Processing of intended and unintended strategic issues and integration into the strategic agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridder, Hans-Gerd; Schrader, Jan Simon

2017-11-01

Strategic change is needed in hospitals due to external and internal pressures. However, research on strategic change, as a combination of management and medical expertise in hospitals, remains scarce. We analyze how intended strategic issues are processed into deliberate strategies and how unintended strategic issues are processed into emergent strategies in the management of strategy formation in hospitals. This study empirically investigates the integration of medical and management expertise in strategy formation. The longitudinal character of the case study enabled us to track patterns of intended and unintended strategic issues over 2 years. We triangulated data from interviews, observations, and documents. In accordance with the quality standards of qualitative research procedures, we analyzed the data by pattern matching and provided analytical generalization regarding strategy formation in hospitals. Our findings suggest that strategic issues are particularly successful within the strategy formation process if interest groups are concerned with the strategic issue, prospective profits are estimated, and relevant decisions makers are involved early on. Structure and interaction processes require clear criteria and transparent procedures for effective strategy formation. There is systematic neglect of medical expertise in processes of generating strategies. Our study reveals that the decentralized structure of medical centers is an adequate template for both the operationalization of intended strategic issues and the development of unintended strategic issues. However, tasks, roles, responsibility, resources, and administrative support are necessary for effective management of strategy formation. Similarly, criteria, procedures, and decision-making are prerequisites for effective strategy formation.

The postmodern issues and the theory of integration

OpenAIRE

Aurelian Petrus Plopeanu

2008-01-01

European Union continues the integration process as a postmodernist structure. From an institutional optics, the European Union integration is balancing between federalism and intergovernmentalism in the debate sphere. The relation between EU accession and the effects towards economic growth, future integration issues, the federalism and the constitutionalism of the European Union, the neo-neofunctionalism and the liberal inter-governmentalism theories and the welfare of the European Union in...

Integrating Gender Issues in Recovery and Reconstruction Planning

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2011-01-01

This note on integrating gender issues in recovery and reconstruction planning is the fifth in a series of guidance notes on gender issues in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in East Asia and Pacific region. There are number of key challenges that women face in different elements of post disaster risk reconstruction and recovery. This note addresses the following bottlenecks: a) housing, lan...

Concept of Operations Evaluation for Mitigating Space Flight-Relevant Medical Issues in a Planetary Habitat

Science.gov (United States)

Barsten, Kristina; Hurst, Victor, IV; Scheuring, Richard; Baumann, David K.; Johnson-Throop, Kathy

2010-01-01

Introduction: Analogue environments assist the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) in developing capabilities to mitigate high risk issues to crew health and performance for space exploration. The Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) is an analogue habitat used to assess space-related products for planetary missions. The Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) element at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) was tasked with developing planetary-relevant medical scenarios to evaluate the concept of operations for mitigating medical issues in such an environment. Methods: Two medical scenarios were conducted within the simulated planetary habitat with the crew executing two space flight-relevant procedures: Eye Examination with a corneal injury and Skin Laceration. Remote guidance for the crew was provided by a flight surgeon (FS) stationed at a console outside of the habitat. Audio and video data were collected to capture the communication between the crew and the FS, as well as the movements of the crew executing the procedures. Questionnaire data regarding procedure content and remote guidance performance also were collected from the crew immediately after the sessions. Results: Preliminary review of the audio, video, and questionnaire data from the two scenarios conducted within the HDU indicate that remote guidance techniques from an FS on console can help crew members within a planetary habitat mitigate planetary-relevant medical issues. The content and format of the procedures were considered concise and intuitive, respectively. Discussion: Overall, the preliminary data from the evaluation suggest that use of remote guidance techniques by a FS can help HDU crew execute space exploration-relevant medical procedures within a habitat relevant to planetary missions, however further evaluations will be needed to implement this strategy into the complete concept of operations for conducting general space medicine within similar environments

Organizational and social-psychological issues relevant to fallout-shelter evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wernette, D.R.

1983-01-01

This paper presents the results of a preliminary review of the literature on organizational and social-psychological issues relevant to fallout-shelter evaluation. Fallout-shelter options are evaluated along two dimensions: shelter size, and extent of shelteree participation in the shelter construction. Four functional criteria are used in the evaluation: decision-making, member coordination, social control, and maintaining morale. Smaller shelters requiring shelteree participation in construction appear preferable as measured in most of these criteria. Additional factors mentioned include demographic characteristics of the shelter population, degree and type of ventilation system, and availability of medical equipment and personnel. 10 references.

Strategic Issues Facing U.S. Navy Human Systems Integration Professionals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Duehring, Jeremy L

2007-01-01

.... Strategic issues represent relevant challenges and problems facing this community over the next few years, including appropriate pay-back tours from officers receiving master's degrees from the NPS...

Integration of Work-life Issues with Respect to Female Employees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jitendra Kumar Sharma

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Work-life integration issue has become an agenda of board room meetings across the globe especially in India. A working person has multiple roles to play at a time at personal as well as organizational fronts; each demanding different skills and anticipations. When such role demands overlap and get clashed, serious problems are faced by the employees. Moreover, in sales, the performance pressure is high leading to work stress reflected in personal life. This research paper is an attempt to delve into the issue of work-life integration issues with reference to young women working as school teachers in private schools of Mumbai.

Integrated primary health care in Greece, a missing issue in the current health policy agenda: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christos Lionis

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Over the past years, Greece has undergone several endeavors aimed at modernizing and improving national health care services with a focus on PHC. However, the extent to which integrated primary health care has been achieved is still questioned. Purpose: This paper explores the extent to which integrated primary health care (PHC is an issue in the current agenda of policy makers in Greece, reporting constraints and opportunities and highlighting the need for a policy perspective in developing integrated PHC in this Southern European country. Methods: A systematic review in PubMed/Medline and SCOPUS, along with a hand search in selected Greek biomedical journals was undertaken to identify key papers, reports, editorials or opinion letters relevant to integrated health care. Results: Our systematic review identified 198 papers and 161 out of them were derived from electronic search. Fifty-three papers in total served the scope of this review and are shortly reported. A key finding is that the long-standing dominance of medical perspectives in Greek health policy has been paving the way towards vertical integration, pushing aside any discussions about horizontal or comprehensive integration of care. Conclusion: Establishment of integrated PHC in Greece is still at its infancy, requiring major restructuring of the current national health system, as well as organizational culture changes. Moving towards a new policy-based model would bring this missing issue on the discussion table, facilitating further development.

Hydrogen combustion issues and containment integrity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tennankore, K.N.; Koroll, G.W.; Kumar, R.K.; Lam, A.H.T.; Chan, C.K.; Wren, D.J.

1987-01-01

This report reviews recent results from the research program at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment aimed at resolving hydrogen combustion issues relevant to reactor containment integrity. The areas considered are hydrogen mixing behaviour, flame propagation, pressure transients caused by deflagration, flame acceleration and transition to detonation. Small-scale tests carried out with helium/CO 2 systems indicate that the presence of a recirculation path will enhance buoyancy-driven mixing of hydrogen-steam jets with air in the containment. An extensive database has been assembled for the laminar burning velocity of hydrogen-air-steam mixtures. Work is now beginning on obtaining burning velocities under turbulent conditions likely to prevail in containments. Turbulent and vented combustion data obtained in a 2.3-m-diameter spherical vessel have been analyzed. The results indicate that the pressure predictions of a one-dimensional model can be matched with the data if different effective burning velocities are used. Obstacle-induced flame acceleration and transition to detonation have been studied in a small-scale test facility to determine conditions required for transition to detonation in containments. For a repeated obstacle configuration, the obstacle blockage ratio required to cause transition (deflagation to detonation or detonation to deflagration) can be correlated well with detonation cell size. Cell sizes for mixtures of interest are being determined in our laboratory to complement available data. The transition-to-detonation process has been visualized in the above tests by Schlieren photography. The eventual objective of this work is to identify the local conditions controlling the transition process

Relevant Factors in The Post-Merger Systems Integration and Information Technology in Brazilian Banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Ginotti Pires

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the factors present in post-merger integration of Systems and Information Technology (SIT that lead to positive and negative results in mergers and acquisitions (M & A. The research comprised three of the largest acquiring banks in Brazil. We adopted two methods of research, qualitative, to operationalize the theoretical concepts and quantitative, to test the hypotheses. We interviewed six executives of banks that held relevant experience in M & A processes. Subsequently, we applied questionnaires to IT professionals who were involved in the SIT integration processes. The results showed that the quality and expertise of the integration teams and managing the integration were the most relevant factors in the processes, with positive results for increased efficiency and the increased capacity of SIT. Negative results were due to failures in exploiting learning opportunities, the loss of employees and the inexpressive record of integration procedures.

At Issue: Academic Integrity, an Annotated Bibliography

Science.gov (United States)

Pricer, Wayne F.

2009-01-01

Academic integrity is central to the heart of any academic institution, yet the topic is a complex one. This bibliography addresses the subjects of copyright and plagiarism. Resources for exploring common campus copyright and fair use issues seek to answer common, frequently misunderstood questions such as what exactly does "copyright" mean? What…

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION FROM POLAND’S VIEWPOINT. SELECTED ISSUES

OpenAIRE

Iwona M. Pawlas

2014-01-01

It has been ten years since Poland joined the European Union in May 2004. Integration with the EU structures resulted in considerable economic, social and political advantages. On the other hand membership in the EU created new challenges for Poland, the Polish companies and the Polish citizens. The paper reviews selected issues of Poland’s integration with the European Union with special focus on net financial effect of membership, competitiveness of Polish goods on single European market, p...

Data Integrity: History, Issues, and Remediation of Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Rattan, Anil K

2018-01-01

Data integrity is critical to regulatory compliance, and the fundamental reason for 21 CFR Part 11 published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA published the first guideline in 1963, and since then FDA and European Union (EU) have published numerous guidelines on various topics related to data integrity for the pharmaceutical industry. Regulators wanted to make certain that industry capture accurate data during the drug development lifecycle and through commercialization-consider the number of warning letters issued lately by inspectors across the globe on data integrity. This article discusses the history of regulations put forward by various regulatory bodies, the term ALCOA Plus adopted by regulators, the impact of not following regulations, and some prevention methods by using some simple checklists, self-audit, and self-inspection techniques. FDA uses the acronym ALCOA to define its expectations of electronic data. ALCOA stands for Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate. ALCOA was further expanded to ALCOA Plus, and the Plus means Enduring, Available and Accessible, Complete, Consistent, Credible, and Corroborated. If we do not follow the regulations as written, then there is a huge risk. This article covers some of the risk aspects. To prevent data integrity, various solutions can be implemented such as a simple checklist for various systems, self-audit, and self-inspections. To do that we have to develop strategy, people, implement better business processes, and gain a better understanding of data lifecycle as well as technology. LAY ABSTRACT: If one does a Google search on "What is data integrity?" the first page will give the definition of data integrity, how to learn more about data integrity, the history of data integrity, risk management of data integrity, and at the top about various U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) regulations. Data integrity is nothing but about accuracy of data

Innovation and Integrity in Intervention Research: Conceptual Issues, Methodology, and Knowledge Translation.

Science.gov (United States)

Malti, Tina; Beelmann, Andreas; Noam, Gil G; Sommer, Simon

2018-04-01

In this article, we introduce the special issue entitled Innovation and Integrity in Intervention Science. Its focus is on essential problems and prospects for intervention research examining two related topics, i.e., methodological issues and research integrity, and challenges in the transfer of research knowledge into practice and policy. The main aims are to identify how to advance methodology in order to improve research quality, examine scientific integrity in the field of intervention science, and discuss future steps to enhance the transfer of knowledge about evidence-based intervention principles into sustained practice, routine activities, and policy decisions. Themes of the special issue are twofold. The first includes questions about research methodology in intervention science, both in terms of research design and methods, as well as data analyses and the reporting of findings. Second, the issue tackles questions surrounding the types of knowledge translation frameworks that might be beneficial to mobilize the transfer of research-based knowledge into practice and public policies. The issue argues that innovations in methodology and thoughtful approaches to knowledge translation can enable transparency, quality, and sustainability of intervention research.

Integrative dimensions of psychotherapy training.

Science.gov (United States)

Greben, Daniel H

2004-04-01

This paper investigates the influence of integrative factors on psychotherapy education. The broad relevance of integrative psychotherapy to residency training and continuing mental health education is discussed. Following a review of the existing literature on the education of integrative psychotherapists, the article systematically examines the integrative and pedagogic issues to be considered in planning psychotherapy training informed by integrative principles. The integrative issues are organized into 5 categories: attitudinal set, knowledge base, clinical techniques and skills, developmental tasks and challenges, and systemic institutional factors. The educational issues can be divided into 4 categories: content, format and process, sequence, and faculty development. Brief descriptions of actual educational interventions illustrate the implementation of such ideas. Specific recommendations are made regarding the development of integrative educational initiatives and future study of unresolved questions.

The Challenges Of Integrating Population Issues Into Development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Population dynamic is one of the prime factors for social, economic and technological change worldwide. As population size and composition change in an area, people have to adjust leading to innumerable alterations in the way society operates. The integration of population issues into development planning is crucial.

Key issues regarding digital libraries evaluation and integration

CERN Document Server

Shen, Rao; Fox, Edward A

2013-01-01

This is the second book based on the 5S (Societies, Scenarios, Spaces, Structures, Streams) approach to digital libraries (DLs). Leveraging the first volume, on Theoretical Foundations, we focus on the key issues of evaluation and integration. These cross-cutting issues serve as a bridge for those interested in DLs, connecting the introduction and formal discussion in the first book, with the coverage of key technologies in the third book, and of illustrative applications in the fourth book. These two topics have central importance in the DL field, allowing it to be treated scientifically as well as practically. In the scholarly world, we only really understand something if we know how to measure and evaluate it. In the Internet era of distributed information systems, we only can be practical at scale if we integrate across both systems and their associated content. Evaluation of DLs must take place atmultiple levels,so we can address the different entities and their associated measures. Thus, for digital obj...

Enabling multi-level relevance feedback on PubMed by integrating rank learning into DBMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hwanjo; Kim, Taehoon; Oh, Jinoh; Ko, Ilhwan; Kim, Sungchul; Han, Wook-Shin

2010-04-16

Finding relevant articles from PubMed is challenging because it is hard to express the user's specific intention in the given query interface, and a keyword query typically retrieves a large number of results. Researchers have applied machine learning techniques to find relevant articles by ranking the articles according to the learned relevance function. However, the process of learning and ranking is usually done offline without integrated with the keyword queries, and the users have to provide a large amount of training documents to get a reasonable learning accuracy. This paper proposes a novel multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, called RefMed, which supports both ad-hoc keyword queries and a multi-level relevance feedback in real time on PubMed. RefMed supports a multi-level relevance feedback by using the RankSVM as the learning method, and thus it achieves higher accuracy with less feedback. RefMed "tightly" integrates the RankSVM into RDBMS to support both keyword queries and the multi-level relevance feedback in real time; the tight coupling of the RankSVM and DBMS substantially improves the processing time. An efficient parameter selection method for the RankSVM is also proposed, which tunes the RankSVM parameter without performing validation. Thereby, RefMed achieves a high learning accuracy in real time without performing a validation process. RefMed is accessible at http://dm.postech.ac.kr/refmed. RefMed is the first multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, which achieves a high accuracy with less feedback. It effectively learns an accurate relevance function from the user's feedback and efficiently processes the function to return relevant articles in real time.

NREL Leads Energy Systems Integration, Continuum Magazine: Issue 4 (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2013-04-01

Continuum Magazine showcases NREL's latest and most impactful clean energy innovations. This issue, 'NREL Leads Energy Systems Integration' explores the discipline of energy systems integration, in particular the role of the laboratory's new, one-of-a-kind Energy System Integration Facility. NREL scientists, engineers, and analysts deeply understand the fundamental science and technologies underpinning major energy producing and consuming systems, as well as the transmission infrastructure and communications and data networks required to integrate energy systems at all scales.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Special issue on Symmetries and Integrability of Difference Equations

Science.gov (United States)

Doliwa, Adam; Korhonen, Risto; Lafortune, Stephane

2006-10-01

This is a call for contributions to a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General entitled `Special issue on Symmetries and Integrability of Difference Equations' as featured at the SIDE VII meeting held during July 2006 in Melbourne (http://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/%7Eschief/side/side.html). Participants at that meeting, as well as other researchers working in the field of difference equations and discrete systems, are invited to submit a research paper to this issue. This meeting was the seventh of a series of biennial meetings devoted to the study of integrable difference equations and related topics. The notion of integrability was first introduced in the 19th century in the context of classical mechanics with the definition of Liouville integrability for Hamiltonian flows. Since then, several notions of integrability have been introduced for partial and ordinary differential equations. Closely related to integrability theory is the symmetry analysis of nonlinear evolution equations. Symmetry analysis takes advantage of the Lie group structure of a given equation to study its properties. Together, integrability theory and symmetry analysis provide the main method by which nonlinear evolution equations can be solved explicitly. Difference equations, just as differential equations, are important in numerous fields of science and have a wide variety of applications in such areas as: mathematical physics, computer visualization, numerical analysis, mathematical biology, economics, combinatorics, quantum field theory, etc. It is thus crucial to develop tools to study and solve difference equations. While the theory of symmetry and integrability for differential equations is now well-established, this is not yet the case for discrete equations. The situation has undergone impressive development in recent years and has affected a broad range of fields, including the theory of special functions, quantum integrable systems, numerical analysis, cellular

Issues and Impediments Faced by Canadian Teachers While Integrating ICT in Pedagogical Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Anoop

2017-01-01

Teachers in many schools struggle to integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as part of their teaching practice. Among the issues faced by teachers when attempting to integrate ICT into their classrooms are gaps in ICT knowledge and skills, lack of training and inadequate support and scaffolding. Other issues include inability to…

The Relationship between Intuitive Action Choices and Moral Reasoning on Animal Ethics Issues in Students of Veterinary Medicine and Other Relevant Professions.

Science.gov (United States)

Verrinder, Joy M; Phillips, Clive J C

2018-01-01

With growing understanding of animals' capabilities, and public and organizational pressures to improve animal welfare, moral action by veterinarians and other relevant professionals to address animal issues is increasingly important. Little is known about how their action choices relate to their moral reasoning on animal ethics issues. A moral judgment measure, the VetDIT, with three animal and three non-animal scenarios, was used to investigate the action choices of 619 students in five animal- and two non-animal-related professional programs in one Australian university, and how these related to their moral reasoning based on Personal Interest (PI), Maintaining Norms (MN), or Universal Principles (UP) schemas. Action choices showed significant relationships to PI, MN, and UP questions, and these varied across program groups. Having a previous degree or more experience with farm animals had a negative relationship, and experience with horses or companion animals a positive relationship, with intuitive action choices favoring life and bodily integrity of animals. This study helps to explain the complex relationship between intuitive moral action choices and moral reasoning on animal ethics issues. As a useful research and educational tool for understanding this relationship, the VetDIT can enhance ethical decision making.

Relevant training issues for introduction of digital radiology: Results of a survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peer, S.; Faulkner, K.; Torbica, P.; Peer, R.; Busch, H. P.; Vetter, S.; Neofotistou, E.; Back, C.; Bosmans, H.; Vano, E.

2005-01-01

Council Directive 97/43/Euratom establishes the need for adequate training of radiology staff. The transition to digital radiology implies changes in various imaging aspects, which are not sufficiently covered by current institutional training programmes. This work aimed to assess how professionals, experienced in digital imaging, acquired their expertise and hence, what form institutional training should take. Within DIMOND III, a survey on training and resources was performed among radiology professionals. A lack of institutional education for digital radiology was found. In the transition to digital radiology, 30-35% train on the job and another 23-28% receive training from digital equipment vendors. A general agreement exists on the need for new quality criteria and strategies for dose management. Issues relevant for conventional/digital transition are only sparsely covered in EC training programmes. Based on these results, a set of training issues was produced, to be included in future European guidelines. (authors)

Integration of Environmental Issues in a Physics Course: 'Physics by Inquiry' High School Teachers' Integration Models and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Kimori, David Abiya

As we approach the second quarter of the twenty-first century, one may predict that the environment will be among the dominant themes in the political and educational discourse. Over the past three decades, particular perspectives regarding the environment have begun to emerge: (i) realization by human beings that we not only live on earth and use its resources at an increasingly high rate but we also actually belong to the earth and the total ecology of all living systems, (ii) there are strong interactions among different components of the large and complex systems that make up our environment, and (iii) the rising human population and its impact on the environment is a great concern (Hughes & Mason, 2014). Studies have revealed that although the students do not have a deep understanding of environmental issues and lack environmental awareness and attitudes necessary for protecting the environment, they have great concern for the environment (Chapman & Sharma, 2001; Fien, Yencken, & Sykes, 2002). However, addressing environmental issues in the classroom and other disciplines has never been an easy job for teachers (Pennock & Bardwell, 1994; Edelson, 2007). Using multiple case studies, this study investigated how three purposefully selected physics teachers teaching a 'Physics by Inquiry' course integrated environmental topics and issues in their classroom. Particularly this study looked at what integration models and practices the three physics teachers employed in integrating environmental topics and issues in their classroom and what challenges the teachers faced while integrating environmental topics in their classrooms. Data collection methods including field notes taken from observations, teachers' interviews and a collection of artifacts and documents were used. The data were coded analyzed and organized into codes and categories guided by Fogarty (1991) models of curriculum integration and Ham and Sewing (1988) four categories of barriers to environmental

Assessing Children with Traumatic Brain Injuries: Integrating Educational and Medical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Steven R.; Yingst, Christine A.

1992-01-01

This overview of traumatic brain injuries discusses (1) incidence and prevalence; (2) characteristics; (3) the recovery process; and (4) educational/medical assessment, including premorbid functioning, current functioning, educationally relevant medical issues, and amount and type of family support. (JDD)

The Role of Integrated Modelling and Assessment for Decision-Making: Lessons from Water Allocation Issues in Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Jakeman, A. J.; Guillaume, J. H. A.; El Sawah, S.; Hamilton, S.

2014-12-01

Integrated modelling and assessment (IMA) is best regarded as a process that can support environmental decision-making when issues are strongly contested and uncertainties pervasive. To be most useful, the process must be multi-dimensional and phased. Principally, it must be tailored to the problem context to encompass diverse issues of concern, management settings and stakeholders. This in turn requires the integration of multiple processes and components of natural and human systems and their corresponding spatial and temporal scales. Modellers therefore need to be able to integrate multiple disciplines, methods, models, tools and data, and many sources and types of uncertainty. These dimensions are incorporated into iteration between the various phases of the IMA process, including scoping, problem framing and formulation, assessing options and communicating findings. Two case studies in Australia are employed to share the lessons of how integration can be achieved in these IMA phases using a mix of stakeholder participation processes and modelling tools. One case study aims to improve the relevance of modelling by incorporating stakeholder's views of irrigated viticulture and water management decision making. It used a novel methodology with the acronym ICTAM, consisting of Interviews to elicit mental models, Cognitive maps to represent and analyse individual and group mental models, Time-sequence diagrams to chronologically structure the decision making process, an All-encompassing conceptual model, and computational Models of stakeholder decision making. The second case uses a hydro-economic river network model to examine basin-wide impacts of water allocation cuts and adoption of farm innovations. The knowledge exchange approach used in each case was designed to integrate data and knowledge bearing in mind the contextual dimensions of the problem at hand, and the specific contributions that environmental modelling was thought to be able to make.

Mapping the integration of social and ethical issues in health technology assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehoux, Pascale; Williams-Jones, Bryn

2007-01-01

Since its inception, the field of health technology assessment (HTA) has stressed the need for consideration of ethical and social issues. However, few concepts or analytic tools have been developed, and because of the complexity of the endeavor and a lack of integration of work already produced, such concepts remain difficult to apply in HTA. Through a descriptive "map" of concepts, tools, and processes, we summarize the most tangible efforts on the part of HTA producers to address social and ethical issues. A literature review and content analysis of HTA reports in the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination database enables a synthesis of the reflections on, initiatives around, and gaps in knowledge related to the integration of social and ethical issues in HTA. We examine: (i) the aim of integrating ethical and social issues in HTA, (ii) the theoretical approaches used, (iii) the methods and processes applied, and (iv) the implications for HTA producers. We highlight two levels at which social and ethical issues can be considered: throughout the production process of HTA reports and as part of the organizational structure of HTA agencies. Given the profound societal changes that occur in relation to healthcare technology development, HTA producers have a responsibility to inform and enlighten technology-related public and policy debates. Fulfilling this role, though, requires that socioethical dimensions of technology and HTA are made explicit.

Introduction: Family migration as an integration issue? Policy perspectives and academic insights

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonjour, S.; Kraler, A.

2015-01-01

"Family migration" and "integration" are intimately related concepts in policy discourses in Europe today. Assumptions about the relation between "family migration" and "integration" play a crucial role in shaping policies. This special issue aims to examine the axis between "family migration,"

Structural Integrity and Aging-Related Issues of Helicopters

Science.gov (United States)

2000-10-01

inherently damage lolerant , any damage- inspection in critical locations where tests have indicated tolerant features in airframe design only enhances...required, so European Rotorcraft Forum. Marseilles, France, 15- that helicopters are equipped with such features as fly- 17 September 1998 . by-wire and...fatigue Evaluation of structural integrity issues of aging helicopters. The Structure," 29 April, 1998 . extended safe-life approach encompasses the best

The Capacity to Integrate and Deal with Environmental Issues in Local Transport Policy and Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Carsten Jahn

2002-01-01

The article identifies and discuss the capacity to integrate and deal with environmental issues in local transport policy-making and planning processes.......The article identifies and discuss the capacity to integrate and deal with environmental issues in local transport policy-making and planning processes....

Engineering issues on the diagnostic port integration in ITER upper port 18

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pak, Sunil, E-mail: paksunil@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Bertalot, Luciano [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Cheon, Mun Seong [National Fusion Research Institute, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Giacomin, Thibaud [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Heemskerk, Cock J.M.; Koning, Jarich F. [Heemskerk Innovative Technology, Merelhof 2, 2172 HZ Sassenheim (Netherlands); Lee, Hyeon Gon [National Fusion Research Institute, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Nemtcev, Grigorii [Institution “PROJECT CENTER ITER”, Akademika Kurchatova sq., Moscow (Russian Federation); Ronden, Dennis M.S. [FOM Institute DIFFER, P.O. Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); Seon, Chang Rae [National Fusion Research Institute, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Udintsev, Victor; Yukhnov, Nikolay [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Zvonkov, Alexander [Institution “PROJECT CENTER ITER”, Akademika Kurchatova sq., Moscow (Russian Federation)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Diagnostic port integration in the upper port 18 of ITER is presented in order to house the three diagnostic systems. • Issue on the neutron shielding in the upper port 18 is addressed and the shut-down dose rate in the interspace is summarized. • The maintenance strategy in the upper port 18 is described. - Abstract: The upper port #18 (UP18) in ITER hosts three diagnostic systems: the neutron activation system, the Vacuum Ultra-Violet spectrometer system, and the vertical neutron camera. These diagnostics are integrated into three infrastructures in the port: the upper port plug, interspace support structure and port cell support structure. The port integration in UP18 is at the preliminary design stage and the current design of the infrastructure as well as the diagnostic integration is described here. The engineering issues related to neutron shielding and maintenance are addressed and the design approach is suggested.

Optimized maintenance concept of safety relevant valves related to ageing management features in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koring, R.

2007-01-01

This paper presents the existing concept in E.ON Kernkraft and its sound application to ageing management issues by focussing on group 2 components such as safety relevant valves. It is demonstrated how the maintenance concept of safety relevant valves is supported by a valve diagnostic system accompanied by an applied procedure to assess the measured results with respect to the required functionality and ageing phenomena. Furthermore this concept has been developed to optimize the existing preventive maintenance of the safety relevant valves by implementing condition oriented aspects derived from the diagnostic results. The main issue of this maintenance concept is to demonstrate the high level of the secured function, reliability and performance of the safety relevant valves within an integrated ageing management. Additionally it offers improvements of all preventive maintenance issues as maintenance periods and the component related volume, spare parts management and costs. (author)

Integrating stakeholders' issues and concerns into Nirex's technical research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atherton, Elisabeth

2004-01-01

This note outlines some of the activities that Nirex has undertaken to try and integrate stakeholders' issues and concerns into the technical research we have undertaken and how we are attempting to address their issues. Nirex arranges a range of dialogue activities including workshops, meetings, interviews and focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders. These events are coordinated under what is called the Nirex Involvement Programme. The feedback and inputs we have received at these events have been used to influence the work that we undertake. Nirex's interactions with stakeholders, particularly members of the public and local councillors in the aftermath of losing the 1997 rock characterisation facility public inquiry at Sellafield, has been fundamental to changing our whole approach. We are now trying to understand people's issues and recognising that Nirex is accountable to a wide constituency of stakeholders, but particularly the general public and their elected representatives. It has also enabled Nirex to attempt to integrate people's issues and concerns into its work programmes. Specific examples of where stakeholders' issues have impacted on the technical work Nirex undertakes are outlined. (author)

Integration issues in virtual enterprises supported by an architectural framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zwegers, Arian; Hannus, Matti; Tølle, Martin

2001-01-01

enterprises, especially concerning integration issues. This paper lays down an architectural framework, called VERAM, which aims to support the set-up and operation of virtual enterprises. Five different levels of integration are identified. They should all be addressed during the formation of a virtual......Nowadays, enterprises cooperate more extensively with other enterprises during the entire product life cycle. Temporary alliances between various enterprises emerge such as those in Virtual Enterprises. However, many enterprises experience difficulties in the formation and operation of virtual...

