference provided a wide ranging forum on nuclear steam generator technology from life-cycle management to inspection and maintenance, functional and structural performance characteristics to design architecture. The 5th conference has adopted the theme: 'Management of Real-Life Equipment Conditions and Solutions for the Future'. This theme is appropriate at a time of transition in the industry when plants are looking to optimize the performance of existing assets, prevent costly degradation and unavailability, while looking ahead for new steam generator investments in life-extension, replacements and new-build. More than 50 technical papers were presented in sessions that gave an insight to the scope: life management strategies; fouling, cleaning and chemistry; replacement strategies and new build design; materials degradation; condition assessment/fitness for service; inspection advancements and experience; and thermal hydraulic performance

Mathematical Problems in Biology : Victoria Conference

CERN Document Server

1974-01-01

A conference on "Some Mathematical Problems in Biology" was held at the University of Victoria, Victoria, B. C. , Canada, from May 7 - 10, 1973. The participants and invited speakers were mathematicians interested in problems of a biological nature, and scientists actively engaged in developing mathematical models in biological fields. One aim of the conference was to attempt to assess what the recent rapid growth of mathematical interaction with the biosciences has accomplished and may accomplish in the near future. The conference also aimed to expose the problems of communication bet~",een mathematicians and biological scientists, and in doing so to stimulate the interchange of ideas. It was recognised that the topic spans an enormous breadth, and little attempt was made to balance the very diverse areas. Widespread active interest was shown in the conference, and just over one hundred people registered. The varied departments and institutions across North America from which the participants came made it bo...

Assess and Adapt: Coordinated Ecoregional Forest Vulnerability Assessments Covering the Upper Midwest and Northeast in Support of Climate-informed Decision-making

Science.gov (United States)

Swanston, C.; Janowiak, M.; Handler, S.; Butler, P.; Brandt, L.; Iverson, L.; Thompson, F.; Ontl, T.; Shannon, D.

2016-12-01

Forest ecosystem vulnerability assessments are rapidly becoming an integral component of forest management planning, in which there is increasing public expectation that even near-term activities explicitly incorporate information about anticipated climate impacts and risks. There is a clear desire among forest managers for targeted assessments that address critical questions about species and ecosystem vulnerabilities while delivering this information in an accessible format. We developed the Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment Approach (EVAA), which combines multiple quantitative models, expert elicitation from scientists and land managers, and a templated report structure oriented to natural resource managers. The report structure includes relevant information on the contemporary landscape, past climate, future climate projections, impact model results, and a transparent vulnerability assessment of species and ecosystems. We have used EVAA in seven ecoregional assessments covering 246 million acres of forestland across the upper Midwest and Northeast (www.forestadaptation.org; five published, two in review). We convened a panel of local forest ecology and management experts in each assessment area to examine projected climate effects on system drivers, stressors, and dominant species, as well as the current adaptive capacity of the major ecoregional forest ecosystems. The panels provided a qualitative assessment of the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate change over the next century. Over 130 authors from dozens of organizations collaborated on these peer-reviewed assessment publications, which are delivered to thousands of stakeholders through live and recorded webinars, online briefs, and in-person trainings and seminars. The assessments are designed to be used with the Adaptation Workbook (www.adaptationworkbook.org), a planning tool that works at multiple scales and has generated more than 200 real-world forest adaptation demonstration projects.

SIGEF Conference

CERN Document Server

Terceño-Gómez, Antonio; Ferrer-Comalat, Joan; Merigó-Lindahl, José; Linares-Mustarós, Salvador

2015-01-01

This book is a collection of selected papers presented at the SIGEF conference, held at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Girona (Spain), 06-08 July, 2015. This edition of the conference has been presented with the slogan “Scientific methods for the treatment of uncertainty in social sciences”. There are different ways for dealing with uncertainty in management. The book focuses on soft computing theories and their role in assessing uncertainty in a complex world. It gives a comprehensive overview of quantitative management topics and discusses some of the most recent developments in all the areas of business and management in soft computing including Decision Making, Expert Systems and Forgotten Effects Theory, Forecasting Models, Fuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Sets, Modelling and Simulation Techniques, Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms and Optimization and Control. The book might be of great interest for anyone working in the area of management and business economics and might be es...

76 FR 64083 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-17

... Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a Technical Conference on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and... reliability that were identified in earlier Commission technical conferences. The conference also will discuss...

Beyond Vulnerability Assessment: Impact of Developments toward Local Adaptive Capacity in Kemijen City Village, Semarang City

Science.gov (United States)

Jayanimitta, M. E.; Puspasari, D. A.; Widyahantari, R.; Kristina, D.; Ratnaningtyas, T.; Setionurjaya, A.; Anindita, Y. A.

2018-02-01

Vulnerability Assessment is usually used for assessing the ability of an area on facing disaster. In previous studies, the study of Vulnerability Assessment applied only quantitative method to show the vulnerability level. Therefore, this study attempts to add information reviews using qualitative method. Kemijen City Village is one of the administrative areas in the northern part of Semarang City affected by climate change. The residents have to adapt it by renovating and elevating their houses and other infrastructures to avoid floods. There are some development programs held by government, NGOs, and corporations such as Banger Polder Development, PLPBK, etc. It is interesting to know how big the vulnerability level of Kemijen on facing flood disasters, then how the projects can affect local adaptive capacity. To answer it, this research uses mixed-method approach. Vulnerability Assessment uses quantitative method by scoring indicators of Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity, while the development impact uses qualitative method. The data were collected through interviews and FGD conducted in Joint Studio Course between Diponegoro University and University of Hawaii in October 2016. Non-physical programs such as community empowerment have more positive impacts on local adaptive capacity in Kemijen. Community participation is important for environmental sustainability that can not be done in a short time to educate the people.

The review conference mechanism in nuclear law: issues and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoiber, C.

2009-01-01

This paper seeks to assess the major issues arising from reliance on the review conference mechanism as a measure for enhancing the effectiveness of multilateral legal instruments, particularly those in the nuclear field. In view of the perceived failure of the 2005 review conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the need to avoid a similar result at the upcoming 2010 review conference, it is hoped that this analysis will provide a timely review of the review conference mechanism. (N.C.)

A Bacterial-Based Algorithm to Simulate Complex Adaptative Systems

OpenAIRE

González Rodríguez, Diego; Hernández Carrión, José Rodolfo

2014-01-01

Paper presented at the 13th International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior which took place at Castellón, Spain in 2014, July 22-25. Bacteria have demonstrated an amazing capacity to overcome envi-ronmental changes by collective adaptation through genetic exchanges. Using a distributed communication system and sharing individual strategies, bacteria propagate mutations as innovations that allow them to survive in different envi-ronments. In this paper we present an agent-based...

[The Confusion Assessment Method: Transcultural adaptation of a French version].

Science.gov (United States)

Antoine, V; Belmin, J; Blain, H; Bonin-Guillaume, S; Goldsmith, L; Guerin, O; Kergoat, M-J; Landais, P; Mahmoudi, R; Morais, J A; Rataboul, P; Saber, A; Sirvain, S; Wolfklein, G; de Wazieres, B

2018-04-03

The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is a validated key tool in clinical practice and research programs to diagnose delirium and assess its severity. There is no validated French version of the CAM training manual and coding guide (Inouye SK). The aim of this study was to establish a consensual French version of the CAM and its manual. Cross-cultural adaptation to achieve equivalence between the original version and a French adapted version of the CAM manual. A rigorous process was conducted including control of cultural adequacy of the tool's components, double forward and back translations, reconciliation, expert committee review (including bilingual translators with different nationalities, a linguist, highly qualified clinicians, methodologists) and pretesting. A consensual French version of the CAM was achieved. Implementation of the CAM French version in daily clinical practice will enable optimal diagnosis of delirium diagnosis and enhance communication between health professionals in French speaking countries. Validity and psychometric properties are being tested in a French multicenter cohort, opening up new perspectives for improved quality of care and research programs in French speaking countries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Proceedings of the second international conference on environmental impact assessment of all economical activities. Vol. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Proceedings of the conference consist of 3 volumes: Vol. 1 - 'Environmental Impact Assessment of all Economical Activities including Industry'; Vol. 2 - 'Air Pollution Control and Prevention'; Vol. 3 - Waste Management and Environmental Problems in Construction Industry'. Out of 32 papers contained in Vol. 2, 4 were inputted to INIS. They deal with nuclear fusion as a potential energy source, with environmental aspects of disposal of ashes from power plants in the Czech Republic, and with land reclamation after mining activities. (Z.S.)

32nd IMAC Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics

CERN Document Server

Mayes, Randy; Rixen, Daniel; Catbas, Fikret; Atamturktur, H; Moaveni, Babak; Papadimitriou, Costas; Schoenherr, Tyler; Foss, Gary; Niezrecki, Christopher; Allemang, Randall; Kerschen, Gaetan

2014-01-01

This critical collection examines a range of topics in modal analysis, from experimental techniques to acoustics to biodynamics,  as presented in early findings and case studies from the Proceedings of the 32nd IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics, 2014. The collection includes papers in the following general technical research areas: Experimental Techniques, Processing Modal Data, Rotating Machinery, Acoustics, Adaptive Structures, Biodynamics, Damping

Advancing Product Quality: a Summary of the Inaugural FDA/PQRI Conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Lawrence X; Baker, Jeffrey; Berlam, Susan C; Boam, Ashley; Brandreth, E J; Buhse, Lucinda; Cosgrove, Thomas; Doleski, David; Ensor, Lynne; Famulare, Joseph; Ganapathy, Mohan; Grampp, Gustavo; Hussong, David; Iser, Robert; Johnston, Gordon; Kesisoglou, Filippos; Khan, Mansoor; Kozlowski, Steven; Lacana, Emanuela; Lee, Sau L; Miller, Stephen; Miksinski, Sarah Pope; Moore, Christine M V; Mullin, Theresa; Raju, G K; Raw, Andre; Rosencrance, Susan; Rosolowsky, Mark; Stinavage, Paul; Thomas, Hayden; Wesdyk, Russell; Windisch, Joerg; Vaithiyalingam, Sivakumar

2015-07-01

On September 16 and 17, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) inaugurated their Conference on Evolving Product Quality. The Conference is conceived as an annual forum in which scientists from regulatory agencies, industry, and academia may exchange viewpoints and work together to advance pharmaceutical quality. This Conference Summary Report highlights key topics of this conference, including (1) risk-based approaches to pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, regulatory assessment, and post-approval changes; (2) FDA-proposed quality metrics for products, facilities, and quality management systems; (3) performance-based quality assessment and clinically relevant specifications; (4) recent developments and implementation of continuous manufacturing processes, question-based review, and European Medicines Agency (EMA)-FDA pilot for Quality-by-Design (QbD) applications; and (5) breakthrough therapies, biosimilars, and international harmonization, focusing on ICH M7 and Q3D guidelines. The second FDA/PQRI conference on advancing product quality is planned for October 5-7, 2015.

Translation, adaptation and inter-rater reliability of the administration manual for the Fugl-Meyer assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelsen, Stella M; Rocha, André S; Knabben, Rodrigo J; Rodrigues, Luciano P; Fernandes, Claudia G C

2011-01-01

Recently, the reliability of the Brazilian version of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) was assessed through the scoring given according to observations made by a single evaluator who applied the test. When different raters apply the scale, the reliability may depend on the interpretation given to the assessment sheet. In such cases, a clear administration manual is essential for ensuring homogeneity of application. To translate and adapt the French Canadian version of the FMA administration manual into Brazilian Portuguese and to evaluate the inter-rater reliability when different evaluators apply the FMA on the basis of the information contained in the manual. Eighteen adults (59±10 years) with chronic hemiparesis (38±35 months after a stroke) took part in this study. Eight patients participated in the first part of the study and 10 in the second part. Based on analyzing the results from part 1, an adapted version was developed, in which information and photos were added to illustrate the positions of the patient and evaluator. The inter-rater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The reliability of the FMA based on the adapted version of the manual was excellent for the total motor scores for the upper limbs (ICC=0.98) and lower limbs (ICC=0.90), as well as for movement sense (ICC=0.98) and upper and lower-limb passive range of motion (ICC=0.84 and 0.90, respectively). The reliability was moderate for tactile sensitivity (0.75). The joint pain assessment presented low reliability. The results showed that, except for pain assessment, application of the FMA based on the adapted version of the application manual for Brazilian Portuguese presented adequate inter-rater reliability.

Basic research on energy conservation in developing countries. Report of the International Conference on Adaptation and Mitigation Technologies for Climate Change; Hatten tojokoku energy shohi koritsuka kiso chosanado jigyo. Kiko hendo ni kansuru tekio kanwa gijutsu kokusai kaigi hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

The International Conference on Adaptation and Mitigation Technologies for Climate Change was held based on the 1st Conference of the Parties in 1995 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the 2nd evaluation report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This report carries the outline of this conference and minutes. Japanese government had studied the framework of activities implemented jointly (AIJ) for emission control of greenhouse gases by voluntary workers jointly with developing countries. The government decided the basis of the AIJ Japan program in 1995, and approved the evaluation guidelines of this program including confirmed and considered matters which are necessary for government offices related to this program to evaluate and approve each project. IPCC approved the 2nd evaluation report in its general meeting in 1995. This conference was thus held to discuss strategic technology and international cooperation with participation of writers of the 2nd IPCC report, policy planners of Asian countries, Japanese industries, governmental offices and NGO.

Superfund XV conference proceedings. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

This conference was held November 29--December 1, 1994 in Washington, D.C..The purpose of this conference was to provide a forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information on Superfund. Papers are included on the following topics: bioremediation; building decontamination; environmental policy issues; federal environmental restoration; groundwater remediation; innovative sampling and analytical technologies; laboratory methods; metals management; mixed wastes; PCB waste management; remediation technology and case studies; and risk assessment. Individual papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases

Applying computer adaptive testing to optimize online assessment of suicidal behavior: a simulation study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beurs, D.P.; de Vries, A.L.M.; de Groot, M.H.; de Keijser, J.; Kerkhof, A.J.F.M.

2014-01-01

Background: The Internet is used increasingly for both suicide research and prevention. To optimize online assessment of suicidal patients, there is a need for short, good-quality tools to assess elevated risk of future suicidal behavior. Computer adaptive testing (CAT) can be used to reduce

Pacific Basin conference on hazardous waste: Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This conference was held November 4--8, 1996 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The purpose of this conference was to provide a multidisciplinary forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information on the problems of hazardous waste. Topics of discussion deal with pollution prevention, waste treatment technology, health and ecosystem effects research, analysis and assessment, and regulatory management techniques. Individual papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.

Roadmap towards justice in urban climate adaptation research

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Linda; Chu, Eric; Anguelovski, Isabelle; Aylett, Alexander; Debats, Jessica; Goh, Kian; Schenk, Todd; Seto, Karen C.; Dodman, David; Roberts, Debra; Roberts, J. Timmons; Vandeveer, Stacy D.

2016-02-01

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21) highlighted the importance of cities to climate action, as well as the unjust burdens borne by the world's most disadvantaged peoples in addressing climate impacts. Few studies have documented the barriers to redressing the drivers of social vulnerability as part of urban local climate change adaptation efforts, or evaluated how emerging adaptation plans impact marginalized groups. Here, we present a roadmap to reorient research on the social dimensions of urban climate adaptation around four issues of equity and justice: (1) broadening participation in adaptation planning; (2) expanding adaptation to rapidly growing cities and those with low financial or institutional capacity; (3) adopting a multilevel and multi-scalar approach to adaptation planning; and (4) integrating justice into infrastructure and urban design processes. Responding to these empirical and theoretical research needs is the first step towards identifying pathways to more transformative adaptation policies.

The Impact of Adaptive Complex Assessment on the HOT Skill Development of Students

Science.gov (United States)

Raiyn, Jamal; Tilchin, Oleg

2016-01-01

In this paper we propose a method for the adaptive complex assessment (ACA) of the higher-order thinking (HOT) skills needed by students for problem solving, and we examine the impact of the method on the development of HOT skills in a problem-based learning (PBL) environment. Complexity in the assessment is provided by initial, formative, and…

Geriatric education across 94 million acres: adapting conference programming in a rural state.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy-Southwick, Colleen; McBride, Melen

2006-01-01

Montana, a predominantly rural state, with a unique blend of geography and history, low population density, and cultural diversity represents the challenges for program development and implementation across remote areas. The paper discusses two statewide multidisciplinary geriatric education programs for health professionals offered by the recently established Montana Geriatric Education Center (MTGEC); use of telecommunications technology; collaborations with Geriatric Education Centers (GECs) and the Montana Healthcare Telemedicine Alliance (MHTA); and training outcomes, insights, and implications for continuing education of health professionals who practice in hard-to-reach regions. In addition, data from a statewide needs assessment are presented specific to preferred format. The MTGEC training model that combined traditional classroom and videoconference increased attendance by twofold and may be adapted in other regions to train providers in remote areas of the U.S.

Measuring patient-provider communication skills in Rwanda: Selection, adaptation and assessment of psychometric properties of the Communication Assessment Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Cubaka, Vincent Kalumire; Schriver, Michael; Vedsted, Peter; Makoul, Gregory; Kallestrup, Per

2018-04-23

To identify, adapt and validate a measure for providers' communication and interpersonal skills in Rwanda. After selection, translation and piloting of the measure, structural validity, test-retest reliability, and differential item functioning were assessed. Identification and adaptation: The 14-item Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) was selected and adapted. Content validation found all items highly relevant in the local context except two, which were retained upon understanding the reasoning applied by patients. Eleven providers and 291 patients were involved in the field-testing. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit for the original one factor model. Test-retest reliability assessment revealed a mean quadratic weighted Kappa = 0.81 (range: 0.69-0.89, N = 57). The average proportion of excellent scores was 15.7% (SD: 24.7, range: 9.9-21.8%, N = 180). Differential item functioning was not observed except for item 1, which focuses on greetings, for age groups (p = 0.02, N = 180). The Kinyarwanda version of CAT (K-CAT) is a reliable and valid patient-reported measure of providers' communication and interpersonal skills. K-CAT was validated on nurses and its use on other types of providers may require further validation. K-CAT is expected to be a valuable feedback tool for providers in practice and in training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adaptation and standardization of a Western tool for assessing child development in non-Western low-income context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teklu Gemechu Abessa

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Due to lack of culturally relevant assessment tools, little is known about children’s developmental profiles in low income settings such as Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to adapt and standardize the Denver II for assessing child development in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia. Methods Culture-specific test items in Denver II were modified. After translation into two local languages, all test items were piloted and fine-tuned. Using 1597 healthy children 4 days to 70.6 months of age, the 25, 50, 75 and 90 % passing ages were determined for each test item as milestones. Milestones attainment on the adapted version and the Denver II were compared on the 90 % passing age. Reliability of the adapted tool was examined. Results A total of 36 (28.8 % test items, mostly from personal social domain, were adapted. Milestones attainment ages on the two versions differed significantly on 42 (34 % test items. The adapted tool has an excellent inter-rater on 123 (98 % items and substantial to excellent test-retest reliability on 119 (91 % items. Conclusions A Western developmental assessment tool can be adapted reliably for use in low-income settings. Age differences in attaining milestones indicate a correct estimation of child development requires a population-specific standard.

Adapting health promotion interventions to meet the needs of ethnic minority groups: mixed-methods evidence synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jj; Davidson, E; Bhopal, Rs; White, M; Johnson, Mrd; Netto, G; Deverill, M; Sheikh, A

2012-01-01

of adapted interventions and summarised data to assess feasibility, acceptability, equity, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Interviews were transcribed, coded and thematically analysed. The quantitative and qualitative data were then synthesised using a realist framework to understand better how adapted interventions work and to assess implementation considerations and prioritise future research. Our preliminary findings were refined through discussion and debate at an end-of-study national user engagement conference. Initial user engagement emphasised the importance of extending this work beyond individual-centred behavioural interventions to also include examination of community- and ecological-level interventions; however, individual-centred behavioural approaches dominated the 15 relevant guidelines and 111 systematic reviews we identified. The most consistent evidence of effectiveness was for pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation. This body of work, however, provided scant evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions for ethnic minority groups. We identified 173 reports of adapted health promotion interventions, the majority of which focused on US-based African Americans. This body of evidence was used to develop a 46-item Typology of Adaptation and a Programme Theory of Adapted Health Promotion Interventions. Only nine empirical studies directly compared the effectiveness of culturally adapted interventions with standard health promotion interventions, these failing to yield any consistent evidence; no studies reported on cost-effectiveness. The 26 qualitative interviews highlighted the need to extend thinking on ethnicity from conventional dimensions to more contextual considerations. The realist synthesis enabled the production of a decision-making tool (RESET) to support future research. The lack of robust evidence of effectiveness for physical activity and healthy-eating interventions in the general population identified

Coastal zones : shifting shores, sharing adaptation strategies for coastal environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hay, J.E. [Waikato Univ. (New Zealand); Morneau, F.; Savard, J.P. [Ouranos, Montreal, PQ (Canada); Madruga, R.P. [Centre of Investigation on the Global Economy (Cuba); Leslie, K.R. [Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (Belize); Agricole, W. [Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Seychelles); Burkett, V. [United States Geological Survey (United States)

2006-07-01

A parallel event to the eleventh Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change was held to demonstrate examples of adaptation from around the world in the areas of food security, water resources, coastal zones, and communities/infrastructure. Panels on each theme presented examples from developing countries, countries in economic transition, and developed countries. These 4 themes were chosen because both mitigation and adaptation are essential to meeting the challenge of climate change. The objective of the event was to improve the knowledge of Canada's vulnerabilities to climate change, identify ways to minimize the negative effects of future impacts, and explore opportunities that take advantage of any positive impacts. This third session focused on how coastal communities are adapting to climate change in such places as Quebec, the Caribbean, and small Island States. It also presented the example of how a developed country became vulnerable to Hurricane Katrina which hit the coastal zone in the United States Gulf of Mexico. The presentations addressed the challenges facing coastal communities along with progress in risk assessment and adaptation both globally and in the Pacific. Examples of coastal erosion in Quebec resulting from climate change were presented along with climate change and variability impacts over the coastal zones of Seychelles. Cuba's vulnerability and adaptation to climate change was discussed together with an integrated operational approach to climate change, adaptation, biodiversity and land utilization in the Caribbean region. The lessons learned from around the world emphasize that adaptation is needed to reduce unavoidable risks posed by climate change and to better prepare for the changes ahead. refs., tabs., figs.

Improving the use of crop models for risk assessment and climate change adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Challinor, Andrew J; Müller, Christoph; Asseng, Senthold; Deva, Chetan; Nicklin, Kathryn Jane; Wallach, Daniel; Vanuytrecht, Eline; Whitfield, Stephen; Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Koehler, Ann-Kristin

2018-01-01

Crop models are used for an increasingly broad range of applications, with a commensurate proliferation of methods. Careful framing of research questions and development of targeted and appropriate methods are therefore increasingly important. In conjunction with the other authors in this special issue, we have developed a set of criteria for use of crop models in assessments of impacts, adaptation and risk. Our analysis drew on the other papers in this special issue, and on our experience in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 and the MACSUR, AgMIP and ISIMIP projects. The criteria were used to assess how improvements could be made to the framing of climate change risks, and to outline the good practice and new developments that are needed to improve risk assessment. Key areas of good practice include: i. the development, running and documentation of crop models, with attention given to issues of spatial scale and complexity; ii. the methods used to form crop-climate ensembles, which can be based on model skill and/or spread; iii. the methods used to assess adaptation, which need broadening to account for technological development and to reflect the full range options available. The analysis highlights the limitations of focussing only on projections of future impacts and adaptation options using pre-determined time slices. Whilst this long-standing approach may remain an essential component of risk assessments, we identify three further key components: 1.Working with stakeholders to identify the timing of risks. What are the key vulnerabilities of food systems and what does crop-climate modelling tell us about when those systems are at risk?2.Use of multiple methods that critically assess the use of climate model output and avoid any presumption that analyses should begin and end with gridded output.3.Increasing transparency and inter-comparability in risk assessments. Whilst studies frequently produce ranges that quantify uncertainty, the assumptions

IEEE Conference Publications in Libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Karl E.

1984-01-01

Conclusions of surveys (63 libraries, OCLC database, University of Rhode Island users) assessing handling of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference publications indicate that most libraries fully catalog these publications using LC cataloging, and library patrons frequently require series access to publications. Eight…

Life cycle assessment of stormwater management in the context of climate change adaptation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brudler, Sarah; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

2016-01-01

Expected increases in pluvial flooding, due to climatic changes, require large investments in the retrofitting of cities to keep damage at an acceptable level. Many cities have investigated the possibility of implementing stormwater management (SWM) systems which are multi-functional and consist...... of different elements interacting to achieve desired safety levels. Typically, an economic assessment is carried out in the planning phase, while environmental sustainability is given little or no attention. In this paper, life cycle assessment is used to quantify environmental impacts of climate change...... adaptation strategies. The approach is tested using a climate change adaptation strategy for a catchment in Copenhagen, Denmark. A stormwater management system, using green infrastructure and local retention measures in combination with planned routing of stormwater on the surfaces to manage runoff...

ESMO Consensus Conference on malignant lymphoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buske, C; Hutchings, M; Ladetto, M

2018-01-01

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) consensus conference on mature B cell lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) was held on 20 June 2015 in Lugano, Switzerland, and included a multidisciplinary panel of 25 leading experts. The aim of the conference was to develop recommen......The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) consensus conference on mature B cell lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) was held on 20 June 2015 in Lugano, Switzerland, and included a multidisciplinary panel of 25 leading experts. The aim of the conference was to develop...... of the three key areas identified. This manuscript presents the consensus recommendations regarding the clinical management of elderly patients diagnosed with malignant lymphoma. Four clinically-relevant topics identified by the panel were: 1) how to define patient fitness, 2) assessing quality of life, 3......) diagnostic work-up and 4) clinical management of elderly patients with lymphoma. Each of these key topics is addressed in the context of five different lymphoma entities, namely: CLL, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Results, including...

Adapting tests of sign language assessment for other sign languages--a review of linguistic, cultural, and psychometric problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Haug, Tobias; Mann, Wolfgang

2008-01-01

Given the current lack of appropriate assessment tools for measuring deaf children's sign language skills, many test developers have used existing tests of other sign languages as templates to measure the sign language used by deaf people in their country. This article discusses factors that may influence the adaptation of assessment tests from one natural sign language to another. Two tests which have been adapted for several other sign languages are focused upon: the Test for American Sign Language and the British Sign Language Receptive Skills Test. A brief description is given of each test as well as insights from ongoing adaptations of these tests for other sign languages. The problems reported in these adaptations were found to be grounded in linguistic and cultural differences, which need to be considered for future test adaptations. Other reported shortcomings of test adaptation are related to the question of how well psychometric measures transfer from one instrument to another.

