Building Surgical Research Capacity Globally: Efficacy of a Clinical Research Course for Surgeons in Low-Resource Settings

OpenAIRE

Theodore A. Miclau; Kathryn Chomsky-Higgins; Alfredo Ceballos; Roberto Balmaseda; Saam Morshed; Mohit Bhandari; Fernando de la Huerta; Theodore Miclau

2017-01-01

Musculoskeletal injury confers an enormous burden of preventable disability and mortality in low- and moderate-income countries (LMICs). Appropriate orthopedic and trauma care services are lacking. Leading international health agencies emphasize the critical need to create and sustain research capacity in the developing world as a strategic factor in the establishment of functional, independent health systems. One aspect of building research capacity is partnership between developing and deve...

The prefabricated building risk decision research of DM technology on the basis of Rough Set

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Z. L.; Zhang, W. B.; Ma, L. H.

2017-08-01

With the resources crises and more serious pollution, the green building has been strongly advocated by most countries and become a new building style in the construction field. Compared with traditional building, the prefabricated building has its own irreplaceable advantages but is influenced by many uncertainties. So far, a majority of scholars have been studying based on qualitative researches from all of the word. This paper profoundly expounds its significance about the prefabricated building. On the premise of the existing research methods, combined with rough set theory, this paper redefines the factors which affect the prefabricated building risk. Moreover, it quantifies risk factors and establish an expert knowledge base through assessing. And then reduced risk factors about the redundant attributes and attribute values, finally form the simplest decision rule. This simplest decision rule, which is based on the DM technology of rough set theory, provides prefabricated building with a controllable new decision-making method.

Establishing rigour in qualitative radiography research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, F.J. [School of Healthcare Professions, University of Salford, Salford M6 6PU (United Kingdom)], E-mail: f.j.murphy@salford.ac.uk; Yielder, J. [Medical Imaging, School of Health Sciences, Unitec, Auckland (New Zealand)

2010-02-15

The vast majority of radiography research is subject to critique and evaluation from peers in order to justify the method and the outcome of the study. Within the quantitative domain, which the majority of medical imaging publications tend to fall into, there are prescribed methods for establishing scientific rigour and quality in order to critique a study. However, researchers within the qualitative paradigm, which is a developing area of radiography research, are often unclear about the most appropriate methods to measure the rigour (standards and quality) of a research study. This article considers the issues related to rigour, reliability and validity within qualitative research. The concepts of reliability and validity are briefly discussed within traditional positivism and then the attempts to use these terms as a measure of quality within qualitative research are explored. Alternative methods for research rigour in interpretive research (meanings and emotions) are suggested in order to compliment the existing radiography framework that exists for qualitative studies. The authors propose the use of an established model that is adapted to reflect the iterative process of qualitative research. Although a mechanistic approach to establishing rigour is rejected by many qualitative researchers, it is argued that a guide for novice researchers within a developing research base such as radiography is appropriate in order to establish the credibility and trustworthiness of a qualitative study.

Establishing rigour in qualitative radiography research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, F.J.; Yielder, J.

2010-01-01

The vast majority of radiography research is subject to critique and evaluation from peers in order to justify the method and the outcome of the study. Within the quantitative domain, which the majority of medical imaging publications tend to fall into, there are prescribed methods for establishing scientific rigour and quality in order to critique a study. However, researchers within the qualitative paradigm, which is a developing area of radiography research, are often unclear about the most appropriate methods to measure the rigour (standards and quality) of a research study. This article considers the issues related to rigour, reliability and validity within qualitative research. The concepts of reliability and validity are briefly discussed within traditional positivism and then the attempts to use these terms as a measure of quality within qualitative research are explored. Alternative methods for research rigour in interpretive research (meanings and emotions) are suggested in order to compliment the existing radiography framework that exists for qualitative studies. The authors propose the use of an established model that is adapted to reflect the iterative process of qualitative research. Although a mechanistic approach to establishing rigour is rejected by many qualitative researchers, it is argued that a guide for novice researchers within a developing research base such as radiography is appropriate in order to establish the credibility and trustworthiness of a qualitative study.

Building a Data Science capability for USGS water research and communication

Science.gov (United States)

Appling, A.; Read, E. K.

2015-12-01

Interpreting and communicating water issues in an era of exponentially increasing information requires a blend of domain expertise, computational proficiency, and communication skills. The USGS Office of Water Information has established a Data Science team to meet these needs, providing challenging careers for diverse domain scientists and innovators in the fields of information technology and data visualization. Here, we detail the experience of building a Data Science capability as a bridging element between traditional water resources analyses and modern computing tools and data management techniques. This approach includes four major components: 1) building reusable research tools, 2) documenting data-intensive research approaches in peer reviewed journals, 3) communicating complex water resources issues with interactive web visualizations, and 4) offering training programs for our peers in scientific computing. These components collectively improve the efficiency, transparency, and reproducibility of USGS data analyses and scientific workflows.

Economical analyses of build-operate-transfer model in establishing alternative power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yumurtaci, Zehra [Yildiz Technical University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Y.T.U. Mak. Fak. Mak. Muh. Bolumu, Besiktas, 34349 Istanbul (Turkey)]. E-mail: zyumur@yildiz.edu.tr; Erdem, Hasan Hueseyin [Yildiz Technical University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Y.T.U. Mak. Fak. Mak. Muh. Bolumu, Besiktas, 34349 Istanbul (Turkey)

2007-01-15

The most widely employed method to meet the increasing electricity demand is building new power plants. The most important issue in building new power plants is to find financial funds. Various models are employed, especially in developing countries, in order to overcome this problem and to find a financial source. One of these models is the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. In this model, the investor raises all the funds for mandatory expenses and provides financing, builds the plant and, after a certain plant operation period, transfers the plant to the national power organization. In this model, the object is to decrease the burden of power plants on the state budget. The most important issue in the BOT model is the dependence of the unit electricity cost on the transfer period. In this study, the model giving the unit electricity cost depending on the transfer of the plants established according to the BOT model, has been discussed. Unit electricity investment cost and unit electricity cost in relation to transfer period for plant types have been determined. Furthermore, unit electricity cost change depending on load factor, which is one of the parameters affecting annual electricity production, has been determined, and the results have been analyzed. This method can be employed for comparing the production costs of different plants that are planned to be established according to the BOT model, or it can be employed to determine the appropriateness of the BOT model.

Economical analyses of build-operate-transfer model in establishing alternative power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yumurtaci, Zehra; Erdem, Hasan Hueseyin

2007-01-01

The most widely employed method to meet the increasing electricity demand is building new power plants. The most important issue in building new power plants is to find financial funds. Various models are employed, especially in developing countries, in order to overcome this problem and to find a financial source. One of these models is the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. In this model, the investor raises all the funds for mandatory expenses and provides financing, builds the plant and, after a certain plant operation period, transfers the plant to the national power organization. In this model, the object is to decrease the burden of power plants on the state budget. The most important issue in the BOT model is the dependence of the unit electricity cost on the transfer period. In this study, the model giving the unit electricity cost depending on the transfer of the plants established according to the BOT model, has been discussed. Unit electricity investment cost and unit electricity cost in relation to transfer period for plant types have been determined. Furthermore, unit electricity cost change depending on load factor, which is one of the parameters affecting annual electricity production, has been determined, and the results have been analyzed. This method can be employed for comparing the production costs of different plants that are planned to be established according to the BOT model, or it can be employed to determine the appropriateness of the BOT model

Building Surgical Research Capacity Globally: Efficacy of a Clinical Research Course for Surgeons in Low-Resource Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodore A. Miclau

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Musculoskeletal injury confers an enormous burden of preventable disability and mortality in low- and moderate-income countries (LMICs. Appropriate orthopedic and trauma care services are lacking. Leading international health agencies emphasize the critical need to create and sustain research capacity in the developing world as a strategic factor in the establishment of functional, independent health systems. One aspect of building research capacity is partnership between developing and developed countries, and knowledge sharing via these collaborations. This study evaluated the efficacy of a short, intensive course designed to educate surgeons on fundamental aspects of clinical research using evidence-based medicine (EBM principles. Orthopedic surgeons from the United States and Canada presented a one-day course on the fundamentals of clinical research in Havana, Cuba. Knowledge acquisition was assessed on the part of course participants and surveyed current involvement with and attitudes toward clinical research. Questionnaires were presented to participants immediately preceding and following the course. The mean pre-test score was 43.9% (95% CI: 41.1–46.6%. The mean post-test score was 59.3% (95% CI: 56.5–62.1%. There were relative score increases in each subgroup based on professional level, subjective level of familiarity with EBM concepts, and subjective level of experience in research. This study establishes the short-term efficacy of an intensive course designed to impart knowledge in EBM and clinical research. Further study is necessary to determine the long-term benefits of this type of course. This may be a useful part of an overall strategy to build health research capacity in LMICs, ultimately contributing to improved access to high-quality surgical care.

External Group Coaching and Mentoring: Building a Research Community of Practice at a University of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Maritz, Jeanette; Visagie, Retha; Johnson, Bernadette

2013-01-01

Globally, a clarion call has been made for higher education institutions to establish creative and effective research capacity-building systems with the purpose of developing a next generation of scholars. The training and skills development of a researcher entail a process of increasing levels of participation in diverse communities of practice.…

Establishment of the Neutron Beam Research Facility at the OPAL Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, S.J.; Robinson, R.A.

2012-01-01

Full text: Australia's first research reactor, HIFAR, reached criticality in January 1958. At that time Australia's main agenda was establishment of a nuclear power program. HIFAR operated for nearly 50 years, providing a firm foundation for the establishment of Australia's second generation research Reactor OPAL, which reached criticality in August 006. In HIFAR's early years a neutron beam facility was established for materials characterization, partly in aid of the nuclear energy agenda and partly in response to interest from Australia's scientific community. By the time Australia's nuclear energy program ceased (in the 1970s), radioisotope production and research had also been established at Lucas Heights. Also, by this time the neutron beam facility for scientific research had evolved into a major utilization programme, warranting establishment of an independent body to facilitate scientific access (the Australian Institute for Nuclear Science and Engineering). In HIFAR's lifetime, ANSTO established a radiopharmaceuticals service for the Australian medical community and NDT silicon production was also established and grew to maturity. So when time came to determine the strategy for nuclear research in Australia into the 21st century, it was clear that the replacement for HIFAR should be multipurpose, with major emphases on scientific applications of neutron beams and medical isotope production. With this strategy in mind, ANSTO set about to design and build OPAL with a world-class neutron beam facility, capable of supporting a large and diverse scientific research community. The establishment of the neutron beam facility became the mission of the Bragg Institute management team. This journey began in 1997 with establishment of a working budget, and reached its first major objective when OPAL reached 20 MW thermal power nearly one decade later (in 2006). The first neutron beam instruments began operation soon after (in 2007), and quickly proved themselves to be

ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL 3D GEO-DATA MODEL FOR BUILDING DATA COMPLIANT TO CITYGML: CASE OF TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Ates Aydar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the generation of the 3D national building geo-data model of Turkey, which is compatible with the international OGC CityGML Encoding Standard. We prepare an ADE named CityGML-TRKBIS.BI that is produced by extending existing thematic modules of CityGML according to TRKBIS needs. All thematic data groups in TRKBIS geo-data model have been remodelled in order to generate the national large scale 3D geo-data model for Turkey. Specific attention has been paid to data groups that have different class structure according to related CityGML data themes such as building data model. Current 2D geo-information model for building data theme of Turkey (TRKBIS.BI was established based on INSPIRE specifications for building (Core 2D and Extended 2D profiles, ISO/TC 211 standards and OGC web services. New version of TRKBIS.BI which is established according to semantic and geometric rules of CityGML will represent 2D-2.5D and 3D objects. After a short overview on generic approach, this paper describes extending CityGML building data theme according to TRKBIS.BI through several steps. First, building models of both standards were compared according to their data structure, classes and attributes. Second, CityGML building model was extended with respect to TRKBIS needs and CityGML-TRKBIS Building ADE was established in UML. This study provides new insights into 3D applications in Turkey. The generated 3D geo-data model for building thematic class will be used as a common exchange format that meets 2D, 2.5D and 3D implementation needs at national level.

Future buildings Forum-2025: Toward a methodology for future buildings research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Briggs, R.S.

1990-10-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore methods that could be used in studying buildings of the future. The methodology that the forum will develop will have a number of likely applications, among them: the development of research agendas for new building energy technologies; the development of information and analytical capabilities usable by other IEA annexes to address their technology assessment needs; and the generation of information that can serve as input to global energy models designed to inform energy policy decisions. This paper is divided into two major sections. The first is an overview of existing methods of futures research. Terms and concepts are explained, providing the basis for the second section. The second section proposes a framework and general methodology for studying future buildings. This preliminary, or strawman, methodology is intended to provoke early thinking and discussions on how the research should be approached. 24 refs., 8 figs.

Building research capacity to inform practical policymaking | IDRC ...

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

2017-08-17

Aug 17, 2017 ... IDRC is committed to supporting cutting-edge research led by developing country experts to create lasting change. Building strong partnerships with regional researchers and organizations through research support and capacity building is integral to the success of this approach. The African Economic ...

Industry Research and Recommendations for New Commercial Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, B.; Leach, M.; Gregory, N.; Pless, S.; Selkowitz, S.; Matthew, P.

2014-05-01

Researchers evaluated industry needs and developed logic models to support possible future commercial new construction research and deployment efforts that could be led or supported by DOE's Commercial Building Integration program or other national initiatives. The authors believe that these recommendations support a proposed course of action from the current state of commercial building energy efficiency to a possible long-term goal of achieving significant market penetration of cost-effective NZE buildings in all building sectors and climates by 2030.

Research Establishment Risoe 1975/76

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-11-01

A summary of the chief activities of the research establishment Risoe is given. These are roughly divided into sections dealing with nuclear technology, applied research, basic research, and research facilities and auxiliary services. For more detailed descriptions of the work in progress, readers are referred to the annual reports published in the two report series, as well as to articles appearing in scientific journals. A selected list of staff publications is given, and the design data on research facilities are presented. (B.P.)

A research agenda for helminth diseases of humans: health research and capacity building in disease-endemic countries for helminthiases control.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Y Osei-Atweneboana

Full Text Available Capacity building in health research generally, and helminthiasis research particularly, is pivotal to the implementation of the research and development agenda for the control and elimination of human helminthiases that has been proposed thematically in the preceding reviews of this collection. Since helminth infections affect human populations particularly in marginalised and low-income regions of the world, they belong to the group of poverty-related infectious diseases, and their alleviation through research, policy, and practice is a sine qua non condition for the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Current efforts supporting research capacity building specifically for the control of helminthiases have been devised and funded, almost in their entirety, by international donor agencies, major funding bodies, and academic institutions from the developed world, contributing to the creation of (not always equitable North-South "partnerships". There is an urgent need to shift this paradigm in disease-endemic countries (DECs by refocusing political will, and harnessing unshakeable commitment by the countries' governments, towards health research and capacity building policies to ensure long-term investment in combating and sustaining the control and eventual elimination of infectious diseases of poverty. The Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4, established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR, was given the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps. This paper discusses the challenges confronting capacity building for parasitic disease research in DECs, describes current capacity building strategies with particular reference to neglected tropical diseases and human helminthiases, and outlines recommendations to redress the balance of alliances and partnerships for health research between the developed countries of

Electric Propulsion Research Building (EPRB)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Electric Propulsion Research Building (EPRB) capability centers on its suite of vacuum chambers, which are configured to meet the unique requirements related to...

2nd International Conference on Construction and Building Research

CERN Document Server

Fernández-Plazaola, Igor; Hidalgo-Delgado, Francisco; Martínez-Valenzuela, María; Medina-Ramón, Francisco; Oliver-Faubel, Inmaculada; Rodríguez-Abad, Isabel; Salandin, Andrea; Sánchez-Grandia, Rafael; Tort-Ausina, Isabel; Construction and Building Research

2014-01-01

Many areas of knowledge converge in the building industry and therefore research in this field necessarily involves an interdisciplinary approach. Effective research requires strong relations between a broad variety of scientific and technological domains and more conventional construction or craft processes, while also considering advanced management processes, where all the main actors permanently interact. This publication takes an interdisciplinary approach grouping various studies on the building industry chosen from among the works presented for the 2nd International Conference on Construction and Building Research. The papers examine aspects of materials and building systems; construction technology; energy and sustainability; construction management; heritage, refurbishment and conservation. The information contained within these pages may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in construction and building activities from the academic sphere, as well as public and private sectors.

Translating Research into Practice: Establishing a Network of Climate Change Practitioners in Ontario, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Milner, G. A.

2017-12-01

Climate research and information continues to emerge at a rapid pace from the academic and scientific community. Decisions being made today by planners, engineers and staff across the Province of Ontario rely on science and information to plan and build our systems for the long term. Of course, as scientific information evolves continuously to produce lessons learned and new evidence, on the ground decisions often become entrenched in outdated information and need updating. Given this, bridging the gap between research to policy, and research to practice is of critical importance as the Province of Ontario upgrades its infrastructure, plans for long term growth in population within the Great Lakes Basin, and manages its natural systems and resources responsibly. The Ontario Climate Consortium (OCC) is an interdisciplinary network of academics and practitioners established in 2011 in the province that works to mobilize climate research findings towards building capacity, inspiring climate action, and training end-users with the latest science. The OCC has collaborated with more than 39 organizations throughout Ontario and across Canada, including government agencies at all levels (local, provincial and federal), non-profit organizations and private sector companies. This presentation will describe the foundations of climate action in Ontario, Canada including the landscape of climate adaptation practitioners from both public and private organizations. Furthermore, this presentation will feature lessons learned from the OCC network, including: 1) What comprises effective partnerships to undertake climate change adaptation planning for cities; 2) How to build the foundation for capacity at agencies with limited resources or expertise in the climate change field; and 3) How to successfully mobilize complex climate data for end-users to produce usable tools (through a case study research project). The latter will present findings from a two-year research project

Good collaborative practice: reforming capacity building governance of international health research partnerships.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Claire Leonie; Shaw, David; Sprumont, Dominique; Sankoh, Osman; Tanner, Marcel; Elger, Bernice

2018-01-08

In line with the policy objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this commentary seeks to examine the extent to which provisions of international health research guidance promote capacity building and equitable partnerships in global health research. Our evaluation finds that governance of collaborative research partnerships, and in particular capacity building, in resource-constrained settings is limited but has improved with the implementation guidance of the International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) (2016). However, more clarity is needed in national legislation, industry and ethics guidelines, and regulatory provisions to address the structural inequities and power imbalances inherent in international health research partnerships. Most notably, ethical partnership governance is not supported by the principal industry ethics guidelines - the International Conference on Harmonization Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceutical for Human Use (ICH) Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). Given the strategic value of ICH-GCP guidelines in defining the role and responsibility of global health research partners, we conclude that such governance should stipulate the minimal requirements for creating an equitable environment of inclusion, mutual learning, transparency and accountability. Procedurally, this can be supported by i) shared research agenda setting with local leadership, ii) capacity assessments, and iii) construction of a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Moreover, the requirement of capacity building needs to be coordinated amongst partners to support good collaborative practice and deliver on the public health goals of the research enterprise; improving local conditions of health and reducing global health inequality. In this respect, and in order to develop consistency between sources of research governance, ICH

Establishment of a research pharmacy to support Ebola clinical research in Liberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierson, Jerome F; Kirchoff, Matthew Carl; Tyee, Rev Tijli; Montello, Michael J; Rhie, Julie K

This article describes the establishment of a research pharmacy to support the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) vaccine study for Ebola virus disease. This article describes the establishment of the pharmacy element to support the overall research program during an Ebola outbreak in Monrovia, Liberia, in 2014 and 2015. The need for the rapid establishment of infrastructure to support the Liberia-United States joint clinical research partnership in response to the emerging Ebola virus disease provided the opportunity for collaboration among Liberian and U.S. pharmacists. Resource austere and research naïve. Research pharmacy prepared and randomized 1500 vaccinations in support of PREVAIL. Experiences of the Liberian and U.S. pharmacists involved in the program are described. The partnership was successful in the conduct of the study. More importantly, the capacity for Liberian pharmacists to support clinical research was established. In addition, the U.S. team learned several important lessons that will help prepare them for responding to research needs in future infectious disease outbreaks. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Building Space Management | Climate Neutral Research Campuses | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

, repurposing underused space and through the use of electronic media. Several space management principles can Building Space Management Building Space Management Building space represents one of the largest recruiting and successful acquisition of research funding. Learn more about how space management is necessary

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Cold Climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA); Building Science Consortium (BSC); Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB); Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC); IBACOS; National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

2006-08-01

The Building America program conducts the system research required to reduce risks associated with the design and construction of homes that use an average of 30% to 90% less total energy for all residential energy uses than the Building America Research Benchmark, including research on homes that will use zero net energy on annual basis. To measure the program's progress, annual research milestones have been established for five major climate regions in the United States. The system research activities required to reach each milestone take from 3 to 5 years to complete and include research in individual test houses, studies in pre-production prototypes, and research studies with lead builders that provide early examples that the specified energy savings level can be successfully achieved on a production basis. This report summarizes research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in Cold Climates on a cost-neutral basis.

Building Research Capacity to Understand and Adapt to Climate ...

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

Building Research Capacity to Understand and Adapt to Climate Change in the Indus Basin ... Eleven world-class research teams set to improve livestock vaccine development ... Building resilience through socially equitable climate action.

Establishment of Low Energy Building materials and Equipment Database Based on Property Information

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yumin; Shin, Hyery; eon Lee, Seung

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study is to provide reliable service of materials information portal through the establishment of public big data by collecting and integrating scattered low energy building materials and equipment data. There were few cases of low energy building materials database in Korea have provided material properties as factors influencing material pricing. The framework of the database was defined referred with Korea On-line E-procurement system. More than 45,000 data were gathered by the specification of entities and with the gathered data, price prediction models for chillers were suggested. To improve the usability of the prediction model, detailed properties should be analysed for each item.

The importance of community building for establishing data management and curation practices for physical samples

Science.gov (United States)

Ramdeen, S.; Hangsterfer, A.; Stanley, V. L.

2017-12-01

There is growing enthusiasm for curation of physical samples in the Earth Science community (see sessions at AGU, GSA, ESIP). Multiple federally funded efforts aim to develop best practices for curation of physical samples; however, these efforts have not yet been consolidated. Harmonizing these concurrent efforts would enable the community as a whole to build the necessary tools and community standards to move forward together. Preliminary research indicate the various groups focused on this topic are working in isolation, and the development of standards needs to come from the broadest view of `community'. We will investigate the gaps between communities by collecting information about preservation policies and practices from curators, who can provide a diverse cross-section of the grand challenges to the overall community. We will look at existing reports and study results to identify example cases, then develop a survey to gather large scale data to reinforce or clarify the example cases. We will be targeting the various community groups which are working on similar issues, and use the survey to improve the visibility of developed best practices. Given that preservation and digital collection management for physical samples are both important and difficult at present (GMRWG, 2015; NRC, 2002), barriers to both need to be addressed in order to achieve open science goals for the entire community. To address these challenges, EarthCube's iSamples, a research coordination network established to advance discoverability, access, and curation of physical samples using cyberinfrastructure, has formed a working group to collect use cases to examine the breadth of earth scientists' work with physical samples. This research team includes curators of state survey and oceanographic geological collections, and a researcher from information science. In our presentation, we will share our research and the design of the proposed survey. Our goal is to engage the audience in a

Trust Building Recruitment Strategies for Researchers Conducting Studies in African American (AA) Churches: Lessons Learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonner, Gloria; Williams, Sharon; Wilkie, Diana; Hart, Alysha; Burnett, Glenda; Peacock, Geraldine

2017-12-01

An initial and vital important step in recruiting participants for church-based hospice and palliative care research is the establishment of trust and credibility within the church community. Mistrust of medical research is an extremely important barrier hindering recruitment in African American (AA) communities. A church-based EOL dementia education project is currently being conducted at four large urban AA churches. Church leaders voiced mistrust concerns of previous researchers who conducted investigations in their faith-based institutions. We explored strategies to ameliorate the mistrust concerns. Specific aim: To identify trust-rebuilding elements for researchers following others who violated trust of AA church leaders. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted from a convenient sample of four established AA church leaders. Interviews were held in the informants' churches to promote candor and comfort in revealing sensitive information about trust /mistrust. Content analysis framework was used to analyze the data. Elements identified from the analysis were then used to create themes. Multidimensional overarching themes emerged from the analysis included: Experience with researchers (positive and extremely negative), violation of trust and trust building strategies. Findings suggest that researchers who wish to conduct successful studies in the AA religious institutions must implement trust rebuilding strategies that include mutual respect, collaboration and partnership building. If general moral practices continue to be violated, threat to future hospice and palliative care research within the institutions may prevail. Thus, potential benefits are thwarted for the church members, AA community, and advancement of EOL care scholarship.

Radon: the building industry view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farnham, K.G.R.

1992-01-01

Guidance on radon preventive measures in new dwellings is covered by the Building Regulations, and adequate guidance has been published by the Building Research Establishment. This is a satisfactory state of affairs which, unfortunately, is not the case for remedial work in existing buildings. Work in existing buildings should be incorporated in Regulations and adequate funding should be provided by government for the training of builders. (Author)

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment. From April 1, 1996 to March 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, Masatsugu; Ide, Shunsuke; Matsukawa, Makoto; Kurihara, Ryoichi; Koizumi, Koichi; Takahashi, Ichiro [eds.] [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment

1997-10-01

This report provides an overview of research and development activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, JAERI, during the period from April 1, 1996 to March 31, 1997. The activities in Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high temperature plasma research in JT-60 and JFT-2M, and progress in ITER-EDA, including technology development. The objectives of the JT-60 project are to contribute to the ITER physics R and D and to establish the physics basis for a steady state tokamak fusion reactor like SSTR. Objectives of the JFT-2M program are (1) advanced and basic researches for the development of high-performance plasmas for nuclear fusion and (2) contribution to the physics R and D for ITER, with a merit of flexibility of a medium-size device. The Detailed Design Report (DDR) of ITER was issued by the Director in November 1996, as the basis of the Final Design Report (FDR). After the formal review by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), the DDR was officially accepted by the ITER Council at its 11th Meeting held in December 1996. The DDR is composed of various technical documents on the detailed design of plasma parameters, tokamak components, plant system and tokamak building. The major results of safety analyses described in the Non-site Specific Safety Report (NSSR)-1 was also included in the DDR. The FDR will be prepared by the end of 1997 for presentation at the ITER Council. (J.P.N.)

Building America Research Benchmark Definition, Updated December 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Engebrecht, Cheryn [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2010-01-01

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year, whole-house energy savings goals of 40%–70% and on-site power production of up to 30%, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Residential Buildings Program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the Building America (BA) Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams.

Research Support Facility (RSF): Leadership in Building Performance (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-09-01

This brochure/poster provides information on the features of the Research Support Facility including a detailed illustration of the facility with call outs of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Imagine an office building so energy efficient that its occupants consume only the amount of energy generated by renewable power on the building site. The building, the Research Support Facility (RSF) occupied by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employees, uses 50% less energy than if it were built to current commercial code and achieves the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED{reg_sign}) Platinum rating. With 19% of the primary energy in the U.S. consumed by commercial buildings, the RSF is changing the way commercial office buildings are designed and built.

Analysis of soil-structure interaction and floor response spectrum of reactor building for China advanced research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rong Feng; Wang Jiachun; He Shuyan

2006-01-01

Analysis of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) and calculation of Floor Response Spectrum (FRS) is substantial for anti-seismic design for China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) project. The article uses direct method to analyze the seismic reaction of the reactor building in considering soil-structure interaction by establishing two-dimensional soil-structure co-acting model for analyzing and inputting of seismic waves from three directions respectively. The seismic response and floor response spectrum of foundation and floors of the building under different cases have been calculated. (authors)

Toward a General Research Process for Using Dubin's Theory Building Model

Science.gov (United States)

Holton, Elwood F.; Lowe, Janis S.

2007-01-01

Dubin developed a widely used methodology for theory building, which describes the components of the theory building process. Unfortunately, he does not define a research process for implementing his theory building model. This article proposes a seven-step general research process for implementing Dubin's theory building model. An example of a…

Building National Health Research Information Systems (COHRED ...

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

Building National Health Research Information Systems (COHRED). This grant will allow the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) to create, host and maintain a web-based resource on national health research in low- and middle-income countries in partnership with institutions in the South. Called ...

Healthy Buildings and Green Building Rating Systems; Gezond bouwen en duurzaamheidslabels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergs, J.; Renes, S. [BenR Adviseurs voor duurzaamheid, Amersfoort (Netherlands)

2010-11-15

The awareness of health issues related to buildings has heightened past decades. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has been addressed in most Green Building Rating Systems nowadays. This article analyses the scope of IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) within Rating Systems GPR Gebouw, BREEAM-NL (Dutch version of Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Each Rating System allocates health aspects. However, none of these Rating Systems addresses a complete set of relevant aspects. High ratings do not guarantee healthy buildings. It is concluded that, in general, credits for energy efficiency do not interfere with credits for enhanced indoor environmental quality. [Dutch] Gezondheidsaspecten van gebouwen hebben afgelopen decennia steeds meer en integraler aandacht gekregen. In de instrumenten GPR Gebouw, BREEAM-NL (Nederlandse versien van 'Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method') en LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is gezondheid 1 van de duurzaamheidsthema's, in dit artikel wordt geconcludeerd dat deze instrumenten veel gezondheidsaspecten dekken maar dat geen enkel instrument echt volledig is. De 1 legt meer accent op gezondheid, de ander meer op comfort. Een hoog label biedt geen garantie voor een gezond gebouw. De instrumenten bevatten weinig potentieel strijdige aspecten. Gezond en energiezuinig bouwen gaan volgens deze instrumenten goed samen.

Assessment Framework of Building Facade in Optimizing Indoor Thermal Comfort of Green Building Index (GBI Certified Office Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Tharim Asniza Hamimi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available During the past decade, the construction industry has seen a new trend in the development of “green” or “sustainable” construction concept around the world with vast support from prominent organization, together with the introduction of sustainable building codes. The establishment of green building certification systems worldwide is seen as one of the most efforts in the emerging green building movement. In order to support the development of the “green” and “sustainable” concept in Malaysia, Green Building Index (GBI was launched by the government on 21 May 2009 that created to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness of environmental issues. However, the construction industry seems to have focused only on findings the “right mechanism” for an environmentally sustainable “final result” in order for the building to be certified as green with the lacking of continuous assessment on the building performance after the certifications. This study is purposely conducted to investigate the performance of various rated Green Building Index (GBI Non-Residential New Construction office buildings and the influence on Indoor Thermal Comfort (ITC of the selected buildings. The aim is to develop an assessment framework for optimum green building architectural façade to be used for office buildings in Malaysia as well as to analyse the occupants’ perception, satisfaction and performance in the selected Green Building Index (GBI rated office indoor environment. This research is still in its infancy; therefore the paper is focused on research aims, research scope and methodology, and expected deliverables for the proposed research.

Building America Research Benchmark Definition: Updated December 19, 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, R.

2008-12-01

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams.

The regulatory basis for site selection for radioactive buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirag, N.M.

2012-01-01

The architectural bases and the design standard for radiation research buildings differ than other research building, that the nature of the used radioactive materials in the nature of the carried an work in the building will decide the planning in the design of the building, and we shall discus in this research what already had been reached of results about the architectural bases in the used standard in the used safe design of research building and establishing design standard, that archaistic rely upon when designing these project which have specific and special characters

Proceedings of the Canadian Solar Buildings Conference : the 31. annual conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Inc. and the 1. Canadian Solar Buildings Research Network conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Athienitis, A.; Charron, R.; Karava, P.; Stylianou, M.; Tzempelikos, A.

2006-01-01

The first conference organized by the newly established Canadian Solar Buildings Research Network (SBRN) was held in conjunction with the thirty-first annual conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Inc (SESCI). The conference was attended by top researchers from 10 Canadian Universities to promote innovative research and development in solar energy applications and to advance the awareness of solar energy in Canada. It featured special events such as trade shows, photovoltaic workshops, a course in ESP-r simulation, tours of solar houses and other events focused on the economic, environmental and socio-economic benefits of solar technology, including the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. SBRN was founded on the premise that university researchers should focus on solar energy applications for buildings. Several presentations proposed action plans to accelerate the implementation of solar energy through the use of innovative building technologies and sustainable energy policies. Other major issues of interest were also discussed, including the development of the net-zero energy solar home and grid-connection issues. The sessions of the conference were entitled: solar thermal systems; solar electricity; building integrated photovoltaic systems; design issues and tools; integrating PV and solar thermal in buildings; daylighting and solar radiation modeling; fenestration and shading; PV manufacturing and solar electricity resources. The proceedings featured 41 refereed papers and 13 poster presentations, all of which have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Research on green building design based on ecological concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Ping Qing

2016-01-01

Full Text Available At present, the protection of the ecological environment and the promotion of green building has been recognized and widely promoted.With the rapid development of the construction industry, Architecture design will inevitably require the resentation of its unique form and charm to reflect the ecological concept and ecological culture, because of the unique nature of the art and the particularity of the environment. To establish the ecological concept of green building design and vigorously develop the green green building has a complementary role to alleviate the pressure on resources,and to speed up the eco city planning design, and to realize the sustainable development of the city, and to protect the urban ecological environmental.

Strengthening Equity through Applied Research Capacity Building ...

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

There exists limited understanding of how e-Health solutions are perceived, designed, implemented and used. ... The Strengthening Equity through Applied Research Capacity Building in e-Health (SEARCH) program will cultivate local research capacity to examine e-health and ... Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Joint China-United States Report for Year 1 Insulation Materials and Systems Project Area Clean Energy Research Center Building Energy Efficiency (CERC-BEE)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stovall, Therese K [ORNL; Biswas, Kaushik [ORNL; Song, Bo [China Academy of Building Research; Zhang, Sisi [China Academy of Building Research

2012-08-01

In November of 2009, the presidents of China and the U.S. announced the establishment of the Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). This broad research effort is co-funded by both countries and involves a large number of research centers and universities in both countries. One part of this program is focused on improving the energy efficiency of buildings. One portion of the CERC-BEE was focused on building insulation systems. The research objective of this effort was to Identify and investigate candidate high performance fire resistant building insulation technologies that meet the goal of building code compliance for exterior wall applications in green buildings in multiple climate zones. A Joint Work Plan was established between researchers at the China Academy of Building Research and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Efforts in the first year under this plan focused on information gathering. The objective of this research program is to reduce building energy use in China via improved building insulation technology. In cold regions in China, residents often use inefficient heating systems to provide a minimal comfort level within inefficient buildings. In warmer regions, air conditioning has not been commonly used. As living standards rise, energy consumption in these regions will increase dramatically unless significant improvements are made in building energy performance. Previous efforts that defined the current state of the built environment in China and in the U.S. will be used in this research. In countries around the world, building improvements have typically followed the implementation of more stringent building codes. There have been several changes in building codes in both the U.S. and China within the last few years. New U.S. building codes have increased the amount of wall insulation required in new buildings. New government statements from multiple agencies in China have recently changed the requirements for buildings in terms of energy efficiency and

Rehabilitation medicine summit: building research capacity Executive Summary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kemp John D

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The general objective of the "Rehabilitation Medicine Summit: Building Research Capacity" was to advance and promote research in medical rehabilitation by making recommendations to expand research capacity. The five elements of research capacity that guided the discussions were: 1 researchers; 2 research culture, environment, and infrastructure; 3 funding; 4 partnerships; and 5 metrics. The 100 participants included representatives of professional organizations, consumer groups, academic departments, researchers, governmental funding agencies, and the private sector. The small group discussions and plenary sessions generated an array of problems, possible solutions, and recommended actions. A post-Summit, multi-organizational initiative is called to pursue the agendas outlined in this report (see Additional File 1. Additional File 1 A table outlining the Final Action Plan of the Rehabilitation Medicine Summit: Building Research Capacity held on April 28–29, 2005 in Washington, DC. Click here for file

A training programme to build cancer research capacity in low- and middle-income countries: findings from Guatemala.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Lauren D; Barnoya, Joaquin; Gharzouzi, Eduardo N; Benson, Peter; Colditz, Graham A

2014-04-01

Guatemala is experiencing an increasing burden of cancer but lacks capacity for cancer prevention, control and research. In partnership with a medical school in the United States of America, a multidisciplinary Cancer Control Research Training Institute was developed at the Instituto de Cancerología (INCAN) in Guatemala City. This institute provided a year-long training programme for clinicians that focused on research methods in population health and sociocultural anthropology. The programme included didactic experiences in Guatemala and the United States as well as applied training in which participants developed research protocols responsive to Guatemala's cancer needs. Although INCAN is the point of referral and service for Guatemala's cancer patients, the institute's administration is also interested in increasing cancer research - with a focus on population health. INCAN is thus a resource for capacity building within the context of cancer prevention and control. Trainees increased their self-efficacy for the design and conduct of research. Value-added benefits included establishment of an annual cancer seminar and workshops in cancer pathology and qualitative analysis. INCAN has recently incorporated some of the programme's components into its residency training and established a research department. A training programme for clinicians can build cancer research capacity in low- and middle-income countries. Training in population-based research methods will enable countries such as Guatemala to gather country-specific data. Once collected, such data can be used to assess the burden of cancer-related disease, guide policy for reducing it and identify priority areas for cancer prevention and treatment.

Research projects and capacity building | Breen | Water SA

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... by capacity building in the context of research projects. Based on this interpretation, reasonable and unreasonable expectations with respect to the extent to which capacity building can be achieved within a given project duration are discussed. A model is suggested, which would improve understanding and delivery and ...

Design-Build Process for the Research Support Facility (RSF) (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-06-01

An in-depth look at how the U.S. DOE and NREL used a performance-based design-build contract to build the Research Support Facility (RSF); one of the most energy efficient office buildings in the world.

Building integrated pathways to independence for diverse biomedical researchers: Project Pathways, the BUILD program at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Foroozesh, Maryam; Giguette, Marguerite; Morgan, Kathleen; Johanson, Kelly; D'Amour, Gene; Coston, Tiera; Wilkins-Green, Clair

2017-01-01

Xavier University of Louisiana is a historically Black and Catholic university that is nationally recognized for its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula. Approximately 73% of Xavier's students are African American, and about 77% major in the biomedical sciences. Xavier is a national leader in the number of STEM majors who go on to receive M.D. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in science and engineering. Despite Xavier's advances in this area, African Americans still earn about 7.5% of the Bachelor's degrees, less than 8% of the Master's degrees, and less than 5% of the doctoral degrees conferred in STEM disciplines in the United States. Additionally, although many well-prepared, highly-motivated students are attracted by Xavier's reputation in the sciences, many of these students, though bright and capable, come from underperforming public school systems and receive substandard preparation in STEM disciplines. The purpose of this article is to describe how Xavier works to overcome unequal education backgrounds and socioeconomic challenges to develop student talent through expanding biomedical training opportunities and build on an established reputation in science education. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)-funded BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) Program at Xavier University of Louisiana, Project Pathways , is a highly-innovative program designed to broaden the career interests of students early on, and to engage them in activities that entice them to continue their education towards biomedical research careers. Project strategies involve a transformation of Xavier's academic and non-academic programs through the redesign, supplementation and integration of academic advising, tutoring, career services, personal counseling, undergraduate research training, faculty research mentoring, and development of new biomedical and research skills courses. The Program also

Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC), in the Energy and Transportation Science Division (ETSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL),...

Assessment of indoor environment of buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Y.; Kovanen, K. [VTT Building Technology, Espoo (Finland). Indoor Environment and Systems

1995-12-31

The synthetical assessment of indoor environment has become world-wide topic in recent years. Many research evidences have shown that the quality of indoor air is a multi-factor influenced issue. Building Research Establishment (BRE) in United Kingdom has worked out a series of assessing methods for different kinds of buildings. Whereas, in Finland, National Building Code of Finland has been used for many years. The comparison between the two approaches in assessing indoor air quality will be addressed in this presentation. Each issue considered in the above two approaches is discussed by referring the recent research highlights. (author)

Assessment of indoor environment of buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Y; Kovanen, K [VTT Building Technology, Espoo (Finland). Indoor Environment and Systems

1996-12-31

The synthetical assessment of indoor environment has become world-wide topic in recent years. Many research evidences have shown that the quality of indoor air is a multi-factor influenced issue. Building Research Establishment (BRE) in United Kingdom has worked out a series of assessing methods for different kinds of buildings. Whereas, in Finland, National Building Code of Finland has been used for many years. The comparison between the two approaches in assessing indoor air quality will be addressed in this presentation. Each issue considered in the above two approaches is discussed by referring the recent research highlights. (author)

Research Methods for Business : A Skill Building Approach (5th Edition)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sekaran, U.; Bougie, J.R.G.