Regional economic integration in sub-Saharan Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Konings, P.J.J.; Meilink, H.A.

1998-01-01

The issue of regional integration has acquired a new relevance and urgency in Africa due to wide-reaching national and global changes. African leaders' commitment to regional economic integration was clearly expressed during the June 1991 OAU summit meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. On that occasion, they

49 CFR 192.933 - What actions must be taken to address integrity issues?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS BY PIPELINE: MINIMUM FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS Gas Transmission Pipeline Integrity Management § 192.933 What actions must be taken to address integrity issues? (a...

The potential relevance of cognitive neuroscience for the development and use of technology-enhanced learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Howard-Jones, Paul; Ott, Michela; van Leeuwen, Theo; De Smedt, Bert

2015-01-01

There is increasing interest in the application of cognitive neuroscience in educational thinking and practice, and here we review findings from neuroscience that demonstrate its potential relevance to technology-enhanced learning (TEL). First, we identify some of the issues in integrating

Why relevance theory is relevant for lexicography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bothma, Theo; Tarp, Sven

2014-01-01

This article starts by providing a brief summary of relevance theory in information science in relation to the function theory of lexicography, explaining the different types of relevance, viz. objective system relevance and the subjective types of relevance, i.e. topical, cognitive, situational...... that is very important for lexicography as well as for information science, viz. functional relevance. Since all lexicographic work is ultimately aimed at satisfying users’ information needs, the article then discusses why the lexicographer should take note of all these types of relevance when planning a new...... dictionary project, identifying new tasks and responsibilities of the modern lexicographer. The article furthermore discusses how relevance theory impacts on teaching dictionary culture and reference skills. By integrating insights from lexicography and information science, the article contributes to new...

TOWARDS AN INTEGRATION OF GIS AND BIM DATA: WHAT ARE THE GEOMETRIC AND TOPOLOGICAL ISSUES?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Arroyo Ohori

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Geographic information and building information modelling both model buildings and infrastructure, but the way in which they are modelled is usually complimentary and BIM-GIS integration is widely considered as a way forward for both domains. For one, more detailed BIM data can feed more general GIS data and GIS data can provide the context that is necessary to BIM data. While previous studies have focused on the theoretical aspects of such an integration at a schema level, in this paper we focus on explaining the geometric and topological issues we have found while trying to develop software to realise such an integration in practice and at a data level. In our preliminary results, which are presented here, we have found that many issues for such an integration remain: handling the geometric and topological problems in BIM models, dealing with bad georeferencing and figuring out the best way to convert data between IFC and CityGML are all open issues.

Towards AN Integration of GIS and Bim Data: what are the Geometric and Topological Issues?

Science.gov (United States)

Arroyo Ohori, K.; Biljecki, F.; Diakité, A.; Krijnen, T.; Ledoux, H.; Stoter, J.

2017-10-01

Geographic information and building information modelling both model buildings and infrastructure, but the way in which they are modelled is usually complimentary and BIM-GIS integration is widely considered as a way forward for both domains. For one, more detailed BIM data can feed more general GIS data and GIS data can provide the context that is necessary to BIM data. While previous studies have focused on the theoretical aspects of such an integration at a schema level, in this paper we focus on explaining the geometric and topological issues we have found while trying to develop software to realise such an integration in practice and at a data level. In our preliminary results, which are presented here, we have found that many issues for such an integration remain: handling the geometric and topological problems in BIM models, dealing with bad georeferencing and figuring out the best way to convert data between IFC and CityGML are all open issues.

Social and science issues in the local environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, L.; Robinson, M.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the Nevada Science Project (NSP) which is a teacher run program aimed at assisting teachers in Nevada in the task of developing; learning; and teaching science, technology, and society (STS) issues; vital to Nevada; the United States; and the global community. NSP promotes innovative science instruction, and develops curriculum units on topics inherent in science and technology in order to make science more relevant and interesting to all students. The Nevada Science Project wants to prepare teachers and students to understand important science concepts, to see science as a way of thinking, and science as a way of investigating. The NSP believes that science must be an integrated curriculum based on relevant and interesting STS issues that have everyday applications

Ethical Issues in Integrated Health Care: Implications for Social Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Reamer, Frederic G

2018-05-01

Integrated health care has come of age. What began modestly in the 1930s has evolved into a mature model of health care that is quickly becoming the standard of care. Social workers are now employed in a wide range of comprehensive integrated health care organizations. Some of these settings were designed as integrated health care delivery systems from their beginning. Others evolved over time, some incorporating behavioral health into existing primary care centers and others incorporating primary care into existing behavioral health agencies. In all of these contexts, social workers are encountering complex, sometimes unprecedented, ethical challenges. This article identifies and discusses ethical issues facing social workers in integrated health care settings, especially related to informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, boundaries, dual relationships, and conflicts of interest. The author includes practical resources that social workers can use to develop state-of-the-art ethics policies and protocols.

Product development for catering - how to integrate issues on nutrition, quality and environment in the products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1996-01-01

Overview of the experience with integration of issues on nutrition, quality and environment from a development and technology assessment project about product development for the catering sector......Overview of the experience with integration of issues on nutrition, quality and environment from a development and technology assessment project about product development for the catering sector...

Issues in Integrating Information Technology in Learning and Teaching EFL: The Saudi Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Maini, Yousef Hamad

2013-01-01

The Saudi education system is facing a climate of change characterized by an interest in integrating new technology and educational approaches to improve teaching and learning. In this climate, the present paper explores the issues in integrating information technology in learning and teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in government…

Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid: Key Issues, Greening the Grid (Spanish Version)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-04-01

This is the Spanish version of 'Greening the Grid - Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid: Key Issues'. To foster sustainable, low-emission development, many countries are establishing ambitious renewable energy targets for their electricity supply. Because solar and wind tend to be more variable and uncertain than conventional sources, meeting these targets will involve changes to power system planning and operations. Grid integration is the practice of developing efficient ways to deliver variable renewable energy (VRE) to the grid. Good integration methods maximize the cost-effectiveness of incorporating VRE into the power system while maintaining or increasing system stability and reliability. When considering grid integration, policy makers, regulators, and system operators consider a variety of issues, which can be organized into four broad topics: New Renewable Energy Generation, New Transmission, Increased System Flexibility, and Planning for a High RE Future.

LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION ISSUES RELATED TO MIGRANTS ARRIVING TO HUNGARY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Miklos Komives

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The migration flows appearing in the recent years have gained central relevance in Hungary. Previously people were having no opinion about the current situation of issues related to migration but the increased media attention lead to the development of mixed attitudes among people. Some people feel sorry for the families who are coming from the war zones and lost their homes, others have fear of losing their position at work, or their families because of the acts they have heard from the media and they are hostile to the issue of integration whether it is about education or the labour market. According to the statistical data; in the third quarter of 2015, more than hundred thousand asylum-seekers arrived to Hungary, which dropped drastically in the fourth quarter caused by the significant transformation of the asylum process. This study is intended to serve two objectives: first describe the comprehensive picture of labour market attitudes towards migrants and secondly to identify factors that affect the employment of foreigners in Hungary using secondary data sources. Based on this analysis those questions can be formulated, which may constitute a basis for further labour market researches for the integration of migrants. From our point of view there are vital aspects of the migrants’ successful social integration; we have to integrate the migrants who are coming to our country and plan to stay for a longer time to the field of education and the labour market. The social integration of migrants in a country is closely linked to employment, to the integration into the labour market, and in many cases one of the obstacles in this regard is the prejudiced behaviour and negative attitudes towards migrants which manifests itself as the discrimination in the labour market. The results of the European Commission confirm that in Hungary the ethnicity as a variable appears to be the second on the list of the most serious discrimination factors

Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Operation and Management System: Issues and Solution in Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Masirin, Mohd Idrus Mohd; Salin, Aminah Mohd; Zainorabidin, Adnan; Martin, David; Samsuddin, Norshakina

2017-08-01

In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.

The Potential Relevance of Cognitive Neuroscience for the Development and Use of Technology-Enhanced Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Howard-Jones, Paul; Ott, Michela; van Leeuwen, Theo; De Smedt, Bert

2015-01-01

There is increasing interest in the application of cognitive neuroscience in educational thinking and practice, and here we review findings from neuroscience that demonstrate its potential relevance to technology-enhanced learning (TEL). First, we identify some of the issues in integrating neuroscientific concepts into TEL research. We caution…

Risk factors associated with mental health issues in adolescents: a integrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Caroline Souza Pinto

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: To identify the risk factors associated with mental health issues in adolescents. Method: An integrative review was conducted in four databases with publications from 2007 to 2013. The terms Adolescent and Mental Health were used to search adequate articles as DeCs/MeSH bases. Results: Publications were found in different journals in different fields of knowledge and the quantitative research was the most frequent. The mental health issues were categorized as individual factors; drug related factors, school factors, family factors, social factors and STDs/Aids related factors. The most addressed category was individual factors, with 23 publications. Conclusion: The integrative review allowed to point important questions to be addressed in preventive actions by the health professional, including the nurse, to create a space that works with risk conditioning factors in adolescents for mental health aggravation.

The design of PSB-VVER experiments relevant to accident management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Nevo, Alessandro; D'auria, Francesco; Mazzini, Marino; Bykov, Michael; Elkin, Ilya V.; Suslov, Alexander

2008-01-01

Experimental programs carried-out in integral test facilities are relevant for validating the best estimate thermal-hydraulic codes, which are used for accident analyses, design of accident management procedures, licensing of nuclear power plants, etc. The validation process, in fact, is based on well designed experiments. It consists in the comparison of the measured and calculated parameters and the determination whether a computer code has an adequate capability in predicting the major phenomena expected to occur in the course of transient and/or accidents. University of Pisa was responsible of the numerical design of the 12 experiments executed in PSB-VVER facility, operated at Electrogorsk Research and Engineering Center (Russia), in the framework of the TACIS 2.03/97 Contract 3.03.03 Part A, EC financed. The paper describes the methodology adopted at University of Pisa, starting form the scenarios foreseen in the final test matrix until the execution of the experiments. This process considers three key topics: a) the scaling issue and the simulation, with unavoidable distortions, of the expected performance of the reference nuclear power plants; b) the code assessment process involving the identification of phenomena challenging the code models; c) the features of the concerned integral test facility (scaling limitations, control logics, data acquisition system, instrumentation, etc.). The activities performed in this respect are discussed, and emphasis is also given to the relevance of the thermal losses to the environment. This issue affects particularly the small scaled facilities and has relevance on the scaling approach related to the power and volume of the facility. (author)

The Design of PSB-VVER Experiments Relevant to Accident Management

Science.gov (United States)

Nevo, Alessandro Del; D'Auria, Francesco; Mazzini, Marino; Bykov, Michael; Elkin, Ilya V.; Suslov, Alexander

Experimental programs carried-out in integral test facilities are relevant for validating the best estimate thermal-hydraulic codes(1), which are used for accident analyses, design of accident management procedures, licensing of nuclear power plants, etc. The validation process, in fact, is based on well designed experiments. It consists in the comparison of the measured and calculated parameters and the determination whether a computer code has an adequate capability in predicting the major phenomena expected to occur in the course of transient and/or accidents. University of Pisa was responsible of the numerical design of the 12 experiments executed in PSB-VVER facility (2), operated at Electrogorsk Research and Engineering Center (Russia), in the framework of the TACIS 2.03/97 Contract 3.03.03 Part A, EC financed (3). The paper describes the methodology adopted at University of Pisa, starting form the scenarios foreseen in the final test matrix until the execution of the experiments. This process considers three key topics: a) the scaling issue and the simulation, with unavoidable distortions, of the expected performance of the reference nuclear power plants; b) the code assessment process involving the identification of phenomena challenging the code models; c) the features of the concerned integral test facility (scaling limitations, control logics, data acquisition system, instrumentation, etc.). The activities performed in this respect are discussed, and emphasis is also given to the relevance of the thermal losses to the environment. This issue affects particularly the small scaled facilities and has relevance on the scaling approach related to the power and volume of the facility.

Evaluation of water-hammer experience in nuclear power plants. Technical findings relevant to Unresolved Safety Issue A-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serkiz, A.W.

1983-05-01

This report summarizes key technical findings relevant to the Unresolved Safety Issue A-1, Water Hammer. These findings were derived from studies of reported water hammer occurrences and underlying causes and provide key insights into means to minimize or eliminate further water hammer occurrences. It should also be noted that this report does not represent a substitute for current rules and regulations

Evaluation of water hammer occurrence in nuclear power plants: technical findings relevant to unresolved safety issue A-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-03-01

This report, which includes responses to public comments, summarizes key technical findings relevant to the Unresolved Safety Issue A-1, Water Hammer. These findings were derived from studies of reported water hammer occurrences and underlying causes and provide key insights into means to minimize or eliminate further water hammer occurrences. This report does not represent a substitute for current rules and regulations

When stereotypes become 'scientific' statements: dealing with gender issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Madureira, Ana Flávia do Amaral

2009-06-01

The theoretical analysis by Watzlawik (Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science 2009) demonstrates the scientific fragility of the constructs of masculinity and femininity based on the oversimplification and overlapping between three levels of analysis: group differences, inter-individual differences and intra-individual differences. Watzlawik presents fresh and relevant contributions in terms of methodological issues, especially about the construction of scientific generalizations. Here I focus on issues related to the transformation of stereotypes in statements about gender differences that claim to be 'scientific'--outlining the socio-political agendas of such statements.

Ecosystem services and economic theory: integration for policy-relevant research.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Brendan; Turner, Kerry; Zylstra, Matthew; Brouwer, Roy; de Groot, Rudolf; Farber, Stephen; Ferraro, Paul; Green, Rhys; Hadley, David; Harlow, Julian; Jefferiss, Paul; Kirkby, Chris; Morling, Paul; Mowatt, Shaun; Naidoo, Robin; Paavola, Jouni; Strassburg, Bernardo; Yu, Doug; Balmford, Andrew

2008-12-01

It has become essential in policy and decision-making circles to think about the economic benefits (in addition to moral and scientific motivations) humans derive from well-functioning ecosystems. The concept of ecosystem services has been developed to address this link between ecosystems and human welfare. Since policy decisions are often evaluated through cost-benefit assessments, an economic analysis can help make ecosystem service research operational. In this paper we provide some simple economic analyses to discuss key concepts involved in formalizing ecosystem service research. These include the distinction between services and benefits, understanding the importance of marginal ecosystem changes, formalizing the idea of a safe minimum standard for ecosystem service provision, and discussing how to capture the public benefits of ecosystem services. We discuss how the integration of economic concepts and ecosystem services can provide policy and decision makers with a fuller spectrum of information for making conservation-conversion trade-offs. We include the results from a survey of the literature and a questionnaire of researchers regarding how ecosystem service research can be integrated into the policy process. We feel this discussion of economic concepts will be a practical aid for ecosystem service research to become more immediately policy relevant.

Integrated Food studies education and research:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Mette Weinreich; Hansen, Stine Rosenlund

2018-01-01

The research group Foodscapes Innovation and Networks has addressed integrated food studies issues in re-search and education since 2010. Based on experiences in the group, this paper aims at discussing the chal-lenges, learning outcomes and potentials for pushing an integrated thinking into rese......The research group Foodscapes Innovation and Networks has addressed integrated food studies issues in re-search and education since 2010. Based on experiences in the group, this paper aims at discussing the chal-lenges, learning outcomes and potentials for pushing an integrated thinking...... into research and education. It also addresses the challenges in integration when the methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks chosen are ontologically and epistemologically different. A discussion of the limitations of integration is thus also part of the paper. The conceptual framework...... of ontonorms (Mol, 2013) is suggested as a common point of departure for a further development of integration. This is suggested relevant due to the fact that it forces different traditions to reflect their own value-related basis and discuss implications of this approach in a broader sense. The common values...

Structural characterisation of medically relevant protein assemblies by integrating mass spectrometry with computational modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Politis, Argyris; Schmidt, Carla

2018-03-20

Structural mass spectrometry with its various techniques is a powerful tool for the structural elucidation of medically relevant protein assemblies. It delivers information on the composition, stoichiometries, interactions and topologies of these assemblies. Most importantly it can deal with heterogeneous mixtures and assemblies which makes it universal among the conventional structural techniques. In this review we summarise recent advances and challenges in structural mass spectrometric techniques. We describe how the combination of the different mass spectrometry-based methods with computational strategies enable structural models at molecular levels of resolution. These models hold significant potential for helping us in characterizing the function of protein assemblies related to human health and disease. In this review we summarise the techniques of structural mass spectrometry often applied when studying protein-ligand complexes. We exemplify these techniques through recent examples from literature that helped in the understanding of medically relevant protein assemblies. We further provide a detailed introduction into various computational approaches that can be integrated with these mass spectrometric techniques. Last but not least we discuss case studies that integrated mass spectrometry and computational modelling approaches and yielded models of medically important protein assembly states such as fibrils and amyloids. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Scientific Issues Relevant to Setting Regulatory Criteria to Identify Endocrine-Disrupting Substances in the European Union.

Science.gov (United States)

Slama, Rémy; Bourguignon, Jean-Pierre; Demeneix, Barbara; Ivell, Richard; Panzica, Giancarlo; Kortenkamp, Andreas; Zoeller, R Thomas

2016-10-01

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as exogenous compounds or mixtures that alter function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub)populations. European regulations on pesticides, biocides, cosmetics, and industrial chemicals require the European Commission to establish scientific criteria to define EDs. We address the scientific relevance of four options for the identification of EDs proposed by the European Commission. Option 1, which does not define EDs and leads to using interim criteria unrelated to the WHO definition of EDs, is not relevant. Options 2 and 3 rely on the WHO definition of EDs, which is widely accepted by the scientific community, with option 3 introducing additional categories based on the strength of evidence (suspected EDs and endocrine-active substances). Option 4 adds potency to the WHO definition, as a decision criterion. We argue that potency is dependent on the adverse effect considered and is scientifically ambiguous, and note that potency is not used as a criterion to define other particularly hazardous substances such as carcinogens and reproductive toxicants. The use of potency requires a context that goes beyond hazard identification and corresponds to risk characterization, in which potency (or, more relevantly, the dose-response function) is combined with exposure levels. There is scientific agreement regarding the adequacy of the WHO definition of EDs. The potency concept is not relevant to the identification of particularly serious hazards such as EDs. As is common practice for carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxicants, a multi-level classification of ED based on the WHO definition, and not considering potency, would be relevant (corresponding to option 3 proposed by the European Commission). Slama R, Bourguignon JP, Demeneix B, Ivell R, Panzica G, Kortenkamp A, Zoeller RT. 2016. Scientific issues relevant

NRC integrated program for the resolution of Unresolved Safety Issues A-3, A-4 and A-5 regarding steam generator tube integrity: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-09-01

This report presents the results of the NRC integrated program for the resolution of Unresolved Safety Issues (USIs) A-3, A-4, and A-5 regarding steam generator tube integrity. A generic risk assessment is provided and indicates that risk from steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) events is not a significant contributor to total risk at a given site, nor to the total risk to which the general public is routinely exposed. This finding is considered to be indicative of the effectiveness of licensee programs and regulatory requirements for ensuring steam generator tube integrity in accordance with 10 CFR 50, Appendices A and B. This report also identifies a number of staff-recommended actions that the staff finds can further improve the effectiveness of licensee programs in ensuring the integrity of steam generator tubes and in mitigating the consequences of an SGTR. As part of the integrated program, the staff issued Generic Letter 85-02 encouraging licensees of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) to upgrade their programs, as necessary, to meet the intent of the staff-recommended actions; however, such actions do not constitute NRC requirements. In addition, this report describes a number of ongoing staff actions and studies involving steam generator issues which are being pursued to provide added assurance that risk from SGTR events will continue to be small. 146 refs., 5 figs., 11 tabs

Crossmodal integration enhances neural representation of task-relevant features in audiovisual face perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuanqing; Long, Jinyi; Huang, Biao; Yu, Tianyou; Wu, Wei; Liu, Yongjian; Liang, Changhong; Sun, Pei

2015-02-01

Previous studies have shown that audiovisual integration improves identification performance and enhances neural activity in heteromodal brain areas, for example, the posterior superior temporal sulcus/middle temporal gyrus (pSTS/MTG). Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated that attention plays an important role in crossmodal integration. In this study, we considered crossmodal integration in audiovisual facial perception and explored its effect on the neural representation of features. The audiovisual stimuli in the experiment consisted of facial movie clips that could be classified into 2 gender categories (male vs. female) or 2 emotion categories (crying vs. laughing). The visual/auditory-only stimuli were created from these movie clips by removing the auditory/visual contents. The subjects needed to make a judgment about the gender/emotion category for each movie clip in the audiovisual, visual-only, or auditory-only stimulus condition as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals were recorded. The neural representation of the gender/emotion feature was assessed using the decoding accuracy and the brain pattern-related reproducibility indices, obtained by a multivariate pattern analysis method from the fMRI data. In comparison to the visual-only and auditory-only stimulus conditions, we found that audiovisual integration enhanced the neural representation of task-relevant features and that feature-selective attention might play a role of modulation in the audiovisual integration. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Opinions of Middle School Mathematics Teachers on the Integration of Mathematics Course and Social Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buket Turhan Turkkan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions of middle school mathematics teachers on the integration of mathematics course and social issues. For this purpose, qualitative research method was used in this study. As for determining the participants of the research, criterion sampling among purposeful sampling methods was used. Being a middle school mathematics teacher as an occupation was considered as a criterion for determining the participants. The participants of the research consist of 13 middle school mathematics teachers in Turkey. So as to collect the research data, the semi-structured interview form created by the researchers was used. The data analysis was performed according to the content analysis, and Nvivo 10 program was used for the analysis. As a result of this study, the themes of the situation and methods of the integration of mathematics course and social issues, the attainment of democratic values in mathematics course and the ways of its attainment, gaining awareness of social justice and equality in mathematics course and the ways of its gaining, the activities performed by teachers for social issues in mathematics course and the teachers’ suggestions for the integration of mathematics course and social issues were reached and the results were discussed within this frame.

Responses to GM food content in context with food integrity issues: results from Australian population surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Philip; Golley, Sinéad

2016-01-25

This study examined community responses to use of genetically modified (GM) content in food in the context of responses to familiar food additives by testing an empirically and theoretically derived model of the predictors of responses to both GM content and food integrity issues generally. A nationwide sample of 849 adults, selected at random from the Australian Electoral Roll, responded to a postal Food and Health Survey. Structural equation modelling analyses confirmed that ratings of general concern about food integrity (related to the presence of preservatives and other additives) strongly predicted negativity towards GM content. Concern about food integrity was, in turn, predicted by environmental concern and health engagement. In addition, both concern about food integrity generally and responses to GM content specifically were weakly predicted by attitudes to benefits of science and an intuitive (i.e., emotionally-based) reasoning style. Data from a follow-up survey conducted under the same conditions (N=1184) revealed that ratings of concern were significantly lower for use of genetic engineering in food than for four other common food integrity issues examined. Whereas the question of community responses to GM is often treated as a special issue, these findings support the conclusion that responses to the concept of GM content in food in Australia are substantially a specific instance of a general sensitivity towards the integrity of the food supply. They indicate that the origins of responses to GM content may be largely indistinguishable from those of general responses to preservatives and other common food additives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IJIMAI Editor's Note - Vol. 2 Issue 7

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis de-la-Fuente-Valentín

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This special issue, Special Issue on Multisensor user tracking and analytics to improve education and other application fields, concentrates on the practical and experimental use of data mining and analytics techniques, specially focusing on the educational area. The selected papers deal with the most relevant issues in the field, such as the integration of data from different sources, the identification of data suitable for the problem analysis, and the validation of the analytics techniques as support in the decision making process. The application fields of the analytics techniques presented in this paper have a clear focus on the educational area (where Learning Analytics has emerged as a buzzword in the recent years but not restricted to it. The result is a collection of use cases, experimental validations and analytics systems with a clear contribution to the state of the art.

Ethically-based clinical decision-making in physical therapy: process and issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Finch, Elspeth; Geddes, E Lynne; Larin, Hélène

2005-01-01

The identification and consideration of relevant ethical issues in clinical decision-making, and the education of health care professionals (HCPs) in these skills are key factors in providing quality health care. This qualitative study explores the way in which physical therapists (PTs) integrate ethical issues into clinical practice decisions and identifies ethical themes used by PTs. A purposive sample of eight PTs was asked to describe a recent ethically-based clinical decision. Transcribed interviews were coded and themes identified related to the following categories: 1) the integration of ethical issues in the clinical decision-making process, 2) patient welfare, 3) professional ethos of the PT, and 4) health care economics and business practices. Participants readily described clinical situations involving ethical issues but rarely identified specific conflicting ethical issues in their description. Ethical dilemmas were more frequently resolved when there were fewer emotional sequelae associated with the dilemma, and the PT had a clear understanding of professional ethos, valued patient autonomy, and explored a variety of alternative actions before implementing one. HCP students need to develop a clear professional ethos and an increased understanding of the economic factors that will present ethical issues in practice.

Electro-thermal analysis and integration issues of lithium ion battery for electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saw, L.H.; Ye, Y.; Tay, A.A.O.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We modeled the electrical and thermal behavior of the Li-ion battery. • We validated the simulation results with experimental studies. • We compared the thermal performance of different size of cylindrical cells. • We investigated the integration issues of cylindrical cells into battery pack. - Abstract: Electrical and thermal characteristics of lithium-ion battery packs in electric vehicles in different operating conditions are important in order to design the battery pack thermal management system. In this work, electrical and thermal behaviors of different size of LiFePO 4 cylindrical cells are investigated under various operating conditions. The simulation results show good agreement with the experimental data under various operating modes. Due to the large thermal resistance of layered active material in a Li-ion cell, the temperature difference in the radial direction is significantly correlated with a diameter of cell and I t -rates. Compared with natural convection, strong forced convection will reduce the temperature uniformity in the cell and accelerate the thermal aging rate. Lastly, integration issues of the cells into a battery pack are discussed from mechanical, electrical, thermal, control and monitoring, manufacturing and maintenance aspects. These issues could impact the performance, cost, driving range and life cycle of the battery pack in electric vehicles

Mechanical Integrity Issues at MCM-Cs for High Reliability Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgenstern, H.A.; Tarbutton, T.J.; Becka, G.A.; Uribe, F.; Monroe, S.; Burchett, S.

1998-01-01

During the qualification of a new high reliability low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) multichip module (MCM), two issues relating to the electrical and mechanical integrity of the LTCC network were encountered while performing qualification testing. One was electrical opens after aging tests that were caused by cracks in the solder joints. The other was fracturing of the LTCC networks during mechanical testing. Through failure analysis, computer modeling, bend testing, and test samples, changes were identified. Upon implementation of all these changes, the modules passed testing, and the MCM was placed into production

Electromagnetic fields - introduction to relevant issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brueggemeyer, H.; Csicsaky, M.

1993-01-01

This introductory paper surveys potential sources of electric magnetic, and electro-magnetic fields. Various cases are discussed to exemplify the total frequency range: nuclear magnetic resonance tomography, high-voltage transmission lines, transformer stations, effect lighting balls, military transmitters, transmitter towers of the Postal Services and other operators, mobile radiotelephone equipment, large broadcasting transmitters, radar radiation, high-frequency heat therapy. There is evidence suggesting that electric, magnetic and electro-magnetic fields may possibly represent a certain nuisance or health hazard even at field strength occuring in equipment used for every-day-life purposes, with an emphasis on their possible actions and effects in children and adolescents. The author discusses, in conclusion, the aerial equipment ordinance issued by Lower Saxony. (Uhe) [de

Social Issues: Making Them Relevant and Appropriate to Undergraduate Student Designers

Science.gov (United States)

Lofthouse, Vicky

2013-01-01

Sustainable design education is now considered a core issue for industrial/product design courses, however research has shown that the predominant focus tends to be on environmental issues, as social issues are much harder to tackle. Similarly, social issues are rarely considered in industrial practice. If student designers are to become…

Ongoing ethical issues concerning authorship in biomedical journals: an integrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornhaber, Rachel Anne; McLean, Loyola M; Baber, Rodney J

2015-01-01

Health professionals publishing within the field of health sciences continue to experience issues concerning appropriate authorship, which have clinical, ethical, and academic implications. This integrative review sought to explore the key issues concerning authorship from a bioethical standpoint, aiming to explore the key features of the authorship debate. Studies were identified through an electronic search, using the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus databases of peer-reviewed research, published between 2009 and 2014, limited to English language research, with search terms developed to reflect the current issues of authorship. From among the 279 papers identified, 20 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Findings were compiled and then arranged to identify themes and relationships. The review incorporated a wide range of authorship issues encompassing equal-credited authors, honorary (guest/gift) and ghost authorship, perception/experiences of authorship, and guidelines/policies. This review suggests that the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) recommended guidelines for authorship are not reflected in current authorship practices within the domain of health sciences in both low-and high-impact-factor journals. This devaluing of the true importance of authorship has the potential to affect the validity of authorship, diminish the real contributions of the true authors, and negatively affect patient care.