Mitigation and adaptation cost assessment: Concepts, methods and appropriate use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-12-31

The present report on mitigation and adaptation costs addresses the complex issue of identifying synergies and tradeoffs between national priorities and mitigation policies, an issue that requires the integration of various disciplines so as to provide a comprehensive overview of future development trends, available technologies and economic policies. Further, the report suggests a new conceptual framework for treating the social aspects in assessing mitigation and adaptation costs in climate change studies. The impacts of certain sustainability indicators such as employment and poverty reduction on mitigation costing are also discussed in the report. Among the topics to be considered by over 120 distinguished international experts, are the elements of costing methodologies at both the micro and macro levels. Special effort will be made to include the impacts of such parameters as income, equity, poverty, employment and trade. Hence, the contents of this report are highly relevant to the authors of the Third Working Group in the development of the TAR. The report contains a chapter on Special Issues and Problems Related to Cost Assessment for Developing Countries. This chapter will provide valuable background in the further development of these concepts in the TAR because it is an area that has not received due attention in previous work. (au)

Mitigation and adaptation cost assessment: Concepts, methods and appropriate use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

The present report on mitigation and adaptation costs addresses the complex issue of identifying synergies and tradeoffs between national priorities and mitigation policies, an issue that requires the integration of various disciplines so as to provide a comprehensive overview of future development trends, available technologies and economic policies. Further, the report suggests a new conceptual framework for treating the social aspects in assessing mitigation and adaptation costs in climate change studies. The impacts of certain sustainability indicators such as employment and poverty reduction on mitigation costing are also discussed in the report. Among the topics to be considered by over 120 distinguished international experts, are the elements of costing methodologies at both the micro and macro levels. Special effort will be made to include the impacts of such parameters as income, equity, poverty, employment and trade. Hence, the contents of this report are highly relevant to the authors of the Third Working Group in the development of the TAR. The report contains a chapter on Special Issues and Problems Related to Cost Assessment for Developing Countries. This chapter will provide valuable background in the further development of these concepts in the TAR because it is an area that has not received due attention in previous work. (au)

Mitigation and adaptation cost assessment: Concepts, methods and appropriate use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The present report on mitigation and adaptation costs addresses the complex issue of identifying synergies and tradeoffs between national priorities and mitigation policies, an issue that requires the integration of various disciplines so as to provide a comprehensive overview of future development trends, available technologies and economic policies. Further, the report suggests a new conceptual framework for treating the social aspects in assessing mitigation and adaptation costs in climate change studies. The impacts of certain sustainability indicators such as employment and poverty reduction on mitigation costing are also discussed in the report. Among the topics to be considered by over 120 distinguished international experts, are the elements of costing methodologies at both the micro and macro levels. Special effort will be made to include the impacts of such parameters as income, equity, poverty, employment and trade. Hence, the contents of this report are highly relevant to the authors of the Third Working Group in the development of the TAR. The report contains a chapter on Special Issues and Problems Related to Cost Assessment for Developing Countries. This chapter will provide valuable background in the further development of these concepts in the TAR because it is an area that has not received due attention in previous work. (au)

Proceedings of the 2. CDEN design conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yellowley, I.; Gu, P.

2005-01-01

The Canadian Design Engineering Network (CDEN) promotes best practices in engineering design. This annual conference, which provided a forum to exchange ideas and experiences in engineering design, included 2 roundtable discussions on design and innovation in Canadian engineering schools, and design considerations in the accreditation of engineering programs. The conference also featured a student design competition. The main topics of the conference were design education, design for innovation and design practices. Within the topic of design education, the following themes were addressed: design curriculum; design projects and cases; emerging design education tools and techniques; evaluation metrics and techniques in design education; web-based education resources; and, multi-disciplinary design education. Within the topic of design for innovation, the following themes were addressed: technological innovation and creativity; product design; process design; adaptable design; platform and product architecture design; modular design; life cycle issues, reliability, serviceability and disposal/recycling; sustainable design and development; design for manufacturing, construction, services, and the environment; design for life, health and fitness; design methodologies, tools and techniques; distributed design activities and teams; and, web-based design and collaborative design and tools. Within the topic of design practice, the following themes were addressed: engineering, procurement and construction industry; design in auto manufacturing, aerospace industry and high-tech industry; engineering project management; design for sustainability and environmental practices; professional development in engineering design; and, current and future industrial practice trends. The conference featured 30 presentations, of which 5 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Assessments for Use in Counseling Research

Science.gov (United States)

Lenz, A. Stephen; Gómez Soler, Inmaculada; Dell'Aquilla, Julia; Uribe, Patricia Martinez

2017-01-01

This article describes a 6-step process for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of counseling assessments from source document into a target language. An illustrative example is provided using the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008) and considerations for counseling researchers are discussed.

Assessment of the effectiveness of participatory developed adaptation strategies for HCMC

Science.gov (United States)

Lasage, R.; Veldkamp, T. I. E.; de Moel, H.; Van, T. C.; Phi, H. L.; Vellinga, P.; Aerts, J. C. J. H.

2014-01-01

Coastal cities are vulnerable to flooding, and flood risk to coastal cities will increase due to sea-level rise. Moreover, especially Asian cities are subject to considerable population growth and associated urban developments, increasing this risk even more. Empirical data on vulnerability and the cost and benefits of flood risk reducing measures are therefore paramount for sustainable development of these cities. This paper presents an approach to explore the impacts of sea level rise and socio-economic developments on flood risk for the flood prone District 4 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and to develop and evaluate the effects of different adaptation strategies (new levees, dry- and wet flood proofing of buildings). A flood damage model was developed to simulate current and future flood risk using the results from a household survey to establish stage-damage curves for residential buildings. the model has been used to assess the effects of several participatory developed adaptation strategies to reduce flood risk, expressed in Expected Annual Damage (EAD). Adaptation strategies were evaluated assuming combinations of both sea level scenarios and land use scenarios. Together with information on costs of these strategies, we calculated the benefit-cost ratio and net present value for the adaptation strategies until 2100, taking into account depreciation rates of 2.5% and 5%. The results of this modeling study indicate that the current flood risk in District 4 is 0.31 million USD yr-1, increasing up to 0.78 million USD yr-1 in 2100. The net present value and benefit-cost ratios using a discount rate of 5% range from USD -107 to -1.5 million, and from 0.086 to 0.796 for the different strategies. Using a discount rate of 2.5% leads to an increase in both net present value and benefit cost ratio. The adaptation strategies wet proofing and dry proofing generate the best results using these economic indicators. The information on different strategies will be used by

Combining analytical frameworks to assess livelihood vulnerability to climate change and analyse adaptation options.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, M S; Podesta, G; Fazey, I; Geeson, N; Hessel, R; Hubacek, K; Letson, D; Nainggolan, D; Prell, C; Rickenbach, M G; Ritsema, C; Schwilch, G; Stringer, L C; Thomas, A D

2013-10-01

Experts working on behalf of international development organisations need better tools to assist land managers in developing countries maintain their livelihoods, as climate change puts pressure on the ecosystem services that they depend upon. However, current understanding of livelihood vulnerability to climate change is based on a fractured and disparate set of theories and methods. This review therefore combines theoretical insights from sustainable livelihoods analysis with other analytical frameworks (including the ecosystem services framework, diffusion theory, social learning, adaptive management and transitions management) to assess the vulnerability of rural livelihoods to climate change. This integrated analytical framework helps diagnose vulnerability to climate change, whilst identifying and comparing adaptation options that could reduce vulnerability, following four broad steps: i) determine likely level of exposure to climate change, and how climate change might interact with existing stresses and other future drivers of change; ii) determine the sensitivity of stocks of capital assets and flows of ecosystem services to climate change; iii) identify factors influencing decisions to develop and/or adopt different adaptation strategies, based on innovation or the use/substitution of existing assets; and iv) identify and evaluate potential trade-offs between adaptation options. The paper concludes by identifying interdisciplinary research needs for assessing the vulnerability of livelihoods to climate change.

Bmi-1 confers adaptive radioresistance to KYSE-150R esophageal carcinoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Guanyu [Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China); Liu, Luying [Department of Radiotherapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou (China); Sharma, Sherven [David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Liu, Hai; Yang, Weifang; Sun, Xiaonan [Department of Radiotherapy, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China); Dong, Qinghua, E-mail: dongqinghua@zju.edu.cn [Biomedical Research Center, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China)

2012-08-24

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Adaptive radioresistant KYSE-150R cells expressed high level of Bmi-1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bmi-1 depletion sensitized KYSE-150R cells to RT. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bmi-1 depletion increased the generation of ROS in KYSE-150R cells exposed to radiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bmi-1 depletion impaired DNA repair capacities in KYSE-150R cells exposed to radiation. -- Abstract: Radiotherapy (RT) is a major modality of cancer treatment. However, tumors often acquire radioresistance, which causes RT to fail. The exact mechanisms by which tumor cells subjected to fractionated irradiation (FIR) develop an adaptive radioresistance are largely unknown. Using the radioresistant KYSE-150R esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) model, which was derived from KYSE-150 parental cells using FIR, the role of Bmi-1 in mediating the radioadaptive response of ESCC cells to RT was investigated. The results showed that the level of Bmi-1 expression was significantly higher in KYSE-150R cells than in the KYSE-150 parental cells. Bmi-1 depletion sensitized the KYSE-150R cells to RT mainly through the induction of apoptosis, partly through the induction of senescence. A clonogenic cell survival assay showed that Bmi-1 depletion significantly decreased the radiation survival fraction in KYSE-150R cells. Furthermore, Bmi-1 depletion increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of oxidase genes (Lpo, Noxo1 and Alox15) in KYSE-150R cells exposed to irradiation. DNA repair capacities assessed by {gamma}-H2AX foci formation were also impaired in the Bmi-1 down-regulated KYSE-150R cells. These results suggest that Bmi-1 plays an important role in tumor radioadaptive resistance under FIR and may be a potent molecular target for enhancing the efficacy of fractionated RT.

Capacity for teaching climate change adaptation in the university ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The teaching materials employed included textbooks (83.3%), journal (78.3%), conference proceedings (66.7%), articles on Climate Change and agricultural adaptation (80.8%) and lectures/teaching notes (44.2%). The major teaching methods used to communicate climate change concepts were lecture (63.3%) and field ...

11. international conference on elastic and diffractive scattering: towards high energy frontiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference is held every 2 years. Every time these conferences on elastic and diffractive scattering adapt their content to the most recent experimental and theoretical results concerning not only quantum chromodynamics (QCD) but also other fields of particle physics where diffractive physics is present. This year, besides classical themes such as: -) forward scattering, -) total cross-sections, -) real parts, and -) pomeron and odderon, the participants have addressed many other subjects such as: -) LHC physics, -) non-perturbative approaches to high-energy scattering, -) the dipole model, -) small-x evolution, -) hard diffraction in QCD, -) nuclear shadowing, -) diffractive Higgs studies, -) spin effects, -) 4-quarks and 5-quarks, or -) B-physics

11. international conference on elastic and diffractive scattering: towards high energy frontiers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This conference is held every 2 years. Every time these conferences on elastic and diffractive scattering adapt their content to the most recent experimental and theoretical results concerning not only quantum chromodynamics (QCD) but also other fields of particle physics where diffractive physics is present. This year, besides classical themes such as: -) forward scattering, -) total cross-sections, -) real parts, and -) pomeron and odderon, the participants have addressed many other subjects such as: -) LHC physics, -) non-perturbative approaches to high-energy scattering, -) the dipole model, -) small-x evolution, -) hard diffraction in QCD, -) nuclear shadowing, -) diffractive Higgs studies, -) spin effects, -) 4-quarks and 5-quarks, or -) B-physics.

Computational Biology Support: RECOMB Conference Series (Conference Support)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Waterman

2006-06-15

This funding was support for student and postdoctoral attendance at the Annual Recomb Conference from 2001 to 2005. The RECOMB Conference series was founded in 1997 to provide a scientific forum for theoretical advances in computational biology and their applications in molecular biology and medicine. The conference series aims at attracting research contributions in all areas of computational molecular biology. Typical, but not exclusive, the topics of interest are: Genomics, Molecular sequence analysis, Recognition of genes and regulatory elements, Molecular evolution, Protein structure, Structural genomics, Gene Expression, Gene Networks, Drug Design, Combinatorial libraries, Computational proteomics, and Structural and functional genomics. The origins of the conference came from the mathematical and computational side of the field, and there remains to be a certain focus on computational advances. However, the effective use of computational techniques to biological innovation is also an important aspect of the conference. The conference had a growing number of attendees, topping 300 in recent years and often exceeding 500. The conference program includes between 30 and 40 contributed papers, that are selected by a international program committee with around 30 experts during a rigorous review process rivaling the editorial procedure for top-rate scientific journals. In previous years papers selection has been made from up to 130--200 submissions from well over a dozen countries. 10-page extended abstracts of the contributed papers are collected in a volume published by ACM Press and Springer, and are available at the conference. Full versions of a selection of the papers are published annually in a special issue of the Journal of Computational Biology devoted to the RECOMB Conference. A further point in the program is a lively poster session. From 120-300 posters have been presented each year at RECOMB 2000. One of the highlights of each RECOMB conference is a

An integrated method for assessing climate-related risks and adaptation alternatives in urban areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yvonne Andersson-Sköld

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The urban environment is a complex structure with interlinked social, ecological and technical structures. Global warming is expected to have a broad variety of impacts, which will add to the complexity. Climate changes will force adaptation, to reduce climate-related risks. Adaptation measures can address one aspect at the time, or aim for a holistic approach to avoid maladaptation. This paper presents a systematic, integrated approach for assessing alternatives for reducing the risks of heat waves, flooding and air pollution in urban settings, with the aim of reducing the risk of maladaptation. The study includes strategies covering different spatial scales, and both the current climate situation and the climate predicted under climate change scenarios. The adaptation strategies investigated included increasing vegetation; selecting density, height and colour of buildings; and retreat or resist (defend against sea-level rise. Their effectiveness was assessed with regard to not only flooding, heat stress and air quality but also with regard to resource use, emissions to air (incl. GHG, soil and water, and people’s perceptions and vulnerability. The effectiveness of the strategies were ranked on a common scale (from −3 to 3 in an integrated assessment. Integrated assessments are recommended, as they help identify the most sustainable solutions, but to reduce the risk of maladaptation they require experts from a variety of disciplines. The most generally applicable recommendation, derived from the integrated assessment here, taking into account both expertise from different municipal departments, literature surveys, life cycle assessments and publics perceptions, is to increase the urban greenery, as it contributes to several positive aspects such as heat stress mitigation, air quality improvement, effective storm-water and flood-risk management, and it has several positive social impacts. The most favourable alternative was compact, mid

Assessing gait adaptability in people with a unilateral amputation on an instrumented treadmill with a projected visual context.

Science.gov (United States)

Houdijk, Han; van Ooijen, Mariëlle W; Kraal, Jos J; Wiggerts, Henri O; Polomski, Wojtek; Janssen, Thomas W J; Roerdink, Melvyn

2012-11-01

Gait adaptability, including the ability to avoid obstacles and to take visually guided steps, is essential for safe movement through a cluttered world. This aspect of walking ability is important for regaining independent mobility but is difficult to assess in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of an instrumented treadmill with obstacles and stepping targets projected on the belt's surface for assessing prosthetic gait adaptability. This was an observational study. A control group of people who were able bodied (n=12) and groups of people with transtibial (n=12) and transfemoral (n=12) amputations participated. Participants walked at a self-selected speed on an instrumented treadmill with projected visual obstacles and stepping targets. Gait adaptability was evaluated in terms of anticipatory and reactive obstacle avoidance performance (for obstacles presented 4 steps and 1 step ahead, respectively) and accuracy of stepping on regular and irregular patterns of stepping targets. In addition, several clinical tests were administered, including timed walking tests and reports of incidence of falls and fear of falling. Obstacle avoidance performance and stepping accuracy were significantly lower in the groups with amputations than in the control group. Anticipatory obstacle avoidance performance was moderately correlated with timed walking test scores. Reactive obstacle avoidance performance and stepping accuracy performance were not related to timed walking tests. Gait adaptability scores did not differ in groups stratified by incidence of falls or fear of falling. Because gait adaptability was affected by walking speed, differences in self-selected walking speed may have diminished differences in gait adaptability between groups. Gait adaptability can be validly assessed by use of an instrumented treadmill with a projected visual context. When walking speed is taken into account, this assessment provides unique

Cross-cultural adaptation of Preschool Language Assessment Instrument: Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindau, Tâmara Andrade; Rossi, Natalia Freitas; Giacheti, Célia Maria

2014-01-01

In Brazil, formal tools for the evaluation of spoken language are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to translate and adapt to Brazilian Portuguese the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument: Second Edition (PLAI-2). The process of translation and adaptation of this instrument was conducted in two stages - Stage 1: (1a) translation of the original version to Brazilian Portuguese, (1b) comparison of the translated versions and synthesis into a single Portuguese version, (1c) back-translation, (1d) revision of the translated version; and Step 2: (2a) application of the Portuguese version in a pilot project with 30 subjects, and (2b) statistical comparison of three age groups. In the Brazilian version, all items of the original version were kept. However, it was necessary to modify the application order of one item, and the change of one picture was suggested in another. The results obtained after application indicated that the Brazilian version of the PLAI-2 allows us to distinguish the performance of participants belonging to different age groups, and that the raw score tends to increase with age. Semantic and syntactic adjustments were required and made to ensure that PLAI-2 would be used with the same methodological rigor of the original instrument. The adaptation process observed the theoretical, semantic, and cultural equivalences.

Database support for adaptation to climate change: An assessment of web-based portals across scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanderson, Hans; Hilden, Mikael; Russel, Duncan; Dessai, Suraje

2016-10-01

The widely recognized increase in greenhouse gas emissions is necessitating adaptation to a changing climate, and policies are being developed and implemented worldwide, across sectors, and between government scales globally. The aim of this article is to reflect on one of the major challenges: facilitating and sharing information on the next adaptation practices. Web portals (i.e., web sites) for disseminating information are important tools in meeting this challenge, and therefore, we assessed the characteristics of select major portals across multiple scales. We found that there is a rather limited number of case studies available in the portals-between 900 and 1000 in total-with 95 that include cost information and 195 that include the participation of stakeholders globally. Portals are rarely cited by researchers, suggesting a suboptimal connection between the practical, policy-related, and scientific development of adaptation. The government portals often lack links on search results between US and European Union (EU) web sites, for example. With significant investments and policy development emerging in both the United States and the European Union, there is great potential to share information via portals. Moreover, there is the possibility of better connecting the practical adaptation experience from bottom-up projects to the science of adaptation. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:627-631. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Incineration conference 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

This book contains the proceedings of the 1990 incineration conference. The proceedings are organized under the following headings: Regulations- international comparison, Current trends in facility design, Oxygen enhancement, Metals, Off-gas treatment, Operating experience: transportable, Materials, Operating experience: R/A and mixed, Incineration of specific wastes, Medical waste management, Ash qualification, Ash solidification/ immobilization, Innovative technologies, Operating experience : medical waste, Instrumentation and monitoring, process control and modeling, Risk assessment/management, Operating considerations

Environmental assessment, continual improvement and adaptive management within the AREVA sustainable development framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosaasen, A.; Frostad, S.

2006-01-01

COGEMA Resources Inc. (which is part of the AREVA Group) is a Canadian company with its head office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It owns and operates mining and milling facilities in northern Saskatchewan, which produce uranium concentrate. The McClean Lake Operation commenced production in 1999 and its environmental management system represents an integrated approach to environmental assessment, continual improvement and adaptive management based on operational results. In Canada, sustainable development is promoted through the application of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). Environmental Assessment (EA) is a planning tool, which incorporates environmental considerations before irrevocable decisions are taken. The basic tenet of the Act is the determination of whether the potential environmental effects of a project are adverse, significant and likely, taking into consideration mitigation measures. Thus, project planning and design entails an iterative process that incorporates mitigation measures to minimize potentially significant adverse effects. As part of the EA process conservative approaches are taken to predict potential effects. Several important elements are generated through the EA process including: a set of environmental effects predictions, a compliance and environmental effects monitoring program, a follow-up program to address uncertainties in the prediction of environmental effects, and the identification of contingency measures that could be implemented should non-conservative assumptions be identified in the original assessment framework. The challenge is to integrate each of these elements into the environmental management framework of the operating facility and develop an iterative mechanism to evaluate operational performance relative to what was originally predicted. In Saskatchewan, a requirement of operational licenses is the periodic evaluation of the 'Status of the Environment' surrounding operational facilities. These

Neurobiological Adaptations to Violence across Development

Science.gov (United States)

Mead, Hilary K.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Shannon, Katherine E.

2009-01-01

Adaptation to violent environments across development involves a multitude of cascading effects spanning many levels of analysis from genes to behavior. In this review, we (a) examine the potentiating effects of violence on genetic vulnerabilities and the functioning of neurotransmitter systems in producing both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, (b) consider the impact of violence on the developing human stress and startle responses, and (c) brain development including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This review integrates literature on the developmental effects of violence on rodents, non-human primates, and humans. Many neurobiological changes that are adaptive for survival in violent contexts become maladaptive in other environments, conferring life-long risk for psychopathology. PMID:20102643

2012 HIV Diagnostics Conference: the molecular diagnostics perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Branson, Bernard M; Pandori, Mark

2013-04-01

2012 HIV Diagnostic Conference Atlanta, GA, USA, 12-14 December 2012. This report highlights the presentations and discussions from the 2012 National HIV Diagnostic Conference held in Atlanta (GA, USA), on 12-14 December 2012. Reflecting changes in the evolving field of HIV diagnostics, the conference provided a forum for evaluating developments in molecular diagnostics and their role in HIV diagnosis. In 2010, the HIV Diagnostics Conference concluded with the proposal of a new diagnostic algorithm which included nucleic acid testing to resolve discordant screening and supplemental antibody test results. The 2012 meeting, picking up where the 2010 meeting left off, focused on scientific presentations that assessed this new algorithm and the role played by RNA testing and new developments in molecular diagnostics, including detection of total and integrated HIV-1 DNA, detection and quantification of HIV-2 RNA, and rapid formats for detection of HIV-1 RNA.

Proceedings of the second international conference on environmental impact assessment of all economical activities. Vol. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Proceedings of the conference consist of 3 volumes: Vol. 1 - 'Environmental Impact Assessment of all Economical Activities including Industry'; Vol. 2 - 'Air Pollution Control and Prevention'; Vol. 3 - Waste Management and Environmental Problems in Construction Industry'. Out of 39 papers contained in Vol. 3, 3 were inputted to INIS. They deal with the use of portable radioisotope X-ray fluorescence analyzers in the determination of building material contamination by toxic elements, with underground waste repositories and ground water contamination, and the impact of the Temelin nuclear power plant on the hydrosphere and other environmental components. (Z.S.)

Conference Report: The First ATLAS.ti User Conference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeanine C. Evers

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This report on the First ATLAS.ti User Conference shares our impressions and experiences as longstanding ATLAS.ti users and trainers about the First ATLAS.ti User Conference in Berlin 2013. The origins, conceptual principles and development of the program are outlined, the conference themes discussed and experiences shared. Finally, the future of the program is discussed. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1401197

The OTOLITH Experiment - Assessment of Otolith Function During Postflight Re-adaption

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, A. H.; Wood, S. J.; Schoenfeld, U.

2010-01-01

The ongoing "Otolith" experiment is designed to comprehensively assess the otolith function during the re-adaptation phase after spaceflight. The novel protocol includes unilateral testing of each of the two otolith organs the utricle and the saccule. To assess utricle function, the otolith-ocular response (OOR) and the subjective visual vertical (SVV) are measured during unilateral centrifugation, which permits independent stimulation of the right and left ear. Measurement of the unilateral otolith-ocular response (uOOR) yields information on the response behaviour of the right and left peripheral utricles, whereas the SVV reflects the behaviour of the entire pathway from the peripheral otolith receptors to the vestibular cortex. Thus, by comparative evaluation of the results from the two tests, the degree of peripheral versus central adaptation during the post-flight period can be determined. To assess unilateral saccule function, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) are recorded. Since the saccules are predominantly aligned to gravity, and interplay with the antigravity muscles, it is hypothesised that these potentials shall be altered after spaceflight. To date the study has been conducted with 5 of a planned 8 short-flight Shuttle astronauts. Preliminary results will be discussed together with those from clinical studies of dizziness patients, where the same test protocol is employed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work is supported by the German Aerospace Center (Grant DLR W130729) and is conducted under the auspices of ESA, in cooperation with NASA.

Adapting to Climate Change. A question for our societies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Euzen, Agathe; Thiebault, Stephanie; Laville, Bettina; Fuchs, Alain; Barbut, Monique; Zaccai, Edwin; Schoenfeld, Sarah; Jouzel, Jean; Magnan, Alexandre K.; Duvat, Virginie K.E.; Banks, William E.; Errico, Francesco d'; Garnier, Emmanuel; Grunau, Christoph; Joly, Dominique; Gibert, Patricia; Till-Bottraud, Irene; Vlassopoulos, Chloe Anne; Chenorkian, Robert; Abbadie, Luc; Courtois, Elodie A.; Chave, Jerome; Hossaert-Mckey, Martine; Boeuf, Gilles; Gardel, Antoine; Fromard, Francois; Anthony, Edward J.; Bretagnolle, Vincent; Gaill, Francoise; Courchamp, Franck; Bellard, Celine; Guegan, Jean-Francois; Torre-Schaub, Marta; Mathy, Sandrine; Weikmans, Romain; Bonduelle, Antoine; Berdoulay, Vincent; Soubeyran, Olivier; Brun, Eric; Duvernoy, Jerome; Mondon, Sylvain; Schafferer, Frederic; Girault, Anne; Francoise, Yann; Bertrand, Francois; Heulin, Thierry; Hatte, Christine; Abbadie, Luc; Dubost, Christian; Cochran, Ian; Depoues, Vivian; Hubert, Romain; Nicol, Morgane; Dutertre, Philippe; Garreau, Francois; Nahon, Claude; Maucort, Eric; Torres, Javier; Slaoui, Abdelilah; Brault, Pascal; Flamant, Gilles; David, Sylvain; Bouzeghoub, Mokrane; Sultan, Benjamin; Lalou, Richard; Sanni, Mouftaou Amadou; Oumarou, Amadou; Soumare, Mame Arame; Quenol, Herve; Yiou, Pascal; Jezequel, Aglae; Buclet, Nicolas; Simonet, Guillaume; Maris, Virginie

2017-01-01

Adapting to climate change and global change have become vital goals for all societies. These same societies are faced at times with unexpected meteorological phenomena that are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, including flooding, droughts and tornadoes. They are also having to wrestle with rising temperatures and the follow-on effects on the balance of ecosystems, the evolution of species, and animal and plant life, not to mention the development of human populations, their living conditions and social organisation. Although the capacity of ecosystems to adapt or convert has been demonstrated by studies on climate variations over time, the growing pace of some phenomena may well lead to a point of no return. In fact, with the global rise in temperature - caused by human activities in particular - we might already have reached this stage. This book, which consists of some fifty articles by scientists and experts, is unique. It makes us think about what lies behind the notions of adaptation and mal-adaptation, drawing on several disciplines, sectors and regional fields. It also highlights the checks and limitations of adaptation, as well as reflecting and suggesting ways of acting and adjusting. The contributions made to this work serve to reinforce the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement (2015), especially the COP 23 climate conference (23. Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, 2017), where adaptation, its objectives and financing, are some of the priorities. This book is the result of a partnership between the CNRS and Comite 21. It was jointly edited by Agathe Euzen (deputy scientific director at the CNRS Ecology and Environment Institute); Bettina Laville (state councillor and Comite 21 chair); and Stephanie Thiebault (director of the CNRS Ecology and Environment Institute)

Poster exhibitions at conferences: are we doing it properly?

Science.gov (United States)

Beamish, Andrew J; Ansell, James; Foster, Jessica J; Foster, Kathryn A; Egan, Richard J

2015-01-01

Literature exploring the educational value and quality of conference poster presentation is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the variation in poster exhibitions across a spectrum of conferences attended by trainees. Prospective observational assessment of conference posters was carried out across 7 variables at 4 conferences attended by surgical trainees in 2012. Posters were compared by individual variables and according to overall poster score combining all 7 variables examined. The number of authors listed was also compared. Random samples of consecutively numbered posters were examined at the exhibitions of 4 conferences, which included a UK national medical education conference (Association for the Study of Medical Education), a UK international surgical conference (Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland), a European oncology conference (European Society of Surgical Oncology), and a North American joint medical and surgical conference (Digestive Diseases Week). Significant variation existed between conferences in posters and their presentation. The proportion of presenters failing to display their posters ranged from 3% to 26% (p posters that were formatted using aims, methods, results, and conclusion sections (81%-93%; p = 0.513) or in the proportion of posters that were identified as difficult to read (24%-28%; p = 0.919). Association for the Study of Medical Education outperformed each of the other exhibitions overall (p Posters with greater than the median of 4 authors performed significantly better across all areas (p Poster exhibitions varied widely, with room for improvement at all 4 conferences. Lessons can be learned by all conferences from each other to improve presenter engagement with and the educational value of poster exhibitions. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaption Measures for Egypt's Nile Delta

Science.gov (United States)

Abutaleb, Khaled Abubakr Ali; Mohammed, Asmaa Hassan El-Sayed; Ahmed, Mahmoud H. Mohamed

2018-04-01

During the last few decades there has been growing concern about the impacts of climate change. A significant number of institutions, research centers, universities and governments have funded projects in addition to work done by independent scholars and assessors studying this phenomenon, in particular, to identify vulnerability, mitigation and adaptation against associated risks. Egypt is among the international community which took part in numerous studies, research activities, conferences, seminars and meetings attempting to address climate change and its associated risks. Egypt is particularly concerned with the threat to the Nile Delta as it is considered a low-lying land at high risk. The aim of this paper is to review current and previous projects, technical reports and pilot studies, concerning risk assessments, mitigation, and adaptation strategies for climate change in Egypt. This, in turn, will aid in decision making regarding future funding and establishing of research related to climate change in Egypt. This paper will also highlight the weaknesses and strengths of policymakers solely relying on one or more of these studies.

