Using Publication Metrics to Highlight Academic Productivity and Research Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Christopher R.; Cone, David C.; Sarli, Cathy C.

2016-01-01

This article provides a broad overview of widely available measures of academic productivity and impact using publication data and highlights uses of these metrics for various purposes. Metrics based on publication data include measures such as number of publications, number of citations, the journal impact factor score, and the h-index, as well as emerging metrics based on document-level metrics. Publication metrics can be used for a variety of purposes for tenure and promotion, grant applications and renewal reports, benchmarking, recruiting efforts, and administrative purposes for departmental or university performance reports. The authors also highlight practical applications of measuring and reporting academic productivity and impact to emphasize and promote individual investigators, grant applications, or department output. PMID:25308141

Tourette syndrome research highlights from 2016 [version 2; referees: 4 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin J. Black

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article presents highlights chosen from research that appeared during 2016 on Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. Selected articles felt to represent meaningful advances in the field are briefly summarized.

Emerging roles for microtubules in angiosperm pollen tube growth highlight new research cues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandra eMoscatelli

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In plants, actin filaments have an important role in organelle movement and cytoplasmic streaming. Otherwise microtubules have a role in restricting organelles to specific areas of the cell and in maintaining organelle morphology. In somatic plant cells, microtubules also participate in cell division and morphogenesis, allowing cells to take their definitive shape in order to perform specific functions. In the latter case, microtubules influence assembly of the cell wall, controlling the delivery of enzymes involved in cellulose synthesis and of wall modulation material to the proper sites.In angiosperm pollen tubes, organelle movement is generally attributed to the acto-myosin system, the main role of which is in distributing organelles in the cytoplasm and in carrying secretory vesicles to the apex for polarized growth. Recent data on membrane trafficking suggests a role of microtubules in fine delivery and repositioning of vesicles to sustain pollen tube growth. This review examines the role of microtubules in secretion and endocytosis, highlighting new research cues regarding cell wall construction and pollen tube-pistil crosstalk, that help unravel the role of microtubules in polarized growth.

Aeroacoustics research in Europe : the CEAS-ASC report on 1997 highlights

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rienstra, S.W.

1998-01-01

This paper is a report on the highlights of aeroacoustics research and development in Europe in 1997, compiled from information provided in the CEAS Aeroacoustics Specialists Committee (ASC). The Confederation of European Aerospace Societies (CEAS) comprises the national Aerospace Societies of

Outcomes of Mixed-Age Groupings. Research Highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Stegelin, Dolores A.

1997-01-01

A review of the literature on mixed-age settings reveals benefits in the areas of social and cognitive development. Research on the psychosocial advantages of mixed-age groupings is less consistent. Factors such as group size, age range, time together, and context-specific curriculum activities may have a relationship to the level of success and…

Frontiers: Research highlights 1946-1996 [50th Anniversary Edition. Argonne National Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This special edition of 'Frontiers' commemorates Argonne National Laboratory's 50th anniversary of service to science and society. America's first national laboratory, Argonne has been in the forefront of U.S. scientific and technological research from its beginning. Past accomplishments, current research, and future plans are highlighted.

Aggregation, Validation, and Generalization of Qualitative Data - Methodological and Practical Research Strategies Illustrated by the Research Process of an empirically Based Typology.

Science.gov (United States)

Weis, Daniel; Willems, Helmut

2017-06-01

The article deals with the question of how aggregated data which allow for generalizable insights can be generated from single-case based qualitative investigations. Thereby, two central challenges of qualitative social research are outlined: First, researchers must ensure that the single-case data can be aggregated and condensed so that new collective structures can be detected. Second, they must apply methods and practices to allow for the generalization of the results beyond the specific study. In the following, we demonstrate how and under what conditions these challenges can be addressed in research practice. To this end, the research process of the construction of an empirically based typology is described. A qualitative study, conducted within the framework of the Luxembourg Youth Report, is used to illustrate this process. Specifically, strategies are presented which increase the likelihood of generalizability or transferability of the results, while also highlighting their limitations.

University of Maryland MRSEC - Research: Highlights

Science.gov (United States)

-Engineering Program: Project Lead the Way Thinking Small: Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE Education Outreach Highlights NanoFabulous Greatest Show on Earth: Big Top Physics, USA Science and Perspective at UMD MRSEC Nanoscience Camp Annual Middle School Student Science Conference (SSC) Pre

Brookhaven highlights. Report on research, October 1, 1992--September 30, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.S.; Belford, M.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L. [eds.

1993-12-31

This report highlights the research activities of Brookhaven National Laboratory during the period dating from October 1, 1992 through September 30, 1993. There are contributions to the report from different programs and departments within the laboratory. These include technology transfer, RHIC, Alternating Gradient Synchrotron, physics, biology, national synchrotron light source, applied science, medical science, advanced technology, chemistry, reactor physics, safety and environmental protection, instrumentation, and computing and communications.

The scientific legacy of Little Hans and Little Albert: future directions for research on specific phobias in youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Ollendick, Thomas H; Muris, Peter

2015-01-01

We review issues associated with the phenomenology, etiology, assessment, and treatment of specific phobias in children and adolescents and provide suggestions for future research and clinical practice. In doing so, we highlight the early case studies of Little Hans and Little Albert and the advances that have been made following the publication of these seminal cases. In recent years, we have witnessed a deeper understanding of the etiology of specific phobias and developed a rich array of evidence-based assessments and treatments with which to address specific phobias in youth. Although much has been accomplished in this area of inquiry, we also note that much remains to be done before we can advance more fully our understanding, assessment, and treatment of specific phobias in youth. It will be important for future work to build more firmly on these developments and to better determine the moderators and mediators of change with our evidence-based treatments and to more vigorously pursue their dissemination in real-word settings.

The FaceBase Consortium: a comprehensive resource for craniofacial researchers

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkley, James F.; Fisher, Shannon; Harris, Matthew P.; Holmes, Greg; Hooper, Joan E.; Wang Jabs, Ethylin; Jones, Kenneth L.; Kesselman, Carl; Klein, Ophir D.; Maas, Richard L.; Marazita, Mary L.; Selleri, Licia; Spritz, Richard A.; van Bakel, Harm; Visel, Axel; Williams, Trevor J.; Wysocka, Joanna

2016-01-01

The FaceBase Consortium, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, is designed to accelerate understanding of craniofacial developmental biology by generating comprehensive data resources to empower the research community, exploring high-throughput technology, fostering new scientific collaborations among researchers and human/computer interactions, facilitating hypothesis-driven research and translating science into improved health care to benefit patients. The resources generated by the FaceBase projects include a number of dynamic imaging modalities, genome-wide association studies, software tools for analyzing human facial abnormalities, detailed phenotyping, anatomical and molecular atlases, global and specific gene expression patterns, and transcriptional profiling over the course of embryonic and postnatal development in animal models and humans. The integrated data visualization tools, faceted search infrastructure, and curation provided by the FaceBase Hub offer flexible and intuitive ways to interact with these multidisciplinary data. In parallel, the datasets also offer unique opportunities for new collaborations and training for researchers coming into the field of craniofacial studies. Here, we highlight the focus of each spoke project and the integration of datasets contributed by the spokes to facilitate craniofacial research. PMID:27287806

January 1978 monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynatt, F.R.

1978-01-01

Highlights of technical progress during January 1978 are presented for sixteen separate program activities which comprise the ORNL research program for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research's Division of Reactor Safety Research

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, March 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1977-01-01

Highlights of technical progress during March 1977 are presented for thirteen separate program activities which comprise the ORNL research program for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research's Division of Reactor Safety Research

Building a Community of Practice for Researchers: The International Network for Simulation-Based Pediatric Innovation, Research and Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Adam; Auerbach, Marc; Calhoun, Aaron; Mackinnon, Ralph; Chang, Todd P; Nadkarni, Vinay; Hunt, Elizabeth A; Duval-Arnould, Jordan; Peiris, Nicola; Kessler, David

2018-06-01

The scope and breadth of simulation-based research is growing rapidly; however, few mechanisms exist for conducting multicenter, collaborative research. Failure to foster collaborative research efforts is a critical gap that lies in the path of advancing healthcare simulation. The 2017 Research Summit hosted by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare highlighted how simulation-based research networks can produce studies that positively impact the delivery of healthcare. In 2011, the International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research and Education (INSPIRE) was formed to facilitate multicenter, collaborative simulation-based research with the aim of developing a community of practice for simulation researchers. Since its formation, the network has successfully completed and published numerous collaborative research projects. In this article, we describe INSPIRE's history, structure, and internal processes with the goal of highlighting the community of practice model for other groups seeking to form a simulation-based research network.

Base compaction specification feasibility analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

The objective of this research is to establish the technical engineering and cost : analysis concepts that will enable WisDOT management to objectively evaluate the : feasibility of switching construction specification philosophies for aggregate base...

AEB highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

AEB HIGHLIGHTS is a half-yearly report reflecting the most important recent achievements of the various Research and Technical Divisions of the Atomic Energy Board. It appears alternately in English and Afrikaans [af

AEB highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

AEB HIGHLIGHTS is a half yearly report reflecting the most important recent achievements of the various Research and Technical Divisions of the Atomic Energy Board. It appears alternately in English and Afrikaans [af

Highlights of the UKAEA Underlying Research Programme: April 1988-March 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

Investment in fundamental research is essential to the success of any organisation whose business is the selling of research and development and the services relating to it. The resulting scientific and technical excellence is the hall-mark of a major contract research and development organisation and its main product. Fundamental research in the AEA is co-ordinated through the Underlying Research Programme. The Programme has to keep closely in touch with all the applied projects, in order to identify within these the problems that are hindering progress and might therefore benefit from further investigation. It also has the responsibility for developing new skills and techniques across the AEA. This brochure highlights some of the projects undertaken as part of the Underlying Research Programme. The Programme is organised into fifteen different areas of research, with the research projects not obviously fitting into any of these areas having a separate section to themselves. The text introduces each of these areas in turn, and then describes two or three examples of the sort of work undertaken within it. The areas are radiation effects, fracture studies, chemical effects at surfaces, surface physics and corrosion, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, nuclear studies, neutron beam studies, theoretical sciences, instrumentation, reactor physics and control, fabrication processes, laser isotope separation, nuclear fuel cycle studies, quantum electronics and radiological protection. (author)

Nuclear platform research and development - 2008-09 highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadhankar, R.R.

2009-08-01

The Nuclear Platform R and D Program has lead responsibility for the maintenance and further development of the CANDU intellectual property covering the safety, licensing and design basis for nuclear facilities. The Nuclear Platform R and D Program is part of the Research and Technology Operation (RTO) unit of AECL and is managed through the Research and Development division, which has responsibility for maintaining and enhancing the knowledge and technology base. The RTO is also responsible for managing AECL's nuclear facilities and infrastructure (including laboratories and R and D facilities), the nuclear waste management program and other legacy liabilities (e.g., decommissioning) to demonstrate and grow shareholder value. The Nuclear Platform also provides the technology base from which new products and services can be developed to meet customer needs (including ACR and commercial products and services). (author)

Ethical Issues in Designing Internet-Based Research: Recommendations for Good Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Shikha

2017-01-01

This article presents an overview of internet-based research, highlighting the absence of a standard terminology to define and classify such research. The label internet-based research or online research can cover a diverse range of research designs and methods, involving different degrees of ethical concern regarding privacy, transparency,…

Langley Research Highlights 1999: Advanced Aerospace Technology Clouds That Help Create the Ozone Hole Capturing Comet Dust

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

This report contains highlights of some of the major accomplishments and applications made by NASA Langley Research Center and its university partners and industry colleagues during 1999. The highlights illustrate the broad range of research and technology activities carried out by NASA Langley and the contributions of this work toward maintaining United States' leadership in aeronautics and space research. The Center's historic national role since 1917 continues in Aerospace Technology research with an additional major role in Earth Science research. Langley also partners closely with other NASA Centers and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Space Science and the Human Exploration and Development of Space. A color version is available at http://larcpubs.larc.nasa.gov/randt/1999/. For further information, contact Dennis Bushnell, Senior Scientist, Mail Stop 110, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23681-2199, (757)-864-8987, e-mail address: d.m.bushnell@larc.nasa.gov.

Tourette syndrome research highlights from 2016 [version 1; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin J. Black

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This article presents highlights chosen from research that appeared during 2016 on Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. Selected articles felt to represent meaningful advances in the field are briefly summarized.

Clinical Research That Matters: Designing Outcome-Based Research for Older Adults to Qualify for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeannie K; Fosnight, Susan M; Estus, Erica L; Evans, Paula J; Pho, Victoria B; Reidt, Shannon; Reist, Jeffrey C; Ruby, Christine M; Sibicky, Stephanie L; Wheeler, Janel B

2018-01-01

Though older adults are more sensitive to the effects of medications than their younger counterparts, they are often excluded from manufacturer-based clinical studies. Practice-based research is a practical method to identify medication-related effects in older patients. This research also highlights the role of a pharmacist in improving care in this population. A single study rarely has strong enough evidence to change geriatric practice, unless it is a large-scale, multisite, randomized controlled trial that specifically targets older adults. It is important to design studies that may be used in systematic reviews or meta-analyses that build a stronger evidence base. Recent literature has documented a gap in advanced pharmacist training pertaining to research skills. In this paper, we hope to fill some of the educational gaps related to research in older adults. We define best practices when deciding on the type of study, inclusion and exclusion criteria, design of the intervention, how outcomes are measured, and how results are reported. Well-designed studies increase the pool of available data to further document the important role that pharmacists have in optimizing care of older patients.

OCLC Research: 2014 Highlights

Science.gov (United States)

Dempsey, Lorcan

2015-01-01

OCLC Research is one of the world's leading centers devoted exclusively to the challenges facing libraries and archives in a rapidly changing information technology environment. The mission of OCLC is to expand knowledge that advances OCLC's public purposes of advancing libraries and librarianship. The goal is to help libraries plan with…

Atmospheric Research 2016 Technical Highlights

Science.gov (United States)

Platnick, Steven

2017-01-01

Atmospheric research in the Earth Sciences Division (610) consists of research and technology development programs dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the atmosphere and its interaction with the climate of Earth. The Divisions goals are to improve understanding of the dynamics and physical properties of precipitation, clouds, and aerosols; atmospheric chemistry, including the role of natural and anthropogenic trace species on the ozone balance in the stratosphere and the troposphere; and radiative properties of Earth's atmosphere and the influence of solar variability on the Earth's climate. Major research activities are carried out in the Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory, the Climate and Radiation Laboratory, the Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, and the Wallops Field Support Office. The overall scope of the research covers an end-to-end process, starting with the identification of scientific problems, leading to observation requirements for remote-sensing platforms, technology and retrieval algorithm development; followed by flight projects and satellite missions; and eventually, resulting in data processing, analyses of measurements, and dissemination from flight projects and missions. Instrument scientists conceive, design, develop, and implement ultraviolet, infrared, optical, radar, laser, and lidar technology to remotely sense the atmosphere. Members of the various laboratories conduct field measurements for satellite sensor calibration and data validation, and carry out numerous modeling activities. These modeling activities include climate model simulations, modeling the chemistry and transport of trace species on regional-to-global scales, cloud resolving models, and developing the next-generation Earth system models. Satellite missions, field campaigns, peer-reviewed publications, and successful proposals are essential at every stage of the research process to meeting our goals and maintaining leadership of the

Brookhaven highlights, October 1978-September 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

These highlights present an overview of the major research and development achievements at Brookhaven National Laboratory from October 1978 to September 1979. Specific areas covered include: accelerator and high energy physics programs; high energy physics research; the AGS and improvements to the AGS; neutral beam development; heavy ion fusion; superconducting power cables; ISABELLE storage rings; the BNL Tandem accelerator; heavy ion experiments at the Tandem; the High Flux Beam Reactor; medium energy physics; nuclear theory; atomic and applied physics; solid state physics; neutron scattering studies; x-ray scattering studies; solid state theory; defects and disorder in solids; surface physics; the National Synchrotron Light Source ; Chemistry Department; Biology Department; Medical Department; energy sciences; environmental sciences; energy technology programs; National Center for Analysis of Energy Systems; advanced reactor systems; nuclear safety; National Nuclear Data Center; nuclear materials safeguards; Applied Mathematics Department; and support activities

Recent highlights of experimental research for inhibiting tumor growth by using Chinese medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xi-ran; Han, Shu-yan; Li, Ping-ping

2015-10-01

To give an overview of contemporary experimental research using Chinese medicine (CM) for the treatment of cancer. As an integral part of mainstream medicine in the People's Republic of China, CM emphasizes improvements in holistic physical condition instead of merely killing tumor cells, which is consistent with the current medical model that advocates patient-oriented treatment. Great progress has been made in experimental research, and the principle aspects include anti-tumor angiogenesis, inducing apoptosis and differentiation, reversing multidrug resistance, and improving immune function. As a current hot topic in cancer research, tumor microenvironment (TME) highlights the mutual and interdependent interaction between tumor cells and their surrounding tissues, and the CM treatment concept bears a striking resemblance to it. To date, primary points of TME include extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, hypoxia, and angiogenesis, but trials using CM with a focus on TME are rare. Despite considerable recent development, experimental research on CM for solving cancer issues appears insufficient. Greater efforts in this field are urgently needed.

Community-based research as a mechanism to reduce ...

Science.gov (United States)

Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities (Wildcat 2013), variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation (Maldonado et al. 2013), affecting Tribal water resources (Cozzetto et al. 2013), traditional foods (Lynn et al. 2013; Gautam et al. 2013), forests and forest resources (Voggesser et al. 2013) and Tribal health (Donatuto et al 2014; Doyle et al. 2013). This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by Tribal communities (USEPA, 2014a, www.epa.gov/ncer/tribalresearch). The Tribal Research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STA

Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Peffer, Melanie; Renken, Maggie

2016-01-01

Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline’s approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration. PMID:27881446

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory research programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1975-04-01

Summaries are given of the following programs: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer--separate effects, Zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, Zr metal--water oxidation kinetics, transient vaporization of LMFBR fuel, and HTGR safety analysis and research. Technical highlights and cost/budget reports are included. (U.S.)

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1976-02-01

Brief highlights are presented for the following activities: heavy section steel technology program, fission product β and γ energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis and research, and design criteria for piping and nozzles

Brookhaven highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, M.S.; Belford, M.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L.

1993-01-01

This report highlights the research activities of Brookhaven National Laboratory during the period dating from October 1, 1992 through September 30, 1993. There are contributions to the report from different programs and departments within the laboratory. These include technology transfer, RHIC, Alternating Gradient Synchrotron, physics, biology, national synchrotron light source, applied science, medical science, advanced technology, chemistry, reactor physics, safety and environmental protection, instrumentation, and computing and communications

e-Learning Business Research Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Cowie, Jonathan

2004-01-01

This paper outlines the development of a generic Business Research Methods course from a simple name in a box to a full e-Learning web based module. It highlights particular issues surrounding the nature of the discipline and the integration of a large number of cross faculty subject specific research methods courses into a single generic module.…

Competency-Based Assessment for Clinical Supervisors: Design-Based Research on a Web-Delivered Program

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Lauren Therese; Grealish, Laurie; Jamieson, Maggie

2015-01-01

Background Clinicians need to be supported by universities to use credible and defensible assessment practices during student placements. Web-based delivery of clinical education in student assessment offers professional development regardless of the geographical location of placement sites. Objective This paper explores the potential for a video-based constructivist Web-based program to support site supervisors in their assessments of student dietitians during clinical placements. Methods This project was undertaken as design-based research in two stages. Stage 1 describes the research consultation, development of the prototype, and formative feedback. In Stage 2, the program was pilot-tested and evaluated by a purposeful sample of nine clinical supervisors. Data generated as a result of user participation during the pilot test is reported. Users’ experiences with the program were also explored via interviews (six in a focus group and three individually). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis conducted from a pedagogical perspective using van Manen’s highlighting approach. Results This research succeeded in developing a Web-based program, “Feed our Future”, that increased supervisors’ confidence with their competency-based assessments of students on clinical placements. Three pedagogical themes emerged: constructivist design supports transformative Web-based learning; videos make abstract concepts tangible; and accessibility, usability, and pedagogy are interdependent. Conclusions Web-based programs, such as Feed our Future, offer a viable means for universities to support clinical supervisors in their assessment practices during clinical placements. A design-based research approach offers a practical process for such Web-based tool development, highlighting pedagogical barriers for planning purposes. PMID:25803172

Highlights of recent developments and trends in cancer nanotechnology research--view from NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, L C; Farrell, D; Grodzinski, P

2014-01-01

Although the incidence of cancer and cancer related deaths in the United States has decreased over the past two decades due to improvements in early detection and treatment, cancer still is responsible for a quarter of the deaths in this country. There is much room for improvement on the standard treatments currently available and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recognized the potential for nanotechnology and nanomaterials in this area. The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer was formed in 2004 to support multidisciplinary researchers in the application of nanotechnology to cancer diagnosis and treatment. The researchers in the Alliance have been productive in generating innovative solutions to some of the central issues of cancer treatment including how to detect tumors earlier, how to target cancer cells specifically, and how to improve the therapeutic index of existing chemotherapies and radiotherapy treatments. Highly creative ideas are being pursued where novelty in nanomaterial development enables new modalities of detection or therapy. This review highlights some of the innovative materials approaches being pursued by researchers funded by the NCI Alliance. Their discoveries to improve the functionality of nanoparticles for medical applications includes the generation of new platforms, improvements in the manufacturing of nanoparticles and determining the underlying reasons for the movement of nanoparticles in the blood. © 2013.

The research on business rules classification and specification methods

OpenAIRE

Baltrušaitis, Egidijus

2005-01-01

The work is based on the research of business rules classification and specification methods. The basics of business rules approach are discussed. The most common business rules classification and modeling methods are analyzed. Business rules modeling techniques and tools for supporting them in the information systems are presented. Basing on the analysis results business rules classification method is proposed. Templates for every business rule type are presented. Business rules structuring ...

Research highlights: microfluidics meets big data.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Peter; Weaver, Westbrook M; Masaeli, Mahdokht; Owsley, Keegan; Di Carlo, Dino

2014-03-07

In this issue we highlight a collection of recent work in which microfluidic parallelization and automation have been employed to address the increasing need for large amounts of quantitative data concerning cellular function--from correlating microRNA levels to protein expression, increasing the throughput and reducing the noise when studying protein dynamics in single-cells, and understanding how signal dynamics encodes information. The painstaking dissection of cellular pathways one protein at a time appears to be coming to an end, leading to more rapid discoveries which will inevitably translate to better cellular control--in producing useful gene products and treating disease at the individual cell level. From these studies it is also clear that development of large scale mutant or fusion libraries, automation of microscopy, image analysis, and data extraction will be key components as microfluidics contributes its strengths to aid systems biology moving forward.

Highlights of the 2012 Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research, 8-11 November 2012, Hollywood, CA.

Science.gov (United States)

Vultur, Adina; Webster, Marie; Villanueva, Jessie; Herlyn, Dorothee

2013-06-01

The 2012 Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research was attended by researchers with widespread expertise in basic, translational, and clinical research. Exciting research has led to the discovery of therapies to target mutations found in melanoma; however, it is clear that much still needs to be learned about how to use these therapies and the role of the microenvironment in therapy resistance and melanoma progression. This summary highlights recent discoveries in genetics and epigenetics, biology, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies for melanoma discussed at this year's meeting.

Bridging the Gap of Practice and Research: A Preliminary Investigation of Evidence-based Practice for Library and Information Science Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

吳寂絹 Chi-Chuan Wu

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The gap between practice and research is commonly found in disciplines with both ofprofessional practitioners and academic researchers. How to bridge the gap is also acontinuing concern in the field of Library and Information Studies. This article describes therecent development of Evidence-based Practice for Library and Information ScienceResearch (EBLIP, and provides analysis of the journal EBLIP including its authors’backgrounds, methods, and topics. The results show that the United States and Canadaare the two major nations of contributors; more than 70% of first authors are librarians; 76%of the articles were contributed by one single institute, co-authorship by cross-nationinstitutes were rarely seen, and demonstrates local research interests; type of co-authoredagency is primarily among libraries; 60% methods employed include questionnaires,interviews and content analysis; the coverage of topics is rather broad, and the top threecategories of research topics include Information Literacy & Instruction, Information Needs& Seeking Behavior, and Reference Services / Digital Reference Services (15%, 10%, and8%; many datasets were obtained from real library practice, and 72% of articles provide specific implications for applications which highlight the value of implementation. Manylibrarians have the research capability, and this article serves as a purpose to introduce theevidence-based research and encourage more such research done in Taiwan. Hopefully itmay benefit and further enhance the quality of library decision-making and their professionalimage.

BARC highlights '88

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Highlights of research and development activities of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Bombay during 1988 are presented in chapters entitled: Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Materials and Materials Sciences, Radioisotopes, Reactors, Fuel Cycle, Radiological Safety and Protection, Electronics and Instrumentation, Engineering Services, and Life Sciences. Main thrust of the R and D activities of BARC is on nuclear power reactor technology and all stages of nuclear fuel cycle. Some activities are also in the frontier areas such as high temperature superconductivity and inertial confinement fusion. (M.G.B.). figs., tabs., coloured ills

Tobacco control recommendations identified by LGBT Atlantans in a community-based participatory research project.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Lawrence; Damarin, Amanda K; Marshall, Zack

2014-01-01

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are increasingly aware that disproportionately high smoking rates severely impact the health of their communities. Motivated to make a change, a group of LGBT community members, policymakers, and researchers from Atlanta carried out a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project. This formative research study sought to identify recommendations for culturally relevant smoking prevention and cessation interventions that could improve the health of Atlanta's LGBT communities. Data presented here come from four focus groups with 36 participants and a community meeting with 30 participants. Among study participants, the most favored interventions were providing LGBT-specific cessation programs, raising awareness about LGBT smoking rates, and getting community venues to go smoke-free. Participants also suggested providing reduced-cost cessation products for low-income individuals, using LGBT "role models" to promote cessation, and ensuring that interventions reach all parts of the community. Findings reinforce insights from community-based research with other marginalized groups. Similarities include the importance of tailoring cessation programs for specific communities, the need to acknowledge differences within communities, and the significance of community spaces in shaping discussions of cessation. Further, this study highlights the need for heightened awareness. The Atlanta LGBT community is largely unaware that high smoking rates affect its health, and is unlikely to take collective action to address this problem until it is understood.

Facial Resemblance Exaggerates Sex-Specific Jealousy-Based Decisions1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven M. Platek

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Sex differences in reaction to a romantic partner's infidelity are well documented and are hypothesized to be attributable to sex-specific jealousy mechanisms which are utilized to solve adaptive problems associated with risk of extra-pair copulation. Males, because of the risk of cuckoldry become more upset by sexual infidelity, while females, because of loss of resources and biparental investment tend to become more distressed by emotional infidelity. However, the degree to which these sex-specific reactions to jealousy interact with cues to kin are completely unknown. Here we investigated the interaction of facial resemblance with decisions about sex-specific jealousy scenarios. Fifty nine volunteers were asked to imagine that two different people (represented by facial composites informed them about their romantic partner's sexual or emotional infidelity. Consistent with previous research, males ranked sexual infidelity scenarios as most upsetting and females ranked emotional infidelity scenarios most upsetting. However, when information about the infidelity was provided by a face that resembled the subject, sex-specific reactions to jealousy were exaggerated. This finding highlights the use of facial resemblance as a putative self-referent phenotypic matching cue that impacts trusting behavior in sexual contexts.

Chemical Engineering Division research highlights, 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burris, L.; Webster, D. S.; Barney, D. L.; Cafasso, F. A.; Steindler, M. J.

1980-06-01

In 1979, CEN conducted research and development in the following areas: (1) high-temperature, rechargeable lithium/iron sulfide batteries for electric vehicles and electric utility load leveling; (2) ambient-temperature batteries - improved lead-acid, nickel/zinc, and nickel/iron - for electric vehicles; (3) molten carbonate fuel cells for use by electric utilities; (4) coal technology - mainly fluidized-bed combustion of coal in the presence of SO/sub 2/ sorbent of limestone; (5) heat- and seed- recovery technology for open-cycle magnetohydrodynamic systems; (6) solar energy collectors and thermal energy storage; (7) fast breeder reactor chemistry research - chemical support of reactor safety studies, chemistry of irradiated fuels, and sodium technology; (8) fuel cycle technology - reprocessing of nuclear fuels, management of nuclear wastes, geologic migration studies, and proof-of-breeding studies for the Light Water Breeder Reactor; (9) magnetic fusion research - lithium processing technology and materials research; and (10) basic energy sciences - homogeneous catalysis, thermodynamics of inorganic and organic materials, environmental chemistry, electrochemistry, and physical properties of salt vapors. Separate abstracts were prepared for each of these areas.

Photon science 2012. Highlights and annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appel, Karen; Gehrke, Rainer; Gutt, Christian; Incoccia-Hermes, Lucia; Laarmann, Tim; Morgenroth, Wolfgang; Roehlsberger, Ralf; Schulte-Schrepping, Horst; Vainio, Ulla; Zimmermann, Martin von

2012-12-01

The synchrotron-radiation research at DESY is reviewed. The following topics are dealt with: Research highlights, research platforms and outstations, light sources, new technologies and developments. (HSI)

Latest discoveries and trends in translational cancer research: highlights of the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, William C S

2008-08-01

The Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's largest and most comprehensive gathering of cancer researchers. At the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting, innovative research approaches, novel technologies, potentially life-saving therapies in the pipeline, late-breaking clinical trial findings, and new approaches to cancer prevention were presented by top scientists. Reflecting the global state of cancer research with an eye toward future trends, several areas of great science and discovery in the cancer field were shared in this report, which include cancer biomarkers, the role of microRNAs in cancer research, cancer stem cells, tumor microenvironment, targeted therapy, and cancer prevention. This article presents an overview of hot topics discussed at the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting and recapitulates some scientific sessions geared toward new technologies, recent progress, and current challenges reported by cancer researchers. For those who did not attend the meeting, this report may serve as a highlight of this important international cancer research meeting.

Utilizing community-based participatory research to adapt a mental health intervention for African American emerging adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Mance, Gishawn A; Mendelson, Tamar; Byrd, Benjamin; Jones, Jahon; Tandon, Darius

2010-01-01

Adapting mental health interventions to heighten their cultural and contextual appropriateness may be critical for engaging ethnic/racial groups that have been traditionally excluded or marginalized. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a collaborative research approach that highlights unique strengths and expertise of those involved. Although intervention adaptations have garnered much attention there is little previous work specifically describing the adaptation process of mental health interventions using CBPR. This article summarizes the use of a CBPR approach to adapt a mental health intervention for urban adolescents and young adults disconnected from school and work, a population at elevated risk for poor mental health owing to the presence of numerous chronic stressors. We describe the process undertaken to modify the content and delivery format of an evidence-based intervention. Unique challenges of working with urban African American adolescents and young adults in a job training program are highlighted. By incorporating principles of co-learning and shared responsibility, this partnership was able to achieve positive outcomes. Our experience suggests that a CBPR approach can be used effectively to adapt a mental health intervention in collaboration with African American adolescents and emerging adults in a job training program.

Brookhaven highlights, 1986-1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, M.S.

1988-01-01

The highlights of research conducted between October 1985 and September 1987 at Brookhaven National Laboratory are reviewed in this publication. Also covered are the administrative and financial status of the laboratory and a brief mention of meetings held and honors received. (FI)

Research highlights under Contract DE-AC02-76ER03072, February 1, 1981-July 31, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoemaker, F.C.

1981-01-01

Research projects are highlighted including: a study of rare muon induced reactions; a search for eta/sub c/ mesons; hadronic production of charmed particles; production of high-mass dimuons by pions; forward production of massive particles; the crystal ball project at SPEAR; parallel plate avalanche chamber development; and tests of quantum mechanics

Tourette Syndrome research highlights 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Cheryl A; Black, Kevin J

2015-01-01

About 200 journal articles reported research on Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders in 2014. Here we briefly summarize a few of the reports that seemed most important or interesting, ranging from animal models to human studies. Readers can comment on our choices or provide their own favorites using the tools on the online article. PMID:26512319

Base Research Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Everett Sondreal; John Hendrikson

2009-03-31

In June 2009, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) completed 11 years of research under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Base Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-98FT40320 funded through the Office of Fossil Energy (OFE) and administered at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). A wide range of diverse research activities were performed under annual program plans approved by NETL in seven major task areas: (1) resource characterization and waste management, (2) air quality assessment and control, (3) advanced power systems, (4) advanced fuel forms, (5) value-added coproducts, (6) advanced materials, and (7) strategic studies. This report summarizes results of the 67 research subtasks and an additional 50 strategic studies. Selected highlights in the executive summary illustrate the contribution of the research to the energy industry in areas not adequately addressed by the private sector alone. During the period of performance of the agreement, concerns have mounted over the impact of carbon emissions on climate change, and new programs have been initiated by DOE to ensure that fossil fuel resources along with renewable resources can continue to supply the nation's transportation fuel and electric power. The agreement has addressed DOE goals for reductions in CO{sub 2} emissions through efficiency, capture, and sequestration while expanding the supply and use of domestic energy resources for energy security. It has further contributed to goals for near-zero emissions from highly efficient coal-fired power plants; environmental control capabilities for SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, fine respirable particulate (PM{sub 2.5}), and mercury; alternative transportation fuels including liquid synfuels and hydrogen; and synergistic integration of fossil and renewable resources (e.g., wind-, biomass-, and coal-based electrical generation).

IGC highlights 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The major thrust of the research and development (R and D) activities of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam is oriented towards mastering fast breeder reactor (FBR) technology. Towards this end, its current R and D activities are carried out in a wide variety of disciplines. Highlights of its R and D activities during 1988 are summarised under the headings: Reactor Engineering and Design, Reactor Physics and Safety, Materials Science and Technology, Sodium Chemistry and Technology, Fuel Reprocessing and Electronics and Instrumentation. The text is illustrated with a number of figures, graphs and coloured pictures. (M.G.B.). figs., tabs

Prostate-specific antigen-based prostate cancer screening: Past and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Alberts, Arnout R; Schoots, Ivo G; Roobol, Monique J

2015-06-01

Prostate-specific antigen-based prostate cancer screening remains a controversial topic. Up to now, there is worldwide consensus on the statement that the harms of population-based screening, mainly as a result of overdiagnosis (the detection of clinically insignificant tumors that would have never caused any symptoms), outweigh the benefits. However, worldwide opportunistic screening takes place on a wide scale. The European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer showed a reduction in prostate cancer mortality through prostate-specific antigen based-screening. These population-based data need to be individualized in order to avoid screening in those who cannot benefit and start screening in those who will. For now, lacking a more optimal screening approach, screening should only be started after the process of shared decision-making. The focus of future research is the reduction of unnecessary testing and overdiagnosis by further research to better biomarkers and the value of the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, potentially combined in already existing prostate-specific antigen-based multivariate risk prediction models. © 2015 The Japanese Urological Association.

Risk-based technical specifications program: Site interview results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andre, G.R.; Baker, A.J.; Johnson, R.L.

1991-08-01

The Electric Power Research Institute and Pacific Gas and Electric Company are sponsoring a program directed at improving Technical Specifications using risk-based methods. The major objectives of the program are to develop risk-based approaches to improve Technical Specifications and to develop an Interactive Risk Advisor (IRA) prototype. The IRA is envisioned as an interactive system that is available to plant personnel to assist in controlling plant operation. Use of an IRA is viewed as a method to improve plant availability while maintaining or improving plant safety. In support of the program, interviews were conducted at several PWR and BWR plant sites, to elicit opinions and information concerning risk-based approaches to Technical Specifications and IRA requirements. This report presents the results of these interviews, including the functional requirements of an IRA. 2 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

Research towards a sustainable option. Highlights 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The annual report gives a summary overview of key research and development activities at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN in 2010. The report discusses progress and main achievements in the following areas: reactor safety, radioactive waste and clean-up, radiation protection, nuclear research and society, managing nuclear knowledge and fusion research.

Research towards a sustainable option. Highlights 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The annual report gives a summary overview of key research and development activities at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN in 2009. The report discusses progress and main achievements in the following areas: reactor safety, radioactive waste and clean-up, radiation protection, nuclear research and society, managing nuclear knowledge and fusion research.

Research highlights from the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plasil, F.

1982-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the scope of research carried out at the new Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility (HHIRF) at Oak Ridge. This will be accomplished with reference to several research projects currently underway. The areas of research represented are microscopic and macroscopic aspects of nuclear reactions and nuclear structure. In view of the scope of this conference, emphasis will be placed on nuclear reactions. A brief description of HHIRF is given, together with its current status. Microscopic aspects of reactions between nuclei are discussed with reference to the prospects for the study of giant resonances by means of heavy ions, and to studies of elastic and inelastic scattering of 60 Ni nuclei. Macroscopic aspects of nuclear reactions are illustrated by means of the study of collisions between 58 Ni nuclei at 15.1 MeV/u and by means of Spin Spectrometer (crystal ball) studies of the 19 F + 159 Tb reaction. Results are presented for lifetime measurements of high-spin states in ytterbium nuclei

Studies Highlight Biodiesel's Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

, Colo., July 6, 1998 — Two new studies highlight the benefits of biodiesel in reducing overall air Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted both studies: An Overview of Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel Life Cycles and Biodiesel Research Progress, 1992-1997. Biodiesel is a renewable diesel

Art as Mode and Medium: A Pedagogical Approach to Teaching and Learning about Self-Reflexivity and Artistic Expression in Qualitative Research

Science.gov (United States)

Bogumil, Elizabeth; Capous-Desyllas, Moshoula; Lara, Patricia; Reshetnikov, Aleksey

2017-01-01

This article highlights the ways in which arts-based approaches to research can be used in teaching and learning about the qualitative research process. Specifically, in our qualitative research class graduate students used the arts as a form of reflexivity to highlight various aspects of their research process, including their positionality,…

Integrating authentic scientific research in a conservation course–based undergraduate research experience

Science.gov (United States)

Sorensen, Amanda E.; Corral, Lucia; Dauer, Jenny M.; Fontaine, Joseph J.

2018-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed to overcome barriers including students in research. However, there are few examples of CUREs that take place in a conservation and natural resource context with students engaging in field research. Here, we highlight the development of a conservation-focused CURE integrated to a research program, research benefits, student self-assessment of learning, and perception of the CURE. With the additional data, researchers were able to refine species distribution models and facilitate management decisions. Most students reported gains in their scientific skills, felt they had engaged in meaningful, real-world research. In student reflections on how this experience helped clarify their professional intentions, many reported being more likely to enroll in graduate programs and seek employment related to science. Also interesting was all students reported being more likely to talk with friends, family, or the public about wildlife conservation issues after participating, indicating that courses like this can have effects beyond the classroom, empowering students to be advocates and translators of science. Field-based, conservation-focused CUREs can create meaningful conservation and natural resource experiences with authentic scientific teaching practices.

Creating Research Impact: The Roles of Research Users in Interactive Research Mobilisation

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Sarah

2015-01-01

An impact assessment of research into children's concerns about their families and relationships found many ways research had been used in different sectors by different actors. Specific impacts from the research were harder to identify. However, instances where there were clear impacts highlighted the ways research users had adapted research to…

AEB-highlights. January - June 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

AEB Highlights is a half-yearly report reflecting the most important recent achievements of the various Research and Technical divisions of the Atomic Energy Board. It appears alternatively in English and Afrikaans [af

A Reflection on Research, Theory, Evidence-based Practice, and Quality Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eesa Mohammadi

2016-04-01

While each process is associated with its unique characteristics, overlaps are likely to appear between each of the two processes. For instance, in the EBP process, if one discovers (theory that evidence is inadequate to implement a certain intervention, it highlights the need for research on that specific subject. Similarly, QI may lead to the identification of new questions, which could be used for research purposes. All the discussed processes, as well as their scientific and professional dimensions, are essential to nursing disciplines in healthcare systems.

Evaluating performance-based test and specifications for sulfate resistance in concrete

Science.gov (United States)

2000-12-01

This research project involved an experimental evaluation of the sulfate resistance of various concretes and mortars for the purpose of establishing performance-based specifications for the durability of concrete against sulfate attack. The research ...

Ethnographic research in immigrant-specific drug abuse recovery houses.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagano, Anna; Lee, Juliet P; García, Victor; Recarte, Carlos

2018-01-01

Access to study populations is a major concern for drug use and treatment researchers. Spaces related to drug use and treatment have varying levels of researcher accessibility based on several issues, including legality, public versus private settings, and insider/outsider status. Ethnographic research methods are indispensable for gaining and maintaining access to hidden or "hard-to-reach" populations. Here, we discuss our long-term ethnographic research on drug abuse recovery houses created by and for Latino migrants and immigrants in Northern California. We take our field work experiences as a case study to examine the problem of researcher access and how ethnographic strategies can be successfully applied to address it, focusing especially on issues of entrée, building rapport, and navigating field-specific challenges related to legality, public/private settings, and insider/outsider status. We conclude that continued funding support for ethnography is essential for promoting health disparities research focused on diverse populations in recovery from substance use disorders.