2009-01-01

Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach is a concise and straightforward introduction for students to the world of business research. The skill-building approach provides students with practical perspectives on how research can be applied in real business situations. Maintaining Uma

The political undertones of building national health research systems--reflections from The Gambia.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Ayo; Anya, Samuel E; Bloch, Paul

2009-05-29

In developing countries building national health research systems is a movement similar to a political leadership contest. Increasingly, political campaigns to select leaders depend less on ideologies and political messages and more on promising change that will promptly improve the quality of life of the voters. In this process the benefits and risks of every action and statement made by the candidates are carefully assessed.Approaches currently promoted to strengthen health research within ministries of health in developing countries place emphasis on implementing logical steps towards building national health research systems including developing a national health research policy and strategic plan, conducting a situational analysis of research in the country, setting a national health research agenda, establishing research ethics and scientific committees, and building human and institutional capacity for health research management and conduct. Although these processes have successfully improved the standards of health research in some settings, many developing countries struggle to get the process going. One reason is that this approach does not deal with basic questions posed within a ministry of health, namely, "What is the political benefit of the ministry assuming control of the process?" and "What are the political implications for the ministry if another institution spearheads the process?"Seen from the perspective of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and donors trying to support the processes of strengthening national health research systems, one of the foremost activities that needs to be undertaken is to analyze the political context of national health research and, on that basis, plan and implement appropriate political health research advocacy initiatives. This includes the development of explicit messages on the political benefits to the leadership in the ministry of health of their role in the conduct, management and

Nuclear Capacity Building through Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Four Instruments: •The IAEA has recently developed a specific scheme of services for Nuclear Capacity Building in support of the Member States cooperating research reactors (RR) willing to use RRs as a primary facility to develop nuclear competences as a supporting step to embark into a national nuclear programme. •The scheme is composed of four complementary instruments, each of them being targeted to specific objective and audience: Distance Training: Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL); Basic Training: Regional Research Reactor Schools; Intermediate Training: East European Research Reactor Initiative (EERRI); Group Fellowship Course Advanced Training: International Centres based on Research Reactors (ICERR)

Economics for the Environment: Research Capacity Building in ...

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

Economics for the Environment: Research Capacity Building in South Asia. This project will enhance environmental economics research capacity in South Asia through a program of research grants, training, and networking. It provides funds to the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics ...

Construction of a Solid State Research Facility, Building 3150

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to construct a new facility to house the Materials Synthesis Group (MSG) and the Semiconductor Physics Group (SPG) of the Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The location of the proposed action is Roane County, Tennessee. MSG is involved in the study of crystal growth and the preparation and characterization of advanced materials, such as high-temperature superconductors, while SPG is involved in semiconductor physics research. All MSG and a major pardon of SPG research activities are now conducted in Building 2000, a deteriorating structure constructed in the 1940. The physical deterioration of the roof; the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system; and the plumbing make this building inadequate for supporting research activities. The proposed project is needed to provide laboratory and office space for MSG and SPG and to ensure that research activities can continue without interruption due to deficiencies in the building and its associated utility systems

Building capacity for human genetics and genomics research in Trinidad and Tobago

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allana Roach

Full Text Available Advances in human genetics and genomic sciences and the corresponding explosion of biomedical technologies have deepened current understanding of human health and revolutionized medicine. In developed nations, this has led to marked improvements in disease risk stratification and diagnosis. These advances have also led to targeted intervention strategies aimed at promoting disease prevention, prolonging disease onset, and mitigating symptoms, as in the well-known case of breast cancer and the BRCA1 gene. In contrast, in the developing nation of Trinidad and Tobago, this scientific revolution has not translated into the development and application of effective genomics-based interventions for improving public health. While the reasons for this are multifactorial, the underlying basis may be rooted in the lack of pertinence of internationally driven genomics research to the local public health needs in the country, as well as a lack of relevance of internationally conducted genetics research to the genetic and environmental contexts of the population. Indeed, if Trinidad and Tobago is able to harness substantial public health benefit from genetics/genomics research, then there is a dire need, in the near future, to build local capacity for the conduct and translation of such research. Specifically, it is essential to establish a national human genetics/genomics research agenda in order to build sustainable human capacity through education and knowledge transfer and to generate public policies that will provide the basis for the creation of a mutually beneficial framework (including partnerships with more developed nations that is informed by public health needs and contextual realities of the nation.

Building bridges in economics research: John Whalley (Canada ...

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

2010-12-09

Dec 9, 2010 ... IDRC Communications ... in Waterloo, Canada, and Beijing Normal University, has helped to build a research network on poverty in ... This kind of research is essential for developing effective public policy to reduce inequality.

Building tobacco control research in Thailand: meeting the need for innovative change in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamann, Stephen L; Mock, Jeremiah; Hense, Sibasis; Charoenca, Naowarut; Kungskulniti, Nipapun

2012-01-28

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the past two decades locally relevant tobacco control research has been scant. Experience shows that tobacco control measures should be based on sound research findings to ensure that measures are appropriate for local conditions and that they are likely to have an impact. Research should also be integrated within tobacco control measures to ensure ongoing learning and the production of knowledge. Thailand, a middle-income country, has a public health community with a record of successful tobacco control and a longstanding commitment to research. Thailand's comprehensive approach includes taxation; bans on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion; smoke-free areas; graphic cigarette pack warnings; social marketing campaigns; cessation counseling; and an established tobacco control research program. The purpose of this study was to document and analyze the development of tobacco control research capacity in Thailand and the impact of research on Thai tobacco control measures. We used mixed methods including review of historical documentation and policy reports, qualitative interviews with key members of Thailand's tobacco control community, and an analysis of research productivity. In Thailand, tobacco control research has evolved through three phases: (1) discovery of the value of research in the policymaking arena, (2) development of a structure to support research capacity building through international collaborations supported by foreign funding agencies, and (3) delivery of locally relevant research made possible largely through substantial stable funding from a domestic health promotion foundation. Over two decades, Thai tobacco control advocates have constructed five steppingstones to success: (1) adapting foreign research to inform policymaking and lobbying for more support for domestic research; (2) attracting foreign funding agencies to support small-scale research and capacity building; (3

Building tobacco control research in Thailand: meeting the need for innovative change in Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamann Stephen L

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs over the past two decades locally relevant tobacco control research has been scant. Experience shows that tobacco control measures should be based on sound research findings to ensure that measures are appropriate for local conditions and that they are likely to have an impact. Research should also be integrated within tobacco control measures to ensure ongoing learning and the production of knowledge. Thailand, a middle-income country, has a public health community with a record of successful tobacco control and a longstanding commitment to research. Thailand's comprehensive approach includes taxation; bans on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion; smoke-free areas; graphic cigarette pack warnings; social marketing campaigns; cessation counseling; and an established tobacco control research program. The purpose of this study was to document and analyze the development of tobacco control research capacity in Thailand and the impact of research on Thai tobacco control measures. Method We used mixed methods including review of historical documentation and policy reports, qualitative interviews with key members of Thailand's tobacco control community, and an analysis of research productivity. Findings In Thailand, tobacco control research has evolved through three phases: (1 discovery of the value of research in the policymaking arena, (2 development of a structure to support research capacity building through international collaborations supported by foreign funding agencies, and (3 delivery of locally relevant research made possible largely through substantial stable funding from a domestic health promotion foundation. Over two decades, Thai tobacco control advocates have constructed five steppingstones to success: (1 adapting foreign research to inform policymaking and lobbying for more support for domestic research; (2 attracting foreign funding agencies to support small

Building America Research Benchmark Definition, Updated December 19, 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, R. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2008-12-19

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Bui

Research and Development Needs for Building-Integrated Solar Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2014-01-01

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has identified Building Integrated Solar Technologies (BIST) as a potentially valuable piece of the comprehensive pathway to help achieve its goal of reducing energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings by 50% by the year 2030. This report helps to identify the key research and development (R&D) needs that will be required for BIST to make a substantial contribution toward that goal. BIST include technologies for space heating and cooling, water heating, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal systems (PV/T), active solar lighting, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

AWRE: Atomic Weapons Research Establishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

This reviews the work of AWRE at Aldermaston and Foulness. The main programme is nuclear and is concerned with the design and development of warheads for strategic and tactical nuclear weapons for the British nuclear deterrent, including those for the Royal Navy's missile carrying submarine fleet. The work is described grouped as design physics, development and materials. Services to these groups and to the whole establishment are provided by Engineering, Safety and Administration. The work ranges from long-term fundamental research, the development of technology, design, prototype development to the environmental testing of engineered products. In materials research the emphasis is on plutonium, uranium and beryllium, on high explosives and a wide range of inorganic and organic materials. The physics of the earth's crust is studied to aid detection of underground nuclear explosions. Reactor research facilities include the two reactors, Herald and Viper. (U.K.)

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Marine Climates; January 2006 - December 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP); Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA); Building Science Consortium (BSC); Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB); Davis Energy Group (DEG); IBACOS; National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

2006-12-01

The Building America program conducts the system research required to reduce risks associated with the design and construction of homes that use an average of 30% to 90% less total energy for all residential energy uses than the Building America Research Benchmark, including research on homes that will use zero net energy on annual basis. To measure the program's progress, annual research milestones have been established for five major climate regions in the United States. The system research activities required to reach each milestone take from 3 to 5 years to complete and include research in individual test houses, studies in pre-production prototypes, and research studies with lead builders that provide early examples that the specified energy savings level can be successfully achieved on a production basis. This report summarizes research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Marine Climate Region on a cost neutral basis.

Data on the interaction between thermal comfort and building control research.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, June Young; Nagy, Zoltan

2018-04-01

This dataset contains bibliography information regarding thermal comfort and building control research. In addition, the instruction of a data-driven literature survey method guides readers to reproduce their own literature survey on related bibliography datasets. Based on specific search terms, all relevant bibliographic datasets are downloaded. We explain the keyword co-occurrences of historical developments and recent trends, and the citation network which represents the interaction between thermal comfort and building control research. Results and discussions are described in the research article entitled "Comprehensive analysis of the relationship between thermal comfort and building control research - A data-driven literature review" (Park and Nagy, 2018).

Research utilization in the building industry: decision model and preliminary assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watts, R.L.; Johnson, D.R.; Smith, S.A.; Westergard, E.J.

1985-10-01

The Research Utilization Program was conceived as a far-reaching means for managing the interactions of the private sector and the federal research sector as they deal with energy conservation in buildings. The program emphasizes a private-public partnership in planning a research agenda and in applying the results of ongoing and completed research. The results of this task support the hypothesis that the transfer of R and D results to the buildings industry can be accomplished more efficiently and quickly by a systematic approach to technology transfer. This systematic approach involves targeting decision makers, assessing research and information needs, properly formating information, and then transmitting the information through trusted channels. The purpose of this report is to introduce elements of a market-oriented knowledge base, which would be useful to the Building Systems Division, the Office of Buildings and Community Systems and their associated laboratories in managing a private-public research partnership on a rational systematic basis. This report presents conceptual models and data bases that can be used in formulating a technology transfer strategy and in planning technology transfer programs.

The Role of Research Education Coordinators in Building Research Cultures in Doctoral Education

Science.gov (United States)

Brew, Angela; Boud, David; Malfroy, Janne

2017-01-01

The development of cultures of support has become important in programmes for the preparation of research students. The paper draws on in-depth interviews with 21 research education coordinators from Australian and United Kingdom institutions to identify the strategies that they use to build research cultures and integrate research students into…

The Role of Philanthropic Funding in Building Research Evidence to Support an Aging Population: A Case Study from Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

Cochrane, Andy; McGilloway, Sinéad

2017-01-01

This case study examines the role of philanthropic funding in building capacity for aging research in Ireland, and how this investment has addressed the lack of evidence to support planning for an aging population. The funding has supported a range of initiatives including the national longitudinal study on aging (TILDA), the creation of three professorships/chairs, and the establishment of four new research centers. Important potential outcomes are emerging across other domains including research-informed policy development and the generation of health benefits. The efforts of academic researchers to ensure that their findings are readily accessible to end users and to forge robust working relationships with all stakeholders have helped to enhance the use of research findings. Overall, philanthropy has played a pivotal role in building capacity, infrastructure, and expertise in academic settings in Ireland. Moreover, this work provides an excellent example of how such efforts can begin to inform effective planning and service provision.

2013 Building America Research Planning Meeting Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metzger, C. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hunt, S. [Confluence Communications, Missoula, MT (united States)

2014-02-01

The Building America Research Planning Meeting was held October 28-30, 2013, in Washington, DC. This meeting provides one opportunity each year for the research teams, national laboratories and Department of Energy (DOE) managers to meet in person to share the most pertinent information and collaboration updates. This report documents the presentations, highlights key program updates, and outlines next steps for the program.

The political undertones of building national health research systems – reflections from The Gambia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bloch Paul

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract In developing countries building national health research systems is a movement similar to a political leadership contest. Increasingly, political campaigns to select leaders depend less on ideologies and political messages and more on promising change that will promptly improve the quality of life of the voters. In this process the benefits and risks of every action and statement made by the candidates are carefully assessed. Approaches currently promoted to strengthen health research within ministries of health in developing countries place emphasis on implementing logical steps towards building national health research systems including developing a national health research policy and strategic plan, conducting a situational analysis of research in the country, setting a national health research agenda, establishing research ethics and scientific committees, and building human and institutional capacity for health research management and conduct. Although these processes have successfully improved the standards of health research in some settings, many developing countries struggle to get the process going. One reason is that this approach does not deal with basic questions posed within a ministry of health, namely, "What is the political benefit of the ministry assuming control of the process?" and "What are the political implications for the ministry if another institution spearheads the process?" Seen from the perspective of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and donors trying to support the processes of strengthening national health research systems, one of the foremost activities that needs to be undertaken is to analyze the political context of national health research and, on that basis, plan and implement appropriate political health research advocacy initiatives. This includes the development of explicit messages on the political benefits to the leadership in the ministry of health of their role in the

Model Building of Photovoltaic Array with MPPT Function and Research on Single Phase Grid Connected

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Zhengzhou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available With the continued development of solar photovoltaic technology, research on distributed grid connected photovoltaic system has become a research focus in the field of photovoltaic grid power plant and the computer simulation technology is an effective technology means in the study. On the basis of the photovoltaic array output characteristic equation, the photovoltaic array maximum power control simulation model based on M function is established by using MATLAB/Simulink and the simulation model of single phase grid connected photovoltaic array is proposed. It overcomes the shortcomings of the process of building the model of the PV array by using Simulink component library and provides the basic guarantee for the realization of system simulation, guiding theory research and system design.

Establishing and sustaining research partnerships in Africa: a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de-Graft Aikins Ama

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in establishing and sustaining north–south research partnerships in Africa through a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease. Established in 2006 with seed funding from the British Academy, the partnership aimed to bring together multidisciplinary chronic disease researchers based in the UK and Africa to collaborate on research, inform policymaking, train and support postgraduates and create a platform for research dissemination. We review the partnership’s achievements and challenges, applying established criteria for developing successful partnerships. During the funded period we achieved major success in creating a platform for research dissemination through international meetings and publications. Other goals, such as engaging in collaborative research and training postgraduates, were not as successfully realised. Enabling factors included trust and respect between core working group members, a shared commitment to achieving partnership goals, and the collective ability to develop creative strategies to overcome funding challenges. Barriers included limited funding, administrative support, and framework for monitoring and evaluating some goals. Chronic disease research partnerships in low-income regions operate within health research, practice, funding and policy environments that prioritise infectious diseases and other pressing public health and developmental challenges. Their long-term sustainability will therefore depend on integrated funding systems that provide a crucial capacity building bridge. Beyond the specific challenges of chronic disease research, we identify social capital, measurable goals, administrative support, creativity and innovation and funding as five key ingredients that are essential for sustaining research partnerships.

Establishing and sustaining research partnerships in Africa: a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in establishing and sustaining north–south research partnerships in Africa through a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease. Established in 2006 with seed funding from the British Academy, the partnership aimed to bring together multidisciplinary chronic disease researchers based in the UK and Africa to collaborate on research, inform policymaking, train and support postgraduates and create a platform for research dissemination. We review the partnership’s achievements and challenges, applying established criteria for developing successful partnerships. During the funded period we achieved major success in creating a platform for research dissemination through international meetings and publications. Other goals, such as engaging in collaborative research and training postgraduates, were not as successfully realised. Enabling factors included trust and respect between core working group members, a shared commitment to achieving partnership goals, and the collective ability to develop creative strategies to overcome funding challenges. Barriers included limited funding, administrative support, and framework for monitoring and evaluating some goals. Chronic disease research partnerships in low-income regions operate within health research, practice, funding and policy environments that prioritise infectious diseases and other pressing public health and developmental challenges. Their long-term sustainability will therefore depend on integrated funding systems that provide a crucial capacity building bridge. Beyond the specific challenges of chronic disease research, we identify social capital, measurable goals, administrative support, creativity and innovation and funding as five key ingredients that are essential for sustaining research partnerships. PMID:22897937

African Health Economics and Policy Research Capacity Building ...

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

African Health Economics and Policy Research Capacity Building and Dissemination. As African countries move toward universal health coverage, it is clear there is a shortage of African experts with applied research skills in health financing such as fiscal space analysis, needs-based resource allocation methods, and ...

2013 Building America Research Planning Meeting Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metzger, Cheryn E. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hunt, Stacy [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2014-02-01

The Building America (BA) Research Planning Meeting was held October 28-30, 2013, in Washington, DC. This meeting provides one opportunity each year for the research teams, national laboratories and Department of Energy (DOE) managers to meet in person to share the most pertinent information and collaboration updates. This report documents the presentations, highlights key program updates, and outlines next steps for the program.

Organizational knowledge building through action research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lone Hersted; Frimann, Søren

learning and change processes in relation to organizational knowledge building and knowledge sharing. The project draws on the dialogue tradition within action research (Coghlan et al.; 2010; Reason & Bradbury, 2001; Ripamonti et al 2016) and social constructionist ideas (Cunliffe 2002, 2004; Gergen 2003...... 2005; Chia 1996; Tsoukas, & Chia (2002)) based on a dialogical approach. Two internal consultants fulfill the roles as process facilitators of the action research process, and the two researchers from Aalborg University (LH and SF) are contributing with ideas, sparring, qualitative research design...... in a collaborative setting for learning, involving employees and managers, including as well the sharing of knowledge throughout the organization? In addition, we are curious to examine whether action research as an inquiry for learning and change can act as an alternative to the New Public Management paradigm...

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Mixed-Humid Climates; January 2006 - December 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP); Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA); Building Science Consortium (BSC); Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB); Davis Energy Group (DEG); IBACOS; National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

2006-12-01

The Building America program conducts the system research required to reduce risks associated with the design and construction of homes that use an average of 30% to 90% less total energy for all residential energy uses than the Building America Research Benchmark, including research on homes that will use zero net energy on annual basis. To measure the program's progress, annual research milestones have been established for five major climate regions in the United States. The system research activities required to reach each milestone take from 3 to 5 years to complete and include research in individual test houses, studies in pre-production prototypes, and research studies with lead builders that provide early examples that the specified energy savings level can be successfully achieved on a production basis. This report summarizes research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Mixed-Humid Climate Region on a cost-neutral basis.

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in the Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA); Building Science Consortium (BSC); Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB); Davis Energy Group (DEG); Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC); IBACOS; National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

2006-01-01

The Building America program conducts the system research required to reduce risks associated with the design and construction of homes that use an average of 30% to 90% less total energy for all residential energy uses than the Building America Research Benchmark, including research on homes that will use zero net energy on annual basis. To measure the program's progress, annual research milestones have been established for five major climate regions in the United States. The system research activities required to reach each milestone take from 3 to 5 years to complete and include research in individual test houses, studies in pre-production prototypes, and research studies with lead builders that provide early examples that the specified energy savings level can be successfully achieved on a production basis. This report summarizes research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry Climate Region on a cost neutral basis.

Global Disease Detection-Achievements in Applied Public Health Research, Capacity Building, and Public Health Diplomacy, 2001-2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Carol Y; Goryoka, Grace W; Henao, Olga L; Clarke, Kevin R; Salyer, Stephanie J; Montgomery, Joel M

2017-11-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established 10 Global Disease Detection (GDD) Program regional centers around the world that serve as centers of excellence for public health research on emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. The core activities of the GDD Program focus on applied public health research, surveillance, laboratory, public health informatics, and technical capacity building. During 2015-2016, program staff conducted 205 discrete projects on a range of topics, including acute respiratory illnesses, health systems strengthening, infectious diseases at the human-animal interface, and emerging infectious diseases. Projects incorporated multiple core activities, with technical capacity building being most prevalent. Collaborating with host countries to implement such projects promotes public health diplomacy. The GDD Program continues to work with countries to strengthen core capacities so that emerging diseases can be detected and stopped faster and closer to the source, thereby enhancing global health security.

The Theory Question in Research Capacity Building in Education: Towards an Agenda for Research and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Biesta, Gert; Allan, Julie; Edwards, Richard

2011-01-01

The question of capacity building in education has predominantly been approached with regard to the methods and methodologies of educational research. Far less attention has been given to capacity building in relation to theory. In many ways the latter is as pressing an issue as the former, given that good research depends on a combination of high…

PROSPECTS OF ESTABLISHING EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BUILDINGS FROM TUBE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdujafar I. Akaev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Objectives The aim of the research is to find optimal design solutions for the erection of buildings that will ensure their reliability and durability, compliance with environmental requirements, fire resistance and earthquake resistance. In this regard, the task is to determine the advantages and prospects of erecting earthquake resistant buildings from tube concrete constructions, since they are distinct in constructive, technological and economic efficiency when are used as vertical load-bearing struts of high-rise buildings. Method The technique for calculating the strength of normal sections of eccentrically-compressed tube concrete elements uses a nonlinear deformation model, taking into account the joint operation of the steel shell and the concrete core under the conditions of triaxial compression. Results In the article the review of the newest world experience of using tube concrete as vertical load-bearing structures for public facilities from the standpoint of earthquake resistant construction is given. The international practices of public facility construction ranging in height from 100 to 600 m with the use of tube concrete technology, including regions with dangerous natural and man-made conditions, have been studied. The structural, operational and technological advantages and disadvantages of tube concrete technology are analysed. Methods for calculating the strength of concrete tube elements in the case of central compression are considered: according to the so-called deformation theory, the state of total destruction of both concrete and tube fluidity attained at maximum pressure are indicated by the beginning of "tube flow on the longitudinal axis". The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are shown. Factors constraining the introduction and wider application of tube concrete constructions in Russia are considered. Conclusion While the advantages of concrete tube constructions in their extensive

Recent progress of seismic research on tall buildings in China Mainland

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xilin; Jiang, Huanjun

2014-08-01

As a result of rapid economic growth and urbanization in the past two decades, many tall buildings have been constructed in China Mainland, offering researchers and practitioners an excellent opportunity for research and practice in the field of structural engineering. This paper reviews progress by researchers throughout China Mainland on the seismic research of tall buildings, focusing on three major topics that impact the seismic performance of tall buildings. These are: (1) new types of steel-concrete composite structural members such as steel-concrete composite shear walls and columns, (2) earthquake resilient shear wall structures such as shear walls with replaceable structural components, self-centering shear walls and rocking walls, and (3) performance-based seismic design, including seismic performance index, performance level and design method. The paper concludes by presenting future research needs and directions in this field.

BUILDING BRANDING BASED ON CONSUMER RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor BELOSTECINIC

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article is dedicated to the modern branding,which builds brand management in close relation to current customer behavior trends on the market. The subject is relevant, since the practice shows that only adequate brand management can lead to the increase of companies’ brand capital, their development and income growth.The thesis analyses the use of modern market research methods.

Research Equity: A Capacity Building Workshop of Research Methodology for Medical Health Professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashok Kumar Bhardwaj

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Research is a cornerstone for knowledge generation, which in turns requires capacity building for its tools and techniques. Despite having a vast infrastructure in India the research in medical science has been carried out in limited and focused institutions. In order to build the capacity in carrying out research activities a five-day planning workshop was conducted at state run medical college. Total 22 medical faculty members participated in the workshop with average public health experience of 12 years (range: 5–25 years. The knowledge was assessed objectively by multiple-choice questionnaire. The mean score increased from 6.7 to 7.9 from pre- to posttest. About seventy-percent participants showed improvement, whereas 21.0% showed deterioration in the knowledge and the rest showed the same score. Apart from knowledge skills also showed improvement as total 12 research projects were generated and eight were approved for funding by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, New Delhi. It can be concluded that a supportive environment for research can be built with the technical assistance.

Establishing a 'track record': research productivity and nursing academe.

Science.gov (United States)

Emden, C

1998-01-01

Many nursing academics in Australia are finding to their dismay that an outstanding teaching career and exemplary professional contribution to their field--and a PhD--are not enough to achieve promotion within their university, or secure a new academic post. One must also possess a proven or established 'track record' in research and publication. The operational funding arrangements for Australian universities rely in part on the research productivity of their academic staff members. This places special expectation upon the way academics conduct their scholarly work. Nursing academics are under particular pressure: as relative newcomers to the university scene, most find themselves considered as early career researchers with weak track records. This paper reviews relevant research and draws upon personal experience in the area of research development, to highlight how nursing academics may most strategically establish a research and publication record with a view to career advancement.

Building Support for Research Data Management: Biographies of Eight Research Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine G. Akers

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Academic research libraries are quickly developing support for research data management (RDM, including both new services and infrastructure. Here, we tell the stories of how eight different universities have developed programs of RDM support, focusing on the prominent role of the library in educating and assisting researchers with managing their data throughout the research lifecycle. Based on these stories, we construct timelines for each university depicting key steps in building support for RDM, and we discuss similarities and dissimilarities among universities in motivation to provide RDM support, collaborations among campus units, assessment of needs and services, and changes in staffing.

Application of BIM technology in green scientific research office building

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Xin; Sun, Jianhua; Wang, Bo

2017-05-01

BIM technology as a kind of information technology, has been along with the advancement of building industrialization application in domestic building industry gradually. Based on reasonable construction BIM model, using BIM technology platform, through collaborative design tools can effectively improve the design efficiency and design quality. Vanda northwest engineering design and research institute co., LTD., the scientific research office building project in combination with the practical situation of engineering using BIM technology, formed in the BIM model combined with related information according to the energy energy model (BEM) and the application of BIM technology in construction management stage made exploration, and the direct experience and the achievements gained by the architectural design part made a summary.

Research Progress of Building Materials Used in Construction Land

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Yan

2018-01-01

Construction land preparation is an important aspect of land remediation project. The research of materials in the process of land improvement is the foundation and the core. Therefore, it is necessary to study the materials that may be involved in the process of building land preparation. In this paper, the research on the construction materials such as recycled concrete, geosynthetics, soil stabilizers, soil improvers, building insulation materials and inorganic fibrous insulation materials, which are commonly used in construction sites, is reviewed and discussed in this paper. Land remediation project involved in the construction of land materials to provide reference.

Capacity-building for health research in developing countries: a manager's approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franklin White

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Research may be viewed as rigorous inquiry to advance knowledge and improve practices. An international commission has argued that strengthening research capacity is one of the most powerful, cost-effective, and sustainable means of advancing health and development. However, the global effort to promote research in developing countries has been mostly policy driven, and largely at the initiative of donor agencies based in developed countries. This policy approach, although essential, both contrasts with and is complementary to that of research managers, who must build capacity "from the ground up" in a variety of health service settings within countries and with differing mandates, resources, and constraints. In health organizations the concept of research is broad, and practices vary widely. However, building research capacity is not altogether different from building other kinds of organizational capacity, and it involves two major dimensions: strategic and operational. In organizations in the health field, if reference to research is not in the mission statement, then developing a relevant research capacity is made vastly more difficult. Research capacities that take years to develop can be easily damaged through inadequate support, poor management, or other negative influences associated with both internal and external environments. This paper draws from key international research policy documents and observations on the behavior of research and donor agencies in relation to developing countries. It examines capacity-building primarily as a challenge for research managers, realities underlying operational effectiveness and efficiency, approaches to resource mobilization, and the need for marketing the research enterprise. Selected examples from South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean are presented.

US-China Clean Energy Research Center on Building Energy Efficiency: Materials that Improve the Cost-Effectiveness of Air Barrier Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hun, Diana E. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-12-01

The US–China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) was launched in 2009 by US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, and Chinese National Energy Agency Administrator Zhang Guobao. This 5-year collaboration emerged from the fact that the United States and China are the world’s largest energy producers, energy consumers, and greenhouse gas emitters, and that their joint effort could have significant positive repercussions worldwide. CERC’s main goal is to develop and deploy clean energy technologies that will help both countries meet energy and climate challenges. Three consortia were established to address the most pressing energy-related research areas: Advanced Coal Technology, Clean Vehicles, and Building Energy Efficiency (BEE). The project discussed in this report was part of the CERC-BEE consortia; its objective was to lower energy use in buildings by developing and evaluating technologies that improve the cost-effectiveness of air barrier systems for building envelopes.

Establishment of Passive Energy Conservation Measure and Economic Evaluation of Fenestration System in Nonresidential Building of Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo-Eun Choi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available ECO2 (building energy efficiency rating program and passive energy conservation measures (ECMs were established as a basic study for targeted methodologies and decision support systems development in Korea to meet national regulations. The primary energy consumption and economic evaluation of nonresidential buildings was performed. Passive ECMs were classified as planning and performance elements. The planning elements are the window-to-wall ratio (WWR and horizontal shading angle. The performance elements are the thermal transmittance (U-value of the walls, roof, and floor and the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC of windows. This study focused on the window-to-wall ratio and the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient of windows. An economic efficiency database for the constructed alternatives was built; the target building was set and the Passive ECM List for the target building was derived. The energy consumption evaluation and economic evaluation were performed for each of the constructed alternatives, and a methodology for guiding energy efficiency decisions was proposed based on the performance evaluation results, and the optimal Passive ECM List for the target building was derived.

Building a biomedical cyberinfrastructure for collaborative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Schad, Peter A; Mobley, Lee Rivers; Hamilton, Carol M

2011-05-01

For the potential power of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and translational medicine to be realized, the biomedical research community must adopt standard measures, vocabularies, and systems to establish an extensible biomedical cyberinfrastructure. Incorporating standard measures will greatly facilitate combining and comparing studies via meta-analysis. Incorporating consensus-based and well-established measures into various studies should reduce the variability across studies due to attributes of measurement, making findings across studies more comparable. This article describes two well-established consensus-based approaches to identifying standard measures and systems: PhenX (consensus measures for phenotypes and eXposures), and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). NIH support for these efforts has produced the PhenX Toolkit, an assembled catalog of standard measures for use in GWAS and other large-scale genomic research efforts, and the RTI Spatial Impact Factor Database (SIFD), a comprehensive repository of geo-referenced variables and extensive meta-data that conforms to OGC standards. The need for coordinated development of cyberinfrastructure to support measures and systems that enhance collaboration and data interoperability is clear; this paper includes a discussion of standard protocols for ensuring data compatibility and interoperability. Adopting a cyberinfrastructure that includes standard measures and vocabularies, and open-source systems architecture, such as the two well-established systems discussed here, will enhance the potential of future biomedical and translational research. Establishing and maintaining the cyberinfrastructure will require a fundamental change in the way researchers think about study design, collaboration, and data storage and analysis. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Establishing a Comprehensive Wind Energy Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleeter, Sanford [Purdue University

2012-09-30

This project was directed at establishing a comprehensive wind energy program in Indiana, including both educational and research components. A graduate/undergraduate course ME-514 - Fundamentals of Wind Energy has been established and offered and an interactive prediction of VAWT performance developed. Vertical axis wind turbines for education and research have been acquired, instrumented and installed on the roof top of a building on the Calumet campus and at West Lafayette (Kepner Lab). Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations have been performed to simulate these urban wind environments. Also, modal dynamic testing of the West Lafayette VAWT has been performed and a novel horizontal axis design initiated. The 50-meter meteorological tower data obtained at the Purdue Beck Agricultural Research Center have been analyzed and the Purdue Reconfigurable Micro Wind Farm established and simulations directed at the investigation of wind farm configurations initiated. The virtual wind turbine and wind turbine farm simulation in the Visualization Lab has been initiated.

Building Procurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Niclas

2007-01-01

evolves from a simple establishment of a contractual relationship to a central and strategic part of construction. The authors relate to cultural, ethical and social and behavioural sciences as the fundamental basis for analysis and understanding of the complexity and dynamics of the procurement system......‘The procurement of construction work is complex, and a successful outcome frequently elusive’. With this opening phrase of the book, the authors take on the challenging job of explaining the complexity of building procurement. Even though building procurement systems are, and will remain, complex...... despite this excellent book, the knowledge, expertise, well-articulated argument and collection of recent research efforts that are provided by the three authors will help to make project success less elusive. The book constitutes a thorough and comprehensive investigation of building procurement, which...

Improve Research Visibility by Establishing an Academic Blog

OpenAIRE

Ebrahim, Nader Ale

2016-01-01

Academic blogs help researchers to establish expertise, forge new intellectual bonds in their discipline, and give them a place to test out new ideas and promote their research. Blog services provide your research seen by more non-academics than your peer reviewed papers will ever be.  The importance of Academic Blog is not to be dismissed. Blogs are a vital tool for academics to publicly communicate about research developments and findings. Academics can also gain feedback from other peers, ...

Strategic approach to building research capacity in inter-professional education and collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Suter, Esther; Lait, Jana; Macdonald, Laura; Wener, Pamela; Law, Rebecca; Khalili, Hossein; McCarthy, Patricia L

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process used to initiate research capacity building in a community of practice (CoP) focused on the research and evaluation of inter-professional education and collaboration. This CoP, composed of members from across Canada, is a committee of the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC), a national collaborative that aims to advance inter-professional education and collaboration in healthcare. The committee mapped recommendations that emerged from a number of CIHC reports onto a research capacity building framework. The expertise of the diverse members in conjunction with this unique mapping process allowed the committee to identify its long-term research and evaluation objectives and strategies. This resulted in the formation of three working groups, each tasked with activities that contribute to the committee's overall goal of building research capacity in inter-professional education and collaboration. A framework provides a structured approach to identifying research and evaluation priorities and objectives. Furthermore, the process of applying the framework engages the committee members in determining the course of action. The process can be easily transferred to other areas in need of research capacity building.

Building an International Geosciences Network (i-GEON) for cyberinfrastructure-based Research and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Seber, D.; Baru, C.

2007-05-01

The Geosciences Network (GEON) project is a collaboration among multiple institutions to develop a cyberinfrastructure (CI) platform in support of integrative geoscience research activities. Taking advantage of the state-of-the-art information technology resources GEON researchers are building a cyberinfrastructure designed to enable data sharing, resource discovery, semantic data integration, high-end computations and 4D visualization in an easy-to-use web-based environment. The cyberinfrastructure in GEON is required to support an inherently distributed system, since the scientists, who are users as well as providers of resources, are themselves distributed. International collaborations are a natural extension of GEON; the geoscience research requires strong international collaborations. The goals of the i-GEON activities are to collaborate with international partners and jointly build a cyberinfrastructure for the geosciences to enable collaborative work environments. International partners can participate in GEON efforts, establish GEON nodes at their universities, institutes, or agencies and also contribute data and tools to the network. Via jointly run cyberinfrastructure workshops, the GEON team also introduces students, scientists, and research professionals to the concepts of IT-based geoscience research and education. Currently, joint activities are underway with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, the GEO Grid project at AIST in Japan, and the University of Hyderabad in India (where the activity is funded by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum). Several other potential international partnerships are under consideration. iGEON is open to all international partners who are interested in working towards the goal of data sharing, managing and integration via IT-based platforms. Information about GEON and its international activities can be found at http:www.geongrid.org/

Hypothesis-based research on the causes of sick building symptoms: A design for Phases 2 and 3 of the California Healthy Building Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, W.J.; Hodgson, A.T.; Daisey, J.M.; Faulkner, D. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Macher, J.M. [California Dept. of Health Services, Berkeley, CA (United States). Air and Industrial Hygiene Lab.; Mendell, M.J. [National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (United States). Industrywide Studies Branch

1992-07-01

The California Healthy Building Study (CHBS) is a multidisciplinary research based in 12 office buildings within California. The overall goal the CHBS is to elucidate relationships between occurrences of office worker health symptoms and characteristics of the workers` buildings, ventilation systems, work spaces, jobs, and indoor environments. A Phase-1 study was completed during 1990. The California Institute for Energy Efficiency (CIEE), through its Exploratory Research Program, supported the design of research plans for two future phases of the CHBS. The intent of the CIEE-supported effort was to design research to be conducted in the Phase-1 buildings that capitalizes on the Phase-1 research findings and also on recently-published results of research from other institutions. This report describes the research plans developed with CIEE support and presents the rationale for these research plans.

Hypothesis-based research on the causes of sick building symptoms: A design for Phases 2 and 3 of the California Healthy Building Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, W.J.; Hodgson, A.T.; Daisey, J.M.; Faulkner, D. (Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)); Macher, J.M. (California Dept. of Health Services, Berkeley, CA (United States). Air and Industrial Hygiene Lab.); Mendell, M.J. (National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (United States). Industrywide Studies Branch)

1992-07-01

The California Healthy Building Study (CHBS) is a multidisciplinary research based in 12 office buildings within California. The overall goal the CHBS is to elucidate relationships between occurrences of office worker health symptoms and characteristics of the workers' buildings, ventilation systems, work spaces, jobs, and indoor environments. A Phase-1 study was completed during 1990. The California Institute for Energy Efficiency (CIEE), through its Exploratory Research Program, supported the design of research plans for two future phases of the CHBS. The intent of the CIEE-supported effort was to design research to be conducted in the Phase-1 buildings that capitalizes on the Phase-1 research findings and also on recently-published results of research from other institutions. This report describes the research plans developed with CIEE support and presents the rationale for these research plans.

Building bridges in American Indian bereavement research.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Andrea C

2009-01-01

Due to the severity of the risks involved in violation of ethical principles with research of American Indian populations, more attention in literature is needed on the topic. This article reviews discussions of ethical and methodological issues, uses Muscogee Creeks' responses from the author's prior study (Walker, 2008; Walker & Balk, 2007) as an example and application, and specifically focuses on the research of death and bereavement. The article provides ethical reflection and recommendations for designing death and bereavement research as an outsider to the culture, as well as for building trust with participants in American Indian populations.

Towards The Adaptation of Green Building Material Systems to the Egyptian Environment

OpenAIRE

Sherif Mohamed Sabry Elattar; Eman Badawy Ahmed

2014-01-01

This research briefly reviews the definition and the principles of green architecture, making a comparison between the global green building rating systems in respect to materials only. These systems are the [1, 2]Green Pyramid, BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method), [3] LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and the [4] Green Star in the form of Credits %, importance and its Requirements.The research Aims to evaluate the green building material ...

Supporting Theory Building in Integrated Services Research

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Mark; Atkinson, Mary; Downing, Dick

2008-01-01

This literature review was commissioned by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to draw together current and recent studies of integrated working, in order to build an overview of the theories and models of such working. The review is important for current work on evaluating the early impact of integrated children's services and…

Joint Research Centre. Ispra establishment-Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelini, Antonio

1976-01-01

A comprehensive review of the work carried out during 1974 and 1975 in the Ispra establishment of the Joint Research Centre is presented. A description of the activity carried out within the context of the running programmes is given. Some of the most relevant scientific and technical achievement are described from the viewpoints of the Scientific Departments of the Centre. The technical and administrative support activities are also presented. A list of publications issued by the Ispra Scientific staff is given

Motivators, enablers, and barriers to building allied health research capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Pager, Susan; Holden, Libby; Golenko, Xanthe

2012-01-01

Purpose A sound, scientific base of high quality research is needed to inform service planning and decision making and enable improved policy and practice. However, some areas of health practice, particularly many of the allied health areas, are generally considered to have a low evidence base. In order to successfully build research capacity in allied health, a clearer understanding is required of what assists and encourages research as well as the barriers and challenges. Participants and methods This study used written surveys to collect data relating to motivators, enablers, and barriers to research capacity building. Respondents were asked to answer questions relating to them as individuals and other questions relating to their team. Allied health professionals were recruited from multidisciplinary primary health care teams in Queensland Health. Eighty-five participants from ten healthcare teams completed a written version of the research capacity and culture survey. Results The results of this study indicate that individual allied health professionals are more likely to report being motivated to do research by intrinsic factors such as a strong interest in research. Barriers they identified to research are more likely to be extrinsic factors such as workload and lack of time. Allied health professionals identified some additional factors that impact on their research capacity than those reported in the literature, such as a desire to keep at the “cutting edge” and a lack of exposure to research. Some of the factors influencing individuals to do research were different to those influencing teams. These results are discussed with reference to organizational behavior and theories of motivation. Conclusion Supporting already motivated allied health professional individuals and teams to conduct research by increased skills training, infrastructure, and quarantined time is likely to produce better outcomes for research capacity building investment. PMID

Establishing the credibility of qualitative research findings: the plot thickens.