Ongoing ethical issues concerning authorship in biomedical journals: an integrative review

Science.gov (United States)

Kornhaber, Rachel Anne; McLean, Loyola M; Baber, Rodney J

2015-01-01

Health professionals publishing within the field of health sciences continue to experience issues concerning appropriate authorship, which have clinical, ethical, and academic implications. This integrative review sought to explore the key issues concerning authorship from a bioethical standpoint, aiming to explore the key features of the authorship debate. Studies were identified through an electronic search, using the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus databases of peer-reviewed research, published between 2009 and 2014, limited to English language research, with search terms developed to reflect the current issues of authorship. From among the 279 papers identified, 20 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Findings were compiled and then arranged to identify themes and relationships. The review incorporated a wide range of authorship issues encompassing equal-credited authors, honorary (guest/gift) and ghost authorship, perception/experiences of authorship, and guidelines/policies. This review suggests that the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) recommended guidelines for authorship are not reflected in current authorship practices within the domain of health sciences in both low-and high-impact-factor journals. This devaluing of the true importance of authorship has the potential to affect the validity of authorship, diminish the real contributions of the true authors, and negatively affect patient care. PMID:26257520

Integrating rock mechanics issues with repository design through design process principles and methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieniawski, Z.T.

1996-01-01

A good designer needs not only knowledge for designing (technical know-how that is used to generate alternative design solutions) but also must have knowledge about designing (appropriate principles and systematic methodology to follow). Concepts such as open-quotes design for manufactureclose quotes or open-quotes concurrent engineeringclose quotes are widely used in the industry. In the field of rock engineering, only limited attention has been paid to the design process because design of structures in rock masses presents unique challenges to the designers as a result of the uncertainties inherent in characterization of geologic media. However, a stage has now been reached where we are be able to sufficiently characterize rock masses for engineering purposes and identify the rock mechanics issues involved but are still lacking engineering design principles and methodology to maximize our design performance. This paper discusses the principles and methodology of the engineering design process directed to integrating site characterization activities with design, construction and performance of an underground repository. Using the latest information from the Yucca Mountain Project on geology, rock mechanics and starter tunnel design, the current lack of integration is pointed out and it is shown how rock mechanics issues can be effectively interwoven with repository design through a systematic design process methodology leading to improved repository performance. In essence, the design process is seen as the use of design principles within an integrating design methodology, leading to innovative problem solving. In particular, a new concept of open-quotes Design for Constructibility and Performanceclose quotes is introduced. This is discussed with respect to ten rock mechanics issues identified for repository design and performance

Integration of new nuclear power plants into transmission grids part I: Transmission system issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abi-Samra, N.

2008-01-01

Integration of new nuclear plants into a transmission system is a two sided problem. On one side, adding the nuclear plant into an existing grid will change the attributes of that grid: e.g., loading of certain transmission lines will increase; voltages will be affected, etc. On the other side, the grid itself will affect the plant, and the plant needs to be designed to accommodate the specifics of the grid. Based on that, this paper is divided into two parts. Part I addresses the grid issues with the integration of the new plant, with emphasis on the electrical aspects of these issues. Part II of this paper, concentrates on the vulnerability of the plant from grid disturbances. Part II reintroduces a relatively new concept by this author called the Zone of Vulnerability (ZoV) for the new nuclear plants. (authors)

A Peep into the Uncertainty-Complexity-Relevance Modeling Trilemma through Global Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz-Carpena, R.; Muller, S. J.; Chu, M.; Kiker, G. A.; Perz, S. G.

2014-12-01

Model Model complexity resulting from the need to integrate environmental system components cannot be understated. In particular, additional emphasis is urgently needed on rational approaches to guide decision making through uncertainties surrounding the integrated system across decision-relevant scales. However, in spite of the difficulties that the consideration of modeling uncertainty represent for the decision process, it should not be avoided or the value and science behind the models will be undermined. These two issues; i.e., the need for coupled models that can answer the pertinent questions and the need for models that do so with sufficient certainty, are the key indicators of a model's relevance. Model relevance is inextricably linked with model complexity. Although model complexity has advanced greatly in recent years there has been little work to rigorously characterize the threshold of relevance in integrated and complex models. Formally assessing the relevance of the model in the face of increasing complexity would be valuable because there is growing unease among developers and users of complex models about the cumulative effects of various sources of uncertainty on model outputs. In particular, this issue has prompted doubt over whether the considerable effort going into further elaborating complex models will in fact yield the expected payback. New approaches have been proposed recently to evaluate the uncertainty-complexity-relevance modeling trilemma (Muller, Muñoz-Carpena and Kiker, 2011) by incorporating state-of-the-art global sensitivity and uncertainty analysis (GSA/UA) in every step of the model development so as to quantify not only the uncertainty introduced by the addition of new environmental components, but the effect that these new components have over existing components (interactions, non-linear responses). Outputs from the analysis can also be used to quantify system resilience (stability, alternative states, thresholds or tipping

Integrating security issues in nuclear engineering curriculum in Indonesia. Classical vs policy approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Putero, Susetyo Hario; Rosita, Widya; Sihana, Fnu; Ferdiansjah; Santosa, Haryono Budi; Muharini, Anung

2015-01-01

Recently, risk management for nuclear facilities becomes more complex due to security issue addressed by IAEA. The harmonization between safety, safeguards and security is still questionable. It also challenges to nuclear engineering curriculum in the world how to appropriately lecture the new issue. This paper would like to describe how to integrate this issue in developing nuclear engineering curriculum in Indonesia. Indonesia has still no nuclear power plant, but there are 3 research reactors laid in Indonesia. As addition, there are several hospitals and industries utilizing radioisotopes in their activities. The knowledge about nuclear security of their staffs is also not enough for handling radioactive material furthermore the security officers. Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is the only university in Indonesia offering nuclear engineering program, as consequently the university should actively play the role in overcoming this issue not only in Indonesia, but also in Southeast Asia. In the other hand, students has to have proper knowledge in order to complete in the global nuclear industry. After visited several universities in USA and participated in INSEN meeting, we found that most of universities in the world anticipate this issue by giving the student courses related to policy (non-technical) study based on IAEA NSS 12. In the other hand, the rest just make nuclear security as a case study on their class. Furthermore, almost all of programs are graduate level. UGM decided to enhance several present related undergraduate courses with security topics as first step to develop the awareness of student to nuclear security. The next (curriculum 2016) is to integrate security topics into the entire of curriculum including designing a nuclear security elective course for undergraduate level. The first trial has successfully improved the student knowledge and awareness on nuclear security. (author)

Environmental impact assessment for energy pathways: an integrated methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sommereux-Blanc, Isabelle

2010-01-01

This document presents the synthesis of my research work contributing to the development of an integrated methodology of environmental impact assessment for energy pathways. In the context of world globalization, environmental impact assessments issues are highly linked with the following questioning: Which environmental impacts? for which demand? at which location? at which temporal scale? My work is built upon the definition of a conceptual framework able to handle these issues and upon its progressive implementation. The integration of the spatial and temporal issues within the methodology are key elements. Fundamental cornerstones of this framework are presented along the DPSIR concept (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses). They cover a comprehensive analysis of the limits and the relevance of life cycle analysis and the development of a geo-spatialized environmental performance approach for an electrical production pathway. Perspectives linked with the development of this integrated methodology are detailed for energy pathways. (author)

Experimental investigations relevant for hydrogen and fission product issues raised by the Fukushima accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev Gupta

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, caused by an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, resulted in a failure of the power systems that are needed to cool the reactors at the plant. The accident progression in the absence of heat removal systems caused Units 1-3 to undergo fuel melting. Containment pressurization and hydrogen explosions ultimately resulted in the escape of radioactivity from reactor containments into the atmosphere and ocean. Problems in containment venting operation, leakage from primary containment boundary to the reactor building, improper functioning of standby gas treatment system (SGTS, unmitigated hydrogen accumulation in the reactor building were identified as some of the reasons those added-up in the severity of the accident. The Fukushima accident not only initiated worldwide demand for installation of adequate control and mitigation measures to minimize the potential source term to the environment but also advocated assessment of the existing mitigation systems performance behavior under a wide range of postulated accident scenarios. The uncertainty in estimating the released fraction of the radionuclides due to the Fukushima accident also underlined the need for comprehensive understanding of fission product behavior as a function of the thermal hydraulic conditions and the type of gaseous, aqueous, and solid materials available for interaction, e.g., gas components, decontamination paint, aerosols, and water pools. In the light of the Fukushima accident, additional experimental needs identified for hydrogen and fission product issues need to be investigated in an integrated and optimized way. Additionally, as more and more passive safety systems, such as passive autocatalytic recombiners and filtered containment venting systems are being retrofitted in current reactors and also planned for future reactors, identified hydrogen and fission product issues will need to be coupled

Issues for the integration of satellite and terrestrial cellular networks for mobile communications

Science.gov (United States)

Delre, Enrico; Mistretta, Ignazio; Dellipriscoli, Francesco; Settimo, Franco

1991-01-01

Satellite and terrestrial cellular systems naturally complement each other for land mobile communications, even though present systems have been developed independently. The main advantages of the integrated system are a faster wide area coverage, a better management of overloading traffic conditions, an extension to geographical areas not covered by the terrestrial network and, in perspective, the provision of only one integrated system for all mobile communications (land, aeronautical, and maritime). To achieve these goals, as far as possible the same protocols of the terrestrial network should be used also for the satellite network. Discussed here are the main issues arising from the requirements of the main integrated system. Some results are illustrated, and possible future improvements due to technical solutions are presented.

Using an Integrated Naive Bayes Calssifier for Crawling Relevent Data on the Web

Science.gov (United States)

Mihsra, A.

2015-12-01

In our experiments (at JPL, NASA) for DARPA Memex project, we wanted to crawl a large amount of data for various domains. A big challenge was data relevancy in the crawled data. More than 50% of the data was irrelevant to the domain at hand. One immediate solution was to use good seeds (seeds are the initial urls from where the program starts to crawl) and make sure that the crawl remains into the original host urls. This although a very efficient technique, fails under two conditions. One when you aim to reach deeper into the web; into new hosts (not in the seed list) and two when the website hosts myriad content types eg. a News website.The relevancy calculation used to be a post processing step i.e. once we had finished crawling, we trained a NaiveBayes Classifier and used it to find a rough relevancy of the web pages that we had. Integrating the relevancy into the crawling rather than after it was very important because crawling takes resources and time. To save both we needed to get an idea of relevancy of the whole crawl during run time and be able to steer its course accordingly. We use Apache Nutch as the crawler, which uses a plugin system to incorporate any new implementations and hence we built a plugin for Nutch.The Naive Bayes Parse Plugin works in the following way. It parses every page and decides, using a trained model (which is built in situ only once using the positive and negative examples given by the user in a very simple format), if it is relevant; If true, then it allows all the outlinks from that page to go to the next round of crawling; If not, then it gives the urls a second chance to prove themselves by checking some commonly expected words in the url relevant to that domain. This two tier system is very intuitive and efficient in focusing the crawl. In our initial test experiments over 100 seed urls, the results were astonishingly good with a recall of 98%.The same technique can be applied to geo-informatics. This will help scientists

An integrated assessment of climate change impacts for Athens- relevance to stakeholders and policy makers

Science.gov (United States)

Giannakopoulos, C.; Hatzaki, M.; Kostopoulou, E.; Varotsos, K.

2010-09-01

Analysing climate change and its impact needs a production of relevant elements for policy making that can be very different from the parameters considered by climate experts. In the framework of EU project CIRCE, a more realistic approach to match stakeholders and policy-makers demands is attempted. For this reason, within CIRCE selected case studies have been chosen that will provide assessments that can be integrated in practical decision making. In this work, an integrated assessment of climate change impacts on several sectors for the urban site of Athens in Greece is presented. The Athens urban case study has been chosen since it provides excellent opportunities for using an integrated approach across multiple temporal and spatial scales and sectors. In the spatial dimension, work extends from the inner city boundaries to the surrounding mountains and forests. In the temporal dimension, research ranges from the current observed time period (using available meteorological and sector data) to future time periods using data from several climate change projections. In addition, a multi-sector approach to climate change impacts is adopted. Impacts sectors covered range from direct climate impacts on natural ecosystems (such as flash floods, air pollution and forest fire risk) to indirect impacts resulting from combined climate-social-economic linkages (such as energy demand, tourism and health). Discussion of impact sector risks and adaptation measures are also exploited. Case-study work on impact sector risk to climate change is of particular interest to relevant policy makers and stakeholders, communication with who is ensured through a series of briefing notes and information sheets and through regional workshops.

Space Station Engineering Design Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Mcruer, Duane T.; Boehm, Barry W.; Debra, Daniel B.; Green, C. Cordell; Henry, Richard C.; Maycock, Paul D.; Mcelroy, John H.; Pierce, Chester M.; Stafford, Thomas P.; Young, Laurence R.

1989-01-01

Space Station Freedom topics addressed include: general design issues; issues related to utilization and operations; issues related to systems requirements and design; and management issues relevant to design.

Process systems engineering issues and applications towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions through conversion technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roh, Kosan; Frauzem, Rebecca; Gani, Rafiqul

2016-01-01

This paper reviews issues and applications for design of sustainable carbon dioxide conversion processes, specifically through chemical conversion, and the integration of the conversion processes with other systems from a process systems engineering (PSE) view-point. Systematic and computer......-aided methods and tools for reaction network generation, processing route generation, process design/optimization, and sustainability analysis are reviewed with respect to carbon dioxide conversion. Also, the relevant gaps and opportunities are highlighted. In addition, the integration of carbon dioxide...

Family interventions in schizophrenia: Issues of relevance for Asian countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakrabarti, Subho

2011-12-31

A growing body of research evidence has confirmed the efficacy of family-interventions as adjuncts to antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia. Much of the recent evidence for such interventions derives from Asian, principally Chinese, studies. These trials have shown that relatively simple forms of family-interventions have wide ranging benefits, and can be implemented successfully in routine clinical settings. With the accumulation of this evidence in their favour, family-interventions for schizophrenia in Asia are poised to take the next critical step, that of wider implementation and improved accessibility for potential users. However, several issues merit consideration. Family-interventions need to be based on a culturally-informed theory, which incorporates cultural variables of relevance in these countries. While the ideal format for conducting family-interventions is still to be determined, it is quite evident that for such interventions to be useful they need to be simple, inexpensive, needs-based, and tailored to suit the socio-cultural realities of mental health systems in Asian countries. The evidence also suggests that delivery by non-specialist personnel is the best way to ensure that such services reach those who stand to benefit most from these treatments. However, there are several existing challenges to the process of dissemination of family-interventions. The major challenges include the achievement of a critical mass of trained professionals capable of delivering these interventions, and finding innovative solutions to make family-interventions more acceptable to families. If these hurdles are overcome, we could look forward to a genuine collaboration with families, who have always been the mainstay of care for the mentally ill in Asia.

75 FR 20843 - Notice of Workshop To Discuss Policy-Relevant Science to Inform EPA's Integrated Plan for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-21

... Policy-Relevant Science to Inform EPA's Integrated Plan for the Review of the Lead National Ambient Air.... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that a workshop entitled, ``Workshop to Discuss Policy... workshop will be open to attendance by interested public observers on a first-come, first-served basis up...

Approaches and incentives to implement integrated pest management that addresses regional and environmental issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Michael J; Goodell, Peter B

2012-01-01

Agricultural, environmental, and social and policy interests have influenced integrated pest management (IPM) from its inception. The first 50 years of IPM paid special attention to field-based management and market-driven decision making. Concurrently, IPM strategies became available that were best applied both within and beyond the bounds of individual fields and that also provided environmental benefits. This generated an incentives dilemma for farmers: selecting IPM activities for individual fields on the basis of market-based economics versus selecting IPM activities best applied regionally that have longer-term benefits, including environmental benefits, that accrue to the broader community as well as the farmer. Over the past several decades, public-supported incentives, such as financial incentives available to farmers from conservation programs for farms, have begun to be employed to encourage use of conservation techniques, including strategies with IPM relevance. Combining private investments with public support may effectively address the incentives dilemma when advanced IPM strategies are used regionally and provide public goods such as those benefiting resource conservation. This review focuses on adaptation of IPM to these broader issues, on transitions of IPM from primarily individual field-based decision making to coordinated community decision making, and on the form of partnerships needed to gain long-lasting regional and environmental benefits. Copyright © 2012 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.

Sustainability performance for Brazilian electricity power industry: An assessment integrating social, economic and environmental issues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sartori, S.; Witjes, S.; Campos, L.M.S.

2017-01-01

The increased pressure on companies to address sustainability issues has resulted in the development of several voluntary corporate sustainability integration approaches. The array of existing approaches is large and overwhelming, resulting in companies not understanding what corporate

Female sex trafficking: conceptual issues, current debates, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Meshkovska, Biljana; Siegel, Melissa; Stutterheim, Sarah E; Bos, Arjan E R

2015-01-01

Female sex trafficking is a pressing concern. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of relevant issues regarding the concept of female sex trafficking and research in the field of human trafficking, drawing on a variety of disciplines, including economics, gender and sexuality studies, psychology, sociology, law, and social work. We discuss the debates surrounding the definition of human trafficking, compare and contrast it with human smuggling, and outline connections between female sex trafficking and the issue of sex work and prostitution. We further discuss the history and current estimations of female sex trafficking. We then outline the main actors in female sex trafficking, including trafficked persons, traffickers, clients, and service providers, and we overview the trafficking process from recruitment to identification, recovery, and (re)integration. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future research that tie together the concepts of vulnerability, exploitation, and long-term recovery and (re)integration.

Critical Issues Forum: A multidisciplinary educational program integrating computer technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexander, R.J.; Robertson, B.; Jacobs, D. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

1998-09-01

The Critical Issues Forum (CIF) funded by the US Department of Energy is a collaborative effort between the Science Education Team of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and New Mexico high schools to improve science education throughout the state of New Mexico as well as nationally. By creating an education relationship between the LANL with its unique scientific resources and New Mexico high schools, students and teachers participate in programs that increase not only their science content knowledge but also their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The CIF program focuses on current, globally oriented topics crucial to the security of not only the US but to that of all nations. The CIF is an academic-year program that involves both teachers and students in the process of seeking solutions for real world concerns. Built around issues tied to LANL`s mission, participating students and teachers are asked to critically investigate and examine the interactions among the political, social, economic, and scientific domains while considering diversity issues that include geopolitical entities and cultural and ethnic groupings. Participants are expected to collaborate through telecommunications during the research phase and participate in a culminating multimedia activity, where they produce and deliver recommendations for the current issues being studied. The CIF was evaluated and found to be an effective approach for teacher professional training, especially in the development of skills for critical thinking and questioning. The CIF contributed to students` ability to integrate diverse disciplinary content about science-related topics and supported teachers in facilitating the understanding of their students using the CIF approach. Networking technology in CIF has been used as an information repository, resource delivery mechanism, and communication medium.

Realizing Relevance: The Influence of Domain-Specific Information on Generation of New Knowledge through Integration in 4- to 8-Year-Old Children

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Patricia J.; Larkina, Marina

2017-01-01

In accumulating knowledge, direct modes of learning are complemented by productive processes, including self-generation based on integration of separate episodes. Effects of the number of potentially relevant episodes on integration were examined in 4- to 8-year-olds (N = 121; racially/ethnically heterogeneous sample, English speakers, from large…

Issues in midterm analysis and forecasting 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

Issues in Midterm Analysis and Forecasting 1998 (Issues) presents a series of nine papers covering topics in analysis and modeling that underlie the Annual Energy Outlook 1998 (AEO98), as well as other significant issues in midterm energy markets. AEO98, DOE/EIA-0383(98), published in December 1997, presents national forecasts of energy production, demand, imports, and prices through the year 2020 for five cases -- a reference case and four additional cases that assume higher and lower economic growth and higher and lower world oil prices than in the reference case. The forecasts were prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), using EIA`s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). The papers included in Issues describe underlying analyses for the projections in AEO98 and the forthcoming Annual Energy Outlook 1999 and for other products of EIA`s Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting. Their purpose is to provide public access to analytical work done in preparation for the midterm projections and other unpublished analyses. Specific topics were chosen for their relevance to current energy issues or to highlight modeling activities in NEMS. 59 figs., 44 tabs.

Technical findings and regulatory analysis for Generic Safety Issue II.E.4.3, ''Containment Integrity Check''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serkiz, A.W.

1988-04-01

This report contains the technical findings and regulatory analysis for Generic Safety Issue II.E.4.3, ''Containment Integrity Check.'' An evaluation of the containment isolation history from 1965 to 1983 reveals that (except for a small number of events) containment integrity has been maintained and that the majority of reported events have been events related to exceeding Technical Specification limits (or 0.6 of the allowable leakage level). In addition, more recent risk analyses have shown that allowable leakage rates even if increased by a factor of 10 would not significantly increase risk. Potential methods of continuous monitoring are identified and evaluated. Therefore, these technical findings and risk evaluations support closure of Generic Safety Issue II.E.4.3

Profiles of Dialogue for Relevance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas Walton

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper uses argument diagrams, argumentation schemes, and some tools from formal argumentation systems developed in artificial intelligence to build a graph-theoretic model of relevance shown to be applicable (with some extensions as a practical method for helping a third party judge issues of relevance or irrelevance of an argument in real examples. Examples used to illustrate how the method works are drawn from disputes about relevance in natural language discourse, including a criminal trial and a parliamentary debate.

An Integrated Interdisciplinary Faculty-Student Learning Community Focused on Water Issues: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Willermet, Cathy; Drake, Eron; Mueller, Anja; Juris, Stephen J.; Chhetri, Pratik; Upadhaya, Samik

2014-01-01

In response to a request from a campus student organization, faculty from three fields came together to develop and teach an integrated interdisciplinary course on water issues and social activism. This course, "Water as Life, Death, and Power," brought together topics from the fields of anthropology, biology and chemistry to explore…

Integration issues of a plasma contactor Power Electronics Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Pinero, Luis R.; York, Kenneth W.; Bowers, Glen E.

1995-01-01

A hollow cathode-based plasma contactor is baselined on International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) for spacecraft charge control. The plasma contactor system consists of a hollow cathode assembly (HCA), a power electronics unit (PEU), and an expellant management unit (EMU). The plasma contactor has recently been required to operate in a cyclic mode to conserve xenon expellant and extend system life. Originally, a DC cathode heater converter was baselined for a continuous operation mode because only a few ignitions of the hollow cathode were expected. However, for cyclic operation, a DC heater supply can potentially result in hollow cathode heater component failure due to the DC electrostatic field. This can prevent the heater from attaining the proper cathode tip temperature for reliable ignition of the hollow cathode. To mitigate this problem, an AC cathode heater supply was therefore designed, fabricated, and installed into a modified PEU. The PEU was tested using resistive loads and then integrated with an engineering model hollow cathode to demonstrate stable steady-state operation. Integration issues such as the effect of line and load impedance on the output of the AC cathode heater supply and the characterization of the temperature profile of the heater under AC excitation were investigated.

Integrating Bioethics in Sciences’ curricula using values in science and socio-scientific issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Sousa

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The  The main objective of the present work is selection of ethical issues that should be addressed with first year undergraduate and K-12 students. Since K-12 Sciences’ curriculum, in Portugal, does not include bioethics content in any discipline explicitly, teachers need to make an effort to include it. Some online materials are available to use in high school classes and will be discussed. My proposal combines inquiry learning-teaching methods with the aim of promoting the discussion of bioethics issues in accordance to UNESCO Bioethics Core Curriculum already adopted by twenty universities throughout the world (Darwish 2015. Some of the issues that are addressed are: ecology and environment ethics, infectious diseases and vaccination, water for all, intellectual property, genomes and patents, biotechnological advances (genetic modified organisms and synthesis of genomes, future generations, climate hanges and natural resources, biomedical advances and human rights, authorship and contributions in scientific publications, and biobanks. In conclusion, this study may constitute an example to facilitate the implementation, by K-12 teachers, of active inquiry strategies, using features of science such as values and socio-scientific issues, and focused on the discussion of concrete ethical issues facing humanity. It also constitutes a proposal of integrating Bioethics in undergraduate sciences’ curricula.

Regulatory Experience on Structural Integrity Issues of The Oldest Reactor Pressure Vessel in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang-Min; Cho, Doo-Ho; Kim, Jin-Su; Kim, Yong-Beum; Chung, Hae-Dong; Kim, Se-Chang; Choi, Jae-Boong

2015-01-01

A reactor pressure vessel plays a crucial role of retaining reactor coolant and core assemblies. The RPV integrity should be evaluated in consideration with the design transient condition and the material deterioration of RPV belt-line region. Especially, the pressurized thermal shock has been considered as one of the most important issues regarding the RPV integrity since Rancho Seco nuclear power plant accident in 1978. In this paper, the structural integrity evaluation of the oldest RPV in Korea was performed by using finite element analysis. PTS conditions like small break loss of coolant accident and Turkey Point steam line break were applied as loading conditions. Neutron fluence data equivalent to 40 years was used to determine the fracture toughness of RPV material. The 3-dimensional finite element model including a circumferential surface flaw was considered for fracture mechanics analysis. The RPV integrity was evaluated according to Japan Electric Association Code. (authors)

Interestingness of association rules in data mining: Issues relevant ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-08-26

Aug 26, 2016 ... ... synonymous with the internet has changed the competitive business environment ... Importance of automated methods that address this immensity problem, ... issues that reveal many promising avenues for future research.

Issues in Data Labelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cowie, Roddy; Cox, Cate; Martin, Jeam-Claude; Batliner, Anton; Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Karpouzis, Kostas; Cowie, Roddy; Pelachaud, Catherine; Petta, Paolo

2011-01-01

Labelling emotion databases is not a purely technical matter. It is bound up with theoretical issues. Different issues affect labelling of emotional content, labelling of the signs that convey emotion, and labelling of the relevant context. Linked to these are representational issues, involving time

Business Intelligence Issues for Sustainability Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Muntean

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Business intelligence (BI is an umbrella term for strategies, technologies, and information systems used by the companies to extract from large and various data, according to the value chain, relevant knowledge to support a wide range of operational, tactical, and strategic business decisions. Sustainability, as an integrated part of the corporate business, implies the integration of the new approach at all levels: business model, performance management system, business intelligence project, and data model. Both business intelligence issues presented in this paper represent the contribution of the author in modeling data for supporting further BI approaches in corporate sustainability initiatives. Multi-dimensional modeling has been used to ground the proposals and to introduce the key performance indicators. The démarche is strengthened with implementation aspects and reporting examples. More than ever, in the Big Data era, bringing together business intelligence methods and tools with corporate sustainability is recommended.

Learning about the Earth through Societally-relevant Interdisciplinary Research Projects: the Honours Integrated Science Program at McMaster

Science.gov (United States)

Eyles, C.; Symons, S. L.; Harvey, C. T.

2016-12-01

Students in the Honours Integrated Science (iSci) program at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) learn about the Earth through interdisciplinary research projects that focus on important societal issues. The iSci program is a new and innovative undergraduate program that emphasizes the links between scientific disciplines and focuses on learning through research and the development of scientific communication skills. The program accepts up to 60 students each year and is taught by a team of 18 instructors comprising senior and junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, a lab coordinator, instructional assistant, a librarian and library staff, and an administrator. The program is designed around a pedagogical model that emphasizes hands-on learning through interdisciplinary research (Research-based Integrated Education: RIE) and is mostly project-based and experiential. In their freshman year students learn fundamental Earth science concepts (in conjunction with chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology) through research projects focused on environmental contamination, interplanetary exploration, the effect of drugs on the human body and environment, sustainable energy, and cancer. In subsequent years they conduct research on topics such as the History of the Earth, Thermodynamics, Plant-Animal Interactions, Wine Science, Forensics, and Climate Change. The iSci program attracts students with a broad interest in science and has been particularly effective in directing high quality students into the Earth sciences as they are introduced to the discipline in their first year of study through research projects that are interesting and stimulating. The structure of the iSci program encourages consideration of geoscientific applications in a broad range of societally relevant research projects; these projects are reviewed and modified each year to ensure their currency and ability to meet program learning objectives.

Health-related quality of life of cranial WHO grade I meningioma patients: are current questionnaires relevant?