Investigating potential transferability of place-based research in land system science

Science.gov (United States)

Václavík, Tomáš; Langerwisch, Fanny; Cotter, Marc; Fick, Johanna; Häuser, Inga; Hotes, Stefan; Kamp, Johannes; Settele, Josef; Spangenberg, Joachim H.; Seppelt, Ralf

2016-09-01

Much of our knowledge about land use and ecosystem services in interrelated social-ecological systems is derived from place-based research. While local and regional case studies provide valuable insights, it is often unclear how relevant this research is beyond the study areas. Drawing generalized conclusions about practical solutions to land management from local observations and formulating hypotheses applicable to other places in the world requires that we identify patterns of land systems that are similar to those represented by the case study. Here, we utilize the previously developed concept of land system archetypes to investigate potential transferability of research from twelve regional projects implemented in a large joint research framework that focus on issues of sustainable land management across four continents. For each project, we characterize its project archetype, i.e. the unique land system based on a synthesis of more than 30 datasets of land-use intensity, environmental conditions and socioeconomic indicators. We estimate the transferability potential of project research by calculating the statistical similarity of locations across the world to the project archetype, assuming higher transferability potentials in locations with similar land system characteristics. Results show that areas with high transferability potentials are typically clustered around project sites but for some case studies can be found in regions that are geographically distant, especially when values of considered variables are close to the global mean or where the project archetype is driven by large-scale environmental or socioeconomic conditions. Using specific examples from the local case studies, we highlight the merit of our approach and discuss the differences between local realities and information captured in global datasets. The proposed method provides a blueprint for large research programs to assess potential transferability of place-based studies to other

Applying community-based participatory research to better understand and improve kinship care practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chukwudozie, Oge; Feinstein, Clare; Jensen, Celina

2015-01-01

While the principles behind community-based participatory research are firmly established, the process of taking community-based participatory research with children and youth to scale and integrating it into the programming of non-governmental organizations has been scarcely documented. This art...... and highlights how the research process enabled action and advocacy initiatives at different levels-leading to an increase in support and policy attention for children living in kinship care....

PSI scientific highlights 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piwnicki, P.; Dury, T.

2013-05-01

This comprehensive report issued by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) reviews research in various areas carried out by the institute in 2012. Also, the various facilities to be found at the institute are described. Research focus and highlights are discussed. These include work done using synchrotron light, neutrons and muons as well as work done in the particle physics, microtechnology and nanotechnology areas. Further areas of research include biomolecular research, radiopharmacy, radiochemistry and environmental chemistry. Other areas covered include general energy research and work done at the Competence Center for Energy and Mobility CCEM, work done on nuclear energy safety as well as systems analysis in the environmental and energy areas. The report is concluded with facts and figures on the PSI, its Advisory Board and its organisational structures

Research highlights: impacts of microplastics on plankton.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Vivian S

2016-02-01

Each year, millions of metric tons of the plastic produced for food packaging, personal care products, fishing gear, and other human activities end up in lakes, rivers, and the ocean. The breakdown of these primary plastics in the environment results in microplastics, small fragments of plastic typically less than 1-5 mm in size. These synthetic particles have been detected in all of the world's oceans and also in many freshwater systems, accumulating in sediment, on shorelines, suspended in surface waters, and being ingested by plankton, fish, birds, and marine mammals. While the occurrence of plastics in surface waters has been surveyed in a number of studies, the impacts of microplastics on marine organisms are still being elucidated. This highlight features three recent publications that explore the interactions of microplastics with planktonic organisms to clarify the effects of these pollutants on some of the ocean's smallest and most important inhabitants.

Practice-based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): Summary of Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolor, Rowena J; Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pamela; Fagnan, Lyle J; Levy, Barcey; Michaels, LeAnn; Louks, Hannah A; Smith, Paul; Aspy, Cheryl B; Patterson, V Beth; Kano, Miria; Sussman, Andrew L; Williams, Robert; Neale, Anne Victoria

2015-12-01

Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) conduct research in community settings, which poses quality control challenges to the integrity of research, such as study implementation and data collection. A foundation for improving research processes within PBRNs is needed to ensure research integrity. Network directors and coordinators from seven U.S.-based PBRNs worked with a professional team facilitator during semiannual in-person meetings and monthly conference calls to produce content for a compendium of recommended research practices specific to the context of PBRNs. Participants were assigned to contribute content congruent with their expertise. Feedback on the draft document was obtained from attendees at the preconference workshop at the annual PBRN meeting in 2013. A revised document was circulated to additional PBRN peers prior to finalization. The PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs) document is organized into four chapters: (1) Building PBRN Infrastructure; (2) Study Development and Implementation; (3) Data Management, and (4) Dissemination Policies. Each chapter contains an introduction, detailed procedures for each section, and example resources with information links. The PRGPs is a PBRN-specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biotransformation and bioactivation reactions - 2015 literature highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Baillie, Thomas A; Dalvie, Deepak; Rietjens, Ivonne M C M; Cyrus Khojasteh, S

2016-05-01

Since 1972, Drug Metabolism Reviews has been recognized as one of the principal resources for researchers in pharmacological, pharmaceutical and toxicological fields to keep abreast of advances in drug metabolism science in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. With a distinguished list of authors and editors, the journal covers topics ranging from relatively mature fields, such as cytochrome P450 enzymes, to a variety of emerging fields. We hope to continue this tradition with the current compendium of mini-reviews that highlight novel biotransformation processes that were published during the past year. Each review begins with a summary of the article followed by our comments on novel aspects of the research and their biological implications. This collection of highlights is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to be illustrative of recent research that provides new insights or approaches that advance the field of drug metabolism. Abbreviations NAPQI N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine ALDH aldehyde dehydrogenase AO aldehyde oxidase AKR aldo-keto reductase CES carboxylesterase CSB cystathionine β-synthase CSE cystathionine γ-lyase P450 cytochrome P450 DHPO 2,3-dihydropyridin-4-one ESI electrospray FMO flavin monooxygenase GSH glutathione GSSG glutathione disulfide ICPMS inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry i.p. intraperitoneal MDR multidrug-resistant NNAL 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol NNK 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone oaTOF orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight PBK physiologically based kinetic PCP pentachlorophenol SDR short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase SULT sulfotransferase TB tuberculosis.

Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S.; Mankamo, T.; Vesely, W.E.

1996-01-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operations (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analyses and engineering judgments. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant-specific Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRAs). The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research sponsored research to develop systematic, risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. A handbook of methods summarizing such risk-based approaches has been completed in 1994. It is expected that this handbook will provide valuable input to NRC's present work in developing guidance for using PRA in risk-informed regulation. The handbook addresses reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenance

Technical specifications: Health Physics Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-02-01

The technical specifications define the key limitations that must be observed for safe operation of the Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR) and an envelope of operation within which there is assurance that these limits will not be exceeded. The specifications were written to satisfy the requirements of the Department of Energy (DOE) Manual Chapter 0540, September 1, 1972

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1976-10-01

Technical highlights are presented for the following activities: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, Zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis and research, design criteria for piping and nozzles, and dose conversion factors for inhalation of radionuclides

Editorial highlighting and highly cited papers

Science.gov (United States)

Antonoyiannakis, Manolis

Editorial highlighting-the process whereby journal editors select, at the time of publication, a small subset of papers that are ostensibly of higher quality, importance or interest-is by now a widespread practice among major scientific journal publishers. Depending on the venue, and the extent to which editorial resources are invested in the process, highlighted papers appear as News & Views, Research Highlights, Perspectives, Editors' Choice, IOP Select, Editors' Summary, Spotlight on Optics, Editors' Picks, Viewpoints, Synopses, Editors' Suggestions, etc. Here, we look at the relation between highlighted papers and highly influential papers, which we define at two levels: having received enough citations to be among the (i) top few percent of their journal, and (ii) top 1% of all physics papers. Using multiple linear regression and multilevel regression modeling we examine the parameters associated with highly influential papers. We briefly comment on cause and effect relationships between citedness and highlighting of papers.

Chemical Engineering Division research highlights, 1977

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1978-08-01

Separate abstracts are included for sections with information on lithium/metal sulfide batteries; electrochemical energy development; advanced fuel cell development; utilization of coal; magnetohydrodynamics technology; LMFBR and GCFR support work; fuel cycle studies; fusion reactor research; solar energy development; and basic energy science.

Listener: a probe into information based material specification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramsgaard Thomsen, Mette; Karmon, Ayelet

2011-01-01

This paper presents the thinking and making of the architectural research probe Listener. Developed as an interdisciplinary collaboration between textile design and architecture, Listener explores how information based fabrication technologies are challenging the material practices of architecture....... The paper investigates how textile design can be understood as a model for architectural production providing new strategies for material specification and allowing the thinking of material as inherently variegated and performative. The paper traces the two fold information based strategies present...

From research to practice: one organisational model for promoting research based practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitson, A

1997-01-01

This paper describes a framework used by the National Institute for Nursing in Oxford to integrate research, development and practice. With the increasing attention given to the topic of how research findings are implemented into clinical practice, it was felt important to share the challenges that have arisen in attempting to combine traditional research activities with more practice based development work. The emerging conceptual framework, structures and functions are described highlighting the variety of partnerships to be established in order to achieve the goal of integrating research into practice. While the underpinning principles of the framework--generating knowledge, implementing research into practice and evaluating the effectiveness of programmes--are not new, it is the way they have been combined within an organisational structure that could be helpful to others considering such a strategy. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed, a number of conclusions drawn as to its robustness and consideration given to its replication.

Small Drinking Water Systems Communication and Outreach Highlights

Science.gov (United States)

As part of our small drinking water systems efforts, this poster highlights several communications and outreach highlights that EPA's Office of Research and Development and Office of Water have been undertaking in collaboration with states and the Association of State Drinking Wa...

Balancing dual roles in end-of-life research.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Wanda; Grey, Meredith; Webber, Terry; Robinson, Linnea; Hartt, Nancy; Cairns, Moira; Stajduhar, Kelli

2007-01-01

Ethical and practical issues are sure to arise from the majority of research studies done with palliative populations. Whether it is feeling opportunistic, being emotionally available, or struggling with witnessing a gap in service and needs of the participants receiving care, nurses involved in research find a way to balance both roles to meet the needs of the participants as well as the study (McIlfatrick, Sullivan, & McKenna, 2006). This paper highlights some of the practical and ethical issues that arise when frontline nurses also take on the role of research assistant for studies with palliative populations. Specifically, the authors highlight their personal experiences based on their research assistant work on a study examining family caregiver coping in end-of-life cancer care. The authors discuss the "balancing act" of taking on these dual roles and offer recommendations on how to be with and approach people when doing research at the end of life using a framework based on Swanson's Theory of Caring (1991).

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1977-01-01

Technical highlights are presented for the following safety-related studies: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, fission product release from LWR fuel, fission product transport tests, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis and research, design criteria for piping and nozzles, and noise diagnostics for safety assessment

Astonishing the wild pigs highlights of technology

CERN Document Server

Trueb, Lucien F; Stuber, Fred A

2015-01-01

A hydraulic machine for astonishing wild pigs was one of the many technological highlights the author encountered in the course of his career as a research scientist and science writer. Writing a book about them, never taking more (or less) than two printed pages for each of 146 subjects was a very special challenge. The book covers fundamentally important achievements of technology that directly impacted mankind or even profoundly changed it. Many of those highlights are quite new, at least one of them (power generation by nuclear fusion) is not available yet. But particularly ingenious things dating way back were also included, as they are the base of our technical civilization Good examples are ceramics as well as copper, bronze and iron; whole periods of history have been named for the latter three. The analog computer of Antikythera used for stellar navigation was made some 2100 years ago, gunpowder was used in China as early as 1044 A.D., the astronomical clock in the Strasburg cathedral was built in th...

Development of technical specifications for research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1983-01-01

This standard identifies and establishes the content of technical specifications for research reactors. Areas addressed are: definitions, safety limits, limiting safety system settings, limiting conditions for operation, surveillance requirements, design features and administrative controls. Sufficient detail is incorporated so that applicable specifications can be derived or extracted

Biochar-based functional materials in the purification of agricultural wastewater: Fabrication, application and future research needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Dongning; Li, Bingyu; Huang, Hongli; Luo, Lin; Zhang, Jiachao; Yang, Yuan; Guo, Jiajun; Tang, Lin; Zeng, Guangming; Zhou, Yaoyu

2018-04-01

Nowadays, agricultural contamination is becoming more and more serious due to the rapid growth of agricultural industry, which discharged antibiotics, pesticides or toxic metals into farmlands. A large number of researchers have applied biochar-based functional materials to the treatment of agricultural wastewater contamination. Meanwhile, biochar has also proved to be a very promising and effective technology in water purification field due to its various beneficial properties (e.g., cost effective, high specific surface area, and surface reactive groups). The focus of this review is to highlight the fabrication methods and application of biochar-based functional materials with the removal of different agricultural contaminants, and discuss the underlying mechanisms. However, the application of biochar-based functional materials is currently under its infancy, with the main hindrance is identified as the gap between laboratory scale and field application, immaturity of engineered biochar production technologies, and lack of quality standards. In order to fill these knowledge gaps, more efforts should be made to pay for the relevant research in future studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Highlighting to Train Attentional Expertise.

Science.gov (United States)

Roads, Brett; Mozer, Michael C; Busey, Thomas A

2016-01-01

Acquiring expertise in complex visual tasks is time consuming. To facilitate the efficient training of novices on where to look in these tasks, we propose an attentional highlighting paradigm. Highlighting involves dynamically modulating the saliency of a visual image to guide attention along the fixation path of a domain expert who had previously viewed the same image. In Experiment 1, we trained naive subjects via attentional highlighting on a fingerprint-matching task. Before and after training, we asked subjects to freely inspect images containing pairs of prints and determine whether the prints matched. Fixation sequences were automatically scored for the degree of expertise exhibited using a Bayesian discriminative model of novice and expert gaze behavior. Highlighted training causes gaze behavior to become more expert-like not only on the trained images but also on transfer images, indicating generalization of learning. In Experiment 2, to control for the possibility that the increase in expertise is due to mere exposure, we trained subjects via highlighting of fixation sequences from novices, not experts, and observed no transition toward expertise. In Experiment 3, to determine the specificity of the training effect, we trained subjects with expert fixation sequences from images other than the one being viewed, which preserves coarse-scale statistics of expert gaze but provides no information about fine-grain features. Observing at least a partial transition toward expertise, we obtain only weak evidence that the highlighting procedure facilitates the learning of critical local features. We discuss possible improvements to the highlighting procedure.

Using Highlighting to Train Attentional Expertise.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brett Roads

Full Text Available Acquiring expertise in complex visual tasks is time consuming. To facilitate the efficient training of novices on where to look in these tasks, we propose an attentional highlighting paradigm. Highlighting involves dynamically modulating the saliency of a visual image to guide attention along the fixation path of a domain expert who had previously viewed the same image. In Experiment 1, we trained naive subjects via attentional highlighting on a fingerprint-matching task. Before and after training, we asked subjects to freely inspect images containing pairs of prints and determine whether the prints matched. Fixation sequences were automatically scored for the degree of expertise exhibited using a Bayesian discriminative model of novice and expert gaze behavior. Highlighted training causes gaze behavior to become more expert-like not only on the trained images but also on transfer images, indicating generalization of learning. In Experiment 2, to control for the possibility that the increase in expertise is due to mere exposure, we trained subjects via highlighting of fixation sequences from novices, not experts, and observed no transition toward expertise. In Experiment 3, to determine the specificity of the training effect, we trained subjects with expert fixation sequences from images other than the one being viewed, which preserves coarse-scale statistics of expert gaze but provides no information about fine-grain features. Observing at least a partial transition toward expertise, we obtain only weak evidence that the highlighting procedure facilitates the learning of critical local features. We discuss possible improvements to the highlighting procedure.

Research-Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura M. Desimone

2016-11-01

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

Technical specifications: Health Physics Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-03-01

These technical specifications define the key limitations that must be observed for safe operation of the Health Physics Research Reactor (HPRR) and an envelope of operation within which there is assurance that these limits will not be exceeded

Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Peffer, Melanie; Renken, Maggie

Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline's approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration. © 2016 M. Peffer and M. Renken. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Brookhaven highlights, October 1979-September 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Highlights are given for the research areas of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. These areas include high energy physics, physics and chemistry, life sciences, applied energy science (energy and environment, and nuclear energy), and support activities (including mathematics, instrumentation, reactors, and safety)

Integrating relationship- and research-based approaches in Australian health promotion practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Klinner, Christiane; Carter, Stacy M; Rychetnik, Lucie; Li, Vincy; Daley, Michelle; Zask, Avigdor; Lloyd, Beverly

2015-12-01

We examine the perspectives of health promotion practitioners on their approaches to determining health promotion practice, in particular on the role of research and relationships in this process. Using Grounded Theory methods, we analysed 58 semi-structured interviews with 54 health promotion practitioners in New South Wales, Australia. Practitioners differentiated between relationship-based and research-based approaches as two sources of knowledge to guide health promotion practice. We identify several tensions in seeking to combine these approaches in practice and describe the strategies that participants adopted to manage these tensions. The strategies included working in an evidence-informed rather than evidence-based way, creating new evidence about relationship-based processes and outcomes, adopting 'relationship-based' research and evaluation methods, making research and evaluation useful for communities, building research and evaluation skills and improving collaboration between research and evaluation and programme implementation staff. We conclude by highlighting three systemic factors which could further support the integration of research-based and relationship-based health promotion practices: (i) expanding conceptions of health promotion evidence, (ii) developing 'relationship-based' research methods that enable practitioners to measure complex social processes and outcomes and to facilitate community participation and benefit, and (iii) developing organizational capacity. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Density and Specific Gravity Metrics in Biomass Research

Science.gov (United States)

Micheal C. Wiemann; G. Bruce Williamson

2012-01-01

Following the 2010 publication of Measuring Wood Specific Gravity… Correctly in the American Journal of Botany, readers contacted us to inquire about application of wood density and specific gravity to biomass research. Here we recommend methods for sample collection, volume measurement, and determination of wood density and specific gravity for...

Microevaluating Learners' Task-Specific Motivation in a Task-Based Business Spanish Course

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Julio; Serafini, Ellen J.

2016-01-01

Scholars of task-based language teaching (TBLT) advocate for the identification of learners' communicative needs to inform syllabus design, particularly in language for specific purposes contexts (e.g., Long 2015). However, little research has applied TBLT principles in designing Spanish for specific purposes curricula. Moreover, despite the…

Scaffolding the Science: Problem Based Strategies for Teaching Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Keebaugh, Alaine; Darrow, Lyndsey; Tan, David; Jamerson, Heather

2009-01-01

Previous research has highlighted the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in multiple disciplinary settings, including medicine, teacher education, business, allied health, and the social sciences. Yet interdisciplinary educators have very little information about how to implement PBL in classrooms where multiple disciplines are…

Using video-based observation research methods in primary care health encounters to evaluate complex interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Asan, Onur; Montague, Enid

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of video-based observation research methods in primary care environment and highlight important methodological considerations and provide practical guidance for primary care and human factors researchers conducting video studies to understand patient-clinician interaction in primary care settings. We reviewed studies in the literature which used video methods in health care research, and we also used our own experience based on the video studies we conducted in primary care settings. This paper highlighted the benefits of using video techniques, such as multi-channel recording and video coding, and compared "unmanned" video recording with the traditional observation method in primary care research. We proposed a list that can be followed step by step to conduct an effective video study in a primary care setting for a given problem. This paper also described obstacles, researchers should anticipate when using video recording methods in future studies. With the new technological improvements, video-based observation research is becoming a promising method in primary care and HFE research. Video recording has been under-utilised as a data collection tool because of confidentiality and privacy issues. However, it has many benefits as opposed to traditional observations, and recent studies using video recording methods have introduced new research areas and approaches.

Capturing structured, pulmonary disease-specific data elements in electronic health records.

Science.gov (United States)

Gronkiewicz, Cynthia; Diamond, Edward J; French, Kim D; Christodouleas, John; Gabriel, Peter E

2015-04-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to improve health-care quality by allowing providers to make better decisions at the point of care based on electronically aggregated data and by facilitating clinical research. These goals are easier to achieve when key, disease-specific clinical information is documented as structured data elements (SDEs) that computers can understand and process, rather than as free-text/natural-language narrative. This article reviews the benefits of capturing disease-specific SDEs. It highlights several design and implementation considerations, including the impact on efficiency and expressivity of clinical documentation and the importance of adhering to data standards when available. Pulmonary disease-specific examples of collection instruments are provided from two commonly used commercial EHRs. Future developments that can leverage SDEs to improve clinical quality and research are discussed.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory research highlights for FY 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brief, nontechnical reviews are presented of work in the following areas: solar energy projects, fusion research, silicon cell research, superconducting magnetometers, psi particles, positron--electron project (PEP), pulsar measurements, nuclear dynamics, element 106, computer control of accelerators, the Bevalac biomedical facility, blood--lipid analysis, and bungarotoxin and the brain. Financial data and personnel lists are given, along with citations to well over a thousand research papers

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory research highlights for FY 1975

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sessler, Andrew M.

1978-01-01

Brief, nontechnical reviews are presented of work in the following areas: solar energy projects, fusion research, silicon cell research, superconducting magnetometers, psi particles, positron--electron project (PEP), pulsar measurements, nuclear dynamics, element 106, computer control of accelerators, the Bevalac biomedical facility, blood--lipid analysis, and bungarotoxin and the brain. Financial data and personnel lists are given, along with citations to well over a thousand research papers. (RWR)

Brookhaven highlights, October 1979-September 1980

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-01-01

Highlights are given for the research areas of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. These areas include high energy physics, physics and chemistry, life sciences, applied energy science (energy and environment, and nuclear energy), and support activities (including mathematics, instrumentation, reactors, and safety). (GHT)

Brookhaven highlights - Brookhaven National Laboratory 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

This report highlights research conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the following areas: alternating gradient synchrotron; physics; biology; national synchrotron light source; department of applied science; medical; chemistry; department of advanced technology; reactor; safety and environmental protection; instrumentation; and computing and communications.

Symposium Highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen-Whitred, K.

2015-01-01

Overview/Highlights: To begin, I'd like to take a moment to highlight some of the novel elements of this Symposium as compared to those that have been held in the past. For the first time ever, this Symposium was organized around five concurrent sessions, covering over 300 papers and presentations. These sessions were complemented by an active series of exhibits put on by vendors, universities, ESARDA, INMM, and Member State Support Programmes. We also had live demonstrations throughout the week on everything from software to destructive analysis to instrumentation, which provided the participants the opportunity to see recent developments that are ready for implementation. I'm sure you all had a chance to observe - and, more importantly, interact with - the electronic Poster, or ePoster format used this past week. This technology was used here for the first time ever by the IAEA, and I'm sure was a first for many of us as well. The ePoster format allowed participants to interact with the subject matter, and the subject matter experts, in a dynamic, engaging way. In addition to the novel technology used here, I have to say that having the posters strategically embedded in the sessions on the same topic, by having each poster author introduce his or her topic to the assembled group in order to lure us to the poster area during the breaks, was also a novel and highly effective technique. A final highlight I'd like to touch on in terms of the Symposium organization is the diversity of participation. This chart shows the breakdown by geographical distribution for the Symposium, in terms of participants. There are no labels, so don't try to read any, I simply wanted to demonstrate that we had great representation in terms of both the Symposium participants in general and the session chairs more specifically-and on that note, I would just mention here that 59 Member States participated in the Symposium. But what I find especially interesting and

Context matters: volunteer bias, small sample size, and the value of comparison groups in the assessment of research-based undergraduate introductory biology lab courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Brownell, Sara E; Kloser, Matthew J; Fukami, Tadashi; Shavelson, Richard J

2013-01-01

The shift from cookbook to authentic research-based lab courses in undergraduate biology necessitates the need for evaluation and assessment of these novel courses. Although the biology education community has made progress in this area, it is important that we interpret the effectiveness of these courses with caution and remain mindful of inherent limitations to our study designs that may impact internal and external validity. The specific context of a research study can have a dramatic impact on the conclusions. We present a case study of our own three-year investigation of the impact of a research-based introductory lab course, highlighting how volunteer students, a lack of a comparison group, and small sample sizes can be limitations of a study design that can affect the interpretation of the effectiveness of a course.

Professor Mansour Ali Haseeb: Highlights from a pioneer of biomedical research, physician and scientist.

Science.gov (United States)

Salih, Mustafa Abdalla M

2013-01-01

The article highlights the career of Professor Mansour Ali Haseeb (1910 - 1973; DKSM, Dip Bact, FRCPath, FRCP [Lond]), a pioneer worker in health, medical services, biomedical research and medical education in the Sudan. After his graduation from the Kitchener School of Medicine (renamed, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum [U of K]) in 1934, he devoted his life for the development of laboratory medicine. He became the first Sudanese Director of Stack Medical Research Laboratories (1952 - 1962). He made valuable contributions by his services in the vaccine production and implementation programs, most notably in combating small pox, rabies and epidemic meningitis. In 1963 he became the first Sudanese Professor of Microbiology and Parasitology and served as the first Sudanese Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, U of K (1963-1969). He was an active loyal citizen in public life and served in various fields outside the medical profession. As Mayor of Omdurman, he was invited to visit Berlin in 1963 by Willy Brandt, Mayor of West Berlin (1957-1966) and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1969 to 1974). Also as Mayor of Omdurman, he represented the City in welcoming Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Sudan in February 1965. He also received State Medals from Egypt and Ethiopia. In 1973 he was appointed Chairman of the Sudan Medical Research Council, and was awarded the international Dr. Shousha Foundation Prize and Medal by the WHO for his contribution in the advancement of health, research and medical services.

Hot subluminous stars: Highlights from the MUCHFUSS and Kepler missions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geier S.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Research into hot subdwarf stars is progressing rapidly. We present recent important discoveries. First we review the knowledge about magnetic fields in hot subdwarfs and highlight the first detection of a highly-magnetic, helium-rich sdO star. We briefly summarize recent discoveries based on Kepler light curves and finally introduce the closest known sdB+WD binary discovered by the MUCHFUSS project and discuss its relevance as a progenitor of a double-detonation type Ia supernova.

Hydro-Quebec: research and development highlights 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

1998 confirmed once again that any planning in R and D must take into consideration unforeseen events. Actions are measured against their profitability, and R and D must contribute to increasing a company's competitive edge by providing it with new sources of revenue, by ensuring that it benefits from real savings and coming up with the best possible solutions to its technological problems. Hydro-Quebec's results attest to the fact that R and D is an investment that contributes to the utility's profitability. Whether trying to reduce maintenance costs through robot systems or cameras, improving injection methods for repairing dams, developing monitoring systems or new devices aimed at increasing the availability of equipment or reducing the environmental impact of its installations, the company's R and D projects have helped maintain its position as a world leader in the generation and transmission of hydroelectric power. The company is counting on technological innovation to boost the revenues of th e utility's business units. Examples include the work done to optimize the management of energy reserves, increase the network's load-flow capacity and flexibility, generate an electrical supply that meets international standards, and offer alternative distribution system solutions. Other projects involve improving turbine efficiency by modelling fluid flow, devising methods for forecasting natural inflows, analyzing losses in saturation transformers, developing the intelligent power system, and studying transient stability in real time, load frequency control, and customized power quality. Further projects are aimed at developing technologies and services that increase client loyalty and expand the client base such as research into energy management for low income clients, use of geothermal energy, new applications for electrotechnologies, electromagnetic compatibility, drive power and applications of lignin

Highlights in KMRR nuclear design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H.R.; Kim, B.G.; Kim, Y.J.; Lee, B.C.; Lee, J.T.; Lee, J.B.

1990-01-01

The Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is constructing the KMRR (Korea Multi-purpose Research Reactor) to meet the requirements of the nationwide nuclear programs. The KMRR is an open-tank-in-pool type reactor which uses LEU U 3 Si-Al fuel and features an LWR/HWR hybrid configuration that has advantage of easily tailoring experimental facility layout to ensure supply of effective neutron quality. KAERI established the physics design system including the shielding design specifically for the KMRR. Based on the design analyse the reactor can be operated at a thermal power output of 30 MW to suit applications ranging from material/fuel testing to beam utilization, without violating the design limits concerning fuel integrity, and the radioactivity level in the access area is kept below the design criteria of 1.25 mrem/hr

Design and development of semantic web-based system for computer science domain-specific information retrieval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ritika Bansal

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In semantic web-based system, the concept of ontology is used to search results by contextual meaning of input query instead of keyword matching. From the research literature, there seems to be a need for a tool which can provide an easy interface for complex queries in natural language that can retrieve the domain-specific information from the ontology. This research paper proposes an IRSCSD system (Information retrieval system for computer science domain as a solution. This system offers advanced querying and browsing of structured data with search results automatically aggregated and rendered directly in a consistent user-interface, thus reducing the manual effort of users. So, the main objective of this research is design and development of semantic web-based system for integrating ontology towards domain-specific retrieval support. Methodology followed is a piecemeal research which involves the following stages. First Stage involves the designing of framework for semantic web-based system. Second stage builds the prototype for the framework using Protégé tool. Third Stage deals with the natural language query conversion into SPARQL query language using Python-based QUEPY framework. Fourth Stage involves firing of converted SPARQL queries to the ontology through Apache's Jena API to fetch the results. Lastly, evaluation of the prototype has been done in order to ensure its efficiency and usability. Thus, this research paper throws light on framework development for semantic web-based system that assists in efficient retrieval of domain-specific information, natural language query interpretation into semantic web language, creation of domain-specific ontology and its mapping with related ontology. This research paper also provides approaches and metrics for ontology evaluation on prototype ontology developed to study the performance based on accessibility of required domain-related information.

PSI scientific highlights 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piwnicki, P.

2012-04-01

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the major highlights of the work done at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, in 2011. According to the institute's director, work was concerned with the design and analysis of advanced materials with new functionalities, for application in fields as diverse as communications and energy technology, transportation, construction and medicine. Of particular topical interest are research projects on materials for application in the field of energy, for example for improving batteries for future electrically powered vehicles. Another example is in the field of catalysts. Environmentally harmful compounds, such as nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide produced in an engine, are transformed into nontoxic gases through catalytic conversion. Work progress on the SwissFEL installation is noted, including a breakthrough for SwissFEL main Linac C-band accelerating systems. Further topics in relation to the SwissFEL system are noted. Planning of the initial set of experimental stations at the SwissFEL is discussed and close collaboration with growing number of user communities is noted. Cross-Correlation Scattering, and a theoretical framework for this method is being developed and experimentally verified, using artificial nanostructures and synchrotron radiation. Highlights of further research work are discussed, including topics such as Synchrotron light, work done on neutrons and muons, particle physics, micro and nanotechnology as well as on biomolecular research and radiopharmacy. Large research facilities are discussed as is the PSI proton therapy installation. General energy topics are looked at, as are nuclear energy and safety aspects and environmental and energy systems analysis. Various further work includes factors causing glacier retreat and aerosols. User facilities are listed, including accelerators, the SLS light source, the SINQ neutron source, the UCN ultra-cold neutron source

Hydro-Quebec: research and development highlights 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

1998 confirmed once again that any planning in R and D must take into consideration unforeseen events. Actions are measured against their profitability, and R and D must contribute to increasing a company's competitive edge by providing it with new sources of revenue, by ensuring that it benefits from real savings and coming up with the best possible solutions to its technological problems. Hydro-Quebec's results attest to the fact that R and D is an investment that contributes to the utility's profitability. Whether trying to reduce maintenance costs through robot systems or cameras, improving injection methods for repairing dams, developing monitoring systems or new devices aimed at increasing the availability of equipment or reducing the environmental impact of its installations, the company's R and D projects have helped maintain its position as a world leader in the generation and transmission of hydroelectric power. The company is counting on technological innovation to boost the revenues of the utility's business units. Examples include the work done to optimize the management of energy reserves, increase the network's load-flow capacity and flexibility, generate an electrical supply that meets international standards, and offer alternative distribution system solutions. Other projects involve improving turbine efficiency by modelling fluid flow, devising methods for forecasting natural inflows, analyzing losses in saturation transformers, developing the intelligent power system, and studying transient stability in real time, load frequency control, and customized power quality. Further projects are aimed at developing technologies and services that increase client loyalty and expand the client base such as research into energy management for low income clients, use of geothermal energy, new applications for electrotechnologies, electromagnetic compatibility, drive power and applications of lignin.

Brookhaven highlights, October 1978-September 1979. [October 1978 to September 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-01-01

These highlights present an overview of the major research and development achievements at Brookhaven National Laboratory from October 1978 to September 1979. Specific areas covered include: accelerator and high energy physics programs; high energy physics research; the AGS and improvements to the AGS; neutral beam development; heavy ion fusion; superconducting power cables; ISABELLE storage rings; the BNL Tandem accelerator; heavy ion experiments at the Tandem; the High Flux Beam Reactor; medium energy physics; nuclear theory; atomic and applied physics; solid state physics; neutron scattering studies; x-ray scattering studies; solid state theory; defects and disorder in solids; surface physics; the National Synchrotron Light Source ; Chemistry Department; Biology Department; Medical Department; energy sciences; environmental sciences; energy technology programs; National Center for Analysis of Energy Systems; advanced reactor systems; nuclear safety; National Nuclear Data Center; nuclear materials safeguards; Applied Mathematics Department; and support activities. (GHT)

ISA-TAB-Nano: A Specification for Sharing Nanomaterial Research Data in Spreadsheet-based Format

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background and motivation The high-throughput genomics communities have been successfully using standardized spreadsheet-based formats to capture and share data within labs and among public repositories. The nanomedicine community has yet to adopt similar standards to share the diverse and multi-dimensional types of data (including metadata) pertaining to the description and characterization of nanomaterials. Owing to the lack of standardization in representing and sharing nanomaterial data, most of the data currently shared via publications and data resources are incomplete, poorly-integrated, and not suitable for meaningful interpretation and re-use of the data. Specifically, in its current state, data cannot be effectively utilized for the development of predictive models that will inform the rational design of nanomaterials. Results We have developed a specification called ISA-TAB-Nano, which comprises four spreadsheet-based file formats for representing and integrating various types of nanomaterial data. Three file formats (Investigation, Study, and Assay files) have been adapted from the established ISA-TAB specification; while the Material file format was developed de novo to more readily describe the complexity of nanomaterials and associated small molecules. In this paper, we have discussed the main features of each file format and how to use them for sharing nanomaterial descriptions and assay metadata. Conclusion The ISA-TAB-Nano file formats provide a general and flexible framework to record and integrate nanomaterial descriptions, assay data (metadata and endpoint measurements) and protocol information. Like ISA-TAB, ISA-TAB-Nano supports the use of ontology terms to promote standardized descriptions and to facilitate search and integration of the data. The ISA-TAB-Nano specification has been submitted as an ASTM work item to obtain community feedback and to provide a nanotechnology data-sharing standard for public development and adoption. PMID

Research highlights on: the use of induced mutations for plant improvement in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

radiosensitivity tests, plant improvement progranunes and other work were described for many crops including rice, banana, soybean, groundnut, mungbean, rubber, pepper and others. This section also highlights and describes the major achievements of mutation breeding in the country. Section IV provides the concluding remarks which stress the importance of continuing the research work on induced mutations to augment breeding programmes and to enhance the agricultural development in Malaysia. Finally, Sections V and VI list the abstracts and references of research work that had been carried out in the past

Context Matters: Volunteer Bias, Small Sample Size, and the Value of Comparison Groups in the Assessment of Research-Based Undergraduate Introductory Biology Lab Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara E. Brownell

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The shift from cookbook to authentic research-based lab courses in undergraduate biology necessitates the need for evaluation and assessment of these novel courses. Although the biology education community has made progress in this area, it is important that we interpret the effectiveness of these courses with caution and remain mindful of inherent limitations to our study designs that may impact internal and external validity. The specific context of a research study can have a dramatic impact on the conclusions. We present a case study of our own three-year investigation of the impact of a research-based introductory lab course, highlighting how volunteer students, a lack of a comparison group, and small sample sizes can be limitations of a study design that can affect the interpretation of the effectiveness of a course.

Emergency Medicine Gender-specific Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashurst, John V; McGregor, Alyson J; Safdar, Basmah; Weaver, Kevin R; Quinn, Shawn M; Rosenau, Alex M; Goyke, Terrence E; Roth, Kevin R; Greenberg, Marna R

2014-12-01

The 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference has taken the first step in identifying gender-specific care as an area of importance to both emergency medicine (EM) and research. To improve patient care, we need to address educational gaps in this area concurrent with research gaps. In this article, the authors highlight the need for sex- and gender-specific education in EM and propose guidelines for medical student, resident, and faculty education. Specific examples of incorporating this content into grand rounds, simulation, bedside teaching, and journal club sessions are reviewed. Future challenges and strategies to fill the gaps in the current education model are also described. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

On the use of specific signal types in hearing research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kohlrausch, A.G.; Par, van de S.L.J.D.E.; Kurtz, T.; Parlitz, U.; Kaatze, U.

2007-01-01

In this contribution, we review a number of specific signal types that have been introduced in auditory research in the past 20 years. Through the introduction of digital computers into experimental and theoretical hearing research, the freedom to construct and use specific acoustic stimuli in

Brookhaven highlights, October 1, 1989--September 30, 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.S.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L.; Kuper, J.B.H. (eds.)

1990-01-01

This report discusses research being conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Highlights from all the department are illustrated. The main topics are on accelerator development and applications. (LSP)

Identity-Based Motivation: Constraints and Opportunities in Consumer Research

Science.gov (United States)

Shavitt, Sharon; Torelli, Carlos J.; Wong, Jimmy

2009-01-01

This commentary underscores the integrative nature of the identity-based motivation model (Oyserman, 2009). We situate the model within existing literatures in psychology and consumer behavior, and illustrate its novel elements with research examples. Special attention is devoted to, 1) how product- and brand-based affordances constrain identity-based motivation processes and, 2) the mindsets and action tendencies that can be triggered by specific cultural identities in pursuit of consumer goals. Future opportunities are suggested for researching the antecedents of product meanings and relevant identities. PMID:20161045

Identity-Based Motivation: Constraints and Opportunities in Consumer Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Shavitt, Sharon; Torelli, Carlos J; Wong, Jimmy

2009-07-01

This commentary underscores the integrative nature of the identity-based motivation model (Oyserman, 2009). We situate the model within existing literatures in psychology and consumer behavior, and illustrate its novel elements with research examples. Special attention is devoted to, 1) how product- and brand-based affordances constrain identity-based motivation processes and, 2) the mindsets and action tendencies that can be triggered by specific cultural identities in pursuit of consumer goals. Future opportunities are suggested for researching the antecedents of product meanings and relevant identities.

Research highlights under Contract DE-AC02-76ER03072 for the period February 1, 1983-August 1, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoemaker, F.C.

1983-01-01

Research highlights are discussed on the following topics: (1) study of rare muon induced reactions, (2) search for new particles in the reaction π - + p → + photons, (3) production of high-mass dimuons by pions, (4) production of high mass μ pairs in the forward direction in π-nucleus collisions, (5) experiment at LEP(LEP3), and (6) detector studies, and (7) theoretical physics

ENC 2010 European nuclear congress - Conference highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonin, B. [European Nuclear Society (ENS), Bern (Switzerland)

2010-11-15

This synthetical paper presents the main progress, trends or achievements that have appeared through the 450 communications of this conference. The highlights are reported according to 11 issues: 1) general nuclear situation and policy, 2) life extension, 3) standardisation, 4) safety, 5) fuel cycle, 6) dismantling techniques and waste management, 7) research reactors, 8) fusion, 9) nuclear applications in life sciences, 10) education and training, 11) networks and research structures

Research-based design & design-based research: Affordances, limitations and synergies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

McKenney, Susan

2015-01-01

Research-based design is an orientation to educational development that is explicitly informed by existing research as well as formative evaluation. Design-based research is a genre of inquiry in which the design of innovative solutions to problems in educational practice provides the context for

Ethical Issues in Internet Research: International Good Practice and Irish Research Ethics Documents

Science.gov (United States)

Felzmann, Heike

2013-01-01

This chapter discusses the main research ethical concerns that arise in internet research and reviews existing research ethical guidance in the Irish context in relation to its application to internet research. The chapter begins with a brief outline of high profile cases in the early history of the internet that highlighted specific emerging…

Exploring Forms of Triangulation to Facilitate Collaborative Research Practice: Reflections From a Multidisciplinary Research Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarja Tiainen

2006-10-01

Full Text Available This article contains critical reflections of a multidisciplinary research group studying the human and technological dynamics around some newly offered electronic services in a specific rural area of Finland. For their research, the group adopted ethnography. On facing the challenges of doing ethnographic research in a multidisciplinary setting, the group evolved its own breed of research practice based on multiple forms of triangulation. This implied the use of multiple data sources, methods, theories, and researchers, in different combinations. One of the outcomes of the work is a model for collaborative research. It highlights, among others, the importance of creating a climate for collaboration within the research group and following a process of individual and collaborative writing to achieve the potential benefits of such research. The article also identifies a set of remaining challenges relevant to collaborative research.

Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specification requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

1994-01-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: Quantitatively evaluate the risk and justify changes based on objective risk arguments; Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The US NRC Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of Technical Specification requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

1993-01-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: quantitatively evaluate the risk impact and justify changes based on objective risk arguments. Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

research process, as part of which students must find and appraise evidence from research.[5] This highlights that teaching research methodology is inclined towards equipping students ... Students believed that evidence-based practice was vital, yet their understanding of the concept was restricted when compared with the.

