Development cooperation in water and sanitation: is it based on the human rights framework?

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Colin; Heller, Léo

2017-07-01

The water and sanitation sector is verifiably receiving increased attention and funding through international development cooperation. Not least because of the way that it affects incentives and institutions in partner countries, development cooperation can have either positive or negative effects on human rights though. The consolidated frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation is becoming linked to the international community's coordinated development efforts, as evidenced notably in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, a review of major funders' official policies for development cooperation in the sector suggests that many only partially endorse the frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation. An observation of development cooperation flows to the sector allows the hypothesis to be advanced that worldwide inequalities in access to these services may be reduced through a full and clear application of the human rights framework in development cooperation activities. The article presents findings of this research and explores key stakes for development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector that are relevant for their ability to either negatively or positively contribute to the realization of human rights. Resumen El sector de agua y saneamiento ha recibido creciente atención y financiación a través de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo. La cooperación para el desarrollo puede tener efectos tanto positivos cuanto negativos sobre los derechos humanos. El hito que consolida los derechos humanos al agua y al saneamiento están articulados a esfuerzos de cooperación para el desarrollo promovidos por la comunidad internacional, como se evidencia en la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible. Sin embargo, una revisión de las políticas oficiales de los principales financiadores del sector sugiere que muchos de ellos aprueban solo parcialmente los hitos de los derechos humanos al agua y el

An assessment of the sustainable energy investments in the framework of the EU-GCC cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patlitzianas, Konstantinos D.; Doukas, Haris; Askounis, Dimitris T.

2007-01-01

The cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should be broadened, deepened and become more interactive due to GCC states' accession to the Kyoto protocol in 2005. Nowadays, the GCC states start putting climate change and its business opportunities on the top of their priorities' list towards the accomplishment of the sustainable development goals. However, the level of development of sustainable energy investments (renewable energy, CO 2 sequestration and rational use of energy) is low until now in the GCC. For the above reason, the assessment of appropriate investments needs to be taken into account both by the governments in order to design the appropriate framework for supporting them and the project investors to identify the commercially profitable ones. In this framework, the aim of this paper is the identification and assessment of sustainable energy investments in the framework of the EU-GCC co-operation. (author)

Cooperative Robots to Observe Moving Targets: Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Asif; Rinner, Bernhard; Cavallaro, Andrea

2018-01-01

The deployment of multiple robots for achieving a common goal helps to improve the performance, efficiency, and/or robustness in a variety of tasks. In particular, the observation of moving targets is an important multirobot application that still exhibits numerous open challenges, including the effective coordination of the robots. This paper reviews control techniques for cooperative mobile robots monitoring multiple targets. The simultaneous movement of robots and targets makes this problem particularly interesting, and our review systematically addresses this cooperative multirobot problem for the first time. We classify and critically discuss the control techniques: cooperative multirobot observation of multiple moving targets, cooperative search, acquisition, and track, cooperative tracking, and multirobot pursuit evasion. We also identify the five major elements that characterize this problem, namely, the coordination method, the environment, the target, the robot and its sensor(s). These elements are used to systematically analyze the control techniques. The majority of the studied work is based on simulation and laboratory studies, which may not accurately reflect real-world operational conditions. Importantly, while our systematic analysis is focused on multitarget observation, our proposed classification is useful also for related multirobot applications.

A critical review of legal framework as a factor of coops development: Case of Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petković Goran

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Contemporary cooperative movement must rest on the original cooperative principles that were confirmed and modernized by the Congress of International Co-Operative Alliance held in Manchester in 1995. Development of coops legislative framework in Serbia has a long history and presently the matter of cooperatives is governed by the federal Law on Cooperatives adopted in 1996. The text analyzes the extent to which a legislative framework can be an incentive for and/or impediment to cooperatives' operation in Serbia, and what sort of results can be expected from a modernized and improved legal framework. Interview of key players in the coop sector was one of the research methods. Other methods include historical, comparative analysis and case study. The paper includes four parts: a historical and legal background of development of coops in Serbia; b legislative framework; c successful case study and d framework for further development. The paper also analyses cooperatives within the environment of social enterprises and evaluates their role in the social inclusion process.

Class Counts: An Overview and Response to Mr. Cooper's Review

Science.gov (United States)

Ornstein, Allan

2009-01-01

This article presents Allan Ornstein's response to highly respected scholar, Bruce Cooper's review of Ornstein's 2007 book, "Class Counts: Education, Inequality and the Shrinking Middle Class." Here Ornstein attempts to elaborate on a few points that he felt Cooper missed in his review.

A QUANTITATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR EARLY PREDICTION OF COOPERATION IN MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Ajitha

2013-07-01

Full Text Available A Multi-Agent System (MAS is a system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents. MAS can be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent to solve. The different characteristics of MAS help in solving highly complex distributed problems. One of the important characteristics of MAS is its cooperative nature. This character helps different agents to interact with each other by exchanging messages. One of the major challenges in MAS is quantifying the cooperation between agents. This paper presents a framework for the quantification of cooperation between agents in MAS. We propose a methodology which helps to quantify the cooperation in the early stages of software development using a UML sequence diagram and a mathematical model. The proposed techniques are illustrated with the help of a case study. The numerical results we got were quite satisfactory.

A Conceptual Framework for the Cultural Integration of Cooperative Learning: A Thai Primary Mathematics Education Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Ji Yong; Nuntrakune, Tippawan

2013-01-01

The Thailand education reform adopted cooperative learning to improve the quality of education. However, it has been reported that the introduction and maintenance of cooperative learning has been difficult and uncertain because of the cultural differences. The study proposed a conceptual framework developed based on making a connection between…

Reproductive Health in the Framework of Cooperation for Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itziar Lozano

2000-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to review the way cooperation for development has dealt with sexual and reproductive rights by looking at the following three aspects of the question (with the case of Mexico as an example: the actors confronting one another over theissues under discussion (the international donor agencies and specifically the United Nations; the Vatican and the national churches; and the feminist movement; initiatives taking an empowerment approach; and a realistic, viable perspective on possible ways of establishing North-South cooperation relations.In relation to options on support and financing for reproductive rights projects, the resistance of cooperation agencies to incorporate the issue is analyzed. Then the paper discusses elements of a proposal for adoption of a global strategy, some possible pointsof departure, dilemmas faced by bodies receiving applications, and possible strategies for alliances between bodies in North and South.

Beyond Public and Private: A Framework for Co-operative Higher Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Neary

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Universities in the UK are increasingly adopting corporate governance structures, a consumerist model of teaching and learning, and have the most expensive tuition fees in the world (McGettigan, 2013; OECD, 2015. This article discusses collaborative research that aimed to develop and define a conceptual framework of knowledge production grounded in co-operative values and principles. The main findings are outlined relating to the key themes of our research: knowledge, democracy, bureaucracy, livelihood, and solidarity. We consider how these five ‘catalytic principles’ relate to three identified routes to co-operative higher education (conversion, dissolution, or creation and argue that such work must be grounded in an adequate critique of labour and property, i.e. the capital relation. We identify both the possible opportunities that the latest higher education reform in the UK affords the co-operative movement as well as the issues that arise from a more marketised and financialised approach to the production of knowledge (HEFCE, 2015. Finally, we suggest ways that the co-operative movement might respond with democratic alternatives that go beyond the distinction of public and private education.

Methods for the evaluation of hospital cooperation activities (Systematic review protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rotter Thomas

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hospital partnerships, mergers and cooperatives are arrangements frequently seen as a means of improving health service delivery. Many of the assumptions used in planning hospital cooperatives are not stated clearly and are often based on limited or poor scientific evidence. Methods This is a protocol for a systematic review, following the Cochrane EPOC methodology. The review aims to document, catalogue and synthesize the existing literature on the reported methods for the evaluation of hospital cooperation activities as well as methods of hospital cooperation. We will search the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and bibliographic databases including PubMed (via NLM, Web of Science, NHS EED, Business Source Premier (via EBSCO and Global Health for publications that report on methods for evaluating hospital cooperatives, strategic partnerships, mergers, alliances, networks and related activities and methods used for such partnerships. The method proposed by the Cochrane EPOC group regarding randomized study designs, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series will be followed. In addition, we will also include cohort, case-control studies, and relevant non-comparative publications such as case reports. We will categorize and analyze the review findings according to the study design employed, the study quality (low versus high quality studies and the method reported in the primary studies. We will present the results of studies in tabular form. Discussion Overall, the systematic review aims to identify, assess and synthesize the evidence to underpin hospital cooperation activities as defined in this protocol. As a result, the review will provide an evidence base for partnerships, alliances or other fields of cooperation in a hospital setting. PROSPERO

Decentralising Multicell Cooperative Processing: A Novel Robust Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gesbert David

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Multicell cooperative processing (MCP has the potential to boost spectral efficiency and improve fairness of cellular systems. However the typical centralised conception for MCP incurs significant infrastructural overheads which increase the system costs and hinder the practical implementation of MCP. In Frequency Division Duplexing systems each user feeds back its Channel State Information (CSI only to one Base Station (BS. Therefore collaborating BSs need to be interconnected via low-latency backhaul links, and a Control Unit is necessary in order to gather user CSI, perform scheduling, and coordinate transmission. In this paper a new framework is proposed that allows MCP on the downlink while circumventing the aforementioned costly modifications on the existing infrastructure of cellular systems. Each MS feeds back its CSI to all collaborating BSs, and the needed operations of user scheduling and signal processing are performed in a distributed fashion by the involved BSs. Furthermore the proposed framework is shown to be robust against feedback errors when quantized CSI feedback and linear precoding are employed.

Regional cooperation on nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, W.Y.; Chen, J.H.; Kim, D.H.; Simmons, R.B.V.; Surguri, S.

1985-01-01

A review has been conducted of a number of multi-national and bilateral arrangements between governments and between utility-sponsored organizations which provide the framework for international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety. These arrangements include the routine exchange operational data, experiences, technical reports and regulatory data, provision of special assistance when requested, collaboration in safety research, and the holding of international conferences and seminars. Areas which may be better suited for cooperation on a regional basis are identified. These areas include: exchange of operational data and experience, sharing of emergency planning information, and collaboration in safety research. Mechanisms to initiate regional cooperation in these areas are suggested

Literature review on recent international activity in cooperative vehicle-highway automation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

This literature review supports the report, Recent International Activity in Cooperative VehicleHighway Automation Systems. It : reviews the published literature in English dating from 2007 or later about non-U.S.-based work on cooperative vehicle...

Strengthening Clean Energy Technology Cooperation under the UNFCCC: Steps toward Implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benioff, R.; de Coninck, H.; Dhar, S.; Hansen, U.; McLaren, J.; Painuly, J.

2010-08-01

Development of a comprehensive and effective global clean technology cooperation framework will require years of experimenting and evaluation with new instruments and institutional arrangements before it is clear what works on which scale and in which region or country. In presenting concrete examples, this paper aims to set the first step in that process by highlighting successful models and innovative approaches that can inform efforts to ramp up clean energy technology cooperation. This paper reviews current mechanisms and international frameworks for global cooperation on clean energy technologies, both within and outside of the UNFCCC, and provides selected concrete options for scaling up global cooperation on clean energy technology RD&D, enabling environment, and financing.

A framework for service enterprise workflow simulation with multi-agents cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Wenan; Xu, Wei; Yang, Fujun; Xu, Lida; Jiang, Chuanqun

2013-11-01

Process dynamic modelling for service business is the key technique for Service-Oriented information systems and service business management, and the workflow model of business processes is the core part of service systems. Service business workflow simulation is the prevalent approach to be used for analysis of service business process dynamically. Generic method for service business workflow simulation is based on the discrete event queuing theory, which is lack of flexibility and scalability. In this paper, we propose a service workflow-oriented framework for the process simulation of service businesses using multi-agent cooperation to address the above issues. Social rationality of agent is introduced into the proposed framework. Adopting rationality as one social factor for decision-making strategies, a flexible scheduling for activity instances has been implemented. A system prototype has been developed to validate the proposed simulation framework through a business case study.

“Fear or Love Thy Neighbour”? The EU Framework for Promoting Regional Cooperation in the South Caucasus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelli Babayan

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Building on the model of the enlargement policy, the European Union (EU designed the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership to further promote its norms and principles. One of the goals of its new policies has been to foster regional cooperation among partner countries and their neighbours. This article specifies the EU’s framework for promoting regional cooperation through the aforementioned policies and discusses its potential impact on the example of the South Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The South Caucasus has not only been an arena of intraregional conflicts, but has also often been troubled by disputes between its neighbours. This article argues that, due to a lack of proactive and consistent engagement, the EU’s framework risks leaving regional conflicts in the current state of stagnation and without advancement in regional cooperation.

Developments in cooperative learning: review of research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robyn M. Gillies

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Cooperative learning, where students work in small groups to accomplish shared goals, is widely recognized as a teaching strategy that promotes learning and socialization among students from kindergarten through college and across different subject domains. It has been used successfully to promote reading and writing achievements, understanding and conceptual development in science classes, problem-solving in mathematics, and higher-order thinking and learning to name just a few. It has been shown to enhance students' willingness to work cooperatively and productively with others with diverse learning and adjustment needs and to enhance intergroup relations with those from culturally and ethnically different backgrounds. It has also been used as a teaching strategy to assist students to manage conflict and to help students identified as bullies learn appropriate interpersonal skills. In fact, it has been argued that cooperative learning experiences are crucial to preventing and alleviating many of the social problems related to children, adolescents, and young adults. There is no doubt that the benefits attributed to cooperative learning are widespread and numerous and it is the apparent success of this approach to learning that has led to it being acclaimed as one of the greatest educational innovations of recent times. The purpose of this paper is not only to review developments in research on cooperative learning but also to examine the factors that mediate and moderate its success. In particular, the review focuses on the types of student and teacher interactions generated and the key role talk plays in developing student thinking and learning, albeit through the expression of contrasting opinions or constructed shared meaning. The intention is to provide additional insights on how teachers can effectively utilize this pedagogical approach to teaching and learning in their classrooms.

A Multi-Antenna Framework for Spectrum Reuse Based on Primary-Secondary Cooperation

KAUST Repository

Bakr, Omar; Johnson, Mark; Wild, Ben; Ramchandran, Kannan

2008-01-01

This paper proposes a new framework for spectrum reuse. Existing architectures have centered on secondary users (cognitive radios) that can reliably sense primary users and opportunistically transmit, without directly interacting with the primary system. We present a paradigm in which the primary and secondary systems cooperate, to minimize interference to primary users and provide predictable access for secondary users. Because this architecture gives the primary system full control over spectrum sharing, it could be more favorable in the current economic and political environment. We illustrate a concrete instance of our framework by showing how secondary radios can reuse the entire uplink channel of a cellular network, with only modest changes to the primary infrastructure. ©2008 IEEE.

A Multi-Antenna Framework for Spectrum Reuse Based on Primary-Secondary Cooperation

KAUST Repository

Bakr, Omar

2008-10-01

This paper proposes a new framework for spectrum reuse. Existing architectures have centered on secondary users (cognitive radios) that can reliably sense primary users and opportunistically transmit, without directly interacting with the primary system. We present a paradigm in which the primary and secondary systems cooperate, to minimize interference to primary users and provide predictable access for secondary users. Because this architecture gives the primary system full control over spectrum sharing, it could be more favorable in the current economic and political environment. We illustrate a concrete instance of our framework by showing how secondary radios can reuse the entire uplink channel of a cellular network, with only modest changes to the primary infrastructure. ©2008 IEEE.

Intercultural Competence in International Software R&D Cooperation. Toward a Conceptual Framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skaates, Maria Anne

2001-01-01

As part of a research project on cooperation between software development subcontractors from small countries and foreign customers, the dynamics of intercultural competence are being examined. This paper builds a conceptual bridge by developing a definition of organizational intercultural....... It is envisioned that the presented novel framework could be helpful to software developing subcontractors from small national states who already use the competence terminology in discussions of their firms' capabilities and strategies....

Preventing external domino accidents : A framework for enhancing cooperation in the Chemical Process Industry (CPI)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reniers, G.; Dullaert, W.; Soudan, K.

2005-01-01

Empirical research on major accident safety in the second largest chemical cluster worldwide, the Antwerp port area, supports the design of a meta-technical framework for optimizing external domino prevention. First, the majority of Seveso top tier companies have expressed a willingness to cooperate

US/Japan cooperation in high energy physics

Science.gov (United States)

1993-11-01

The objective of the Implementing Arrangement was to further the energy programs of both countries by establishing a framework for cooperation in the field of high energy physics, including research, accelerator and detector instrumentation research and development, the fabrication and subsequent use of new experimental devices and facilities, and related joint efforts as may be mutually agreed. Over the years, this cooperation has been very effective and has strengthened the overall collaborative efforts and the understanding between our nations and their citizens. It has demonstrated to the world our ability to work together to attack difficult problems. High Energy Physics goes across national borders; the bond is clearly intellectual and common ground is shared for the benefit of all in a most effective manner. This review covers the activities conducted under the aegis of the US/Japan Committee for Cooperation in High Energy Physics during the past five years (1988-1993). This was the second such US review of the US/Japan cooperative activities; the first was held in 1987.

The OPRC framework for international cooperation in R ampersand D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holt, B.

1992-01-01

Immediately in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez incident in March 1989, work commenced on developing a new international framework for cooperation in oil pollution preparedness and response. That work culminated in the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-Operation, 1990 or OPRC. My presentation today will discuss the development of this new Convention, the meaning of its provisions, and what opportunities might exist. Long before the Exxon Valdez grounded, the need for countries to offer mutual assistance to each other was recognized by virtually anyone who had been involved in a major pollution event. That a single country could not open-quotes go it aloneclose quotes was an established fact. Oil pollution was recognized as an international problem, especially when an incident occurred in waters marking the boundary between countries or in enclosed bodies of water. But cooperation in oil pollution response was marked by bilateral agreements between neighboring countries, or at most, regional agreements among countries sharing a common shoreline. The Exxon Valdez, as unfortunate an occurrence as it was, acted as the catalyst to change that. The United States, arguably the most prosperous country in the world, could not cope with a spill the size of the Exxon Valdez with the resources it had on hand. Assistance was requested from virtually any government known to have or thought to have oil spill recovery equipment. Like few other incidents before, the Exxon Valdez showed the need for the open-quotes internationalizationclose quotes of oil pollution response beyond the traditional approach

Cooperation in stochastic inventory models with continuous review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boucherie, Richardus J.; Chessa, Michela; Timmer, Judith B.

Consider multiple companies that continuously review their inventories and face Poisson demand. We study cooperation strategies for these companies and analyse if there exist allocations of the joint cost such that any company has lower costs than on its own; such allocations are called stable cost

Current and future role of agreements for cooperation as the framework for international nuclear commerce

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brush, P.N.

1976-01-01

An agreement for cooperation in the civil use of atomic energy was established by Congress as the primary vehicle for ensuring that the benefits of cooperation outweigh the risks. The elements and nature of the agreement for cooperation are reviewed in this article. The evolution of some of the more significant provisions of the agreements and the type of activities conducted under them are discussed. The question is raised as to whether or not these agreements for cooperation are strong enough in the light of nations of the world becoming more concerned with the implications of burgeoning nuclear power activities. The question, ''Should these agreements be elevated to the status of treaties.'' is asked also

A Framework of Retailer-Manufacturer Cooperation and Coopetition: Consumer Durable Goods Retailers’ Case Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marzanna Katarzyna Witek-Hajduk

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of cooperation and coopetition between retailers and key manufacturers from a perspective of retailers offering consumer durables. Research Design & Methods: In order to answer the research questions semi-structured, in-depth and face-to-face interviews with managers of six SMEs or large retailers operating in Poland and offering consumer durables were carried out. Findings: The empirical studies confirm both cooperation and coopetition between retailers and manufacturers – suppliers of consumer durables depending on, among others, the category of consumer goods and the balance of power between retailers and manufacturers. The scope of cooperation is not too wide, and concerns only some of the value chain processes indicated in the literature. Implications & Recommendations: Conducted studies are exploratory and need to be deepen with the use of quantitative research that will help determine the impact of the balance of power between manufacturers and retailers and the strength of retailer-manufacturer relations on the range / areas and financial and non-financial performance of this cooperation. Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in studying some aspects of retailers’ relations with their key suppliers operating in consumer durables market.

The Outlook of China-Russia Energy Cooperation in The Light of the Strategic Framework of The Silk Road Economic Belt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Zhongwei

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping initially proposed the building of the Strategic Framework of The Silk Road Economic Belt. Against this background, the involved countries will achieve joint development and co-prosperity by carrying out all-round regional cooperation. As close neighbors, both China and Russia have very important political and economic positions in the world; meanwhile, energy cooperation is one of most significant and influential fields in the China-Russia relationship. This paper tries to analyze some concrete issues in the process of the China-Russia energy cooperation, illustrate the outlook of the cooperation between the two countries in terms of the Silk Road Economic Belt, and finally raise policy references to deepen the China-Russia energy cooperation in the future.

Solar PV rural electrification and energy-poverty. A review and conceptual framework with reference to Ghana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Obeng, George Yaw [Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasei (Ghana). Technology Consultancy Centre; Evers, Hans-Dieter [Center for Development Research (Bonn University) ZEF, Bonn (Germany). Dept. of Political and Cultural Change

2009-07-01

In spite of the intention of governments to increase the use of renewable energy in electricity supply, particularly the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) for energy poverty reduction in rural and peri-urban areas of Africa, there is relatively little information on how solar PV electrification impacts on energy poverty reduction. Therefore, there is a gap in the literature and hence the need for continuous research. Using Ghana as a reference country, the historical trend, donor cooperation and other aspects of solar PV rural electrification are discussed. The paper illustrates the intersectoral linkages of solar PV electrification and indicators on education, health, information acquisition, agriculture and micro-enterprises. It also reviews sustainability related issues including costs and market barriers, subsidies, stakeholders involvement, political and policy implications, which are critical factors for sustainable market development of solar PV and other renewables. Finally, a common framework is developed to provide a basic understanding of how solar PV electrification impacts on energy-poverty. This framework provides a structure of the interrelated concepts and principles relevant to the issues under review. (orig.)

A User Cooperation Stimulating Strategy Based on Cooperative Game Theory in Cooperative Relay Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zhang

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a user cooperation stimulating strategy among rational users. The strategy is based on cooperative game theory and enacted in the context of cooperative relay networks. Using the pricing-based mechanism, the system is modeled initially with two nodes and a Base Station (BS. Within this framework, each node is treated as a rational decision maker. To this end, each node can decide whether to cooperate and how to cooperate. Cooperative game theory assists in providing an optimal system utility and provides fairness among users. Under different cooperative forwarding modes, certain questions are carefully investigated, including “what is each node's best reaction to maximize its utility?” and “what is the optimal reimbursement to encourage cooperation?” Simulation results show that the nodes benefit from the proposed cooperation stimulating strategy in terms of utility and thus justify the fairness between each user.

A User Cooperation Stimulating Strategy Based on Cooperative Game Theory in Cooperative Relay Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Fan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a user cooperation stimulating strategy among rational users. The strategy is based on cooperative game theory and enacted in the context of cooperative relay networks. Using the pricing-based mechanism, the system is modeled initially with two nodes and a Base Station (BS. Within this framework, each node is treated as a rational decision maker. To this end, each node can decide whether to cooperate and how to cooperate. Cooperative game theory assists in providing an optimal system utility and provides fairness among users. Under different cooperative forwarding modes, certain questions are carefully investigated, including "what is each node's best reaction to maximize its utility?" and "what is the optimal reimbursement to encourage cooperation?" Simulation results show that the nodes benefit from the proposed cooperation stimulating strategy in terms of utility and thus justify the fairness between each user.

Multi-agent Cooperation in a Planning Framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Weerdt, M.M.; Bos, A.; Tonino, J.F.M.; Witteveen, C.

2000-01-01

The promise of multi-agent systems is that multiple agents can solve problems more efficiently than single agents can. In this paper we propose a method to implement cooperation between agents in the planning phase, in order to achive more cost-effective solutions than without cooperation. Two

A Comparison of Traditional and Newly Emerging Forms of Cooperative Capitalization

OpenAIRE

Barton, David G.

2004-01-01

This paper compares the traditional forms of capitalization used by American co-ops to newly emerging forms. It is based on an in-depth review of several case co-ops. A broad framework is provided that may be beneficial in more extensive studies of capitalization practices of cooperatives and similar organizations. It is divided into three parts. Part One outlines the alternative capitalization forms being used by cooperatives and their antecedents, where conversions to other structures and f...

The ticking time bomb in lifestyle-related diseases among women in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries; review of systematic reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mashael K. Alshaikh

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study aims to review all published systematic reviews on the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors among women from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC. This is the first review of other systematic reviews that concentrates on lifestyle related diseases among women in GCC countries only. Method Literature searches were carried out in three electronic databases for all published systematic reviews on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the GCC countries between January 2000 and February 2016. Results Eleven systematic reviews were identified and selected for our review. Common reported risk factors for cardiovascular disease were obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and hypertension. In GCC countries, obesity among the female population ranges from 29 to 45.7%, which is one of the highest rates globally, and it is linked with physical inactivity, ranging from 45 to 98.7%. The prevalence of diabetes is listed as one of the top ten factors globally, and was reported with an average of 21%. Hypertension ranged from 20.9 to 53%. Conclusions The high prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases among women population in GCC is a ticking time bomb and is reaching alarming levels, and require a fundamental social and political changes. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive work among the GCC to strengthen the regulatory framework to decrease and control the prevalence of these factors.

Petroleum prospects and the need for international cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Constantinou, C.

1991-01-01

A review of the world energy situation prior to the Persian Gulf War of 1990-91 shows that periods of oil price instability have distorted the decision-making process. During periods of high prices, investments were made in uneconomic energy sources and in periods of low prices few investments were made at all. To create a rational investment climate, international cooperation between consumers and producers of petroleum is essential. Such cooperation in the form of a forum could help to stabilize prices and assure that the economic decisions needed to meet future demand would be made in a secure framework. (author). 3 refs

International co-operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

In 1996, Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic (NRA SR) ensured the Slovak Republic (SR) obligations with relation to the international agreements and with the SR membership in the IAEA.International co-operation has been ensured on the basis of the bilateral international agreements. With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-operation, the SR fulfilled its financial obligations to this organization in due time and in the full scope. Representing Central and Eastern Europe interest in the Board of Governors, the SR participation in the highest executive in the highest executive authority was finished in 1996.The Board of Governors Vice-chairman position was executed by NRA SR Chairman. 5 national and 6 regional technical co-operation and assistance projects were realized in 1996. 12 organizations participated in these projects and accordingly 104 experts took part in training programmes, scientific visits or as the mission members abroad. Besides, Slovak experts participated at work of technical advisory and consultation groups with the significant assistance. In the framework of IAEA co-operation, the SR was visited by 11 expert missions formed by 28 experts from 19 countries including IAEA. Slovak organizations, namely institutes of the Academy of Sciences, Slovak research centres and universities participated in IAEA scientific and research activities through NRA SR. 15 scientific contracts in total were approved and realized and these contracts are utilized as supplementary financing of the own scientific and research projects. Other international co-operation and regional co-operation activities of the NRA SR in 1996 are reviewed

Game Theory-Based Cooperation for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: Taxonomy, Review, Research Challenges and Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammed, Dalhatu; Anisi, Mohammad Hossein; Zareei, Mahdi; Vargas-Rosales, Cesar; Khan, Anwar

2018-02-01

Exploring and monitoring the underwater world using underwater sensors is drawing a lot of attention these days. In this field cooperation between acoustic sensor nodes has been a critical problem due to the challenging features such as acoustic channel failure (sound signal), long propagation delay of acoustic signal, limited bandwidth and loss of connectivity. There are several proposed methods to improve cooperation between the nodes by incorporating information/game theory in the node's cooperation. However, there is a need to classify the existing works and demonstrate their performance in addressing the cooperation issue. In this paper, we have conducted a review to investigate various factors affecting cooperation in underwater acoustic sensor networks. We study various cooperation techniques used for underwater acoustic sensor networks from different perspectives, with a concentration on communication reliability, energy consumption, and security and present a taxonomy for underwater cooperation. Moreover, we further review how the game theory can be applied to make the nodes cooperate with each other. We further analyze different cooperative game methods, where their performance on different metrics is compared. Finally, open issues and future research direction in underwater acoustic sensor networks are highlighted.

Game Theory-Based Cooperation for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: Taxonomy, Review, Research Challenges and Directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalhatu Muhammed

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Exploring and monitoring the underwater world using underwater sensors is drawing a lot of attention these days. In this field cooperation between acoustic sensor nodes has been a critical problem due to the challenging features such as acoustic channel failure (sound signal, long propagation delay of acoustic signal, limited bandwidth and loss of connectivity. There are several proposed methods to improve cooperation between the nodes by incorporating information/game theory in the node’s cooperation. However, there is a need to classify the existing works and demonstrate their performance in addressing the cooperation issue. In this paper, we have conducted a review to investigate various factors affecting cooperation in underwater acoustic sensor networks. We study various cooperation techniques used for underwater acoustic sensor networks from different perspectives, with a concentration on communication reliability, energy consumption, and security and present a taxonomy for underwater cooperation. Moreover, we further review how the game theory can be applied to make the nodes cooperate with each other. We further analyze different cooperative game methods, where their performance on different metrics is compared. Finally, open issues and future research direction in underwater acoustic sensor networks are highlighted.

Game Theory-Based Cooperation for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: Taxonomy, Review, Research Challenges and Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammed, Dalhatu; Anisi, Mohammad Hossein; Vargas-Rosales, Cesar; Khan, Anwar

2018-01-01

Exploring and monitoring the underwater world using underwater sensors is drawing a lot of attention these days. In this field cooperation between acoustic sensor nodes has been a critical problem due to the challenging features such as acoustic channel failure (sound signal), long propagation delay of acoustic signal, limited bandwidth and loss of connectivity. There are several proposed methods to improve cooperation between the nodes by incorporating information/game theory in the node’s cooperation. However, there is a need to classify the existing works and demonstrate their performance in addressing the cooperation issue. In this paper, we have conducted a review to investigate various factors affecting cooperation in underwater acoustic sensor networks. We study various cooperation techniques used for underwater acoustic sensor networks from different perspectives, with a concentration on communication reliability, energy consumption, and security and present a taxonomy for underwater cooperation. Moreover, we further review how the game theory can be applied to make the nodes cooperate with each other. We further analyze different cooperative game methods, where their performance on different metrics is compared. Finally, open issues and future research direction in underwater acoustic sensor networks are highlighted. PMID:29389874

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) Requirements Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zurawski, Jason, W; Mace, Kathryn, P

2016-08-11

In August 2016 The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and Colorado State University (CSU) organized a review to characterize the networking requirements of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) located on the campus of Colorado State University. Several key findings highlighting the results from the review were discovered, with benefits to improve the overall scientific process for CIRA and CSU.

Parallel Framework for Cooperative Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitică Craus

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the work of an object oriented framework designed to be used in the parallelization of a set of related algorithms. The idea behind the system we are describing is to have a re-usable framework for running several sequential algorithms in a parallel environment. The algorithms that the framework can be used with have several things in common: they have to run in cycles and the work should be possible to be split between several "processing units". The parallel framework uses the message-passing communication paradigm and is organized as a master-slave system. Two applications are presented: an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO parallel algorithm for the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP and an Image Processing (IP parallel algorithm for the Symmetrical Neighborhood Filter (SNF. The implementations of these applications by means of the parallel framework prove to have good performances: approximatively linear speedup and low communication cost.

Quality Control Review of the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP FY 2014 Single Audit of Carnegie Mellon University

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-17

No. DODIG-2016-034 D E C E M B E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 5 Quality Control Review of the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP FY 2014 Single Audit of Carnegie ...ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22350-1500 December 17, 2015 Audit Partner PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Board of Trustees Carnegie Mellon University Director, Sponsored...Projects Accounting Carnegie Mellon University SUBJECT: Quality Control Review of the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP FY 2014 Single Audit of Carnegie

Review article: A systematic review of emergency department incident classification frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Matthew; McCarthy, Sally

2017-10-11

As in any part of the hospital system, safety incidents can occur in the ED. These incidents arguably have a distinct character, as the ED involves unscheduled flows of urgent patients who require disparate services. To aid understanding of safety issues and support risk management of the ED, a comparison of published ED specific incident classification frameworks was performed. A review of emergency medicine, health management and general medical publications, using Ovid SP to interrogate Medline (1976-2016) was undertaken to identify any type of taxonomy or classification-like framework for ED related incidents. These frameworks were then analysed and compared. The review identified 17 publications containing an incident classification framework. Comparison of factors and themes making up the classification constituent elements revealed some commonality, but no overall consistency, nor evolution towards an ideal framework. Inconsistency arises from differences in the evidential basis and design methodology of classifications, with design itself being an inherently subjective process. It was not possible to identify an 'ideal' incident classification framework for ED risk management, and there is significant variation in the selection of categories used by frameworks. The variation in classification could risk an unbalanced emphasis in findings through application of a particular framework. Design of an ED specific, ideal incident classification framework should be informed by a much wider range of theories of how organisations and systems work, in addition to clinical and human factors. © 2017 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Controlling Cooperative CO2 Adsorption in Diamine-Appended Mg2(dobpdc) Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegelman, Rebecca L; McDonald, Thomas M; Gonzalez, Miguel I; Martell, Jeffrey D; Milner, Phillip J; Mason, Jarad A; Berger, Adam H; Bhown, Abhoyjit S; Long, Jeffrey R

2017-08-02

In the transition to a clean-energy future, CO 2 separations will play a critical role in mitigating current greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating conversion to cleaner-burning and renewable fuels. New materials with high selectivities for CO 2 adsorption, large CO 2 removal capacities, and low regeneration energies are needed to achieve these separations efficiently at scale. Here, we present a detailed investigation of nine diamine-appended variants of the metal-organic framework Mg 2 (dobpdc) (dobpdc 4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) that feature step-shaped CO 2 adsorption isotherms resulting from cooperative and reversible insertion of CO 2 into metal-amine bonds to form ammonium carbamate chains. Small modifications to the diamine structure are found to shift the threshold pressure for cooperative CO 2 adsorption by over 4 orders of magnitude at a given temperature, and the observed trends are rationalized on the basis of crystal structures of the isostructural zinc frameworks obtained from in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. The structure-activity relationships derived from these results can be leveraged to tailor adsorbents to the conditions of a given CO 2 separation process. The unparalleled versatility of these materials, coupled with their high CO 2 capacities and low projected energy costs, highlights their potential as next-generation adsorbents for a wide array of CO 2 separations.

Of Policy Entrepreneurship, bandwagoning and free-riding : EU member states and multilateral cooperation frameworks for Europe's southern neighbourhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schumacher, T.; Bouris, D.; Olszewska, M.

2016-01-01

Over the past 25 years the EU and NATO have displayed considerable agency and thus influence as far as the development of institutionalised collective cooperation and/or foreign policy frameworks towards Europe’s southern neighbourhood is concerned. Against this backdrop, this article puts EU and

A University-Industry Cooperation Model for Small and Medium Enterprises: The Case of Chengdu KEDA Optoelectronic Technology Ltd.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Shanzhong; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.; Zheng, He

2017-01-01

In this study, we develop a firm-dominated incremental cooperation model. Following the critical review of current literature and various cooperation models, we identified a number of strengths and shortcomings that form the basis for our framework. The objective of our theoretical model is to contribute to overcome the existing gap within…

Developing a regulatory framework for the financial, management performance and social reporting systems for co-operatives in developing countries: A case study of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gideon Nieman

2016-08-01

Findings: The research performed showed that existing reporting frameworks and practices do not meet the reporting requirements of co-operatives in all aspects because of the different nature of co-operatives as opposed to shareholder-owned entities.

[Political and organizational-legal frameworks for cooperation between countries of the Asia-Pacific region in the field of military medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Kholikov, I V; Dmitrakovich, D V

2014-12-01

A framework for cooperation in the field of military medicine in the Asia-Pacific region is considered. Expert Working Group on Military Medicine in cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian dialogue partners (including Russia) was formed to discuss the most important issues in the field of military medicine, to share practical experience of military physicians, standardization and unification of medical equipment, medicines, levels and standards of medical services and other issues in order to enhance cooperation of military medical services of the participating countries. From 2014 to 2016, the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Thailand are co-chairs of the expert group.

A competency framework for librarians involved in systematic reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Whitney A. Townsend

2017-07-01

Conclusions: The Systematic Review Competencies Framework provides a standards-based, flexible way for librarians and organizations to identify areas of competence and areas in need of development to build capacity for systematic review integration. The framework can be used to identify or develop appropriate assessment tools and to target skill development opportunities.

Highly Efficient Cooperative Catalysis by Co ^III (Porphyrin) Pairs in Interpenetrating Metal-Organic Frameworks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Zekai; Zhang, Zhi-Ming; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Lin, Wenbin (UC); (Xiamen)

2016-12-02

A series of porous twofold interpenetrated In-Co^III(porphyrin) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were constructed by in situ metalation of porphyrin bridging ligands and used as efficient cooperative catalysts for the hydration of terminal alkynes. The twofold interpenetrating structure brings adjacent Co^III(porphyrins) in the two networks parallel to each other with a distance of about 8.8 Å, an ideal distance for the simultaneous activation of both substrates in alkyne hydration reactions. As a result, the In-Co^III(porphyrin) MOFs exhibit much higher (up to 38 times) catalytic activity than either homogeneous catalysts or MOF controls with isolated Co^III(porphyrin) centers, thus highlighting the potential application of MOFs in cooperative catalysis.

Using framework-based synthesis for conducting reviews of qualitative studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon-Woods, Mary

2011-04-14

Framework analysis is a technique used for data analysis in primary qualitative research. Recent years have seen its being adapted to conduct syntheses of qualitative studies. Framework-based synthesis shows considerable promise in addressing applied policy questions. An innovation in the approach, known as 'best fit' framework synthesis, has been published in BMC Medical Research Methodology this month. It involves reviewers in choosing a conceptual model likely to be suitable for the question of the review, and using it as the basis of their initial coding framework. This framework is then modified in response to the evidence reported in the studies in the reviews, so that the final product is a revised framework that may include both modified factors and new factors that were not anticipated in the original model. 'Best fit' framework-based synthesis may be especially suitable in addressing urgent policy questions where the need for a more fully developed synthesis is balanced by the need for a quick answer. Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2288/11/29.

IAEA and EC to Strengthen Cooperation in Nuclear Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Full text: The International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Commission today signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Nuclear Safety, establishing a framework for cooperation to help improve nuclear safety in Europe. The Memorandum, signed by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and the European Commissioner for Energy, Guenther Oettinger, is the first concrete result of an enhanced dialogue between the IAEA and the EU, launched in January 2013 at their first Senior Officials Meeting in Brussels. Cooperation has been rapidly growing in recent years between the IAEA and the EU, which, together with its Member States, is one of the biggest donors to the IAEA, both in financial terms and in provision of technical expertise. Cooperation in the field of nuclear safeguards is already well-established and formalised, but in other areas it is less structured. ''The EU is one of our most important partners, providing practical and financial assistance, as well as expertise, in many areas of our work,'' Mr. Amano said. ''This Memorandum of Understanding is further evidence that EU countries take very seriously the need to strengthen nuclear safety in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.'' Mr. Oettinger highlighted that such intensified cooperation is important to ensure that nuclear energy is produced safely all over the world. He added that the EU nuclear stress tests set a global benchmark and contribute to the IAEA's Action Plan on Nuclear Safety , which was endorsed unanimously by the IAEA's Member States in September 2011. ''Under the new Memorandum, all this experience will be made available to the international community. I hope that the European safety approach leads to a global initiative,'' said the Commissioner. The Memorandum creates an enhanced framework for planning and reviewing various forms of cooperation in nuclear safety, such as expert peer reviews and strengthening emergency preparedness and response capabilities. It will allow both

A review of cooperative and uncooperative spacecraft pose determination techniques for close-proximity operations

Science.gov (United States)

Opromolla, Roberto; Fasano, Giancarmine; Rufino, Giancarlo; Grassi, Michele

2017-08-01

The capability of an active spacecraft to accurately estimate its relative position and attitude (pose) with respect to an active/inactive, artificial/natural space object (target) orbiting in close-proximity is required to carry out various activities like formation flying, on-orbit servicing, active debris removal, and space exploration. According to the specific mission scenario, the pose determination task involves both theoretical and technological challenges related to the search for the most suitable algorithmic solution and sensor architecture, respectively. As regards the latter aspect, electro-optical sensors represent the best option as their use is compatible with mass and power limitation of micro and small satellites, and their measurements can be processed to estimate all the pose parameters. Overall, the degree of complexity of the challenges related to pose determination largely varies depending on the nature of the targets, which may be actively/passively cooperative, uncooperative but known, or uncooperative and unknown space objects. In this respect, while cooperative pose determination has been successfully demonstrated in orbit, the uncooperative case is still under study by universities, research centers, space agencies and private companies. However, in both the cases, the demand for space applications involving relative navigation maneuvers, also in close-proximity, for which pose determination capabilities are mandatory, is significantly increasing. In this framework, a review of state-of-the-art techniques and algorithms developed in the last decades for cooperative and uncooperative pose determination by processing data provided by electro-optical sensors is herein presented. Specifically, their main advantages and drawbacks in terms of achieved performance, computational complexity, and sensitivity to variability of pose and target geometry, are highlighted.

Towards a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior: a Review and Synthesis of Published Frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Götschi, Thomas; de Nazelle, Audrey; Brand, Christian; Gerike, Regine

2017-09-01

This paper reviews the use of conceptual frameworks in research on active travel, such as walking and cycling. Generic framework features and a wide range of contents are identified and synthesized into a comprehensive framework of active travel behavior, as part of the Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches project (PASTA). PASTA is a European multinational, interdisciplinary research project on active travel and health. Along with an exponential growth in active travel research, a growing number of conceptual frameworks has been published since the early 2000s. Earlier frameworks are simpler and emphasize the distinction of environmental vs. individual factors, while more recently several studies have integrated travel behavior theories more thoroughly. Based on the reviewed frameworks and various behavioral theories, we propose the comprehensive PASTA conceptual framework of active travel behavior. We discuss how it can guide future research, such as data collection, data analysis, and modeling of active travel behavior, and present some examples from the PASTA project.

A Science Framework for Connecticut River Watershed Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Rideout, Stephen; Nicolson, Craig; Russell-Robinson, Susan L.; Mecray, Ellen L.

2005-01-01

Introduction: This document outlines a research framework for water resource managers and land-use planners in the four-state Connecticut River Watershed (CRW). It specifically focuses on developing the decision-support tools and data needed by managers in the watershed. The purpose of the Science Framework is to identify critical research issues and information required to better equip managers to make decisions on desirable changes in the CRW. This Science Framework is the result of a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass-Amherst), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The cooperative project was guided by a Science Steering Committee (SC) and included several focus groups, a 70-person workshop in September 2004, and an open collaborative process by which the workshop outcomes were synthesized, written up, and then progressively refined through peer review. This document is the product of that collaborative process.

IAEA Team Concludes Peer Review of Greece's Regulatory Framework for Radiation Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

Full text: An international team of senior nuclear safety and radiation protection experts yesterday concluded an 11-day mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Greece. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, which was conducted at the request of the Government of the Hellenic Republic, noted good practices in the country's nuclear regulatory system and also identified issues for improvement for the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the Greek competent authorities. These are aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the country's regulatory framework and functions in line with IAEA Safety Standards. ''The IRRS team enjoyed excellent cooperation from the GAEC throughout its mission,'' said Tom Ryan, mission leader and Director of Regulations and Information Management at the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. ''The GAEC staff were very open and candid in their discussions and provided the fullest practicable assistance.'' The main observations of the IRRS Review team included: While the Greek Government's commitment to safety is being demonstrated through its actions, the development of a comprehensive national policy and strategy expressed in a consolidated statement would provide a valuable framework and guidance for future actions in terms of safety; and GAEC has effective independence. The Greek government has ensured that GAEC is effectively independent in its safety-related decision-making and that it has functional separation from entities having responsibility or interests that could unduly influence its decision making. Strengths and good practices identified by the IRRS team included: Greece actively participates in the global safety regime including all relevant safety conventions; The nation's radiation monitoring system for the detection of illicit trafficking contributes significantly to identifying potential radiation emergencies due to events within or outside the country

Man-Robot Symbiosis: A Framework For Cooperative Intelligence And Control

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Lynne E.; Pin, Francois G.

1988-10-01

The man-robot symbiosis concept has the fundamental objective of bridging the gap between fully human-controlled and fully autonomous systems to achieve true man-robot cooperative control and intelligence. Such a system would allow improved speed, accuracy, and efficiency of task execution, while retaining the man in the loop for innovative reasoning and decision-making. The symbiont would have capabilities for supervised and unsupervised learning, allowing an increase of expertise in a wide task domain. This paper describes a robotic system architecture facilitating the symbiotic integration of teleoperative and automated modes of task execution. The architecture reflects a unique blend of many disciplines of artificial intelligence into a working system, including job or mission planning, dynamic task allocation, man-robot communication, automated monitoring, and machine learning. These disciplines are embodied in five major components of the symbiotic framework: the Job Planner, the Dynamic Task Allocator, the Presenter/Interpreter, the Automated Monitor, and the Learning System.

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 year in review postcard

Science.gov (United States)

Organ, John F.; Thompson, John D.; Dennerline, Donald E.; Childs, Dawn E.

2018-02-08

This postcard provides details about the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1438, now available at https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1438. In this report, you will find details about the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) Program relating to its background, fish and wildlife science, students, staffing, vacancies, research funding, outreach and training, science themes, accolades, and professional services. You will see snapshots of CRU projects with information on how results have been or are being applied by cooperators. This is the essence of what we do: science that matters.Throughout the year, keep up with CRU research projects at http://www.coopunits.org.

Cooperative strategies European perspectives

CERN Document Server

Killing, J Peter

1997-01-01

Cooperative Strategies: European Perspectives is one of three geographically targeted volumes in which the contributors present the most current research on topics such as advances in theories of cooperative strategies, the formation of cooperative alliances, the dynamics of partner relationships, and the role of information and knowledge in cooperative alliances. Blending conceptual insights with empirical analyses, the contributors highlight commonalities and differences across national, cultural, and trade zones. The chapters in this volume are anchored in a wide set of theoretical approaches, conceptual frameworks, and models, illustrating how rich the area of cooperative strategies is for scholarly inquiry.

A Framework for Rigorously Identifying Research Gaps in Qualitative Literature Reviews

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller-Bloch, Christoph; Kranz, Johann

2015-01-01

Identifying research gaps is a fundamental goal of literature reviewing. While it is widely acknowledged that literature reviews should identify research gaps, there are no methodological guidelines for how to identify research gaps in qualitative literature reviews ensuring rigor and replicability....... Our study addresses this gap and proposes a framework that should help scholars in this endeavor without stifling creativity. To develop the framework we thoroughly analyze the state-of-the-art procedure of identifying research gaps in 40 recent literature reviews using a grounded theory approach....... Based on the data, we subsequently derive a framework for identifying research gaps in qualitative literature reviews and demonstrate its application with an example. Our results provide a modus operandi for identifying research gaps, thus enabling scholars to conduct literature reviews more rigorously...

Subsidizing R&D cooperatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinloopen, J.