(YIP 2011) Unsteady Output-based Adaptive Simulation of Separated and Transitional Flows

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-19

Investigator Aerospace Eng. U. Michigan Marco Ceze Ph.D. student/postdoctoral associate Aerospace Eng. U. Michigan Steven Kast Ph.D. student Aerospace...13] S. M. Kast , M. A. Ceze, and K. J. Fidkowski. Output-adaptive solution strategies for unsteady aerodynamics on deformable domains. Seventh...International Conference on Computational Fluid Dynamics ICCFD7-3802, 2012. [14] S. M. Kast and K. J. Fidkowski. Output-based mesh adaptation for high order

Investigation of the Adaptability of Transient Stability Assessment Methods to Real-Time Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Sommer, Stefan

2012-01-01

In this paper, an investigation of the adaptability of available transient stability assessment methods to real-time operation and their real-time performance is carried out. Two approaches based on Lyapunov’s method and the equal area criterion are analyzed. The results allow to determine...

Assessment of achievements of the Lima Climate Change Conference and perspectives on the future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue-Du Lü

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Lima call for climate action adopted at the Lima Climate Conference on Climate Change specifies that the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, shall apply to the new climate agreement to be adopted at the Paris Conference on Climate Change in 2015. Decisions on other heavily debated items, including the intended nationally determined contributions, were also made at the Lima Conference. The significant achievements in Lima and the positive momentum have laid a solid foundation for the adoption of a new climate agreement in the Paris Climate Conference. Four measures are proposed for China to meet great challenges in addressing climate change beyond 2020, including early formulation and issuance of a climate change law, establishment of a greenhouse gas emission trading scheme, promotion of advanced climate technology investments, and further international engagement for climate change.

The many facets of climate change - Conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-03-01

This conference day on climate change was organized by the French meteorological society (SMF) at the Ecole Normale Superieure of Paris. This document brings together the available presentations given at the conference. Eight presentations (slides) are compiled in this document and deal with: 1 - Climate change today and tomorrow, the research stakes (Herve Le Treut, IPSL); 2 - Rise of sea levels: estimations and regional variability (Guy Woeppelmann, La Rochelle Univ.); 3 - Polar ice caps and continental cryo-sphere as seen from space (A. Kouraev, F. Remy, E. Berthier, LEGOS); 4 - Impacts of climate change on exploited marine populations: projections and uncertainties (Patrick Lehodey, CLS); 5 - Climate change stakes on agricultural and winery activities in France (Eric Duchene, INRA); 6 - Impacts of climate change on forest trees phenology and their consequences on trees life and survival (Francois Lebourgeois, ENGREF); 7 - Remote-epidemiology: a health-aid in a climate change context (Murielle Lafaye, CNES); 8 - Socio-economic aspects and adaptation: a climate history, for what? (Emmanuel Garnier, Caen Univ.)

Assessment of the State of the Art of Flight Control Technologies as Applicable to Adverse Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Reveley, Mary s.; Briggs, Jeffrey L.; Leone, Karen M.; Kurtoglu, Tolga; Withrow, Colleen A.

2010-01-01

Literature from academia, industry, and other Government agencies was surveyed to assess the state of the art in current Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) aircraft technologies. Over 100 papers from 25 conferences from the time period 2004 to 2009 were reviewed. An assessment of the general state of the art in adaptive flight control is summarized first, followed by an assessment of the state of the art as applicable to 13 identified adverse conditions. Specific areas addressed in the general assessment include flight control when compensating for damage or reduced performance, retrofit software upgrades to flight controllers, flight control through engine response, and finally test and validation of new adaptive controllers. The state-of-the-art assessment applicable to the adverse conditions include technologies not specifically related to flight control, but may serve as inputs to a future flight control algorithm. This study illustrates existing gaps and opportunities for additional research by the NASA IRAC Project

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Danish version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment Questionnaire (SMFA)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindahl, Marianne Pia; Andersen, Signe; Jørgensen, Annette

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) into Danish (SMFA-DK) and assess the psychometric properties. METHODS: SMFA was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to a standardized procedure. Minor changes......, content validity as coding according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), floor/ceiling effects, construct validity as factor analysis, correlations between SMFA-DK and Short Form 36 and also known group method. Responsiveness and effect size were calculated...

Development and Climate Change: A Mainstreaming Approach for Assessing Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Adaptation Measures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halsnæs, Kirsten; Trærup, Sara Lærke Meltofte

2009-01-01

The paper introduces the so-called climate change mainstreaming approach, where vulnerability and adaptation measures are assessed in the context of general development policy objectives. The approach is based on the application of a limited set of indicators. These indicators are selected...... how development policy indicators in practice can be used to assess climate change impacts and adaptation measures based on three case studies, namely a road project in flood prone areas of Mozambique, rainwater harvesting in the agricultural sector in Tanzania and malaria protection in Tanzania...

MANAGING SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE TURBULENT ENVIRONMENT (review of the scientific conference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. G. Dehanova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Current article is dedicated to All-Rissian scientific conference “ Managing social change in the turbulent environment”.Modern social unstable environment determine the search for new solutions in managing change. The crucial transformations and changes take place in the main subjects of social life – family organizations and the state. External and internal risks actualize the study of adaptation processes in the management of social change at every level of social policy. It is necessary to identify the impact of new technological, demographic and cultural factors on the established trends of social dynamics.The main aim of the conference was an identification of new trends in the managing social processes on the base of cooperation between the state, nongovernmental organizations and people. The scientific conference was devoted to the analysis of social change in the conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity. The proposals for optimization of social dynamics will revise the experience of social practices in theRussian Federationand foreign countries. 

Assessing Strategies for Urban Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of Six Metropolitan Cities in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Seung Lee

2018-06-01

Full Text Available As interest in climate change adaptation grows, an increasing number of national and local governments are developing adaptation strategies. This study assesses the strategies for urban climate change adaptation of municipal governments in South Korea. The adaptation plans and budget expenditures of six metropolitan cities in South Korea were compared, based on the Implementation Plan for Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (IPCCAS 2012–2016 and annual expenditure reports of each city. The results show that the actual implementation of these adaptation programs varied vis-à-vis the original plans, in terms of the level of overall expenditure and sector-specific expenditure. The following findings were drawn from the analysis: First, in most cases, the highest adaptation priorities were disaster/infrastructure, water management, and the health sector. Second, actual expenditure on climate change adaptation programs was smaller than the planned budget in the IPCCAS. Third, the prioritized sectors matched for planning and implementation in Seoul, Daegu, Daejeon, and Incheon, but not in Busan and Ulsan. Fourth, the adaptation programs of South Korean metropolitan cities do not seem to have been well-tailored to each case.

Sustainable Building Assessment of Colonial Shophouses after Adaptive Reuse in Kuala Lumpur

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karam M. Al-Obaidi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Kuala Lumpur, as a major capital city, has undergone a drastic transformation in the past ten years. Many heritage buildings have been sacrificed for urban renewal projects. Those located in the touristic heritage zones within Kuala Lumpur were being converted by their owners into hotels and cafés to meet current demands to sustain their incomes. This approach, however, creates several physical and environmental issues within the new adaptation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the building performance of heritage shophouses that were adapted into budget hotels. The research focuses on two case studies in a strategic and historical location of Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur. At the initial stage, interviews and physical surveys were done to determine the context of this study. The authors of this research then used a triangulation method through indoor environmental condition assessment, measurements of indoor environmental conditions and occupant survey to determine the indoor building performance after the adaption. Results showed that adaptive reuse heritage buildings can perform and meet new indoor environmental requirements, but many sensitive design judgments need to be made before the adaptive reuse renovation. The research found that the use of natural light, natural ventilation, recycled materials and water efficiency have been neglected and thus, they should be prioritized and preserved to ensure a successful change of use. Conserving existing heritage buildings, while incorporating new usages with acceptable comfort, is in line with the principle of sustainability.

Proceedings of CanWEA's 23. annual conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

This conference was attended by wind turbine manufacturers, component suppliers, wind energy project developers, utilities and a broad range of service providers to the wind power industry. It provided a forum to identify key issues facing the wind power industry and the measures that must be taken if Canada is to meet the targets and objectives established for wind energy by federal and provincial governments. It is anticipated that the rapid growth in the wind power industry will help create jobs and training opportunities as well as provide economic benefits to local communities. The conference was divided into 3 streams, namely policy; business and development; and technical. Alberta policy and Quebec policy issues were discussed on the first day of the conference along with project financing issues and operations/maintenance of wind farms. Wind in cold climates was also discussed along with wind and grid reliability issues. Policy developments in western Canada, Atlantic Canada and Ontario were discussed on the second day of the conference along with wind farm siting issues, small wind projects under 10 MW, wind resource assessment, performance measurement, and advances in wind forecasting. Municipal involvement in wind projects was discussed on the final day of the conference along with wind integration with conventional grids and the need for trained service technicians in the Canadian wind industry. Forty presentations from the conference have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database

4. German conference on food irradiation. Assessment - methods - detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brockmann, A.; Erning, D.; Helle, N.; Schreiber, G.A.

1994-01-01

The fourth German Conference on Food Irradiation was held from 6th through 7th April 1994. Some seventy participants from the industry, scientific research, consumer organizations and supervising authorities discussed the pros and cons of the procedure and updated themselves on the latest governmental regulations, irradiation techniques, possibilities of detecting irradiated food and the results of official supervisory measures. The papers read at the meeting are summarized in this volume. (orig./vhe) [de

Translation and adaptation of the Disability Assessment for Dementia scale in the Spanish population.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Pérez, Alicia; López-Roig, Sofia; Pampliega Pérez, Ana; Peral Gómez, Paula; Pastor, María Ángeles; Hurtado-Pomares, Miriam

2017-09-20

Functional assessment is especially relevant in patients with cognitive impairment (CI). The Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) scale assesses functional ability and its use is becoming increasingly popular. This study aims to perform the translation and cultural adaptation of the DAD scale in order to create a Spanish version: DAD-E. A double translation/back-translation process was developed, as well as a pilot study with 14 caregivers of patients with CI, and 3 review meetings to achieve general agreement. The DAD-E includes the 40 original items. Four response options and 8 scores were added in order to detect functional disability induced by CI independently of other possible causes. More detailed instructions for administration and scoring of the scale have been provided in order to improve the reliability of the content. The DAD-E was shown to be a cultural and linguistic adaptation equivalent of the original scale, which allows it to be applied to the Spanish population. It may be a useful instrument in clinical practice since it provides a more accurate assessment of functional disability due to cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Interaction with phosphoinositides confers adaptation onto the TRPV1 pain receptor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Yao

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Adaptation is a common feature of many sensory systems. But its occurrence to pain sensation has remained elusive. Here we address the problem at the receptor level and show that the capsaicin ion channel TRPV1, which mediates nociception at the peripheral nerve terminals, possesses properties essential to the adaptation of sensory responses. Ca(2+ influx following the channel opening caused a profound shift (approximately 14-fold of the agonist sensitivity, but did not alter the maximum attainable current. The shift was adequate to render the channel irresponsive to normally saturating concentrations, leaving the notion that the channel became no longer functional after desensitization. By simultaneous patch-clamp recording and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF imaging, it was shown that the depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2 induced by Ca(2+ influx had a rapid time course synchronous to the desensitization of the current. The extent of the depletion was comparable to that by rapamycin-induced activation of a PIP2 5-phosphatase, which also caused a significant reduction of the agonist sensitivity without affecting the maximum response. These results support a prominent contribution of PIP2 depletion to the desensitization of TRPV1 and suggest the adaptation as a possible physiological function for the Ca(2+ influx through the channel.

Veterans in Society Conference 2014: Humanizing the Discourse (Conference Program)

OpenAIRE

Virginia Tech. Department of English. Center for the Study of Rhetoric in Society; Virginia Tech. Veterans Studies Group

2014-01-01

This program lists the daily sessions, presentations, and events that took place during the 2014 Veterans in Society Conference, which was held from April 27-28, 2014 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. This program also includes speaker and presenter bios, descriptions of unrecorded conference events, and a letter from conference co-chair Jim Dubinsky, the director of Virginia Tech's Center for the Study of Rhetoric in Society. The 2014 Veterans in Society Conference: Humanizing the Discour...

INTERCARTO CONFERENCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Tikunov

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The InterCarto conferences are thematically organized to target one of the most pressing problems of modern geography—creation and use of geographical information systems (GISs as effective tools for achieving sustainable development of territories. Over the years, from 1994 to 2009, 1872 participants from 51 countries and 156 cities, who made 1494 reports, attended the conferences. There were 1508 participants from 49 regions of Russia making 1340 presentations. The conferences hosted 31 different sections, most popular of which were Environmental GIS-Projects: Development and Experience, Sustainable Development and Innovative Projects, GIS: the Theory and Methodology, Projects for Russia and Regions, and GIS-Technologies and Digital Mapping. The next annual InterCarto-InterGIS conference will take place in December 2011. The Russian component of the conference will be held in the Altay Kray followed by another meeting on Bali, Indonesia

Assessing Implementation Fidelity and Adaptation in a Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Zoe; Kostadinov, Iordan; Jones, Michelle; Richard, Lucie; Cargo, Margaret

2014-01-01

Little research has assessed the fidelity, adaptation or integrity of activities implemented within community-based obesity prevention initiatives. To address this gap, a mixed-method process evaluation was undertaken in the context of the South Australian Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle (OPAL) initiative. An ecological coding procedure assessed…

Assessing the Resolution Adaptability of the Zhang-McFarlane Cumulus Parameterization With Spatial and Temporal Averaging: RESOLUTION ADAPTABILITY OF ZM SCHEME

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Yuxing [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing China; Fan, Jiwen [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Xiao, Heng [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Zhang, Guang J. [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego CA USA; Ghan, Steven J. [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Xu, Kuan-Man [NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton VA USA; Ma, Po-Lun [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Gustafson, William I. [Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA

2017-11-01

Realistic modeling of cumulus convection at fine model resolutions (a few to a few tens of km) is problematic since it requires the cumulus scheme to adapt to higher resolution than they were originally designed for (~100 km). To solve this problem, we implement the spatial averaging method proposed in Xiao et al. (2015) and also propose a temporal averaging method for the large-scale convective available potential energy (CAPE) tendency in the Zhang-McFarlane (ZM) cumulus parameterization. The resolution adaptability of the original ZM scheme, the scheme with spatial averaging, and the scheme with both spatial and temporal averaging at 4-32 km resolution is assessed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, by comparing with Cloud Resolving Model (CRM) results. We find that the original ZM scheme has very poor resolution adaptability, with sub-grid convective transport and precipitation increasing significantly as the resolution increases. The spatial averaging method improves the resolution adaptability of the ZM scheme and better conserves the total transport of moist static energy and total precipitation. With the temporal averaging method, the resolution adaptability of the scheme is further improved, with sub-grid convective precipitation becoming smaller than resolved precipitation for resolution higher than 8 km, which is consistent with the results from the CRM simulation. Both the spatial distribution and time series of precipitation are improved with the spatial and temporal averaging methods. The results may be helpful for developing resolution adaptability for other cumulus parameterizations that are based on quasi-equilibrium assumption.

A Multimode Adaptive Pushover Procedure for Seismic Assessment of Integral Bridges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Mohtashami

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new adaptive pushover procedure to account for the effect of higher modes in order to accurately estimate the seismic response of bridges. The effect of higher modes is considered by introducing a minimum value for the total effective modal mass. The proposed method employs enough number of modes to ensure that the defined total effective modal mass participates in all increments of the pushover loading. An adaptive demand curve is also developed for assessment of the seismic demand. The efficiency and robustness of the proposed method are demonstrated by conducting a parametric study. The analysis includes 18 four-span integral bridges with various heights of piers. The inelastic response history analysis is employed as reference solution in this study. Numerical results indicate excellent accuracy of the proposed method in assessment of the seismic response. For most bridges investigated in this study, the difference between the estimated response of the proposed method and the inelastic response history analysis is less than 25% for displacements and 10% for internal forces. This indicates a very good accuracy compared to available pushover procedures in the literature. The proposed method is therefore recommended to be applied to the seismic performance evaluation of integral bridges for engineering applications.

5th International Conference on Fuzzy and Neuro Computing

CERN Document Server

Panigrahi, Bijaya; Das, Swagatam; Suganthan, Ponnuthurai

2015-01-01

This proceedings bring together contributions from researchers from academia and industry to report the latest cutting edge research made in the areas of Fuzzy Computing, Neuro Computing and hybrid Neuro-Fuzzy Computing in the paradigm of Soft Computing. The FANCCO 2015 conference explored new application areas, design novel hybrid algorithms for solving different real world application problems. After a rigorous review of the 68 submissions from all over the world, the referees panel selected 27 papers to be presented at the Conference. The accepted papers have a good, balanced mix of theory and applications. The techniques ranged from fuzzy neural networks, decision trees, spiking neural networks, self organizing feature map, support vector regression, adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system, extreme learning machine, fuzzy multi criteria decision making, machine learning, web usage mining, Takagi-Sugeno Inference system, extended Kalman filter, Goedel type logic, fuzzy formal concept analysis, biclustering e...

Conference summaries. Canadian Nuclear Association 29. annual conference; Canadian Nuclear Society 10. annual conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1990-12-31

Separate abstracts were prepared for 15 papers from the twenty-ninth Annual Conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association. Abstracts were also prepared for the 102 papers from the tenth Annual Conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society.

Conference summaries. Canadian Nuclear Association 29. annual conference; Canadian Nuclear Society 10. annual conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Separate abstracts were prepared for 15 papers from the twenty-ninth Annual Conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association. Abstracts were also prepared for the 102 papers from the tenth Annual Conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society

Computational identification of adaptive mutants using the VERT system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winkler James

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background Evolutionary dynamics of microbial organisms can now be visualized using the Visualizing Evolution in Real Time (VERT system, in which several isogenic strains expressing different fluorescent proteins compete during adaptive evolution and are tracked using fluorescent cell sorting to construct a population history over time. Mutations conferring enhanced growth rates can be detected by observing changes in the fluorescent population proportions. Results Using data obtained from several VERT experiments, we construct a hidden Markov-derived model to detect these adaptive events in VERT experiments without external intervention beyond initial training. Analysis of annotated data revealed that the model achieves consensus with human annotation for 85-93% of the data points when detecting adaptive events. A method to determine the optimal time point to isolate adaptive mutants is also introduced. Conclusions The developed model offers a new way to monitor adaptive evolution experiments without the need for external intervention, thereby simplifying adaptive evolution efforts relying on population tracking. Future efforts to construct a fully automated system to isolate adaptive mutants may find the algorithm a useful tool.

Second international conference on isotopes. Conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, C.J.

1997-10-01

The Second International Conference on Isotopes (2ICI) was hosted by the Australian Nuclear Association in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The Theme of the Second Conference: Isotopes for Industry, Health and a Better Environment recognizes that isotopes have been used in these fields successfully for many years and offer prospects for increasing use in the future. The worldwide interest in the use of research reactors and accelerators and in applications of stable and radioactive isotopes, isotopic techniques and radiation in industry, agriculture, medicine, environmental studies and research in general, was considered. Other radiation issues including radiation protection and safety were also addressed. International and national overviews and subject reviews invited from leading experts were included to introduce the program of technical sessions. The invited papers were supported by contributions accepted from participants for oral and poster presentation. A Technical Exhibition was held in association with the Conference. This volume contains the foreword, technical program, the author index and of the papers (1-60) presented at the conference

Second international conference on isotopes. Conference proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hardy, C J [ed.

1997-10-01

The Second International Conference on Isotopes (2ICI) was hosted by the Australian Nuclear Association in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The Theme of the Second Conference: Isotopes for Industry, Health and a Better Environment recognizes that isotopes have been used in these fields successfully for many years and offer prospects for increasing use in the future. The worldwide interest in the use of research reactors and accelerators and in applications of stable and radioactive isotopes, isotopic techniques and radiation in industry, agriculture, medicine, environmental studies and research in general, was considered. Other radiation issues including radiation protection and safety were also addressed. International and national overviews and subject reviews invited from leading experts were included to introduce the program of technical sessions. The invited papers were supported by contributions accepted from participants for oral and poster presentation. A Technical Exhibition was held in association with the Conference. This volume contains the foreword, technical program, the author index and of the papers (1-60) presented at the conference.

Proceedings of GeoHalifax 2009 : the 62. Canadian geotechnical conference and 10. joint CGS/IAH-CNC groundwater conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lake, C.; Fenton, G. [Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, NS (Canada); Taylor, B. [Stantec Consulting Ltd., Surrey, BC (Canada); Ferguson, G. [Saint Francis Xavier Univ., Antigonish, NS (Canada)] (comps.) (and others)

2009-07-01

More than 500 delegates from industry, government, universities and research centres attended this conference to exchange professional knowledge on research and development that affects all sectors of geotechnical engineering, applied geology and hydrogeology. The conference also highlighted recent geoenvironmental achievements. The geotechnical sessions were entitled: soil mechanics; soil mechanics and brownfields; foundation engineering; landslide and slopes engineering; rock mechanics; risk assessment; reliability-based design; geoenvironmental issues; transportation geotechniques; marine geotechniques and geohazards; non-textbook soils and waste soils; covers and liners; instrumentation; harbour and shoreline geotechniques; geosynthetic mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) systems; cold regions and climate change; computer applications; regional hydrogeology; groundwater-surface water interaction; well hydraulics; radioactive waste management; groundwater sustainability; source water protection; mine waters; field techniques in hydrogeology; and hydrogeology of fractured rocks. The conference featured more than 230 presentations, of which 37 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.

20th IAEA fusion energy conference 2004. Conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The 20th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Fusion Energy Conference (FEC) was held in Vilamoura, Portugal, from 1 to 6 November 2004. The Instituto Superior Tecnico through the Centro de Fusao Nuclear on behalf of the Portuguese Government and the Association EURATOM/IST hosted the conference. The IAEA wishes to express its gratitude to the host. More than 600 delegates representing 33 countries and three international organizations attended the Fusion Energy Conference 2004. The Programme Committee accepted a total of some 437 papers for presentation at the conference. The scientific experimental and theoretical papers have been grouped with respect to the following themes: Overview on magnetic and inertial fusion; Advanced Scenarios and Steady State; Edge Localized Modes; Fusion Technology; Transport Theory; Beta Limits; Hybrid Scenarios; H-mode and Transport; ITER; Alfven Modes and Wave Heating; Operational Limits and Momentum Transport; Energetic Particles and Stability; Neoclassical Tearing Modes; Transport and Turbulence; Inertial Fusion; Configuration Effects and Transport; and Plasma-wall Interaction. The conference adjourned with the announcement of the next IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, which will be held for the first time in the People's Republic of China, in the city of Chengdu, October 16-22, 2006

2008 Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis [Conference summary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soled, Stuart L.; Gray, Nancy Ryan

2009-01-01

The GRC on Catalysis is one of the most prestigious catalysis conferences as it brings together leading researchers from around the world to discuss their latest, most exciting work in catalysis. The 2008 conference will continue this tradition. The conference will cover a variety of themes including new catalytic materials, theoretical and experimental approaches to improve understanding of kinetics and transport phenomena, and state of the art nanoscale characterization probes to monitor active sites. The conference promotes interactions among established researchers and young scientists. It provides a venue for students to meet, talk to and learn from some of the world leading researchers in the area. It also gives them a platform for displaying their own work during the poster sessions. The informal nature of the meeting, excellent quality of the presentations and posters, and ability to meet many outstanding colleagues makes this an excellent conference.

Adaptive e-learning methods and IMS Learning Design. An integrated approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgos, Daniel; Specht, Marcus

2006-01-01

Please, cite this publication as: Burgos, D., & Specht, M. (2006). Adaptive e-learning methods and IMS Learning Design. In Kinshuk, R. Koper, P. Kommers, P. Kirschner, D. G. Sampson & W. Didderen (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (pp.

Global assessment of technological innovation for climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Adenle, Ademola A; Azadi, Hossein; Arbiol, Joseph

2015-09-15

Concerns about mitigating and adapting to climate change resulted in renewing the incentive for agricultural research investments and developing further innovation priorities around the world particularly in developing countries. In the near future, development of new agricultural measures and proper diffusion of technologies will greatly influence the ability of farmers in adaptation and mitigation to climate change. Using bibliometric approaches through output of academic journal publications and patent-based data, we assess the impact of research and development (R&D) for new and existing technologies within the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation. We show that many developing countries invest limited resources for R&D in relevant technologies that have great potential for mitigation and adaption in agricultural production. We also discuss constraints including weak infrastructure, limited research capacity, lack of credit facilities and technology transfer that may hinder the application of innovation in tackling the challenges of climate change. A range of policy measures is also suggested to overcome identified constraints and to ensure that potentials of innovation for climate change mitigation and adaptation are realized. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

European Research Reactor Conference (RRFM) 2015: Conference Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

In 2015 the European Research Reactor Conference, RRFM, took place in Bucharest, Romania. The conference programme resolved around a series of plenary sessions dedicated to the latest global developments with regards to research reactor technology and management. Parallel sessions focused on all areas of the fuel cycle of research reactors, their utilisation, operation and management as well as new research reactor projects and Innovative methods in reactor physics and thermo-hydraulics. The European Research Reactor Conference also gave special attention to safety and security of research reactors

European Research Reactor Conference (RRFM) 2016: Conference Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The 2016 European Research Reactor Conference, RRFM, took place in Berlin, Germany. The conference programme resolved around a series of plenary sessions dedicated to the latest global developments with regards to research reactor technology and management. Parallel sessions focused on all areas of the fuel cycle of research reactors, their utilisation, operation and management as well as new research reactor projects and Innovative methods in reactor physics and thermo-hydraulics. The European Research Reactor Conference also gave special attention to safety and security of research reactors.

Adaptation level as the basic health status characteristics: possibilitics of its assessment and forecasting of desadaptation violations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vysochyna I.L.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available On the basis of comprehensive survey with integrative assessment of health state (medical history data, physical examination, anthropometry, battery of psychological tests (Eysenck, Shmishek’s Personality Inventory (teen version, tapping - test by E.P. Ilyin, children's questionnaire of neuroses; test for rapid assessment of health, activity and mood, anxiety diagnosis by Spielberg - Khanin; Luscher test, color relations test level of adaptation was defined in 236 children from orphanages aged from 4 to 18 years. The manifestations of maladjustment were registered both on psychological level (neuroticism, high anxiety, decreased performance, activity and psychological endurance, sleep disturbance, presence of accentuation and neurotic disorders and somatic level (recurrent acute respiratory infections, poor physical development, exacerbation of chronic foci of infection and burdened biological history; this summarizes conclusions on a low level of health status of children in orphanages. The author has developed mathematical models of adaptation assessment and prediction of desadaptation, which allowed to identify children at risk for the development of adaptation disorders and children with maladjustment; according to the level and severity of maladaptive disorders correction programs are designed.

Conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This volume contains conference summaries for the 31. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association and the 12. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. Topics of discussion include: reactor physics; thermalhydraulics; industrial irradiation; computer applications; fuel channel analysis; small reactors; severe accidents; fuel behaviour under accident conditions; reactor components, safety related computer software; nuclear fuel management; fuel behaviour and performance; reactor safety; reactor engineering; nuclear waste management; and, uranium mining and processing

INTERCARTO CONFERENCES

OpenAIRE

Vladimir Tikunov

2010-01-01

The InterCarto conferences are thematically organized to target one of the most pressing problems of modern geography—creation and use of geographical information systems (GISs) as effective tools for achieving sustainable development of territories. Over the years, from 1994 to 2009, 1872 participants from 51 countries and 156 cities, who made 1494 reports, attended the conferences. There were 1508 participants from 49 regions of Russia making 1340 presentations. The conferences hosted 31 di...

Systematic adaptive cluster sampling for the assessment of rare tree species in Nepal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Acharya, B.; Bhattarai, G.; Gier, de A.; Stein, A.

2000-01-01

Sampling to assess rare tree species poses methodic problems, because they may cluster and many plots with no such trees are to be expected. We used systematic adaptive cluster sampling (SACS) to sample three rare tree species in a forest area of about 40 ha in Nepal. We checked its applicability

Adapting the helpful responses questionnaire to assess communication skills involved in delivering contingency management: preliminary psychometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartzler, Bryan

2015-08-01

A paper/pencil instrument, adapted from Miller and colleagues' (1991) Helpful Responses Questionnaire (HRQ), was developed to assess clinician skill with core communicative aspects involved in delivering contingency management (CM). The instrument presents a single vignette consisting of six points of client dialogue to which respondents write 'what they would say next.' In the context of an implementation/effectiveness hybrid trial, 19 staff clinicians at an opiate treatment program completed serial training outcome assessments before, following, and three months after CM training. Assessments included this adaptation of the HRQ, a multiple-choice CM knowledge test, and a recorded standardized patient encounter scored for CM skillfulness. Study results reveal promising psychometric properties for the instrument, including strong scoring reliability, internal consistency, concurrent and predictive validity, test-retest reliability and sensitivity to training effects. These preliminary findings suggest the instrument is a viable, practical method to assess clinician skill in communicative aspects of CM delivery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addressing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Together: A Global Assessment of Agriculture and Forestry Projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kongsager, Rico; Locatelli, Bruno; Chazarin, Florie

2016-02-01

Adaptation and mitigation share the ultimate purpose of reducing climate change impacts. However, they tend to be considered separately in projects and policies because of their different objectives and scales. Agriculture and forestry are related to both adaptation and mitigation: they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and removals, are vulnerable to climate variations, and form part of adaptive strategies for rural livelihoods. We assessed how climate change project design documents (PDDs) considered a joint contribution to adaptation and mitigation in forestry and agriculture in the tropics, by analyzing 201 PDDs from adaptation funds, mitigation instruments, and project standards [e.g., climate community and biodiversity (CCB)]. We analyzed whether PDDs established for one goal reported an explicit contribution to the other (i.e., whether mitigation PDDs contributed to adaptation and vice versa). We also examined whether the proposed activities or expected outcomes allowed for potential contributions to the two goals. Despite the separation between the two goals in international and national institutions, 37% of the PDDs explicitly mentioned a contribution to the other objective, although only half of those substantiated it. In addition, most adaptation (90%) and all mitigation PDDs could potentially report a contribution to at least partially to the other goal. Some adaptation project developers were interested in mitigation for the prospect of carbon funding, whereas mitigation project developers integrated adaptation to achieve greater long-term sustainability or to attain CCB certification. International and national institutions can provide incentives for projects to harness synergies and avoid trade-offs between adaptation and mitigation.

Addressing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Together: A Global Assessment of Agriculture and Forestry Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Kongsager, Rico; Locatelli, Bruno; Chazarin, Florie

2016-02-01

Adaptation and mitigation share the ultimate purpose of reducing climate change impacts. However, they tend to be considered separately in projects and policies because of their different objectives and scales. Agriculture and forestry are related to both adaptation and mitigation: they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and removals, are vulnerable to climate variations, and form part of adaptive strategies for rural livelihoods. We assessed how climate change project design documents (PDDs) considered a joint contribution to adaptation and mitigation in forestry and agriculture in the tropics, by analyzing 201 PDDs from adaptation funds, mitigation instruments, and project standards [e.g., climate community and biodiversity (CCB)]. We analyzed whether PDDs established for one goal reported an explicit contribution to the other (i.e., whether mitigation PDDs contributed to adaptation and vice versa). We also examined whether the proposed activities or expected outcomes allowed for potential contributions to the two goals. Despite the separation between the two goals in international and national institutions, 37 % of the PDDs explicitly mentioned a contribution to the other objective, although only half of those substantiated it. In addition, most adaptation (90 %) and all mitigation PDDs could potentially report a contribution to at least partially to the other goal. Some adaptation project developers were interested in mitigation for the prospect of carbon funding, whereas mitigation project developers integrated adaptation to achieve greater long-term sustainability or to attain CCB certification. International and national institutions can provide incentives for projects to harness synergies and avoid trade-offs between adaptation and mitigation.

BYSTANDER EFFECTS GENOMIC INSTABILITY, ADAPTIVE RESPONSE AND CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT FOR RADIAION AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURES

Science.gov (United States)

BYSTANDER EFFECTS, GENOMIC INSTABILITY, ADAPTIVE RESPONSE AND CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT FOR RADIATION AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURESR. Julian PrestonEnvironmental Carcinogenesis Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711, USAThere ...

[Attaching importance to study on acute health risk assessment and adaptation of air pollution and climate change].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, X M

2017-03-10

Air pollution and climate change have become key environmental and public health problems around the world, which poses serious threat to human health. How to assess and mitigate the health risks and increase the adaptation of the public have become an urgent topic of research in this area. The six papers in this issue will provide important and rich information on design, analysis method, indicator selection and setting about acute health risk assessment and adaptation study of air pollution and climate change in China, reflecting the advanced conceptions of multi-center and area-specific study and multi-pollutant causing acute effect study. However, the number and type of the cities included in these studies were still limited. In future, researchers should further expand detailed multi-center and multi-area study coverage, conduct area specific predicting and early warning study and strengthen adaptation study.

Conference Support, 23rd Western Photosynthesis Conference 2014, Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wachter, Rebekka [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)

2015-01-12

The Western Photosynthesis Conference is a regional conference that is held on an annual basis to bring together researchers primarily from the Western United States to share their newest research advances on photosynthetic processes. The 23rd conference was focused on both fundamental and more applied research on the biological conversion of solar energy to various energy storage forms. Several particular areas of solar energy conversion were emphasized in this conference (see below). Some of these topics, such as carbon limitations on photosynthesis, biomimicry and phenotyping, have traditionally not been incorporated extensively in the Western Photosynthesis Conference. We found that these topics have substantially broadened of the scope of this meeting.

78 FR 27963 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-13

... Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a Technical Conference on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This... technical support for webcasts and offers the option of listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee...

Improving the role of vulnerability assessments In decision support for effective climate adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Linda A. Joyce; Constance I. Millar

2014-01-01

Vulnerability assessments (VA) have been proposed as an initial step in a process to develop and implement adaptation management for climate change in forest ecosystems. Scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is an ever-accumulating knowledge base. Synthesizing information from this knowledge base in the context of our understanding of ecosystem...

Twelfth annual US DOE low-level waste management conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The papers in this document comprise the proceedings of the Department of Energy's Twelfth Annual Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, which was held in Chicago, Illinois, on August 28 and 29, 1990. General subjects addressed during the conference included: mixed waste, low-level radioactive waste tracking and transportation, public involvement, performance assessment, waste stabilization, financial assurance, waste minimization, licensing and environmental documentation, below-regulatory-concern waste, low-level radioactive waste temporary storage, current challenges, and challenges beyond 1990

FPGA implementation of adaptive beamforming in hearing aids.

Science.gov (United States)

Samtani, Kartik; Thomas, Jobin; Varma, G Abhinav; Sumam, David S; Deepu, S P

2017-07-01

Beamforming is a spatial filtering technique used in hearing aids to improve target sound reception by reducing interference from other directions. In this paper we propose improvements in an existing architecture present for two omnidirectional microphone array based adaptive beamforming for hearing aid applications and implement the same on Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA using VHDL coding and Xilinx Vivado ® 2015.2. The nulls are introduced in particular directions by combination of two fixed polar patterns. This combination can be adaptively controlled to steer the null in the direction of noise. The beamform patterns and improvements in SNR values obtained from experiments in a conference room environment are analyzed.

The Role of Decision Support in Adapting to Climate Change: Findings from Three Place-based Regional Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

This report summarizes the methodologies and findings of three regional assessments and considers the role of decision support in assisting adaptation to climate change. Background. In conjunction with the US Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP’s) National Assessment of ...

Perspectives on global climate change: A review of the adaptation and mitigation approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrisette, P.M.

1992-01-01

This paper was prepared for the conference on Global Climate Change and International Security sponsored by the Midwest Consortium for International Security Studies of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and held in Chicago, Illinois on February 11-13, 1992. The purpose of the paper is to provide some background on the different perceptions and perspectives that are presently shaping the policy debate on how to respond to the problem of global warming. For better or worse, this debate has focused primarily on whether to adapt to climate change in the future or to mitigate climate change in the present, and as the issue has become increasingly political this debate has become polarized. The two approaches, as this paper notes, are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they share much in common. Differences, however, can be found in how proponents of each view the risks of global climate change. This paper provides a brief outline of the progression of global warming from an obscure scientific concern into a leading international political issue, reviews previous efforts by social scientists to assess attitudes and positions on global warming, and examines in detail the adaptation and mitigation perspectives and assesses how they differ on the basis of different conceptions of uncertainty and risk, equity, and technology

COAL Conference Poster

OpenAIRE

Brown, Taylor Alexander; McGibbney, Lewis John

2017-01-01

COAL Conference Poster This archive contains the COAL conference poster for the AGU Fall Meeting 2017 by Taylor Alexander Brown. The Inkscape SVG source is available at https://github.com/capstone-coal/coal-conference-poster/ under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

Environmental impacts of climate change adaptation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Álvaro, E-mail: aenriquez@draba.org [Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)/Draba Ingeniería y Consultoría Medioambiental, Cañada Nueva, 13, 28200 San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain); Díaz-Sierra, Rubén, E-mail: sierra@dfmf.uned.es [Departamento de Física Matemática y de Fluidos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Paseo Senda del Rey, 9, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Martín-Aranda, Rosa M., E-mail: rmartin@ccia.uned.es [Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Química Técnica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Paseo Senda del Rey, 9, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Santos, Maria J., E-mail: M.J.FerreiraDosSantos@uu.nl [Department of Innovation, Environmental and Energy Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3572 TC Utrecht (Netherlands)

2017-05-15

Climate change adaptation reduces adverse effects of climate change but may also have undesirable environmental impacts. However, these impacts are yet poorly defined and analysed in the existing literature. To complement this knowledge-gap, we reviewed the literature to unveil the relationship between climate change adaptation and environmental impact assessment, and the degree to which environmental impacts are included in climate change adaptation theory and practice. Our literature review showed that technical, social and economic perspectives on climate change adaptation receive much more attention than the environmental perspective. The scarce interest on the environmental impacts of adaptation may be attributed to (1) an excessive sectoral approach, with dominance of non-environmental perspectives, (2) greater interest in mitigation and direct climate change impacts rather than in adaptation impacts, (3) a tendency to consider adaptation as inherently good, and (4) subjective/preconceived notions on which measures are good or bad, without a comprehensive assessment. Environmental Assessment (EA) has a long established history as an effective tool to include environment into decision-making, although it does not yet guarantee a proper assessment of adaptation, because it is still possible to postpone or even circumvent the processes of assessing the impacts of climate adaptation. Our results suggest that there is a need to address adaptation proactively by including it in EA, to update current policy frameworks, and to demand robust and reliable evaluation of alternatives. Only through the full EA of adaptation measures can we improve our understanding of the primary and secondary impacts of adaptation to global environmental change. - Highlights: • Climate change adaptation may have undesirable environmental impacts. • The impacts of adaptation are yet poorly analysed in the literature. • There is an excessive sectoral approach to adaptation, mainly

Environmental impacts of climate change adaptation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Álvaro; Díaz-Sierra, Rubén; Martín-Aranda, Rosa M.; Santos, Maria J.

2017-01-01

Climate change adaptation reduces adverse effects of climate change but may also have undesirable environmental impacts. However, these impacts are yet poorly defined and analysed in the existing literature. To complement this knowledge-gap, we reviewed the literature to unveil the relationship between climate change adaptation and environmental impact assessment, and the degree to which environmental impacts are included in climate change adaptation theory and practice. Our literature review showed that technical, social and economic perspectives on climate change adaptation receive much more attention than the environmental perspective. The scarce interest on the environmental impacts of adaptation may be attributed to (1) an excessive sectoral approach, with dominance of non-environmental perspectives, (2) greater interest in mitigation and direct climate change impacts rather than in adaptation impacts, (3) a tendency to consider adaptation as inherently good, and (4) subjective/preconceived notions on which measures are good or bad, without a comprehensive assessment. Environmental Assessment (EA) has a long established history as an effective tool to include environment into decision-making, although it does not yet guarantee a proper assessment of adaptation, because it is still possible to postpone or even circumvent the processes of assessing the impacts of climate adaptation. Our results suggest that there is a need to address adaptation proactively by including it in EA, to update current policy frameworks, and to demand robust and reliable evaluation of alternatives. Only through the full EA of adaptation measures can we improve our understanding of the primary and secondary impacts of adaptation to global environmental change. - Highlights: • Climate change adaptation may have undesirable environmental impacts. • The impacts of adaptation are yet poorly analysed in the literature. • There is an excessive sectoral approach to adaptation, mainly

Comparative Risk Assessment to Inform Adaptation Priorities for the Natural Environment: Observations from the First UK Climate Change Risk Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iain Brown

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Risk assessment can potentially provide an objective framework to synthesise and prioritise climate change risks to inform adaptation policy. However, there are significant challenges in the application of comparative risk assessment procedures to climate change, particularly for the natural environment. These challenges are evaluated with particular reference to the first statutory Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA and evidence review procedures used to guide policy for the UK government. More progress was achieved on risk identification, screening and prioritisation compared to risk quantification. This was due to the inherent complexity and interdependence of ecological risks and their interaction with socio-economic drivers as well as a climate change. Robust strategies to manage risk were identified as those that coordinate organisational resources to enhance ecosystem resilience, and to accommodate inevitable change, rather than to meet specific species or habitats targets. The assessment also highlighted subjective and contextual components of risk appraisal including ethical issues regarding the level of human intervention in the natural environment and the proposed outcomes of any intervention. This suggests that goals for risk assessment need to be more clearly explicated and assumptions on tolerable risk declared as a primer for further dialogue on expectations for managed outcomes. Ecosystem-based adaptation may mean that traditional habitats and species conservation goals and existing regulatory frameworks no longer provide the best guide for long-term risk management thereby challenging the viability of some existing practices.

NIH Consensus Conference. Acupuncture.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-11-04

To provide clinicians, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of the use and effectiveness of acupuncture to treat a variety of conditions. A nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel representing the fields of acupuncture, pain, psychology, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, drug abuse, family practice, internal medicine, health policy, epidemiology, statistics, physiology, biophysics, and the representatives of the public. In addition, 25 experts from these same fields presented data to the panel and a conference audience of 1200. Presentations and discussions were divided into 3 phases over 2 1/2 days: (1) presentations by investigators working in areas relevant to the consensus questions during a 2-day public session; (2) questions and statements from conference attendees during open discussion periods that were part of the public session; and (3) closed deliberations by the panel during the remainder of the second day and morning of the third. The conference was organized and supported by the Office of Alternative Medicine and the Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. The literature, produced from January 1970 to October 1997, was searched through MEDLINE, Allied and Alternative Medicine, EMBASE, and MANTIS, as well as through a hand search of 9 journals that were not indexed by the National Library of Medicine. An extensive bibliography of 2302 references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Expert speakers prepared abstracts of their own conference presentations with relevant citations from the literature. Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. The panel, answering predefined questions, developed their conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in the open forum and scientific literature. The panel composed a draft statement, which was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience

78 FR 22269 - International Conference on Harmonisation; Draft Guidance on M7 Assessment and Control of DNA...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance entitled ``M7 Assessment and Control of DNA Reactive (Mutagenic) Impurities in Pharmaceuticals to Limit Potential Carcinogenic Risk.'' The draft guidance was prepared under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The draft guidance emphasizes considerations of both safety and quality risk management in establishing levels of mutagenic impurities that are expected to pose negligible carcinogenic risk. It outlines recommendations for assessment and control of mutagenic impurities that reside or are reasonably expected to reside in a final drug substance or product, taking into consideration the intended conditions of human use. The draft guidance is intended to provide guidance for new drug substances and new drug products during their clinical development and subsequent applications for marketing.

Health Impacts of Climate Change in Pacific Island Countries: A Regional Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Priorities.

Science.gov (United States)

McIver, Lachlan; Kim, Rokho; Woodward, Alistair; Hales, Simon; Spickett, Jeffery; Katscherian, Dianne; Hashizume, Masahiro; Honda, Yasushi; Kim, Ho; Iddings, Steven; Naicker, Jyotishma; Bambrick, Hilary; McMichael, Anthony J; Ebi, Kristie L

2016-11-01

Between 2010 and 2012, the World Health Organization Division of Pacific Technical Support led a regional climate change and health vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning project, in collaboration with health sector partners, in 13 Pacific island countries-Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. We assessed the vulnerabilities of Pacific island countries to the health impacts of climate change and planned adaptation strategies to minimize such threats to health. This assessment involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. The former included descriptive epidemiology, time series analyses, Poisson regression, and spatial modeling of climate and climate-sensitive disease data, in the few instances where this was possible; the latter included wide stakeholder consultations, iterative consensus building, and expert opinion. Vulnerabilities were ranked using a "likelihood versus impact" matrix, and adaptation strategies were prioritized and planned accordingly. The highest-priority climate-sensitive health risks in Pacific island countries included trauma from extreme weather events, heat-related illnesses, compromised safety and security of water and food, vector-borne diseases, zoonoses, respiratory illnesses, psychosocial ill-health, non-communicable diseases, population pressures, and health system deficiencies. Adaptation strategies relating to these climate change and health risks could be clustered according to categories common to many countries in the Pacific region. Pacific island countries are among the most vulnerable in the world to the health impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is a function of their unique geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics combined with their exposure to changing weather patterns associated with climate change, the health risks entailed, and the limited capacity

Publication Rate of Avian Medicine Conference Abstracts and Influencing Factors: 2011-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Doukaki, Christina; MedVet, Dr; Beaufrère, Hugues; Vet, Dr Med; Huynh, Minh

2018-06-01

International conferences on avian medicine and surgery aim to disseminate scientific and evidence-based information in the form of oral presentations and posters. Most manuscripts presented are printed in the conference proceedings as abstracts. Subsequent publication in a scientific peer-reviewed journal is the natural outcome of the research cycle, although studies have shown that the vast majority of conference abstracts are not published. The purpose of this study was to explore 1) the fate of abstracts presented in avian conferences (Association of Avian Veterinarians, European Association of Avian Veterinarians, International Conference on Avian Herpetological and Exotic Mammal Medicine) in the years 2011-2015, 2) assess the publication rate in peer-reviewed journals, 3) describe the time course of subsequent publication, and 4) identify factors associated with increased likelihood of publication. The results showed that 24% of conference abstracts were published within the next 2 years. Depending on the statistical model used, several factors were identified as associated with increased publication rate. North American papers seem to publish with more frequency (univariate model), while European papers had the opposite trend (multivariable model). Likewise, experimental studies were more prone to being published overall (univariate model), whereas retrospective observational studies had a lower rate of publication (multivariable model). Increasing the number of authors was also associated with increased publication rate. Most publications were published in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, which tends to suggest that this journal is the main journal of the specialty. Some parameters highlighted in this study may assist conference attendees to assess the likelihood of later publication.

Academic poster design at a national conference: a need for standardised guidance?

Science.gov (United States)

Gopal, Alan; Redman, Melody; Cox, David; Foreman, David; Elsey, Elizabeth; Fleming, Simon

2017-10-01

Academic posters are a common means of disseminating information at conferences. Presentation at conferences is frequently given weight in postgraduate training programme recruitment. Some conferences provide guidance for visual presentation of posters. For the Association of the Study of Medical Education (ASME) Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2015, poster abstract guidance was provided; however, the guidance on poster design was limited to size and orientation. The aim of this study was to investigate academic poster quality at a national medical education conference to identify where standards could be promoted and improved. Presentation at conferences is frequently given weight in postgraduate training programme recruitment METHODS: Six auditors assessed all posters displayed at the ASME ASM (15-17 July 2015) using guidelines based upon a modified checklist for academic posters. Ten criteria were agreed as assessment standards for poster design quality. One-hundred-and-eighty posters were assessed: 29 per cent had appropriate copyright for the materials displayed (n = 52); 41 per cent included suitable contact details (n = 73); 48 per cent (n = 87) had a text to graphic ratio of 50 : 50; 72 per cent (n = 130) met ASME guidance for layout and orientation; 76 per cent (n = 137) had appropriate referencing; 78 per cent showed evidence of proofreading for grammar and spelling (n = 140); 79 per cent (n = 142) were readable at a distance of 2 metres; and 87 per cent used appropriate academic logos (n = 156). There was variability in design quality as assessed by these criteria. We recommend that detailed guidance should be produced and disseminated by the organising conference. This may improve poster quality and aid in the communication of presented material. We aim to re-audit following the production and dissemination of poster presentation guidance. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical

Behavioral Ecology of Captive Species: Using Behavioral Adaptations to Assess and Enhance Welfare of Nonhuman Zoo Animals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koene, P.

2013-01-01

This project aimed to estimate a species' adaptations in nature and in captivity, assess welfare, suggest environmental changes, and find species characteristics that underlie welfare problems in nonhuman animals in the zoo. First, the current status of zoo animal welfare assessment was reviewed,

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy for New Europe 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glumac, B.; Lengar, I.

2006-01-01

International Conference Nuclear Energy for New Europe is an annual meeting of the Nuclear Society of Slovenia. The conference is meant to address the prospects and the future of the nuclear energy in the world faced with the, now already very expressed, threat of the global warming. The conference evolved from annual conferences of Nuclear Society of Slovenia, which was first held in the alpine resort Bovec in 1992. The jubilee 15th conference was held and it was attended by 138 participants from 20 countries. Topics are: next generation reactor and fuels, reactor physics, reactor operation, nuclear materials, nuclear fusion and plasma technology, thermal hydraulics, probabilistic safety assessment, severe accidents, radiology and environment, radioactive waste and education, public relations and regulatory issues.The technical part of the program was complemented with a visit to Institute Jozef Stefan TRIGA reactor which in 2006 celebrated forty years of operation

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Freiburg Life Quality Assessment - Wound Module to Brazilian Portuguese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine Aparecida Rocha Domingues

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: to adapt the Freiburg Life Quality Assessment - Wound Module to Brazilian Portuguese and to measure its psychometric properties: reliability and validity. Method: the cultural adaptation was undertaken following the stages of translation, synthesis of the translations, back translation, committee of specialists, pre-test and focus group. A total of 200 patients participated in the study. These were recruited in Primary Care Centers, Family Health Strategy Centers, in a philanthropic hospital and in a teaching hospital. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and stability. Validity was ascertained through the correlation of the instrument's values with those of the domains of the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index - Wound Version and with the quality of life score of the visual analog scale. Results: the instrument presented adequate internal consistency (Cronbach alpha =0.86 and high stability in the test and retest (0.93. The validity presented correlations of moderate and significant magnitude (-0.24 to -0.48, p<0.0001. Conclusion: the results indicated that the adapted version presented reliable and valid psychometric measurements for the population with chronic wounds in the Brazilian culture.

Substitutions in woolly mammoth hemoglobin confer biochemical properties adaptive for cold tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campbell, Kevin L.; Roberts, Jason E.E.; Watson, Laura N.

2010-01-01

We have genetically retrieved, resurrected and performed detailed structure-function analyses on authentic woolly mammoth hemoglobin to reveal for the first time both the evolutionary origins and the structural underpinnings of a key adaptive physiochemical trait in an extinct species. Hemoglobin...... binds and carries O2; however, its ability to offload O2 to respiring cells is hampered at low temperatures, as heme deoxygenation is inherently endothermic (that is, hemoglobin-O2 affinity increases as temperature decreases). We identify amino acid substitutions with large phenotypic effect...... the Pleistocene period. This powerful new approach to directly analyze the genetic and structural basis of physiological adaptations in an extinct species adds an important new dimension to the study of natural selection....

Twelfth annual US DOE low-level waste management conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-01-01

The papers in this document comprise the proceedings of the Department of Energy's Twelfth Annual Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference, which was held in Chicago, Illinois, on August 28 and 29, 1990. General subjects addressed during the conference included: mixed waste, low-level radioactive waste tracking and transportation, public involvement, performance assessment, waste stabilization, financial assurance, waste minimization, licensing and environmental documentation, below-regulatory-concern waste, low-level radioactive waste temporary storage, current challenges, and challenges beyond 1990.

Sensory adaptation to electrical stimulation of the somatosensory nerves.

Science.gov (United States)

Graczyk, Emily Lauren; Delhaye, Benoit; Schiefer, Matthew A; Bensmaia, Sliman J; Tyler, Dustin J

2018-03-19

Sensory systems adapt their sensitivity to ambient stimulation levels to improve their responsiveness to changes in stimulation. The sense of touch is also subject to adaptation, as evidenced by the desensitization produced by prolonged vibratory stimulation of the skin. Electrical stimulation of nerves elicits tactile sensations that can convey feedback for bionic limbs. In this study, we investigate whether artificial touch is also subject to adaptation, despite the fact that the peripheral mechanotransducers are bypassed. Approach: Using well-established psychophysical paradigms, we characterize the time course and magnitude of sensory adaptation caused by extended electrical stimulation of the residual somatosensory nerves in three human amputees implanted with cuff electrodes. Main results: We find that electrical stimulation of the nerve also induces perceptual adaptation that recovers after cessation of the stimulus. The time course and magnitude of electrically-induced adaptation are equivalent to their mechanically-induced counterparts. Significance: We conclude that, in natural touch, the process of mechanotransduction is not required for adaptation, and artificial touch naturally experiences adaptation-induced adjustments of the dynamic range of sensations. Further, as it does for native hands, adaptation confers to bionic hands enhanced sensitivity to changes in stimulation and thus a more natural sensory experience. . Creative Commons Attribution license.

Non-Linear Dose-Response Relationships in Biology, Toxicology and Medicine - An International Conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calabrese, Edward J.; Kostecki, Paul T.

2002-05-28

Conference abstract book contains seven sections: Plenary-4 abstracts; Chemical-9 abstracts; Radiation-7 abstracts; Ultra Low Doses and Medicine-6 abstracts; Biomedical-11 abstracts; Risk Assessment-5 abstracts and Poster Sessions-25 abstracts. Each abstract was provided by the author/presenter participating in the conference.

International Conference on Physics

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

OMICS International, (conference series) the World Class Open Access Publisher and Scientific Event Organizer is hosting “International Conference on physics” which is going to be the biggest conference dedicated to Physics. The theme “Highlighting innovations and challenges in the field of Physics” and it features a three day conference addressing the major breakthroughs, challenges and the solutions adopted. The conference will be held during June 27-29, 2016 at New Orleans, USA. Will be published in: http://physics.conferenceseries.com/

Facilitating Learning at Conferences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Ib; Elsborg, Steen

2011-01-01

The typical conference consists of a series of PowerPoint presentations that tend to render participants passive. Students of learning have long abandoned the transfer model that underlies such one-way communication. We propose an al-ternative theory of conferences that sees them as a forum...... for learning, mutual inspiration and human flourishing. We offer five design principles that specify how conferences may engage participants more and hence increase their learning. In the research-and-development effort reported here, our team collaborated with conference organizers in Denmark to introduce...... and facilitate a variety of simple learning techniques at thirty one- and two-day conferences of up to 300 participants each. We present ten of these techniques and data evaluating them. We conclude that if conference organizers allocate a fraction of the total conference time to facilitated processes...