Special journal issue highlights IDRC-supported findings on ...

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

2018-03-08

Mar 8, 2018 ... Special journal issue highlights IDRC-supported findings on women's paid work ... An important aspect of women's economic empowerment is their participation in the labour ... Maternal health research concerns men too.

Handbook of methods for risk-based analyses of technical specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S.; Mankamo, T.; Vesely, W.E.

1994-12-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while a few may not be conducive to safety. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research has sponsored research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. This handbook summarizes these risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), scheduled or preventive maintenance, action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), and management of plant configurations resulting from outages of systems, or components. For each topic, the handbook summarizes analytic methods with data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and gives examples of evaluations

Handbook of methods for risk-based analyses of technical specifications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Mankamo, T. [Avaplan Oy, Espoo (Finland); Vesely, W.E. [Science Applications International Corp., Dublin, OH (United States)

1994-12-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while a few may not be conducive to safety. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research has sponsored research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. This handbook summarizes these risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), scheduled or preventive maintenance, action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), and management of plant configurations resulting from outages of systems, or components. For each topic, the handbook summarizes analytic methods with data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and gives examples of evaluations.

Control volume based hydrocephalus research

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Benjamin; Voorhees, Abram; Wei, Timothy

2008-11-01

Hydrocephalus is a disease involving excess amounts of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. Recent research has shown correlations to pulsatility of blood flow through the brain. However, the problem to date has presented as too complex for much more than statistical analysis and understanding. This talk will highlight progress on developing a fundamental control volume approach to studying hydrocephalus. The specific goals are to select physiologically control volume(s), develop conservation equations along with the experimental capabilities to accurately quantify terms in those equations. To this end, an in vitro phantom is used as a simplified model of the human brain. The phantom's design consists of a rigid container filled with a compressible gel. The gel has a hollow spherical cavity representing a ventricle and a cylindrical passage representing the aquaducts. A computer controlled piston pump supplies pulsatile volume fluctuations into and out of the flow phantom. MRI is used to measure fluid velocity, and volume change as functions of time. Independent pressure measurements and flow rate measurements are used to calibrate the MRI data. These data are used as a framework for future work with live patients.

Towards soft robotic devices for site-specific drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Alici, Gursel

2015-01-01

Considerable research efforts have recently been dedicated to the establishment of various drug delivery systems (DDS) that are mechanical/physical, chemical and biological/molecular DDS. In this paper, we report on the recent advances in site-specific drug delivery (site-specific, controlled, targeted or smart drug delivery are terms used interchangeably in the literature, to mean to transport a drug or a therapeutic agent to a desired location within the body and release it as desired with negligibly small toxicity and side effect compared to classical drug administration means such as peroral, parenteral, transmucosal, topical and inhalation) based on mechanical/physical systems consisting of implantable and robotic drug delivery systems. While we specifically focus on the robotic or autonomous DDS, which can be reprogrammable and provide multiple doses of a drug at a required time and rate, we briefly cover the implanted DDS, which are well-developed relative to the robotic DDS, to highlight the design and performance requirements, and investigate issues associated with the robotic DDS. Critical research issues associated with both DDSs are presented to describe the research challenges ahead of us in order to establish soft robotic devices for clinical and biomedical applications.

Qualitative research in multicultural psychology: philosophical underpinnings, popular approaches, and ethical considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponterotto, Joseph G

2010-10-01

This article reviews the current and emerging status of qualitative research in psychology. The particular value of diverse philosophical paradigms and varied inquiry approaches to the advancement of psychology generally, and multicultural psychology specifically, is emphasized. Three specific qualitative inquiry approaches anchored in diverse philosophical research paradigms are highlighted: consensual qualitative research, grounded theory, and participatory action research. The article concludes by highlighting important ethical considerations in multicultural qualitative research. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Physical and Life Sciences 2008 Science & Technology Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correll, D L; Hazi, A U

2009-05-06

This document highlights the outstanding research and development activities in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate that made news in 2008. It also summarizes the awards and recognition received by members of the Directorate in 2008.

XML-Based Visual Specification of Multidisciplinary Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Theneyan, Ahmed; Jakatdar, Amol; Mehrotra, Piyush; Zubair, Mohammad

2001-01-01

The advancements in the Internet and Web technologies have fueled a growing interest in developing a web-based distributed computing environment. We have designed and developed Arcade, a web-based environment for designing, executing, monitoring, and controlling distributed heterogeneous applications, which is easy to use and access, portable, and provides support through all phases of the application development and execution. A major focus of the environment is the specification of heterogeneous, multidisciplinary applications. In this paper we focus on the visual and script-based specification interface of Arcade. The web/browser-based visual interface is designed to be intuitive to use and can also be used for visual monitoring during execution. The script specification is based on XML to: (1) make it portable across different frameworks, and (2) make the development of our tools easier by using the existing freely available XML parsers and editors. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the visual and script-based interfaces allowing users to go back and forth between the two. To support this we have developed translators that translate a script-based specification to a visual-based specification, and vice-versa. These translators are integrated with our tools and are transparent to users.

Using an Electronic Highlighter to Eliminate the Negative Effects of Pre-Existing, Inappropriate Highlighting

Science.gov (United States)

Gier, Vicki; Kreiner, David; Hudnell, Jason; Montoya, Jodi; Herring, Daniel

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present experiment was to determine whether using an active learning technique, electronic highlighting, can eliminate the negative effects of pre-existing, poor highlighting on reading comprehension. Participants read passages containing no highlighting, appropriate highlighting, or inappropriate highlighting. We hypothesized…

2016 NIH Research Highlights | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

... predict which will likely cause problems. Researchers have discovered biomarkers in urine samples that were unique to ... help researchers understand how pathogens, such as herpes, HIV, and Zika, pass from a pregnant woman to ...

Recruitment Strategies and Costs Associated with Community-Based Research in a Mexican-Origin Population

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez-Luck, Carolyn A.; Trejo, Laura; Miranda, Jeanne; Jimenez, Elizabeth; Quiter, Elaine S.; Mangione, Carol M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: We describe the recruitment strategies and personnel and materials costs associated with two community-based research studies in a Mexican-origin population. We also highlight the role that academic-community partnerships played in the outreach and recruitment process for our studies. We reviewed study documents using case study…

Highlight: Kenya selects first research chair on health systems ...

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

14 avr. 2016 ... Research will focus on a systems approach to improving maternal and child ... and at the same time, endeavour to bridge the gap between universities ... health systems research is grounded in political realities and have real ...

Posttraumatic Growth in Youth Survivors of a Disaster: An Arts-Based Research Project

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Evidence that posttraumatic growth is a potential outcome in the process of recovery from trauma and natural disaster highlights the importance of social environmental factors that encourage a growth response in survivors. This art-based research project followed up on a group of youth survivors (N = 11) of the 2007 earthquake in the Ica region of…

Recent highlights of the PALS research program

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jungwirth, Karel

2005-01-01

Roč. 23, - (2005), s. 177-182 ISSN 0263-0346. [ECLIM 2004: European Conference on Laser Interaction with Matter /28./. Roma, 06.09.2004-10.09.2004] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KSK2043105; GA MŠk(CZ) LN00A100 Grant - others:European Commission(XE) HPRI-CT-1999-00053 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100523 Keywords : ablation * Iodine lasers * laser ion sources * laser-produced plasma * laser-target interaction * PALS * shock waves * XUV lasers Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 2.590, year: 2005

40 CFR 79.55 - Base fuel specifications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Base fuel specifications. 79.55... (CONTINUED) REGISTRATION OF FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Testing Requirements for Registration § 79.55 Base fuel specifications. (a) General Characteristics. (1) The base fuel(s) in each fuel family shall serve as the group...

Highlight: Research Chair unites four West African universities in ...

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

2016-04-14

Apr 14, 2016 ... Local and regional experts including researchers, consultants, and academics convened in Cotonou, Benin, on February 26, 2015 to launch a Research Chair on EcoHealth. The Chair unites four West African universities that have pledged to reduce air pollution and non-communicable respiratory ...

Highlight: Kenya selects first research chair on health systems ...

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

2016-04-14

Apr 14, 2016 ... Research will focus on a systems approach to improving maternal and child healthcare delivery ... suffers brain drain as professionals seek better remuneration and research ... Understanding the dynamics of gender equality and eHealth ... that are supporting the development and testing of 24 innovations.

Identity-Based Motivation: Constraints and Opportunities in Consumer Research

OpenAIRE

Shavitt, Sharon; Torelli, Carlos J.; Wong, Jimmy

2009-01-01

This commentary underscores the integrative nature of the identity-based motivation model (Oyserman, 2009). We situate the model within existing literatures in psychology and consumer behavior, and illustrate its novel elements with research examples. Special attention is devoted to, 1) how product- and brand-based affordances constrain identity-based motivation processes and, 2) the mindsets and action tendencies that can be triggered by specific cultural identities in pursuit of consumer go...

Clinical governance and research ethics as barriers to UK low-risk population-based health research?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas Flora

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since the Helsinki Declaration was introduced in 1964 as a code of practice for clinical research, it has generally been agreed that research governance is also needed in the field of public health and health promotion research. Recently, a range of factors led to the development of more stringent bureaucratic procedures, governing the conduct of low-risk population-based health research in the United Kingdom. Methods Our paper highlights a case study of the application process to medical research ethics committees in the United Kingdom for a study of the promotion of physical activity by health care providers. The case study presented here is an illustration of the challenges in conducting low-risk population-based health research. Results Our mixed-methods approach involved a questionnaire survey of and semi-structured interviews with health professionals (who were all healthy volunteers. Since our study does not involve the participation of either patients or the general population, one would expect the application to the relevant research ethics committees to be a formality. This proved not to be the case! Conclusion Research ethics committees could be counter-productive, rather than protecting the vulnerable in the research process, they can stifle low-risk population-based health research. Research ethics in health services research is first and foremost the responsibility of the researcher(s, and we need to learn to trust health service researchers again. The burden of current research governance regulation to address the perceived ethical problems is neither appropriate nor adequate. Senior researchers/academics need to educate and train students and junior researchers in the area of research ethics, whilst at the same time reducing pressures on them that lead to unethical research, such as commercial funding, inappropriate government interference and the pressure to publish. We propose that non-invasive low

A Bibliometric Study of Community Pharmacy-Based Research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2003-01-01

Purpose: To analyze community pharmacy based research in Arab countries. Methods: Comprehensive review of the literature indexed by Scopus was conducted. Data from Jan 01, 2003 till December 31, 2013 was searched for documents with specific words pertaining to “community pharmacy” in any one of the 13 Middle ...

Scientists’ perspectives on global ocean research priorities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murray Alan Rudd

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Diverse natural and social science research is needed to support policies to recover and sustain healthy oceans. While a wide variety of expert-led prioritization initiatives have identified research themes and priorities at national and regional scale, over the past several years there has also been a surge in the number of scanning exercises that have identified important environmental research questions and issues ‘from the bottom-up’. From those questions, winnowed from thousands of contributions by scientists and policy-makers around the world who participated in terrestrial, aquatic and domain-specific horizon scanning and big question exercises, I identified 657 research questions potentially important for informing decisions regarding ocean governance and sustainability. These were distilled to a short list of 67 distinctive research questions that, in an internet survey, were ranked by 2179 scientists from 94 countries. Five of the top 10 research priorities were shared by respondents globally. Despite significant differences between physical and ecological scientists’ priorities regarding specific research questions, they shared seven common priorities among their top 10. Social scientists’ priorities were, however, much different, highlighting their research focus on managerial solutions to ocean challenges and questions regarding the role of human behavior and values in attaining ocean sustainability. The results from this survey provide a comprehensive and timely assessment of current ocean research priorities among research-active scientists but highlight potential challenges in stimulating crossdisciplinary research. As ocean and coastal research necessarily becomes more transdisciplinary to address complex ocean challenges, it will be critical for scientists and research funders to understand how scientists from different disciplines and regions might collaborate and strengthen the overall evidence base for ocean

System and method for deriving a process-based specification

Science.gov (United States)

Hinchey, Michael Gerard (Inventor); Rash, James Larry (Inventor); Rouff, Christopher A. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A system and method for deriving a process-based specification for a system is disclosed. The process-based specification is mathematically inferred from a trace-based specification. The trace-based specification is derived from a non-empty set of traces or natural language scenarios. The process-based specification is mathematically equivalent to the trace-based specification. Code is generated, if applicable, from the process-based specification. A process, or phases of a process, using the features disclosed can be reversed and repeated to allow for an interactive development and modification of legacy systems. The process is applicable to any class of system, including, but not limited to, biological and physical systems, electrical and electro-mechanical systems in addition to software, hardware and hybrid hardware-software systems.

Evidence-Based Scholarly Communication: Information Professionals Unlocking Translational Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip J. Kroth

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The Evidence-Based Scholarly Communication Conference (EBSCC was held March 11-12, 2010 in Albuquerque, NM. The conference addressed the perceived gap in knowledge and training for scholarly communication principles in the National Institutes of Health (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA Program. The EBSCC brought together librarians and information specialists to share evidence based strategies for developing effective local scholarly communication support and training and, it is hoped, to form new coalitions to address this topic at the local and national levels. This brief communication summarizes the need for theconference, highlights the general sessions in order of presentation, and introduces the EBSCC research papers appearing in this issue of Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP. It also includes a description of a unique peer-review process methodology pioneered at EBSCC.

Trends and highlights of VCI 2004

CERN Document Server

Fabjan, Christian Wolfgang

2004-01-01

This report attempts to summarize the presentations given at this conference. Topics related to R&D of gaseous and solid state detectors clearly point to several trends in particle physics instrumentation. More established techniques are represented by reports on recent experiments and facilities which can be considered the highlights in this research field. The extension of these techniques to space, arctic ice and deep sea are opening new frontiers of particle physics.

Bio-medicolegal scientific research in Europe. A country-based analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Viel, Guido; Boscolo-Berto, Rafael; Cecchi, Rossana; Bajanowski, Thomas; Vieira, Nuno Duarte; Ferrara, Santo Davide

2011-09-01

The European mosaic of socio-cultural, economic and legal realities is reflected in forensic and legal medicine, in which a great variety of operational modes of forensic medical services, organisational systems, structures, functional competences and scientific research strategies can be observed. The present work analyses the European bio-medicolegal scientific output of the last 5.5 years (exact time window, January 1, 2005-June 1, 2010), categorising papers by nationality of the corresponding author and forensic sub-discipline in question, in order to identify the peculiarities of national sub-specialised competences and to build up international research projects. This country-based bibliometric analysis, based on the number of articles and the impact factor produced by each European country, also considering its economic profile (gross domestic product and per capita gross domestic product), highlights the prevailing productive role of Western and Southern Europe (Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and France). Categorising scientific output by forensic sub-discipline and branch, significant in terms of impact factor are contributions from Germany (coming first in Pathology, Toxicology, Genetics, Anthropology and Biological Criminalistics), Great Britain (first in Clinical Forensic Medicine, Malpractice and Invalidity-Social Insurance), Switzerland (first in Criminology), Italy (second in Toxicology, Anthropology and Invalidity-Social Insurance), The Netherlands (third in Clinical Forensic Medicine and Medical Law and Ethics), Spain (third in Genetics, Criminalistics and Invalidity-Social Insurance) and France (third in Toxicology and Malpractice). Interestingly, several countries with low gross domestic product, such as Poland, Turkey and other Eastern European nations, show notable scientific production in specific sub-disciplines such as Pathology, Toxicology and Forensic Genetics, suggesting that fruitful international cooperation could be

Research highlights from the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research for Women’s Health: Black cohosh from the field to the clinic

Science.gov (United States)

Farnsworth, Norman R; Mahady, Gail B.

2009-01-01

In 1999, the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois (UIC) at Chicago was funded to establish a Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The emphasis of the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research (CBDSR) is botanical dietary supplements (BDS) for women's health. Center’s research has focused on BDS that may improve women's health and quality of life, specifically in the areas of menopause, premenstrual syndrome, and persistent urinary tract infections. Center investigators have overcome many challenges associated with botanical dietary supplements research, including acquiring and identifying plant species for investigation, isolating and identifying active constituents, elucidating the mechanisms of action of these botanicals, and conducting phase I and phase II clinical studies. Black cohosh [Actaea racemosa L. (Ranunculaceae)] has been used as a model to illustrate the steps involved in taking a botanical dietary supplement from the field, all the way to clinical trials. Bioassays are described that were necessary to elucidate the pertinent biological studies of plant extracts and their mechanisms of action. The Center has used an innovative multidisciplinary approach to this type of research, and thus has been very successful in fulfilling its specific aims. PMID:20161501

North-American Conference Highlights the Treatment of Trauma Utilizing Guided Imagery and Music

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scott-Montcrieff, Suzannah; Beck, Bolette Daniels; Montgomery, Erin

2015-01-01

A report on the 2015 Association for Music and Imagery conference highlights papers that address clinical practice and research using Guided Imagery and Music for the treatment of trauma.......A report on the 2015 Association for Music and Imagery conference highlights papers that address clinical practice and research using Guided Imagery and Music for the treatment of trauma....

Design-Based Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gynther, Karsten; Christensen, Ove; Petersen, Trine Brun

2012-01-01

I denne artikel introduceres Design Based Research for første gang på dansk i et videnskabeligt tidsskrift. Artiklen præsenterer de grundlæggende antagelser, som ligger til grund for Design Based Research-traditionen, og artiklen diskuterer de principper, som ligger til grund for gennemførelse af...... et DBR-forskningsprojekt. Med udgangspunkt i forsknings- og udviklingsprojektet ELYK: E-læring, Yderområder og Klyngedannelse, præsenteres den innovationsmodel, som projektet har udviklet med udgangspunkt i Design Based Research traditionen. ELYKs DBR innovationsmodel har vist sig effektiv i forhold...

‘"Education-based Research"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Degn Johansson, Troels

This paper lays out a concept of education-based research-the production of research knowledge within the framework of tertiary design education-as an integration of problem-based learning and research-based education. This leads to a critique of reflective practice as the primary way to facilitate...... learning at this level, a discussion of the nature of design problems in the instrumentalist tradition, and some suggestions as to how design studies curricula may facilitate education-based research....

Research on minimum sound specifications for hybrid and electric vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-30

This report documents research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to identify ways : to develop sound specifications for electric and hybrid vehicles. The research was conducted to support activities : related to the implem...

Evaluating Discipline-Based Education Research for Promotion and Tenure

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, Erin L.; Elliott, Samantha L.; Henderson, Charles; Curran-Everett, Douglas; St. John, Kristen; Ortiz, Phillip A.

2018-01-01

Discipline-based education research (DBER) is an emergent, interdisciplinary field of scholarship aimed at understanding and improving discipline-specific teaching and learning. The number of DBER faculty members in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) departments has grown rapidly in recent years. Because the interdisciplinary…

Tobacco Use. Adolescent Health Highlight. Publication #2012-33

Science.gov (United States)

Murphey, David; Barry, Megan; Vaughn, Brigitte; Terzian, Mary

2012-01-01

Cigarette smoking has steadily declined among adolescents during the last fifteen years, although use of some tobacco products, like cigars, has seen recent increases. However, large numbers of teens continue to use tobacco products. This "Adolescent Health Highlight" presents key research findings; describes prevalence and trends; illustrates…

Researching in the community: the value and contribution of nurses to community based or primary health care research.

Science.gov (United States)

Barthow, Christine; Jones, Bernadette; Macdonald, Lindsay; Vernall, Sue; Gallagher, Peter; McKinlay, Eileen

2015-05-01

To describe the role, contribution and value of research nurses in New Zealand community-based or primary health care research. Research nurses are increasingly recognised as having a key role in undertaking successful research in hospitals and clinical trial units however only limited work has been undertaken to examine their role in community-based research. Undertaking health research in the community has unique challenges particularly in relation to research design and recruitment and retention of participants. We describe four community-based research projects involving research nurses, each with particular recruitment, retention and logistical problems. Vignettes are used to illustrate the role, contribution and value of research nurses in a diverse range of community research projects. The knowledge and skills used by research nurses in these projects included familiarity with communities, cultural competence, health care systems and practice philosophies and in particular with vulnerable populations. Their research actions and activities include competence with a broad range of research methodologies, organisational efficiency, family-centred approach, along with advocacy and flexibility. These are underpinned by nursing knowledge and clinical expertise contributing to an ability to work autonomously. These four projects demonstrate that research nurses in community-based research possess specific attributes which facilitate successful study development, implementation and outcome.

Impact of shutdown risk on risk-based assessment of technical specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deriot, S.

1992-10-01

This paper describes the current work performed by the Research and Development Division of EDF concerning risk-based assessment of Operating Technical Specifications (OTS). The current risk-based assessment of OTS at EDF is presented. Then, the level 1 Probabilistic Safety Assessment of unit 3 of the Paluel nuclear power station (called PSA 1300) is described. It is fully computerized and takes into account the risk in shutdown states. A case study is presented. It shows that the fact of considering shutdown risk suggests that the current OTS should be modified

Transcriptomic and anatomical complexity of primary, seminal, and crown roots highlight root type-specific functional diversity in maize (Zea mays L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Huanhuan; Lu, Xin; Opitz, Nina; Marcon, Caroline; Paschold, Anja; Lithio, Andrew; Nettleton, Dan; Hochholdinger, Frank

2016-02-01

Maize develops a complex root system composed of embryonic and post-embryonic roots. Spatio-temporal differences in the formation of these root types imply specific functions during maize development. A comparative transcriptomic study of embryonic primary and seminal, and post-embryonic crown roots of the maize inbred line B73 by RNA sequencing along with anatomical studies were conducted early in development. Seminal roots displayed unique anatomical features, whereas the organization of primary and crown roots was similar. For instance, seminal roots displayed fewer cortical cell files and their stele contained more meta-xylem vessels. Global expression profiling revealed diverse patterns of gene activity across all root types and highlighted the unique transcriptome of seminal roots. While functions in cell remodeling and cell wall formation were prominent in primary and crown roots, stress-related genes and transcriptional regulators were over-represented in seminal roots, suggesting functional specialization of the different root types. Dynamic expression of lignin biosynthesis genes and histochemical staining suggested diversification of cell wall lignification among the three root types. Our findings highlight a cost-efficient anatomical structure and a unique expression profile of seminal roots of the maize inbred line B73 different from primary and crown roots. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

FY17 Transportation and Hydrogen Systems Center Journal Publication Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2017-12-08

NREL's Transportation and Hydrogen Systems Center published 39 journal articles in fiscal year 2017 highlighting recent research in advanced vehicle technology, alternative fuels, and hydrogen systems.

Research highlights in energy and eco-efficient built environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Airaksinen, M. (ed.)

2012-06-15

This publication presents a compilation of VTT's recent research on energy and eco-efficient built environment. Sustainability as a dominating driver of technology development can also be seen in the R and D portfolio of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. A clear focus of our research for the building sector is sustainable construction, particularly the energy efficiency of the built environment. Buildings and the whole built environment are in a key role when societies are mitigating climate change and adapting to its consequences. Despite the temporary economic downturn, construction globally remains one of the most significant areas of human activities globally. Due to the urgency of measures related to climate change and the need to provide a proper environment for living and working, a large number of national and international measures have been agreed to guarantee the future development of sustainable built environment for all. Indirectly, this has lead to a need to develop existing and completely new technologies and processes for the built environment with a speed faster than ever and with a more holistic performance metrics than ever.

Specificity in the licensing process of reduced enrichment in the Bulgarian research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitkova, Marietta; Gorinov, Ivan

2005-01-01

The presented paper considers some specific questions of the licensing process regarding the reconstruction of the Bulgarian IRT-2000 research reactor, which includes conversion to the low enriched fuel. This specificity has risen as a result of two facts. The design of the reactor reconstruction was made on the basis of the existing fresh 36% highly enriched fuel. But after finishing of the design process, this fresh highly enriched fuel was shipped back to Russia in the framework of the RERTR program. These facts have involved some changes in both - in the licensing and the design processes. Re-analysis of the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic calculations is required to be made on the base of the technical specifications of the new LEU fuel. To facilitate the licensing process the NRA has adopted regulatory acceptance criteria for approval of the reactor core design with LEU fuel. (author)

BBG Highlights

Data.gov (United States)

Broadcasting Board of Governors — BBG Highlights is a monthly summary of the BBG's accomplishments and news and developments affecting the Agency's work. Now, for the first time, this monthly update...

A Research Roadmap for Computation-Based Human Reliability Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boring, Ronald [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Mandelli, Diego [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Joe, Jeffrey [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Groth, Katrina [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-08-01

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring research through the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program to extend the life of the currently operating fleet of commercial nuclear power plants. The Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) research pathway within LWRS looks at ways to maintain and improve the safety margins of these plants. The RISMC pathway includes significant developments in the area of thermalhydraulics code modeling and the development of tools to facilitate dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). PRA is primarily concerned with the risk of hardware systems at the plant; yet, hardware reliability is often secondary in overall risk significance to human errors that can trigger or compound undesirable events at the plant. This report highlights ongoing efforts to develop a computation-based approach to human reliability analysis (HRA). This computation-based approach differs from existing static and dynamic HRA approaches in that it: (i) interfaces with a dynamic computation engine that includes a full scope plant model, and (ii) interfaces with a PRA software toolset. The computation-based HRA approach presented in this report is called the Human Unimodels for Nuclear Technology to Enhance Reliability (HUNTER) and incorporates in a hybrid fashion elements of existing HRA methods to interface with new computational tools developed under the RISMC pathway. The goal of this research effort is to model human performance more accurately than existing approaches, thereby minimizing modeling uncertainty found in current plant risk models.

A Research Roadmap for Computation-Based Human Reliability Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boring, Ronald; Mandelli, Diego; Joe, Jeffrey; Smith, Curtis; Groth, Katrina

2015-01-01

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring research through the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program to extend the life of the currently operating fleet of commercial nuclear power plants. The Risk Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) research pathway within LWRS looks at ways to maintain and improve the safety margins of these plants. The RISMC pathway includes significant developments in the area of thermalhydraulics code modeling and the development of tools to facilitate dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). PRA is primarily concerned with the risk of hardware systems at the plant; yet, hardware reliability is often secondary in overall risk significance to human errors that can trigger or compound undesirable events at the plant. This report highlights ongoing efforts to develop a computation-based approach to human reliability analysis (HRA). This computation-based approach differs from existing static and dynamic HRA approaches in that it: (i) interfaces with a dynamic computation engine that includes a full scope plant model, and (ii) interfaces with a PRA software toolset. The computation-based HRA approach presented in this report is called the Human Unimodels for Nuclear Technology to Enhance Reliability (HUNTER) and incorporates in a hybrid fashion elements of existing HRA methods to interface with new computational tools developed under the RISMC pathway. The goal of this research effort is to model human performance more accurately than existing approaches, thereby minimizing modeling uncertainty found in current plant risk models.

Analysis of pan-African Centres of excellence in health innovation highlights opportunities and challenges for local innovation and financing in the continent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nwaka Solomon

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract A pool of 38 pan-African Centres of Excellence (CoEs in health innovation has been selected and recognized by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI, through a competitive criteria based process. The process identified a number of opportunities and challenges for health R&D and innovation in the continent: i it provides a direct evidence for the existence of innovation capability that can be leveraged to fill specific gaps in the continent; ii it revealed a research and financing pattern that is largely fragmented and uncoordinated, and iii it highlights the most frequent funders of health research in the continent. The CoEs are envisioned as an innovative network of public and private institutions with a critical mass of expertise and resources to support projects and a variety of activities for capacity building and scientific exchange, including hosting fellows, trainees, scientists on sabbaticals and exchange with other African and non-African institutions.

The Goal Specificity Effect on Strategy Use and Instructional Efficiency during Computer-Based Scientific Discovery Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kunsting, Josef; Wirth, Joachim; Paas, Fred

2011-01-01

Using a computer-based scientific discovery learning environment on buoyancy in fluids we investigated the "effects of goal specificity" (nonspecific goals vs. specific goals) for two goal types (problem solving goals vs. learning goals) on "strategy use" and "instructional efficiency". Our empirical findings close an important research gap,…

Women-specific mental disorders in DSM-V: are we failing again?

Science.gov (United States)

Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich

2010-02-01

Despite a wealth of studies on differences regarding the biobehavioral and social-psychological bases of mental disorders in men and women and repeated calls for increased attention, women-specific issues have so far not been comprehensively addressed in past diagnostic classification systems of mental disorders. There is also increasing evidence that this situation will not change significantly in the upcoming revisions of ICD-11 and DSM-V. This paper explores reasons for this continued failure, highlighting three major barriers: the fragmentation of the field of women's mental health research, lack of emphasis on diagnostic classificatory issues beyond a few selected clinical conditions, and finally, the "current rules of game" used by the current DSM-V Task Forces in the revision process of DSM-V. The paper calls for concerted efforts of researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders within a more coherent and comprehensive framework aiming at broader coverage of women-specific diagnostic classificatory issues in future diagnostic systems.

Physical Sciences 2007 Science & Technology Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazi, A U

2008-04-07

The Physical Sciences Directorate applies frontier physics and technology to grand challenges in national security. Our highly integrated and multidisciplinary research program involves collaborations throughout Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Energy, and with academic and industrial partners. The Directorate has a budget of approximately $150 million, and a staff of approximately 350 employees. Our scientists provide expertise in condensed matter and high-pressure physics, plasma physics, high-energy-density science, fusion energy science and technology, nuclear and particle physics, accelerator physics, radiation detection, optical science, biotechnology, and astrophysics. This document highlights the outstanding research and development activities in the Physical Sciences Directorate that made news in 2007. It also summarizes the awards and recognition received by members of the Directorate in 2007.

Drug knowledge bases and their applications in biomedical informatics research.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yongjun; Elemento, Olivier; Pathak, Jyotishman; Wang, Fei

2018-01-03

Recent advances in biomedical research have generated a large volume of drug-related data. To effectively handle this flood of data, many initiatives have been taken to help researchers make good use of them. As the results of these initiatives, many drug knowledge bases have been constructed. They range from simple ones with specific focuses to comprehensive ones that contain information on almost every aspect of a drug. These curated drug knowledge bases have made significant contributions to the development of efficient and effective health information technologies for better health-care service delivery. Understanding and comparing existing drug knowledge bases and how they are applied in various biomedical studies will help us recognize the state of the art and design better knowledge bases in the future. In addition, researchers can get insights on novel applications of the drug knowledge bases through a review of successful use cases. In this study, we provide a review of existing popular drug knowledge bases and their applications in drug-related studies. We discuss challenges in constructing and using drug knowledge bases as well as future research directions toward a better ecosystem of drug knowledge bases. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Application of Activity-Based Costing Management System by Key Success Paths to Promote the Competitive Advantages and Operation Performance

OpenAIRE

Mei-Fang Wu; Shu-Li Wang; Feng-Tsung Cheng

2015-01-01

Highly developed technology and highly competitive global market highlight the important role of competitive advantages and operation performances in sustainable company operation. Activity-Based Costing (ABC) provides accurate operation cost and operation performance information. Rich literatures provide relevant research with cases study on Activity-Based Costing application, but the research on cause relationship between key success factors and its specific outcome, su...

Research Priorities in Limb and Task-Specific Dystonias

Science.gov (United States)

Pirio Richardson, Sarah; Altenmüller, Eckart; Alter, Katharine; Alterman, Ron L.; Chen, Robert; Frucht, Steven; Furuya, Shinichi; Jankovic, Joseph; Jinnah, H. A.; Kimberley, Teresa J.; Lungu, Codrin; Perlmutter, Joel S.; Prudente, Cecília N.; Hallett, Mark

2017-01-01

Dystonia, which causes intermittent or sustained abnormal postures and movements, can present in a focal or a generalized manner. In the limbs, focal dystonia can occur in either the upper or lower limbs and may be task-specific causing abnormal motor performance for only a specific task, such as in writer’s cramp, runner’s dystonia, or musician’s dystonia. Focal limb dystonia can be non-task-specific and may, in some circumstances, be associated with parkinsonian disorders. The true prevalence of focal limb dystonia is not known and is likely currently underestimated, leaving a knowledge gap and an opportunity for future research. The pathophysiology of focal limb dystonia shares some commonalities with other dystonias with a loss of inhibition in the central nervous system and a loss of the normal regulation of plasticity, called homeostatic plasticity. Functional imaging studies revealed abnormalities in several anatomical networks that involve the cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Further studies should focus on distinguishing cause from effect in both physiology and imaging studies to permit focus on most relevant biological correlates of dystonia. There is no specific therapy for the treatment of limb dystonia given the variability in presentation, but off-label botulinum toxin therapy is often applied to focal limb and task-specific dystonia. Various rehabilitation techniques have been applied and rehabilitation interventions may improve outcomes, but small sample size and lack of direct comparisons between methods to evaluate comparative efficacy limit conclusions. Finally, non-invasive and invasive therapeutic modalities have been explored in small studies with design limitations that do not yet clearly provide direction for larger clinical trials that could support new clinical therapies. Given these gaps in our clinical, pathophysiologic, and therapeutic knowledge, we have identified priorities for future research including: the development of

Research Priorities in Limb and Task-Specific Dystonias

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Pirio Richardson

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Dystonia, which causes intermittent or sustained abnormal postures and movements, can present in a focal or a generalized manner. In the limbs, focal dystonia can occur in either the upper or lower limbs and may be task-specific causing abnormal motor performance for only a specific task, such as in writer’s cramp, runner’s dystonia, or musician’s dystonia. Focal limb dystonia can be non-task-specific and may, in some circumstances, be associated with parkinsonian disorders. The true prevalence of focal limb dystonia is not known and is likely currently underestimated, leaving a knowledge gap and an opportunity for future research. The pathophysiology of focal limb dystonia shares some commonalities with other dystonias with a loss of inhibition in the central nervous system and a loss of the normal regulation of plasticity, called homeostatic plasticity. Functional imaging studies revealed abnormalities in several anatomical networks that involve the cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Further studies should focus on distinguishing cause from effect in both physiology and imaging studies to permit focus on most relevant biological correlates of dystonia. There is no specific therapy for the treatment of limb dystonia given the variability in presentation, but off-label botulinum toxin therapy is often applied to focal limb and task-specific dystonia. Various rehabilitation techniques have been applied and rehabilitation interventions may improve outcomes, but small sample size and lack of direct comparisons between methods to evaluate comparative efficacy limit conclusions. Finally, non-invasive and invasive therapeutic modalities have been explored in small studies with design limitations that do not yet clearly provide direction for larger clinical trials that could support new clinical therapies. Given these gaps in our clinical, pathophysiologic, and therapeutic knowledge, we have identified priorities for future research including

Prophylactic platelets in dengue: survey responses highlight lack of an evidence base.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Whitehorn

Full Text Available Dengue is the most important arboviral infection of humans. Thrombocytopenia is frequently observed in the course of infection and haemorrhage may occur in severe disease. The degree of thrombocytopenia correlates with the severity of infection, and may contribute to the risk of haemorrhage. As a result of this prophylactic platelet transfusions are sometimes advocated for the prevention of haemorrhage. There is currently no evidence to support this practice, and platelet transfusions are costly and sometimes harmful. We conducted a global survey to assess the different approaches to the use of platelets in dengue. Respondents were all physicians involved with the treatment of patients with dengue. Respondents were asked that their answers reflected what they would do if they were the treating physician. We received responses from 306 physicians from 20 different countries. The heterogeneity of the responses highlights the variation in clinical practice and lack of an evidence base in this area and underscores the importance of prospective clinical trials to address this key question in the clinical management of patients with dengue.

Highlights of the 2012 research workshop: Using nutrigenomics and metabolomics in clinical nutrition research

Science.gov (United States)

The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) Research Workshop, "Using Nutrigenomics and Metabolomics in Clinical Nutrition Research," was held on January 21, 2012, in Orlando, Florida. The conference brought together experts in human nutrition who use nutrigenomic and meta...

Directions in implementation research methods for behavioral and social science.

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Molly; Supplee, Lauren H

2012-10-01

There is a growing interest, by researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, in evidence-based policy and practice. As a result, more dollars are being invested in program evaluation in order to establish "what works," and in some cases, funding is specifically tied to those programs found to be effective. However, reproducing positive effects found in research requires more than simply adopting an evidence-based program. Implementation research can provide guidance on which components of an intervention matter most for program impacts and how implementation components can best be implemented. However, while the body of rigorous research on effective practices continues to grow, research on implementation lags behind. To address these issues, the Administration for Children and Families and federal partners convened a roundtable meeting entitled, Improving Implementation Research Methods for Behavioral and Social Science, in the fall of 2010. This special section of the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research includes papers from the roundtable and highlights the role implementation science can play in shedding light on the difficult task of taking evidence-based practices to scale.

HIVR4P 2016, Partnering for Prevention: Conference Summary and Highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Shacklett, Barbara L; Derdeyn, Cynthia A; Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin; Landovitz, Raphael J; Anthony, Colin; Behrens, Anna-Janina; Hope, Thomas J; Landais, Elise; Leal, Lorna; Marrazzo, Jeanne M; Morris, Lynn; Mugo, Nelly; Ngure, Kenneth; Noseda, Veronica; Ranasinghe, Srinika; Tully, Damien C; Voronin, Yegor; Warren, Mitchell; Wibmer, Constantinos Kurt; Xie, Irene Y; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Thyagarajan, Bargavi

2017-08-01

HIV Research for Prevention: AIDS Vaccine, Microbicide, and ARV-based Prevention Science (HIVR4P) was built on a growing consensus that effective HIV prevention requires a combination of approaches and that understanding, analyzing, and debating the cross-cutting issues that impact prevention research are all essential to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. To that end, the biennial HIVR4P conference is dedicated to all biomedical HIV prevention research approaches, including HIV vaccines, microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and treatment as prevention. The HIVR4P 2016 conference was held in Chicago, Illinois (USA), on October 17-21, and included more than 700 scientific presentations and 21 satellite sessions covering the latest and most promising advances across the HIV prevention research field. The theme "Partnering for Prevention" represented the conference's commitment to breaking down silos between research disciplines as well as between researchers, program developers, care providers, advocates, communities, and funders. Delegates spanning 42 countries attended the conference. One-third of those in attendance were early career investigators, which reflects a firm commitment to emerging researchers and ultimately to the goal of developing a sustainable scientific enterprise well into the future. This article presents a concise summary of highlights from the conference. For a more detailed account, one may find full abstracts, daily summaries, and webcasts on the conference website at hivr4p.org.

Acid Mine Drainage Research in Gauteng Highlighting Impacts on Infrastructure and Innovation of Concrete-Based Remedial Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Diop, S.; Ekolu, S.; Azene, F.

2013-12-01

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is presently one of the most important environmental problems in in the densely populated Gauteng Province, South Africa. The threat of acid mine drainage has demanded short-term interventions (some of which are being implemented by government) but more importantly sustainable long-term innovative solutions. There have been moments of public apprehension with some media reports dubbing the current scenario as a future 'nightmare of biblical proportions' and 'South Africa's own Chernobyl' that could cause dissolving of concrete foundations of buildings and reinforcement steel, leading to collapse of structures. In response to the needs of local and provincial authorities, this research was conducted to (1) generate scientific understanding of the effects of AMD on infrastructure materials and structures, and (2) propose innovative long-term remedial systems based on cementitious materials for potential AMD treatment applications of engineering scale. Two AMD solutions from the goldfields and two others from the coalfields were used to conduct corrosion immersion tests on mild steel, stainless steel, mortars, pastes and concretes. Results show that AMD water from the gold mines is more corrosive than that from the coal mines, the corrosion rate of the former being about twice that of the latter. The functionality of metal components of mild steel can be expected to fail within one month of exposure to the mine water. The investigation has also led to development of a pervious concrete filter system of water-cement ratio = 0.27 and cement content = 360 kg/m3, to be used as a permeable reactive barrier for AMD treatment. Early results show that the system was effective in removing heavy metal contaminants with removal levels of 30% SO4, 99% Fe, 50-83% Mn, 85% Ca, and 30% TDS. Further work is on-going to improve and optimise the system prior to field demonstration studies.

Mapping the author gender-distribution of disease-specific medical research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersen, J.P.; Schneider, J.W.; Nielsen, M.W.

2016-07-01

This short paper responds to a recent call for attention to the “diversity challenge” in biomedical research, specifically with regard to gender diversity. The lack of diversity can be limiting for the progression of knowledge production, a viewpoint shared by both the European Commission, the League of European Research Universities and the National Institute of Health. (Author)

Modeling sports highlights using a time-series clustering framework and model interpretation

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, Regunathan; Otsuka, Isao; Xiong, Ziyou; Divakaran, Ajay

2005-01-01

In our past work on sports highlights extraction, we have shown the utility of detecting audience reaction using an audio classification framework. The audio classes in the framework were chosen based on intuition. In this paper, we present a systematic way of identifying the key audio classes for sports highlights extraction using a time series clustering framework. We treat the low-level audio features as a time series and model the highlight segments as "unusual" events in a background of an "usual" process. The set of audio classes to characterize the sports domain is then identified by analyzing the consistent patterns in each of the clusters output from the time series clustering framework. The distribution of features from the training data so obtained for each of the key audio classes, is parameterized by a Minimum Description Length Gaussian Mixture Model (MDL-GMM). We also interpret the meaning of each of the mixture components of the MDL-GMM for the key audio class (the "highlight" class) that is correlated with highlight moments. Our results show that the "highlight" class is a mixture of audience cheering and commentator's excited speech. Furthermore, we show that the precision-recall performance for highlights extraction based on this "highlight" class is better than that of our previous approach which uses only audience cheering as the key highlight class.