Science.gov (United States)

Cutcliffe, J R; McKenna, H P

1999-08-01

Qualitative research is increasingly recognized and valued and its unique place in nursing research is highlighted by many. Despite this, some nurse researchers continue to raise epistemological issues about the problems of objectivity and the validity of qualitative research findings. This paper explores the issues relating to the representativeness or credibility of qualitative research findings. It therefore critiques the existing distinct philosophical and methodological positions concerning the trustworthiness of qualitative research findings, which are described as follows: quantitative studies should be judged using the same criteria and terminology as quantitative studies; it is impossible, in a meaningful way, for any criteria to be used to judge qualitative studies; qualitative studies should be judged using criteria that are developed for and fit the qualitative paradigm; and the credibility of qualitative research findings could be established by testing out the emerging theory by means of conducting a deductive quantitative study. The authors conclude by providing some guidelines for establishing the credibility of qualitative research findings.

Building research capacity and productivity among advanced practice nurses: an evaluation of the Community of Practice model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gullick, Janice G; West, Sandra H

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate Wenger's Community of Practice as a framework for building research capacity and productivity. While research productivity is an expected domain in influential models of advanced nursing practice, internationally it remains largely unmet. Establishment of nursing research capacity precedes productivity and consequently, there is a strong imperative to identify successful capacity-building models for nursing-focussed research in busy clinical environments. Prospective, longitudinal, qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. Bruyn's participant observation framed evaluation of a Community of Practice comprising 25 advanced practice nurses. Data from focus groups, education evaluations, blog/email transcripts and field observations, collected between 2007 and 2014, were analysed using a qualitative descriptive method. The Community of Practice model invited differing levels of participation, allowed for evolution of the research community and created a rhythm of research-related interactions and enduring research relationships. Participants described the value of research for their patients and families and the significance of the developing research culture in providing richness to their practice and visibility of their work to multidisciplinary colleagues. Extensive examples of research dissemination and enrolment in doctoral programmes further confirmed this value. A Community of Practice framework is a powerful model enabling research capacity and productivity evidenced by publication. In developing a solid foundation for a nursing research culture, it should be recognized that research skills, confidence and growth develop over an extended period of time and success depends on skilled coordination and leadership. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multidisciplinary Energy Assessment of Tertiary Buildings: Automated Geomatic Inspection, Building Information Modeling Reconstruction and Building Performance Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faustino Patiño-Cambeiro

2017-07-01

Full Text Available There is an urgent need for energy efficiency in buildings within the European framework, considering its environmental implications, and Europe’s energy dependence. Furthermore, the need for enhancing and increasing productivity in the building industry turns new technologies and building energy performance simulation environments into extremely interesting solutions towards rigorous analysis and decision making in renovation within acceptable risk levels. The present work describes a multidisciplinary approach for the estimation of the energy performance of an educational building. The research involved data acquisition with advanced geomatic tools, the development of an optimized building information model, and energy assessment in Building Performance Simulation (BPS software. Interoperability issues were observed in the different steps of the process. The inspection and diagnostic phases were conducted in a timely, accurate manner thanks to automated data acquisition and subsequent analysis using Building Information Modeling based tools (BIM-based tools. Energy simulation was performed using Design Builder, and the results obtained were compared with those yielded by the official software tool established by Spanish regulations for energy certification. The discrepancies between the results of both programs have proven that the official software program is conservative in this sense. This may cause the depreciation of the assessed buildings.

Building Grounded Theory in Entrepreneurship Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mäkelä, Markus; Turcan, Romeo V.

2007-01-01

In this chapter we describe the process of building of theory from data (Glaser and Strauss 1967; Strauss and Corbin 1998). We discuss current grounded theory in relation to research in entrepreneurship and point out directions and potential improvements for further research in this field....... The chapter has two goals. First, we wish to provide an explicit paradigmatic positioning of the grounded theory methodology, discussing the most relevant views of ontology and epistemology that can be used as alternative starting points for conducting grounded theory research. While the chapter introduces...... our approach to grounded theory, we acknowledge the existence of other approaches and try to locate our approach in relation to them. As an important part of this discussion, we take a stand on how to usefully define ‘grounded theory’ and ‘case study research’. Second, we seek to firmly link our...

Building energy governance in Shanghai

Science.gov (United States)

Kung, YiHsiu Michelle

With Asia's surging economies and urbanization, the region is adding to its built environment at an unprecedented rate, especially those population centers in China and India. With numerous existing buildings, plus a new building boom, construction in these major Asian cities has caused momentous sustainability challenges. This dissertation focuses on China's leading city, Shanghai, to explore and assess its existing commercial building energy policies and practices. Research estimates that Shanghai's commercial buildings might become a key challenge with regard to energy use and CO2 emissions as compared to other major Asian cities. Relevant building energy policy instruments at national and local levels for commercial buildings are reviewed. In addition, two benchmarks are established to further assess building energy policies in Shanghai. The first benchmark is based on the synthesis of relevant criteria and policy instruments as recommended by professional organizations, while the second practical benchmark is drawn from an analysis of three global cities: New York, London and Tokyo. Moreover, two large-scale commercial building sites - Shanghai IKEA and Plaza 66 - are selected for investigation and assessment of their efforts on building energy saving measures. Detailed building energy savings, CO2 reductions, and management cost reductions based on data availability and calculations are presented with the co-benefits approach. The research additionally analyzes different interventions and factors that facilitate or constrain the implementation process of building energy saving measures in each case. Furthermore, a multi-scale analytical framework is employed to investigate relevant stakeholders that shape Shanghai's commercial building energy governance. Research findings and policy recommendations are offered at the close of this dissertation. Findings and policy recommendations are intended to facilitate commercial building energy governance in Shanghai and

A review on wind-driven rain research in building science

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blocken, B.J.E.; Carmeliet, J.E.

2004-01-01

Wind-driven rain (WDR) or driving rain is rain that is given a horizontal velocity component by the wind. WDR research is of importance in a number of research areas including earth sciences, meteorology and building science. Research methods and results are exchangeable between these domains but no

Building America Research Benchmark Definition: Updated December 20, 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, R.

2008-01-01

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams. The Benchmark is generally consistent with mid-1990s standard practice, as reflected in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Technical Guidelines (RESNET 2002), with additional definitions that allow the analyst to evaluate all residential end-uses, an extension of the traditional HERS rating approach that focuses on space conditioning and hot water. Unlike the reference homes used for HERS, EnergyStar, and most energy codes, the Benchmark represents typical construction at a fixed point in time so it can be used as the basis for Building America's multi-year energy savings goals without the complication of chasing a 'moving target'.

Building America Research Benchmark Definition: Updated August 15, 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, R.

2007-09-01

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams. The Benchmark is generally consistent with mid-1990s standard practice, as reflected in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Technical Guidelines (RESNET 2002), with additional definitions that allow the analyst to evaluate all residential end-uses, an extension of the traditional HERS rating approach that focuses on space conditioning and hot water. Unlike the reference homes used for HERS, EnergyStar, and most energy codes, the Benchmark represents typical construction at a fixed point in time so it can be used as the basis for Building America's multi-year energy savings goals without the complication of chasing a 'moving target'.

Establishing a Radiation Protection Programme for a Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdallah, M. M.

2014-04-01

The nature and intensity of radiation from the operation of a research reactor depend on the type of reactor, its design features and its operational history. The protection of workers from the harmful effect of radiation must therefore be of paramount importance to any operating organization of a research reactor. This project report attempts to establish an operational radiation protection programme for a research reactor using the Ghana Research Reactor-1 as a case study. (au)

Knowledge Building in an Online Environment: A Design-Based Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qing

2009-01-01

This article explores knowledge-building in an online distance-learning environment. The research examines how knowledge-building principles can be translated into online classroom practice for graduate students. Specifically, how do the course components and the online learning environments created in two online graduate courses contribute to…

Understanding the Conceptual Development Phase of Applied Theory-Building Research: A Grounded Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Storberg-Walker, Julia

2007-01-01

This article presents a provisional grounded theory of conceptual development for applied theory-building research. The theory described here extends the understanding of the components of conceptual development and provides generalized relations among the components. The conceptual development phase of theory-building research has been widely…

Establishing a Scale for Assessing the Social Validity of Skill Building Interventions for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Natalie I.; Manston, Lauren; Ingersoll, Brooke

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Scale of Treatment Perceptions (STP), a measure of treatment acceptability targeting skill-building interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This scale utilizes a strength-based approach to intervention assessment, and was established by modifying the Behavior Intervention Rating…

Capacity Building for Sustainable Marine Research in the Asia-Pacific Region

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Liuming; Avril, Bernard; Zhang, Jing

2013-01-01

An international workshop on capacity building (CB) for marine research in the Asia-Pacific region (http://www.imber.info/index.php/Science/Working-Groups/Capacity-Building/2012-CB-Workshop) was held at the East China Normal University (ECNU), in Shanghai, China. The workshop brought together about 20 marine researchers and CB experts from 14 countries to discuss CB experiences, assess regional CB needs, and consider recommendations to improve regional CB, which would be of interest to other groups and other geographical regions.

Addressing NCDs through research and capacity building in LMICs: lessons learned from tobacco control.

Science.gov (United States)

Sturke, Rachel; Vorkoper, Susan; Duncan, Kalina; Levintova, Marya; Parascondola, Mark

2016-01-01

Confronting the global non-communicable diseases (NCDs) crisis requires a critical mass of scientists who are well versed in regional health problems and understand the cultural, social, economic, and political contexts that influence the effectiveness of interventions. Investments in global NCD research must be accompanied by contributions to local research capacity. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Fogarty International Center have a long-standing commitment to supporting research capacity building and addressing the growing burden of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. One program in particular, the NIH International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program (TOBAC program), offers an important model for conducting research and building research capacity simultaneously. This article describes the lessons learned from this unique funding model and demonstrates how a relatively modest investment can make important contributions to scientific evidence and capacity building that could inform ongoing and future efforts to tackle the global burden of NCDs.

Addressing NCDs through research and capacity building in LMICs: lessons learned from tobacco control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Sturke

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Confronting the global non-communicable diseases (NCDs crisis requires a critical mass of scientists who are well versed in regional health problems and understand the cultural, social, economic, and political contexts that influence the effectiveness of interventions. Investments in global NCD research must be accompanied by contributions to local research capacity. The National Institutes of Health (NIH and the Fogarty International Center have a long-standing commitment to supporting research capacity building and addressing the growing burden of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. One program in particular, the NIH International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program (TOBAC program, offers an important model for conducting research and building research capacity simultaneously. This article describes the lessons learned from this unique funding model and demonstrates how a relatively modest investment can make important contributions to scientific evidence and capacity building that could inform ongoing and future efforts to tackle the global burden of NCDs.

Establishing Base Elements of Perspective in Order to Reconstruct Architectural Buildings from Photographs

Science.gov (United States)

Dzwierzynska, Jolanta

2017-12-01

The use of perspective images, especially historical photographs for retrieving information about presented architectural environment is a fast developing field recently. The photography image is a perspective image with secure geometrical connection with reality, therefore it is possible to reverse this process. The aim of the herby study is establishing requirements which a photographic perspective representation should meet for a reconstruction purpose, as well as determination of base elements of perspective such as a horizon line and a circle of depth, which is a key issue in any reconstruction. The starting point in the reconstruction process is geometrical analysis of the photograph, especially determination of the kind of perspective projection applied, which is defined by the building location towards a projection plane. Next, proper constructions can be used. The paper addresses the problem of establishing base elements of perspective on the basis of the photograph image in the case when camera calibration is impossible to establish. It presents different geometric construction methods selected dependently on the starting assumptions. Therefore, the methods described in the paper seem to be universal. Moreover, they can be used even in the case of poor quality photographs with poor perspective geometry. Such constructions can be realized with computer aid when the photographs are in digital form as it is presented in the paper. The accuracy of the applied methods depends on the photography image accuracy, as well as drawing accuracy, however, it is sufficient for further reconstruction. Establishing base elements of perspective presented in the paper is especially useful in difficult cases of reconstruction, when one lacks information about reconstructed architectural form and it is necessary to lean on solid geometry.

Safety infrastructure for countries establishing their first research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou Yehia, H.; Shokr, A.M.

2010-01-01

Establishment of a research reactor is a major project requiring careful planning, preparation, implementation, and investment in time and human resources. The implementation of such a project requires establishment of sustainable infrastructures, including legal and regulatory, safety, technical, and economic. An analysis of the needs for a new research reactor facility should be performed including the development of a utilization plan and evaluation of site availability and suitability. All these elements should be covered by a feasibility study of the project. This paper discusses the elements of such a study with the main focus on the specific activities and steps for developing the necessary safety infrastructure. Progressive involvement of the main organizations in the project, and application of the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors and IAEA Safety Standards in different phases of the project are presented and discussed. (author)

Commercial Building Energy Asset Rating Program -- Market Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCabe, Molly J.; Wang, Na

2012-04-19

Under contract to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, HaydenTanner, LLC conducted an in-depth analysis of the potential market value of a commercial building energy asset rating program for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The market research objectives were to: (1) Evaluate market interest and need for a program and tool to offer asset rating and rapidly identify potential energy efficiency measures for the commercial building sector. (2) Identify key input variables and asset rating outputs that would facilitate increased investment in energy efficiency. (3) Assess best practices and lessons learned from existing national and international energy rating programs. (4) Identify core messaging to motivate owners, investors, financiers, and others in the real estate sector to adopt a voluntary asset rating program and, as a consequence, deploy high-performance strategies and technologies across new and existing buildings. (5) Identify leverage factors and incentives that facilitate increased investment in these buildings. To meet these objectives, work consisted of a review of the relevant literature, examination of existing and emergent asset and operational rating systems, interviews with industry stakeholders, and an evaluation of the value implication of an asset label on asset valuation. This report documents the analysis methodology and findings, conclusion, and recommendations. Its intent is to support and inform the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on the market need and potential value impacts of an asset labeling and diagnostic tool to encourage high-performance new buildings and building efficiency retrofit projects.

Building America Research Benchmark Definition, Updated December 15, 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendron, R.

2007-01-01

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams. The Benchmark is generally consistent with mid-1990s standard practice, as reflected in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Technical Guidelines (RESNET 2002), with additional definitions that allow the analyst to evaluate all residential end-uses, an extension of the traditional HERS rating approach that focuses on space conditioning and hot water. Unlike the reference homes used for HERS, EnergyStar, and most energy codes, the Benchmark represents typical construction at a fixed point in time so it can be used as the basis for Building America's multi-year energy savings goals without the complication of chasing a ''moving target''.

APPLICATION OF FUZZY ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS TO BUILDING RESEARCH TEAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karol DĄBROWSKI

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Building teams has a fundamental impact for execution of research and development projects. The teams appointed for the needs of given projects are based on individuals from both inside and outside of the organization. Knowledge is not only a product available on the market but also an intangible resource affecting their internal and external processes. Thus it is vitally important for businesses and scientific research facilities to effectively manage knowledge within project teams. The article presents a proposal to use Fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process and ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System methods in working groups building for R&D projects on the basis of employees skills.

Application of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process to Building Research Teams

Science.gov (United States)

Dąbrowski, Karol; Skrzypek, Katarzyna

2016-03-01

Building teams has a fundamental impact for execution of research and development projects. The teams appointed for the needs of given projects are based on individuals from both inside and outside of the organization. Knowledge is not only a product available on the market but also an intangible resource affecting their internal and external processes. Thus it is vitally important for businesses and scientific research facilities to effectively manage knowledge within project teams. The article presents a proposal to use Fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System) methods in working groups building for R&D projects on the basis of employees skills.

Australia's TERN: Building, Sustaining and Advancing Collaborative Long Term Ecosystem Research Networks

Science.gov (United States)

HEld, A. A.; Phinn, S. R.

2012-12-01

TERN is Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (www.tern.org.au) is one of several environmental data collection, storage and sharing projects developed through the government's research infrastructure programs 2008-2014. This includes terrestrial and coastal ecosystem data collection infrastructure across multiple disciplines, hardware, software and processes used to store, analyse and integrate data sets. TERN's overall objective is to build the collaborations, infrastructure and programs to meet the needs of ecosystem science communities in Australia in the long term, through institutional frameworks necessary to establish a national terrestrial ecosystem site and observational network, coordinated networks enabling cooperation and operational experience; public access to quality assured and appropriately licensed data; and allowing the terrestrial ecosystem research community to define and sustain the terrestrial observing paradigm into the longer term. This paper explains how TERN was originally established, and now operates, along with plans to sustain itself in the future. TERN is implemented through discipline/technical groups referred to as "TERN Facilities". Combined, the facilities provide observations of surface mass and energy fluxes over key ecosystems, biophysical remote sensing data, ecological survey plots, soils information, and coastal ecosystems and associated water quality variables across Australia. Additional integrative facilities cover elements of ecoinformatics, data-scaling and modelling, and linking science to management. A central coordination and portal facility provides meta-data storage, data identification, legal and licensing support. Data access, uploading, meta-data generation, DOI attachment and licensing is completed at each facility's own portal level. TERN also acts as the open-data repository of choice for Australian scientists required to publish their data. Several key lessons we have learnt, will be presented

The Building of a Responsible Research Community: The Role of Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Lategan, Laetus O. K.

2012-01-01

This paper looks into the importance of a responsible research community and how ethics can contribute towards the building of such a community. The paper starts off by outlining the many challenges facing a responsible research community. These challenges range from doing research, transferring the research results, commercialising the…

Effluent management practices at the AAEC Research Establishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoe, G.

1978-02-01

A technical description is given of the facilities and operation of the waste water and liquid waste management system at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission Research Establishment at Lucas Heights. Also described are practices and principles involved in the control and recording of radioactivity in the effluents. (Author)

Building Capacity for Feminist Research in Africa : Gender, Sexuality ...

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

Building Capacity for Feminist Research in Africa : Gender, Sexuality and Politics ... feminist work and gender theory, but be relatively new to issues of sexuality. ... long-term climate action to reduce social inequality, promote greater gender ...

The implications of future building scenarios for long-term building energy research and development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flynn, W.T.

1986-12-01

This report presents a discussion of alternative future scenarios of the building environment to the year 2010 and assesses the implications these scenarios present for long-term building energy R and D. The scenarios and energy R and D implications derived from them are intended to serve as the basis from which a strategic plan can be developed for the management of R and D programs conducted by the Office of Buildings and Community Systems, US Department of Energy. The scenarios and analysis presented here have relevance not only for government R and D programs; on the contrary, it is hoped that the results of this effort will be of interest and useful to researchers in both private and public sector organizations that deal with building energy R and D. Making R and D decisions today based on an analysis that attempts to delineate the nexus of events 25 years in the future are clearly decisions made in the face of uncertainty. Yet, the effective management of R and D programs requires a future-directed understanding of markets, technological developments, and environmental factors, as well as their interactions. The analysis presented in this report is designed to serve that need. Although the probability of any particular scenario actually occurring is uncertain, the scenarios to be presented are sufficiently robust to set bounds within which to examine the interaction of forces that will shape the future building environment.

ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS: AN APPLICATION IN GREEN BUILDING MARKET RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharmin Attaran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Sustainability has become a necessity in the building industry. In recent years, as the general public is more informed and aware of sustainability related issues, they are becoming major players in the decision making process regarding their built environment. However, there are still challenges with how sustainability is communicated to occupants and owners of buildings. As the global economic crisis is continuing, the marketing of green buildings needs to be refined to communicate the lifetime benefits of sustainability. One of the ways to develop effective marketing strategies, is to understand what the occupants value the most among many aspects of green buildings thus develop focused marketing solutions. Authors present a conceptual methodology using Analytic Hierarchy Process toward identifying consumer ranking and weights of a major green building rating system’s categories. Authors use sample non-representative data to illustrate the proposed methodology, while sharing preliminary qualitative data from the research in progress.

Intelligent Buildings and pervasive computing - research perspectives and discussions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønbæk, Kaj; Krogh, Peter Gall; Kyng, Morten

2001-01-01

computers are everywhere, for everyone, at all times. Where IT becomes a still more integrated part of our environments with processors, sensors, and actuators connected via high-speed networks and combined with new visualization devices ranging from projections directly in the eye to large panorama......Intelligent Buildings have been the subject of research and commercial interest for more than two decades. The different perspectives range from monitoring and controlling energy consumption over interactive rooms supporting work in offices and leisure in the home, to buildings providing...... information to by-passers in plazas and urban environments. This paper puts forward the hypothesis that the coming decade will witness a dramatic increase in both quality and quantity of intelligent buildings due to the emerging field of pervasive computing: the next generation computing environments where...

Building Research Capacity to Understand and Adapt to Climate ...

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

Building Research Capacity to Understand and Adapt to Climate Change in the Indus Basin ... Site internet ... L'honorable Chrystia Freeland, ministre du Commerce international, a annoncé le lancement d'un nouveau projet financé par le ...

Research Data Management - Building Service Infrastructure and Capacity

KAUST Repository

Baessa, Mohamed A.

2018-03-07

Research libraries support the missions of their institutions by facilitating the flow of scholarly information to and from the institutions’ researchers. As research in many disciplines becomes more data and software intensive, libraries are finding that services and infrastructure developed to preserve and provide access to textual documents are insufficient to meet their institutions’ needs. In response, libraries around the world have begun assessing the data management needs of their researchers, and expanding their capacity to meet the needs that they find. This discussion panel will discuss approaches to building research data management services and infrastructure in academic libraries. Panelists will discuss international efforts to support research data management, while highlighting the different models that universities have adopted to provide a mix of services and infrastructure tailored to their local needs.

Investing in nursing research in practice settings: a blueprint for building capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffs, Lianne; Smith, Orla; Beswick, Susan; Maoine, Maria; Ferris, Ella

2013-12-01

Engaging clinical nurses in practice-based research is a cornerstone of professional nursing practice and a critical element in the delivery of high-quality patient care. Practising staff nurses are well suited to identify the phenomena and issues that are clinically relevant and appropriate for research. In response to the need to invest in and build capacity in nursing research, hospitals have developed creative approaches to spark interest in nursing research and to equip clinical nurses with research competencies. This paper outlines a Canadian hospital's efforts to build research capacity as a key strategy to foster efficacious, safe and cost-effective patient care practices. Within a multi-pronged framework, several strategies are described that collectively resulted in enhanced research and knowledge translation productivity aimed at improving the delivery of safe and high-quality patient care.

Establishment and preliminary outcomes of a palliative care research network.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Peter; Street, Annette; Graham, Suzanne; Aranda, Sanchia; O'Connor, Margaret; Thomas, Kristina; Jackson, Kate; Spruyt, Odette; Ugalde, Anna; Philip, Jennifer

2016-02-01

The difficulties in conducting palliative care research have been widely acknowledged. In order to generate the evidence needed to underpin palliative care provision, collaborative research is considered essential. Prior to formalizing the development of a research network for the state of Victoria, Australia, a preliminary study was undertaken to ascertain interest and recommendations for the design of such a collaboration. Three data-collection strategies were used: a cross-sectional questionnaire, interviews, and workshops. The questionnaire was completed by multidisciplinary palliative care specialists from across the state (n = 61); interviews were conducted with senior clinicians and academics (n = 21) followed by two stakeholder workshops (n = 29). The questionnaire was constructed specifically for this study, measuring involvement of and perceptions of palliative care research. Both the interview and the questionnaire data demonstrated strong support for a palliative care research network and aided in establishing a research agenda. The stakeholder workshops assisted with strategies for the formation of the Palliative Care Research Network Victoria (PCRNV) and guided the development of the mission and strategic plan. The research and efforts to date to establish the PCRNV are encouraging and provide optimism for the evolution of palliative care research in Australia. The international implications are highlighted.

Industry Research and Recommendations for Small Buildings and Small Portfolios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Langner, Rois [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hendron, Bob [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pless, Shanti [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Huppert, Mark [National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC (United States); Cochrane, Ric [National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC (United States)

2013-12-01

Small buildings have been left behind in the energy efficiency marketplace because financial and technical resources have flowed to larger commercial buildings. DOE's Building Technologies Office works with the commercial building industry to accelerate the uptake of energy efficiency technologies and techniques in existing and new commercial buildings (DOE 2013). BTO recognizes the SBSP sector'spotential for significant energy savings and the need for investments in resources that are tailored to this sector's unique needs. The industry research and recommendations described in this report identify potential approaches and strategic priorities that BTO could explore over the next 3-5 years that will support the implementation of high-potential energy efficiency opportunities for thisimportant sector. DOE is uniquely positioned to provide national leadership, objective information, and innovative tools, technologies, and services to support cost-effective energy savings in the fragmented and complex SBSP sector. Properly deployed, the DOE effort could enhance and complement current energy efficiency approaches. Small portfolios are loosely and qualitatively defined asportfolios of buildings that include only a small number of small buildings. This distinction is important because the report targets portfolio owners and managers who generally do not have staff and other resources to track energy use and pursue energy efficiency solutions.

Research capacity building integrated into PHIT projects: leveraging research and research funding to build national capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany L; Chilengi, Roma; Jackson, Elizabeth; Michel, Cathy; Napua, Manuel; Odhiambo, Jackline; Bawah, Ayaga

2017-12-21

Inadequate research capacity impedes the development of evidence-based health programming in sub-Saharan Africa. However, funding for research capacity building (RCB) is often insufficient and restricted, limiting institutions' ability to address current RCB needs. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's African Health Initiative (AHI) funded Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects in five African countries (Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia) to implement health systems strengthening initiatives inclusive of RCB. Using Cooke's framework for RCB, RCB activity leaders from each country reported on RCB priorities, activities, program metrics, ongoing challenges and solutions. These were synthesized by the authorship team, identifying common challenges and lessons learned. For most countries, each of the RCB domains from Cooke's framework was a high priority. In about half of the countries, domain specific activities happened prior to PHIT. During PHIT, specific RCB activities varied across countries. However, all five countries used AHI funding to improve research administrative support and infrastructure, implement research trainings and support mentorship activities and research dissemination. While outcomes data were not systematically collected, countries reported holding 54 research trainings, forming 56 mentor-mentee relationships, training 201 individuals and awarding 22 PhD and Masters-level scholarships. Over the 5 years, 116 manuscripts were developed. Of the 59 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals, 29 had national first authors and 18 had national senior authors. Trainees participated in 99 conferences and projects held 37 forums with policy makers to facilitate research translation into policy. All five PHIT projects strongly reported an increase in RCB activities and commended the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for prioritizing RCB, funding RCB at adequate levels and time frames and for allowing

The establishment of research ethics consultation services (RECS): an emerging research resource.

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, Jennifer B; Sharp, Richard R; Ottenberg, Abigale L; Reider, Carson R; Taylor, Holly A; Wilfond, Benjamin S

2013-02-01

Emphasis on translational research to facilitate progression from the laboratory into the community also creates a dynamic in which ethics and social policy questions and solutions are ever pressing. In response, academic institutions are creating Research Ethics Consultation Services (RECS). All Clinical Translational Science Award institutions were surveyed in early 2010 to determine which institutions have a RECS in operation and what is their composition and function. Of the 46 institutions surveyed, 33 (70%) have a RECS. Only 15 RECS have received any consult requests in the last year. Issues that are common among these relatively nascent services include relationships with institutional oversight committees, balancing requestor concerns about confidentiality with research integrity and human subjects protection priorities, tracking consult data and outcomes, and developing systems for internal evaluation. There is variability in how these issues are approached. It will be important to be attentive to the institutional context to develop an appropriate approach. Further data about the issues raised by requestors and the recommendations provided are necessary to build a community of scholars who can navigate and resolve ethical issues encountered along the translational research pathway. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Qualitative Research in an International Research Program: Maintaining Momentum while Building Capacity in Nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judy Mill RN, PhD

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Nurses are knowledgeable about issues that affect quality and equity of care and are well qualified to inform policy, yet their expertise is seldom acknowledged and their input infrequently invited. In 2007, a large multidisciplinary team of researchers and decision-makers from Canada and five low- and middle-income countries (Barbados, Jamaica, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa received funding to implement a participatory action research (PAR program entitled “Strengthening Nurses' Capacity for HIV Policy Development in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.” The goal of the research program was to explore and promote nurses' involvement in HIV policy development and to improve nursing practice in countries with a high HIV disease burden. A core element of the PAR program was the enhancement of the research capacity, and particularly qualitative capacity, of nurses through the use of mentorship, role-modeling, and the enhancement of institutional support. In this article we: (a describe the PAR program and research team; (b situate the research program by discussing attitudes to qualitative research in the study countries; (c highlight the incremental formal and informal qualitative research capacity building initiatives undertaken as part of this PAR program; (d describe the approaches used to maintain rigor while implementing a complex research program; and (e identify strategies to ensure that capacity building was locally-owned. We conclude with a discussion of challenges and opportunities and provide an informal analysis of the research capacity that was developed within our international team using a PAR approach.

Health and safety at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LeNeveu, D.M.

1982-04-01

This report outlines the health and safety program at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment. It describes the procedures in place to ensure that a high standard of conventional industrial and radiation safety is maintained in the workplace

Development of whole-building energy design targets for commercial buildings: Phase 1, Planning: Volume 2, Technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crawley, D.B.; Briggs, R.S.; Jones, J.W.; Seaton, W.W.; Kaufman, J.E.; Deringer, J.J.; Kennett, E.W.

1987-08-01

This is the second volume of the Phase 1 report and discusses the 10 tasks performed in Phase 1. The objective of this research is to develop a methodology for setting energy design targets to provide voluntary guidelines for the buildings industry. The whole-building energy targets project is being conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to encourage the construction of energy-efficient buildings by informing designers and owners about cost-effective goals for energy use in new commercial buildings. The outcome of this research will be a flexible methodology for setting such targets. The tasks are listed and discussed in this report as follows: Task 1 - Develop Detailed Project Goals and Objectives; Task 2 - Establish Buildings-Industry Liaison; Task 3 - Develop Approaches to the Energy Targets Model, Building Operations, and Climate; Task 4 - Develop an Approach for Treating Economic Considerations; Task 5 - Develop an Approach for Treating Energy Sources; Task 6 - Collect Energy-Use Data; Task 7 - Survey Energy Expert Opinion; Task 8 - Evaluation Procedure Specification and Integration; Task 9 - Phase 1 Report Development; and Task 10 - Phase 1 Review Planning.

Buildings for advanced technology

CERN Document Server

Teague, E; Murday, James

2015-01-01

This book deals with the design and construction of buildings for nanoscale science and engineering research. The information provided in this book is useful for designing and constructing buildings for such advanced technologies as nanotechnology, nanoelectronics and biotechnology. The book outlines the technology challenges unique to each of the building environmental challenges outlined below and provides best practices and examples of engineering approaches to address them: • Establishing and maintaining critical environments: temperature, humidity, and pressure • Structural vibration isolation • Airborne vibration isolation (acoustic noise) • Isolation of mechanical equipment-generated vibration/acoustic noise • Cost-effective power conditioning • Grounding facilities for low electrical interference • Electromagnetic interference (EMI)/Radio frequency interference (RFI) isolation • Airborne particulate contamination • Airborne organic and chemical contamination • Environment, safety a...

Building Bridges between Researchers and Patient Research Partners: A Report from the GRAPPA 2014 Annual Meeting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Wit, M.P.T.; Campbell, W.; Orbai, A.M.; Tillett, W.; Fitzgerald, O.; Gladman, D.D.; Lindsay, C.A.; McHugh, N.J.; Mease, P.J.; O'Sullivan, D.; Steinkoenig, I.; Windisch, G.; Goel, N.

2015-01-01

for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) recently engaged patients as collaborative partners in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) research. We summarize Building Bridges, a session held at the GRAPPA 2014 annual meeting, where interactive dialogue was encouraged between all

Planning report for establishment of research infrastructure for national advanced radiation technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuk, Il Hyun; Byun, Myung Woo; Lee, Ju Woon

2005-04-01

Establishment of research infrastructure and assistant of industry renovation is needed to achieve technology level-up in the all industry areas including plant engineering, material engineering, polymers, nondestructive tests, radioisotope tracer application, environment engineering, medical science, agriculture, sterilization, sprouting, biotechnology and aerospace, which would be the core motivation of our future industry. Especially for early settlement of research environment for the new RT-specialized national institute, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTI) in Jeongup, Chonbuk, Korea is essential. For this purpose, an intensive system construction is demanded including: 1) Area of establishment of the system assisting radiation technology advancement: It is expected that radioisotope production for industrial or medical uses and activation of the related researches and training of experts by manufacture, installation, and operation of 30 MeV cyclotron. It also can be contributed in the promotion of national radiation related science and technology by establishment of a basic and advanced analysis system. 2) Area of establishment of training and education system of RT experts. 3) Area of establishment of a system for technological assistance for industry and industry-university-institute network. Contribution to balanced regional development and promotion of national RT-based science through establishment of RT industry cluster with Advanced Radiation Technology Institute (ARTi) at Jeongup as the center figure

A thematic analysis of the role of the organisation in building allied health research capacity: a senior managers' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Golenko, Xanthe; Pager, Susan; Holden, Libby

2012-08-27

Evidence-based practice aims to achieve better health outcomes in the community. It relies on high quality research to inform policy and practice; however research in primary health care continues to lag behind that of other medical professions. The literature suggests that research capacity building (RCB) functions across four levels; individual, team, organisation and external environment. Many RCB interventions are aimed at an individual or team level, yet evidence indicates that many barriers to RCB occur at an organisational or external environment level. This study asks senior managers from a large healthcare organisation to identify the barriers and enablers to RCB. The paper then describes strategies for building allied health (AH) research capacity at an organisational level from a senior managers' perspective. This qualitative study is part of a larger collaborative RCB project. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine allied health senior managers. Recorded interviews were transcribed and NVivo was used to analyse findings and emergent themes were defined. The dominant themes indicate that the organisation plays an integral role in building AH research capacity and is the critical link in creating synergy across the four levels of RCB. The organisation can achieve this by incorporating research into its core business with a whole of organisation approach including its mission, vision and strategic planning. Critical success factors include: developing a co-ordinated and multidisciplinary approach to attain critical mass of research-active AH and enhance learning and development; support from senior managers demonstrated through structures, processes and systems designed to facilitate research; forming partnerships to increase collaboration and sharing of resources and knowledge; and establishing in internal framework to promote recognition for research and career path opportunities. This study identifies four key themes: whole of

Establishment of Kansei Database and Application to Design for Consensus Building

Science.gov (United States)

Yasuda, Keiichi; Shiraki, Wataru

Reflecting the recent social background where the importance of bridge landscape design is recognized and the new business style of citizen-involved infrastructure development has started, there has been a growing need of design where aesthetic feeling of actual users is reflected. In this research, a focus has been placed on the Kansei engineering technique where users' needs are reflected on product development. A questionnaire survey has been conducted for bridge engineers who are most intensively involved in design work and students as actual users. The result was analyzed by factor analysis and the Hayashi's quantification methods (category I). A tool required at consensus-building occasions has been created to change design elements and display accompanying evaluation difference while using the Kansei database.

Kayenta Township Building & Safety Department, Tribal Green Building Code Summit Presentation

Science.gov (United States)

Tribal Green Building Code Summit Presentation by Kayenta Township Building & Safety Department showing how they established the building department, developed a code adoption and enforcement process, and hired staff to carry out the work.

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshino, Katsumichi; Umeda, Naotaka; Tsuji, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Hidetoshi; Nagami, Masayuki

2004-11-01

This annual report provides an overview of research and development (R and D) activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, including those performed in collaboration with other research establishments of JAERI, research institutes, and universities, during the period from 1 April, 2003 to 31 March, 2004. The activities in the Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by researches in JT-60 and JFT-2M, theoretical and analytical plasma researches, research and development of fusion reactor technologies towards ITER and fusion power demonstration plants, and activities in support of ITER design and construction. (J.P.N.)

Proposal to Establish an International Solar Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broda, E.

1974-01-01

This report was written by E. Broda and it is about a proposal to establish an international solar research institute. Broda emphasizes solar energy as the most important energy source alternatively to nuclear energy and he points out the advantages of solar energy over nuclear energy. This report was written for a symposium for science and peace in February 1974. (nowak)

Challenges and opportunities in building health research capacity in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Capacity building is considered a priority for health research institutions in developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. However, in many countries including Tanzania, much emphasis has been directed towards human resources for health with the total exclusion of human resources for ...

Building Capacity for Feminist Research in Africa : Gender, Sexuality ...

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

Building Capacity for Feminist Research in Africa : Gender, Sexuality and Politics. Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in African scholarship on the importance of understanding sexualities and on connecting this understanding to more relevant policy prescriptions so that African women can enjoy their ...

Commentary: Building Web Research Strategies for Teachers and Students

Science.gov (United States)

Maloy, Robert W.

2016-01-01

This paper presents web research strategies for teachers and students to use in building Dramatic Event, Historical Biography, and Influential Literature wiki pages for history/social studies learning. Dramatic Events refer to milestone or turning point moments in history. Historical Biographies and Influential Literature pages feature…

Establishing and maintaining international collaborative research teams: an autobiographical insight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T J Carr

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Despite the growing impetus for international collaborative research teams (ICRT, there are relatively few resources available to guide and support researchers through the processes of establishing and maintaining ICRTs. In particular, no articles were found that provided researchers’ firsthand accounts of being a member of such a team. Having access to such personal accounts can help both experienced and novice researchers learn more directly about what to expect, as well as the benefits, challenges, pitfalls, and success strategies for establishing and maintaining ICRTs. The authors used phenomenological autobiographical reflective journaling to capture their experiences as members of ICRTs. In this article we provide an overview of key themes that emerged from the analysis of our reflections as members of ICRTs. These themes include: benefits, challenges, and strategies for success. Our aim is to share our first-hand experiences of what it is like to establish and participate in ICRT. It is not our intention to provide readers with prescriptive guidelines on how to set up and maintain ICRTs. Every ICRT is unique and some of these ideas may or may not apply in every case. Instead, we are describing what worked for us, hoping that others may benefit from our experience. Consequently, we suggest that the focus of ICRT should be on the benefits thereof which promote and encourage interaction between disciplines, transfer of knowledge and techniques and personal and professional development. Keywords: international, collaborative, research, teams, interdisciplinary

Establishing a Student Research and Publishing Program in High School Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Eales, Jonathan; Laksana, Sangob

2016-01-01

Student learning in science is improved by authentic personal experience of research projects and the publication of findings. Graduate students do this, but it is uncommon to find student research and publishing in high school science programs. We describe here the Student Research and Publishing Program (SRPP) established at International School…

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment from April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, Toshiro; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Moriyama, Shinichi; Tanaka, Fumiya; Tuda, Takashi; Tsuji, Hiroshi (eds.) [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment

2002-11-01

This report provides an overview of research and development activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, JAERI, including those performed in collaboration with other research establishments of JAERI, during the period from April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002. The activities in the Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high performance plasma researches in JT-60 and JFT-2M, and completion of ITER Engineering Design Activities (EDA) in July 2001, including technology R and D. (J.P.N.)

Insight into the Fulnek Church and Parish Medieval Building Chronology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Augustinková Lucie

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The church of the Holy Trinity and parish in Fulnek was for nearly four centuries an Augustinian canonry and collegiate church (1293-1389. The medieval church and parish building chronology, however, have not been thus far established. From research between 2015 and 2016 we have been able to identify medieval portions of the buildings, clarify the site medieval construction phases and date the parish buildings (formerly the canonry from dendrochronological analysis of embedded wooden scaffolding.

Key Strategies for Building Research Capacity of University Faculty Members.

Science.gov (United States)

Huenneke, Laura F; Stearns, Diane M; Martinez, Jesse D; Laurila, Kelly

2017-12-01

Universities are under pressure to increase external research funding, and some federal agencies offer programs to expand research capacity in certain kinds of institutions. However, conflicts within faculty roles and other aspects of university operations influence the effectiveness of particular strategies for increasing research activity. We review conventional approaches to increasing research, focusing on outcomes for individual faculty members and use one federally-funded effort to build cancer-related research capacity at a public university as an example to explore the impact of various strategies on research outcomes. We close with hypotheses that should be tested in future formal studies.