2001-01-01

A framework is developed with which the implementation of two commonly used R&D-stimulating policies can be evaluated: providing R&D subsidies and sustaining the formation of R&D cooperatives. Subsidized R&D cooperatives can also be analyzed. The analysis shows that providing R&D subsidies is more

Development of a framework to identify research gaps from systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Karen A; Saldanha, Ian J; McKoy, Naomi A

2011-12-01

Our objective was to develop a framework to identify research gaps from systematic reviews. We reviewed the practices of (1) evidence-based practice centers (EPCs), and (2) other organizations that conduct evidence syntheses. We developed and pilot tested a framework for identifying research gaps. Four (33%) EPCs and three (8%) other organizations reported using an explicit framework to determine research gaps. Variations of the PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes) framework were most common. We developed a framework incorporating both the characterization of the gap using PICOS elements (also including setting) and the identification of the reason(s) why the gap exists as (1) insufficient or imprecise information, (2) biased information, (3) inconsistency or unknown consistency, and (4) not the right information. We mapped each of these reasons to concepts from three common evidence-grading systems. Our framework determines from systematic reviews where the current evidence falls short and why or how the evidence falls short. This explicit identification of research gaps will allow systematic reviews to maximally inform the types of questions that need to be addressed and the types of studies needed to address the research gaps. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional cooperation based on multilateral international agreements in nuclear field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valcic, I.

1996-01-01

Multilateral international agreements have defined the framework of behavior and cooperation in various fields and aspects of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Thus, obligations have been defined in the following areas: nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, physical protection of nuclear material, liability for nuclear damage, nuclear safety, early notification about a nuclear accident and assistance in case of nuclear accident. Obligations regarding radioactive waste management should be defined soon. This paper gives a review of obligations from particular agreements with a special emphasis on those which are being realized through mutual cooperation of concerned countries and are important for safe use of nuclear energy. (author)

Narrative review of frameworks for translating research evidence into policy and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Milat, Andrew J; Li, Ben

2017-02-15

A significant challenge in research translation is that interested parties interpret and apply the associated terms and conceptual frameworks in different ways. The purpose of this review was to: a) examine different research translation frameworks; b) examine the similarities and differences between the frameworks; and c) identify key strengths and weaknesses of the models when they are applied in practice. The review involved a keyword search of PubMed. The search string was (translational research OR knowledge translation OR evidence to practice) AND (framework OR model OR theory) AND (public health OR health promotion OR medicine). Included studies were published in English between January 1990 and December 2014, and described frameworks, models or theories associated with research translation. The final review included 98 papers, and 41 different frameworks and models were identified. The most frequently applied knowledge translation framework in the literature was RE-AIM, followed by the knowledge translation continuum or 'T' models, the Knowledge to Action framework, the PARiHS framework, evidence based public health models, and the stages of research and evaluation model. The models identified in this review stem from different fields, including implementation science, basic and medical sciences, health services research and public health, and propose different but related pathways to closing the research-practice gap.

Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopmans, L.; Bernaards, C.M.; Hildebrandt, V.H.; Schaufeli, W.B.; Vet, H.C.W. de; Beek, A.J. van der

2011-01-01

Objective: Individual work performance is differently conceptualized and operationalized in different disciplines. The aim of the current review was twofold: (1) identifying conceptual frameworks of individual work performance and (2) integrating these to reach a heuristic conceptual framework.

Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopmans, L.; Bernaards, C.M.; Hildebrandt, V.H.; Schaufeli, W.B.; de Vet, H.C.W.; van der Beek, A.J.

2011-01-01

Objective: Individual work performance is differently conceptualized and operationalized in different disciplines. The aim of the current review was twofold: (1) identifying conceptual frameworks of individual work performance and (2) integrating these to reach a heuristic conceptual framework.

Sustainable development based energy policy making frameworks, a critical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyar-Naimi, H.; Vaez-Zadeh, S.

2012-01-01

This paper, in the first step, presents an overview of the origination and formulation of sustainable development (SD) concept and the related policy making frameworks. The frameworks include Pressure–State–Response (PSR), Driving Force–State–Response (DSR), Driving Force–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR), Driving Force–Pressure–State–Effect–Action (DPSEA) and Driving Force-Pressure-State-Exposure-Effect-Action (DPSEEA). In this regard, 40 case studies using the reviewed frameworks reported during 1994–2011 are surveyed. Then, their application area and application intensity are investigated. It is concluded that PSR, and DPSEA and DPSEEA have the higher and lower application intensities, respectively. Moreover, using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with a set of criteria, it is shown that PSR and DPSIR have the highest and lowest priorities. Finally, the shortcomings of frameworks applications are discussed. The paper is helpful in selecting appropriate policy making frameworks and presents some hints for future research in the area for developing more comprehensive models especially for sustainable electric energy policy making. - Highlights: ► The origination and formulation of sustainable development (SD) concept is reviewed. ► SD based frameworks (PSR, DSR, DPSIR, DPSEA and DPSEEA) are also reviewed. ► Then, the frameworks application area and intensity in recent years are investigated. ► Finally, the SD concept and the SD based frameworks are criticized. ► It will be helpful for developing more comprehensive energy policy making models.

Strategic interaction between government and central bank in framework of cooperative and non-cooperative games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mahmoudinia, D.; Engwerda, Jacob; Esfahani, Rahim Dallali; Dastjerdi, R.B.; Fakhar, M.

2016-01-01

In this paper we analyzed the strategic interaction between government and central bank in Iranian economy. Using dynamic differential games and Nash equilibrium within cooperative and non-cooperative setting, we try to find the optimal values of debt, deficit and monetary base. The results of

International co-operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

In this part the are reviewed: Co-operation with IAEA; Participation of the Slovakia on the 41 st session of the General Conference; The comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization; Co-operation with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; co-operation with the European Commission; Fulfillment of obligations resulting from the international contracting documents

China-Africa: New Directions of Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L V Ponomarenko

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the policy of fifth generation of Chinese leadership with regard to African states. The article deals with the concept of “Chinese Dream”, which was first declared in Africa, an innovative model of international cooperation in the framework of the formation of “economic zone of the Silk Road”. The authors reveal three basic directions of cooperation - political, economic and humanitarian cooperation. Political cooperation is characterized by the activation of mutual visits at the highest level, the interaction in the framework of the UN General Assembly, participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Economic cooperation is characterized by the activation of bilateral trade, the transition to a “modernized version of” investment cooperation, implementation of the strategy of “going abroad” of Chinese products, imports of natural resources from Africa, creating jobs for the local population, financing of infrastructure projects, the transfer of labor-intensive industries in Africa. Humanitarian cooperation includes training program for Africa, the implementation of the Sino-African programs, technology partnerships, research and exchange, and the China-Africa Forum “Think Tank”. Cooperation in health care also plays an important role. The authors note that the new Chinese leadership declares transition to an upgraded version of the Sino-African cooperation.

Operating within the legal and ethical framework to gain co-operation when imaging paediatric patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey-Lloyd, Jane M.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the challenges faced by radiographers when imaging children. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a framework it presents a logical exploration of the complex issues associated with imaging children and considers the legal and ethical framework alongside the nature of motivation and importance of gaining cooperation of the child and their carer(s). It is evident that a good knowledge of child development, child psychology and distraction techniques would enhance the family experience when attending for imaging examinations. Radiographers must continually familiarise themselves with current legislation affecting their practice and ensure that they continue to provide an optimum service for children and their carer(s). It may be advisable for post-registration courses to be offered to existing practitioners and for the Society and College of Radiographers to consider appointing a professional officer with expertise in paediatric imaging to offer legal advice and to support safe practice

Narrative review of frameworks for translating research evidence into policy and practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background: A significant challenge in research translation is that interested parties interpret and apply the associated terms and conceptual frameworks in different ways. The purpose of this review was to: a examine different research translation frameworks; b examine the similarities and differences between the frameworks; and c identify key strengths and weaknesses of the models when they are applied in practice. Methods: The review involved a keyword search of PubMed. The search string was (translational research OR knowledge translation OR evidence to practice AND (framework OR model OR theory AND (public health OR health promotion OR medicine. Included studies were published in English between January 1990 and December 2014, and described frameworks, models or theories associated with research translation. Results: The final review included 98 papers, and 41 different frameworks and models were identified. The most frequently applied knowledge translation framework in the literature was RE-AIM, followed by the knowledge translation continuum or ‘T’ models, the Knowledge to Action framework, the PARiHS framework, evidence based public health models, and the stages of research and evaluation model. Conclusion: The models identified in this review stem from different fields, including implementation science, basic and medical sciences, health services research and public health, and propose different but related pathways to closing the research–practice gap.

New Cooperation Modes: An Opportunity for Polish Biotechnological Clusters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukasz Puslecki

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article reviews new cooperation forms between companies, referring to the latest data from the asap (the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. Potential cooperation between companies, universities and research institutes in the field of biotechnology in Poland based on a model of open innovation alliances are presented. Biopharmaceutical companies are looking for new and innovative paths of development. They try to implement new strategies to transfer their research processes to a higher level. To achieve this, biopharmaceutical companies often use open innovation model as an additional tool for developing new products. Thanks to the cooperation with universities in the framework of open innovation alliances, they can significantly reduce the risk, the cost of research, and most of all, through joint work with academic researchers on identifying disease mechanisms and on development of new drugs, they are able to create improved and appropriate medical therapy for patients.

A competency framework for librarians involved in systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Whitney A; Anderson, Patricia F; Ginier, Emily C; MacEachern, Mark P; Saylor, Kate M; Shipman, Barbara L; Smith, Judith E

2017-07-01

The project identified a set of core competencies for librarians who are involved in systematic reviews. A team of seven informationists with broad systematic review experience examined existing systematic review standards, conducted a literature search, and used their own expertise to identify core competencies and skills that are necessary to undertake various roles in systematic review projects. The team identified a total of six competencies for librarian involvement in systematic reviews: "Systematic review foundations," "Process management and communication," "Research methodology," "Comprehensive searching," "Data management," and "Reporting." Within each competency are the associated skills and knowledge pieces (indicators). Competence can be measured using an adaptation of Miller's Pyramid for Clinical Assessment, either through self-assessment or identification of formal assessment instruments. The Systematic Review Competencies Framework provides a standards-based, flexible way for librarians and organizations to identify areas of competence and areas in need of development to build capacity for systematic review integration. The framework can be used to identify or develop appropriate assessment tools and to target skill development opportunities.

IAEA and EU Review Progress on Cooperation, Agree on Next Steps at Annual Meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union (EU) reviewed progress achieved in working together on a range of nuclear activities and agreed to further enhance cooperation during their sixth annual Senior Officials Meeting in Vienna. The talks on 8 February at the IAEA’s headquarters provided a forum for exchanging views on strengthening collaboration on nuclear safety, security, safeguards, sustainable development, nuclear energy research and increasing innovation. The two organizations welcomed the fruitful cooperation and progress achieved over the past years. They agreed to deepen cooperation in several areas, particularly in the promotion of nuclear applications for sustainable development.

Evolution of international nuclear cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldschmidt, Bertrand

1978-01-01

The various stages of the history of the International Cooperation in nuclear matters are reviewed: isolationism period at the end of the war with the anglosaxon monopoly; opening period with the 1955 Geneva Conference and the creation of organisms within the framework of Euratom (the six European countries), of OCED (NEA) and of UNO (IAEA); industrial realizations period with Euratom research centres (Ispra, Geel, Karlsruhe and Petten) and the NEA enterprises (Halden, Dragon project, Eurochemic). The international industrial accords in the domains of exploitation and uranium enrichment are recalled and the program for the international evaluating of the fuel cycle (INFCE) is mentioned [fr

Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karmperis, Athanasios C.; Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed

Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karmperis, Athanasios C., E-mail: athkarmp@mail.ntua.gr [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece); Army Corps of Engineers, Hellenic Army General Staff, Ministry of Defence (Greece); Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed.

An 802.11k Compliant Framework for Cooperative Handoff in Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korakis Thanasis

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In IEEE 802.11-based wireless networks, the stations (STAs are associated with the available access points (APs and communicate through them. In traditional handoff schemes, the STAs get information about the active APs in their neighborhood by scanning the available channels and listening to transmitted beacons. This paper proposes an 802.11k compliant framework for cooperative handoff where the STAs are informed about the active APs by exchanging information with neighboring STAs. Besides, the APs share useful information that can be used by the STAs in a handoff process. In this way, we minimize the delay of the scanning procedure. We evaluate the performance of our mechanisms through OPNET simulations. We demonstrate that our scheme reduces the scanning delay up to 92%. Consequently, our system is more capable in meeting the needs of QoS-sensitive applications.

A General Framework for Reviewing Dictionaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Sandro

2013-01-01

in specific types of situations in the real (extra-lexicographic) world. I propose a basis for a framework that contains an outline of general theoretical and practical principles that underlie the true nature of dictionary reviews, and places the reviews in a lexicographic universe with the dictionary...... and lexicography at its centre. This seems to be in line with the modern understanding of lexicography as a separate academic discipline concerned with the compilation, design, evaluation and use of dictionaries. Moreover, a set of generally applicable principles may lead the discourse community to accept...

Social exclusion of older persons: a scoping review and conceptual framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Kieran; Scharf, Thomas; Keating, Norah

2017-03-01

As a concept, social exclusion has considerable potential to explain and respond to disadvantage in later life. However, in the context of ageing populations, the construct remains ambiguous. A disjointed evidence-base, spread across disparate disciplines, compounds the challenge of developing a coherent understanding of exclusion in older age. This article addresses this research deficit by presenting the findings of a two-stage scoping review encompassing seven separate reviews of the international literature pertaining to old-age social exclusion. Stage one involved a review of conceptual frameworks on old-age exclusion, identifying conceptual understandings and key domains of later-life exclusion. Stage two involved scoping reviews on each domain (six in all). Stage one identified six conceptual frameworks on old-age exclusion and six common domains across these frameworks: neighbourhood and community; services, amenities and mobility; social relations; material and financial resources; socio-cultural aspects; and civic participation. International literature concentrated on the first four domains, but indicated a general lack of research knowledge and of theoretical development. Drawing on all seven scoping reviews and a knowledge synthesis, the article presents a new definition and conceptual framework relating to old-age exclusion.

When do people cooperate? The neuroeconomics of prosocial decision making

OpenAIRE

DECLERCK, Carolyn H.; BOONE, Christophe; EMONDS, Griet

2011-01-01

Understanding the roots of prosocial behavior is an interdisciplinary research endeavor that has generated an abundance of empirical data across many disciplines. This review integrates research findings from different fields into a theoretical framework that can account for when prosocial behavior is likely to occur. Specifically, we propose that the motivation to cooperate is generated by the reward system in the brain (extending from striatum to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex), and tha...

Communication dated 10 September 2008 received from the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the Agency concerning the High Level Policy Review Seminar of African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Secretariat has received a communication dated 10 September 2008 from the Permanent Mission of Egypt enclosing the documents of the High Level Policy Review Seminar of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) held in Aswan, Egypt on 28-29 November 2007. The communication, and as requested therein, the enclosures containing the Declaration of Aswan, the Aswan Action Plan and the Profile of the Regional Strategic Cooperative Framework (2008-2013) are circulated herewith for information

The functional power of the CPLP in the framework ok development cooperation in food security and nutrition (FSN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Lapão

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP, about to celebrate its twenty year of existence, was born to preserve the language and a common cultural heritage and has been gradually strengthening other policy dimensions which have led to increased visibility. The cooperation in the areas of Health and Food and Nutrition Security (SAN is such an example. In fact, the "Food Security and Nutrition Strategy (ESAN-CPLP", adopted in 2011, is a real and operational tool to improve levels of human development in the member states of the CPLP, and is recognized in international fora as an example of good practice by partners such as the European Union, while also being perfectly aligned with the U.N.'s Goals of Sustainable Development. Despite the unique role of the CPLP and its potential functional power in the framework of international cooperation, some threats have emerged, preventing its further affirmation, namely the assertion of a clear political will by the member states. Despite the gap between the present CPLP and the Agostinho da Silva's dream of creating a true Lusophone community, its contemporary role and potential is quite clear, and outstanding are the efforts to establish in its framework the Human Right to Adequate Food.

Cooperating for assisting intelligently operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brezillon, P.; Cases, E.; CEA Centre d'Etudes de la Vallee du Rhone, 30 - Marcoule

1995-01-01

We are in the process of an intelligent cooperative system in a nuclear plant application. The system must cooperate with an operator who accomplishes a task of supervision of a real-world process. We point out in the paper that a cooperation between a cooperative system and an operator has two modes: a waking state and a participating state. During the waking state, the system observes the operator's behavior and the consequences on the process. During the participation state, the cooperative system builds jointly with the user a solution to the problem. In our approach, the cooperation depends on the system capabilities to explain, to incrementally acquire knowledge and to make explicit the context of the cooperation. We develop these ideas in the framework of the design of the cooperative system in the nuclear plant. (authors). 22 refs., 1 fig

The blackboard model - A framework for integrating multiple cooperating expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, W. K.

1985-01-01

The use of an artificial intelligence (AI) architecture known as the blackboard model is examined as a framework for designing and building distributed systems requiring the integration of multiple cooperating expert systems (MCXS). Aerospace vehicles provide many examples of potential systems, ranging from commercial and military aircraft to spacecraft such as satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station. One such system, free-flying, spaceborne telerobots to be used in construction, servicing, inspection, and repair tasks around NASA's Space Station, is examined. The major difficulties found in designing and integrating the individual expert system components necessary to implement such a robot are outlined. The blackboard model, a general expert system architecture which seems to address many of the problems found in designing and building such a system, is discussed. A progress report on a prototype system under development called DBB (Distributed BlackBoard model) is given. The prototype will act as a testbed for investigating the feasibility, utility, and efficiency of MCXS-based designs developed under the blackboard model.

Developing multinational radioactive waste repositories: Infrastructural framework and scenarios of cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-10-01

Currently the management of radioactive wastes centres on national strategies for collection, treatment, interim storage and disposal. This tendency to focus exclusively on national strategies reflects the fact that radioactive waste is a sensitive political issue, making cooperation among countries difficult. It is consistent with the accepted principle that a country that enjoys the benefit of nuclear energy, or the utilization of nuclear technology, should also take full responsibility for managing the generated radioactive waste. However, there are countries whose radioactive waste volumes do not easily justify a national repository, and/or countries that do not have the resources or favourable natural conditions for waste disposal to dedicate to a national repository project or would prefer to collaborate in shared initiatives because of their economic advantages. In such cases it may be appropriate for these countries to engage in a multinational collaborative effort to ensure that they have access to a common repository, in order that they can fulfil their responsibilities for their managing wastes safely. In response to requests from several Member States expressing an interest in multinational disposal options, the IAEA produced in 1998 a TECDOC outlining the important factors to be taken into account in the process of realizing such options. These factors include for example, technical (safety), institutional (legal, safeguards), economic (financial) socio-political (public acceptance) and ethical considerations. The present report reviews the work done in the previous study, taking into account developments since its publication as well as current activities in the field of multinational repositories. The report attempts to define the concepts involved in the creation of multinational repositories, to explore the likely scenarios, to examine the conditions for successful implementation, and to point out the benefits and challenges inherent to

Emergence of cooperation in non-scale-free networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yichao; Aziz-Alaoui, M A; Bertelle, Cyrille; Zhou, Shi; Wang, Wenting

2014-01-01

Evolutionary game theory is one of the key paradigms behind many scientific disciplines from science to engineering. Previous studies proposed a strategy updating mechanism, which successfully demonstrated that the scale-free network can provide a framework for the emergence of cooperation. Instead, individuals in random graphs and small-world networks do not favor cooperation under this updating rule. However, a recent empirical result shows the heterogeneous networks do not promote cooperation when humans play a prisoner’s dilemma. In this paper, we propose a strategy updating rule with payoff memory. We observe that the random graphs and small-world networks can provide even better frameworks for cooperation than the scale-free networks in this scenario. Our observations suggest that the degree heterogeneity may be neither a sufficient condition nor a necessary condition for the widespread cooperation in complex networks. Also, the topological structures are not sufficed to determine the level of cooperation in complex networks. (paper)

Cooper's Taxonomy of Literature Reviews Applied to Meta-Analyses in Educational Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sipe, Theresa Ann; Stallings, William M.

H. M. Cooper (1988) has developed a taxonomy that classified literature reviews based on six characteristics: (1) focus of attention; (2) goal of the synthesis; (3) perspective on the literature; (4) coverage of the literature; (5) organization of the perspective; and (6) intended audience. One hundred and three meta-analyses identified from the…

Energy drinks in the Gulf Cooperation Council states: A review

OpenAIRE

Alhyas, Layla; El Kashef, Ahmed; AlGhaferi, Hamad

2015-01-01

Energy drinks have become a popular beverage worldwide. This review was carried out to have an overview among adolescents and emerging adults in the Gulf Co-operation Council states about energy drinks consumption rates and other related issues such as starting age and patterns of energy drink consumption. The Medline and Embase databases were searched separately using different terms such as energy drinks, energy beverages, and caffeinated drinks. Data related to the rates of energy drinks u...

Projects and potentialities for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Mexico and Thailand under the European Union's Seventh Framework Program (FP7: 2007-2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Haberleithner

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The European Union and Mexico have been cooperating in the field of R&D since the partnership treaty between the Eu and Mexico took effect in 2000. With the Lisbon Strategy put into operation that same year, Europe acknowledged the central role which will be played by knowledge in the economy and society of the future. Accordingly, innovation was emphasized in order to advance mutual efforts to establish innovative research and development projects with Third Countries such as Mexico and Thailand through diverse multilateral framework programs such as the Seventh Framework Program (Fp7. A brief evaluation of the existing projects in Fp7 reveal disposition for intraregional cooperation in spite of the disparities regarding the quantity and extension of projects. Moreover, studied participants share a similar lack of know-how for coordinating projects which is at times crucial for benefiting completely from the program. Potential exists for establishing the necessary links and coordinating points amongst Mexico and Thailand under the given cooperation regional and bilateral mechanisms and the extensive research areas that the program covers. It is these specific potentialities enabled by the Fp7 in both regions that intend to be further researched for their development into multiple and successful projects.

Mutual cooperation with Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orstein, Roberto M.

1998-01-01

The history of the nuclear cooperation between Brazil and Argentina is outlined in the framework of the changing political circumstances. Reference is made to the agreements between both countries and to its implementation

An Online Experimental Framework for Cooperative Relationships With a Real-Time Decision-Making and Rewarding Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reiji Suzuki

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates interactions between game theoretical strategies and social relationships in real-time decision-making and rewarding environments. We propose an experimental framework based on techniques of web-based multiplayer online games for this purpose. In our framework, multiple human players, represented as particles in a two-dimensional space of social interactions, can modify their positions and game strategies for the prisoner's dilemma in real time, and receive benefit or cost emerging from both game theoretical and social relationships with neighboring players. We report on experiments with human participants in different conditions of the payoff matrix, which reflects game structures, and the speed of each player, which reflects the ability to change her social relationship. We show that cooperative relationships emerge in real human groups regardless of experimental settings, and show their basic behavioral patterns. We further discuss relationships between behavioral characters of participants in the experiments and their psychological characters to see how their personalities can be reflected in their behavior in such a game theoretical framework, and show that a few psychological characters of participants might reflect their behavioral characters at least in part, but there were variations in these relationships between experimental groups.

Flexibility Matters: Cooperative Active Sites in Covalent Organic Framework and Threaded Ionic Polymer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Qi; Aguila, Briana; Perman, Jason; Nguyen, Nicholas; Ma, Shengqian

2016-12-07

The combination of two or more reactive centers working in concert on a substrate to facilitate the reaction is now considered state of the art in catalysis, yet there still remains a tremendous challenge. Few heterogeneous systems of this sort have been exploited, as the active sites spatially separated within the rigid framework are usually difficult to cooperate. It is now shown that this roadblock can be surpassed. The underlying principle of the strategy presented here is the integration of catalytic components with excellent flexibility and porous heterogeneous catalysts, as demonstrated by the placement of linear ionic polymers in close proximity to surface Lewis acid active sites anchored on the walls of a covalent organic framework (COF). Using the cycloaddition of the epoxides and CO 2 as a model reaction, dramatic activity improvements have been achieved for the composite catalysts in relation to the individual catalytic component. Furthermore, they also clearly outperform the benchmark catalytic systems formed by the combination of the molecular organocatalysts and heterogeneous Lewis acid catalysts, while affording additional recyclability. The extraordinary flexibility and enriched concentration of the catalytically active moieties on linear polymers facilitate the concerted catalysis, thus leading to superior catalytic performance. This work therefore uncovers an entirely new strategy for designing bifunctional catalysts with double-activation behavior and opens a new avenue in the design of multicapable systems that mimic biocatalysis.

Reciprocity Outperforms Conformity to Promote Cooperation.

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, Angelo; Balliet, Daniel

2017-10-01

Evolutionary psychologists have proposed two processes that could give rise to the pervasiveness of human cooperation observed among individuals who are not genetically related: reciprocity and conformity. We tested whether reciprocity outperformed conformity in promoting cooperation, especially when these psychological processes would promote a different cooperative or noncooperative response. To do so, across three studies, we observed participants' cooperation with a partner after learning (a) that their partner had behaved cooperatively (or not) on several previous trials and (b) that their group members had behaved cooperatively (or not) on several previous trials with that same partner. Although we found that people both reciprocate and conform, reciprocity has a stronger influence on cooperation. Moreover, we found that conformity can be partly explained by a concern about one's reputation-a finding that supports a reciprocity framework.

When do people cooperate? The neuroeconomics of prosocial decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Declerck, Carolyn H; Boone, Christophe; Emonds, Griet

2013-02-01

Understanding the roots of prosocial behavior is an interdisciplinary research endeavor that has generated an abundance of empirical data across many disciplines. This review integrates research findings from different fields into a novel theoretical framework that can account for when prosocial behavior is likely to occur. Specifically, we propose that the motivation to cooperate (or not), generated by the reward system in the brain (extending from the striatum to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex), is modulated by two neural networks: a cognitive control system (centered on the lateral prefrontal cortex) that processes extrinsic cooperative incentives, and/or a social cognition system (including the temporo-parietal junction, the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala) that processes trust and/or threat signals. The independent modulatory influence of incentives and trust on the decision to cooperate is substantiated by a growing body of neuroimaging data and reconciles the apparent paradox between economic versus social rationality in the literature, suggesting that we are in fact wired for both. Furthermore, the theoretical framework can account for substantial behavioral heterogeneity in prosocial behavior. Based on the existing data, we postulate that self-regarding individuals (who are more likely to adopt an economically rational strategy) are more responsive to extrinsic cooperative incentives and therefore rely relatively more on cognitive control to make (un)cooperative decisions, whereas other-regarding individuals (who are more likely to adopt a socially rational strategy) are more sensitive to trust signals to avoid betrayal and recruit relatively more brain activity in the social cognition system. Several additional hypotheses with respect to the neural roots of social preferences are derived from the model and suggested for future research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frameworks to assess health systems governance: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pyone, Thidar; Smith, Helen; van den Broek, Nynke

2017-06-01

Governance of the health system is a relatively new concept and there are gaps in understanding what health system governance is and how it could be assessed. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to describe the concept of governance and the theories underpinning as applied to health systems; and to identify which frameworks are available and have been applied to assess health systems governance. Frameworks were reviewed to understand how the principles of governance might be operationalized at different levels of a health system. Electronic databases and web portals of international institutions concerned with governance were searched for publications in English for the period January 1994 to February 2016. Sixteen frameworks developed to assess governance in the health system were identified and are described. Of these, six frameworks were developed based on theories from new institutional economics; three are primarily informed by political science and public management disciplines; three arise from the development literature and four use multidisciplinary approaches. Only five of the identified frameworks have been applied. These used the principal-agent theory, theory of common pool resources, North's institutional analysis and the cybernetics theory. Governance is a practice, dependent on arrangements set at political or national level, but which needs to be operationalized by individuals at lower levels in the health system; multi-level frameworks acknowledge this. Three frameworks were used to assess governance at all levels of the health system. Health system governance is complex and difficult to assess; the concept of governance originates from different disciplines and is multidimensional. There is a need to validate and apply existing frameworks and share lessons learnt regarding which frameworks work well in which settings. A comprehensive assessment of governance could enable policy makers to prioritize solutions for problems identified

International cooperation in the field of radiation application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Shoichi

1993-01-01

Bilateral and multilateral research cooperations have been implemented at TRCRE, JAERI, producing favourable results in the field of radiation application. Frameworks and some achievements are described and the significance of the international cooperation is discussed. (Author)

China and CERN renew their Co-operation Agreement

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

Dr. Liu Yanhua, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology, and Dr. Robert Aymar, Director-General of CERN, sign a new Co-operation Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and CERN. During his visit to CERN on 17 February, Liu Yanhua, Vice Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, signed a new Co-operation Agreement with the Laboratory. The Agreement, which is valid for a period of five years and renewable, lays down the framework for the development of scientific and technological co-operation between CERN and China. This includes China's participation, as a non-Member State, in CERN's research projects as well as its main programmes. Robert Aymar and Liu Yanhua underlined that this Agreement will provide an excellent framework for close co-operation on the LHC Programme and Grid and accelerator technologies. Scientific co-operation between China and CERN is nothing new, as Chinese physicists already took part in the LEP experiments. Today, CERN's C...

How to promote the regional cooperation in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakano, Masayuki

2000-01-01

The Tenth International Conference for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia was held in Tokyo on March 10, 1999. Representatives participated from Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as IAEA as an observer. The countries reflected on the positive achievements of the past ten years and affirmed the major goals for the future, the major theme of the meeting being the evolution of the framework. Some typical cooperative activities have result in: (a) new varieties of plants with greater productivity under a range of environmental conditions (b) development and adoptions of improved analytical procedures to track air pollution in major cities where the identification of the major sources will facilitate remediation measures (c) coordinated trials for radiation therapy of cervical cancer and the development of rigorous protocols (d) training of staff in research reactor operation and in the use of research reactors for the study of new materials. The participating countries have committed to reviewing the six existing sub-categories, namely (1) utilization of research reactors, (2,3) application of radiation and radioisotope in the agriculture and the medical fields, (4) public acceptance of nuclear energy, (5) radioactive waste management, and (6) nuclear safety culture. To share knowledge on human resources development within the region and to consider measures for the further development of human resources in relevant fields, a seminar for human resources development, sponsored by Japan, will be held in Japan. The conference will be renamed as (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) beginning with the next conference. The Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia will be held in Japan and in a participating country other than Japan in alternating years. To enhance the regional nuclear cooperation activities under this framework, each participating country will register a Coordinator and Project Leaders to facilitate

How to promote the regional cooperation in Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, Masayuki [International Affairs and Safeguards Division, Atomic Energy Bureau, Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo (Japan)

2000-12-01

The Tenth International Conference for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia was held in Tokyo on March 10, 1999. Representatives participated from Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as IAEA as an observer. The countries reflected on the positive achievements of the past ten years and affirmed the major goals for the future, the major theme of the meeting being the evolution of the framework. Some typical cooperative activities have result in: (a) new varieties of plants with greater productivity under a range of environmental conditions (b) development and adoptions of improved analytical procedures to track air pollution in major cities where the identification of the major sources will facilitate remediation measures (c) coordinated trials for radiation therapy of cervical cancer and the development of rigorous protocols (d) training of staff in research reactor operation and in the use of research reactors for the study of new materials. The participating countries have committed to reviewing the six existing sub-categories, namely (1) utilization of research reactors, (2,3) application of radiation and radioisotope in the agriculture and the medical fields, (4) public acceptance of nuclear energy, (5) radioactive waste management, and (6) nuclear safety culture. To share knowledge on human resources development within the region and to consider measures for the further development of human resources in relevant fields, a seminar for human resources development, sponsored by Japan, will be held in Japan. The conference will be renamed as (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) beginning with the next conference. The Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia will be held in Japan and in a participating country other than Japan in alternating years. To enhance the regional nuclear cooperation activities under this framework, each participating country will register a Coordinator and Project Leaders to facilitate

Cooperative Engineering as a Joint Action

Science.gov (United States)

Joffredo-Le Brun, Sophie; Morellato, Mireille; Sensevy, Gérard; Quilio, Serge

2018-01-01

This paper describes some elements of a specific kind of design-based research, cooperative engineering. In the first part of the paper, we argue that cooperative engineering can be analyzed through a joint action framework. We first present some conceptual tools that the Joint Action Theory in Didactics proposes in order to understand didactic…

Evolutionary game theory meets social science: is there a unifying rule for human cooperation?

Science.gov (United States)

Rosas, Alejandro

2010-05-21

Evolutionary game theory has shown that human cooperation thrives in different types of social interactions with a PD structure. Models treat the cooperative strategies within the different frameworks as discrete entities and sometimes even as contenders. Whereas strong reciprocity was acclaimed as superior to classic reciprocity for its ability to defeat defectors in public goods games, recent experiments and simulations show that costly punishment fails to promote cooperation in the IR and DR games, where classic reciprocity succeeds. My aim is to show that cooperative strategies across frameworks are capable of a unified treatment, for they are governed by a common underlying rule or norm. An analysis of the reputation and action rules that govern some representative cooperative strategies both in models and in economic experiments confirms that the different frameworks share a conditional action rule and several reputation rules. The common conditional rule contains an option between costly punishment and withholding benefits that provides alternative enforcement methods against defectors. Depending on the framework, individuals can switch to the appropriate strategy and method of enforcement. The stability of human cooperation looks more promising if one mechanism controls successful strategies across frameworks. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Analytical Frameworks of Cooperative and Cognitive Radio Systems with Practical Considerations

KAUST Repository

Khan, Fahd Ahmed

2013-01-01

for cooperative and cognitive radio systems considering real world scenarios and to make these technologies implementable. In most of the research on cooperative relaying, it has been assumed that the communicating nodes have perfect channel state information

"'It's the Camaraderie': A History of Parent Cooperative Preschools," by Dorothy Hewes. Book Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinitz, Blythe

2000-01-01

Reviews Hewes' book on the development of the parent cooperative nursery school movement in its political, sociological, economic, and historical contexts. Notes the success of the organizational model used to analyze the movement and the book's value as a reference work. (JPB)

A Project in Support of International Nuclear Cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Myung Ro; Kim, Kyoung Pyo; Lee, Jeong Kong; Jung, Sung Hyon; Shim, Jae Sun

2009-01-01

The objective of this study is to establish the strategies of international cooperation in order to promote our nation's leading role in international community, to lay the foundation for the effective transfer of nuclear technology to developing countries, and to cope with the rapidly changing in the international nuclear communities. This study contains the work undertaken to promote multilateral cooperation within the framework of international nuclear related organizations and regional cooperative agreements and the relevant forums, to enhance bilateral cooperation with foreign nuclear related research institutes as well as to promote cooperation through the exchange of foreign scientists. As for multilateral cooperation, activities for promoting cooperation within the IAEA and regional cooperative frameworks are introduced. Regarding bilateral cooperation, activities for concluding arrangements and MOUs with foreign research institutes and for participation in joint nuclear coordinating committee meetings between Korea and other countries are presented. For promoting personnel exchanges, activities for inviting and utilizing foreign scientists and mutual discussions with foreign experts, who have visited KAERI, are also described. Continuous efforts to contributing towards the international community through utilizing Korea's experience gained in the process of technical self-reliance and development of human resources are needed. Also efforts to establish the foundation of international cooperation and to make inroad into overseas nuclear markets for export of our nuclear technologies should be made. Meanwhile in the bilateral cooperation, we need to beef up cooperation with U.S.A. and Canada through the joint committee for the joint export to third countries. It is expected that this study would be utilized as a basic material for the international cooperation of nuclear energy, especially for the KAERI's international cooperation in an effective way

A project in support of international nuclear cooperation activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jeongkong; Kim, Myungro; Choi, Pyunghoon; Kim, Kyungpyo; Jung, Sunghyon; Park, Jiyeon; Eom, Jaesik; Kim, Wangkeun; Chung, Byungsun

2011-12-15

This study contains the work undertaken to promote multilateral cooperation within the framework of international nuclear related organizations and regional cooperative agreements and the relevant forums, to enhance bilateral cooperation with foreign nuclear related research institutes as well as to promote cooperation through the exchange of foreign scientists. As for multilateral cooperation, activities for promoting cooperation within the IAEA and regional cooperative frameworks are introduced. Regarding bilateral cooperation, activities for concluding arrangements and MOUs with foreign research institutes and for participation in joint nuclear coordinating committee meetings between Korea and other countries are presented. For promoting personnel exchanges, activities for inviting and utilizing foreign scientists and mutual discussions with foreign experts, who have visited KAERI, are also described. Continuous efforts to contributing towards the international community through utilizing Korea's experience gained in the process of technical self-reliance and development of human resources are needed. Also efforts to establish the foundation of international cooperation and to make inroad into overseas nuclear markets for export of our nuclear technologies should be made. Meanwhile in the bilateral cooperation, we need to beef up cooperation with U. S. A. and Canada through the joint committee for the joint export to third countries. It is expected that this study would be utilized as a basic material for the international cooperation of nuclear energy, especially for the KAERI's international cooperation in an effective way.

Small groups and long memories promote cooperation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Alexander J; Plotkin, Joshua B

2016-06-01

Complex social behaviors lie at the heart of many of the challenges facing evolutionary biology, sociology, economics, and beyond. For evolutionary biologists the question is often how group behaviors such as collective action, or decision making that accounts for memories of past experience, can emerge and persist in an evolving system. Evolutionary game theory provides a framework for formalizing these questions and admitting them to rigorous study. Here we develop such a framework to study the evolution of sustained collective action in multi-player public-goods games, in which players have arbitrarily long memories of prior rounds of play and can react to their experience in an arbitrary way. We construct a coordinate system for memory-m strategies in iterated n-player games that permits us to characterize all cooperative strategies that resist invasion by any mutant strategy, and stabilize cooperative behavior. We show that, especially when groups are small, longer-memory strategies make cooperation easier to evolve, by increasing the number of ways to stabilize cooperation. We also explore the co-evolution of behavior and memory. We find that even when memory has a cost, longer-memory strategies often evolve, which in turn drives the evolution of cooperation, even when the benefits for cooperation are low.

A Project in Support of International Nuclear Cooperation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Myung Ro; Kim, Kyoung Pyo; Lee, Jeong Kong; Jung, Sung Hyon; Shim, Jae Sun

2008-12-15

The objective of this study is to establish the strategies of international cooperation in order to promote our nation's leading role in international community, to lay the foundation for the effective transfer of nuclear technology to developing countries, and to cope with the rapidly changing in the international nuclear communities. This study contains the work undertaken to promote multilateral cooperation within the framework of international nuclear related organizations and regional cooperative agreements and the relevant forums, to enhance bilateral cooperation with foreign nuclear related research institutes as well as to promote cooperation through the exchange of foreign scientists. As for multilateral cooperation, activities for promoting cooperation within the IAEA and regional cooperative frameworks are introduced. Regarding bilateral cooperation, activities for concluding arrangements and MOUs with foreign research institutes and for participation in joint nuclear coordinating committee meetings between Korea and other countries are presented. For promoting personnel exchanges, activities for inviting and utilizing foreign scientists and mutual discussions with foreign experts, who have visited KAERI, are also described. Continuous efforts to contributing towards the international community through utilizing Korea's experience gained in the process of technical self-reliance and development of human resources are needed. Also efforts to establish the foundation of international cooperation and to make inroad into overseas nuclear markets for export of our nuclear technologies should be made. Meanwhile in the bilateral cooperation, we need to beef up cooperation with U.S.A. and Canada through the joint committee for the joint export to third countries. It is expected that this study would be utilized as a basic material for the international cooperation of nuclear energy, especially for the KAERI's international cooperation in an

A Project in Support of International Nuclear Cooperation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Myung Ro; Kim, Kyoung Pyo; Lee, Jeong Kong; Jung, Sung Hyon; Shim, Jae Sun

2009-01-15

The objective of this study is to establish the strategies of international cooperation in order to promote our nation's leading role in international community, to lay the foundation for the effective transfer of nuclear technology to developing countries, and to cope with the rapidly changing in the international nuclear communities. This study contains the work undertaken to promote multilateral cooperation within the framework of international nuclear related organizations and regional cooperative agreements and the relevant forums, to enhance bilateral cooperation with foreign nuclear related research institutes as well as to promote cooperation through the exchange of foreign scientists. As for multilateral cooperation, activities for promoting cooperation within the IAEA and regional cooperative frameworks are introduced. Regarding bilateral cooperation, activities for concluding arrangements and MOUs with foreign research institutes and for participation in joint nuclear coordinating committee meetings between Korea and other countries are presented. For promoting personnel exchanges, activities for inviting and utilizing foreign scientists and mutual discussions with foreign experts, who have visited KAERI, are also described. Continuous efforts to contributing towards the international community through utilizing Korea's experience gained in the process of technical self-reliance and development of human resources are needed. Also efforts to establish the foundation of international cooperation and to make inroad into overseas nuclear markets for export of our nuclear technologies should be made. Meanwhile in the bilateral cooperation, we need to beef up cooperation with U.S.A. and Canada through the joint committee for the joint export to third countries. It is expected that this study would be utilized as a basic material for the international cooperation of nuclear energy, especially for the KAERI's international cooperation in an

Monetary Cooperation in East Asia: Major Issues and Future Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jai-Won Ryou

2004-06-01

Full Text Available The Asian currency crisis in 1997 and the launch of the euro in 1999 made the possibility and desirability of introducing a regional currency union in East Asia a point of debate. At present, the empirical findings and policy implications of previous studies are mixed. We are still in need of theoretical and empirical studies that capture the salient features of East Asia, and give us reliable recommendations for incentive structures, configurations and policy instruments in monetary cooperation in its various stages. This paper aims to review major conceptual and empirical issues relevant to monetary cooperation in East Asia, including proposals for a regional cooperative framework for exchange rate stability or forming a currency union in the region. East Asian countries have no experience with any type of monetary cooperation and all we have are hypothetical predictions. Nevertheless, East Asian countries may be on the brink of an historical evolution to economic and monetary integration, as Europe was half a century ago. The progressive integration of markets in East Asia has conferred a commonality of economic interest upon the countries in the region. As the economic structures of East Asian countries converge with one another through closer ties of trade, investment and finance, the necessity for monetary cooperation will be more likely to emerge in the future. Monetary cooperation in East Asia will be a long process. East Asian countries should make efforts to build collective institutions in the beginning.

Cooperative learning in 21st century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David W. Johnson

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The 21st century brings four important challenges in which cooperation plays a central role: (1 a rapidly increasing global interdependence that will result in increasing local diversity as well as more frequent and intense conflicts, (2 the increasing number of democracies throughout the world, (3 the need for creative entrepreneurs, and (4 the growing importance of interpersonal relationships that affect the development of personal identity. The tools for meeting these challenges include cooperative learning. In this article the nature of cooperative learning will be reviewed, the underlying theory of social interdependence will be discussed, and the results of the research on cooperative learning will be briefly reviewed. The way in which cooperative learning contributes to meeting the four challenges will then be discussed.

Episodic Laryngeal Breathing Disorders: Literature Review and Proposal of Preliminary Theoretical Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Shembel, Adrianna C; Sandage, Mary J; Verdolini Abbott, Katherine

2017-01-01

The purposes of this literature review were (1) to identify and assess frameworks for clinical characterization of episodic laryngeal breathing disorders (ELBD) and their subtypes, (2) to integrate concepts from these frameworks into a novel theoretical paradigm, and (3) to provide a preliminary algorithm to classify clinical features of ELBD for future study of its clinical manifestations and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. This is a literature review. Peer-reviewed literature from 1983 to 2015 pertaining to models for ELBD was searched using Pubmed, Ovid, Proquest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar. Theoretical models for ELBD were identified, evaluated, and integrated into a novel comprehensive framework. Consensus across three salient models provided a working definition and inclusionary criteria for ELBD within the new framework. Inconsistencies and discrepancies within the models provided an analytic platform for future research. Comparison among three conceptual models-(1) Irritable larynx syndrome, (2) Dichotomous triggers, and (3) Periodic occurrence of laryngeal obstruction-showed that the models uniformly consider ELBD to involve episodic laryngeal obstruction causing dyspnea. The models differed in their description of source of dyspnea, in their inclusion of corollary behaviors, in their inclusion of other laryngeal-based behaviors (eg, cough), and types of triggers. The proposed integrated theoretical framework for ELBD provides a preliminary systematic platform for the identification of key clinical feature patterns indicative of ELBD and associated clinical subgroups. This algorithmic paradigm should evolve with better understanding of this spectrum of disorders and its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intuition, deliberation, and the evolution of cooperation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bear, Adam; Rand, David G

2016-01-26

Humans often cooperate with strangers, despite the costs involved. A long tradition of theoretical modeling has sought ultimate evolutionary explanations for this seemingly altruistic behavior. More recently, an entirely separate body of experimental work has begun to investigate cooperation's proximate cognitive underpinnings using a dual-process framework: Is deliberative self-control necessary to reign in selfish impulses, or does self-interested deliberation restrain an intuitive desire to cooperate? Integrating these ultimate and proximate approaches, we introduce dual-process cognition into a formal game-theoretic model of the evolution of cooperation. Agents play prisoner's dilemma games, some of which are one-shot and others of which involve reciprocity. They can either respond by using a generalized intuition, which is not sensitive to whether the game is one-shot or reciprocal, or pay a (stochastically varying) cost to deliberate and tailor their strategy to the type of game they are facing. We find that, depending on the level of reciprocity and assortment, selection favors one of two strategies: intuitive defectors who never deliberate, or dual-process agents who intuitively cooperate but sometimes use deliberation to defect in one-shot games. Critically, selection never favors agents who use deliberation to override selfish impulses: Deliberation only serves to undermine cooperation with strangers. Thus, by introducing a formal theoretical framework for exploring cooperation through a dual-process lens, we provide a clear answer regarding the role of deliberation in cooperation based on evolutionary modeling, help to organize a growing body of sometimes-conflicting empirical results, and shed light on the nature of human cognition and social decision making.

Dynamics of Interagency Cooperation Process at Provincial Reconstruction Team in Operations ISAF and Enduring Freedom

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-11

products to review what is known already about the interagency cooperation process at PRT level in operations Enduring Freedom and ISAF. The...Patricia Thomson, A Framework for Success: International Intervention in Societies Emerging from Conflict, Leashing the Dogs of War U.S. Institute...in detail in Chapter 4, the authors reported the experiences of PRTs manned by Canada, Germany, Italy, Lithuania , UK and USA. Four sections cover the

Ser derivation and power optimization of a two-way multirelay cooperative communication system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, S.U.; Shah, S.I.; Fareed, M.M.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we consider Rayleigh fading based cooperative communication system with AaF (Amplify and Forward) relaying using multiple relays. We take spectrally efficient two-way model of cooperative communication terminals and formulate performance evaluation framework in terms of SER (Symbol Error Rate). We not only consider fading channel for this performance evaluation but also consider the effect of relay terminal location into our model which does not require any CSI (Channel State Information) at transmitting nodes. We have proposed power allocation framework for these nodes and analytically derived SER performance results. We have numerically evaluated this framework for power optimization as well as minimizing required SER. Significant performance improvement as compared with equal power sharing among the cooperating terminals is achieved using our proposed framework. It is shown that virtual cooperative antenna configurations is able to demonstrate up to 3dB gain as compared with co-located antenna configurations. Thus incorporating relay location information for performance evaluation results significant power savings. (author)

Selfishness and Cooperation: Challenge for Social Life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szocik Konrad

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Cooperation is a great challenge for natural selection. Some scholars assume that cooperation could not evolve within the framework of natural selection. It is undeniable that natural selection, at least at the individual level, favors selfishness and defectors. Nonetheless, this selfish tendency does not necessarily imply that cooperation could not evolve by means of natural selection. In this paper, we specifically acknowledge certain basic challenges for the evolution of the human ability to cooperate at the level of large groups. In this paper, we discuss topics like the human ability for “supercooperation,” the importance of repetition and reputation, and Multilevel Selection Theory as the basic mechanisms of evolution of cooperation.