Ranking Highlights in Personal Videos by Analyzing Edited Videos.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Min; Farhadi, Ali; Chen, Tseng-Hung; Seitz, Steve

2016-11-01

We present a fully automatic system for ranking domain-specific highlights in unconstrained personal videos by analyzing online edited videos. A novel latent linear ranking model is proposed to handle noisy training data harvested online. Specifically, given a targeted domain such as "surfing," our system mines the YouTube database to find pairs of raw and their corresponding edited videos. Leveraging the assumption that an edited video is more likely to contain highlights than the trimmed parts of the raw video, we obtain pair-wise ranking constraints to train our model. The learning task is challenging due to the amount of noise and variation in the mined data. Hence, a latent loss function is incorporated to mitigate the issues caused by the noise. We efficiently learn the latent model on a large number of videos (about 870 min in total) using a novel EM-like procedure. Our latent ranking model outperforms its classification counterpart and is fairly competitive compared with a fully supervised ranking system that requires labels from Amazon Mechanical Turk. We further show that a state-of-the-art audio feature mel-frequency cepstral coefficients is inferior to a state-of-the-art visual feature. By combining both audio-visual features, we obtain the best performance in dog activity, surfing, skating, and viral video domains. Finally, we show that impressive highlights can be detected without additional human supervision for seven domains (i.e., skating, surfing, skiing, gymnastics, parkour, dog activity, and viral video) in unconstrained personal videos.

Plants used for making recreational tea in Europe: a review based on specific research sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Sõukand, Renata; Quave, Cassandra L; Pieroni, Andrea; Pardo-de-Santayana, Manuel; Tardío, Javier; Kalle, Raivo; Łuczaj, Łukasz; Svanberg, Ingvar; Kolosova, Valeria; Aceituno-Mata, Laura; Menendez-Baceta, Gorka; Kołodziejska-Degórska, Iwona; Pirożnikow, Ewa; Petkevičius, Rolandas; Hajdari, Avni; Mustafa, Behxhet

2013-08-13

This paper is a review of local plants used in water infusions as aromatic and refreshing hot beverages (recreational tea) consumed in food-related settings in Europe, and not for specific medicinal purposes. The reviewed 29 areas are located across Europe, covering the post-Soviet countries, eastern and Mediterranean Europe. Altogether, 142 taxa belonging to 99 genera and 40 families were reported. The most important families for making herbal tea in all research areas were Lamiaceae and Asteraceae, while Rosaceae was popular only in eastern and central Europe. With regards to botanical genera, the dominant taxa included Mentha, Tilia, Thymus, Origanum, Rubus and Matricaria. The clear favorite was Origanum vulgare L., mentioned in 61% of the regions. Regionally, other important taxa included Rubus idaeus L. in eastern Europe, Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All. in southern Europe and Rosa canina L. in central Europe. Future research on the pharmacological, nutritional and chemical properties of the plants most frequently used in the tea-making process is essential to ensure their safety and appropriateness for daily consumption. Moreover, regional studies dedicated to the study of local plants used for making recreational tea are important to improve our understanding of their selection criteria, cultural importance and perceived properties in Europe and abroad.

Reflections on Design-Based Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørngreen, Rikke

2015-01-01

Design-Based Research is an intervention method that researches educational design (products or processes) in real-life settings with the dual purpose of generating theories about the domain and develop the design iteratively. This paper is an integrative review with a personal ethnographic...... narrative that draws on Design-Based Research literature, and identifies and discusses elements from Interaction Design and Action Research that the Design-Based Research approach could apply, situating the research in online educational projects, where participants are distributed in time and space...

Highlight: Improving health systems research in West Africa | IDRC ...

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

2016-04-15

Apr 15, 2016 ... ... by the University of Ghana School of Public Health, in partnership with WAHO and IDRC. Health systems research experts and partners from across the ... adopted direct payment for health services as the primary means.

Indigenous community based participatory research and health impact assessment: A Canadian example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwiatkowski, Roy E.

2011-01-01

The Environmental Health Research Division (EHRD) of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada conducts science-based activities and research with Canadian Indigenous communities in areas such as climate change adaptation, environmental contaminants, water quality, biomonitoring, risk assessment, health impact assessment, and food safety and nutrition. EHRD's research activities have been specifically designed to not only inform Health Canada's policy decision-makers but as well, Indigenous community decision-makers. This paper will discuss the reasons why Indigenous community engagement is important, what are some of the barriers preventing community engagement; and the efforts by EHRD to carry out community-based participatory research activities with Indigenous peoples.

Genome, secretome and glucose transport highlight unique features of the protein production host Pichia pastoris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mattanovich Diethard

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pichia pastoris is widely used as a production platform for heterologous proteins and model organism for organelle proliferation. Without a published genome sequence available, strain and process development relied mainly on analogies to other, well studied yeasts like Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Results To investigate specific features of growth and protein secretion, we have sequenced the 9.4 Mb genome of the type strain DSMZ 70382 and analyzed the secretome and the sugar transporters. The computationally predicted secretome consists of 88 ORFs. When grown on glucose, only 20 proteins were actually secreted at detectable levels. These data highlight one major feature of P. pastoris, namely the low contamination of heterologous proteins with host cell protein, when applying glucose based expression systems. Putative sugar transporters were identified and compared to those of related yeast species. The genome comprises 2 homologs to S. cerevisiae low affinity transporters and 2 to high affinity transporters of other Crabtree negative yeasts. Contrary to other yeasts, P. pastoris possesses 4 H+/glycerol transporters. Conclusion This work highlights significant advantages of using the P. pastoris system with glucose based expression and fermentation strategies. As only few proteins and no proteases are actually secreted on glucose, it becomes evident that cell lysis is the relevant cause of proteolytic degradation of secreted proteins. The endowment with hexose transporters, dominantly of the high affinity type, limits glucose uptake rates and thus overflow metabolism as observed in S. cerevisiae. The presence of 4 genes for glycerol transporters explains the high specific growth rates on this substrate and underlines the suitability of a glycerol/glucose based fermentation strategy. Furthermore, we present an open access web based genome browser http://www.pichiagenome.org.

Highlights of the Fermilab research program to date

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, P.F.M.

1975-01-01

The high energy physics research program at Fermilab is reviewed. The report has been concentrated on strong-interaction experiments and following measurements are discussed: a) total cross sections for charged hadrons scattering from hydrogen and deuterium, b) elastic differential cross sections for charged hadrons scattering from hydrogen, c) differential cross sections for πp charge exchange scattering, d) determination of the regeneration amplitude for K 0 sub(L)C→K 0 sub(s)C, e) diffraction dissociation n→pπ - , f) psi-production and charmed particle searches, and g) anti pp interactions at 100 GeV/c. (L.M.K.)

Development of mercury (II) ion biosensors based on mercury-specific oligonucleotide probes.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lanying; Wen, Yanli; Xu, Li; Xu, Qin; Song, Shiping; Zuo, Xiaolei; Yan, Juan; Zhang, Weijia; Liu, Gang

2016-01-15

Mercury (II) ion (Hg(2+)) contamination can be accumulated along the food chain and cause serious threat to the public health. Plenty of research effort thus has been devoted to the development of fast, sensitive and selective biosensors for monitoring Hg(2+). Thymine was demonstrated to specifically combine with Hg(2+) and form a thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine (T-Hg(2+)-T) structure, with binding constant even higher than T-A Watson-Crick pair in DNA duplex. Recently, various novel Hg(2+) biosensors have been developed based on T-rich Mercury-Specific Oligonucleotide (MSO) probes, and exhibited advanced selectivity and excellent sensitivity for Hg(2+) detection. In this review, we explained recent development of MSO-based Hg(2+) biosensors mainly in 3 groups: fluorescent biosensors, colorimetric biosensors and electrochemical biosensors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A research-based inter-institutional collaboration to diversify the biomedical workforce: ReBUILDetroit.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreoli, Jeanne M; Feig, Andrew; Chang, Steven; Welch, Sally; Mathur, Ambika; Kuleck, Gary

2017-01-01

Faced with decades of severe economic decline, the city of Detroit, Michigan (USA) is on the cusp or reinventing itself. A Consortium was formed of three higher education institutions that have an established mission to serve an urban population and a vested interest in the revitalization of the health, welfare, and economic opportunity in the Detroit metro region that is synergistic with national goals to diversify the biomedical workforce. The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale, approach, and model of the Research Enhancement for BUILDing Detroit (ReBUILDetroit) Consortium, as a cross-campus collaborative for students, faculty, and institutional development. The ReBUILDetroit program is designed to transform the culture of higher education in Detroit, Michigan by educating and training students from diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to become the next generation of biomedical researchers. Marygrove College, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State University established a Consortium to create and implement innovative, evidence-based and cutting-edge programming. Specific elements include: (1) a pre-college summer enrichment experience; (2) an inter-institutional curricular re-design of target foundational courses in biology, chemistry and social science using the Research Coordination Network (RCN) model; and (3) cross-institutional summer faculty-mentored research projects for ReBUILDetroit Scholars starting as rising sophomores. Student success support includes intentional and intrusive mentoring, financial support, close faculty engagement, ongoing workshops to overcome academic and non-academic barriers, and cohort building activities across the Consortium. Institutional supports, integral to program creation and sustainability, include creating faculty learning communities grounded in professional development opportunities in pedagogy, research and mentorship, and developing novel partnerships and accelerated

Project-Based Community Participatory Action Research Using Geographic Information Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Minsung

2018-01-01

The paper investigates the effects of a project-based community participation course in which students chose research topics relevant to a local community. Specifically, the students undertook the following projects: (1) creating a virtual 3D model of a local government office, (2) creating interactive digitized versions of mountain trails using…

IDRC-supported research highlights importance of positive social ...

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

2016-07-27

Jul 27, 2016 ... ... reducing levels of youth delinquency and violence is not well understood. ... Nicaragua, and Canada—seek to enhance community-based social capital ... illustrating the positive effect of investing in social capital formation ...

PCOR, CER, and CBPR: alphabet soup or complementary fields of health research?

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Jessica G; Jones, Jennifer; Yonas, Michael; Guizzetti, Lisa; Virata, Maria C; Costlow, Monica; Morton, Sally C; Elizabeth, Miller

2013-12-01

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) and community- based participatory research (CBPR) are two fields of research that do not have a history of strong collaboration. However, CER and CBPR researchers could benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration to design and implement relevant, timely, action-oriented research. This commentary explores field-specific definitions of stakeholders and then outlines various roles stakeholders might play within grant-funded research. Questions such as "What stakeholders should be involved?" and "How are stakeholders involved?" are addressed. The goal of this commentary is to highlight how the expertise and experiences of CBPR investigators can enhance the field of CER and to describe strategies for encouraging stakeholder involvement in CER research through the lens of CBPR. It is recommended that a team-based approach to conducting stakeholder-engaged CER encourages multiple stakeholders and "end users" to contribute their diverse expertise to the research process and contributes to the development of research with an increased likelihood of improving patient health and healthcare. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Highlights of 45 years of research: A personal account

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Koten, Gerard

2017-01-01

This part of my biosketch, which I prepared on invitation by the Editors, made me realize again how entangled my interest for doing research and teaching and management have been over the years. Working together with my students and colleagues has always been a strong motivation and pleasure for me

Quality Improvement in Home-Based Child Care Settings: Research Resources to Inform Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, Sharmila; Stephens, Samuel A.

2016-01-01

This "Topic of Interest" provides a comprehensive list of research in the Research Connections collection that was published in 2005 or later addressing issues related to quality improvement specifically in home-based child care. The resources are grouped under the following headings: Overviews, Summaries, and Reviews of Quality…

21st Annual Spring Research Festival Highlights Science, Celebrates Collaboration | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

For two days at the annual Spring Research Festival, Fort Detrick was abuzz with scientific discussion as researchers and visitors from the site’s many resident government agencies and contractors gathered to share findings and recognize collaborative research. Each year, the festival focuses on intermural scientific work, as well as challenges and discoveries in the fight

Automatic summarization of soccer highlights using audio-visual descriptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Raventós, A; Quijada, R; Torres, Luis; Tarrés, Francesc

2015-01-01

Automatic summarization generation of sports video content has been object of great interest for many years. Although semantic descriptions techniques have been proposed, many of the approaches still rely on low-level video descriptors that render quite limited results due to the complexity of the problem and to the low capability of the descriptors to represent semantic content. In this paper, a new approach for automatic highlights summarization generation of soccer videos using audio-visual descriptors is presented. The approach is based on the segmentation of the video sequence into shots that will be further analyzed to determine its relevance and interest. Of special interest in the approach is the use of the audio information that provides additional robustness to the overall performance of the summarization system. For every video shot a set of low and mid level audio-visual descriptors are computed and lately adequately combined in order to obtain different relevance measures based on empirical knowledge rules. The final summary is generated by selecting those shots with highest interest according to the specifications of the user and the results of relevance measures. A variety of results are presented with real soccer video sequences that prove the validity of the approach.

Synthesis and evaluation of lightweight concrete research relevant to the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications : potential revisions for definition and mechanical properties.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

Much of the fundamental basis for the current lightweight concrete provisions in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge : Design Specifications is based on research of lightweight concrete (LWC) from the 1960s. The LWC that was : part of this research used tradition...

Development strategy and conceptual design of China Lead-based Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yican; Bai, Yunqing; Song, Yong; Huang, Qunying; Zhao, Zhumin; Hu, Liqin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • China LEAd-based Reactor (CLEAR) proposed by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST) is selected as the ADS reference reactor. • The Chinese ADS development program consists of three stages, and during the first stage, a 10 MW th lead-based research reactor named CLEAR-I will be built with subcritical and critical dual-mode operation capability for validation of ADS transmutation system and lead cooled fast reactor technology. • Major design principles of CLEAR-I are oriented at technology feasibility, safety reliability, experiment flexibility and technology continuity. Followed by the development strategy and design principles, CLEAR-I design options and conceptual design scenarios are presented. - Abstract: Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched an engineering project to develop an Accelerator Driven System (ADS) for nuclear waste transmutation since 2011, and China LEAd-based Reactor (CLEAR) proposed by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST) is selected as the ADS reference reactor. In this paper, the development strategy and conceptual design of China Lead-based Research Reactor are proposed. The Chinese ADS development program consists of three stages, and during the first stage, a 10 MW th lead-based research reactor named CLEAR-I will be built with subcritical and critical dual-mode operation capability for validation of ADS transmutation system and lead cooled fast reactor technology. Major design principles of CLEAR-I are oriented at technology feasibility, safety reliability, experiment flexibility and technology continuity. Followed by the development strategy and design principles, CLEAR-I design options and conceptual design scenarios are presented.

Some physics highlights from the EUROBALL spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korten, W.

2004-01-01

The latest generation of large γ-ray spectrometers, such as EUROBALL, has boosted the explorations of nuclei under extreme conditions especially at the limits of angular momentum and at finite temperatures. But the coupling of this instrument to very selective ''ancillary'' devices allows for more and more refined investigations of the third important degree of freedom in contemporary nuclear-structure studies, the isospin. This contribution summarises some of the recent highlights from the physics at EUROBALL obtained in some of the different areas of nuclear-structure research

Security Analysis of DTN Architecture and Bundle Protocol Specification for Space-Based Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Ivancic, William D.

2009-01-01

A Delay-Tolerant Network (DTN) Architecture (Request for Comment, RFC-4838) and Bundle Protocol Specification, RFC-5050, have been proposed for space and terrestrial networks. Additional security specifications have been provided via the Bundle Security Specification (currently a work in progress as an Internet Research Task Force internet-draft) and, for link-layer protocols applicable to Space networks, the Licklider Transport Protocol Security Extensions. This document provides a security analysis of the current DTN RFCs and proposed security related internet drafts with a focus on space-based communication networks, which is a rather restricted subset of DTN networks. Note, the original focus and motivation of DTN work was for the Interplanetary Internet . This document does not address general store-and-forward network overlays, just the current work being done by the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) and the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Space Internetworking Services Area (SIS) - DTN working group under the DTN and Bundle umbrellas. However, much of the analysis is relevant to general store-and-forward overlays.

Research on youth crime highlights need for social investment ...

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

2012-03-05

Mar 5, 2012 ... Before this study, many researchers investigated the risk factors contributing to ... “A question we wanted to look at was, even if we identify indicators of social capital ... “Peer relationships are important, family relationships are very important. ... “Partnership is the key to our success,” says Britannia Woods ...

Research in the Management of Learning, Change and Relations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B. Nooteboom (Bart)

2001-01-01

textabstractThis note sketches opportunities for interdisciplinary research in management, and the distinctive contribution that might be made from a European perspective. It highlights a few major domains of research, conceptual issues, disciplines, and specific opportunities and needs in Europe.

The Serendipitous Research Process

Science.gov (United States)

Nutefall, Jennifer E.; Ryder, Phyllis Mentzell

2010-01-01

This article presents the results of an exploratory study asking faculty in the first-year writing program and instruction librarians about their research process focusing on results specifically related to serendipity. Steps to prepare for serendipity are highlighted as well as a model for incorporating serendipity into a first-year writing…

Development of a PubMed Based Search Tool for Identifying Sex and Gender Specific Health Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Michael M; Simonsen, Cheryl K; Wilson, Joanna D; Jenkins, Marjorie R

2016-02-01

An effective literature search strategy is critical to achieving the aims of Sex and Gender Specific Health (SGSH): to understand sex and gender differences through research and to effectively incorporate the new knowledge into the clinical decision making process to benefit both male and female patients. The goal of this project was to develop and validate an SGSH literature search tool that is readily and freely available to clinical researchers and practitioners. PubMed, a freely available search engine for the Medline database, was selected as the platform to build the SGSH literature search tool. Combinations of Medical Subject Heading terms, text words, and title words were evaluated for optimal specificity and sensitivity. The search tool was then validated against reference bases compiled for two disease states, diabetes and stroke. Key sex and gender terms and limits were bundled to create a search tool to facilitate PubMed SGSH literature searches. During validation, the search tool retrieved 50 of 94 (53.2%) stroke and 62 of 95 (65.3%) diabetes reference articles selected for validation. A general keyword search of stroke or diabetes combined with sex difference retrieved 33 of 94 (35.1%) stroke and 22 of 95 (23.2%) diabetes reference base articles, with lower sensitivity and specificity for SGSH content. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center SGSH PubMed Search Tool provides higher sensitivity and specificity to sex and gender specific health literature. The tool will facilitate research, clinical decision-making, and guideline development relevant to SGSH.

Monitoring T-Cell Responses in Translational Studies: Optimization of Dye-Based Proliferation Assay for Evaluation of Antigen-Specific Responses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Ten Brinke

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Adoptive therapy with regulatory T cells or tolerance-inducing antigen (Ag-presenting cells is innovative and promising therapeutic approach to control undesired and harmful activation of the immune system, as observed in autoimmune diseases, solid organ and bone marrow transplantation. One of the critical issues to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for success or failure of these therapies and define the specificity of the therapy is the evaluation of the Ag-specific T-cell responses. Several efforts have been made to develop suitable and reproducible assays. Here, we focus on dye-based proliferation assays. We highlight with practical examples the fundamental issues to take into consideration for implementation of an effective and sensitive dye-based proliferation assay to monitor Ag-specific responses in patients. The most critical points were used to design a road map to set up and analyze the optimal assay to assess Ag-specific T-cell responses in patients undergoing different treatments. This is the first step to optimize monitoring of tolerance induction, allowing comparison of outcomes of different clinical studies. The road map can also be applied to other therapeutic interventions, not limited to tolerance induction therapies, in which Ag-specific T-cell responses are relevant such as vaccination approaches and cancer immunotherapy.

Towards Domain-specific Flow-based Languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zarrin, Bahram; Baumeister, Hubert; Sarjoughian, Hessam S.

2018-01-01

describe their problems and solutions, instead of using general purpose programming languages. The goal of these languages is to improve the productivity and efficiency of the development and simulation of concurrent scientific models and systems. Moreover, they help to expose parallelism and to specify...... the concurrency within a component or across different independent components. In this paper, we introduce the concept of domain-specific flowbased languages which allows domain experts to use flow-based languages adapted to a particular problem domain. Flow-based programming is used to support concurrency, while......Due to the significant growth of the demand for data-intensive computing, in addition to the emergence of new parallel and distributed computing technologies, scientists and domain experts are leveraging languages specialized for their problem domain, i.e., domain-specific languages, to help them...

Physical Sciences 2007 Science and Technology Highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazi, A.U.

2008-01-01

The Physical Sciences Directorate applies frontier physics and technology to grand challenges in national security. Our highly integrated and multidisciplinary research program involves collaborations throughout Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Energy, and with academic and industrial partners. The Directorate has a budget of approximately $150 million, and a staff of approximately 350 employees. Our scientists provide expertise in condensed matter and high-pressure physics, plasma physics, high-energy-density science, fusion energy science and technology, nuclear and particle physics, accelerator physics, radiation detection, optical science, biotechnology, and astrophysics. This document highlights the outstanding research and development activities in the Physical Sciences Directorate that made news in 2007. It also summarizes the awards and recognition received by members of the Directorate in 2007

Water Reuse Highlights: A Summary Volume of Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse Information.

Science.gov (United States)

American Water Works Association, Denver, CO. Research Foundation.

This document reports the efforts of the AWWA Research Foundation to gather, prepare, and distribute current technical information in the wastewater reclamation and reuse field. The information reported has been abstracted from other Foundation publications and only attempts here to highlight the field. Categories discussed include research,…

Using qualitative problem-solving strategies to highlight the role of conceptual knowledge in solving problems

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, William J.; Dufresne, Robert J.; Mestre, Jose P.

1996-12-01

We report on the use of qualitative problem-solving strategies in teaching an introductory, calculus-based physics course as a means of highlighting the role played by conceptual knowledge in solving problems. We found that presenting strategies during lectures and in homework solutions provides an excellent opportunity to model for students the type of concept-based, qualitative reasoning that is valued in our profession, and that student-generated strategies serve a diagnostic function by providing instructors with insights on students' conceptual understanding and reasoning. Finally, we found strategies to be effective pedagogical tools for helping students both to identify principles that could be applied to solve specific problems, as well as to recall the major principles covered in the course months after it was over.

Eliciting extra prominence in read-speech tasks: The effects of different text-highlighting methods on acoustic cues to perceived prominence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berger, Stephanie; Niebuhr, Oliver; Fischer, Kerstin

2018-01-01

The research initiative Innovating Speech EliCitation Techniques (INSPECT) aims to describe and quantify how recording methods, situations and materials influence speech produc-tion in lab-speech experiments. On this basis, INSPECT aims to develop methods that reliably stimulate specific patterns...... and styles of speech, like expressive or conversational speech or different types emphatic accents. The present study investigates if and how different text highlighting methods (yellow background, bold, capital letter, italics, and underlining) make speakers reinforce the level of perceived prominence...

Site-Specific Infrared Probes of Proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jianqiang; Pazos, Ileana M.; Zhang, Wenkai; Culik, Robert M.; Gai, Feng

2015-01-01

Infrared spectroscopy has played an instrumental role in studying a wide variety of biological questions. However, in many cases it is impossible or difficult to rely on the intrinsic vibrational modes of biological molecules of interest, such as proteins, to reveal structural and/or environmental information in a site-specific manner. To overcome this limitation, many recent efforts have been dedicated to the development and application of various extrinsic vibrational probes that can be incorporated into biological molecules and used to site-specifically interrogate their structural and/or environmental properties. In this Review, we highlight some recent advancements of this rapidly growing research area. PMID:25580624

Is Domain Highlighting Actually Helpful in Identifying Phishing Web Pages?

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Aiping; Proctor, Robert W; Yang, Weining; Li, Ninghui

2017-06-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of domain highlighting in helping users identify whether Web pages are legitimate or spurious. As a component of the URL, a domain name can be overlooked. Consequently, browsers highlight the domain name to help users identify which Web site they are visiting. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed the effectiveness of domain highlighting, and the only formal study confounded highlighting with instructions to look at the address bar. We conducted two phishing detection experiments. Experiment 1 was run online: Participants judged the legitimacy of Web pages in two phases. In Phase 1, participants were to judge the legitimacy based on any information on the Web page, whereas in Phase 2, they were to focus on the address bar. Whether the domain was highlighted was also varied. Experiment 2 was conducted similarly but with participants in a laboratory setting, which allowed tracking of fixations. Participants differentiated the legitimate and fraudulent Web pages better than chance. There was some benefit of attending to the address bar, but domain highlighting did not provide effective protection against phishing attacks. Analysis of eye-gaze fixation measures was in agreement with the task performance, but heat-map results revealed that participants' visual attention was attracted by the highlighted domains. Failure to detect many fraudulent Web pages even when the domain was highlighted implies that users lacked knowledge of Web page security cues or how to use those cues. Potential applications include development of phishing prevention training incorporating domain highlighting with other methods to help users identify phishing Web pages.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) 2015 Research Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodhouse, Michael; Mone, Christopher; Chung, Donald; Elgqvist, Emma; Das, Sujit; Mann, Margaret; Gossett, Scott

2016-03-01

CEMAC has conducted four major studies on the manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Three of these focused on the end product: solar photovoltaic modules, wind turbines, and automotive lithium-ion batteries. The fourth area focused on a key material for manufacturing clean energy technologies, carbon fiber. This booklet summarizes key findings of CEMAC work to date, describes CEMAC's research methodology, and describes work to come.

Standardization of specifications and inspection procedures for LEU plate-type research reactor fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

With the transition to high density uranium LEU fuel, fabrication costs of research reactor fuel elements have a tendency to increase because of two reasons. First, the amount of the powder of the uranium compound required increases by more than a factor of five. Second, fabrication requirements are in many cases nearer the fabrication limits. Therefore, it is important that measures be undertaken to eliminate or reduce unnecessary requirements in the specification or inspection procedures of research reactor fuel elements utilizing LEU. An additional stimulus for standardizing specifications and inspection procedures at this time is provided by the fact that most LEU conversions will occur within a short time span, and that nearly all of them will require preparation of new specifications and inspection procedures. In this sense, the LEU conversions offer an opportunity for improving the rationality and efficiency of the fuel fabrication and inspection processes. This report focuses on the standardization of specifications and inspection processes of high uranium density LEU fuels for research reactors. However, in many cases the results can also be extended directly to other research reactor fuels. 15 refs, 1 fig., 3 tabs

Research-Practice

OpenAIRE

Laura M. Desimone; Tonya Wolford; Kirsten Lee Hill

2016-01-01

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

The MeteoMet2 project—highlights and results

Science.gov (United States)

Merlone, A.; Sanna, F.; Beges, G.; Bell, S.; Beltramino, G.; Bojkovski, J.; Brunet, M.; del Campo, D.; Castrillo, A.; Chiodo, N.; Colli, M.; Coppa, G.; Cuccaro, R.; Dobre, M.; Drnovsek, J.; Ebert, V.; Fernicola, V.; Garcia-Benadí, A.; Garcia-Izquierdo, C.; Gardiner, T.; Georgin, E.; Gonzalez, A.; Groselj, D.; Heinonen, M.; Hernandez, S.; Högström, R.; Hudoklin, D.; Kalemci, M.; Kowal, A.; Lanza, L.; Miao, P.; Musacchio, C.; Nielsen, J.; Nogueras-Cervera, M.; Oguz Aytekin, S.; Pavlasek, P.; de Podesta, M.; Rasmussen, M. K.; del-Río-Fernández, J.; Rosso, L.; Sairanen, H.; Salminen, J.; Sestan, D.; Šindelářová, L.; Smorgon, D.; Sparasci, F.; Strnad, R.; Underwood, R.; Uytun, A.; Voldan, M.

2018-02-01

Launched in 2011 within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) of EURAMET, the joint research project ‘MeteoMet’—Metrology for Meteorology—is the largest EMRP consortium; national metrology institutes, universities, meteorological and climate agencies, research institutes, collaborators and manufacturers are working together, developing new metrological techniques, as well as improving existing ones, for use in meteorological observations and climate records. The project focuses on humidity in the upper and surface atmosphere, air temperature, surface and deep-sea temperatures, soil moisture, salinity, permafrost temperature, precipitation, and the snow albedo effect on air temperature. All tasks are performed using a rigorous metrological approach and include the design and study of new sensors, new calibration facilities, the investigation of sensor characteristics, improved techniques for measurements of essential climate variables with uncertainty evaluation, traceability, laboratory proficiency and the inclusion of field influencing parameters, long-lasting measurements, and campaigns in remote and extreme areas. The vision for MeteoMet is to take a step further towards establishing full data comparability, coherency, consistency, and long-term continuity, through a comprehensive evaluation of the measurement uncertainties for the quantities involved in the global climate observing systems and the derived observations. The improvement in quality of essential climate variables records, through the inclusion of measurement uncertainty budgets, will also highlight possible strategies for the reduction of the uncertainty. This contribution presents selected highlights of the MeteoMet project and reviews the main ongoing activities, tasks and deliverables, with a view to its possible future evolution and extended impact.

A Framework and Specific Operation of Chinese Indigenous Leadership Research Based on the Research about ZHANG Ruimin%中国本土领导研究的一种框架及操作:基于张瑞敏个案的研究过程示例

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

徐立国; 席酉民; 葛京; 宋合义

2012-01-01

基于对中国本土领导的界定与分析,提出中国本土领导研究的一种框架及操作,即从“领导如何成长、如何发挥作用及领导的本质”3个开放性问题出发,基于质性研究策略,采用以问题导向的探索性建构主义扎根理论方法,对中国本土领导数据进行搜集与整理.借鉴POPPER的4段式科学研究逻辑,对数据进行分析,不断地对问题进行诠释,并发现新的问题,从不断的循环中建构构念,发掘潜在的扎根理论,与现有领导理论进行对比,最终形成中国本土领导理论.%Chinese unique history and culture determine that practice and research of Chinese indigenous leadership are unique. Based on the definition and analysis of Chinese indigenous leadership research, we propose a framework and specific operation of Chinese indigenous leadership research. From three open-ended questions, based on qualitative research, using problem-oriented exploratory constructive grounded theory, we collect and sort out the data of Chinese indigenous leadership research. Following Popper's Four-scientific logic, we analyze the data, and interpret problems continuously, find new problems, construct constructs from the continuous interpreting circle, explore the potential of grounded theory, and compare with the existing leadership theories to form Chinese indigenous leadership theories. Based on the case of ZHANG Ruimin, we use the framework and specific operation and present the specific research venation of Chinese indigenous leadership research.

Data analytics research in public universities

OpenAIRE

Smeaton, Alan F.

2014-01-01

Research into big data in publicly-funded Universities and research centres has major disadvantages compared to the private sector, and not just in the obvious areas of funding and access to data. In this abstract we highlight some of these differences around the area of ethics and privacy, and two specific examples of our work are used to illustrate this.

Recent Highlights of Metabolomics in Chinese Medicine Syndrome Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ai-hua Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Chinese medicine syndrome (CMS, “ZHENG” in Chinese is an understanding of the regularity of disease occurrence and development as well as a certain stage of a comprehensive response of patients with body condition. However, because of the complexity of CMS and the limitation of present investigation method, the research for deciphering the scientific basis and systematic features of CMS is difficult to go further. Metabolomics enables mapping of early biochemical changes in disease and hence provides an opportunity to develop predictive biomarkers. Moreover, its method and design resemble those of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM which focuses on human disease via the integrity of close relationship between body and syndromes. In the systemic context, metabolomics has a convergence with TCM syndrome; therefore it could provide useful tools for exploring essence of CMS disease, facilitating personalized TCM, and will help to in-depth understand CMS. The integration of the metabolomics and CMS aspects will give promise to bridge the gap between Chinese and Western medicine and help catch the traditional features of CMS. In this paper, particular attention will be paid to the past successes in applications of robust metabolomic approaches to contribute to low-molecular-weight metabolites (biomarkers discovery in CMS research and development.

Highlights from NuFact05

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Landua, Rolf

2005-01-01

The 7th International Workshop on Neutrino Factories and Superbeams was held in Frascati in June 2005 with nearly 200 participants. The most recent progress in the design of future neutrino facilities was described, including novel ideas in detectors, and many issues were raised. The International Scoping Study (ISS) for a future Neutrino Facility which would incorporate a Neutrino Factory and/or a high intensity Neutrino Superbeam was launched at that occasion. Built upon previous studies in the USA, Europe and Japan, it will aim to i) define the physics case and a baseline design for such a facility including the related neutrino detection systems, ii) identify the required research and development programme and iii) perform comparisons with other options such as beta beams. The highlights of the meeting and the upcoming studies will be presented.

The microball and Gammasphere: Research highlights and future directions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devlin, M.; Sarantites, D.G.; LaFosse, D.R.; Lerma, F. [Washington Univ., Saint Louis, MO (United States)

1996-12-31

The Microball, a compact, 4{pi} charged-particle detector array, has been used in conjunction with Gammasphere for numerous physics experiments, and more are planned in the near future. A summary of this research program is presented, and the device and its capabilities are described. An example of its use in the study of the population and entry state excitation energy distributions of normal and superdeformed bands in {sup 82}Sr is presented.

Perspectives on learning through research on critical issues-based science center exhibitions

Science.gov (United States)

Pedretti, Erminia G.

2004-07-01

Recently, science centers have created issues-based exhibitions as a way of communicating socioscientific subject matter to the public. Research in the last decade has investigated how critical issues-based installations promote more robust views of science, while creating effective learning environments for teaching and learning about science. The focus of this paper is to explore research conducted over a 10-year period that informs our understanding of the nature of learning through these experiences. Two specific exhibitions - Mine Games and A Question of Truth - provide the context for discussing this research. Findings suggest that critical issues-based installations challenge visitors in different ways - intellectually and emotionally. They provide experiences beyond usual phenomenon-based exhibitions and carry the potential to enhance learning by personalizing subject matter, evoking emotion, stimulating dialogue and debate, and promoting reflexivity. Critical issues-based exhibitions serve as excellent environments in which to explore the nature of learning in these nonschool settings.

The Economic Return on PCCD's Investment in Research-Based Programs: A Cost-Benefit Assessment of Delinquency Prevention in Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Damon; Bumbarger, Brian K.; Greenberg, Mark T.; Greenwood, Peter; Kyler, Sandee

2008-01-01

This report considers the cost-effectiveness potential for seven research-based programs funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). These programs are highlighted because they represent the bulk of the PCCD's investment in prevention programming and because there are existing longitudinal data on program outcomes from…

Microwave based oxidation process for recycling the off-specification (U,Pu)O{sub 2} fuel pellets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, G., E-mail: gitendars@barctara.gov.in [Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tarapur, 401 502 (India); Khot, P.M. [Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tarapur, 401 502 (India); Kumar, Pradeep [Integrated Fuel Fabrication Facility (IFFF), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400 085 (India); Bhatt, R.B.; Behere, P.G.; Afzal, Mohd [Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tarapur, 401 502 (India)

2017-02-15

This paper reports development of a process named MicroWave Direct Oxidation (MWDO) for recycling the off-specification (U,Pu)O{sub 2} mixed oxide (MOX) fuel pellets generated during fabrication of typical fast reactor fuels. MWDO is a two-stage, single-cycle process based on oxidative pulverisation of pellets using 2450 MHz microwave. The powder sinterability was evaluated by bulk density and BET specific surface area. The oxidised powders were analyzed for phases using XRD and stoichiometry by thermogravimetry. The sinterability was significantly enhanced by carrying out oxidation in higher oxygen partial pressure and by subjecting MOX to multiple micronisation-oxidation cycles. After three cycles, the recycled powder from (U,28%Pu)O{sub 2} resulted surface area >3 m{sup 2}/g and 100% re-used for MOX fabrication. The flow sheet was developed for maximum utilization of recycled powder describable by a parameter called Scrap Recycling Ratio (SRR). The process demonstrates smaller processing cycle, better powder properties and higher oxidative pulverisation over conventional method. - Highlights: • A process for recycling the off-specification (U,Pu)O{sub 2} sintered fuel pellets of fast reactors was demonstrated. • The method is a two-stage, single cycle process based on oxidative pulverization of MOX pellets using 2450 MHz microwave. • The process demonstrated utilization of recycled powder with SRR of 1.

WormBase 2016: expanding to enable helminth genomic research.

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, Kevin L; Bolt, Bruce J; Cain, Scott; Chan, Juancarlos; Chen, Wen J; Davis, Paul; Done, James; Down, Thomas; Gao, Sibyl; Grove, Christian; Harris, Todd W; Kishore, Ranjana; Lee, Raymond; Lomax, Jane; Li, Yuling; Muller, Hans-Michael; Nakamura, Cecilia; Nuin, Paulo; Paulini, Michael; Raciti, Daniela; Schindelman, Gary; Stanley, Eleanor; Tuli, Mary Ann; Van Auken, Kimberly; Wang, Daniel; Wang, Xiaodong; Williams, Gary; Wright, Adam; Yook, Karen; Berriman, Matthew; Kersey, Paul; Schedl, Tim; Stein, Lincoln; Sternberg, Paul W

2016-01-04

WormBase (www.wormbase.org) is a central repository for research data on the biology, genetics and genomics of Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematodes. The project has evolved from its original remit to collect and integrate all data for a single species, and now extends to numerous nematodes, ranging from evolutionary comparators of C. elegans to parasitic species that threaten plant, animal and human health. Research activity using C. elegans as a model system is as vibrant as ever, and we have created new tools for community curation in response to the ever-increasing volume and complexity of data. To better allow users to navigate their way through these data, we have made a number of improvements to our main website, including new tools for browsing genomic features and ontology annotations. Finally, we have developed a new portal for parasitic worm genomes. WormBase ParaSite (parasite.wormbase.org) contains all publicly available nematode and platyhelminth annotated genome sequences, and is designed specifically to support helminth genomic research. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Medicaid Highlights: Mental-Behavioral Health Data: 2001 NHIS

OpenAIRE

Lied, Terry R.

2004-01-01

These data highlights are based on analysis of the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) public use data (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm). NHIS is a multi-purpose survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NHIS has been conducted continuously since 1957.

Feasibility assessment of a risk-based approach to technical specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atefi, B.; Gallagher, D.W.

1991-05-01

To assess the potential use of risk and reliability techniques for improving the effectiveness of the technical specifications to control plant operational risk, the Technical Specifications Branch of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission initiated an effort to identify and evaluate alternative risk-based approaches that could bring greater risk perspective to these requirements. In the first phase four alternative approaches were identified and their characteristics were analyzed. Among these, the risk-based approach to technical specifications is the most promising approach for controlling plant operational risk using technical specifications. The second phase of the study concentrated on detailed characteristics of the real time risk-based approach. It is concluded that a real time risk-based approach to technical specifications has the potential to improve both plant safety and availability. 33 figs., 5 figs., 6 tabs

Participatory design based research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dau, Susanne; Bach Jensen, Louise; Falk, Lars

This poster reveal how participatory design based research by the use of a CoED inspired creative process can be used for designing solutions to problems regarding students study activities outside campus.......This poster reveal how participatory design based research by the use of a CoED inspired creative process can be used for designing solutions to problems regarding students study activities outside campus....

Translational behavioral medicine for population and individual health: gaps, opportunities, and vision for practice-based translational behavior change research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jun; Lewis, Megan A; Smyth, Joshua M

2018-04-12

In this commentary, we propose a vision for "practice-based translational behavior change research," which we define as clinical and public health practice-embedded research on the implementation, optimization, and fundamental mechanisms of behavioral interventions. This vision intends to be inclusive of important research elements for behavioral intervention development, testing, and implementation. We discuss important research gaps and conceptual and methodological advances in three key areas along the discovery (development) to delivery (implementation) continuum of evidence-based interventions to improve behavior and health that could help achieve our vision of practice-based translational behavior change research. We expect our proposed vision to be refined and evolve over time. Through highlighting critical gaps that can be addressed by integrating modern theoretical and methodological approaches across disciplines in behavioral medicine, we hope to inspire the development and funding of innovative research on more potent and implementable behavior change interventions for optimal population and individual health.

The Third International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect: Conference Highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Besharov, Douglas J.

1981-01-01

Presents highlights from the Third International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect. The topic of child sexual abuse dominated the Congress; other topics included malnutrition, research problems, and concerns of Third World countries. Recommendations of the Congress are summarized.

Contemporary Test Validity in Theory and Practice: A Primer for Discipline-Based Education Researchers

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Todd D.; Marbach-Ad, Gili

2016-01-01

Most discipline-based education researchers (DBERs) were formally trained in the methods of scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics, rather than social science disciplines such as psychology and education. As a result, DBERs may have never taken specific courses in the social science research methodology--either quantitative…

Teaching Research Methodology Using a Project-Based Three Course Sequence Critical Reflections on Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Braguglia, Kay H.; Jackson, Kanata A.

2012-01-01

This article presents a reflective analysis of teaching research methodology through a three course sequence using a project-based approach. The authors reflect critically on their experiences in teaching research methods courses in an undergraduate business management program. The introduction of a range of specific techniques including student…

Highlights of the Russian health studies program and updated research findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fountos, Barrett N.