ALGORITHMS VARIANTS OF ELABORATION OF THE PRECISE GNSS NETWORK ESTABLISHED FOR GEODETIC SERVICE OF BUILDING OF THE MINING FACILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszard MIELIMĄKA

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The article presents the problem of the usage of post‐processing services of the ASG‐EUPOS system on the example of GNSS network established for geodetic service of building of the inclined drift, to make coal deposit accessible, and also building associated objects. For the purpose of geodetic service of construction realization network was established outside the planned objects. The network consists of six new ground points and four control points belonging to ASG‐EUPOS network. Simultaneous, static measurements of the network were performed in three‐hour observation session, using multi‐frequency and multi‐system satellite receivers – Trimble R8. The paper presents three variants of post‐processing of the observation results. Calculations were performed using POZGEO‐D service and geodetic software package GEONET. The results of the calculation process revealed, that homogeneous vector networks should be adjusted on the ellipsoid or in the geocentric system. Model of adjustment of the vector network on the plane adopted in the GEONET software package should not be applied for elaboration of this type of network (long reference vectors more than 50km.

Building organizational supports for research-minded practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Michael J; Dal Santo, Teresa S; Lee, Chris

2012-01-01

One of the biggest challenges facing human service organizations is the proliferation of information from inside and outside the agency that needs to be managed if it is to be of use. The concepts of tacit and explicit knowledge can inform an approach to this challenge. Tacit knowledge is stored in the minds of practitioners (often called practice wisdom) and the explicit knowledge is often found in organizational procedure manuals and educational and training materials. Building on this perspective, this analysis provides a preliminary definition of research-minded practitioners by explicating the elements of curiosity, critical reflection, and critical thinking. The organizational implications of developing a cadre of research-minded practitioners include the commitment of top management to support "link officers", evidence request services, research and development units, and service standards. The challenges include the capacity to identify/support research-minded practitioners, promote an organizational culture of evidence-informed practice, redefine staff development and training, redefine job descriptions, and specify the nature of managerial leadership. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Advancing research opportunities and promoting pathways in graduate education: a systemic approach to BUILD training at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

Science.gov (United States)

Urizar, Guido G; Henriques, Laura; Chun, Chi-Ah; Buonora, Paul; Vu, Kim-Phuong L; Galvez, Gino; Kingsford, Laura

2017-01-01

initiative establishes a student research training program that engages URGs earlier in their academic development, is larger and multidisciplinary in scope, and is responsive to the life contexts and promotes the cultural capital that URGs bring to their career path. Although there have been many challenges to planning for and developing CSULB BUILD's large-scale, multidisciplinary research infrastructure, there have been many lessons learned in the process that could aid other campuses in the development and sustainability of similar research programs.

Building Technologies Program Multi-Year Program Plan Research and Development 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2008-01-01

Building Technologies Program Multi-Year Program Plan 2008 for research and development, including residential and commercial integration, lighting, HVAC and water heating, envelope, windows, and analysis tools.

Building Capacity in Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships Through a Focus on Process and Multiculturalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Bryant, Angela R; Walker, Deborah J; Blumenthal, Connie; Council, Barbara; Courtney, Dana; Adimora, Ada

2015-01-01

In health research, investigators and funders are emphasizing the importance of collaboration between communities and academic institutions to achieve health equity. Although the principles underlying community-academic partnered research have been well-articulated, the processes by which partnerships integrate these principles when working across cultural differences are not as well described. We present how Project GRACE (Growing, Reaching, Advocating for Change and Empowerment) integrated participatory research principles with the process of building individual and partnership capacity. We worked with Vigorous Interventions In Ongoing Natural Settings (VISIONS) Inc., a process consultant and training organization, to develop a capacity building model. We present the conceptual framework and multicultural process of change (MPOC) that was used to build individual and partnership capacity to address health disparities. The process and capacity building model provides a common language, approach, and toolset to understand differences and the dynamics of inequity. These tools can be used by other partnerships in the conduct of research to achieve health equity.

Teaching and Research: Establishing Link in Studio-Based Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Ozdemyr

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The compelling ideal of modern architectural education associated with Boyer’s (1990 framework is a scholarly collaboration by a relationship between teaching and research. Research enhances teaching through the introduction of new topics and methodologies. Research-based teaching stimulates better communication between students and lecturers as researchers. Students’ comments and questions can improve the subject of future research. A model of research-based teaching can be structured to teach both research findings and processes. This model can be well integrated to current curriculum with emphasis on research-oriented teaching in which students take part in the research process. In this process, instructors use their research experience during their interactions with students. This paper discusses the establishment of the link between research and teaching in the built environment with cases from studio-based learning in Landscape Architecture discipline. The argument is that studio-based education should be accepted as a pedagogical method to take part in teaching research to make connections between architecture and other disciplines. This effort will position the education into a research-based setting and make proposals to re-orient curriculum so that researchers can teach what and how they research.

A guide and glossary on post-positivist theory building for population health.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpiano, R M; Daley, Dorothy M

2006-07-01

This guide and glossary focuses on the role of theory and conceptual models within population health research. Upon discussing the critical need for theory in conducting interdisciplinary research, it provides strategies for crafting theories that can be empirically tested and a glossary of theory building terms that are useful for guiding research. In addition to general concepts, the glossary includes some terminology commonly found in the social sciences, whose well established traditions and practices of formal theory building may be particularly informative for epidemiologists and other population health researchers who have minimal formal social science training, but study social factors in their research.

Establishing a national research center on day care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ellegaard, Tomas

The paper presents and discusses the current formation of a national research center on ECEC. The center is currently being established. It is partly funded by the Danish union of early childhood and youth educators. It is based on cooperation between a number of Danish universities and this nati...... current new public management policies. However there is also more conflicting issues that emerge in this enterprise – especially on interests, practice relevance and knowledge paradigms....

Building a Cohesive Body of Design Knowledge: Developments from a Design Science Research Perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cash, Philip; Piirainen, Kalle A.

2015-01-01

researchers have identified difficulties in building on past works, and combining insights from across the field. This work starts to dissolve some of these issues by drawing on Design Science Research to propose an integrated approach for the development of design research knowledge, coupled with pragmatic......Design is an extremely diverse field where there has been widespread debate on how to build a cohesive body of scientific knowledge. To date, no satisfactory proposition has been adopted across the field – hampering scientific development. Without this basis for bringing research together design...... advice for design researchers. This delivers a number of implications for researchers as well as for the field as a whole....

Strategic research roadmap on ICT-enabled energy efficiency in buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kazi, A.S., Email: sami.kazi@vtt.fi

2012-06-15

The REEB Project (The European strategic research Roadmap to ICT-enabled Energy- Efficiency in Buildings and construction projects) was a Coordination Action project funded under the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme. Its main purpose was to provide a strategic research roadmap on information and communications technology (ICT) support for energy efficiency in the built environment and a collection of implementation actions supporting the realisation of the roadmap. (orig.)

Fifteen Challenges in Establishing a Multidisciplinary Research Program on eHealth Research in a University Setting: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grönqvist, Helena; Olsson, Erik Martin Gustaf; Johansson, Birgitta; Held, Claes; Sjöström, Jonas; Lindahl Norberg, Annika; Hovén, Emma; Sanderman, Robbert; van Achterberg, Theo; von Essen, Louise

2017-05-23

U-CARE is a multidisciplinary eHealth research program that involves the disciplines of caring science, clinical psychology, health economics, information systems, and medical science. It was set up from scratch in a university setting in 2010, funded by a governmental initiative. While establishing the research program, many challenges were faced. Systematic documentation of experiences from establishing new research environments is scarce. The aim of this paper was to describe the challenges of establishing a publicly funded multidisciplinary eHealth research environment. Researchers involved in developing the research program U-CARE identified challenges in the formal documentation and by reflecting on their experience of developing the program. The authors discussed the content and organization of challenges into themes until consensus was reached. The authors identified 15 major challenges, some general to establishing a new research environment and some specific for multidisciplinary eHealth programs. The challenges were organized into 6 themes: Organization, Communication, Implementation, Legislation, Software development, and Multidisciplinarity. Several challenges were faced during the development of the program and several accomplishments were made. By sharing our experience, we hope to help other research groups embarking on a similar journey to be prepared for some of the challenges they are likely to face on their way. ©Helena Grönqvist, Erik Martin Gustaf Olsson, Birgitta Johansson, Claes Held, Jonas Sjöström, Annika Lindahl Norberg, Emma Hovén, Robbert Sanderman, Theo van Achterberg, Louise von Essen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 23.05.2017.

Connecting Hydrologic Research and Management in American Samoa through Collaboration and Capacity Building

Science.gov (United States)

Shuler, C. K.; El-Kadi, A. I.; Dulai, H.; Glenn, C. R.; Mariner, M. K. E.; DeWees, R.; Schmaedick, M.; Gurr, I.; Comeros, M.; Bodell, T.

2017-12-01

In small-island developing communities, effective communication and collaboration with local stakeholders is imperative for successful implementation of hydrologic or other socially pertinent research. American Samoa's isolated location highlights the need for water resource sustainability, and effective scientific research is a key component to addressing critical challenges in water storage and management. Currently, aquifer degradation from salt-water-intrusion or surface-water contaminated groundwater adversely affects much of the islands' municipal water supply, necessitating an almost decade long Boil-Water-Advisory. This presentation will share the approach our research group, based at the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, has taken for successfully implementing a collaboration-focused water research program in American Samoa. Instead of viewing research as a one-sided activity, our program seeks opportunities to build local capacity, develop relationships with key on-island stakeholders, and involve local community through forward-looking projects. This presentation will highlight three applications of collaborative research with water policy and management, water supply and sustainability, and science education stakeholders. Projects include: 1) working with the island's water utility to establish a long-term hydrological monitoring network, motivated by a need for data to parameterize numerical groundwater models, 2) collaboration with the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency to better understand groundwater discharge and watershed scale land-use impacts for management of nearshore coral reef ecosystems, and 3) participation of local community college and high school students as research interns to increase involvement in, and exposure to socially pertinent water focused research. Through these innovative collaborative approaches we have utilized resources more effectively, and focused research efforts on more pertinent

Brand building process of banking services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipović V.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Changes related to competitive surroundings, legislation, and use of technology in banking business created new challenges for the managers in banking sector and emphasized the importance of brand building in the field of financial services. The need for financial institutions to manage its users in a way that provides them satisfaction, two-way communication and trust developing into loyalty was created. Regarding the research methodology, it is important to emphasize that the main discussion related to the purpose of research is to determine, improve, and better comprehend the main problems appearing in the process of brand building of banking services on the Belgrade market from the users standpoint. In order to realize the established purpose of the research, answers to the following research questions shall be provided: 1 Which problems in communication with the users are important for bank brand building?, 2 In what way do users see the image and personality of a bank? 3 In which way does brand of the origin of a bank influence the choice of users for the banking services? And 4 In which way the strategy of communication in the process of brand building of banking services can be improved? The quantitative approach to the research has been used. This study is based on the research procedure of surveys and data collection through a questionnaire, as an instrument in the research which was given to the adult citizens on the territory of the city of Belgrade. Statistic treatment of the data was conducted by using the SPSS software. The results are presented by using the combined techniques: in written form, in tables and graphs. So, the basic conclusions would be such as: after the marketing research on how banks carry on the processes of brand building was conducted, certain conclusions could be drawn from it: It is very important for a client to be involved in the process of brand building. By taking into consideration the criteria based on

Technical - Economic Research for Passive Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Miniotaite, Ruta

2017-10-01

A newly constructed passive house must save 80 % of heat resources; otherwise it is not a passive house. The heating energy demand of a passive building is less than 15 kWh/m2 per year. However, a passive house is something more than just an energy-saving house. This concept involves sustainable, high-quality, valuable, healthy and durable construction. Features of a passive house: high insulation of envelope components, high-quality windows, good tightness of the building, regenerative ventilation system and elimination of thermal bridges. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 61 requires all new public buildings to become near-zero energy buildings by 2019 and will be extended to all new buildings by 2021. This concept involves sustainable, high-quality, valuable, healthy and durable construction. Foundation, walls and roofs are the most essential elements of a house. The type of foundation for a private house is selected considering many factors. The article examines technological and structural solutions for passive buildings foundation, walls and roofs. The technical-economic comparison of the main structures of a passive house revealed that it is cheaper to install an adequately designed concrete slab foundation than to build strip or pile foundation and the floor separately. Timber stud walls are the cheapest wall option for a passive house and 45-51% cheaper compared to other options. The comparison of roofs and ceilings showed that insulation of the ceiling is 25% more efficient than insulation of the roof. The comparison of the main envelope elements efficiency by multiple-criteria evaluation methods showed that it is economically feasible to install concrete slab on ground foundation, stud walls with sheet cladding and a pitched roof with insulated ceiling.

Building research and evaluation capacity in population health: the NSW Health approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Barry; Stickney, Beth; Milat, Andrew; Campbell, Danielle; Thackway, Sarah

2016-02-01

Issue addressed An organisational culture that values and uses research and evaluation (R&E) evidence to inform policy and practice is fundamental to improving health outcomes. The 2016 NSW Government Program Evaluation Guidelines recommend investment in training and development to improve evaluation capacity. The purpose of this paper is to outline the approaches taken by the NSW Ministry of Health to develop R&E capacity and assess these against existing models of practice. Method The Ministry of Health's Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence (CEE) takes an evidence-based approach to building R&E capacity in population health. Strategies are informed by: the NSW Population Health Research Strategy, R&E communities of practice across the Ministry and health Pillar agencies and a review of the published evidence on evaluation capacity building (ECB). An internal survey is conducted biennially to monitor research activity within the Ministry's Population and Public Health Division. One representative from each of the six centres that make up the Division coordinates completion of the survey by relevant staff members for their centre. Results The review identified several ECB success factors including: implementing a tailored multifaceted approach; an organisational commitment to R&E; and offering experiential training and ongoing technical support to the workforce. The survey of research activity found that the Division funded a mix of research assets, research funding schemes, research centres and commissioned R&E projects. CEE provides technical advice and support services for staff involved in R&E and in 2015, 22 program evaluations were supported. R&E capacity building also includes a series of guides to assist policy makers, practitioners and researchers to commission, undertake and use policy-relevant R&E. Staff training includes workshops on critical appraisal, program logic and evaluation methods. From January 2013 to June 2014 divisional staff published 84

Research capacity building in midwifery: Case study of an Australian Graduate Midwifery Research Intern Programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauck, Yvonne L; Lewis, Lucy; Bayes, Sara; Keyes, Louise

2015-09-01

Having the research capacity to identify problems, create new knowledge and most importantly translate this knowledge into practice is essential within health care. Midwifery, as well as other health professions in Australia, is challenged in building its research capacity to contribute evidence to inform clinical practice. The aim of this project was to evaluate an innovative Graduate Midwifery Research Intern Programme offered at a tertiary obstetric hospital in Western Australia, to determine what was working well and how the programme could be improved. A case study approach was used to gain feedback from graduate midwives within a Graduate Research Intern (GRI) Programme. In addition outcomes were compiled of all projects the GRI midwives contributed to. Six GRI midwives participated in a survey comprising of four open ended questions to provide feedback about the programme. Findings confirm that the GRI programme increased the graduates understanding of how research works, its capacity to define a problem, generate new knowledge and inform clinical practice. The GRI midwives' feedback suggested the programme opened their thinking to future study and gave them enhanced insight into women's experiences around childbirth. To grow our knowledge as a professional group, midwives must develop and promote programmes to build our pool of research capable midwives. By sharing our programme evaluation we hope to entice other clinical settings to consider the value in replicating such a programme within their context. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz Andrade, Antonio

2009-01-01

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The…

A Testbed Environment for Buildings-to-Grid Cyber Resilience Research and Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sridhar, Siddharth; Ashok, Aditya; Mylrea, Michael E.; Pal, Seemita; Rice, Mark J.; Gourisetti, Sri Nikhil Gup

2017-09-19

The Smart Grid is characterized by the proliferation of advanced digital controllers at all levels of its operational hierarchy from generation to end consumption. Such controllers within modern residential and commercial buildings enable grid operators to exercise fine-grained control over energy consumption through several emerging Buildings-to-Grid (B2G) applications. Though this capability promises significant benefits in terms of operational economics and improved reliability, cybersecurity weaknesses in the supporting infrastructure could be exploited to cause a detrimental effect and this necessitates focused research efforts on two fronts. First, the understanding of how cyber attacks in the B2G space could impact grid reliability and to what extent. Second, the development and validation of cyber-physical application-specific countermeasures that are complementary to traditional infrastructure cybersecurity mechanisms for enhanced cyber attack detection and mitigation. The PNNL B2G testbed is currently being developed to address these core research needs. Specifically, the B2G testbed combines high-fidelity buildings+grid simulators, industry-grade building automation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems in an integrated, realistic, and reconfigurable environment capable of supporting attack-impact-detection-mitigation experimentation. In this paper, we articulate the need for research testbeds to model various B2G applications broadly by looking at the end-to-end operational hierarchy of the Smart Grid. Finally, the paper not only describes the architecture of the B2G testbed in detail, but also addresses the broad spectrum of B2G resilience research it is capable of supporting based on the smart grid operational hierarchy identified earlier.

To Crowdfund Research, Scientists Must Build an Audience for Their Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Byrnes, Jarrett E K; Ranganathan, Jai; Walker, Barbara L E; Faulkes, Zen

2014-01-01

As rates of traditional sources of scientific funding decline, scientists have become increasingly interested in crowdfunding as a means of bringing in new money for research. In fields where crowdfunding has become a major venue for fundraising such as the arts and technology, building an audience for one's work is key for successful crowdfunding. For science, to what extent does audience building, via engagement and outreach, increase a scientist's abilities to bring in money via crowdfunding? Here we report on an analysis of the #SciFund Challenge, a crowdfunding experiment in which 159 scientists attempted to crowdfund their research. Using data gathered from a survey of participants, internet metrics, and logs of project donations, we find that public engagement is the key to crowdfunding success. Building an audience or "fanbase" and actively engaging with that audience as well as seeking to broaden the reach of one's audience indirectly increases levels of funding. Audience size and effort interact to bring in more people to view a scientist's project proposal, leading to funding. We discuss how projects capable of raising levels of funds commensurate with traditional funding agencies will need to incorporate direct involvement of the public with science. We suggest that if scientists and research institutions wish to tap this new source of funds, they will need to encourage and reward activities that allow scientists to engage with the public.

Researching for sustained translation from site cluster permeability into building courtyard and interior atrium

Science.gov (United States)

Teddy Badai Samodra, FX; Defiana, Ima; Setyawan, Wahyu

2018-03-01

Many previous types of research have discussed the permeability of site cluster. Because of interaction and interconnected attribute, it will be better that there is its translation into lower context such as building and interior scale. In this paper, the sustainability design performance of both similar designs of courtyard and atrium are investigated continuing the recommendation of site space permeability. By researching related literature review and study through Ecotect Analysis and Ansys Fluent simulations, the pattern transformation and optimum courtyard and atrium design could comply the requirement. The results highlighted that the air movement from the site could be translated at the minimum of 50% higher to the building and indoor environment. Thus, it has potency for energy efficiency when grid, loop, and cul-de-sac site clusters, with 25% of ground coverage, have connectivity with building courtyard compared to the atrium. Energy saving is higher when using low thermal transmittance of transparent material and its lower area percentages for the courtyard walls. In general, it was more energy efficient option as part of a low rise building, while the courtyard building performed better with increasing irregular building height more than 90% of the difference.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Building Refurbishment Project Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishak Nurfadzillah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Presently, the refurbishment approach becomes favourable as it creates opportunities to incorporate sustainable value with other building improvement. In this regard, this approach needs to be implemented due to the issues on overwhelming ratio of existing building to new construction, which also can contribute to the environmental problem. Refurbishment principles imply to minimize the environmental impact and upgrading the performance of an existing building to meet new requirements. In theoretically, building project’s performance has a direct bearing on related to its potential for project success. However, in refurbishment building projects, the criteria for measure are become wider because the projects are a complex and multi-dimensional which encompassing many factors which reflect to the nature of works. Therefore, this impetus could be achieve by examine the direct empirical relationship between critical success factors (CSFs and complexity factors (CFs during managing the project in relation to delivering success on project performance. The research findings will be expected as the basis of future research in establish appropriate framework that provides information on managing refurbishment building projects and enhancing the project management competency for a better-built environment.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Building Refurbishment Project Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Ishak, Nurfadzillah; Aswad Ibrahim, Fazdliel; Azizi Azizan, Muhammad

2018-03-01

Presently, the refurbishment approach becomes favourable as it creates opportunities to incorporate sustainable value with other building improvement. In this regard, this approach needs to be implemented due to the issues on overwhelming ratio of existing building to new construction, which also can contribute to the environmental problem. Refurbishment principles imply to minimize the environmental impact and upgrading the performance of an existing building to meet new requirements. In theoretically, building project's performance has a direct bearing on related to its potential for project success. However, in refurbishment building projects, the criteria for measure are become wider because the projects are a complex and multi-dimensional which encompassing many factors which reflect to the nature of works. Therefore, this impetus could be achieve by examine the direct empirical relationship between critical success factors (CSFs) and complexity factors (CFs) during managing the project in relation to delivering success on project performance. The research findings will be expected as the basis of future research in establish appropriate framework that provides information on managing refurbishment building projects and enhancing the project management competency for a better-built environment.

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment. From April 1, 1995 to March 31, 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimada, Michiya; Asakura, Nobuyuki; Moriyama, Shinichi; Yamanishi, Toshihiko; Seki, Masahiro; Takahashi, Ichiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment; eds.

1996-11-01

This report provides an overview of research and development activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, JAERI, during the period from April 1, 1995 to March 31, 1996. The activities in Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high-temperature plasma research in JT-60U and JFT-2M, and progress in ITER-EDA, including technology development. (author)

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment from April 1, 1997 to March 31, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-11-01

This report provides an overview of research and development activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, JAERI, during the period from April 1, 1997 to March 31, 1998. The activities in Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high temperature plasma research in JT-60 and JFT-2M, and progress in ITER-EDA, including technology development. (J.P.N.)

Summary of Prioritized Research Opportunities. Building America Planning Meeting, November 2-4, 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2011-02-01

This report outlines the results of brainstorming sessions conducted at the Building America Fall 2010 planning meeting, in which research teams and national laboratories identified key research priorities to incorporate into multi-year planning, team research agendas, expert meetings, and technical standing committees.

How to create innovation by building the translation bridge from basic research into medicinal drugs: an industrial perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Germann, Paul G; Schuhmacher, Alexander; Harrison, Juan; Law, Ronald; Haug, Kevin; Wong, Gordon

2013-03-05

The global healthcare industry is undergoing substantial changes and adaptations to the constant decline of approved new medical entities. This decrease in internal research productivity is resulting in a major decline of patent-protected sales (patent cliff) of most of the pharmaceutical companies. Three major global adaptive trends as driving forces to cope with these challenges are evident: cut backs of internal research and development jobs in the western hemisphere (Europe and USA), following the market growth potential of Asia by building up internal or external research and development capabilities there and finally, 'early innovation hunting' with an increased focus on identifying and investing in very early innovation sources within academia and small start-up companies. Early innovation hunting can be done by different approaches: increased corporate funding, establishment of translational institutions to bridge innovation, increasing sponsored collaborations and formation of technology hunting groups for capturing very early scientific ideas and concepts. This emerging trend towards early innovation hunting demands special adaptations from both the pharmaceutical industry and basic researchers in academia to bridge the translation into new medicines which deliver innovative medicines that matters to the patient. This opinion article describes the different modalities of cross-fertilisation between basic university or publicly funded institutional research and the applied research and development activities within the pharmaceutical industry. Two key factors in this important translational bridge can be identified: preparation of both partnering organisations to open up for new and sometime disruptive ideas and creation of truly trust-based relationships between the different groups allowing long-term scientific collaborations while acknowledging that value-creating differences are an essential factor for successful collaboration building.

Lessons learned from community-based participatory research: establishing a partnership to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ageing in place.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Leslie A; King, Diane K; Retrum, Jessica H; Helander, Kenneth; Wilkins, Shari; Boggs, Jennifer M; Portz, Jennifer Dickman; Nearing, Kathryn; Gozansky, Wendolyn S

2017-06-01

Due to a history of oppression and lack of culturally competent services, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors experience barriers to accessing social services. Tailoring an evidence-based ageing in place intervention to address the unique needs of LGBT seniors may decrease the isolation often faced by this population. To describe practices used in the formation of a community-based participatory research (CBPR), partnership involving social workers, health services providers, researchers and community members who engaged to establish a LGBT ageing in place model called Seniors Using Supports To Age In Neighborhoods (SUSTAIN). A case study approach was employed to describe the partnership development process by reflecting on past meeting minutes, progress reports and interviews with SUSTAIN's partners. Key partnering practices utilized by SUSTAIN included (i) development of a shared commitment and vision; (ii) identifying partners with intersecting spheres of influence in multiple communities of identity (ageing services, LGBT, health research); (iii) attending to power dynamics (e.g. equitable sharing of funds); and (iv) building community capacity through reciprocal learning. Although the partnership dissolved after 4 years, it served as a successful catalyst to establish community programming to support ageing in place for LGBT seniors. Multi-sector stakeholder involvement with capacity to connect communities and use frameworks that formalize equity was key to establishing a high-trust CBPR partnership. However, lack of focus on external forces impacting each partner (e.g. individual organizational strategic planning, community funding agency perspectives) ultimately led to dissolution of the SUSTAIN partnership even though implementation of community programming was realized. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Research Network of Tehran Defined Population: Methodology and Establishment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali-Asghar Kolahi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: We need a defined population for determining prevalence and incidence of diseases, as well as conducting interventional, cohort and longitudinal studies, calculating correct and timely public health indicators, assessing actual health needs of community, performing educational programs and interventions to promote healthy lifestyle, and enhancing quality of primary health services.The objective of this project was to determine a defined population which is representative of Tehran, the Capital of Iran. This article reports the methodology and establishment of the research network of Tehran defined population.Methods: This project started by selecting two urban health centers from each of the five district health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Inside each selected urban health center, one defined population research station was established. Two new centers have been added during 2013 and 2014. For the time being, the number of the covered population of the network has reached 40000 individuals. The most important criterion for the defined population has been to be representative of the population of Tehran. For this, we selected two urban health centers from 12 of 22 municipality districts and from each of the five different socioeconomic of Greater Tehran. Merely 80000 individuals in neighborhoods of each defined population research station were considered as control group of the project.Findings: Totally we selected 12 defined population research stations and their under-covered population developed a defined population which is representative of Tehran population.Conclusion: a population lab is ready now in metropolitan of Tehran.

Methodology to build medical ontology from textual resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Baneyx, Audrey; Charlet, Jean; Jaulent, Marie-Christine

2006-01-01

In the medical field, it is now established that the maintenance of unambiguous thesauri goes through ontologies. Our research task is to help pneumologists code acts and diagnoses with a software that represents medical knowledge through a domain ontology. In this paper, we describe our general methodology aimed at knowledge engineers in order to build various types of medical ontologies based on terminology extraction from texts. The hypothesis is to apply natural language processing tools to textual patient discharge summaries to develop the resources needed to build an ontology in pneumology. Results indicate that the joint use of distributional analysis and lexico-syntactic patterns performed satisfactorily for building such ontologies.

Research-Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura M. Desimone

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Recent attention on partnerships between researchers and practitioners highlights the potential of these relationships to provide high-quality usable knowledge for improving schools. But how do we translate guiding partnership principles into specific actionable steps? How do we build and maintain an effective partnership? How do we reconcile and integrate multiple partnership frameworks to establish a coherent set of partnership activities? How do we evaluate partnership progress and outcomes? Building on the recent insightful work on partnerships, we offer a framework for planning, building, implementing, and monitoring partnerships, based on the literature and our experiences in a partnership between a university-based school of education at a major research university and the research office of a big-city school district. Using a theory describing attributes that define a policy’s strength, we propose an organizing framework to transform insights about partnerships into concrete activities and mechanisms to help achieve the potential of these partnerships to use research to improve schooling.

Supporting Latino communities' natural helpers: a case study of promotoras in a research capacity building course.

Science.gov (United States)

Otiniano, Angie Denisse; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Toy, Peggy; Wallace, Steven P

2012-08-01

Promotores have unique access to underserved and hard-to-reach Latino communities facing health disparities. Although promotores are involved in community change, they rarely receive training that gives them the skills to be partners in research. We present a case study of promotoras who participated in a research capacity building course focused on assessing community health needs. Data comes from course application surveys, follow-up notes, and narratives from qualitative phone interviews of eight promotoras. Content analysis drawing from grounded theory was conducted to identify and describe emerging themes. Four themes emerged as promotoras discussed their experience learning basic research skills and teaching others: (1) challenges, (2) support, (3) building capacity, and (4) using research. Promotores play an important role in the health of Latino communities and are increasingly asked to participate in research processes; however they have few opportunities for training and professional development in this area. Capacity building opportunities for promotores need to be tailored to their needs and provide them with support. Fostering collaboration between promotores and partnering with local community-based organizations can help facilitate needed research skill-building among promotores.

A Disability and Health Institutional Research Capacity Building and Infrastructure Model Evaluation: A Tribal College-Based Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Corey L.; Manyibe, Edward O.; Sanders, Perry; Aref, Fariborz; Washington, Andre L.; Robertson, Cherjuan Y.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this multimethod study was to evaluate the institutional research capacity building and infrastructure model (IRCBIM), an emerging innovative and integrated approach designed to build, strengthen, and sustain adequate disability and health research capacity (i.e., research infrastructure and investigators' research skills)…

Strengthening maintenance and reconstruction of scientific experiment building and creating a good working environment for scientific research and production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Jianping

2005-01-01

The quality of scientific experiment building directly influences the scientific research work and production. To create a good working environment for scientific research and production, it is necessary to strengthen the maintenance and reconstruction for old scientific experiment building. The paper briefly introduces the site supervisory work of maintaining and reconstructing old scientific experiment building in Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, as well as some measures taken to ensure the project quality, and the reconstructed building. (authors)

Health research capacity building in Georgia: a case-based needs assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Squires, A; Chitashvili, T; Djibuti, M; Ridge, L; Chyun, D

2017-06-01

Research capacity building in the health sciences in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has typically focused on bench-science capacity, but research examining health service delivery and health workforce is equally necessary to determine the best ways to deliver care. The Republic of Georgia, formerly a part of the Soviet Union, has multiple issues within its healthcare system that would benefit from expended research capacity, but the current research environment needs to be explored prior to examining research-focused activities. The purpose of this project was to conduct a needs assessment focused on developing research capacity in the Republic of Georgia with an emphasis on workforce and network development. A case study approach guided by a needs assessment format. We conducted in-country, informal, semi-structured interviews in English with key informants and focus groups with faculty, students, and representatives of local non-governmental organizations. Purposive and snowball sampling approaches were used to recruit participants, with key informant interviews scheduled prior to arrival in country. Documents relevant to research capacity building were also included. Interview results were coded via content analysis. Final results were organized into a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threat) analysis format, with the report shared with participants. There is widespread interest among students and faculty in Georgia around building research capacity. Lack of funding was identified by many informants as a barrier to research. Many critical research skills, such as proposal development, qualitative research skills, and statistical analysis, were reported as very limited. Participants expressed concerns about the ethics of research, with some suggesting that research is undertaken to punish or 'expose' subjects. However, students and faculty are highly motivated to improve their skills, are open to a variety of learning modalities, and have

Reactor core materials research and integrated material database establishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Woo Seog; Jang, J. S.; Kim, D. W.

2002-03-01

Mainly two research areas were covered in this project. One is to establish the integrated database of nuclear materials, and the other is to study the behavior of reactor core materials, which are usually under the most severe condition in the operating plants. During the stage I of the project (for three years since 1999) in- and out of reactor properties of stainless steel, the major structural material for the core structures of PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor), were evaluated and specification of nuclear grade material was established. And the damaged core components from domestic power plants, e.g. orifice of CVCS, support pin of CRGT, etc. were investigated and the causes were revealed. To acquire more resistant materials to the nuclear environments, development of the alternative alloys was also conducted. For the integrated DB establishment, a task force team was set up including director of nuclear materials technology team, and projector leaders and relevant members from each project. The DB is now opened in public through the Internet

To Crowdfund Research, Scientists Must Build an Audience for Their Work.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarrett E K Byrnes

Full Text Available As rates of traditional sources of scientific funding decline, scientists have become increasingly interested in crowdfunding as a means of bringing in new money for research. In fields where crowdfunding has become a major venue for fundraising such as the arts and technology, building an audience for one's work is key for successful crowdfunding. For science, to what extent does audience building, via engagement and outreach, increase a scientist's abilities to bring in money via crowdfunding? Here we report on an analysis of the #SciFund Challenge, a crowdfunding experiment in which 159 scientists attempted to crowdfund their research. Using data gathered from a survey of participants, internet metrics, and logs of project donations, we find that public engagement is the key to crowdfunding success. Building an audience or "fanbase" and actively engaging with that audience as well as seeking to broaden the reach of one's audience indirectly increases levels of funding. Audience size and effort interact to bring in more people to view a scientist's project proposal, leading to funding. We discuss how projects capable of raising levels of funds commensurate with traditional funding agencies will need to incorporate direct involvement of the public with science. We suggest that if scientists and research institutions wish to tap this new source of funds, they will need to encourage and reward activities that allow scientists to engage with the public.

Derived release limits for radionuclides in airborne and liquid effluents for the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment and errata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemire, A.E.

1989-08-01

Radionuclides released to the environment may cause external and internal radiation exposure to man via a number of potential pathways. The resulting radiation dose due to such releases from any operating facility must be kept below dose limits specified in the regulations issued by the Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada. At the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (WNRE), there is one primary source of liquid effluent to the Winnipeg River via the process water outfall. There are five sources of gaseous effluents: the WR-1 stack; the incinerator stack in the waste management area; the active laboratories building (including the hot cells); the Active-Liquid Waste Treatment Centre; and the compactor-baler in the Waste Management Area. This report presents the methodology and models used to calculate the maximum permissible release rates of radionuclides for each of these sources

Building capacity for the conduct of nursing research at a Veterans Administration hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Phelan, Cynthia H; Schumacher, Sandra; Roiland, Rachel; Royer, Heather; Roberts, Tonya

2015-05-01

Evidence is the bedrock of nursing practice, and nursing research is the key source for this evidence. In this article, we draw distinctions between the use and the conduct of nursing research and provide a perspective for how the conduct of nursing research in a Veterans Administration hospital can build an organization's capacity for nursing research.

"Initiate-build-operate-transfer" - a strategy for establishing sustainable telemedicine programs not only in the developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Latifi, Rifat

2011-01-01

Establishing sustainable telemedicine has become a goal of many developing countries around the world. Yet, despite initiatives from a select few individuals and on occasion from various governments, often these initiatives never mature to become sustainable programs. The introduction of telemedicine and e-learning in the Balkans has been a pivotal step in advancing the quality and availability of medical services in a region whose infrastructure and resources have been decimated by wars, neglect, lack of funding, and poor management. The concept and establishment of the International Virtual e-Hospital (IVeH) has significantly impacted telemedicine and e-health services in Kosova. The success of the IVeH in Kosova has led to the development of similar programs in other Balkan countries and other developing countries in the hope of modernizing and improving their healthcare infrastructure. A comprehensive, four-pronged strategy developed by IVeH "Initiate-Build-Operate-Transfer" (IBOT), may be a useful approach in establishing telemedicine and e-health educational services not only in developing countries, but in developed countries. The development strategy, IBOT, used by the IVeH to establish and develop telemedicine programs is described. IBOT includes assessment of healthcare needs of each country, the development of a curriculum and education program, the establishment of a nationwide telemedicine network, and the integration of the telemedicine program into the very core of healthcare infrastructure. The end point is the transfer of a sustainable telehealth program to the nation involved. By applying IBOT, a sustainable telemedicine program of Kosova and Albania has been established as an effective prototype for telemedicine in the Balkans. Once fully matured, the program is transitioned to the Ministry of Health, which ensures the sustainability and ownership of the program. Similar programs are being established in Macedonia, Montenegro and other countries

Establishing bioinformatics research in the Asia Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tammi Martti

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract In 1998, the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet, Asia's oldest bioinformatics organisation was set up to champion the advancement of bioinformatics in the Asia Pacific. By 2002, APBioNet was able to gain sufficient critical mass to initiate the first International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB bringing together scientists working in the field of bioinformatics in the region. This year, the InCoB2006 Conference was organized as the 5th annual conference of the Asia-Pacific Bioinformatics Network, on Dec. 18–20, 2006 in New Delhi, India, following a series of successful events in Bangkok (Thailand, Penang (Malaysia, Auckland (New Zealand and Busan (South Korea. This Introduction provides a brief overview of the peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication in this Supplement. It exemplifies a typical snapshot of the growing research excellence in bioinformatics of the region as we embark on a trajectory of establishing a solid bioinformatics research culture in the Asia Pacific that is able to contribute fully to the global bioinformatics community.

Knowledge translation research in population health: establishing a collaborative research agenda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurendeau Marie-Claire

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the increasing mobilization of researchers and funding organizations around knowledge translation (KT in Canada and elsewhere, many questions have been only partially answered, particularly in the field of population health. This article presents the results of a systematic process to draw out possible avenues of collaboration for researchers, practitioners and decision-makers who work in the area of KT. The main objective was to establish a research agenda on knowledge translation in population health. Methods Using the Concept Mapping approach, the research team wanted to identify priority themes for the development of research on KT in population health. Mapping is based on multivariate statistical analyses (multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis in which statements produced during a brainstorming session are grouped in weighted clusters. The final maps are a visual representation of the priority themes of research on KT. Especially designed for facilitating consensus in the understanding and organization of various concepts, the Concept Mapping method proved suitable for achieving this objective. Results The maps were produced by 19 participants from university settings, and from institutions within the health and social services network. Three main perspectives emerge from this operation: (1 The evaluation of the effectiveness of KT efforts is one of the main research priorities; (2 The importance of taking into consideration user contexts in any KT effort; (3 The challenges related to sharing power for decision-making and action-taking among various stakeholder groups. These perspectives open up avenues of collaboration for stakeholders who are involved in research on KT. Besides these three main perspectives, the concept maps reveal three other trends which should be emphasized. Conclusion The Concept Mapping process reported in this article aimed to provoke collective reflection on the

Development of a marketing strategy for the Coal Research Establishment`s emissions monitoring database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beer, A.D.; Hughes, I.S.C. [British Coal Corporation, Stoke Orchard (United Kingdom). Coal Research Establishment

1995-06-01

A summary is presented of the results of work conducted by the UK`s Coal Research Establishment (CRE) between April 1994 and December 1994 following the completion of a project on the utilisation and publication of an emissions monitoring database. The database contains emissions data for most UK combustion plant, gathered over the past 10 years. The aim of this further work was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of CRE`s database, to investigate potential additional sources of data, and to develop a strategy for marketing the information contained within the database to interested parties. 3 figs.

Indoor air quality – buildings design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juhásová Šenitková Ingrid

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Growing attention is being paid to indoor air quality as one of the main health and well-being factors. The indoor research is concerned mostly to indoor air chemicals within indoor engineering related to building design. The providing good indoor air quality can be achieved effectively by avoiding or reducing indoor air pollution sources and by selecting low-polluting building materials, both being low-cost and energyefficient solutions. On the base of the last large experimental monitoring results, it was possible to know the level of selected indoor chemicals occurrence, rank them as well as to predict the tendencies of occurrence and establish the priorities for the future. There has been very limited attention to rigorous analysis of buildings actual environmental impacts to date. Healthy/green/sustainable building practices are typically applied in unsystematic and inconsistent ways often without resolution of inherent conflicts between and among such practices. Designers, products manufacturers, constructors, and owners declare their buildings and the applied technologies to be beneficial to the environment without validating those claims.

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-09-01

This report provides an overview of research and development activities at the Naka Fusion Research Establishment, JAERI, during the period from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999. The activities in the Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high temperature plasma research in JT-60 and JFT-2M as well as DIII-D (US-Japan collaboration), and progress in ITER EDA, including ITER technology R and D. (J.P.N.)