South-South Cooperation in health professional education: A literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L du toit

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In the literature on the evolution of funding approaches there is criticism of traditional funding strategies and the promotion of inclusive models, such as South-South Cooperation (SSC and triangular models. The latter are felt to have a number of advantages. This article has four broad objectives: (i to present a literature review on the evolution of Southern approaches to development co-operation; (ii to indicate examples of current co-operative programmes in health and health professional education in Africa; (iii to assess the advantages and disadvantages of these models; and (iv to mention some emerging issues in monitoring and evaluation. The Boolean logic approach was used to search for applicable literature within three topic layers. Searches were conducted using PubMed, PLoS and other accessible databases. An initial draft of the article was presented to a group of academics and researchers at the Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR-UOS-Primafamed annual workshop held in August 2010 in Swaziland. Comments and suggestions from the group were included in later versions of the article. It is important to note that the existence of various funding models implemented by a variety of actors makes it difficult to measure their effects. In health and health professional education, however, SSC and triangular models of aid provide conditions for more effective programming through their focus on participation and long-term involvement. With an eye towards evaluating programmes, a number of salient issues are emerging. The importance of context is highlighted.

Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/11: Cooperative Environmental Monitoring in the Coastal Regions of India and Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajen, Gauray

1999-06-01

The cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan is an immediate need and of global concern, as these countries have tested nuclear devices, and have the capability to deploy nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. Cooperative monitoring projects among neighboring countries in South Asia could build regional confidence, and, through gradual improvements in relations, reduce the threat of war and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This paper discusses monitoring the trans-border movement of flow and sediment in the Indian and Pakistani coastal areas. Through such a project, India and Pakistan could initiate greater cooperation, and engender movement towards the resolution of the Sir Creek territorial dispute in their coastal region. The Joint Working Groups dialogue being conducted by India and Pakistan provides a mechanism for promoting such a project. The proposed project also falls within a regional framework of cooperation agreed to by several South Asian countries. This framework has been codified in the South Asian Seas Action Plan, developed by Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This framework provides a useful starting point for Indian and Pakistani cooperative monitoring in their trans-border coastal area. The project discussed in this paper involves computer modeling, the placement of in situ sensors for remote data acquisition, and the development of joint reports. Preliminary computer modeling studies are presented in the paper. These results illustrate the cross-flow connections between Indian and Pakistani coastal regions and strengthen the argument for cooperation. Technologies and actions similar to those suggested for the coastal project are likely to be applied in future arms control and treaty verification agreements. The project, therefore, serves as a demonstration of cooperative monitoring technologies. The project will also increase people-to-people contacts among Indian and Pakistani policy

Holiday review. Snappy answers to stupid questions: an evidence-based framework for responding to peer-review feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenfield, Daniel; Hoffman, Steven J

2009-12-08

Authors are inundated with feedback from peer reviewers. Although this feedback is usually helpful, it can also be incomprehensible, rude or plain silly. Inspired by Al Jaffe's classic comic from Mad Magazine, we sought to develop an evidenced-based framework for providing "snappy answers to stupid questions," in the hope of aiding emerging academics in responding appropriately to feedback from peer review. We solicited, categorized and analyzed examples of silly feedback from peer reviewers using the grounded theory qualitative research paradigm from 50 key informants. The informants represented 15 different professions, 33 institutions and 11 countries (i.e., Australia, Barbados, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA). We developed a Scale of Silliness (SOS) and a Scale of Belligerence (SOB) to facilitate the assessment of inadequate peer-review feedback and guide users in preparing suitable responses to it. The SOB score is tempered by users' current mood, as captured by the Mood Reflective Index (MRI), and dictates the Appropriate Degree of Response (ADR) for the particular situation. Designed using the highest quality of (most easily accessible anecdotal) evidence available, this framework may fill a significant gap in the research literature by helping emerging academics respond to silly feedback from peer reviewers. Although use of the framework to its full extent may have negative consequences (e.g., loss of promotion), its therapeutic value cannot be understated.

Towards cooperative guidance and control of highly automated vehicles: H-Mode and Conduct-by-Wire.

Science.gov (United States)

Flemisch, Frank Ole; Bengler, Klaus; Bubb, Heiner; Winner, Hermann; Bruder, Ralph

2014-01-01

This article provides a general ergonomic framework of cooperative guidance and control for vehicles with an emphasis on the cooperation between a human and a highly automated vehicle. In the twenty-first century, mobility and automation technologies are increasingly fused. In the sky, highly automated aircraft are flying with a high safety record. On the ground, a variety of driver assistance systems are being developed, and highly automated vehicles with increasingly autonomous capabilities are becoming possible. Human-centred automation has paved the way for a better cooperation between automation and humans. How can these highly automated systems be structured so that they can be easily understood, how will they cooperate with the human? The presented research was conducted using the methods of iterative build-up and refinement of framework by triangulation, i.e. by instantiating and testing the framework with at least two derived concepts and prototypes. This article sketches a general, conceptual ergonomic framework of cooperative guidance and control of highly automated vehicles, two concepts derived from the framework, prototypes and pilot data. Cooperation is exemplified in a list of aspects and related to levels of the driving task. With the concept 'Conduct-by-Wire', cooperation happens mainly on the guidance level, where the driver can delegate manoeuvres to the automation with a specialised manoeuvre interface. With H-Mode, a haptic-multimodal interaction with highly automated vehicles based on the H(orse)-Metaphor, cooperation is mainly done on guidance and control with a haptically active interface. Cooperativeness should be a key aspect for future human-automation systems. Especially for highly automated vehicles, cooperative guidance and control is a research direction with already promising concepts and prototypes that should be further explored. The application of the presented approach is every human-machine system that moves and includes high

Combined use of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF): a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Birken, Sarah A; Powell, Byron J; Presseau, Justin; Kirk, M Alexis; Lorencatto, Fabiana; Gould, Natalie J; Shea, Christopher M; Weiner, Bryan J; Francis, Jill J; Yu, Yan; Haines, Emily; Damschroder, Laura J

2017-01-05

Over 60 implementation frameworks exist. Using multiple frameworks may help researchers to address multiple study purposes, levels, and degrees of theoretical heritage and operationalizability; however, using multiple frameworks may result in unnecessary complexity and redundancy if doing so does not address study needs. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) are both well-operationalized, multi-level implementation determinant frameworks derived from theory. As such, the rationale for using the frameworks in combination (i.e., CFIR + TDF) is unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to elucidate the rationale for using CFIR + TDF by (1) describing studies that have used CFIR + TDF, (2) how they used CFIR + TDF, and (2) their stated rationale for using CFIR + TDF. We undertook a systematic review to identify studies that mentioned both the CFIR and the TDF, were written in English, were peer-reviewed, and reported either a protocol or results of an empirical study in MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, or Google Scholar. We then abstracted data into a matrix and analyzed it qualitatively, identifying salient themes. We identified five protocols and seven completed studies that used CFIR + TDF. CFIR + TDF was applied to studies in several countries, to a range of healthcare interventions, and at multiple intervention phases; used many designs, methods, and units of analysis; and assessed a variety of outcomes. Three studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple study purposes. Six studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple conceptual levels. Four studies did not explicitly state their rationale for using CFIR + TDF. Differences in the purposes that authors of the CFIR (e.g., comprehensive set of implementation determinants) and the TDF (e.g., intervention development) propose help to justify the use of CFIR�

Supply chain integration framework using literature review

OpenAIRE

Alfalla-Luque, Rafaela; Medina-Lopez, Carmen; Dey, Prasanta K.

2013-01-01

Definitions and measures of supply chain integration (SCI) are diverse. More empirical research, with clear definition and appropriate measures are needed. The purpose of this article is to identify dimensions and variables for SCI and develop an integrated framework to facilitate this. A literature review of the relevant academic papers in international journals in Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Operations Management for the period 1995-2009 has been undertaken. This study reveals th...

The good governance and management  of cooperative societies under cooperative values: a didactic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Eduardo Souza de Miranda

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Regarding the administrative management of cooperative enterprises, the various cooperative laws establish the need to organize a social-democratic structure formed by all members of society.

Harmonization between a Framework of Multilateral Approaches to Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities and Bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Makiko Tazaki

2013-09-01

Full Text Available One of primary challenges for ensuring effective and efficient functions of the multilateral nuclear approaches (MNA to nuclear fuel cycle facilities is harmonization between a MNA framework and existing nuclear cooperation agreements (NCA. A method to achieve such harmonization is to construct a MNA framework with robust non-proliferation characteristics, in order to obtain supplier states’, especially the US’s prior consents for non-supplier states’ certain activities including spent fuel reprocessing, plutonium storages and retransfers of plutonium originated in NCAs. Such robust characteristics can be accomplished by MNA member states’ compliances with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA Safeguards, regional safeguards agreements, international conventions, guidelines and recommendations on nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear security, safety, and export control. Those provisions are to be incorporated into an MNA founding agreement, as requirements to be MNA members in relation to NCAs. Furthermore, if an MNA facility is, (1 owned and operated jointly by all MNA member states, (2 able to conclude bilateral NCAs with non-MNA/supplier states as a single legal entity representing its all member states like an international organization, and (3 able to obtain necessary prior consents, stable, smooth, and timely supplies of nuclear fuel and services can be assured among MNA member states. In this paper, the authors will set out a general MNA framework and then apply it to a specific example of Europe Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM and then consider its applicability to the Asian region, where an establishment of an MNA framework is expected to be explored.

IAEA Mission Concludes Peer Review of UK's Nuclear Regulatory Framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Full text: Senior international nuclear safety and radiation protection experts today concluded a ten-day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in the United Kingdom (UK). The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission team said in its preliminary findings that the UK had made considerable progress since reviews in 2006 and 2009. It also identified good practices in the country's nuclear regulatory system. In addition to following up previous missions, a key objective was to review the effectiveness of the role of the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the UK's nuclear regulator, in ensuring the safety of radioactive waste management and decommissioning, occupational radiation protection, and public and environmental exposures, including emergency planning and response. The mission also considered the response of the UK's regulatory regime to the implications of the Fukushima Daichi accident had been timely and effective. Recommendations and suggestions were made to the ONR and the Government aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the country's regulatory framework and functions in line with IAEA Safety Standards, the control of radioactive discharges and environmental monitoring. 'The staff of ONR is clearly dedicated to their mission to secure the protection of people and society from the hazards of the nuclear industry. I am confident that ONR will use the results of this mission to further enhance their regulatory programs', said Bill Borchardt, mission leader and former Executive Director of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 'The staff were open and cooperative in their discussions; they provided the fullest practicable assistance, and accepted advice from the Team for continuous improvement in their regulatory work'. ONR's Chief Executive, John Jenkins, said that the full report of the IRRS mission will enhance regulatory effectiveness in the UK

POSITIONING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AS KEY SUCCESS FACTOR IN THE GROWTH OF COOPERATIVES IN MALAYSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeop Hussin Bidin

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Economic and business challenges in the new millennium have shaped the manner cooperative movement in Malaysia charts its future outlook. After almost 82 years, a national policy was launched by the Government on January 2004 to assist in the comprehensive development of the cooperative movement. The National CooperativePolicy (NCP will ensure that the huge resources of the cooperatives can be harnessed to generate and contribute to the economic growth of the country. However, in the light of many issues such as weak structure and the absence of good corporate governance in some cooperatives, the present Cooperative Act 1993 is being reviewed and several new provisions would be added to increase supervision, monitoring and enforcement against existing cooperatives in alaysia. It is quite imperative that by regulating the operation of cooperatives will require also the managing of intellectual and human capital assets that exist in the movement. Through establishing a framework and terms of reference such that fundamental elements of knowledge management can be instilled areprerequisites to developing innovativeness in this growing economic sector. The sharing of knowledge among the cooperatives will eventually produce better and more educated human resources that are able to experience greater control over the works and the administration of their quality working life. Structural analysis of the cooperative movement indicates the significant influence of knowledge management in sustaining its future growth given the timely introduction of the NCP. Thus, measures taken to underline this influence will also be addressed to represent the cooperative movement's readiness to face economic and business challenges in Malaysia.

The ecology of cooperative breeding behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Sheng-Feng; Emlen, Stephen T; Koenig, Walter D; Rubenstein, Dustin R

2017-06-01

Ecology is a fundamental driving force for the evolutionary transition from solitary living to breeding cooperatively in groups. However, the fact that both benign and harsh, as well as stable and fluctuating, environments can favour the evolution of cooperative breeding behaviour constitutes a paradox of environmental quality and sociality. Here, we propose a new model - the dual benefits framework - for resolving this paradox. Our framework distinguishes between two categories of grouping benefits - resource defence benefits that derive from group-defended critical resources and collective action benefits that result from social cooperation among group members - and uses insider-outsider conflict theory to simultaneously consider the interests of current group members (insiders) and potential joiners (outsiders) in determining optimal group size. We argue that the different grouping benefits realised from resource defence and collective action profoundly affect insider-outsider conflict resolution, resulting in predictable differences in the per capita productivity, stable group size, kin structure and stability of the social group. We also suggest that different types of environmental variation (spatial vs. temporal) select for societies that form because of the different grouping benefits, thus helping to resolve the paradox of why cooperative breeding evolves in such different types of environments. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

International Review of Frameworks for Standard Setting & Labeling Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Nan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Khanna, Nina Zheng [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fridley, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Romankiewicz, John [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-09-01

As appliance energy efficiency standards and labeling (S&L) programs reach a broader geographic and product scope, a series of sophisticated and complex technical and economic analyses have been adopted by different countries in the world to support and enhance these growing S&L programs. The initial supporting techno-economic and impact analyses for S&L development make up a defined framework and process for setting and developing appropriate appliance efficiency standards and labeling programs. This report reviews in-depth the existing framework for standards setting and label development in the well-established programs of the U.S., Australia and the EU to identify and evaluate major trends in how and why key analyses are undertaken and to understand major similarities and differences between each of the frameworks.

Review of Cloud Computing and existing Frameworks for Cloud adoption

OpenAIRE

Chang, Victor; Walters, Robert John; Wills, Gary

2014-01-01

This paper presents a selected review for Cloud Computing and explains the benefits and risks of adopting Cloud Computing in a business environment. Although all the risks identified may be associated with two major Cloud adoption challenges, a framework is required to support organisations as they begin to use Cloud and minimise risks of Cloud adoption. Eleven Cloud Computing frameworks are investigated and a comparison of their strengths and limitations is made; the result of the comparison...

SER Derivation and Power Optimization of a Two-Way MultiRelay Cooperative Communication System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shakeel-Ur-Rehman Rehman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we consider Rayleigh fading based cooperative communication system with AaF (Amplify and Forward relaying using multiple relays. We take spectrally efficient two-way model of cooperative communication terminals and formulate performance evaluation framework in terms of SER (Symbol Error Rate. We not only consider fading channel for this performance evaluation but also consider the effect of relay terminal location into our model which does not require any CSI (Channel State Information at transmitting nodes. We have proposed power allocation framework for these nodes and analytically derived SER performance results. We have numerically evaluated this framework for power optimization as well as minimizing required SER. Significant performance improvement as compared with equal power sharing among the cooperating terminals is achieved using our proposed framework. It is shown that virtual cooperative antenna configurations is able to demonstrate up to 3dB gain as compared with co-located antenna configurations. Thus incorporating relay location information for performance evaluation results significant power savings

Technical Cooperation Report for 2014. Report by the Director General

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

The Technical Cooperation Report for 2014 is set out in three parts: A — Strengthening the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Activities; B — TC Programme Resources and Delivery; and C — Programme Activities and Achievements in 2014: Regional Overview. Annex 1 describes examples of project activities and achievements in specific thematic areas, and Annex 2 describes the activities of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Annex 3 presents the TC programme Fields of Activity, grouped for reporting purposes. Part A is composed of two sections. Part A.1 provides an overview of the Agency’s technical cooperation (TC) activities in 2014. The first section is devoted to the global development context, and highlights the importance of the post-2015 development agenda, and the value of the Sustainable Development Goals’ programmatic framework for the Agency’s technical cooperation activities. The section then describes how the programme is tailored to respond to the specific needs and priorities of each region, focusing on efforts to develop human resources and build capacities in the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, including through postgraduate training courses, assistance in drafting legislation, distance learning initiatives and technical cooperation among developing countries. The section also presents a snapshot of TC projects that address radioactive waste management, reflecting the topic of the 2014 Scientific Forum. Part A.2 focuses on efforts to build a more efficient and effective TC programme, in particular on efforts to strengthen the Country Programme Framework template. The section reviews progress made in 2014 in establishing and operationalizing partnerships with the United Nations and other relevant international and regional organizations. This section closes with an overview of actions undertaken in 2014 to continually improve the TC programme, notably through training in the Logical Framework Approach, and

Business model framework applications in health care: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fredriksson, Jens Jacob; Mazzocato, Pamela; Muhammed, Rafiq; Savage, Carl

2017-11-01

It has proven to be a challenge for health care organizations to achieve the Triple Aim. In the business literature, business model frameworks have been used to understand how organizations are aligned to achieve their goals. We conducted a systematic literature review with an explanatory synthesis approach to understand how business model frameworks have been applied in health care. We found a large increase in applications of business model frameworks during the last decade. E-health was the most common context of application. We identified six applications of business model frameworks: business model description, financial assessment, classification based on pre-defined typologies, business model analysis, development, and evaluation. Our synthesis suggests that the choice of business model framework and constituent elements should be informed by the intent and context of application. We see a need for harmonization in the choice of elements in order to increase generalizability, simplify application, and help organizations realize the Triple Aim.

Effectiveness of cooperative learning compared to competitive or individual situations and its application to technology: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celia CAMILLI TRUJILLO

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on reviewing significant evidence about cooperative learning in comparison to competitive and individual situations. To do this, we identified the factors that improve or limit its application together with the impact of technology on this methodology. This evidence was the result of 18 meta-analyses made between 1980 and 2010. Meta-analysis is defined as the statistical analysis of a large collection of results that concern a research issue and come from individual studies with the idea of integrating their conclusions. The English and Spanish descriptors used were aprendizaje cooperativo, aprendizaje colaborativo, cooperative learning, collaborative learning and other terms related to meta-analysis such as evidencias significativas, mejores evidencias, integración de resultados, revisión sistemática, síntesis cuantitativa, meta-analysis, bestevidence, integrating findings, systematic integration, systematic review, synthesis. The search was not referred to any particular period of time. The resources and databases reviewed were extracted from the Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, and the list of references given in the meta-analysis. The results show that cooperative learning, as a methodology, is more appropriate than other traditional methodologies. Its application in the new higher education context, as a result of the European Higher Education Area, can open the way for the inclusion of active and innovative teaching methodologies. So, the challenge for the faculty consists on integrating research, innovation and evaluation in their teaching in order to improve educational quality levels. In short, cooperative learning becomes a valuable indicator and a suitable tool to forecast positive results.

Technical cooperation on nuclear security between the United States and China : review of the past and opportunities for the future.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pregenzer, Arian Leigh

2011-12-01

The United States and China are committed to cooperation to address the challenges of the next century. Technical cooperation, building on a long tradition of technical exchange between the two countries, can play an important role. This paper focuses on technical cooperation between the United States and China in the areas of nonproliferation, arms control and other nuclear security topics. It reviews cooperation during the 1990s on nonproliferation and arms control under the U.S.-China Arms Control Exchange, discusses examples of ongoing activities under the Peaceful Uses of Technology Agreement to enhance security of nuclear and radiological material, and suggests opportunities for expanding technical cooperation between the defense nuclear laboratories of both countries to address a broader range of nuclear security topics.

Review of Recent US Value Frameworks-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [6].

Science.gov (United States)

Willke, Richard J; Neumann, Peter J; Garrison, Louis P; Ramsey, Scott D

2018-02-01

The sixth section of our Special Task Force (STF) report reviews and comments on recent US-oriented value assessment frameworks, specifically those published by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We review published commentaries that address the validity, reliability, and conceptual underpinnings of these frameworks. We find common themes of critique regarding the strengths and limitations across frameworks. Particular shortcomings of some frameworks pose greater threats to their face validity and utility compared with others. The most significant limitations include lack of clear perspective (e.g., patient vs. health plan) and poor transparency in accounting for costs and benefits. We then review how each framework adheres to core STF recommendations, with particular emphasis on whether the framework can be used to support coverage decisions by health insurers, and whether it adheres to core principles of cost-effectiveness analysis. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Research framework most closely adheres to core STF recommendations. Others have significant limitations that vary widely from framework to framework. We also review how the frameworks follow STF recommendations for addressing potentially relevant issues beyond cost-effectiveness analysis - for example, equity in resource allocation and patient heterogeneity. Finally, we review whether and how each framework uses value thresholds and addresses affordability concerns. We conclude with suggestions for further research, particularly in the areas of testing the measurement and use of novel elements of value and deliberative processes. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The multicultural orientation framework: A narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Don E; DeBlaere, Cirleen; Owen, Jesse; Hook, Joshua N; Rivera, David P; Choe, Elise; Van Tongeren, D R; Worthington, Everett L; Placeres, Vanessa

2018-03-01

After several decades of slow progress, researchers are beginning to make advances in linking constructs based on the multicultural competencies tradition-especially those focused on qualities of the therapist-to therapy outcomes. The multicultural orientation framework was developed in response to several trends within the multicultural competencies tradition, with a particular emphasis on integrating the multicultural competencies tradition into research on psychotherapy process. We provide a narrative review of studies that include one of the three constructs (i.e., cultural humility, cultural opportunities, and cultural comfort) articulated by the multicultural orientation framework. Results indicate initial evidence linking multicultural orientation constructs to therapy outcomes (e.g., perceived improvement, racial/ethnic disparities in termination, and therapy alliance). Results also supported the social bond and social oil hypotheses from theorizing on humility. Implications for future research and therapy practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Conceptualising paediatric health disparities: a metanarrative systematic review and unified conceptual framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgeway, Jennifer L; Wang, Zhen; Finney Rutten, Lila J; van Ryn, Michelle; Griffin, Joan M; Murad, M Hassan; Asiedu, Gladys B; Egginton, Jason S; Beebe, Timothy J

2017-08-04

There exists a paucity of work in the development and testing of theoretical models specific to childhood health disparities even though they have been linked to the prevalence of adult health disparities including high rates of chronic disease. We conducted a systematic review and thematic analysis of existing models of health disparities specific to children to inform development of a unified conceptual framework. We systematically reviewed articles reporting theoretical or explanatory models of disparities on a range of outcomes related to child health. We searched Ovid Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus (database inception to 9 July 2015). A metanarrative approach guided the analysis process. A total of 48 studies presenting 48 models were included. This systematic review found multiple models but no consensus on one approach. However, we did discover a fair amount of overlap, such that the 48 models reviewed converged into the unified conceptual framework. The majority of models included factors in three domains: individual characteristics and behaviours (88%), healthcare providers and systems (63%), and environment/community (56%), . Only 38% of models included factors in the health and public policies domain. A disease-agnostic unified conceptual framework may inform integration of existing knowledge of child health disparities and guide future research. This multilevel framework can focus attention among clinical, basic and social science research on the relationships between policy, social factors, health systems and the physical environment that impact children's health outcomes. © 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.

Technical Cooperation Report for 2014. Report by the Director General [Spanish Version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

The Technical Cooperation Report for 2014 is set out in three parts: A — Strengthening the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Activities; B — TC Programme Resources and Delivery; and C — Programme Activities and Achievements in 2014: Regional Overview. Annex 1 describes examples of project activities and achievements in specific thematic areas, and Annex 2 describes the activities of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Annex 3 presents the TC programme Fields of Activity, grouped for reporting purposes. Part A is composed of two sections. Part A.1 provides an overview of the Agency’s technical cooperation (TC) activities in 2014. The first section is devoted to the global development context, and highlights the importance of the post-2015 development agenda, and the value of the Sustainable Development Goals’ programmatic framework for the Agency’s technical cooperation activities. The section then describes how the programme is tailored to respond to the specific needs and priorities of each region, focusing on efforts to develop human resources and build capacities in the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, including through postgraduate training courses, assistance in drafting legislation, distance learning initiatives and technical cooperation among developing countries. The section also presents a snapshot of TC projects that address radioactive waste management, reflecting the topic of the 2014 Scientific Forum. Part A.2 focuses on efforts to build a more efficient and effective TC programme, in particular on efforts to strengthen the Country Programme Framework template. The section reviews progress made in 2014 in establishing and operationalizing partnerships with the United Nations and other relevant international and regional organizations. This section closes with an overview of actions undertaken in 2014 to continually improve the TC programme, notably through training in the Logical Framework Approach, and

Cooperation and Competition with Hyperscanning Methods: Review and Future Application to Emotion Domain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michela Balconi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Cooperation and competition, as two common and opposite examples of interpersonal dynamics, are thought to be reflected by different cognitive, neural, and behavioral patterns. According to the conventional approach, they have been explored by measuring subjects' reactions during individual performance or turn-based interactions in artificial settings, that don't allow on-line, ecological enactment of real-life social exchange. Considering the importance of these factors, and accounting for the complexity of such phenomena, the hyperscanning approach emerged as a multi-subject paradigm since it allows the simultaneous recording of the brain activity from multiple participants interacting. In this view, the present paper aimed at reviewing the most significant work about cooperation and competition by EEG hyperscanning technique, which proved to be a promising tool in capturing the sudden course of social interactions. In detail, the review will consider and group different experimental tasks that have been developed so far: (1 paradigms that used rhythm, music and motor synchronization; (2 card tasks taken from the Game Theory; (3 computerized tasks; and (4 possible real-life applications. Finally, although highlighting the potential contribution of such approach, some important limitations about these paradigms will be elucidated, with a specific focus on the emotional domain.

Environmental Stewardship: A Conceptual Review and Analytical Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Nathan J.; Whitty, Tara S.; Finkbeiner, Elena; Pittman, Jeremy; Bassett, Hannah; Gelcich, Stefan; Allison, Edward H.

2018-04-01

There has been increasing attention to and investment in local environmental stewardship in conservation and environmental management policies and programs globally. Yet environmental stewardship has not received adequate conceptual attention. Establishing a clear definition and comprehensive analytical framework could strengthen our ability to understand the factors that lead to the success or failure of environmental stewardship in different contexts and how to most effectively support and enable local efforts. Here we propose such a definition and framework. First, we define local environmental stewardship as the actions taken by individuals, groups or networks of actors, with various motivations and levels of capacity, to protect, care for or responsibly use the environment in pursuit of environmental and/or social outcomes in diverse social-ecological contexts. Next, drawing from a review of the environmental stewardship, management and governance literatures, we unpack the elements of this definition to develop an analytical framework that can facilitate research on local environmental stewardship. Finally, we discuss potential interventions and leverage points for promoting or supporting local stewardship and future applications of the framework to guide descriptive, evaluative, prescriptive or systematic analysis of environmental stewardship. Further application of this framework in diverse environmental and social contexts is recommended to refine the elements and develop insights that will guide and improve the outcomes of environmental stewardship initiatives and investments. Ultimately, our aim is to raise the profile of environmental stewardship as a valuable and holistic concept for guiding productive and sustained relationships with the environment.

Environmental Stewardship: A Conceptual Review and Analytical Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Nathan J; Whitty, Tara S; Finkbeiner, Elena; Pittman, Jeremy; Bassett, Hannah; Gelcich, Stefan; Allison, Edward H

2018-04-01

There has been increasing attention to and investment in local environmental stewardship in conservation and environmental management policies and programs globally. Yet environmental stewardship has not received adequate conceptual attention. Establishing a clear definition and comprehensive analytical framework could strengthen our ability to understand the factors that lead to the success or failure of environmental stewardship in different contexts and how to most effectively support and enable local efforts. Here we propose such a definition and framework. First, we define local environmental stewardship as the actions taken by individuals, groups or networks of actors, with various motivations and levels of capacity, to protect, care for or responsibly use the environment in pursuit of environmental and/or social outcomes in diverse social-ecological contexts. Next, drawing from a review of the environmental stewardship, management and governance literatures, we unpack the elements of this definition to develop an analytical framework that can facilitate research on local environmental stewardship. Finally, we discuss potential interventions and leverage points for promoting or supporting local stewardship and future applications of the framework to guide descriptive, evaluative, prescriptive or systematic analysis of environmental stewardship. Further application of this framework in diverse environmental and social contexts is recommended to refine the elements and develop insights that will guide and improve the outcomes of environmental stewardship initiatives and investments. Ultimately, our aim is to raise the profile of environmental stewardship as a valuable and holistic concept for guiding productive and sustained relationships with the environment.

Patients' perceptions and experiences of cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention programmes: A systematic review and framework synthesis using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Rachel L; Holland, Carol; Pattison, Helen M; Cooke, Richard

2016-05-01

This review provides a worked example of 'best fit' framework synthesis using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) of health psychology theories as an a priori framework in the synthesis of qualitative evidence. Framework synthesis works best with 'policy urgent' questions. The review question selected was: what are patients' experiences of prevention programmes for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes? The significance of these conditions is clear: CVD claims more deaths worldwide than any other; diabetes is a risk factor for CVD and leading cause of death. A systematic review and framework synthesis were conducted. This novel method for synthesizing qualitative evidence aims to make health psychology theory accessible to implementation science and advance the application of qualitative research findings in evidence-based healthcare. Findings from 14 original studies were coded deductively into the TDF and subsequently an inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Synthesized findings produced six themes relating to: knowledge, beliefs, cues to (in)action, social influences, role and identity, and context. A conceptual model was generated illustrating combinations of factors that produce cues to (in)action. This model demonstrated interrelationships between individual (beliefs and knowledge) and societal (social influences, role and identity, context) factors. Several intervention points were highlighted where factors could be manipulated to produce favourable cues to action. However, a lack of transparency of behavioural components of published interventions needs to be corrected and further evaluations of acceptability in relation to patient experience are required. Further work is needed to test the comprehensiveness of the TDF as an a priori framework for 'policy urgent' questions using 'best fit' framework synthesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Bonneville, Luc; Bouchard, Louise

2018-01-01

Organizational health literacy is described as an organization-wide effort to transform organization and delivery of care and services to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Several health literacy guides have been developed to assist healthcare organizations with this effort, but their content has not been systematically reviewed to understand the scope and practical implications of this transformation. The objective of this study was to review (1) theories and frameworks that inform the concept of organizational health literacy, (2) the attributes of organizational health literacy as described in the guides, (3) the evidence for the effectiveness of the guides, and (4) the barriers and facilitators to implementing organizational health literacy. Drawing on a metanarrative review method, 48 publications were reviewed, of which 15 dealt with the theories and operational frameworks, 20 presented health literacy guides, and 13 addressed guided implementation of organizational health literacy. Seven theories and 9 operational frameworks have been identified. Six health literacy dimensions and 9 quality-improvement characteristics were reviewed for each health literacy guide. Evidence about the effectiveness of health literacy guides is limited at this time, but experiences with the guides were positive. Thirteen key barriers (conceived also as facilitators) were identified. Further development of organizational health literacy requires a strong and a clear connection between its vision and operationalization as an implementation strategy to patient-centered care. For many organizations, becoming health literate will require multiple, simultaneous, and radical changes. Organizational health literacy has to make sense from clinical and financial perspectives in order for organizations to embark on such transformative journey. PMID:29569968

Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmanova, Elina; Bonneville, Luc; Bouchard, Louise

2018-01-01

Organizational health literacy is described as an organization-wide effort to transform organization and delivery of care and services to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Several health literacy guides have been developed to assist healthcare organizations with this effort, but their content has not been systematically reviewed to understand the scope and practical implications of this transformation. The objective of this study was to review (1) theories and frameworks that inform the concept of organizational health literacy, (2) the attributes of organizational health literacy as described in the guides, (3) the evidence for the effectiveness of the guides, and (4) the barriers and facilitators to implementing organizational health literacy. Drawing on a metanarrative review method, 48 publications were reviewed, of which 15 dealt with the theories and operational frameworks, 20 presented health literacy guides, and 13 addressed guided implementation of organizational health literacy. Seven theories and 9 operational frameworks have been identified. Six health literacy dimensions and 9 quality-improvement characteristics were reviewed for each health literacy guide. Evidence about the effectiveness of health literacy guides is limited at this time, but experiences with the guides were positive. Thirteen key barriers (conceived also as facilitators) were identified. Further development of organizational health literacy requires a strong and a clear connection between its vision and operationalization as an implementation strategy to patient-centered care. For many organizations, becoming health literate will require multiple, simultaneous, and radical changes. Organizational health literacy has to make sense from clinical and financial perspectives in order for organizations to embark on such transformative journey.

75 FR 42742 - Alaska Village Electric Cooperative; Notice of Environmental Site Review and Scoping Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-22

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13272-001] Alaska Village Electric Cooperative; Notice of Environmental Site Review and Scoping Meeting July 15, 2010. a. Project No.: 13272-001. b. Name of Project: Old Harbor Hydroelectric Project. c. Location: On Mountain Creek, near the town of Old Harbor, Kodiak Island...

Basic Relationships among Scale, Quality, and Benefits in Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jinhui

2016-01-01

The basic relationships among scale, quality, and benefits in Sino-foreign cooperative education are key to the development of cooperative education. It is necessary to construct a theoretical framework for the basic relationships among scale, quality, and benefits in Sino-foreign cooperative education and analyze the questions faced in…

Fit of screw-retained fixed implant frameworks fabricated by different methods: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Abduo, Jaafar; Lyons, Karl; Bennani, Vincent; Waddell, Neil; Swain, Michael

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to review the published literature investigating the accuracy of fit of fixed implant frameworks fabricated using different materials and methods. A comprehensive electronic search was performed through PubMed (MEDLINE) using Boolean operators to combine key words. The search was limited to articles written in English and published through May 2010. In addition, a manual search through articles and reference lists retrieved from the electronic search and peer-reviewed journals was also conducted. A total of 248 articles were retrieved, and 26 met the specified inclusion criteria for the review. The selected articles assessed the fit of fixed implant frameworks fabricated by different techniques. The investigated fabrication approaches were one-piece casting, sectioning and reconnection, spark erosion with an electric discharge machine, computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and framework bonding to prefabricated abutment cylinders. Cast noble metal frameworks have a predictable fit, and additional fit refinement treatment is not indicated in well-controlled conditions. Base metal castings do not provide a satisfactory level of fit unless additional refinement treatment is performed, such as sectioning and laser welding or spark erosion. Spark erosion, framework bonding to prefabricated abutment cylinders, and CAD/CAM have the potential to provide implant frameworks with an excellent fit; CAD/CAM is the most consistent and least technique-sensitive of these methods.

Cooperation dynamics of generalized reciprocity in state-based social dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Stojkoski, Viktor; Utkovski, Zoran; Basnarkov, Lasko; Kocarev, Ljupco

2018-05-01

We introduce a framework for studying social dilemmas in networked societies where individuals follow a simple state-based behavioral mechanism based on generalized reciprocity, which is rooted in the principle "help anyone if helped by someone." Within this general framework, which applies to a wide range of social dilemmas including, among others, public goods, donation, and snowdrift games, we study the cooperation dynamics on a variety of complex network examples. By interpreting the studied model through the lenses of nonlinear dynamical systems, we show that cooperation through generalized reciprocity always emerges as the unique attractor in which the overall level of cooperation is maximized, while simultaneously exploitation of the participating individuals is prevented. The analysis elucidates the role of the network structure, here captured by a local centrality measure which uniquely quantifies the propensity of the network structure to cooperation by dictating the degree of cooperation displayed both at the microscopic and macroscopic level. We demonstrate the applicability of the analysis on a practical example by considering an interaction structure that couples a donation process with a public goods game.

Choosing the cooperative option

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

English, G. (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (United States))

1999-06-01

Cooperatives do not ask to be exempted from the law. They do ask that laws and regulations be designed to allow them to meet the needs of their consumer-owners in accordance with cooperative principles, at a time that the marginal consumers being abandoned by for-profit utilities may be ready to gravitate toward cooperatives. The cooperative principles are worth reviewing because they explain the focus on the consumer and the cooperative concept of service: cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership; cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions, the elected representatives are accountable to the membership; members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative; cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members, if they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy; cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives, they inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation; cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strength the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures; and while focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.

When Reputation Enforces Evolutionary Cooperation in Unreliable MANETs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Changbing; Li, Ang; Li, Xiang

2015-10-01

In self-organized mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), network functions rely on cooperation of self-interested nodes, where a challenge is to enforce their mutual cooperation. In this paper, we study cooperative packet forwarding in a one-hop unreliable channel which results from loss of packets and noisy observation of transmissions. We propose an indirect reciprocity framework based on evolutionary game theory, and enforce cooperation of packet forwarding strategies in both structured and unstructured MANETs. Furthermore, we analyze the evolutionary dynamics of cooperative strategies and derive the threshold of benefit-to-cost ratio to guarantee the convergence of cooperation. The numerical simulations verify that the proposed evolutionary game theoretic solution enforces cooperation when the benefit-to-cost ratio of the altruistic exceeds the critical condition. In addition, the network throughput performance of our proposed strategy in structured MANETs is measured, which is in close agreement with that of the full cooperative strategy.

Temporal discounting in life cycle assessment: A critical review and theoretical framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Chris; Wang, Endong; Zhai, Qiang; Yang, Fan

2015-01-01

Temporal homogeneity of inventory data is one of the major problems in life cycle assessment (LCA). Addressing temporal homogeneity of life cycle inventory data is important in reducing the uncertainties and improving the reliability of LCA results. This paper attempts to present a critical review and discussion on the fundamental issues of temporal homogeneity in conventional LCA and propose a theoretical framework for temporal discounting in LCA. Theoretical perspectives for temporal discounting in life cycle inventory analysis are discussed first based on the key elements of a scientific mechanism for temporal discounting. Then generic procedures for performing temporal discounting in LCA is derived and proposed based on the nature of the LCA method and the identified key elements of a scientific temporal discounting method. A five-step framework is proposed and reported in details based on the technical methods and procedures needed to perform a temporal discounting in life cycle inventory analysis. Challenges and possible solutions are also identified and discussed for the technical procedure and scientific accomplishment of each step within the framework. - Highlights: • A critical review for temporal homogeneity problem of life cycle inventory data • A theoretical framework for performing temporal discounting on inventory data • Methods provided to accomplish each step of the temporal discounting framework

The Emergence of Relationship-based Cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bo; Wang, Jianwei

2015-11-01

This paper investigates the emergence of relationship-based cooperation by coupling two simple mechanisms into the model: tie strength based investment preference and homophily assumption. We construct the model by categorizing game participants into four types: prosocialists (players who prefers to invest in their intimate friends), antisocialists (players who prefer to invest in strangers), egoists (players who never cooperate) and altruists (players who cooperate indifferently with anyone). We show that the relationship-based cooperation (prosocialists) is favored throughout the evolution if we assume players of the same type have stronger ties than different ones. Moreover, we discover that strengthening the internal bonds within the strategic clusters further promotes the competitiveness of prosocialists and therefore facilitates the emergence of relationship-based cooperation in our proposed scenarios. The robustness of the model is also tested under different strategy updating rules and network structures. The results show that this argument is robust against the variations of initial conditions and therefore can be considered as a fundamental theoretical framework to study relationship-based cooperation in reality.

Non-Formal Education and Farm Cooperatives in West Africa. Occasional Paper #8.

Science.gov (United States)

Belloncle, Guy

Although failures have been encountered in the West African cooperative movement, farm cooperatives are an indispensable tool for rural development. They can generate an investment budget at the village level and can provide a stimulating framework for education. The Senegalese farm cooperative movement has experienced a number of problems. Three…

Analysis of Bullying in Cooperative Multi-agent Systems’ Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celia Gutiérrez

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Cooperative Multi-agent Systems frameworks do not include modules to test communications yet. The proposed framework incorporates robust analysis tools using IDKAnalysis2.0 to evaluate bullying effect in communications. The present work is based on ICARO-T. This platform follows the Adaptive Multi-agent Systems paradigm. Experimentation with ICARO-T includes two deployments: the equitative and the authoritative. Results confirm the usefulness of the analysis tools when exporting to Cooperative Multi-agent Systems that use different configurations. Besides, ICARO-T is provided with new functionality by a set of tools for communication analysis.

REGIONAL BLACK SEA ARCHITECTURE AND CONSEQUENCES FOR THE REGIONAL COOPERATION FRAMEWORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Homorozean

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Sometimes considered an asset, other times a liability, the Black Sea started recently to be regarded as a region. However, the Black Sea Region lacks a common vision, often due to the complicated and often inefficient nexus of regional cooperation initiatives. Following the logic of finding regional solutions for regional problems, this paper aims to assess existing institutional and regional initiatives, reflecting on the implications for the success of Black Sea regionalism in creating patterns of sustained and sustainable development and a high degree of actors' involvement.This paper concentrates on two complementary research questions: What is the regional order in the BSR and what does it imply for its future? What is the current contribution of the most significant cooperation initiatives and what are the consequences for regional institutionalism? For the purpose of this paper, I draw on best-practices from other two regions: the Northern Dimension and South- East Asia. Through a comparative perspective, I suggest an analysis of the most important initiatives: BSEC, CDC, Black Sea Synergy, Eastern Partnership, Baku Initiative and the BSF. This paper argues that a possible strategic solution for successful policy development lies in the creation of an integrated regional cooperation package, functioning on the principles of multi-speed and multi-dimensional cooperation in several policy fields, in a context in which the BSR seems to be caught between two paradigms: a European and a Russian-oriented one.

Cooperative and networking strategies in small business

CERN Document Server

Ferreira, João

2017-01-01

The book aims to collect the most recent research and best practices in the cooperative and networking small business field identifying new theoretical models and describing the relationship between cooperation and networks in the small business strategy context. It examines different concepts and analytical techniques better understand the links between cooperative strategies and networks in small business. It also studies the existing economic conditions of network and strategic implications to small business from the point of view of their internal and external consistency. Cooperation and networks is a fashionable topic. It is receiving increasing attention in popular management publications, as well as specialized academic journals. Cooperation between firms and industries is a means of leveraging and aggregating knowledge also generating direct benefits in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. Various options and decisions made within the framework of strategic alliances may be identifi...

Upcrowding energy co-operatives - Evaluating the potential of crowdfunding for business model innovation of energy co-operatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Dilger, Mathias Georg; Jovanović, Tanja; Voigt, Kai-Ingo

2017-08-01

Practice and theory have proven the relevance of energy co-operatives for civic participation in the energy turnaround. However, due to a still low awareness and changing regulation, there seems an unexploited potential of utilizing the legal form 'co-operative' in this context. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the crowdfunding implementation in the business model of energy co-operatives in order to cope with the mentioned challenges. Based on a theoretical framework, we derive a Business Model Innovation (BMI) through crowdfunding including synergies and differences. A qualitative study design, particularly a multiple-case study of energy co-operatives, was chosen to prove the BMI and to reveal barriers. The results show that although most co-operatives are not familiar with crowdfunding, there is strong potential in opening up predominantly local structures to a broader group of members. Building on this, equity-based crowdfunding is revealed to be suitable for energy co-operatives as BMI and to accompany other challenges in the same way. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning to cooperate is essential for progress in physics

Science.gov (United States)

Dickau, Jonathan J.

2012-06-01

At the 10th Frontiers of Fundamental Physics symposium, Gerard't Hooft stated that, for some of the advances we hope to see in Physics during the future, there must be a great deal of cooperation between physicists from different disciplines, as well as mathematicians, programmers, technologists, and others. This requires us to evolve a new mindset; however, as so much of our past progress has come out of a fiercely competitive process - especially since a critical review of our ideas about reality remains essential to making clear progress and checking our progress. We must also address the fact that some frameworks appear incompatible, as with relativity and quantum mechanics, whose unification remains distant despite years of attempts to find a quantum gravity theory. I explore the idea that playful exploration, using both left-brained and right-brained approaches to learning, allows us to resolve conflicting ideas by taking advantage of innate human developmental and learning strategies and brain structure. It may thus foster the kind of interdisciplinary cooperation we are hoping to see.

Trust Management Considerations For the Cooperative Infrastructure Defense Framework: Trust Relationships, Evidence, and Decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maiden, Wendy M.

2009-12-01

Cooperative Infrastructure Defense (CID) is a hierarchical, agent-based, adaptive, cyber-security framework designed to collaboratively protect multiple enclaves or organizations participating in a complex infrastructure. CID employs a swarm of lightweight, mobile agents called Sensors designed to roam hosts throughout a security enclave to find indications of anomalies and report them to host-based Sentinels. The Sensors’ findings become pieces of a larger puzzle, which the Sentinel puts together to determine the problem and respond per policy as given by the enclave-level Sergeant agent. Horizontally across multiple enclaves and vertically within each enclave, authentication and access control technologies are necessary but insufficient authorization mechanisms to ensure that CID agents continue to fulfill their roles in a trustworthy manner. Trust management fills the gap, providing mechanisms to detect malicious agents and offering more robust mechanisms for authorization. This paper identifies the trust relationships throughout the CID hierarchy, the types of trust evidence that could be gathered, and the actions that the CID system could take if an entity is determined to be untrustworthy.

[Ethics and esthetics in international cooperation].

Science.gov (United States)

de Aranzabal Agudo, Maite; Hermana Tezanos, María Teresa

2011-09-01

Although more optimistic, the new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to cast horrifying statistics on inequalities, not only in life expectancy but in many areas. Many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) related to medicine seek to address this imbalance. To cooperate does not in any way appeal to the call of sentimentality. Cooperation moves money and is accountable. It requires a strong background in both professional and human values. It requires research on vaccines and diseases foreign to our society. To cooperate means "operate with" local counterparts, according to their needs and global health project. And finally, cooperation implies the demand for change in certain aspects of the global economic order. We reflect on these questions and describe the different ethical frameworks for the population and NGOs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Solar Energy Potentials and Benefits in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A Review of Substantial Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullahi Abubakar Mas’ud

2018-02-01

Full Text Available It is a well-known fact that the fossil fuel industry has dominated the economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC countries during the last few decades. However, recent developments show that most of the GCC countries plan to increase the share of renewable energy (RE in their future electrical power production. To ensure realistic increase in the share of RE in the production of electricity in the future, firm policies must be laid down with the objective to promote and market the benefit of RE to their citizens. Due to the high-solar radiation in the GCC region, the focus is now on solar energy development. This paper presents an up-to-date review of the progress made on solar energy in the GCC together with the challenges and the way forward. Some of the challenges and barriers hindering the development of RE in the GCC are in the area of technological know-how, policy development, and insufficient application of RE technology integrated in the buildings among others. Areas of improvement include promoting research and development, public/private initiatives, legislation and regulatory framework, solutions to technical issues and exchange of knowledge, scientific advice, and last but not the least is the issue of building integration with RE.