2017-01-01

Recognized for conducting cutting-edge science in the field of radiation health effects research, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Russian Health Studies Program has continued to generate excitement and enthusiasm throughout its 23-year mission to assess worker and public health risks from radiation exposure resulting from nuclear weapons production activities in the former Soviet Union. The three goals of the Program are to: (1) clarify the relationship between health effects and chronic, low-to-medium dose radiation exposure; (2) estimate the cancer risks from exposure to gamma, neutron, and alpha radiation; and (3) provide information to the national and international organizations that determine radiation protection standards and practices. Research sponsored by DOE's Russian Health Studies Program is conducted under the authority of the Joint Coordinating Committee for Radiation Effects Research (JCCRER), a bi-national committee representing Federal agencies in the United States and the Russian Federation. Signed in 1994, the JCCRER Agreement established the legal basis for the collaborative research between USA and Russian scientists to determine the risks associated with working at or living near Russian former nuclear weapons production sites. The products of the Program are peer-reviewed publications on cancer risk estimates from worker and community exposure to ionizing radiation following the production of nuclear weapons in Russia. The scientific return on investment has been substantial. Through 31 December 2015, JCCRER researchers have published 299 peer-reviewed publications. To date, the research has focused on the Mayak Production Association (Mayak) in Ozersk, Russia, which is the site of the first Soviet nuclear weapons production facility, and people in surrounding communities along the Techa River. There are five current projects in the Russian Health Studies Program: two radiation epidemiology studies; two historical dose reconstruction

Perceptions about safety and risks in gender-based violence research: implications for the ethics review process.

Science.gov (United States)

Sikweyiya, Yandisa; Jewkes, Rachel

2011-10-01

Does research on gender-based violence (GBV) pose greater than minimal risk to researchers and participants? This question needs to be understood particularly in light of hesitancy by Institutional Review Boards to approve research on GBV. The safety and risks of doing GBV studies and the implications for the ethical review process have not been a focus of much research. This qualitative study collected data through in-depth interviews with 12 experienced GBV researchers from various countries and a desk review. This paper explores researchers' interpretation of and meanings of the safety recommendations as provided in the WHO guidelines and whether there is empirical evidence on the presence of risks and safety concerns unique to GBV research. Informants raised a number of safety concerns about GBV research, yet in the interviews there were very few examples of problems having occurred, possibly because of the precautions applied. This paper argues that the notion that GBV studies carry greater than minimal risk when ethics precautions are followed is based on speculation, not evidence. It highlights the need for empirical evidence to support assertions of risk in research.

Qualitative Research and Community-Based Participatory Research: Considerations for Effective Dissemination in the Peer-Reviewed Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Grieb, Suzanne Dolwick; Eder, Milton Mickey; Smith, Katherine C; Calhoun, Karen; Tandon, Darius

2015-01-01

Qualitative research is appearing with increasing frequency in the public health and medical literature. Qualitative research in combination with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach can be powerful. However little guidance is available on how to present qualitative research within a CBPR framework for peer-review publications. This article provides a brief overview of how qualitative research can advance CBPR partnerships and outlines practical guidelines for writing for publication about qualitative research within a CBPR framework to (1) guide partners with little experience publishing in peer-reviewed journals and/or (2) facilitate effective preparation of manuscripts grounded in qualitative research for peer-reviewed journals. We provide information regarding the specific benefits of qualitative inquiry in CBPR, tips for organizing the manuscript, questions to consider in preparing the manuscript, common mistakes in the presentation of qualitative research, and examples of peer-reviewed manuscripts presenting qualitative research conducted within a CBPR framework. Qualitative research approaches have tremendous potential to integrate community and researcher perspectives to inform community health research findings. Effective dissemination of CBPR informed qualitative research findings is crucial to advancing health disparities research.

South African exporter performance: new research into firm-specific and market characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher May

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The export marketing performance of any firm is influenced by a multitude of different factors. Given the multi-faceted nature of the export market, this research study investigated specific factors such as how firm-specific characteristics, product characteristics, market characteristics and export marketing strategies impact on the export marketing performance of South African manufacturing firms. Some of the findings of this research study indicated that firm size, investment commitment and careful planning, as firm-specific characteristics, had a significant influence on export marketing performance. The relationship between export experience and export marketing performance was insignificant. The degree of pricing adaptation and product adaptation had a significant effect on export marketing performance, while this was not the case with respect to the degree of promotion adaptation and distributor support.

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics: applications to biomarker and metabolic pathway research.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Aihua; Sun, Hui; Yan, Guangli; Wang, Ping; Wang, Xijun

2016-01-01

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics has become increasingly popular in molecular medicine. High-definition mass spectrometry (MS), coupled with pattern recognition methods, have been carried out to obtain comprehensive metabolite profiling and metabolic pathway of large biological datasets. This sets the scene for a new and powerful diagnostic approach. Analysis of the key metabolites in body fluids has become an important part of improving disease diagnosis. With technological advances in analytical techniques, the ability to measure low-molecular-weight metabolites in bio-samples provides a powerful platform for identifying metabolites that are uniquely correlated with a specific human disease. MS-based metabolomics can lead to enhanced understanding of disease mechanisms and to new diagnostic markers and has a strong potential to contribute to improving early diagnosis of diseases. This review will highlight the importance and benefit with certain characteristic examples of MS-metabolomics for identifying metabolic pathways and metabolites that accurately screen for potential diagnostic biomarkers of diseases. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia Agumanu McOliver

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by tribal communities. The tribal research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STAR research program was developed under the premise that tribal populations may be at an increased risk for environmentally-induced diseases as a result of unique subsistence and traditional practices of the tribes and Alaska Native villages, community activities, occupations and customs, and/or environmental releases that significantly and disproportionately impact tribal lands. Through a series of case studies, this article will demonstrate how grantees—tribal community leaders and members and academic collaborators—have been addressing these complex environmental concerns by developing capacity, expertise and tools through community-engaged research.

Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Science.gov (United States)

McOliver, Cynthia Agumanu; Camper, Anne K.; Doyle, John T.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Ford, Tim E.; Lila, Mary Ann; Berner, James; Campbell, Larry; Donatuto, Jamie

2015-01-01

Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by tribal communities. The tribal research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STAR research program was developed under the premise that tribal populations may be at an increased risk for environmentally-induced diseases as a result of unique subsistence and traditional practices of the tribes and Alaska Native villages, community activities, occupations and customs, and/or environmental releases that significantly and disproportionately impact tribal lands. Through a series of case studies, this article will demonstrate how grantees—tribal community leaders and members and academic collaborators—have been addressing these complex environmental concerns by developing capacity, expertise and tools through community-engaged research. PMID:25872019

Transport Task Force workshop: basic experiments highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linford, R.K. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)); Luckhardt, S. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (USA)); Lyon, J.F. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)); Navratil, G.A. (Columbia Univ., New York, NY (USA)); Schoenberg, K.F. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA))

1990-01-01

Selected topics are summarized from the Basic Experiments session of the Transport Task Force Workshop held August 21-24, 1989, in San Diego, California. This session included presentations on paradigm experiments, stellarators, reversed-field pinches, and advanced tokamaks. Recent advances in all of these areas illustrate the importance of these experiments in advancing our understanding of toroidal transport. Progress has been made in measuring the details of particle diffusion, isolating specific modes, measuring fluctuation variations with field geometry and beta, and comparing all these with theoretical predictions. The development of experimental tools for determining which fluctuations dominate transport are also reported. Continued significant advances are anticipated in a number of areas highlighted. (author).

Transport Task Force workshop: basic experiments highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linford, R.K.; Luckhardt, S.; Lyon, J.F.; Navratil, G.A.; Schoenberg, K.F.

1990-01-01

Selected topics are summarized from the Basic Experiments session of the Transport Task Force Workshop held August 21-24, 1989, in San Diego, California. This session included presentations on paradigm experiments, stellarators, reversed-field pinches, and advanced tokamaks. Recent advances in all of these areas illustrate the importance of these experiments in advancing our understanding of toroidal transport. Progress has been made in measuring the details of particle diffusion, isolating specific modes, measuring fluctuation variations with field geometry and beta, and comparing all these with theoretical predictions. The development of experimental tools for determining which fluctuations dominate transport are also reported. Continued significant advances are anticipated in a number of areas highlighted. (author)

The SUPER Program: A Research-based Undergraduate Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Ernakovich, J. G.; Boone, R. B.; Boot, C. M.; Denef, K.; Lavallee, J. M.; Moore, J. C.; Wallenstein, M. D.

2014-12-01

Producing undergraduates capable of broad, independent thinking is one of the grand challenges in science education. Experience-based learning, specifically hands-on research, is one mechanism for increasing students' ability to think critically. With this in mind, we created a two-semester long research program called SUPER (Skills for Undergraduate Participation in Ecological Research) aimed at teaching students to think like scientists and enhancing the student research experience through instruction and active-learning about the scientific method. Our aim was for students to gain knowledge, skills, and experience, and to conduct their own research. In the first semester, we hosted active-learning workshops on "Forming Hypotheses", "Experimental Design", "Collecting and Managing Data", "Analysis of Data", "Communicating to a Scientific Audience", "Reading Literature Effectively", and "Ethical Approaches". Each lesson was taught by different scientists from one of many ecological disciplines so that students were exposed to the variation in approach that scientists have. In the second semester, students paired with a scientific mentor and began doing research. To ensure the continued growth of the undergraduate researcher, we continued the active-learning workshops and the students attended meetings with their mentors. Thus, the students gained technical and cognitive skills in parallel, enabling them to understand both "the how" and "the why" of what they were doing in their research. The program culminated with a research poster session presented by the students. The interest in the program has grown beyond our expectations, and we have now run the program successfully for two years. Many of the students have gone on to campus research jobs, internships and graduate school, and have attributed part of their success in obtaining their positions to their experience with the SUPER program. Although common in other sciences, undergraduate research experiences are

Research highlights from the 2017 ERS International Congress: airway diseases in focus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecilia Andersson

2018-03-01

Full Text Available For another year, high-quality research studies from around the world transformed the annual ERS International Congress into a vivid platform to discuss trending research topics, to produce new research questions and to further push the boundaries of respiratory medicine and science. This article reviews only some of the high-quality research studies on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, bronchiectasis and chronic cough that were presented during the congress through the Airway Diseases Assembly (ERS Assembly 5 and places them into the context of current knowledge and research challenges.

The Descent of the Serpent: Using a Successful Ancient Solar Observatories Webcast from Chichen Itza to Highlight Space Weather Research

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, I.; Higdon, R.; Cline, T.

2006-12-01

Over the past seven years, NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum has sponsored and coordinated education and public outreach events to highlight NASA's heliophysics research and discoveries. Our strategy involves using celestial events, such as total solar eclipses and the Transit of Venus, as well as Sun-Earth Day during the March Equinox, to engage K-12 schools and the general public in space science activities, demonstrations, and interactions with space scientists. In collaboration with partners that include the Exploratorium and other museums, Ideum, NASA TV, NASA heliophysics missions, and others, we produce webcasts, other multi-media, and print resources for use by school and informal educators nation-wide and internationally. We provide training and professional development to K-12 educators, museum personnel, amateur astronomers, Girl Scout leaders, etc., so they can implement their own outreach programs taking advantage of our resources. A coordinated approach promotes multiple programs occurring each year under a common theme. As part of an Ancient Observatories theme in 2005, we have successfully featured solar alignments with ancient structures made by indigenous cultures that mark the equinoxes and/or solstices in cultural and historical parks in the Americas. In partnership with the Exploratorium, we produced broadcast-quality and webcast programming during the March equinox that shared heliophysics within a broad cultural context with formal and informal education audiences internationally. The program: "Descent of the Serpent" featured the light and shadow effect at sunset that takes place during the spring equinox at the Pyramid of El Castillo, in Chichén Itzá (México). This program made unique and authentic cultural connections to the knowledge of solar astronomy of the Maya, the living Mayan culture of today, and the importance of the Sun across the ages. We involved Sun-Earth Connection scientists, their missions, and research

The Production and Dissemination of Knowledge: A Scoping Review of Arts-Based Health Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine M. Boydell

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The use of arts-based research is shifting our understanding of what counts as evidence and highlights the complexity and multidimensionality involved in creating new knowledge. A scoping review of arts-based health research was undertaken to identify the breadth of peer-reviewed literature, summarize findings and identify gaps. A literature database search identified 71 original studies meeting our criteria for review. Studies were characterized by diverse art genres, designs, and substantive health topics. The arts in qualitative research were considered an opportunity for enhanced engagement of participants and audiences alike, a way to enrich communication and make research accessible beyond academia, and a method for generating data beyond the scope of most interview-based methods. Three central gaps were identified: the need for critical dialogue regarding the impact of arts-based health research, the need to focus on how the quality of such projects is judged, and the need to address the ethical challenges of engaging in this work. We suggest that the broadening of qualitative methodologies to include arts-based approaches offers more than simply adjuncts to typical data collection and dissemination approaches, and instead, presents different ways of knowing. We believe that this may be a significant moment in the field in which to question whether or not we are witness to a paradigmatic shift in the ways we approach inquiry into the social world and/or the emergence of an innovative set of techniques that researchers can draw upon to enhance traditional methods of conducting qualitative inquiry. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1201327

What's new in multiple sclerosis spasticity research? Poster session highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Linker, Ralf

2017-11-01

Each year at the Multiple Sclerosis Experts Summit, relevant research in the field of multiple sclerosis spasticity is featured in poster sessions. The main studies presented at this year's meeting are summarized herein.

Developing students' statistical reasoning connecting research and teaching practice

CERN Document Server

Garfield, Joan; Chance, Beth

2008-01-01

This book summarizes the research and highlights the important concepts for teachers to emphasize, showing the interrelationships among concepts. It makes specific suggestions on building classroom activities, and assessing students' learning.

Establishment of Infrastructure for Domestic-Specific Level 3 PSA based on MACCS2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Seung-Cheol; Han, Seok-Jung; Choi, Sun-Yeong; Lee, Seung-Jun [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Wan-Seob [Korea Reliability Technology and System, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Research activities related to the Level 3 PSA have naturally disappeared since the use of risk surrogates. Recently, Level 3 PSA was only performed to the extent of the purpose of operating license for the plant under construction. Since the Fukushima accident, concern about a comprehensive site-specific Level 3 PSA has been raised for some compelling reasons, especially the evaluation of the domestic multi-unit site risk effect including other site radiological sources (e.g., spent fuel pool, multi-units). Unfortunately, there are no domestic-specific consequence analysis code and input database required to perform a site-specific Level 3 PSA. The paper focuses on the development of the input data management system for domestic-specific Level 3 PSA based MACCS2 (MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System). The authors call it KOSCA-MACCS2 (Korea Off-Site Consequence Analysis based in MACCS2). It serves as an integrated platform for a domestic-specific Level 3 PSA. Also, it provides the pre-processing modules to automatically generate MACCS2 input from diverse types of the domestic-specific data including numerical map data, e.g., meteorological data, numerical population map, digital land use map, economic statistics and so on. Note that some functions should be still developed and added on it, e.g., post-processing module to convert MACCS2 outputs to graphic report forms, and so on. Henceforth, it is necessary to develop a Korean-specific Level 3 PSA code as a substitution for the foreign software, MACCS2.

Highlights from the ATLAS experiment at CERN LHC

CERN Document Server

Tsukerman, Ilya; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Highlights from the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC are presented. Results shown are mostly based on the analysis of 2015-2016 year dataset which corresponds to the luminosity 36 inverse fb. Mainly recent measurements of Higgs boson production and decay are discussed while only summary of summaries is given for the SM processes, top production, SUSY and Exotics.

Multi-modal highlight generation for sports videos using an information-theoretic excitability measure

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Taufiq; Bořil, Hynek; Sangwan, Abhijeet; L Hansen, John H.

2013-12-01

The ability to detect and organize `hot spots' representing areas of excitement within video streams is a challenging research problem when techniques rely exclusively on video content. A generic method for sports video highlight selection is presented in this study which leverages both video/image structure as well as audio/speech properties. Processing begins where the video is partitioned into small segments and several multi-modal features are extracted from each segment. Excitability is computed based on the likelihood of the segmental features residing in certain regions of their joint probability density function space which are considered both exciting and rare. The proposed measure is used to rank order the partitioned segments to compress the overall video sequence and produce a contiguous set of highlights. Experiments are performed on baseball videos based on signal processing advancements for excitement assessment in the commentators' speech, audio energy, slow motion replay, scene cut density, and motion activity as features. Detailed analysis on correlation between user excitability and various speech production parameters is conducted and an effective scheme is designed to estimate the excitement level of commentator's speech from the sports videos. Subjective evaluation of excitability and ranking of video segments demonstrate a higher correlation with the proposed measure compared to well-established techniques indicating the effectiveness of the overall approach.

DoD’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Program: Impact and Highlights from 25 Years of Basic Research

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

availability of analog and digital electronics capable of generating the precise, high-frequency waveforms necessary to take advantage of such...Responses Shown to Reactive Phosphates 43 Long-Term Significance: Swager’s work highlighted was patented by MIT and licensed to Nomadics Inc. The...technology was purchased from Nomadics by ICx and then sold to FLIR Systems, who now sells a line of explosives detectors, under the name of FIDO® (see

Scale effect challenges in urban hydrology highlighted with a distributed hydrological model

Science.gov (United States)

Ichiba, Abdellah; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel; Bompard, Philippe; Ten Veldhuis, Marie-Claire

2018-01-01

Hydrological models are extensively used in urban water management, development and evaluation of future scenarios and research activities. There is a growing interest in the development of fully distributed and grid-based models. However, some complex questions related to scale effects are not yet fully understood and still remain open issues in urban hydrology. In this paper we propose a two-step investigation framework to illustrate the extent of scale effects in urban hydrology. First, fractal tools are used to highlight the scale dependence observed within distributed data input into urban hydrological models. Then an intensive multi-scale modelling work is carried out to understand scale effects on hydrological model performance. Investigations are conducted using a fully distributed and physically based model, Multi-Hydro, developed at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. The model is implemented at 17 spatial resolutions ranging from 100 to 5 m. Results clearly exhibit scale effect challenges in urban hydrology modelling. The applicability of fractal concepts highlights the scale dependence observed within distributed data. Patterns of geophysical data change when the size of the observation pixel changes. The multi-scale modelling investigation confirms scale effects on hydrological model performance. Results are analysed over three ranges of scales identified in the fractal analysis and confirmed through modelling. This work also discusses some remaining issues in urban hydrology modelling related to the availability of high-quality data at high resolutions, and model numerical instabilities as well as the computation time requirements. The main findings of this paper enable a replacement of traditional methods of model calibration by innovative methods of model resolution alteration based on the spatial data variability and scaling of flows in urban hydrology.

Technology Base Research Project for electrochemical energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, K.

1985-06-01

The DOE Electrochemical Energy Storage Program is divided into two projects: (1) the exploratory technology development and testing (ETD) project and (2) the technology base research (TBR) project. The role of the TBR Project is to perform supporting research for the advanced battery systems under development by the ETD Project, and to evaluate new systems with potentially superior performance, durability and/or cost characteristics. The specific goal of the TBR Project is to identify the most promising electrochemical technologies and transfer them to industry and/or the ETD Project for further development and scale-up. This report summarizes the research, financial, and management activities relevant to the TBR Project in CY 1984. General problem areas addressed by the project include identification of new electrochemical couples for advanced batteries, determination of technical feasibility of the new couples, improvements in battery components and materials, establishment of engineering principles applicable to electrochemical energy storage and conversion, and the assessment of fuel-cell technology for transportation applications. Major emphasis is given to applied research which will lead to superior performance and lower life-cycle costs. The TBR Project is divided into three major project elements: exploratory research, applied science research, and air systems research.

An integrated systems-based approach to mercury research and technology development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peterson, Mark J [ORNL; Brooks, Scott C [ORNL; Mathews, Teresa J [ORNL; Mayes, Melanie [ORNL; Watson, David B [ORNL; Johs, Alexander [ORNL; Mehlhorn, Tonia L [ORNL; Dickson, Johnbull O [ORNL; Mansfield, Charles [East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP); Phillips, Elizabeth [U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); Pierce, Eric M [ORNL

2017-01-01

A 3-year strategic planning process was undertaken in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to develop a research and technology development approach that can help guide mercury remediation in East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC). Mercury remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy s (DOE s) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management because of large historical losses of mercury to the environment at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Because of the extent of mercury losses and the complexities of mercury transport and fate in the stream environment, the success of conventional options for mercury remediation in the downstream sections of EFPC is uncertain. The overall Oak Ridge mercury remediation strategy focuses on mercury treatment actions at Y-12 in the short-term and research and technology development to evaluate longer-term solutions in the downstream environment. The technology development strategy is consistent with a phased, adaptive management paradigm and DOE s Technology Readiness Level guidelines. That is, early evaluation includes literature review, site characterization, and small-scale studies of a broad number of potential technologies. As more information is gathered, technologies that may have the most promise and potential remediation benefit will be chosen for more extensive and larger-scale pilot testing before being considered for remedial implementation. Field and laboratory research in EFPC is providing an improved level of understanding of mercury transport and fate processes in EFPC that will inform the development of site-specific remedial technologies. Technology development has centered on developing strategies that can mitigate the primary factors affecting mercury risks in the stream: (1) the amount of inorganic mercury available to the stream system, (2) the conversion of inorganic mercury to methylmercury, and (3) the bioaccumulation of methylmercury through the food web. Given the downstream complexities and

What specifications for a centre or network of excellence in clinical research?

Science.gov (United States)

Diebolt, Vincent; Lang, Marie; Thoby, Frédérique

2016-02-01

The Giens 2015 Workshop Round Table entitled "What specifications for a centre or network of excellence in clinical research?" took a viewpoint distinct from earlier work and studies on changes in clinical research activities in France. The purpose of the present work was to identify, starting from concrete examples, the main strengths and advantages of clinical research activity in France related, in part, to the background environment and also to the specific characteristics of the investigation centres considered to be among the most high-performance units in activity. The criteria retained were grouped into a set of specifications that could be used to establish a "label of excellence" upon which the different teams and clinical research centres could model themselves. It was thus considered that belonging to a centre or structured network with at least a national configuration, when this is possible for the medial topic in question, constitutes a real advantage. Four benchmarks were identified: the scientific and clinical expertise of the head investigator, as well as the qualification and operational capacity of the centre's team; definition and measurement of performance using clearly displayed indicators and evaluation procedures; the quality of the overall trial "process" and of each of its component steps; communication, because know-how and promotion go hand in hand, with the main objective of informing the professional and general public about the value of the research centre meeting the above-mentioned criteria, about its networks of competencies, and more generally, about the important assets of the background of clinical research in France. This sector of research is funded by the public authorities via calls for public grants, financial aids for structures supporting clinical research in the University Hospital Centres and other healthcare institutions allowing for a professionalization of the research occupations, and the national public health

[The Seintinelles: an innovative approach to promoting Community-Based Research and sustaining health democracy in oncology].

Science.gov (United States)

Bauquier, Charlotte; Pannard, Myriam; Préau, Marie

2017-10-02

Community-based research drives innovation in major fields of public health, HIV/AIDS being the most emblematic example (Demange, Henry & Préau, 2012), and hepatitis. However, this type of research appears to be more difficult to develop in certain specific diseases, such as cancer (Shankand, Saïas & Friboulet, 2009). This article proposes various approaches concerning current citizen mobilization in relation to cancer research, including potential new levers to the development of participative and community-based research based on the recent creation of the Seintinelles platform, designed to federate researchers and citizens concerned by the problem of cancer. This reflection will be supported by more global issues concerning health democracy.

Monthly highlights for Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fee, G.G.

1976-08-01

Brief highlights are presented for the following programs: heavy section steel technology, fission product beta and gamma energy release, LOCA release from LWR fuel, multirod burst tests, Nuclear Safety Information Center, PWR blowdown heat transfer-separate effects, zircaloy fuel cladding collapse studies, zirconium metal-water oxidation kinetics, aerosol release and transport from LMFBR fuel, HTGR safety analysis, design criteria for piping and nozzles, and dose conversion factors for inhalation of radionuclides

Nuclear fuel waste management - biosphere program highlights - 1978 to 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zach, R

1997-07-01

The biosphere program in support of the development of the disposal concept for Canadian nuclear fuel waste since 1978 is scheduled for close-out. AECL`s Environmental Science Branch (ESB) was mainly responsible for work in this program. In order to preserve as much information as possible, this report highlights many of the key achievements of the program, particularly those related to the development of the BIOTRAC biosphere model and its supporting research. This model was used for the assessment and review of the disposal concept in an environmental impact statement (EIS). The report also treats highlights related to alternative models, external scientific/technical reviews, EIS feedback, and the international BIOMOVS model validation program. Furthermore, it highlights basic aspects of future modelling and research needs in relation to siting a disposal facility. In this, feedback from the various reviews and the EIS is taken into account. Appendices of the report include listings of key ESB staff involved in the program, all the scientific/technical reports and papers produced under the program, contracts let to outside agencies, and issues raised by various participants or intervenors during the EIS review. Although the report is concerned with close-out of the biosphere program, it also provides valuable information for a continuing program concerned with siting a disposal facility. One of the conclusions of the report is that such a program is essential for successfully siting such a facility. (author) Refs.

Nuclear fuel waste management - biosphere program highlights - 1978 to 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zach, R.

1997-07-01

The biosphere program in support of the development of the disposal concept for Canadian nuclear fuel waste since 1978 is scheduled for close-out. AECL's Environmental Science Branch (ESB) was mainly responsible for work in this program. In order to preserve as much information as possible, this report highlights many of the key achievements of the program, particularly those related to the development of the BIOTRAC biosphere model and its supporting research. This model was used for the assessment and review of the disposal concept in an environmental impact statement (EIS). The report also treats highlights related to alternative models, external scientific/technical reviews, EIS feedback, and the international BIOMOVS model validation program. Furthermore, it highlights basic aspects of future modelling and research needs in relation to siting a disposal facility. In this, feedback from the various reviews and the EIS is taken into account. Appendices of the report include listings of key ESB staff involved in the program, all the scientific/technical reports and papers produced under the program, contracts let to outside agencies, and issues raised by various participants or intervenors during the EIS review. Although the report is concerned with close-out of the biosphere program, it also provides valuable information for a continuing program concerned with siting a disposal facility. One of the conclusions of the report is that such a program is essential for successfully siting such a facility. (author)

Design and simulation of an optimized e-linac based neutron source for BNCT research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durisi, E.; Alikaniotis, K.; Borla, O.; Bragato, F.; Costa, M.; Giannini, G.; Monti, V.; Visca, L.; Vivaldo, G.; Zanini, A.

2015-01-01

The paper is focused on the study of a novel photo-neutron source for BNCT preclinical research based on medical electron Linacs. Previous studies by the authors already demonstrated the possibility to obtain a mixed thermal and epithermal neutron flux of the order of 10"7 cm"−"2 s"−"1. This paper investigates possible Linac’s modifications and a new photo-converter design to rise the neutron flux above 5 10"7 cm"−"2 s"−"1, also reducing the gamma contamination. - Highlights: • Proposal of a mixed thermal and epithermal (named hyperthermal) neutron source based on medical high energy electron Linac. • Photo-neutron production via Giant Dipole Resonance on high Z materials. • MCNP4B-GN simulations to design the photo-converter geometry maximizing the hyperthermal neutron flux and minimizing the fast neutron and gamma contaminations. Hyperthermal neutron field suitable for BNCT preclinical research.

Highlights of the 2012 Research Workshop: Using nutrigenomics and metabolomics in clinical nutrition research.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeisel, Steven H; Waterland, Robert A; Ordovás, José M; Muoio, Deborah M; Jia, Wei; Fodor, Anthony

2013-03-01

The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) Research Workshop, "Using Nutrigenomics and Metabolomics in Clinical Nutrition Research," was held on January 21, 2012, in Orlando, Florida. The conference brought together experts in human nutrition who use nutrigenomic and metabolomic methods to better understand metabolic individuality and nutrition effects on health. We are beginning to understand how genetic variation and epigenetic events alter requirements for and responses to foods in our diet (the field of nutrigenetics/nutrigenomics and epigenetics). At the same time, methods for profiling almost all of the products of metabolism in plasma, urine, and tissues (metabolomics) are being refined. The relationships between diet and nutrigenomic-metabolomic profiles, as well as between these profiles and health, are being elucidated, and this will dramatically alter clinical practice in nutrition.

A Review of Research Ethics in Internet-Based Research

Science.gov (United States)

Convery, Ian; Cox, Diane

2012-01-01

Internet-based research methods can include: online surveys, web page content analysis, videoconferencing for online focus groups and/or interviews, analysis of "e-conversations" through social networking sites, email, chat rooms, discussion boards and/or blogs. Over the last ten years, an upsurge in internet-based research (IBR) has led…

Letterform research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beier, Sofie

2016-01-01

This paper looks into the history of letterform research and discusses why the discipline has yet to make the big break within design research. By highlighting two of the most popular focus areas (letter distinctiveness and the role of serifs) and by discussing various forms of methodological...... shortcomings, the paper suggests that future research into letterforms should (1) draw on results from the field of reading research (2) be based on test material informed by design knowledge and (3) move away from the former tendency of looking for universal answers....

The development of a clinical outcomes survey research application: Assessment Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Gershon, Richard; Rothrock, Nan E; Hanrahan, Rachel T; Jansky, Liz J; Harniss, Mark; Riley, William

2010-06-01

The National Institutes of Health sponsored Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) aimed to create item banks and computerized adaptive tests (CATs) across multiple domains for individuals with a range of chronic diseases. Web-based software was created to enable a researcher to create study-specific Websites that could administer PROMIS CATs and other instruments to research participants or clinical samples. This paper outlines the process used to develop a user-friendly, free, Web-based resource (Assessment Center) for storage, retrieval, organization, sharing, and administration of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments. Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions were conducted with representatives from numerous institutions in order to supply a general wish list of features. Use Cases were then written to ensure that end user expectations matched programmer specifications. Program development included daily programmer "scrum" sessions, weekly Usability Acceptability Testing (UAT) and continuous Quality Assurance (QA) activities pre- and post-release. Assessment Center includes features that promote instrument development including item histories, data management, and storage of statistical analysis results. This case study of software development highlights the collection and incorporation of user input throughout the development process. Potential future applications of Assessment Center in clinical research are discussed.

How Large-Scale Research Facilities Connect to Global Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauto, Giancarlo; Valentin, Finn

2013-01-01

Policies for large-scale research facilities (LSRFs) often highlight their spillovers to industrial innovation and their contribution to the external connectivity of the regional innovation system hosting them. Arguably, the particular institutional features of LSRFs are conducive for collaborative...... research. However, based on data on publications produced in 2006–2009 at the Neutron Science Directorate of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee (United States), we find that internationalization of its collaborative research is restrained by coordination costs similar to those characterizing other...

Strategies to address participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Jessica; Rubin, Amy; Coster, Wendy; Helmuth, Eric; Hermos, John; Rosenbloom, David; Moed, Rich; Dooley, Meghan; Kao, Ying-Chia; Liljenquist, Kendra; Brief, Deborah; Enggasser, Justin; Keane, Terence; Roy, Monica; Lachowicz, Mark

2014-03-01

Emerging methodological research suggests that the World Wide Web ("Web") is an appropriate venue for survey data collection, and a promising area for delivering behavioral intervention. However, the use of the Web for research raises concerns regarding sample validity, particularly when the Web is used for recruitment and enrollment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges experienced in two different Web-based studies in which participant misrepresentation threatened sample validity: a survey study and an online intervention study. The lessons learned from these experiences generated three types of strategies researchers can use to reduce the likelihood of participant misrepresentation for eligibility in Web-based research. Examples of procedural/design strategies, technical/software strategies and data analytic strategies are provided along with the methodological strengths and limitations of specific strategies. The discussion includes a series of considerations to guide researchers in the selection of strategies that may be most appropriate given the aims, resources and target population of their studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using formative research to design a context-specific behaviour change strategy to improve infant and young child feeding practices and nutrition in Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Locks, Lindsey M; Pandey, Pooja R; Osei, Akoto K; Spiro, David S; Adhikari, Debendra P; Haselow, Nancy J; Quinn, Victoria J; Nielsen, Jennifer N

2015-10-01

Global recommendations on strategies to improve infant feeding, care and nutrition are clear; however, there is limited literature that explains methods for tailoring these recommendations to the local context where programmes are implemented. This paper aims to: (1) highlight the individual, cultural and environmental factors revealed by formative research to affect infant and young child feeding and care practices in Baitadi district of Far Western Nepal; and (2) outline how both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to design a context-specific behaviour change strategy to improve child nutrition. Quantitative data on 750 children aged 12-23 months and their families were collected via surveys administered to mothers. The participants were selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The survey asked about knowledge, attitude and behaviours relating to infant and young child feeding. Qualitative data on breastfeeding and complementary feeding beliefs and practices were also collected from a separate sample via focus group discussions with mothers, and key informant interviews with mothers-in-law and husbands. Key findings revealed gaps in knowledge among many informants resulting in suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices - particularly with relation to duration of exclusive breastfeeding and dietary diversity of complementary foods. The findings from this research were then incorporated into a context-specific nutrition behaviour change communication strategy. © 2013 Helen Keller International © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Didactic trajectory of research in mathematics education using research-based learning

Science.gov (United States)

Charitas Indra Prahmana, Rully; Kusumah, Yaya S.; Darhim

2017-10-01

This study aims to describe the role of research-based learning in design a learning trajectory of research in mathematics education to enhance research and academic writing skills for pre-service mathematics teachers. The method used is a design research with three stages, namely the preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis. The research subjects are pre-service mathematics teacher class of 2012 from one higher education institution in Tangerang - Indonesia. The use of research-based learning in designing learning trajectory of research in mathematics education plays a crucial role as a trigger to enhancing math department preservice teachers research and academic writing skills. Also, this study also describes the design principles and characteristics of the learning trajectory namely didactic trajectory generated by the role of research-based learning syntax.

Identifying future research directions for biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability : perspectives from early-career researchers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hossain, S.; Pogue, S.J.; Trenchard, L.; Oudenhoven, van A.P.E.; Washbourne, C-L.; Muiruri, E.W.; Tomczyk, A.M.; García-Llorente, M.; Hale, R.; Hevia, V.; Adams, T.; Tavallali, L.; De, Bell S.; Pye, M.; Resende, F.

2017-01-01

We aimed to identify priority research questions in the field of biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability (BESS), based on a workshop held during the NRG BESS Conference for Early Career Researchers on BESS, and to compare these to existing horizon scanning exercises. This work highlights

Psychological balance in high level athletes: gender-based differences and sport-specific patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaal, Karine; Tafflet, Muriel; Nassif, Hala; Thibault, Valérie; Pichard, Capucine; Alcotte, Mathieu; Guillet, Thibaut; El Helou, Nour; Berthelot, Geoffroy; Simon, Serge; Toussaint, Jean-François

2011-05-04

Few epidemiological studies have focused on the psychological health of high level athletes. This study aimed to identify the principal psychological problems encountered within French high level athletes, and the variations in their prevalence based on sex and the sport practiced. Multivariate analyses were conducted on nationwide data obtained from the athletes' yearly psychological evaluations. A representative sample of 13% of the French athlete population was obtained. 17% of athletes have at least one ongoing or recent disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) being the most prevalent (6%), followed by non-specific eating disorders (4.2%). Overall, 20.2% of women had at least one psychopathology, against 15.1% in men. This female predominance applied to anxiety and eating disorders, depression, sleep problems and self-harming behaviors. The highest rates of GAD appeared in aesthetic sports (16.7% vs. 6.8% in other sports for men and 38.9% vs. 10.3% for women); the lowest prevalence was found in high risk sports athletes (3.0% vs. 3.5%). Eating disorders are most common among women in racing sports (14% vs. 9%), but for men were found mostly in combat sports (7% vs. 4.8%). This study highlights important differences in psychopathology between male and female athletes, demonstrating that the many sex-based differences reported in the general population apply to elite athletes. While the prevalence of psychological problems is no higher than in the general population, the variations in psychopathology in different sports suggest that specific constraints could influence the development of some disorders.

Psychological balance in high level athletes: gender-based differences and sport-specific patterns.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Schaal

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Few epidemiological studies have focused on the psychological health of high level athletes. This study aimed to identify the principal psychological problems encountered within French high level athletes, and the variations in their prevalence based on sex and the sport practiced. METHODS: Multivariate analyses were conducted on nationwide data obtained from the athletes' yearly psychological evaluations. RESULTS: A representative sample of 13% of the French athlete population was obtained. 17% of athletes have at least one ongoing or recent disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD being the most prevalent (6%, followed by non-specific eating disorders (4.2%. Overall, 20.2% of women had at least one psychopathology, against 15.1% in men. This female predominance applied to anxiety and eating disorders, depression, sleep problems and self-harming behaviors. The highest rates of GAD appeared in aesthetic sports (16.7% vs. 6.8% in other sports for men and 38.9% vs. 10.3% for women; the lowest prevalence was found in high risk sports athletes (3.0% vs. 3.5%. Eating disorders are most common among women in racing sports (14% vs. 9%, but for men were found mostly in combat sports (7% vs. 4.8%. DISCUSSION: This study highlights important differences in psychopathology between male and female athletes, demonstrating that the many sex-based differences reported in the general population apply to elite athletes. While the prevalence of psychological problems is no higher than in the general population, the variations in psychopathology in different sports suggest that specific constraints could influence the development of some disorders.

Psychological Balance in High Level Athletes: Gender-Based Differences and Sport-Specific Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Schaal, Karine; Tafflet, Muriel; Nassif, Hala; Thibault, Valérie; Pichard, Capucine; Alcotte, Mathieu; Guillet, Thibaut; El Helou, Nour; Berthelot, Geoffroy; Simon, Serge; Toussaint, Jean-François

2011-01-01

Objectives Few epidemiological studies have focused on the psychological health of high level athletes. This study aimed to identify the principal psychological problems encountered within French high level athletes, and the variations in their prevalence based on sex and the sport practiced. Methods Multivariate analyses were conducted on nationwide data obtained from the athletes' yearly psychological evaluations. Results A representative sample of 13% of the French athlete population was obtained. 17% of athletes have at least one ongoing or recent disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) being the most prevalent (6%), followed by non-specific eating disorders (4.2%). Overall, 20.2% of women had at least one psychopathology, against 15.1% in men. This female predominance applied to anxiety and eating disorders, depression, sleep problems and self-harming behaviors. The highest rates of GAD appeared in aesthetic sports (16.7% vs. 6.8% in other sports for men and 38.9% vs. 10.3% for women); the lowest prevalence was found in high risk sports athletes (3.0% vs. 3.5%). Eating disorders are most common among women in racing sports (14% vs. 9%), but for men were found mostly in combat sports (7% vs. 4.8%). Discussion This study highlights important differences in psychopathology between male and female athletes, demonstrating that the many sex-based differences reported in the general population apply to elite athletes. While the prevalence of psychological problems is no higher than in the general population, the variations in psychopathology in different sports suggest that specific constraints could influence the development of some disorders. PMID:21573222

Specification-based testing: What is it? How can it be automated?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poston, R.M.

1994-01-01

Software testing should begin with a written requirements specification. A specification states how software is expected to behave and describes operational characteristics (performance, reliability, etc.) for the software. A specification serves as a reference or base to test against, giving rise to the name, specification-based testing. Should analysts or designers fail to write a specification, then testers are obliged to write their own specification to test against. Specifications written by testers may be called test plans or test objectives

Design and specificity of long ssDNA donors for CRISPR-based knock-in

OpenAIRE

Leonetti, Manuel; Li, Han; Beckman, Kyle; Pessino, Veronica; Huang, Bo; Weissman, Jonathan

2017-01-01

CRISPR/Cas technologies have transformed our ability to manipulate genomes for research and gene-based therapy. In particular, homology-directed repair after genomic cleavage allows for precise modification of genes using exogenous donor sequences as templates. While both single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) forms of donors have been used as repair templates, a systematic comparison of the performance and specificity of repair using ssDNA versus dsDNA donors is still la...