Building breakthrough businesses within established organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Govindarajan, Vijay; Trimble, Chris

2005-05-01

Many companies assume that once they've launched a major innovation, growth will soon follow. It's not that simple. High-potential new businesses within established companies face stiff headwinds well after their inception. That's why a company's emphasis must shift: from ideas to execution and from leadership excellence to organizational excellence. The authors spent five years chronicling new businesses at the New York Times Company, Analog Devices, Corning, Hasbro, and other organizations. They found that a breakthrough new business (referred to as NewCo) rarely coexists gracefully with the established business in the company (called CoreCo). The unnatural combination creates three specific challenges--forgetting, borrowing, and learning--that NewCo must meet in order to survive and grow. NewCo must first forget some of what made CoreCo successful. NewCo and CoreCo have elemental differences, so NewCo must leave behind CoreCo's notions about what skills and competencies are most valuable. NewCo must also borrow some of CoreCo's assets--usually in one or two key areas that will give NewCo a crucial competitive advantage. Incremental cost reductions, for example, are never a sufficient justification for borrowing. Finally, NewCo must be prepared to learn some things from scratch. Because strategic experiments are highly uncertain endeavors, NewCo will face several critical unknowns. The more rapidly it can resolve those unknowns--that is, the faster it can learn--the sooner it will zero in on a winning business model or exit a hopeless situation. Managers can accelerate this learning by planning more simply and more often and by comparing predicted and actual trends.

Self-Monitoring and Knowledge-Building in Learning by Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Roscoe, Rod D.

2014-01-01

Prior research has established that learning by teaching depends upon peer tutors' engagement in knowledge-building, in which tutors integrate their knowledge and generate new knowledge through reasoning. However, many tutors adopt a "knowledge-telling bias" defined by shallow summarizing of source materials and didactic lectures.…

Research on Building Urban Sustainability along the Coastal Area in China

OpenAIRE

Sun Jiaojiao; Fu Jiayan

2015-01-01

At present, in China, the research about the urban sustainability construction is still in the exploratory stage. The ecological problems of the coastal area are more sensitive and complicated. In the background of global warming with serious ecological damage, this paper deeply researches on the main characteristics of urban sustainability and measures how to build urban sustainability. Through combining regional environmental with economic ability along the coastal area...

Research on statistical methodology to investigate energy consumption in public buildings sector in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Shuqin; Li Nianping; Guan Jun

2008-01-01

The purpose of this research is to find a statistical methodology to investigate the national energy consumption in the public buildings sector in China, in order to look into the actuality of the national energy consumption of public buildings and to provide abundant data for building energy efficiency work. The frame of a national statistical system of energy consumption for public buildings is presented in this paper. The statistical index system of energy consumption is constituted, which refers to the general characteristics of public buildings, their possession and utilization of energy consumption equipment and their energy consumption quantities. Sequentially, a set of statistical report forms is designed to investigate the energy consumption of cities, provinces and the country, respectively. On this base, the above statistical methodology is used to gather statistics of a public building for annual energy consumption

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL RATING TOOL FOR BUILDINGS THROUGH A NEW KIND OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS AND RESEARCHERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauritz Glaumann

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Buildings need to be more environmentally benign since the building sector is responsible for about 40% of all of energy and material use in Sweden. For this reason a unique cooperation between companies, municipalities and the Government called “Building- Living and Property Management for the future”, in short “The Building Living Dialogue” has going on since 2003. The project focuses on: a healthy indoor environment, b efficient use of energy, and c efficient resource management. In accordance with the dialogue targets, two research projects were initiated aiming at developing an Environmental rating tool taking into accounts both building sector requirements and expectations and national and international research findings. This paper describes the first phase in the development work where stakeholders and researchers cooperate. It includes results from inventories and based on this experience discusses procedures for developing assessment tools and what the desirable features of a broadly accepted building rating tool could be.

ICT Enhanced Buildings Potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansson, Per

2007-01-01

component systems that are accessed and integrated in the real world of building use in different contexts. The ICT systems may be physically or virtually embedded in the building. Already in 1982 AT&T established the 'intelligent buildings', IB, concept due to marketing reasons and the Informart building...... with focus on virtual building models support, new services and user environment definitions and development, virtual spaces and augmented reality, intelligent building components, application ontologies, and ICT systems integration to illustrate ICT enhanced buildings potentials and R&D needs.  ...

Climate adaptation of buildings through MOM- and upgrading - State of the art and research needs

OpenAIRE

Grynning, Steinar; Wærnes, Elisabeth Gaal; Kvande, Tore; Time, Berit

2017-01-01

This study presents an overview of research initiatives and projects addressing climate adaption in management operation and maintenance (MOM) and upgrade of existing buildings. The aim was to identify knowledge needs and research demand necessary for decision makers to address climate adaptation in their MOM and upgrade plans. Climate adaptation of buildings in the Norwegian climate very much concerns increased moisture robustness and risk reduction of moisture damages. Thus, a strong focus ...

Local health rules and building regulations: a survey on local hygiene and building regulations in Italian municipalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gola, Marco; Signorelli, Carlo; Buffoli, Maddalena; Rebecchi, Andrea; Capolongo, Stefano

2017-01-01

WHO has highlighted the need to strengthen the relationship between health and built environment factors, such as inappropriate housing conditions. Local Health Rules (LHRs) and Building Regulations (BRs) are tools which provide safety and building hygiene in construction practices. Currently the Italian Government is considering to establish a National Building Regulation and, related to the following purpose, this paper presents a survey on the status of adoption and updating of LHRs and BRs in Italian municipalities. The current Italian state of LHRs, BRs and Municipal Development Plans (MDPs) have been examined by a survey considering a sample of about 550 cities, with different demo graphic and geographic features, starting from the previous research work by Signorelli et al. (1999). The analysis underlines a serious shortage of updated LHRs, especially in small and medium-sized municipalities whereas BRs and MDPs are widespread. Only 30% of them are previously approved and validated by Local Health Authorities. Starting from a survey, the present scenario of Building Regulations requires the introduction of further performance guidelines instead of normative ones and, therefore, the current actions to give rise to a National Building Regulation could be integrated by building hygiene contents of LHRs.

Renovation and Expansion of the Caspary Research Building. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grassia, V. L.

2004-02-07

Critical to the Hospital's rebuilding efforts have been its public partners at the federal, state, and local government levels who have made a major financial commitment to renovating the Hospital's research infrastructure. To date, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has been awarded a total of nearly $8.5 million to create and equip new, state-of-the-art laboratories for scientific investigations. The modernization of the Hospital's research facilities was jump-started in 1998 with a $950,000 seed grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to renovate laboratories for immunology research in the Caspary Research Building. Coupled with a matching $5.5 million commitment from HSS, this infusion of NIH funding laid the groundwork for an overhaul of all of the Hospital's research space.

MillionTreesNYC, Green infrastructure, and urban ecology: building a research agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Jacqueline W.T. Lu; Megan Shane; Erika Svendsen; Lindsay Campbell; Cristiana Fragola; Marianne Krasny; Gina Lovasl; David Maddox; Simon McDonnell; P. Timon McPhearson; Franco Montalto; Andrew Newman; Ellen Pehek; Ruth A. Rae; Richard Stedman; Keith G. Tidball; Lynne Westphal; Tom Whitlow

2009-01-01

MillionTreesNYC is a citywide, public-private initiative with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across New York City's five boroughs by 2017. The Spring 2009 workshop MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure, and Urban Ecology: Building a Research Agenda brought together more than 100 researchers, practitioners and New York City...

Research workshop to research work: initial steps in establishing health research systems on Malaita, Solomon Islands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kekuabata Esau

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Atoifi Adventist Hospital is a 90 bed general hospital in East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands providing services to the population of subsistence villagers of the region. Health professionals at the hospital and attached College of Nursing have considerable human capacity and willingness to undertake health research. However they are constrained by limited research experience, training opportunities, research systems, physical infrastructure and access to resources. This brief commentary describes an 'Introduction to Health Research' workshop delivered at Atoifi Adventist Hospital in September 2009 and efforts to move from 'research workshop' to 'research work'. The Approach Using a participatory-action research approach underpinned by decolonising methodologies, staff from Atoifi Adventist Hospital and James Cook University (Queensland, Australia collaboratively designed, implemented and evaluated a health research workshop. Basic health research principles and methods were presented using active learning methodologies. Following the workshop, Atoifi Adventist Hospital and Atoifi College of Nursing staff, other professionals and community members reported an increased awareness and understanding of health research. The formation of a local Research Committee, improved ethics review procedures and the identification of local research mentors followed the week long workshop. The workshop has acted as a catalyst for research activity, increasing structural and human resource capacity for local health professionals and community leaders to engage in research. Discussion and Conclusions Participants from a variety of educational backgrounds participated in, and received benefit from, a responsive, culturally and linguistically accessible health research workshop. Improving health research systems at a remote hospital and aligning these with local and national research agendas is establishing a base to strengthen public health

Radon concentration variations between and within buildings of a research institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antignani, S.; Bochicchio, F.; Ampollini, M.; Venoso, G.; Bruni, B.; Innamorati, S.; Malaguti, L.; Stefano, A.

2009-01-01

Radon concentration in indoor air has been measured in many countries in a large number of buildings - mainly in houses but also in apartments and workplaces - mostly as a result of the application of radon policies and regulation requirements. However, few systematic analyses are available on radon concentration variations within buildings and between close buildings, especially as regards workplaces; such variations can have a significant impact on indoor radon exposure evaluation, and ultimately on the assessment of the dose from radon received by workers. Therefore, a project was started in 2006 aimed to study the spatial variation of radon concentration among and within about 40 buildings of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita (ISS), a research institute of public health located in Rome over a small area of less than 1 km 2 . Nuclear track detectors (CR-39) were used to measure radon concentration for two consecutive six-month periods, in more than 700 rooms of the surveyed buildings. The paper describes the project in detail and preliminary results regarding 558 rooms in 29 buildings. Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated as a measure of relative variation of radon concentration between buildings, between floors, and between rooms on the same floor. The CV between buildings resulted quite high (88%), a lower CV (42%) was found for variation between floors, whereas room-to-room CV on the same floor ranged from 25% at first floor level to 48% at basement level. Floor mean ratios, with ground floor as the reference level, were calculated for each building in order to study the correlation between radon concentration and floor levels. Although no clear trend was observed, the average basement/ground floor ratio of radon concentrations resulted about 2.0, whereas the average sixth floor/ground floor ratio of radon concentrations was 0.5. Some discussion on the potential impact of the results of this study on policies and radon regulations are also included in

Solar energy in buildings solved by building information modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Chudikova, B.; Faltejsek, M.

2018-03-01

Building lead us to use renewable energy sources for all types of buildings. The use of solar energy is the alternatives that can be applied in a good ratio of space, price, and resultant benefits. Building Information Modelling is a modern and effective way of dealing with buildings with regard to all aspects of the life cycle. The basis is careful planning and simulation in the pre-investment phase, where it is possible to determine the effective result and influence the lifetime of the building and the cost of its operation. By simulating, analysing and insert a building model into its future environment where climate conditions and surrounding buildings play a role, it is possible to predict the usability of the solar energy and establish an ideal model. Solar systems also very affect the internal layout of buildings. Pre-investment phase analysis, with a view to future aspects, will ensure that the resulting building will be both low-energy and environmentally friendly.

Windows and Building Envelope Research and Development: A Roadmap for Emerging Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2014-02-01

This Building Technologies Office (BTO) Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap identifies priority windows and building envelope R&D areas of interest. Cost and performance targets are identified for each key R&D area. The roadmap describes the technical and market challenges to be overcome, R&D activities and milestones, key stakeholders, and potential energy savings that could result if cost and performance targets are met. Methods for improving technology performance and specific strategies for reducing installed costs and mitigating any other market barriers, which would increase the likelihood of mass-market technology adoption, are identified. This roadmap is a useful resource for public and private decision makers evaluating and pursuing high-impact R&D focused on advancing next-generation energy efficient windows and building envelope technologies.

Four centuries on from Bacon: progress in building health research systems to improve health systems?

Science.gov (United States)

Hanney, Stephen R; González-Block, Miguel A

2014-09-23

In 1627, Francis Bacon's New Atlantis described a utopian society in which an embryonic research system contributed to meeting the needs of the society. In this editorial, we use some of the aspirations described in New Atlantis to provide a context within which to consider recent progress in building health research systems to improve health systems and population health. In particular, we reflect on efforts to build research capacity, link research to policy, identify the wider impacts made by the science, and generally build fully functioning research systems to address the needs identified. In 2014, Health Research Policy and Systems has continued to publish one-off papers and article collections covering a range of these issues in both high income countries and low- and middle-income countries. Analysis of these contributions, in the context of some earlier ones, is brought together to identify achievements, challenges and possible ways forward. We show how 2014 is likely to be a pivotal year in the development of ways to assess the impact of health research on policies, practice, health systems, population health, and economic benefits.We demonstrate how the increasing focus on health research systems will contribute to realising the hopes expressed in the World Health Report, 2013, namely that all nations would take a systematic approach to evaluating the outputs and applications resulting from their research investment.

Indicators of sustainable capacity building for health research: analysis of four African case studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, Imelda; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Squire, S Bertel; Ansong, Daniel; Nhlema-Simwaka, Bertha; Baba, Amuda; Theobald, Sally

2011-03-28

Despite substantial investment in health capacity building in developing countries, evaluations of capacity building effectiveness are scarce. By analysing projects in Africa that had successfully built sustainable capacity, we aimed to identify evidence that could indicate that capacity building was likely to be sustainable. Four projects were selected as case studies using pre-determined criteria, including the achievement of sustainable capacity. By mapping the capacity building activities in each case study onto a framework previously used for evaluating health research capacity in Ghana, we were able to identify activities that were common to all projects. We used these activities to derive indicators which could be used in other projects to monitor progress towards building sustainable research capacity. Indicators of sustainable capacity building increased in complexity as projects matured and included- early engagement of stakeholders; explicit plans for scale up; strategies for influencing policies; quality assessments (awareness and experiential stages)- improved resources; institutionalisation of activities; innovation (expansion stage)- funding for core activities secured; management and decision-making led by southern partners (consolidation stage).Projects became sustainable after a median of 66 months. The main challenges to achieving sustainability were high turnover of staff and stakeholders, and difficulties in embedding new activities into existing systems, securing funding and influencing policy development. Our indicators of sustainable capacity building need to be tested prospectively in a variety of projects to assess their usefulness. For each project the evidence required to show that indicators have been achieved should evolve with the project and they should be determined prospectively in collaboration with stakeholders.

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 2003. April 1, 2003 - March 31, 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagashima, Akira; Mizuki, Jun'ichiro; Aoki, Katsutoshi; Yamakawa, Koichi; Nagashima, Keisuke; Daido, Hiroyuki; Koike, Masato; Shimizu, Yuichi; Yamagiwa, Mitsuru; Minehara, Eisuke; Harami, Taikan; Baba, Yuji; Murakami, Yoichi; Muramatsu, Koji; Akai, Hisazumi

2005-02-01

This report is the fifth issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status reports of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004. (author)

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 2000. April 1, 2000 - March 31, 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harami, Taikan; Hamaya, Nozomu; Mizuki, Jun-ichiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Kizu, Kyoto (Japan). Kansai Research Establishment; and others

2002-02-01

This report is the second issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status reports of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001. (author)

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 2001. April 1, 2001 - March 31, 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tajima, Toshiki; Harami, Taikan; Kawanishi, Shun-ichi (eds.) [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Kansai Research Establishment, Kizu, Kyoto (JP)] [and others

2003-02-01

This report is the third issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status reports of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002. (author)

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 2002. April 1, 2002 - March 31, 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harami, Taikan; Mizuki, Jun-ichiro; Aoki, Katsutoshi

2004-02-01

This report is the fourth issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status reports of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003. (author)

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 1999. October 1, 1995 - March 31, 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arisawa, Takashi; Shimomura, Osamu; Nagashima, Akira

2001-03-01

This report is the first issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status reports of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and the Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from October 1, 1995 to March 31, 2000. (author)

KLIMA 2050: a research-based innovation centre for risk reduction through climate adaptation of infrastructure and buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Solheim, Anders; Time, Berit; Kvande, Tore; Sivertsen, Edvard; Cepeda, Jose; Lappegard Hauge, Åshild; Bygballe, Lena; Almås, Anders-Johan

2016-04-01

Klima 2050 - Risk reduction through climate adaptation of buildings and infrastructure is a Centre for Research based Innovation (SFI), funded jointly by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and the partners of the centre. The aim of Klima 2050 is to reduce the societal risks associated with climate changes, including enhanced precipitation and flood water exposure within the built environment. The Centre will strengthen companies' innovation capacity through a focus on long-term research. It is also a clear objective to facilitate close cooperation between Research & Development, performing companies, public entities, and prominent research groups. Emphasis will be placed on development of moisture-resilient buildings, storm-water management, blue-green solutions, mitigation measures for water-triggered landslides, socio-economic incentives and decision-making processes. Both extreme weather and gradual climatic changes will be addressed. The Centre consists of a consortium of 18 partners from three sectors: industry, public entities and research/education organizations. The partners from the industry/private sector include a variety of companies from the building industry. The public entities comprise the most important infrastructure owners in Norway (public roads, railroads, buildings, airports), as well as the directorate for water and energy. The research and education partners are SINTEF Building and Infrastructure, the Norwegian Business School, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. This contribution presents the main research plans and activities of this Centre, which was started in 2015 and will run for 8 years, until 2023. The presentation also includes options for international cooperation in the Centre via PhD and postdoctoral positions, MSc projects and guest-researcher stays with Klima 2050 partners.

Introducing the LEMC: How to build an Early Music Research Infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Berchum, Marnix; Fields, Ben; Page, Kevin

2014-01-01

This paper outlines a Research Infrastructure for the study of Early Music. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of CERN serves as example for the building blocks needed. The paper discusses the elements of the proposed Large Early Music Collider (LEMC), including the requirements of encoded music, the

Building the green way.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, Charles

2006-06-01

Just five or six years ago, the term "green building" evoked visions of barefoot, tie-dyed, granola-munching denizens. There's been a large shift in perception. Of course, green buildings are still known for conserving natural resources by, for example, minimizing on-site grading, using alternative materials, and recycling construction waste. But people now see the financial advantages as well. Well-designed green buildings yield lower utility costs, greater employee productivity, less absenteeism, and stronger attraction and retention of workers than standard buildings do. Green materials, mechanical systems, and furnishings have become more widely available and considerably less expensive than they used to be-often cheaper than their standard counterparts. So building green is no longer a pricey experiment; just about any company can do it on a standard budget by following the ten rules outlined by the author. Reliable building-rating systems like the U.S. Green Building Council's rigorous Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program have done much to underscore the benefits of green construction. LEED evaluates buildings and awards points in several areas, such as water efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Other rating programs include the UK's BREEAM (Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method) and Australia's Green Star. Green construction is not simply getting more respect; it is rapidly becoming a necessity as corporations push it fully into the mainstream over the next five to ten years. In fact, the author says, the owners of standard buildings face massive obsolescence. To avoid this problem, they should carry out green renovations. Corporations no longer have an excuse for eschewing environmental and economic sustainability. They have at their disposal tools proven to lower overhead costs, improve productivity, and strengthen the bottom line.

Trust-Building in Electronic Markets: Relative Importance and Interaction Effects of Trust-Building Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Tams, Stefan

We examine the relative and complementary effectiveness of trust-building strategies in online environments. While prior research has examined various antecedents to trust, we investigated two trust-building mechanisms more in depth: Web site trust and vendor reputation. We tried to understand the relative effectiveness of these two important mechanisms to provide online businesses with a clear recommendation of how to establish trust in an effective and efficient manner. Drawing from the literature on trust, we proposed vendor reputation to be more effective than Web site trust. Moreover, we examined a potential complementary effect of these mechanisms so as to provide online businesses with a deeper understanding of how to derive superior trust. We hypothesize a small such effect. The study proposes a laboratory experiment to test the model.

Report on Greece. Establishment of an atomic centre

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-07-15

An IAEA mission was informed of the present and planned activities of the Greek AEC at the Democritus Nuclear Centre and outside this Centre, in particular at the Alexandra Hospital in Athens. Created in 1954, the Greek AEC deals with all atomic energy matters in the country, including research, education, safety, isotope applications and prospecting. The main project of the Commission is the establishment of the Democritus Nuclear Centre, which will have a research reactor and a number of supplementary laboratories. Following an agreement with the US Government, a site has been chosen for the Centre on the outskirts of Athens. The reactor will be of the swimming pool type, with a maximum thermal output of 1 mw. The construction of the reactor building is being carried out under the responsibility of the Greek AEC. The laboratories at the Nuclear Centre will consist of buildings for physics, chemistry, technology, biology, a hot laboratory and a decontamination unit. At the time of the mission's visit, the reactor building and a temporary laboratory were under construction. A certain amount of atomic energy research is also carried out at the Physics Institute of the University of Athens. Since 1956, a radioisotope laboratory has been in operation at the Department of Clinical Therapeutics of Athens University; the laboratory is located at the Alexandra Hospital. The members of the IAEA mission discussed the country's needs of technical assistance with the members of the Greek AEC and with its scientific staff. The AEC wishes to ensure the effective execution of their projects for the setting up of a nuclear research centre and for the development of a sound and balanced research programme, as well as for the establishment of adequate health and safety measures in work with ionizing radiations throughout the country. It is also intended to promote the use of radioisotopes in medicine, which is already being done at the Alexandra Hospital. The Greek AEC requested

Report on Greece. Establishment of an atomic centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1959-01-01

An IAEA mission was informed of the present and planned activities of the Greek AEC at the Democritus Nuclear Centre and outside this Centre, in particular at the Alexandra Hospital in Athens. Created in 1954, the Greek AEC deals with all atomic energy matters in the country, including research, education, safety, isotope applications and prospecting. The main project of the Commission is the establishment of the Democritus Nuclear Centre, which will have a research reactor and a number of supplementary laboratories. Following an agreement with the US Government, a site has been chosen for the Centre on the outskirts of Athens. The reactor will be of the swimming pool type, with a maximum thermal output of 1 mw. The construction of the reactor building is being carried out under the responsibility of the Greek AEC. The laboratories at the Nuclear Centre will consist of buildings for physics, chemistry, technology, biology, a hot laboratory and a decontamination unit. At the time of the mission's visit, the reactor building and a temporary laboratory were under construction. A certain amount of atomic energy research is also carried out at the Physics Institute of the University of Athens. Since 1956, a radioisotope laboratory has been in operation at the Department of Clinical Therapeutics of Athens University; the laboratory is located at the Alexandra Hospital. The members of the IAEA mission discussed the country's needs of technical assistance with the members of the Greek AEC and with its scientific staff. The AEC wishes to ensure the effective execution of their projects for the setting up of a nuclear research centre and for the development of a sound and balanced research programme, as well as for the establishment of adequate health and safety measures in work with ionizing radiations throughout the country. It is also intended to promote the use of radioisotopes in medicine, which is already being done at the Alexandra Hospital. The Greek AEC requested

Bellanca building, Yellowknife : building envelope retrofit project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajewski, G. [A.D. Williams Engineering Inc., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

The Bellanca building is a ten-story, commercial office building, located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The owner was concerned about annual fuel consumption, relative to other buildings of similar size. Tenants reported cold drafts and some ice build-up had been reported in the past, on the exterior of the cladding. In addition, some water penetration had occurred during rainfall. This presentation provided background information on the Bellanca building and discussed a building envelope retrofit project. A.D. Williams was hired in late 2006 in order to provide an opinion on the present condition of the building envelope. This presentation described the site investigation and presented an interior and exterior review of the building. It also presented a thermographic survey in order to map thermal anomalies and establish trends. Following acceptance of the report on findings, one of five options was selected for further development. This included removal of existing cladding, exterior gypsum wallboard, fiberglass insulation and application of BASF Walltite CT foam, sheathing, rigid insulation, drainage plane and new cladding. The preliminary design was then presented. This paper also described the tender and award of the contract; construction phase; and substantial completion of the project. tabs, figs.

Establishing research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine: a multidisciplinary consensus panel.

Science.gov (United States)

Plint, Amy C; Stang, Antonia S; Calder, Lisa A

2015-01-01

Patient safety in the context of emergency medicine is a relatively new field of study. To date, no broad research agenda for patient safety in emergency medicine has been established. The objective of this study was to establish patient safety-related research priorities for emergency medicine. These priorities would provide a foundation for high-quality research, important direction to both researchers and health-care funders, and an essential step in improving health-care safety and patient outcomes in the high-risk emergency department (ED) setting. A four-phase consensus procedure with a multidisciplinary expert panel was organized to identify, assess, and agree on research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine. The 19-member panel consisted of clinicians, administrators, and researchers from adult and pediatric emergency medicine, patient safety, pharmacy, and mental health; as well as representatives from patient safety organizations. In phase 1, we developed an initial list of potential research priorities by electronically surveying a purposeful and convenience sample of patient safety experts, ED clinicians, administrators, and researchers from across North America using contact lists from multiple organizations. We used simple content analysis to remove duplication and categorize the research priorities identified by survey respondents. Our expert panel reached consensus on a final list of research priorities through an in-person meeting (phase 3) and two rounds of a modified Delphi process (phases 2 and 4). After phases 1 and 2, 66 unique research priorities were identified for expert panel review. At the end of phase 4, consensus was reached for 15 research priorities. These priorities represent four themes: (1) methods to identify patient safety issues (five priorities), (2) understanding human and environmental factors related to patient safety (four priorities), (3) the patient perspective (one priority), and (4) interventions for

Training for Innovation: Capacity-Building in Agricultural Research in Post-War Sierra Leone

Science.gov (United States)

Gboku, Matthew L. S.; Bebeley, Jenneh F.

2016-01-01

This paper examines how the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) used training and development to build capacity for innovation in agricultural research following the country's civil war which ended in 2002. The Institute's training for innovation addressed different agricultural product value chains (APVCs) within the framework of…

Establishment of research-oriented hospital: an important way for translational medicine development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MEINA LI

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Globally, one of the major trends is the development of translational medicine. The traditional hospital structure could not meet the demands of translational medicine development any longer and to explore a novel hospital structure is imperative. Following the times, China proposed and implemented a development strategy for a first-class modern research-oriented hospital. To establish a research-oriented hospital has become an important strategy to guide the scientific development of high-quality medical institutions and to advance translational medicine development. To facilitate translational medicine by developing research-oriented hospital, the Chinese Research Hospital Association (CRHA has been established, which provides service of medicine, talents cultivation, scientific research and clinical teaching and covers areas of theoretical research, academic exchange, translational medicine, talents training and practice guiding. On the whole, research-oriented hospital facilitated translational medicine by developing interdisciplinary platform, training core competencies in clinical and translational research, providing financial support of translational research, and hosting journals on translational medicine, etc.

Energy Savings Potential and Research, Development, & Demonstration Opportunities for Commercial Building Appliances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zogg, Robert [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Goetzler, William [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Ahlfeldt, Christopher [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Hiraiwa, Hirokazu [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Sathe, Amul [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Sutherland, Timothy [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States)

2009-12-01

This study characterizes and assesses the appliances used in commercial buildings. The primary objectives of this study were to document the energy consumed by commercial appliances and identify research, development and demonstration (RD&D) opportunities for efficiency improvements, excluding product categories such as HVAC, building lighting, refrigeration equipment, and distributed generation systems. The study included equipment descriptions, characteristics of the equipment’s market, national energy consumption, estimates of technical potential for energy-saving technologies, and recommendations for U.S. Department of Energy programs that can promote energy savings in commercial appliances.

SIOS: A regional cooperation of international research infrastructures as a building block for an Arctic observing system

Science.gov (United States)

Holmen, K. J.; Lønne, O. J.

2016-12-01

The Svalbard Integrated Earth Observing System (SIOS) is a regional response to the Earth System Science (ESS) challenges posed by the Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change. SIOS is intended to develop and implement methods for how observational networks in the Arctic are to be designed in order to address such issues in a regional scale. SIOS builds on the extensive observation capacity and research installations already in place by many international institutions and will provide upgraded and relevant Observing Systems and Research Facilities of world class in and around Svalbard. It is a distributed research infrastructure set up to provide a regional observational system for long term measurements under a joint framework. As one of the large scale research infrastructure initiatives on the ESFRI roadmap (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures), SIOS is now being implemented. The new research infrastructure organization, the SIOS Knowledge Center (SIOS-KC), is instrumental in developing methods and solutions for setting up its regional contribution to a systematically constructed Arctic observational network useful for global change studies. We will discuss cross-disciplinary research experiences some case studies and lessons learned so far. SIOS aims to provide an effective, easily accessible data management system which makes use of existing data handling systems in the thematic fields covered by SIOS. SIOS will, implement a data policy which matches the ambitions that are set for the new European research infrastructures, but at the same time be flexible enough to consider `historical' legacies. Given the substantial international presence in the Svalbard archipelago and the pan-Arctic nature of the issue, there is an opportunity to build SIOS further into a wider regional network and pan-Arctic context, ideally under the umbrella of the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) initiative. It is necessary to anchor SIOS strongly in a European

Science, Technology and Innovation as Social Goods for Development: Rethinking Research Capacity Building from Sen's Capabilities Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Mormina, Maru

2018-03-01

Science and technology are key to economic and social development, yet the capacity for scientific innovation remains globally unequally distributed. Although a priority for development cooperation, building or developing research capacity is often reduced in practice to promoting knowledge transfers, for example through North-South partnerships. Research capacity building/development tends to focus on developing scientists' technical competencies through training, without parallel investments to develop and sustain the socioeconomic and political structures that facilitate knowledge creation. This, the paper argues, significantly contributes to the scientific divide between developed and developing countries more than any skills shortage. Using Charles Taylor's concept of irreducibly social goods, the paper extends Sen's Capabilities Approach beyond its traditional focus on individual entitlements to present a view of scientific knowledge as a social good and the capability to produce it as a social capability. Expanding this capability requires going beyond current fragmented approaches to research capacity building to holistically strengthen the different social, political and economic structures that make up a nation's innovation system. This has implications for the interpretation of human rights instruments beyond their current focus on access to knowledge and for focusing science policy and global research partnerships to design approaches to capacity building/development beyond individual training/skills building.

Building Human Resources Management Capacity for University Research: The Case at Four Leading Vietnamese Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, T. L.

2016-01-01

At research-intensive universities, building human resources management (HRM) capacity has become a key approach to enhancing a university's research performance. However, despite aspiring to become a research-intensive university, many teaching-intensive universities in developing countries may not have created effective research-promoted HRM…

Establishing a Commercial Buildings Energy Data Framework for India: A Comprehensive Look at Data Collection Approaches, Use Cases and Institutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyer, Maithili [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kumar, Satish [Synurja, LLC, Vienna, VA (United States); Mathew, Sangeeta [Synurja, LLC, Vienna, VA (United States); Stratton, Hannah [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Paul [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singh, Mohini [Synurja, LLC, Vienna, VA (United States)

2016-10-01

mechanisms to analyze building energy performance in India and opportunities for standardizing data collection. This report describes the existing capacities and resources for establishing an institutional framework for data collection, the legislation and mandates that support such activity, and identifies roles and responsibilities of the relevant ministries and organizations. Finally, the study presents conclusions and identifies two major data collection strategies within the existing legal framework.

Claim Your Space: Leadership Development as a Research Capacity Building Goal in Global Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Airhihenbuwa, Collins O; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Iwelunmor, Juliet; Jean-Louis, Girardin; Williams, Natasha; Zizi, Freddy; Okuyemi, Kolawole

2016-04-01

As the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) rises in settings with an equally high burden of infectious diseases in the Global South, a new sense of urgency has developed around research capacity building to promote more effective and sustainable public health and health care systems. In 2010, NCDs accounted for more than 2.06 million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Available evidence suggests that the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa with hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, will increase by 68% from 75 million in 2008 to 126 million in 2025. Furthermore, about 27.5 million people currently live with diabetes in Africa, and it is estimated that 49.7 million people living with diabetes will reside in Africa by 2030. It is therefore necessary to centralize leadership as a key aspect of research capacity building and strengthening in the Global South in ways that enables researchers to claim their spaces in their own locations. We believe that building capacity for transformative leadership in research will lead to the development of effective and appropriate responses to the multiple burdens of NCDs that coexist with infectious diseases in Africa and the rest of the Global South. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Climatic architecture: Situation, principles, establishment of technical policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brejon, P.

1994-01-01

Climatic architecture, despite the efforts of its protagonists, remains nearly marginal. Nevertheless, environmental awareness is gaining ground, whether through concern for the depletion of natural resources, for global warming or for CO 2 emissions. It is only by establishing technical policies, making an effort in terms of training and research and distributing knowledge to all those in the business that the principles of climatic architecture will actually be applied in the field. Resources are available to make climatic architecture a fundamental concern in the design of environmentally friendly buildings. (author). 6 refs, 3 tabs

25 Years of cooling research in office buildings : Review for the integration of cooling strategies into the building façade (1990–2014)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prieto Hoces, A.I.; Knaack, U.; Klein, T.; Auer, T

2017-01-01

This paper seeks to present a panorama of cooling related research in office buildings, categorising reported research experiences from the past 25 years in order to identify knowledge gaps and define current paths and trends for further exploration. The general goal behind this research is to

Report of meteorological observations in site of Tokai Research Establishment in 1971

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-05-01

Covered are the meteorological observations from January to December 1971 in Tokai Research Establishment as monthly summaries, including daily and hourly mean wind speeds, frequencies of wind directions and atmospheric stability. (auth.)

FM Research for Practice in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

handover of data from building projects to FM and Building Information Modelling also became an important field of development. Research in FM started at DTU in 2003 and got a major boost by the establishing of CFM in 2008. In recent years sustainability has emerged as a new important research area in FM...... on national level, which have had importance to constitute and form a professional basis for FM. Approach (Theory/Methodology): The paper provides a chronological overview of research and development activities related to FM over the last 30 years in Denmark, including CFM’s ongoing research projects. Results......: In the 1980’s the research activities related to FM mostly concerned indoor climate and there was also some research on briefing and development projects concerning building operation. In the 1990’s the research related to FM was broadened to a wider environmental focus including energy and the external...

FM research for practice in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

2012-01-01

handover of data from building projects to FM and Building Information Modelling also became an important field of development. Research in FM started at DTU in 2003 and got a major boost by the establishing of CFM in 2008. In recent years sustainability has emerged as a new important research area in FM...... on national level, which have had importance to constitute and form a professional basis for FM. Approach (Theory/Methodology): The paper provides a chronological overview of research and development activities related to FM over the last 30 years in Denmark, including CFM’s ongoing research projects. Results......: In the 1980’s the research activities related to FM mostly concerned indoor climate and there was also some research on briefing and development projects concerning building operation. In the 1990’s the research related to FM was broadened to a wider environmental focus including energy and the external...

Six methodological steps to build medical data warehouses for research.

Science.gov (United States)

Szirbik, N B; Pelletier, C; Chaussalet, T

2006-09-01

We propose a simple methodology for heterogeneous data collection and central repository-style database design in healthcare. Our method can be used with or without other software development frameworks, and we argue that its application can save a relevant amount of implementation effort. Also, we believe that the method can be used in other fields of research, especially those that have a strong interdisciplinary nature. The idea emerged during a healthcare research project, which consisted among others in grouping information from heterogeneous and distributed information sources. We developed this methodology by the lessons learned when we had to build a data repository, containing information about elderly patients flows in the UK's long-term care system (LTC). We explain thoroughly those aspects that influenced the methodology building. The methodology is defined by six steps, which can be aligned with various iterative development frameworks. We describe here the alignment of our methodology with the RUP (rational unified process) framework. The methodology emphasizes current trends, as early identification of critical requirements, data modelling, close and timely interaction with users and stakeholders, ontology building, quality management, and exception handling. Of a special interest is the ontological engineering aspect, which had the effects with the highest impact after the project. That is, it helped stakeholders to perform better collaborative negotiations that brought better solutions for the overall system investigated. An insight into the problems faced by others helps to lead the negotiators to win-win situations. We consider that this should be the social result of any project that collects data for better decision making that leads finally to enhanced global outcomes.

Experience acquired in health physics at Saclay Nuclear Research Establishment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitoussi, L.; Joffre, H.

1963-06-15

Description is given of the general organization and functions of the Health Physics Department of Saclay Nuclear Research Establishment. The means employed for the various installations covered and the general rules adopted for health physics are presented. From an overall survey of the results obtained in 1962, conclusions were drawn from past experience and to foresee improvements for the future are foreseen. (P.C.H.)

Safety research program of NUCEF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naito, Y.

1996-01-01

To contribute the safety and establishment of advanced technologies in the area of nuclear fuel cycle, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has constructed a new research facility NUCEF (Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility) as the center for the research and development, particularly on the reprocessing technology and transuranium (TRU) waste management. NUCEF consist of three buildings, administration building, experiment building A and B. Building A has two experiment facilities STACY (Static Experiment Critical Facility) and TRACY (Transient Experiment Critical Facility). The experiment building B is referred to as BECKY (Back-end Fuel Cycle Key Elements Research Facility). Researches on the reprocessing and the waste management are carried out with spent fuels, high-level liquid waste, TRU etc. in the α γ cell and glove boxes. NUCEF was constructed with the following aims. Using STACY and TRACY, are aimed, (1) research on advanced technology for criticality safety control, (2) reconfirmation of criticality safety margin of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant. Using BECKY, are aimed, (1) research on advanced technology of reprocessing process, (2) contribution to develop the scenario for TRU waste disposal, (3) development of new technology for TRU partitioning and volume reduction of radioactive waste. To realize the above aims, following 5 research subjects are settled in NUCEF, (1) Criticality safety research, (2) Research on safety and advanced technology of fuel reprocessing, (3) Research on TRU waste management, (4) Fundamental research on TRU chemistry, (5) Key technology development for TRU processing. (author)

Promising and Established Investigators' Experiences Participating in the National Athletic Trainers' Association Foundation Research Mentor Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Nottingham, Sara L; Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Barrett, Jessica L

2017-04-01

  Mentorship is a helpful resource for individuals who transition from doctoral student to tenure-track faculty member. The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Research & Education Foundation offers a Research Mentor Program to provide mentorship to promising investigators, particularly as they work to establish independent lines of research.   To gain the perspectives of promising and established investigators on their participation in the NATA Foundation Research Mentor Program.   Qualitative, phenomenological research.   Higher education institutions.   Seven promising investigators (5 women, 2 men) and 7 established investigators (2 women, 5 men), all of whom had completed the NATA Foundation Research Mentor Program. Data Collection and Analysis We developed and piloted intervi: ew guides designed to gain participants' perspectives on their experiences participating in the NATA Foundation Research Mentor Program. Semistructured telephone interviews were completed with each individual and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach, and saturation was obtained. Trustworthiness was established with the use of member checking, multiple-analyst triangulation, and data-source triangulation.   Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) motivation, (2) collaboration, and (3) resources. Participants were motivated to become involved because they saw the value of mentorship, and mentees desired guidance in their research. Participants believed that collaboration on a project contributed to a positive relationship, and they also desired additional program and professional resources to support novice faculty.   Promising and established investigators should be encouraged to engage in mentoring relationships to facilitate mentees' research agendas and professional development. The NATA Foundation and athletic training profession may consider providing additional resources for novice faculty, such as training on

Ranking energy-conservation measures to establish research priorities: synopsis of a workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moskowitz, P.D.; Le, T.Q.; Pierce, B.

1979-05-02

A workshop was convened to assist DOE's Technology Assessment Division in evaluating the need to prepare additional environmental- and social-impact assessments of different energy-conservation measures. Attendees participated in a decision-making exercise designed to rank 19 different energy-conservation measures according to their overall potential for achieving important national goals and their ease of implementation. The participants felt that the most-important ranking criteria dealt with questions concerning feasibility (economic, political/institutional, social, and technical) and economic efficiency. Other criteria, such as environmental quality and occupational health and safety received lower weights; possibly because of the widespread belief that most of the conservation measures presented would be environmentally beneficial. In the participants' view, the most-promising and feasible conservation measures include new-building-performance standards, retrofit of existing housing stock, new-appliance-performance standards and increased use of smaller cars. In contrast, conservation options which ranked rather low, such as diesel engines, coal-fired aluminum remelt furnaces, and cupola furnace modifications were expected to have some harmful environmental and health impacts. Most of these impacts are expected to be highly localized and of lesser national concern. Disagreement exists as to the efficacy of funding those projects deemed highly desirable and feasible versus those which are expected to have the greater environmental and social impacts. These differences must be taken into account in the research priorities that are eventually established. While environmental and social impacts of alternative energy-conservation measures may prove to be either harmful or beneficial, neither side should be ignored by the policy maker.