A survey of nuclear-related agreements and possibilities for nuclear cooperation in South Asia: Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/Draft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajen, Gaurav

2000-01-01

Several existing nuclear-related agreements already require India and Pakistan, as members, to share information. The agreements are bilateral, regional, and international. Greater nuclear transparency between India and Pakistan could be promoted by first understanding the information flows required by existing agreements. This understanding is an essential step for developing projects that can incrementally advance the sensitivity of the information being shared. This paper provides a survey of existing nuclear-related agreements involving India and Pakistan, and suggests future confidence-building projects using the frameworks provided by these agreements. The Bilateral Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Facilities is discussed as a basis for creating further agreements on restricting the use and deployment of nuclear weapons. The author suggests options for enhancing the value of the list of nuclear facilities exchanged annually as a part of this agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency's regional cooperation agreement among countries in the Asia-Pacific region is an opportunity for greater subregional nuclear cooperation in South Asia. Linking the regional agreement with South Asian environmental cooperation and marine pollution protection efforts could provide a framework for projects involving Indian and Pakistani coastal nuclear facilities. Programs of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that use nuclear techniques to increase food and crop production and optimize water management in arid areas also provide similar opportunities for nuclear cooperation. Other frameworks for nuclear cooperation originate from international conventions related to nuclear safety, transportation of nuclear wastes, worker protection against ionizing radiation, and the nondeployment of nuclear weapons in certain areas. The information shared by existing frameworks includes: laws and regulations (including

A survey of nuclear-related agreements and possibilities for nuclear cooperation in South Asia: Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/15

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

RAJEN,GAURAV

2000-04-01

Several existing nuclear-related agreements already require India and Pakistan, as members, to share information. The agreements are bilateral, regional, and international. Greater nuclear transparency between India and Pakistan could be promoted by first understanding the information flows required by existing agreements. This understanding is an essential step for developing projects that can incrementally advance the sensitivity of the information being shared. This paper provides a survey of existing nuclear-related agreements involving India and Pakistan, and suggests future confidence-building projects using the frameworks provided by these agreements. The Bilateral Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Facilities is discussed as a basis for creating further agreements on restricting the use and deployment of nuclear weapons. The author suggests options for enhancing the value of the list of nuclear facilities exchanged annually as a part of this agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency's regional cooperation agreement among countries in the Asia-Pacific region is an opportunity for greater subregional nuclear cooperation in South Asia. Linking the regional agreement with South Asian environmental cooperation and marine pollution protection efforts could provide a framework for projects involving Indian and Pakistani coastal nuclear facilities. Programs of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that use nuclear techniques to increase food and crop production and optimize water management in arid areas also provide similar opportunities for nuclear cooperation. Other frameworks for nuclear cooperation originate from international conventions related to nuclear safety, transportation of nuclear wastes, worker protection against ionizing radiation, and the nondeployment of nuclear weapons in certain areas. The information shared by existing frameworks includes: laws and regulations

Local Water Conflict and Cooperation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hermann, Roberto Rivas; Hooper, Catherine; Munk Ravnborg, Helle

2011-01-01

in the five countries and discuss its implications. The present paper synthesizes possible ‘blind spots’ in the national policy, legal or administrative water governance frameworks with reference to the identified types of water-related conflictive and cooperative situations identified during the inventories.......In 2007 the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) launched the research programme “Competing for Water: Understanding conflict and cooperation in local water governance”. Along with partners in five developing countries (Bolivia, Mali, Nicaragua, Vietnam and Zambia), the programme aims...... to contribute to “sustainable local water governance in support of the rural poor and otherwise disadvantaged groups in developing countries by improving the knowledge among researchers and practitioners of the nature, extent and intensity of local water conflict and cooperation and their social, economic...

Cooperatives for “fair globalization”? Indigenous people, cooperatives, and corporate social responsibility in the Brazilian Amazon.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Brian J

2010-01-01

Cooperatives and socially responsible corporations are being hailed as possible correctives to the socioeconomic and ecological exploitation of transnational capitalism. AmazonCoop—a cooperative linking indigenous Brazil nut harvesters and the multinational firm The Body Shop through trade and development projects—capitalized on indigenous symbolism to generate significant material benefits for both parties. At the same time, however, it made indigenous people more vulnerable and dependent, failed to promote participatory development, masked the effects of unfavorable state policies, and perpetuated discriminatory distinctions among indigenous people. Furthermore, the cooperative did not provide an organizational framework to ameliorate the vulnerabilities of indigenous identity politics or transform symbolic capital into enduring political-economic change. This case strongly supports arguments that cooperatives must be rooted in participation, democratic member control, and autonomy if they are to promote “fair globalization” or social transformation rather than institutionalize existing patterns of exploitation.

A study on strategies for effective participation in the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Joon Keuk; Lee, Eui Jin; Jun, Byung Jin; Chung, Yong Sam; Lee, Chang Hee; Shim, Jae Sun; Noh, In Young; Lee, Jeong Kong; Han, Bong O

2001-02-01

In an effort to achieve the objectives, the following scopes were categorized for in-depth study. First of all, a general overview of FNCA, the including background and strategic plans of the forum, structure and activities of the forum, and the FNCA framework was reviewed. Secondly, major activities and implemented achievements in the 7 cooperation projects were also reviewed. Thirdly, the trends and prospects of nuclear power development programs in the participating countries in the FNCA were studied. Finally, proper strategies and recommendations for effective participation in FNCA were presented. This study can be utilized as basic reference material in the efficient implementation of FNCA in the future and for personnel involved in the FNCA affairs as the fundamental elements for implementing FNCA cooperation are presented. Strategies for strengthening Korea's participation in FNCA can be utilized as basic reference for the effective planning and implementation of FNCA activities in the future. Strategies for contributing to promoting nuclear cooperation in the region, for example, cash or in-kind contributions, should be established to effectively participate in the FNCA. It is hoped that this study will be widely utilized for encouraging Korea's participation in the FNCA and for establishing a future direction for FNCA by governments, industries, academic circles and research institutions

Seed producer cooperatives in the Ethiopian seed sector and their role in seed supply improvement: A review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sisay, D.T.; Verhees, F.J.H.M.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

2017-01-01

The role of seed producer cooperatives (SPCs) in the Ethiopian seed sector and their contribution to seed supply improvement have received attention from researchers, policymakers, and development partners. However, limited work has been done in reviewing and documenting their involvement in the

Using the Knowledge to Action Framework in practice: a citation analysis and systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Field, Becky; Booth, Andrew; Ilott, Irene; Gerrish, Kate

2014-11-23

Conceptual frameworks are recommended as a way of applying theory to enhance implementation efforts. The Knowledge to Action (KTA) Framework was developed in Canada by Graham and colleagues in the 2000s, following a review of 31 planned action theories. The framework has two components: Knowledge Creation and an Action Cycle, each of which comprises multiple phases. This review sought to answer two questions: 'Is the KTA Framework used in practice? And if so, how?' This study is a citation analysis and systematic review. The index citation for the original paper was identified on three databases-Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar-with the facility for citation searching. Limitations of English language and year of publication 2006-June 2013 were set. A taxonomy categorising the continuum of usage was developed. Only studies applying the framework to implementation projects were included. Data were extracted and mapped against each phase of the framework for studies where it was integral to the implementation project. The citation search yielded 1,787 records. A total of 1,057 titles and abstracts were screened. One hundred and forty-six studies described usage to varying degrees, ranging from referenced to integrated. In ten studies, the KTA Framework was integral to the design, delivery and evaluation of the implementation activities. All ten described using the Action Cycle and seven referred to Knowledge Creation. The KTA Framework was enacted in different health care and academic settings with projects targeted at patients, the public, and nursing and allied health professionals. The KTA Framework is being used in practice with varying degrees of completeness. It is frequently cited, with usage ranging from simple attribution via a reference, through informing planning, to making an intellectual contribution. When the framework was integral to knowledge translation, it guided action in idiosyncratic ways and there was theory fidelity. Prevailing wisdom

Review of Research on Credit Risk Management for Rural Credit Cooperatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Song

2017-03-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of rural micro-credit, whether the qagriculture, rural areas and farmersq problems have been effectively solved, whether the credit risk has been effectively controlled, these have become the focus of our attention to the rural economic environment. The main content of this paper contains four aspects: the classification and characteristics of credit risk, the problems and factors of credit risk, the model and evaluation of credit risk, the countermeasures and suggestions of credit risk. This paper reviews the research of credit risk management for rural credit cooperatives from the above four aspects, and makes a brief summary.

Review of Building Data Frameworks across Countries: Lessons for India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyer, Maithili [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Stratton, Hannah [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Sangeeta [Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, New Delhi (India); Kumar, Satish [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Paul [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singh, Mohini [Synurja, LLC, New Delhi (India)

2017-07-31

The report outlines the initial explorations carried out by LBNL on available examples of energy data collection frameworks for buildings. Specifically, this monograph deals with European experience in the buildings sector, the US experience in the commercial buildings sector, and examples of data collection effort in Singapore and China to capture the Asian experience in the commercial sector. The review also provides a summary of the past efforts in India to collect and use commercial building energy data and its strengths and weaknesses. The overall aim of this activity is to help understand the use cases that drive the granularity of data being collected and the range of methodologies adopted for the data collection effort. This review is a key input and reference for developing a data collection framework for India, and also clarifies general thinking on the institutional structure that may be amenable for data collection effort to match the needs and requirements of commercial building sector in India.

Online Counseling: Reviewing the Literature from a Counseling Psychology Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Mallen, Michael J.; Vogel, David L.; Rochlen, Aaron B.; Day, Susan X.

2005-01-01

This article reviews the online-counseling literature with an emphasis on current applications and considerations for future research. It focuses on primary themes of counseling psychology including the history of process-outcome research and multiculturalism. It explores current gaps in the literature from a counseling psychology framework,…

Theoretical frameworks for testing relativistic gravity: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Thorne, K. S.; Will, C. M.; Ni, W.

1971-01-01

Metric theories of gravity are presented, including the definition of metric theory, evidence for its existence, and response of matter to gravity with test body trajectories, gravitational red shift, and stressed matter responses. Parametrized post-Newtonian framework and interpretations are reviewed. Gamma, beta and gamma, and varied other parameters were measured. Deflection of electromagnetic waves, radar time delay, geodetic gyroscope precession, perihelion shifts, and periodic effects in orbits are among various studies carried out for metric theory experimentation.

Romanian-Danish Environmental Co-operation. Co-operation development 1993-1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-08-01

The Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy has, since 1991, through the Danish Environmental Support Fund, contributed towards protecting the environment and nature in Central and Eastern European countries and has helped to limit regional as well as global pollution. The Romanian Ministry of Waters, Forests and Environmental Protection and the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy initiated the co-operation in 1993 and an official Agreement was signed in 1994. This publication describes the co-operation between the two countries in the field of the environment in the hope that this will give both the general public of Romania and the international community a better understanding of the work being accomplished. It also gives an overview of the 19 projects developed within this framework, which has a total Danish grant of DKK 77.9 million. (au)

Technical Cooperation Report for 2014. Report by the Director General [Chinese Version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

The Technical Cooperation Report for 2014 is set out in three parts: A — Strengthening the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Activities; B — TC Programme Resources and Delivery; and C — Programme Activities and Achievements in 2014: Regional Overview. Annex 1 describes examples of project activities and achievements in specific thematic areas, and Annex 2 describes the activities of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Annex 3 presents the TC programme Fields of Activity, grouped for reporting purposes. Part A is composed of two sections. Part A.1 provides an overview of the Agency’s technical cooperation (TC) activities in 2014. The first section is devoted to the global development context, and highlights the importance of the post-2015 development agenda, and the value of the Sustainable Development Goals’ programmatic framework for the Agency’s technical cooperation activities. The section then describes how the programme is tailored to respond to the specific needs and priorities of each region, focusing on efforts to develop human resources and build capacities in the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, including through postgraduate training courses, assistance in drafting legislation, distance learning initiatives and technical cooperation among developing countries. The section also presents a snapshot of TC projects that address radioactive waste management, reflecting the topic of the 2014 Scientific Forum. Part A.2 focuses on efforts to build a more efficient and effective TC programme, in particular on efforts to strengthen the Country Programme Framework template. The section reviews progress made in 2014 in establishing and operationalizing partnerships with the United Nations and other relevant international and regional organizations. This section closes with an overview of actions undertaken in 2014 to continually improve the TC programme, notably through training in the Logical Framework Approach, and

Technical Cooperation Report for 2014. Report by the Director General [Arabic Version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

The Technical Cooperation Report for 2014 is set out in three parts: A — Strengthening the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Activities; B — TC Programme Resources and Delivery; and C — Programme Activities and Achievements in 2014: Regional Overview. Annex 1 describes examples of project activities and achievements in specific thematic areas, and Annex 2 describes the activities of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Annex 3 presents the TC programme Fields of Activity, grouped for reporting purposes. Part A is composed of two sections. Part A.1 provides an overview of the Agency’s technical cooperation (TC) activities in 2014. The first section is devoted to the global development context, and highlights the importance of the post-2015 development agenda, and the value of the Sustainable Development Goals’ programmatic framework for the Agency’s technical cooperation activities. The section then describes how the programme is tailored to respond to the specific needs and priorities of each region, focusing on efforts to develop human resources and build capacities in the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, including through postgraduate training courses, assistance in drafting legislation, distance learning initiatives and technical cooperation among developing countries. The section also presents a snapshot of TC projects that address radioactive waste management, reflecting the topic of the 2014 Scientific Forum. Part A.2 focuses on efforts to build a more efficient and effective TC programme, in particular on efforts to strengthen the Country Programme Framework template. The section reviews progress made in 2014 in establishing and operationalizing partnerships with the United Nations and other relevant international and regional organizations. This section closes with an overview of actions undertaken in 2014 to continually improve the TC programme, notably through training in the Logical Framework Approach, and

Nuclear cooperation agreements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuclear cooperation agreements are reviewed in tabular form, especially agreements with developing countries. The reporting countries are the USA, the Federal Republic of Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, and France. A separate EURATOM list is annexed

A multidisciplinary framework for (teaching) human product relations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eggink, Wouter; van der Bijl-Brouwer, Mieke; Boks, C.; McMahon, C.; Ion, W.; Parkinson, B

2010-01-01

In this paper we introduce a framework for dealing with the complexity of human-product relationships. The actual framework is a matrix of design perspectives, with three cooperating disciplines on the one hand and three levels of abstraction on the other hand. Basis of the framework is the notion

International cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filatkin, A.P.

1985-01-01

Main forms of international cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy are described. IAEA represents the organization called to establish the cooperation. For the purposes of wide nuclear power usage IAEA provides technical assistance to developing countries, conducting of meetings and conferences, accomplishes wide publishing activity and nuclear information exchange with the use of different data bases, including the INIS system, and coordinates the operating group activity through the INTOR program. Cooperation of socialist countries is accomplished in the framework of the CMEA. JINR, intimately connected with scientific organization of other countries including CERN, represents the center of nuclear investigations in socialist countries

Cooperative heuristic multi-agent planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Weerdt, M.M.; Tonino, J.F.M.; Witteveen, C.

2001-01-01

In this paper we will use the framework to study cooperative heuristic multi-agent planning. During the construction of their plans, the agents use a heuristic function inspired by the FF planner (l3l). At any time in the process of planning the agents may exchange available resources, or they may

Enhancing international technology cooperation for climate change mitigation. Lessons from an electromobility case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhasin, Shikha

2014-07-01

As a global agreement on climate mitigation and absolute emissions reductions remains grid-locked, this paper assesses whether the prospects for international technology cooperation in low-carbon sectors can be improved. It analyses the case of international cooperation on electric vehicle technologies to elaborate on the trade-offs that cooperation such as this inherently attempts to balance- national growth objectives of industrial and technology development versus the global goods benefit of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It focuses on bilateral German-Chinese programmes for electric vehicle development, as well as multilateral platforms on low-carbon technology cooperation related to electric vehicles. Based on insights from these cases studies, this paper ultimately provides policy recommendations to address gaps in international technology cooperation at a bilateral level for ongoing German-Chinese engagement on electric vehicles; and at a multilateral level with a focus on the emerging technology cooperation framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Enhancing international technology cooperation for climate change mitigation. Lessons from an electromobility case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhasin, Shikha

2014-01-01

As a global agreement on climate mitigation and absolute emissions reductions remains grid-locked, this paper assesses whether the prospects for international technology cooperation in low-carbon sectors can be improved. It analyses the case of international cooperation on electric vehicle technologies to elaborate on the trade-offs that cooperation such as this inherently attempts to balance- national growth objectives of industrial and technology development versus the global goods benefit of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It focuses on bilateral German-Chinese programmes for electric vehicle development, as well as multilateral platforms on low-carbon technology cooperation related to electric vehicles. Based on insights from these cases studies, this paper ultimately provides policy recommendations to address gaps in international technology cooperation at a bilateral level for ongoing German-Chinese engagement on electric vehicles; and at a multilateral level with a focus on the emerging technology cooperation framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Transboundary cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauber, D.

2006-01-01

The operation of nuclear power plants near national borders requires a close bilateral co-operation to cope with accidents having off-site radiological impacts. For example in 1978 such an agreement was signed by the German and Swiss government. The accident at the Chernobyl NPP changed the international co-operation in the framework of international consequence management. International conventions were agreed to insure a timely notification and international assistance in case of an accident with transboundary effects. In order to fulfill these conventions several procedures were introduced. In addition, bilateral agreements were signed also with countries which are not operating nuclear power plants near national borders. Since then no accident took place that would have required any notification. However, following the experience the expectations to these networks have changed considerably and hence sustainable development is required to cope with new challenges such as long term consequences management, new radiological threats, faster international assistance, media and public concerns, and technical evolution of communications systems. (author)

Experience and co-operation in the development of nuclear engineering education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brochard, D.; Gladieux, A.

1998-01-01

This paper presents various aspects of the international co-operation set up at the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (INSTN) for developing the nuclear engineering education in a European framework, with the Tempus programmes, or worldwide, through the IAEA technical co-operation programme. As such co-operation mainly relies on the courses established in the INSTN for national purposes, a short presentation of them is made first. (author)

Professional Development and Use of Digital Technologies by Science Teachers: a Review of Theoretical Frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Geraldo W. Rocha; Rodrigues, António M.; Ferreira, Carlos Alberto

2018-03-01

This article aims to characterise the research on science teachers' professional development programs that support the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the main trends concerning the theoretical frameworks (theoretical foundation, literature review or background) that underpin these studies. Through a systematic review of the literature, 76 articles were found and divided into two axes on training science teachers and the use of digital technologies with their categories. The first axis (characterisation of articles) presents the category key features that characterise the articles selected (major subjects, training and actions for the professional development and major ICT tools and digital resources). The second axis (trends of theoretical frameworks) has three categories organised in theoretical frameworks that emphasise the following: (a) the digital technologies, (b) prospects of curricular renewal and (c) cognitive processes. It also characterised a group of articles with theoretical frameworks that contain multiple elements without deepening them or that even lack a theoretical framework that supports the studies. In this review, we found that many professional development programs for teachers still use inadequate strategies for bringing about change in teacher practices. New professional development proposals are emerging with the objective of minimising such difficulties and this analysis could be a helpful tool to restructure those proposals.

Review of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutton, Alison; Veenema, Tener Goodwin; Gebbie, Kristine

2016-12-01

The International Council of Nurses (ICN; Geneva, Switzerland) and the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM; Madison, Wisconsin USA) joined together in 2014 to review the use of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. The existing ICN Framework (version 1.10; dated 2009) formed the starting point for this review. The key target audiences for this process were members of the disaster nursing community concerned with pre-service education for professional nursing and the continuing education of practicing professional nurses. To minimize risk in the disaster nursing practice, competencies have been identified as the foundation of evidence-based practice and standard development. A Steering Committee was established by the WADEM Nursing Section to discuss how to initiate a review of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. The Steering Committee then worked via email to develop a survey to send out to disaster/emergency groups that may have nurse members who work/respond in disasters. Thirty-five invitations were sent out with 20 responses (57%) received. Ninety-five percent of respondents knew of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies, with the majority accessing these competencies via the Internet. The majority of those who responded said that they make use of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies with the most common use being for educational purposes. Education was done at a local, national, and international level. The competencies were held in high esteem and valued by these organizations as the cornerstone of their disaster education, and also were used for the continued professional development of disaster nursing. However, respondents stated that five years on from their development, the competencies also should include the psychosocial elements of nurses caring for themselves and their colleagues. Additionally, further studies should explore if there are other areas related to the

Use of mobile devices in nursing student-nurse teacher cooperation during the clinical practicum: an integrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Strandell-Laine, Camilla; Stolt, Minna; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Saarikoski, Mikko

2015-03-01

To identify and appraise study findings on the use of mobile devices, in particular for what purposes and how, in nursing student-nurse teacher cooperation during the clinical practicum. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and ERIC for primary empirical studies published in English. An integrative literature review was undertaken. Quality appraisal of the included studies was conducted using design-specific standardized checklists. Studies were thematically analyzed. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eleven studies were included in the review. Weaknesses in designs, samples, questionnaires and results, compromised comparison and/or generalization of the findings of the studies. Three main themes were identified: (1) features of mobile devices (2) utility of mobile devices and (3) barriers to the use of mobile devices. Problems of connectivity were the main challenges reported in the use of mobile devices. Participants used mobile devices primarily as reference tools, but less frequently as tools for reflection, assessment or cooperation during the clinical practicum. Interest in mobile device use during the clinical practicum was reported, but training and ongoing support are needed. As only a small number of eligible primary empirical studies were found, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions on the results. In the future, rigorous primary empirical studies are needed to explore the potential of mobile devices in providing a supplementary pedagogical method in nursing student-nurse teacher cooperation during the clinical practicum. Robust study designs, including experimental ones, are clearly needed to assess the effectiveness of mobile devices in nursing student-nurse teacher cooperation during the clinical practicum. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Review of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's International Education Surveys: Governance, Human Capital Discourses, and Policy Debates

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Clara; Volante, Louis

2016-01-01

Given the influential role that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) plays in educational governance, we believe it is timely to provide an in-depth review of its education surveys and their associated human capital discourses. By reviewing and summarizing the OECD's suite of education surveys, this paper identifies the…

Energy drinks in the Gulf Cooperation Council states: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Alhyas, Layla; El Kashef, Ahmed; AlGhaferi, Hamad

2016-01-01

Energy drinks have become a popular beverage worldwide. This review was carried out to have an overview among adolescents and emerging adults in the Gulf Co-operation Council states about energy drinks consumption rates and other related issues such as starting age and patterns of energy drink consumption. The Medline and Embase databases were searched separately using different terms such as energy drinks, energy beverages, and caffeinated drinks. Data related to the rates of energy drinks use were entered in STATA for statistical analysis. Then, these data were used to conduct meta-analysis to estimate the rate of energy drink consumption. Overall, meta-analysis results showed that the estimated rates of energy drinks consumption is 46.9% (95% CIs, 33.2 -66.1; nine studies) with I-square 3.7%. Findings indicated that individuals start to consume energy drinks at approximately 16 years old, and males were found to consume energy drinks more frequently than females. Results from this review carry several recommendations for policy and enforcement, public education and research that can help policy and decision makers to achieve the goal of safer use of energy drinks.

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2016 year in review

Science.gov (United States)

Organ, John F.; Thompson, John D.; Dennerline, Donald E.; Childs, Dawn E.

2017-02-22

Science and Management.” The workshop was well received and we have been asked to continue the dialogue with a second workshop in 2017. It was evident during the workshop that the CRU is viewed by our cooperators as an important and essential linkage between academia and practitioners. This is testament to the legacy of the CRU Program and the foundation it is built upon. In this Year in Review report, you will find details on staffing, vacancies, research funding, and other pertinent information. You will also see snapshots of CRU projects with information on how results have been or are being applied by cooperators. That is the essence of what we do: science that matters.

21 CFR 56.114 - Cooperative research.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cooperative research. 56.114 Section 56.114 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS IRB Functions and Operations § 56.114 Cooperative research. In complying with these...

International cooperative initiatives and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakhtiari, Fatemeh

2017-01-01

International cooperative initiatives (ICIs) are multi-country, multi-actor non-state actions that have the potential to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The article summarizes the literature on estimates of emission reduction potentials attributed to ICIs. This summary highlights three key ...... efforts under the UNFCCC is uncertain, but believed to be quite large. •The UNFCCC is arguably ill suited to coordinate and strengthen the accountability of international cooperative initiatives.......International cooperative initiatives (ICIs) are multi-country, multi-actor non-state actions that have the potential to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The article summarizes the literature on estimates of emission reduction potentials attributed to ICIs. This summary highlights three key...... transparent performance monitoring and reporting mechanisms. The article concludes with two considerations. Firstly, it advocates for the United Nations Environment Programme as one entity that could bring much-needed coordination among ICIs, and between ICIs and national government-led efforts to mitigate...

Cooperative Advertising in a Supply Chain with Horizontal Competition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi He

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Cooperative advertising programs are usually provided by manufacturers to stimulate retailers investing more in local advertising to increase the sales of their products or services. While previous literature on cooperative advertising mainly focuses on a “single-manufacturer single-retailer” framework, the decision-making framework with “multiple-manufacturer single-retailer” becomes more realistic because of the increasing power of retailers as well as the increased competition among the manufacturers. In view of this, in this paper we investigate the cooperative advertising program in a “two-manufacturer single-retailer” supply chain in three different scenarios; that is, (i each channel member makes decisions independently; (ii the retailer is vertically integrated with one manufacturer; (iii two manufacturers are horizontally integrated. Utilizing differential game theory, the open-loop equilibrium-advertising strategies of each channel member are obtained and compared. Also, we investigate the effects of competitive intensity on the firm’s profit in three different scenarios by using the numerical analysis.

IAEA Team Concludes Peer Review of Sweden's Nuclear Regulatory Framework, 17 February 2012, Stockholm, Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

Full text: An international team of senior nuclear safety and radiation protection experts today concluded a 12-day mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Sweden. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, which was conducted at the request of Sweden, noted good practices in the country's nuclear regulatory system and also made recommendations and suggestions for the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) and the government. These are aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the country's regulatory framework and functions in line with IAEA Safety Standards. ''Throughout the mission, the IRRS team received full cooperation from SSM staff in its review of Sweden's regulatory, technical and policy issues,'' said Georg Schwarz, mission leader and Deputy Director General of the Swiss nuclear regulator (ENSI). 'The staff were open and candid in their discussions and provided the fullest practicable assistance', he commented. The main observations of the IRRS Review team included the following: SSM operates as an independent regulator in an open and transparent manner with well-organized regulatory processes; SSM is receptive to feedback and strives to maintain a culture of continuous learning; and Following the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi accident, SSM responded promptly to public demand for information and communicated effectively with the national government, the public and other interested parties. Good practices identified by the IRRS team included, though they are not limited to, the following: The consolidation of the two previous national regulatory authorities into SSM was successful; Overall, SSM's management system is comprehensive and contributes to staff efficiency and effectiveness; The nuclear power plant refurbishment programme as required by SSM enhanced safety; and Sweden's regulatory framework for high-level waste disposal is comprehensive and technically sound. The IRRS Review team identified

Keynote address: International nuclear cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, R.T.

1989-01-01

These meetings provide an important opportunity for the nuclear community to assess the scope and direction of its wide-ranging activities. Nuclear technology has given us the tools to understand and shape our physical environment in ways which can solve ancient problems of health, food supply, energy, and many others which affect the quality of our lives. International cooperation is necessary to secure the peaceful benefits of nuclear technology. Meeting global energy needs must be high on any priority list of issues for the coming decade and the 21st century. The satisfaction of energy needs is today and will increasingly be a crucial factor in international stability. Hand in hand with the need to assure energy sufficiency is the need to assure the long-term protection of the environment. Three key elements that give a useful framework for approaching the future of nuclear cooperation are technological factors, economic issues, and political acceptability. Technological avenues to greater safety must be vigorously pursued. Economic alternatives must be identified and objectively weighed. Most important of all, the framework of public confidence must be strengthened

International cooperation workshop. Regional workshop for CTBTO international cooperation: Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-08-01

Pursuant to the 1999 programme of work, and following the International Cooperation Workshop held in Vienna, Austria, in 1998, the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO (Prep Com) held a regional Workshop for CTBTO International Cooperation in Cairo. The purpose of the workshop was to identify how and by what means the Africa region can promote international cooperation in CTBT verification related technologies, and how the region can benefit from and contribute to Prep Com activity. PTS staff briefed the 40 participants from 22 African States who attended the Workshop on general aspects, including costs, of the establishment and operation of the CTBT verification system, including its four monitoring technologies. Participants were informed on opportunities for local institutions in the establishment of monitoring stations and on possible support for national and regional data centres. National experts presented their research and development activities and reviewed existing experiences on bi/multi-lateral cooperation. The main points of the discussion focused on the need to engage governments to advance signature/ratification, and further training opportunities for African states

International Expert Team Concludes IAEA Peer Review of Finland's Regulatory Framework for Nuclear and Radiation Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

contributing to enhanced safety worldwide through international cooperation. In line with the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, the mission reviewed the regulatory implications for Finland of the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan. The mission found that STUK's immediate- and longer-term response was timely and effective. Although short-term safety issues were not identified, a number of safety improvements have been initiated and STUK performed extremely well in informing the public. The IRRS team identified a number of areas where the overall performance of the regulatory system could be improved, including: - Although STUK operates in practice as an independent regulatory body, the government should strengthen the legislative framework by embedding in law the regulatory body, separate from entities having responsibilities or interests that could unduly influence its decisions; - The Finnish legislative framework should be further developed to cover authorization for facility decommissioning and the waste repository shutdowns; and - STUK can improve the effectiveness of its inspection activities by enhancing the focus of inspection on the most safety-significant areas and developing a formal qualification programme for inspectors. In its preliminary report, the IAEA team's main conclusions have been conveyed to STUK. A final report will be submitted to the Government of Finland in about three months. STUK has informed the team that the final report will be made publicly available. The IAEA encourages nations to invite a follow-up IRRS mission about two years after the mission has been completed. Background The team reviewed the legal and regulatory framework for nuclear safety and addressed all facilities regulated by STUK with the exception of the research reactor FiR 1, which STUK decided to exclude because the operator is shutting it down. This was the 44th IRRS mission conducted by the IAEA. Quick Facts - Finland has four

Open Peer Review: Collective Intelligence as a Framework for Theorizing Approaches to Peer Review in the Humanities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenna Pack Sheffield

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article takes a moderate approach, balancing suggestions for when open peer review can benefit scholarship in the humanities, while offering important concerns authors and editors must consider before deciding to implement the process. I focus on online commenting functions and how they have been—and can be—used for open peer review to help improve the quality of an author’s scholarly work and change the way publishers go about their peer review processes. While open peer review is not necessarily digital, digital technologies allow for a broader range of participants and faster dissemination of knowledge, which is why this article focuses on online open peer review. Open Peer Review: Collective Intelligence as a Framework for Theorizing Approaches to Peer Review in the Humanities, by Jenna Pack Sheffield

A framework for production of systematic review based briefings to support evidence-informed decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Duncan; Wilson, Paul

2012-07-09

We have developed a framework for translating existing sources of synthesized and quality-assessed evidence, primarily systematic reviews, into actionable messages in the form of short accessible briefings. The service aims to address real-life problems in response to requests from decision-makers.Development of the framework was based on a scoping review of existing resources and our initial experience with two briefing topics, including models of service provision for young people with eating disorders. We also drew on previous experience in dissemination research and practice. Where appropriate, we made use of the SUPporting POlicy relevant Reviews and Trials (SUPPORT) tools for evidence-informed policymaking. To produce a product that it is fit for this purpose it has been necessary to go beyond a traditional summary of the available evidence relating to effectiveness. Briefings have, therefore, included consideration of cost effectiveness, local applicability, implications relating to local service delivery, budgets, implementation and equity. Our first evidence briefings produced under this framework cover diagnostic endoscopy by specialist nurses and integrated care pathways in mental healthcare settings. The framework will enable researchers to present and contextualize evidence from systematic reviews and other sources of synthesized and quality-assessed evidence. The approach is designed to address the wide range of questions of interest to decision-makers, especially those commissioning services or managing service delivery and organization in primary or secondary care. Evaluation of the use and usefulness of the evidence briefings we produce is an integral part of the framework and will help to fill a gap in the literature.

Effective Communication between Preservice and Cooperating Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Lawley, Ji Ji; Moore, Jenifer; Smajic, Almir

2014-01-01

This article reviews research on communication between preservice and cooperating teachers during a teacher internship. The research reveals that poor communication between preservice teachers and cooperating teachers can cause barriers to planning lessons, feedback, and teaching experiences. Additionally, research indicates that…

Review: Leon N. Cooper's Science and Human Experience: Values, Culture, and the Mind.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Gary S

2015-01-01

Why are we reviewing a book written by someone who shared in the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on superconductivity? Because shortly after winning the prize, Leon N. Cooper transitioned into brain research-specifically, the biological basis of memory. He became director of the Brown University Institute for Brain and Neural Systems, whose interdisciplinary program allowed him to integrate research on the brain, physics, and even philosophy. His new book tackles a diverse spectrum of topics and questions, including these: Does science have limits? Where does order come from? Can we understand consciousness?

Design of a SIP device cooperation system on OSGi service platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Takayama, Youji; Koita, Takahiro; Sato, Kenya

2007-12-01

Home networks feature such various technologies as protocols, specifications, and middleware, including HTTP, UPnP, and Jini. A service platform is required to handle such technologies to enable them to cooperate with different devices. The OSGi service platform, which meets the requirements based on service-oriented architecture, is designed and standardized by OSGi Alliance and consists of two parts: one OSGi Framework and bundles. On the OSGi service platform, APIs are defined as services that can handle these technologies and are implemented in the bundle. By using the OSGi Framework with bundles, various technologies can cooperate with each other. On the other hand, in IP networks, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is often used in device cooperation services to resolve an IP address, control a session between two or more devices, and easily exchange the statuses of devices. However, since many existing devices do not correspond to SIP, it cannot be used for device cooperation services. A device that does not correspond to SIP is called an unSIP device. This paper proposes and implements a prototype system that enables unSIP devices to correspond to SIP. For unSIP devices, the proposed system provides device cooperation services with SIP.

Symmetry warrants rational cooperation by co-action in Social Dilemmas.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasidevan, V; Sinha, Sitabhra

2015-08-12

Is it rational for selfish individuals to cooperate? The conventional answer based on analysis of games such as the Prisoners Dilemma (PD) is that it is not, even though mutual cooperation results in a better outcome for all. This incompatibility between individual rationality and collective benefit lies at the heart of questions about the evolution of cooperation, as illustrated by PD and similar games. Here, we argue that this apparent incompatibility is due to an inconsistency in the standard Nash framework for analyzing non-cooperative games and propose a new paradigm, that of the co-action equilibrium. As in the Nash solution, agents know that others are just as rational as them and taking this into account lead them to realize that others will independently adopt the same strategy, in contrast to the idea of unilateral deviation central to Nash equilibrium thinking. Co-action equilibrium results in better collective outcomes for games representing social dilemmas, with relatively "nicer" strategies being chosen by rational selfish individuals. In particular, the dilemma of PD gets resolved within this framework, suggesting that cooperation can evolve in nature as the rational outcome even for selfish agents, without having to take recourse to additional mechanisms for promoting it.

From Cooperative Scans to Predictive Buffer Management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Switakowski; P.A. Boncz (Peter); M. Zukowski (Marcin)

2012-01-01

textabstractIn analytical applications, database systems often need to sustain workloads with multiple concurrent scans hitting the same table. The Cooperative Scans (CScans) framework, which introduces an Active Buer Manager (ABM) component into the database architecture, has been the most

Multiuser Radio Resource Allocation for Multiservice Transmission in OFDMA-Based Cooperative Relay Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Xing

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The problem of multiservice transmission in OFDMA-based cooperative relay networks is studied comprehensively. We propose a framework to adaptively allocate power, subcarriers, and data rate in OFDMA system to maximize spectral efficiency under the constraints of satisfying multiuser multiservices' QoS requirements. Specifically, first we concentrate on the single-user scenario which considers multiservice transmission in point-to-point cooperative relay network. Based on the analysis of single-user scenario, we extend the multiservice transmission to multiuser point-to-multipoint scenario. Next, based on the framework, we propose several suboptimal radio resource allocation algorithms for multiservice transmissions in OFDMA-based cooperative relay networks to further reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms yield much higher spectral efficiency and much lower outage probability, which are flexible and efficient for the OFDMA-based cooperative relay system.

Overview of Cooperative Monitoring Concepts and the CMC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biringer, Kent L.

1999-01-01

Cooperative monitoring holds the promise of utilizing many technologies from conflicts of the past to implement agreements of peace in the future. Important approaches to accomplish this are to develop the framework for assessing monitoring opportunities and to provide education and training on the technologies and experience available for sharing with others. The Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia National Laboratories is working closely with agencies throughout the federal government, academics at home and abroad, and regional organizations to provide the technical tools needed to assess, design, analyze, and implement these cooperative agreements. In doing so, the goals of building regional confidence and increasing trust and communication can be furthered

A Conceptual Framework for Systematic Reviews of Research in Educational Leadership and Management

Science.gov (United States)

Hallinger, Philip

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for scholars carrying out reviews of research that meet international standards for publication. Design/methodology/approach: This is primarily a conceptual paper focusing on the methodology of conducting systematic reviews of research. However, the paper draws on a database of reviews…

Cooperative SIS epidemics can lead to abrupt outbreaks

Science.gov (United States)

Ghanbarnejad, Fakhteh; Chen, Li; Cai, Weiran; Grassberger, Peter

2015-03-01

In this paper, we study spreading of two cooperative SIS epidemics in mean field approximations and also within an agent based framework. Therefore we investigate dynamics on different topologies like Erdos-Renyi networks and regular lattices. We show that cooperativity of two diseases can lead to strongly first order outbreaks, while the dynamics still might present some scaling laws typical for second order phase transitions. We argue how topological network features might be related to this interesting hybrid behaviors.

New United States policies regarding international nuclear cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, H.R. Jr.

1981-10-01

This paper discusses the United States policy on international nuclear power development in the light of the priorities established by President Reagan in the guidelines for his Administration's nuclear co-operation policy. The aim is to establish a framework allowing for co-operation in peaceful nuclear development while remaining committed to the objective of preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons, in particular by supporting the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the IAEA Safeguards System and the Tlatelolco Treaty (NEA) [fr

A multilevel evolutionary framework for sustainability analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy M. Waring

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Sustainability theory can help achieve desirable social-ecological states by generalizing lessons across contexts and improving the design of sustainability interventions. To accomplish these goals, we argue that theory in sustainability science must (1 explain the emergence and persistence of social-ecological states, (2 account for endogenous cultural change, (3 incorporate cooperation dynamics, and (4 address the complexities of multilevel social-ecological interactions. We suggest that cultural evolutionary theory broadly, and cultural multilevel selection in particular, can improve on these fronts. We outline a multilevel evolutionary framework for describing social-ecological change and detail how multilevel cooperative dynamics can determine outcomes in environmental dilemmas. We show how this framework complements existing sustainability frameworks with a description of the emergence and persistence of sustainable institutions and behavior, a means to generalize causal patterns across social-ecological contexts, and a heuristic for designing and evaluating effective sustainability interventions. We support these assertions with case examples from developed and developing countries in which we track cooperative change at multiple levels of social organization as they impact social-ecological outcomes. Finally, we make suggestions for further theoretical development, empirical testing, and application.

Applying Science: opportunities to inform disease management policy with cooperative research within a One Health framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason K. Blackburn

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the current saiga antelope die off in Kazakhstan each represent very real and difficult to manage public or veterinary health crises. They also illustrate the importance of stable and funded surveillance and sound policy for intervention or disease control. While these two events highlight extreme cases of infectious disease (Ebola or (possible environmental exposure (saiga, diseases such as anthrax, brucellosis, tularemia, and plague are all zoonoses that pose risks and present surveillance challenges at the wildlife-livestock-human interfaces. These four diseases are also considered important actors in the threat of biological terror activities and have a long history as legacy biowarfare pathogens. This paper reviews recent studies done cooperatively between American and institutions within nations of the Former Soviet Union (FSU focused on spatiotemporal, epidemiological, and ecological patterns of these four zoonoses. We examine recent studies and discuss the possible ways in which techniques, including ecological niche modeling, disease risk modeling, and spatio-temporal cluster analysis, can inform disease surveillance, control efforts and impact policy. Our focus is to posit ways to apply science to disease management policy and actual management or mitigation practices. Across these examples, we illustrate the value of cooperative studies that bring together modern geospatial and epidemiological analyses to improve our understanding of the distribution of pathogens and diseases in livestock, wildlife, and humans. For example, ecological niche modeling can provide national level maps of pathogen distributions for surveillance planning, while space-time models can identify the timing and location of significant outbreak events for defining active control strategies. We advocate for the need to bring the results and the researchers from cooperative studies into the meeting rooms where policy is

Cooperative activity and its potential for learning in tertiary education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cirila Peklaj

2007-01-01

Full Text Available A learning situation can be structured in different ways, as an individual, competitive, or cooperative activity. Each of these structures can be used for different purposes and can lead to different learning outcomes. This paper focuses on cooperative activity and its potential for learning in tertiary education. After defining cooperative activity (or, in a broader sense, learning in interaction and introducing the CAMS theoretical framework to analyse cooperative activity, the main discussion focuses on the theoretical reasons for the usefulness of group learning and on the research of effects of cooperative learning on cognitive (metacognitive, affective-motivational and social processes in university students. The key elements that should be established for successful cooperation are also discussed. At the end, a new direction in using cooperative activity in learning—computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL, which emerged with rapid technology development in the last two decades—is presented and discussed.

A framework for production of systematic review based briefings to support evidence-informed decision-making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chambers Duncan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We have developed a framework for translating existing sources of synthesized and quality-assessed evidence, primarily systematic reviews, into actionable messages in the form of short accessible briefings. The service aims to address real-life problems in response to requests from decision-makers. Development of the framework was based on a scoping review of existing resources and our initial experience with two briefing topics, including models of service provision for young people with eating disorders. We also drew on previous experience in dissemination research and practice. Where appropriate, we made use of the SUPporting POlicy relevant Reviews and Trials (SUPPORT tools for evidence-informed policymaking. Findings To produce a product that it is fit for this purpose it has been necessary to go beyond a traditional summary of the available evidence relating to effectiveness. Briefings have, therefore, included consideration of cost effectiveness, local applicability, implications relating to local service delivery, budgets, implementation and equity. Our first evidence briefings produced under this framework cover diagnostic endoscopy by specialist nurses and integrated care pathways in mental healthcare settings. Conclusions The framework will enable researchers to present and contextualize evidence from systematic reviews and other sources of synthesized and quality-assessed evidence. The approach is designed to address the wide range of questions of interest to decision-makers, especially those commissioning services or managing service delivery and organization in primary or secondary care. Evaluation of the use and usefulness of the evidence briefings we produce is an integral part of the framework and will help to fill a gap in the literature.

Cooperation and deception in primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Katie; Brosnan, Sarah F

2017-08-01

Though competition and cooperation are often considered opposing forces in an arms race driving natural selection, many animals, including humans, cooperate in order to mitigate competition with others. Understanding others' psychological states, such as seeing and knowing, others' goals and intentions, and coordinating actions are all important for complex cooperation-as well as for predicting behavior in order to take advantage of others through tactical deception, a form of competition. We outline evidence of primates' understanding of how others perceive the world, and then consider how the evidence from both deception and cooperation fits this framework to give us a more complete understanding of the evolution of complex social cognition in primates. In experimental food competitions, primates flexibly manipulate group-mates' behavior to tactically deceive them. Deception can infiltrate cooperative interactions, such as when one takes an unfair share of meat after a coordinated hunt. In order to counter competition of this sort, primates maintain cooperation through partner choice, partner control, and third party punishment. Yet humans appear to stand alone in their ability to understand others' beliefs, which allows us not only to deceive others with the explicit intent to create a false belief, but it also allows us to put ourselves in others' shoes to determine when cheaters need to be punished, even if we are not directly disadvantaged by the cheater. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Information Infrastructure for Cooperative Research in Neuroscience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. J. Durka

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describes a framework for efficient sharing of knowledge between research groups, which have been working for several years without flaws. The obstacles in cooperation are connected primarily with the lack of platforms for effective exchange of experimental data, models, and algorithms. The solution to these problems is proposed by construction of the platform (EEG.pl with the semantic aware search scheme between portals. The above approach implanted in the international cooperative projects like NEUROMATH may bring the significant progress in designing efficient methods for neuroscience research.

Kola peninsula radwaste management in the framework of THE Italian-Russian cooperation agreement for global partnership - 59392

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobile, Massimiliano; Izmailov, Dmitry; Spadoni, Antonino; Uryvskiy, Oleg

2012-01-01

In 2003 a Cooperation Agreement, envisaging a grant of 360 Meuro in 10 years, was signed between Italy and Russia in the framework of the 'so-called' Global Partnership Program. So far, in five years of concrete work, a total of 146 Meuro have been engaged through 33 contracts and 121 Meuro have been already paid. Together with other significant lines of activities the management of waste, presently located at Andreeva Bay site, is surely the most important one, not only for the amount of allocated funds (about the half of available ones) but also for the urgency to solve serious environmental problems linked to the actual unsafe conditions of these waste, both as regards possible incidents or malicious attacks from outside. Volume of Low Level and Intermediate Level (LL/IL) waste at Andreeva Bay site are 17000 tons and 3000 tons, respectively for solid and liquid; moreover is expected, during the next 15 years, the production of additional 33000 tons of liquid and 8000 tons of solid, due to the need of demolishing existing facilities and final closing of the site. As regards radwaste management facilities, the solution defined in OBIN (justification of investment) has been analyzed and critically reviewed. After the completion of a conceptual study, the construction of three facilities (solid and liquid treatment ones and a protective structure for storing on site temporarily conditioned waste) was decided and a contract was assigned in 2010 to Ansaldo Nucleare/AtomStroyExport for the detailed design of the above mentioned facilities, which is expected to be completed in 2012. Some important modifications to the initial time schedule have been taken into account and now the operation of the facilities is expected by 2015, two years before the previous estimate. (authors)

Theories, models and frameworks used in capacity building interventions relevant to public health: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergeron, Kim; Abdi, Samiya; DeCorby, Kara; Mensah, Gloria; Rempel, Benjamin; Manson, Heather

2017-11-28

There is limited research on capacity building interventions that include theoretical foundations. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify underlying theories, models and frameworks used to support capacity building interventions relevant to public health practice. The aim is to inform and improve capacity building practices and services offered by public health organizations. Four search strategies were used: 1) electronic database searching; 2) reference lists of included papers; 3) key informant consultation; and 4) grey literature searching. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are outlined with included papers focusing on capacity building, learning plans, professional development plans in combination with tools, resources, processes, procedures, steps, model, framework, guideline, described in a public health or healthcare setting, or non-government, government, or community organizations as they relate to healthcare, and explicitly or implicitly mention a theory, model and/or framework that grounds the type of capacity building approach developed. Quality assessment were performed on all included articles. Data analysis included a process for synthesizing, analyzing and presenting descriptive summaries, categorizing theoretical foundations according to which theory, model and/or framework was used and whether or not the theory, model or framework was implied or explicitly identified. Nineteen articles were included in this review. A total of 28 theories, models and frameworks were identified. Of this number, two theories (Diffusion of Innovations and Transformational Learning), two models (Ecological and Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation) and one framework (Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning) were identified as the most frequently cited. This review identifies specific theories, models and frameworks to support capacity building interventions relevant to public health organizations. It provides public health practitioners

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 year in review

Science.gov (United States)

Organ, John F.; Thompson, John D.; Dennerline, Donald E.; Childs, Dawn E.