CREATIV: Research-based innovation for industry energy efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangen, Grethe; Hemmingsen, Anne Karin T.; Neksa, Petter

2011-01-01

Improved energy efficiency is imperative to minimise the greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure future energy security. It is also a key to continued profitability in energy consuming industry. The project CREATIV is a research initiative for industry energy efficiency focusing on utilisation of surplus heat and efficient heating and cooling. In CREATIV, international research groups work together with key vendors of energy efficiency equipment and an industry consortium including the areas metallurgy, pulp and paper, food and fishery, and commercial refrigeration supermarkets. The ambition of CREATIV is to bring forward technology and solutions enabling Norway to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 25% within 2020. The main research topics are electricity production from low temperature heat sources in supercritical CO 2 cycles, energy efficient end-user technology for heating and cooling based on natural working fluids and system optimisation, and efficient utilisation of low temperature heat by developing new sorption systems and compact compressor-expander units. A defined innovation strategy in the project will ensure exploitation of research results and promote implementation in industry processes. CREATIV will contribute to the recruitment of competent personnel to industry and academia by educating PhD and post doc candidates and several MSc students. The paper presents the CREATIV project, discusses its scientific achievements so far, and outlines how the project results can contribute to reducing industry energy consumption. - Highlights: → New technology for improved energy efficiency relevant across several industries. → Surplus heat exploitation and efficient heating and cooling are important means. → Focus on power production from low temperature heat and heat pumping technologies. → Education and competence building are given priority. → The project consortium includes 20 international industry companies and

CERTS: Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions - Research Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eto, Joseph

2003-07-30

Historically, the U.S. electric power industry was vertically integrated, and utilities were responsible for system planning, operations, and reliability management. As the nation moves to a competitive market structure, these functions have been disaggregated, and no single entity is responsible for reliability management. As a result, new tools, technologies, systems, and management processes are needed to manage the reliability of the electricity grid. However, a number of simultaneous trends prevent electricity market participants from pursuing development of these reliability tools: utilities are preoccupied with restructuring their businesses, research funding has declined, and the formation of Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) to operate the grid means that control of transmission assets is separate from ownership of these assets; at the same time, business uncertainty, and changing regulatory policies have created a climate in which needed investment for transmission infrastructure and tools for reliability management has dried up. To address the resulting emerging gaps in reliability R&D, CERTS has undertaken much-needed public interest research on reliability technologies for the electricity grid. CERTS' vision is to: (1) Transform the electricity grid into an intelligent network that can sense and respond automatically to changing flows of power and emerging problems; (2) Enhance reliability management through market mechanisms, including transparency of real-time information on the status of the grid; (3) Empower customers to manage their energy use and reliability needs in response to real-time market price signals; and (4) Seamlessly integrate distributed technologies--including those for generation, storage, controls, and communications--to support the reliability needs of both the grid and individual customers.

Gender- and sex-specific sports-related injury research in emergency medicine: a consensus on future research direction and focused application.

Science.gov (United States)

Raukar, Neha P; Zonfrillo, Mark R; Kane, Kathleen; Davenport, Moira; Espinoza, Tamara R; Weiland, Jessica; Franco, Vanessa; Vaca, Federico E

2014-12-01

Title IX, the commercialization of sports, the social change in sports participation, and the response to the obesity epidemic have contributed to the rapid proliferation of participation in both competitive organized sports and nontraditional athletic events. As a consequence, emergency physicians are regularly involved in the acute diagnosis, management, disposition, and counseling of a broad range of sports-related pathology. Three important and highly publicized mechanisms of injury in sports relevant to emergency medicine (EM) include concussion, heat illness, and sudden cardiac death. In conjunction with the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference "Gender-specific Research in Emergency Care: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes," a consensus group consisting of experts in EM, emergency neurology, sports medicine, and public health convened to deliberate and develop research questions that could ultimately advance the field of sports medicine and allow for meaningful application in the emergency department (ED) clinical setting. Sex differences in injury risk, diagnosis, ED treatment, and counseling are identified in each of these themes. This article presents the consensus-based priority research agenda. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Language, Space, Power: Reflections on Linguistic and Spatial Turns in Urban Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vuolteenaho, Jani; Ameel, Lieven; Newby, Andrew

2012-01-01

to conceptualise the power-embeddedness of urban spaces, processes and identities. More recently, however, the ramifications of the linguistic turn across urban research have proliferated as a result of approaches in which specific place-bound language practices and language-based representations about cities have......) and thematic interests (from place naming to interactional uses of spoken language) that have been significant channels in re-directing urban scholars’ attention to the concrete workings of language. As regards the spatial turn, we highlight the relevance of the connectivity-, territoriality-, attachment...

Research based teaching as a model for developing complex pre-cast concrete structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egholm Pedersen, Ole

2012-01-01

master students assisted in the development and realisation of an amorphous, catenary grid-shell. Development in many areas simultaneously was essential for the success of the case studies, which made them suitable for a research-based teaching setup, where didactic considerations on a general...... and specific level were important: On a general level, three didactic tools were used: the first being the presentation of knowledge generation as something that happens between researcher and student. The second involved presenting students with a narrow focus before presenting a wide one, and the third......: viewing the teaching studio as an interdisciplinary laboratory. On a specific level, didactic considerations involved a division of responsibility into smaller areas of investigation, allowing the students to conduct relevant experimentation while negotiating other areas of the research. Also...

Achieving public health impact in youth violence prevention through community-research partnerships.

Science.gov (United States)

Massetti, Greta M; Vivolo, Alana M

2010-01-01

Violence is a leading cause of death and disability for U.S. youth. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) is committed to developing communities' capacity to engage in evidence-based youth violence (YV) prevention. We discuss the characteristics of communities that exert influence on the development and epidemiology of YV, and discuss opportunities for how community-research partnerships can enhance efforts to prevent violence in communities. The needs for YV prevention are unique; the nature and phenomenology of violence are community specific. Communities also vary widely in infrastructure and systems to support coordinated, evidence-based YV prevention strategies. These conditions highlight the need for community-research partnerships to enhance community capacity, employ local resources, and engage community members in the research process. DVP is committed to working towards creating communities in which youth are safe from violence. Approaches to YV prevention that emphasize community-research partnerships to build capacity and implement evidence-based prevention strategies can provide a supportive context for achieving that goal.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory FY2003 Annual Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Editors: Carol A. Phillips; Anthony R. DeMeo

2004-08-23

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory FY2003 Annual Highlights report provides a summary of the activities at the Laboratory for the fiscal year--1 October 2002 through 30 September 2003. The report includes the Laboratory's Mission and Vision Statements, a message ''From the Director,'' summaries of the research and engineering activities by project, and sections on Technology Transfer, the Graduate and Science Education Programs, Awards and Honors garnered by the Laboratory and the employees, and the Year in Pictures. There is also a listing of the Laboratory's publications for the year and a section of the abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols used throughout the report. In the PDF document, links have been created from the Table of Contents to each section. You can also return to the Table of Contents from the beginning page of each section. The PPPL Highlights for fiscal year 2003 is also available in hardcopy format. To obtain a copy e-mail Publications and Reports at: pub-reports@pppl.gov. Be sure to include your complete mailing address

Concurrently examining unrealistic absolute and comparative optimism: Temporal shifts, individual-difference and event-specific correlates, and behavioural outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruthig, Joelle C; Gamblin, Bradlee W; Jones, Kelly; Vanderzanden, Karen; Kehn, Andre

2017-02-01

Researchers have spent considerable effort examining unrealistic absolute optimism and unrealistic comparative optimism, yet there is a lack of research exploring them concurrently. This longitudinal study repeatedly assessed unrealistic absolute and comparative optimism within a performance context over several months to identify the degree to which they shift as a function of proximity to performance and performance feedback, their associations with global individual difference and event-specific factors, and their link to subsequent behavioural outcomes. Results showed similar shifts in unrealistic absolute and comparative optimism based on proximity to performance and performance feedback. Moreover, increases in both types of unrealistic optimism were associated with better subsequent performance beyond the effect of prior performance. However, several differences were found between the two forms of unrealistic optimism in their associations with global individual difference factors and event-specific factors, highlighting the distinctiveness of the two constructs. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Review panel comments on geomedia specific research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heath, C.A.

1984-01-01

This includes remarks made by three panel members concerning geomedia-specific repository relevant research. The scientific work in the materials area has progressed significantly. Investigators are showing a better understanding of the importance of groundwater compositions. Significant attention is being paid to the importance of colloids and complexing agents. Good planning seems to be in evidence in the Nevada program. Much cooperation and planning in the materials program is needed. Requirements concerning the performance of waste management systems were included. Other topics discussed at the symposium were interactive testing of waste forms, canister materials, and repository rock. Characterization of the chemical and physical environment in the near-field was considered by several speakers. These papers and discussions were part of the Seventh International Symposium on the Scientific Ban's for Nuclear Waste Management

A task specific uncertainty analysis method for least-squares-based form characterization of ultra-precision freeform surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, M J; Cheung, C F; Kong, L B

2012-01-01

In the measurement of ultra-precision freeform surfaces, least-squares-based form characterization methods are widely used to evaluate the form error of the measured surfaces. Although many methodologies have been proposed in recent years to improve the efficiency of the characterization process, relatively little research has been conducted on the analysis of associated uncertainty in the characterization results which may result from those characterization methods being used. As a result, this paper presents a task specific uncertainty analysis method with application in the least-squares-based form characterization of ultra-precision freeform surfaces. That is, the associated uncertainty in the form characterization results is estimated when the measured data are extracted from a specific surface with specific sampling strategy. Three factors are considered in this study which include measurement error, surface form error and sample size. The task specific uncertainty analysis method has been evaluated through a series of experiments. The results show that the task specific uncertainty analysis method can effectively estimate the uncertainty of the form characterization results for a specific freeform surface measurement

A Comparative Analysis of Indigenous Research Guidelines to Inform Genomic Research in Indigenous Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay Maddock

2012-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Genetic research has potential benefits for improving health, such as identifying molecular characteristics of a disease, understanding disease prevalence and treatment, and developing treatments tailored to patients based on individual genetic characteristics of their disease. Indigenous people are often targeted for genetic research because genes are easier to study in communities that practice endogamy. Therefore, populations perceived to be more homogenous, such as Indigenous peoples, are ideal for genetic studies. While Indigenous communities remain the focal point of many genomic studies, some result in harm and unethical practice. Unfortunately, the harms of poorly formulated and unethical research involving Indigenous people have created barriers to participation that prevent critical and lifesaving research. These harms have led a number of Indigenous communities to develop guidelines for engaging with researchers to assist in safely bridging the gap between genetic research and Indigenous peoples.SPECIFIC AIMS: The specific aims of this study were: (1 to conduct an international review and comparison of Indigenous research guidelines that highlight topics regarding genetics and use of biological samples and identify commonalities and differences among ethical principles of concern to Indigenous peoples; and (2 develop policy recommendations for Indigenous populations interested in creating formal policies around the use of genetic information and protection of biological samples using data from specific aim 1.METHODS: A comparative analysis was performed to identify best research practices and recommendations for Indigenous groups from four countries: Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. The analysis examined commonalities in political relationships, which support self-determination among these Indigenous communities to control their data. Current international Indigenous guidelines were analyzed to review

Practical implications for RPV irradiation surveillance under long term operation based on latest research results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hein, H.; Keim, E.; Barthelmes, J.; Schnabel, H.

2015-01-01

The international programs CARISMA, CARINA and LONGLIFE belong to the research programs which have been performed during the last 10 years to study the irradiation behavior of RPV steels under long term operation of more than 60 years. Some characteristic but different irradiated RPV steels used in Pressurized Water Reactors have been extensively investigated in each of those three programs. Whereas the CARISMA and CARINA programs were mainly focused on material testing to study the irradiation-induced change of material properties in terms of fracture toughness, the main objective of LONGLIFE was to investigate the change of microstructure with various analysis techniques and to understand the mechanisms behind. In this way it was possible to get a comprehensive material characterization in terms of macro-physical properties and micro-structural features for a number of RPV steels which have been studied at different irradiation levels up to 8*10 19 cm -2 (E > 1 MeV). The essential macro-physical and micro-structural results are summarized, in particular regarding the impact of copper and nickel, and the neutron flux on the irradiation behavior and with respect to possible late irradiation effects under long term operation. Moreover, the change of material properties is linked with embrittlement mechanisms such as formation of element specific precipitations, segregations, and matrix defects. Well-known trend curves are also applied to the measured T 41 and T 0 data in order to assess their appropriateness for long term operation. Based on the comprehensive available data base, practical implications for RPV irradiation surveillance programs under long term operation are highlighted with respect to issues like material specific application of reference temperature concepts, data scattering, prediction of high fluence behavior and how to cope with possible late irradiation effects. Finally, best practices for RPV irradiation surveillance programs are suggested from

Stroke-Related Translational Research

Science.gov (United States)

Caplan, Louis R.; Arenillas, Juan; Cramer, Steven C.; Joutel, Anne; Lo, Eng H.; Meschia, James; Savitz, Sean; Tournier-Lasserve, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Stroke-related translational research is multifaceted. Herein, we highlight genome-wide association studies and genetic studies of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, COL4A1 mutations, and cerebral cavernous malformations; advances in molecular biology and biomarkers; newer brain imaging research; and recovery from stroke emphasizing cell-based and other rehabilitative modalities. PMID:21555605

Tissue specific responses to cadmium-based quantum dots in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rocha, Thiago Lopes [CIMA, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal); Gomes, Tânia [CIMA, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal); Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo (Norway); Mestre, Nélia C.; Cardoso, Cátia [CIMA, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal); Bebianno, Maria João, E-mail: mbebian@ualg.pt [CIMA, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro (Portugal)

2015-12-15

Highlights: • Mussel gills are the main target for oxidative stress induced by Cd-based QDs. • Antioxidants responses induced by Cd-based QDs and dissolved Cd are mediated by different mechanisms. • CdTe QDs are more pro-oxidant Cd form when compared to dissolved Cd. • Differential tissue response indicated nano-specific effects. - Abstract: In recent years, Cd-based quantum dots (QDs) have generated interest from the life sciences community due to their potential applications in nanomedicine, biology and electronics. However, these engineered nanomaterials can be released into the marine environment, where their environmental health hazards remain unclear. This study investigated the tissue-specific responses related to alterations in the antioxidant defense system induced by CdTe QDs, in comparison with its dissolved counterpart, using the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed to CdTe QDs and dissolved Cd for 14 days at 10 μgCd L{sup −1} and biomarkers of oxidative stress [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidases (total, Se-independent and Se-dependent GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities] were analyzed along with Cd accumulation in the gills and digestive gland of mussels. Results show that both Cd forms changed mussels’ antioxidant responses with distinct modes of action (MoA). There were tissue- and time-dependent differences in the biochemical responses to each Cd form, wherein QDs are more pro-oxidant when compared to dissolved Cd. The gills are the main tissue affected by QDs, with effects related to the increase of SOD, GST and GPx activities, while those of dissolved Cd was associated to the increase of CAT activity, Cd accumulation and exposure time. Digestive gland is a main tissue for accumulation of both Cd forms, but changes in antioxidant enzyme activities are smaller than in gills. A multivariate analysis revealed that the antioxidant patterns are tissue dependent

Using Psycho-Physiological Interaction Analysis with fMRI-Data in IS Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hubert, Marco; Linzmajer, Marc; Riedl, René

2017-01-01

The integration of neuroscientific methods in Information Systems (IS) research to better understand how the brain interacts with IS-relevant context has gained in importance. Many papers that highlight the potential of neuroIS and that discuss methodological issues associated with using functional...... brain imaging already exist. However, neuroIS researchers have to keep in mind that the emergence of complex mental processes such as trust in IS contexts is based on activity in a network of brain regions rather than on activity in one area alone. Accordingly, we introduce psycho......-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis, a technique that one can use to analyze fMRI data. Specifically, we review how one can conduct PPI analysis, provide a concrete research example, and show how this analysis can inform IS trust research. Thus, we introduce neuroIS researchers working in the domain of functional...

From local strains to specific starters: the process structuring a research program on the activation and management of a biotechnological resource

OpenAIRE

Casalta, Erick; Bona, Pascale

2009-01-01

This study presents a research-action program carried out in Corsica with a group of cheese makers to develop specific starters. Based on the direct participation of the cheese makers, this study consisted in designing starters with lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from milks and cheeses of this group of cheese makers. This process modified an individually and empirically used resource, local strains, into a shared and collectively managed resource, specific starters. Patrimonial featur...

Glass-based integrated optical splitters: engineering oriented research

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Yinlei; Zheng, Weiwei; Yang, Jianyi; Jiang, Xiaoqing; Wang, Minghua

2010-10-01

Optical splitter is one of most typical device heavily demanded in implementation of Fiber To The Home (FTTH) system. Due to its compatibility with optical fibers, low propagation loss, flexibility, and most distinguishingly, potentially costeffectiveness, glass-based integrated optical splitters made by ion-exchange technology promise to be very attractive in application of optical communication networks. Aiming at integrated optical splitters applied in optical communication network, glass ion-exchange waveguide process is developed, which includes two steps: thermal salts ion-exchange and field-assisted ion-diffusion. By this process, high performance optical splitters are fabricated in specially melted glass substrate. Main performance parameters of these splitters, including maximum insertion loss (IL), polarization dependence loss (PDL), and IL uniformity are all in accordance with corresponding specifications in generic requirements for optic branching components (GR-1209-CORE). In this paper, glass based integrated optical splitters manufacturing is demonstrated, after which, engineering-oriented research work results on glass-based optical splitter are presented.

Series: The research agenda for general practice/family medicine and primary health care in Europe. Part 4. Results: specific problem solving skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Hummers-Pradier, Eva; Beyer, Martin; Chevallier, Patrick; Eilat-Tsanani, Sophia; Lionis, Christos; Peremans, Lieve; Petek, Davorina; Rurik, Imre; Soler, Jean Karl; Stoffers, Henri Ejh; Topsever, Pinar; Ungan, Mehmet; van Royen, Paul

2010-09-01

The 'Research Agenda for General Practice/Family Medicine and Primary Health Care in Europe' summarizes the evidence relating to the core competencies and characteristics of the Wonca Europe definition of GP/FM, and its implications for general practitioners/family doctors, researchers and policy makers. The European Journal of General Practice publishes a series of articles based on this document. The previous articles presented background, objectives, and methodology, as well results on 'primary care management' and 'community orientation' and the person-related core competencies of GP/FM. This article reflects on the general practitioner's 'specific problem solving skills'. These include decision making on diagnosis and therapy of specific diseases, accounting for the properties of primary care, but also research questions related to quality management and resource use, shared decision making, or professional education and development. Clinical research covers most specific diseases, but often lacks pragmatism and primary care relevance. Quality management is a stronghold of GP/FM research. Educational interventions can be effective when well designed for a specific setting and situation. However, their message that 'usual care' by general practitioners is insufficient may be problematic. GP and their patients need more research into diagnostic reasoning with a step-wise approach to increase predictive values in a setting characterized by uncertainty and low prevalence of specific diseases. Pragmatic comparative effectiveness studies of new and established drugs or non-pharmaceutical therapy are needed. Multi-morbidity and complexity should be addressed. Studies on therapy, communication strategies and educational interventions should consider impact on health and sustainability of effects.

PNNL Highlights for the Office of Basic Energy Sciences (July 2013-July 2014)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Benjamin; Warren, Pamela M.; Manke, Kristin L.

2014-08-13

This report includes research highlights of work funded in part or whole by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences as well as selected leadership accomplishments.

Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay. Highlights and achievements 2008-2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Activities of the Institute through the 2008-2013 period, have been considerable and a detailed description of all of them would have resulted in a relatively large document. The choice was then made to only describe a selection of highlights from the activities of the different groups during the last 5 years. This concerns the five main scientific topics of the institute that are: 1- Nuclear Structure and Dynamics: The highlights described in this section concern the activities of two different research groups 'NESTER' and 'NIM'; 2 - Hadrons and Hadronic Matter: This section concerns the three teams involved in the CLASS collaboration at JLab, the HADES collaboration at GSI and the ALICE collaboration at LHC. All three are part of the group 'PHEN'; 3- Physics and Chemistry of Nuclear Energy: This section covers, on one hand, activities related to Nuclear Data and Simulations of novel option for nuclear energy production within the group 'PACS' and, on the other hand, all the activities that are performed within the 'RC (Radio-chemistry group)'; 4- Astrophysics: This section concerns nuclear astrophysics research activity at the group 'NESTER', the astro-chemistry activity at the 'NIM' group and the astro-particle activity within the 'AUGER' collaboration in the group 'PHEN'; 5 - Theory: This activity concerns mainly the 'Theory' group. Beside these five scientific topics a multidisciplinary activity based mainly on the use of accelerated nanoparticles with the TANDEM accelerator at ALTO is also described. Two additional sections are devoted in the document to summarize the activities related to: 1 -Accelerator physics and technology; 2 - Detector technology, instrumentation and data acquisition and processing. A separate paragraph gives a status report and highlights from the main facilities in the Institute such as ALTO, SUPRATECH and CACAO. The activities on 'Dosimetry' in one hand and on 'Safety and Radiation Protection' on the other hand as well as an overview

Brookhaven National Laboratory's Accelerator Test Facility: research highlights and plans

Science.gov (United States)

Pogorelsky, I. V.; Ben-Zvi, I.

2014-08-01

The Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory has served as a user facility for accelerator science for over a quarter of a century. In fulfilling this mission, the ATF offers the unique combination of a high-brightness 80 MeV electron beam that is synchronized to a 1 TW picosecond CO2 laser. We unveil herein our plan to considerably expand the ATF's floor space with an upgrade of the electron beam's energy to 300 MeV and the CO2 laser's peak power to 100 TW. This upgrade will propel the ATF even further to the forefront of research on advanced accelerators and radiation sources, supporting the most innovative ideas in this field. We discuss emerging opportunities for scientific breakthroughs, including the following: plasma wakefield acceleration studies in research directions already active at the ATF; laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), where the longer laser wavelengths are expected to engender a proportional increase in the beam's charge while our linac will assure, for the first time, the opportunity to undertake detailed studies of seeding and staging of the LWFA; proton acceleration to the 100-200 MeV level, which is essential for medical applications; and others.

Action Research in the Design, Development and Delivery of a Sustainable, School-based, Health Promotion Intervention for Children and Young People

OpenAIRE

Nobles, JD; Staniford, LJ; Gately, P

2016-01-01

Introduction: Interventions are often developed without the guidance of the target group to be worked with. Action research (programme development with the input of researchers and clients) has been highlighted as a useful method for increasing programme engagement and achieving programme outcomes [1]. Hearty Lives Renfrewshire (HLR), is a British Heart Foundation a community-based intervention aiming to increase knowledge and awareness of CVD risk factors in young people, adopted an action r...

Can Chimpanzee Biology Highlight Human Origin and Evolution?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itai Roffman

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The closest living relatives of humans are their chimpanzee/bonobo (Pan sister species, members of the same subfamily “Homininae”. This classification is supported by over 50 years of research in the fields of chimpanzee cultural diversity, language competency, genomics, anatomy, high cognition, psychology, society, self-consciousness and relation to others, tool use/production, as well as Homo level emotions, symbolic competency, memory recollection, complex multifaceted problem-solving capabilities, and interspecies communication. Language competence and symbolism can be continuously bridged from chimpanzee to man. Emotions, intercommunity aggression, body language, gestures, facial expressions, and vocalization of intonations seem to parallel between the sister taxa Homo and Pan. The shared suite of traits between Pan and Homo genus demonstrated in this article integrates old and new information on human–chimpanzee evolution, bilateral informational and cross-cultural exchange, promoting the urgent need for Pan cultures in the wild to be protected, as they are part of the cultural heritage of mankind. Also, we suggest that bonobos, Pan paniscus, based on shared traits with Australopithecus, need to be included in Australopithecine’s subgenus, and may even represent living-fossil Australopithecines. Unfolding bonobo and chimpanzee biology highlights our common genetic and cultural evolutionary origins.

Role of community pharmacists in asthma - Australian research highlighting pathways for future primary care models.

Science.gov (United States)

Saini, B; Krass, I; Smith, L; Bosnic-Anticevich, S; Armour, C

2011-01-01

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting the Australian population. Amongst primary healthcare professionals, pharmacists are the most accessible and this places pharmacists in an excellent position to play a role in the management of asthma. Globally, trials of many community pharmacy-based asthma care models have provided evidence that pharmacist delivered interventions can improve clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes for asthma patients. In Australia, a decade of coordinated research efforts, in various aspects of asthma care, has culminated in the implementation trial of the Pharmacy Asthma Management Service (PAMS), a comprehensive disease management model.There has been research investigating asthma medication adherence through data mining, ways in which usual asthma care can be improved. Our research has focused on self-management education, inhaler technique interventions, spirometry trials, interprofessional models of care, and regional trials addressing the particular needs of rural communities. We have determined that inhaler technique education is a necessity and should be repeated if correct technique is to be maintained. We have identified this effectiveness of health promotion and health education, conducted within and outside the confines of the pharmacy, in public for a and settings such as schools, and established that this outreach role is particularly well received and increases the opportunity for people with asthma to engage in their asthma management.Our research has identified that asthma patients have needs which pharmacists delivering specialized models of care, can address. There is a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of asthma care by pharmacists, the future must involve integration of this role into primary care.

Distinguishing stereotype threat from priming effects : On the role of the social self and threat-based concerns (Retracted article. See vol. 104, pg. 196, 2013)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marx, David M.; Stapel, Diederik A.

It has been argued that priming negative stereotypic traits is sufficient to cause stereotype threat. The present research challenges this assumption by highlighting the role of the social self and targets' concerns about confirming a negative group-based stereotype. Specifically, in 3 experiments

Radio Astronomy at TIFR, some highlights and reminiscences

Science.gov (United States)

Swarup, G.

Radio astronomy research was initiated at TIFR fifty years ago. In this historical article, I firstly trace my initiation in the field of radio astronomy during 1953-55 in the Radio Physics Laboratory of CSIRO in Australia and later during 1956-63 in USA. In September 1961, four radio astronomers working abroad wrote to a number of scientific organizations in India with their desire to start radio astronomy research in India. Soon thereafter Dr. Homi Bhabha, the founder Director of TIFR, approved the formation of a radio astronomy group therein. I joined TIFR in April 1963. During the last 50 years, TIFR has built two of the world's largest radio telescopes, namely the 530m long and 30 m wide parabolic cylinder equatorially mounted on a hill at Ooty in South India during 1960s and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope near Pune, consisting of 30 nos. of fully steerable parabolic dishes of 45 m diameters during 1990s. Fifty years of radio astronomy research at TIFR is briefly highlighted here.

Positive cooperativity of the specific binding between Hg2+ ion and T:T mismatched base pairs in duplex DNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torigoe, Hidetaka; Miyakawa, Yukako; Ono, Akira; Kozasa, Tetsuo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Hg 2+ specifically bound with the T:T mismatched base pair at 1:1 molar ratio. ► The binding constant between Hg 2+ and the T:T mismatched base pair was 10 6 M −1 . ► The binding constant was larger than those for nonspecific metal–DNA interactions. ► The binding constant for the second Hg 2+ was larger than that for the first Hg 2+ . ► The positive cooperative binding was observed between Hg 2+ and multiple T:T. - Abstract: Metal-mediated base pairs by the interaction between metal ions and artificial bases in oligonucleotides have been developed for their potential applications in nanotechnology. We recently found that a natural T:T mismatched base pair bound with Hg 2+ ion to form a novel T–Hg–T base pair. Here, we examined the thermodynamic properties of the binding between Hg 2+ and each of the single and double T:T mismatched base pair duplex DNAs by isothermal titration calorimetry. Hg 2+ specifically bound with the T:T mismatched base pair at 1:1 molar ratio with 10 6 M −1 binding constant, which was significantly larger than those for nonspecific metal ion–DNA interactions. In the Hg 2+ –double T:T mismatched base pair interaction, the affinity for the second Hg 2+ binding was significantly larger than that for the first Hg 2+ binding. The positively cooperative binding may be favorable to align multiple Hg 2+ in duplex DNA for the application of the metal-mediated base pairs in nanotechnology.

Narratives of health and illness: Arts-based research capturing the lived experience of dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Moss, Hilary; O'Neill, Desmond

2017-01-01

Introduction This paper presents three artists' residencies in a geriatric medicine unit in a teaching hospital. The aim of the residencies was creation of new work of high artistic quality reflecting the lived experience of the person with dementia and greater understanding of service user experience of living with dementia. This paper also explores arts-based research methodologies in a medical setting. Method Arts-based research and narrative enquiry were the method used in this study. Artists had extensive access to service users with dementia, family carers and clinical team. Projects were created through collaboration between clinical staff, arts and health director, artist, patients and family carers. Each performance was accompanied by a public seminar discussing dementia. Evaluations were undertaken following each residency. The process of creating artistic responses to dementia is outlined, presented and discussed. Results The artworks were well received with repeat performances and exhibitions requested. Evaluations of each residency indicated increased understanding of dementia. The narratives within the artworks aided learning about dementia. The results are a new chamber music composition, a series of visual artworks created collaboratively between visual artist and patients and family carers and a dance film inspired by a dancer's residency, all created through narrative enquiry. These projects support the role of arts-based research as creative process and qualitative research method which contributes to illuminating and exploring the lived experience of dementia. The arts act as a reflective tool for learning and understanding a complex health condition, as well as creating opportunities for increased understanding and public awareness of dementia. Issues arising in arts-based research in medical settings are highlighted, including ethical issues, the importance of service user narrative and multidisciplinary collaboration in arts and health

Brookhaven highlights for fiscal year 1991, October 1, 1990--September 30, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.S.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L.; Kuper, J.B.H.

1991-01-01

This report highlights Brookhaven National Laboratory's activities for fiscal year 1991. Topics from the four research divisions: Computing and Communications, Instrumentation, Reactors, and Safety and Environmental Protection are presented. The research programs at Brookhaven are diverse, as is reflected by the nine different scientific departments: Accelerator Development, Alternating Gradient Synchrotron, Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Medical, National Synchrotron Light Source, Nuclear Energy, and Physics. Administrative and managerial information about Brookhaven are also disclosed. (GHH)

Brookhaven highlights for fiscal year 1991, October 1, 1990--September 30, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.S.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L.; Kuper, J.B.H.

1991-12-31

This report highlights Brookhaven National Laboratory`s activities for fiscal year 1991. Topics from the four research divisions: Computing and Communications, Instrumentation, Reactors, and Safety and Environmental Protection are presented. The research programs at Brookhaven are diverse, as is reflected by the nine different scientific departments: Accelerator Development, Alternating Gradient Synchrotron, Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Medical, National Synchrotron Light Source, Nuclear Energy, and Physics. Administrative and managerial information about Brookhaven are also disclosed. (GHH)

Brookhaven highlights for fiscal year 1991, October 1, 1990--September 30, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, M.S.; Cohen, A.; Greenberg, D.; Seubert, L.; Kuper, J.B.H.

1991-01-01

This report highlights Brookhaven National Laboratory's activities for fiscal year 1991. Topics from the four research divisions: Computing and Communications, Instrumentation, Reactors, and Safety and Environmental Protection are presented. The research programs at Brookhaven are diverse, as is reflected by the nine different scientific departments: Accelerator Development, Alternating Gradient Synchrotron, Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Medical, National Synchrotron Light Source, Nuclear Energy, and Physics. Administrative and managerial information about Brookhaven are also disclosed

Research investigations in oil shale, tar sand, coal research, advanced exploratory process technology, and advanced fuels research: Volume 1 -- Base program. Final report, October 1986--September 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, V.E.

1994-05-01

Numerous studies have been conducted in five principal areas: oil shale, tar sand, underground coal gasification, advanced process technology, and advanced fuels research. In subsequent years, underground coal gasification was broadened to be coal research, under which several research activities were conducted that related to coal processing. The most significant change occurred in 1989 when the agreement was redefined as a Base Program and a Jointly Sponsored Research Program (JSRP). Investigations were conducted under the Base Program to determine the physical and chemical properties of materials suitable for conversion to liquid and gaseous fuels, to test and evaluate processes and innovative concepts for such conversions, to monitor and determine environmental impacts related to development of commercial-sized operations, and to evaluate methods for mitigation of potential environmental impacts. This report is divided into two volumes: Volume 1 consists of 28 summaries that describe the principal research efforts conducted under the Base Program in five topic areas. Volume 2 describes tasks performed within the JSRP. Research conducted under this agreement has resulted in technology transfer of a variety of energy-related research information. A listing of related publications and presentations is given at the end of each research topic summary. More specific and detailed information is provided in the topical reports referenced in the related publications listings.

Non-specific physical symptoms in relation to actual and perceived proximity to mobile phone base stations and powerlines.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baliatsas, C.; Kamp, I. van; Kelfkens, G.; Schipper, M.; Bolte, J.; Yzermans, J.; Lebret, E.

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: Evidence about a possible causal relationship between non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) and exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by sources such as mobile phone base stations (BS) and powerlines is insufficient. So far little epidemiological research has been published on

Physics Faculty Perceptions of Research-based Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Sayre, Eleanor

2016-03-01

When research-based resources are well aligned with the perceived needs of faculty, faculty members will more readily take them up. We used phenomenographic interviews of ordinary physics faculty and department chairs to identify four families of issues that faculty have around research-based assessments (RBAs). First, many faculty are interested in using RBAs, but need help with the practicalities of administering RBAs: how to find them, which ones there are, and how to administer them. Second, at the same time, many faculty think that RBAs are limited and don't measure many of the things they care about, or aren't applicable in their classes. They want assessments to measure skills, perceptions, and specific concepts. Third, many faculty want to turn to communities of other faculty and experts to help them interpret their assessment results and suggest other ways to do assessment. They want to better understand their assessment results by comparing to others and interacting with faculty from other schools to learn about how they do assessment. Fourth, many faculty consider their courses in the broader contexts of accountability and their departments. They want help with assessment in these broader contexts. We also discuss how faculty members' roles in their departments and institutions influence their perceived wants and needs around assessment. Supported by NSF DUE-1256354, DUE-1256354, DUE-1347821, DUE-1347728.

Research issues for radiation protection for man during prolonged spaceflight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conklin, J.J.; Hagan, M.P.

1987-01-01

For the purpose of this article, radiation protection is defined as any physical, chemical, biological, or pharmacological modality that accomplishes the goal of protecting the astronaut from radiation hazard or increases his ability to assist other astronauts or spacecraft. Thoughtful examination of these largely operational considerations led to identification of medical and radiobiological research required to support the industrialization of near-Earth space. The scope of these research efforts involves thematic issues that have been defined after review of the available preliminary research from several scientific disciplines that relate to the problem of radiation protection in space. This article serves to highlight areas of research requiring further investigation. While certain of these needs for research are driven by the planned orbits involving small designated astronaut populations and well-defined durations that may be specific to the military, it is the use of geostationary orbits, permanent lunar basing, and the proposed Mars mission that form the primary basis for these operational considerations.

A US Based Ultrafast Interdisciplinary Research Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Gueye, Paul; Hill, Wendell; Johnson, Anthony

2006-10-01

The US scientific competitiveness on the world arena has substantially decreased due to the lack of funding and training of qualified personnel. Most of the potential workforce found in higher education is composed of foreign students and post-docs. In the specific field of low- and high-field science, the European and Asian communities are rapidly catching-up with the US, even leading in some areas. To remain the leader in ultrafast science and technology, new visions and commitment must be embraced. For that reason, an international effort of more than 70 countries for a US-based interdisciplinary research facility using ultrafast laser technology is under development. It will provide research and educational training, as well as new venues for a strong collaboration between the fields of astrophysics, nuclear/high energy physics, plasma physics, optical sciences, biological and medical physics. This facility will consist of a uniquely designed high contrast multi-lines concept housing twenty experimental rooms shared between four beams:[0.1 TW, 1 kHz], [10 TW, 9 kHz], [100-200 TW, 10 Hz] and [500 TW, 10 Hz]. The detail schematic of this multi-laser system, foreseen research and educational programs, and organizational structure of this facility will be presented.

School Climate Research

Science.gov (United States)

Thapa, Amrit

2013-01-01

School climate research is clearly evolving. The field demands rigorous and empirically sound research that focuses on relating specific aspects and activities of interventions to changes in specific components of school climate. We also need empirical evidence based on sound research techniques on how both interventions and climate affect…

Towards programmatic design research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonas Löwgren

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The notion of design research entails research where design practice forms part of the knowledge production. Based on our characterization of the nature of design, we propose to conceptualize this kind of research as programmatic design research. Two ongoing PhD projects in interaction design are presented as examples of programmatic research processes, highlighting issues to do with the virtues and qualities of the processes, the interplay of optics and engagements in a hermeneutical dynamic, and the production of takeaways for the academic community.

ATLAS Outreach Highlights

CERN Document Server

Cheatham, Susan; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The ATLAS outreach team is very active, promoting particle physics to a broad range of audiences including physicists, general public, policy makers, students and teachers, and media. A selection of current outreach activities and new projects will be presented. Recent highlights include the new ATLAS public website and ATLAS Open Data, the very recent public release of 1 fb-1 of ATLAS data.

Forum on Emerging Infectious Diseases Highlights Leading-Edge Research | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Scientists and professionals from multiple governmental agencies recently gathered at NCI at Frederick for a forum on newly emerging infectious diseases, threats to public health, and ongoing efforts to study high-risk pathogens. During the one-day event, which was sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research’s Scientific Interaction Subcommittee, nine speakers from four agencies shared their research and their agencies’ endeavors to address current and future biological threats.

Difference between highlight and object colors enhances glossiness.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanada, Mitsuhiko

2012-06-01

The effect of highlight and object colors on perception of glossiness was examined. Ten participants rated glossiness of object images. The color coordinates of objects and highlights were varied while luminance of each pixel was unchanged. Four colors were used for objects and highlights. Objects were perceived as glossier when the highlight color was different from the object color than when they were the same. Objects with some unnatural combinations of highlight and object colors were perceived to be as glossy as those with natural color combinations. The results suggested that differences between highlight and object colors enhance perceived glossiness and that perceived glossiness does not depend on naturalness of color combination for highlights and objects.

Combining Project-Based Learning and Community-Based Research in a Research Methodology Course: The Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Arantes do Amaral, João Alberto; Lino dos Santos, Rebeca Júlia Rodrigues

2018-01-01

In this article, we present our findings regarding the course "Research Methodology," offered to 22 first-year undergraduate students studying Administration at the Federal University of São Paulo, Osasco, Brazil. The course, which combined community-based research and project-based learning, was developed during the second semester of…

Navigating the ethics of cross-cultural health promotion research.

Science.gov (United States)

Haintz, Greer Lamaro; Graham, Melissa; McKenzie, Hayley

2015-12-01

Health promotion researchers must consider the ethics of their research, and are usually required to abide by a set of ethical requirements stipulated by governing bodies (such as the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council) and human research ethics committees (HRECs). These requirements address both deontological (rule-based) and consequence-based issues. However, at times there can be a disconnect between the requirements of deontological issues and the cultural sensitivity required when research is set in cultural contexts and settings etic to the HREC. This poses a challenge for health promotion researchers who must negotiate between meeting both the requirements of the HREC and the needs of the community with whom the research is being conducted. Drawing on two case studies, this paper discusses examples from cross-cultural health promotion research in Australian and international settings where disconnect arose and negotiation was required to appropriately meet the needs of all parties. The examples relate to issues of participant recruitment and informed consent, participants under the Australian legal age of consent, participant withdrawal when this seemingly occurs in an ad hoc rather than a formal manner and reciprocity. Although these approaches are context specific, they highlight issues for consideration to advance more culturally appropriate practice in research ethics and suggest ways a stronger anthropological lens can be applied to research ethics to overcome these challenges.

Settings for Physical Activity – Developing a Site-specific Physical Activity Behavior Model based on Multi-level Intervention Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Troelsen, Jens; Klinker, Charlotte Demant; Breum, Lars

Settings for Physical Activity – Developing a Site-specific Physical Activity Behavior Model based on Multi-level Intervention Studies Introduction: Ecological models of health behavior have potential as theoretical framework to comprehend the multiple levels of factors influencing physical...... to be taken into consideration. A theoretical implication of this finding is to develop a site-specific physical activity behavior model adding a layered structure to the ecological model representing the determinants related to the specific site. Support: This study was supported by TrygFonden, Realdania...... activity (PA). The potential is shown by the fact that there has been a dramatic increase in application of ecological models in research and practice. One proposed core principle is that an ecological model is most powerful if the model is behavior-specific. However, based on multi-level interventions...

Comparing the Impact of Course-Based and Apprentice-Based Research Experiences in a Life Science Laboratory Curriculum†

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Casey; Moberg-Parker, Jordan; Toma, Shannon; Ayon, Carlos; Zimmerman, Hilary; Roth-Johnson, Elizabeth A.; Hancock, Stephen P.; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Sanders, Erin R.

2015-01-01

This four-year study describes the assessment of a bifurcated laboratory curriculum designed to provide upper-division undergraduate majors in two life science departments meaningful exposure to authentic research. The timing is critical as it provides a pathway for both directly admitted and transfer students to enter research. To fulfill their degree requirements, all majors complete one of two paths in the laboratory program. One path immerses students in scientific discovery experienced through team research projects (course-based undergraduate research experiences, or CUREs) and the other path through a mentored, independent research project (apprentice-based research experiences, or AREs). The bifurcated laboratory curriculum was structured using backwards design to help all students, irrespective of path, achieve specific learning outcomes. Over 1,000 undergraduates enrolled in the curriculum. Self-report survey results indicate that there were no significant differences in affective gains by path. Students conveyed which aspects of the curriculum were critical to their learning and development of research-oriented skills. Students’ interests in biology increased upon completion of the curriculum, inspiring a subset of CURE participants to subsequently pursue further research. A rubric-guided performance evaluation, employed to directly measure learning, revealed differences in learning gains for CURE versus ARE participants, with evidence suggesting a CURE can reduce the achievement gap between high-performing students and their peers. PMID:26751568

Design-based research – issues in connecting theory, research and practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolmos, Anette

2015-01-01

the gap. But is this as easy as it sounds? The purpose of the article is to identify and discuss issues involved in applying DBR. The article is based on methodology chapters and essays from three PhD studies applying the DBR framework to implement problem and project based learning (PBL). The findings......During the last 20 years, design-based research (DBR) has become a popular methodology for connecting educational theory, research and practice. The missing link between educational theory, research and educational practice is an ongoing issue and DBR is seen as an integrated methodology to bridge...... indicate several key issues at both the scientific and personal level. Scientifically, the main issues are contribution to theory and the role of the researcher. At the personal level, it is an investment beyond normal research procedures to involve yourself as a researcher in curriculum change....