Science.gov (United States)

Zamanipoor Najafabadi, Amir H; Peeters, Marthe C M; Lobatto, Daniel J; Broekman, Marieke L D; Smith, Timothy R; Biermasz, Nienke R; Peerdeman, Saskia M; Peul, Wilco C; Taphoorn, Martin J B; van Furth, Wouter R; Dirven, Linda

2017-11-01

The clinical relevance of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in meningioma patients has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years. Various questionnaires have been used. However, almost none of these questionnaires has been particularly developed for and/or validated in this patient group. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relevance and comprehensiveness of existing HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research and to assess the agreement between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) on the most relevant and important HRQoL issues. A systematic literature search, following the PRISMA statement, was conducted to identify all HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research. Semi-structured interviews were organized with patients and HCPs to (1) assess the relevance of all issues covered by the questionnaires (score 0-3: not relevant-highly relevant), (2) assess the ten most important issues, and (3) identify new relevant HRQoL issues. Fourteen different questionnaires were found in the literature, comprising 140 unique issues. Interviews were conducted with 20 patients (median age 57, 71% female) and 10 HCPs (4 neurosurgeons, 2 neurologists, 2 radiotherapists, 1 rehabilitation specialist, 1 neuropsychologist; median experience 13 years). Meningioma patients rated 17-80% of the issues in each of the questionnaires as relevant, HCPs 90-100%. Patients and HCPs agreed on the relevance of only 49 issues (35%, Cohen's kappa: 0.027). Both patients and HCPs considered lack of energy the most important issue. Patients and HCPs suggested five additional relevant issues not covered by current HRQoL questionnaires. Existing HRQoL questionnaires currently used in meningioma patients do not fully cover all relevant issues to these patients. Agreement between patients and HCPs on the relevance of issues was poor. Both findings support the need to develop and validate a meningioma-specific HRQoL questionnaire.

The impact of conflict issues on fixed-pie perceptions, problem solving, and integrative outcomes in negotiation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harinck, F.; de Dreu, C.K.W.; van Vianen, A.E.M.

2000-01-01

It is argued that a negotiators fixed-pie perception, cooperative motivation, problem-solving behavior, and integrative outcomes are influenced by the content of the negotiationthe conflict issue. Negotiation involves conflicting interests, conflicting ideas about intellective problems, or

Integrated, Reactor Relevant Solutions for Lower Hybrid Range of Frequencies Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Shiraiwa, S.; Bonoli, P. T.; Lin, Y.; Wallace, G. M.; Wukitch, S. J.

2017-10-01

RF (radiofrequency) actuators with high system efficiency (wall-plug to plasma) and ability for continuous operation have long be recognized as essential tools for realizing a steady state tokamak. A number of physics and technological challenges to utilization remain including current drive efficiency and location, efficient coupling, and impurity contamination. In a reactor environment, plasma material interaction (PMI) issues associated with coupling structures are similar to the first wall and have been identified as a potential show-stopper. High field side (HFS) launch of LHRF power represents an integrated solution that both improves core wave physics and mitigates PMI/coupling issues. For HFS LHRF, wave penetration is vastly improves because wave accessibility scales as 1/B allowing for launching the wave at lower n|| (parallel refractive index). The lower n|| penetrate to higher electron temperature resulting in higher current drive efficiency (1/n||2). HFS RF launch also provides for a means to dramatically improve launcher robustness in a reactor environment. On the HFS, the SOL is quiescent; local density profile is steep and controlled through magnetic shape; fast particle, neutron, turbulent heat and particle fluxes are eliminated or minim Work supported by the U.S. DoE, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, User Facility Alcator C-Mod under DE-FC02-99ER54512 and US DoE Contract No. DE-FC02-01ER54648 under a Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing Initiative.

The Limits to Relevance

Science.gov (United States)

Averill, M.; Briggle, A.

2006-12-01

Science policy and knowledge production lately have taken a pragmatic turn. Funding agencies increasingly are requiring scientists to explain the relevance of their work to society. This stems in part from mounting critiques of the "linear model" of knowledge production in which scientists operating according to their own interests or disciplinary standards are presumed to automatically produce knowledge that is of relevance outside of their narrow communities. Many contend that funded scientific research should be linked more directly to societal goals, which implies a shift in the kind of research that will be funded. While both authors support the concept of useful science, we question the exact meaning of "relevance" and the wisdom of allowing it to control research agendas. We hope to contribute to the conversation by thinking more critically about the meaning and limits of the term "relevance" and the trade-offs implicit in a narrow utilitarian approach. The paper will consider which interests tend to be privileged by an emphasis on relevance and address issues such as whose goals ought to be pursued and why, and who gets to decide. We will consider how relevance, narrowly construed, may actually limit the ultimate utility of scientific research. The paper also will reflect on the worthiness of research goals themselves and their relationship to a broader view of what it means to be human and to live in society. Just as there is more to being human than the pragmatic demands of daily life, there is more at issue with knowledge production than finding the most efficient ways to satisfy consumer preferences or fix near-term policy problems. We will conclude by calling for a balanced approach to funding research that addresses society's most pressing needs but also supports innovative research with less immediately apparent application.

The Personal Relevance of the Social Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

VanSickle, Ronald L.

1990-01-01

Conceptualizes a personal-relevance framework derived from Ronald L. VanSickle's five areas of life integrated with four general motivating goals from Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Richard and Patricia Schmuck's social motivation theory. Illustrates ways to apply the personal relevance framework to make social studies more relevant to…

Smart-Glasses: Exposing and Elucidating the Ethical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Bjørn; Haustein, Dušan; Landeweerd, Laurens

2017-06-01

The objective of this study is to provide an overview over the ethical issues relevant to the assessment, implementation, and use of smart-glasses. The purpose of the overview is to facilitate deliberation, decision making, and the formation of knowledge and norms for this emerging technology. An axiological question-based method for human cognitive enhancement including an extensive literature search on smart-glasses is used to identify relevant ethical issues. The search is supplemented with relevant ethical issues identified in the literature on human cognitive enhancement (in general) and in the study of the technical aspects of smart-glasses. Identified papers were subject to traditional content analysis: 739 references were identified of which 247 were regarded as relevant for full text examinations, and 155 were included in the study. A wide variety of ethical issues with smart-glasses have been identified, such as issues related to privacy, safety, justice, change in human agency, accountability, responsibility, social interaction, power and ideology. Smart-glasses are envisioned to change individual human identity and behavior as well as social interaction. Taking these issues into account appears to be relevant when developing, deliberating, deciding on, implementing, and using smart-glasses.

Integration of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Into the Science Learning Progression Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardo, Cyntra

This study integrated elements of culturally relevant pedagogy into a science learning progression framework, with the goal of enhancing teachers' cultural knowledge and thereby creating better teaching practices in an urban public high school science classroom. The study was conducted using teachers, an administrator, a science coach, and students involved in science courses in public high school. Through a qualitative intrinsic case study, data were collected and analyzed using traditional methods. Data from primary participants (educators) were analyzed through identification of big ideas, open coding, and themes. Through this process, patterns and emergent ideas were reported. Outcomes of this study demonstrated that educators lack knowledge about research-based academic frameworks and multicultural education strategies, but benefit through institutionally-based professional development. Students from diverse cultures responded positively to culturally-based instruction. Their progress was further manifested in better communication and discourse with their teacher and peers, and increased academic outcomes. This study has postulated and provided an exemplar for science teachers to expand and improve multicultural knowledge, ultimately transferring these skills to their pedagogical practice.

Preservice Teachers' Reconciliation of an Epistemological Issue in an Integrated Mathematics/Science Methods Course

Science.gov (United States)

Cormas, Peter C.

2017-01-01

Preservice teachers in six sections (n = 87) of a sequenced, methodological and process-integrated elementary mathematics/science methods course were able to reconcile an issue centered on a similar area of epistemology. Preservice teachers participated in a science inquiry lesson on biological classification and a mathematics problem-solving…

Issues in waste combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustavsson, Lennart; Robertson, Kerstin; Tullin, Claes [Swedish National Testing and Research Inst., Boraas (Sweden); Sundquist, Lena; Wrangensten, Lars [AaF-Energikonsult AB, Stockholm (Sweden); Blom, Elisabet [AaF-Processdesign AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2003-05-01

The main purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art on research and development issues related to waste combustion with relevance for Swedish conditions. The review focuses on co-combustion in grate and fluidised bed furnaces. It is primarily literature searches in relevant databases of scientific publications with to material published after 1995. As a complement, findings published in different report series, have also been included. Since the area covered by this report is very wide, we do not claim to cover the issues included completely and it has not been possitile to evaluate the referred studies in depth. Basic knowledge about combustion issues is not included since such information can be found elsewhere in the literature. Rather, this review should be viewed as an overview of research and development in the waste-to-energy area and as such we hope that it will inspire scientists and others to further work in relevant areas.

Nostalgia's place among self-relevant emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

van Tilburg, Wijnand A P; Wildschut, Tim; Sedikides, Constantine

2017-07-24

How is nostalgia positioned among self-relevant emotions? We tested, in six studies, which self-relevant emotions are perceived as most similar versus least similar to nostalgia, and what underlies these similarities/differences. We used multidimensional scaling to chart the perceived similarities/differences among self-relevant emotions, resulting in two-dimensional models. The results were revealing. Nostalgia is positioned among self-relevant emotions characterised by positive valence, an approach orientation, and low arousal. Nostalgia most resembles pride and self-compassion, and least resembles embarrassment and shame. Our research pioneered the integration of nostalgia among self-relevant emotions.

Differential impact of relevant and irrelevant dimension primes on rule-based and information-integration category learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimm, Lisa R; Maddox, W Todd

2013-11-01

Research has identified multiple category-learning systems with each being "tuned" for learning categories with different task demands and each governed by different neurobiological systems. Rule-based (RB) classification involves testing verbalizable rules for category membership while information-integration (II) classification requires the implicit learning of stimulus-response mappings. In the first study to directly test rule priming with RB and II category learning, we investigated the influence of the availability of information presented at the beginning of the task. Participants viewed lines that varied in length, orientation, and position on the screen, and were primed to focus on stimulus dimensions that were relevant or irrelevant to the correct classification rule. In Experiment 1, we used an RB category structure, and in Experiment 2, we used an II category structure. Accuracy and model-based analyses suggested that a focus on relevant dimensions improves RB task performance later in learning while a focus on an irrelevant dimension improves II task performance early in learning. © 2013.

Cognitive styles: Controversial issues and research problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia N. Volkova

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an analytical review of cognitive styles research, considering the problems of its theory, methodology, measurement and practical applications. Issues concerning the prospects, as well as theoretical and practical relevance of cognitive styles research, are discussed. We examine the main causes leading to researchers’ declining interest to study of cognitive styles, related to theory, methodology, measurement and practical applications. The main problems discussed relate to lack of clear definition and common theoretical framework. Moreover, the number of empirical studies prevails over the one aimed at theoretical generalization of empirical results and findings, and therefore the primacy of empirics appears. We analyze the possible ways of advancing the field, suggested research programs and potential perspectives for future research. We pose questions of the relationship between cognitive styles and other psychological constructs, such as abilities and cognitive strategies. We emphasize the need to develop integrative models of cognitive styles in order to systematize and organize a large number of existing cognitive styles dimensions. The main controversial issues concerning cognitive styles’ stability and value are considered. We suggest that cognitive style is a psychological mean of cognitive tasks solving, based on both situation circumstances and subject’s current cognitive resources. Issues concerning cognitive styles may answer the question on the nature of individual differences and clarify psychological mechanisms of personality-situation interaction. Furthermore, it may serve as a basis for integrated studies at the areas of personality and cognitive psychology.

Sustainable Sourcing of Global Agricultural Raw Materials: Assessing Gaps in Key Impact and Vulnerability Issues and Indicators.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathaniel P Springer

Full Text Available Understanding how to source agricultural raw materials sustainably is challenging in today's globalized food system given the variety of issues to be considered and the multitude of suggested indicators for representing these issues. Furthermore, stakeholders in the global food system both impact these issues and are themselves vulnerable to these issues, an important duality that is often implied but not explicitly described. The attention given to these issues and conceptual frameworks varies greatly--depending largely on the stakeholder perspective--as does the set of indicators developed to measure them. To better structure these complex relationships and assess any gaps, we collate a comprehensive list of sustainability issues and a database of sustainability indicators to represent them. To assure a breadth of inclusion, the issues are pulled from the following three perspectives: major global sustainability assessments, sustainability communications from global food companies, and conceptual frameworks of sustainable livelihoods from academic publications. These terms are integrated across perspectives using a common vocabulary, classified by their relevance to impacts and vulnerabilities, and categorized into groups by economic, environmental, physical, human, social, and political characteristics. These issues are then associated with over 2,000 sustainability indicators gathered from existing sources. A gap analysis is then performed to determine if particular issues and issue groups are over or underrepresented. This process results in 44 "integrated" issues--24 impact issues and 36 vulnerability issues--that are composed of 318 "component" issues. The gap analysis shows that although every integrated issue is mentioned at least 40% of the time across perspectives, no issue is mentioned more than 70% of the time. A few issues infrequently mentioned across perspectives also have relatively few indicators available to fully represent

Sustainable Sourcing of Global Agricultural Raw Materials: Assessing Gaps in Key Impact and Vulnerability Issues and Indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Springer, Nathaniel P; Garbach, Kelly; Guillozet, Kathleen; Haden, Van R; Hedao, Prashant; Hollander, Allan D; Huber, Patrick R; Ingersoll, Christina; Langner, Megan; Lipari, Genevieve; Mohammadi, Yaser; Musker, Ruthie; Piatto, Marina; Riggle, Courtney; Schweisguth, Melissa; Sin, Emily; Snider, Sara; Vidic, Nataša; White, Aubrey; Brodt, Sonja; Quinn, James F; Tomich, Thomas P

2015-01-01

Understanding how to source agricultural raw materials sustainably is challenging in today's globalized food system given the variety of issues to be considered and the multitude of suggested indicators for representing these issues. Furthermore, stakeholders in the global food system both impact these issues and are themselves vulnerable to these issues, an important duality that is often implied but not explicitly described. The attention given to these issues and conceptual frameworks varies greatly--depending largely on the stakeholder perspective--as does the set of indicators developed to measure them. To better structure these complex relationships and assess any gaps, we collate a comprehensive list of sustainability issues and a database of sustainability indicators to represent them. To assure a breadth of inclusion, the issues are pulled from the following three perspectives: major global sustainability assessments, sustainability communications from global food companies, and conceptual frameworks of sustainable livelihoods from academic publications. These terms are integrated across perspectives using a common vocabulary, classified by their relevance to impacts and vulnerabilities, and categorized into groups by economic, environmental, physical, human, social, and political characteristics. These issues are then associated with over 2,000 sustainability indicators gathered from existing sources. A gap analysis is then performed to determine if particular issues and issue groups are over or underrepresented. This process results in 44 "integrated" issues--24 impact issues and 36 vulnerability issues--that are composed of 318 "component" issues. The gap analysis shows that although every integrated issue is mentioned at least 40% of the time across perspectives, no issue is mentioned more than 70% of the time. A few issues infrequently mentioned across perspectives also have relatively few indicators available to fully represent them. Issues in the

ABNT NBR ISO 26000 priorities to integrate the social responsibilities in peaceful use of nuclear energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biazini Filho, Francisco L.; Sordi, Gian-Maria, E-mail: gian@atomo.com.br, E-mail: Francisco.biazini@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2013-07-01

The aim of this paper is to indicate the priorities in the themes and issues to integrate the social responsibilities (SR) in of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The ABNT NBR ISO 26000 - Guidance on Social Responsibility{sub (1)}. Social responsibility should be an integral part of core organizational strategy, with assigned responsibilities and accountability at all appropriate levels of the organization. It should be reflected in decision making and considered in implementing activities. The process suggested is: 1 - determining relevance; 2 - determining significance and 3 - establishing priorities for addressing issues. The relevancies of each issue are established for us, in this paper, from the activities of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. For each relevant issue the priority are established and are: Core subject : The environment 6.5: Issue 1 : Prevention of pollution 6.5.3: Offers guidances to recognized authority sources on how to measure, assess, prevent or control the most common forms of pollution, including emissions to air, discharge waters, toxic products, waste management, biological agents, odors, visual pollution, among others. Core subject : The environment 6.5: Issue 2 : Sustainable resource use 6.5.4: Presents a series of actions aimed at the more smart use of resources, including energy efficiency, conservation, access and use of water, and extracting the most efficiency in the use of materials, renewable or not, reusing or recycling these resources whenever possible. Core subject : Community involvement and development 6.8: Issue 6 : Health 6.8.8: The organization must appreciate to eliminate the negative impacts of their activities on people's health, contributing as possible pair increase access to medicines and sanitation, as well as raise awareness about the disease as much as healthy lifestyles. In the next jobs we should consider the following to determine whether an action to address these 3 issues. (author)

ABNT NBR ISO 26000 priorities to integrate the social responsibilities in peaceful use of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biazini Filho, Francisco L.; Sordi, Gian-Maria

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper is to indicate the priorities in the themes and issues to integrate the social responsibilities (SR) in of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The ABNT NBR ISO 26000 - Guidance on Social Responsibility (1) . Social responsibility should be an integral part of core organizational strategy, with assigned responsibilities and accountability at all appropriate levels of the organization. It should be reflected in decision making and considered in implementing activities. The process suggested is: 1 - determining relevance; 2 - determining significance and 3 - establishing priorities for addressing issues. The relevancies of each issue are established for us, in this paper, from the activities of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. For each relevant issue the priority are established and are: Core subject : The environment 6.5: Issue 1 : Prevention of pollution 6.5.3: Offers guidances to recognized authority sources on how to measure, assess, prevent or control the most common forms of pollution, including emissions to air, discharge waters, toxic products, waste management, biological agents, odors, visual pollution, among others. Core subject : The environment 6.5: Issue 2 : Sustainable resource use 6.5.4: Presents a series of actions aimed at the more smart use of resources, including energy efficiency, conservation, access and use of water, and extracting the most efficiency in the use of materials, renewable or not, reusing or recycling these resources whenever possible. Core subject : Community involvement and development 6.8: Issue 6 : Health 6.8.8: The organization must appreciate to eliminate the negative impacts of their activities on people's health, contributing as possible pair increase access to medicines and sanitation, as well as raise awareness about the disease as much as healthy lifestyles. In the next jobs we should consider the following to determine whether an action to address these 3 issues. (author)

Passage relevance models for genomics search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frieder Ophir

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract We present a passage relevance model for integrating syntactic and semantic evidence of biomedical concepts and topics using a probabilistic graphical model. Component models of topics, concepts, terms, and document are represented as potential functions within a Markov Random Field. The probability of a passage being relevant to a biologist's information need is represented as the joint distribution across all potential functions. Relevance model feedback of top ranked passages is used to improve distributional estimates of query concepts and topics in context, and a dimensional indexing strategy is used for efficient aggregation of concept and term statistics. By integrating multiple sources of evidence including dependencies between topics, concepts, and terms, we seek to improve genomics literature passage retrieval precision. Using this model, we are able to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in retrieval precision using a large genomics literature corpus.

IEA Wind Task 24 Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems; Volume 1: Issues, Impacts, and Economics of Wind and Hydropower Integration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acker, T.

2011-12-01

This report describes the background, concepts, issues and conclusions related to the feasibility of integrating wind and hydropower, as investigated by the members of IEA Wind Task 24. It is the result of a four-year effort involving seven IEA member countries and thirteen participating organizations. The companion report, Volume 2, describes in detail the study methodologies and participant case studies, and exists as a reference for this report.

Integrity, standards, and QC-related issues with big data in pre-clinical drug discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Brothers, John F; Ung, Matthew; Escalante-Chong, Renan; Ross, Jermaine; Zhang, Jenny; Cha, Yoonjeong; Lysaght, Andrew; Funt, Jason; Kusko, Rebecca

2018-06-01

The tremendous expansion of data analytics and public and private big datasets presents an important opportunity for pre-clinical drug discovery and development. In the field of life sciences, the growth of genetic, genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data is partly driven by a rapid decline in experimental costs as biotechnology improves throughput, scalability, and speed. Yet far too many researchers tend to underestimate the challenges and consequences involving data integrity and quality standards. Given the effect of data integrity on scientific interpretation, these issues have significant implications during preclinical drug development. We describe standardized approaches for maximizing the utility of publicly available or privately generated biological data and address some of the common pitfalls. We also discuss the increasing interest to integrate and interpret cross-platform data. Principles outlined here should serve as a useful broad guide for existing analytical practices and pipelines and as a tool for developing additional insights into therapeutics using big data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Which domains of thyroid-related quality of life are most relevant?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Rasmussen, Ase Krogh

2007-01-01

To identify how thyroid diseases impact the patients' lives and to select the most relevant quality of life (QoL) issues for a thyroid-specific questionnaire.......To identify how thyroid diseases impact the patients' lives and to select the most relevant quality of life (QoL) issues for a thyroid-specific questionnaire....

Pathway Relevance Ranking for Tumor Samples through Network-Based Data Integration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lieven P C Verbeke

Full Text Available The study of cancer, a highly heterogeneous disease with different causes and clinical outcomes, requires a multi-angle approach and the collection of large multi-omics datasets that, ideally, should be analyzed simultaneously. We present a new pathway relevance ranking method that is able to prioritize pathways according to the information contained in any combination of tumor related omics datasets. Key to the method is the conversion of all available data into a single comprehensive network representation containing not only genes but also individual patient samples. Additionally, all data are linked through a network of previously identified molecular interactions. We demonstrate the performance of the new method by applying it to breast and ovarian cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. By integrating gene expression, copy number, mutation and methylation data, the method's potential to identify key pathways involved in breast cancer development shared by different molecular subtypes is illustrated. Interestingly, certain pathways were ranked equally important for different subtypes, even when the underlying (epi-genetic disturbances were diverse. Next to prioritizing universally high-scoring pathways, the pathway ranking method was able to identify subtype-specific pathways. Often the score of a pathway could not be motivated by a single mutation, copy number or methylation alteration, but rather by a combination of genetic and epi-genetic disturbances, stressing the need for a network-based data integration approach. The analysis of ovarian tumors, as a function of survival-based subtypes, demonstrated the method's ability to correctly identify key pathways, irrespective of tumor subtype. A differential analysis of survival-based subtypes revealed several pathways with higher importance for the bad-outcome patient group than for the good-outcome patient group. Many of the pathways exhibiting higher importance for the bad

Reflections on relevance: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Balon, Richard

2005-01-01

Relevance of an article is a highly desirable yet hardly predictable quality at the time of its publication. Article relevance is frequently measured by the impact factor of the journal where the article is published. Furthermore, impact factor, citation index and citation analysis are used as a measure of research progress and scientific wealth of a nation. The wisdom and significance of this approach to relevance is debatable and thus discussed here. In 2004, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics published a variety of articles which, in the author's view, are clinically relevant. Several selected clinically relevant issues reviewed in this article include: the conceptualization of fibromyalgia as a stress disorder; the psychosocial impact and psychosocial interventions in cancer; the impact of alexithymia on patient care; the possible relationship between depression and nutrition (namely intake of folate and pyridoxal phosphate); the significance of hypercoagulability in panic-like anxiety; the questionable value of single isomer drugs, and the relevance and adequacy of clinimetrics versus psychometrics in clinical research. The reviewed issues seem to be relevant to clinical practice, research or both, but also to our critical thinking, and the critical review of the developments in psychiatry and psychology. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Systems integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Siemieniuch, C E; Sinclair, M A

2006-01-01

The paper presents a view of systems integration, from an ergonomics/human factors perspective, emphasising the process of systems integration as is carried out by humans. The first section discusses some of the fundamental issues in systems integration, such as the significance of systems boundaries, systems lifecycle and systems entropy, issues arising from complexity, the implications of systems immortality, and so on. The next section outlines various generic processes for executing systems integration, to act as guides for practitioners. These address both the design of the system to be integrated and the preparation of the wider system in which the integration will occur. Then the next section outlines some of the human-specific issues that would need to be addressed in such processes; for example, indeterminacy and incompleteness, the prediction of human reliability, workload issues, extended situation awareness, and knowledge lifecycle management. For all of these, suggestions and further readings are proposed. Finally, the conclusions section reiterates in condensed form the major issues arising from the above.

General Education Issues, Distance Education Practices: Building Community and Classroom Interaction through the Integration of Curriculum, Instructional Design, and Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Childers, Jeri L.; Berner, R. Thomas

2000-01-01

Examines the issues in a case study surrounding the integration of videoconferencing and Web-based instruction to bring the literature of journalism to life for undergraduate students. Sets forth examples of principles and practices for successful integration of distance education and general education. Also describes the students' reactions in…

Review of D-T Experiments Relevant to Burning Plasma Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawryluk, R.J.

2001-01-01

Progress in the performance of tokamak devices has enabled not only the production of significant bursts of fusion energy from deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) and the Joint European Torus (JET) but, more importantly, the initial study of the physics of burning magnetically confined plasmas. The TFTR and JET, in conjunction with the worldwide fusion effort, have studied a broad range of topics including magnetohydrodynamic stability, transport, wave-particle interactions, the confinement of energetic particles, and plasma boundary interactions. The D-T experiments differ in three principal ways from previous experiments: isotope effects associated with the use of deuterium-tritium fuel, the presence of fusion-generated alpha particles, and technology issues associated with tritium handling and increased activation. The effect of deuterium-tritium fuel and the presence of alpha particles is reviewed and placed in the perspective of the much large r worldwide database using deuterium fuel and theoretical understanding. Both devices have contributed substantially to addressing the scientific and technical issues associated with burning plasmas. However, future burning plasma experiments will operate with larger ratios of alpha heating power to auxiliary power and will be able to access additional alpha-particle physics issues. The scientific opportunities for extending our understanding of burning plasmas beyond that provided by current experiments is described

The awareness of Privacy issues in Ambient Intelligence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mar LÓPEZ

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Ambient Intelligence (AmI involves extensive and invisible integration of computer technologies in people´s daily lives: Smart Sensors, Smart Phones, Tablets, Wireless Sensor Network (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, RFID, etc., Internet (Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, You Tube, Blogs, Cloud Computing, etc.. The Intelligent Environments (IE collect and process a massive amount of person-related and sensitive information.The aim of this work is to show the awareness of privacy issues in AmI and to identify the relevant design issues that should be addressed in order to provide privacy in the design of Ambient Intelligence’s applications focused in the user´s domain and involved technologies. We propose a conceptual framework in order to enforce privacy that takes care of interaction between technologies and devices, users and application´s domain with different modules that contain different steps relating to the privacy policies.

A critical review of frameworks used for evaluating reliability and relevance of (eco)toxicity data: Perspectives for an integrated eco-human decision-making framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, N; Ciffroy, P

2016-10-01

Considerable efforts have been invested so far to evaluate and rank the quality and relevance of (eco)toxicity data for their use in regulatory risk assessment to assess chemical hazards. Many frameworks have been developed to improve robustness and transparency in the evaluation of reliability and relevance of individual tests, but these frameworks typically focus on either environmental risk assessment (ERA) or human health risk assessment (HHRA), and there is little cross talk between them. There is a need to develop a common approach that would support a more consistent, transparent and robust evaluation and weighting of the evidence across ERA and HHRA. This paper explores the applicability of existing Data Quality Assessment (DQA) frameworks for integrating environmental toxicity hazard data into human health assessments and vice versa. We performed a comparative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of eleven frameworks for evaluating reliability and/or relevance of toxicity and ecotoxicity hazard data. We found that a frequent shortcoming is the lack of a clear separation between reliability and relevance criteria. A further gaps and needs analysis revealed that none of the reviewed frameworks satisfy the needs of a common eco-human DQA system. Based on our analysis, some key characteristics, perspectives and recommendations are identified and discussed for building a common DQA system as part of a future integrated eco-human decision-making framework. This work lays the basis for developing a common DQA system to support the further development and promotion of Integrated Risk Assessment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RELEVANT PROBLEMS OF UKRAINE’S INTEGRATION INTO GLOBAL ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yevheniia Duliba

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to study the main problems that prevent Ukraine from integrating into the global economy and to determine correct focuses of the foreign economic policy of Ukraine against the background of strengthening of globalization tendencies throughout the world. The bases of this research are bases of business development of the foreign economic policy of Ukraine and improvement of Ukrainian economy against the background of international integration. At the heart of the research methodology is a dialectical method of scientific knowledge and, besides, special methods of research based on modern scientific bases of economic, management and related to them knowledge: economic and statistic method – for the assessment of the modern state of foreign trade and investment activity of Ukraine; method of analysis and synthesis – for the determination of tendencies of development of integration processed in Ukraine; comparative analysis – for comparison of information concerning development of specific indicators of foreign economic activities in Ukraine. Results. As a result of research, the main blocks of problems, which impede the integration of Ukraine into the global economy, and requirements for their complex solution are determined. Besides, interdependence and interdetermination of problems, which impede the integration of Ukraine into the global economy, and requirements for their complex solution are explained. Political and legal, economic, sociocultural, and infrastructural preconditions that are necessary for effective integration of Ukraine into the global economy are highlighted. Practical implications. Analysis of the existing problems related to the actual economy, investments, innovation processes gives the possibility to determine the vector of development of Ukraine’s economy taking to account recommendations concerning its improvement for the purposes of integration into global economy. Value

Integrating the issues of world animal health and world public health into the veterinary curriculum: a Southeast Asian perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamri-Saad, M; Romziah, S; Kunavongkrit, A; Valdez, C A; Thien, M

2009-08-01

The authors analysed the curricula of five veterinary schools in Southeast Asia to determine how successfully they integrate the issues of global animal health and global public health into their programmes. Two schools offer a five-year programme while the remaining three offer a six-year programme. The core courses within the curricula range from 145 to 224 credit hours, in total. In general, world animal health and world public health are well integrated into the veterinary curriculum. Most curricula allocate approximately 3% of their total credit hours to subjects associated with animal and public health, but other subjects that may contain discussions on these issues range between 6% and 10%. Most veterinary schools in Southeast Asia offer a Master's programme in Veterinary Public Health, with detailed emphasis on animal and public health but focusing principally on topics of local importance. At the same time, undergraduate and post-graduate veterinary students are exposed to current issues in animal and public health through regional and international scientific meetings.