2018-02-08

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program was involved in a number of notable events during 2017, many concerning our personnel. Dr. Barry Grand left his position as Leader of the Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit to become the Cooperative Units Program Supervisor for the South, replacing Dr. Kevin Whalen who took over as Supervisor for the West. We welcomed Dr. Sarah Converse who left the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center to become Leader of the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Dr. Amanda Rosenberger joined the Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit as Assistant Leader, transferring from the Missouri Cooperative Unit. Dr. Scott Carleton left his position as Assistant Unit Leader in New Mexico to become Chief of the Region 2 Migratory Bird Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.We said farewell to many colleagues who retired. Their departure is bittersweet as we wish them health, happiness, and wellness in retirement. We will miss their companionship and the extraordinary contributions they have made to the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program and conservation.The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program has a record high number of vacant scientist positions due to a combination of retirements and base funding short-falls. These issues are affecting our ability to meet cooperator needs. Yet, we remain highly productive. For example, this year we released a report (https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1427) containing abstracts of nearly 600 of our research projects, covering thematic areas ranging from advanced technologies to wildlife diseases. We provided highly competent, trained scientists and natural resource managers for our cooperators’ workforce. We delivered technical training and guidance to professional practitioners. We provided critical information to cooperators for decisions on species status assessments and management of species of greatest conservation need

Factors that influence cooperation in networks for innovation and learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sie, Rory; Bitter-Rijpkema, Marlies; Stoyanov, Slavi; Sloep, Peter

2018-01-01

Networked cooperation fails if the available partnerships remain opaque. A literature review and Delphi study uncovered the elements of a fruitful partnership. They relate to personality, diversity, cooperation, and management. Innovation networks and learning networks share the same cooperative

Summary Record of the Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupont, Emmeric

2014-01-01

The NEA's nuclear data evaluation co-operation activities involve the following evaluation projects: ENDF (United States), JENDL (Japan), ROSFOND/BROND (Russia), JEFF (other Data Bank member countries) and CENDL (China) in close co-operation with the Nuclear Data Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The working party was established to promote the exchange of information on nuclear data evaluations, measurements, nuclear model calculations, validation, and related topics, and to provide a framework for co-operative activities between the participating projects. The working party assesses nuclear data improvement needs and addresses these needs by initiating joint evaluation and/or measurement efforts. This document is the executive summary of WPEC's 26. meeting held in 2014. It presents a brief review of the 2 days meeting in particular the Reports on experimental activities in Europe, Japan, USA and China, the Brief progress reports from the evaluation projects (ENDF, JEFF, JENDL, ROSFOND, CENDL, IAEA, TENDL) with the discussion of future plans, the Review of final or near-final subgroup reports, the Status of ongoing subgroups, the Proposals for new subgroups and some information about Conferences and meetings of interest to the nuclear data community. A list of participants and a list of reports presented at this meeting are attached in appendix

IAEA Mission Concludes Peer Review of Slovenia's Nuclear Regulatory Framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Senior international nuclear safety and radiation protection experts today concluded an eight-day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety at the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA). The team reviewed measures taken to address the recommendations and suggestions made during an earlier Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission conducted in 2011. The IRRS team said in its preliminary findings that Slovenia had made significant progress since the review in 2011. The team identified a good practice in the country's nuclear regulatory system additional to those identified in 2011 and made new recommendations and suggestions to SNSA and the Government to strengthen the effectiveness of the country's regulatory framework in line with IAEA Safety Standards. ''By hosting a follow-up mission, Slovenia demonstrated its commitment to enhance its regulatory programmes, including by implementing the recommendations of the 2011 mission,'' said Petr Krs, mission leader and Vice Chairman of the Czech Republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety. SNSA's Director, Andrej Stritar, welcomed the progress noted by the team, while also emphasizing that the mission highlighted important future nuclear safety challenges for Slovenia. The five-member review team, comprising experts from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Romania, as well as four IAEA staff members, conducted the mission at the request of the Slovenian Government from 9 to 16 September 2014. The main observations of the IRRS Review team included the following: SNSA has made significant progress in addressing the findings of the 2011 IRRS mission and has demonstrated commitment to effective implementation of the IRRS programme; The economic situation in Slovenia might in the short and long term affect SNSA's ability to maintain its capacity and competence; and A radioactive waste disposal project is stalled and the licensing

What is health systems responsiveness? Review of existing knowledge and proposed conceptual framework

Science.gov (United States)

Mirzoev, Tolib; Kane, Sumit

2017-01-01

Responsiveness is a key objective of national health systems. Responsive health systems anticipate and adapt to existing and future health needs, thus contributing to better health outcomes. Of all the health systems objectives, responsiveness is the least studied, which perhaps reflects lack of comprehensive frameworks that go beyond the normative characteristics of responsive services. This paper contributes to a growing, yet limited, knowledge on this topic. Herewith, we review the current frameworks for understanding health systems responsiveness and drawing on these, as well as key frameworks from the wider public services literature, propose a comprehensive conceptual framework for health systems responsiveness. This paper should be of interest to different stakeholders who are engaged in analysing and improving health systems responsiveness. Our review shows that existing knowledge on health systems responsiveness can be extended along the three areas. First, responsiveness entails an actual experience of people’s interaction with their health system, which confirms or disconfirms their initial expectations of the system. Second, the experience of interaction is shaped by both the people and the health systems sides of this interaction. Third, different influences shape people’s interaction with their health system, ultimately affecting their resultant experiences. Therefore, recognition of both people and health systems sides of interaction and their key determinants would enhance the conceptualisations of responsiveness. Our proposed framework builds on, and advances, the core frameworks in the health systems literature. It positions the experience of interaction between people and health system as the centrepiece and recognises the determinants of responsiveness experience both from the health systems (eg, actors, processes) and the people (eg, initial expectations) sides. While we hope to trigger further thinking on the conceptualisation of health

What is health systems responsiveness? Review of existing knowledge and proposed conceptual framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirzoev, Tolib; Kane, Sumit

2017-01-01

Responsiveness is a key objective of national health systems. Responsive health systems anticipate and adapt to existing and future health needs, thus contributing to better health outcomes. Of all the health systems objectives, responsiveness is the least studied, which perhaps reflects lack of comprehensive frameworks that go beyond the normative characteristics of responsive services. This paper contributes to a growing, yet limited, knowledge on this topic. Herewith, we review the current frameworks for understanding health systems responsiveness and drawing on these, as well as key frameworks from the wider public services literature, propose a comprehensive conceptual framework for health systems responsiveness. This paper should be of interest to different stakeholders who are engaged in analysing and improving health systems responsiveness. Our review shows that existing knowledge on health systems responsiveness can be extended along the three areas. First, responsiveness entails an actual experience of people's interaction with their health system, which confirms or disconfirms their initial expectations of the system. Second, the experience of interaction is shaped by both the people and the health systems sides of this interaction. Third, different influences shape people's interaction with their health system, ultimately affecting their resultant experiences. Therefore, recognition of both people and health systems sides of interaction and their key determinants would enhance the conceptualisations of responsiveness. Our proposed framework builds on, and advances, the core frameworks in the health systems literature. It positions the experience of interaction between people and health system as the centrepiece and recognises the determinants of responsiveness experience both from the health systems (eg, actors, processes) and the people (eg, initial expectations) sides. While we hope to trigger further thinking on the conceptualisation of health system

Memory and the Self in Autism: A Review and Theoretical Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Lind, Sophie E.

2010-01-01

This article reviews research on (a) autobiographical episodic and semantic memory, (b) the self-reference effect, (c) memory for the actions of self versus other (the self-enactment effect), and (d) non-autobiographical episodic memory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and provides a theoretical framework to account for the bidirectional…

The IAEA technical Co-operation a partner in development in Latin America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Saiedi, A.

1995-01-01

Each country was to find means of achieving sustainable development, and for this, technology within a framework of regional and international co-operation are of utmost importance. The IAEA plays a major role in promoting nuclear technologies for development. Highlights of the IAEA's technical cooperation programme are given in this paper

Army - Air Force Cooperation: Looking Backward to Move Forward

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-26

and spirit of cooperation between the Army and the Air Force over the years to uncover a framework for compromise based on historical precedence that...Force competition will increase requiring even more compromise in the future. This monograph examines the relationship and spirit of cooperation...achieved similar results following the Army’s move to AirLand battle provides a glimpse of what a new round of service-level compromise might produce. iii

Swarm intelligence inspired shills and the evolution of cooperation

OpenAIRE

Duan, Haibin; Sun, Changhao

2014-01-01

Many hostile scenarios exist in real-life situations, where cooperation is disfavored and the collective behavior needs intervention for system efficiency improvement. Towards this end, the framework of soft control provides a powerful tool by introducing controllable agents called shills, who are allowed to follow well-designed updating rules for varying missions. Inspired by swarm intelligence emerging from flocks of birds, we explore here the dependence of the evolution of cooperation on s...

Scoping review identifies significant number of knowledge translation theories, models and frameworks with limited use.

Science.gov (United States)

Strifler, Lisa; Cardoso, Roberta; McGowan, Jessie; Cogo, Elise; Nincic, Vera; Khan, Paul A; Scott, Alistair; Ghassemi, Marco; MacDonald, Heather; Lai, Yonda; Treister, Victoria; Tricco, Andrea C; Straus, Sharon E

2018-04-13

To conduct a scoping review of knowledge translation (KT) theories, models and frameworks that have been used to guide dissemination or implementation of evidence-based interventions targeted to prevention and/or management of cancer or other chronic diseases. We used a comprehensive multistage search process from 2000-2016, which included traditional bibliographic database searching, searching using names of theories, models and frameworks, and cited reference searching. Two reviewers independently screened the literature and abstracted data. We found 596 studies reporting on the use of 159 KT theories, models or frameworks. A majority (87%) of the identified theories, models or frameworks were used in five or fewer studies, with 60% used once. The theories, models and frameworks were most commonly used to inform planning/design, implementation and evaluation activities, and least commonly used to inform dissemination and sustainability/scalability activities. Twenty-six were used across the full implementation spectrum (from planning/design to sustainability/scalability) either within or across studies. All were used for at least individual-level behavior change, while 48% were used for organization-level, 33% for community-level and 17% for system-level change. We found a significant number of KT theories, models and frameworks with a limited evidence base describing their use. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Acceptability of healthcare interventions: an overview of reviews and development of a theoretical framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekhon, Mandeep; Cartwright, Martin; Francis, Jill J

2017-01-26

It is increasingly acknowledged that 'acceptability' should be considered when designing, evaluating and implementing healthcare interventions. However, the published literature offers little guidance on how to define or assess acceptability. The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-construct theoretical framework of acceptability of healthcare interventions that can be applied to assess prospective (i.e. anticipated) and retrospective (i.e. experienced) acceptability from the perspective of intervention delivers and recipients. Two methods were used to select the component constructs of acceptability. 1) An overview of reviews was conducted to identify systematic reviews that claim to define, theorise or measure acceptability of healthcare interventions. 2) Principles of inductive and deductive reasoning were applied to theorise the concept of acceptability and develop a theoretical framework. Steps included (1) defining acceptability; (2) describing its properties and scope and (3) identifying component constructs and empirical indicators. From the 43 reviews included in the overview, none explicitly theorised or defined acceptability. Measures used to assess acceptability focused on behaviour (e.g. dropout rates) (23 reviews), affect (i.e. feelings) (5 reviews), cognition (i.e. perceptions) (7 reviews) or a combination of these (8 reviews). From the methods described above we propose a definition: Acceptability is a multi-faceted construct that reflects the extent to which people delivering or receiving a healthcare intervention consider it to be appropriate, based on anticipated or experienced cognitive and emotional responses to the intervention. The theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) consists of seven component constructs: affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, and self-efficacy. Despite frequent claims that healthcare interventions have assessed acceptability, it is

Issues and Challenges for Teaching Successful Online Courses in Higher Education: A Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kebritchi, Mansureh; Lipschuetz, Angie; Santiague, Lilia

2017-01-01

Online education changes all components of teaching and learning in higher education. Many empirical studies have been conducted to examine issues in delivering online courses; however, few have synthesized prior studies and provided an overview on issues in online courses. A review of literature using Cooper's framework was conducted to identify…

International cooperation in the field of reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busekist, O. von

1983-01-01

Following a definition of the concept of international cooperation, this paper discusses existing and possible legal and institutional arrangements in the reprocessing field, with particular reference to the legal framework set up for the European Company for the Chemical Processing of Irradiated Fuels (Eurochemic). (NEA) [fr

Regional and Global Monetary Cooperation

OpenAIRE

Mario Lamberte; Peter J. Morgan

2012-01-01

The increasing occurrence of national, regional, and global financial crises, together with their rising costs and complexity, have increased calls for greater regional and global monetary cooperation. This is particularly necessary in light of volatile capital flow movements that can quickly transmit crisis developments in individual countries to other countries around the world. Global financial safety nets (GFSNs) are one important area for monetary cooperation. This paper reviews the c...

The IAEA technical Co-operation a partner in development in Latin America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Saiedi, A [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). Div. of Public Information

1995-10-01

Each country was to find means of achieving sustainable development, and for this, technology within a framework of regional and international co-operation are of utmost importance. The IAEA plays a major role in promoting nuclear technologies for development. Highlights of the IAEA`s technical cooperation programme are given in this paper.

Emergent behaviors of the Schrödinger-Lohe model on cooperative-competitive networks

Science.gov (United States)

Huh, Hyungjin; Ha, Seung-Yeal; Kim, Dohyun

2017-12-01

We present several sufficient frameworks leading to the emergent behaviors of the coupled Schrödinger-Lohe (S-L) model under the same one-body external potential on cooperative-competitive networks. The S-L model was first introduced as a possible phenomenological model exhibiting quantum synchronization and its emergent dynamics on all-to-all cooperative networks has been treated via two distinct approaches, Lyapunov functional approach and the finite-dimensional reduction based on pairwise correlations. In this paper, we further generalize the finite-dimensional dynamical systems approach for pairwise correlation functions on cooperative-competitive networks and provide several sufficient frameworks leading to the collective exponential synchronization. For small systems consisting of three and four quantum subsystem, we also show that the system for pairwise correlations can be reduced to the Lotka-Volterra model with cooperative and competitive interactions, in which lots of interesting dynamical patterns appear, e.g., existence of closed orbits and limit-cycles.

The sociocultural appraisals, values, and emotions (SAVE) framework of prosociality: core processes from gene to meme.

Science.gov (United States)

Keltner, Dacher; Kogan, Aleksandr; Piff, Paul K; Saturn, Sarina R

2014-01-01

The study of prosocial behavior--altruism, cooperation, trust, and the related moral emotions--has matured enough to produce general scholarly consensus that prosociality is widespread, intuitive, and rooted deeply within our biological makeup. Several evolutionary frameworks model the conditions under which prosocial behavior is evolutionarily viable, yet no unifying treatment exists of the psychological decision-making processes that result in prosociality. Here, we provide such a perspective in the form of the sociocultural appraisals, values, and emotions (SAVE) framework of prosociality. We review evidence for the components of our framework at four levels of analysis: intrapsychic, dyadic, group, and cultural. Within these levels, we consider how phenomena such as altruistic punishment, prosocial contagion, self-other similarity, and numerous others give rise to prosocial behavior. We then extend our reasoning to chart the biological underpinnings of prosociality and apply our framework to understand the role of social class in prosociality.

Value-based reimbursement decisions for orphan drugs: a scoping review and decision framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulden, Mike; Stafinski, Tania; Menon, Devidas; McCabe, Christopher

2015-03-01

The rate of development of new orphan drugs continues to grow. As a result, reimbursing orphan drugs on an exceptional basis is increasingly difficult to sustain from a health system perspective. An understanding of the value that societies attach to providing orphan drugs at the expense of other health technologies is now recognised as an important input to policy debates. The aim of this work was to scope the social value arguments that have been advanced relating to the reimbursement of orphan drugs, and to locate these within a coherent decision-making framework to aid reimbursement decisions in the presence of limited healthcare resources. A scoping review of the peer reviewed and grey literature was undertaken, consisting of seven phases: (1) identifying the research question; (2) searching for relevant studies; (3) selecting studies; (4) charting, extracting and tabulating data; (5) analyzing data; (6) consulting relevant experts; and (7) presenting results. The points within decision processes where the identified value arguments would be incorporated were then located. This mapping was used to construct a framework characterising the distinct role of each value in informing decision making. The scoping review identified 19 candidate decision factors, most of which can be characterised as either value-bearing or 'opportunity cost'-determining, and also a number of value propositions and pertinent sources of preference information. We were able to synthesize these into a coherent decision-making framework. Our framework may be used to structure policy discussions and to aid transparency about the values underlying reimbursement decisions for orphan drugs. These values ought to be consistently applied to all technologies and populations affected by the decision.

Determinants of public cooperation in multiplex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Battiston, Federico; Perc, Matjaž; Latora, Vito

2017-07-01

Synergies between evolutionary game theory and statistical physics have significantly improved our understanding of public cooperation in structured populations. Multiplex networks, in particular, provide the theoretical framework within network science that allows us to mathematically describe the rich structure of interactions characterizing human societies. While research has shown that multiplex networks may enhance the resilience of cooperation, the interplay between the overlap in the structure of the layers and the control parameters of the corresponding games has not yet been investigated. With this aim, we consider here the public goods game on a multiplex network, and we unveil the role of the number of layers and the overlap of links, as well as the impact of different synergy factors in different layers, on the onset of cooperation. We show that enhanced public cooperation emerges only when a significant edge overlap is combined with at least one layer being able to sustain some cooperation by means of a sufficiently high synergy factor. In the absence of either of these conditions, the evolution of cooperation in multiplex networks is determined by the bounds of traditional network reciprocity with no enhanced resilience. These results caution against overly optimistic predictions that the presence of multiple social domains may in itself promote cooperation, and they help us better understand the complexity behind prosocial behavior in layered social systems.

Spurious cooperativity in alkylated succinic acids

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Naim, A.

1998-03-01

The proton-proton correlation, as measured by the ratio between the second and the first dissociation constants of dibasic acid, is sometimes very large and far beyond what could be explained by electrostatic theories. We propose a novel interpretation of this phenomenon based on the idea of spurious cooperativity. The general theoretical framework underlying the onset of spurious cooperativity is developed first. The basic result is that whenever a binding (or dissociating) two-site (or more) system splits into a mixture of noninterconverting isomers the binding isotherm (or the titration curve) behaves as if it is more negatively cooperative compared with the genuine cooperativities of the individual isomer. The theory is applied to a specific system of α-α' dialkyl succinic acid. It is known that the Meso form of these alkylated derivatives show a normal correlation of the same order of magnitude as in succinic acid. On the other hand, the Racemic form of these alkylated derivatives shows anomalous strong negative correlations when the alkyl groups become large (e.g., isopropyl and tert butyl). It is shown that the theory of spurious cooperativity can explain the different behavior of the Racemic and the Meso forms, as well as the onset of anomalous strong negative correlations when the alkyl groups become large.

Study on the Flexibility in Cross-Border Water Resources Cooperation Governance

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zongrui; Wang, Teng; Zhou, Li

2018-02-01

Flexible strategy is very important to cross-border cooperation in international rivers water resources, which may be employed to reconcile contradictions and ease conflicts. Flexible characters of cross-border cooperation in international rivers water resources could be analyzed and revealed, using flexible strategic management framework, by taking international cooperation protocols related to water from Transboundary Freshwater Disputes Database (TFDD) as samples from the number of cooperation issues, the amount of management layers and regulator agencies in cooperation organization and the categories of income (cost) distribution (allocation) mode. The research demonstrates that there are some flexible features of cross-border cooperation in international rivers water resources: Riparian countries would select relative diversification strategies related to water, tend to construct a flexible cooperation organization featured with moderate hierarchies from vertical perspective and simplified administrations from horizontal perspective, and adopt selective inducement modes to respect ‘joint and several liability’.

Contending logics of action in development cooperation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fejerskov, Adam Moe

2017-01-01

and organizational change. This article builds an analytical framework for empirically exploring logics of action in development cooperation and then explores a case of how two strong logics, those of ‘cost-effectiveness’ and ‘gender equality and women’s empowerment’, respectively, contend in the Bill and Melinda...

Technical/institutional prerequisite for nuclear forensics response framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamai, Hiroshi; Okubo, Ayako; Kimura, Yoshiki; Kokaji, Lisa; Shinohara, Nobuo; Tomikawa, Hirofumi

2016-01-01

Nuclear Forensics capability has been developed under the international collaborations. For its effective function, technical development in analysis of seized nuclear materials as well as the institutional development in comprehensive response framework are required under individual national responsibility. In order to keep the “chain of custody” in the proper operation of sample collection at the event scene, radiological analysis at the laboratory, storage of the samples, and further inspection and trial, close cooperation and information sharing between relevant organisations are essential. IAEA issues the Implementing Guide to provide the model action plan and assists individual national development. Some countries at the advancing stage of national response framework, promote the international cooperation for the technical improvement and awareness cultivation. Examples in such national developments will be introduced and prospective technical/institutional prerequisite for nuclear forensics response framework will be studied. (author)

Innovation diffusion and development in a Third World setting: the cooperative movement in Sierra Leone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, L.A. (Ohio State Univ., Columbus); Schneider, R.; Harvey, M.E.; Riddell, J.B.

1979-09-01

The interface between innovation diffusion and economic development and social change in Third World settings is investigated. The paper first presents a conceptual framework linking diffusion processes and development and then exemplifies a portion of that framework by examining the diffusion of agricultural cooperatives in Sierra Leone from 1948 through 1967. Attention is then turned to elements of the historical development of a cooperative movement in Sierra Leone which are important for understanding the processes underlying that diffusion. The temporal and spatial patterns of diffusion are discussed and the statistical analyses that assess (1) which variables provide a basis for distinguishing political units with cooperatives from those without, and (2) which variables account for the differences in the time at which cooperatives were established are examined. The findings are integrated with the theory presented. 41 references.

A Framework for Argumentation-Based Negotiation

OpenAIRE

Sierra, C.; Jennings, N. R.; Noriega, P.; Parsons, S.

1997-01-01

Many autonomous agents operate in domains in which the cooperation of their fellow agents cannot be guaranteed. In such domains negotiation is essential to persuade others of the value of co-operation. This paper describes a general framework for negotiation in which agents exchange proposals backed by arguments which summarise the reasons why the proposals should be accepted.The argumentation is persuasive because the exchanges are able to alter the mental state of the agents involved. The f...

International co-operation. Key issue paper no. 6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-06-01

In accordance with guidance provided by the Steering Group, this report assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of international co-operation relating to the nuclear fuel cycle, with a view toward identifying any needed new forms or arrangements for co-operation. In more specific terms, the Steering Committee`s guidance identified the following questions: Is the existing international framework sufficient for: the safe and secure operation of the fuel cycle; the economic and orderly development of the world`s nuclear energy systems (or their phase-out should this take place); international co-operation in R and D; international co-operation in industrial activities? Are there places where these requirements overlap or interact so as to impede activities which are desirable? Can new forms of co-operation be foreseen which would make it easier to implement any of the fuel cycle options in a safe, secure and responsible way? Are there other new forms of international co-operation which would affect the fuel cycle, e.g. regional institutions; international plutonium management regime and/or storage? Finally: What is the appropriate role of IAEA in any of these?.

Social Norms of Cooperation in Small-Scale Societies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando P Santos

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Indirect reciprocity, besides providing a convenient framework to address the evolution of moral systems, offers a simple and plausible explanation for the prevalence of cooperation among unrelated individuals. By helping someone, an individual may increase her/his reputation, which may change the pre-disposition of others to help her/him in the future. This, however, depends on what is reckoned as a good or a bad action, i.e., on the adopted social norm responsible for raising or damaging a reputation. In particular, it remains an open question which social norms are able to foster cooperation in small-scale societies, while enduring the wide plethora of stochastic affects inherent to finite populations. Here we address this problem by studying the stochastic dynamics of cooperation under distinct social norms, showing that the leading norms capable of promoting cooperation depend on the community size. However, only a single norm systematically leads to the highest cooperative standards in small communities. That simple norm dictates that only whoever cooperates with good individuals, and defects against bad ones, deserves a good reputation, a pattern that proves robust to errors, mutations and variations in the intensity of selection.

Social Norms of Cooperation in Small-Scale Societies.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Fernando P; Santos, Francisco C; Pacheco, Jorge M

2016-01-01

Indirect reciprocity, besides providing a convenient framework to address the evolution of moral systems, offers a simple and plausible explanation for the prevalence of cooperation among unrelated individuals. By helping someone, an individual may increase her/his reputation, which may change the pre-disposition of others to help her/him in the future. This, however, depends on what is reckoned as a good or a bad action, i.e., on the adopted social norm responsible for raising or damaging a reputation. In particular, it remains an open question which social norms are able to foster cooperation in small-scale societies, while enduring the wide plethora of stochastic affects inherent to finite populations. Here we address this problem by studying the stochastic dynamics of cooperation under distinct social norms, showing that the leading norms capable of promoting cooperation depend on the community size. However, only a single norm systematically leads to the highest cooperative standards in small communities. That simple norm dictates that only whoever cooperates with good individuals, and defects against bad ones, deserves a good reputation, a pattern that proves robust to errors, mutations and variations in the intensity of selection.

Biological interactions and cooperative management of multiple species.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jinwei; Min, Yong; Chang, Jie; Ge, Ying

2017-01-01

Coordinated decision making and actions have become the primary solution for the overexploitation of interacting resources within ecosystems. However, the success of coordinated management is highly sensitive to biological, economic, and social conditions. Here, using a game theoretic framework and a 2-species model that considers various biological relationships (competition, predation, and mutualism), we compute cooperative (or joint) and non-cooperative (or separate) management equilibrium outcomes of the model and investigate the effects of the type and strength of the relationships. We find that cooperation does not always show superiority to non-cooperation in all biological interactions: (1) if and only if resources are involved in high-intensity predation relationships, cooperation can achieve a win-win scenario for ecosystem services and resource diversity; (2) for competitive resources, cooperation realizes higher ecosystem services by sacrificing resource diversity; and (3) for mutual resources, cooperation has no obvious advantage for either ecosystem services or resource evenness but can slightly improve resource abundance. Furthermore, by using a fishery model of the North California Current Marine Ecosystem with 63 species and seven fleets, we demonstrate that the theoretical results can be reproduced in real ecosystems. Therefore, effective ecosystem management should consider the interconnection between stakeholders' social relationship and resources' biological relationships.

Evidence-based Frameworks for Teaching and Learning in Classical Singing Training: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Crocco, Laura; Madill, Catherine J; McCabe, Patricia

2017-01-01

The study systematically reviews evidence-based frameworks for teaching and learning of classical singing training. This is a systematic review. A systematic literature search of 15 electronic databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. Eligibility criteria included type of publication, participant characteristics, intervention, and report of outcomes. Quality rating scales were applied to support assessment of the included literature. Data analysis was conducted using meta-aggregation. Nine papers met the inclusion criteria. No complete evidence-based teaching and learning framework was found. Thematic content analysis showed that studies either (1) identified teaching practices in one-to-one lessons, (2) identified student learning strategies in one-to-one lessons or personal practice sessions, and (3) implemented a tool to enhance one specific area of teaching and learning in lessons. The included studies showed that research in music education is not always specific to musical genre or instrumental group, with four of the nine studies including participant teachers and students of classical voice training only. The overall methodological quality ratings were low. Research in classical singing training has not yet developed an evidence-based framework for classical singing training. This review has found that introductory information on teaching and learning practices has been provided, and tools have been suggested for use in the evaluation of the teaching-learning process. High-quality methodological research designs are needed. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Snappy answers to stupid questions: an evidence-based framework for responding to peer-review feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenfield, Daniel; Hoffman, Steven J.

2009-01-01

Background Authors are inundated with feedback from peer reviewers. Although this feedback is usually helpful, it can also be incomprehensible, rude or plain silly. Inspired by Al Jaffe’s classic comic from Mad Magazine, we sought to develop an evidenced-based framework for providing “snappy answers to stupid questions,” in the hope of aiding emerging academics in responding appropriately to feedback from peer review. Methods We solicited, categorized and analyzed examples of silly feedback from peer reviewers using the grounded theory qualitative research paradigm from 50 key informants. The informants represented 15 different professions, 33 institutions and 11 countries (i.e., Australia, Barbados, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA). Results We developed a Scale of Silliness (SOS) and a Scale of Belligerence (SOB) to facilitate the assessment of inadequate peer-review feedback and guide users in preparing suitable responses to it. The SOB score is tempered by users’ current mood, as captured by the Mood Reflective Index (MRI), and dictates the Appropriate Degree of Response (ADR) for the particular situation. Conclusion Designed using the highest quality of (most easily accessible anecdotal) evidence available, this framework may fill a significant gap in the research literature by helping emerging academics respond to silly feedback from peer reviewers. Although use of the framework to its full extent may have negative consequences (e.g., loss of promotion), its therapeutic value cannot be understated. PMID:19969574

Framework for selecting best practices in public health: a systematic literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eileen Ng

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Evidence-based public health has commonly relied on findings from empirical studies, or research-based evidence. However, this paper advocates that practice-based evidence derived from programmes implemented in real-life settings is likely to be a more suitable source of evidence for inspiring and guiding public health programmes. Selection of best practices from the array of implemented programmes is one way of generating such practice-based evidence. Yet the lack of consensus on the definition and criteria for practice-based evidence and best practices has limited their application in public health so far. To address the gap in literature on practice-based evidence, this paper hence proposes measures of success for public health interventions by developing an evaluation framework for selection of best practices. The proposed framework was synthesised from a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on existing evaluation frameworks for public health programmes as well as processes employed by health-related organisations when selecting best practices. A best practice is firstly defined as an intervention that has shown evidence of effectiveness in a particular setting and is likely to be replicable to other situations. Regardless of the area of public health, interventions should be evaluated by their context, process and outcomes. A best practice should hence meet most, if not all, of eight identified evaluation criteria: relevance, community participation, stakeholder collaboration, ethical soundness, replicability, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. Ultimately, a standardised framework for selection of best practices will improve the usefulness and credibility of practice-based evidence in informing evidence-based public health interventions.

MR brain scan tissues and structures segmentation: local cooperative Markovian agents and Bayesian formulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scherrer, B.

2008-12-01

Accurate magnetic resonance brain scan segmentation is critical in a number of clinical and neuroscience applications. This task is challenging due to artifacts, low contrast between tissues and inter-individual variability that inhibit the introduction of a priori knowledge. In this thesis, we propose a new MR brain scan segmentation approach. Unique features of this approach include (1) the coupling of tissue segmentation, structure segmentation and prior knowledge construction, and (2) the consideration of local image properties. Locality is modeled through a multi-agent framework: agents are distributed into the volume and perform a local Markovian segmentation. As an initial approach (LOCUS, Local Cooperative Unified Segmentation), intuitive cooperation and coupling mechanisms are proposed to ensure the consistency of local models. Structures are segmented via the introduction of spatial localization constraints based on fuzzy spatial relations between structures. In a second approach, (LOCUS-B, LOCUS in a Bayesian framework) we consider the introduction of a statistical atlas to describe structures. The problem is reformulated in a Bayesian framework, allowing a statistical formalization of coupling and cooperation. Tissue segmentation, local model regularization, structure segmentation and local affine atlas registration are then coupled in an EM framework and mutually improve. The evaluation on simulated and real images shows good results, and in particular, a robustness to non-uniformity and noise with low computational cost. Local distributed and cooperative MRF models then appear as a powerful and promising approach for medical image segmentation. (author)

SimBasin: A serious gaming framework for integrated and cooperative decision-making in water management

Science.gov (United States)

Angarita, H.; Craven, J.; Caggiano, F.; Corzo, G.

2016-12-01

An Integrated approach involving extensive stakeholder dialogue is widely advocated in sustainable water management. However, it requires a social learning process in which scientist and stakeholders become aware of the relationship between their own frames of reference and those of others, differences can be dealt with constructively, and shared ideas can be used to facilitate cooperation. Key obstacles in this process are heritage systems, attitudes and processes, factually wrong, incomplete or unshared mental models, and lack of science-policy dialogue (Pahl-Wostl et al., 2005) To overcome these barriers, a space is required which is free of heritage systems, where mental models can be safely and easily compared and corrected, and where scientists and policy-makers can come together. A "serious game" can serve as such a space - Serious games are games or simulations used to achieve an organizational or educational goal, and such games have already been used to facilitate stakeholder cooperation in the water management sector (Rusca et al., 2005). As well as bringing stakeholders together, they can be an accessible interface between scientific models and non-experts. Here we present SimBasin, a multiplayer serious game framework and development engine. The engine allows to easily create a simulated multiplayer basin management game using WEAP water resources modelling software (SEI, 1992-2015), to facilitate the communication of the complex, long term and wide range relationships between hydrologic, climate, and human systems present in river basins, and enable dialogue between policy-makers and scientists. Different games have been created using the Sim-Basin engine and used in various contexts. Here are discussed experiences with stakeholders at a national forum in Bogotá, flood risk management agencies in the lower Magdalena River Basin in Colombia and with water professionals in Bangkok. The experience shows that the game is a useful tool for enabling

IAEA Mission Concludes Peer Review of Jordan's Nuclear Regulatory Framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Senior international nuclear safety and radiation protection experts today concluded an 11-day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Jordan. The mission team said in its preliminary findings that Jordan's nuclear regulator, the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), faces challenges because it is a relatively new body that handles a high workload while also working to recruit, train and keep competent staff. The team also noted that a recent merger provided the regulator with more of the resources it needs to perform its duty. The team made recommendations and suggestions to the regulatory body and the Government to help them strengthen the effectiveness of Jordan's regulatory framework and functions in line with IAEA Safety Standards. The main observations of the IRRS Review team comprised the following: The regulatory body, founded in 2007 and merged with other regulators in April 2014 to form EMRC, faces large challenges in terms of its regulatory workload, management system building and staff recruitment and training; The new EMRC structure and revision of the radiation and nuclear safety law represents an important opportunity to strengthen Jordan's radiation and nuclear safety infrastructure; The Government has shown commitment to radiation and nuclear safety through measures including becoming party to international conventions. It could further demonstrate its commitment by adopting a formal national policy and strategy for safety that defines the role of the Minister of Energy in relation to EMRC and protects the independence of regulatory decision-making

The Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia: History ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Senayet

based on the key findings, the article proposes a framework that can help integrate sustainability principles into a cooperative structure right from the ... wide variety of institutional and organizational landscapes, such as public and civil ..... financial services in rural areas, purchasing agricultural machinery, equipment and.

Inter-Agency Cooperation in Combating Terrorism in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... phenomenon through the analysis of its various definitions, its nature and consequences. Based on the analysis, the paper proffers a ten-point policy recommendation for enhancing the existing instruments and frameworks in the security services that would foster interagency cooperation in combating terrorism in Nigeria.

Regional cooperative agreement for the Asia and Pacific region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

Among the means available to the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote cooperative efforts in the nuclear field is the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) for Research, Development, and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology for the Asia and Pacific Region. Under the terms of this agreement, which came into force on June 12, 1972, participating countries aim to promote and coordinate research, development, and training projects in nuclear fields through collaborative efforts among relevant national institutions in the region. The Agency's role is to provide organizational, administrative, advisory, technical, and financial assistance when needed to secure successful execution of the projects undertaken within the framework of the RCA. Although this presentation deals primarily with the benefits of regional cooperation under the agreement, a review of the RCA would be somewhat imbalanced without a mention of its shortcomings. One of the principal impediments to more rapid progress, as is the case in many other areas, is financing. There is no stable source of funding outside the research contract program and, the likelihood of large-scale UNDP support notwithstanding, a greater willingness on the part of participating Member States to support the program along with the development of a greater sense of common purpose are called for. In this connection serious consideration is being given to the possibility of establishing an Asian Centre for Research and Training, an institute that would bring together scientists from the region to collaborate on problems common to the RCA countries. A study group has already been convened to investigate the feasibility of this proposal

Dialogue Coherence: A Generation Framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beun, R.J.; Eijk, R.M. van

2007-01-01

This paper presents a framework for the generation of coherent elementary conversational sequences at the speech act level. We will embrace the notion of a cooperative dialogue game in which two players produce speech acts to transfer relevant information with respect to their commitments.

Cooperative Learning: Review of Research and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Robyn M.

2016-01-01

Cooperative learning is widely recognized as a pedagogical practice that promotes socialization and learning among students from pre-school through to tertiary level and across different subject domains. It involves students working together to achieve common goals or complete group tasks--goals and tasks that they would be unable to complete by…

Application of Resource Description Framework to Personalise Learning: Systematic Review and Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Jevsikova, Tatjana; Berniukevicius, Andrius; Kurilovas, Eugenijus

2017-01-01

The paper is aimed to present a methodology of learning personalisation based on applying Resource Description Framework (RDF) standard model. Research results are two-fold: first, the results of systematic literature review on Linked Data, RDF "subject-predicate-object" triples, and Web Ontology Language (OWL) application in education…

National Qualifications Framework For Higher Education in Turkey, and Architectural Education: Problems and Challenges of Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emel AKÖZER

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Council of Higher Education (CoHE adopted the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Turkey (NQF-HETR in May 2009, as part of the Bologna reforms. In January 2010, the CoHE decided full implementation of the NQF-HETR at institutional and program levels and in this decision, it was foreseen that the process would be completed by the end of December 2012. The NQFHETR has been aligned both to the overarching Framework for Qualifications in the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA, 2005 and to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF-LLL, 2008. The latter was introduced to facilitate the European cooperation in education and training, in line with the goals of the European Union's (EU Lisbon Strategy. This paper focuses on some of the problems that have become apparent during the NQF-HETR's implementation at the levels of “narrow fields of education” and architecture programs, and the challenges ahead. Following a discussion of the significance of the two European frameworks in light of the goals of the EHEA, the Education and Training 2010 work programme (ET 2010 and the strategic framework for European cooperation in Education and Training (ET 2020, it covers two problem areas concerning qualifications in architecture: i terminological and classificatory problems entailed by the NQF-HETR; ii the lack of alignment between the European qualifications frameworks and the EU Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Directive EC/2005/36 that covers seven “sectoral professions” including architecture. The paper also reviews the latest developments for the modernization of the EU Directive in order to provide progression in forming an integrated European Higher Education Area.

Country programme frameworks. A special evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

As a result of the recommendations of the TC Policy Review Seminar held in 1994 the Department of Technical Co-operation initiated Country Programme Framework (CPF) related activities in early 1995. Draft Guidelines for carrying out the CPF process were issued in February 1995. An agenda was propose for carrying gout the CPF process, which also included field missions to those countries where the information on national programmes and priorities available at the Agency was believed to be insufficient. In December 1995 the Evaluation Section was requested by the TC management to evaluate the approach and the progress achieved to date. The findings and conclusions of this evaluation have been formulated after extensive discussions with both in-house staff and external evaluation consultants. They thus represent a distillation of the views expressed by all. 2 figs, 1 tab

Technical co-operation report for 2002. Report by the Director General

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-08-01

General Conference resolution GC(46)/RES/10 reiterated the need to strengthen the technical co- operation programme and requested the Director General to report to the Board of Governors periodically and to the General Conference at its forty-seventh (2003) session on the implementation of resolution GC(46)/RES/10. Part A of this report responds to the General Conference resolution by providing an overview of the progress achieved in technical co-operation policies, strategies, working relations, and internal management during the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, as well as the major new challenges facing the technical co-operation programme. Part B reports on operational activities and programme performance at the country and regional levels during the calendar year 2002, and Part C reviews the use of financial and human resources in the programme at an aggregate level. As part of its efforts to refine policies for improving programme development, the Agency reviewed the Technical Co-operation Strategy in 2002. The resulting document, The Technical Co-operation Strategy: the 2002 Review (document GOV/INF/2002/8/Mod.1), states that the strategic goal originally identified in the Strategy in 1997 remains valid, and defines four objectives to guide the technical co-operation programme: applying the central criterion (strong government commitment), developing strategic partnerships, increasing the level of funding for technical co-operation, and promoting greater sustainability and self-reliance of nuclear institutions. In line with the Technical Co-operation Strategy, one of the key features of the Agency.s work in 2002 was continuing consultations with Member States at both the policy and operational levels on the management of the ongoing technical co-operation programme and on planning for future activities. The dialogue with Member States aimed at clarifying the strategic objectives and key tools for the utilization of resources to achieve maximum

New generation of space capabilities resulting from US/RF cooperative efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Humpherys, Thomas; Misnik, Victor; Sinelshchikov, Valery; Stair, A. T., Jr.; Khatulev, Valery; Carpenter, Jack; Watson, John; Chvanov, Dmitry; Privalsky, Victor

2006-09-01

Previous successful international cooperative efforts offer a wealth of experience in dealing with highly sensitive issues, but cooperative remote sensing for monitoring and understanding the global environmental is in the national interest of all countries. Cooperation between international partners is paramount, particularly with the Russian Federation, due to its technological maturity and strategic political and geographical position in the world. Based on experience gained over a decade of collaborative space research efforts, continued cooperation provides an achievable goal as well as understanding the fabric of our coexistence. Past cooperative space research efforts demonstrate the ability of the US and Russian Federation to develop a framework for cooperation, working together on a complex, state-of-the-art joint satellite program. These efforts consisted of teams of scientists and engineers who overcame numerous cultural, linguistic, engineering approaches and different political environments. Among these major achievements are: (1) field measurement activities with US satellites MSTI and MSX and the Russian RESURS-1 satellite, as well as the joint experimental use of the US FISTA aircraft; (2) successful joint Science, Conceptual and Preliminary Design Reviews; (3) joint publications of scientific research technical papers, (4) Russian investment in development, demonstration and operation of the Monitor-E spacecraft (Yacht satellite bus), (5) successful demonstration of the conversion of the SS-19 into a satellite launch system, and (6) negotiation of contractual and technical assistant agreements. This paper discusses a new generation of science and space capabilities available to the Remote Sensing community. Specific topics include: joint requirements definition process and work allocation for hardware and responsibility for software development; the function, description and status of Russian contributions in providing space component prototypes

Cognitive strategies take advantage of the cooperative potential of heterogeneous networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vukov, Jeromos; Santos, Francisco C; Pacheco, Jorge M

2012-01-01

Understanding the emergence and maintenance of cooperation is one of the most challenging topics of our time. Evolutionary game theory offers a very flexible framework within which to address this challenge. Here we use the prisoner's dilemma game to investigate the performance of individuals who are capable of adopting reactive strategies in communities structurally organized by means of Barabási-Albert scale-free networks. We find that basic cognitive abilities, such as the capability to distinguish their partners and act according to their previous actions, enable cooperation to thrive. This result is particularly significant whenever fear is the leading social tension, as this fosters retaliation, thus enforcing and sustaining cooperation. Being able to simultaneously reward fellow cooperators and punish defectors proves instrumental in achieving cooperation and the welfare of the community. As a result, central individuals can successfully lead the community and turn defective players into cooperative ones. Finally, even when participation costs—known to be detrimental to cooperation in scale-free networks—are explicitly included, we find that basic cognitive abilities have enough potential to help cooperation to prevail. (paper)

Cooperation challenges for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Swart, B.

2007-01-01

While the Agreement between the United Nations and Lebanon provides a solid framework for cooperation between the Special Tribunal and Lebanon, Security Council Resolution 1757 (2007) is silent on the duty of third states to assist the Tribunal. As a result, the Special Tribunal will be confronted

Framework for Selecting Best Practices in Public Health: A Systematic Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Eileen; de Colombani, Pierpaolo

2015-11-17

Evidence-based public health has commonly relied on findings from empirical studies, or research-based evidence. However, this paper advocates that practice-based evidence derived from programmes implemented in real-life settings is likely to be a more suitable source of evidence for inspiring and guiding public health programmes. Selection of best practices from the array of implemented programmes is one way of generating such practice-based evidence. Yet the lack of consensus on the definition and criteria for practice-based evidence and best practices has limited their application in public health so far. To address the gap in literature on practice-based evidence, this paper hence proposes measures of success for public health interventions by developing an evaluation framework for selection of best practices. The proposed framework was synthesised from a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on existing evaluation frameworks for public health programmes as well as processes employed by health-related organisations when selecting best practices. A best practice is firstly defined as an intervention that has shown evidence of effectiveness in a particular setting and is likely to be replicable to other situations. Regardless of the area of public health, interventions should be evaluated by their context, process and outcomes. A best practice should hence meet most, if not all, of eight identified evaluation criteria: relevance, community participation, stakeholder collaboration, ethical soundness, replicability, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. Ultimately, a standardised framework for selection of best practices will improve the usefulness and credibility of practice-based evidence in informing evidence-based public health interventions. Significance for public healthBest practices are a valuable source of practice-based evidence on effective public health interventions implemented in real-life settings. Yet, despite the

Generic Model Predictive Control Framework for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, M.

2014-01-01

This thesis deals with a model predictive control framework for control design of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, where car-following tasks are under control. The framework is applied to design several autonomous and cooperative controllers and to examine the controller properties at the

Case Writing Projects in Co-Operation with Companies and Organizations

OpenAIRE

Bengtsson, Lars; Asplund, Carl-Johan

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the process and evaluation of case writing projects in co-operation with companies and organizations in a course for engineering students. The case writing projects could provide an illustration and example framework for working with companies in constructing cases. Normally cases are constructed for teaching purposes in higher education. However, in order to get closer co-operation and more interest from the companies the authors encouraged the student...

Critical cooperation range to improve spatial network robustness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitor H P Louzada

Full Text Available A robust worldwide air-transportation network (WAN is one that minimizes the number of stranded passengers under a sequence of airport closures. Building on top of this realistic example, here we address how spatial network robustness can profit from cooperation between local actors. We swap a series of links within a certain distance, a cooperation range, while following typical constraints of spatially embedded networks. We find that the network robustness is only improved above a critical cooperation range. Such improvement can be described in the framework of a continuum transition, where the critical exponents depend on the spatial correlation of connected nodes. For the WAN we show that, except for Australia, all continental networks fall into the same universality class. Practical implications of this result are also discussed.

Decentralized cooperative spectrum sensing for ad-hoc disaster relief network clusters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pratas, Nuno; Marchetti, Nicola; Prasad, Neeli R.

2010-01-01

cooperative schemes becomes essential. A cluster based decentralized orchestration cooperative sensing scheme is proposed, where each node in the cluster decides which spectrum it should monitor, according to the past sensing decisions of all the cluster nodes. The proposed scheme performance is evaluated...... through a framework, which allows gauging the accuracy of multi narrow-band spectrum sensing cooperative schemes as well as to gauge the error in the estimation of each of the channels un-occupancy. Through that evaluation it is shown that the proposed decentralized scheme performance reaches...... the performance of the correspondent centralized scheme while outperforming the Round Robin scheme....

Implications of a classification of forms of cooperative purchasing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schotanus, Fredo; Telgen, Jan; Wynstra, J.Y.F.; Dittrich, K.; Jaspers, F.P.H.