Operational Research(ers in development: Growing a new generation of operational researchers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Durbach

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the theme of training operational research (OR practitioners in South Africa by critically evaluating a Masters program in Operational Research in Development (ORD, launched in 2005 at the University of Cape Town. This program was specifically focused on applying OR to the problems of the developing world in general and Africa in particular. We describe the program and review the practical work undertaken by students participating in the program. Topics range widely across domains including health (antimalarial drug resistance; poverty (food banking; governance (NGO management structures and monitoring of local government performance and sustainable livelihoods (spaza shop operations. We use the review to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the program, as well as challenges faced in the OR education in South Africa at a postgraduate level.

Recent advances in nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Jidong; Fang, Ying; Hou, Junfeng

2016-01-01

Nanopore-based sequencing platforms are transforming the field of genomic science. This review (containing 116 references) highlights some recent progress on nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing. These studies are classified into three categories, biological, solid-state, and hybrid nanopores, according to their nanoporous materials. We begin with a brief description of the translocation-based detection mechanism of nanopores. Next, specific examples are given in nanopore-based nucleic acid analysis and sequencing, with an emphasis on identifying strategies that can improve the resolution of nanopores. This review concludes with a discussion of future research directions that will advance the practical applications of nanopore technology. (author)

Research supporting potential modification of the NASA specification for dry heat microbial reduction of spacecraft hardware

Science.gov (United States)

Spry, James A.; Beaudet, Robert; Schubert, Wayne

Dry heat microbial reduction (DHMR) is the primary method currently used to reduce the microbial load of spacecraft and component parts to comply with planetary protection re-quirements. However, manufacturing processes often involve heating flight hardware to high temperatures for purposes other than planetary protection DHMR. At present, the specifica-tion in NASA document NPR8020.12, describing the process lethality on B. atrophaeus (ATCC 9372) bacterial spores, does not allow for additional planetary protection bioburden reduction credit for processing outside a narrow temperature, time and humidity window. Our results from a comprehensive multi-year laboratory research effort have generated en-hanced data sets on four aspects of the current specification: time and temperature effects in combination, the effect that humidity has on spore lethality, and the lethality for spores with exceptionally high thermal resistance (so called "hardies"). This paper describes potential modifications to the specification, based on the data set gener-ated in the referenced studies. The proposed modifications are intended to broaden the scope of the current specification while still maintaining confidence in a conservative interpretation of the lethality of the DHMR process on microorganisms.

The Brain Takes Center Stage at 2014 NIH Research Festival | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Andrea Frydl, Contributing Writer The 2014 NIH Research Festival, Sept. 22–24, focused on the human brain for two, very specific, reasons: to coincide with the White House BRAIN Initiative and to highlight the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center, which opened earlier this year on the NIH campus.

Highlights from the Electricity Sector Council's powerline technician project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-05-15

The Electricity Sector Council completed a situational analysis of the powerline technician trade in Canada in April 2008. The purpose of the study was to provide industry partners with the opportunity to provide input into the development of the powerline trade; to assess the current workforce; to examine training and working conditions based on in-depth focus group interviews; and to demonstrate regional and provincial differences in apprenticeship development. This report presented highlights from the Electricity Sector Council's powerline technician project. Specifically, the report discussed the number of powerline apprentices entering the trade; regional differences in the powerline trade; and emerging practices for recruitment, retention, and training. Recommendations were also offered in order to address the challenges faced by the powerline trade. It was concluded that the best ways to recruit candidates in the powerline technician trade are to invest in a word-of mouth campaign, such as a coaching program; encourage early introduction to the trades through job sampling; offer financial incentives; and invest in outreach programs. 4 figs.

Absorptive Capacity, Alliance Portfolios and Innovation Performance: an Analytical Model Based on Bibliographic Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresia Diana Lewe van Aduard de Macedo-Soares

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The objective of this article is to present a model for analysing the role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between strategic alliance portfolios and innovation performance based on the results of bibliographic research on the subject published between 2000 and 2015. The research was carried out in three stages, involving both quantitative - bibliometric and bibliographic coupling - and qualitative content analyses.  AP management capabilities were found to have a fundamental moderating role in the AP–IP relationship, and amongst these capabilities AC was highlighted by several authors. However, its role was found to vary according to AP characteristics, notably AP diversity – functional, geographic and institutional, but also centrality, size, stability and volume of resources, alliance and partner types as well as country type: emerging versus developed economies. This research formed the basis for the development of the model and the formulation of some propositions that focused on emerging countries.

Database searches for qualitative research

OpenAIRE

Evans, David

2002-01-01

Interest in the role of qualitative research in evidence-based health care is growing. However, the methods currently used to identify quantitative research do not translate easily to qualitative research. This paper highlights some of the difficulties during searches of electronic databases for qualitative research. These difficulties relate to the descriptive nature of the titles used in some qualitative studies, the variable information provided in abstracts, and the differences in the ind...

SELECTED REQUIREMENTS OF INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BASED ON PAS 99 SPECIFICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł Nowicki

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The aim this research was to analyze the ways of integration of management systems in food sector. The study involved the documentation, audits, corrective and preventive actions and management's review phases described in the specification PAS 99, which is one of common elements of integrated management systems. Four organizations were selected for the study. The organizations had introduced and certified at least two standardized management systems. It was assumed that the investigated organizations should have implemented the HACCP system. Studies were conducted as a case study. The employees responsible for the functioning of management systems were interviewed in all four organizations. The study was conducted in the form of in-depth interviews based on pre-prepared script. The scenario was developed based on the PAS 99 guideline. The process of integration of management systems implemented in the studied companies reveals the full compliance of an integrated management system with PASS 99 in the policy area.

Gender-specific research for emergency diagnosis and management of ischemic heart disease: proceedings from the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Cardiovascular Research Workgroup.

Science.gov (United States)

Safdar, Basmah; Nagurney, John T; Anise, Ayodola; DeVon, Holli A; D'Onofrio, Gail; Hess, Erik P; Hollander, Judd E; Legato, Mariane J; McGregor, Alyson J; Scott, Jane; Tewelde, Semhar; Diercks, Deborah B

2014-12-01

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of death for both men and women. However, over the years, emergency physicians, cardiologists, and other health care practitioners have observed varying outcomes in men and women with symptomatic CAD. Women in general are 10 to 15 years older than men when they develop CAD, but suffer worse postinfarction outcomes compared to age-matched men. This article was developed by the cardiovascular workgroup at the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference to identify sex- and gender-specific gaps in the key themes and research questions related to emergency cardiac ischemia care. The workgroup had diverse stakeholder representation from emergency medicine, cardiology, critical care, nursing, emergency medical services, patients, and major policy-makers in government, academia, and patient care. We implemented the nominal group technique to identify and prioritize themes and research questions using electronic mail, monthly conference calls, in-person meetings, and Web-based surveys between June 2013 and May 2014. Through three rounds of nomination and refinement, followed by an in-person meeting on May 13, 2014, we achieved consensus on five priority themes and 30 research questions. The overarching themes were as follows: 1) the full spectrum of sex-specific risk as well as presentation of cardiac ischemia may not be captured by our standard definition of CAD and needs to incorporate other forms of ischemic heart disease (IHD); 2) diagnosis is further challenged by sex/gender differences in presentation and variable sensitivity of cardiac biomarkers, imaging, and risk scores; 3) sex-specific pathophysiology of cardiac ischemia extends beyond conventional obstructive CAD to include other causes such as microvascular dysfunction, takotsubo, and coronary artery dissection, better recognized as IHD; 4) treatment and prognosis are influenced by sex-specific variations in biology, as well as patient

Context-based Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) research: A literature review and future agenda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Jesper; Jonsson, Patrik

2018-01-01

must be considered when designing and implementing S&OP. Originality/values – This study focused on identifying relevant research on S&OP design by analysing the contribution of literature to a research framework inspired by contingency based research of operations and supply chain management.......&OP design. Research implications – The findings revealed several gaps in the literature on context-dependent S&OP design. To address these gaps, an agenda for future S&OP contingency research is developed. Practical implications – The findings revealed which contextual areas and specific S&OP design issues...

Adapting research-based curricula at Seattle Pacific University: Results on student learning

Science.gov (United States)

Close, Eleanor; Vokos, Stamatis; Lindberg, John; Seeley, Lane

2004-05-01

Seattle Pacific University is the recent recipient of a NSF CCLI grant to improve student learning in introductory physics and calculus courses. This talk will outline the goals of this collaborative project and present some initial results on student performance. Results from research-based assessments will be presented as well as specific examples of successes and challenges from mechanics and electricity and magnetism.

Research needs on food marketing to children. Report of the StanMark project.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobstein, T

2013-03-01

A series of meetings on the topic of children's exposure to the marketing of food and beverages was held between researchers and government officials based in Europe and the Americas during 2010-2011. The meetings resulted in a number of outputs, including observations from policy-makers on the types of evidence they needed to strengthen policy-making. Their observations on the definitions of a child, the specification of foods using nutrient profiling schemes, the types of media carrying marketing messages, and the related policy implementation problems, are summarised in this Short Communication. The paper highlights the need for research which can directly support policy-making and which can evaluate its effectiveness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training’s Role in Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Moon S.

2006-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the content for the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART) with respect to Asian American demographic characteristics and their cancer burden, highlights of accomplishments in various AANCART regions, aspirations for AANCART, and an interim assessment of AANCART’s activities to date. Methods The author compiled literature and other data references to describe the context for Asian American demographic characteristics and their cancer burden. As the AANCART Principal Investigator, he collected data from internal AANCART reports to depict highlights of accomplishments in various AANCART regions and offer evidence that AANCART’s first two specific aims have been attained. Principal Findings With respect to our first specific aim, we have built an infrastructure for cancer awareness, research and training operationally at a Network-wide basis through program directors for biostatistics, community, clinical, and research and in our four original AANCART regions: New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. With respect to our second specific aim, we have established partnerships as exemplified by working collaboratively with New York’s Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in securing external funding with them for a tobacco control initiative and nationally with the American Cancer Society. With respect to our third specific aim, we have been fortunate to assist at least eight junior investigators in receiving NCI-funded pilot studies. The most notable change was the transfer of AANCART’s national headquarters from Columbus, Ohio to Sacramento, California along with potentially an increased diversification of Asian American ethnic groups as well as an expansion to Hawaii and Houston. Conclusion As of the end of year 2 of AANCART, AANCART’s two specific aims have been achieved. We are focusing on our third specific aim. PMID:15352772

ITS1 metabarcoding highlights low specificity of lichen mycobiomes at a local scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Mendoza, Fernando; Fleischhacker, Antonia; Kopun, Theodora; Grube, Martin; Muggia, Lucia

2017-09-01

As self-supporting and long-living symbiotic structures, lichens provide a habitat for many other organisms beside the traditionally considered lichen symbionts-the myco- and the photobionts. The lichen-inhabiting fungi either develop diagnostic phenotypes or occur asymptomatically. Because the degree of specificity towards the lichen host is poorly known, we studied the diversity of these fungi among neighbouring lichens on rocks in an alpine habitat. Using a sequencing metabarcoding approach, we show that lichen mycobiomes clearly reflect the overlap of multiple ecological sets of taxa, which differ in their trophic association with lichen thalli. The lack of specificity to the lichen mycobiome is further supported by the lack of community structure observed using clustering and ordination methods. The communities encountered across samples largely result from the subsampling of a shared species pool, in which we identify three major ecological components: (i) a generalist environmental pool, (ii) a lichenicolous/endolichenic pool and (iii) a pool of transient species. These taxa majorly belong to the fungal classes Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes and Tremellomycetes with close relatives in adjacent ecological niches. We found no significant evidence that the phenotypically recognized lichenicolous fungi influence the occurrence of the other asymptomatic fungi in the host thalli. We claim that lichens work as suboptimal habitats or as a complex spore and mycelium bank, which modulate and allow the regeneration of local fungal communities. By performing an approach that minimizes ambiguities in the taxonomic assignments of fungi, we present how lichen mycobiomes are also suitable targets for improving bioinformatic analyses of fungal metabarcoding. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

INTERACTION OF IRON(II MIXED-LIGAND COMPLEXES WITH DNA: BASE-PAIR SPECIFICITY AND THERMAL DENATURATION STUDIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mudasir Mudasir

2010-06-01

Full Text Available A research about base-pair specificity of the DNA binding of [Fe(phen3]2+, [Fe(phen2(dip]2+ and [Fe(phen(dip2]2+ complexes and the effect of calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA binding of these metal complexes on thermal denaturation of ct-DNA has been carried out. This research is intended to evaluate the preferential binding of the complexes to the sequence of DNA (A-T or G-C sequence and to investigate the binding strength and mode upon their interaction with DNA. Base-pair specificity of the DNA binding of the complexes was determined by comparing the equilibrium binding constant (Kb of each complex to polysynthetic DNA that contain only A-T or G-C sequence. The Kb value of the interaction was determined by spectrophotometric titration and thermal denaturation temperature (Tm was determined by monitoring the absorbance of the mixture solution of each complex and ct-DNA at λ =260 nm as temperature was elevated in the range of 25 - 100 oC. Results of the study show that in general all iron(II complexes studied exhibit a base-pair specificity in their DNA binding to prefer the relatively facile A-T sequence as compared to the G-C one. The thermal denaturation experiments have demonstrated that Fe(phen3]2+ and [Fe(phen2(dip]2+ interact weakly with double helical DNA via electrostatic interaction as indicated by insignificant changes in melting temperature, whereas [Fe(phen2(dip]2+  most probably binds to DNA in mixed modes of interaction, i.e.: intercalation and electrostatic interaction. This conclusion is based on the fact that the binding of [Fe(phen2(dip]2+ to ct-DNA moderately increase the Tm value of ct- DNA   Keywords: DNA Binding, mixed-ligand complexes

[Design of an educational tool for Primary Care patients with chronic non-specific low back pain].

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Cerrillo, Juan Luis; Rondón-Ramos, Antonio

2015-02-01

Current scientific evidence on the management of chronic non-specific low back pain highlights the benefits of physical exercise. This goal is frequently undermined due to lack of education of the subjects on the multifactorial, benign, and non-specific nature of low back pain, which can lead to a chronic disease with genuine psychosocial risk factors. Its influence may not only interfere with individual decision to adopt more adaptive coping behaviors, but also with the endogenous mechanisms of pain neuromodulation. Thus, the educational strategies and control of these factors have become important objectives to be incorporated into the management of the disorder and research guidelines. This paper presents the theoretical models and the scientific basis on which it has based the design of an educational tool for patients with chronic non-specific low back pain treated in Primary Care physiotherapy. Structure, content and objectives are also presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Research highlights for the period February 1, 1980-July 31, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoemaker, F.C.

1980-01-01

Very brief summaries of research during the period February 1, 1980 to July 31, 1980 are given. The subjects included muon interactions, charmed particles, muon pair production, and the eta/sub c/ meson. Completed work has been published

Improving University Research Value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelley O’Reilly

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the current data management practices of university researchers at an Intermountain West land-grant research university in the United States. Key findings suggest that researchers are primarily focused on the collection and housing of research data. However, additional research value exists within the other life cycle stages for research data—specifically in the stages of delivery and maintenance. These stages are where most new demands and requirements exist for data management plans and policies that are conditional for external grant funding; therefore, these findings expose a “gap” in current research practice. These findings should be of interest to academics and practitioners alike as findings highlight key management gaps in the life cycle of research data. This study also suggests a course of action for academic institutions to coalesce campus-wide assets to assist researchers in improving research value.

Technical specifications for PWR secondary water chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weeks, J.R.; van Rooyen, D.

1977-08-01

The bases for establishing Technical Specifications for PWR secondary water chemistry are reviewed. Whereas extremely stringent control of secondary water needs to be maintained to prevent denting in some units, sound bases for establishing limits that will prevent stress corrosion, wastage, and denting do not exist at the present time. This area is being examined very thoroughly by industry-sponsored research programs. Based on the evidence available to date, short term control limits are suggested; establishment of these or other limits as Technical Specifications is not recommended until the results of the research programs have been obtained and evaluated

Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies-SummerStyles 2012 and 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Odom, Erika C; Whittick, Corine; Tong, Xin; John, Katherine A; Cogswell, Mary E

2017-08-04

We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants.

Fabricating graphene supercapacitors: highlighting the impact of surfactants and moieties.

Science.gov (United States)

Brownson, Dale A C; Banks, Craig E

2012-02-01

We highlight the impact of surfactants, routinely used in the fabrication of graphene, which can significantly influence the performance of supercapacitors. Through the utilisation of various graphitic forms we offer insight into the design and fabrication of graphene based supercapacitors. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Alternatives to project-specific consent for access to personal information for health research: Insights from a public dialogue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abelson Julia

2008-11-01

for purposes other than clinical care. This could be done, for example, through a web-based patient portal to their electronic health record. Researchers and policy makers should continue to engage the public to promote greater public understanding of the research process and to look for feasible alternatives to existing approaches to project-specific consent for observational research.

Alternatives to project-specific consent for access to personal information for health research: insights from a public dialogue.

Science.gov (United States)

Willison, Donald J; Swinton, Marilyn; Schwartz, Lisa; Abelson, Julia; Charles, Cathy; Northrup, David; Cheng, Ji; Thabane, Lehana

2008-11-19

example, through a web-based patient portal to their electronic health record. Researchers and policy makers should continue to engage the public to promote greater public understanding of the research process and to look for feasible alternatives to existing approaches to project-specific consent for observational research.

Interview-Based Qualitative Research in Emergency Care Part II: Data Collection, Analysis and Results Reporting

Science.gov (United States)

Ranney, Megan L.; Meisel, Zachary; Choo, Esther K.; Garro, Aris; Sasson, Comilla; Morrow, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Qualitative methods are increasingly being used in emergency care research. Rigorous qualitative methods can play a critical role in advancing the emergency care research agenda by allowing investigators to generate hypotheses, gain an in-depth understanding of health problems or specific populations, create expert consensus, and develop new intervention and dissemination strategies. In Part I of this two-article series, we provided an introduction to general principles of applied qualitative health research and examples of its common use in emergency care research, describing study designs and data collection methods most relevant to our field (observation, individual interviews, and focus groups). Here in Part II of this series, we outline the specific steps necessary to conduct a valid and reliable qualitative research project, with a focus on interview-based studies. These elements include building the research team, preparing data collection guides, defining and obtaining an adequate sample, collecting and organizing qualitative data, and coding and analyzing the data. We also discuss potential ethical considerations unique to qualitative research as it relates to emergency care research. PMID:26284572

Interview-based Qualitative Research in Emergency Care Part II: Data Collection, Analysis and Results Reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranney, Megan L; Meisel, Zachary F; Choo, Esther K; Garro, Aris C; Sasson, Comilla; Morrow Guthrie, Kate

2015-09-01

Qualitative methods are increasingly being used in emergency care research. Rigorous qualitative methods can play a critical role in advancing the emergency care research agenda by allowing investigators to generate hypotheses, gain an in-depth understanding of health problems or specific populations, create expert consensus, and develop new intervention and dissemination strategies. In Part I of this two-article series, we provided an introduction to general principles of applied qualitative health research and examples of its common use in emergency care research, describing study designs and data collection methods most relevant to our field (observation, individual interviews, and focus groups). Here in Part II of this series, we outline the specific steps necessary to conduct a valid and reliable qualitative research project, with a focus on interview-based studies. These elements include building the research team, preparing data collection guides, defining and obtaining an adequate sample, collecting and organizing qualitative data, and coding and analyzing the data. We also discuss potential ethical considerations unique to qualitative research as it relates to emergency care research. © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

MEMS-based platforms for mechanical manipulation and characterization of cells

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Peng; Wang, Wenhui; Ru, Changhai; Sun, Yu; Liu, Xinyu

2017-12-01

Mechanical manipulation and characterization of single cells are important experimental techniques in biological and medical research. Because of the microscale sizes and highly fragile structures of cells, conventional cell manipulation and characterization techniques are not accurate and/or efficient enough or even cannot meet the more and more demanding needs in different types of cell-based studies. To this end, novel microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based technologies have been developed to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and consistency of various cell manipulation and characterization tasks, and enable new types of cell research. This article summarizes existing MEMS-based platforms developed for cell mechanical manipulation and characterization, highlights their specific design considerations making them suitable for their designated tasks, and discuss their advantages and limitations. In closing, an outlook into future trends is also provided.

SUPPORTING LEARNING THROUGH EPISTEMIC SCAFFOLDS EMBEDDED IN A HIGHLIGHTER TOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Erik Dahl

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This article explores the use of epistemic scaffolds embedded in a digital highlighter tool that was used to support students’ readings and discussions of research articles. The use of annotation technologies in education is increasing, and annotations can play a wide variety of epistemic roles; e.g., they can facilitate a deeper level of engagement, support critical thinking, develop cognitive and metacognitive skills and introduce practices that can support knowledge building and independent learning. However, research has shown that the actual tool use often deviates from the underlying knowledge model in the tools. Hence, the situated and mediated nature of these tools is still poorly understood. Research also tends to study the tools as a passed on resource rather than being co-constructed between students and teachers. The researcher argues that approaching these resources as co-constructed can be more productive and can create new spaces for teacher–student dialogues, students’ agency and self-scaffolding.

A Hybrid Parallel Execution Model for Logic Based Requirement Specifications (Invited Paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey J. P. Tsai

1999-05-01

Full Text Available It is well known that undiscovered errors in a requirements specification is extremely expensive to be fixed when discovered in the software maintenance phase. Errors in the requirement phase can be reduced through the validation and verification of the requirements specification. Many logic-based requirements specification languages have been developed to achieve these goals. However, the execution and reasoning of a logic-based requirements specification can be very slow. An effective way to improve their performance is to execute and reason the logic-based requirements specification in parallel. In this paper, we present a hybrid model to facilitate the parallel execution of a logic-based requirements specification language. A logic-based specification is first applied by a data dependency analysis technique which can find all the mode combinations that exist within a specification clause. This mode information is used to support a novel hybrid parallel execution model, which combines both top-down and bottom-up evaluation strategies. This new execution model can find the failure in the deepest node of the search tree at the early stage of the evaluation, thus this new execution model can reduce the total number of nodes searched in the tree, the total processes needed to be generated, and the total communication channels needed in the search process. A simulator has been implemented to analyze the execution behavior of the new model. Experiments show significant improvement based on several criteria.

Ecological research and environmental management: We need different interfaces based on different knowledge types.

Science.gov (United States)

Gosselin, Frédéric; Cordonnier, Thomas; Bilger, Isabelle; Jappiot, Marielle; Chauvin, Christophe; Gosselin, Marion

2018-04-25

The role of ecological science in environmental management has been discussed by many authors who recognize that there is a persistent gap between ecological science and environmental management. Here we develop theory through different perspectives based on knowledge types, research categories and research-management interface types, which we combine into a common framework. To draw out insights for bridging this gap, we build our case by:We point out the complementarities as well as the specificities and limitations of the different types of ecological research, ecological knowledge and research-management interfaces, which is of major importance for environmental management and research policies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing Excellence Gaps: A Research-Based Model

Science.gov (United States)

Plucker, Jonathan A.; Peters, Scott J.; Schmalensee, Stephanie

2017-01-01

As the awareness of the existence and negative effects of excellence gaps has grown among educators and policy makers, so too has a desire for research-supported interventions to reduce these gaps. A recent review of research related to promoting equitable outcomes for all gifted students identified six specific strategies for reducing excellence…

Reflection: Research by Design: Design-Based Research and the Higher Degree Research Student

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy-Clark, Shannon

2015-01-01

The article "Research by design: Design-based research and the higher degree research student" (Kennedy-Clark, 2013) appeared in the "Journal of Learning Design" Volume 6, Issue 2 in 2013. Two years on, Shannon Kennedy-Clark reflects upon her original article. Upon being asked to revisit this article the author reflected upon…

Developing Digital Courseware for a Virtual Nano-Biotechnology Laboratory: A Design-Based Research Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Yueh, Hsiu-Ping; Chen, Tzy-Ling; Lin, Weijane; Sheen, Horn-Jiunn

2014-01-01

This paper first reviews applications of multimedia in engineering education, especially in laboratory learning. It then illustrates a model and accreditation criteria adopted for developing a specific set of nanotechnology laboratory courseware and reports the design-based research approach used in designing and developing the e-learning…

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for FY2003. Annual Highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Carol A.; DeMeo, Anthony R.

2004-01-01

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory FY2003 Annual Highlights report provides a summary of the activities at the Laboratory for the fiscal year--1 October 2002 through 30 September 2003. The report includes the Laboratory's Mission and Vision Statements, a message ''From the Director,'' summaries of the research and engineering activities by project, and sections on Technology Transfer, the Graduate and Science Education Programs, Awards and Honors garnered by the Laboratory and the employees, and the Year in Pictures. There is also a listing of the Laboratory's publications for the year and a section of the abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols used throughout the report. In the PDF document, links have been created from the Table of Contents to each section. You can also return to the Table of Contents from the beginning page of each section. The PPPL Highlights for fiscal year 2003 is also available in hardcopy format. To obtain a copy e-mail Publications and Reports at: pub-reports at pppl.gov. Be sure to include your complete mailing address

Biotransformation and bioactivation reactions - 2016 literature highlights.

Science.gov (United States)

Khojasteh, S Cyrus; Rietjens, Ivonne M C M; Dalvie, Deepak; Miller, Grover

2017-08-01

We are pleased to present a second annual issue highlighting a previous year's literature on biotransformation and bioactivation. Each contributor to this issue worked independently to review the articles published in 2016 and proposed three to four articles, which he or she believed would be of interest to the broader research community. In each synopsis, the contributing author summarized the procedures, analyses and conclusions as described in the original manuscripts. In the commentary sections, our authors offer feedback and highlight aspects of the work that may not be apparent from an initial reading of the article. To be fair, one should still read the original article to gain a more complete understanding of the work conducted. Most of the articles included in this review were published in Drug Metabolism and Disposition or Chemical Research in Toxicology, but attempts were made to seek articles in 25 other journals. Importantly, these articles are not intended to represent a consensus of the best papers of the year, as we did not want to make any arbitrary standards for this purpose, but rather they were chosen by each author for their notable findings and descriptions of novel metabolic pathways or biotransformations. I am pleased that Drs. Rietjens and Dalvie have again contributed to this annual review. We would like to welcome Grover P Miller as an author for this year's issue, and we thank Tom Baillie for his contributions to last year's edition. We have intentionally maintained a balance of authors such that two come from an academic setting and two come from industry. Finally, please drop us a note if you find this review helpful. We would be pleased to hear your opinions of our commentary, and we extend an invitation to anyone who would like to contribute to a future edition of this review. This article is dedicated to Professor Thomas Baillie for his exceptional contributions to the field of drug metabolism.

Advancing Evidence-Based Assessment in School Mental Health: Key Priorities for an Applied Research Agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Prerna G; Connors, Elizabeth H; George, Melissa W; Lyon, Aaron R; Wolk, Courtney B; Weist, Mark D

2016-12-01

Evidence-based assessment (EBA) is a critically important aspect of delivering high-quality, school-based mental health care for youth. However, research in this area is limited and additional applied research on how best to support the implementation of EBA in school mental health (SMH) is needed. Accordingly, this manuscript seeks to facilitate the advancement of research on EBA in SMH by reviewing relevant literature on EBA implementation in schools and providing recommendations for key research priorities. Given the limited number of published studies available, findings from child and adolescent mental health and implementation science research are also included to inform a robust and comprehensive research agenda on this topic. Based on this literature review, five priorities for research on EBA in SMH are outlined: (1) effective identification of assessment targets, (2) appropriate selection of assessment measures, (3) investigation of organizational readiness for EBA, (4) study of implementation support for EBA, and (5) promotion of EBA data integration and use. Each priority area includes recommended directions for future research. A comprehensive and robust research agenda is warranted to build the science and practice of implementing EBA in SMH. Specific directions for this agenda are offered.

Virtual rehabilitation: what are the practical barriers for home-based research?

OpenAIRE

Threapleton, Kate; Drummond, Avril E.R.; Standen, Penny

2016-01-01

Virtual reality technologies are becoming increasingly accessible and affordable to deliver, and consequently the interest in applying virtual reality within rehabilitation is growing. This has resulted in the emergence of research exploring the utility of virtual reality and interactive video gaming interventions for home use by patients. The aim of this paper is to highlight the practical factors and difficulties that may be encountered in research in this area, and to make recommendations ...

Specifics of IFRS Adoption by Central and Eastern European Countries: Evidence from Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Procházka David

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews recent literature on the specifics of adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS by the new EU members from the Central and Eastern Europe. Despite being members of the EU or OECD, the transition to a standard developed economy has not yet finished. The first part of the paper presents macroeconomic statistics and capital market data, which underline a unique economic structure of the region (relative unimportance of capital markets for raising capital, strong dependence on foreign direct investments combined with the lacks in institutional environment. Under such conditions, the economic consequences of IFRS adoption can be unpredictable and adverse. The second part of the paper analyses the reflection of specifics of the IFRS adoption in the CEE region in research studies covered by the Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science database. The analysis reveals (a cross-country disproportion in the research coverage of the area; (b relatively low coverage of the IFRS research focusing on these transition countries in top journals.

Narrative Review of Dance-based Exercise and Its Specific Impact on Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ray Marks

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Depression is a chronic condition that results in considerable disability, and particularly in later life, severely impacts the life quality of the individual with this condition. The first aim of this review article was to summarize, synthesize, and evaluate the research base concerning the use of dance-based exercises on health status, in general, and secondly, specifically for reducing depressive symptoms, in older adults. A third was to provide directives for professionals who work or are likely to work with this population in the future. Methods: All English language peer reviewed publications detailing the efficacy of dance therapy as an intervention strategy for older people in general, and specifically for minimizing depression and dependence among the elderly were analyzed. Key words: dance therapy and depression were included. Databases used were Academic Search Complete, Cinahl, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Results: Collectively, this data reveal dance therapy may be useful as a rehabilitation strategy for older adults, in general, as well as for elders with varying degrees of depression, regardless of strategy employed. Conclusions: Although more research is needed, older individuals with or without chronic depression or depressive symptoms can benefit emotionally from dance based exercise participation. Geriatric clinicians can expect this form of exercise will also heighten the life quality of the older individual with depression or subclinical depression.

Highlights from past and future physics

CERN Multimedia

Daisy Yuhas

2009-01-01

A two-day symposium was held at CERN on 3 and 4 December in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Proton Synchrotron and the twentieth anniversary of LEP. The symposium, entitled “From the Proton Synchrotron to the Large Hadron Collider- 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics”, included a series of seminars reflecting on the past fifty years in particle physics and an exhibition highlighting CERN’s research over this period.   Lyn Evans, LHC project leader, addressing the audience gathered in the Main Auditorium during the symposium that celebrated the 50 years of the PS and the 20 years of LEP.  The events were well attended on both days. Thursday’s reception, to which the Director-General invited everyone working at CERN, attracted over 1200 people. The seminars drew about 500 people to the Main Auditorium and the Council Chamber each day, with at least as many on-line attendees. The symposium speakers, including thirteen No...

Towards tool support for spreadsheet-based domain-specific languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adam, Marian Sorin; Schultz, Ulrik Pagh

2015-01-01

Spreadsheets are commonly used by non-programmers to store data in a structured form, this data can in some cases be considered to be a program in a domain-specific language (DSL). Unlike ordinary text-based domain-specific languages, there is however currently no formalism for expressing...... the syntax of such spreadsheet-based DSLs (SDSLs), and there is no tool support for automatically generating language infrastructure such as parsers and IDE support. In this paper we define a simple notion of two-dimensional grammars for SDSLs, and show how such grammars can be used for automatically...

Locating sex- and gender-specific data in health promotion research: evaluating the sensitivity and precision of published filters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diane L. Lorenzetti

2017-07-01

Conclusions: Although search filters can facilitate the identification of research evidence to enable decision making, variability in study abstracting and indexing can limit the generalizability and usability of these filters. This potential for variability should be considered when deciding to incorporate a search filter into any literature search. This research highlights the importance of this awareness when developing strategies for searching the published literature and the potential value of supplementing database searching with other methods of study identification.

A Systematic Literature Review of Agile Maturity Model Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaughan Henriques

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim/Purpose: A commonly implemented software process improvement framework is the capability maturity model integrated (CMMI. Existing literature indicates higher levels of CMMI maturity could result in a loss of agility due to its organizational focus. To maintain agility, research has focussed attention on agile maturity models. The objective of this paper is to find the common research themes and conclusions in agile maturity model research. Methodology: This research adopts a systematic approach to agile maturity model research, using Google Scholar, Science Direct, and IEEE Xplore as sources. In total 531 articles were initially found matching the search criteria, which was filtered to 39 articles by applying specific exclusion criteria. Contribution:: The article highlights the trends in agile maturity model research, specifically bringing to light the lack of research providing validation of such models. Findings: Two major themes emerge, being the coexistence of agile and CMMI and the development of agile principle based maturity models. The research trend indicates an increase in agile maturity model articles, particularly in the latter half of the last decade, with concentrations of research coinciding with version updates of CMMI. While there is general consensus around higher CMMI maturity levels being incompatible with true agility, there is evidence of the two coexisting when agile is introduced into already highly matured environments. Future Research:\tFuture research direction for this topic should include how to attain higher levels of CMMI maturity using only agile methods, how governance is addressed in agile environments, and whether existing agile maturity models relate to improved project success.

[Study on commercial specification of atractylodes based on Delphi method].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hao; Chen, Li-Xiao; Huang, Lu-Qi; Zhang, Tian-Tian; Li, Ying; Zheng, Yu-Guang

2016-03-01

This research adopts "Delphi method" to evaluate atractylodes traditional traits and rank correlation. By using methods of mathematical statistics the relationship of the traditional identification indicators and atractylodes goods rank correlation was analyzed, It is found that the main characteristics affectingatractylodes commodity specifications and grades of main characters wereoil points of transaction,color of transaction,color of surface,grain of transaction,texture of transaction andspoilage. The study points out that the original "seventy-six kinds of medicinal materials commodity specification standards of atractylodes differentiate commodity specification" is not in conformity with the actual market situation, we need to formulate corresponding atractylodes medicinal products specifications and grades.This study combined with experimental results "Delphi method" and the market actual situation, proposed the new draft atractylodes commodity specifications and grades, as the new atractylodes commodity specifications and grades standards. It provides a reference and theoretical basis. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Innovations in Pharmacy through Practice-Based Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jon C. Schommer

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The overall purpose of this article is to serve as an invitation for submissions to the 'Practice-Based Research' section of INNOVATIONS in pharmacy. To provide background about this section of the journal, this paper describes: (1 the concept of innovations that we will apply, (2 the practice-based research domain, and (3 the use of practice-based research networks for this area of inquiry. We propose that uncertainty surrounding an innovation often will result in the postponement of the decision regarding its adoption until further evidence can be obtained. Such evidence often is gathered through considering the advice and experiences of opinion leaders and members of social systems who have adopted the innovation. We invite authors to present ideas, arguments, and evidence for innovations in pharmacy that arise out of practice-based research. We propose that this journal will be an excellent communication vehicle for providing convincing arguments and sound evidence in favor of innovations. Discourse regarding new ideas in such a format can further develop the ideas, create a critical mass of evidence, and be used for convincing others that the innovation should be adopted. We welcome submissions to the INNOVATIONS in pharmacy, PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH content area that: (1 provide convincing arguments and sound evidence in favor of innovations for pharmacy, (2 are based upon practice-based research from case studies of single patients on one end of the continuum to findings from large populations of patients on the other end of the continuum, and/or (3 introduce innovations for practice-based research networks. We encourage articles from all perspectives and from all methods of inquiry. Type: Invitation

Managing incidental findings in population based biobank research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berge Solberg

2012-04-01

Full Text Available With the introduction of whole genome sequencing in medical research, the debate on how to handle incidental findings is becoming omnipresent. Much of the literature on the topic so far, seems to defend the researcher’s duty to inform, the participant’s right to know combined with a thorough informed consent in order to protect and secure high ethical standards in research. In this paper, we argue that this ethical response to incidental findings and whole genome sequencing is appropriate in a clinical context, in what we call therapeutic research. However, we further argue, that it is rather inappropriate in basic research, like the research going on in public health oriented population based biobanks. Our argument is based on two premises: First, in population based biobank research the duties and rights involved are radically different from a clinical based setting. Second, to introduce the ethical framework from the clinical setting into population based basic research, is not only wrong, but it may lead to unethical consequences. A Norwegian population based biobank and the research-ethical debate in Norway on the regulation of whole genome sequencing is used as an illustrative case to demonstrate the pitfalls when approaching the debate on incidental findings in population based biobank research.

Fostering Organizational Innovation based on modeling the Marketing Research Process through Event-driven Process Chain (EPC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Fleacă

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Enterprises competing in an actual business framework are required to win and maintain their competitiveness by flexibility, fast reaction and conformation to the changing customers' needs based on innovation of work related to products, services, and internal processes. The paper addresses these challenges which gain more complex bonds in a case of high pressure for innovation. The methodology commences with a literature review of the current knowledge on innovation through business processes management. Secondly, it has been applied the Event-driven Process Chain tool from the scientific literature to model the variables of marketing research process. The findings highlight benefits of marketing research workflow that enhances the value of market information while reducing costs of obtaining it, in a coherent way.

Twenty years of Internet-based research at SCiP: A discussion of surviving concepts and new methodologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Christopher R

2017-10-01

This discussion of the symposium 20 Years of Internet-Based Research at SCiP: Surviving Concepts, New Methodologies compares the issues faced by the pioneering Internet-based psychology researchers who presented at the first symposia on the topic, at the 1996 annual meeting of the Society for Computers in Psychology, to the issues facing researchers today. New methodologies unavailable in the early days of Web-based psychological research are discussed, with an emphasis on mobile computing with smartphones that is capitalizing on capabilities such as touch screens and gyro sensors. A persistent issue spanning the decades has been the challenge of conducting scientific research with consumer-grade electronics. In the 1996 symposia on Internet-based research, four advantages were identified: easy access to a geographically unlimited subject population, including subjects from very specific and previously inaccessible target populations; bringing the experiment to the subject; high statistical power through large sample size; and reduced cost. In retrospect, it appears that Internet-based research has largely lived up to this early promise-with the possible exception of sample size, since the public demand for controlled psychology experiments has not always been greater than the supply offered by researchers. There are many reasons for optimism about the future of Internet-based research. However, unless courses and textbooks on psychological research methods begin to give Web-based research the attention it deserves, the future of Internet-based psychological research will remain in doubt.

Identity-specific coding of future rewards in the human orbitofrontal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, James D; Gottfried, Jay A; Tobler, Philippe N; Kahnt, Thorsten

2015-04-21

Nervous systems must encode information about the identity of expected outcomes to make adaptive decisions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying identity-specific value signaling remain poorly understood. By manipulating the value and identity of appetizing food odors in a pattern-based imaging paradigm of human classical conditioning, we were able to identify dissociable predictive representations of identity-specific reward in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and identity-general reward in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Reward-related functional coupling between OFC and olfactory (piriform) cortex and between vmPFC and amygdala revealed parallel pathways that support identity-specific and -general predictive signaling. The demonstration of identity-specific value representations in OFC highlights a role for this region in model-based behavior and reveals mechanisms by which appetitive behavior can go awry.

Team Science Approach to Developing Consensus on Research Good Practices for Practice-Based Research Networks: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette M; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J; Aspy, Cheryl B; Dolor, Rowena J; Fagnan, Lyle J; Levy, Barcey T; Palac, Hannah L; Michaels, LeAnn; Patterson, V Beth; Kano, Miria; Smith, Paul D; Sussman, Andrew L; Williams, Robert; Sterling, Pamela; O'Beirne, Maeve; Neale, Anne Victoria

2015-12-01

Using peer learning strategies, seven experienced PBRNs working in collaborative teams articulated procedures for PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs). The PRGPs is a PBRN-specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. This paper describes the team science processes which culminated in the PRGPs. Skilled facilitators used team science strategies and methods from the Technology of Participation (ToP®), and the Consensus Workshop Method to support teams to codify diverse research expertise in practice-based research. The participatory nature of "sense-making" moved through identifiable stages. Lessons learned include (1) team input into the scope of the final outcome proved vital to project relevance; (2) PBRNs with diverse domains of research expertise contributed broad knowledge on each topic; and (3) ToP® structured facilitation techniques were critical for establishing trust and clarifying the "sense-making" process. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gender Research in Classrooms: Scientific or Political?

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, John A.; Dart, Barry C.

This paper examines selected Australian studies and studies produced in other countries on gender research of classroom interaction between students and their teachers. The results, deficiencies in methodology, selective reporting of data, and the policies based on the research are highlighted. To substantiate a request for more complex and…

INEL BNCT Research Program annual report 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venhuizen, J.R.