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Using Different Selection Regimes Lead to Similar Phenotypes and Genotypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jahn, Leonie Johanna; Munck, Christian; Ellabaan, Mostafa M Hashim

2017-01-01

independently of the selection regime. Yet, lineages that underwent evolution under mild selection displayed a growth advantage independently of the acquired level of antibiotic resistance compared to lineages adapted under maximal selection in a drug gradient. Our data suggests that even though different......Antibiotic resistance is a global threat to human health, wherefore it is crucial to study the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance as well as its emergence and dissemination. One way to analyze the acquisition of de novo mutations conferring antibiotic resistance is adaptive laboratory evolution....... However, various evolution methods exist that utilize different population sizes, selection strengths, and bottlenecks. While evolution in increasing drug gradients guarantees high-level antibiotic resistance promising to identify the most potent resistance conferring mutations, other selection regimes...

Beyond exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity: A response based ecological framework to assess species climate change vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Fortini, Lucas B.; Schubert, Olivia

2017-01-01

As the impacts of global climate change on species are increasingly evident, there is a clear need to adapt conservation efforts worldwide. Species vulnerability assessments (VAs) are increasingly used to summarize all relevant information to determine a species’ potential vulnerability to climate change and are frequently the first step in informing climate adaptation efforts. VAs commonly integrate multiple sources of information by utilizing a framework that distinguishes factors relevant to species exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. However, this framework was originally developed for human systems, and its use to evaluate species vulnerability has serious practical and theoretical limitations. By instead defining vulnerability as the degree to which a species is unable to exhibit any of the responses necessary for persistence under climate change (i.e., toleration of projected changes, migration to new climate-compatible areas, enduring in microrefugia, and evolutionary adaptation), we can bring VAs into the realm of ecological science without applying borrowed abstract concepts that have consistently challenged species-centric research and management. This response-based framework to assess species vulnerability to climate change allows better integration of relevant ecological data and past research, yielding results with much clearer implications for conservation and research prioritization.

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy for New Europe 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jencic, I.; Lenosek, M.

2007-01-01

International Conference Nuclear Energy for New Europe is an annual meeting of the Nuclear Society of Slovenia. The conference attempts to address the prospects of nuclear energy in present and future Europe. Increasing electricity consumption, global warming, security of supply, all these issues contribute to the so-called nuclear renaissance. Nuclear renaissance was also the leading theme of this year's conference in Portoroz which was attended by 172 participants from 22 countries. Topics are: reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, probabilistic safety assessment, severe accidents, nuclear power plants operation, radiation protection, radioactive waste, fusion, nuclear materials and nuclear renaissance

World Energy Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, G.; Schilling, H.D.

1979-01-01

After making some general remarks about goals, tasks, and works of the World Energy Conference the topics and the frame of the 11th World Energy Conference which will take place in Munich from 8th to 12th September 1980 are outlined. This conference is held under the general topic 'energy for our world' and deals with the reciprocal relation between energy supply, environment, and society. The main part of the publication presented here is the German version of the most important sections of the investigation 'World Energy-Looking Ahead to 2020' by the Conservation Commission (CC) of the World Energy Conference. Added to this is the German original brief version of a report by the Mining-Research Company (Bergbau-Forschung GmbH) to the CC which deals with the estimation of the world's coal resources and their future availability. This report was presented on the 10th World Energy Conference in Istanbul together with the corresponding reports concerning the other energy sources. Finally, an introduction to the technical programme for the 11th World Energy Conference 1980 is given. (UA) [de

Computerized Adaptive Personality Testing: A Review and Illustration With the MMPI-2 Computerized Adaptive Version.

Science.gov (United States)

Forbey, Johnathan D.; Ben-Porath, Yossef S.

2007-01-01

Computerized adaptive testing in personality assessment can improve efficiency by significantly reducing the number of items administered to answer an assessment question. Two approaches have been explored for adaptive testing in computerized personality assessment: item response theory and the countdown method. In this article, the authors…

Title - EFARS - Conference (Uninvited)

OpenAIRE

Lohrey, MC; Lawrence, AS

2016-01-01

Abstract - EFARS - Conference (Uninvited) "Notes" - EFARS - Conference (Uninvited) In preparation (Publication status) Yes, full paperYes, abstract onlyNo (Peer reviewed?) "Add a comment" - EFARS - Conference - Uninvited

The Second Joint NASA/FAA/DOD Conference on Aging Aircraft. Pt. 1

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Charles E. (Editor)

1999-01-01

The purpose of the Conference was to bring together world leaders in aviation safety research, aircraft design and manufacturing, fleet operation and aviation maintenance to disseminate information on current practices and advanced technologies that will assure the continued airworthiness of the aging aircraft in the military and commercial fleets. The Conference included reviews of current industry practices, assessments of future technology requirements, and status of aviation safety research. The Conference provided an opportunity for interactions among the key personnel in the research and technology development community, the original equipment manufacturers, commercial airline operators, military fleet operators, aviation maintenance, and aircraft certification and regulatory authorities. Conference participation was unrestricted and open to the international aviation community.

AINSE's 40th anniversary conference. Conference handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

Highlights of 40 years of activity of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) were the main focus of this conference. Topics covered include nuclear physics, plasma physics, radiation chemistry, radiation biology, neutron diffraction, nuclear techniques of analysis and other relevant aspects of nuclear science and technology. The conference handbook contains the summaries of the 78 papers and posters presented and the list of participants

Adaptive capacity and human cognition: the process of individual adaptation to climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grothmann, T. [Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam (Germany). Department of Global Change and Social Systems; Patt, A. [Boston University (United States). Department of Geography

2005-10-01

Adaptation has emerged as an important area of research and assessment among climate change scientists. Most scholarly work has identified resource constraints as being the most significant determinants of adaptation. However, empirical research on adaptation has so far mostly not addressed the importance of measurable and alterable psychological factors in determining adaptation. Drawing from the literature in psychology and behavioural economics, we develop a socio-cognitive Model of Private Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change (MPPACC). MPPACC separates out the psychological steps to taking action in response to perception, and allows one to see where the most important bottlenecks occur - including risk perception and perceived adaptive capacity, a factor largely neglected in previous climate change research. We then examine two case studies - one from urban Germany and one from rural Zimbabwe - to explore the validity of MPPACC to explaining adaptation. In the German study, we find that MPPACC provides better statistical power than traditional socio-economic models. In the Zimbabwean case study, we find a qualitative match between MPPACC and adaptive behaviour. Finally, we discuss the important implications of our findings both on vulnerability and adaptation assessments, and on efforts to promote adaptation through outside intervention. (author)

Crisis or Conference! Master List for Conference Planners.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Tony

This conference organizer's guide contains 42 lists of ideas, reminders, things to check, and questions to ask when a person is planning an event such as a conference, workshop, or training session. Written from a British point of view, the guide is organized into four parts in chronological order: preplanning, planning, onsite, and…

Assessment of the pathogenicity of cell-culture-adapted Newcastle disease virus strain Komarov.

Science.gov (United States)

Visnuvinayagam, Sivam; Thangavel, K; Lalitha, N; Malmarugan, S; Sukumar, Kuppannan

2015-01-01

Newcastle disease vaccines hitherto in vogue are produced from embryonated chicken eggs. Egg-adapted mesogenic vaccines possess several drawbacks such as paralysis and mortality in 2-week-old chicks and reduced egg production in the egg-laying flock. Owing to these possible drawbacks, we attempted to reduce the vaccine virulence for safe vaccination by adapting the virus in a chicken embryo fibroblast cell culture (CEFCC) system. Eighteen passages were carried out by CEFCC, and the pathogenicity was assessed on the basis of the mean death time, intracerebral pathogenicity index, and intravenous pathogenicity index, at equal passage intervals. Although the reduction in virulence demonstrated with increasing passage levels in CEFCC was encouraging, 20% of the 2-week-old birds showed paralytic symptoms with the virus vaccine from the 18(th)(final) passage. Thus, a tissue-culture-adapted vaccine would demand a few more passages by CEFCC in order to achieve a complete reduction in virulence for use as a safe and effective vaccine, especially among younger chicks. Moreover, it can be safely administered even to unprimed 8-week-old birds.

[The CAD-S, an instrument for the assessment of adaptation to divorce - separation].

Science.gov (United States)

Yárnoz Yaben, Sagrario; Comino González, Priscila

2010-02-01

The CAD-S, an Instrument for the Assessment of Adaptation to Divorce - Separation. This paper presents an instrument for the evaluation of the adaptation to divorce-separation. The CAD-S is a questionnaire created in Spanish, made up of 20 items whose aim is the evaluation of the family's adaptation to divorce-separation, using one of the parents as informant. Data were collected in four different samples of divorced persons and their children from different autonomous comunities from the Spanish state. 223 parents and 160 children from divorced families took part in this study. Four factors emerged, accounting for 52.39 percent of the total variance: psychological and emotional difficulties, conflict with the ex-partner, disposition to co-parentality, and negative outcomes of separation for children. The results suggest that CAD-S appears to be a reliable and valid instrument, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and adequate construct validity supported by its relations with measures of satisfaction with life (SWLS), in the case of parents, and conduct problems (CBCL) for children.

PO23 - Behavioural therapy via a video conference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grejsen, Judy; Aaslet, Lone; Debes, Nanette Marinette Monique Mol

2016-01-01

UNLABELLED: Theme: Therapy and technology Methods: Since December 2014, 10 patients have participated and finished the therapy. The first and last session took place at the Tourette clinic and sessions 2-11 were offered via video conference. Before and after BT, Yale Global Tics Severity Scale...... and PedsQl (Quality of Life) were used to assess the effectiveness of BT. We compared these patients with 10 patients with traditional BT. RESULTS: Both in the group with video conference BT and in the group with traditional BT, we found a decrease in motor, vocal, and total tics and global severity score...

Proceedings of the European Research Reactor Conference - RRFM 2013 Transactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

In 2013 RRFM, the European Research Reactor Conference is jointly organised by ENS and Atomexpo LLC. This time the Research Reactor community meet in St. Petersburg, Russia. The conference programme will revolve around a series of Plenary Sessions dedicated to the latest global developments with regards to research reactor technology and management. Parallel sessions will focus on all areas of the Fuel Cycle of Research Reactors, their Utilisation, Operation and Management as well as specific research projects and innovative methods in research reactor analysis and design. In 2013 the European Research Reactor Conference will for the first time give special attention to complementary safety assessments of Research Reactors, following the Fukushima-Dai-Ichi NPP's Accident. (authors)

INKAS – a guidance tool to assess the impact of adaptation measures against urban heat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saskia Buchholz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Cities are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as heat waves, which are expected to increase in frequency, duration and intensity by the end of this century. Hence, climate adaptation in cities is necessary to improve their resilience against climate change impacts and to secure their sustainability, quality of life and economic strength. Urban planners, practitioners and decision-makers require knowledge about the effectiveness of city-scale climate adaptation measures to prioritise their options for action and to push forward the political process for the implementation of climate adaptation strategies in cities. The Deutscher Wetterdienst's new Information Portal for Climate Adaptation in Cities, INKAS, enables its users to assess and compare the quantitative effect of different adaptation measures for varying degrees of implementation. The impact of different climate adaptation measures designed to reduce summertime air temperatures in cities is systematically investigated by means of the urban climate modelling of idealised cities. INKAS is based on about 2000 urban climate simulations of various combinations of nine urban settlement types typical for Germany and of four urban surrounding countrysides. The simplified assumptions of idealised cities with typical urban settlement types simulated with the 3‑dimensional urban climate model MUKLIMO_3 increases the transferability of complex urban interrelations to local decision-makers and urban planners. Simulated adaptation measures include the use of materials with high reflectivity, the installation of green roofs and the transformation of impervious surfaces between buildings into pervious surfaces.

Development and pilot testing the Family Conference Rating Scale: A tool aimed to assess interprofessional patient-centred communication and collaboration competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dojeiji, Sue; Byszewski, Anna; Wood, Tim

2015-01-01

There is a paucity of evidence-based literature on the essential communication and collaboration skills to guide health care teams in conducting and assessing their performance in the Family Conference (FC). The authors developed and collected validity evidence for a rating scale of team FC performance, the Family Conference Rating Scale (FCRS). In phase 1, essential FC communication and collaboration skills were identified through a review of existing communication tools and literature on team functioning; a draft 34-item scale was developed. In phase 2, the scale was narrowed to a 6-category, 9-point scale with descriptors of expected behaviours through an iterative process: testing of the scale on 10 FC transcripts by two experts, soliciting feedback from a focus group of seven health care providers, and testing by non-experts on 49 live FCs. In phase 3, scores on the revised scale were validated by 10 health care providers from different disciplines by rating three videos of FCs of variable quality. Raters were able to detect inter-video variation in FC quality. The reliability of the FCRS was 0.95 and the inter-rater reliability, 0.68. The FCRS may enhance the ability of health professions educators to teach and assess interprofessional patient-centred communication and collaboration competencies.

Conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This volume contains conference summaries of the 28. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association, and the 9. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. Topics of discussion include: power reactors; fuel cycles; nuclear power and public understanding; future trends; applications of nuclear technology; CANDU reactors; operational enhancements; design of small reactors; accident behaviour in fuel channels; fuel storage and waste management; reactor commissioning/decommissioning; nuclear safety experiments and modelling; the next generation reactors; advances in nuclear engineering education in Canada; safety of small reactors; current position and improvements of fuel channels; current issues in nuclear safety; and radiation applications - medical and industrial

Cross-cultural Translation and Adaptation of the Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire (LAQ-CP) Into Dutch: A Brief Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Beckers, Laura; Speth, Lucianne; Rameckers, Eugène; Janssen-Potten, Yvonne

2017-07-01

To produce a Dutch translation of the Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire for children with cerebral palsy (LAQ-CP), adapted for cross-cultural differences. The translation process consisted of 6 stages, following a guideline for cross-cultural adaptations including duplicate forward- and back-translations, expert group review, pilot-testing, and a process audit. Several adaptations to the questionnaire were required due to cross-cultural differences. As a result of the pilot-test, the layout was adapted to the desires of the users. The process auditor stated that the process had been comprehensive and valued the quality of the work. The project resulted in a Dutch translation of the LAQ-CP, adapted for cross-cultural differences. Validation of the translated questionnaire is required before use in clinical practice and research is recommended (Dutch abstract, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/PPT/A164).

MRI assessment of cervical cancer for adaptive radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimopoulos, Johannes C.A.; Schirl, Gertrude; Baldinger, Anja; Poetter, Richard; Helbich, Thomas H.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To assess the importance of the information obtained from MRI for adaptive cervix cancer radiotherapy. Patients and methods: 49 patients with cervix cancer, treated by external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and MRI-assisted high-dose-rate brachytherapy ± concomitant cisplatin, underwent MRI at diagnosis and at the time of brachytherapy fractions. 190 MRI examinations were performed. Pretreatment scans were correlated with clinical examination (CE) findings. Measurements in 3-D of the tumor extension and also of the distance from the tumor to the pelvic side wall were performed using both MRI and CE. The tumor volume regression induced initially by EBRT and the subsequent regression after each brachytherapy fraction were assessed. Results: MRI and CE showed 92% agreement in overall parametrial staging and 73% agreement in terms of vaginal involvement. There was, however, disagreement in parametrial side (right/left) classification in 25% of the parametria examined. These were patients with unilateral displacement of the cervix and contralateral invasion of the parametrium. The mean tumor volume on the pretreatment MRI scan (GTVD) was 61 cm 3 . At the time of the four brachytherapy fractions the mean was 16 cm 3 , 10 cm 3 , 9 cm 3 , and 8 cm 3 , defined as the GTVBT plus the gray zones in the parametria. Conclusion: CE and MRI findings agree well in terms of overall staging. The clinical assessment of side-specific parametrial invasion improved when having access to the additional knowledge obtained from MRI. The greatest decrease in tumor volume occurs during EBRT, whereas tumor regression between the first and subsequent brachytherapy fractions is minor. (orig.)

2007 TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT ...

Science.gov (United States)

EPA has announced The 2007 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference Cincinnati Marriott North, West Chester (Cincinnati), OHApril 23- 26, 2007 - Click to register!The Annual Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference is a unique meeting where several Government Agencies come together to discuss toxicology and risk assessment issues that are not only of concern to the government, but also to a broader audience including academia and industry. The theme of this year's conference is Emerging Issues and Challenges in Risk Assessment and the preliminary agenda includes: Plenary Sessions and prominent speakers (tentative) include: Issues of Emerging Chemical ContaminantsUncertainty and Variability in Risk Assessment Use of Mechanistic data in IARC evaluationsParallel Sessions:Uncertainty and Variability in Dose-Response Assessment Recent Advances in Toxicity and Risk Assessment of RDX The Use of Epidemiologic Data for Risk Assessment Applications Cumulative Health Risk Assessment:

Facial and Bodily Expressions for Control and Adaptation of Games (ECAG 2008)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Antinus; Poppe, Ronald Walter; Unknown, [Unknown

2008-01-01

In this workshop of the 8th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition (FG 2008), the emphasis is on research on facial and bodily expressions for the control and adaptation of games. We distinguish between two forms of expressions, depending on whether the user has the

2008 Gordon Research Conference on Rock Deformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirth, James G.; Gray, Nancy Ryan

2009-09-21

The GRC on Rock Deformation highlights the latest research in brittle and ductile rock mechanics from experimental, field and theoretical perspectives. The conference promotes a multi-disciplinary forum for assessing our understanding of rock strength and related physical properties in the Earth. The theme for the 2008 conference is 'Real-time Rheology'. Using ever-improving geophysical techniques, our ability to constrain the rheological behavior during earthquakes and post-seismic creep has improved significantly. Such data are used to investigate the frictional behavior of faults, processes responsible for strain localization, the viscosity of the lower crust, and viscous coupling between the crust and mantle. Seismological data also provide information on the rheology of the lower crust and mantle through analysis of seismic attenuation and anisotropy. Geologists are improving our understanding of rheology by combining novel analyses of microstructures in naturally deformed rocks with petrologic data. This conference will bring together experts and students in these research areas with experimentalists and theoreticians studying the same processes. We will discuss and assess where agreement exists on rheological constraints derived at different length/time scales using different techniques - and where new insight is required. To encompass the elements of these topics, speakers and discussion leaders with backgrounds in geodesy, experimental rock deformation, structural geology, earthquake seismology, geodynamics, glaciology, materials science, and mineral physics will be invited to the conference. Thematic sessions will be organized on the dynamics of earthquake rupture, the rheology of the lower crust and coupling with the upper mantle, the measurement and interpretation of seismic attenuation and anisotropy, the dynamics of ice sheets and the coupling of reactive porous flow and brittle deformation for understanding geothermal and chemical

Adapting a rapid river assessment protocols to be used by elementary school children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Malafaia

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to adapt a rapid river assessment protocols (RAP to be used by elementary school children. The study was conducted in Ipameri, GO and the RAP was adapted for the evaluation of streams in the Cerrado biome. Based on two protocol models, the developed RAP included: physical parameters that affect the functioning of streams, language adapted to the educational level of elementary school and the presence of drawings that could facilitate the field application of RAP by the students. For consolidation of the adapted instrument, it was offered a monitoring workshop to 95 students from two public education institutions, and developed an analysis and interpretation of the pattern of responses obtained during the practical step of the workshop. The Bartlett and Levene tests revealed no statistical differences between the response patterns of the students, allowing to infer that the developed RAP was understandable by the evaluators. The application of the RAP was fast (20 to 40 minutes and the students reported that the developed instrument helped them to familiarize with environmental issues. In addition, the monitoring workshop helped them to understand the instrument and the available illustrations facilitated the field evaluation. In addition, the students concluded that they have become aware of the issues related to the water resource preservation and also that participation in the environmental monitoring workshop allowed the appropriation of knowledge about the river system functioning. It was concluded that adapted RAP has been proved to be a useful and interesting tool for using in environmental education projects and programs.

International Cryocooler Conference

CERN Document Server

Cryocoolers 13

2005-01-01

This is the 13th volume in the conference series. Over the years the International Cryocoolers Conference has become the preeminent worldwide conference for the presentation of the latest developments and test experiences with cryocoolers. The typical applications of this technology include cooling space and terrestrial infrared focal plane arrays, space x-ray detectors, medical applications, and a growing number of high-temperature super-capacitor applications.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric assessment of the Chinese version of the comprehensive needs assessment tool for cancer caregivers (CNAT-C).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yin-Ping; Zhao, Xin-Shuang; Zhang, Bei; Zhang, Lu-Lu; Ni, Chun-Ping; Hao, Nan; Shi, Chang-Bei; Porr, Caroline

2015-07-01

The comprehensive needs assessment tool for cancer caregivers (CNAT-C) is a systematic and comprehensive needs assessment tool for the family caregivers. The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to adapt the CNAT-C to Mainland China's cultural context and (2) to evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly adapted Chinese CNAT-C. Cross-cultural adaptation of the original CNAT-C was performed according to published guidelines. A pilot study was conducted in Mainland China with 30 Chinese family cancer caregivers. A subsequent validation study was conducted with 205 Chinese cancer caregivers from Mainland China. Construct validity was determined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was determined using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The split-half coefficient for the overall Chinese CNAT-C scale was 0.77. Principal component analysis resulted in an eight-factor structure explaining 68.11 % of the total variance. The comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.91 from the modified model confirmatory factor analysis. The Chi-square divided by degrees of freedom was 1.98, and the root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.079. In relation to the known-group validation, significant differences were found in the Chinese CNAT-C scale according to various caregiver characteristics. Internal consistency was high for the Chinese CNAT-C reaching a Cronbach α value of 0.94. Test-retest reliability was 0.85. The newly adapted Chinese CNAT-C scale possesses adequate validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency and therefore may be used to ascertain holistic health and support needs of cancer patients' family caregivers in Mainland China.

Conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, G.J.

1985-01-01

The 113 papers presented at this conference covered the areas of 1) fuel design, development and production; 2) nuclear plant safety; 3) nuclear instrumentation; 4) public and regulatory matters; 5) developments and opportunities in fusion; 6) fuel behaviour under normal operating conditions; 7) nuclear plant design and operations; 8) materials science and technology; 9) nuclear power issues; 10) fusion technology; 11) fuel behaviour under accident conditions; 12) large scale fuel channel replacement programs; 13) thermalhydraulics experimental studies; 14) reactor physics and analysis; 15) applications of accelerators; 16) fission product release and severe fuel damage under accident conditions; 17) thermalhydraulics modeling and assessments; 18) waste management and the environment; and 20) new reactor concepts

The Second Joint NASA/FAA/DoD Conference on Aging Aircraft. Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Charles E. (Editor)

1999-01-01

The purpose of the Conference was to bring together world leaders in aviation safety research, aircraft design and manufacturing, fleet operation and aviation maintenance to disseminate information on current practices and advanced technologies that will assure the continued airworthiness of the aging aircraft in the military and commercial fleets. The Conference included reviews of current industry practices, assessments of future technology requirements, and status of aviation safety research. The Conference provided an opportunity for interactions among the key personnel in the research and technology development community, the original equipment manufacturers, commercial airline operators, military fleet operators, aviation maintenance, and aircraft certification and regulatory authorities. Conference participation was unrestricted and open to the international aviation community. Appendix B contains the name and addresses of the 623 participants in the Conference.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of a Developmental Assessment for Arabic-Speaking Children with Visual Impairment

Science.gov (United States)

Macrine, Sheila L.; Heji, Hayat; Sabri, Amel; Dalton, Sara

2015-01-01

Developmental screening has become an established component of child health programs in many developed countries. The research objective of this project was to translate and adapt a developmental assessment (Oregon Project Skills Inventory) for use with young children with visual impairments who speak Arabic. The study was prompted by the lack of…

Conference handbook. Seventh Conference on Nuclear Science and Engineering in Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The Australian Nuclear Association (ANA) inaugurated a series of biennial national conferences in 1995 to be held in alternate years to the series of international Pacific Basin Nuclear Conferences, of which the ANA hosted the Ninth in the series in Sydney in May 1994 and the Fifteenth in Sydney in 2006. The main objective of these national conferences is to present information on important aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and engineering in Australia and to place this information in a world context and in a readily understood form. These conferences have the general title of Nuclear Science and Engineering in Australia and have consisted mainly of papers invited from leading experts in areas of topical interest in nuclear science and technology supported by contributed poster papers. This seventh conference in 2007 has the special theme A Nuclear Future and also includes papers by invited speakers and contributed posters

Review: The Necessity of Producing/Normalizing Adaptive Behavior Scales in Diagnosing Training Treatment Rehabilitation of Peop e and Assessment of the Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyyed Jalal Sadrosadat

2000-10-01

Full Text Available Adaptive behavior is defined as the manner in which people cope with the natural and social demands of their environments. Impairments in adaptive behavior are described as significant limitations in an individual's effectiveness in meeting the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence, and/or social responsibility that are expected for one's age level and cultural group, as determined by clinical assessment, and usually, standardized scales. The definitions of adaptive deficiencies imply an individual's ability to cope with demands of his or her environment. Some scholars support this notion when describing adaptive behavior's relationship to mental retardation. Despite the fact that adaptive behavior scales are the necessary tools in diagnosing training: treatment. Rehabilitation of people (Particularly with developmental disorders and the assessment of programs, those are not available to professionals. This article tries to explain the necessity of producing/normalizing such scales, and introduces one of the most famous scales named as "Adaptive Behavior Scale-Residential and Community".

The Adaptation Finance Gap Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report series focuses on Finance, Technology and Knowledge gaps in climate change adaptation. It compliments the Emissions Gap Report series, and explores the implications of failing to close the emissions gap. The report builds on a 2014 assessment by the United Nations...... Environment Programme (UNEP), which laid out the concept of ‘adaptation gaps’ and outlined three such gaps: technology, finance and knowledge. The 2016 Adaptation Gap Report assesses the difference between the financial costs of adapting to climate change in developing countries and the amount of money...... actually available to meet these costs – a difference known as the “adaptation finance gap”. Like the 2014 report, the 2016 report focuses on developing countries, where adaptation capacity is often the lowest and needs the highest, and concentrates on the period up to 2050. The report identifies trends...

Architecture of conference control functions

Science.gov (United States)

Kausar, Nadia; Crowcroft, Jon

1999-11-01

Conference control is an integral part in many-to-many communications that is used to manage and co-ordinate multiple users in conferences. There are different types of conferences which require different types of control. Some of the features of conference control may be user invoked while others are for internal management of a conference. In recent years, ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) have standardized two main models of conferencing, each system providing a set of conference control functionalities that are not easily provided in the other one. This paper analyzes the main activities appropriate for different types of conferences and presents an architecture for conference control called GCCP (Generic Conference Control Protocol). GCCP interworks different types of conferencing and provides a set of conference control functions that can be invoked by users directly. As an example of interworking, interoperation of IETF's SIP and ITU's H.323 call control functions have been examined here. This paper shows that a careful analysis of a conferencing architecture can provide a set of control functions essential for any group communication model that can be extensible if needed.