2005-01-01

Our main objective is to classify different forms of cooperative purchasing, i.e. purchasing groups. Based on a literature review, empirical findings, and new institutional economics we employ a classification: the highway matrix. In this matrix we distinguish five forms of cooperative purchasing

On The Solution Of N-Person Cooperative Games | Chigbu | Global ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, two existing optimal allocation to N-person cooperative games are reviewed for comparison-The ... Given the nonempty Core of an N-person cooperative game, both optimal allocation procedures ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Cooperation between Norwegian and Russian Regulatory Authorities: NRPA and Rostechnadzor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority has been cooperating with the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service, Rostechnadzor, on the upgrading of the regulatory framework for the safe decommissioning and disposal of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators. (Author)

Ulysses - An ESA/NASA cooperative programme

Science.gov (United States)

Meeks, W.; Eaton, D.

1990-01-01

Cooperation between ESA and NASA is discussed, noting that the Memorandum of Understanding lays the framework for this relationship, defining the responsibilities of ESA and NASA and providing for appointment of leadership and managers for the project. Members of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ESA's ESTEC staff have been appointed to leadership positions within the project and ultimate control of the project rests with the Joint Working Group consisting of two project managers and two project scientists, equally representing both organizations. Coordination of time scales and overall mission design is discussed, including launch cooperation, public relations, and funding of scientific investigations such as Ulysses. Practical difficulties of managing an international project are discussed such as differing documentation requirements and communication techniques, and assurance of equality on projects.

Book Review: Cooper, John F. Taiwan Nation-State or Province? Boulder: Westview Press, 2009. 288 PP.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ardian Bakhtiar Rivai

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This article aims to describe about my analysis of Cooper (2009 perspective in how we understand Taiwan as identity. There are two perspective that to see Taiwan in recent day. First of all, for nation who believe One China Policy, they assume that Taiwan is a province of People Republic of China which is Taiwan is part of Beijing government. Secondly, for nation who do not believe it, they assume that Taiwan is independence identity, a nation identity, and also sovereign country which is separated from mainland China influences. In this discourse about how we understand Taiwan,  this article is going to review from John F. Cooper which is in his book, Taiwan: nation state or province?. This book not only discuss how we can see Taiwan, however, how Taiwan in the future in political dynamic especially after US president Donald Trump who intent to support Taiwan as independence identity. 

Public health and health promotion capacity at national and regional level: a review of conceptual frameworks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Aluttis

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The concept of capacity building for public health has gained much attention during the last decade. National as well as international organizations increasingly focus their efforts on capacity building to improve performance in the health sector. During the past two decades, a variety of conceptual frameworks have been developed which describe relevant dimensions for public health capacity. Notably, these frameworks differ in design and conceptualization. This paper therefore reviews the existing conceptual frameworks and integrates them into one framework, which contains the most relevant dimensions for public health capacity at the country or regional level. A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify frameworks addressing public health capacity building at the national or regional level. We content-analysed these frameworks to identify the core dimensions of public health capacity. The dimensions were subsequently synthesized into a set of thematic areas to construct a conceptual framework which describes the most relevant dimensions for capacities at the national or regional level. The systematic review resulted in the identification of seven core domains for public health capacity: resources, organizational structures, workforce, partnerships, leadership and governance, knowledge development and country specific context. Accordingly, these dimensions were used to construct a framework, which describes these core domains more in detail. Our research shows that although there is no generally agreed upon model of public health capacity, a number of key domains for public health and health promotion capacity are consistently recurring in existing frameworks, regardless of their geographical location or thematic area. As only little work on the core concepts of public health capacities has yet taken place, this study adds value to the discourse by identifying these consistencies across existing frameworks and by synthesising

Environmental stability and the evolution of cooperative breeding in hornbills

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, Juan-Carlos T.; Sheldon, Ben C.; Tobias, Joseph A.

2013-01-01

Reproductive cooperation in social animals has been the focus of intensive research, yet the role of environmental factors in promoting such cooperation remains uncertain. A recent global analysis suggested that cooperative breeding in birds is a ‘bet-hedging’ strategy associated with climatic uncertainty, but it is unclear whether this mechanism applies generally or is restricted to the insectivorous passerines that predominate as cooperative breeders at the global scale. Here, we use a phylogenetic framework to assess the effect of climate on the evolution of cooperation in hornbills (Bucerotidae), an avian family characterized by frugivory and carnivory. We show that, in contrast to the global pattern, cooperative reproduction is positively associated with both inter- and intra-annual climatic stability. This reversed relationship implies that hornbills are relatively insensitive to climatic fluctuations, perhaps because of their dietary niche or increased body mass, both of which may remove the need for bet-hedging. We conclude that the relationship between climatic variability and cooperative breeding is inconsistent across taxa, and potentially mediated by life-history variation. These findings help to explain the mixed results of previous studies and highlight the likely shortcomings of global datasets inherently biased towards particular categories. PMID:23926149

Twenty-eighth Meeting of the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation. Summary Record

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadwick, Mark; ); Danon, Yaron; Herman, Mike; ); Dunn, Mike; ); Kahler, Albert Skip; ); Jacqmin, Robert; ); Plompen, Arjan; ); Fukahori, Tokio; ); Harada, Hideo; ); Iwamoto, Osamu; Yokoyama, Kenji; ); Grudzevich, Oleg; ); Ge, Zhigang; Ruan, Xichao; Wu, Haicheng; Koning, Arjan; ); Mills, Robert; ); Mcnabb, Dennis; ); Palmiotti, Giuseppe; ); Noguere, Gilles; ); Leal, Luiz; ); Cabellos, Oscar; )

2016-01-01

The NEA's nuclear data evaluation co-operation activities involve the following evaluation projects: ENDF (United States), JENDL (Japan), ROSFOND/BROND (Russia), JEFF (other Data Bank member countries) and CENDL (China) in close co-operation with the Nuclear Data Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The working party was established to promote the exchange of information on nuclear data evaluations, measurements, nuclear model calculations, validation, and related topics, and to provide a framework for cooperative activities between the participating projects. The working party assesses nuclear data improvement needs and addresses these needs by initiating joint evaluation and/or measurement efforts. The 28. Meeting of the WPEC was the occasion to review the experimental activities, the evaluation projects and the Status of subgroups. This document is the summary record of the meeting. It presents: 1 - The reports on experimental activities: Experimental nuclear data activities of relevance to the evaluation projects were reviewed. Detailed information about the experimental activities is given in the reports and view-graphs presented at the meeting. 2 - The review of final or near-final subgroup reports. Results and conclusions of completed or near-completed subgroups were discussed. A summary table of all subgroup status is given in Annex 3. 3 - The status of ongoing subgroups. Activities of ongoing subgroups were presented. A summary table of all subgroup status is given in Annex 3. 4 - The proposals for new subgroups. The subgroup proposal was reviewed by WPEC. Detailed information about this proposal is given in the document. 5 - The forthcoming meetings of interest. The documents presented at the twenty-eight WPEC meeting are presented in the annex 2: Annex 2.1 Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation - WPEC; Annex 2.2 WPEC Long-term mandate (updated and extended) on a 'Expert Group on the High Priority Request

A Systematic Review Exploring the Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation as a Framework for Chronic Health Condition Interventions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle E Tougas

Full Text Available Theory is often recommended as a framework for guiding hypothesized mechanisms of treatment effect. However, there is limited guidance about how to use theory in intervention development.We conducted a systematic review to provide an exemplar review evaluating the extent to which use of theory is identified and incorporated within existing interventions. We searched electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and EMBASE from inception to May 2014. We searched clinicaltrials.gov for registered protocols, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and included studies, and conducted a citation search in Web of Science. We included peer-reviewed publications of interventions that referenced the social cognitive theory of self-regulation as a framework for interventions to manage chronic health conditions. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for eligibility. We contacted all authors of included studies for information detailing intervention content. We describe how often theory mechanisms were addressed by interventions, and report intervention characteristics used to address theory.Of 202 articles that reported using the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, 52% failed to incorporate self-monitoring, a main theory component, and were therefore excluded. We included 35 interventions that adequately used the theory framework. Intervention characteristics were often poorly reported in peer-reviewed publications, 21 of 35 interventions incorporated characteristics that addressed each of the main theory components. Each intervention addressed, on average, six of eight self-monitoring mechanisms, two of five self-judgement mechanisms, and one of three self-evaluation mechanisms. The self-monitoring mechanisms 'Feedback' and 'Consistency' were addressed by all interventions, whereas the self-evaluation mechanisms 'Self-incentives' and 'External rewards' were addressed by six and four interventions, respectively. The present review

A Systematic Review Exploring the Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation as a Framework for Chronic Health Condition Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tougas, Michelle E; Hayden, Jill A; McGrath, Patrick J; Huguet, Anna; Rozario, Sharlene

2015-01-01

Theory is often recommended as a framework for guiding hypothesized mechanisms of treatment effect. However, there is limited guidance about how to use theory in intervention development. We conducted a systematic review to provide an exemplar review evaluating the extent to which use of theory is identified and incorporated within existing interventions. We searched electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and EMBASE from inception to May 2014. We searched clinicaltrials.gov for registered protocols, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and included studies, and conducted a citation search in Web of Science. We included peer-reviewed publications of interventions that referenced the social cognitive theory of self-regulation as a framework for interventions to manage chronic health conditions. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for eligibility. We contacted all authors of included studies for information detailing intervention content. We describe how often theory mechanisms were addressed by interventions, and report intervention characteristics used to address theory. Of 202 articles that reported using the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, 52% failed to incorporate self-monitoring, a main theory component, and were therefore excluded. We included 35 interventions that adequately used the theory framework. Intervention characteristics were often poorly reported in peer-reviewed publications, 21 of 35 interventions incorporated characteristics that addressed each of the main theory components. Each intervention addressed, on average, six of eight self-monitoring mechanisms, two of five self-judgement mechanisms, and one of three self-evaluation mechanisms. The self-monitoring mechanisms 'Feedback' and 'Consistency' were addressed by all interventions, whereas the self-evaluation mechanisms 'Self-incentives' and 'External rewards' were addressed by six and four interventions, respectively. The present review establishes that

China-Venezuela Space Cooperation Benefits and Review

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Mariano Imbert

2016-01-01

For the last 10 years,the Venezuelan aerospace industry has been constantly growing,and it is to be expected to continue in the same way in the future.China and its space industry,as the main partner for most of the ongoing Venezuelan space projects from their beginning,has been an important player in their development and may continue acting as one of the most important partners not only for the Venezuelan aerospace industry but also for other Latin-American countries' aerospace industries.ABAE (Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities) together with the related Chinese aerospace companies,with the guidance and help of CGWIC,has been constantly improving its cooperation methods,regarding technical work flows as well as management activities,especially for the latest's space projects under development,namely the CIDE (Venezuelan Design,Assembly,Integration and Testing Center) and VRSS-2 (Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite-2) programs.Provided that there is a deeper and stronger cooperation in the future,partnership and friendship of the different scientists,experts and leaders from the space sectors of both countries,will be improved and strengthened for the development of both nations social welfare.

Narratives of community engagement: a systematic review-derived conceptual framework for public health interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunton, Ginny; Thomas, James; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Jamal, Farah; Oliver, Sandy; Kavanagh, Josephine

2017-12-11

Government policy increasingly supports engaging communities to promote health. It is critical to consider whether such strategies are effective, for whom, and under what circumstances. However, 'community engagement' is defined in diverse ways and employed for different reasons. Considering the theory and context we developed a conceptual framework which informs understanding about what makes an effective (or ineffective) community engagement intervention. We conducted a systematic review of community engagement in public health interventions using: stakeholder involvement; searching, screening, appraisal and coding of research literature; and iterative thematic syntheses and meta-analysis. A conceptual framework of community engagement was refined, following interactions between the framework and each review stage. From 335 included reports, three products emerged: (1) two strong theoretical 'meta-narratives': one, concerning the theory and practice of empowerment/engagement as an independent objective; and a more utilitarian perspective optimally configuring health services to achieve defined outcomes. These informed (2) models that were operationalized in subsequent meta-analysis. Both refined (3) the final conceptual framework. This identified multiple dimensions by which community engagement interventions may differ. Diverse combinations of intervention purpose, theory and implementation were noted, including: ways of defining communities and health needs; initial motivations for community engagement; types of participation; conditions and actions necessary for engagement; and potential issues influencing impact. Some dimensions consistently co-occurred, leading to three overarching models of effective engagement which either: utilised peer-led delivery; employed varying degrees of collaboration between communities and health services; or built on empowerment philosophies. Our conceptual framework and models are useful tools for considering appropriate and

Applying psychological frameworks of behaviour change to improve healthcare worker hand hygiene: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Srigley, J A; Corace, K; Hargadon, D P; Yu, D; MacDonald, T; Fabrigar, L; Garber, G

2015-11-01

Despite the importance of hand hygiene in preventing transmission of healthcare-associated infections, compliance rates are suboptimal. Hand hygiene is a complex behaviour and psychological frameworks are promising tools to influence healthcare worker (HCW) behaviour. (i) To review the effectiveness of interventions based on psychological theories of behaviour change to improve HCW hand hygiene compliance; (ii) to determine which frameworks have been used to predict HCW hand hygiene compliance. Multiple databases and reference lists of included studies were searched for studies that applied psychological theories to improve and/or predict HCW hand hygiene. All steps in selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. The search yielded 918 citations; seven met eligibility criteria. Four studies evaluated hand hygiene interventions based on psychological frameworks. Interventions were informed by goal setting, control theory, operant learning, positive reinforcement, change theory, the theory of planned behaviour, and the transtheoretical model. Three predictive studies employed the theory of planned behaviour, the transtheoretical model, and the theoretical domains framework. Interventions to improve hand hygiene adherence demonstrated efficacy but studies were at moderate to high risk of bias. For many studies, it was unclear how theories of behaviour change were used to inform the interventions. Predictive studies had mixed results. Behaviour change theory is a promising tool for improving hand hygiene; however, these theories have not been extensively examined. Our review reveals a significant gap in the literature and indicates possible avenues for novel research. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspectives on Transnational Higher Education: A View from Cooperative Education%Perspectives on Transnational Higher Education:A View from Cooperative Education

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

MENG Jun

2017-01-01

The rapid development of transnational higher education among the world leaves theoretical and practical room for study on educational globalization in the age.In China,transnational higher education is mostly manifested through issues and approaches on Sino-Foreign Cooperative education,but comparatively speaking,cooperative education that is one of educational patterns has been examined and applied widely in western countries.This study offers a systematically review on transnational higher education and cooperative education specifically on its origins and practice,which demonstrate the usefulness improving development of higher education in China.

ELPSA as A Lesson Design Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Lowrie

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper offers a framework for mathematics lesson design that is consistent with the way we learn about, and discover, most things in life. In addition, the framework provides a structure for identifying how mathematical concepts and understanding are acquired and developed. This framework is called ELPSA and represents five learning components, namely: Experience, Language, Pictorial, Symbolic and Applications. This framework has been used in developing lessons and teacher professional programs in Indonesia since 2012 in cooperation with the World Bank. This paper describes the theory that underlines the framework in general and in relation to each inter-connected component. Two explicit learning sequences for classroom practice are described, associated with Pythagoras theorem and probability. This paper then concludes with recommendations for using ELPSA in various institutional contexts.

Potential US/Canadian cooperative activities in geological disposal of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duguid, J.O.

1980-03-01

A joint review meeting between the US and Canada was held on June 19 and 20, 1979 to discuss waste isolation activities in crystalline rocks. The review meeting served the purposes of an initial information transfer and as a mechanism to stimulate thinking for a workshop on US/Canadian cooperative programs which was held on June 21, 1979. The workshop participants divided into working groups to discuss areas of potential cooperation: the Administrative Working Group established protocol for information exchange and cooperative activities; the Geotechnical Working Group selected activities in exploration, field testing, instrumentation and measurement technique development, monitoring, and quality assurance where cooperation would be of benefit to both countries; and the Assessment/Modeling Working Group discussed areas in model development and verification, engineered barriers, radiation effects, hydrologic properties of fractured rocks, waste form leaching, and sorption where cooperation would enhance both the US and Canadian programs

Establishment of the International Nuclear Education/Training and its Cooperation Framework for Nuclear Transparency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, B. J.; Han, K. W.; Lee, E. J.

2009-02-01

This project covered development and implementation of international nuclear education/training programs, cooperation for nuclear human resource development and education/training. provision of MS and PhD courses for qualified students from developing countries, and strengthening of infrastructure for the nuclear education/training. The WNU one week summer course was held for domestic future generation in nuclear field. NTC operated the ANENT web portal and cyber platform, supported training on their use, and prepared a KAERI-IAEA Practical Arrangement for the promotion of web-base nuclear education/training. For FNCA, an analysis was conducted on the need of nuclear education/training in South East Asian countries. The bilateral cooperation included cooperation with Vietnam. provision of Korean experience for nuclear power personnel from Egypt, and commencing of cooperation with South Africa. Also, NTC participated in GENEP for sharing Korean experience in the nuclear human resource development project. KAERI-UST MA and PhD courses with 3 foreign students started in spring 2008 and implemented. The courses were advance nuclear reactor system engineering, accelerator and nano-beam engineering, and radiation measurement science. 13 international nuclear education/training courses (IAEA, KOICA, RCARO and bilateral) were implemented for 226 foreign trainees. A reference education/training program was developed, which consisted of 15 courses that can be customized to learner levels and project stages of countries in question (e.g. Middle East. Africa). A textbook entitled 'Research Reactor Design, Management and Utilization' was developed presenting Korean experience with research reactors

Synthesizing perspectives on the evolution of cooperation within and between species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barker, Jessica Livia; Bronstein, Judith L.; Friesen, Maren L.

2017-01-01

Cooperation is widespread both within and between species, but are intra-specific and inter-specific cooperation fundamentally similar or qualitatively different phenomena? This review evaluates this question, necessary for a general understanding of the evolution of cooperation. First, we outline...... three advantages of cooperation relative to non-cooperation (acquisition of otherwise inaccessible goods and services, more efficient acquisition of resources, and buffering against variability), and predict when individuals should cooperate with a conspecific versus a heterospecific partner to obtain......, certain asymmetries between partners are more common in, but not exclusive to, cooperation between species, especially complementary resource use and production. We conclude that cooperation within and between species share many fundamental qualities, and that differences between the two systems...

A cooperative game-theoretic framework for negotiating marine spatial allocation agreements among heterogeneous players.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyriazi, Zacharoula; Lejano, Raul; Maes, Frank; Degraer, Steven

2017-02-01

Marine spatial allocation has become, in recent decades, a political flashpoint, fuelled by political power struggles, as well as the continuously increasing demand for marine space by both traditional and emerging marine uses. To effectively address this issue, we develop a decision-making procedure, that facilitates the distribution of disputed areas of specific size among heterogeneous players in a transparent and ethical way, while considering coalitional formations through coexistence. To do this, we model players' alternative strategies and payoffs within a cooperative game-theoretic framework. Depending on whether transferable utility (TU) or non-transferable utility (NTU) is the more appropriate assumption, we illustrate the use of the TU Shapley value and the Lejano's fixed point NTU Shapley value to solve for the ideal allocations. The applicability and effectiveness of the process has been tested in a case study area, the Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation in the North Sea, which involves three totally or partially conflicting activities, i.e. fishing, nature conservation and wind farm development. The findings demonstrate that the process is capable of providing a unique, fair and equitable division of space Finally, among the two solution concepts proposed the fixed point NTU Shapley value manages to better address the heterogeneity of the players and thus to provide a more socially acceptable allocation that favours the weaker player, while demonstrating the importance of the monetary valuation attributed by each use to the area. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting recruitment into depression trials: Systematic review, meta-synthesis and conceptual framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes-Morley, Adwoa; Young, Bridget; Waheed, Waquas; Small, Nicola; Bower, Peter

2015-02-01

Depression is common and clinical trials are crucial for evaluating treatments. Difficulties in recruiting participants into depression trials are well-documented, yet no study has examined the factors affecting recruitment. This review aims to identify the factors affecting recruitment into depression trials and to develop a conceptual framework through systematic assessment of published qualitative research. Systematic review and meta-synthesis of published qualitative studies. Meta-synthesis involves a synthesis of themes across a number of qualitative studies to produce findings that are "greater than the sum of the parts". ASSIA, CINAHL, Embase, Medline and PsychInfo were searched up to April 2013. Reference lists of included studies, key publications and relevant reviews were also searched. Quality appraisal adopted the "prompts for appraising qualitative research". 7977 citations were identified, and 15 studies were included. Findings indicate that the decision to enter a depression trial is made by patients and gatekeepers based on the patient׳s health state at the time of being approached to participate; on their attitude towards the research and trial interventions; and on the extent to which patients become engaged with the trial. Our conceptual framework highlights that the decision to participate by both the patient and the gatekeeper involves a judgement between risk and reward. Only English language publications were included in this review. Findings from this review have implications for the design of interventions to improve recruitment into depression trials. Such interventions may aim to diminish the perceived risks and increase the perceived rewards of participation. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Robust Nash Dynamic Game Strategy for User Cooperation Energy Efficiency in Wireless Cellular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuhuan Wen

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, there is an emerging trend of addressing “energy efficiency” aspect of wireless communications. It has been shown that cooperating users relay each other's information to improve data rates. The energy is limited in the wireless cellular network, but the mobile users refuse to relay. This paper presents an approach that encourages user cooperation in order to improve the energy efficiency. The game theory is an efficient method to solve such conflicts. We present a cellular framework in which two mobile users, who desire to communicate with a common base station, may cooperate via decode-and-forward relaying. In the case of imperfect information assumption, cooperative Nash dynamic game is used between the two users' cooperation to tackle the decision making problems: whether to cooperate and how to cooperate in wireless networks. The scheme based on “cooperative game theory” can achieve general pareto-optimal performance for cooperative games, and thus, maximize the entire system payoff while maintaining fairness.

An object-oriented framework for managing cooperating legacy databases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balsters, H; de Brock, EO

2003-01-01

We describe a general semantic framework for precise specification of so-called database federations. A database federation provides for tight coupling of a collection of heterogeneous legacy databases into a global integrated system. Our approach to database federation is based on the UML/OCL data

Pre-conceptual study on the review framework for the radiation shielding safety of the PWR spent fuel cask interim storage in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Byeong-Soo; Jeong, Jae-Hak; Jeong, Chan-Woo

2006-01-01

In Korea, 20 nuclear power plants are in operation and lots of spent fuels are on the onsite storage. The onsite storage capacity in Korea is supposed to be full around at the year of 2016 and interim storage facilities could be considered to be constructed before 2016. A review framework to evaluate the radiation shielding safety of the interim storage facilities is developed in this study. It includes acceptance criteria, review procedures and activities of independent analyses. A case study is performed to apply the review framework. Modeling the review reference storage, evaluating the source terms and calculating the photon fluxes are performed. It is shown that the application of the review framework could satisfy the regulatory demand that would arise in the near future in the review area of the radiation shielding safety of the interim storage in Korea. (author)

Product market competition and investments in cooperative R&D

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinloopen, J.; Vandekerckhove, J.

2011-01-01

Building on the framework developed by Qiu (1997) we investigate the influence of product market competition on incentives to invest in cooperative R&D. For that we disentangle the three components that make up the combined-profits externality. The strategic component is always negative and the size

Practical Implementation of Cooperative RRM for IMT-Advanced Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mihovska, Albena D.; Tragos, Elias; Kyriazakos, Sofoklis

2008-01-01

This paper describes a practical implementation of a radio resource management (RRM) framework for support of cooperation between radio access networks (RANs). The platform supports the inter-working between a next generation RAN and legacy systems (i.e., WLAN, UMTS). The platform is based on rea...

A review of Ghana’s energy sector national energy statistics and policy framework

OpenAIRE

Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie; Phebe Asantewaa Owusu

2016-01-01

In this study, a review of Ghana’s energy sector national energy statistics and policy framework is done to create awareness of the strategic planning and energy policies of Ghana’s energy sector that will serve as an informative tool for both local and foreign investors, help in national decision-making for the efficient development and utilization of energy resources. The review of Ghana’s energy sector policy is to answer the question, what has been done so far? And what is the way forward...

Understanding effects in reviews of implementation interventions using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Little, Elizabeth A; Presseau, Justin; Eccles, Martin P

2015-06-17

Behavioural theory can be used to better understand the effects of behaviour change interventions targeting healthcare professional behaviour to improve quality of care. However, the explicit use of theory is rarely reported despite interventions inevitably involving at least an implicit idea of what factors to target to implement change. There is a quality of care gap in the post-fracture investigation (bone mineral density (BMD) scanning) and management (bisphosphonate prescription) of patients at risk of osteoporosis. We aimed to use the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) within a systematic review of interventions to improve quality of care in post-fracture investigation. Our objectives were to explore which theoretical factors the interventions in the review may have been targeting and how this might be related to the size of the effect on rates of BMD scanning and osteoporosis treatment with bisphosphonate medication. A behavioural scientist and a clinician independently coded TDF domains in intervention and control groups. Quantitative analyses explored the relationship between intervention effect size and total number of domains targeted, and as number of different domains targeted. Nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (10 interventions) were analysed. The five theoretical domains most frequently coded as being targeted by the interventions in the review included "memory, attention and decision processes", "knowledge", "environmental context and resources", "social influences" and "beliefs about consequences". Each intervention targeted a combination of at least four of these five domains. Analyses identified an inverse relationship between both number of times and number of different domains coded and the effect size for BMD scanning but not for bisphosphonate prescription, suggesting that the more domains the intervention targeted, the lower the observed effect size. When explicit use of theory to inform interventions is absent, it is possible to

ELPSA AS A LESSON DESIGN FRAMEWORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Lowrie

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper offers a framework for mathematics lesson design that is consistent with the way we learn about, and discover, most things in life. In addition, the framework provides a structure for identifying how mathematical concepts and understanding are acquired and developed. This framework is called ELPSA and represents five learning components, namely: Experience, Language, Pictorial, Symbolic and Applications. This framework has been used in developing lessons and teacher professional programs in Indonesia since 2012 in cooperation with the World Bank. This paper describes the theory that underlines the framework in general and in relation to each inter-connected component. Two explicit learning sequences for classroom practice are described, associated with Pythagoras theorem and probability. This paper then concludes with recommendations for using ELPSA in various institutional contexts.Keywords: ELPSA, lesson design framework, Pythagoras theorem, probability DOI: dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.62.77

Some aspects of international cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilera A, V.E.

1984-01-01

The present work deals with some aspects of International cooperation which are directly related with Science and Technology in general, but which have total validity in Nuclear Science and Technology. It is meant particularly for Latin-American countries as a whole. Some ideas meant to review the factors that act on the development of Science and Technology are briefly developed; the number of positive achievements reached in Sc. and T.; is recounted; the problems to be overcome in Sc. and T. are numbered and, finally, some propositions for increasing international cooperation in Science and Technology are exposed. (Author)

A Cooperative Copper Metal-Organic Framework-Hydrogel System Improves Wound Healing in Diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jisheng; Chen, Siyu; Yi, Ji; Zhang, Hao; Ameer, Guillermo A

2017-01-05

Chronic non-healing wounds remain a major clinical challenge that would benefit from the development of advanced, regenerative dressings that promote wound closure within a clinically relevant time frame. The use of copper ions has shown promise in wound healing applications possibly by promoting angiogenesis. However, reported treatments that use copper ions require multiple applications of copper salts or oxides to the wound bed, exposing the patient to potentially toxic levels of copper ions and resulting in variable outcomes. Herein we set out to assess whether copper metal organic framework nanoparticles (HKUST-1 NPs) embedded within an antioxidant thermoresponsive citrate-based hydrogel would decrease copper ion toxicity and accelerate wound healing in diabetic mice. HKUST-1 and poly-(polyethyleneglycol citrate-co- N -isopropylacrylamide) (PPCN) were synthesized and characterized. HKUST-1 NP stability in a protein solution with and without embedding them in PPCN hydrogel was determined. Copper ion release, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and in vitro migration processes were measured. Wound closure rates and wound blood perfusion were assessed in vivo using the splinted excisional dermal wound diabetic mouse model. HKUST-1 NP disintegrated in protein solution while HKUST-1 NPs embedded in PPCN (H-HKUST-1) were protected from degradation and copper ions were slowly released. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis due to copper ion release were significantly reduced while dermal cell migration in vitro and wound closure rates in vivo were significantly enhanced. In vivo , H-HKUST-1 induced angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and re-epithelialization during wound healing in diabetic mice. These results suggest that a cooperatively stabilized, copper ion-releasing H-HKUST-1 hydrogel is a promising innovative dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds.

Systematic reviews of adverse effects: framework for a structured approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herxheimer Andrew

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As every healthcare intervention carries some risk of harm, clinical decision making needs to be supported by a systematic assessment of the balance of benefit to harm. A systematic review that considers only the favourable outcomes of an intervention, without also assessing the adverse effects, can mislead by introducing a bias favouring the intervention. Much of the current guidance on systematic reviews is directed towards the evaluation of effectiveness; but this differs in important ways from the methods used in assessing the safety and tolerability of an intervention. A detailed discussion of why, how and when to include adverse effects in a systematic review, is required. Methods This discussion paper, which presupposes a basic knowledge of systematic review methodology, was developed by consensus among experienced reviewers, members of the Adverse Effects Subgroup of The Cochrane Collaboration, and supplemented by a consultation of content experts in reviews methodology, as well as those working in drug safety. Results A logical framework for making decisions in reviews that incorporate adverse effects is provided. We explore situations where a comprehensive investigation of adverse effects is warranted and suggest strategies to identify practicable and clinically useful outcomes. The advantages and disadvantages of including observational and experimental study designs are reviewed. The consequences of including separate studies for intended and unintended effects are explained. Detailed advice is given on designing electronic searches for studies with adverse effects data. Reviewers of adverse effects are given general guidance on the assessment of study bias, data collection, analysis, presentation and the interpretation of harms in a systematic review. Conclusion Readers need to be able to recognize how strategic choices made in the review process determine what harms are found, and how the findings may affect

Social penalty promotes cooperation in a cooperative society.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Hiromu; Yoshimura, Jin

2015-08-04

Why cooperation is well developed in human society is an unsolved question in biological and human sciences. Vast studies in game theory have revealed that in non-cooperative games selfish behavior generally dominates over cooperation and cooperation can be evolved only under very limited conditions. These studies ask the origin of cooperation; whether cooperation can evolve in a group of selfish individuals. In this paper, instead of asking the origin of cooperation, we consider the enhancement of cooperation in a small already cooperative society. We ask whether cooperative behavior is further promoted in a small cooperative society in which social penalty is devised. We analyze hawk-dove game and prisoner's dilemma introducing social penalty. We then expand it for non-cooperative games in general. The results indicate that cooperation is universally favored if penalty is further imposed. We discuss the current result in terms of the moral, laws, rules and regulations in a society, e.g., criminology and traffic violation.

Origins of human cooperation and morality.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomasello, Michael; Vaish, Amrisha

2013-01-01

From an evolutionary perspective, morality is a form of cooperation. Cooperation requires individuals either to suppress their own self-interest or to equate it with that of others. We review recent research on the origins of human morality, both phylogenetic (research with apes) and ontogenetic (research with children). For both time frames we propose a two-step sequence: first a second-personal morality in which individuals are sympathetic or fair to particular others, and second an agent-neutral morality in which individuals follow and enforce group-wide social norms. Human morality arose evolutionarily as a set of skills and motives for cooperating with others, and the ontogeny of these skills and motives unfolds in part naturally and in part as a result of sociocultural contexts and interactions.

Biodiversity as a multidimensional construct: a review, framework and case study of herbivory's impact on plant biodiversity

Science.gov (United States)

Naeem, S.; Prager, Case; Weeks, Brian; Varga, Alex; Flynn, Dan F. B.; Griffin, Kevin; Muscarella, Robert; Palmer, Matthew; Wood, Stephen; Schuster, William

2016-01-01

Biodiversity is inherently multidimensional, encompassing taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic, genetic, landscape and many other elements of variability of life on the Earth. However, this fundamental principle of multidimensionality is rarely applied in research aimed at understanding biodiversity's value to ecosystem functions and the services they provide. This oversight means that our current understanding of the ecological and environmental consequences of biodiversity loss is limited primarily to what unidimensional studies have revealed. To address this issue, we review the literature, develop a conceptual framework for multidimensional biodiversity research based on this review and provide a case study to explore the framework. Our case study specifically examines how herbivory by whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) alters the multidimensional influence of biodiversity on understory plant cover at Black Rock Forest, New York. Using three biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) to explore our framework, we found that herbivory alters biodiversity's multidimensional influence on plant cover; an effect not observable through a unidimensional approach. Although our review, framework and case study illustrate the advantages of multidimensional over unidimensional approaches, they also illustrate the statistical and empirical challenges such work entails. Meeting these challenges, however, where data and resources permit, will be important if we are to better understand and manage the consequences we face as biodiversity continues to decline in the foreseeable future. PMID:27928041

Biodiversity as a multidimensional construct: a review, framework and case study of herbivory's impact on plant biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Naeem, S; Prager, Case; Weeks, Brian; Varga, Alex; Flynn, Dan F B; Griffin, Kevin; Muscarella, Robert; Palmer, Matthew; Wood, Stephen; Schuster, William

2016-12-14

Biodiversity is inherently multidimensional, encompassing taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic, genetic, landscape and many other elements of variability of life on the Earth. However, this fundamental principle of multidimensionality is rarely applied in research aimed at understanding biodiversity's value to ecosystem functions and the services they provide. This oversight means that our current understanding of the ecological and environmental consequences of biodiversity loss is limited primarily to what unidimensional studies have revealed. To address this issue, we review the literature, develop a conceptual framework for multidimensional biodiversity research based on this review and provide a case study to explore the framework. Our case study specifically examines how herbivory by whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) alters the multidimensional influence of biodiversity on understory plant cover at Black Rock Forest, New York. Using three biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) to explore our framework, we found that herbivory alters biodiversity's multidimensional influence on plant cover; an effect not observable through a unidimensional approach. Although our review, framework and case study illustrate the advantages of multidimensional over unidimensional approaches, they also illustrate the statistical and empirical challenges such work entails. Meeting these challenges, however, where data and resources permit, will be important if we are to better understand and manage the consequences we face as biodiversity continues to decline in the foreseeable future. © 2016 The Authors.

International cooperation in the Space Station programme - Assessing the experience to date

Science.gov (United States)

Logsdon, John M.

1991-01-01

The origins and framework for cooperation in the Space Station program are outlined. Particular attention is paid to issues and commitments between the countries and to the political context of the Station partnership. A number of conclusions concerning international cooperation in space are drawn based on the Space Station experience. Among these conclusions is the assertion that an international partnership requires realistic assesments, mutual trust, and strong commitments in order to work.

Evaluation of nuclear data for radiation shielding by model calculations and international co-operation aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canetta, E.; Maino, G.; Menapace, E.

2001-01-01

The matter is reviewed, also following previous discussions at ICRS-9, concerning evaluation and related theoretical activities on nuclear data for radiation shielding within the framework of international co-operation initiatives, according to recognised needs and priorities. Both cross-section data.- for reactions induced by neutrons and photons - and nuclear structure data have been considered. In this context, main contributions and typical results are presented from theoretical and evaluation activities at the ENEA Applied Physics Division, especially concerning neutron induced reaction data up to 20 MeV and photonuclear reaction data such as photon absorption and (gamma,n) cross-sections. Relevant aspects of algebraic nuclear models and of evaporation and pre-equilibrium models are discussed. (authors)

Energy strategies for the world. A case for international cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brundtland, G.H.

1994-01-01

The conference paper deals with policy aspects on environmental protection. The conclusion of the paper goes on the cooperation between the Government and industry to lay the foundation for a common, cooperative energy future. To achieve security of energy supplies and environmental protection, there is a need of developing stable market and framework conditions. According to the author, a good example is development of gas where long term commercial relations are needed to develop production and markets. This should also be acknowledged by governments in their policy making

A proposed framework for the systematic review and integrated assessment (SYRINA) of endocrine disrupting chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandenberg, Laura N.; Agerstrand, Marlene; Beronius, Anna

2016-01-01

of evidence (epidemiology, wildlife, laboratory animal, in vitro, and in silico data) that are relevant in assessing EDCs.Methods: We have developed a framework for the systematic review and integrated assessment (SYRINA) of EDC studies. The framework was designed for use with the International Program......Background: The issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is receiving wide attention from both the scientific and regulatory communities. Recent analyses of the EDC literature have been criticized for failing to use transparent and objective approaches to draw conclusions about the strength...... of evidence linking EDC exposures to adverse health or environmental outcomes. Systematic review methodologies are ideal for addressing this issue as they provide transparent and consistent approaches to study selection and evaluation. Objective methods are needed for integrating the multiple streams...

Cellular Controlled Short-Range Communication for Cooperative P2P Networking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fitzek, Frank H. P.; Katz, Marcos; Zhang, Qi

2009-01-01

-range communication network among cooperating mobile and wireless devices. The role of the mobile device will change, from being an agnostic entity in respect to the surrounding world to a cognitive device. This cognitive device is capable of being aware of the neighboring devices as well as on the possibility......This article advocates a novel communication architecture and associated collaborative framework for future wireless communication systems. In contrast to the dominating cellular architecture and the upcoming peer-to-peer architecture, the new approach envisions a cellular controlled short...... to establish cooperation with them. The novel architecture together with several possible cooperative strategies will bring clear benefits for the network and service providers, mobile device manufacturers and also end users....

Cooperation schemes for rate enhancement in detect-and-forward relay channels

KAUST Repository

Benjillali, Mustapha

2010-05-01

To improve the spectral efficiency of "Detect-and-Forward" (DetF) half-duplex relaying in fading channels, we propose a cooperation scheme where the relay uses a modulation whose order is higher than the one at the source. In a new common framework, we show that the proposed scheme offers considerable gains - in terms of achievable information rates - compared to the conventional DetF relaying schemes for both orthogonal and non-orthogonal source/relay cooperation. This allows us to propose an adaptive cooperation scheme based on the maximization of the information rate at the destination which needs to observe only the average signal-to-noise ratios of direct and relaying links. ©2010 IEEE.

Cooperation of Spain’s Local World in the Euro-Mediterranean Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paqui Santonja Mayor

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The growing participation of Spain’s regions, provinces and municipalities in international cooperation has had and continues to have a particular importance in the Mediterranean area, though this has not always been sufficiently acknowledged and supported by the relevant Mediterranean and European authorities. In this cooperation space, two key elements are conjugated: firstly, the process of regional integration in the European space and, secondly, thepromotion of a common area around the Mediterranean. At a time in which foreign policies and classic means of cooperation have shown signs of limitation in terms of the way in which they operate in the region, it seems a suitable moment to reflect on the role that public decentralised cooperation organised by Spain’s local governments could have in the framework of the EU’s new European Policy of Neighbourhood and Association.

Ukraine’s trade and economic priorities in the Black sea economic cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andriy Goncharuk

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the substantiation of trade and economic priorities of Ukraine’s integration into the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC. The country’s integration options have been analyzed including the Western European vs. pro-Russian integration vector, the bidirectional gravity model, and an alte — native subregional cooperation direction. Ukraine’s sectoral priorities for deepening economic cooperation with the BSEC member countries in the context of implementation of the national interests have been identified, in particular in the field of goods, transport and tourism services, and energy trading. The ways of and instruments for improving Ukraine’s trade activities within the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation have been offered for the various working groups of the Organization that are focused on such areas of cooperation as macroeconomics, policy and law, finance and economics, science and technology, culture and society, infrastructure, and institutional renewal.

Atoms for peace: Targeting technical cooperation for results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Jihui; Tisue, T.; Volkoff, A.

2000-01-01

The evolution of the Technical Co-operation Programme has been striking. In 1958 few countries boasted nuclear industries. That year the IAEA started technical assistance with the provision of a number of fellowships, expanding to provision of equipment and experts the following year. Today nuclear industries exist in all regions. The Agency has programmes in nearly 100 countries, disburses approximately $65 million per year and can use the capacity developed in earlier years as a springboard for further development. The aim now is to make a visible and positive difference in direct support of priority development goals in various countries and regions. The IAEA's new strategy for technical cooperation includes three major elements: (i) Model Projects: Model Projects set high standards for project design to ensure they respond to real needs of a country, produce significant economic or social impact through the end user, reflect the distinct advantages of nuclear technology over other approaches and enjoy strong government commitment. (ii) Country Programme Frameworks: Country Programme Frameworks help focus the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme with countries on a few priority areas that can lead to significant results. (iii) Thematic/Sectoral Plans: Thematic Planning exercises identify best practices in a given thematic area, assess nuclear techniques against conventional or up-and-coming techniques, ascertain what pre-conditions are necessary in a country to ensure work in a given thematic area will have impact, and identify other partners working in that thematic area

What is access to radiation therapy? A conceptual framework and review of influencing factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundaresan, Puma; Stockler, Martin R; Milross, Christopher G

2016-02-01

Optimal radiation therapy (RT) utilisation rates (RURs) have been defined for various cancer indications through extensive work in Australia and overseas. These benchmarks remain unrealised. The gap between optimal RUR and actual RUR has been attributed to inadequacies in 'RT access'. We aimed to develop a conceptual framework for the consideration of 'RT access' by examining the literature for existing constructs and translating it to the context of RT services. We further aimed to use this framework to identify and examine factors influencing 'RT access'. Existing models of health care access were reviewed and used to develop a multi-dimensional conceptual framework for 'RT access'. A review of the literature was then conducted to identify factors reported to affect RT access and utilisation. The electronic databases searched, the host platform and date range of the databases searched were Ovid MEDLINE, 1946 to October 2014 and PsycINFO via OvidSP,1806 to October 2014. The framework developed demonstrates that 'RT access' encompasses opportunity for RT as well as the translation of this opportunity to RT utilisation. Opportunity for RT includes availability, affordability, adequacy (quality) and acceptability of RT services. Several factors at the consumer, referrer and RT service levels affect the translation of this opportunity for RT to actual RT utilisation. 'Access' is a term that is widely used in the context of health service related research, planning and political discussions. It is a multi-faceted concept with many descriptions. We propose a conceptual framework for the consideration of 'RT access' so that factors affecting RT access and utilisation may be identified and examined. Understanding these factors, and quantifying them where possible, will allow objective evaluation of their impact on RT utilisation and guide implementation of strategies to modify their effects.

A quarter century of Culture's Consequences: a review of empirical research incorporating Hofstede's cultural values framework

OpenAIRE

Bradley L Kirkman; Kevin B Lowe; Cristina B Gibson

2006-01-01

Since Geert Hofstede's Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values (Sage, 1980) was published, researchers have utilized Hofstede's cultural values framework in a wide variety of empirical studies. We review 180 studies published in 40 business and psychology journals and two international annual volumes between 1980 and June 2002 to consolidate what is empirically verifiable about Hofstede's cultural values framework. We discuss limitations in the Hofstede-inspir...

Validity of instruments to measure physical activity may be questionable due to a lack of conceptual frameworks: a systematic review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Guidance documents for the development and validation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) advise the use of conceptual frameworks, which outline the structure of the concept that a PRO aims to measure. It is unknown whether currently available PROs are based on conceptual frameworks. This study, which was limited to a specific case, had the following aims: (i) to identify conceptual frameworks of physical activity in chronic respiratory patients or similar populations (chronic heart disease patients or the elderly) and (ii) to assess whether the development and validation of PROs to measure physical activity in these populations were based on a conceptual framework of physical activity. Methods Two systematic reviews were conducted through searches of the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cinahl databases prior to January 2010. Results In the first review, only 2 out of 581 references pertaining to physical activity in the defined populations provided a conceptual framework of physical activity in COPD patients. In the second review, out of 103 studies developing PROs to measure physical activity or related constructs, none were based on a conceptual framework of physical activity. Conclusions These findings raise concerns about how the large body of evidence from studies that use physical activity PRO instruments should be evaluated by health care providers, guideline developers, and regulatory agencies. PMID:21967887

Recent international activity in cooperative vehicle-highway automation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

This report summarizes the current state of the art in cooperative vehiclehighway automation systems in Europe and Asia : based on a series of meetings, demonstrations, and site visits, combined with the results of literature review. This review c...

EU Science Diplomacy and Framework Programs as Instruments of STI Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

К. А. Ibragimova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article examines the tools that the EU in interactions with third countries in the field of STI uses. The EU is a pioneer in the use of science and technology in the international arena, the creation of strategic bilateral agreements on science and technology and the conduct of political dialogues at the highest political level (at the country and regional levels. The EU actively uses its foreign policy instruments of influence, including the provision of access to its framework programs to researchers from third countries, as well as scientific diplomacy. The success of these programs and scientific diplomacy shows the effectiveness of the EU as a global actor. In its foreign policy global innovation strategy, the EU proceeds from the premise that no state in the world today can cope independently with modern global challenges such as climate change, migration, terrorism, etc. Therefore, the solution of these issues requires both an expert evaluation from an independent world scientific community, and the perseverance of diplomats and officials of branch ministries of national states capable of conveying the views of their government in international negotiations and defending national interests of the country to find a solution that suits everyone. The EU has the resources to create a "cumulative effect" by developing and applying common norms on the territory of theUnion, analyzing the innovation policies of member states and the possibility of sharing best practices. At the same time, the EU shares its vision of problems, values and priorities with partners and uses the tools of "soft power" (including its smart and normative force and scientific diplomacy in the field of STI. The soft power of the EU in the field of STI lies in the attractiveness of the EU as a research area in which it is possible to conduct modern high-quality international research with the involvement of scientific teams from different countries in both physical

Romanian - Swiss cooperative research programme "Environmental Science and Technology in Romania" (ESTROM)

OpenAIRE

PANIN, Nicolae; GIGER, Walter

2008-01-01

The Romanian Ministry for Education, Research and Youth (MECT), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation had launched in 2004 the Romanian-Swiss research programme known as “Environmental Science and Technology in Romania” (ESTROM). ESTROM was established as a pilot programme of scientific co-operation between Swiss Research and Education Units with similar ones from Romania in the framework of SCOPES – a Swiss national programme for sup...

THE RISKS OF OUTSOURCING TRANSPORT FUNCTIONS IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE COOPERATION FIRMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł Romanow

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the thesis that in the process of analysis and decision-making on the scope, duration and depth of cooperation in the framework of outsourcing in the area of transport is necessary to follow a set of business rules-oriented, both the strategic and operational aspects of business operations. The paper also discusses the errors committed in the decision making process concerning the selection and cooperation with suppliers of transport services.

The strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020: Which place for archaeological heritage in the lifelong learning context?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martínez Rodríguez, R.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Lisbon Strategy objective of turning Europe into a world-leading knowledge-based society, has left the way to the Europe 2020 strategyobjectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020 establishes that educational and training systems should provide the means for all citizens to realise their potentials, as well as to acquire and develop skills and competencies needed for their employability and foster further learning, active citizenship and inter-cultural dialogue; from a lifelong learning perspective, covering all levels and contexts (including non-formal and informal learning. The aim of this paper is to present the strategic objectives of EU education and training policies and discuss, accordingly, a place for archaeological heritage in school, higher and adult education.