Corrosion of Embedded Metals in Wood: An Overview of Recent Research with Implications for building moisture design

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel L. Zelinka

2013-01-01

ASHRAE Standard 160, Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings, specifies moisture design criteria in buildings to prevent moisture damage such as fungal activity and corrosion. While there has been much research on mold and decay fungi in wood buildings, it is often overlooked that wet wood is corrosive to the metal screws...

Building capacity for sustainable research programmes for cancer in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Adewole, Isaac; Martin, Damali N; Williams, Makeda J; Adebamowo, Clement; Bhatia, Kishor; Berling, Christine; Casper, Corey; Elshamy, Karima; Elzawawy, Ahmed; Lawlor, Rita T; Legood, Rosa; Mbulaiteye, Sam M; Odedina, Folakemi T; Olopade, Olufunmilayo I; Olopade, Christopher O; Parkin, Donald M; Rebbeck, Timothy R; Ross, Hana; Santini, Luiz A; Torode, Julie; Trimble, Edward L; Wild, Christopher P; Young, Annie M; Kerr, David J

2014-05-01

Cancer research in Africa will have a pivotal role in cancer control planning in this continent. However, environments (such as those in academic or clinical settings) with limited research infrastructure (laboratories, biorespositories, databases) coupled with inadequate funding and other resources have hampered African scientists from carrying out rigorous research. In September 2012, over 100 scientists with expertise in cancer research in Africa met in London to discuss the challenges in performing high-quality research, and to formulate the next steps for building sustainable, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary programmes relevant to Africa. This was the first meeting among five major organizations: the African Organisation for Research and Training in Africa (AORTIC), the Africa Oxford Cancer Foundation (AfrOx), and the National Cancer Institutes (NCI) of Brazil, France and the USA. This article summarizes the discussions and recommendations of this meeting, including the next steps required to create sustainable and impactful research programmes that will enable evidenced-based cancer control approaches and planning at the local, regional and national levels.

Towards Building a Bridge between Community Engagement in Research (CEnR) and Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER).

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Syed M; Nelson, David; Kissack, Anne; Franco, Zeno; Whittle, Jeff; Kotchen, Theodore; Meurer, John R; Morzinski, Jeffrey; Brandenburg, Terry

2015-04-01

A major national priority is establishing an effective infrastructure for translation of scientific discoveries into the community. Knowledge and practice continue to accelerate in health research yet healthcare recommendation adoption remains slow for practitioners, patients, and communities. Two areas of research placed in the later stages of the translational research spectrum, Community Engagement in Research and Comparative Effectiveness Research, are ideal for approaching this challenge collaboratively. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeastern Wisconsin convened academics and community-based organizations familiar with these fields of research in a 1-day workshop to establish an initial dialogue on similarities and differences with a goal of exploring ways to operationalize a collective effort. Participants represented four academic institutions and twelve other healthcare and community-based service organizations. Primary fields of study included community engaged research, comparative effectiveness research, psychology, clinical research, administration, nursing, public health, education, and other professionals. This initial report outlines the results of this diverse discussion and provides insights into the priorities, diverging issues, and areas for future examination and practice. Key discoveries reveal clear crosscutting issues, value in philosophical and provocative discussions among investigators, a need for practice and lessons learned, and bidirectional exchange with community representation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Annual report 1981. Joint Research Centre Petten Establishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

In this 1981 report, the first chapter introduces the Establishment's activities during the year, followed by brief accounts of the three major programmes assigned to Petten. The scientific work is then described in Chapters II and IV with selected topics being presented in Chapters III and V. The remainder of the report contains charts and tables concerned with staff and budgetary matters and finally a list of technical publications and contributions to conferences made during the year. The year has seen heavy demands being made on the facilities, both the High Flux Reactor and Materials Research installations being fully occupied for most of the time, important results being obtained in both these fields

Ethical, legal and practical issues of establishing an adipose stem cell bank for research.

Science.gov (United States)

West, C C; Murray, I R; González, Z N; Hindle, P; Hay, D C; Stewart, K J; Péault, B

2014-06-01

Access to human tissue is critical to medical research, however the laws and regulations surrounding gaining ethical and legal access to tissue are often poorly understood. Recently, there has been a huge increase in the interest surrounding the therapeutic application of adipose tissue, and adipose-derived stem cells. To facilitate our own research interests and possibly assist our local colleagues and collaborators, we established a Research Tissue Bank (RTB) to collect, store and distribute human adipose tissue derived cells with all the appropriate ethical approval for subsequent downstream research. Here we examine the legal, ethical and practical issues relating to the banking of adipose tissue for research in the UK, and discuss relevant international guidelines and policies. We also share our experiences of establishing an RTB including the necessary infrastructure and the submission of an application to a Research Ethics Committee (REC). Copyright © 2014 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy research program: energy in buildings for the years 2008-2011; Energieforschungsprogramm. Energie in Gebaeuden fuer die Jahre 2008-2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filleux, Ch.

2009-08-15

In Switzerland, existing buildings account for approximately 50% of primary energy consumption. Climate change, as well as the demand on supply, require that Swiss construction practices be immediately adapted. For new buildings, innovative technologies are now widely available. However, their integration into new construction is still too slow due to the fact that current construction practices still lack a holistic approach. Today there also lacks practical solutions for renovations of existing buildings. Therefore, the great challenge for research and development today are 1.5 million pre-existing buildings, which will dictate the future energy consumption for decades. The Federal Energy Research Commission (CORE) has recognized the situation and has considered these issues in its 2008 - 2011 concept for federal energy research. The present research programme Energy in Buildings of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy focuses on the long-term objectives of CORE. This results in the following actions in the building sector: (a) Reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency; (b) Integration of renewable energy sources; (c) Reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions through the use of improved technologies. The research programme is therefore focused on concepts and technologies that have long-term objectives, without neglecting the short and medium term goals. The objectives for the period 2008 - 2011 are: (i) Concepts for buildings and housing developments concerning the development of construction methods that are compatible with the goal of a 2,000-watt society (preservation of architectural diversity, use of passive solar energy and daylight); (ii) Concepts, technologies and planning tools for the improvement of energy systems in buildings; (iii) Heating, cooling and ventilation systems in buildings that are compatible with the goal of a 2,000-watt society (efficient cooling systems, heat pumps, etc.); (iv) Increase in efficient use of electricity in

Building energy, building leadership : recommendations for the adoption, development, and implementation of a commercial building energy code in Manitoba

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akerstream, T. [Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Allard, K. [City of Thompson, Thompson, MB (Canada); Anderson, N.; Beacham, D. [Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Andrich, R. [The Forks North Portage Partnership, MB (Canada); Auger, A. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Office of Energy Efficiency; Downs, R.G. [Shindico Realty Inc., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Eastwood, R. [Number Ten Architectural Group, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Hewitt, C. [SMS Engineering Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Joshi, D. [City of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Klassen, K. [Manitoba Dept. of Energy Science and Technology, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Phillips, B. [Unies Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Wiebe, R. [Ben Wiebe Construction Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Woelk, D. [Bockstael Construction Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Ziemski, S. [CREIT Management LLP, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)

2006-09-15

This report presented a strategy and a set of recommendations for the adoption, development and implementation of an energy code for new commercial construction in Manitoba. The report was compiled by an advisory committee comprised of industry representatives and government agency representatives. Recommendations were divided into 4 categories: (1) advisory committee recommendations; (2) code adoption recommendations; (3) code development recommendations; and (4) code implementation recommendations. It was suggested that Manitoba should adopt an amended version of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (1997) as a regulation under the Buildings and Mobile Homes Act. Participation in a national initiative to update the Model National Energy Code for Buildings was also advised. It was suggested that the energy code should be considered as the first step in a longer-term process towards a sustainable commercial building code. However, the code should be adopted within the context of a complete market transformation approach. Other recommendations included: the establishment of a multi-stakeholder energy code task group; the provision of information and technical resources to help build industry capacity; the establishment of a process for energy code compliance; and an ongoing review of the energy code to assess impacts and progress. Supplemental recommendations for future discussion included the need for integrated design by building design teams in Manitoba; the development of a program to provide technical assistance to building design teams; and collaboration between post-secondary institutions to develop and deliver courses on integrated building design to students and professionals. 17 refs.

Improving building performance using smart building concept: Benefit cost ratio comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Miraj, Perdana; Sayuti, Mustika Sari; Berawi, Abdur Rohim Boy

2017-11-01

Smart building concept is an implementation of technology developed in the construction industry throughout the world. However, the implementation of this concept is still below expectations due to various obstacles such as higher initial cost than a conventional concept and existing regulation siding with the lowest cost in the tender process. This research aims to develop intelligent building concept using value engineering approach to obtain added value regarding quality, efficiency, and innovation. The research combined quantitative and qualitative approach using questionnaire survey and value engineering method to achieve the research objectives. The research output will show additional functions regarding technology innovation that may increase the value of a building. This study shows that smart building concept requires higher initial cost, but produces lower operational and maintenance costs. Furthermore, it also confirms that benefit-cost ratio on the smart building was much higher than a conventional building, that is 1.99 to 0.88.

A brief comparison of existing regional green building design standards in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.; Liu, Y.; Ren, J.; Cho, S.

2017-03-01

A large country with a variety of regional natural, cultural and economic conditions, China has established a number of green building design (GBD) standards both at national and regional (provincial and municipal) levels. Some researches have been conducted to review and compare such standards. The main aim was to provide valuable references for the establishment of new regionally specific GBD standards in different regions of the country. This paper introduces the preliminary results of the researches. The distribution, frameworks and content of the existing regional GBD standards are introduced and compared in relating to the regionally specific climate, resource, economic and cultural conditions. Conclusions are provided and further researches are recommended.

Intelligent tools for building a scientific information platform from research to implementation

CERN Document Server

Skonieczny, Łukasz; Rybiński, Henryk; Kryszkiewicz, Marzena; Niezgódka, Marek

2014-01-01

This book is a selection of results obtained within three years of research performed under SYNAT—a nation-wide scientific project aiming at creating an infrastructure for scientific content storage and sharing for academia, education and open knowledge society in Poland. The book is intended to be the last of the series related to the SYNAT project. The previous books, titled “Intelligent Tools for Building a Scientific Information Platform” and “Intelligent Tools for Building a Scientific Information Platform: Advanced Architectures and Solutions”, were published as volumes 390 and 467 in Springer's Studies in Computational Intelligence. Its contents is based on the SYNAT 2013 Workshop held in Warsaw. The papers included in this volume present an overview and insight into information retrieval, repository systems, text processing, ontology-based systems, text mining, multimedia data processing and advanced software engineering, addressing the problems of implementing intelligent tools for building...

Annual report of Kansai Research Establishment 2004. April 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harami, Taikan; Mizuki, Jun'ichiro; Aoki, Katsutoshi; Baba, Yuji; Murakami, Yoichi; Kobayashi, Keisuke; Sakai, Toru; Nagashima, Akira; Yamakawa, Koichi; Nagashima, Keisuke; Daido, Hiroyuki; Koike, Masato; Yamagiwa, Mituru; Bulanov, Sergei V.; Minehara, Eisuke

2006-01-01

This report is the sixth issue of the annual report of Kansai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It covers status report of R and D and results of experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Research Center and Synchrotron Radiation Research Center during the period from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005. The JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute) have been unified with JNC (Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute) and became JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) on October 1st, 2005. (author)

Research Capacity-Building with New Technologies within New Communities of Practice: Reflections on the First Year of the Teacher Education Research Network

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Zoe; Stanley, Grant; Murray, Jean; Jones, Marion; McNamara, Olwen

2013-01-01

This article focuses on a virtual research environment (VRE) and how it facilitated the networking of teacher educators participating in an Economic and Social Research Council-funded research capacity-building project. Using the theoretical lenses of situated learning and socio-cultural approaches to literacy, participants' ways of engaging with…

"Initiate-build-operate-transfer"--a strategy for establishing sustainable telemedicine programs in developing countries: initial lessons from the balkans.

Science.gov (United States)

Latifi, Rifat; Merrell, Ronald C; Doarn, Charles R; Hadeed, George J; Bekteshi, Flamur; Lecaj, Ismet; Boucha, Kathe; Hajdari, Fatmir; Hoxha, Astrit; Koshi, Dashurije; de Leonni Stanonik, Mateja; Berisha, Blerim; Novoberdaliu, Kadri; Imeri, Arben; Weinstein, Ronald S

2009-12-01

Establishing sustainable telemedicine has become a goal of many developing countries around the world. Yet, despite initiatives from a select few individuals and on occasion from various governments, often these initiatives never mature to become sustainable programs. The introduction of telemedicine and e-learning in Kosova has been a pivotal step in advancing the quality and availability of medical services in a region whose infrastructure and resources have been decimated by wars, neglect, lack of funding, and poor management. The concept and establishment of the International Virtual e-Hospital (IVeH) has significantly impacted telemedicine and e-health services in the Balkans. The success of the IVeH in Kosova has led to the development of similar programs in other Balkan countries and other developing countries in the hope of modernizing and improving their healthcare infrastructure. A comprehensive, four-pronged strategy, "Initiate-Build-Operate-Transfer" (IBOT), may be a useful approach in establishing telemedicine and e-health educational services in developing countries. The development strategy, IBOT, used by the IVeH to establish and develop telemedicine programs, was discussed. IBOT includes assessment of healthcare needs of each country, the development of a curriculum and education program, the establishment of a nationwide telemedicine network, and the integration of the telemedicine program into the healthcare infrastructure. The endpoint is the transfer of a sustainable telehealth program to the nation involved. By applying IBOT, a sustainable telemedicine program of Kosova has been established as an effective prototype for telemedicine in the Balkans. Once fully matured, the program will be transitioned to the national Ministry of Health, which ensures the sustainability and ownership of the program. Similar programs are being established in Albania, Macedonia, and other countries around the world. The IBOT model has been effective in creating

Community capacity building and sustainability: outcomes of community-based participatory research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hacker, Karen; Tendulkar, Shalini A; Rideout, Catlin; Bhuiya, Nazmim; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau; Savage, Clara P; Grullon, Milagro; Strelnick, Hal; Leung, Carolyn; DiGirolamo, Ann

2012-01-01

For communities, the value of community-based participatory research (CBPR) is often manifested in the outcomes of increased capacity and sustainable adoption of evidence-based practices for social change. Educational opportunities that promote discourse between community and academic partners can help to advance CBPR and better define these outcomes. This paper describes a community-academic conference to develop shared definitions of community capacity building and sustainability related to CBPR and to identify obstacles and facilitators to both. "Taking It to the Curbside: Engaging Communities to Create Sustainable Change for Health" was planned by five Clinical Translational Science Institutes and four community organizations. After a keynote presentation, breakout groups of community and academic members met to define community capacity building and sustainability, and to identify facilitators and barriers to achieving both. Groups were facilitated by researcher-community partner teams and conversations were recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis for thematic content was conducted by a subset of the planning committee. Important findings included learning that (1) the concepts of capacity and sustainability were considered interconnected; (2) partnership was perceived as both a facilitator and an outcome of CBPR; (3) sustainability was linked to "transfer of knowledge" from one generation to another within a community; and (4) capacity and sustainability were enhanced when goals were shared and health outcomes were achieved. Community capacity building and sustainability are key outcomes of CBPR for communities. Co-learning opportunities that engage and mutually educate both community members and academics can be useful strategies for identifying meaningful strategies to achieve these outcomes.

Establishment of International Cooperative Network and Cooperative Research Strategy Between Korea and USA on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, Won Pil; Song, Chul Hwa; Jeong, Jae Jun; Choi, Ki Yong; Kang, Kyoung Ho

2004-07-01

1. Scope and Objectives of the Project - Successful holding of the NURETH-10 - Analysis of the international trends in technology development and applications for nuclear thermal-hydraulics - Establishment of the international cooperative network and cooperative research strategy between Korea and USA on nuclear thermal-hydraulics 2. Research Results - Successful holding of the NURETH-10 - Analysis of the international trends in technology development and applications for nuclear thermal-hydraulics: - Establishment of international cooperative network and cooperative research strategy focused between Korea and USA on nuclear thermal-hydraulics: 3. Application Plan of the Research Results - Utilization as the basic data/information in establishing the domestic R and D directions and the international cooperative research strategy, - Application of the relevant experiences and data bases of NURETH-10 for holding future international conferences, - Promote more effective and productive research cooperation between Korea and USA

Exploring mentorship as a strategy to build capacity for knowledge translation research and practice: protocol for a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gagliardi Anna R

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research funders, educators, investigators and decision makers worldwide have identified the need to improve the quality of health care by building capacity for knowledge translation (KT research and practice. Peer-based mentorship represents a vehicle to foster KT capacity. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify mentoring models that could be used to build KT capacity, consult with putative mentee stakeholders to understand their KT mentorship needs and preferences, and generate recommendations for the content and format of KT mentorship strategies or programs, and how they could be tested through future research. Methods A conceptual framework was derived based on mentoring goals, processes and outcomes identified in the management and social sciences literature, and our research on barriers and facilitators of academic mentorship. These concepts will inform data collection and analysis. To identify useful models by which to design, implement and evaluate KT mentorship, we will review the social sciences, management, and nursing literature from 1990 to current, browse tables of contents of relevant journals, and scan the references of all eligible studies. Eligibility screening and data extraction will be performed independently by two investigators. Semi-structured interviews will be used to collect information about KT needs, views on mentorship as a knowledge sharing strategy, preferred KT mentoring program elements, and perceived barriers from clinician health services researchers representing different disciplines. Qualitative analysis of transcripts will be performed independently by two investigators, who will meet to compare findings and resolve differences through discussion. Data will be shared and discussed with the research team, and their feedback incorporated into final reports. Discussion These findings could be used by universities, research institutes, funding agencies, and professional

Exploring mentorship as a strategy to build capacity for knowledge translation research and practice: protocol for a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagliardi, Anna R; Perrier, Laure; Webster, Fiona; Leslie, Karen; Bell, Mary; Levinson, Wendy; Rotstein, Ori; Tourangeau, Ann; Morrison, Laurie; Silver, Ivan L; Straus, Sharon E

2009-08-19

Research funders, educators, investigators and decision makers worldwide have identified the need to improve the quality of health care by building capacity for knowledge translation (KT) research and practice. Peer-based mentorship represents a vehicle to foster KT capacity. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify mentoring models that could be used to build KT capacity, consult with putative mentee stakeholders to understand their KT mentorship needs and preferences, and generate recommendations for the content and format of KT mentorship strategies or programs, and how they could be tested through future research. A conceptual framework was derived based on mentoring goals, processes and outcomes identified in the management and social sciences literature, and our research on barriers and facilitators of academic mentorship. These concepts will inform data collection and analysis. To identify useful models by which to design, implement and evaluate KT mentorship, we will review the social sciences, management, and nursing literature from 1990 to current, browse tables of contents of relevant journals, and scan the references of all eligible studies. Eligibility screening and data extraction will be performed independently by two investigators. Semi-structured interviews will be used to collect information about KT needs, views on mentorship as a knowledge sharing strategy, preferred KT mentoring program elements, and perceived barriers from clinician health services researchers representing different disciplines. Qualitative analysis of transcripts will be performed independently by two investigators, who will meet to compare findings and resolve differences through discussion. Data will be shared and discussed with the research team, and their feedback incorporated into final reports. These findings could be used by universities, research institutes, funding agencies, and professional organizations in Canada and elsewhere to develop, implement, and

PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BUILDING MATERIALS OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiří Witzany

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents partial results of laboratory research into physical and mechanical characteristics of materials most commonly used as walling units in masonry structures of historic and heritage buildings. Core boreholes and specimens for the laboratory research of selected characteristics were sampled from accessible places of historic buildings, which had not been restored or reconstructed. The results of the research brought new knowledge about the unreliability (variance of the properties of historical, mainly natural building materials, and, at the same time, pointed out the need for further research and extension of knowledge necessary for the assessment of residual physical and mechanical characteristics of historic masonry structures.

Environmental effect of structural solutions and building materials to a building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haapio, Appu; Viitaniemi, Pertti

2008-01-01

The field of building environmental assessment tools has become a popular research area over the past decade. However, how the service life of a building affects the results of the environmental assessment of a building has not been emphasised previously. The aim of this study is to analyse how different structural solutions and building materials affect the results of the environmental assessment of a whole building over the building's life cycle. Furthermore, how the length of the building's service life affects the results is analysed. The environmental assessments of 78 single-family houses were calculated for this study. The buildings have different wall insulations, claddings, window frames, and roof materials, and the length of the service life varies from 60 years up to 160 years. The current situation and the future of the environmental assessment of buildings are discussed. In addition, topics for further research are suggested; for example, how workmanship affects the service life and the environmental impact of a building should be studied

Challenges and Opportunities for Establishing Design as a Research Discipline in Civil and Environmental Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thompson, Mary Kathryn

2013-01-01

faculty, research and education communities, conferences, and journals. However, design remains an emerging sub-discipline in civil and environmental engineering – practiced, valued, and taught but not subject to rigorous academic research. This paper presents some of the challenges associated...... with the establishment of design as a research discipline within civil and environmental engineering, some of the benefits and opportunities that will come from that establishment, and some evidence for the fact that this process has already begun.......There are a number of fields including architecture, industrial design, and urban planning and design, where design is the discipline upon which all research and teaching activities are based. In other fields such as aerospace and mechanical engineering, design is a sub-discipline with its own...

Building America Systems Integration Research Annual Report: FY 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gestwick, M.

2013-05-01

This document is the Building America FY2012 Annual Report, which includes an overview of the Building America Program activities and the work completed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Building America industry consortia (the Building America teams). The annual report summarizes major technical accomplishments and progress towards U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Program's multi-year goal of developing the systems innovations that enable risk-free, cost effective, reliable and durable efficiency solutions that reduce energy use by 30%-50% in both new and existing homes.

Building America Systems Integration Research Annual Report. FY 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gestwick, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2013-05-01

This Building America FY2012 Annual Report includes an overview of the Building America Program activities and the work completed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Building America industry consortia (the Building America teams). The annual report summarizes major technical accomplishments and progress towards U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Program's multi-year goal of developing the systems innovations that enable risk-free, cost effective, reliable and durable efficiency solutions that reduce energy use by 30%-50% in both new and existing homes.

Establishing research universities in Ukrainian higher education: the incomplete journey of a structural reform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hladchenko, Myroslava; de Boer, Harry F.; Westerheijden, Donald F.

2016-01-01

The idea of the research university as a key institution for social and economic development in knowledge-intensive societies has been adopted by the Ukrainian government after the fall of the communist regime. Establishing research universities is a long journey during which many things might

Preliminary hazard classification for Building 107-N

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kloster, G.L.; Smith, R.L.

1997-06-01

Deactivation activities are planned for Building 107-N (Basin Recirculation Building). This document establishes the preliminary hazard classification (PHC) for the 100-N Area facility segment that includes this building.To establish the PHC, the inventories of radioactive and nonradioactive hazardous materials present within Building 107-N are identified and then compared to the corresponding threshold quantity values in DOE (1992) and reportable quantity values in 40 CFR 302.4. In this evaluation, no credit is taken for the form, location, and dispersibility of the materials; for their interaction with available energy sources; or for safety features that could prevent or mitigate a radioactive release. The result of this effort concluded that the PHC for Building 107-N is Nuclear Category 3

Reveal or Conceal? Signaling Strategies for Building Legitimacy in Cleantech Firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørnåli, Ekaterina; Giones, Ferran; Billström, Anders

2017-01-01

cases while investigating their actions in different phases of the venture’s evolution. The results suggest that, contrary to signaling theory expectations, young clean-tech firms do not always build legitimacy by conveying information on their strengths. Instead, we observe that they use signaling......New entrants in technology-intense industries are in a race to build legitimacy in order to compete with established players. Legitimacy has been identified as a driver of venture survival and growth; it helps mitigate third-party uncertainty and so facilitates access to resources, engagement...... with customers and other stakeholders. Nevertheless, we know little about how legitimacy is built and how new entrants build legitimacy in complex technology-intensive industries. In this research we explore how Norwegian cleantech firms use signaling and strategic actions to build legitimacy. We analyze five...

IMPROVING TRADITIONAL BUILDING REPAIR CONSTRUCTION QUALITY USING HISTORIC BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING CONCEPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. C. Wu

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In addition to the repair construction project following the repair principles contemplated by heritage experts, the construction process should be recorded and measured at any time for monitoring to ensure the quality of repair. The conventional construction record methods mostly depend on the localized shooting of 2D digital images coupled with text and table for illustration to achieve the purpose of monitoring. Such methods cannot fully and comprehensively record the 3D spatial relationships in the real world. Therefore, the construction records of traditional buildings are very important but cannot function due to technical limitations. This study applied the 3D laser scanning technology to establish a 3D point cloud model for the repair construction of historical buildings. It also broke down the detailed components of the 3D point cloud model by using the concept of the historic building information modeling, and established the 3D models of various components and their attribute data in the 3DGIS platform database. In the construction process, according to the time of completion of each stage as developed on the construction project, this study conducted the 3D laser scanning and database establishment for each stage, also applied 3DGIS spatial information and attribute information comparison and analysis to propose the analysis of differences in completion of various stages for improving the traditional building repair construction quality. This method helps to improve the quality of repair construction work of tangible cultural assets of the world. The established 3DGIS platform can be used as a power tool for subsequent management and maintenance.

Summary and statistical analysis of environmental monitoring data in the Oarai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, Katsuhiro; Kitano, Kyoshiro; Sibanuma, Yukio; Takasaki, Koichi; Ohhata, Tsutomu

1998-03-01

In the Oarai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), the environmental monitoring has been conducted for about 29 years since April 1968. The results are discussed for evaluation of long-term and short-term fluctuation in the radiological conditions in the Oarai area. This report summarises the data of the environmental monitoring in Oarai, and statistical analyses were made of the data collected from 1985 through 1994. (author)

Geomatics applied to building management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gascon, M.

1998-01-01

An integrated information system at an educational facility which has the capacity to monitor relative data pertaining to the spatial characteristics of a building was demonstrated. The system was instrumental in optimizing building management by making use of geomatics technology. Geomatics establishes relations between geo-reference data (plans) and an actual data base. Such a system has the capability to integrate and assess all data relative to building management. The information allows building managers to rationalize exploitation costs and to coordinate energy use with the activities in the building

Encouraging Teachers to Build Collaborations with Researchers; Examples From the Classroom (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, M.

2013-12-01

Bringing experts into our schools allows for highly engaging lessons, encourages career thinking, adds authenticity to the topic, and allows student's questions to be answered by experts. Researchers can physically visit classrooms or appear through presentation technologies, such as Skype, or Google Hangouts. Virtual visits allow students to see laboratories and field sites. Collaborating with scientists builds the connective tissue that helps all educators and our students learn more deeply. When K-12 teachers collaborate with scientists and graduate students, teachers learn more science, and scientists learn more teaching. This growth of background knowledge is a win-win situation and helps us meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers need to feel encouraged to contact their local or regional scientists for support. Reaching out into the universities to make contact with polar scientists or graduate students is a good place to start. Building professional networks allows PI's to address the 'broader impact' requirement on many grant applications, and helps spread the university's work in the polar regions out to the general public. These collaborations also give teachers expert insights and current data to build authentic lessons, and excite their students to seek careers in the sciences. This presentation will focus on three completed interactive opportunities I have built with researchers in my classroom. Students adding daily sediment to their sediment core, after communications from the field with scientist Heidi Roop in Alaska.

Establishing Law and Order After Conflict

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jones, Seth G; Wilson, Jeremy M; Rathmell, Andrew; Riley, K. J

2005-01-01

.... military's Field Manual 3-0731 Peace Ops notes, these tasks are vital to establish "a secure environment" in order to "create the conditions for other political, economic, and humanitarian peace building activities...

Aging characteristics of containment building and sensitivity on ultimate pressure capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Jeong Moon; Choun, Young Sun; Choi, In Kil; Ha, Jae Joo

1998-03-01

For the reliable safety assessment of the containment building, structural and material conditions can be investigated in detail and pertinent assessment technologies have to be established. Also, an understanding on the aging-related degradations for the construction materials is required to predict long-term structural safety of the containment building. For the development of reliable aging prediction models, an extensive data base system related to aging properties of the containment building has to be prepared. The objectives of this research are to develop aging models representing long-term degradation of materials and a structural performance assessment program for containment building considering aging-related degradation. According to the results of sensitivity analysis, as the mechanical properties of the constituent materials degrade, the ultimate pressure capacity of containment building may decrease and severe damage may occur around the mid-level of the containment wall. (author). 28 refs., 11 tabs., 36 figs

Insulated Masonry Cavity Walls. Proceedings of the Research Correlation Conference by the Building Research Institute, Division of Engineering and Industrial Research. (April 1960).

Science.gov (United States)

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.

Publication of conference paper texts include --(1) history and development of masonry cavity walls, (2) recent research related to determination of thermal and moisture resistance, (3) wall design and detailing, (4) design for crack prevention, (5) mortar specification characteristics, (6) performance experience with low-rise buildings, (7)…

INL High Performance Building Strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jennifer D. Morton

2010-02-01

High performance buildings, also known as sustainable buildings and green buildings, are resource efficient structures that minimize the impact on the environment by using less energy and water, reduce solid waste and pollutants, and limit the depletion of natural resources while also providing a thermally and visually comfortable working environment that increases productivity for building occupants. As Idaho National Laboratory (INL) becomes the nation’s premier nuclear energy research laboratory, the physical infrastructure will be established to help accomplish this mission. This infrastructure, particularly the buildings, should incorporate high performance sustainable design features in order to be environmentally responsible and reflect an image of progressiveness and innovation to the public and prospective employees. Additionally, INL is a large consumer of energy that contributes to both carbon emissions and resource inefficiency. In the current climate of rising energy prices and political pressure for carbon reduction, this guide will help new construction project teams to design facilities that are sustainable and reduce energy costs, thereby reducing carbon emissions. With these concerns in mind, the recommendations described in the INL High Performance Building Strategy (previously called the INL Green Building Strategy) are intended to form the INL foundation for high performance building standards. This revised strategy incorporates the latest federal and DOE orders (Executive Order [EO] 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance” [2009], EO 13423, “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management” [2007], and DOE Order 430.2B, “Departmental Energy, Renewable Energy, and Transportation Management” [2008]), the latest guidelines, trends, and observations in high performance building construction, and the latest changes to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

A National Collaborative for Building the Field of Childhood Obesity Research.

Science.gov (United States)

2018-03-01

Rising rates of childhood obesity over the past 2 decades have spurred a number of public- and private-sector initiatives aimed at halting or even reversing this trend. Recognizing common interests in this issue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIH, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation began conversations about creating a formal collaboration aimed at accelerating efforts to address childhood obesity by coordinating research agendas and providing support for evidence-building activities. The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) was launched in February 2009, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture joined in 2010. Using the model provided by other previously successful collaborations, such as the Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative, NCCOR has emphasized several principles suggested by Petrovich as key elements for successful partnerships: (1) delineate a common purpose by identifying key knowledge gaps in the field; (2) create a shared identity around that common purpose; (3) develop structures for democratic and respectful collaboration so as to strategically coordinate efforts for maximum national impact; (4) identify effective leaders capable of articulating challenges in the field and inspiring a commitment of minds and the resolve to address identified needs; (5) facilitate continuous knowledge exchange and synthesis to keep the field informed; and (6) support assessment of progress and feedback loops for ensuring continual progress. This paper examines how NCCOR has used these principles to help build the field of research, evaluation, and surveillance for childhood obesity prevention and management. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Australian Atomic Energy Commission: A new energy research establishment at Lucas Heights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moyal, A [Sydney Univ. (Australia). Dept. of Government and Public Administration

1980-02-01

A review of the role of the Atomic Energy Commission has recommended that the Lucas Heights establishment should engage in research on energy sources in general, rather than nuclear only as at present, and that certain of its present functions (regulatory and manufacturing) should be handled by other organisations.

Researching Complex Heat, Air and Moisture Interactions for a Wide-Range of Building Envelope Systems and Environmental Loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karagiozis, A.N.

2007-05-15

This document serves as the final report documenting work completed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Fraunhofer Institute in Building Physics (Holzkirchen, Germany) under an international CRADA No. 0575 with Fraunhofer Institute of Bauphysics of the Federal Republic of Germany for Researching Complex Heat, Air and Moisture Interactions for a Wide Range of Building Envelope Systems and Environmental Loads. This CRADA required a multi-faceted approach to building envelope research that included a moisture engineering approach by blending extensive material property analysis, laboratory system and sub-system thermal and moisture testing, and advanced moisture analysis prediction performance. The Participant's Institute for Building physics (IBP) and the Contractor's Buildings Technology Center (BTC) identified potential research projects and activities capable of accelerating and advancing the development of innovative, low energy and durable building envelope systems in diverse climates. This allowed a major leverage of the limited resources available to ORNL to execute the required Department of Energy (DOE) directives in the area of moisture engineering. A joint working group (ORNL and Fraunhofer IBP) was assembled and a research plan was executed from May 2000 to May 2005. A number of key deliverables were produced such as adoption of North American loading into the WUFI-software. in addition the ORNL Weather File Analyzer was created and this has been used to address environmental loading for a variety of US climates. At least 4 papers have been co-written with the CRADA partners, and a chapter in the ASTM Manual 40 on Moisture Analysis and Condensation Control. All deliverables and goals were met and exceeded making this collaboration a success to all parties involves.

Nanotechnology on a dime: building affordable research facilities

Science.gov (United States)

DiBattista, Jeff; Clare, Donna; Lynch, David

2005-08-01

Designing buildings to house nanotechnology research presents a multitude of well-recognized challenges to architectural and engineering design teams, from environmental control to spatial arrangements to operational functionality. These technical challenges can be solved with relative ease on projects with large budgets: designers have the option of selecting leading-edge systems without undue regard for their expense. This is reflected in the construction cost of many nanotechnology research facilities that run well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Smaller universities and other institutions need not be shut out of the nanotechnology research field simply because their construction budgets are tens of millions of dollars or less. The key to success for these less expensive projects lies with making good strategic decisions: identifying priorities for the facility in terms of what it will is--and will not--provide to the researchers. Making these strategic decisions puts bounds on the tactical, technical problems that the design team at large must address, allowing them to focus their efforts on the key areas for success. The process and challenges of this strategic decision-making process are examined, with emphasis placed on the types of decisions that must be made and the factors that must be considered when making them. Case study examples of projects undertaken at the University of Alberta are used to illustrate how strategic-level decision-making sets the stage for cutting-edge success on a modest budget.

Analysis of Energy Demand for Low-Energy Multi-Dwelling Buildings of Different Configuration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giedrė Streckienė

2014-10-01

Full Text Available To meet the goals established by Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings, the topics of energy efficiency in new and old buildings must be solved. Research and development of new energy solutions and technology are necessary for increasing energy performance of buildings. Three low-energy multi-dwelling buildings have been modelled and analyzed in the presented study. All multi-dwelling houses are made of similar single-family house cells. However, multi-dwelling buildings are of different geometry, flat number and height. DesignBuilder software was used for simulating and determining heating, cooling and electricity demand for buildings. Three different materials (silicate, ceramic and clay concrete blocks as bearing constructions of external walls have been analyzed. To decrease cooling demand for buildings, the possibility of mounting internal or external louvers has been considered. Primary energy savings for multi-dwelling buildings using passive solar measures have been determined.

Applicability research on passive design of residential buildings in hot summer and cold winter zone in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Wang, Huihui; Zhou, Xuan

2017-04-01

Passive design has long been a concern as an effective way of building energy efficiency. However, different urban climate characteristics determine the time-effectiveness of passive design. According to the climate characteristics of hot summer and cold winter zone in China, this research chose five cities, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, Nanjing and Changsha, to analyze their residential building energy consumption and thermal environment conditions. Based on Weather Tool calculation and analysis, the purpose of this research is to put forward the concept of Suitable Degree (SD), namely the applicability of the passive design. In addition, five cities’ SD of passive design technology had been analyzed from aspect of ventilation, temperature, solar radiation and envelope, then passive design strategies and methods of five cities’ residential building were discussed.

EPIQR - a decision making tool for apartment building refurbishment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caccavelli, D. [Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, Cedex (France); Balaras, C. [National Observatory of Athens, Athens (Greece); Bluyssen, P. [TNO Building and Construction Research, Delft (Netherlands); Flourentzou, F. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne (France); Jaggs, M. [Building Research Establishment, Watford (United Kingdom); Wetzel, C. [Fraunhofer-Institut fur Bauphysik, Holzkirchen (Germany); Wittchen, K. [Danish Building Reasearch Institute, Hoersholm (Denmark)

1999-11-01

In a large majority of European countries, the amount of the maintenance and refurbishment works represents nearly 50% of the total amount spent in the building sector. New requirements are being added to the necessity of maintaining or re-establishing the building stock`s usage value. They are linked to the determination to reduce energy consumption, pollutant emissions, work site wastes, to improve the Indoor Environment Quality and all the modern conveniences inside apartment. Aware of this matter, the European Community has launched a two-year European research project, entitled EPIQR (Energy Performance, Indoor Environmental Quality, Retrofit) involving seven research institutions in the frame of the JOULE III programme. The purpose is to give architects and contracting authorities a multimedia tool to enable them to simultaneously grasp the whole process of apartment building refurbishment or retrofit. It has a number of functions: Assess the building`s degradation state based on a technical diagnosis after a standardised and complete inspection of the building; Prepare work proposals. These take into account not only the renovation of the building but also the improvement of the energy performance and IEQ; Estimate the costs corresponding to these works. A data base, containing the costs of 800 refurbishment works, provides a fast estimate of the total amount of the works being considered; Estimate the evolution of the degradation of the components if none of the works were to be carried out, as well as the refurbishment costs which would result. This paper provides an overview of the EPIQR methodology and the final deliverables of the project. (au)

A model for Southern Mediterranean research institute self-assessment: a SWOT analysis-based approach to promote capacity building at Theodor Bilharz Research Institute in Cairo (Egypt).

Science.gov (United States)

Ghinolfi, Davide; El Baz, Hanan G; Borgonovi, Elio; Radwan, Amr; Laurence, Ola; Sayed, Hanan A; De Simone, Paolo; Abdelwadoud, Moaz; Stefani, Alessandro; Botros, Sanaa S; Filipponi, Franco

2014-01-01

THEBERA is a project funded by the European Union (EU), as an ERA-WIDE FP7 project, aiming to strengthen the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI) capacities. A SWOT (strength/weakness/opportunities/threats) analysis of human, structural and organisational existing resources was performed in light of an extensive analysis of liver disease research and clinical management in Egypt, for a full understanding of TBRI needs. Strength and weakness features were identified and analysed, so were actions to be implemented and targets to be accomplished, to develop a business plan gathering the required critical mass (political, scientific, industrial, social) to select investment priorities, to sacrifice non-strategic areas of research, to promote national and international connections and industrial innovations, to update diagnostics and research device technologies and clinical management processes at European levels, to implement fundraising activities, to organise and properly assess training activities for young researchers, physicians, nurses, and technicians. Research institute self assessment is a priority need for sustainable capacity building and for future build-up of a competent health care research institute. Sustainable capacity building strategies must be designed on needs assessment, involving salient requirements: clear strategy, leverage of administrative capacities, industrial support and connections, systematised training programmes and enhancement of mobility of health care staff implemented within ill-defined boundaries and continuously re-evaluated with multiple feedback loops in order to build a complex, adaptable and reliable system based on value. Copyright © 2014 Arab Journal of Gastroenterology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design Solutions for Sustainable Construction of Pre Engineered Steel Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Umair Saleem

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Sustainable construction of ecofriendly infrastructure has been the priority of worldwide researchers. The induction of modern technology in the steel manufacturing industry has enabled designers to get the desired control over the steel section shapes and profiles resulting in efficient use of construction material and manufacturing energy required to produce these materials. The current research study is focused on the optimization of steel building costs with the use of pre-engineered building construction technology. Construction of conventional steel buildings (CSB incorporates the use of hot rolled sections, which have uniform cross-section throughout the length. However, pre-engineered steel buildings (PEB utilize steel sections, which are tailored and profiled based on the required loading effects. In this research study, the performance of PEB steel frames in terms of optimum use of steel sections and its comparison with the conventional steel building is presented in detail. A series of PEB and CSB steel frames is selected and subjected to various loading conditions. Frames were analyzed using Finite Element Based analysis tool and design was performed using American Institute of Steel Construction design specifications. Comparison of the frames has been established in terms of frame weights, lateral displacements (sway and vertical displacements (deflection of the frames. The results have clearly indicated that PEB steel frames are not only the most economical solution due to lesser weight of construction but also have shown better performance compared to CSB frames.