1995-11-01

This report is a summary of the progress and research produced for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Research Program for calendar year 1994. Contributions from the principal investigators about their individual projects are included, specifically, chemistry (pituitary tumor studies, boron drug development including liposomes, lipoproteins, and carboranylalanine derivatives), pharmacology (murine screenings, toxicity testing, ICP-AES analysis of biological samples), physics (treatment planning software, neutron beam and filter design, neutron beam measurement dosimetry), and radiation biology (small and large animal models tissue studies and efficacy studies). Information on the potential toxicity of BSH and BPA is presented and results of 21 spontaneous tumor bearing dogs that have been treated with BNCT at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) are discussed. Several boron carrying drugs exhibiting good tumor uptake are described. Significant progress in the potential of treating pituitary tumors is presented. Highlights from the First International Workshop on Accelerator-Based Neutron Sources for BNCT are included

Highlights from the First Ever Demographic Study of Solar Physics, Space Physics, and Upper Atmospheric Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Moldwin, M.; Morrow, C. A.; White, S. C.; Ivie, R.

2014-12-01

Members of the Education & Workforce Working Group and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) conducted the first ever National Demographic Survey of working professionals for the 2012 National Academy of Sciences Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey to learn about the demographics of this sub-field of space science. The instrument contained questions for participants on: the type of workplace; basic demographic information regarding gender and minority status, educational pathways (discipline of undergrad degree, field of their PhD), how their undergraduate and graduate student researchers are funded, participation in NSF and NASA funded spaceflight missions and suborbital programs, and barriers to career advancement. Using contact data bases from AGU, the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division (AAS-SPD), attendees of NOAA's Space Weather Week and proposal submissions to NSF's Atmospheric, Geospace Science Division, the AIP's Statistical Research Center cross correlated and culled these data bases resulting in 2776 unique email addresses of US based working professionals. The survey received 1305 responses (51%) and generated 125 pages of single space answers to a number of open-ended questions. This talk will summarize the highlights of this first-ever demographic survey including findings extracted from the open-ended responses regarding barriers to career advancement which showed significant gender differences.

Ethical issues and best practice in clinically based genomic research: Exeter Stakeholders Meeting Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrieri, D; Bewshea, C; Walker, G; Ahmad, T; Bowen, W; Hall, A; Kelly, S

2016-09-27

Current guidelines on consenting individuals to participate in genomic research are diverse. This creates problems for participants and also for researchers, particularly for clinicians who provide both clinical care and research to their patients. A group of 14 stakeholders met on 7 October 2015 in Exeter to discuss the ethical issues and the best practice arising in clinically based genomic research, with particular emphasis on the issue of returning results to study participants/patients in light of research findings affecting research and clinical practices. The group was deliberately multidisciplinary to ensure that a diversity of views was represented. This report outlines the main ethical issues, areas of best practice and principles underlying ethical clinically based genomic research discussed during the meeting. The main point emerging from the discussion is that ethical principles, rather than being formulaic, should guide researchers/clinicians to identify who the main stakeholders are to consult with for a specific project and to incorporate their voices/views strategically throughout the lifecycle of each project. We believe that the mix of principles and practical guidelines outlined in this report can contribute to current debates on how to conduct ethical clinically based genomic research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Instruction Research

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanah, N.; Prasetyo, A. P. B.; Rudyatmi, E.

2017-04-01

Inquiry-based instruction in biology has been the focus of educational research conducted by Unnes biology department students in collaboration with their university supervisors. This study aimed to describe the methodological aspects, inquiry teaching methods critically, and to analyse the results claims, of the selected four student research reports, grounded in inquiry, based on the database of Unnes biology department 2014. Four experimental quantitative research of 16 were selected as research objects by purposive sampling technique. Data collected through documentation study was qualitatively analysed regarding methods used, quality of inquiry syntax, and finding claims. Findings showed that the student research was still the lack of relevant aspects of research methodology, namely in appropriate sampling procedures, limited validity tests of all research instruments, and the limited parametric statistic (t-test) not supported previously by data normality tests. Their consistent inquiry syntax supported the four mini-thesis claims that inquiry-based teaching influenced their dependent variables significantly. In other words, the findings indicated that positive claims of the research results were not fully supported by good research methods, and well-defined inquiry procedures implementation.

Research by Design: Design-Based Research and the Higher Degree Research student

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy-Clark, Shannon

2013-01-01

Design-based research lends itself to educational research as the aim of this approach is to develop and refine the design of artefacts, tools and curriculum and to advance existing theory or develop new theories that can support and lead to a deepened understanding of learning. This paper provides an overview of the potential benefits of using a…

Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region

CERN Document Server

Nakamura, Tsuko; Strom, Richard G; ICOA-6 Conference

2011-01-01

This book provides readers with the results of recent research from some of the world's leading historians of astronomy on aspects of Arabic, Australian, Chinese, Japanese, and North and South American astronomy and astrophysics. It contains peer-reviewed papers gathered from the International Conferences on Oriental Astronomy 6 (ICO-6) with the chosen theme of "Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region." Of particular note are the sections on Arabic astronomy, Asian applied astronomy and the history of Australian radio astronomy, and the chapter on Peruvian astronomy. This title is a valuable complement for those with research interests in applied historical astronomy; archaeoastronomy; calendars, manuscripts, and star charts; historical instruments and observatories, and the history of radio astronomy.

Evidence-based practice: the importance of education and leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Birgitta; Fogelberg-Dahm, Marie; Wadensten, Barbro

2010-01-01

To describe evidence-based practice among head nurses and to explore whether number of years of duty is associated with such activities. Further to evaluate the effects of education on evidence-based practice and perceived support from immediate superiors. Registered nurses in Sweden are required by law to perform care based on research findings and best experiences. In order to achieve this, evidence-based practice (EBP) is of key importance. All 168 head nurses at two hospitals were asked to participate. Ninety-nine (59%) completed the survey. Data were collected using a study-specific web-based questionnaire. The majority reported a positive attitude towards EBP, but also a lack of time for EBP activities. A greater number of years as a head nurse was positively correlated with research utilization. Education in research methods and perceived support from immediate superiors were statistically and significantly associated with increased EBP activities. The present study highlights the value of education in research methods and the importance of supportive leadership. Education is an important factor in the employment of head nurses. We recommend interventions to create increased support for EBP among management, the goal being to deliver high-quality care and increase patient satisfaction.

Sex-specific lifespan and its evolution in nematodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ancell, Henry; Pires-daSilva, Andre

2017-10-01

Differences between sexes of the same species in lifespan and aging rate are widespread. While the proximal and evolutionary causes of aging are well researched, the factors that contribute to sex differences in these traits have been less studied. The striking diversity of nematodes provides ample opportunity to study variation in sex-specific lifespan patterns associated with shifts in life history and mating strategy. Although the plasticity of these sex differences will make it challenging to generalize from invertebrate to vertebrate systems, studies in nematodes have enabled empirical evaluation of predictions regarding the evolution of lifespan. These studies have highlighted how natural and sexual selection can generate divergent patterns of lifespan if the sexes are subject to different rates or sources of mortality, or if trade-offs between complex traits and longevity are resolved differently in each sex. Here, we integrate evidence derived mainly from nematodes that addresses the molecular and evolutionary basis of sex-specific aging and lifespan. Ultimately, we hope to generate a clearer picture of current knowledge in this area, and also highlight the limitations of our understanding. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

MMCTP: a radiotherapy research environment for Monte Carlo and patient-specific treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, A; DeBlois, F; Stroian, G; Al-Yahya, K; Heath, E; Seuntjens, J

2007-01-01

Radiotherapy research lacks a flexible computational research environment for Monte Carlo (MC) and patient-specific treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to develop a flexible software package on low-cost hardware with the aim of integrating new patient-specific treatment planning with MC dose calculations suitable for large-scale prospective and retrospective treatment planning studies. We designed the software package 'McGill Monte Carlo treatment planning' (MMCTP) for the research development of MC and patient-specific treatment planning. The MMCTP design consists of a graphical user interface (GUI), which runs on a simple workstation connected through standard secure-shell protocol to a cluster for lengthy MC calculations. Treatment planning information (e.g., images, structures, beam geometry properties and dose distributions) is converted into a convenient MMCTP local file storage format designated, the McGill RT format. MMCTP features include (a) DICOM R T, RTOG and CADPlan CART format imports; (b) 2D and 3D visualization views for images, structure contours, and dose distributions; (c) contouring tools; (d) DVH analysis, and dose matrix comparison tools; (e) external beam editing; (f) MC transport calculation from beam source to patient geometry for photon and electron beams. The MC input files, which are prepared from the beam geometry properties and patient information (e.g., images and structure contours), are uploaded and run on a cluster using shell commands controlled from the MMCTP GUI. The visualization, dose matrix operation and DVH tools offer extensive options for plan analysis and comparison between MC plans and plans imported from commercial treatment planning systems. The MMCTP GUI provides a flexible research platform for the development of patient-specific MC treatment planning for photon and electron external beam radiation therapy. The impact of this tool lies in the fact that it allows for systematic, platform

Islandora A Flexible Drupal-Based Virtual Research Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Leggott, M.; Pan, J.

2011-12-01

Research today exists in a landscape where data flood in, literature grows exponentially, and disciplinary boundaries are increasingly porous. Many of the greatest challenges facing researchers are related to managing the information produced during the research life cycle - from the discussion of new projects to the creation of funding proposals, the production and analysis of data, and the presentation of findings via conferences and scholarly publications. The Islandora framework provides a system that stewards digital data in any form (textual, numeric, scientific, multimedia) along the entire course of this research continuum, it facilitates collaboration not just among physically distant members of research groups but also among research groups and their associated support groups. Because Islandora accommodates both the project-specific, experiment-based context and the cross-project, interdisciplinary exploration context of data, the approach to the creation and discovery of data can be called 'discipline-agnostic.' UPEI's Virtual Research Environment (or VRE) has demonstrated the immense benefits of such an approach. In one example scientists collects samples, create detailed metadata for each sample, potentially generating thousands of data files of various kinds, which can all be loaded in one step. Software (some of it developed specifically for this project) then combines, recombines, and transforms these data into alternate formats for analysis -- thereby saving scientists hundreds of hours of manual labor. Wherever possible data are translated, converting them from proprietary file formats to standard XML, and stored -- thereby exposing the data to a larger audience that may bring them together with quite different samples or experiments in novel ways. The same computer processes and software work-flows brought to bear in the context of one research program can be re-used in other areas and across completely different disciplines, since the data are

The role of research efficiency in the evolution of scientific productivity and impact: An agent-based model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You, Zhi-Qiang; Han, Xiao-Pu; Hadzibeganovic, Tarik

2016-01-01

We introduce an agent-based model to investigate the effects of production efficiency (PE) and hot field tracing capability (HFTC) on productivity and impact of scientists embedded in a competitive research environment. Agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of a citation network calibrated by real-world citation datasets. Our Monte-Carlo simulations reveal that differences in individual performance are strongly related to PE, whereas HFTC alone cannot provide sustainable academic careers under intensely competitive conditions. Remarkably, the negative effect of high competition levels on productivity can be buffered by elevated research efficiency if simultaneously HFTC is sufficiently low. - Highlights: • We study the role of production efficiency (PE) and research topic selectivity in the evolution of performance in academia. • In our model, agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of an artificial citation network. • Our agent-based model is calibrated by using datasets from the APS journals and the arxiv.org online preprint repository. • Individual performance is strongly affected by PE, whereas topic selectivity cannot significantly enhance academic success. • With even minimal reductions of research efficiency gaps, fairly profound boosts of scientific careers can be achieved.

The role of research efficiency in the evolution of scientific productivity and impact: An agent-based model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

You, Zhi-Qiang [Alibaba Research Center for Complexity Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Institute of Information Economy and Alibaba Business College, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Han, Xiao-Pu, E-mail: xp@hznu.edu.cn [Alibaba Research Center for Complexity Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Institute of Information Economy and Alibaba Business College, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Hadzibeganovic, Tarik, E-mail: tarik.hadzibeganovic@gmail.com [Department of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz (Austria)

2016-02-22

We introduce an agent-based model to investigate the effects of production efficiency (PE) and hot field tracing capability (HFTC) on productivity and impact of scientists embedded in a competitive research environment. Agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of a citation network calibrated by real-world citation datasets. Our Monte-Carlo simulations reveal that differences in individual performance are strongly related to PE, whereas HFTC alone cannot provide sustainable academic careers under intensely competitive conditions. Remarkably, the negative effect of high competition levels on productivity can be buffered by elevated research efficiency if simultaneously HFTC is sufficiently low. - Highlights: • We study the role of production efficiency (PE) and research topic selectivity in the evolution of performance in academia. • In our model, agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of an artificial citation network. • Our agent-based model is calibrated by using datasets from the APS journals and the arxiv.org online preprint repository. • Individual performance is strongly affected by PE, whereas topic selectivity cannot significantly enhance academic success. • With even minimal reductions of research efficiency gaps, fairly profound boosts of scientific careers can be achieved.

Translating research into practice: the role of provider-based research networks in the diffusion of an evidence-based colon cancer treatment innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, William R; Meyer, Anne-Marie; Wu, Yang; Qaqish, Bahjat; Sanoff, Hanna K; Goldberg, Richard M; Weiner, Bryan J

2012-08-01

Provider-based research networks (PBRNs)--collaborative research partnerships between academic centers and community-based practitioners--are a promising model for accelerating the translation of research into practice; however, empirical evidence of accelerated translation is limited. Oxaliplatin in adjuvant combination chemotherapy is an innovation with clinical trial-proven survival benefit compared with prior therapies. The goal of this study is to examine the diffusion of oxaliplatin into community practice, and whether affiliation with the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP)--a nationwide cancer-focused PBRN--is associated with accelerated innovation adoption. This retrospective observational study used linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare and NCI CCOP data to examine Medicare participants with stage III colon cancer initiating treatment in 2003 through 2006, the years surrounding oxaliplatin's Food and Drug Administration approval. A fixed-effects analysis examined chemotherapy use among patients treated outside academic centers at CCOP-affiliated practices compared with non-CCOP practices. Two-group modeling controlled for multiple levels of clustering, year of chemotherapy initiation, tumor characteristics, patient age, race, comorbidity, Medicaid dual-eligibility status, and education. Of 4055 community patients, 35% received 5-fluoruracil, 20% received oxaliplatin, 7% received another chemotherapy, and 38% received no chemotherapy. Twenty-five percent of CCOP patients received oxaliplatin, compared with 19% of non-CCOP patients. In multivariable analysis, CCOP exposure was associated with higher odds of receiving guideline-concordant treatment in general, and oxaliplatin specifically. These findings contribute to a growing set of evidence linking PBRNs with a greater probability of receiving treatment innovations and high-quality cancer care, with implications for clinical and research

Highlights from the CERN/ESO/NordForsk ''Gender in Physics Day''

Science.gov (United States)

Primas, F.; Guinot, G.; Strandberg, L.

2017-03-01

In their role as observers on the EU Gender Equality Network in the European Research Area (GENERA) project, funded under the Horizon 2020 framework, CERN, ESO and NordForsk joined forces and organised a Gender in Physics Day at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation. The one-day conference aimed to examine innovative activities promoting gender equality, and to discuss gender-oriented policies and best practice in the European Research Area (with special emphasis on intergovernmental organisations), as well as the importance of building solid networks. The event was very well attended and was declared a success. The main highlights of the meeting are reported.

Results at Mallik highlight progress in gas hydrate energy resource research and development

Science.gov (United States)

Collett, T.S.

2005-01-01

The recent studies that project the role of gas hydrates in the future energy resource management are reviewed. Researchers have long speculated that gas hydrates could eventually be a commercial resource for the future. A Joint Industry Project led by ChevronTexaco and the US Department of Energy is designed to characterize gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico. Countries including Japan, canada, and India have established large gas hydrate research and development projects, while China, Korea and Mexico are investigating the viability of forming government-sponsored gas hydrate research projects.

[Qualitative research in health services research - discussion paper, Part 2: Qualitative research in health services research in Germany - an overview].

Science.gov (United States)

Karbach, U; Stamer, M; Holmberg, C; Güthlin, C; Patzelt, C; Meyer, T

2012-08-01

This is the second part of a 3-part discussion paper by the working group on "Qualitative Methods" in the German network of health services research (DNVF) that shall contribute to the development of a memorandum concerning qualitative health services research. It aims to depict the different types of qualitative research that are conducted in health services research in Germany. In addition, the authors present a specific set of qualitative data collection and analysis tools to demonstrate the potential of qualitative research for health services research. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH - AN OVERVIEW: To give an overview of the types of qualitative research conducted in German health services research, the abstracts of the 8th German Conference on Health Services Research were filtered to identify qualitative or mixed-methods studies. These were then analysed by looking at the context which was studied, who was studied, the aims of the studies, and what type of methods were used. Those methods that were mentioned most often for data collection and analysis are described in detail. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AT THE CONFERENCE FOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH 2009: Approximately a fifth of all abstracts (n=74) had a qualitative (n=47) or a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods (n=27). Research aims included needs assessment (41%), survey development (36%), evaluation (22%), and theorizing (1%). Data collection mostly consisted of one-on-one interviews (n=45) and group discussions (n=29). Qualitative content analysis was named in 35 abstracts, 30 abstracts did not reference their method of analysis. In addition to a quantitative summary of the abstract findings, the diversity of fields addressed by qualitative methods is highlighted. Although drawing conclusions on the use of qualitative methods in German health services research from the analysis of conference abstracts is not possible, the overview we present demonstrates the

Introducing the Forensic Research/Reference on Genetics knowledge base, FROG-kb.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajeevan, Haseena; Soundararajan, Usha; Pakstis, Andrew J; Kidd, Kenneth K

2012-09-01

Online tools and databases based on multi-allelic short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs) are actively used in forensic teaching, research, and investigations. The Fst value of each CODIS marker tends to be low across the populations of the world and most populations typically have all the common STRP alleles present diminishing the ability of these systems to discriminate ethnicity. Recently, considerable research is being conducted on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to be considered for human identification and description. However, online tools and databases that can be used for forensic research and investigation are limited. The back end DBMS (Database Management System) for FROG-kb is Oracle version 10. The front end is implemented with specific code using technologies such as Java, Java Servlet, JSP, JQuery, and GoogleCharts. We present an open access web application, FROG-kb (Forensic Research/Reference on Genetics-knowledge base, http://frog.med.yale.edu), that is useful for teaching and research relevant to forensics and can serve as a tool facilitating forensic practice. The underlying data for FROG-kb are provided by the already extensively used and referenced ALlele FREquency Database, ALFRED (http://alfred.med.yale.edu). In addition to displaying data in an organized manner, computational tools that use the underlying allele frequencies with user-provided data are implemented in FROG-kb. These tools are organized by the different published SNP/marker panels available. This web tool currently has implemented general functions possible for two types of SNP panels, individual identification and ancestry inference, and a prediction function specific to a phenotype informative panel for eye color. The current online version of FROG-kb already provides new and useful functionality. We expect FROG-kb to grow and expand in capabilities and welcome input from the forensic community in identifying datasets and functionalities that will be most helpful

The protocols for the 10/66 dementia research group population-based research programme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salas Aquiles

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Latin America, China and India are experiencing unprecedentedly rapid demographic ageing with an increasing number of people with dementia. The 10/66 Dementia Research Group's title refers to the 66% of people with dementia that live in developing countries and the less than one tenth of population-based research carried out in those settings. This paper describes the protocols for the 10/66 population-based and intervention studies that aim to redress this imbalance. Methods/design Cross-sectional comprehensive one phase surveys have been conducted of all residents aged 65 and over of geographically defined catchment areas in ten low and middle income countries (India, China, Nigeria, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru and Argentina, with a sample size of between 1000 and 3000 (generally 2000. Each of the studies uses the same core minimum data set with cross-culturally validated assessments (dementia diagnosis and subtypes, mental disorders, physical health, anthropometry, demographics, extensive non communicable disease risk factor questionnaires, disability/functioning, health service utilisation, care arrangements and caregiver strain. Nested within the population based studies is a randomised controlled trial of a caregiver intervention for people with dementia and their families (ISRCTN41039907; ISRCTN41062011; ISRCTN95135433; ISRCTN66355402; ISRCTN93378627; ISRCTN94921815. A follow up of 2.5 to 3.5 years will be conducted in 7 countries (China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru and Argentina to assess risk factors for incident dementia, stroke and all cause and cause-specific mortality; verbal autopsy will be used to identify causes of death. Discussion The 10/66 DRG baseline population-based studies are nearly complete. The incidence phase will be completed in 2009. All investigators are committed to establish an anonymised file sharing archive with monitored public access. Our

The protocols for the 10/66 dementia research group population-based research programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Martin; Ferri, Cleusa P; Acosta, Daisy; Albanese, Emiliano; Arizaga, Raul; Dewey, Michael; Gavrilova, Svetlana I; Guerra, Mariella; Huang, Yueqin; Jacob, K S; Krishnamoorthy, E S; McKeigue, Paul; Rodriguez, Juan Llibre; Salas, Aquiles; Sosa, Ana Luisa; Sousa, Renata M M; Stewart, Robert; Uwakwe, Richard

2007-07-20

Latin America, China and India are experiencing unprecedentedly rapid demographic ageing with an increasing number of people with dementia. The 10/66 Dementia Research Group's title refers to the 66% of people with dementia that live in developing countries and the less than one tenth of population-based research carried out in those settings. This paper describes the protocols for the 10/66 population-based and intervention studies that aim to redress this imbalance. Cross-sectional comprehensive one phase surveys have been conducted of all residents aged 65 and over of geographically defined catchment areas in ten low and middle income countries (India, China, Nigeria, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru and Argentina), with a sample size of between 1000 and 3000 (generally 2000). Each of the studies uses the same core minimum data set with cross-culturally validated assessments (dementia diagnosis and subtypes, mental disorders, physical health, anthropometry, demographics, extensive non communicable disease risk factor questionnaires, disability/functioning, health service utilisation, care arrangements and caregiver strain). Nested within the population based studies is a randomised controlled trial of a caregiver intervention for people with dementia and their families (ISRCTN41039907; ISRCTN41062011; ISRCTN95135433; ISRCTN66355402; ISRCTN93378627; ISRCTN94921815). A follow up of 2.5 to 3.5 years will be conducted in 7 countries (China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru and Argentina) to assess risk factors for incident dementia, stroke and all cause and cause-specific mortality; verbal autopsy will be used to identify causes of death. The 10/66 DRG baseline population-based studies are nearly complete. The incidence phase will be completed in 2009. All investigators are committed to establish an anonymised file sharing archive with monitored public access. Our aim is to create an evidence base to empower advocacy, raise

The ASME research task force on risk-based in-service inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balkey, K.R.; Chapman, O.J.V.

1997-01-01

The use of risk-based methods in the development of in-service inspection (ISI) and in-service testing (IST) programs for nuclear power plant and other industrial applications has been studied for the last several years through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Centre for Research and Technology Development (ASME 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996). The results of this work are being used as a foundation to develop specific requirements for implementation of risk-based technology in ASME Codes and Standards, regulatory requirements and industry programs both in the U.S. and other countries. This paper provides a brief overview of the ASME Research Methodology and how it has been adapted for application to the inspection of piping within the USA. It also relates how the reliability of nondestructive examination (NDE) methods for pressure boundary components can impact the risk and discusses the relationship between this and NDE qualification/demonstration now being implemented in Europe and the USA. (orig.)

Highlights from the IAEA coordinated research programme on fuel performance and fission product data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabielek, H.; Schenk, W.; Verfondern, K.

1996-01-01

Seven countries are cooperating with the objectives (i) to document the status of the experimental data base and of the predictive methods for Gas-Cooled Reactor fuel performance and fission product behaviour; (ii) to verify and validate methods in fuel performance and fission product retention prediction. These countries are China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, USA and the UK. Duration of the programme is 1993-96. The technology areas addressed in this IAEA Coordinated Research Programme are: Fuel design and manufacture, Normal operation fuel performance and fission product behaviour, Accident condition fuel performance and fission product behaviour, -core heatup, -fast transients, -oxidising conditions (water and air ingress), Plateout, re-entrainment of plateout, fission product behaviour in the reactor building, and Performance of advanced fuels. Work performed so far has generated a 300-page draft document with important information for normal operations (Germany, Japan, China, Russia) and accident conditions (USA, Japan, Germany, Russia) and, additionally, a special chapter on advanced fuels (Japan). (author)

Research-based assessment affordances and constraints: Perceptions of physics faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Adrian; McKagan, Sarah B.; Martinuk, Mathew Sandy; Bell, Alexander; Sayre, Eleanor C.

2016-06-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Preparing and Supporting University Physics Educators.] To help faculty use research-based materials in a more significant way, we learn about their perceived needs and desires and use this information to suggest ways for the physics education research community to address these needs. When research-based resources are well aligned with the perceived needs of faculty, faculty members will more readily take them up. We used phenomenographic interviews of ordinary physics faculty and department chairs to identify four families of issues that faculty have around research-based assessments (RBAs). First, many faculty are interested in using RBAs but need help with the practicalities of administering RBAs: how to find them, which ones there are, and how to administer them. Second, at the same time, many faculty think that RBAs are limited and do not measure many of the things they care about, or are not applicable in their classes. They want assessments to measure skills, perceptions, and specific concepts. Third, many faculty want to turn to communities of other faculty and experts to help them interpret their assessment results and suggest other ways to do assessment. They want to better understand their assessment results by comparing to others and interacting with faculty from other schools to learn about how they do assessment. Fourth, many faculty consider their courses in the broader contexts of accountability and their departments. They want help with assessment in these broader contexts. We also discuss how a faculty member's role in their department and type of institution influence their perceived wants and needs around assessment.

Teen dating violence: building a research program through collaborative insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulford, Carrie F; Blachman-Demner, Dara R

2013-06-01

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has an emerging portfolio of research in the area of teen dating violence (also known as adolescent relationship abuse). This article begins with a discussion of the developments that prompted NIJ to focus on teen dating violence. Next, the article highlights specific accomplishments and contributions that NIJ has made to helping develop knowledge and scientific understanding of adolescent relationship abuse, particularly around the prevention of teen dating violence perpetration and victimization. This is followed by a presentation of some of the key findings from NIJ-funded research. We then move to a discussion of some of the complex issues around definition, measurement and research methods and how NIJ has been involved in addressing those issues. The article concludes with some thoughts about the intersection of teen dating violence research, policy, and practice and highlights several research gaps that are in need of additional attention.

Role of community pharmacists in asthma – Australian research highlighting pathways for future primary care models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saini B

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting the Australian population. Amongst primary healthcare professionals, pharmacists are the most accessible and this places pharmacists in an excellent position to play a role in the management of asthma. Globally, trials of many community pharmacy-based asthma care models have provided evidence that pharmacist delivered interventions can improve clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes for asthma patients. In Australia, a decade of coordinated research efforts, in various aspects of asthma care, has culminated in the implementation trial of the Pharmacy Asthma Management Service (PAMS, a comprehensive disease management model. There has been research investigating asthma medication adherence through data mining, ways in which usual asthma care can be improved. Our research has focused on self-management education, inhaler technique interventions, spirometry trials, interprofessional models of care, and regional trials addressing the particular needs of rural communities. We have determined that inhaler technique education is a necessity and should be repeated if correct technique is to be maintained. We have identified this effectiveness of health promotion and health education, conducted within and outside the confines of the pharmacy, in public for a and settings such as schools, and established that this outreach role is particularly well received and increases the opportunity for people with asthma to engage in their asthma management. Our research has identified that asthma patients have needs which pharmacists delivering specialized models of care, can address. There is a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of asthma care by pharmacists, the future must involve integration of this role into primary care.

Result Diversification Based on Query-Specific Cluster Ranking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. He (Jiyin); E. Meij; M. de Rijke (Maarten)

2011-01-01

htmlabstractResult diversification is a retrieval strategy for dealing with ambiguous or multi-faceted queries by providing documents that cover as many facets of the query as possible. We propose a result diversification framework based on query-specific clustering and cluster ranking,

Ethics in Animal-Based Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Dominik; Tolba, René H

2015-01-01

In recent years, there have been a number of new demands and regulations which have reignited the discussion on ethics in animal-based research. In the light of this development, the present review first presents an overview of underlying core ethical questions and issues. This is followed by an outline of the current discussion on whether animals (used for experimentation) should have rights ascribed to them and whether animals need to have certain characteristics in order to be the beneficiaries of rights. The discourse on concepts of sentience and the 'sociozoological scale' in particular is mapped out in this regard. There follows an outline of relevant ethical positions and current moral approaches to animal-based research (animal rights position, utilitarianism, 'convergence position', intrinsic cultural value of fundamental research, 'contractarianism', anthropocentrism, principle of the three Rs). 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research. Conducting Educational Research

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Kathleen; Kincheloe, Joe

2004-01-01

What does it mean to engage in rigorous research? What does a researcher need to know to produce such research? What is specifically involved in multiple method bricolage research? In an era where talk abounds about scientific rigour and evidence-based research in education, this groundbreaking book presents a new and compelling examination of…

Is Obesity Stigma Based on Perceptions of Appearance or Character? Theory, Evidence, and Directions for Further Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian van Leeuwen

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Theoretical approaches to stigmatization have highlighted distinct psychological mechanisms underlying distinct instances of stigmatization. Some stigmas are based on inferences of substandard psychological character (e.g., individuals deemed untrustworthy, whereas others are based on perceptions of substandard physical appearance (e.g., individuals with physical deformities. These inferences and perceptions are associated with specific cognitive and motivational processes, which have implications for understanding specific instances of stigmatization. Recent theoretical approaches and empirical findings suggest that obesity stigma involves both inferences of substandard psychological character and perceptions of substandard physical appearance. We provide a review of the relevant evidence and discuss directions for future research.

Feasibility assessment of a risk-based approach to technical specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atefi, B.; Gallagher, D.W.

1991-05-01

The first phase of the assessment concentrates on (1) identification of selected risk-based approaches for improving current technical specifications, (2) appraisal of characteristics of each approach, including advantages and disadvantages, and (3) recommendation of one or more approaches that might result in improving current technical specification requirements. The second phase of the work concentrates on assessment of the feasibility of implementation of a pilot program to study detailed characteristics of the preferred approach. The real time risk-based approach was identified as the preferred approach to technical specifications for controlling plant operational risk. There do not appear to be any technical or institutional obstacles to prevent initiation of a pilot program to assess the characteristics and effectiveness of such an approach. 2 tabs

HANDS: a tool for genome-wide discovery of subgenome-specific base-identity in polyploids.

KAUST Repository

Mithani, Aziz; Belfield, Eric J; Brown, Carly; Jiang, Caifu; Leach, Lindsey J; Harberd, Nicholas P

2013-01-01

The analysis of polyploid genomes is problematic because homeologous subgenome sequences are closely related. This relatedness makes it difficult to assign individual sequences to the specific subgenome from which they are derived, and hinders the development of polyploid whole genome assemblies.We here present a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based approach for assignment of subgenome-specific base-identity at sites containing homeolog-specific polymorphisms (HSPs): 'HSP base Assignment using NGS data through Diploid Similarity' (HANDS). We show that HANDS correctly predicts subgenome-specific base-identity at >90% of assayed HSPs in the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) transcriptome, thus providing a substantial increase in accuracy versus previous methods for homeolog-specific base assignment.We conclude that HANDS enables rapid and accurate genome-wide discovery of homeolog-specific base-identity, a capability having multiple applications in polyploid genomics.

HANDS: a tool for genome-wide discovery of subgenome-specific base-identity in polyploids.

KAUST Repository

Mithani, Aziz

2013-09-24

The analysis of polyploid genomes is problematic because homeologous subgenome sequences are closely related. This relatedness makes it difficult to assign individual sequences to the specific subgenome from which they are derived, and hinders the development of polyploid whole genome assemblies.We here present a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based approach for assignment of subgenome-specific base-identity at sites containing homeolog-specific polymorphisms (HSPs): \\'HSP base Assignment using NGS data through Diploid Similarity\\' (HANDS). We show that HANDS correctly predicts subgenome-specific base-identity at >90% of assayed HSPs in the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) transcriptome, thus providing a substantial increase in accuracy versus previous methods for homeolog-specific base assignment.We conclude that HANDS enables rapid and accurate genome-wide discovery of homeolog-specific base-identity, a capability having multiple applications in polyploid genomics.

Recent Progress in Aptamer-Based Functional Probes for Bioanalysis and Biomedicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huimin; Zhou, Leiji; Zhu, Zhi; Yang, Chaoyong

2016-07-11

Nucleic acid aptamers are short synthetic DNA or RNA sequences that can bind to a wide range of targets with high affinity and specificity. In recent years, aptamers have attracted increasing research interest due to their unique features of high binding affinity and specificity, small size, excellent chemical stability, easy chemical synthesis, facile modification, and minimal immunogenicity. These properties make aptamers ideal recognition ligands for bioanalysis, disease diagnosis, and cancer therapy. This review highlights the recent progress in aptamer selection and the latest applications of aptamer-based functional probes in the fields of bioanalysis and biomedicine. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Syndicate of renewable energies - Highlights 2016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

This publication first proposes a presentation of the SER (Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables, Syndicate of Renewable Energies), a professional body: missions, scope of action, members. It outlines its commitment in the French policy for energy transition as a major actor of the sector of renewable energies. It addresses the legal and regulatory framework as well as the economic framework and markets. It proposes brief presentations of transverse actions regarding power grids, overseas territories, the building sector and the international export. Some highlights related to ground-based wind power, renewable marine energies and offshore wind energy, solar photovoltaic energy, bio-energies (wood-fueled power plants for collective, tertiary and industrial sectors, biogas, biofuels and municipal wastes), domestic wood space heating, geothermal energy and hydroelectricity are mentioned. Actions in the field of communication are summarized, and projects for 2017 are briefly indicated

Research-Based Knowledge: Researchers' Contribution to Evidence-Based Practice and Policy Making in Career Guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Haug, Erik Hagaseth; Plant, Peter

2016-01-01

To present evidence for the outcomes of career guidance is increasingly seen as pivotal for a further professionalization of policy making and service provision. This paper puts an emphasis on researchers' contribution to evidence-based practice and policy making in career guidance. We argue for a broader and more pluralistic research strategy to…

An approach for activity-based DEVS model specification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alshareef, Abdurrahman; Sarjoughian, Hessam S.; Zarrin, Bahram

2016-01-01

Creation of DEVS models has been advanced through Model Driven Architecture and its frameworks. The overarching role of the frameworks has been to help develop model specifications in a disciplined fashion. Frameworks can provide intermediary layers between the higher level mathematical models...... and their corresponding software specifications from both structural and behavioral aspects. Unlike structural modeling, developing models to specify behavior of systems is known to be harder and more complex, particularly when operations with non-trivial control schemes are required. In this paper, we propose specifying...... activity-based behavior modeling of parallel DEVS atomic models. We consider UML activities and actions as fundamental units of behavior modeling, especially in the presence of recent advances in the UML 2.5 specifications. We describe in detail how to approach activity modeling with a set of elemental...

Logistics case study based research: Towards higher quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedrosa, Alex; Näslund, Dag; Jasmand, Claudia

2012-01-01

analysis of 134 case study based articles published in six leading logistics and supply chain management (SCM) journals between 1998 and 2010 is used to assess and evaluate the quality of the case study based research approach as documented in these publications. Findings – This research provides...... to address to ensure high quality of the case study based research approach in published articles. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to the analysis of published articles in six logistics and SCM journals. Further research should investigate different journals in logistics and other...

Result diversification based on query-specific cluster ranking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

He, J.; Meij, E.; de Rijke, M.

2011-01-01

Result diversification is a retrieval strategy for dealing with ambiguous or multi-faceted queries by providing documents that cover as many facets of the query as possible. We propose a result diversification framework based on query-specific clustering and cluster ranking, in which diversification

Use of Comparative Genomics-Based Markers for Discrimination of Host Specificity in Fusarium oxysporum.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dam, Peter; de Sain, Mara; Ter Horst, Anneliek; van der Gragt, Michelle; Rep, Martijn

2018-01-01

their host range, which is normally restricted to only one or a few plant species. However, horizontal gene transfer between strains in the species complex has resulted in a polyphyletic origin of host specificity in many of these formae speciales This hinders accurate and rapid pathogen detection through molecular methods. In our research, we compared the genomes of 88 strains of F. oxysporum with each other, specifically targeting virulence-related genes that are typically highly similar within each forma specialis Using this approach, we identified marker sequences that allow the discrimination of F. oxysporum strains affecting various cucurbit plant species through different PCR-based methods. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Algal Pretreatment Improves Biofuels Yield and Value; Highlights in Science, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-05-15

One of the major challenges associated with algal biofuels production in a biorefinery-type setting is improving biomass utilization in its entirety, increasing the process energetic yields and providing economically viable and scalable co-product concepts. We demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel, integrated technology based on moderate temperatures and low pH to convert the carbohydrates in wet algal biomass to soluble sugars for fermentation, while making lipids more accessible for downstream extraction and leaving a protein-enriched fraction behind. This research has been highlighted in the Green Chemistry journal article mentioned above and a milestone report, and is based on the work the researchers are doing for the AOP projects Algal Biomass Conversion and Algal Biofuels Techno-economic Analysis. That work has demonstrated an advanced process for algal biofuel production that captures the value of both the algal lipids and carbohydrates for conversion to biofuels.  With this process, as much as 150 GGE/ton of biomass can be produced, 2-3X more than can be produced by terrestrial feedstocks.  This can also reduce the cost of biofuel production by as much as 40%. This also represents the first ever design case for the algal lipid upgrading pathway.

Check specific compounds lyrics Saeb and Biddle, based on syntactic and semantic core composition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

khodabakhsh asadollahi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Saebe Tabrizi and Bidele Dehlavi of the most famous poets in Hindi, which each in turn, the Iranian branch and Hindi Hindi style, the lyrics have been changed in this period. Most scholars who have studied the poetry Biddle to research, Specific compounds as one of the most important factors in a monopoly ambiguity Biddle poetry and in the making and meaning of these compounds have less reflection. Here are the lyrics to rely on dictionary and Biddle, the Iranian branch of specific compounds in both Hindi and Hindi poetry style is investigated. Combining both his first two exocentric and endocentric compounds is assorted, Based on Syntactic relations, various models of deep structure and composition relationships is presented. Saeb specific compounds and Biddle in deep syntactic relations as diverse as the relationship between the finite, nominative, accusative, amendment and so on.The semantic structure, certain combinations of the two poets more varied combinations are commonplace in standard language, so that some of the compounds exist in terms of meaning in language

Understanding Ethics in School-Based Research

Science.gov (United States)

Bryan, Hazel; Burstow, Bob

2018-01-01

The notion of the "teacher as researcher" has been in the education lexicon since the mid-1970s. School-based research, we suggest, is currently enjoying something of a renaissance, flourishing within the emerging, complex school landscape. This empirical research engages with 25 school leaders to explore the ways in which…

A web-based tool to engage stakeholders in informing research planning for future decisions on emerging materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, Christina M.; Grieger, Khara D.; Hendren, Christine Ogilvie; Meacham, Connie A.; Gurevich, Gerald; Lassiter, Meredith Gooding; Money, Eric S.; Lloyd, Jennifer M.; Beaulieu, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

Prioritizing and assessing risks associated with chemicals, industrial materials, or emerging technologies is a complex problem that benefits from the involvement of multiple stakeholder groups. For example, in the case of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), scientific uncertainties exist that hamper environmental, health, and safety (EHS) assessments. Therefore, alternative approaches to standard EHS assessment methods have gained increased attention. The objective of this paper is to describe the application of a web-based, interactive decision support tool developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) in a pilot study on ENMs. The piloted tool implements U.S. EPA's comprehensive environmental assessment (CEA) approach to prioritize research gaps. When pursued, such research priorities can result in data that subsequently improve the scientific robustness of risk assessments and inform future risk management decisions. Pilot results suggest that the tool was useful in facilitating multi-stakeholder prioritization of research gaps. Results also provide potential improvements for subsequent applications. The outcomes of future CEAWeb applications with larger stakeholder groups may inform the development of funding opportunities for emerging materials across the scientific community (e.g., National Science Foundation Science to Achieve Results [STAR] grants, National Institutes of Health Requests for Proposals). - Highlights: • A web-based, interactive decision support tool was piloted for emerging materials. • The tool (CEAWeb) was based on an established approach to prioritize research gaps. • CEAWeb facilitates multi-stakeholder prioritization of research gaps. • We provide recommendations for future versions and applications of CEAWeb

Current and Future Research Directions in Requirements Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Betty H. C.; Atlee, Joanne M.

In this paper, we review current requirements engineering (RE) research and identify future research directions suggested by emerging software needs. First, we overview the state of the art in RE research. The research is considered with respect to technologies developed to address specific requirements tasks, such as elicitation, modeling, and analysis. Such a review enables us to identify mature areas of research, as well as areas that warrant further investigation. Next, we review several strategies for performing and extending RE research results, to help delineate the scope of future research directions. Finally, we highlight what we consider to be the “hot” current and future research topics, which aim to address RE needs for emerging systems of the future.

Landscape of Research Areas for Zeolites and Metal-Organic Frameworks Using Computational Classification Based on Citation Networks