Evolution of cooperation among game players with non-uniform migration scopes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Chunyan; Zhang, Jianlei; Xie, Guangming

In social dilemmas, cooperation among randomly interacting individuals is often hard to achieve. The situation changes if migration takes place, where game structure jointly evolves with the migration from adverse neighborhoods. Here we introduce a framework combining migration with the individual

Evidence appraisal: a scoping review, conceptual framework, and research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Andrew; Venker, Eric; Weng, Chunhua

2017-11-01

Critical appraisal of clinical evidence promises to help prevent, detect, and address flaws related to study importance, ethics, validity, applicability, and reporting. These research issues are of growing concern. The purpose of this scoping review is to survey the current literature on evidence appraisal to develop a conceptual framework and an informatics research agenda. We conducted an iterative literature search of Medline for discussion or research on the critical appraisal of clinical evidence. After title and abstract review, 121 articles were included in the analysis. We performed qualitative thematic analysis to describe the evidence appraisal architecture and its issues and opportunities. From this analysis, we derived a conceptual framework and an informatics research agenda. We identified 68 themes in 10 categories. This analysis revealed that the practice of evidence appraisal is quite common but is rarely subjected to documentation, organization, validation, integration, or uptake. This is related to underdeveloped tools, scant incentives, and insufficient acquisition of appraisal data and transformation of the data into usable knowledge. The gaps in acquiring appraisal data, transforming the data into actionable information and knowledge, and ensuring its dissemination and adoption can be addressed with proven informatics approaches. Evidence appraisal faces several challenges, but implementing an informatics research agenda would likely help realize the potential of evidence appraisal for improving the rigor and value of clinical evidence. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Investigation on the anisotropic mechanical behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian clay rock within the framework of ANDRA/GRS cooperation programme. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Chun-Liang [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Koeln (Germany); Armand, Gilles; Conil, Nathalie [French Agence Nationale Pour la Gestion de Dechets Radioactifs (ANDRA), Chatenay-Malabry (France)

2015-01-15

An underground repository for disposal of radioactive waste is planned to be constructed in the sedimentary Callovo-Oxfordian argillaceous formation (COX) in France /AND 05/. The clay rock exhibits inherent anisotropy with bedding structure, which leads to directional dependences of the rock properties (e.g. mineralogical, physical, mechanical, hydraulic, thermal, etc.) with respect to the bedding planes. For the design of the repository and the assessment of its safety during the operation and post-closure phases it is necessary to characterise and predict the anisotropic properties and processes in the host rock, particularly in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) near the openings. Within the framework of the bilateral cooperation agreement between the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ANDRA) and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), concerning the research activities in the Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory (MHM-URL), a joint research programme was initiated by ANDRA and GRS in 2013 to investigate mechanical anisotropy of the COX clay rock for the purpose of precise characterization, better understanding and reliable prediction of the development of EDZ around the repository. This programme was funded by ANDRA under contract number 059844 and performed by GRS during the time period of November 2013 to December 2014. GRS gratefully acknowledges the financial support from and the fruitful cooperation with ANDRA.

A study on the international cooperation through the NSG-DMTE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tae, Jaewoong; Lee, Youngwook; Choi, Sundo; Kim, Jongsook

2013-01-01

A final agreement for a total of seven areas will be drawn up in June 2013. The purpose of reviewing the control list is to harmonize NSG guidelines with the current level of nuclear technology. However, unnecessary control of items is likely to cause negative impacts on the development of the domestic nuclear power industry according to results of the revision. Therefore, the revision of the control list should be carried out carefully by thorough consideration. It is need to minimize the negative impact on domestic nuclear industries and research institutes due to strengthened export control regime. There is also a need to promote a solid foothold of Korea in NSG through the appropriate response such as new suggestion for the revision. The following measures to strengthen international cooperation were derived based on negotiation processes. Suggesting proposals PGs which suggested proposals in DMTE have many opportunities to have comments on revisions and occupy an advantageous position to dominate discussion. The active intervention in the fundamental review will invigorate future cooperation activities with many countries. Building bilateral communication channel It is difficult to grasp the practical position of each country in formal meetings. Sometimes, some proposals are related to some states' national policy and political issues even if the amendments are based on technical reviews. Unofficial diplomatic channels will contribute to build the communication and cooperation with many countries. Cooperation with like-minded states Joint suggestions of proposals, joint opposition to proposals establish cooperation channels between like-minded states, which may help to manage other proposals. Cooperation with like-minded states can exert a big influence to build consensus considering the decision system of NSG

Cooperation and defection at the crossroads.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramson, Guillermo; Semeshenko, Viktoriya; Iglesias, José Roberto

2013-01-01

We study a simple traffic model with a non-signalized road intersection. In this model the car arriving from the right has precedence. The vehicle dynamics far from the crossing are governed by the rules introduced by Nagel and Paczuski, which define how drivers behave when braking or accelerating. We measure the average velocity of the ensemble of cars and its flow as a function of the density of cars on the roadway. An additional set of rules is defined to describe the dynamics at the intersection assuming a fraction of drivers that do not obey the rule of precedence. This problem is treated within a game-theory framework, where the drivers that obey the rule are cooperators and those who ignore it are defectors. We study the consequences of these behaviors as a function of the fraction of cooperators and defectors. The results show that cooperation is the best strategy because it maximizes the flow of vehicles and minimizes the number of accidents. A rather paradoxical effect is observed: for any percentage of defectors the number of accidents is larger when the density of cars is low because of the higher average velocity.

Multiagent cooperation and competition with deep reinforcement learning.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ardi Tampuu

Full Text Available Evolution of cooperation and competition can appear when multiple adaptive agents share a biological, social, or technological niche. In the present work we study how cooperation and competition emerge between autonomous agents that learn by reinforcement while using only their raw visual input as the state representation. In particular, we extend the Deep Q-Learning framework to multiagent environments to investigate the interaction between two learning agents in the well-known video game Pong. By manipulating the classical rewarding scheme of Pong we show how competitive and collaborative behaviors emerge. We also describe the progression from competitive to collaborative behavior when the incentive to cooperate is increased. Finally we show how learning by playing against another adaptive agent, instead of against a hard-wired algorithm, results in more robust strategies. The present work shows that Deep Q-Networks can become a useful tool for studying decentralized learning of multiagent systems coping with high-dimensional environments.

Multiagent cooperation and competition with deep reinforcement learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kodelja, Dorian; Kuzovkin, Ilya; Korjus, Kristjan; Aru, Juhan; Aru, Jaan; Vicente, Raul

2017-01-01

Evolution of cooperation and competition can appear when multiple adaptive agents share a biological, social, or technological niche. In the present work we study how cooperation and competition emerge between autonomous agents that learn by reinforcement while using only their raw visual input as the state representation. In particular, we extend the Deep Q-Learning framework to multiagent environments to investigate the interaction between two learning agents in the well-known video game Pong. By manipulating the classical rewarding scheme of Pong we show how competitive and collaborative behaviors emerge. We also describe the progression from competitive to collaborative behavior when the incentive to cooperate is increased. Finally we show how learning by playing against another adaptive agent, instead of against a hard-wired algorithm, results in more robust strategies. The present work shows that Deep Q-Networks can become a useful tool for studying decentralized learning of multiagent systems coping with high-dimensional environments. PMID:28380078

Multiagent cooperation and competition with deep reinforcement learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Tampuu, Ardi; Matiisen, Tambet; Kodelja, Dorian; Kuzovkin, Ilya; Korjus, Kristjan; Aru, Juhan; Aru, Jaan; Vicente, Raul

2017-01-01

Evolution of cooperation and competition can appear when multiple adaptive agents share a biological, social, or technological niche. In the present work we study how cooperation and competition emerge between autonomous agents that learn by reinforcement while using only their raw visual input as the state representation. In particular, we extend the Deep Q-Learning framework to multiagent environments to investigate the interaction between two learning agents in the well-known video game Pong. By manipulating the classical rewarding scheme of Pong we show how competitive and collaborative behaviors emerge. We also describe the progression from competitive to collaborative behavior when the incentive to cooperate is increased. Finally we show how learning by playing against another adaptive agent, instead of against a hard-wired algorithm, results in more robust strategies. The present work shows that Deep Q-Networks can become a useful tool for studying decentralized learning of multiagent systems coping with high-dimensional environments.

International cooperation in planetary exploration - Past success and future prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Rosendhal, Jeffrey D.

1987-01-01

A review is given of the ways in which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has participated in international efforts to explore the solar system. Past examples of successful international cooperative programs are described. Prospects for future cooperative efforts are discussed with emphasis placed on current events, issues, and trends which are likely to affect possibilities for cooperation over the next 5 to 10 years. Key factors which will play a major role in shaping future prospects for cooperation include the move towards balancing the budget in the United States and the impact of the Challenger accident on the NASA program.

Cooperative communication within and between single nanocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Ningmu; Zhou, Xiaochun; Chen, Guanqun; Andoy, Nesha May; Jung, Won; Liu, Guokun; Chen, Peng

2018-06-01

Enzymes often show catalytic allostery in which reactions occurring at different sites communicate cooperatively over distances of up to a few nanometres. Whether such effects can occur with non-biological nanocatalysts remains unclear, even though these nanocatalysts can undergo restructuring and molecules can diffuse over catalyst surfaces. Here we report that phenomenologically similar, but mechanistically distinct, cooperative effects indeed exist for nanocatalysts. Using spatiotemporally resolved single-molecule catalysis imaging, we find that catalytic reactions on a single Pd or Au nanocatalyst can communicate with each other, probably via hopping of positively charged holes on the catalyst surface, over 102 nanometres and with a temporal memory of 101 to 102 seconds, giving rise to positive cooperativity among its surface active sites. Similar communication is also observed between individual nanocatalysts, however it operates via a molecular diffusion mechanism involving negatively charged product molecules, and its communication distance is many micrometres. Generalization of these long-range intra- and interparticle catalytic communication mechanisms may introduce a novel conceptual framework for understanding nanoscale catalysis.

42 CFR 476.76 - Cooperation with health care facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS UTILIZATION AND QUALITY CONTROL REVIEW Review Responsibilities of Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) General Provisions... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cooperation with health care facilities. 476.76...

77 FR 56202 - Notification of an External Peer Review Meeting for the Draft Framework for Human Health Risk...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-12

... Meeting for the Draft Framework for Human Health Risk Assessment to Inform Decision Making AGENCY: U.S... panel of experts to review the draft document, Framework for Human Health Risk Assessment to Inform... for Human Health Risk Assessment to Inform Decision Making will be held on October 9, 2012, from 9:00...

Physical Activity Research in Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review Using the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Pitchford, E. Andrew; Dixon-Ibarra, Alicia; Hauck, Janet L.

2018-01-01

Through a scoping review, the current state of physical activity research in people with intellectual disability was examined. A search of publications between 2000 and 2014 retrieved 362 articles that met inclusion criteria. Eligible studies were coded according to the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework. Of the articles identified, 48% examined…

Cooperative learning and academic achievement: why does groupwork work?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert E. Slavin

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Cooperative learning refers to instructional methods in which students work in small groups to help each other learn. Four major theoretical perspectives on achievement effects of cooperative learning are reviewed: Motivational, social cohesion, developmental, and cognitive elaboration. Evidence from practical classroom research primarily supports the motivational perspective, which emphasizes the use of group goals and individual accountability for group success. However, there are conditions under which methods derived from all four theoretical perspectives contribute to achievement gain. This chapter reconciles these perspectives in a unified theory of cooperative learning effects.

Reusing Implicit Cooperation. A Novel Approach to Knowledge Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Lancieri

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The study described in this paper deals with information reuse obtained by implicit co-operation, particularly by recycling the contents of a proxy cache (shared memory. The objective is to automatically feed a Web server with large multimedia objects implicitly centred on community fields of interests. We show that the strategy of reusing previously downloaded information provides interesting advantages at a low cost; in particular, to reduce Web access time, to improve information retrieval, and to reduce Internet bandwidth use. Moreover, we use the conceptual frameworks of forgetting and collective intelligence to develop a model on which the operation of implicit cooperation is based.

Building the Cooperative Teaching Mode of “Team Teaching”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guan Huisheng

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Considering the limitation of higher education teaching mode of “only the teacher’s words count”, we build the cooperative teaching mode of “ team teaching” which is humanism-based, student-based and learning-centered. It emphasizes “challenge and cooperation” between teachers and students as well as promotes communication and interaction during the teaching process to ensure open teaching and students’ participation. Compared with the traditional teaching mode, the cooperative teaching mode of “team teaching” highlights its innovative value of teaching and provides a feasible framework during the process of pre-class preparation, teaching guidance, student-teacher debate and conclusion and further study.

Foreign Cooperation Fruitful for Sinopec

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2002-01-01

@@ On October 21, just the eve of Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, a total of 13 big-name enterprises in China and the United States signed five agreements in New York for cooperation in the petrochemical, telecom and energy fields with the contracted capital totaling US$4.7 billion. Of those deals, Sinopec Limited and ExxonMobil inked a framework agreement to beef up their bilateral strategic alliance and push ahead with their join venture projects developed in Southeast China's Guangdong Province and Fujian Province.

What the Framework Convention on Climate Change Teaches Us About Cooperation on Climate Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David G. Victor

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Arild Underdal has been at the center of an important community of scholars studying global environmental governance. Since the 1990s that community, along with many other scholars globally, has offered important insights into the design and management of international institutions that can lead to more effective management of environmental problems. At the same time, diplomats have made multiple attempts to create institutions to manage the dangers of climate change. This essay looks at what has been learned by both communities—scholars and practitioners—as their efforts co-evolved. It appears that despite a wealth of possible insights into making cooperation effective very few of the lessons offered by scholars had much impact during the first two decades of climate change diplomacy. Indeed, basic concepts from cooperation theory and evidence from case studies—many developed in Arild’s orbit—can explain why those two decades achieved very little real cooperation. The new Paris agreement may be changing all that and much better reflects insights from scholars about how to build effective international institutions. Success in the Paris process is far from assured and scholars can contribute a lot more with a more strategic view of when and how they have an impact.

The economics of climate change - the Stern review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stern, N. Sir

2007-01-15

This review was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2005. It was undertaken by Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economic Service and Adviser to the Government on the economics of climatic change and development. Having analysed a wide range of evidence on the impact of climate change, the aim of the review was to assess the economics of a low-carbon global economy; the long-term perspective; timescale for action; the choice of policies and institutions and specific lessons for the UK, in the context of its existing climate change goals. Using the results from formal economic models, the review estimates that if we don't act, the overall costs and risks of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year. If a wider range of risks and impacts is taken into account the estimates of damage could rise to 20% of GDP or more. The first half of the review considers how the evidence on the economic impact of climate, costs and benefits of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions relates to the conceptual framework described. It covers climate change, including chapters on the science of climate change economics, ethics and discusses how climate change affects people worldwide, the implication of climate change for development, the costs of climate change in developed countries and economic modelling of climate change impacts. Other areas covered in this review include projecting the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, the cost of mitigation and macroeconomic modelling of costs. Adaptation to climate change is of the utmost importance, and whilst it is no longer possible to prevent the climate change that will take place over the next two to three decades it is still possible to protect our societies and economies from its impacts in the future. Promoting international cooperation, the role of adaptation in sustainable development and creating a global price for carbon are also discussed in this review. An

OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency. 25 years of international cooperation within the framework of the NEA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stadie, Klaus B. [OECD, Paris (France). Safety and Regulation

2015-11-15

The nuclear atomic association NEA of the OECD, to which 23 western industrial countries belong to, was established 25 years ago (1959) as ''Nuclear Energy Agency'', almost simultaneously with other large international nuclear energy organisations. The NEA undertook special tasks during the international cooperation, which have shifted over time. A special feature today is the cooperation by means of international committees, which are supported by a small own staff of the organisation. The focus points lie within the area of safety and regimentation and on chosen scientific and technical studies.

IAEA Mission Concludes Peer Review of Pakistan's Nuclear Regulatory Framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

An international team of senior nuclear safety experts today concluded a nine-day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review the regulatory framework for the safety of operating nuclear power plants in the United States of America (USA). The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission was a follow-up to the IRRS mission to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that was conducted in 2010, with the key additional aim of reviewing whether the response of the US regulatory regime to the implications of the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Plant had been timely and effective. The mission team concluded that the recommendations and suggestions made by the 2010 IRRS mission have been taken into account systematically under the NRC's subsequent action plan, with significant progress in many areas and many improvements carried out. One of two recommendations and 19 out of 20 suggestions made by the 2010 IRRS mission have been effectively addressed and can therefore be considered closed. The outstanding recommendation relates to the NRC's review of its Management System, which is in the process of being finalised. The IRRS team also found that the NRC acted promptly and effectively after the Fukushima accident in the interests of public health and safety, and that the report of its Near-Term Task Force represents a sound and ample basis for taking into account the lessons learned from the accident

A Text-Mining Framework for Supporting Systematic Reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dingcheng; Wang, Zhen; Wang, Liwei; Sohn, Sunghwan; Shen, Feichen; Murad, Mohammad Hassan; Liu, Hongfang

2016-11-01

Systematic reviews (SRs) involve the identification, appraisal, and synthesis of all relevant studies for focused questions in a structured reproducible manner. High-quality SRs follow strict procedures and require significant resources and time. We investigated advanced text-mining approaches to reduce the burden associated with abstract screening in SRs and provide high-level information summary. A text-mining SR supporting framework consisting of three self-defined semantics-based ranking metrics was proposed, including keyword relevance, indexed-term relevance and topic relevance. Keyword relevance is based on the user-defined keyword list used in the search strategy. Indexed-term relevance is derived from indexed vocabulary developed by domain experts used for indexing journal articles and books. Topic relevance is defined as the semantic similarity among retrieved abstracts in terms of topics generated by latent Dirichlet allocation, a Bayesian-based model for discovering topics. We tested the proposed framework using three published SRs addressing a variety of topics (Mass Media Interventions, Rectal Cancer and Influenza Vaccine). The results showed that when 91.8%, 85.7%, and 49.3% of the abstract screening labor was saved, the recalls were as high as 100% for the three cases; respectively. Relevant studies identified manually showed strong topic similarity through topic analysis, which supported the inclusion of topic analysis as relevance metric. It was demonstrated that advanced text mining approaches can significantly reduce the abstract screening labor of SRs and provide an informative summary of relevant studies.

QoS frameworks for Multimedia Traffic in Mobile Adhoc Networks: A Comparative Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Soni

2017-06-01

Full Text Available MANETs (Mobile Adhoc Networks has gained an increased interest by the research community. Regular intelligent exchanges of multimedia will be typical in MANET, though the extended motivation on QoS (Quality of Service. However, various properties of the discussed QoS framework are provisioned for QoS as a challenging concern. Providing QoS provisioning is, to a great degree, challenging in MANETs in view of bouncing correspondences, center point movability and nonattendance of central coordination. Thus, most of the research has focused on giving QoS guarantees in MANETs coordinating traditions. Though huge numbers of QoS coordinating procedures have been proposed in composing, focusing on different QoS estimations yet none of the prescribed or discussed frameworks achieves a universal course of action. There exist several genuine necessary research areas of focus such as QoS metric assurance and cost limit layout, source level scheduling framework and QoS coordinating. In this paper, working and connecting of various QoS frameworks for MANETs is investigated throughout several veritable focus areas of research. After a comparative review, it is concluded that there is still a good scope of research for proposing a QoS framework for MANETs which could have cross-layer advantages, resource reservation, connection admission control, multi-constrained QoS parameters, hard QoS assurance, proactive routing advantages etc.

The Malian Crisis and the Challenge of Regional Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolfram Lacher

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The weakness of regional security cooperation has been a key factor in the gradual destabilization of the Sahel-Sahara region over the past decade. While organized crime, extremist activity, and cross-border movements of arms and fighters have strengthened linkages among non-state actors in the region, state policies have failed to keep up. With the escalation of the crisis in Mali, West African states have adopted an approach diverging strongly from that of Mali’s North African neighbours. Western governments’ tendency to understand insecurity in the region through the notion of the Sahel has compounded the problem. Insecurity in the region, including criminal and extremist networks, is more Saharan than Sahelian in scope. North African states are part of the problem, and need to be part of the solution. A new framework for regional cooperation is needed – and while this can only be established on the initiative of regional states themselves, external actors need to adapt their policies to help such a framework emerge.

Evolution of cooperation among game players with non-uniform migration scopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Chunyan; Zhang, Jianlei; Xie, Guangming

2014-01-01

In social dilemmas, cooperation among randomly interacting individuals is often hard to achieve. The situation changes if migration takes place, where game structure jointly evolves with the migration from adverse neighborhoods. Here we introduce a framework combining migration with the individual heterogeneity of migration scopes. When faced with a gloomy outlook, some players prefer vacant sites within their adjacent neighborhoods, while others may migrate within the whole network, provided the sites are empty. Thus, we can make a thorough inquiry of the sustainability of cooperation in a spatially distributed population divided by these two groups, and all possible mixtures between them. Our main result is that small-scope migration and suitable population density can gear up high cooperation levels in the midst of dense populations structured by scale-free networks, while large-scope migration and sparsity favor the cooperator clustering among lattice-structured populations. In this sense, the conditions for the emergence of cooperation are prevailingly created by the spatial reciprocity, and migration also has enough potential to help cooperation to prevail in suitable combination of game parameters in dynamics (e.g., population density, the type of interaction structure and also the migration scope)

Does cooperation increase helpers' later success as breeders? A test of the skills hypothesis in the cooperatively displaying lance-tailed manakin.

Science.gov (United States)

DuVal, Emily H

2013-07-01

Experience improves individual performance in many tasks. Pre-breeding cooperation may provide important experience that improves later success as a breeder, offering one compelling explanation for why some individuals delay reproduction to help others breed (the 'skills hypothesis'). However, confounding effects of age, quality and alternative selective benefits have complicated rigorous tests of this hypothesis. Male lance-tailed manakins perform cooperative courtship displays involving partnerships between unrelated alpha and beta males, and alphas monopolize resulting copulations. Beta males therefore do not receive immediate direct or indirect fitness benefits, but may gain skills during cooperation that increase their later success as an alpha. To date, however, the effect of cooperative experience on later success as a breeder has never been tested in any cooperatively displaying taxon. The effects of prior cooperative experience on reproductive success of alpha lance-tailed manakins were analysed in a mixed model framework using 12 years of information on cooperative experience and annual and lifetime genetic reproductive success for 57 alpha males. Models included previously identified effects of age and alpha tenure. Individual-level random effects controlled for quality differences to test for an independent influence of beta experience on success. Males accumulated up to 5 years of beta experience before becoming alphas, but 42·1% of alphas had no prior beta experience. Betas became alphas later in life, and experienced significantly lower reproductive success in their final year as alpha than males that were never beta, but did not have higher lifetime success or longer alpha tenures. Differences in patterns of annual siring success were best explained by age-dependent patterns of reproductive improvement and senescence among alphas, not beta experience. Cooperative experience does not increase relative breeding success for male lance-tailed manakins

The Agency's technical co-operation activities in 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-08-01

This document reviews the IAEA's Technical Cooperation activities for 1993. Apart from an overview, the report contains reviews by Agency programmes and technical divisions, by area, by component and by fund. Summaries of project implementation are also included, as well as indications of the achievements of projects completed in 1993

Worst-Case Cooperative Jamming for Secure Communications in CIoT Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhen; Jing, Tao; Ma, Liran; Huo, Yan; Qian, Jin

2016-03-07

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a significant branch of the ongoing advances in the Internet and mobile communications. The use of a large number of IoT devices makes the spectrum scarcity problem even more serious. The usable spectrum resources are almost entirely occupied, and thus, the increasing radio access demands of IoT devices cannot be met. To tackle this problem, the Cognitive Internet of Things (CIoT) has been proposed. In a CIoT network, secondary users, i.e., sensors and actuators, can access the licensed spectrum bands provided by licensed primary users (such as telephones). Security is a major concern in CIoT networks. However, the traditional encryption method at upper layers (such as symmetric cryptography and asymmetric cryptography) may be compromised in CIoT networks, since these types of networks are heterogeneous. In this paper, we address the security issue in spectrum-leasing-based CIoT networks using physical layer methods. Considering that the CIoT networks are cooperative networks, we propose to employ cooperative jamming to achieve secrecy transmission. In the cooperative jamming scheme, a certain secondary user is employed as the helper to harvest energy transmitted by the source and then uses the harvested energy to generate an artificial noise that jams the eavesdropper without interfering with the legitimate receivers. The goal is to minimize the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) at the eavesdropper subject to the quality of service (QoS) constraints of the primary traffic and the secondary traffic. We formulate the considered minimization problem into a two-stage robust optimization problem based on the worst-case Channel State Information of the Eavesdropper. By using semi-definite programming (SDP), the optimal solutions of the transmit covariance matrices can be obtained. Moreover, in order to build an incentive mechanism for the secondary users, we propose an auction framework based on the cooperative jamming scheme

Worst-Case Cooperative Jamming for Secure Communications in CIoT Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen Li

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT is a significant branch of the ongoing advances in the Internet and mobile communications. Yet, the use of a large number of IoT devices can severely worsen the spectrum scarcity problem. The usable spectrum resources are almost entirely occupied, and thus, the increasing demands of radio access from IoT devices cannot be met. To tackle this problem, the Cognitive Internet of Things (CIoT has been proposed. In a CIoT network, secondary users, i.e., sensors and actuators, can access the licensed spectrum bands provided by licensed primary users (such as cellular telephones. Security is a major concern in CIoT networks. However, the traditional encryption method at upper layers (such as symmetric and asymmetric ciphers may not be suitable for CIoT networks since these networks are composed of low-profile devices. In this paper, we address the security issues in spectrum-leasing-based CIoT networks using physical layer methods. Considering that the CIoT networks are cooperative in nature, we propose to employ cooperative jamming to achieve secure transmission. In our proposed cooperative jamming scheme, a certain secondary user is employed as the helper to harvest energy transmitted by the source and then uses the harvested energy to generate an artificial noise that jams the eavesdropper without interfering with the legitimate receivers. The goal is to minimize the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR at the eavesdropper subject to the Quality of Service (QoS constraints of the primary traffic and the secondary traffic. We formulate the minimization problem into a two-stage robust optimization problem based on the worst-case Channel State Information of the Eavesdropper (ECSI. By using Semi-Definite Programming (SDP, the optimal solutions of the transmit covariance matrices can be obtained. Moreover, in order to build an incentive mechanism for the secondary users, we propose an auction framework based on the

A Framework of Sustainable Service Supply Chain Management: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weihua Liu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the interdisciplinary research of supply chains and sustainability has received extensive, yet gradual, attention; when compared to the rapid economic growth of the service industry, however, sustainable supply chain management has not been systematically explored yet. It has not only great theoretical significance, but also positive practical significance to provide a framework for the operation of a sustainable service supply chain from a sustainable development point of view. Based on the triple bottom line (TBL, we have analyzed related sustainable supply chain management research between 2006 and 2015, reviewed papers involving two or three bottom lines as well, and then introduced some classical frameworks for manufacturing supply chain management and service supply chain management. Afterward, by analyzing the differences between the manufacturing and service industries, we propose a framework of sustainable service supply chain management (SSSCM. Based on the impacts of sustainable development TBL on service supply chain participants, we have finally made a framework for sustainable operation facing triads service supply chain and proposed a future research agenda.

Group penalty on the evolution of cooperation in spatial public goods games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Chunyan; Zhang, Jianlei; Xie, Guangming; Wang, Long

2010-01-01

We study the evolution of cooperation in spatial public goods games, whereby a coevolutionary rule is introduced that aims to integrate group penalty into the framework of evolutionary games. Existing groups are deleted whenever the collective gains of the focal individuals are less than a deletion threshold value. Meanwhile, newcomers are added after each game iteration to maintain the fixed population size. The networking effect is also studied via four representative interaction networks which are associated with the population structure. We conclude that the cooperation level has a strong dependence on the deletion threshold, and the suitable value range of the deletion threshold which is associated with the maximal cooperation frequency has been found. Simulation results also show that optimum values of the deletion threshold can still warrant the most potent promotion of cooperation, irrespective of which of the four topologies is applied

Surrounding information consideration promotes cooperation in Prisoner’s dilemma game

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, Gang; Du, Xia; Li, Ya

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new method of strategy updating is proposed in the Prisoner’s dilemma game. • The stochastic players only consider their neighbor’s payoff and update strategy by classical Fermi rule. • The advanced player would consider not only the neighbor’s payoff but also the neighbors’ local surrounding information. • The simulation result illustrates that with the increase of advanced players in the network, the fraction of cooperation increases. - Abstract: Evolutionary game theory provides a useful, integrative framework for studying the evolution of cooperation. A new strategy updating method is proposed in our model. Due to people with diversified thinking, players are divided into two categories based on their different strategy updating method: ordinary players and advanced players. The former players only consider their neighbor’s payoff and updating strategy by classical Fermi rule, while the latter players take both the neighbors’ surrounding information and payoff into account. The results show that the neighbors surrounding information consideration contributes to the evolution of cooperation and finds the fraction of cooperation grows evidently with the increase of advanced players numbers. Our model may provide a pragmatic approach to the research of cooperation in social network.

Socialité et co-operation dans l'oeuvre de Charles Goodwin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mondeme, Chloé

2016-01-01

As a linguistic anthropologist, Goodwin elaborates a conceptual and methodological framework to describe the organization of human activities and conducts. The central notion of « co-operation » accounts for what is at stake in ordinary conversation as well as in professional practices, cultural...

Current status of international cooperation on nuclear safety research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsuragi, Satoru

1984-01-01

JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute), as a representative organization in Japan, has been participating in many international cooperations on nuclear safety research. This report reviews the recent achievement and evolution of the international cooperative safety studies. Twelve projects that are based on the agreements between JAERI and foreign organizations are reviewed. As the fuel irradiation studies, the recent achievement of the OECD Halden Reactor Project and the agreement between Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Battelle Memorial Institute, and JAERI are explained. As for the study of reactivity accident, the cooperation of the NSRR (Nuclear Safety Research Reactor) project in Japan with PBF, PNS and PHEBUS projects in the U.S., West Germany and France, respectively, are now in progress. The fuel performance in abnormal transient and the experiment and analysis of severe fuel damage are the new areas of international interest. The OECD/LOFT project and ROSA-4 projects are also explained in connection with the FP source term problem and the analysis codes such as RELAP-5 and TRAC. As the safety studies associated with the downstream of the nuclear fuel cycle, the BEFAST project of IAEA and the ISIRS project of OECD/NEA are shortly reviewed. (Aoki, K.)

A microeconomic-based framework for green cooperative communications

KAUST Repository

Bonello, Nicholas

2011-05-01

The global concern on environmental issues is placing its mark on all sectors of the society, including of course, the wireless telecommunications industry. In this paper, we develop a microeconomic-based green radio framework in which a network operator shifts some of its responsibilities towards the intended destination to one of these inactive end-users with the specific intention of reducing the transmitted power of its source nodes and the incurred costs. Our results disclose up to 70% energy savings and up to 65% cost savings over the direct transmission benchmarker, when selecting from approximately 50 eligible relays in the scenario portrayed by the UMTS Rel. 99 standard. © 2011 IEEE.

A microeconomic-based framework for green cooperative communications

KAUST Repository

Bonello, Nicholas; Aissa, Sonia

2011-01-01

The global concern on environmental issues is placing its mark on all sectors of the society, including of course, the wireless telecommunications industry. In this paper, we develop a microeconomic-based green radio framework in which a network operator shifts some of its responsibilities towards the intended destination to one of these inactive end-users with the specific intention of reducing the transmitted power of its source nodes and the incurred costs. Our results disclose up to 70% energy savings and up to 65% cost savings over the direct transmission benchmarker, when selecting from approximately 50 eligible relays in the scenario portrayed by the UMTS Rel. 99 standard. © 2011 IEEE.

International Expert Team Concludes IAEA Peer Review of Poland's Regulatory Framework for Nuclear and Radiation Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Full text: International safety experts last week concluded a two-week International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Poland. In its preliminary report, the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission team found that Poland's nuclear regulator, Panstwowa Agencja Atomistyki (PAA), has a clear commitment to safety, a high level of transparency, competent staff and leadership, and a good recognition of challenges ahead related to Poland's efforts to develop nuclear power. ''Poland's regulatory framework and the work of PAA give high confidence of strong radiation protection for the Polish people. Further, there has been significant progress in the development of Poland's regulatory framework in preparation for the challenge of regulating nuclear power,'' said team leader Robert Lewis, a senior executive in the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The mission was conducted at the request of the Government of Poland from 15-25 April. The team was made up of 11 regulatory experts from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as five IAEA staff members. The IRRS review team was very thorough in its review, and we welcome its advice on how to continue to improve our programmes to protect people and the environment , said Janusz Wlodarski, President of PAA. The team interviewed members of PAA and officials from various ministries, as well as key players in the Polish safety framework. Such IRRS missions are peer reviews based on IAEA Safety Standards, not inspections or audits. Among its main observations the IRRS review team identified the following good practices: Applying the considerable experience of PAA's senior management to regulatory issues; The introduction of changes to Poland's laws and regulations following broad public consultation at an early stage in

IAEA technical co-operation with least developed Member States. Special evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The main purposes of this evaluation were to: Review the overall situation with regard to IAEA technical co-operation with least developed Member States, including specific conditions in nuclear-related activities prevailing in these countries, approaches and practices used by the IAEA in providing assistance to LDCs, and the main results of the co-operation in question. Identify any adjustments to technical co-operation with LDC Member States that may strengthen this activity

AFRA: Supporting regional cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) provides a framework for African Member States to intensify their collaboration through programmes and projects focused on the specific shared needs of its members. It is a formal intergovernmental agreement which entered into force in 1990. In the context of AFRA, Regional Designated Centres for training and education in radiation protection (RDCs) are established African institutions able to provide services, such as training of highly qualified specialists or instructors needed at the national level and also to facilitate exchange of experience and information through networks of services operating in the field

To cooperate or not to cooperate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wessels, Josepha Ivanka

To Cooperate or not to Cooperate...? discusses results of a research project to study the rehabilitation of 1500-year old water tunnels, so called "qanats", in Syria. Communities all over the world are using traditional technologies to extract drinkingwater, irrigate their lands and feed...... their livestock. But these often sustainable and ancient ways to make use of groundwater are in rapid decline worldwide. A research project started in 1999 to study the rehabilitation of 1500-year old water tunnels called "qanats"in Syria. To Cooperate or not to Cooperate...? discusses results and outcomes...

The International Cooperation on Remote Laboratories in the Framework of Engineering Didactics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raivo Sell

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In the present paper the interactive demonstration of remote laboratories conducted with engineering didactics for creating real conditions for teaching and learning engineering has been presented. The article is focusing on international cooperation, offering the wide range of tools and methodology for effective and interactive teaching of embedded systems and mechatronics as well as exploiting latest web technologies, and offering flexibility and freedom for students.

Co-operation in nuclear development: The case of Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroen, H.

1990-01-01

Hungary became a Member of the IAEA in 1957 and has participated in the programme of technical assistance and co-operation from its start in 1958. By the end of 1976, Hungary ranked as the fifteenth largest recipient of IAEA technical assistance. Since then, there has been a significant increase in overall technical co-operation activities, and by the end of 1988 a total of over US $9.5 million of assistance had been received by Hungary, making it the fifth largest recipient of all Member States. In view of this situation, a special evaluation review was carried out in 1989 of the IAEA's technical co-operation programme in Hungary over the period 1976-1989. This evaluation review has shown that, simultaneously with the increase in the IAEA's support, there has been a rapid development in Hungary of the national nuclear infrastructure and this has permitted the country to absorb and utilize the assistance provided to the maximum extent. 7 figs

International cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacke, S.; Stein, G.

1988-01-01

The article in hand reviews the scenario and organisation of the conference together with the results achieved (non-proliferation strategies with regard to technological cooperation in the nuclear field, feasible means of cooperation), saying that judged by the non-favourable conditions at the start, the fruitful dialogue between developing countries and highly industrialised countries that has set in at this conference will have to be filed on the credit side. Another important result is that one came to realize that the transfer of know-how must be very carefully prepared and accompanied by very close cooperation right from the start. (orig./DG) [de

Promoting cooperation and trust in "noisy" situations: the power of generosity.

Science.gov (United States)

Klapwijk, Anthon; Van Lange, Paul A M

2009-01-01

The authors present an interdependence theoretical framework and advance the argument that generosity serves the important purpose of communicating trust, which is assumed to be of utmost importance to coping with incidents of negative noise (i.e., when the other every now and then behaves less cooperatively than intended). Using a new social dilemma task (the parcel delivery paradigm), it was hypothesized that incidents of negative noise would exert detrimental effects on trust and trust-related judgments and experiences, as well as cooperation, and that relative to tit for tat and self-regarding strategies (stingy or unconditionally cooperative strategies), other-regarding strategies (i.e., unconditional cooperation and generosity) would be more effective at reducing such as detrimental effects. Results from 2 studies provided strong support for these hypotheses, suggesting that the power of generosity is underestimated in the extant literature, especially in its ability to maintain or build trust, which is essential for coping with noise.

Cancer across the tree of life: cooperation and cheating in multicellularity

Science.gov (United States)

Aktipis, C. Athena; Boddy, Amy M.; Jansen, Gunther; Hibner, Urszula; Hochberg, Michael E.; Maley, Carlo C.; Wilkinson, Gerald S.

2015-01-01

Multicellularity is characterized by cooperation among cells for the development, maintenance and reproduction of the multicellular organism. Cancer can be viewed as cheating within this cooperative multicellular system. Complex multicellularity, and the cooperation underlying it, has evolved independently multiple times. We review the existing literature on cancer and cancer-like phenomena across life, not only focusing on complex multicellularity but also reviewing cancer-like phenomena across the tree of life more broadly. We find that cancer is characterized by a breakdown of the central features of cooperation that characterize multicellularity, including cheating in proliferation inhibition, cell death, division of labour, resource allocation and extracellular environment maintenance (which we term the five foundations of multicellularity). Cheating on division of labour, exhibited by a lack of differentiation and disorganized cell masses, has been observed in all forms of multicellularity. This suggests that deregulation of differentiation is a fundamental and universal aspect of carcinogenesis that may be underappreciated in cancer biology. Understanding cancer as a breakdown of multicellular cooperation provides novel insights into cancer hallmarks and suggests a set of assays and biomarkers that can be applied across species and characterize the fundamental requirements for generating a cancer. PMID:26056363

Cooperate! A paradigm shift for health equity.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Wei-Ching; Fraser, Joy H

2017-02-21

The role of competition and cooperation in relation to the goal of health equity is examined in this paper. The authors explain why the win-lose mentality associated with avoidable competition is ethically questionable and less effective than cooperation in achieving positive outcomes, particularly as it relates to health and health equity. Competition, which differentiates winners from losers, often with the winner-takes-all reward system, inevitably leads to a few winners and many losers, resulting in social inequality, which, in turn, engenders and perpetuates health inequity.Competitive market-driven approaches to healthcare-brought about by capitalism, neo-liberalization, and globalization, based primarily on a competitive framework-are shown to have contributed to growing inequities with respect to the social determinants of health, and have undermined equal opportunity to access health care and achieve health equity. It is possible to redistribute income and wealth to reduce social inequality, but globalization poses increasing challenges to policy makers. John Stuart Mill provided a passionate, philosophical defense of cooperatives, followed by Karl Polanyi who offered an insightful critique of both state socialism and especially the self-regulating market, thereby opening up the cooperative way of shaping the future. We cite Hannah Arendt's "the banality of evil" to characterize the tragic concept of "ethical fading" witnessed in business and everyday life all over the world, often committed (without thinking and reflecting) by ordinary people under competitive pressures.To promote equity in health for all, we recommend the adoption of a radically new cooperation paradigm, applied whenever possible, to everything in our daily lives.

A model-based risk management framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gran, Bjoern Axel; Fredriksen, Rune

2002-08-15

The ongoing research activity addresses these issues through two co-operative activities. The first is the IST funded research project CORAS, where Institutt for energiteknikk takes part as responsible for the work package for Risk Analysis. The main objective of the CORAS project is to develop a framework to support risk assessment of security critical systems. The second, called the Halden Open Dependability Demonstrator (HODD), is established in cooperation between Oestfold University College, local companies and HRP. The objective of HODD is to provide an open-source test bed for testing, teaching and learning about risk analysis methods, risk analysis tools, and fault tolerance techniques. The Inverted Pendulum Control System (IPCON), which main task is to keep a pendulum balanced and controlled, is the first system that has been established. In order to make risk assessment one need to know what a system does, or is intended to do. Furthermore, the risk assessment requires correct descriptions of the system, its context and all relevant features. A basic assumption is that a precise model of this knowledge, based on formal or semi-formal descriptions, such as UML, will facilitate a systematic risk assessment. It is also necessary to have a framework to integrate the different risk assessment methods. The experiences so far support this hypothesis. This report presents CORAS and the CORAS model-based risk management framework, including a preliminary guideline for model-based risk assessment. The CORAS framework for model-based risk analysis offers a structured and systematic approach to identify and assess security issues of ICT systems. From the initial assessment of IPCON, we also believe that the framework is applicable in a safety context. Further work on IPCON, as well as the experiences from the CORAS trials, will provide insight and feedback for further improvements. (Author)

The relevance of metal organic frameworks (MOFs)

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have evolved to be an important family and a corner stone for research in the area of inorganic chemistry. The progress made since 2000 has attracted researchers from other disciplines to actively engage themselves in this area. This cooperative synergy of different scientific believes ...

Technical skills assessment toolbox: a review using the unitary framework of validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaderi, Iman; Manji, Farouq; Park, Yoon Soo; Juul, Dorthea; Ott, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Farrell, Timothy M

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to create a technical skills assessment toolbox for 35 basic and advanced skills/procedures that comprise the American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) surgical skills curriculum and to provide a critical appraisal of the included tools, using contemporary framework of validity. Competency-based training has become the predominant model in surgical education and assessment of performance is an essential component. Assessment methods must produce valid results to accurately determine the level of competency. A search was performed, using PubMed and Google Scholar, to identify tools that have been developed for assessment of the targeted technical skills. A total of 23 assessment tools for the 35 ACS/APDS skills modules were identified. Some tools, such as Operative Performance Rating System (OSATS) and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OPRS), have been tested for more than 1 procedure. Therefore, 30 modules had at least 1 assessment tool, with some common surgical procedures being addressed by several tools. Five modules had none. Only 3 studies used Messick's framework to design their validity studies. The remaining studies used an outdated framework on the basis of "types of validity." When analyzed using the contemporary framework, few of these studies demonstrated validity for content, internal structure, and relationship to other variables. This study provides an assessment toolbox for common surgical skills/procedures. Our review shows that few authors have used the contemporary unitary concept of validity for development of their assessment tools. As we progress toward competency-based training, future studies should provide evidence for various sources of validity using the contemporary framework.

Governance Analytical Framework : an Approach to Health Systems ...

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

Researchers will develop and test a methodology - Governance Analytical Framework - for analyzing and assessing the influence of governance pattern on health ... IDRC and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement to support joint research projects in ...

Developing an external domino accident prevention framework : Hazwim

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reniers, Genserik L L; Dullaert, W.; Ale, B. J.M.; Soudan, K.

Empirical research on major accident safety in the second largest chemical cluster worldwide, the Antwerp port area, supports the design of a meta-technical framework for optimizing external domino prevention. First, the majority of Seveso top tier companies have expressed a willingness to cooperate

Does Quality of Radiation Therapy Predict Outcomes of Multicenter Cooperative Group Trials? A Literature Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fairchild, Alysa, E-mail: alysa.fairchild@albertahealthservices.ca [Department of Radiation Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada); Straube, William [Advanced Technology Consortium, Imaged-Guided Therapy QA Center, St. Louis, Missouri (United States); Laurie, Fran [Quality Assurance Review Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island (United States); Followill, David [Radiological Physics Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas (United States)

2013-10-01

Central review of radiation therapy (RT) delivery within multicenter clinical trials was initiated in the early 1970s in the United States. Early quality assurance publications often focused on metrics related to process, logistics, and timing. Our objective was to review the available evidence supporting correlation of RT quality with clinical outcomes within cooperative group trials. A MEDLINE search was performed to identify multicenter studies that described central subjective assessment of RT protocol compliance (quality). Data abstracted included method of central review, definition of deviations, and clinical outcomes. Seventeen multicenter studies (1980-2012) were identified, plus one Patterns of Care Study. Disease sites were hematologic, head and neck, lung, breast, and pancreas. Between 0 and 97% of treatment plans received an overall grade of acceptable. In 7 trials, failure rates were significantly higher after inadequate versus adequate RT. Five of 9 and 2 of 5 trials reported significantly worse overall and progression-free survival after poor-quality RT, respectively. One reported a significant correlation, and 2 reported nonsignificant trends toward increased toxicity with noncompliant RT. Although more data are required, protocol-compliant RT may decrease failure rates and increase overall survival and likely contributes to the ability of collected data to answer the central trial question.

Does Quality of Radiation Therapy Predict Outcomes of Multicenter Cooperative Group Trials? A Literature Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fairchild, Alysa; Straube, William; Laurie, Fran; Followill, David

2013-01-01

Central review of radiation therapy (RT) delivery within multicenter clinical trials was initiated in the early 1970s in the United States. Early quality assurance publications often focused on metrics related to process, logistics, and timing. Our objective was to review the available evidence supporting correlation of RT quality with clinical outcomes within cooperative group trials. A MEDLINE search was performed to identify multicenter studies that described central subjective assessment of RT protocol compliance (quality). Data abstracted included method of central review, definition of deviations, and clinical outcomes. Seventeen multicenter studies (1980-2012) were identified, plus one Patterns of Care Study. Disease sites were hematologic, head and neck, lung, breast, and pancreas. Between 0 and 97% of treatment plans received an overall grade of acceptable. In 7 trials, failure rates were significantly higher after inadequate versus adequate RT. Five of 9 and 2 of 5 trials reported significantly worse overall and progression-free survival after poor-quality RT, respectively. One reported a significant correlation, and 2 reported nonsignificant trends toward increased toxicity with noncompliant RT. Although more data are required, protocol-compliant RT may decrease failure rates and increase overall survival and likely contributes to the ability of collected data to answer the central trial question

75 FR 10319 - Cooper Tools-Sumter, Cooper Tools Divisions, a Subsidiary of Cooper Industries, Inc., Including...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-05

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-71,602] Cooper Tools--Sumter, Cooper Tools Divisions, a Subsidiary of Cooper Industries, Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From... January 26, 2010, applicable to workers of Cooper Tools--Sumter, Cooper Tools Division, a subsidiary of...

Challenges of technical cooperation in the petroleum industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Athel, S.A.

1992-01-01

The need and prospects for international technical cooperation in the petroleum industry are reviewed. Since it directly affects the survival of the inhabitants of the planet, environmental protection is a field that could enjoy maximum international cooperation; oil spills, product environmental hazards, waste minimization and disposal and oil field fires are the main areas identified. Technical cooperation in other areas of the industry, namely exploration, production, oil field development, refining and petrochemicals, may involve some controversy. Attention is drawn to the conflicting interests of multinational companies, who almost completely control the technology of these activities, and host developing countries. It is advocated that arrangements involving technology transfer should make provision for the growth of indigenous technology. (UK)

Cooperation between Parents and Preschool Institutions through Different Concepts of Preschool Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanja Berčnik

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the importance, role, and methods of cooperation between parents and preschool institutions through the different concepts of preschool education and different educational approaches and formal frameworks. Through educational approaches, the authors analyse how cooperation affects the implementation of preschool education in alternative educational approaches, such as the Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia approaches, and Slovenian public preschool institutions. They envisage that different educational approaches in preschool education perceive the importance and role of cooperation with parents differently and conclude that there are various models of cooperation, which can be demonstrated through a theoretical analysis of the aforementioned alternative preschool approaches. In their view, partnership promotes a shared commitment to the quality realisation of educational goals; it also develops understanding and an ethos of openness in the relationship between all actors in the process of care and education of preschool children.