Conference report: Bioanalysis highlights from the 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists National Biotechnology Conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Crisino, Rebecca M; Geist, Brian; Li, Jian

2012-09-01

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is an international forum for the exchange of knowledge among scientists to enhance their contributions to drug development. The annual National Biotechnology Conference, organized by the AAPS on 21-23 May 2012 in San Diego, CA, USA, brings together experts from various disciplines representing private industry, academia and governing institutions dedicated toward advancing the scientific and technological progress related to discovery, development and manufacture of medical biotechnology products. Over 300 scientific poster presentations and approximately 50 oral presentation and discussion sessions examined a breadth of topics pertaining to biotechnology drug development, such as the advancement of vaccines and biosimilars, emerging and innovative technologies, nonclinical and clinical bioanalysis, and regulatory updates. This conference report highlights the existing challenges with ligand-binding assays, emerging challenges, innovative integration of various technology platforms and applicable regulatory considerations as they relate to immunogenicity and pharmacokinetic bioanalytical assessments.

The radioactive waste management conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fareeduddin, S.; Hirling, J.

1983-01-01

The international conference on radioactive waste management was held in Seattle, Washington, from 16 to 20 May 1983. The response was gratifying, reflecting world-wide interest: it was attended by 528 participants from 29 Member States of the IAEA and eight international organizations. The conference programme was structured to permit reviews and presentation of up-to-date information on five major topics: - waste management policy and its implementation: national and international approaches; legal, economic, environmental, and social aspects (four sessions with 27 papers from 16 countries and four international organizations); - handling, treatment, and conditioning of wastes from nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants and reprocessing plants, including the handling and treatment of gaseous wastes and wastes of specific types (five sessions with 35 papers); - storage and underground disposal of radioactive wastes: general, national concepts, underground laboratories, and designs of repositories for high-level, and low- and intermediate-level waste disposal (five sessions with 35 papers); - environmental and safety assessment of waste management systems: goals methodologies, assessments for geological repositories, low- and intermediate-level wastes, and mill tailings (four sessions with 26 papers); - radioactive releases to the environment from nuclear operations: status and perspectives, environmental transport processes, and control of radioactive waste disposal into the environment (three sessions with 23 papers)

Towards a robust methodology to assess coastal impacts and adaptation policies for Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Vousdoukas, Michalis; Voukouvalas, Evangelos; Mentaschi, Lorenzo; Feyen, Luc

2016-04-01

The present contribution aims to present preliminary results from efforts towards (i) the development of the integrated risk assessment tool LISCoAsT for Europe (Large scale Integrated Sea-level and Coastal Assessment Tool); (ii) the assessment of coastal risk along the European coastline in view of climate change; and (iii) the development and application of a robust methodology to evaluate adaptation options for the European coastline under climate change scenarios. The overall approach builds on the disaster risk methodology proposed by the IPCC SREX (2012) report, defining risk as the combination of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Substantial effort has been put in all the individual components of the risk assessment chain, including: (1) the development of dynamic scenarios of catastrophic coastal hazards (e.g., storm surges, sea-level rise) in view of climate change; (2) quantification, mapping and forecasting exposure and vulnerability in coastal areas; (3) carrying out a bottom-up, highly disaggregated assessment of climate impacts on coastal areas in Europe in view of global warming; (4) estimating the costs and assessing the effectiveness of different adaptation options. Projections indicate that, by the end of this century, sea levels in Europe will rise on average between 45 and 70 cm; while projections of coastal hazard showed that for some European regions, the increased storminess can be an additional significant driver of further risk. Projections of increasing extreme storm surge levels (SSL) were even more pronounced under the business-as-usual RCP8.5 concentration pathway, in particular along the Northern Europe coastline. The above are also reflected in the coastal impact projections, which show a significant increase in the expected annual damage (EAD) from coastal flooding. The present EAD for Europe of 800 million €/year is projected to increase up to 2.4 and 3.2 billion €/year by 2040 under RCP 4.5 and 8.5, respectively, and to 11

An assessment of the impact of climate adaptation measures to reduce flood risk on ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Verburg, Peter H; Koomen, Eric; Hilferink, Maarten; Pérez-Soba, Marta; Lesschen, Jan Peter

Measures of climate change adaptation often involve modification of land use and land use planning practices. Such changes in land use affect the provision of various ecosystem goods and services. Therefore, it is likely that adaptation measures may result in synergies and trade-offs between a range of ecosystems goods and services. An integrative land use modelling approach is presented to assess such impacts for the European Union. A reference scenario accounts for current trends in global drivers and includes a number of important policy developments that correspond to on-going changes in European policies. The reference scenario is compared to a policy scenario in which a range of measures is implemented to regulate flood risk and protect soils under conditions of climate change. The impacts of the simulated land use dynamics are assessed for four key indicators of ecosystem service provision: flood risk, carbon sequestration, habitat connectivity and biodiversity. The results indicate a large spatial variation in the consequences of the adaptation measures on the provisioning of ecosystem services. Synergies are frequently observed at the location of the measures itself, whereas trade-offs are found at other locations. Reducing land use intensity in specific parts of the catchment may lead to increased pressure in other regions, resulting in trade-offs. Consequently, when aggregating the results to larger spatial scales the positive and negative impacts may be off-set, indicating the need for detailed spatial assessments. The modelled results indicate that for a careful planning and evaluation of adaptation measures it is needed to consider the trade-offs accounting for the negative effects of a measure at locations distant from the actual measure. Integrated land use modelling can help land use planning in such complex trade-off evaluation by providing evidence on synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services, different policy fields and societal

FISA 2009 - 7th European Commission conference on EURATOM research and training in reactor systems. Conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goethem, G. van; Manolatos, P.; Hugon, M.; Bhatnagar, V.; Deffrennes, M.; Webster, S.

2010-01-01

The main achievements of the first series of projects under EURATOM FP-7 for nuclear research and training activities (2007 to 2011) were discussed. Approximately 500 participants were registered at FISA 2009 and at the 7 post-conference workshops, representing a wide audience of nuclear scientists and decision makers coming from 32 countries worldwide. The focus of the conference was on scientific and technological research in the following areas: nuclear plant life management for existing reactors (Generation II), severe accident management (Generation III), assessment of future nuclear fission systems (Generation IV), partitioning and transmutation systems (innovative fuels), access to large research infrastructures, and nuclear education and training. Special attention was devoted to the societal and industrial goals of GIF: sustainability, industrial competitiveness, safety and reliability, proliferation resistance. (orig.)

International Conference on Nuclear Security: Enhancing Global Efforts. Summary of an International Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The International Conference on Nuclear Security: Enhancing Global Efforts was organized by the IAEA and held in Vienna on 1-5 July 2013. The conference was organized in cooperation with the following organizations and initiatives: the European Union; the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT); the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM); the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI); the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); the Partnership for Global Security; the Police Community of the Americas (AMERIPOL); the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI); the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS); the World Nuclear Association (WNA); and the World Nuclear Transport Institute (WNTI). A total of 34 ministers participated in the ministerial session of the conference. Altogether, the conference attracted more than 1300 registered participants from 125 IAEA Member States and 21 organizations. The aim of the conference was to review the international community's experience and achievements to date in strengthening nuclear security, to enhance the understanding of current approaches to nuclear security worldwide and identify trends, and to provide a global forum for ministers, policymakers and senior officials to formulate views on future directions and priorities for nuclear security. This book contains the President's Summary of the conference and a summary of the ministerial session, the full text of the ministerial declaration adopted by the conference and summaries of the main conference sessions. The attached CD-ROM contains the full conference programme, the list of conference participants, the national statements from the ministerial session and a selection of papers

Assessing an Adaptive Cycle in a Social System under External Pressure to Change: the Importance of Intergroup Relations in Recreational Fisheries Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Daedlow

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The adaptive cycle constitutes a heuristic originally used to interpret the dynamics of complex ecosystems in response to disturbance and change. It is assumed that socially constructed governance systems go through similar phases (K, Ω [omega], α [alpha], r as evident in ecological adaptive cycles. Two key dimensions of change shaping the four phases of an adaptive cycle are the degree of connectedness and the range of potential in the system. Our purpose was to quantitatively assess the four phases of the adaptive cycle in a social system by measuring the potential and connectedness dimensions and their different levels in each of the four phases. We assessed these dimensions using quantitative data from content analysis of magazine articles describing the transition process of East German recreational fisheries governance after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This process was characterized by the discussion of two governance alternatives amendable for implementation: a central East German and a decentralized West German approach. Contrary to assumptions in the adaptive cycle heuristic, we were unable to identify the four phases of the adaptive cycle in our governance system based on quantitatively assessed levels of connectedness and potential alone. However, the insertion of in-group (East Germans and out-group (West Germans dimensions representing the two governance alternatives in our analysis enabled us to identify the specific time frames for all four phases of the adaptive cycle on a monthly basis. These findings suggest that an unmodified "figure-eight model" of the adaptive cycle may not necessarily hold in social systems. Inclusion of disciplinary theories such as intergroup relation theory will help in understanding adaptation processes in social systems.

Patient-reported disease knowledge and educational needs in Lynch syndrome: findings of an interactive multidisciplinary patient conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Bannon, Sarah A; Mork, Maureen; Vilar, Eduardo; Peterson, Susan K; Lu, Karen; Lynch, Patrick M; Rodriguez-Bigas, Miguel A; You, Yiqian Nancy

2014-02-05

Patients with Lynch Syndrome, the most common hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, benefit from genetic education and family counseling regarding diagnostic testing and cancer surveillance/prevention recommendations. Although genetic counseling is currently the most common venue where such education and counseling takes place, little is known about the level of disease knowledge and education needs as directly reported by patients and families with Lynch Syndrome. Furthermore, experiences with forums for larger-scale knowledge transfer have been limited in the current literature. We conducted a one-day interactive multidisciplinary patient conference, designed to complement individual genetic counseling for updating disease knowledge, supportive networking and needs assessment among Lynch Syndrome patients and their family members. The patient conference was designed utilizing the conceptual framework of action research. Paired pre- and post-conference surveys were administered to 44 conference participants anonymously to assess patient-reported disease knowledge and education needs. A multidisciplinary team of expert providers utilized a variety of educational formats during the one-day conference. Four main focus areas were: genetic testing, surveillance/prevention, living with Lynch Syndrome, and update on research. Thirty-two participants (73%) completed the pre-conference, and 28 (64%) participants completed the post-conference surveys. Nineteen respondents were affected and the remaining were unaffected. The scores of the disease-knowledge items significantly increased from 84% pre- to 92% post-conference (p = 0.012). Patients reported a high level of satisfaction and identified further knowledge needs in nutrition (71%), surveillance/prevention options (71%), support groups (36%), cancer risk assessment (32%), active role in medical care (32%), and research opportunities (5%). Our experience with a dedicated patient education conference focused on

Ph.D. Researchers in a Changing World: A Self-Critical Reflection of the CES Conference 2017

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander James Darracott

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The theme of this year’s Centre for Education Studies Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference, now in its fifth year, is 'Education in a Changing World'. I attended the conference as a paper presenter and a conference attendee. My personal goals were to develop confidence as an oral presenter, seek professional development opportunities, and engage critically and reflectively with my work and the work of others.  My relativist epistemological beliefs define knowledge as uncertain, context-bound, fallible, defeasible and therefore changeable, and are compatible with my personal goals. Both the goals and beliefs led to the adoption of knowledge co-constructor, communicator, and analyst roles.  Beliefs, goals and adopted roles led to the identification of points of fallibility in my own knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of interest. Therefore, I formed a perspective of conferences as enabling and facilitating knowledge construction between presenter and audience. Being reflective, critical, adaptable, creative, intuitive, flexible, and open minded are key attitudinal attributes of postgraduates, leading to positive conference experiences and increased self-awareness of own emerging identity as a social scientist. Increasing self-awareness of own identity is important for graduates, as on a broader scale this assists in keeping pace with an ever-changing world.

GLOBECOM '84 - Global Telecommunications Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 26-29, 1984, Conference Record. Volume 1

Science.gov (United States)

The subjects discussed are related to LSI/VLSI based subscriber transmission and customer access for the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), special applications of fiber optics, ISDN and competitive telecommunication services, technical preparations for the Geostationary-Satellite Orbit Conference, high-capacity statistical switching fabrics, networking and distributed systems software, adaptive arrays and cancelers, synchronization and tracking, speech processing, advances in communication terminals, full-color videotex, and a performance analysis of protocols. Advances in data communications are considered along with transmission network plans and progress, direct broadcast satellite systems, packet radio system aspects, radio-new and developing technologies and applications, the management of software quality, and Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) aspects of telematic services. Attention is given to personal computers and OSI, the role of software reliability measurement in information systems, and an active array antenna for the next-generation direct broadcast satellite.

Abstracts of the TICCIH Canada conference on industrial strength : conserving Canada's industrial heritage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

The conservation and rehabilitation of Canada's industrial sites represents some of the most innovative examples of heritage site development. This conference provided a forum for various stakeholder, conservation specialists, and community planners to discuss issues and strategies for preserving Canada's industrial heritage. Challenges related to preserving industrial heritage as historic sites and museums were discussed. Methods of strengthening community identity and engagement with industrial heritage preservation were also presented. The future of an industrial heritage network was considered. The conference was divided into the following 7 sessions: (1) new site development, brownfield to heritage sites, (2) inventories, evaluation and awareness, (3) industrial heritage of Hamilton, (4) conservation, adaptive reuse and economic viability, a case study of the Toronto distillery project, (5) industrial landscapes, (6) preserving the intangibles, and (7) industrial heritage museums, issues in conservation, interpretation, and sustainability. The conference featured 19 papers, of which 2 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.

7th European Thermal-Sciences Conference (Eurotherm2016)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Systems, High Magnetic Fields, R744 Ejector Refrigeration Systems. All contributed papers were peer reviewed. Recommendations were received from 178 reviewers. The total number of submitted and accepted papers for this year's conference represents the great vitality of thermal science. We hope that this proceedings will be used not only as a document of the event but also to assess achievements and new paths to be taken in heat transfer, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics research. The level and quality of contributions demonstrate that Thermal-Science maintains its position as a subject of central importance in traditional and newly developing areas. Finally, we would like to congratulate the winners of the Eurotherm Prize for Young Scientists 2016, Doctors Brendan David Donoghue, Andrea Diani and Monica Gracia Delgado. (paper)

AINSE`s 40th anniversary conference. Conference handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

Highlights of 40 years of activity of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) were the main focus of this conference. Topics covered include nuclear physics, plasma physics, radiation chemistry, radiation biology, neutron diffraction, nuclear techniques of analysis and other relevant aspects of nuclear science and technology. The conference handbook contains the summaries of the 78 papers and posters presented and the list of participants

Joint US/German Conference

CERN Document Server

Gulledge, Thomas; Jones, Albert

1993-01-01

This proceedings volume contains selected and refereed contributions that were presented at the conference on "Recent Developments and New Perspectives of Operations Research in the Area of Production Planning and Control" in Hagen/Germany, 25. - 26. June 1992. This conference was organized with the cooperation of the FernuniversiHit Hagen and was jointly hosted by the "Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Operations Research (DGOR)" and the "Manufacturing Special Interest Group of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA-SIGMA)". For the organization of the conference we received generous financial support from the sponsors listed at the end of this volume. We wish to express our appreciation to all supporters for their contributions. This conference was the successor of the JOInt ORSA/DGOR-conference in Gaithersburg/Maryland, USA, on the 30. and 31. July 1991. Both OR-societies committed themselves in 1989 to host joint conferences on special topics of interest from the field of operations research. This goal ...

20. AINSE plasma science and technology conference. Conference handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The 20th AINSE plasma science and technology conference was held at Flinders University of South Australia on 13-14 February 1995. Topics under discussion included plasma physics studies, current status of rotamak devices, plasma processing and material studies. The handbook contains the conference program, 54 abstracts and a list of participants

20. AINSE plasma science and technology conference. Conference handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-31

The 20th AINSE plasma science and technology conference was held at Flinders University of South Australia on 13-14 February 1995. Topics under discussion included plasma physics studies, current status of rotamak devices, plasma processing and material studies. The handbook contains the conference program, 54 abstracts and a list of participants.

Conference summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

This volume contains conference summaries of the international conference on radioactive waste management of the Canadian Nuclear Society. Topics of discussion include: storage and disposal; hydrogeology and geochemistry; transportation; buffers and backfill; public attitudes; tailings; site investigations and geomechanics; concrete; economics; licensing; matrix materials and container design; durability of fuel; biosphere modelling; radioactive waste processing; and, future options

A History of the Western Institute of Nursing and Its Communicating Nursing Research Conferences.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeil, Paula A; Lindeman, Carol A

The Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) celebrated its 60th anniversary and the 50th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference in April 2017. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief history of the origin, development, and accomplishments of WIN and its Communicating Nursing Research conferences. Historical documents and conference proceedings were reviewed. WIN was created in 1957 as the Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing under the auspices of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The bedrock and enduring value system of the organization is the interrelated nature of nursing education, practice, and research. There was a conviction that people in the Western region of the United States needed nursing services of excellent quality and that nursing education must prepare nurses capable of providing that care. Shared goals were to increase the science of nursing through research and to produce nurses who could design, conduct, and supervise research-all to the end of improving quality nursing care. These goals were only achieved by collaboration and resource sharing among the Western region states and organizations. Consistent with the goals, the first research conferences were held between 1957 and 1962. Conference content focused on seminars for faculty teaching research, on the design and conduct of research in patient care settings, and on identification of priority areas for research. The annual Communicating Nursing Research conferences began in 1968 and grew over the years to a total 465 podium and poster presentations on a wide array of research topics-and an attendance of 926-in 2016. As WIN and its Communicating Nursing Research conferences face the next 50 years, the enduring values on which the organization was created will stand in good stead as adaptability, adjustments, and collaborative effort are applied to inevitable change for the nursing profession. It is the Western way.

INFCE plenary conference documents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This document consists of the reports to the First INFCE Plenary Conference (November 1978) by the Working Groups a Plenary Conference of its actions and decisions, the Communique of the Final INFCE Plenary Conference (February 1980), and a list of all documents in the IAEA depository for INFCE

Designing Scientific Academic Conferences as a Learning Environment: How to Stimulate Active Learning at Academic Conferences?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verbeke, Johan

2015-01-01

conference design and an appropriate learning environment are available. The overall conference design, however, is a crucial aspect in the learning of the participants and deserves special attention from conference organizers. Method: I have organized around 15 carefully designed conferences (and attended...... architecture, arts and design) and on the way knowledge sharing and knowledge development was stimulated at these events. These conferences included less traditional conference designs, collective learning and explicit sharing of understanding between participants. Results: Collaboration in small groups...... for discussing and learning makes a huge difference in sharing and developing new knowledge. This paper aims to highlight the importance and raise awareness of different methods of stimulating the construction of knowledge by conference participants. I hope it will inspire future conference organizers and help...

Second international conference on isotopes. Conference proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hardy, C J [ed.

1997-10-01

The Second International Conference on Isotopes (2ICI) was hosted by the Australian Nuclear Association in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The Theme of the Second Conference: Isotopes for Industry, Health and a Better Environment recognizes that isotopes have been used in these fields successfully for many years and offer prospects for increasing use in the future. The worldwide interest in the use of research reactors and accelerators and in applications of stable and radioactive isotopes, isotopic techniques and radiation in industry, agriculture, medicine, environmental studies and research in general, was considered. Other radiation issues including radiation protection and safety were also addressed. International and national overviews and subject reviews invited from leading experts were included to introduce the program of technical sessions. The invited papers were supported by contributions accepted from participants for oral and poster presentation. A Technical Exhibition was held in association with the Conference. This volume contains the full text or extended abstracts of papers number 61- to number 114

DOE natural phenomena hazards mitigation conference: proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-10-01

The conference includes sessions which present an overview of DOE programs, available codes, standards and criteria, examples of designs and upgrades from the DOE complex, lessons learned from past natural phenomena, ground motion, seismic evaluation of equipment, and applications of probabilistic risk assessment techniques to DOE facilities. Separate abstracts have been prepared for individual papers

Threats, protests greet conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Struck, D

1994-09-04

In preparation for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, Egypt has deployed 14,000 police to protect participants from threatened violence. The Vatican has joined forces with Muslim fundamentalists to condemn the conference as a vehicle for imposing Western ideals, particularly abortion, on Third world countries. In addition, the opposition is raising the specter of a descent of homosexuals onto Cairo and Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to murder Western representatives. A suit filed by Islamic lawyers, aimed at stopping the conference, failed. Sudan and Saudi Arabia plan to boycott the conference, and it remains uncertain whether Libya will be represented. Conference organizers have not been deterred by the threats and note that the controversy has drawn public attention to the central issues under debate.

Assessing farmer use of climate change adaptation practices and impacts on food security and poverty in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhter Ali

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Climate change is set to be particularly disruptive in poor agricultural communities. We assess the factors influencing farmers’ choice of climate change adaptation practices and associated impacts on household food security and poverty in Pakistan using comprehensive data from 950 farmers from its major provinces. A probit model was used to investigate the factors influencing the use of climate-change adaptation practices; the censored least absolute deviation (CLAD was used to analyze the determinants of the number of adaptation practices used; and a propensity score matching (PSM approach was employed to evaluate the impact of adaptation practices on food security and poverty levels. Adjustment in sowing time (22% households, use of drought tolerant varieties (15% and shifting to new crops (25% were the three major adaptation practices used by farmers in the study area. Results show that younger farmers and farmers with higher levels of education are more likely to use these adaptation practices, as do farmers that are wealthier, farm more land and have joint families. The number of adaptation practices used was found to be positively associated with education, male household heads, land size, household size, extension services, access to credit and wealth. Farmers adopting more adaptation practices had higher food security levels (8–13% than those who did not, and experienced lower levels of poverty (3–6%. Climate change adaptation practices at farm level can thereby have significant development outcomes in addition to reducing exposure to weather risks.

A Conceptual Framework for Assessment of Governance Performance of Lake Basins: Towards Transformation to Adaptive and Integrative Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Emmanuel Cookey

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Governance is essential to lake basin management, but it is the most challenged and needs increased attention. Lake Basin Governance performance assessment is designed to measure the progress and impacts of policies, institutions and the roles of various actors in ensuring sustainability. It measures the performance of technical/operational, social/networks, and institutional arrangement that make up the socio-ecological system. Governance performance assessment becomes very necessary with over-emphasis of institutions on resources utilization and exploitation. The purpose of this paper is to present a governance performance assessment framework specifically for lake basins. The Adaptive Integrated Lake Basin Management (AILBM framework is a diagnostic and prescriptive performance assessment tool with an outcome to produce an adaptive and integrative system with equity, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability and flexibility to problem-solving and resilience. A case study on water governance performance assessment of the Songkhla Lake Basin (SLB in Thailand is provided for illustration and application and indicated a poor performance rating on governance in the Basin, revealing gaps, defects, strengths and weaknesses in the current system, necessary to recommend future improvements.

Economics of adaptation to climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perthuis, Ch.; Hallegatte, St.; Lecocq, F.

2010-02-01

This report proposes a general economic framework for the issue of adaptation to climate change in order to help public and private actors to build up efficient adaptation strategies. It proposes a general definition of adaptation, identifies the major stakes for these strategies, and discusses the assessment of global costs of adaptation to climate change. It discusses the role and modalities of public action and gives some examples of possible adaptation measures in some important sectors (building and town planning, energy and transport infrastructures, water and agriculture, ecosystems, insurance). It examines the regional and national dimensions of adaptation and their relationship, and defines steps for implementing an adaptation strategy. It describes and discusses the use of economic tools in the elaboration of an adaptation strategy, i.e. how to take uncertainties into account, which scenarios to choose, how to use economic calculations to assess adaptation policies

Assessing migration and adaptation from two or more points of view: Cultural-historical theory and methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro R. Portes

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study validates a new tool for assessing differences in cultural adaptation for both majority and less dominant minority/immigrant adults in college in general. The Cultural Adaptation and Development Inventory (CADI is a self-report measure validated across multi-ethnic groups. The reliability and validity of a four factor model are adequate based several replication studies. Overall, the CADI provided evidence for a culturally valid measurement that shows both convergent and discriminant validity. Predicted ethnic group and gender differences were replicated with new groups of respondents for factors measuring Inter-Cultural Stress, Helplessness/Optimism, Positive Inter-cultural Adaptation and Inter-cultural Insensitivity. The study’s socio-cultural and usual types of validity is discussed in relation Berry’s (2003, Portes (1999 and Vygotski’s (1978 views regarding sociogenesis.

Assessment of students’ health condition by indicators of adaptation potential, biological age and bio-energetic reserves of organism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.V. Martyniuk

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to assess students’ health condition by indicators of adaptation potential, biological age and express-assessment. Material: in the research 47 first and second year girl students participated, who belonged to main health group. Results: we distributed the girl students into three groups: 14.89% of them were included in group with “safe” health condition; 34.04% - in group of “third state”; 51.06% were related to group with “ dangerous” health condition. We established that dangerous level was characterized by energy potential of below middle and low level. It is accompanied by accelerated processes of organism’s age destructions and tension of regulation mechanisms. Conclusions: the received results permit to further develop and generalize the data of students’ health’s assessment by indicators of adaptation potentials, biological age and physical health’s condition.

A critical assessment of adaptive ecosystem management in a large savanna protected area in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Wilgen, BW

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This paper uses five inter-related topics (the management of rivers, fire regimes, invasive alien species, rare antelope and elephants) to assess 15 years of adaptive management in the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. The importance...

Index to conference titles; selected conferences cited in the ERDA data base 1972--1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardin, N.E.; McGinnis, D.H.

1977-08-01

This publication cites energy-related conferences, meetings, symposia, and congresses within the programmatic interests of the Energy Research and Development Administration. It supplements and overlaps Index to Conferences Assigned CONF-Numbers by the Technical Information Center, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (TID-4045), citing conferences held since January 1, 1972, and assigned a number in the CONF report number series. The Index contains two computer-produced listings, a KWIC (Key-Word-In-Context) index of the conference location and title and a listing numerically arranged by CONF number and providing location, date, and title information for each conference

Conference proceedings ISES 2014

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Janne Winther; Peerstrup Ahrendt, Line; Malmkvist, Jens

The 10th Internatinal Equitation Science Conference is held i Denmark from August 6th - 9th 2014. This book of proceedings contaions abstracts of 35 oral and 57 poster presentations within the conference themes Equine Stress, Learning and Training as well as free papers.......The 10th Internatinal Equitation Science Conference is held i Denmark from August 6th - 9th 2014. This book of proceedings contaions abstracts of 35 oral and 57 poster presentations within the conference themes Equine Stress, Learning and Training as well as free papers....

The Search Conference as a Method in Planning Community Health Promotion Actions

Science.gov (United States)

Magnus, Eva; Knudtsen, Margunn Skjei; Wist, Guri; Weiss, Daniel; Lillefjell, Monica

2016-01-01

Aims: The aim of this article is to describe and discuss how the search conference can be used as a method for planning health promotion actions in local communities. Design and methods: The article draws on experiences with using the method for an innovative project in health promotion in three Norwegian municipalities. The method is described both in general and how it was specifically adopted for the project. Results and conclusions: The search conference as a method was used to develop evidence-based health promotion action plans. With its use of both bottom-up and top-down approaches, this method is a relevant strategy for involving a community in the planning stages of health promotion actions in line with political expectations of participation, ownership, and evidence-based initiatives. Significance for public health This article describe and discuss how the Search conference can be used as a method when working with knowledge based health promotion actions in local communities. The article describe the sequences of the conference and shows how this have been adapted when planning and prioritizing health promotion actions in three Norwegian municipalities. The significance of the article is that it shows how central elements in the planning of health promotion actions, as participation and involvements as well as evidence was a fundamental thinking in how the conference were accomplished. The article continue discussing how the method function as both a top-down and a bottom-up strategy, and in what way working evidence based can be in conflict with a bottom-up strategy. The experiences described can be used as guidance planning knowledge based health promotion actions in communities. PMID:27747199

Conference summaries of the Canadian Nuclear Association 30. annual conference, and the Canadian Nuclear Society 11. annual conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

This volume contains conference summaries for the 30. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association, and the 11. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. Topics of discussion include: energy needs and challenges facing the Canadian nuclear industry; the environment and nuclear power; the problems of maintaining and developing industrial capacity; the challenges of the 1990's; programmes and issues for the 1990's; thermalhydraulics; reactor physics and fuel management; nuclear safety; small reactors; fuel behaviour; energy production and the environment; computer applications; nuclear systems; fusion; materials handling; and, reactor components

Twitter use at a family medicine conference: analyzing #STFM13.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishori, Ranit; Levy, Brendan; Donvan, Benjamin

2014-09-01

The use of social media is expanding in medicine. A few articles sought to describe participant behavior using Twitter at scientific conferences. Family physicians are known as active participants in social media, but their behavior and practices at conferences have not been methodically described. We recorded all public tweets at the 2013 Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Annual Spring Conference bearing the hashtag #STFM13, using commercially available services. We created a transcript of all tweets for the 5 days of the conference and 3 days before and after. We looked at the total number of tweets, number of original tweets and re-tweets, active users, most prolific users, and impressions. We categorized the content based on (1) Session related, (2) Social, (3) Logistics, (4) Ads, and (5) Other. We compared major metrics (but not content) to the 2012 STFM Annual Spring Conference. There were a total of 1,818 tweets from 181 user accounts: 13% of the conference registrants. The top tweeter accounted for over 15% of the total tweets, and the top 10 accounted for over 50% of the total volume. Most original tweets (69.7%) were related to session content. Social content came in second (14.2%), followed by other, logistics, and advertisement (7.6%, 6.9%, 1.6%). This preliminary analysis provides an initial snapshot of twitter activity at a family medicine conference. It may suggest avenues for further inquiry: trend identification, "influencer" identification, and qualitative analysis. Interdisciplinary research should focus on evaluation methods that can assess the quality, value, and impact of tweeting.