Advancing sustainable development in Canada : policy issues and research needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eliadis, P.; Slayen, S.

2003-11-01

This paper defined 7 policy-relevant issues that advance sustainable development in Canada. These were; (1) urban redesign, (2) freshwater management, (3) eco-region sustainability, (4) impacts of globalization on sustainable development in Canada, (5) designing signals and incentives that promote sustainable behaviour among citizens, (6) reducing the ecological burden of unsustainable lifestyles, and (7) international engagement in sustainable development. The authors questioned why these issues have not made greater progress, given that they have been on national and international agendas since 1972. They also questioned why it is so difficult to integrate environmental and economic signals. Finally, they examined whether enough ecological and political space can be provided to developing countries to achieve sustainable development while enhancing the standard of living in Canada and not threatening critical global systems. 173 refs

The Integration of HIV and AIDS as a Socio-Scientific Issue in the Life Sciences Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Eugenie; Mnguni, Lindelani

2015-01-01

The potential of science to transform lives has been highlighted by a number of scholars. This means that critical socio-scientific issues (SSIs) must be integrated into science curricula. Development of context-specific scientific knowledge and twenty-first-century learning skills in science education could be used to address SSIs such as…

The Opinions of Middle School Mathematics Teachers on the Integration of Mathematics Course and Social Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Turhan Turkkan, Buket; Karakus, Memet

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions of middle school mathematics teachers on the integration of mathematics course and social issues. For this purpose, qualitative research method was used in this study. As for determining the participants of the research, criterion sampling among purposeful sampling methods was used. Being a…

Patients' Perspectives on Information and Communication About Sexual and Relational Issues in Rheumatology Health Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Helland, Ylva; Dagfinrud, Hanne; Haugen, Mona-Iren; Kjeken, Ingvild; Zangi, Heidi

2017-06-01

Men and women with rheumatic diseases report a significantly negative impact on multiple areas of life, including sexuality. Research indicates that patients want to discuss sexual issues with health professionals (HPs) in rheumatology care but these issues are rarely addressed in consultations. The objective of the present study was to explore patients' experiences of communication with HPs about disease-related sexual issues, their perceptions of the relevance of these issues in rheumatology care and their preferences for how these topics should be handled. A qualitative design was used and 18 semi-structured interviews were performed, including eight women and ten men with inflammatory rheumatic joint diseases, aged 29-62 years. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed thematically. Four main themes were derived from the interviews: (i) relevance of sexual issues; (ii) vital conditions for communication; (iii) individual preferences in mode and timing of information and communication; and (iv) benefits of information and communication. The participants expressed that, although sexual issues are relevant, necessary conditions for good communication are largely lacking. HPs' knowledge, experience and personal skills, as well as having sufficient time were essential. HPs lack of initiating sexual topics contributed to uncertainty about whether their sexual challenges were disease related and whether it was a legitimate topic to discuss in rheumatology care. Patients wanted HPs to possess knowledge about possible disease-related challenges in sexual life and intimate relationships, and to facilitate communication about these aspects. There is a need to develop practice guidelines to enable HPs to integrate sexual issues as an aspect of healthcare delivery in a patient-friendly manner. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Compositional Relevance Model for Adaptive Information Retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Mathe, Nathalie; Chen, James; Lu, Henry, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

There is a growing need for rapid and effective access to information in large electronic documentation systems. Access can be facilitated if information relevant in the current problem solving context can be automatically supplied to the user. This includes information relevant to particular user profiles, tasks being performed, and problems being solved. However most of this knowledge on contextual relevance is not found within the contents of documents, and current hypermedia tools do not provide any easy mechanism to let users add this knowledge to their documents. We propose a compositional relevance network to automatically acquire the context in which previous information was found relevant. The model records information on the relevance of references based on user feedback for specific queries and contexts. It also generalizes such information to derive relevant references for similar queries and contexts. This model lets users filter information by context of relevance, build personalized views of documents over time, and share their views with other users. It also applies to any type of multimedia information. Compared to other approaches, it is less costly and doesn't require any a priori statistical computation, nor an extended training period. It is currently being implemented into the Computer Integrated Documentation system which enables integration of various technical documents in a hypertext framework.

Formation of a Cluster Integration System of Educational Institutions within the Region

Science.gov (United States)

Davydova, Nataliia N.; Dorozhkin, Evgenij M.; Polyanskova, Nataliia V.; Nuykina, ?lena Yu.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the investigated issue is caused by the need to explore new approaches to the development of integration processes in the field of education which are of great interest for the development of an environment conducive to the creation and the active use of innovations in the education system. The aim of this study is the development…

INTEGRATED MECHANISMS FOR APROACHING PRIORITY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AT GLOBAL LEVEL

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iLDIKO iOAN

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Integrated mechanisms for approaching priority environmentalissues at global level. At global level, there are considered priorityenvironmental issues two interdependent processes that are essential for thesupport the processes that provide living conditions and wellbeing for the entirehumankind: climate change and loss of biodiversity. Payments of ecosystemservices became already well-known and applied economic instruments, althoughthere are still many uncertainties in the knowledge of eco-economic interdependencies.The paper discusses these aspects in the first part highlighting advantagesand disadvantages, while in the second part there is analyzed an integratedprogram of the United Nations, which was designed for making progress towardboth climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The REDD program – Reduction ofEmissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation – is addressed to developingcountries and it started in 2008. Based on assessment reports we will try toformulate a number of conclusions regarding the program’s effectiveness.

Temas ambientais relevantes Relevant environmental issues

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Eneas Salati

2006-04-01

Full Text Available NESTE trabalho, são indicados os principais temas ambientais para o Brasil, num futuro próximo (2022. Impactos do aumento da temperatura são estudados através de cenários, que podem modificar o balanço hídrico em algumas regiões, tendo sido observado um aumento da ordem de 0,78ºC no período de 1917 a 2003, na região de Piracicaba. Para a região amazônica, foi observado um aumento de 0,56ºC durante o século XX. Tanto o desmatamento quanto as Mudanças Climáticas Globais atuam na direção de um aumento da temperatura, enquanto o desmatamento influi na direção de uma diminuição das precipitações. O desmatamento provoca, ainda, uma grande perda de biodiversidade, sendo estimadas em uma perda entre 8.000 até 34.000 espécies, considerando-se que o desmatamento aumenta em 1% ao ano.THIS PAPER indicates the environmental issues that must necessarily be approached, in Brazil, in a near future (2022. A study was made on some aspects of the effects of deforestation and Global Climate Change. A temperature rise around 0,78% has been observed during period of 1917 and 2003 in the Piracicaba region. For the Amazon region a rise of 0,56% was observed the 20th Century. The existing information indicates that not only deforestation but also Global Climate Changes act upon temperature rise. Deforestation has direct influence in precipitation decrease. The consequences of Global Climate Change are still unknown, being that some models indicate a precipitation rise and others a decrease. Deforestation also provokes great biodiversity loss, estimated between 8.000 to 34.000 species, considering that deforestation raises 1% per year.

Task-Relevant Information Modulates Primary Motor Cortex Activity Before Movement Onset.

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Calderon, Cristian B; Van Opstal, Filip; Peigneux, Philippe; Verguts, Tom; Gevers, Wim

2018-01-01

Monkey neurophysiology research supports the affordance competition hypothesis (ACH) proposing that cognitive information useful for action selection is integrated in sensorimotor areas. In this view, action selection would emerge from the simultaneous representation of competing action plans, in parallel biased by relevant task factors. This biased competition would take place up to primary motor cortex (M1). Although ACH is plausible in environments affording choices between actions, its relevance for human decision making is less clear. To address this issue, we designed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment modeled after monkey neurophysiology studies in which human participants processed cues conveying predictive information about upcoming button presses. Our results demonstrate that, as predicted by the ACH, predictive information (i.e., the relevant task factor) biases activity of primary motor regions. Specifically, first, activity before movement onset in contralateral M1 increases as the competition is biased in favor of a specific button press relative to activity in ipsilateral M1. Second, motor regions were more tightly coupled with fronto-parietal regions when competition between potential actions was high, again suggesting that motor regions are also part of the biased competition network. Our findings support the idea that action planning dynamics as proposed in the ACH are valid both in human and non-human primates.

Integrating global animal health, public health and tropical animal health issues into the veterinary curriculum: a South African/African perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Swan, G E; Coetzer, J A W; Terblanche, H M

2009-08-01

The globalisation of trade and food, the increased volume and speed of international travel, climate change, and the related escalation of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases mean that countries are now more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. Africa is beleaguered by a range of endemic infectious and parasitic tropical diseases which, due to its diverse wildlife populations and indigenous livestock, can serve as a reservoir of high-impact or transboundary diseases and play a role in the emergence of disease, particularly at the wildlife, domestic animal and human interfaces. It is therefore essential to integrate animal and public health issues into the veterinary curriculum. Veterinary training in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa has focused on producing veterinarians to serve the livestock sector although socio-economic changes and privatisation of Veterinary Services have caused curriculum adjustments, as have globalisation and the increased risk of the spread of transboundary diseases. In South Africa, undergraduate veterinary training is more clinically oriented than in other regions. Animal and public health issues are covered in the curriculum, although their global relevance is not emphasised. The authors describe the undergraduate veterinary curriculum and summarise post-graduate programmes in South Africa. They also discuss a more comprehensive core-elective approach to the current curriculum and the need to adapt to new challenges facing the profession. Finally, they examine the potential use of innovative technology in undergraduate and post-graduate training and professional development, the importance of regional and international collaboration and the accreditation and recognition of veterinary training.

Relevance Feedback in Content Based Image Retrieval: A Review

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Manesh B. Kokare

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides an overview of the technical achievements in the research area of relevance feedback (RF in content-based image retrieval (CBIR. Relevance feedback is a powerful technique in CBIR systems, in order to improve the performance of CBIR effectively. It is an open research area to the researcher to reduce the semantic gap between low-level features and high level concepts. The paper covers the current state of art of the research in relevance feedback in CBIR, various relevance feedback techniques and issues in relevance feedback are discussed in detail.

Issues around radiological protection of the environment and its integration with protection of humans: promoting debate on the way forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownless, G P

2007-01-01

This paper explores issues to consider around integrating direct, explicit protection of the environment into the current system of radiological protection, which is focused on the protection of humans. Many issues around environmental radiological protection have been discussed, and ready-to-use toolboxes have been constructed for assessing harm to non-human biota, but it is not clear how (or even if) these should be fitted into the current system of protection. Starting from the position that the current approach to protecting the environment (namely that it follows from adequately protecting humans) is generally effective, this paper considers how explicit radiological protection of the environment can be integrated with the current system, through developing a 'worked example' of how this could be done and highlighting issues peculiar to protection of the environment. The aim of the paper is to promote debate on this topic, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that any changes to the system are consensual and robust

Exploring Issues of Relevance and Quality in the Context of a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper draws insights from a mini research project that was conducted at the University of Botswana in Botswana, within a wider, collaborative research effort established amongst five universities in the Southern African Development Community which focused on the links between educational quality and relevance and ...

Integration issues of high-k and metal gate into conventional CMOS technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, S.C.; Zhang, Z.; Huffman, C.; Bae, S.H.; Sim, J.H.; Kirsch, P.; Majhi, P.; Moumen, N.; Lee, B.H.

2006-01-01

Issues surrounding the integration of Hf-based high-k dielectrics with metal gates in a conventional CMOS flow are discussed. The careful choice of a gate stack process as well as optimization of other CMOS process steps enables robust CMOSFETs with a wide process latitude. HfO 2 of a 2 nm physical thickness shows complete suppression of transient charge trapping resulting from a significant reduction in film volume as well as kinetically suppressed crystallization. Metal thickness is also critical when optimizing physical stress effects and minimizing dopant diffusion. A high temperature anneal after source and drain implantation in a conventional CMOSFET process reduces the interface state density and improves electron mobility

Environmental sampling: Issues for the cut-off regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fearey, B.L.

1995-01-01

The fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) initiative under the Conference on Disarmament mandate is envisioned to include certain aspects of environmental sampling and monitoring. One of the intents of this treaty is to bring certain non-NPT signatories (e.g., threshold states) under this treaty agreement along with the nuclear weapon states (NWSs). This paper provides a brief overview of some of the relevant issues that may be involved in the implementation and use of environmental monitoring for (1) verification of the cut-off regime declarations, (2) the detection of undeclared activities, and, (3) application in non-routine inspections. The intent is to provide backstopping information important for treaty negotiators. Specific issues addressed within this paper include signature sampling, differences in the proposed detection regime, potential signature integrators, specific examples and spoofing concerns. Many of these issues must be carefully considered and weighed in order to create a credibly verifiable inspection regime. Importantly, the cut-off treaty must enable nondiscriminatory implementation, while carefully assuring that nonproliferation treaty requirements are maintained (i.e., preventing unintentional release of critical weapons design information--potentially through environmental sampling and analysis)

Migration in OECD countries: Labour Market Impact and Integration Issues. OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 562

Science.gov (United States)

Jean, Sebastien; Causa, Orsetta; Jimenez, Miguel; Wanner, Isabelle

2007-01-01

Immigration pressures are increasing in most OECD countries. This paper investigates the consequences of immigration for natives' labour market outcomes, as well as issues linked to immigrants' integration in the host country labour market. Changes in the share of immigrants in the labour force may have a distributive impact on natives' wages, and…

Relevant safety issues in designing the HTR-10 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Yuliang; Xu Yuanghui

2001-01-01

The HTR-10 is a 10 MWth pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactor being constructed as a research facility at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology. This paper discusses design issues of the HTR-10 which are related to safety. It addresses the safety criteria used in the development and assessment of the design, the safety important systems, and the safety classification of components. It also summarises the results of safety analysis, including the approach used for the radioactive source term, as well as the approach to containment design. (author)

The full spectrum of ethical issues in dementia care: systematic qualitative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Strech, Daniel; Mertz, Marcel; Knüppel, Hannes; Neitzke, Gerald; Schmidhuber, Martina

2013-06-01

Integrating ethical issues in dementia-specific training material, clinical guidelines and national strategy plans requires an unbiased awareness of all the relevant ethical issues. To determine systematically and transparently the full spectrum of ethical issues in clinical dementia care. We conducted a systematic review in Medline (restricted to English and German literature published between 2000 and 2011) and Google books (with no restrictions). We applied qualitative text analysis and normative analysis to categorise the spectrum of ethical issues in clinical dementia care. The literature review retrieved 92 references that together mentioned a spectrum of 56 ethical issues in clinical dementia care. The spectrum was structured into seven major categories that consist of first- and second-order categories for ethical issues. The systematically derived spectrum of ethical issues in clinical dementia care presented in this paper can be used as training material for healthcare professionals, students and the public for raising awareness and understanding of the complexity of ethical issues in dementia care. It can also be used to identify ethical issues that should be addressed in dementia-specific training programmes, national strategy plans and clinical practice guidelines. Further research should evaluate whether this new genre of systematic reviews can be applied to the identification of ethical issues in other cognitive and somatic diseases. Also, the practical challenges in addressing ethical issues in training material, guidelines and policies need to be evaluated.

Editorial : Introduction to Energy Strategy Reviews theme issue “Future Energy Systems and Market Integration of Wind Power”

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lund, H.; Weijermars, R.

2013-01-01

Energy Strategy Reviews (ESR) provides a peer-reviewed publication platformto evaluate strategy options for tomorrow’s energy systems. The focus in this special issue is on “Future Energy Systems and Market Integration of Wind Power” and possible solutions are highlighted from the strategy viewpoint

Review of issues relevant to acceptable risk criteria for nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, J.J.

1978-01-01

Development of acceptable risk criteria for nuclear waste management requires the translation of publicly determined goals and objectives into definitive issues which, in turn, require resolution. Since these issues are largely of a subjective nature, they cannot be resolved by technological methods. Development of acceptable risk criteria might best be accomplished by application of a systematic methodology for the optimal implementation of subjective values. Multi-attribute decision analysis is well suited for this purpose

Review of relevant studies of isolated systems[Integration of wind energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, L.H.; Lundsager, P.

2000-12-01

The report presents the results of a review of studies relating to integration of wind energy in isolated power supply systems, based on a systematic literature survey. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodology consisting of a set of guidelines for wind energy projects in isolated energy systems and a set of tools and models that are operational on an engineering level. The review is based on a literature search in the ETDE Energy Database with a main search covering the period 7/88 to 6/97 and supplemented by partial update periods. A few newer references have been included in the review, most notably the IEC/PAS 62111 specification. The amount of wind energy literature related to the subject is excessively large, and a complete review in which every relevant abstract is identified and examined is not feasible within the framework of this (or probably any other) study. The review results have been organised according to the following keywords: methods & guides, economics, concept of application, system solutions, case studies, financial programmes, dedicated software tools. None of the found references presents methods or tools that contradict the philosophy of Risoe's methodology as it is described in the report. It is therefore concluded that Risoe's methodology makes a good platform for further development. (au)

Support interoperability and reusability of emerging forms of assessment: Some issues on integrating IMS LD with IMS QTI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miao, Yongwu; Boon, Jo; Van der Klink, Marcel; Sloep, Peter; Koper, Rob

2009-01-01

Miao, Y., Boon, J., Van der Klink, M., Sloep, P. B., & Koper, R. (2011). Support interoperability and reusability of emerging forms of assessment: Some issues on integrating IMS LD with IMS QTI. In F. Lazarinis, S. Green, & E. Pearson (Eds.), E-Learning Standards and Interoperability: Frameworks

NEW CORPORATE REPORTING TRENDS. ANALYSIS ON THE EVOLUTION OF INTEGRATED REPORTING

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Dragu Ioana

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to present the new corporate reporting trends of the 21st century. Integrated reporting has been launched through a common initiative of the International Integrated Reporting Committee and global accounting organizations. However, the history of integrated reports starts before the initiative of the IIRC, and goes back in time when large corporations begun to disclose sustainability and corporate social responsibility information. Further on, we claim that the initial sustainability and CSR reports that were issued separate along with the financial annual report represent the predecessors of the current integrated reports. The paper consists of a literature review analysis on the evolution of integrated reporting, from the first stage of international non-financial initiatives, up to the current state of a single integrated annual report. In order to understand the background of integrated reporting we analyze the most relevant research papers on corporate reporting, focusing on the international organizations’ perspective on non-financial reporting, in general, and integrated reporting, in particular. Based on the literature overview, we subtracted the essential information for setting the framework of the integrated reporting evolution. The findings suggest that we can delimitate three main stages in the evolution of integrated reports, namely: the non-financial reporting initiatives, the sustainability era, and the revolution of integrated reporting. We illustrate these results by presenting each relevant point in the history of integrated reporting on a time scale axis, developed with the purpose of defining the road to integrated reporting at theoretical, empirical, and practical levels. We consider the current investigation as relevant for future studies concerning integrated reports, as this is a new area of research still in its infancy. The originality of the research derives from the novelty of

Climate Change and Environmental assessments: Issues in an African Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalfelt, Arne; Naess, Lars Otto

1997-12-31

The present report discusses the potential for integrating climate change issues into environmental assessments of development actions, with an emphasis on sub-Sahara Africa. The study is motivated by the fact that future climate change could have significant adverse impacts on the natural and socio-economic environment in Africa. Yet, to date global change issues, including climate change, have been largely overlooked in the process of improving environmental assessment procedures and methodologies. It is argued that although emissions of greenhouse gases in Africa are negligible today, it is highly relevant to include this aspect in the planning of long-term development strategies. The report discusses potential areas of conflicts and synergies between climate change and development goals. The general conclusion is that environmental assessments could be an appropriate tool for addressing climate change issues, while there are still several obstacles to its practical implementation. Four priority areas are suggested for further work: (1) Environmental accounting, (2) harmonization and standard-setting, (3) implementation, and (4) risk management. 82 refs., 5 figs., 11 tabs.

Maternal substance use and integrated treatment programs for women with substance abuse issues and their children: a meta-analysis

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Milligan Karen

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rate of women with substance abuse issues is increasing. Women present with a unique constellation of risk factors and presenting needs, which may include specific needs in their role as mothers. Numerous integrated programs (those with substance use treatment and pregnancy, parenting, or child services have been developed to specifically meet the needs of pregnant and parenting women with substance abuse issues. This synthesis and meta-analysis reviews research in this important and growing area of treatment. Methods We searched PsycINFO, MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Proquest Dissertations, Sociological Abstracts, and CINAHL and compiled a database of 21 studies (2 randomized trials, 9 quasi-experimental studies, 10 cohort studies of integrated programs published between 1990 and 2007 with outcome data on maternal substance use. Data were summarized and where possible, meta-analyses were performed, using standardized mean differences (d effect size estimates. Results In the two studies comparing integrated programs to no treatment, effect sizes for urine toxicology and percent using substances significantly favored integrated programs and ranged from 0.18 to 1.41. Studies examining changes in maternal substance use from beginning to end of treatment were statistically significant and medium sized. More specifically, in the five studies measuring severity of drug and alcohol use, the average effect sizes were 0.64 and 0.40, respectively. In the four cohort studies of days of use, the average effect size was 0.52. Of studies comparing integrated to non-integrated programs, four studies assessed urine toxicology and two assessed self-reported abstinence. Overall effect sizes for each measure were not statistically significant (d = -0.09 and 0.22, respectively. Conclusions Findings suggest that integrated programs are effective in reducing maternal substance use. However, integrated programs were not

Linking Housing and School Integration Policy: What Federal, State and Local Governments Can Do. Issue Brief No. 5

Science.gov (United States)

Tegeler, Philip

2015-01-01

This Issue Brief states that, in spite of the obvious "reciprocal relationship" between housing and school policy, government housing and education agencies have rarely collaborated to promote the common goals of racial and economic integration. Recent efforts to promote collaboration among housing and school agencies have focused on…

Deep learning for cardiac computer-aided diagnosis: benefits, issues & solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, Brian C S; Then, Patrick H H

2017-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the top causes of deaths worldwide. In developing nations and rural areas, difficulties with diagnosis and treatment are made worse due to the deficiency of healthcare facilities. A viable solution to this issue is telemedicine, which involves delivering health care and sharing medical knowledge at a distance. Additionally, mHealth, the utilization of mobile devices for medical care, has also proven to be a feasible choice. The integration of telemedicine, mHealth and computer-aided diagnosis systems with the fields of machine and deep learning has enabled the creation of effective services that are adaptable to a multitude of scenarios. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of heart disease diagnosis and management, especially within the context of rural healthcare, as well as discuss the benefits, issues and solutions of implementing deep learning algorithms to improve the efficacy of relevant medical applications.

Individual and organizational predictors of the ethicality of graduate students' responses to research integrity issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Langlais, Philip J; Bent, Blake J

2014-12-01

The development of effective means to enhance research integrity by universities requires baseline measures of individual, programmatic, and institutional factors known to contribute to ethical decision making and behavior. In the present study, master's thesis and Ph.D. students in the fields of biological, health and social sciences at a research extensive university completed a field appropriate measure of research ethical decision making and rated the seriousness of the research issue and importance for implementing the selection response. In addition they were asked to rate their perceptions of the institutional and departmental research climate and to complete a measure of utilitarian and formalistic predisposition. Female students were found to be more ethical in their decision making compared to male students. The research ethical decision measure was found to be related to participants' ethical predisposition and overall perception of organizational and departmental research climate; however, formalism was the only individual predictor to reach statistical significance and none of the individual subscales of the research climate measure were significantly correlated to ethicality. Participants' ratings of the seriousness of the issue were correlated with their ratings of the importance of carrying out their selected response but neither was significantly predictive of the ethicality of their responses. The implications of these findings for the development of more effective training programs and environments for graduate students in research ethics and integrity are discussed.

SysBioCube: A Data Warehouse and Integrative Data Analysis Platform Facilitating Systems Biology Studies of Disorders of Military Relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowbina, Sudhir; Hammamieh, Rasha; Kumar, Raina; Chakraborty, Nabarun; Yang, Ruoting; Mudunuri, Uma; Jett, Marti; Palma, Joseph M; Stephens, Robert

2013-01-01

SysBioCube is an integrated data warehouse and analysis platform for experimental data relating to diseases of military relevance developed for the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Systems Biology Enterprise (SBE). It brings together, under a single database environment, pathophysio-, psychological, molecular and biochemical data from mouse models of post-traumatic stress disorder and (pre-) clinical data from human PTSD patients.. SysBioCube will organize, centralize and normalize this data and provide an access portal for subsequent analysis to the SBE. It provides new or expanded browsing, querying and visualization to provide better understanding of the systems biology of PTSD, all brought about through the integrated environment. We employ Oracle database technology to store the data using an integrated hierarchical database schema design. The web interface provides researchers with systematic information and option to interrogate the profiles of pan-omics component across different data types, experimental designs and other covariates.

Integration and timing of basic and clinical sciences education.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandiera, Glen; Boucher, Andree; Neville, Alan; Kuper, Ayelet; Hodges, Brian

2013-05-01

Medical education has traditionally been compartmentalized into basic and clinical sciences, with the latter being viewed as the skillful application of the former. Over time, the relevance of basic sciences has become defined by their role in supporting clinical problem solving rather than being, of themselves, a defining knowledge base of physicians. As part of the national Future of Medical Education in Canada (FMEC MD) project, a comprehensive empirical environmental scan identified the timing and integration of basic sciences as a key pressing issue for medical education. Using the literature review, key informant interviews, stakeholder meetings, and subsequent consultation forums from the FMEC project, this paper details the empirical basis for focusing on the role of basic science, the evidentiary foundations for current practices, and the implications for medical education. Despite a dearth of definitive relevant studies, opinions about how best to integrate the sciences remain strong. Resource allocation, political power, educational philosophy, and the shift from a knowledge-based to a problem-solving profession all influence the debate. There was little disagreement that both sciences are important, that many traditional models emphasized deep understanding of limited basic science disciplines at the expense of other relevant content such as social sciences, or that teaching the sciences contemporaneously rather than sequentially has theoretical and practical merit. Innovations in integrated curriculum design have occurred internationally. Less clear are the appropriate balance of the sciences, the best integration model, and solutions to the political and practical challenges of integrated curricula. New curricula tend to emphasize integration, development of more diverse physician competencies, and preparation of physicians to adapt to evolving technology and patients' expectations. Refocusing the basic/clinical dichotomy to a foundational

How Body Orientation Affects Concepts of Space, Time and Valence: Functional Relevance of Integrating Sensorimotor Experiences during Word Processing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Lachmair

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to test the functional relevance of the spatial concepts UP or DOWN for words that use these concepts either literally (space or metaphorically (time, valence. A functional relevance would imply a symmetrical relationship between the spatial concepts and words related to these concepts, showing that processing words activate the related spatial concepts on one hand, but also that an activation of the concepts will ease the retrieval of a related word on the other. For the latter, the rotation angle of participant's body position was manipulated either to an upright or a head-down tilted body position to activate the related spatial concept. Afterwards participants produced in a within-subject design previously memorized words of the concepts space, time and valence according to the pace of a metronome. All words were related either to the spatial concept UP or DOWN. The results including Bayesian analyses show (1 a significant interaction between body position and words using the concepts UP and DOWN literally, (2 a marginal significant interaction between body position and temporal words and (3 no effect between body position and valence words. However, post-hoc analyses suggest no difference between experiments. Thus, the authors concluded that integrating sensorimotor experiences is indeed of functional relevance for all three concepts of space, time and valence. However, the strength of this functional relevance depends on how close words are linked to mental concepts representing vertical space.

The vulnerability of Australian rural communities to climate variability and change: Part II—Integrating impacts with adaptive capacity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nelson, R.; Kokic, P.; Crimp, S.; Martin, P.; Meinke, H.B.; Howden, S.M.; DeVoil, P.; McKeon, G.; Nidumolu, U.