Governmental point of view on the Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-06-01

Dutch air quality does not yet meet the European standards throughout the Netherlands. The Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality (NSL) is expected to realize improvements. This publication explains the Dutch plans for meeting the European standards for air quality in the coming years. It addresses the following subjects: the Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality (NSL); legal framework; historical development; current situation and autonomous development for PM10 and NO2; spatial projects; measure packages and financial means. [mk] [nl

Learning Frameworks for Cooperative Spectrum Sensing and Energy-Efficient Data Protection in Cognitive Radio Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinh Quang Do

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper studies learning frameworks for energy-efficient data communications in an energy-harvesting cognitive radio network in which secondary users (SUs harvest energy from solar power while opportunistically accessing a licensed channel for data transmission. The SUs perform spectrum sensing individually, and send local decisions about the presence of the primary user (PU on the channel to a fusion center (FC. We first design a new cooperative spectrum-sensing technique based on a convolutional neural network in which the FC uses historical sensing data to train the network for classification problem. The system is assumed to operate in a time-slotted manner. At the beginning of each time slot, the FC uses the current local decisions as input for the trained network to decide whether the PU is active or not in that time slot. In addition, legitimate transmissions can be vulnerable to a hidden eavesdropper, which always passively listens to the communication. Therefore, we further propose a transfer learning actor–critic algorithm for an SU to decide its operation mode to increase the security level under the constraint of limited energy. In this approach, the SU directly interacts with the environment to learn its dynamics (i.e., an arrival of harvested energy; then, the SU can either stay idle to save energy or transmit to the FC secured data that are encrypted using a suitable private-key encryption method to maximize the long-term effective security level of the network. We finally present numerical simulation results under various configurations to evaluate our proposed schemes.

Cooperative Testing of Uncontrollable Timed Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Li, Shuhao

2008-01-01

the SUT against the test purpose as long as the SUT reacts to our moves in a cooperative style. We present an operational framework of cooperative winning strategy generation, test case derivation and execution. The test method is proved to be sound and complete. Preliminary experimental results indicate......Abstract. This paper deals with targeted testing of timed systems with uncontrollable behavior. The testing activity is viewed as a game between the tester and the system under test (SUT) towards a given test purpose. The SUT is modeled as Timed Game Automaton and the test purpose is specified...... in Timed CTL formula. We can employ a timed game solver UPPAAL-TIGA to check if the test purpose is ture w.r.t. the model, and if yes, to generate a winning strategy and use it for black-box conformance testing. Specifically, we show that in case the checking yields a negative result, we can still test...

Regional cooperation and sustainable development: The Arctic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vartanov, R.V.

1993-01-01

The Arctic is one of the regions most alienated from sustainable development, due to consequences of nuclear testing, long-range pollution transport, large-scale industrial accidents, irrational use of natural resources, and environmentally ignorant socio-economic policies. Revelations of the state of the USSR Arctic shows that air quality in northern cities is below standard, fish harvests are declining, pollution is not being controlled, and native populations are being affected seriously. The presence of immense resources in the Arctic including exploitable offshore oil reserves of 100-200 billion bbl and the prospect of wider utilization of northern sea routes should stimulate establishment of a new international regime of use, research, and protection of Arctic resources in favor of sustainable development in the region. The Arctic marine areas are the key component of the Arctic ecosystem and so should receive special attention. A broad legal framework has already been provided for such cooperation. Included in such cooperation would be native peoples and non-Arctic countries. Specifics of the cooperation would involve exchanging of scientific and technical information, promotion of ecologically sound technologies, equipping Arctic regions with means to control environmental quality, harmonizing environmental protection legislation, and monitoring Arctic environmental quality

Review of the Norwegian-Russian Cooperation on Safety Projects at Kola and Leningrad Nuclear Power Plants 2005 - 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattsson, H.; Tishakov, P.

2010-11-01

In this report, Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) has reviewed the Norwegian funded projects on nuclear safety performed in the period 2005-2009 under the Norwegian Action Plan. NRPA has evaluated the progress of eight projects implemented by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) at Kola Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) and Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant (LNPP). NRPA has visited the plants, inspected delivered equipment and discussed the projects implementation with relevant personnel at the plants. One of NRPA findings is that the equipment has been delivered to KNPP and LNPP, it is in regular use by competent personnel, and the equipment contributes to safety of both plants. Furthermore, the cooperation between three main project partners - IFE, LNPP and KNPP, seems to be very productive. NRPA's main conclusion is therefore that the projects have been implemented as described in IFE's project reports and that the goals are met. Furthermore, this report reviews safety levels at the KNPP and LNPP. Safety parameters at the plants indicate that the safety level has been significantly improved since early 1990s when the cooperation between Norway and Russia was initiated. Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) values and number of INES (International Nuclear Event Scale) events, two internationally acknowledged safety parameters, indicate that the safety level has been much improved since the early 1990s when the cooperation between Norway and Russia started. Although it is clear that the Norwegian-funded projects have contributed positively to this development it is difficult to quantify the contribution. Moreover, the report also reviews the planned life-time of and the decommissioning plans for the reactors at KNPP and LNPP. Construction of new LNPP reactors has started and it is estimated that they will be operational in 2013- 2015. The license of the oldest reactor at LNPP expires in 2018 and if the new reactors are in operation by that time, it is

Stress, Cognition, and Human Performance: A Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Staal, Mark A.

2004-01-01

The following literature review addresses the effects of various stressors on cognition. While attempting to be as inclusive as possible, the review focuses its examination on the relationships between cognitive appraisal, attention, memory, and stress as they relate to information processing and human performance. The review begins with an overview of constructs and theoretical perspectives followed by an examination of effects across attention, memory, perceptual-motor functions, judgment and decision making, putative stressors such as workload, thermals, noise, and fatigue and closes with a discussion of moderating variables and related topics. In summation of the review, a conceptual framework for cognitive process under stress has been assembled. As one might imagine, the research literature that addresses stress, theories governing its effects on human performance, and experimental evidence that supports these notions is large and diverse. In attempting to organize and synthesize this body of work, I was guided by several earlier efforts (Bourne & Yaroush, 2003; Driskell, Mullen, Johnson, Hughes, & Batchelor, 1992; Driskell & Salas, 1996; Haridcock & Desmond, 2001; Stokes & Kite, 1994). These authors should be credited with accomplishing the monumental task of providing focused reviews in this area and their collective efforts laid the foundation for this present review. Similarly, the format of this review has been designed in accordance with these previous exemplars. However, each of these previous efforts either simply reported general findings, without sufficient experimental illustration, or narrowed their scope of investigation to the extent that the breadth of such findings remained hidden from the reader. Moreover, none of these examinations yielded an architecture that adequately describes or explains the inter-relations between information processing elements under stress conditions.

From a Systematic Literature Review to a Classification Framework: Sustainability Integration in Fashion Operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Karaosman

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Sustainability management in global fashion operations is an area of growing concern. This can be seen by the number of research articles and industrial reports published. To establish a further debate, this study pursues two objectives. Firstly, it provides a systematic literature review pertaining to environmental and social sustainability management in fashion operations by encompassing 38 research articles indexed in Scopus from 2006 to 2016. Secondly, it presents a classification framework in which sustainability practices are categorized according to a three-dimensional concurrent engineering framework by focusing on product, process and supply chain levels. Results address that the breakdown of environmental and social sustainability practices identified in earlier research is not homogenous. For instance, some critical social aspects such as human rights are not widely covered in production processes. Similarly, serious environmental aspects such as biodiversity are not entirely focused on at the chain level. Last, this study concludes with a framework illustrating strategic priorities to be taken to advance sustainability in fashion operations.

A LOOK INSIDE COOPERATION BETWEEN PROSECUTORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DURING CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dževad Mahmutović

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with crime scene investigation as a measure of inquiry, conceptually and substantially, subjects of investigation, as well as their mutual relations. The analysis of the existing legal framework suggests that the current Criminal Procedure Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina offers the appropriate basis for the cooperation between prosecutors and law enforcement. However, previous practice indicates certain shortcomings in the cooperation and coordination between prosecutors and law enforcement. With this paper, the authors wanted to examine the opinions of direct actors on this matter. The results show that they are satisfied with the legal regulation of their mutual relations during investigations, and they express positive opinions in terms of their cooperation. Of course, the possibility of improving that cooperation is also noted, and the methods of achieving it should be identified in further research.

Correlated pay-offs are key to cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Frommen, Joachim G.; Riehl, Christina

2016-01-01

The general belief that cooperation and altruism in social groups result primarily from kin selection has recently been challenged, not least because results from cooperatively breeding insects and vertebrates have shown that groups may be composed mainly of non-relatives. This allows testing predictions of reciprocity theory without the confounding effect of relatedness. Here, we review complementary and alternative evolutionary mechanisms to kin selection theory and provide empirical examples of cooperative behaviour among unrelated individuals in a wide range of taxa. In particular, we focus on the different forms of reciprocity and on their underlying decision rules, asking about evolutionary stability, the conditions selecting for reciprocity and the factors constraining reciprocal cooperation. We find that neither the cognitive requirements of reciprocal cooperation nor the often sequential nature of interactions are insuperable stumbling blocks for the evolution of reciprocity. We argue that simple decision rules such as ‘help anyone if helped by someone’ should get more attention in future research, because empirical studies show that animals apply such rules, and theoretical models find that they can create stable levels of cooperation under a wide range of conditions. Owing to its simplicity, behaviour based on such a heuristic may in fact be ubiquitous. Finally, we argue that the evolution of exchange and trading of service and commodities among social partners needs greater scientific focus. PMID:26729924

Scoping review: national monitoring frameworks for social determinants of health and health equity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leo Pedrana

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: The strategic importance of monitoring social determinants of health (SDH and health equity and inequity has been a central focus in global discussions around the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on SDH and the Millennium Development Goals. This study is part of the World Health Organization (WHO equity-oriented analysis of linkages between health and other sectors (EQuAL project, which aims to define a framework for monitoring SDH and health equity. Objectives: This review provides a global summary and analysis of the domains and indicators that have been used in recent studies covering the SDH. These studies are considered here within the context of indicators proposed by the WHO EQuAL project. The objectives are as follows: to describe the range of international and national studies and the types of indicators most frequently used; report how they are used in causal explanation of the SDH; and identify key priorities and challenges reported in current research for national monitoring of the SDH. Design: We conducted a scoping review of published SDH studies in the PubMed® database to obtain evidence of socio-economic indicators. We evaluated, selected, and extracted data from national scale studies published from 2004 to 2014. The research included papers published in English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Results: The final sample consisted of 96 articles. SDH monitoring is well reported in the scientific literature independent of the economic level of the country and magnitude of deprivation in population groups. The research methods were mostly quantitative and many papers used multilevel and multivariable statistical analyses and indexes to measure health inequalities and SDH. In addition to the usual economic indicators, a high number of socio-economic indicators were used. The indicators covered a broad range of social dimensions, which were given consideration within and across different social groups. Many

Scoping review: national monitoring frameworks for social determinants of health and health equity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedrana, Leo; Pamponet, Marina; Walker, Ruth; Costa, Federico; Rasella, Davide

2016-01-01

The strategic importance of monitoring social determinants of health (SDH) and health equity and inequity has been a central focus in global discussions around the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on SDH and the Millennium Development Goals. This study is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) equity-oriented analysis of linkages between health and other sectors (EQuAL) project, which aims to define a framework for monitoring SDH and health equity. This review provides a global summary and analysis of the domains and indicators that have been used in recent studies covering the SDH. These studies are considered here within the context of indicators proposed by the WHO EQuAL project. The objectives are as follows: to describe the range of international and national studies and the types of indicators most frequently used; report how they are used in causal explanation of the SDH; and identify key priorities and challenges reported in current research for national monitoring of the SDH. We conducted a scoping review of published SDH studies in the PubMed(®) database to obtain evidence of socio-economic indicators. We evaluated, selected, and extracted data from national scale studies published from 2004 to 2014. The research included papers published in English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The final sample consisted of 96 articles. SDH monitoring is well reported in the scientific literature independent of the economic level of the country and magnitude of deprivation in population groups. The research methods were mostly quantitative and many papers used multilevel and multivariable statistical analyses and indexes to measure health inequalities and SDH. In addition to the usual economic indicators, a high number of socio-economic indicators were used. The indicators covered a broad range of social dimensions, which were given consideration within and across different social groups. Many indicators included in the WHO EQuAL framework were not

[Does co-operation research provide approaches to explain the changes in the German hospital market?].

Science.gov (United States)

Raible, C; Leidl, R

2004-11-01

The German hospital market faces an extensive process of consolidation. In this change hospitals consider cooperation as one possibility to improve competitiveness. To investigate explanations of changes in the German hospital market by theoretical approaches of cooperation research. The aims and mechanism of the theories, their relevance in terms of contents and their potential for empirical tests were used as criteria to assess the approaches, with current and future trends in the German hospital market providing the framework. Based on literature review, six theoretical approaches were investigated: industrial organization, transaction cost theory, game theory, resource dependency, institutional theory, and co-operative investment and finance theory. In addition, the data needed to empirically test the theories were specified. As a general problem, some of the theoretical approaches set a perfect market as a precondition. This precondition is not met by the heavily regulated German hospital market. Given the current regulations and the assessment criteria, industrial organization as well as resource-dependency and institutional theory approaches showed the highest potential to explain various aspects of the changes in the hospital market. So far, none of the approaches investigated provides a comprehensive and empirically tested explanation of the changes in the German hospital market. However, some of the approaches provide a theoretical background for part of the changes. As this dynamic market is economically of high significance, there is a need for further development and empirical testing of relevant theoretical approaches.

Critical variables of business failure: a review and classification framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius Pretorius

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Failure is a phenomenon that ventures face during all stages of the life cycle and requires insight into its causes before it can be reversed. The scientific literature on failure is, however, spread over multiple disciplines. This study’s line of enquiry firstly reviews the documented research (both theoretical and empirical encompassing the phenomenon ‘business failure’ on a multi-disciplinary basis. A conceptual framework is then proposed for categorising variables into four sub-domains namely: signs and prediction; causes and preconditions; recovery; and cognition and learning. Better understanding of the failure phenomenon is achieved. The methodology applied is fundamentally based on grounded theory interpretation with a focus on classifying the identified relevant variables.

Assessing the impact of healthcare research: A systematic review of methodological frameworks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Cruz Rivera

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, researchers need to demonstrate the impact of their research to their sponsors, funders, and fellow academics. However, the most appropriate way of measuring the impact of healthcare research is subject to debate. We aimed to identify the existing methodological frameworks used to measure healthcare research impact and to summarise the common themes and metrics in an impact matrix.Two independent investigators systematically searched the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE, the Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL+, the Health Management Information Consortium, and the Journal of Research Evaluation from inception until May 2017 for publications that presented a methodological framework for research impact. We then summarised the common concepts and themes across methodological frameworks and identified the metrics used to evaluate differing forms of impact. Twenty-four unique methodological frameworks were identified, addressing 5 broad categories of impact: (1 'primary research-related impact', (2 'influence on policy making', (3 'health and health systems impact', (4 'health-related and societal impact', and (5 'broader economic impact'. These categories were subdivided into 16 common impact subgroups. Authors of the included publications proposed 80 different metrics aimed at measuring impact in these areas. The main limitation of the study was the potential exclusion of relevant articles, as a consequence of the poor indexing of the databases searched.The measurement of research impact is an essential exercise to help direct the allocation of limited research resources, to maximise research benefit, and to help minimise research waste. This review provides a collective summary of existing methodological frameworks for research impact, which funders may use to inform the measurement of research impact and researchers may use to inform

Uranium Production Safety Assessment Team. UPSAT. An international peer review service for uranium production facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The IAEA Uranium Production Safety Assessment Team (UPSAT) programme is designed to assist Member States to improve the safe operation of uranium production facilities. This programme facilitates the exchange of knowledge and experience between team members and industry personnel. An UPSAT mission is an international expert review, conducted outside of any regulatory framework. The programme is implemented in the spirit of voluntary co-operation to contribute to the enhancement of operational safety and practices where it is most effective, at the facility itself. An UPSAT review supplements other facility and regulatory efforts which may have the same objective

Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey of feasibility of international cooperation in the transfer of technology; 1999 nendo gijutsu iten ni kakawaru kokusai kyoryoku kanosei chosa hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

Among the activity goals of CTI (climate technology initiative), which is a framework designed to encourage international cooperation of leading nations in the voluntary development and diffusion of technologies supposed to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, there is the promotion of the transfer and diffusion of climate change preventing technologies. To achieve the goal, energy efficiency oriented workshops will be held as part of the training for the raising of people skilled in energy saving, the results will be examined, the achievements attained at such events will be introduced at COP5 (Conference of the Parties at Bonn), and the responses of the respective countries will be reviewed, all these for the investigation of the feasibility of international cooperation for raising people dedicated to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. In this fiscal year, aiming to make clear the possibility of contribution to the transfer of software-related technologies through cooperation of multiple nations, lecturers from leading countries and participants from developing nations met, held a workshop over energy efficiency technologies, and the results were compiled. (NEDO)

Guide for International Peer Reviews of Decommissioning Cost Studies for Nuclear Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaGuardia, Thomas S.; Pescatore, Claudio; )

2014-01-01

Peer reviews are a standard co-operative OECD working tool that offer member countries a framework to compare experiences and examine best practices in a host of areas. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has developed a proven methodology for conducting peer reviews in radioactive waste management and nuclear R and D. Using this methodology, the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee's Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) developed the present guide as a framework for decommissioning cost reviewers and reviewees to prepare for and conduct international peer reviews of decommissioning cost estimate studies for nuclear facilities. It includes checklists that will help national programmes or relevant organisations to assess and improve decommissioning cost estimate practices in the future. This guide will act as the NEA reference for conducting such international peer reviews. The remainder of this guide is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 2 describes gathering the cost estimate study and underpinning documents, reviewing the study and writing a final report. Chapter 3 provides a detailed checklist approach for the review of the cost study report. Chapter 4 provides checklists to assist in reviewing benchmarked information. Chapter 5 provides comments on the approach and recommendations for use of this guide. Chapters 6 and 7 provide the background material used in developing this guide and Chapter 8 provides a list of the abbreviations and acronyms used in this guide

Uncovering the dynamics of interaction in development cooperation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fejerskov, Adam Moe; Lundsgaarde, Erik; Cold-Ravnkilde, Signe

The rising prominence of new state and non-state actors in international politics has stimulated extensive discussion in the social sciences over the last decade and development cooperation has been a central arena for conceptualising the encounter between old and new powers. This working paper...... critically reflects on the substantial body of scholarship that seeks to document the characteristics of new actors in international development and chart the consequences of their engagement for global development governance. This review underlines the importance of questioning the homogeneity of actor...... constellations, relationships and ideas. Specifically, it addresses the extent to which the commonly-used binary concepts of development cooperation provider groups adequately capture relevant distinctions among the actors and add analytical value to research on development cooperation. The paper advocates...

Cooperative Networks: Altruism, Group Solidarity, Reciprocity, and Sanctioning in Ugandan Producer Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldassarri, Delia

2015-09-01

Repeated interaction and social networks are commonly considered viable solutions to collective action problems. This article identifies and systematically measures four general mechanisms--that is, generalized altruism, group solidarity, reciprocity, and the threat of sanctioning--and tests which of them brings about cooperation in the context of Ugandan producer organizations. Using an innovative methodological framework that combines "lab-in-the-field" experiments with survey interviews and complete social networks data, the article goes beyond the assessment of a relationship between social networks and collective outcomes to study the mechanisms that favor cooperative behavior. The article first establishes a positive relationship between position in the network structure and propensity to cooperate in the producer organization and then uses farmers' behavior in dictator and public goods games to test different mechanisms that may account for such a relationship. Results show that cooperation is induced by patterns of reciprocity that emerge through repeated interaction rather than other-regarding preferences like altruism or group solidarity.

Building a Conceptual Framework to Study the Effect of HIV Stigma-Reduction Intervention Strategies on HIV Test Uptake: A Scoping Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Thapa, Subash; Hannes, Karin; Cargo, Margaret; Buve, Anne; Aro, Arja R; Mathei, Catharina

A scoping review of grey and peer-reviewed literature was conducted to develop a conceptual framework to illustrate mechanisms involved in reducing HIV stigma and increasing HIV test uptake. We followed a three-step approach to exploring the literature: developing concepts, organizing and categorizing concepts, and synthesizing concepts into a framework. The framework contains four types of intervention strategies: awareness creation, influencing normative behavior, providing support, and developing regulatory laws. The awareness creation strategy generally improves knowledge and the influencing normative behavior strategy changes stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors, and subsequently, increases HIV test uptake. Providing support and development of regulatory law strategies changes actual stigmatizing behaviors of the people, and subsequently, increases HIV test uptake. The framework further outlines that the mechanisms described are influenced by the interaction of various social-contextual and individual factors. The framework sheds new light on the effects of HIV stigma-reduction intervention strategies and HIV test uptake. Copyright © 2017 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance measurement of the agricultural marketing cooperatives : The gap between theory and practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soboh, R.A.M.E.; Oude Lansink, A.; Giesen, G.; Dijk, van G.

2009-01-01

The performance of agricultural cooperatives depends on their business objectives, which are defined in different ways in the literature. We review the theoretical literature on the performance of agricultural marketing cooperatives. Studies can be divided into two classes, those that assume a

A hypothesis of coevolution between cooperation and responses to inequity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah F Brosnan

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Recent evidence demonstrates that humans are not the only species to respond negatively to inequitable outcomes which are to their disadvantage. Several species respond negatively if they subsequently receive a less good reward than a social partner for completing the same task. While these studies suggest that the negative response to inequity is not a uniquely human behavior, they do not provide a functional explanation for the emergence of these responses due to similar characteristics among these species. Emerging data support the hypothesis that an aversion to inequity is a mechanism to promote successful long-term cooperative relationships amongst non-kin. In this paper, I discuss several converging lines of evidence which illustrate the need to further evaluate this relationship. First, cooperation can survive modest inequity; in explicitly cooperative interactions, individuals are willing to continue to cooperate despite inequitable outcomes as long as the partner’s overall behavior is equitable. Second, the context of inequity affects reactions to it in ways which support the idea that joint efforts lead to an expectation of joint payoffs. Finally, comparative studies indicate a link between the degree and extent of cooperation between unrelated individuals in a species and that species’ response to inequitable outcomes. This latter line of evidence indicates that this behavior evolved in conjunction with cooperation and may represent an adaptation to increase the payoffs associated with cooperative interactions. Together these data inform a testable working hypothesis for understanding decision-making in the context of inequity and provide a new, comparative framework for evaluating decision-making behavior.

Monitoring and evaluation of the PAHO/WHO cooperation project, the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program: a mid-term assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina, Joaquín; Tasca, Renato; Suárez, Julio

2016-09-01

Working relations between the Pan- American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and Brazilian health institutions accumulated a long history of cooperation with mutual benefits, which in many cases were shared with other nations under various cooperation frameworks among countries for health development. A milestone in this relationship is the technical cooperation provided by PAHO/WHO to the More Doctors Program (Programa Mais Médicos - PMM). This cooperation has added both strategic value in reducing gaps in health equality and has capitalized on the unique nature of the Cuba-Brazil South-South cooperation experience, triangulated through PAHO/WHO. This paper discusses PAHO/WHO's role in the evaluation of its technical cooperation within PMM. A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework has been developed in order to progressively identify the advances in coverage and quality of primary health care provided by the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) through the PMM. Special attention was given to identify best practices in health services, to analyze results and impacts of the PMM, and to manage and share knowledge that has been produced by its implementation, through a web-based knowledge platform. Some relevant results of PMM are briefly presented and discussed.

Biodiversity as a multidimensional construct: a review, framework and case study of herbivory's impact on plant biodiversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naeem, S.; Prager, Case; Weeks, Brian

2016-01-01

on understory plant cover at Black Rock Forest, New York. Using three biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) to explore our framework, we found that herbivory alters biodiversity's multidimensional influence on plant cover; an effect not observable through a unidimensional...... approach. Although our review, framework and case study illustrate the advantages of multidimensional over unidimensional approaches, they also illustrate the statistical and empirical challenges such work entails. Meeting these challenges, however, where data and resources permit, will be important if we...

International Nuclear Safety Experts Conclude IAEA Peer Review of Swiss Regulatory Framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Full text: A team of international nuclear safety experts today completed a two-week International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review of the regulatory framework for nuclear safety in Switzerland. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission noted good practices in the Swiss system and also made recommendations for the nation's nuclear regulatory authority, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI). ''Our team developed a good impression of the independent Swiss regulator - ENSI - and the team considered that ENSI deserves particular credit for its actions to improve Swiss safety capability following this year's nuclear accident in Japan,'' said IRRS Team Leader Jean-Christophe Niel of France. The mission's scope covered the Swiss nuclear regulatory framework for all types of nuclear-related activities regulated by ENSI. The mission was conducted from 20 November to 2 December, mainly at ENSI headquarters in Brugg. The team held extensive discussions with ENSI staff and visited many Swiss nuclear facilities. IRRS missions are peer reviews, not inspections or audits, and are conducted at the request of host nations. For the Swiss review, the IAEA assembled a team of 19 international experts from 14 countries. The experts came from Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ''The findings of the IRRS mission will help us to further improve our work. That is part of our safety culture,'' said ENSI Director General Hans Wanner. ''As Switzerland argued at international nuclear safety meetings this year for a strengthening of the international monitoring of nuclear power, we will take action to fulfil the recommendations.'' The IRRS team highlighted several good practices of the Swiss regulatory system, including the following: ENSI requires Swiss nuclear operators to back-fit their facilities by continuously upgrading

The Right Tools for the Job: Cooperative Breeding Theory and an Evaluation of the Methodological Approaches to Understanding the Evolution and Maintenance of Sociality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin L. Hing

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Why do we observe so many examples in nature in which individuals routinely delay or completely forgo their own reproductive opportunities in order to join and remain within a group? Cooperative breeding theory provides a rich framework with which to study the factors that may influence the costs and benefits of remaining philopatric as a non-breeder. This is often viewed as an initial step in the development of costly helping behavior provided by non-breeding subordinates. Despite many excellent empirical studies testing key concepts of the theory, there is still debate regarding the relative importance of various evolutionary forces, suggesting that there may not be a general explanation but rather a dynamic and taxonomically varied combination of factors influencing the evolution and maintenance of sociality. Here, we explore two potential improvements in the study of sociality that could aid in the progress of this field. The first addresses the fact that empirical studies of social evolution are typically conducted using either comparative, observational or manipulative methodologies. Instead, we suggest a holistic approach, whereby observational and experimental studies are designed with the explicit view of advancing comparative analyses of sociality for the taxon, and in tandem, where comparative work informs targeted research effort on specific (usually understudied species within the lineage. A second improvement relates to the broadening of tests of cooperative breeding theory to include taxa where subordinates do not necessarily provide active cooperation within the group. The original bias toward “helpful subordinates” arose from a focus on terrestrial taxa. However, recent consideration of other taxa, especially marine taxa, is slowly revealing that the theory can and should encompass a continuum of cooperative social systems, including those where subordinates do not actively help. This review summarizes the major hypotheses

Bioethical Dimensions of International Cooperation for Health: still a controversial issue?

Science.gov (United States)

Santana, José Paranaguá de

2017-07-01

This essay stresses the importance of undertaking a critical analysis of international cooperation for health based upon reflections on diplomacy, acknowledging the ethical limits and possibilities of cooperation within this context. It emphasizes the importance of adopting an historical perspective, highlighting the circumstances surrounding the consolidation of the current international system, whereby, after two world wars, the victorious countries created the United Nations Organization, which today brings together all the world's nations, notwithstanding the fact that the majority of countries are in favor of significant changes to its institutional framework. It also stresses the importance of the bioethics dimension, despite the systematic disregard of principles adopted in relevant UN documents, especially in view of inequalities pari passu with asymmetries of knowledge and enjoyment of innovations that separate nations. This reflection also suggests that South-South cooperation is fundamental to the analysis of the inequality and dependence that demarcate North-South and East-West bipolarity. These reflections are, in short, important guiding elements for deepening analysis and resolutions in the arena of international cooperation for health, leaving aside catastrophic visions and idealistic illusions.

Analysis on IAEA 2006-2007 Programme and Cooperation Directions between Korea and IAEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Keun Bae; Lee, H. M.; Yang, M. H.; Lee, B. W.; Ko, H. S.; Ryu, J. S.; Kim, H. J.; Kim, K. P.

2004-12-01

In this study, the structure of the IAEA programme and the major changes in 2004/2005 programme cycle are analyzed. Also renewed programming process and major issues in 2006/2007 programme and budget are analyzed. Based on the analyses, the detailed proposal to strengthen cooperation with IAEA is prepared in the fields of nuclear power, nuclear application, nuclear safety and nuclear cooperation. As a result, the following 9 themes are identified to strengthen the relation between Korea and the IAEA. - Nuclear Production of Hydrogen - Sea Water Desalination - Nuclear Knowledge Management - Application of Food Irradiation - Cancer Treatment using Cyclotron - Global Nuclear Safety Network; - Management of Radiation Source by Global Positioning System (GPS) - Global Network for Radiological Emergency Response - Enhanced relationship between Regional Cooperation Frameworks

Coordination of Cooperative Advertising in a Two-Period Fashion and Textiles Supply Chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi He

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Previous studies related to cooperative advertising mainly focus on the one-period supply chain. In the fashion and textiles (FT supply chain, the demand of most FT products (fashion clothing, vogue handbags, fashion shoes, and so on varies over time due to the trends of fashion. In these conditions, a decision-making framework with a multiple-period supply chain becomes more realistic. In view of this, we investigate the optimal cooperative advertising strategies in a two-period FT supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer in two different scenarios: (i each channel member makes decisions within a cooperative program; (ii the retailer is vertically integrated with a manufacturer. Also, we introduce a two-way subsidy contract to coordinate the supply chain.

A systematic review and development of a classification framework for factors associated with missing patient-reported outcome data.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Michael J; Mercieca-Bebber, Rebecca; King, Madeleine; Calvert, Melanie; Richardson, Harriet; Brundage, Michael

2018-02-01

Missing patient-reported outcome data can lead to biased results, to loss of power to detect between-treatment differences, and to research waste. Awareness of factors may help researchers reduce missing patient-reported outcome data through study design and trial processes. The aim was to construct a Classification Framework of factors associated with missing patient-reported outcome data in the context of comparative studies. The first step in this process was informed by a systematic review. Two databases (MEDLINE and CINAHL) were searched from inception to March 2015 for English articles. Inclusion criteria were (a) relevant to patient-reported outcomes, (b) discussed missing data or compliance in prospective medical studies, and (c) examined predictors or causes of missing data, including reasons identified in actual trial datasets and reported on cover sheets. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts. Discrepancies were discussed with the research team prior to finalizing the list of eligible papers. In completing the systematic review, four particular challenges to synthesizing the extracted information were identified. To address these challenges, operational principles were established by consensus to guide the development of the Classification Framework. A total of 6027 records were screened. In all, 100 papers were eligible and included in the review. Of these, 57% focused on cancer, 23% did not specify disease, and 20% reported for patients with a variety of non-cancer conditions. In total, 40% of the papers offered a descriptive analysis of possible factors associated with missing data, but some papers used other methods. In total, 663 excerpts of text (units), each describing a factor associated with missing patient-reported outcome data, were extracted verbatim. Redundant units were identified and sequestered. Similar units were grouped, and an iterative process of consensus among the investigators was used to reduce these units to a

Lattice architecture effect on the cooperativity of spin transition coordination polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiruta, Daniel [Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Laboratory (AMNOL), Ştefan cel Mare University, Suceava 720229 (Romania); GEMaC, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, CNRS-UVSQ (UMR 8635), 78035 Versailles Cedex (France); LISV, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 78140 Velizy (France); Jureschi, Catalin-Maricel; Rotaru, Aurelian, E-mail: jorge.linares@uvsq.fr, E-mail: rotaru@eed.usv.ro [Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Laboratory (AMNOL), Ştefan cel Mare University, Suceava 720229 (Romania); Linares, Jorge, E-mail: jorge.linares@uvsq.fr, E-mail: rotaru@eed.usv.ro [GEMaC, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, CNRS-UVSQ (UMR 8635), 78035 Versailles Cedex (France); Garcia, Yann [Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, Molecules, Solids and Reactivity (IMCN/MOST), Université Catholique de Louvain, Place L. Pasteur, 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

2014-02-07

We have investigated in the framework of the Ising-like model, by means of Monte Carlo Metropolis method with open boundary condition, the architecture effect on the cooperativity of spin transition coordination polymers. We have analyzed the influence of several physical parameters (size, pressure, and edge effects) on different lattice architectures which were in good agreement with reported experimental data. We show that the cooperativity of a spin crossover system, characterized by the same number of molecules and the same short- and long-range interaction parameters, is progressively enhanced when going from a 1D chain to a 1D ladder type lattice and to a 2D square lattice.

Fundamental properties of cooperative contagion processes

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Ghanbarnejad, Fakhteh; Brockmann, Dirk

2017-10-01

We investigate the effects of cooperativity between contagion processes that spread and persist in a host population. We propose and analyze a dynamical model in which individuals that are affected by one transmissible agent A exhibit a higher than baseline propensity of being affected by a second agent B and vice versa. The model is a natural extension of the traditional susceptible-infected-susceptible model used for modeling single contagion processes. We show that cooperativity changes the dynamics of the system considerably when cooperativity is strong. The system exhibits discontinuous phase transitions not observed in single agent contagion, multi-stability, a separation of the traditional epidemic threshold into different thresholds for inception and extinction as well as hysteresis. These properties are robust and are corroborated by stochastic simulations on lattices and generic network topologies. Finally, we investigate wave propagation and transients in a spatially extended version of the model and show that especially for intermediate values of baseline reproduction ratios the system is characterized by various types of wave-front speeds. The system can exhibit spatially heterogeneous stationary states for some parameters and negative front speeds (receding wave fronts). The two agent model can be employed as a starting point for more complex contagion processes, involving several interacting agents, a model framework particularly suitable for modeling the spread and dynamics of microbiological ecosystems in host populations.

Fundamental properties of cooperative contagion processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Li; Ghanbarnejad, Fakhteh; Brockmann, Dirk

2017-01-01

We investigate the effects of cooperativity between contagion processes that spread and persist in a host population. We propose and analyze a dynamical model in which individuals that are affected by one transmissible agent A exhibit a higher than baseline propensity of being affected by a second agent B and vice versa. The model is a natural extension of the traditional susceptible-infected-susceptible model used for modeling single contagion processes. We show that cooperativity changes the dynamics of the system considerably when cooperativity is strong. The system exhibits discontinuous phase transitions not observed in single agent contagion, multi-stability, a separation of the traditional epidemic threshold into different thresholds for inception and extinction as well as hysteresis. These properties are robust and are corroborated by stochastic simulations on lattices and generic network topologies. Finally, we investigate wave propagation and transients in a spatially extended version of the model and show that especially for intermediate values of baseline reproduction ratios the system is characterized by various types of wave-front speeds. The system can exhibit spatially heterogeneous stationary states for some parameters and negative front speeds (receding wave fronts). The two agent model can be employed as a starting point for more complex contagion processes, involving several interacting agents, a model framework particularly suitable for modeling the spread and dynamics of microbiological ecosystems in host populations. (paper)

A spectrally efficient detect-and-forward scheme with two-tier adaptive cooperation

KAUST Repository

Benjillali, Mustapha

2011-09-01

We propose a simple relay-based adaptive cooperation scheme to improve the spectral efficiency of "Detect-and-Forward" (DetF) half-duplex relaying in fading channels. In a new common framework, we show that the proposed scheme offers considerable gainsin terms of the achievable information ratescompared to conventional DetF relaying schemes for both orthogonal and non-orthogonal source/relay transmissions. The analysis leads on to a general adaptive cooperation strategy based on the maximization of information rates at the destination which needs to observe only the average signal-to-noise ratios of the links. © 2006 IEEE.

International cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

In this chapter international cooperation of the Division for Radiation Safety, NPP Decommissioning and Radwaste Management of the VUJE, a. s. is presented. Very important is cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. This cooperation has various forms - national and regional projects of technical cooperation, coordinated research activities, participation of our experts in preparation of the IAEA documentation etc.

PCTFPeval: a web tool for benchmarking newly developed algorithms for predicting cooperative transcription factor pairs in yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Fu-Jou; Chang, Hong-Tsun; Wu, Wei-Sheng

2015-01-01

Computational identification of cooperative transcription factor (TF) pairs helps understand the combinatorial regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Many advanced algorithms have been proposed to predict cooperative TF pairs in yeast. However, it is still difficult to conduct a comprehensive and objective performance comparison of different algorithms because of lacking sufficient performance indices and adequate overall performance scores. To solve this problem, in our previous study (published in BMC Systems Biology 2014), we adopted/proposed eight performance indices and designed two overall performance scores to compare the performance of 14 existing algorithms for predicting cooperative TF pairs in yeast. Most importantly, our performance comparison framework can be applied to comprehensively and objectively evaluate the performance of a newly developed algorithm. However, to use our framework, researchers have to put a lot of effort to construct it first. To save researchers time and effort, here we develop a web tool to implement our performance comparison framework, featuring fast data processing, a comprehensive performance comparison and an easy-to-use web interface. The developed tool is called PCTFPeval (Predicted Cooperative TF Pair evaluator), written in PHP and Python programming languages. The friendly web interface allows users to input a list of predicted cooperative TF pairs from their algorithm and select (i) the compared algorithms among the 15 existing algorithms, (ii) the performance indices among the eight existing indices, and (iii) the overall performance scores from two possible choices. The comprehensive performance comparison results are then generated in tens of seconds and shown as both bar charts and tables. The original comparison results of each compared algorithm and each selected performance index can be downloaded as text files for further analyses. Allowing users to select eight existing performance indices and 15

A Comparison of Traditional and Cooperative Learning Methods in Online Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kupczynski, Lori; Mundy, Marie-Anne; Ruiz, Alberto

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Community of Inquiry framework through an in-depth examination of learning comprised of teaching, social and cognitive presence in traditional versus cooperative online teaching at a community college. A total of 21 students participated in this study, with approximately 45% having taken…

A review and framework for understanding the potential impact of poor solid waste management on health in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziraba, Abdhalah K; Haregu, Tilahun Nigatu; Mberu, Blessing

2016-01-01

The increase in solid waste generated per capita in Africa has not been accompanied by a commensurate growth in the capacity and funding to manage it. It is reported that less than 30% of urban waste in developing countries is collected and disposed appropriately. The implications of poorly managed waste on health are numerous and depend on the nature of the waste, individuals exposed, duration of exposure and availability of interventions for those exposed. To present a framework for understanding the linkages between poor solid waste management, exposure and associated adverse health outcomes. The framework will aid understanding of the relationships, interlinkages and identification of the potential points for intervention. Development of the framework was informed by a review of literature on solid waste management policies, practices and its impact on health in developing countries. A configurative synthesis of literature was applied to develop the framework. Several iterations of the framework were reviewed by experts in the field. Each linkage and outcomes are described in detail as outputs of this study. The resulting framework identifies groups of people at a heightened risk of exposure and the potential health consequences. Using the iceberg metaphor, the framework illustrates the pathways and potential burden of ill-health related to solid waste that is hidden but rapidly unfolding with our inaction. The existing evidence on the linkage between poor solid waste management and adverse health outcomes calls to action by all stakeholders in understanding, prioritizing, and addressing the issue of solid waste in our midst to ensure that our environment and health are preserved. A resulting framework developed in this study presents a clearer picture of the linkages between poor solid waste management and could guide research, policy and action.

A critical review of frameworks used for evaluating reliability and relevance of (eco)toxicity data: Perspectives for an integrated eco-human decision-making framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, N; Ciffroy, P

2016-10-01

Considerable efforts have been invested so far to evaluate and rank the quality and relevance of (eco)toxicity data for their use in regulatory risk assessment to assess chemical hazards. Many frameworks have been developed to improve robustness and transparency in the evaluation of reliability and relevance of individual tests, but these frameworks typically focus on either environmental risk assessment (ERA) or human health risk assessment (HHRA), and there is little cross talk between them. There is a need to develop a common approach that would support a more consistent, transparent and robust evaluation and weighting of the evidence across ERA and HHRA. This paper explores the applicability of existing Data Quality Assessment (DQA) frameworks for integrating environmental toxicity hazard data into human health assessments and vice versa. We performed a comparative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of eleven frameworks for evaluating reliability and/or relevance of toxicity and ecotoxicity hazard data. We found that a frequent shortcoming is the lack of a clear separation between reliability and relevance criteria. A further gaps and needs analysis revealed that none of the reviewed frameworks satisfy the needs of a common eco-human DQA system. Based on our analysis, some key characteristics, perspectives and recommendations are identified and discussed for building a common DQA system as part of a future integrated eco-human decision-making framework. This work lays the basis for developing a common DQA system to support the further development and promotion of Integrated Risk Assessment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 550.17 - Peer review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Peer review. 550.17 Section 550.17 Agriculture... § 550.17 Peer review. Upon request of the REE Agency, cooperators may be requested to provide documentation in support of peer review activities and cooperator personnel may be requested to participate in...

A project for the strengthening of cooperative relations between Korea and Vietnam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, M. H.; Kim, H. S.; Chung, W. S.; Kim, H. J.; Yun, S. W.; Ko, H. S.; Nho, I. Y.

2002-03-01

This study was carried out in order to review the cooperation with Vietnam and strengthening of cooperative relations with Vietnam. During the study, the current status and prospect of electricity, use and development of nuclear energy in vietnam, were investigated including nuclear power plant and cooperative relations between two nations were also established. It was agreed through exchanges of visits of cooperation delegation; 1) exchange of visits of cooperation delegation, 2) holding of policy seminar for high level decision makers of Vietnam 3) cooperaton between MOST/MOSTE, 4) joint feasibility study for the construction of KSNP into Vietnam and technical presentation of KSNP. It is recommended that cooperaion with Vietnam be implemented systematically through the long term based basic directions and integrated national strategies

Institutional framework for integrated Pharmaceutical Benefits Management: results from a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Roman Hermanowski

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives: In this paper, we emphasised that effective management of health plans beneficiaries access to reimbursed medicines requires proper institutional set-up. The main objective was to identify and recommend an institutional framework of integrated pharmaceutical care providing effective, safe and equitable access to medicines. Method: The institutional framework of drug policy was derived on the basis of publications obtained by systematic reviews. A comparative analysis concerning adaptation of coordinated pharmaceutical care services in the USA, the UK, Poland, Italy, Denmark and Germany was performed. Results: While most European Union Member States promote the implementation of selected e-Health tools, like e-Prescribing, these efforts do not necessarily implement an integrated package. There is no single agent who would manage an insured patients’ access to medicines and health care in a coordinated manner, thereby increasing the efficiency and safety of drug policy. More attention should be paid by European Union Member States as to how to integrate various e-Health tools to enhance benefits to both individuals and societies. One solution could be to implement an integrated “pharmacy benefit management” model, which is well established in the USA and Canada and provides an integrated package of cost-containment methods, implemented within a transparent institutional framework and powered by strong motivation of the agent.

Validation of a Framework for Measuring Hospital Disaster Resilience Using Factor Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuang Zhong

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Hospital disaster resilience can be defined as “the ability of hospitals to resist, absorb, and respond to the shock of disasters while maintaining and surging essential health services, and then to recover to its original state or adapt to a new one.” This article aims to provide a framework which can be used to comprehensively measure hospital disaster resilience. An evaluation framework for assessing hospital resilience was initially proposed through a systematic literature review and Modified-Delphi consultation. Eight key domains were identified: hospital safety, command, communication and cooperation system, disaster plan, resource stockpile, staff capability, disaster training and drills, emergency services and surge capability, and recovery and adaptation. The data for this study were collected from 41 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province in China, using a specially designed questionnaire. Factor analysis was conducted to determine the underpinning structure of the framework. It identified a four-factor structure of hospital resilience, namely, emergency medical response capability (F1, disaster management mechanisms (F2, hospital infrastructural safety (F3, and disaster resources (F4. These factors displayed good internal consistency. The overall level of hospital disaster resilience (F was calculated using the scoring model: F = 0.615F1 + 0.202F2 + 0.103F3 + 0.080F4. This validated framework provides a new way to operationalise the concept of hospital resilience, and it is also a foundation for the further development of the measurement instrument in future studies.

COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF ECONOMICS, OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE IN EUROPE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norina-Consuela FORNA

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The issue of medical cooperation raises many questions current and controversial, which are the focus of interest in socio-political and legal, such as debates on instruments to combat the high costs, the public health system, legislation aimed at ensuring health, tobacco consumption, alcohol, obesity and others. Public health legislation deals with the framework conditions, legal and social aspects of public health, protection and deployment the law of public health on tobacco. The aim of this study is to identify the degree to which economic freedom correlates with indicators of development, health and economic cooperation in medicine field. In this regard, we consider useful to investigate how the correlation indicators of policy Health – 2020 with global and European economic development. Research methods are located in estimating the degree of international cooperation in the medicine field through statistical methods, comparison, graphics, deduction or induction.The results allow to formulate a whole picture regarding international cooperation in the field of medicine, combating different diseases but human vices as obesity, tobacco use, alcohol etc. Facilitation of cooperation in research and innovation is the key to bridging the gap between research and demand in different countries and regions.

Assessing citation networks for dissemination and implementation research frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Skolarus, Ted A; Lehmann, Todd; Tabak, Rachel G; Harris, Jenine; Lecy, Jesse; Sales, Anne E

2017-07-28

A recent review of frameworks used in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science described 61 judged to be related either to dissemination, implementation, or both. The current use of these frameworks and their contributions to D&I science more broadly has yet to be reviewed. For these reasons, our objective was to determine the role of these frameworks in the development of D&I science. We used the Web of Science™ Core Collection and Google Scholar™ to conduct a citation network analysis for the key frameworks described in a recent systematic review of D&I frameworks (Am J Prev Med 43(3):337-350, 2012). From January to August 2016, we collected framework data including title, reference, publication year, and citations per year and conducted descriptive and main path network analyses to identify those most important in holding the current citation network for D&I frameworks together. The source article contained 119 cited references, with 50 published articles and 11 documents identified as a primary framework reference. The average citations per year for the 61 frameworks reviewed ranged from 0.7 to 103.3 among articles published from 1985 to 2012. Citation rates from all frameworks are reported with citation network analyses for the framework review article and ten highly cited framework seed articles. The main path for the D&I framework citation network is presented. We examined citation rates and the main paths through the citation network to delineate the current landscape of D&I framework research, and opportunities for advancing framework development and use. Dissemination and implementation researchers and practitioners may consider frequency of framework citation and our network findings when planning implementation efforts to build upon this foundation and promote systematic advances in D&I science.