BUILDING A STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN SOUTH SULAWESI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zainuddin Rahman

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The research was to understand the purpose of understanding of the authorities, banking, and abuser of Small Medium Enterprises (UMKM. Business organizations, community leaders, in the building of UMKM development strategy. This research approach is qualitative by the method of Phenomenology of approach by understanding the perspectives of ethics within the emic and interpret the disclosure of informants involved in this research. The unit of analysis in this research are: Individual businessmen of UMKM in the fields of food and beverage industry, individual government officials from the Department of industry, cooperatives and regional SME research, Individual figures of Individual regions, the Business Banking Officials, individuals representing community leaders who understand the problem of UMKM. The data collection methods used are: observation, in-depth Interviews, and documentation. The research instruments the researcher as the main instrument. Research findings is that for member access to capital, access technology, and the market for UMKM, the Government must establish a credit guarantee institutions, build partnerships with banks, State-Owned Enterprises, BUMB, large companies, Commerce, cooperatives, universities and NGOs. In addition to the member's access for marketing, the Government should establish a joint marketing Center for UMKM in the form of an outlet. favor and absolute protection against UMKM so that the Government can develop on an ongoing basis from time to time. To develop UMKM continuously especially for UMKM engaged in the food industry, the Government should build the development strategies in the form of partnerships between large and UMKM entrepreneurs with all stakeholders in the area of South Sulawesi.

Development of a new energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Choongwan; Hong, Taehoon; Lee, Minhyun; Seon Park, Hyo

2014-01-01

Building energy efficiency rating systems have been established worldwide to systematically manage the energy consumption of existing buildings. This study aimed to develop a new energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings from two perspectives: (i) establishment of reasonable and fair criteria for the building energy efficiency rating system; and (ii) establishment of comparative incentive and penalty programs to encourage the voluntary participation of all residents in the energy saving campaign. Based on the analysis of the conventional energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings, this study was conducted in five steps: (i) data collection and analysis; (ii) correlation analysis between the household size and the CO 2 emission density (i.e., CO 2 emission per unit area); (iii) cluster formation based on results of the correlation analysis using a decision tree; (iv) establishment of a new energy efficiency rating system for existing buildings; and (v) establishment of incentive and penalty programs using advanced case-based reasoning. The proposed system can allow a policymaker to establish a reasonable and fair energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings and can encourage the voluntary participation of all residents in the energy saving campaign. - Highlights: • A new energy efficiency rating system for the residential building was developed. • The incentive and penalty programs were established using an advanced CBR model. • The new system was established using reasonable and fair standards. • It allows all residents to voluntarily participate in the energy saving campaign. • It can be applied to any country or sector in the global environment

Homeostasis control of building environment using sensor agent robot

Science.gov (United States)

Nagahama, Eri; Mita, Akira

2012-04-01

A human centered system for building is demanded to meet variety of needs due to the diversification and maturation of society. Smart buildings and smart houses have been studied to satisfy this demand. However, it is difficult for such systems to respond flexibly to unexpected events and needs that are caused by aging and complicate emotion changes. With this regards, we suggest "Biofied Buildings". The goal for this research is to realize buildings that are safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient by embedding adaptive functions of life into buildings. In this paper, we propose a new control system for building environments, focused on physiological adaptation, particularly homeostasis, endocrine system and immune system. Residents are used as living sensors and controllers in the control loop. A sensor agent robot is used to acquire resident's discomfort feeling, and to output hormone-like signals to activate devices to control the environments. The proposed system could control many devices without establishing complicated scenarios. Results obtained from some simulations and the demonstration experiments using an LED lighting system showed that the proposed system were able to achieve robust and stable control of environments without complicated scenarios.

SHAVING BIM: ESTABLISHING A FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE BIM RESEARCH IN NEW ZEALAND

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tran, Van

2012-08-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews and analyses issues relating to the uptake of BIM in the NZ construction industry. There have been few BIM applications in NZ; in particular, in post-construction phases like facilities management, there is none. The paper found that the three reasons why BIM has not been widely accepted and used in New Zealand are: the slow uptake by NZ construction companies; a lack of Kiwi-focused BIM initiatives (led by the government and industry bodies; and a lack of BIM-based building life cycle considerations. Therefore, the paper concludes that there is an urgent need for a joint research programme in NZ to develop a Kiwi-oriented knowledge base on BIM. Given the fact that all major research organisations currently have development plans in their pipelines, coupled with potential developments of the Christchurch Cit after the quake, it seems an ideal time to take a BIM-based research initiative in the country. This joint BIM- focused research programme should concentrate on construction management processes, including procurement management, contract management, information management, as well as post-construction aspects such as facility management.

Building America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brad Oberg

2010-12-31

IBACOS researched the constructability and viability issues of using high performance windows as one component of a larger approach to building houses that achieve the Building America 70% energy savings target.

Establishing confidence in the output of qualitative research synthesis: the ConQual approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Munn, Zachary; Porritt, Kylie; Lockwood, Craig; Aromataris, Edoardo; Pearson, Alan

2014-09-20

The importance of findings derived from syntheses of qualitative research has been increasingly acknowledged. Findings that arise from qualitative syntheses inform questions of practice and policy in their own right and are commonly used to complement findings from quantitative research syntheses. The GRADE approach has been widely adopted by international organisations to rate the quality and confidence of the findings of quantitative systematic reviews. To date, there has been no widely accepted corresponding approach to assist health care professionals and policy makers in establishing confidence in the synthesised findings of qualitative systematic reviews. A methodological group was formed develop a process to assess the confidence in synthesised qualitative research findings and develop a Summary of Findings tables for meta-aggregative qualitative systematic reviews. Dependability and credibility are two elements considered by the methodological group to influence the confidence of qualitative synthesised findings. A set of critical appraisal questions are proposed to establish dependability, whilst credibility can be ranked according to the goodness of fit between the author's interpretation and the original data. By following the processes outlined in this article, an overall ranking can be assigned to rate the confidence of synthesised qualitative findings, a system we have labelled ConQual. The development and use of the ConQual approach will assist users of qualitative systematic reviews to establish confidence in the evidence produced in these types of reviews and can serve as a practical tool to assist in decision making.

Sustainability and productivity of southern pine ecosystems: A thematic framework for integrating research and building partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Charles K. McMahon; James P. Barnett

2000-01-01

In 1997, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) published a Strategic Plan that formed a framework for addressing the Sustainability of Southern Forest Ecosystems. Six crosscutting themes were identified to facilitate research integration and partnership building among the widely dispersed SRS research work units. The Sustainability and Productivity of...

The role of architectural research centers in addressing climate change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Carmody

2012-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: It is clear that an urgent, major transformation needs to happen in the design of the built environment to respond to impending climate change and other environmental degradation. This paper will explain the potential role of architectural research centers in this transformation and provide examples from the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR at the University of Minnesota. A research center can become a regional hub to coordinate and disseminate critical information. CSBR is leading the establishment of Architecture 2030 standards in Minnesota, assisting local governments in writing green building policy, providing design assistance to local government, developing tools to assist design decision making, providing technical assistance to the affordable housing community inMinnesota, and establishing a regional case study database that includes actual performance information. CSBR is creating a publicly accessible, credible knowledge base on new approaches, technologies and actual performance outcomes. Research centers such as CSBR can be a critical component of the necessary feedback loop often lacking in the building industry. A research center can also fill major gaps in providing in depth professional education as well as be a catalyst for demonstration projects and public education.

The capacity building of disaster management in Bojonegoro regency

Science.gov (United States)

Isbandono, P.; Prastyawan, A.; Gamaputra, G.

2018-01-01

East Java is a disaster-prone area. Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Syamsul Maarif (2012) states that “East Java is a disaster supermarket area. Referring to Act Number 24 Year 2007 Concerning Disaster Management, disaster prevention activities are a series of activities undertaken as an effort to eliminate and/or reduce the threat of disaster (Article 1, paragraph 6).The disaster mitigation is a series of efforts to reduce disaster risk, through physical development and awareness and capacity building in the face of disaster (Article 1, paragraph 9). In 2009, the Provincial Government of East Java has been established Regional Disaster Management Agency and complete it through Local Regulation of East Java Province Number 3 Year 2010. This research was conducted in Bojonegoro. This study described the capacity building disaster handling and used descriptive research with qualitative approach. It focused on the capacity building for community preparedness in the face of. This study showed the vulnerability of regions and populations to threats flood and drought in could be physical, social and/or economical. The aims of the capacity building for the individuals and organizations are to be used effectively and efficiently in order to achieve the goals of the individuals and organizations.

Re-conceiving building design quality: A review of building users in their social context.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Kelly J; Evans, James; Karvonen, Andrew; Whitley, Tim

2016-05-01

Considerable overlap exists between post-occupancy research evaluating building design quality and the concept of 'social value', popularised by its recent application to issues of the public realm. To outline this potential research agenda, the paper reviews design quality research on buildings in relation to users and their social context where the term 'social context' refers to building user group dynamics, a combination of organisational cultures, management strategies, and social norms and practices. The review is conducted across five key building types, namely housing, workplaces, healthcare, education, and the retail/service sector. Research commonalities and gaps are identified in order to build a more comprehensive picture of the design quality literature and its handling of users in their social context. The key findings concerning each building type are presented visually. It is concluded that the design quality field comprises a patchwork of relatively isolated studies of various building types, with significant potential for theoretical and empirical development through interdisciplinary collaboration. Users tend to be conceived as anonymous and autonomous individuals with little analysis of user identity or interaction. Further, the contextual impact of user group dynamics on the relationship between building design and building user is rarely addressed in the literature. Producing a more nuanced understanding of users in situ is proposed as an important area for future design quality research.

Efficient Solutions and Cost-Optimal Analysis for Existing School Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Maria Congedo

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The recast of the energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD describes a comparative methodological framework to promote energy efficiency and establish minimum energy performance requirements in buildings at the lowest costs. The aim of the cost-optimal methodology is to foster the achievement of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs, the new target for all new buildings by 2020, characterized by a high performance with a low energy requirement almost covered by renewable sources. The paper presents the results of the application of the cost-optimal methodology in two existing buildings located in the Mediterranean area. These buildings are a kindergarten and a nursery school that differ in construction period, materials and systems. Several combinations of measures have been applied to derive cost-effective efficient solutions for retrofitting. The cost-optimal level has been identified for each building and the best performing solutions have been selected considering both a financial and a macroeconomic analysis. The results illustrate the suitability of the methodology to assess cost-optimality and energy efficiency in school building refurbishment. The research shows the variants providing the most cost-effective balance between costs and energy saving. The cost-optimal solution reduces primary energy consumption by 85% and gas emissions by 82%–83% in each reference building.

Irregular Shaped Building Design Optimization with Building Information Modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Xia Sheng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This research is to recognise the function of Building Information Modelling (BIM in design optimization for irregular shaped buildings. The study focuses on a conceptual irregular shaped “twisted” building design similar to some existing sculpture-like architectures. Form and function are the two most important aspects of new buildings, which are becoming more sophisticated as parts of equally sophisticated “systems” that we are living in. Nowadays, it is common to have irregular shaped or sculpture-like buildings which are very different when compared to regular buildings. Construction industry stakeholders are facing stiff challenges in many aspects such as buildability, cost effectiveness, delivery time and facility management when dealing with irregular shaped building projects. Building Information Modelling (BIM is being utilized to enable architects, engineers and constructors to gain improved visualization for irregular shaped buildings; this has a purpose of identifying critical issues before initiating physical construction work. In this study, three variations of design options differing in rotating angle: 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees are created to conduct quantifiable comparisons. Discussions are focused on three major aspects including structural planning, usable building space, and structural constructability. This research concludes that Building Information Modelling is instrumental in facilitating design optimization for irregular shaped building. In the process of comparing different design variations, instead of just giving “yes or no” type of response, stakeholders can now easily visualize, evaluate and decide to achieve the right balance based on their own criteria. Therefore, construction project stakeholders are empowered with superior evaluation and decision making capability.

Social multiplier effects: academics’ and practitioners’ perspective on the benefits of a tuberculosis operational research capacity-building program in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Probandari, Ari; Mahendradhata, Yodi; Widjanarko, Bagoes; Alisjahbana, Bachti

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The Tuberculosis Operational Research Group (TORG) implemented a capacity-building model involving academics and practitioners (i.e. clinicians or program staff) in an operational research (OR) team in Indonesia. Objective: This study explored academics’ and practitioners’ perspectives regarding the benefits of participating in a tuberculosis (TB) OR capacity-building program in Indonesia. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 36 academics and 23 practitioners undertaking the TORG capacity-building program. We asked open-ended questions about their experience of the program. Data were analyzed via content analysis. Results: The findings demonstrated the social multiplier effects of the OR capacity-building program. Both academics and practitioners reported perceived improvements in research knowledge, skills, and experience, and described additional individual- and institutional-level benefits. The individual-level benefits level included improvements in understanding of the TB program, motivation for research and self-satisfaction, the development/enhancement of individual networking, receipt of recognition, and new opportunities. The additional benefits reported at an institutional level included improvement in research curricula, in-house training, and program management and the development/enhancement of institutional partnerships. Conclusions: The program improved not only individuals’ capacity for conducting OR but also the quality of the TB program management and public health education. OR should be included in research methodology curricula for postgraduate public health/disease control programs. The capacity-building model, in which academics and program staff collaborated within an OR team, should be promoted. PMID:29039271

Building the Korogwe Laboratory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Jakob; von Seidlein, Lorenz; Richard, Jean Pierre

2011-01-01

An illustrated description of the building of a biomedical research laboratory in Korogwe, Tanzania.......An illustrated description of the building of a biomedical research laboratory in Korogwe, Tanzania....

Prerequisites for Successful Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable Building Renovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Johansen, Jakob Berg; Thuesen, Christian

The purpose of this paper is to identify the prerequisites for establishing successful strategic partnerships in relation to renovating buildings sustainably. Establishing strategic partnerships is in the paper seen as a potential way to make building renovation more sustainable in Denmark...... and analysis of strategic partnerships models as well as typical processes used in building renovation. Experiences from development of new strategic partnerships have particularly been found in the UK and Sweden. Based on two workshops with practitioners representing the whole value chain in the construction...... industry and analyses of two exemplary cases the paper suggests prerequisites for establishing successful strategic partnerships for sustainable building renovation. The results show that strategic partnerships are collaborations set up between two or more organizations that remain independent...

Process of establishing JHP project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishihara, Masayasu

2013-01-01

Institute for Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo was a Japanese central research institute as regards to nuclear physics, high energy physics, and cosmic ray physics. After the foundations of National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, KEK, and Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, in early 1970s, the nuclear physics community worked out so-called NUMATRON project, which involved building a large heavy-ion synchrotron. It was, however, not successful in competition with TRISTAN project which was proposed by KEK to build a 30 GeV electron-positron collider. Alternative project of the nuclear physics community was so-called JHP (Japanese Hadron Project), to build 1 GeV proton linac in KEK site in collaboration with KEK, which included that the Institute for Nuclear Study should be consolidated to KEK leaving from The University of Tokyo. The reorganized KEK proposed in collaboration with JAEA, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, to build a big proton accelerator facility in JAEA site. This plan was realized as J-PARC, Japanese Proton Accelerator Research Complex, operating 50 GeV proton synchrotron. (author)

School Building Organisation in Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

PEB Exchange, 2001

2001-01-01

Discusses the past and current organizational structure of Greece's School Building Organisation, a body established to work with government agencies in the design and construction of new buildings and the provisioning of educational equipment. Future planning to incorporate culture and creativity, sports, and laboratory learning in modern school…

Summary of Prioritized Research Opportunities: Building America Program Planning Meeting, Washington, D.C., November 2-4, 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-02-01

This report outlines the results of brainstorming sessions conducted at the Building America Fall 2010 planning meeting, in which research teams and national laboratories identified key research priorities to incorporate into multi-year planning, team research agendas, expert meetings, and technical standing committees.

Establishment of regulatory framework for the development reactor licensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Jong C.; Yune, Young G.; Kim, Woong S.; Ahn, Sang K.; Kim, In G.; Kim, Hho J.

2003-01-01

With a trend that various types of advanced reactor designs are currently under development worldwide, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has been developing an advanced reactor called ' System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor (SMART)', which is a small sized integral type pressurized water reactor with a rated thermal power of 330 MW. To demonstrate the safety and the performance of the SMART reactor design, the SMART Research and Development Center has embarked to build a scaled-down pilot plant of SMART, called 'SMART-P' with a rated thermal power of 65 MW. In preparation for the forthcoming applications for both construction permit and operating license of SMART-P in the near future, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety is developing a new regulatory framework for licensing review of such a development reactor, which covers establishment of licensing process, identification and resolution of technical and safety issues, development of regulatory evaluation or verification-purpose computer codes and analytical methods, and establishment of design-specific, general design and operating criteria, regulations, and associated regulatory guides. This paper presents the current activities for establishing a regulatory framework for the licensing of a research and development reactor. Discussions are made on the SMART-P development program, the current Korean regulatory framework for reactor licensing, the SMART-P licensing-related issues, and the approach and strategy for developing an effective regulatory framework for the SMART-P licensing

Environmental issues and energy conservation in buildings in Pakistan: role of architectural intervention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arif, S.; Khan, A.; Alamgir, K.; Alamgir, K.

2011-01-01

Energy shortage and environmental catastrophe is the severe problem globally and particularly important for the developing countries like Pakistan. There is a serious need to solve the problem for a sustainable building environment as the building sector has become a major consumer of energy. An attempt has been made for the building professionals and building users for adherence into their design and construction the energy conservation measures to reduce environmental problems more easily after the thorough review of the famous authors' research work and findings in this field. The ultimate aim is the establishment of awareness for the building professionals for delivering sustainable buildings in Pakistan. Through the implementation of design measures to mitigate the urban heat island, the general public can decrease their demand for energy and effectively cool the urban landscape. In addition to the economic benefits, energy conservation leads to reductions in CO/sub 2/ emissions. (author)

Establishment of a building audit procedure and analysis for the Kansas Department of Transportation phase 2A : buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

Over the past few years, state governments and entities have become concerned with the energy : consumption and efficiency of their facilities. An effective manner to identify potential to reduce energy and : water consumption and increase building e...

Four Methods for Completing the Conceptual Development Phase of Applied Theory Building Research in HRD

Science.gov (United States)

Storberg-Walker, Julia; Chermack, Thomas J.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe four methods for completing the conceptual development phase of theory building research for single or multiparadigm research. The four methods selected for this review are (1) Weick's method of "theorizing as disciplined imagination" (1989); (2) Whetten's method of "modeling as theorizing" (2002); (3)…

Early experiences building a software quality prediction model

Science.gov (United States)

Agresti, W. W.; Evanco, W. M.; Smith, M. C.

1990-01-01

Early experiences building a software quality prediction model are discussed. The overall research objective is to establish a capability to project a software system's quality from an analysis of its design. The technical approach is to build multivariate models for estimating reliability and maintainability. Data from 21 Ada subsystems were analyzed to test hypotheses about various design structures leading to failure-prone or unmaintainable systems. Current design variables highlight the interconnectivity and visibility of compilation units. Other model variables provide for the effects of reusability and software changes. Reported results are preliminary because additional project data is being obtained and new hypotheses are being developed and tested. Current multivariate regression models are encouraging, explaining 60 to 80 percent of the variation in error density of the subsystems.

Seismic Safety Margins Research Program (Phase I). Project IV. Structural building response; Structural Building Response Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Healey, J.J.; Wu, S.T.; Murga, M.

1980-02-01

As part of the Phase I effort of the Seismic Safety Margins Research Program (SSMRP) being performed by the University of California Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the basic objective of Subtask IV.1 (Structural Building Response Review) is to review and summarize current methods and data pertaining to seismic response calculations particularly as they relate to the objectives of the SSMRP. This material forms one component in the development of the overall computational methodology involving state of the art computations including explicit consideration of uncertainty and aimed at ultimately deriving estimates of the probability of radioactive releases due to seismic effects on nuclear power plant facilities

Mediating Data and Building Community for Informed, Intelligent Decision Making for the Polar Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Pulsifer, P. L.; Stieglitz, M.

2017-12-01

Much has been written about the state of data and related systems for the polar regions, however work remains to be done to achieve an envisioned integrated and well-defined pan-Arctic observing and data network that enables access to high quality data, expertise and information in support of scientific understanding, stakeholder needs, and agency operations. In this paper we argue that priorities for establishing such a network are in the area of machine-enhanced data mediation and the human aspects of community building. The authors have engaged in a U.S.-based, multi-agency process with the goal of applying modern cyberinfrastructure to improve capabilities for integrating data. A particular case-study focuses on establishing a carbon budget for the Arctic region. This effort contributes to broader global efforts aimed at establishing an international observing and data network. Results are based on a series meetings, workshops, systems design activities, and publications. Analysis reveals that there are a large number of polar data resources interacting in a network that functions as a data ecosystem. Given the size and complexity of the network, achieving broad data discovery and access and meaningful data integration (i.e. developing a carbon budget) will require advanced techniques including machine learning, semantic mediation, and the use of highly connected virtual research environments. To achieve the aforementioned goal will require a community of engaged researchers, technologists, and stakeholders to establish requirements and the social and organizational context needed for effective machine-based approaches. The results imply that: i) the polar research and application community must be more aware of advances in technology; ii) funders must adopt a long-term, sustainable infrastructure approach to systems development; iii) the community must work together to enable interoperability; iv) we must recognize that the challenge is socio-technical and

An Emergency Medicine Research Priority Setting Partnership to establish the top 10 research priorities in emergency medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jason; Keating, Liza; Flowerdew, Lynsey; O'Brien, Rachel; McIntyre, Sam; Morley, Richard; Carley, Simon

2017-07-01

Defining research priorities in a specialty as broad as emergency medicine is a significant challenge. In order to fund and complete the most important research projects, it is imperative that we identify topics that are important to all clinicians, society and to our patients. We have undertaken a priority setting partnership to establish the most important questions facing emergency medicine. The top 10 questions reached through a consensus process are discussed. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

NASA's Contribution to Water Research, Applications and Capacity Building in the America's

Science.gov (United States)

Toll, D. L.; Searby, N. D.; Doorn, B.; Lawford, R. G.; Entin, J. K.; Mohr, K. I.; Lee, C.; NASA International Water Team

2013-05-01

NASA's water research, applications and capacity building activities use satellites and models to contribute to regional water information and solutions for the Americas. Free and open exchange of Earth data observations and products helps engage and improve integrated observation networks and enables national and multi-national regional water cycle research and applications. NASA satellite and modeling products provide a huge volume of valuable data extending back over 50 years across a broad range of spatial (local to global) and temporal (hourly to decadal) scales and include many products that are available in near real time (see earthdata.nasa.gov). In addition, NASA's work in hydrologic predictions are valuable for: 1) short-term and hourly data that is critical for flood and landslide warnings; 2) mid-term predictions of days to weeks useful for reservoir planning and water allocation, and 3) long term seasonal to decadal forecasts helpful for agricultural and irrigation planning, land use planning, and water infrastructure development and planning. To further accomplish these objectives NASA works to actively partner with public and private groups (e.g. federal agencies, universities, NGO's, and industry) in the U.S. and internationally to ensure the broadest use of its satellites and related information and products and to collaborate with regional end users who know the regions and their needs best. Through these data, policy and partnering activities, NASA addresses numerous water issues including water scarcity, the extreme events of drought and floods, and water quality so critical to the Americas. This presentation will outline and describe NASA's water related research, applications and capacity building programs' efforts to address the Americas' critical water challenges. This will specifically include water activities in NASA's programs in Terrestrial Hydrology (e.g., land-atmosphere feedbacks and improved stream flow estimation), Water Resources

Trauma research in Qatar: a literature review and discussion of progress after establishment of a trauma research centre.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Menyar, A; Asim, M; Zarour, A; Abdelrahman, H; Peralta, R; Parchani, A; Al-Thani, H

2016-02-01

A structured research programme is one of the main pillars of a trauma care system. Despite the high rate of injury-related mortalities, especially road traffic accidents, in Qatar, little consideration has been given to research in trauma. This review aimed to analyse research publications on the subject of trauma published from Qatar and to discuss the progress of clinical research in Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries with special emphasis on trauma research. A literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar search engines located 757 English-language articles within the fields of internal medicine, surgery and trauma originating from Qatar between the years 1993 and 2013. A steep increase in the number of trauma publications since 2010 could be linked to the setting up of a trauma research centre in Qatar in 2011. We believe that establishing a research unit has made a major impact on research productivity, which ultimately benefits health care.

Research-Practice

OpenAIRE

Laura M. Desimone; Tonya Wolford; Kirsten Lee Hill

2016-01-01

Recent attention on partnerships between researchers and practitioners highlights the potential of these relationships to provide high-quality usable knowledge for improving schools. But how do we translate guiding partnership principles into specific actionable steps? How do we build and maintain an effective partnership? How do we reconcile and integrate multiple partnership frameworks to establish a coherent set of partnership activities? How do we evaluate partnership progress and outcome...

Building Efficiency Technologies by Tomorrow’s Engineers and Researchers (BETTER) Capstone. Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yee, Shannon [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

2017-09-30

BETTER Capstone supported 29 student project teams consisting of 155 students over two years in developing transformative building energy efficiency technologies through a capstone design experience. Capstone is the culmination of an undergraduate student’s engineering education. Interdisciplinary teams of students spent a semester designing and prototyping a technological solution for a variety building energy efficiency problems. During this experience students utilized the full design process, including the manufacturing and testing of a prototype solution, as well as publically demonstrating the solution at the Capstone Design Expo. As part of this project, students explored modern manufacturing techniques and gained hands-on experience with these techniques to produce their prototype technologies. This research added to the understanding of the challenges within building technology education and engagement with industry. One goal of the project was to help break the chicken-and-egg problem with getting students to engage more deeply with the building technology industry. It was learned however that this industry is less interested in trying innovative new concept but rather interested in hiring graduates for existing conventional building efforts. While none of the projects yielded commercial success, much individual student growth and learning was accomplished, which is a long-term benefit to the public at large.

Evaluation and demonstration of decentralized space and water heating versus centralized services for new and rehabilitated multifamily buildings. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belkus, P. [Foster-Miller, Inc., Waltham, MA (US); Tuluca, A. [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (US)

1993-06-01

The general objective of this research was aimed at developing sufficient technical and economic know-how to convince the building and design communities of the appropriateness and energy advantages of decentralized space and water heating for multifamily buildings. Two main goals were established to guide this research. First, the research sought to determine the cost-benefit advantages of decentralized space and water heating versus centralized systems for multifamily applications based on innovative gas piping and appliance technologies. The second goal was to ensure that this information is made available to the design community.

Courthouse Prototype Building

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malhotra, Mini [ORNL; New, Joshua Ryan [ORNL; Im, Piljae [ORNL

2018-02-01

As part of DOE's support of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 and IECC, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) apply a suite of prototype buildings covering 80% of the commercial building floor area in the U.S. for new construction. Efforts have started on expanding the prototype building suite to cover 90% of the commercial building floor area in the U.S., by developing prototype models for additional building types including place of worship, public order and safety, public assembly. Courthouse is courthouse is a sub-category under the “Public Order and Safety" building type category; other sub-categories include police station, fire station, and jail, reformatory or penitentiary.ORNL used building design guides, databases, and documented courthouse projects, supplemented by personal communication with courthouse facility planning and design experts, to systematically conduct research on the courthouse building and system characteristics. This report documents the research conducted for the courthouse building type and proposes building and system characteristics for developing a prototype building energy model to be included in the Commercial Building Prototype Model suite. According to the 2012 CBECS, courthouses occupy a total of 436 million sqft of floor space or 0.5% of the total floor space in all commercial buildings in the US, next to fast food (0.35%), grocery store or food market (0.88%), and restaurant or cafeteria (1.2%) building types currently included in the Commercial Prototype Building Model suite. Considering aggregated average, courthouse falls among the larger with a mean floor area of 69,400 sqft smaller fuel consumption intensity building types and an average of 94.7 kBtu/sqft compared to 77.8 kBtu/sqft for office and 80 kBtu/sqft for all commercial buildings.Courthouses range in size from 1000 sqft to over a million square foot building gross square feet and 1 courtroom to over 100 courtrooms. Small courthouses

Prerequisites for Successful Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable Building Renovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Johansen, Jakob Berg; Thuesen, Christian

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify the prerequisites for establishing successful strategic partnerships in relation to renovating buildings sustainably. Establishing strategic partnerships is in the paper seen as a potential way to make building renovation more sustainable in Denmark...... industry and analyses of two exemplary cases the paper suggests prerequisites for establishing successful strategic partnerships for sustainable building renovation. The results show that strategic partnerships are collaborations set up between two or more organizations that remain independent...... particularly in terms of reducing energy consumption and use of resources and increase productivity. However, until now we have only had a limited number of such partnerships implemented and the few examples that do exist, mostly concern the construction of new buildings. The paper is based on an investigation...

Key Practice for Green Building Management In Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Aghili Nasim; Bin Mohammed Abdul Hakim; Sheau-Ting Low

2016-01-01

This paper identifies the management practices for green building management in Malaysia. A set of practices was ascertained from the reviewed of various established Green Building Standard in the world. Green building practices are significant role in attaining sustainability particularly in the construction industry. Green building is constructed for minimizing impacts to environment as well as decreasing building effects on occupants. To achieve the goals of green buildings, set of managem...

Literature Review of Data on the Incremental Costs to Design and Build Low-Energy Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, W. D.

2008-05-14

This document summarizes findings from a literature review into the incremental costs associated with low-energy buildings. The goal of this work is to help establish as firm an analytical foundation as possible for the Building Technology Program's cost-effective net-zero energy goal in the year 2025.

Developing a Culture to Facilitate Research Capacity Building for Clinical Nurse Consultants in Generalist Paediatric Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesley Wilkes

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports a research capacity building exercise with a group of CNCs practicing in the speciality of paediatrics in New South Wales (NSW, Australia. It explores the first step in building a research culture, through identifying the research priorities of members of the NSW Child Health Networks Paediatric Clinical Nurse Consultant group, and this forms the major focus of this paper. A nominal group technique (NGT was utilised with sixteen members to identify research topics for investigation which were considered a priority for improving children's health care. The group reviewed and prioritised 43 research topics in children's health which were identified in the literature. As a result of conducting this research prioritisation exercise, the group chose two research topics to investigate: reasons for children representing to the Emergency Department and a comparison of the use of high-flow and low-flow nasal prongs in children with bronchiolitis. The research team will continue to mentor the nurses throughout their research projects which resulted from the NGT. One bridge to leadership development in enhancing patient care is translating knowledge to practice and policy development. This study leads the way for a group of CNCs in paediatric nursing to combine their research capacity and influence clinical knowledge.

Building a science of partnership-focused research: forging and sustaining partnerships to support child mental health prevention and services research.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Catherine P; Haynes, Katherine Taylor

2012-07-01

Building on growing interest in translational research, this paper provides an overview of a special issue of Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Service Research, which is focused on the process of forging and sustaining partnerships to support child mental health prevention and services research. We propose that partnership-focused research is a subdiscipline of translational research which requires additional research to better refine the theoretical framework and the core principles that will guide future research and training efforts. We summarize some of the major themes across the eight original articles and three commentaries included in the special issue. By advancing the science of partnership-focused research we will be able to bridge the gap between child mental health prevention and services research and practice.

"The magic is in the mix": lessons from research capacity building in the Canadian tobacco control community, 2000-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Barbara L; Viehbeck, Sarah M; Cohen, Joanna E; Chia, Marie C

2013-02-25

Global public health issues, including tobacco use, will be addressed most effectively if informed by relevant evidence. Additional capacity is needed to undertake and sustain relevant and rigorous research that will inform and enable learning from interventions. Despite the undisputed importance of research capacity building (RCB), there is little evidence about how to create relevant capacities. RCB for tobacco control in Canada from 2000-2010 offers a rich experience from which to learn. Lessons were derived using structured data collection from seven capacity-building initiatives and an invitational workshop, at which reflections on major contributions and lessons learned were discussed by initiative leads. Ten years of RCB for tobacco control in Canada revealed the importance of a) taking an organic approach to RCB, b) targeting and sustaining investments in a mix of RCB activities, c) vision and collaborative leadership at organizational and initiative levels, d) a focus on building community, and e) studying capacity building. The experience also provided tangible examples of RCB initiatives and how independent investments can be linked to create a coherent approach. Looking ahead, promising directions may include positioning RCB within a broader context of "field building", focusing on practical approaches to sustainability, and enhancing research on RCB.

Technological features of installation of transformable low-rise buildings from sandwich panels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pleshivtsev Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Subject of research: organizational and technological solutions are considered in the construction of transformable low-rise residential buildings using sandwich panels. Aims: rational choice of organizational and technological solutions for the rhythmic construction of the underground and above-ground part of the transformable low-rise buildings in order to reduce labor costs and construction time. Materials and methods: methods of computer modeling of the technological processes are used to determine the duration of the construction of the low-rise buildings. Results: rational methods for erecting a complex of transformable low-rise buildings are defined, parameters of technological processes are established, an analysis of technological operations is provided for the construction of transformable low-rise residential buildings using sandwich panels. Conclusions: now organizational and technological solutions for the construction of transformable low-rise residential buildings with the use of sandwich panels reduce labour costs, increase the construction pace and as well as the using of improved technological processes in the construction of such buildings leads to a reduction in construction time.

Establishing an agenda for social studies research in marine renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerr, Sandy; Watts, Laura; Colton, John; Conway, Flaxen; Hull, Angela; Johnson, Kate; Jude, Simon; Kannen, Andreas; MacDougall, Shelley; McLachlan, Carly; Potts, Tavis; Vergunst, Jo

2014-01-01

To date, academic research relating to Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) has largely focused on resource assessment, technical viability and environmental impact. Experiences from onshore renewable energy tell us that social acceptability is equally critical to project success. However, the specific nature of the marine environment, patterns of resource distribution and governance means experiences from onshore may not be directly applicable to MRE and the marine environment. This paper sets out an agenda for social studies research linked to MRE, identifying key topics for future research: (i) economic impacts; (ii) wealth distribution and community benefits; (iii) communication and knowledge flow; (iv) consultation processes; (v) dealing with uncertainty; (vi) public attitudes; and (vii) planning processes. This agenda is based on the findings of the first workshop of ISSMER, an international research network of social scientists with interests in marine renewable energy. Importantly, this research agenda has been informed by the experiences of developers, regulators and community groups in Orkney. The Orkney archipelago, off the north coast of Scotland, is home to the most intense cluster of MRE research, development and deployment activity in the world today. - Highlights: • Existing marine renewable energy (MRE) research fails to address many social issues. • Social acceptability is essential to the future viability of the MRE industry. • An agenda is established for social science research into MRE

Sustainability assessment, rating systems and historical buildings Case study: Rehabilitated construction in a university site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadrykia Somayeh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the relationship between the indicators and different factors that “rating systems for green projects” concentrates on, and principles and factors considered in the rehabilitation of historical buildings. In recent years, different methods and systems concerned and improved for assessing environmental sustainability. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment (BRE Environmental Assessment Method are two most commonly used rating systems, established in U.S and UK. These systems comprise some categories and different factors to achieve environmentally responsible design. Firstly, this study focuses on the list of rating systems indicators and criteria. Secondly this paper investigates a historical rehabilitated building in the site of Tabriz Art University, as a case study and has tried to compile its green design elements. Finally, this work intends to compare mentioned elements with indicators and factors of building rating systems. Findings of the study revealed that “Materials and Resources”, “indoor environmental quality” and also “Sustainable Sites” ,the most significant indicator of rating systems, had major and important role in the rehabilitation of the building. Beyond this materials’ life cycle was considerable in construction.

Dispersion microclimatology of the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment: 1964-1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, P.A.; Reimer, A.

1980-10-01

This report discusses the analysis of data collected on the meteorological tower at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (WNRE) during the period 1964-1976. The time-averaged characteristics of wind speed, wind direction, temperature and atmospheric stability are described, and the implications which these chacteristics have for the dispersion of a contaminant released to the atmosphere from the WNRE site are discussed. A comparison of the present results with those of a previous two-year analysis of WNRE measurements suggests that a short-term climatology is sufficiently representative of long-term conditions to provide a reliable base for dispersion predictions. (auth)

Research of building information extraction and evaluation based on high-resolution remote-sensing imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Qiong; Gu, Lingjia; Ren, Ruizhi; Wang, Lang

2016-09-01

Building extraction currently is important in the application of high-resolution remote sensing imagery. At present, quite a few algorithms are available for detecting building information, however, most of them still have some obvious disadvantages, such as the ignorance of spectral information, the contradiction between extraction rate and extraction accuracy. The purpose of this research is to develop an effective method to detect building information for Chinese GF-1 data. Firstly, the image preprocessing technique is used to normalize the image and image enhancement is used to highlight the useful information in the image. Secondly, multi-spectral information is analyzed. Subsequently, an improved morphological building index (IMBI) based on remote sensing imagery is proposed to get the candidate building objects. Furthermore, in order to refine building objects and further remove false objects, the post-processing (e.g., the shape features, the vegetation index and the water index) is employed. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, the omission errors (OE), commission errors (CE), the overall accuracy (OA) and Kappa are used at final. The proposed method can not only effectively use spectral information and other basic features, but also avoid extracting excessive interference details from high-resolution remote sensing images. Compared to the original MBI algorithm, the proposed method reduces the OE by 33.14% .At the same time, the Kappa increase by 16.09%. In experiments, IMBI achieved satisfactory results and outperformed other algorithms in terms of both accuracies and visual inspection

Selective classification and quantification model of C&D waste from material resources consumed in residential building construction.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercader-Moyano, Pilar; Ramírez-de-Arellano-Agudo, Antonio

2013-05-01

The unfortunate economic situation involving Spain and the European Union is, among other factors, the result of intensive construction activity over recent years. The excessive consumption of natural resources, together with the impact caused by the uncontrolled dumping of untreated C&D waste in illegal landfills have caused environmental pollution and a deterioration of the landscape. The objective of this research was to generate a selective classification and quantification model of C&D waste based on the material resources consumed in the construction of residential buildings, either new or renovated, namely the Conventional Constructive Model (CCM). A practical example carried out on ten residential buildings in Seville, Spain, enabled the identification and quantification of the C&D waste generated in their construction and the origin of the waste, in terms of the building material from which it originated and its impact for every m(2) constructed. This model enables other researchers to establish comparisons between the various improvements proposed for the minimization of the environmental impact produced by building a CCM, new corrective measures to be proposed in future policies that regulate the production and management of C&D waste generated in construction from the design stage to the completion of the construction process, and the establishment of sustainable management for C&D waste and for the selection of materials for the construction on projected or renovated buildings.

An Analysis of the Most Adopted Rating Systems for Assessing the Environmental Impact of Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Bernardi

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Rating systems for assessing the environmental impact of buildings are technical instruments that aim to evaluate the environmental impact of buildings and construction projects. In some cases, these rating systems can also cover urban-scale projects, community projects, and infrastructures. These schemes are designed to assist project management in making the projects more sustainable by providing frameworks with precise criteria for assessing the various aspects of a building’s environmental impact. Given the growing interest in sustainable development worldwide, many rating systems for assessing the environmental impact of buildings have been established in recent years, each one with its peculiarities and fields of applicability. The present work is motivated by an interest in emphasizing such differences to better understand these rating systems and extract the main implications to building design. It also attempts to summarize in a user-friendly form the vast and fragmented assortment of information that is available today. The analysis focuses on the six main rating systems: the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM, the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB, the Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQETM, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED, and the Sustainable Building Tool (SBTool.