2010-01-01

In the first paper in this series [Nelson, R., Kokic, P., Crimp, S., Martin, P., Meinke, H., Howden, S.M. (2010, this issue)], we concluded that hazard/impact modelling needs to be integrated with holistic measures of adaptive capacity in order to provide policy-relevant insights into the multiple

Visual feature integration theory: past, present, and future.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinlan, Philip T

2003-09-01

Visual feature integration theory was one of the most influential theories of visual information processing in the last quarter of the 20th century. This article provides an exposition of the theory and a review of the associated data. In the past much emphasis has been placed on how the theory explains performance in various visual search tasks. The relevant literature is discussed and alternative accounts are described. Amendments to the theory are also set out. Many other issues concerning internal processes and representations implicated by the theory are reviewed. The article closes with a synopsis of what has been learned from consideration of the theory, and it is concluded that some of the issues may remain intractable unless appropriate neuroscientific investigations are carried out.

Two aspects of relevance in structured argumentation: minimality and paraconsistency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grooters, Diana; Prakken, H.

2016-01-01

This paper studies two issues concerning relevance in structured argumentation in the context of the ASPIC+ framework, arising from the combined use of strict and defeasible inference rules. One issue arises if the strict inference rules correspond to classical logic. A longstanding problem is how

CellBase, a comprehensive collection of RESTful web services for retrieving relevant biological information from heterogeneous sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Bleda, Marta; Tarraga, Joaquin; de Maria, Alejandro; Salavert, Francisco; Garcia-Alonso, Luz; Celma, Matilde; Martin, Ainoha; Dopazo, Joaquin; Medina, Ignacio

2012-07-01

During the past years, the advances in high-throughput technologies have produced an unprecedented growth in the number and size of repositories and databases storing relevant biological data. Today, there is more biological information than ever but, unfortunately, the current status of many of these repositories is far from being optimal. Some of the most common problems are that the information is spread out in many small databases; frequently there are different standards among repositories and some databases are no longer supported or they contain too specific and unconnected information. In addition, data size is increasingly becoming an obstacle when accessing or storing biological data. All these issues make very difficult to extract and integrate information from different sources, to analyze experiments or to access and query this information in a programmatic way. CellBase provides a solution to the growing necessity of integration by easing the access to biological data. CellBase implements a set of RESTful web services that query a centralized database containing the most relevant biological data sources. The database is hosted in our servers and is regularly updated. CellBase documentation can be found at http://docs.bioinfo.cipf.es/projects/cellbase.

Recent results relevant to ignition physics and machine design issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coppi, B.; Airoldi, A.; Bombarda, F.

2001-01-01

The plasma regimes under which ignition can be achieved involve a characteristic range of parameters and issues on which information has been provided by recent experiments. In particular, these results have motivated a new, in-depth analysis of the expected performance of the Ignitor machine as well as of the plasma processes that it can investigate. The main results and recent advances in the design of key systems of the machine are reported. (author)

Recent results relevant to ignition physics and machine design issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coppi, B.; Airoldi, A.; Bombarda, F.

1999-01-01

The plasma regimes under which ignition can be achieved involve a characteristic range of parameters and issues on which information has been provided by recent experiments. In particular, these results have motivated a new, in-depth analysis of the expected performance of the Ignitor machine as well as of the plasma processes that it can investigate. The main results and recent advances in the design of key systems of the machine are reported. (author)

Regulatory framework in assisted reproductive technologies, relevance and main issues.

OpenAIRE

Françoise Merlet

2010-01-01

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have changed life for the past 25 years and many ethical and social issues have emerged following this new method of conception. In order to protect individuals against scientific and ethical abuses without inhibiting scientific progress, a specific legal framework is necessary. The first French law on Bioethics was voted after an extensive debate in 1994 then reviewed in 2004. This review previously scheduled every five years is currently being discus...

Simultaneous inference of phenotype-associated genes and relevant tissues from GWAS data via Bayesian integration of multiple tissue-specific gene networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mengmeng; Lin, Zhixiang; Ma, Shining; Chen, Ting; Jiang, Rui; Wong, Wing Hung

2017-12-01

Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified thousands of genomic loci associated with hundreds of complex traits in the past decade, the debate about such problems as missing heritability and weak interpretability has been appealing for effective computational methods to facilitate the advanced analysis of the vast volume of existing and anticipated genetic data. Towards this goal, gene-level integrative GWAS analysis with the assumption that genes associated with a phenotype tend to be enriched in biological gene sets or gene networks has recently attracted much attention, due to such advantages as straightforward interpretation, less multiple testing burdens, and robustness across studies. However, existing methods in this category usually exploit non-tissue-specific gene networks and thus lack the ability to utilize informative tissue-specific characteristics. To overcome this limitation, we proposed a Bayesian approach called SIGNET (Simultaneously Inference of GeNEs and Tissues) to integrate GWAS data and multiple tissue-specific gene networks for the simultaneous inference of phenotype-associated genes and relevant tissues. Through extensive simulation studies, we showed the effectiveness of our method in finding both associated genes and relevant tissues for a phenotype. In applications to real GWAS data of 14 complex phenotypes, we demonstrated the power of our method in both deciphering genetic basis and discovering biological insights of a phenotype. With this understanding, we expect to see SIGNET as a valuable tool for integrative GWAS analysis, thereby boosting the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human inherited diseases and eventually facilitating precision medicine.

Blockchain-based database to ensure data integrity in cloud computing environments

OpenAIRE

Gaetani, Edoardo; Aniello, Leonardo; Baldoni, Roberto; Lombardi, Federico; Margheri, Andrea; Sassone, Vladimiro

2017-01-01

Data is nowadays an invaluable resource, indeed it guides all business decisions in most of the computer-aided human activities. Threats to data integrity are thus of paramount relevance, as tampering with data may maliciously affect crucial business decisions. This issue is especially true in cloud computing environments, where data owners cannot control fundamental data aspects, like the physical storage of data and the control of its accesses. Blockchain has recently emerged as a fascinati...

Integration of Work and Learning. Proceedings of the Workshop on Curriculum Innovation (2nd, Bled, Slovenia, September 1997).

Science.gov (United States)

European Training Foundation, Turin (Italy).

This proceedings consists of 13 papers and 3 working group presentations from a 3-day workshop on issues of work-linked learning relevant for curriculum development. "Welcome" (Slavko Gaber, Peter de Rooij) is followed by two introductory papers: "Integration of Work and Learning: A Challenge for Both Schools and Companies"…

Definition of containment issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, D.H.

1982-01-01

Public Law 96-567 Nuclear Safety Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1980, directed the US Department of Energy (DOE) to provide an accelerated and coordinated program for developing practical generic improvements that would enhance the capability for safe, reliable and economical operation of Light Water Nuclear Reactor Power Stations. The DOE approach to defining such a program will consist of two phases, (1) definition of program requirements and (2) implementation of the program plan. This paper summarizes the results of the program definition phase for the containment integrity function. The definition phase effort was carried out by two groups of knowledgeable technical experts from the nuclear industry, one of which addressed containment integrity. Tabulated in the paper are the issues identified by the working groups and their associated priorities. Also tabulated are those high priority issues for which ongoing programs do not appear to provide sufficient information to resolve the issue. The results of this review show that existing programs to a great extent address existing issues in a manner such that the issues should be resolved by the programs

Client-Focused Security Assessment of mHealth Apps and Recommended Practices to Prevent or Mitigate Transport Security Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Müthing, Jannis; Jäschke, Thomas

2017-01-01

Background Mobile health (mHealth) apps show a growing importance for patients and health care professionals. Apps in this category are diverse. Some display important information (ie, drug interactions), whereas others help patients to keep track of their health. However, insufficient transport security can lead to confidentiality issues for patients and medical professionals, as well as safety issues regarding data integrity. mHealth apps should therefore deploy intensified vigilance to protect their data and integrity. This paper analyzes the state of security in mHealth apps. Objective The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) identification of relevant transport issues in mHealth apps, (2) development of a platform for test purposes, and (3) recommendation of practices to mitigate them. Methods Security characteristics relevant to the transport security of mHealth apps were assessed, presented, and discussed. These characteristics were used in the development of a prototypical platform facilitating streamlined tests of apps. For the tests, six lists of the 10 most downloaded free apps from three countries and two stores were selected. As some apps were part of these top 10 lists in more than one country, 53 unique apps were tested. Results Out of the 53 apps tested from three European App Stores for Android and iOS, 21/53 (40%) showed critical results. All 21 apps failed to guarantee the integrity of data displayed. A total of 18 apps leaked private data or were observable in a way that compromised confidentiality between apps and their servers; 17 apps used unprotected connections; and two apps failed to validate certificates correctly. None of the apps tested utilized certificate pinning. Many apps employed analytics or ad providers, undermining user privacy. Conclusions The tests show that many mHealth apps do not apply sufficient transport security measures. The most common security issue was the use of any kind of unprotected connection. Some apps

Developing Integral Review: IR Editors Reflect on Meta-theory, the Concept of “Integral,” Submission Acceptance Criteria, our Mission, and more.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russ Volckmann

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Over the past three years our journey as editors of Integral Review has been full of rich learning. The processes of providing authors with feedback, going over reviews of articles as well as writing ourselves have all contributed to our growth. The primary forum for this learning has been the many conversations amongst us to deal with the various issues that arise in publishing IR. Our intention in this brief piece is to share some of our reflections on this learning journey with you. These will take the form of contributions/reflections from individual editors, allowing us to share with you the particular issues we feel of value in this process. By writing these short pieces, we aim to provide additional resources for understanding how IR works. While we have guidelines and criteria for submissions on our website, it seems that narrative voices from individuals may add some flesh to them. Relating how we perceive issues around writing for an “integral” journal offers a supplement for engaging these criteria, and will hopefully bring them to life. As well, we hope that our writing provides insights into how and what we think about issues relevant to IR’s mission. These pieces reflect the unique voices we have as editors of Integral Review, and demonstrate some of the thinking and passions behind this journal.

Integrated reporting and board features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rares HURGHIS

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In the last two decades the concept of sustainability reporting gained more importance in the companies’ annual reports, a trend which is embedded also in integrated reporting. Issuing an integrated report became a necessity, because the report explains to the investors how the organization creates value over time. The governance structure, more exactly the board of directors, decides whether or not the company will issue an integrated report. Thus, are there certain features of the board that might influence the issue of an integrated report? Do the companies which issue an integrated report have certain features of the governance structure? Looking for an answer to these questions, we seek for any possible correlations between a disclosure index and the corporate governance structure characteristics, on a sample from the companies participating at the International Integrated Reporting Council Examples Database. The results highlight that only the size of the board influences the extent to which the issued integrated report is in accordance with the International Framework.

Autonomia e relevância dos regimes The autonomy and relevance of regimes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Seignemartin de Carvalho

2005-12-01

of norms and rules that create patterns of behavior and allow the convergence of the expectations of their participants in specific issue areas, in order to solve coordination problems that could lead to non-pareto-efficient outcomes. Considering that such definitions based merely on the "efficiency" of regimes do not seem to be sufficient to explain their effectiveness, the present article proposes a different definition for regimes: political arrangements that allow a redistribution of the gains of cooperation among the participants in certain issue areas, within an interdependence context. Regimes would thus be effective due to their autonomy and relevance - that is, due to their objective existence autonomously from their participants and their influence on the participants' behavior and expectations in ways that cannot be reduced to the individual action of any of them. This article begins with a brief discussion about terminological problems related to regime studies and with a definition of the concepts of autonomy and relevance. Then it classifies the authors that take part in this debate according to two distinct perspectives, one that denies (non-autonomists and the other that attributes (autonomists autonomy and relevance to regimes, briefly analyzing the authors and traditions that are more significant for this debate, focusing on autonomist authors and on arguments that back the hypothesis here presented. Finally, the article proposes an analytic decomposition of regimes into four main elements that give them autonomy and relevance: normativity, actors, specificity of the issue area and complex interdependence as context.

Some New Theoretical Issues in Systems Thinking Relevant for Modelling Corporate Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Minati, Gianfranco

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fundamental concepts and theoretical challenges with regard to systems, and to build on these in proposing new theoretical frameworks relevant to learning, for example in so-called learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on some crucial fundamental aspects introduced…

Assessing the relevance of ecotoxicological studies for regulatory decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudén, Christina; Adams, Julie; Ågerstrand, Marlene; Brock, Theo Cm; Poulsen, Veronique; Schlekat, Christian E; Wheeler, James R; Henry, Tala R

2017-07-01

Regulatory policies in many parts of the world recognize either the utility of or the mandate that all available studies be considered in environmental or ecological hazard and risk assessment (ERA) of chemicals, including studies from the peer-reviewed literature. Consequently, a vast array of different studies and data types need to be considered. The first steps in the evaluation process involve determining whether the study is relevant to the ERA and sufficiently reliable. Relevance evaluation is typically performed using existing guidance but involves application of "expert judgment" by risk assessors. In the present paper, we review published guidance for relevance evaluation and, on the basis of the practical experience within the group of authors, we identify additional aspects and further develop already proposed aspects that should be considered when conducting a relevance assessment for ecotoxicological studies. From a regulatory point of view, the overarching key aspect of relevance concerns the ability to directly or indirectly use the study in ERA with the purpose of addressing specific protection goals and ultimately regulatory decision making. Because ERA schemes are based on the appropriate linking of exposure and effect estimates, important features of ecotoxicological studies relate to exposure relevance and biological relevance. Exposure relevance addresses the representativeness of the test substance, environmental exposure media, and exposure regime. Biological relevance deals with the environmental significance of the test organism and the endpoints selected, the ecological realism of the test conditions simulated in the study, as well as a mechanistic link of treatment-related effects for endpoints to the protection goal identified in the ERA. In addition, uncertainties associated with relevance should be considered in the assessment. A systematic and transparent assessment of relevance is needed for regulatory decision making. The relevance

COMSY- A Software Tool For Aging And Plant Life Management With An Integrated Documentation Tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baier, Roman; Zander, Andre

2008-01-01

For the aging and plant life management the integrity of the mechanical components and structures is one of the key objectives. In order to ensure this integrity it is essential to implement a comprehensive aging management. This should be applied to all safety relevant mechanical systems or components, civil structures, electrical systems as well as instrumentation and control (I and C). The following aspects should be covered: - Identification and assessment of relevant degradation mechanisms; - Verification and evaluation of the quality status of all safety relevant systems, structures and components (SSC's); - Verification and modernization of I and C and electrical systems; - Reliable and up-to-date documentation. For the support of this issue AREVA NP GmbH has developed the computer program COMSY, which utilizes more than 30 years of experience resulting from research activities and operational experience. The program provides the option to perform a plant-wide screening for identifying system areas, which are sensitive to specific degradation mechanisms. Another object is the administration and evaluation of NDE measurements from different techniques. An integrated documentation tool makes the document management and maintenance fast, reliable and independent from staff service. (authors)

75 FR 34805 - Program Integrity Issues

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-18

... Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National Smart Grant) Programs. DATES: We must receive your... Association of College and University Business Officers, representing business officers. Val Meyers, Michigan... identifying and handling test score abnormalities, ensuring the integrity of the testing environment, and...

Integrated programs for women with substance use issues and their children: a qualitative meta-synthesis of processes and outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thabane Lehana

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a need for services that effectively and comprehensively address the complex needs of women with substance use issues and their children. A growing body of literature supports the relevance of integrated treatment programs that offer a wide range of services in centralized settings. Quantitative studies suggest that these programs are associated with positive outcomes. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted to provide insight into the processes that contribute to recovery in integrated programs and women's perceptions of benefits for themselves and their children. Methods A comprehensive search of published and unpublished literature to August 2009 was carried out for narrative reports of women's experiences and perceptions of integrated treatment programs. Eligibility for inclusion in the meta-synthesis was determined using defined criteria. Quality assessment was then conducted. Qualitative data and interpretations were extracted from studies of adequate quality, and were synthesized using a systematic and iterative process to create themes and overarching concepts. Results A total of 15 documents were included in the meta-synthesis. Women experienced a number of psychosocial processes during treatment that played a role in their recovery and contributed to favourable outcomes. These included: development of a sense of self; development of personal agency; giving and receiving of social support; engagement with program staff; self-disclosure of challenges, feelings, and past experiences; recognizing patterns of destructive behaviour; and goal setting. A final process, the motivating presence of children, sustained women in their recovery journeys. Perceived outcomes included benefits for maternal and child well-being, and enhanced parenting capacity. Conclusion A number of distinct but interconnected processes emerged as being important to women's addiction recovery. Women experienced individual growth and

2008 – SOME GLOBAL ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE PROSPECTS OF FURTHER EUROPEAN UNION INTEGRATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florin Bonciu

2008-09-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes the implications of some global trends and developments on the prospects of further European Union integration. The transfer of attributes from member states to community institutions is a long term process which confronted numerous set-backs and re-launches. The hypothesis discussed in this paper refers to the fact that current developments in the global arena require fast decision making mechanisms involving very sensitive issues and these developments tend to shift the balance towards member states institutions.

Research Opportunities in Corrosion Science for Long-Term Prediction of Materials Performance: A Report of the DOE Workshop on “Corrosion Issues of Relevance to the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository”.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Payer, Joe H. [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States); Scully, John R. [Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)

2003-07-29

The report summarizes the findings of a U.S. Department of Energy workshop on “Corrosion Issues of Relevance to the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository”. The workshop was held on July 29-30, 2003 in Bethesda, MD, and was co-sponsored by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The workshop focus was corrosion science relevant to long-term prediction of materials performance in hostile environments, with special focus on relevance to the permanent disposal of nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain Repository. The culmination of the workshop is this report that identifies both generic and Yucca Mountain Project-specific research opportunities in basic and applied topic areas. The research opportunities would be realized well after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s initial construction-authorization licensing process. At the workshop, twenty-three invited scientists deliberated on basic and applied science opportunities in corrosion science relevant to long-term prediction of damage accumulation by corrosive processes that affect materials performance.

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2016-01-01

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

Which Domains of Thyroid-Related Quality of Life Are Most Relevant? Patients and Clinicians Provide Complementary Perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh

2007-01-01

, 17 thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, and 16 primary hypothyroidism) were interviewed. METHODS: The relevance of 138 thyroid disease-related issues was rated during interviews. For each issue, three relevance measures were obtained: a diagnosis-specific patient rating, a diagnosis-specific expert...

Fission-product chemistry in severe reactor accidents: Review of relevant integral experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, A.L.; Hueber, C.

1992-01-01

The attenuation of the radioactive fission-product emission from a severe reactor accident will depend on a combination of chemical, physical and thermal-hydraulic effects. Chemical species stabilised under the prevailing conditions will determine the extent of aerosol formation and any subsequent interaction, so defining the magnitude and physical forms of the eventual release into the environment. While several important integral tests have taken place in recent years, these experiments have tended to focus on the generation of mass-balance and aerosol-related data to test and validate materials-transport codes rather than study the impact of important chemical phenomena. This emphasis on thermal hydraulics, fuel behaviour and aerosol properties has occurred in many test (e.g. PBF, DEMONA, Marviken-V, LACE and ACE). Nevertheless, the generation and reaction of the chemical species in all of these programmes determined the transport properties of the resulting vapours and aerosols. Chemical effects have been studied in measurements somewhat subsidiary to the main aims of the tests. This work has been reviewed in detail with respect to Marviken-V, LACE, ACE and Falcon. Specific issues remain to be addressed, and these are discussed in terms of the proposed Phebus-FB programme. (author). 58 refs, 9 figs, 1 tab

Modelling joint air defence doctrinal issues with a LinkZA-based integration of two C2 simulators – a case study

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nel, JJ

2007-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the integration between two command and control simulators in order to clarify doctrinal issues surrounding Joint Air Defence using as example the uncertainty of roles and responsibilities between the Air Defence Cell...

WOC practice in cyberspace: legal and ethical issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyman, K

2001-07-01

WOC nurses have the opportunity to extend their practice geographically by using electronic media, also called telehealth or "practicing in cyberspace." Currently, laws and regulations affecting this aspect of practice are in rapid flux. In addition, practicing electronically makes the ethical issues of choice, privacy, and confidentiality more acute. This article describes the current status of relevant legislation, discusses relevant ethical issues, and provides guidelines for WOC nurses who are considering the use of e-mail and video conferencing within their practice.

Multicultural Issues and Concerns in Library Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Freiband, Susan J.

1992-01-01

Identifies multilingual and multicultural issues relevant to library and information science curricula today and outlines the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed by graduates to address these issues. Aspects of the curriculum, specific programs, and activities on which to focus are discussed. (13 references) (EA)

Heat transfer education : Keeping it relevant and vibrant.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khounsary, A. M.

1998-08-14

The motivation for a fresh look at heat transfer education, both in content and in methodology, is generated by a number of trends in engineering practice. These include the increasing demand for engineers with interdisciplinary skills, rapid integration of technology, emergence of computerized and interactive problem-solving tools, shortening time of concept-to-market, availability of new technologies, and an increasing number of new or redesigned products and processes in which heat transfer plays a part. Examination of heat transfer education in this context can be aided by considering the changes, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in the student, educator, and researcher populations, employment opportunities, in the needs of corporations, government, industry, and universities, and in the relevant technical problems and issues of the day. Such an overview provides the necessary background for charting a response to the difficult question of how to maintain excellence and continuity in heat transfer education in the face of rapid, widespread, and complex changes. The present paper addresses how to make heat transfer education more relevant and stimulating. This paper represents a written summary of a 1996 panel discussion at the 1996 International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exhibition (IMECE) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in Atlanta, Georgia, on ''Heat Transfer Education: Keeping it Relevant and Vibrant,'' with significant expansion and amplification by the authors and the panelists in the 1997-98 period. The consensus of the participants is that the steps necessary to ensure the desired outcome in heat transfer education should include: (1) a better understanding of the interaction between the student, course content, and market needs; (2) an appreciation of the need in multidisciplinary industrial environments for engineers trained with a broad background: (3) a revision of the introductory heat

Ranking Music Data by Relevance and Importance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruxanda, Maria Magdalena; Nanopoulos, Alexandros; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2008-01-01

Due to the rapidly increasing availability of audio files on the Web, it is relevant to augment search engines with advanced audio search functionality. In this context, the ranking of the retrieved music is an important issue. This paper proposes a music ranking method capable of flexibly fusing...

The Role of Leadership and Peer Behaviors in the Performance and Well-Being of Women in Combat: Historical Perspectives, Unit Integration, and Family Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Segal, Mady Wechsler; Smith, David G; Segal, David R; Canuso, Amy A

2016-01-01

This article analyzes how the behaviors of leaders and peers affect the performance and well-being of military women. Locating our analysis within the conceptual model in this issue, we summarize the empirical literature and make practice and policy recommendations. We synthesize results about unit integration, such as research on the conditions for successful integration of previously excluded groups and on the relationship between cohesion and performance. We apply lessons learned from the history of diversity integration in military and civilian organizations, analyzing the treatment of military personnel by race, gender, and sexual orientation. The opening of ground combat specialties and units to women is the latest step in personnel policy changes broadening the recruitment base. We analyze research on gender integration in contemporary armed forces, focusing on positive and negative effects on women of leader and peer behaviors. We discuss conditions for successfully integrating women and those that tend to lead to failure. We analyze military women's family issues, including the effects of deployments and how leaders and peers can help ameliorate problems-or exacerbate them with inappropriate or unsupportive behavior. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

"Thinking ethics": a novel, pilot, proof-of-concept program of integrating ethics into the Physiology curriculum in South India.

Science.gov (United States)

D, Savitha; Vaz, Manjulika; Vaz, Mario

2017-06-01

Integrating medical ethics into the physiology teaching-learning program has been largely unexplored in India. The objective of this exercise was to introduce an interactive and integrated ethics program into the Physiology course of first-year medical students and to evaluate their perceptions. Sixty medical students (30 men, 30 women) underwent 11 sessions over a 7-mo period. Two of the Physiology faculty conducted these sessions (20-30 min each) during the routine physiology (theory/practicals) classes that were of shorter duration and could, therefore, accommodate the discussion of related ethical issues. This exercise was in addition to the separate ethics classes conducted by the Medical Ethics department. The sessions were open ended, student centered, and designed to stimulate critical thinking. The students' perceptions were obtained through a semistructured questionnaire and focused group discussions. The students found the program unique, thought provoking, fully integrated, and relevant. It seldom interfered with the physiology teaching. They felt that the program sensitized them about ethical issues and prepared them for their clinical years, to be "ethical doctors." Neutral observers who evaluated each session felt that the integrated program was relevant to the preclinical year and that the program was appropriate in its content, delivery, and student involvement. An ethics course taught in integration with Physiology curriculum was found to be beneficial, feasible, and compatible with Physiology by students as well as neutral observers. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

The policy relevance of global environmental change research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yarnal, Brent

1996-01-01

Many scientists are striving to identify and promote the policy implications of their global change research. Much basic research on global environmental change cannot advance policy directly, but new projects can determine the relevance of their research to decision makers and build policy-relevant products into the work. Similarly, many ongoing projects can alter or add to the present science design to make the research policy relevant. Thus, this paper shows scientists working on global change how to make their research policy relevant. It demonstrates how research on physical global change relates to human dimensions studies and integrated assessments. It also presents an example of how policy relevance can be fit retroactively into a global change project (in this case, SRBEX-the Susquehanna River Basin Experiment) and how that addition can enhance the project's status and science. The paper concludes that policy relevance is desirable from social and scientific perspectives

Edge Plasma Physics Issues for the Fusion Advanced Studies Torus (FAST) in Reactor Relevant Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maddaluno, G.; Pericoli Ridolfini, V.; Apicella, M.L.; Calabro, G.; Crisanti, F.; Cucchiaro, A.; Ramogida, G.; Zagorski, R.

2008-01-01

The issue of First wall materials and compatibility with ITER /DEMO relevant plasmas is among the RD missions for possible new European plasma fusion devices that the FAST project will address. FAST can operate with ITER relevant values of P/R (up to 22 MW/m, against the ITER 24 MW/m, inclusive of the α particles power), thanks to its compactness; thus it can investigate the physics of large heat loads on divertor plates. The FAST divertor will be made of bulk W tiles, for basic operations, but also fully toroidal divertor targets made of liquid lithium (L-Li) are foreseen. To have reliable predictions of the thermal loads on the divertor plates and of the core plasma purity a number of numerical self-consistent simulations have been made for the H-mode and steady-state scenario by using the code COREDIV. This code, already validated in the past on experimental data (namely JET, FTU, Textor), is able to describe self-consistently the core and edge plasma in a tokamak device by imposing the continuity of energy and particle fluxes and of particle densities and temperatures at the separatrix. In the present work the results of such calculations will be illustrated, including heat loads on the divertor. The overall picture shows that, marginally in the intermediate and, necessarily in the high density H-mode scenarios ( e >=2 and 5·10 20 m -3 respectively), impurity seeding should be foreseen with W as target material: however, only a small amount of Ar (0.03% atomic concentration), not affecting the core purity, is sufficient to maintain the divertor peak loads below 18 MW/m 2 , that represents the safety limit for the W mono block technology, presently accepted for the ITER divertor tiles. Li always needs additional impurities for decreasing divertor heat loads, the Z eff value being ≤ than 1.8. At low plasma densities (but ≥ 1.3·10 20 m -3 ), typical of steady state regimes, W by alone is effective in dissipating the input power by radiative losses, without

NKS-R ExCoolSe mid-term report KTH severe accidents research relevant to the NKS-ExCoolSe project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyun Sun Park; Truc-Nam Dinh

2006-04-01

The present mid-term progress report is prepared on the recent results from the KTH severe accident research program relevant to the objective of the ExCoolSe project sponsored by the NKS-R program. The previous PRE-MELT-DEL project at KTH sponsored by NKS provided an extensive assessment on the remaining issues of severe accidents in general and suggested the key issues to be resolved such as coolability and steam explosion energetics in ex-vessel which became a backbone of the ExCoolSe project in NKS. The EXCOOLSE project has been integrated with, and leveraged on, parallel research program at KTH on severe accident phenomena the MSWI project which is funded by the APRI program, SKI in Sweden and HSK in Switzerland and produced more understanding of the key remaining issues. During last year, the critical assessment of the existing knowledge and current SAMG and designs of Nordic BWRs identified the research focus and initiated the new series of research activities toward the resolution of the key remaining issues specifically pertaining to the Nordic BWRs.(au)

Integrity of spent CANDU fuel during and following dry storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villagran, J.E.