5. European conference of TRIGA users. Papers and abstracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1978-07-01

The main conference topics were: Operation and maintenance experience of the TRIGA reactors; Development of new Low Enrichment Fuels (LEU); Dose assessments noble gas releases; Radiation protection and dosimetry measurements; Research reactors programs and experiments; and Application of TRIGA reactors.

5. European conference of TRIGA users. Papers and abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The main conference topics were: Operation and maintenance experience of the TRIGA reactors; Development of new Low Enrichment Fuels (LEU); Dose assessments noble gas releases; Radiation protection and dosimetry measurements; Research reactors programs and experiments; and Application of TRIGA reactors

CERN automatic audio-conference service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sierra Moral, Rodrigo

2010-01-01

Scientists from all over the world need to collaborate with CERN on a daily basis. They must be able to communicate effectively on their joint projects at any time; as a result telephone conferences have become indispensable and widely used. Managed by 6 operators, CERN already has more than 20000 hours and 5700 audio-conferences per year. However, the traditional telephone based audio-conference system needed to be modernized in three ways. Firstly, to provide the participants with more autonomy in the organization of their conferences; secondly, to eliminate the constraints of manual intervention by operators; and thirdly, to integrate the audio-conferences into a collaborative working framework. The large number, and hence cost, of the conferences prohibited externalization and so the CERN telecommunications team drew up a specification to implement a new system. It was decided to use a new commercial collaborative audio-conference solution based on the SIP protocol. The system was tested as the first European pilot and several improvements (such as billing, security, redundancy...) were implemented based on CERN's recommendations. The new automatic conference system has been operational since the second half of 2006. It is very popular for the users and has doubled the number of conferences in the past two years.

CERN automatic audio-conference service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sierra Moral, Rodrigo, E-mail: Rodrigo.Sierra@cern.c [CERN, IT Department 1211 Geneva-23 (Switzerland)

2010-04-01

Scientists from all over the world need to collaborate with CERN on a daily basis. They must be able to communicate effectively on their joint projects at any time; as a result telephone conferences have become indispensable and widely used. Managed by 6 operators, CERN already has more than 20000 hours and 5700 audio-conferences per year. However, the traditional telephone based audio-conference system needed to be modernized in three ways. Firstly, to provide the participants with more autonomy in the organization of their conferences; secondly, to eliminate the constraints of manual intervention by operators; and thirdly, to integrate the audio-conferences into a collaborative working framework. The large number, and hence cost, of the conferences prohibited externalization and so the CERN telecommunications team drew up a specification to implement a new system. It was decided to use a new commercial collaborative audio-conference solution based on the SIP protocol. The system was tested as the first European pilot and several improvements (such as billing, security, redundancy...) were implemented based on CERN's recommendations. The new automatic conference system has been operational since the second half of 2006. It is very popular for the users and has doubled the number of conferences in the past two years.

CERN automatic audio-conference service

Science.gov (United States)

Sierra Moral, Rodrigo

2010-04-01

Scientists from all over the world need to collaborate with CERN on a daily basis. They must be able to communicate effectively on their joint projects at any time; as a result telephone conferences have become indispensable and widely used. Managed by 6 operators, CERN already has more than 20000 hours and 5700 audio-conferences per year. However, the traditional telephone based audio-conference system needed to be modernized in three ways. Firstly, to provide the participants with more autonomy in the organization of their conferences; secondly, to eliminate the constraints of manual intervention by operators; and thirdly, to integrate the audio-conferences into a collaborative working framework. The large number, and hence cost, of the conferences prohibited externalization and so the CERN telecommunications team drew up a specification to implement a new system. It was decided to use a new commercial collaborative audio-conference solution based on the SIP protocol. The system was tested as the first European pilot and several improvements (such as billing, security, redundancy...) were implemented based on CERN's recommendations. The new automatic conference system has been operational since the second half of 2006. It is very popular for the users and has doubled the number of conferences in the past two years.

The Paris Climate Conference: What kind of international agreement in 2015?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemmet, Sylvie; Watkinson, Paul; Navizet, Damien

2015-01-01

At stake during the 21. Climate Conference (COP21) to be held in Paris in 2015 is the adoption of a worldwide agreement that can be applied to all countries. This agreement, which will take effect by 2020, will focus not only on reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change but also on funding and concrete actions for sustainable, resilient economic development. Throughout the coming year, France, which hosts and chairs the COP21, must see to it that a transparent, inclusive process allows all parties to express their viewpoints and be heard. An agreement is not the only result expected of this conference. For the sake of fairness and in order to limit global warming to 2 deg. C, pledges and commitments, including financial ones, from countries in favor of protecting the climate are expected too. International recognition will also have to be provided to climate-related initiatives that have already been launched

Adaptation strategies for health impacts of climate change in Western Australia: Application of a Health Impact Assessment framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spickett, Jeffery T.; Brown, Helen L.; Katscherian, Dianne

2011-01-01

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the globe and there is substantial evidence that this will result in a number of health impacts, regardless of the level of greenhouse gas mitigation. It is therefore apparent that a combined approach of mitigation and adaptation will be required to protect public health. While the importance of mitigation is recognised, this project focused on the role of adaptation strategies in addressing the potential health impacts of climate change. The nature and magnitude of these health impacts will be determined by a number of parameters that are dependent upon the location. Firstly, climate change will vary between regions. Secondly, the characteristics of each region in terms of population and the ability to adapt to changes will greatly influence the extent of the health impacts that are experienced now and into the future. Effective adaptation measures therefore need to be developed with these differences in mind. A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) framework was used to consider the implications of climate change on the health of the population of Western Australia (WA) and to develop a range of adaptive responses suited to WA. A broad range of stakeholders participated in the HIA process, providing informed input into developing an understanding of the potential health impacts and potential adaptation strategies from a diverse sector perspective. Potential health impacts were identified in relation to climate change predictions in WA in the year 2030. The risk associated with each of these impacts was assessed using a qualitative process that considered the consequences and the likelihood of the health impact occurring. Adaptations were then developed which could be used to mitigate the identified health impacts and provide responses which could be used by Government for future decision making. The periodic application of a HIA framework is seen as an ideal tool to develop appropriate adaptation strategies to

Conferences are like swans

OpenAIRE

Corker, Chris

2012-01-01

Chris Corker was the lead on bringing the 2011 Higher Education Research Scholarship Group Conference to fruition, both in the months preceding the event and on the day. In this viewpoint, Chris shares his experiences of conference administration and delivery, and explores how conferences and swans have more in common that you would imagine.

Adaptive x-ray threat detection using sequential hypotheses testing with fan-beam experimental data (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Thamvichai, Ratchaneekorn; Huang, Liang-Chih; Ashok, Amit; Gong, Qian; Coccarelli, David; Greenberg, Joel A.; Gehm, Michael E.; Neifeld, Mark A.

2017-05-01

We employ an adaptive measurement system, based on sequential hypotheses testing (SHT) framework, for detecting material-based threats using experimental data acquired on an X-ray experimental testbed system. This testbed employs 45-degree fan-beam geometry and 15 views over a 180-degree span to generate energy sensitive X-ray projection data. Using this testbed system, we acquire multiple view projection data for 200 bags. We consider an adaptive measurement design where the X-ray projection measurements are acquired in a sequential manner and the adaptation occurs through the choice of the optimal "next" source/view system parameter. Our analysis of such an adaptive measurement design using the experimental data demonstrates a 3x-7x reduction in the probability of error relative to a static measurement design. Here the static measurement design refers to the operational system baseline that corresponds to a sequential measurement using all the available sources/views. We also show that by using adaptive measurements it is possible to reduce the number of sources/views by nearly 50% compared a system that relies on static measurements.

Adaptive Semantic and Social Web-based learning and assessment environment for the STEM

Science.gov (United States)

Babaie, Hassan; Atchison, Chris; Sunderraman, Rajshekhar

2014-05-01

We are building a cloud- and Semantic Web-based personalized, adaptive learning environment for the STEM fields that integrates and leverages Social Web technologies to allow instructors and authors of learning material to collaborate in semi-automatic development and update of their common domain and task ontologies and building their learning resources. The semi-automatic ontology learning and development minimize issues related to the design and maintenance of domain ontologies by knowledge engineers who do not have any knowledge of the domain. The social web component of the personal adaptive system will allow individual and group learners to interact with each other and discuss their own learning experience and understanding of course material, and resolve issues related to their class assignments. The adaptive system will be capable of representing key knowledge concepts in different ways and difficulty levels based on learners' differences, and lead to different understanding of the same STEM content by different learners. It will adapt specific pedagogical strategies to individual learners based on their characteristics, cognition, and preferences, allow authors to assemble remotely accessed learning material into courses, and provide facilities for instructors to assess (in real time) the perception of students of course material, monitor their progress in the learning process, and generate timely feedback based on their understanding or misconceptions. The system applies a set of ontologies that structure the learning process, with multiple user friendly Web interfaces. These include the learning ontology (models learning objects, educational resources, and learning goal); context ontology (supports adaptive strategy by detecting student situation), domain ontology (structures concepts and context), learner ontology (models student profile, preferences, and behavior), task ontologies, technological ontology (defines devices and places that surround the

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of step size adaptation rules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krause, Oswin; Glasmachers, Tobias; Igel, Christian

2017-01-01

We present a comparison of step size adaptation methods for evolution strategies, covering recent developments in the field. Following recent work by Hansen et al. we formulate a concise list of performance criteria: a) fast convergence of the mean, b) near-optimal fixed point of the normalized s...... that cumulative step size adaptation (CSA) and twopoint adaptation (TPA) provide reliable estimates of the optimal step size. We further find that removing the evolution path of CSA still leads to a reliable algorithm without the computational requirements of CSA.......We present a comparison of step size adaptation methods for evolution strategies, covering recent developments in the field. Following recent work by Hansen et al. we formulate a concise list of performance criteria: a) fast convergence of the mean, b) near-optimal fixed point of the normalized...

Index to conference titles: selected conferences cited in the Energy Data Base 1977-1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vannoy, D.M.

1982-05-01

This publication cites energy-related conferences, meetings, symposia, and congresses within the programmatic interests of the US Department of Energy. It supplements Index to Conference Titles: Selected Conferences Cited in the ERDA Data Base 1972-1977, TIC-4045-S1, August 1977, and includes conferences held since January 1, 1977, which have been assigned a number in the CONF- report number series. The CONF- number is a six- or seven-digit code. The first two digits represent the years in which the conference was held; the next two represent the month; and the remaining digits are the accession number assigned by the DOE Technical Information Center

The learning conference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Ib

little support amongst serious students of learning. The professional conference as a forum for knowledge sharing is in dire need of a new learning theory and a more enlightened practice. The notion of human flourishing is offered as basis for theory, and four simple design principles for the so......The typical one-day conference attended by managers or professionals in search of inspiration is packed with PowerPoint presentations and offers little opportunity for involvement or knowledge sharing. Behind the conventional conference format lurks the transfer model of learning, which finds......-called “learning conference” are proposed: People go to conferences to 1. get concise input, 2. interpret it in the light of their ongoing concerns, 3. talk about their current projects and 4. meet the other attendees and be inspired by them. Six practical techniques that induce attendees to do these things...

Uncertainty in adaptive capacity; Incertitudes dans la capacite d'adaptation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neil Adger, W.; Vincent, K. [East Anglia Univ., Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich (United Kingdom)

2005-03-01

The capacity to adapt is a critical element of the process of adaptation: it is the vector of resources that represent the asset base from which adaptation actions can be made. Adaptive capacity can in theory be identified and measured at various scales, from the individual to the nation. The assessment of uncertainty within such measures comes from the contested knowledge domain and theories surrounding the nature of the determinants of adaptive capacity and the human action of adaptation. While generic adaptive capacity at the national level, for example, is often postulated as being dependent on health, governance and political rights, and literacy, and economic well-being, the determinants of these variables at national levels are not widely understood. We outline the nature of this uncertainty for the major elements of adaptive capacity and illustrate these issues with the example of a social vulnerability index for countries in Africa. (authors)

Adaptive Planning for Resilient Coastal Waterfronts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Christiaan van Veelen

2016-11-01

The method follows three basic steps: (1 assessing the spatial and timely synchronisation of adaptation measures with planned urban development projects and public and private infrastructure maintenance investments; (2 assessing the institutional and financial barriers to be removed in order to mainstream climate adaptation measures in these urban development processes, and (3 assessing what opportunities derived from urban development are able to ‘break through’ the path dependencies that lock-in more sustainable adaptive paths. The method is based on mapping all planned spatial investments in brownfield development, urban renovation, and maintenance projects of public and private infrastructure and assets and by assessing the effectiveness of prevailing policies. Using design research, new opportunities for adaptation are explored and assessed. The urban dynamics based adaptation pathways method is tested at two waterfront areas in Rotterdam (Feijenoord and New York (Red Hook. Both cases show that identifying intervention opportunities and potential transitional interventions is helpful in selecting and assessing adaptive pathways. Moreover, it helps to identify legal or financial arrangements that are needed to unlock the potential of adaptation paths. One of the key findings of the case study research is that in high density urban conditions there is limited potential to build resilience from household redevelopment or renovation, even when new complementary policies and regulative instruments that support buildinglevel resilience would be developed. District-wide flood protection is effective in terms of flood risk, but requires large-scale transformations of the waterfront zone to seize opportunities to develop integrated protection at low costs. This strategy, however, needs new governance structures and financial arrangements to redistribute costs and benefits fairly among stakeholders.

Risk analysis by citizens? Analysis of the first consensus conference held in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marris, C.; Joly, P.B.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: the French Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices (OPECST) is currently organizing a consensus conference. Following the model developed by the Danish Board of Technology, a panel of 15 French citizens is being asked to evaluate the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture and food. This Danish model for direct citizen participation in technology assessment has gained growing support in other European countries and even further afield, such as Japan and Australia. This is, however, a novel experience for France, which has very little tradition for participatory technology assessment. The final and public phase of the 'conference citoyenne' will take place in Paris on 20-22 June 1998, therefore it is too early to outline our results in this abstract. Our paper will present an analysis of the impact and role of this conference in the wider public debate in France about agricultural bio-technologies. This will be based on interviews with key actors in this debate (scientists, consumer and environmental organisations, politicians), media reports, and video footage of the entire procedure of the consensus conference. (authors)

[Assessment of adaptation to on-board conditions on "The Ship for World Youth"].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuramoto, H; Kurabayashi, L; Yamato, H; Inamura, H

1992-01-01

The adaptation process of youth from 13 countries on board "The 3rd Ship for World Youth" cruise which was held from January 18 to March 20 in 1991 was analyzed. The age of almost all of the participants was in the 20's (average age was 24.9 yrs), and there were 103 participants (47 males, 56 females) from Japan, 171 participants (86 males, 85 females) from North, Middle and South America, and Oceanian countries for total of 274 participants (133 males, 141 females). The living environment on board differed significantly from daily living conditions of the participants, particularly due to the need to communicate in a foreign language, and to live in harmony with different cultures in a confinement situation, such that they were inevitably susceptible to various stressors. Among the participants there were some who needed psychiatric care and treatment. In order to assess quantitatively psychosomatic reactions to those stressors, a 28-item scaled GHQ (= General Health Questionnaire) assessment was performed four times on board with the following findings: 1. Highest scores were seen shortly after embarkment and decreased as the participants got accustomed to the living conditions on board. 2. The scores of the Japanese participants were higher than those of foreign participants, possibly indicating awkward adaptational skill on the part of Japanese participants especially during the first stage. 3. Japanese females scored slightly higher than Japanese males throughout the course of the program. 4. No clear difference in scores between Japanese participants aged under 25 y and over 26 y was observed. 5. A large proportion (77.3%) of Japanese participants had Y-G personality test results classifying them in the 'stable positive' group (D group). These participants had significantly lower scaled GHQ scores than those in the non-D group, indicating a high adaptational ability of D group participants.

CERN automatic audio-conference service

CERN Multimedia

Sierra Moral, R

2009-01-01

Scientists from all over the world need to collaborate with CERN on a daily basis. They must be able to communicate effectively on their joint projects at any time; as a result telephone conferences have become indispensable and widely used. Managed by 6 operators, CERN already has more than 20000 hours and 5700 audio-conferences per year. However, the traditional telephone based audio-conference system needed to be modernized in three ways. Firstly, to provide the participants with more autonomy in the organization of their conferences; secondly, to eliminate the constraints of manual intervention by operators; and thirdly, to integrate the audio-conferences into a collaborative working framework. The large number, and hence cost, of the conferences prohibited externalization and so the CERN telecommunications team drew up a specification to implement a new system. It was decided to use a new commercial collaborative audio-conference solution based on the SIP protocol. The system was tested as the first Euro...

CERN automatic audio-conference service

CERN Document Server

Sierra Moral, R

2010-01-01

Scientists from all over the world need to collaborate with CERN on a daily basis. They must be able to communicate effectively on their joint projects at any time; as a result telephone conferences have become indispensable and widely used. Managed by 6 operators, CERN already has more than 20000 hours and 5700 audio-conferences per year. However, the traditional telephone based audio-conference system needed to be modernized in three ways. Firstly, to provide the participants with more autonomy in the organization of their conferences; secondly, to eliminate the constraints of manual intervention by operators; and thirdly, to integrate the audio-conferences into a collaborative working framework. The large number, and hence cost, of the conferences prohibited externalization and so the CERN telecommunications team drew up a specification to implement a new system. It was decided to use a new commercial collaborative audio-conference solution based on the SIP protocol. The system was tested as the first Euro...

Conference of University Administrators Conference Proceedings (12th, Surrey, England, March 21-23, 1985).

Science.gov (United States)

Conference of Univ. Administrators.

Conference proceedings for the Conference of University Administrators include summaries of conference sessions, along with Austin Pearce's paper, "The Needs of Industry: What Are They?" Sessions focused on: forming a university company, financial diversification, financial modeling, stock exchange investment and universities, funding of…

Gordon Research Conference on Genetic Toxicology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Project Director Penelope Jeggo

2003-02-15

Genetic toxicology represents a study of the genetic damage that a cell can incur, the agents that induce such damage, the damage response mechanisms available to cells and organisms, and the potential consequences of such damage. Genotoxic agents are abundant in the environment and are also induced endogenously. The consequences of such damage can include carcinogenesis and teratogenesis. An understanding of genetic toxicology is essential to carry out risk evaluations of the impact of genotoxic agents and to assess how individual genetic differences influence the response to genotoxic damage. In recent years, the importance of maintaining genomic stability has become increasingly recognized, in part by the realization that failure of the damage response mechanisms underlies many, if not all, cancer incidence. The importance of these mechanisms is also underscored by their remarkable conservation between species, allowing the study of simple organisms to provide significant input into our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. It has also become clear that the damage response mechanisms interface closely with other aspects of cellular metabolism including replication, transcription and cell cycle regulation. Moreover, defects in many of these mechanisms, as observed for example in ataxia telangiectasia patients, confer disorders with associated developmental abnormalities demonstrating their essential roles during growth and development. In short, while a decade ago, a study of the impact of DNA damage was seen as a compartmentalized area of cellular research, it is now appreciated to lie at the centre of an array of cellular responses of crucial importance to human health. Consequently, this has become a dynamic and rapidly advancing area of research. The Genetic Toxicology Gordon Research Conference is biannual with an evolving change in the emphasis of the meetings. From evaluating the nature of genotoxic chemicals, which lay at the centre of the early

Climate change impact and adaptation research requires integrated assessment and farming systems analysis: a case study in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reidsma, P.; Wolf, J.; Kanellopoulos, A.; Schaap, B.F.; Mandryk, M.; Verhagen, J.; Ittersum, van M.K.

2015-01-01

Rather than on crop modelling only, climate change impact assessments in agriculture need to be based on integrated assessment and farming systems analysis, and account for adaptation at different levels. With a case study for Flevoland, the Netherlands, we illustrate that (1) crop models cannot

The 9. European nuclear conference; La 9. conference nucleaire europeenne

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maurel, V.; Lewis, D.; Smirnov, V.P.; Gutierrez, J.E.; Paulin, Ph.; Markov, D.V.; Smirnov, A.V.; Polenok, V.S.; Horhoianu, G.; Olteanu, G.; Van der Schaaf, B.; Gavillet, D.; Lapena, J.; Ohms, C.; Roth, A.; Van Dyck, St.; Mardon, J.P.; Thomas, A.; Cipiere, M.F.; Faidy, C.; Hedin, F.; Delnondedieu, M.; Chassignole, B.; Doudet, L.; Dupond, O.; Kang, K.; Park, K.; Kim, K.; Ha, J.; Hoon-Seok, Jung; Yong-koo, Lee; Kwang-Ho, Kim; Seungwoo, Paek; Heui-Joo, Choi; Do-Hee, Ahn; Kwang-Rag, Kim; Minsoo, Lee; Sung-Paal, Yim; Hongsuk, Chung; Detroux, P.; Meessen, O.; Defloor, J.; Lars-Erik, Holm; Barescut, J.C.; Vacquier, B.; Laurier, D.; Caer, S.; Quesne, B.; Oudalova, A.; Geras' kin, St.; Dikarev, V.; Dikareva, N.; Chernonog, E.; Yang-Geun, Chung; Gab-Bock, Lee; Sun-Young, Bang; Yong-Sun, Lee; Bolognese-Milsztajn, T.; Frank, D.; Lacoste, V.; Pihet, P.; Lacronique, J.F.; Chauliac, C.; Verwaerde, D.; Pavageau, O.; Zaetta, A.; Varaine, F.; Warin, D.; Hudelot, J.P.; Bioux, Ph.; Klann, R.; Petruzzi, A.; D' auria, F.; Yung Kwon, Jin; Chul Jin, Chol; Mihalache, M.; Radu, V.; Pavelescu, M.; Schneidesch, Ch.R.; Jinzhao, Zhang; Dalleur, J.P.; Nuttin, A.; Meplan, O.; Wilson, J.; Perdu, F.; Campioni, G.; Mounier, C.; Sigrist, J.F.; Laine, Ch.; Broc, D.; Robbe, M.F.; Cariou, Y.; Seok-Kyun, Yoon; Win, Naing; Myung-Hyun, Kim; Kyung, Hee; Fridman, E.; Shwageraus, E.; Galperin, A.; Meplan, O.; Laulan, O.; Mechel-Sendis, F.; Belgaid, M.; Kadem, F.; Amokrane, A.; Hamidouche, T.; El-Khider, Si-Ahmed

2005-11-15

This issue gathers the abstracts of the papers presented at the ninth European nuclear conference (ENC-2005). The main part of the conference is split into 20 sessions. These sessions cover all technical aspects of nuclear power, from reactor design to waste management, without forgetting experimental and research reactors, reactor dismantling, economy, resources, safety, radioprotection and education issues. Perspectives of a nuclear renaissance are clearly visible in the world. This renaissance, mainly due to political, economical, societal and ecological factors, is fuelled by scientific and technical progress. This conference was the opportunity to present together these aspects of nuclear power and to analyze their mutual interactions.

Conference Report: 5th Annual Georgia Conference on Information Literacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca Ziegler

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The 5th annual Georgia Conference on Information Literacy took place in Savannah, Georgia on October 3-4, 2008. Since its inception, this conference has drawn participants from across the United States and even a few from abroad. Jointly sponsored by the Zach S. Henderson Library, the Department of Writing and Linguistics, the College of Education, and the Center for Continuing Education at Georgia Southern University, the conference offers both theoretical and practical discussions of the complex issues involved in teaching students how to find, interpret and use information in emerging electronic technologies against the backdrop of one of America’s loveliest cities.

ASA conference on radiation and health. Coolfont V. Final report. Summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-11-01

The conference included presentations on four major topics related to radiation and health: dose assessment, measurement error, dose-response, and dosimetry. Separate abstracts have been prepared for the individual presentations

Major Biomass Conference

Science.gov (United States)

Top Scientists, Industry and Government Leaders to Gather for Major Biomass Conference America, South America and Europe will focus on building a sustainable, profitable biomass business at the Third Biomass Conference of the Americas in Montreal. Scheduled presentations will cover all biomass

24. CLI national conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niel, Jean-Christophe; Jamet, Philippe; Delalonde, Jean-Claude; Revol, Henri; Lallier, Michel; Gaillard, Pierre; Jeffroy, Francois; Miniere, Dominique; Moulin, Ludovic; Charre, Jean-Pierre; Andrieux, Jean-Luc; Dubuis, Thierry; Giusti, Charles; Quintin, Christophe; Riviere, Emmanuel

2012-12-01

This document gathers contributions presented during a conference held in December 2012. After introduction speeches, a focus of some updates and an assessment of ANCCLI activities, this conference comprised two round tables. The first one addressed social, organisational and human factors in the nuclear field. It comprised a presentation of works performed by a CLI on these issues and of how CLIs address these issues, a presentation on the evolution of the notion of human factor with a progressive integration of organisational and societal dimensions, with a presentation of ASN actions in this respect (creation of a dialogue structure). Debates have been an occasion to discuss issues like staff and abilities turnover within EDF, subcontracting, and the culture of doubt. The second round table addressed the perception of risks and public information in the case of a nuclear incident or accident which does not require an emergency plan. Beside a presentation on an accident which occurred in the Centraco plant in 2011, the participants discussed how to organise information, the perception of the notion of nuclear safety in France, the difficulty to accept the 'small risk', an initiative of automatic information implemented by industrials in Dunkirk

Impressions from the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) conference in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balfors, B.

1995-01-01

This contribution gives a short introduction on the development of EIA in Sweden. The need for more knowledge in the field of EIA is then discussed, and impressions from the IAIA conference in Quebec 1994 of papers on EIA in connection with siting of repositories for nuclear waste are related. Finally, current research on EIA in Sweden is reviewed

Adapting the Apsim model for assessing maize cultivars performances through European stressing environments

OpenAIRE

Lacube, Sébastien; Tardieu, Francois; Parent, Boris; Hammer, Graeme

2015-01-01

Genetic progress will largely depend on the adaptation of new genotypes to the diversity of environments, market requirements and types of agriculture. Most experiments for cultivar evaluation use networks of field experiments to assess the suitability of hundreds of genotypes to environmental conditions. In most cases, most of them run for a few years, thereby taking into account a small fraction of the climatic variability. The use of crop models for predicting plant performance under di...