Research for energy optimized building. Status seminar; Forschung fuer Energieoptimiertes Bauen. Statusseminar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

Within the meeting of the Project Management Juelich (Juelich, Federal Republic of Germany) and the Bavarian Centre for Applied Energy Research (Wuerzburg, Federal Republic of Germany) between 30th June and 2nd July, 2009, in Wuerzburg the following lectures were held: (1) Optically switchable layers with tungsten oxide (Andreas Georg); (2) Functional coatings for application on outer surfaces of glazings (Hansjoerg Weis); (3) Functional coatings and application (Thomas Hofmann); (4) Thermal insulation in the 21st century: Vacuum-insulation panel and vacuum-isolation glasses (Ulrich Heinemann, Helmut Weinlaeder, Hans-Peter Ebert); (5) Textile composites using thermal insulation composites as an example (Alexandra Saur, Jan Beringer, Andreas Holm, Klaus Sedlbauer); (6) Design of membranes for the enhancement of the energy efficiency in buildings (Jochen Manara et al.); (7) Design of membranes for the energetic sanitation of buildings (Werner Lang et al.); (8) Total energetic analysis of complex HLK systems for buildings (Wolfgang Richter); (9) Review on hybrid aeration systems (Dirk Mueller et al.); (10) IEA SHC-Task 38 (Operating Agent) - Energy efficient cooling and dehumidification (ECOS) (Hans-Martin Henning, Alexander Morgenstern, Constanze Bongs); (11) Air quality controlled aeration of building (Jens Knissel, Marc Grossklos); (12) Development of a solar driven refrigerating absorber / heat pump with a ice storage (Thomas Brendel, Marco Zetzsche, Hans Mueller-Steinhagen); (13) Heat pumps field test 'WP efficiency' - interim results (Marek Miara); (14) ECBCS Annex 49 Low Exergy Systems for High-Performance Buildings and Communities (Dietrich Schmidt, Marlen Schurig); (15) Aquifer storage for the heat supply and cold supply of buildings (Sefan Kranz et al.); (16) Evaluation and optimization of operation of systems for the seasonal heat storage and cold storage in the foundations of office buildings (Herdis Kipry, Franziska Bockelmann, M. Norbert Fisch

The establishment of a network of European human research tissue banks.

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Samantha; Alexandre, Eliane; Clark, Brain; Combes, Robert; Fels, Lueder M; Gray, Neil; Jönsson-Rylander, Ann-Cathrine; Helin, Heikki; Koistinen, Jukka; Oinonen, Teija; Richert, Lysiane; Ravid, Rivka; Salonen, Jarmo; Teesalu, Tambet; Thasler, Wolfgang; Trafford, Jacki; Van Der Valk, Jan; Von Versen, Rudiger; Weiss, Thomas; Womack, Chris; Ylikomi, Timo

2002-01-01

This is a report of a workshop held on the establishment of human research tissue banking which was held in Levi, Finland 21-24 March 2002. There were 21 participants from 7 European countries. This meeting was attended by representatives from academia, research tissue banks and from the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industries. The principal aim of the workshop was to find a way to progress the recommendations from ECVAM workshop 44 (ATLA 29, 125-134, 2001) and ECVAM workshop 32 (ATLA 26, 763-777, 1998). The workshop represented the first unofficial meeting of the European Network of Research Tissue Banks (ENRTB) steering group. It is expected that in the period preceding the next workshop the ENRTB steering group will co-ordinate the ethical, legislative and organisational aspects of research tissue banking. Key issues dealt with by the Levi workshop included the practical aspects of sharing expertise and experiences across the different European members. Such collaboration between research tissue banks and end users of such material seeks to ultimately enable shared access to human tissue for medical and pharmaco-toxicological research while maintaining strict adherence to differences in legal and ethical aspects related to the use of human tissue in individual countries.

Guidelines for Using Building Information Modeling for Energy Analysis of Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Reeves

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Building energy modeling (BEM, a subset of building information modeling (BIM, integrates energy analysis into the design, construction, and operation and maintenance of buildings. As there are various existing BEM tools available, there is a need to evaluate the utility of these tools in various phases of the building lifecycle. The goal of this research was to develop guidelines for evaluation and selection of BEM tools to be used in particular building lifecycle phases. The objectives of this research were to: (1 Evaluate existing BEM tools; (2 Illustrate the application of the three BEM tools; (3 Re-evaluate the three BEM tools; and (4 Develop guidelines for evaluation, selection and application of BEM tools in the design, construction and operation/maintenance phases of buildings. Twelve BEM tools were initially evaluated using four criteria: interoperability, usability, available inputs, and available outputs. Each of the top three BEM tools selected based on this initial evaluation was used in a case study to simulate and evaluate energy usage, daylighting performance, and natural ventilation for two academic buildings (LEED-certified and non-LEED-certified. The results of the case study were used to re-evaluate the three BEM tools using the initial criteria with addition of the two new criteria (speed and accuracy, and to develop guidelines for evaluating and selecting BEM tools to analyze building energy performance. The major contribution of this research is the development of these guidelines that can help potential BEM users to identify the most appropriate BEM tool for application in particular building lifecycle phases.

The effect of using low-polluting building materials on ventilation requirements and energy use in buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wargocki, P.; Frontczak, M. (International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, DTU, Kgs. Lyngby (DK)); Knudsen, Henrik N. (Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg Univ., Hoersholm (DK))

2007-07-01

The main objective of the ongoing research project described in this paper was to study the potential for reducing energy used for ventilating buildings by using low-polluting building materials, without compromising the indoor air quality. To quantify this potential, the exposure-response relationships, i.e. the relationships between ventilation rate and perceived indoor air quality, were established for rooms furnished with different categories of polluting materials and the simulations of energy used for ventilation were carried out. The exposure-response relationships were based on a summary of data reported in the literature on exposure-response relationships for materials tested in laboratory settings in small-scale glass chambers, and in full-scale in climate chambers, test rooms or normal offices. New experiments were also considered in which the effect of using low-polluting materials on perceived air quality was examined in test rooms ventilated with different outdoor air supply rates, low-polluting materials being selected in small glass chambers. The results suggest that the exposure-response relationships vary between different building materials and that the perceived air quality can be improved considerably when polluting building materials are substituted with materials that pollute less. The preliminary energy simulations indicate that selecting low-polluting materials will result in considerable energy savings as a result of reducing the ventilation rates required to achieve acceptable indoor air quality. (au)

Darlington GS vacuum building - containment shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huterer, J.; Ha, E.C.; Brown, D.G.; Cheng, P.C.

1985-01-01

The paper describes the consequences of new design requirements for the Darlington vacuum building on its structural configuration, analytical and reinforcing steel layout. Attention focuses on the ring girder where the juncture of dome and perimeter wall produces a complex post-tensioning layout, and attendant difficulties in design and construction. At the wall base, full fixity imposes large local stresses. Long-term, shrinkage and creep, and temperature effects become significant. A research program and in-house analytical procedure established time-dependent concrete behaviour and corresponding wall-sectional stresses. The outcome is examined in terms of reinforcement, temperature controls, and wall liner requirements. (orig.)

Preliminary research on time degradation of mechanical characteristics of concretes used in nuclear power plant buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciornei, R.

1991-01-01

To provide severe safety rules governing the operation of nuclear power plants, reinforced and concrete elements and structures should preserve the quality and time-constant parameters throughout the life-time of the buildings. Some important design parameters are concrete strength and elasticity modulus. Preliminary research on concrete specimens made in laboratory whose strength and static and dynamic elasticity modulus have been determined after an ageing test, has aimed at nuclear power design and building. (author)

An Investigation Into Why Lighting Controls Fail in Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard Doyle

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The project began as a post-occupancy evaluation of lighting controls installed in a range of buildings, including a public office building, a shopping centre and a primary school. Actual controlled lighting consumption was to be compared against past billing or simulated energy consumption. However, when the research began it was found that the controls had been removed from two out of the three buildings. Further research proved that it was not unusual for lighting controls to be disconnected following installation. This raised a much bigger research question- why were the controls disconnected and what were the factors governing success or failure of these systems? To answer this new question a new methodology to that first envisaged had to be established. Investigating the reasons for disconnection could only be achieved by discussion with those involved. To find out what people know, or think, it is necessary to ask them. Interviewing was used to address the new research question. It was found that little research exists on long-term performance analysis of lighting controls. A framework was created to determine if there is correlation between past findings and the reasons for failure in the case studies. It should be noted that there were minimal findings into the failure of lighting controls systems in buildings in Ireland, which prompted possible additional reasons for the failure of these systems, e.g. differing usage patterns, availability of useful daylight. The research that followed posed many challenges requiring the use of qualitative data in an engineering environment. In order to answer the research question, a clearly-defined and wellstructured methodology was required. It was concluded from the research that the conceptual framework used was appropriate and that the methods were fit for purpose.Some of the findings included: • Maintenance costs are comparitively high • Misinterpretation of commissioning processes �

Research Study of Modular Design of School Buildings in Europe. April 30, 1968 - May 20, 1968. Revised 1969.

Science.gov (United States)

Orlowski, S. T.

Research for this comparative study consisted of school visits and discussions on the school building industry with leading men in the field in England, West Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The study explored the use of prefabrication and modular school design, which provide economical and flexible school buildings to accommodate an increasing…

Establishment of an Advanced Accelerator Applications University Participation Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hechanova, A.E.; Cerefice, G.S.

2002-01-01

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) established an Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) University Participation Program in March 2001 to develop a world-class research program for accelerator-driven transmutation technology while building core competencies and facilities to promote the University's strategic growth goals. The goal of this program is to involve UNLV students in research on the cutting edge of science and engineering as an integrated part of the national program to develop this emerging technology. This program augments UNLV's research capabilities and infrastructure, while establishing national and international research collaborations with national laboratories, industrial partners, and other universities, increasing the UNL V research community's presence in the global scientific community. The UNL V Program is closely integrated into the national project led by Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories. The primary mechanism to insure this degree of integration is the teaming of national laboratory scientists with UNL V faculty and students on student research proposals. The Program was implemented under an aggressive schedule with faculty response that surpassed expectations. A total of 12 multi-tasked projects that involve 21 graduate students and 13 faculty members began under first year funding. Other major accomplishments include establishment of an administrative structure implementing all the components of the Program and establishment of a communications network between national laboratory project leaders and UNL V faculty. (authors)

Smart solutions for low-income buildings rehabilitation: international researches and experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenio Arbizzani

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Smart City concept briefly refers to a sustainable city where innovative Smart strategies will be adopted to an efficient management of resources flows and social interoperability. Aligned with the most relevant European research experiences, the paper describes the relations between an on-going research from the PDTA Dept., centered on a knowledge platform tool for energy-efficient interactive buildings design, and the contribution of the ELIH-MED project on the use of industrialized solutions and smart devices during the rehabilitation process in Mediterranean low-income housings. A pilot project in the Spanish climate context reveals the important role of Smart Monitoring Devices to encourage energy savings and tackle recognized needs through a participative process where stakeholders and beneficiaries are actively involved.

Building visual identity of scientific and research units and the role of visualization in cooperation with business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfreda Kamińska

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The need for commercialization of scientific research leads to the necessity of changing the orientation of scientific-research units to marketing orientation, which is characterized by, among others, conducting research aimed at learning the clients’ needs and building better communication with the recipients. What is an important element of a unit’s marketing communication is its visual identity system, which the recipients use to build their opinion and their picture of the unit. The goal of this article is an attempt to define the key rules of designing visual identity of scientific and research institutions, as well as presenting the role of visualization in their cooperation with business. In the article the notions of image, identity, corporate identity and visual identity are subject to analysis. The article also presents the significance of visualization in the functioning of research and scientific units, elements of visual identity system and the rules of designing visual identity of scientific and research institutions. An analysis of chosen research-scientific units was carried out with regard to visualization.

The Business of Research in Art and Design: Parallels Between Research Centres and Small Businesses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seymour Roworth-Stokes

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article provides a cross-case analysis of four art and design research centres operating within UK universities. Findings from autobiographical and semi-structured interviews with researchers, research managers, and research leaders indicate that they encounter similar issues in trying to establish internal legitimacy within the university alongside the need to gain external support and recognition. In dealing with these challenges, art and design research centres tend to pass through four broadly identifiable phases: (i Origination (utilising credentials and leadership capacity, (ii Establishment (securing resources and embedding dedicated systems and processes, (iii Development (furthering profile, diversifying, and retaining autonomy, and (iv Sustainability (enhancing research culture, networks, and influence.Many interesting parallels are evident with the way small businesses strive to establish themselves within competitive market environments. Lessons for research managers and directors are explored to consider such similarities in key areas of responsibility that cover leadership, managing people and processes, developing organisational capacity, and building external networks. The research suggests research centre directors must demonstrate many intrapreneurial qualities to overcome obstacles in the development of a successful research team and that university departments can make substantial organisational interventions to help them succeed.

Partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes: Establishing an Advisory Committee for Pharmacogenetic Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Chelsea T; Muzquiz, LeeAnna I; Howlett, Kevin; Azure, Bernie; Bodnar, Brenda; Finley, Vernon; Incashola, Tony; Mathias, Cheryl; Laukes, Cindi; Beatty, Patrick; Burke, Wylie; Pershouse, Mark A; Putnam, Elizabeth A; Trinidad, Susan Brown; James, Rosalina; Woodahl, Erica L

2016-01-01

Inclusion of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in pharmacogenetic research is key if the benefits of pharmacogenetic testing are to reach these communities. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) offers a model to engage these communities in pharmacogenetics. An academic-community partnership between the University of Montana (UM) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) was established to engage the community as partners and advisors in pharmacogenetic research. A community advisory committee, the Community Pharmacogenetics Advisory Council (CPAC), was established to ensure community involvement in the research process. To promote bidirectional learning, researchers gave workshops and presentations about pharmacogenetic research to increase research capacity and CPAC members trained researchers in cultural competencies. As part of our commitment to a sustainable relationship, we conducted a self-assessment of the partnership, which included surveys and interviews with CPAC members and researchers. Academic and community participants agree that the partnership has promoted a bidirectional exchange of knowledge. Interviews showed positive feedback from the perspectives of both the CPAC and researchers. CPAC members discussed their trust in and support of the partnership, as well as having learned more about research processes and pharmacogenetics. Researchers discussed their appreciation of CPAC involvement in the project and guidance the group provided in understanding the CSKT community and culture. We have created an academic-community partnership to ensure CSKT community input and to share decision making about pharmacogenetic research. Our CBPR approach may be a model for engaging AI/AN people, and other underserved populations, in genetic research.

Building Evidence for Health: Green Buildings, Current Science, and Future Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Cedeño-Laurent, J G; Williams, A; MacNaughton, P; Cao, X; Eitland, E; Spengler, J; Allen, J

2018-04-01

Civilizational challenges have questioned the status quo of energy and material consumption by humans. From the built environment perspective, a response to these challenges was the creation of green buildings. Although the revolutionary capacity of the green building movement has elevated the expectations of new commercial construction, its rate of implementation has secluded the majority of the population from its benefits. Beyond reductions in energy usage and increases in market value, the main strength of green buildings may be the procurement of healthier building environments. Further pursuing the right to healthy indoor environments could help the green building movement to attain its full potential as a transformational public health tool. On the basis of 40 years of research on indoor environmental quality, we present a summary of nine environment elements that are foundational to human health. We posit the role of green buildings as a critical research platform within a novel sustainability framework based on social-environmental capital assets.

Development, implementation and evaluation of a clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building program in a large Australian health care service.

Science.gov (United States)

Misso, Marie L; Ilic, Dragan; Haines, Terry P; Hutchinson, Alison M; East, Christine E; Teede, Helena J

2016-01-14

Health professionals need to be integrated more effectively in clinical research to ensure that research addresses clinical needs and provides practical solutions at the coal face of care. In light of limited evidence on how best to achieve this, evaluation of strategies to introduce, adapt and sustain evidence-based practices across different populations and settings is required. This project aims to address this gap through the co-design, development, implementation, evaluation, refinement and ultimately scale-up of a clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building program in a clinical setting with little to no co-ordinated approach to clinical research engagement and education. The protocol is based on principles of research capacity building and on a six-step framework, which have previously led to successful implementation and long-term sustainability. A mixed methods study design will be used. Methods will include: (1) a review of the literature about strategies that engage health professionals in research through capacity building and/or education in research methods; (2) a review of existing local research education and support elements; (3) a needs assessment in the local clinical setting, including an online cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews; (4) co-design and development of an educational and support program; (5) implementation of the program in the clinical environment; and (6) pre- and post-implementation evaluation and ultimately program scale-up. The evaluation focuses on research activity and knowledge, attitudes and preferences about clinical research, evidence-based practice and leadership and post implementation, about their satisfaction with the program. The investigators will evaluate the feasibility and effect of the program according to capacity building measures and will revise where appropriate prior to scale-up. It is anticipated that this clinical research engagement and leadership capacity building

Establishing a framework to implement 4D XCAT Phantom for 4D radiotherapy research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raj K Panta

2012-01-01

Conclusions: An integrated computer program has been developed to generate, review, analyse, process, and export the 4D XCAT images. A framework has been established to implement the 4D XCAT phantom for 4D RT research.

Building Better Online Courses (Invited Talk)

OpenAIRE

Norvig, Peter

2013-01-01

We now have many choices in designing a course, whether it is in the classroom, online, or a hybrid. This talk will cover some of the mechanics of running an online course, including the factors involved in building a community. And we will discuss whether building a course is like building software: in the early days, software was crafted by individuals, but over time we established processes that enabled large groups to build much larger systems. Today, courses are still crafted by an in...

Building clinicians-researchers partnerships: lessons from diverse natural settings and practice-oriented initiatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Castonguay, Louis G; Youn, Soo Jeong; Xiao, Henry; Muran, J Christopher; Barber, Jacques P

2015-01-01

In this concluding paper, we identify the type of studies conducted by 11 teams of contributors to a special issue on building clinicians-researchers partnerships. Those studies were conducted across a variety of clinical settings. We also integrate the lessons that have emerged from their collaborative initiatives in terms of obstacles faced, strategies adopted to address these challenges, benefits gained, and general recommendations offered to facilitate studies conducted with or by clinicians. The paper ends with the authors' thoughts about the future success of practice-oriented research in general.

Deregulation of the Building Code and the Norwegian Approach to Regulation of Accessibility in the Built Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyngstad, Pål

2016-01-01

Deregulation is on the political agenda in the European countries. The Norwegian building code related to universal design and accessibility is challenged. To meet this, the Norwegian Building Authority have chosen to examine established truths and are basing their revised code on scientific research and field tests. But will this knowledge-based deregulation comply within the framework of the anti-discrimination act and, and if not: who suffers and to what extent?

Challenges in conducting research in pediatric long-term care facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Elaine L; Cohen, Bevin; Murray, Meghan; Saiman, Lisa

2014-10-01

Children residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have complex medical problems and unique care needs, yet research in this setting is rare. As part of an intervention study to improve patient safety (Keep It Clean for Kids [KICK]), we describe the challenges encountered and recommend approaches to build a successful and sustained collaborative relationship between pediatric LTCFs and the research team. We implemented a program with 5 components: leadership commitment, active staff participation by the creation of KICK teams, workflow assessments, staff training in the World Health Organization's "5 Moments for Hand Hygiene," and electronic monitoring and feedback to staff regarding hand hygiene practices. Major challenges encountered were establishing trust, building research teams, enhancing staff participation, and engaging families and visitors. Approaches to deal with these challenges are discussed. Conducting research in pediatric LTCFs requires sustained commitment to dealing with challenges and establishing collaborative relationships with administrative and frontline staff. © The Author(s) 2014.

Development of Social Building Societies in Poland

OpenAIRE

Anna Białek-Jaworska

2004-01-01

The article describes a genesis of Social Building Societies in Poland starting from National Housing Fund through Workers Housing Estates Society in 1934.1939, announcement of cheap building system in New Housing Order in 1993 to Barbara Blida's and Irena Herbst's legislative initiative leading to establish Social Building Societies in 1995. According to International Permanent Social Building Committee social housing consists in supply houses with fixed minimum standard of comfort and equip...

Wall envelopes in office buildings: design trend and implications on cooling load of buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, N.; Ahmed, A.Z.; Ahmed, S.S.

2006-01-01

The wall envelope is a vital element of a building especially to a high rise building where its wall to building volume ratio is higher compared to other building forms. As well as a means of architectural expression, the wall envelope protects and regulates the indoor environment. In recent years there have been many applications of glass products and cladding systems in high-rise buildings built in Kuala Lumpur. This paper describes a recent research and survey on wall envelope designs adopted in 33 high-rise office buildings built in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur since 1990. This research adopts component design analysis to identify dominant trends on wall envelope design for the surveyed buildings. The paper seeks to discourse the implications of this design trend on energy consumption of high-rise office buildings in the country

Building a Community among Teachers, Researchers and University Students. A Blended Approach to Training

Science.gov (United States)

Cesareni, Donatella; Martini, Francesca; Mancini, Ilaria

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a case study about a community of practice's foundation and development among Italian teachers, researchers and university students who participated in a European project aimed at developing and testing innovative pedagogical models and technologies for collaborative knowledge building. Forty-five people (34 teachers, five…

Reveal or Conceal? Signaling Strategies for Building Legitimacy in Cleantech Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina S. Bjornali

2017-10-01

Full Text Available New entrants in technology-intense industries are in a race to build legitimacy in order to compete with established players. Legitimacy has been identified as a driver of venture survival and growth; it helps mitigate third-party uncertainty and so facilitates access to resources, engagement with customers and other stakeholders. Nevertheless, we know little about how legitimacy is built and how new entrants build legitimacy in complex technology-intensive industries. In this research we explore how Norwegian cleantech firms use signaling and strategic actions to build legitimacy. We analyze five cases while investigating their actions in different phases of the venture’s evolution. The results suggest that, contrary to signaling theory expectations, young clean-tech firms do not always build legitimacy by conveying information on their strengths. Instead, we observe that they use signaling strategies to address the specific concerns of different stakeholders. This is very much contingent upon the evolutionary stage of the venture and the firm’s current weaknesses.

Trends in building materials

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mapiravana, Joseph

2012-07-01

Full Text Available , steel and composites research. Analysis of the building materials market situation in South Africa identified the major building material cost drivers as cement and concrete and steel. For South Africa, research and development focus has been... in South Africa be cement and concrete, light-weight steel construction, smart tiles and composite materials. Nanotechnology materials should be used for property enhancement. The building materials developed should be modularised and/or panelised...

Establishing a community of practice of researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and communities to sustainably manage environmental health risks in Ecuador.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, Jerry M; Breilh, Jaime; Beltran, Efrain; Parra, Jorge; Solis, Fernanda; Yassi, Annalee; Rojas, Alejandro; Orrego, Elena; Henry, Bonnie; Bowie, William R; Pearce, Laurie; Gaibor, Juan; Velasquez, Patricio; Concepcion, Miriam; Parkes, Margot

2011-11-08

The Sustainably Managing Environmental Health Risk in Ecuador project was launched in 2004 as a partnership linking a large Canadian university with leading Cuban and Mexican institutes to strengthen the capacities of four Ecuadorian universities for leading community-based learning and research in areas as diverse as pesticide poisoning, dengue control, water and sanitation, and disaster preparedness. In implementing curriculum and complementary innovations through application of an ecosystem approach to health, our interdisciplinary international team focused on the question: "Can strengthening of institutional capacities to support a community of practice of researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and communities produce positive health outcomes and improved capacities to sustainably translate knowledge?" To assess progress in achieving desired outcomes, we review results associated with the logic framework analysis used to guide the project, focusing on how a community of practice network has strengthened implementation, including follow-up tracking of program trainees and presentation of two specific case studies. By 2009, train-the-trainer project initiation involved 27 participatory action research Master's theses in 15 communities where 1200 community learners participated in the implementation of associated interventions. This led to establishment of innovative Ecuadorian-led master's and doctoral programs, and a Population Health Observatory on Collective Health, Environment and Society for the Andean region based at the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar. Building on this network, numerous initiatives were begun, such as an internationally funded research project to strengthen dengue control in the coastal community of Machala, and establishment of a local community eco-health centre focusing on determinants of health near Cuenca. Strengthening capabilities for producing and applying knowledge through direct engagement with affected populations and

Establishing a community of practice of researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and communities to sustainably manage environmental health risks in Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Bonnie

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Sustainably Managing Environmental Health Risk in Ecuador project was launched in 2004 as a partnership linking a large Canadian university with leading Cuban and Mexican institutes to strengthen the capacities of four Ecuadorian universities for leading community-based learning and research in areas as diverse as pesticide poisoning, dengue control, water and sanitation, and disaster preparedness. Methods In implementing curriculum and complementary innovations through application of an ecosystem approach to health, our interdisciplinary international team focused on the question: “Can strengthening of institutional capacities to support a community of practice of researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and communities produce positive health outcomes and improved capacities to sustainably translate knowledge?” To assess progress in achieving desired outcomes, we review results associated with the logic framework analysis used to guide the project, focusing on how a community of practice network has strengthened implementation, including follow-up tracking of program trainees and presentation of two specific case studies. Results By 2009, train-the-trainer project initiation involved 27 participatory action research Master’s theses in 15 communities where 1200 community learners participated in the implementation of associated interventions. This led to establishment of innovative Ecuadorian-led master’s and doctoral programs, and a Population Health Observatory on Collective Health, Environment and Society for the Andean region based at the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar. Building on this network, numerous initiatives were begun, such as an internationally funded research project to strengthen dengue control in the coastal community of Machala, and establishment of a local community eco-health centre focusing on determinants of health near Cuenca. Discussion Strengthening capabilities for producing and

European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - Establishing the key unanswered research questions within gastrointestinal endoscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rees, Colin J; Ngu, Wee Sing; Regula, Jaroslaw

2016-01-01

Background and study aim: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a rapidly evolving research field. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) plays a key role in shaping opinion and endoscopy activity throughout Europe and further afield. Establishing key unanswered questions within the fi...

Practice of producing cement packages for sea dumping and their quality control in Tokai Research Establishment, JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hattori, Yoshiro; Fujisaki, Setsuo; Usami, Jun; Morishita, Satoru; Komatsu, Shigeru

1980-07-01

The production of cement packages for the exploratory sea dumping has been carried out at Waste Disposal and Decontamination Section, Tokai Research Establishment, JAERI. And around 1,000 packages were completed until 1979. The production practice were conducted based on NEA guideline and domestic regulation. In order to meet the guideline and regulation, consistent quality control is necessary to the production procedure. This Report describes about the procedure and quality control that were practiced from 1977 to 1979 in Tokai Research Establishment. (author)

A Delphi study to establish national cost-effectiveness research priorities for positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert, Glenn; Milne, Ruairidh

1999-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to determine the key cost-effectiveness research questions relating to positron emission tomography (PET) in the UK. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to establish the existing knowledge base relating to the cost-effectiveness of PET in the various conditions for which it has been proposed. A three-round postal Delphi study of relevant individuals was used to determine the key cost-effectiveness research questions relating to PET in the UK. The content and structure of the Delphi study was informed by the results of the literature review. Results: The most important cost-effectiveness research priorities for the National Health Service (NHS) relating to PET were in the clinical areas of lung cancer, breast cancer and the assessment of myocardial viability. Gamma camera PET using coincidence imaging was highlighted as a modality whose clinical role needed to be determined urgently. Conclusion: Underlying the cost-effectiveness research priorities which were established is the need for evidence that the use of the various PET modalities as a diagnostic technique will alter patient management as compared to existing diagnostic strategies. The findings of the project provide a contemporary overview of the potential role for PET in the NHS and will be relevant to other countries

Capacity Building: Data- and Research-Informed Development of Schools and Teaching Practices in Denmark and Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Qvortrup, Lars

2016-01-01

Based on experiences from a number of large scale data- and research-informed school development projects in Denmark and Norway, led by the author, three hypotheses are discussed: that an effective way of linking research and practice is achieved (1) using a capacity building approach, that is, to collaborate in the practical school context…

Building Design Guidelines for Interior Architecture Concerned with Animal Researches Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElDib, A.A. E.

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the most important design guidelines elements and characteristics for animal facilities, in order to achieve and maintain highest efficiency can be, with respect to the pivot role of Interior Architecture as one of the accurate specializations for completing the Architectural Sciences, for designer/s concerned with those types of facilities, (specially those using radioactive materials). These building types known as vivariums, are specially designed, accommodating and having sophisticated controlled environments for the care and maintenance of experimental animals, and are related to, but distinct from other research laboratories premises

Hanford site post-NPH building inspection plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagenblast, G.R. Westinghouse Hanford

1996-01-01

This plan establishes consistent post-NPH building inspection procedures and defines a procedure for prioritization of buildings for inspection to ensure the safety of facilities prior to reentry. Qualification of systems for restart of operation is not included. This plan takes advantage, where possible, of existing national procedures for post-NPH inspection of buildings, of existing structural design and evaluation documentation of Hanford facilities, and current and proposed seismic instrumentation located throughout the Hanford site. A list of buildings, prioritized according to current building safety function and building vulnerability (without regard for or information about a damaging natural forces event) is provided

Capacity Building in Land Administration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enemark, Stig; Williamson, I

2004-01-01

Capacity building increasingly seen as a key component of land administration projects in developing and countries in transition undertaken by the international development banks and individual country development assistance agencies. However, the capacity building concept is often used within...... infrastructures for implementing land policies in a sustainable way. Where a project is established to create land administration infrastructures in developing or transition countries, it is critical that capacity building is a mainstream component, not as an add-on, which is often the case. In fact such projects...... should be dealt with as capacity building projects in themselves.    The article introduces a conceptual analytical framework that provides some guidance when dealing with capacity building for land administration in support of a broader land policy agenda....

The effect of building façade on natural lighting (Case study: Building of phinisi tower UNM)

Science.gov (United States)

Jamala, Nurul

2017-04-01

Utilization of natural lighting is one factor to lower the energy consumption of a building. Model building facade effect on natural light sources that can be absorbed into the building. UNM Phinisi Tower Building is a metaphor for the display of boats phinisi using Hiperbolic paraboloid facade which is futuristic sophistication of the application of science and technology, so that this object that is the focus of research on the effects on the building facade natural lighting. A quantitative research methods using Autodesk Echotech program to determine the value of the building into the natural lighting illuminance, either by using the facade and do not. The aim of research is to determine the percentage utilization of natural light into the building using a building facade. The study concluded the decline percentage in the value of the illuminance after the building using the building facade is 49% -74% and a mean value of 60.3%, so it can be concluded that the building facade effects on the natural lighting.

Building Brand Power

Science.gov (United States)

Lakshmi, S.; Muthumani, S., Dr.

2017-05-01

Brand power is established through brand awareness. It’s all about making consumers familiar about their products and services. Marketing strategies should make the customers extend the positive approach towards brand and continue through repeated purchases. There is a triple perspective approach to investigate the brand awareness in this research. The brand awareness and brand equity are studied and the relationship between those are analyzed. This also drills down about the brand performance and knowledge with awareness which tries to find out the brands value and utility among the public. Continuous improvement on package design, quality and buying experience will lead to customer loyalty and preference. Branding should happen though creative ads, eye catchers and special campaigns. Brand awareness is the extent to which consumers are familiar with their product or services. Power of a brand is resides in the minds of the customers. To build a strong brand, it is one of the great challenge for the marketers to ensure that customers have the right experiences with products and services and various marketing programs. So that tenderness, beliefs, perspective, perception and so on linked to the brand. If we are presenting the brand with no enthusiasm or spunk, people are going to forget about our brand. Even though that may seem harsh, it’s the naked truth in today’s marketing world. Brand must reach out to the community by special events, creating campaigns to keep the brand relevant also offer customer a unique experience. Here we study about the brand consciousness and to identify the cohesion between brand awareness with knowledge and performance and also to assess the effect of brand awareness on consumer purchase. In this study we necessary statistical tools like chi-square test ad t-test has been used to analyse the collected data. It is highly recommend to increase brand awareness, the marketers are constantly required to build brand awareness both

The sick-building syndrome; Das Sick-Building-Syndrom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henne, A.; Neumann, H.F.; Winneke, G.

1992-12-31

The sick-building syndrome is characterized by the presence of general, non-specific symptoms (e.g., headache, tiredness, respiratory problems, eye trouble, vertigo, nausea, unspecific hypersensitivity) in association with a particular indoor ambience. It is clearly distinguishable from `building-related illness`, referring to a well-defined clinical syndrome due to staying in a building and for which a cause can, in general, be established. Disorders in the case of the sick-building syndrome are manifold and confirmed objectifiable results are hardly available so far. Yet there are some organ-related methods for the confirmation of findings concerning, for instance, the eyes, the skin and the area of the nose. The causes of the incidence of sick-building syndrome are more or less unclear. It is a multifactorial phenomenon involving physical, biological, chemical, individual-specific and psychological factors. Buildings where sick-building syndrome occurs typically exhibit certain properties. The European Community has already made proposals for the investigation of incriminated buildings. A systematic survey by questionnaire together with individual interviews plays an import part towards clarifying the syndrome. (orig./UWA) [Deutsch] Das Sick-Building-Syndrom beschreibt das Vorhandensein von allgemeinen, nicht spezifischen Symptomen (z.B. Kopfschmerzen, Muedigkeit, Atembeschwerden, Augenreizungen, Schwindelgefuehl, Uebelkeit, unspezifische Ueberempfindlichkeit), assoziiert mit einer besonderen Innenraumumgebung. Deutlich hiervon abzugrenzen ist die ``Building related illness``, bei der ein klinisch definiertes Krankheitsbild vorliegt, das durch den Aufenthalt im Gebaeude verursacht wird und fuer das im allgemeinen eine Ursache ermittelt werden kann. Das Beschwerdebild beim Sick-Building-Syndrom ist vielfaeltig, und gesicherte, objektivierbare Befunde liegen hierzu bisher kaum vor. Dennoch gibt es einige organbezogenen Methoden zur Befundabsicherung, z.B. fuer das

Annual report of Naka Fusion Research Establishment from April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, Hiroshi; Hamamatsu, Kiyotaka; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Hidetoshi

2003-11-01

This annual report provides an overview of research and development (R and D) activities at Naka Fusion Research Establishment, including those performed in collaboration with other research establishments of JAERI, research institutes, and universities, during the period from 1 April, 2002 to 31 March, 2003. The activities in the Naka Fusion Research Establishment are highlighted by high performance plasma researches in JT-60 and JFT-2M, research and development of fusion reactor technologies towards ITER and fusion power demonstration plants, and activities in support of ITER design and construction. JT-60 program has continued to produce fruitful knowledge and understanding necessary to achieve reactor relevant performances of tokamak fusion devices. JFT-2M has made contributions in more basic areas of tokamak plasma research and development in pursuit of high performance plasma. The objectives of JT-60 research have been more shifted to physics R and Ds in support of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and establishment of physics basis for a steady state tokamak fusion reactor like SSTR as a fusion power demonstration plant. In JFT-2M, the advanced material tokamak experiment program has been carried out to test the low activation ferritic steel for development of the structural material for a fusion reactor. In the area of theories and analyses, significant progress has been made in understanding of the ITB, energy confinement scaling in ITB plasmas, MHD equilibrium in the current hole region, asymmetric feature of divertor plasmas and the divertor detachment. In addition, through the project of numerical experiment on tokamak, the mechanism of the ion temperature gradient mode was clarified by particle simulations. The physics of divertor plasma was also studied by particle simulations. R and Ds of fusion reactor technologies have been carried out both to further improve technologies necessary for ITER construction, and to accumulate

[Provision of building maintenance services in healthcare facilities].

Science.gov (United States)

Amorim, Gláucia Maria; Quintão, Eliana Cardoso Vieira; Martelli Júnior, Hercílio; Bonan, Paulo Rogério Ferreti

2013-01-01

The scope of this paper was to evaluate the provision of building maintenance services in health units, by means of a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study, considering the five types of facilities (Primary Health, Emergency, Specialty, Hospital and Mental Health Units). The research was approved by the Research Ethics Comittee of FHEMIG with the Terms of Agreement signed with the Unified Health System of Betim. Comparative analysis was conducted by checking the requirements of "Physical-Functional Structure Management" of the "Brazilian Hospital Accreditation Manual" of the National Accreditation Organization. Nonconformities were noted in the physical-functional management of the health centers, especially the primary health units. The assessment was important, considering that compliance with formal, technical and structural requirements, welfare activities, according to the service organization and appropriate to the profile and complexity, can collaborate to minimize the risks of users. To improve the quality of health care establishments, it is essential that managers, backed by "top management," prioritize financial, human and material resources in planning to ensure compliance with security requirements of users in buildings.

Research methods of the parameters of residential buildings construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grigor’ev Vladimir Aleksandrovich

-choice. Therefore, variants with minimum and maximum values can be regarded as supporting. The researches showed that the difference between them is not so much in the technological scheme of construction, but in the gap between design and practical solutions. When creating an enlarged model of multisectional residential building construction we should keep in mind the following circumstances: a part of a residential building up to 6 sections is a section, and up to 4 sections - a division; selection of a division size is determined both by adjacent associated activities (sealing and embedment of joints, partitions creation, plumbing works, etc. and economic conditions (the cost of tooling, additional financial support, etc.; technological sequence of precast concrete structures installation can be applied depending on the design and space-planning decisions; floor assembling begins with panels of external walls with significant labor input when terminating their seams; installation of panels should closely match the tolerances of bottom and top; the process of installing concrete structures should be monitored using geodetic laser technologies (LT, LN, LSZ, etc.; elevators installation is advisable to carry out at the same time with the precast concrete structures installation on the areas free of installation.

Digital Handover of Data from Building Projects to Building Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

2006-01-01

pro-jects to building operation. This project started in 2004 with research and analyses fol-lowed by development of a proposal for client requirements and in 2005 a first test on a real construction project has been carried out. After revision of the requirements a second test will be started early...... and construction and on the other side in building opera-tion and facilities management. In Denmark the government has launched a development program called Digital Construction and one of the projects concerns specifying require-ments for building clients in relation to digital handover of data from construction...... by a consortium called DACaPo consisting of a building client/facilities manager, a consulting company, a contractor and a university institute. This paper presents some of the results from the project with the main focus on the initial research....

Experimental Assessment between Building Regulations and Claustrophobia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dana Pop

2018-09-01

Full Text Available During the past decades there was a noticeable effervescence characterizing the space-psychology related studies. These studies established a connection between the characteristics of the environment and behavior. Therefore, this paper would like to join this field of research. Consequently, the issue raised would be the role played by architecture in the context of the space-perception discussion. In order to provide a practical answer, the paper debates the results obtained through an experiment which analyzed the interaction between certain characteristics of a 12 m2 room, according to architectural building regulations in Romania, and the variations of anxiety, comfort and safety. This experiment tested certain situations in which the natural adaptation process has been short-circuited, triggering phobic reactions. Thus, the paper focuses on questioning whether Romanian building regulations take into account aspects regarding the psychological comfort of the individuals.

Modelica-based Modeling and Simulation to Support Research and Development in Building Energy and Control Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wetter, Michael

2009-02-12

Traditional building simulation programs possess attributes that make them difficult to use for the design and analysis of building energy and control systems and for the support of model-based research and development of systems that may not already be implemented in these programs. This article presents characteristic features of such applications, and it shows how equation-based object-oriented modelling can meet requirements that arise in such applications. Next, the implementation of an open-source component model library for building energy systems is presented. The library has been developed using the equation-based object-oriented Modelica modelling language. Technical challenges of modelling and simulating such systems are discussed. Research needs are presented to make this technology accessible to user groups that have more stringent requirements with respect to the numerical robustness of simulation than a research community may have. Two examples are presented in which models from the here described library were used. The first example describes the design of a controller for a nonlinear model of a heating coil using model reduction and frequency domain analysis. The second example describes the tuning of control parameters for a static pressure reset controller of a variable air volume flow system. The tuning has been done by solving a non-convex optimization problem that minimizes fan energy subject to state constraints.

Norwegian climate research. An evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

From the executive summary; Based on our evaluation, we make six major recommendations and provide suggestions for how these might be implemented. 1. Establish a clear and coherent national strategy for climate research and its funding. 2. The Research Council of Norway should develop a new integrated long-term climate research programme. 3. Build on strengths and develop capacities in areas where Norway currently lacks sufficient scientific expertise. 4. Ensure societal relevance as well as inter- and transdisciplinarity in research. 5. Emphasise collaboration and cooperation as a basis for successful climate research. 6. Prioritise outreach and stakeholder interaction.(Author)

Building Industry Enterprises Logistic System according to their Life-cycle and Organizational Adaptation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalya Voznenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents a survey of the Ukrainian machinery-building industry enterprises performance in 2012-2014 due to the state of their logistic systems development and companies’ life-cycle stage. The review of existing theoretical approaches shows the range of possible criteria for evaluation at each level of the industry, enterprise and product. The conducted research evaluates the Ukrainian machinery-building industry and the companies that create that potential. The peculiarities of the organizational adaptation of the above mentioned enterprises and the developed recommendations will help to establish an adaptive management and gain enterprises’ market competitiveness.