2004-01-01

This report examines the issue of CANDU fuel integrity at the back end of the fuel cycle and outlines a program designed to provide assurance that used CANDU fuel will retain its integrity over an extended period. In specific terms, the program is intended to provide assurance that during and following extended dry storage the fuel will remain fit to undergo, without loss of integrity, the handling, packaging and transportation operations that might be necessary until it is placed in disposal containers. The first step in the development of the program was a review of the available technical information on phenomena relevant to fuel integrity. The major conclusions from that review were the following: Under normal storage conditions it is unlikely that the spent fuel will suffer significant degradation during a one-hundred year period and it should be possible to retrieve, repackage and transport the fuel as required, using methods and systems similar to those used today. However, to provide increased confidence regarding the above conclusion, investigations should be conducted in areas where there is higher uncertainty in the prediction of fuel condition and on some degradation processes to which the fuel appears to present higher vulnerability. The proposed program includes, among other tasks, irradiated fuel tests, analytical studies on the most relevant fuel degradation processes and the development of a long-term fuel verification program. (Author)

Design of an integrated operator support system for advanced NPP MCRs. Issues and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Jun; Seong Poong-Hyun

2010-01-01

Recently, human error has been highlighted as one of the main causes of accidents in nuclear power plants (NPPs). In order to prevent human errors during the main control room (MCR) operations, which are highly complex and mentally taxing activities, improved interfaces and operator support systems have been developed for advanced MCRs. Although operator support systems have the capability to improve the safety and reliability of an NPP, inappropriate designs can have adverse effects on the system safety. Designs based on systematic development frames and validation/verification of the systems are pivotal strategies to circumvent the negative effects of operator support systems. In this paper, an integrated operator support system designed to aid the cognitive activities of operators as well as theoretical and experimental evaluation methods of operator support systems are reviewed. From this review, it was concluded that not only issues about systems (e.g., the accuracy of the system outputs), but also issues about human operators who use the systems (for instance, information quality, the operator's trust and dependency on support systems) should be considered in the design of efficient operator support systems. (author)

Theoretical frameworks used to discuss ethical issues in private physiotherapy practice and proposal of a new ethical tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Drolet, Marie-Josée; Hudon, Anne

2015-02-01

In the past, several researchers in the field of physiotherapy have asserted that physiotherapy clinicians rarely use ethical knowledge to solve ethical issues raised by their practice. Does this assertion still hold true? Do the theoretical frameworks used by researchers and clinicians allow them to analyze thoroughly the ethical issues they encounter in their everyday practice? In our quest for answers, we conducted a literature review and analyzed the ethical theoretical frameworks used by physiotherapy researchers and clinicians to discuss the ethical issues raised by private physiotherapy practice. Our final analysis corpus consisted of thirty-nine texts. Our main finding is that researchers and clinicians in physiotherapy rarely use ethical knowledge to analyze the ethical issues raised in their practice and that gaps exist in the theoretical frameworks currently used to analyze these issues. Consequently, we developed, for ethical analysis, a four-part prism which we have called the Quadripartite Ethical Tool (QET). This tool can be incorporated into existing theoretical frameworks to enable professionals to integrate ethical knowledge into their ethical analyses. The innovative particularity of the QET is that it encompasses three ethical theories (utilitarism, deontologism, and virtue ethics) and axiological ontology (professional values) and also draws on both deductive and inductive approaches. It is our hope that this new tool will help researchers and clinicians integrate ethical knowledge into their analysis of ethical issues and contribute to fostering ethical analyses that are grounded in relevant philosophical and axiological foundations.

Neutrophil programming dynamics and its disease relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, Taojing; Geng, Shuo; Li, Liwu

2017-11-01

Neutrophils are traditionally considered as first responders to infection and provide antimicrobial host defense. However, recent advances indicate that neutrophils are also critically involved in the modulation of host immune environments by dynamically adopting distinct functional states. Functionally diverse neutrophil subsets are increasingly recognized as critical components mediating host pathophysiology. Despite its emerging significance, molecular mechanisms as well as functional relevance of dynamically programmed neutrophils remain to be better defined. The increasing complexity of neutrophil functions may require integrative studies that address programming dynamics of neutrophils and their pathophysiological relevance. This review aims to provide an update on the emerging topics of neutrophil programming dynamics as well as their functional relevance in diseases.

Bible Translation And Relevance Theory | Deist | Stellenbosch ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 22 (1992) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register. Bible Translation And Relevance Theory. F Deist ...

The feminist/emotionally focused therapy practice model: an integrated approach for couple therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Vatcher, C A; Bogo, M

2001-01-01

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is a well-developed, empirically tested practice model for couple therapy that integrates systems, experiential, and attachment theories. Feminist family therapy theory has provided a critique of biased assumptions about gender at play in traditional family therapy practice and the historical absence of discussions of power in family therapy theory. This article presents an integrated feminist/EFT practice model for use in couple therapy, using a case from practice to illustrate key concepts. Broadly, the integrated model addresses gender roles and individual emotional experience using a systemic framework for understanding couple interaction. The model provides practitioners with a sophisticated, comprehensive, and relevant practice approach for working with the issues and challenges emerging for contemporary heterosexual couples.

Relevance of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) to the Post Cold War Army

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bergeson, Lawrence

1998-01-01

.... Relevancy is a leadership issue for today, and in the future. Over the last several years, senior leader's sought to make the Army more relevant by undertaking such measures as reducing force structure and trimming the budget...

Integrating retention soil filters into urban hydrologic models - Relevant processes and important parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Bachmann-Machnik, Anna; Meyer, Daniel; Waldhoff, Axel; Fuchs, Stephan; Dittmer, Ulrich

2018-04-01

Retention Soil Filters (RSFs), a form of vertical flow constructed wetlands specifically designed for combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment, have proven to be an effective tool to mitigate negative impacts of CSOs on receiving water bodies. Long-term hydrologic simulations are used to predict the emissions from urban drainage systems during planning of stormwater management measures. So far no universally accepted model for RSF simulation exists. When simulating hydraulics and water quality in RSFs, an appropriate level of detail must be chosen for reasonable balancing between model complexity and model handling, considering the model input's level of uncertainty. The most crucial parameters determining the resultant uncertainties of the integrated sewer system and filter bed model were identified by evaluating a virtual drainage system with a Retention Soil Filter for CSO treatment. To determine reasonable parameter ranges for RSF simulations, data of 207 events from six full-scale RSF plants in Germany were analyzed. Data evaluation shows that even though different plants with varying loading and operation modes were examined, a simple model is sufficient to assess relevant suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4 emissions from RSFs. Two conceptual RSF models with different degrees of complexity were assessed. These models were developed based on evaluation of data from full scale RSF plants and column experiments. Incorporated model processes are ammonium adsorption in the filter layer and degradation during subsequent dry weather period, filtration of SS and particulate COD (XCOD) to a constant background concentration and removal of solute COD (SCOD) by a constant removal rate during filter passage as well as sedimentation of SS and XCOD in the filter overflow. XCOD, SS and ammonium loads as well as ammonium concentration peaks are discharged primarily via RSF overflow not passing through the filter bed. Uncertainties of the integrated

77 FR 42339 - Improving Contracting Officers' Access to Relevant Integrity Information

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-18

... contracting officers' access to relevant information about contractor business ethics in the Federal Awardee... ability to evaluate the business ethics of prospective contractors and protect the Government from...

Genetic mouse models relevant to schizophrenia: taking stock and looking forward.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Paul J; Pritchett, David; Stumpenhorst, Katharina; Betts, Jill F; Nissen, Wiebke; Schweimer, Judith; Lane, Tracy; Burnet, Philip W J; Lamsa, Karri P; Sharp, Trevor; Bannerman, David M; Tunbridge, Elizabeth M

2012-03-01

Genetic mouse models relevant to schizophrenia complement, and have to a large extent supplanted, pharmacological and lesion-based rat models. The main attraction is that they potentially have greater construct validity; however, they share the fundamental limitations of all animal models of psychiatric disorder, and must also be viewed in the context of the uncertain and complex genetic architecture of psychosis. Some of the key issues, including the choice of gene to target, the manner of its manipulation, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, and phenotypic characterization, are briefly considered in this commentary, illustrated by the relevant papers reported in this special issue. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors Relevant to Utility Integration of Intermittent Renewable Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wan, Y.; Parsons, B.

1993-08-24

This study assesses factors that utilities must address when they integrate intermittent renewable technologies into their power-supply systems; it also reviews the literature in this area and has a bibliography containing more than 350 listings. Three topics are covered: (1) interface (hardware and design-related interconnection), (2) operability/stability, and (3) planning. This study finds that several commonly held perceptions regarding integration of intermittent renewable energy technologies are not valid. Among fmdings of the study are the following: (1) hardware and system design advances have eliminated most concerns about interface, (2) cost penalties have not occurred at low to moderate penetration levels (and high levels am feasible); and (3) intermittent renewable energy technologies can have capacity values. Obstacles still interfering with intermittent renewable technologies are also indentified.

Factors relevant to utility integration of intermittent renewable technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wan, Yih-huei; Parsons, B.K.

1993-08-01

This study assesses factors that utilities must address when they integrate intermittent renewable technologies into their power-supply systems; it also reviews the literature in this area and has a bibliography containing more than 350 listings. Three topics are covered: (1) interface (hardware and design-related interconnection), (2) operability/stability, and (3) planning. This study finds that several commonly held perceptions regarding integration of intermittent renewable energy technologies are not valid. Among findings of the study are the following: (1) hardware and system design advances have eliminated most concerns about interface; (2) cost penalties have not occurred at low to moderate penetration levels (and high levels are feasible); and (3) intermittent renewable energy technologies can have capacity values. Obstacles still interfering with intermittent renewable technologies are also identified.

The Issues and Considerations Associated with BIM Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bataw Anas

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The management of data, information and knowledge through the project life cycle of buildings and civil infrastructure projects is becoming increasingly complex. As an attempt to drive efficiencies and address this complexity, the United Kingdom Government has mandated that Building Information Modelling (BIM methods must be adopted in all public sector construction projects in 2016. Emerging from the US Department of Defence, BIM is an approach to the co-ordination of design and production data using object-oriented principles as described in ISO 29481-1:2010. The underlying philosophy of BIM is to ensure the “provision of a single environment to store shared asset data and information, accessible to all individuals who are required to produce, use and maintain it” (PAS 1192-2:2013. A key aspect of BIM lies in the notion of ‘interoperability’ between various software applications used in the design and construction process and a common data format for the efficient exchange of design information and knowledge. Protagonists of BIM argue that this interoperability provides an effective environment for collaboration between actors in the construction process and creates accurate, reliable, repeatable and high-quality information exchange. This UK government mandate presents numerous challenges to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC professions; in particular, the characteristics of BIM Level 2 remain explicitly undefined and this created a degree of uncertainty amongst the promoters and those professionals charged with delivering projects. This research casts a critical lens on the current literature in the domains of object-oriented modelling of infrastructure and the associated implications for procurement and project management. A mixed-methods approach using questionnaire analysis and secondary case study analysis was used to enact an inductive research approach that captures a range of data on the practical issues and

Hospital infection prevention and control issues relevant to extensive floods.

Science.gov (United States)

Apisarnthanarak, Anucha; Mundy, Linda M; Khawcharoenporn, Thana; Glen Mayhall, C

2013-02-01

The devastating clinical and economic implications of floods exemplify the need for effective global infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies for natural disasters. Reopening of hospitals after excessive flooding requires a balance between meeting the medical needs of the surrounding communities and restoration of a safe hospital environment. Postflood hospital preparedness plans are a key issue for infection control epidemiologists, healthcare providers, patients, and hospital administrators. We provide recent IPC experiences related to reopening of a hospital after extensive black-water floods necessitated hospital closures in Thailand and the United States. These experiences provide a foundation for the future design, execution, and analysis of black-water flood preparedness plans by IPC stakeholders.

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-03-07

Mar 7, 2018 ... technological innovations and the spread of knowledge. ... In this paper, we propose a conceptual model to search relevant scientific ... The digital libraries are becoming a source for discovering new research trends ... Text mining techniques are used to solve some particular business issues, so it is called.

Integration issues of information engineering based I-CASE tools

OpenAIRE

Kurbel, Karl; Schnieder, Thomas

1994-01-01

Problems and requirements regarding integration of methods and tools across phases of the software-development life cycle are discussed. Information engineering (IE) methodology and I-CASE (integrated CASE) tools supporting IE claim to have an integrated view across major stages of enterprise-wide information-system development: information strategy planning, business area analysis, system design, and construction. In the main part of this paper, two comprehensive I-CASE tools, ADW (Applicati...

Client-Focused Security Assessment of mHealth Apps and Recommended Practices to Prevent or Mitigate Transport Security Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Müthing, Jannis; Jäschke, Thomas; Friedrich, Christoph M

2017-10-18

Mobile health (mHealth) apps show a growing importance for patients and health care professionals. Apps in this category are diverse. Some display important information (ie, drug interactions), whereas others help patients to keep track of their health. However, insufficient transport security can lead to confidentiality issues for patients and medical professionals, as well as safety issues regarding data integrity. mHealth apps should therefore deploy intensified vigilance to protect their data and integrity. This paper analyzes the state of security in mHealth apps. The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) identification of relevant transport issues in mHealth apps, (2) development of a platform for test purposes, and (3) recommendation of practices to mitigate them. Security characteristics relevant to the transport security of mHealth apps were assessed, presented, and discussed. These characteristics were used in the development of a prototypical platform facilitating streamlined tests of apps. For the tests, six lists of the 10 most downloaded free apps from three countries and two stores were selected. As some apps were part of these top 10 lists in more than one country, 53 unique apps were tested. Out of the 53 apps tested from three European App Stores for Android and iOS, 21/53 (40%) showed critical results. All 21 apps failed to guarantee the integrity of data displayed. A total of 18 apps leaked private data or were observable in a way that compromised confidentiality between apps and their servers; 17 apps used unprotected connections; and two apps failed to validate certificates correctly. None of the apps tested utilized certificate pinning. Many apps employed analytics or ad providers, undermining user privacy. The tests show that many mHealth apps do not apply sufficient transport security measures. The most common security issue was the use of any kind of unprotected connection. Some apps used secure connections only for selected tasks

Space proliferation versus space-type dissemination: from semantic issues to political issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaillard-Sborowsky, Florence

2015-01-01

The space and ballistic capabilities relationships are regularly revisited in forums on international security, in particular about Iran and North Korea cases. The term 'space proliferation' is commonly used by analogy with nuclear proliferation. However, is this analogy relevant? Beyond the semantic aspects, this shift raises political issues that this paper will consider. The study of the assumptions regarding the analysis of nuclear and missile proliferation and their space counterparts will highlight some approximations and presuppositions, such as the amalgam between sounding rockets, launchers and missiles technologies, in order to suggest new thinking of these sensitive issues. (author)

Integral or integrated marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davčik Nebojša

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Marketing theorists and experts try to develop business efficient organization and to get marketing performance at higher, business integrated level since its earliest beginnings. The core issue in this paperwork is the dialectic and practical approach dilemma should we develop integrated or integral marketing approach in the organization. The presented company cases as well as dialectic and functional explanations of this dilemma clearly shows that integrated marketing is narrower approach than integral marketing if we take as focal point new, unique and completed entity. In the integration the essence is in getting different parts together, which do not have to make necessary the new entity. The key elements in the definition of the integral marketing are necessity and holistic, e.g. necessity to develop new, holistic entity.

The doctrine of providence in the Institutes of Calvin – still relevant?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.F.C. Coetzee

2010-07-01

Full Text Available In the reformed tradition and theology, the doctrine of provi- dence has always been important and relevant, so much so that it forms an integral part of the reformed confessions. At the same time some of the most difficult theological questions are raised regarding this doctrine, questions like the following: Is God in control of everything? What is the relationship between the providence of God and sin, suffering, man’s responsibility, et cetera? In our times the doctrine as such is questioned or even rejected. What makes this topic even more important is the commemoration of the publication of Darwin’s book, “The origin of species”, coupled with the renewed emphasis on Darwinism, evolutionism and atheism.1 From the perspective of the Calvinistic-reformed theology and in the light of the com- memoration of Calvin’s birth 500 years ago, it is important to determine the relevance of Calvin’s thoughts on a number of important issues in the current debate, e.g. the doctrine on God, providence and creation, sin, suffering, et cetera. It is also determined that Calvin’s thoughts are reflected in the reformed confessions, which is still the living faith of reformed churches all over the world.

Counseling Suicidal Adolescents within Family Systems: Ethical Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, Rachelle; Hendricks, Bret; Bradley, Loretta

2009-01-01

Major ethical considerations must be taken into account when providing counseling services to suicidal adolescents and their families. This article explores these ethical issues and the American Counseling Association and International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors ethical codes relevant to these issues. Related liability and…

Ethical issues with colorectal cancer screening-a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Bjørn

2017-06-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is widely recommended and implemented. However, sometimes CRC screening is not implemented despite good evidence, and some types of CRC screening are implemented despite lack of evidence. The objective of this article is to expose and elucidate relevant ethical issues in the literature on CRC screening that are important for open and transparent deliberation on CRC screening. An axiological question-based method is used for exposing and elucidating ethical issues relevant in HTA. A literature search in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed Bioethics subset, ISI Web of Knowledge, Bioethics Literature Database (BELIT), Ethics in Medicine (ETHMED), SIBIL Base dati di bioetica, LEWI Bibliographic Database on Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, and EUROETHICS identified 870 references of which 114 were found relevant according to title and abstract. The content of the included papers were subject to ethical analysis to highlight the ethical issues, concerns, and arguments. A wide range of important ethical issues were identified. The main benefits are reduced relative CRC mortality rate, and potentially incidence rate, but there is no evidence of reduced absolute mortality rate. Potential harms are bleeding, perforation, false test results, overdetection, overdiagnosis, overtreatment (including unnecessary removal of polyps), and (rarely) death. Other important issues are related to autonomy and informed choice equity, justice, medicalization, and expanding disease. A series of important ethical issues have been identified and need to be addressed in open and transparent deliberation on CRC screening. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

DIGITALIZATION CULTURE VS ARCHAEOLOGICAL VISUALIZATION: INTEGRATION OF PIPELINES AND OPEN ISSUES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Cipriani

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Scholars with different backgrounds have carried out extensive surveys centred on how 3D digital models, data acquisition and processing have changed over the years in fields of archaeology and architecture and more in general in the Cultural Heritage panorama: the current framework focused on reality-based modelling is then split in several branches: acquisition, communication and analysis of buildings (Pintus et alii, 2014. Despite the wide set of well-structured and all-encompassing surveys on the IT application in Cultural Heritage, several open issues still seem to be present, in particular once the purpose of digital simulacra is the one to fit with the “pre-informatics" legacy of architectural/archaeological representation (historical drawings with their graphic codes and aesthetics. Starting from a series of heterogeneous matters that came up studying two Italian UNESCO sites, this paper aims at underlining the importance of integrating different pipelines from different technological fields, in order to achieve multipurpose models, capable to comply with graphic codes of traditional survey, as well as semantic enrichment, and last but not least, data compression/portability and texture reliability under different lighting simulation.

The relevancy of current environmental issues to solder joints in microelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walitsky, P.J.; Yost, F.G.

1991-01-01

The technical issues brought about by recent federal mandates are reviewed and discussed. Progress made in the elimination of CFCs is briefly reviewed. The problems, implications, and status of pending anti-lead legislation and taxation are discussed at length. Recommendations are made for the enactment of rational, fair, and orderly legislation and taxation

Overview of JT-60U results toward high integrated performance in reactor-relevant regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, T.

2003-01-01

Recent JT-60U results toward high integrated performance are reported with emphasis on the projection to the reactor-relevant regime. N-NB and EC power increased up to 6.2 MW and 3 MW, respectively. A high β p H-mode plasma with full non-inductive current drive has been obtained at 1.8 MA and the fusion triple product reached 3.1x10 20 m -3 keVs. High beta with β N =2.7 was maintained for 7.4 s. NTM suppression with EC was accomplished using a real-time feedback control system and improvement in β N was obtained. A stable existence of current hole was observed. High DT-equivalent fusion gain of 0.8 was maintained for 0.55 s in a plasma with a current hole. The current profile control in high bootstrap current reversed shear plasmas was demonstrated using N-NB and LH. A new operation scenario has been established in which a plasma with high bootstrap current fraction and ITBs is produced without the use of OH coil. ECCD study was undertaken in a reactor-relevant high T e regime. A new type of AE mode has been proposed and found to explain the observed frequency chirp quite well. High confinement reversed shear plasmas with T e >T i were obtained. Ar exhaust with EC heating was obtained in a high β p mode plasma. Impurity accumulation related to strong ITBs in a reversed shear plasma and degradation of ITB by ECH in a weak positive shear plasma have been found. Dedicated measurement of ELM dynamics and SOL plasma flow advanced the physics understanding. N-NB heating in an Ar-seed plasma extended the density region to 95% of Greenwald density with HH y2 =0.9. The enhancement of pedestal pressure was obtained with an increase of β p in a high triangularity configuration. (author)

Issues in Coastal Zone Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Derrin

1992-01-01

Addresses the following issues relevant to coastal zone management: overcrowding, resource exploitation, pollution, agriculture, fisheries, industrial, and other uses. Describes conflicts and trade-offs in management typified by fragmented agency decision making. Discusses implications of the greenhouse effect, sustainable development, and the…

Stability of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuel constituents at relevant LWR conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Snead, L. L.; Terrani, K. A.; Katoh, Y.; Silva, C.; Leonard, K. J.; Perez-Bergquist, A. G.

2014-05-01

This paper addresses certain key feasibility issues facing the application of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuels for light water reactor application. Issues addressed are the irradiation stability of the SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix under LWR-relevant irradiation conditions, the presence or extent of reaction of the SiC matrix with zirconium-based cladding, the stability of the inner and outer pyrolytic graphite layers of the TRISO coating system at this uncharacteristically low irradiation temperature, and the state of the particle-matrix interface following irradiation which could possibly affect thermal transport. In the process of determining these feasibility issues microstructural evolution and change in dimension and thermal conductivity was studied. As a general finding the SiC matrix was found to be quite stable with behavior similar to that of CVD SiC. In magnitude the irradiation-induced swelling of the matrix material was slightly higher and irradiation-degraded thermal conductivity was slightly lower as compared to CVD SiC. No significant reaction of this SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix material with Zircaloy was observed. Irradiation of the sample in the 320-360 °C range to a maximum dose of 7.7 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.1 MeV) did not have significant negative impact on the constituent layers of the TRISO coating system. At the highest dose studied, layer structure and interface integrity remained essentially unchanged with good apparent thermal transport through the microsphere to the surrounding matrix.

User and stakeholder involvement for relevant, reliable and robust local-scale climate projections in Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Neby, Simon; Sobolowski, Stefan

2017-04-01

How can users and stakeholders be actively involved with providing input to and using output from local-scale climate projections? How can the scientific community better understand the needs of local actors? And how should communication and cooperation efforts be organized? These are critical questions we aim to answer in a climate services project funded by the Norwegian Research Council (R3: Relevant, Reliable and Robust local-scale climate projections for Norway). The project takes into consideration not only the scientific issues in establishing useful local-scale climate projections, but also addresses the "usability gap" between climate information and decision-making. The lack of effective communication between scientists and user communities often result in outputs and products that are not matched with decision-relevant climate information. In the R3 project, the scientific participants actively engage with a range of users that have quite different information needs: municipalities, infrastructure developers, agriculture, energy producers, insurance companies, and more. In this particular presentation, we present our experiences concerning three specific issues that relate to the stakeholder-science interface: 1) Preferences are not clear-cut and pre-defined. In practice, this means that stakeholders often do not have precise information about their needs, nor precise information about how, where and whether their needs can be voiced. Similarly, science communities tend to presuppose that stakeholders are interested and have well-articulated needs, which is hardly the case. Collectively, that means that there is a need for an approach that guides the articulation and prioritization of preferences in a manner that integrates both scientific and stakeholder perspectives and takes the integrity of both perspectives seriously. 2) Technologies are unclear. Although information may be produced and used, past experiences, trial and error processes and pragmatic

Psychosocial Issues in Geriatric Rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Ricardo M

2017-11-01

Geriatric patients present multiple age-related challenges and needs that must be taken into account during the rehabilitation process to achieve expected goals. This article examines the importance of identifying and managing psychosocial issues commonly observed in older adults and presents strategies to optimize their rehabilitation process. Depression, anxiety, fear of falling, adjustment issues, neurocognitive disorders, and caregiver support are discussed as a selection of factors that are relevant for geriatric patients undergoing rehabilitation. An argument is made for the importance of comprehensive geriatric assessment in older adults to identify salient issues that may impact rehabilitation and quality of life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relevance of fiber integrated gelatin-nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffold for bone tissue regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Halima Shamaz, Bibi; Anitha, A.; Vijayamohan, Manju; Kuttappan, Shruthy; Nair, Shantikumar; Nair, Manitha B.

2015-10-01

Porous nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA) is a promising bone substitute, but it is brittle, which limits its utility for load bearing applications. To address this issue, herein, biodegradable electrospun microfibrous sheets of poly(L-lactic acid)-(PLLA)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were incorporated into a gelatin-nanoHA matrix which was investigated for its mechanical properties, the physical integration of the fibers with the matrix, cell infiltration, osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration. The inclusion of sacrificial fibers like PVA along with PLLA and leaching resulted in improved cellular infiltration towards the center of the scaffold. Furthermore, the treatment of PLLA fibers with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide enhanced their hydrophilicity, ensuring firm anchorage between the fibers and the gelatin-HA matrix. The incorporation of PLLA microfibers within the gelatin-nanoHA matrix reduced the brittleness of the scaffolds, the effect being proportional to the number of layers of fibrous sheets in the matrix. The proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells was augmented on the fibrous scaffolds in comparison to those scaffolds devoid of fibers. Finally, the scaffold could promote cell infiltration, together with bone regeneration, upon implantation in a rabbit femoral cortical defect within 4 weeks. The bone regeneration potential was significantly higher when compared to commercially available HA (Surgiwear™). Thus, this biomimetic, porous, 3D composite scaffold could be offered as a promising candidate for bone regeneration in orthopedics.

Special Issue: Selected papers from ECS'97

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1999-01-01

This Special Issue of Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing presents extended versions of selected papers from the First Electronic Circuits and Systems Conference (ECS'97) which was held on September 4-5, 1997, in Bratislava, Slovakia.......This Special Issue of Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing presents extended versions of selected papers from the First Electronic Circuits and Systems Conference (ECS'97) which was held on September 4-5, 1997, in Bratislava, Slovakia....

Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics at AGU - Strategies and Actions to Impact Sexual Harassment in Science and other Work Climate Issues

Science.gov (United States)

McPhaden, Michael; Davidson, Eric; McEntee, Christine; Williams, Billy

2017-04-01

The American Geophysical Union (AGU), a scientific society of 62,000 members worldwide, has established a set of scientific integrity and professional ethics guidelines for the actions of its members, for the governance of the union in its internal activities, and for the operations and participation in its publications and scientific meetings. More recently AGU has undertaken strategies and actions to help address the issue of harassment in the sciences and other work climate issues. This presentation will provide an overview of the role of scientific societies in helping to address these important issues, as well as specific strategies and actions underway at AGU and other societies. Progress to date and remaining challenges of this effort will be discussed, including AGU's work to provide additional program strength in this area.

Drilling contract issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davison, G.B.; Worden, D.R.; Borbridge, G.K.D.

1997-01-01

Some selected issues which are facing both operators and contractors in drilling for oil and gas, such as the allocation of risk by contract and by statute and the implementation of new technologies, were discussed. There are three varieties of written drilling contracts used in Canada: (1) day work and meterage contracts, (2) master drilling agreements, and (3) contracts that are used in construction projects that do not specifically relate to drilling. Issues relevant to the contractual allocation of risk, to implementing new drilling technologies, to reconciling contract and statute liability, and the formation of strategic alliances for mutual benefit, and the factors contributing to the success of such alliances were explored. 12 refs

Ethical Issues in the Research of Group Work

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, Kristopher M.; Luke, Melissa

2017-01-01

This article provides a primer for researchers exploring ethical issues in the research of group work. The article begins with an exploration of relevant ethical issues through the research process and current standards guiding its practice. Next, the authors identify resources that group work researchers can consult prior to constructing their…

The implementation of integrated science teaching materials based socio-scientific issues to improve students scientific literacy for environmental pollution theme

Science.gov (United States)

Yenni, Rita; Hernani, Widodo, Ari

2017-05-01

The study aims to determine the increasing of students' science literacy skills on content aspects and competency of science by using Integrated Science teaching materials based Socio-scientific Issues (SSI) for environmental pollution theme. The method used in the study is quasi-experiment with nonequivalent pretest and posttest control group design. The students of experimental class used teaching materials based SSI, whereas the students of control class were still using the usual textbooks. The result of this study showed a significant difference between the value of N-gain of experimental class and control class, whichalso occurred in every indicator of content aspects and competency of science. This result indicates that using of Integrated Science teaching materials based SSI can improve content aspect and competency of science and can be used as teaching materials alternative in teaching of Integrated Science.

An integrative framework for managing project issues across stakeholder groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Offenbeek, Marjolein A.G.; Vos, Janita F.J.