Assessing the Usability of Gaze-Adapted Interface against Conventional Eye-based Input Emulation

OpenAIRE

Kumar, Chandan; Menges, Raphael; Staab, Steffen

2017-01-01

In recent years, eye tracking systems have greatly improved, beginning to play a promising role as an input medium. Eye trackers can be used for application control either by simply emulating the mouse and keyboard devices in the traditional graphical user interface, or by customized interfaces for eye gaze events. In this work, we evaluate these two approaches to assess their impact in usability. We present a gaze-adapted Twitter application interface with direct interaction of eye gaze inpu...

Environmental assessment and environmental impact of photovoltaic installations. Synthesis of the OFATE conference of 12 April 2016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckardt, Nils; Schaefer, Oliver; Argenlieu, Philippe d'; Chaufaux, Emilie; Uhlig, Matthias; Durand, Yvonnick; Burgun, Francoise; Cacqueray, Philippe de; Harle d'Ophove, Armand; Guerrier, Pierre; Massiac, Jean-Christophe de; Fischer, Thomas

2016-09-01

This publication proposes a synthesis of contributions and the contributions of a conference organised by the French-German Office for Energy Transition (OFATE). The synthesis proposes an overview of the status and potential of photovoltaic energy in Europe, a discussion of eligible areas and support to photovoltaic in compliance with the protection of the environment in France and in Germany, and a discussion of innovating approaches aimed at reducing the ecological print of solar power production (technological advances in solar cell production, conciliation of solar electric power production with agriculture, livestock and protection of species, legal and environmental aspects of the processing of photovoltaic components). The conference was organised in sessions: support to photovoltaic from the ecological point of view (the untapped potential of solar in France and Germany, integration of the environmental assessment in photovoltaic bidding and rules for surface use for photovoltaic in the town planning code, debate on available surfaces, and on the compliance between photovoltaic development, the environment and agriculture), innovating approaches to reduce the ecological print in solar electricity production (the EuroPlas project for a new process of ecological production of solar cells, the European Ecolabel project for photovoltaic modules, farm and solar parks by Neoen, synergies between orientable solar arrays and plant cultivation, the PIESO project for a better ecological integration of ground-based power plants), and the recycling of photovoltaic components (debate on legal aspects and environmental aspects regarding their processing, keynote on the transposition of a European directive)

Iris rotating machine conference 2005 (IRMC 2005). Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference provided a forum to discuss predictive maintenance technologies for motor and generator stator and rotor windings. It was hosted by Iris Power Engineering Inc., a leader in the use of partial discharge to detect problems with stator insulation of generators and large motors. The conference was attended by a varied list of attendees from 7 countries with expertise in electrical rotating machine issues, including failure investigations, specification preparation and winding condition assessment. Events included seminars, tutorials and a walk-in-clinic that enabled users to receive direct guidance from specialists regarding data test results. The topics of discussion included condition based maintenance strategies as well as problems and solutions for hydrogenerator rotor poles. The conference also featured new instrumentation, sensors and software for online partial discharge testing. New products were also presented, such as the PDTrac which collects data and archives the results for trending and comparative evaluations, and the CSMeter which detects broken rotor bars in induction motors. Systems for implementing predictive maintenance programs were also introduced

Conference scene: DGVS spring conference 2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolligs, Frank Thomas

2009-10-01

The 3rd annual DGVS Spring Conference of the German Society for Gastroenterology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten) was held at the Seminaris Campus Hotel in Berlin, Germany, on 8-9 May, 2009. The conference was organized by Roland Schmid and Matthias Ebert from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. The central theme of the meeting was 'translational gastrointestinal oncology: towards personalized medicine and individualized therapy'. The conference covered talks on markers for diagnosis, screening and surveillance of colorectal cancer, targets for molecular therapy, response prediction in clinical oncology, development and integration of molecular imaging in gastrointestinal oncology and translational research in clinical trial design. Owing to the broad array of topics and limitations of space, this article will focus on biomarkers, response prediction and the integration of biomarkers into clinical trials. Presentations mentioned in this summary were given by Matthias Ebert (Technical University of Munich, Germany), Esmeralda Heiden (Epigenomics, Berlin, Germany), Frank Kolligs (University of Munich, Germany), Florian Lordick (University of Heidelberg, Germany), Hans Jorgen Nielsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Anke Reinacher-Schick (University of Bochum, Germany), Christoph Röcken (University of Berlin, Germany), Wolff Schmiegel (University of Bochum, Germany) and Thomas Seufferlein (University of Halle, Germany).

European information on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Jol, A.; Isoard, S.

2010-09-01

Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters is increasing due to a combination of intensifying land use, increasing industrial development, further urban expansion and expanding infrastructure and also climate change. At EU level the European Commission's White Paper on adaptation to climate change (published in 2009) highlights that adaptation actions should be focused on the most vulnerable areas and communities in Europe (e.g. mountains, coastal areas, river flood prone areas, Mediterranean, Arctic). Mainstreaming of climate change into existing EU policies will be a key policy, including within the Water Framework Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Nature protection and biodiversity policies, integrated coastal zone management, other (sectoral) policies (agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, health) and disaster risk prevention. 2010 is the international year on biodiversity and the Conference of Parties of the biodiversity convention will meet in autumn 2010 (Japan) to discuss amongst other post-2010 strategies, objectives and indicators. Both within the Biodiversity Convention (CBD) and the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) there is increasing recognition of the need for integration of biodiversity conservation into climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. Furthermore a number of European countries and also some regions have started to prepare and/or have adopted national adaptation plans or frameworks. Sharing of good practices on climate change vulnerability methods and adaptation actions is so far limited, but is essential to improve such plans, at national, sub national and local level where much of the adaptation action is already taking place and will be expanding in future, also involving increasingly the business community. The EU Clearinghouse on CC impacts, vulnerability and adaptation should address these needs and it is planned to be operational end of 2011. The EEA is expected to have a role in its

Applied and Environmental Microbiology Gordon Research Conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wall, Judy D.

2003-11-19

The main objective of the Gordon Research Conference on Applied and Environmental Microbiology was to present and discuss new, fundamental research findings on microorganisms, their activities in the environment, their ecosystem-level effects, and their environmental or commercial applications. To accomplish this goal, knowledge of microbial diversity, interactions and population dynamics was required. The genomic basis of microbial processes, the cycling of naturally occurring and hazardous substances, and methodologies to assess the functional relationships of microorganisms in their habitats were essential for understanding the ecological consequences of microbial activities and the formulation of generalizing principles. In the last decade, molecular technology has revealed that microbial diversity is far more extensive than the limited view obtained from culturing procedures. Great advances in environmental microbiology have resulted from the development and application of molecular approaches to ecology and molecular evolution. A further surprise resulting from the application of these new tools is the blurring of the distinction between pathogenic traits versus those considered non-pathogenic. This year's conference addressed the issues of biodiversity, its development, and the impact of stress on gene selection and expression. In addition microbial metabolic versatility with toxins such as heavy metals, antibiotics, and organic pollutants were discussed. The nine session topics were (1) biodiversity and the bacterial species, (2) mechanisms of biodiversification, (3) biofilms in health and environment, (4) a genomic view of microbial response to stress, (5) microbial use of toxic metals, (6) microbial mineral formation and dissolution, (7) power and limitations of antimicrobials, (8) biodegradation of organic pollutants, and (9) astrobiology. The Conference had an international profile: the Conference Vice-Chair, Dr. Gerard Muyzer, was from The Nether

International conference on the operational safety performance in nuclear installations. Contributed papers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

In 2001, the IAEA organized an 'International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Safety'. The issues discussed during the conference were: (1) risk- informed decision-making; (2) influence of external factors on safety; (3) safety of fuel cycle facilities; (4) safety of research reactors; and (5) safety performance indicators. Senior nuclear safety decision makers reviewed the issues and formulated recommendations for future actions by national and international organizations. In 2004, the IAEA organized an 'International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Safety' in Beijing China. The issues discussed during the conference were: (1) changing environment - coping with diversity and globalization; (2) operating experience - managing changes effectively; (3) regulatory management systems - adapting to changes in the environment; and (4) long term operations - maintaining safety margins while extending plant lifetimes. The results of this conference confirmed the importance of operators and regulators of nuclear facilities meeting periodically to share experience and opinion on emerging issues and future challenges of the nuclear industry. Substantial progress has been made, and continues to be made by Member States in enhancing the safety of nuclear installations worldwide. At the same time, more attention is being given to other areas of nuclear safety. The safety standards for research reactors are being updated and new standards are planned on the safety of other facilities in the nuclear fuel cycle. The Agency has taken a lead role in this effort and is receiving much support from its Member States to gain international consensus in these areas. The objective of the conference is to foster the exchange of information on operational safety performance and operating experience in nuclear installations, with the aim of consolidating an international consensus on: - the present status of these issues; - emerging issues with international implications

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian- Portuguese and reliability analysis of the instrument Rapid Entire Body Assessment-REBA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andressa M. Lamarão

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Observational instruments, such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment, quickly assess biomechanical risks present in the workplace. However, in order to use these instruments, it is necessary to conduct the translational/cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument and test its measurement properties. Objectives: To perform the translation and the cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian-Portuguese and test the reliability of the REBA instrument. Method: The procedures of translation and cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian-Portuguese were conducted following proposed guidelines that involved translation, synthesis of translations, back translation, committee review and testing of the pre-final version. In addition, reliability and the intra- and inter-rater percent agreement were obtained with the Linear Weighted Kappa Coefficient that was associated with the 95% Confidence Interval and the cross tabulation 2×2. Results : The procedures for translation and adaptation were adequate and the necessary adjustments were conducted on the instrument. The intra- and inter-rater reliability showed values of 0.104 to 0.504, respectively, ranging from very poor to moderate. The percentage agreement values ranged from 5.66% to 69.81%. The percentage agreement was closer to 100% at the item 'upper arm' (69.81% for the Intra-rater 1 and at the items 'legs' and 'upper arm' for the Intra-rater 2 (62.26%. Conclusions: The processes of translation and cross-cultural adaptation were conducted on the REBA instrument and the Brazilian version of the instrument was obtained. However, despite the reliability of the tests used to correct the translated and adapted version, the reliability values are unacceptable according to the guidelines standard, indicating that the reliability must be re-evaluated. Therefore, caution in the interpretation of the biomechanical risks measured by this instrument should be taken.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian- Portuguese and reliability analysis of the instrument Rapid Entire Body Assessment-REBA

Science.gov (United States)

Lamarão, Andressa M.; Costa, Lucíola C. M.; Comper, Maria L. C.; Padula, Rosimeire S.

2014-01-01

Background: Observational instruments, such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment, quickly assess biomechanical risks present in the workplace. However, in order to use these instruments, it is necessary to conduct the translational/cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument and test its measurement properties. Objectives: To perform the translation and the cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian-Portuguese and test the reliability of the REBA instrument. Method: The procedures of translation and cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian-Portuguese were conducted following proposed guidelines that involved translation, synthesis of translations, back translation, committee review and testing of the pre-final version. In addition, reliability and the intra- and inter-rater percent agreement were obtained with the Linear Weighted Kappa Coefficient that was associated with the 95% Confidence Interval and the cross tabulation 2×2. Results : The procedures for translation and adaptation were adequate and the necessary adjustments were conducted on the instrument. The intra- and inter-rater reliability showed values of 0.104 to 0.504, respectively, ranging from very poor to moderate. The percentage agreement values ranged from 5.66% to 69.81%. The percentage agreement was closer to 100% at the item 'upper arm' (69.81%) for the Intra-rater 1 and at the items 'legs' and 'upper arm' for the Intra-rater 2 (62.26%). Conclusions: The processes of translation and cross-cultural adaptation were conducted on the REBA instrument and the Brazilian version of the instrument was obtained. However, despite the reliability of the tests used to correct the translated and adapted version, the reliability values are unacceptable according to the guidelines standard, indicating that the reliability must be re-evaluated. Therefore, caution in the interpretation of the biomechanical risks measured by this instrument should be taken. PMID:25003273

Construction of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Conference Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

This Environmental Assessment (EA) reviews the environmental consequences associated with the proposed action of granting a site use permit to construct and operate a conference center on an approximately 70-acre tract of land on the Savannah River Site (SRS). While the proposed action requires an administrative decision by DOE, this EA reviews the linked action of physically constructing and operating a conference center. The SRS is a DOE-owned nuclear production facility encompassing approximately 200,000 acres in southwestern South Carolina. The proposed conference center would have an area of approximately 4,000 square feet, and would infrequently accommodate as many as 150 people, with the average being about 20 people per day. In addition to the No-Action alternative, under which the Research Foundation would not require the 70-acre tract of SRS land for a conference center, this EA considers site preservation. Under Site Preservation only minimal activities necessary to the SRS mission would occur, thereby establishing the lower limits of environmental consequences. A review conducted under the SRS permitting process identified no other forms of possible site development. Similarly, SRS areas identified in the Nuclear Complex Reconfiguration Site Proposal (DOE, 199la) do not include the conference center site area in proposed weapons complex reconfiguration activities. As a consequence, this EA does not consider other forms of possible site development as alternatives. The potential environmental consequences associated with the action of constructing and operating a conference center include impacts to cultural resources and impacts from construction activities, primarily related to land clearing (5 to 10 acres) and providing access to the site

Mendel conference

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

This book is a collection of selected accepted papers of Mendel conference that has been held in Brno, Czech Republic in June 2015. The book contents three chapters which represent recent advances in soft computing including intelligent image processing and bio-inspired robotics.: Chapter 1: Evolutionary Computing, and Swarm intelligence, Chapter 2: Neural Networks, Self-organization, and Machine Learning, and Chapter3: Intelligent Image Processing, and Bio-inspired Robotics. The Mendel conference was established in 1995, and it carries the name of the scientist and Augustinian priest Gregor J. Mendel who discovered the famous Laws of Heredity. In 2015 we are commemorating 150 years since Mendel's lectures, which he presented in Brno on February and March 1865. The main aim of the conference was to create a periodical possibility for students, academics and researchers to exchange their ideas and novel research methods.  .

The Conference Proceedings of the 2003 Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) World Conference, Volume 5

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Brent (Editor); Gudmundsson, Sveinn (Editor); Oum, Tae (Editor)

2003-01-01

The UNO Aviation Institute Monograph Series began in 1994 as a key component of the education outreach and information transfer missions of the Aviation Institute and the NASA Nebraska Space Grant & EPSCoR Programs. The series is an outlet for aviation materials to be indexed and disseminated through an efficient medium. Publications are welcome in all aspects of aviation. Publication formats may include, but are not limited to, conference proceedings, bibliographies, research reports, manuals, technical reports, and other documents that should be archived and indexed for future reference by the aviation and world wide communities. The Conference proceedings of the 2003 Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) world conference, volume 5 is presented. The topics include: 1) The Temporal Configuration of Airline Networks in Europe; 2) Determination and Applications of Environmental Costs at Different Sized Airports-Aircraft Noise and Engine Emissions; 3) Cost Effective Measures to Reduce CO2 Emissions in the Air Freight Sector; 4) An Assessment of the Sustainability of Air Transport System: Quantification of Indicators; 5) Regulation, Competition and Network Evolution in Aviation; 6) Regulation in the Air: Price and Frequency Cap; 7) Industry Consolidation and Future Airline Network Structures in Europe; 8) Application of Core Theory to the U.S. Airline Industry; 9) Air Freight Transshipment Route Choice Analysis; 10) A Fuzzy Approach of the Competition on Air Transport Market; and 11) Developing Passenger Demand Models for International Aviation from/to Egypt: A Case Study of Cairo Airport and Egyptair.

First Virtual Live Conference in Healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Parthasarathi, Ramakrishnan; Gomes, Rachel M; Palanivelu, Praveen Raj; Senthilnathan, Palanisamy; Rajapandian, Subbiah; Venkatachalam, Ramasamy; Palanivelu, Chinnusamy

2017-07-01

Conferences and meetings bring together thousands of doctors from diverse locations. However, the traveling, accommodation, and arrangement of venues for conferences and meetings are expensive and a lot of time needs to be devoted to these logistics. The purpose of this article was to present our own virtual live conference experience using web conferencing and to briefly outline the basics and advantages of this technology in organization of healthcare conferences. Web conferencing technology was used to organize an international bariatric surgery conference, allowing a large number of attendees to participate and interact from wherever they were, using merely an Internet connection with a video player on their personal computers, laptops, or smartphones. A virtual live conference saves a lot of time and cost and simplifies the logistics needed to organize a learning conference with worldwide participation. As far as we know, this is the first report of a virtual live conference in healthcare. We see it as the future of organizing experts as well as medical teaching conferences.

2nd Bozeman Conference

CERN Document Server

Lund, John

1991-01-01

This volume contains a collection of papers delivered by the partici­ pants at the second Conference on Computation and Control held at Mon­ tana State University in Bozeman, Montana from August 1-7, 1990. The conference, as well as this proceedings, attests to the vitality and cohesion between the control theorist and the numerical analyst that was adver­ tised by the first Conference on Computation and Control in 1988. The proceedings of that initial conference was published by Birkhiiuser Boston as the first volume of this same series entitled Computation and Control, Proceedings of the Bozeman Conference, Bozeman, Montana, 1988. Control theory and numerical analysis are both, by their very nature, interdisciplinary subjects as evidenced by their interaction with other fields of mathematics and engineering. While it is clear that new control or es­ timation algorithms and new feedback design methodologies will need to be implemented computationally, it is likewise clear that new problems in computation...

QCD@LHC International Conference

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

The particle physics groups of UZH and ETH will host the QCD@LHC2016 conference (22.8.-26.8., UZH downtown campus), which is part of an annual conference series bringing together theorists and experimentalists working on hard scattering processes at the CERN LHC, ranging from precision studies of Standard Model processes to searches for new particles and phenomena. The format of the conference is a combination of plenary review talks and parallel sessions, with the latter providing a particularly good opportunity for junior researchers to present their results. The conference will take place shortly after the release of the new data taken by the LHC in sping 2016 at a collision energy of 13TeV, expected to more than double the currently available data set. It will be one of the first opportunities to discuss these data in a broader context, and we expect the conference to become a very lively forum at the interface of phenomenology and experiment.

Declining Enrollment. An NSBA Conference (Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 4-6, 1976). Conference Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Florio, David H.

This report results from a National School Boards Association (NSBA) conference on declining enrollment and from a survey of state school boards associations conducted in advance of the conference. The conference drew school board leaders and school administrators together with population experts to achieve several purposes that are reflected in…

Bootcamp EMMA MOOC Assessment for learning in practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Firssova, Olga; Brouns, Francis

2016-01-01

At the EDEN Conference an introduction to the EMMA platform will be combined with learning activities relevant to the topic of Formative Assessment. EDEN conference participants will have an opportunity to join the MOOC prior to the conference or at the conference. A range of learning activities

10th Conference on Bayesian Nonparametrics

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-08

RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. North Carolina State University 2701 Sullivan Drive Admin Srvcs III, Box 7514 Raleigh, NC 27695 -7514 ABSTRACT...the conference. The findings from the conference is widely disseminated. The conference web site displays slides of the talks presented in the...being published by the Electronic Journal of Statistics consisting of about 20 papers read at the conference. The conference web site displays

CONFERENCE: Computers and accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1984-01-15

In September of last year a Conference on 'Computers in Accelerator Design and Operation' was held in West Berlin attracting some 160 specialists including many from outside Europe. It was a Europhysics Conference, organized by the Hahn-Meitner Institute with Roman Zelazny as Conference Chairman, postponed from an earlier intended venue in Warsaw. The aim was to bring together specialists in the fields of accelerator design, computer control and accelerator operation.

Adapting to climate change in The Netherlands: an inventory of climate adaptation options and ranking of alternatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K. de Bruin (Kelly); R.B. Dellink (Rob); A. Ruijs (Arjan); L. Bolwidt; M.W. van Buuren (Arwin); J. Graveland (Jaap); R.S. de Groot; P.J. Kuikman; S. Reinhard; R.P. Roetter (Reimund); V.C. Tassone (Valentina); Verhagen (A.C.); E.C. van Ierland (Ekko)

2009-01-01

textabstractIn many countries around the world impacts of climate change are assessed and adaptation options identified. We describe an approach for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of adaptation options to respond to climate change in the Netherlands. The study introduces an inventory and

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment for use in Brazil with informal caregivers of the elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Rochelly do Nascimento Mota

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment CRA for use in Brazil with informal caregivers of dependent elderly METHOD A methodological study, of five steps: initial translation, synthesis of translations, retro-translation, evaluation by a judge committee and a pre-test, with 30 informal caregivers of older persons in Fortaleza, Brazil. Content validity was assessed by five experts in gerontology and geriatrics. The cross-cultural adaptation was rigorously conducted, allowing for inferring credibility. RESULTS The Brazilian version of the CRA had a simple and fast application (ten minutes, easily understood by the target audience. It is semantically, idiomatically, experimentally and conceptually equivalent to the original version, with valid content to assess the burden of informal caregivers for the elderly (Content Validity Index = 0.883. CONCLUSION It is necessary that other psychometric properties of validity and reliability are tested before using in care practice and research.

Proceedings of the international conference on nuclear power plant aging, availability factor and reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goel, V.S.

1985-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a conference on nuclear power plant life extension. Topics considered at the conference included availability, accelerated aging techniques, the qualification of electrical equipment, probabilistic risk assessment, reactor maintenance, outages, reliability, computer-aided design, seismic effects, mechanical vibrations, fatigue monitoring, steam generators, and materials degradation by aging and embrittlement

Hosting an eConference: Interactive video conference grand rounds between two institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Rixe

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Audience: The eConference is an interactive video conference grand rounds innovation to augment the didactic curriculum provided for medical students, interns, residents, fellows, and attending physicians. Introduction: Formal education during emergency medicine (EM training has historically emphasized aspects of humanism and constructivism; the former through self-directed reading in books and journals, the latter through the content and discussion during resident didactics.1 However, some studies suggest that the current generation of EM learners are increasingly using digital and internet technologies to connect with online peer networks, a phenomenon known as connectivism.2 As such, contemporary EM learners are increasingly utilizing social media and Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM to supplement traditional learning resources. The eConference was developed to be an interactive, virtual grand rounds that marries the merits of constructivism with connectivism; a new format of EM didactics that goes beyond the “typical lecture” model to incorporate the changing landscape in technology and medical education by combining classroom teaching at multiple institutions alongside digital learning tools. This manuscript outlines how to plan and execute a joint video conference with another institution. Objectives: Our objectives were to create and implement a novel virtual conference format through the integration of social media tools which allows for interdisciplinary and multi-site participation to enhance EM resident education. We wish to outline the steps required to reproduce this innovative session and share lessons learned. Conclusion: We designed and executed a multi-centered, novel form of virtual conference into the EM residency curriculum at two participating institutions. The virtual conference took place during a routine conference day for both programs, an hour in duration. The format utilized a hybrid of live and virtual

[White House Conference on Aging, 1981: Reports of the Mini-Conferences, MCR 1-42.

Science.gov (United States)

White House Conference on Aging, Washington, DC.

This document contains the 42 reports from mini-conferences held in various nationwide locations prior to the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. Each report presents an overview of the topic, descriptions of particular problems, and statements of recommendations, based on the views of mini-conference participants, and made available to the…

Computational Intelligence : International Joint Conference

CERN Document Server

Dourado, António; Rosa, Agostinho; Filipe, Joaquim; Kacprzyk, Janusz

2016-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the fifth International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence (IJCCI 2013), held in Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal, from 20 to 22 September 2013. The conference was composed by three co-located conferences:  The International Conference on Evolutionary Computation Theory and Applications (ECTA), the International Conference on Fuzzy Computation Theory and Applications (FCTA), and the International Conference on Neural Computation Theory and Applications (NCTA). Recent progresses in scientific developments and applications in these three areas are reported in this book. IJCCI received 111 submissions, from 30 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, only 24 submissions were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation, leading to a full paper acceptance ratio of 22%. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after ...

Investigation of the Adaptability of Transient Stability Assessment Methods to Real-Time Operation

OpenAIRE

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Sommer, Stefan; Østergaard, Jacob

2012-01-01

In this paper, an investigation of the adaptability of available transient stability assessment methods to real-time operation and their real-time performance is carried out. Two approaches based on Lyapunov’s method and the equal area criterion are analyzed. The results allow to determine the runtime of each method with respect to the number of inputs. Furthermore, it allows to identify, which method is preferable in case of changes in the power system such as the integration of distributed ...

Annual International DIC Society Conference and SEM Fall Conference

CERN Document Server

Reu, Phillip

2017-01-01

This collection represents a single volume of technical papers presented at the Annual International DIC Society Conference and SEM Fall Conference organized by the Society for Experimental Mechanics and Sandia National Laboratories and held in Philadelphia, PA, November 7-10, 2016. The volume presents early findings from experimental, standards development and various other investigations concerning digital image correlation - an important area within Experimental Mechanics. The area of Digital Image Correlation has been an integral track within the SEM Annual Conference spearheaded by Professor Michael Sutton from the University of South Carolina. In 2016, the SEM and Sandia joined their collaborative strengths to launch a standing fall meeting focusing specifically on developments in the area of Digital Image Correlation. The contributed papers within this volume span numerous technical aspects of DIC including standards development for the industry. .

Adaptability and climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprague, M.W.

1991-01-01

The potential social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change are reviewed, with emphasis on agricultural implications. Impact analyses must be done on the scale of watersheds or river basins. For agriculture, climate change effects on water resources are likely to be more important than temperature changes, and climatic variability is also equally important. Another set of critical climatic variables are the frequencies, magnitudes and timing of extreme events such as floods, droughts, etc. A carbon dioxide enriched atmosphere will increase water use efficiency and confer increased tolerance to drought, salinity and air pollution. Better understanding and accounting is required for the effects of increased carbon dioxide on all plant life, including crops. Adaptability of agriculture to change must be taken into account in predicting impacts of climate change, with technological innovation and infrastructure giving agriculture a dynamic nature. Limitations and adaptations must be considered when formulating public policy, to ensure that marginal costs do not exceed marginal benefits. Monoculture plantation forests may be the most efficient sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide, yet widespread reliance on them may harm biological diversity. Actions the U.S. is currently taking under a no-regrets policy are summarized

International conference on the protection of the environment from the effects of ionizing radiation. Contributed papers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-09-01

An International Conference on the Protection of the Environment from the Effects of Ionizing Radiation, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in co-operation with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the European Commission (EC) and the International Union of Radioecology (IUR), will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 6-10 October 2003. This Conference will be hosted by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI). This publication contains contributed papers submitted on issues within the scope of the conference, which were accepted following a review by the Conference Programme Committee. The primary objective of this Conference is to foster information exchange, with the aim of promoting the development of a coherent international policy on the protection of the environment from effects attributable to ionizing radiation. This Conference is one in a series of meetings organized by, or held in co-operation with, the IAEA on this subject. It will include a review of recent developments in this area, and consideration of their implications for future work at national and international levels. The topics on which contributed papers were requested are as follows: Existing environmental protection approaches; Development of an international assessment framework; The scientific basis for environmental radiation assessment; Development of management approaches.

Proceedings: Second international conference on managing hazardous air pollutants, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, W.; Levin, L.

1994-09-01

This volume contains the Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Managing Hazardous Air Pollutants, held in Washington, DC on July 13--15, 1993. This conference provided an important forum for sharing information and strategies at a critical time for electric utilities in the US and elsewhere. As mandated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the US EPA is currently conducting a risk analysis of air toxic emissions from power plants which is expected in November 1995. This conference presented the results of recent research conducted by the EPA and others that may eventually be reflected in an assessment of power plant risks. New research in a number of areas will provide important inputs to a comprehensive and credible risk assessment. These research areas include the concentrations of toxic contaminants in fossil fuels, the development and testing of improved methods for measuring toxics in power plant emissions, the effectiveness of control devices in removing specific air toxics, the transport and dispersion of toxics through the air and other media, and the potential responses of the human body and environment to exposure to these pollutants. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database