2016-01-01

The stakeholders and the issues associated with a project are different concepts but closely interconnected. Despite this, the project stakeholder management literature falls short in analyzing the linkages between the stakeholders and the issues they bring. This paper develops a multilayered

Integrated Management of Residential Indoor Air Quality: A Call for Stakeholders in a Changing Climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Levasseur, Marie-Eve; Poulin, Patrick; Campagna, Céline; Leclerc, Jean-Marc

2017-11-25

A paradigm change in the management of environmental health issues has been observed in recent years: instead of managing specific risks individually, a holistic vision of environmental problems would assure sustainable solutions. However, concrete actions that could help translate these recommendations into interventions are lacking. This review presents the relevance of using an integrated indoor air quality management approach to ensure occupant health and comfort. At the nexus of three basic concepts (reducing contaminants at the source, improving ventilation, and, when relevant, purifying the indoor air), this approach can help maintain and improve indoor air quality and limit exposure to several contaminants. Its application is particularly relevant in a climate change context since the evolving outdoor conditions have to be taken into account during building construction and renovation. The measures presented through this approach target public health players, building managers, owners, occupants, and professionals involved in building design, construction, renovation, and maintenance. The findings of this review will help the various stakeholders initiate a strategic reflection on the importance of indoor air quality and climate change issues for existing and future buildings. Several new avenues and recommendations are presented to set the path for future research activities.

Organizational aspects of integrated reporting preparation according to international standard «Integrated reporting»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.O. Maksymchuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Integrated Reporting is an innovative reporting for business entities, therefore the issue of the organization the preparation of this reporting is an actual. The absence of legislative regulation of integrated reporting at national level of legal documents has greatly affected the issue, because the only document, that specifies the requirements for integrated reporting is the international standard «integrated reporting». The article considers the organizational principles of integrated reporting preparation. Taking into account the requirements of the international standard «integrated reporting», the authors make the attempts to define the basic organizational stages of such reporting, that allows to introduce the integrated reporting in a structured way and logically. It is proposed on the enterprises preparing the integrated reporting to constitute the schedule of the formation of the integrated reporting. In addition, the important thing is to develop the internal policy for determining materiality by the use of the professional judgment. The appropriate internal policy is assigned to disclose the materiality process in an integrated reporting for decision-making on the inclusion or exclusion issues to be understandable for users.

Developing Integral Review:IR Editors Reflect on Meta-theory,the Concept of

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russ Volckmann

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Over the past three years our journey as editors of Integral Review has been full of rich learning. The processes of providing authors with feedback, going over reviews of articles as well as writing ourselves have all contributed to our growth. The primary forum for this learning has been the many conversations amongst us to deal with the various issues that arise in publishing IR. Our intention in this brief piece is to share some of our reflections on this learning journey with you. These will take the form of contributions/reflections from individual editors, allowing us to share with you the particular issues we feel of value in this process.By writing these short pieces, we aim to provide additional resources for understanding how IR works. While we have guidelines and criteria for submissions on our website, it seems that narrative voices from individuals may add some flesh to them. Relating how we perceive issues around writing for an “integral” journal offers a supplement for engaging these criteria, and will hopefully bring them to life. As well, we hope that our writing provides insights into how and what we think about issues relevant to IR’s mission. These pieces reflect the unique voices we have as editors of Integral Review, and demonstrate some of the thinking and passions behind this journal.

The Vehicle Integrated Performance Analysis Experience: Reconnecting With Technical Integration

Science.gov (United States)

McGhee, D. S.

2006-01-01

Very early in the Space Launch Initiative program, a small team of engineers at MSFC proposed a process for performing system-level assessments of a launch vehicle. Aimed primarily at providing insight and making NASA a smart buyer, the Vehicle Integrated Performance Analysis (VIPA) team was created. The difference between the VIPA effort and previous integration attempts is that VIPA a process using experienced people from various disciplines, which focuses them on a technically integrated assessment. The foundations of VIPA s process are described. The VIPA team also recognized the need to target early detailed analysis toward identifying significant systems issues. This process is driven by the T-model for technical integration. VIPA s approach to performing system-level technical integration is discussed in detail. The VIPA process significantly enhances the development and monitoring of realizable project requirements. VIPA s assessment validates the concept s stated performance, identifies significant issues either with the concept or the requirements, and then reintegrates these issues to determine impacts. This process is discussed along with a description of how it may be integrated into a program s insight and review process. The VIPA process has gained favor with both engineering and project organizations for being responsive and insightful

Halal Supply Chain Management Streamlined Practices: Issues and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Hijrah Abd Kadir, Muhammad; Zuraidah Raja Mohd Rasi, Raja; Omar, Siti Sarah; Manap, Zariq Imran Abdul

2016-11-01

The quickly developing worldwide halal in business sector has given a remarkable window of chance, which empowers Malaysia to the renowned halal centre in worldwide (known as Halal-hubs). Malaysia also has proactively taken a lead in halal activities, which is presently considered as the benchmark for a halal framework worldwide. Malaysia also set up the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) which driving a wide range of halal activities since the demand of halal food has increased significantly which is very crucial for a Muslim in ensuring its authenticity and integrity. Even in parallel to this developments, many studies has been conducted because there are many issues still occurs in the food industry. The issue of consumer awareness and understanding the halal principles, mixing of halal and non- halal products, halal certification and logo compliance with Shariah law and lack of regulation and enforcement need the serious attention by all parties along the supply chain. The challenges occur mainly in the halal food segregation and halal traceability of the products. The unit of analysis in this study different halal stakeholders group which are JAKIM, Halal Development Centre (HDC), Raw Material Manufacturers, Retailers and Government Agencies. This paper attempt discusses the issues and challenges occurs in the halal supply chain and faced by the practitioners as well as the relevant parties involved in the industry especially for food products manufacturers. The study would like to give a basic information about the issues and challenges in the contribution of Halal Supply Chain Management (HSCM) as well as for the future studies.

Towards integrating extracellular matrix and immunological pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, David F; Thomas, Paul G

2017-10-01

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex and dynamic structure made up of an estimated 300 different proteins. The ECM is also a rich source of cytokines and growth factors in addition to numerous bioactive ECM degradation products that influence cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation. The ECM is constantly being remodeled during homeostasis and in a wide range of pathological contexts. Changes in the ECM modulate immune responses, which in turn regulate repair and regeneration of tissues. Here, we review the many components of the ECM, enzymes involved in ECM remodeling, and the signals that feed into immunological pathways in the context of a dynamic ECM. We highlight studies that have taken an integrative approach to studying immune responses in the context of the ECM and studies that use novel proteomic strategies. Finally, we discuss research challenges relevant to the integration of immune and ECM networks and propose experimental and translational approaches to resolve these issues. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated Risk Framework for Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Steven; Goonetilleke, Ashantha; Thomas, Evan; Hargreaves, Megan; Frost, Ray; Dawes, Les

2006-08-01

Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are becoming increasingly important for the treatment and dispersal of effluent in new urbanised developments that are not serviced by centralised wastewater collection and treatment systems. However, the current standards and guidelines adopted by many local authorities for assessing suitable site and soil conditions for OWTS are increasingly coming under scrutiny due to the public health and environmental impacts caused by poorly performing systems, in particular septic tank-soil adsorption systems. In order to achieve sustainable onsite wastewater treatment with minimal impacts on the environment and public health, more appropriate means of assessment are required. This paper highlights an integrated risk based approach for assessing the inherent hazards associated with OWTS in order to manage and mitigate the environmental and public health risks inherent with onsite wastewater treatment. In developing a sound and cohesive integrated risk framework for OWTS, several key issues must be recognised. These include the inclusion of relevant stakeholders throughout framework development, the integration of scientific knowledge, data and analysis with risk assessment and management ideals, and identification of the appropriate performance goals for successful management and mitigation of associated risks. These issues were addressed in the development of the risk framework to provide a generic approach to assessing risk from OWTS. The utilisation of the developed risk framework for achieving more appropriate assessment and management techniques for OWTS is presented in a case study for the Gold Coast region, Queensland State, Australia.

An Integrated Workflow For Secondary Use of Patient Data for Clinical Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouzillé, Guillaume; Sylvestre, Emmanuelle; Campillo-Gimenez, Boris; Renault, Eric; Ledieu, Thibault; Delamarre, Denis; Cuggia, Marc

2015-01-01

This work proposes an integrated workflow for secondary use of medical data to serve feasibility studies, and the prescreening and monitoring of research studies. All research issues are initially addressed by the Clinical Research Office through a research portal and subsequently redirected to relevant experts in the determined field of concentration. For secondary use of data, the workflow is then based on the clinical data warehouse of the hospital. A datamart with potentially eligible research candidates is constructed. Datamarts can either produce aggregated data, de-identified data, or identified data, according to the kind of study being treated. In conclusion, integrating the secondary use of data process into a general research workflow allows visibility of information technologies and improves the accessability of clinical data.

The study of key issues about integration of GNSS and strong-motion records for real-time earthquake monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Rui; Zhang, Pengfei; Zhang, Rui; Liu, Jinhai

2016-08-01

This paper has studied the key issues about integration of GNSS and strong-motion records for real-time earthquake monitoring. The validations show that the consistence of the coordinate system must be considered firstly to exclude the system bias between GNSS and strong-motion. The GNSS sampling rate is suggested about 1-5 Hz, and we should give the strong-motion's baseline shift with a larger dynamic noise as its variation is very swift. The initialization time of solving the baseline shift is less than one minute, and ambiguity resolution strategy is not greatly improved the solution. The data quality is very important for the solution, we advised to use multi-frequency and multi-system observations. These ideas give an important guide for real-time earthquake monitoring and early warning by the tight integration of GNSS and strong-motion records.

Making Earth Science Relevant in the K-8 Classroom. The Development of an Instructional Soils Module for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Using the Next Generation Science Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, K. A.; Hauge, R.; Dechaine, J. M.; Varrella, G.; Egger, A. E.

2013-12-01

The development and adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) raises a challenge in teacher preparation: few current teacher preparation programs prepare students to teach science the way it is presented in the NGSS, which emphasize systems thinking, interdisciplinary science, and deep engagement in the scientific process. In addition, the NGSS include more geoscience concepts and methods than previous standards, yet this is a topic area in which most college students are traditionally underprepared. Although nationwide, programmatic reform is needed, there are a few targets where relatively small, course-level changes can have a large effect. One of these targets is the 'science methods' course for pre-service elementary teachers, a requirement in virtually all teacher preparation programs. Since many elementary schools, both locally and across the country, have adopted a kit based science curriculum, examining kits is often a part of a science methods course. Unfortunately, solely relying on a kit based curriculum may leave gaps in science content curriculum as one prepares teachers to meet the NGSS. Moreover, kits developed at the national level often fall short in connecting geoscientific content to the locally relevant societal issues that engage students. This highlights the need to train pre-service elementary teachers to supplement kit curriculum with inquiry based geoscience investigations that consider relevant societal issues, promote systems thinking and incorporate connections between earth, life, and physical systems. We are developing a module that teaches geoscience concepts in the context of locally relevant societal issues while modeling effective pedagogy for pre-service elementary teachers. Specifically, we focus on soils, an interdisciplinary topic relevant to multiple geoscience-related societal grand challenges (e.g., water, food) that is difficult to engage students in. Module development is funded through InTeGrate, NSF

A review of inexact optimization modeling and its application to integrated water resources management

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ran; Li, Yin; Tan, Qian

2015-03-01

Water is crucial in supporting people's daily life and the continual quest for socio-economic development. It is also a fundamental resource for ecosystems. Due to the associated complexities and uncertainties, as well as intensive competition over limited water resources between human beings and ecosystems, decision makers are facing increased pressure to respond effectively to various water-related issues and conflicts from an integrated point of view. This quandary requires a focused effort to resolve a wide range of issues related to water resources, as well as the associated economic and environmental implications. Effective systems analysis approaches under uncertainty that successfully address interactions, complexities, uncertainties, and changing conditions associated with water resources, human activities, and ecological conditions are desired, which requires a systematic investigation of the previous studies in relevant areas. Systems analysis and optimization modeling for integrated water resources management under uncertainty is thus comprehensively reviewed in this paper. A number of related methodologies and applications related to stochastic, fuzzy, and interval mathematical optimization modeling are examined. Then, their applications to integrated water resources management are presented. Perspectives of effective management schemes are investigated, demonstrating many demanding areas for enhanced research efforts, which include issues of data availability and reliability, concerns over uncertainty, necessity of post-modeling analysis, and the usefulness of the development of simulation techniques.

Issues of verification and validation of application-specific integrated circuits in reactor trip systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battle, R.E.; Alley, G.T.

1993-01-01

Concepts of using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in nuclear reactor safety systems are evaluated. The motivation for this evaluation stems from the difficulty of proving that software-based protection systems are adequately reliable. Important issues concerning the reliability of computers and software are identified and used to evaluate features of ASICS. These concepts indicate that ASICs have several advantages over software for simple systems. The primary advantage of ASICs over software is that verification and validation (V ampersand V) of ASICs can be done with much higher confidence than can be done with software. A method of performing this V ampersand V on ASICS is being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The purpose of the method's being developed is to help eliminate design and fabrication errors. It will not solve problems with incorrect requirements or specifications

From Synergy to Complexity: The Trend Toward Integrated Value Chain and Landscape Governance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ros-Tonen, Mirjam A F; Reed, James; Sunderland, Terry

2018-05-30

This Editorial introduces a special issue that illustrates a trend toward integrated landscape approaches. Whereas two papers echo older "win-win" strategies based on the trade of non-timber forest products, ten papers reflect a shift from a product to landscape perspective. However, they differ from integrated landscape approaches in that they emanate from sectorial approaches driven primarily by aims such as forest restoration, sustainable commodity sourcing, natural resource management, or carbon emission reduction. The potential of such initiatives for integrated landscape governance and achieving landscape-level outcomes has hitherto been largely unaddressed in the literature on integrated landscape approaches. This special issue addresses this gap, with a focus on actor constellations and institutional arrangements emerging in the transition from sectorial to integrated approaches. This editorial discusses the trends arising from the papers, including the need for a commonly shared concern and sense of urgency; inclusive stakeholder engagement; accommodating and coordinating polycentric governance in landscapes beset with institutional fragmentation and jurisdictional mismatches; alignment with locally embedded initiatives and governance structures; and a framework to assess and monitor the performance of integrated multi-stakeholder approaches. We conclude that, despite a growing tendency toward integrated approaches at the landscape level, inherent landscape complexity renders persistent and significant challenges such as balancing multiple objectives, equitable inclusion of all relevant stakeholders, dealing with power and gender asymmetries, adaptive management based on participatory outcome monitoring, and moving beyond existing administrative, jurisdictional, and sectorial silos. Multi-stakeholder platforms and bridging organizations and individuals are seen as key in overcoming such challenges.

Financial Integration of European Money Market: from EMU to the Global Crisis and Beyond

OpenAIRE

Avadanei Andreea; Avadanei Anamaria; Ghiba Nicolae

2010-01-01

The scope of this article is to illustrate the general issues relevant for understanding the implications of the global crisis on European money market integration. We structured our paper on chapters that present the evolution of the considered market from the launch of euro until the financial turmoil, its main features in the actual context, and the central banks response to the rising tensions on the money market. Given its function of channeling funds to enable banks to cover their most ...

Integration of Standardized Management Systems: A Dilemma?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Ferreira Rebelo

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The growing proliferation of management systems standards (MSSs, and their individualized implementation, is a real problem faced by organizations. On the other hand, MSSs are aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness of organizational responses in order to satisfy the requirements, needs and expectations of the stakeholders. Each organization has its own identity and this is an issue that cannot be neglected; hence, two possible approaches can be attended. First, continue with the implementation of individualized management systems (MSs; or, integrate the several MSSs versus related MSs into an integrated management system (IMS. Therefore, in this context, organizations are faced with a dilemma, as a result of the increasing proliferation and diversity of MSSs. This paper takes into account the knowledge gained through a case study conducted in the context of a Portuguese company and unveils some of the advantages and disadvantages of integration. A methodology is also proposed and presented to support organizations in developing and structuring the integration process of their individualized MSs, and consequently minimize problems that are generators of inefficiencies, value destruction and loss of competitiveness. The obtained results provide relevant information that can support Top Management decision in solving that dilemma and consequently promote a successful integration, including a better control of business risks associated to MSSs requirements and enhancing sustainable performance, considering the context in which organizations operate.

Call for another special issue / book

Science.gov (United States)

Bostenaru Dan, M.

2009-04-01

We would like to continue the series of special issue or maybe edit a book on this topic. To complete the formerly edited special issues we would like to link natural hazards research to cultural heritage research. We see a way of doing this connected to "integrated conservation", which sees the involvment of urban planning in conservation, as well as the (urban) sociology, the integration of the user, the participatism. We further call for investigation of GIS applications for the investigation of natural hazards' impact in this field. We are open for further ideas and wait for you at the Splinter meeting.

Issues related to choosing a guard force structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auerback, C.; Cusack, J.; Green, L.; Higinbotham, W.; Indusi, J.; Marcuse, W.; Weinstock, E.

1975-01-01

The establishment of a federal security force has been suggested as an additional step to protect nuclear material. The force would be given the responsibility for guarding nuclear facilities and shipments of nuclear materials. This paper summarizes a study to identify the issues that are relevant to choosing between the private guard forces that are presently employed by industry or a guard force under federal authority. To examine the issues which would be relevant, three possible types of security force structures were selected for comparison: a federal force under central authority, a private guard force employed by or under contract to a facility, and a private arrangement to employ local police officers similar to the arrangement for armed guards at airports. The issues were divided into seven categories: (1) Legal Considerations, (2) Liability, (3) Staffing and Operations, (4) Costs, (5) Relationship to Off-site Forces, (6) Management and Control, (7) Transportation

Current Issues for Higher Education Information Resources Management.

Science.gov (United States)

CAUSE/EFFECT, 1996

1996-01-01

Issues identified as important to the future of information resources management and use in higher education include information policy in a networked environment, distributed computing, integrating information resources and college planning, benchmarking information technology, integrated digital libraries, technology integration in teaching,…

Addressing special structure in the relevance feedback learning problem through aspect-based image search

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.J. Huiskes (Mark)

2004-01-01

textabstractIn this paper we focus on a number of issues regarding special structure in the relevance feedback learning problem, most notably the effects of image selection based on partial relevance on the clustering behavior of examples. We propose a simple scheme, aspect-based image search, which

Psychology teaching in nursing education: a review of and reflection on approaches, issues, and contemporary practice.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Jan M A; Timmins, Fiona

2012-11-01

This paper highlights the relevance of psychology for nurses and the issues around the inclusion of psychology as an essential part of nursing education. Considerable international variations in the extent to which psychology is incorporated in nursing education suggest a need for discussion and reflection on this topic. This paper aims to (a) examine and reflect on scholarly literature in English addressing psychology of nursing in education and (b) present and reflect on an example of psychology teaching in a school of nursing and midwifery in Ireland. A review of the literature took place, which included a search of various databases and an analysis of emerging psychology for nursing textbooks over the period 1906-2011. Findings were used as a framework for reflection on a local example. The literature review yielded numerous commentaries, discussion papers, textbook reviews and editorials but very few empirical studies. Three topics were identified as appearing most frequently in the literature: the relevance of psychology in the nursing curriculum; depth and content of coverage; and whether integrated or separate instruction of psychology should be chosen. Findings suggest that overall the relevance of psychology to nursing education is not contested, but debates have emerged regarding how best to approach and integrate psychology. The outcomes of these debates are mostly inconclusive at present. Educators are encouraged to become active in these discussions and reflections, which are hampered by lack of empirical evidence. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Issues Related to University Education in Ukraine in the Context of Globalization, European Integration and Bologna Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryna V. Bosenko

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the analysis of issued linked to the development of Ukrainian education in the contexts of globalization, European integration and Bologna Process. The needs for reforms related to the university education in Ukraine is linked with job market and social services, including educational services, globalization of economics and IT technologies: enhancing of socio-economical and pedagogical processes, informatization in society, transition to ‘knowledge societies’, changing the system f values, expanding the core of university education, emergence and distribution of innovative technologies, freedom of choice in electing the university curriculum, fundamentalization and humanization of education etc.

Maquila Workers’ Health: Basic Issues, What is Known, and a Pilot Study in Nicaragua

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Blanco R.

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Occupational health issues identified in maquilas include respiratory, musculoskeletal, psychological problems, and accidents. This study identifies the basic health issues, as well as the sources and investigational methods needed for drafting health standards for maquilas. It sets out conceptual guidelines, suggesting general methodological strategies appropriate for studies of workers’ health and its determinants in the maquiladora sector. The conceptual-methodological model is based on 1 a review of relevant studies, 2 a mixed methods pilot feasibility study within the community of workers and social actors of a textile maquila in Nicaragua, and 3 the conceptual-methodological integration of a literature review with the results of the pilot study. The main issues identified are the organization of work, health, governmental regulation, family and gender, infrastructure and environment. Methodological recommendations focus on the principle of triangulation; the use of anonymous questionnaires and focus groups to examine specific issues; individual interviews with management personnel and members of the community; and the value of family members as key informers on the impact on family, environment and community. Observation of actual work procedures is ideal but not always possible. A joint health and safety committee and a health services unit would be key instruments in the prevention of accidents and illness and in health promotion and care.

The Issue Network as a Deliberative Space

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørmen, Jacob

2012-01-01

to identify relevant political issues online, but it does not manage to bring together the various antagonistic actors in one deliberative space online. In a triangulation of the results from the two separate analyses, the study further finds evidence, which suggests that the relationship between hyperlinks......Through an analysis of the Danish asylum issue network on the Internet, this article discusses the possibilities of the online sphere as a deliberative space, where politics is happening. By assessing the hyperlink structure of the issue network and a subsequent content analysis of the claims...

["Nudges": relevance, limitations and ethical issues, specifically in health policy].

Science.gov (United States)

Huyard, Caroline

2016-12-01

The concept of "nudge" has recently spread accross the field of research that addresses the issue of health behaviours change. According to Thaler and Sunstein (2008) a nudge is "any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people's behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives". Similar concepts, such as persuasive technology or manipulation, have been studied for decades in the fields of design, psychology or communication. The novelty of the concept of "nudge"' lies in its particular political purpose, namely libertarian paternalism. Meanwhile, the analysis of the decision process induced by a nudge shows that it does not simply amount to a change in the environment and that its handling is ethically tricky. The main interest of this concept might actually lie in a better assessment and a better regulation of the public health impact of choice architecture for economic purposes, such as marketing and advertising. © 2016 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

Climate change and foreign policy : an exploration of options for greater integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drexhage, J.; Murphy, D.; Brown, O.; Cosbey, A.; Dickey, P.; Parry, J.-E.; Van Ham, J.; Tarasofsky, R.; Darkin, B.

2007-01-01

Climate change is a global challenge and one of biggest challenges of this century. Addressing the challenges posed by climate change requires new thinking in foreign policy. This paper discussed the results of a research study that examined the role of foreign policy in fostering a more effective international response to the challenge of climate change. The scope involved an examination of instruments relevant to Danish foreign policy. The paper first identified the climate change challenge and discussed international diplomacy and relations. Energy security and investment was discussed in terms of the impact of energy security on climate change efforts and opportunities for integration. Other areas where critical issues and opportunities for integration were offered include international peace and security; trade and investment; and development cooperation. The paper made several recommendations in these areas in addition to diplomatic networking. The study concluded that foreign policy can further the climate change agenda in a number of areas in diplomacy and foreign relations within the European Union, transatlantic relations, Arctic issues and United Nations affairs. This includes better integration of climate change into the European Union's common foreign and security policy, the Lisbon Agenda, and incorporating climate change in the work of a wide range of bodies under the United Nations. refs., figs

Strengthening the integrity of local leadership and its relevance to run democratic governance

OpenAIRE

Maulana Mukhlis; Idil Akbar

2018-01-01

Abstract   Even though many aspects that shows how to run a democratic government, but the most important aspect is related to the leadership of integrity. The leadership of integrity put the perspective of power in the orientation of partisanship on the people. In addition, democratic governance at the local level can be run effectively and constructively if in his leadership held with integrity. In other words the leadership of integrity is a requirement to run a democratic governme...

Integration, Authenticity, and Relevancy in College Science through Engineering Design

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Ken L., Jr.; Hoffman, Adam R.

2018-01-01

Engineering design is an ideal perspective for engaging students in college science classes. An engineering design problem-solving framework was used to create a general chemistry lab activity focused on an important environmental issue--dead zones. Dead zones impact over 400 locations around the world and are a result of nutrient pollution, one…

Stability of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuel constituents at relevant LWR conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snead, L.L.; Terrani, K.A.; Katoh, Y.; Silva, C.; Leonard, K.J.; Perez-Bergquist, A.G.

2014-01-01

This paper addresses certain key feasibility issues facing the application of SiC-matrix microencapsulated fuels for light water reactor application. Issues addressed are the irradiation stability of the SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix under LWR-relevant irradiation conditions, the presence or extent of reaction of the SiC matrix with zirconium-based cladding, the stability of the inner and outer pyrolytic graphite layers of the TRISO coating system at this uncharacteristically low irradiation temperature, and the state of the particle–matrix interface following irradiation which could possibly affect thermal transport. In the process of determining these feasibility issues microstructural evolution and change in dimension and thermal conductivity was studied. As a general finding the SiC matrix was found to be quite stable with behavior similar to that of CVD SiC. In magnitude the irradiation-induced swelling of the matrix material was slightly higher and irradiation-degraded thermal conductivity was slightly lower as compared to CVD SiC. No significant reaction of this SiC-based nano-powder ceramic matrix material with Zircaloy was observed. Irradiation of the sample in the 320–360 °C range to a maximum dose of 7.7 × 10 25 n/m 2 (E > 0.1 MeV) did not have significant negative impact on the constituent layers of the TRISO coating system. At the highest dose studied, layer structure and interface integrity remained essentially unchanged with good apparent thermal transport through the microsphere to the surrounding matrix

Overview of JT-60U results toward high integrated performance in reactor-relevant regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, T.

2002-01-01

Toward steady sustainment of high integrated performance, we have developed weak magnetic shear (high β p mode) and reversed magnetic shear plasmas. As a large-sized tokamak equipped with a variety of devices for heating, current drive and profile/shape control, JT-60U has high ability to approach the conditions required in reactors: low values of normalized Larmor radius and collisionality, high temperatures with T e > or approx. T i , etc. This paper reviews recent JT-60U results with the emphasis on the projection to the reactor-relevant regime. Full non-inductive current drive has been achieved in a 1.8 MA high β p H-mode plasma with β N 2:4, HH y2 =1.2 and high fusion triple product (3 x 10 20 m -3 keVs) owing to increased N-NB power. In a reversed shear plasma, HH y2 =1.4 at n e /n GW 0.8 under the full non-inductive current drive has been achieved with injection of LHRF and N-NB. In box-type ITBs with reversed shear, barriers for ions and electrons were sustained in a regime with T e > or approx. T i . The pedestal pressure was doubled with increased total poloidal beta in pellet-injected high triangularity plasmas with type I and II ELMs. Stable existence of current hole was demonstrated. (author)

The relevance of crack arrest phenomena for pressure vessel structural integrity assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connors, D.C.; Dowling, A.R.; Flewitt, P.E.J.

1996-01-01

The potential role of a crack arrest argument for the structural integrity assessments of steel pressure vessels and the relationship between crack initiation and crack arrest philosophies are described. A typical structural integrity assessment using crack initiation fracture mechanics is illustrated by means of a case study based on assessment of the steel pressure vessels for Magnox power stations. Evidence of the occurrence of crack arrest in structures is presented and reviewed, and the applications to pressure vessels which are subjected to similar conditions are considered. An outline is given of the material characterisation that would be required to undertake a crack arrest integrity assessment. It is concluded that crack arrest arguments could be significant in the structural integrity assessment of PWR reactor pressure vessels under thermal shock conditions, whereas for Magnox steel pressure vessels it would be limited in its potential to supporting existing arguments. (author)

Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: The Relevance of Vocational and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: The Relevance of Vocational and Technical Education. ... Vocational/technical education has been an integral part of national development strategies in many societies because of its impact on human resource development, productivity, and economic ... NESG Economic Indicators Vol.

Energy issues and policies in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldemberg, J.

1981-10-01

Initiative taken in Brazil to achieve 'energy autonomy' in vien of the petroleum crisis is analyzed. The dynamics of the movement away from oil and the desire to base the development of the country on locally available resources such as hydroelectricity and biomass derived fuels are emphasized. Energy resources, energy comsumption, issues and policies, energy projections and social issues are discussed, as well as the relevance and applicability to other countries of policies followed in Brazil. (I.C.R.) [pt

Research Opportunities in Corrosion Science for Long-Term Prediction of Materials Performance: A Report of the DOE Workshop on ''Corrosion Issues of Relevance to the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Payer, Joe H.; Scully, John R.

2003-01-01

The report summarizes the findings of a U.S. Department of Energy workshop on ''Corrosion Issues of Relevance to the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository''. The workshop was held on July 29-30, 2003 in Bethesda, MD, and was co-sponsored by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The workshop focus was corrosion science relevant to long-term prediction of materials performance in hostile environments, with special focus on relevance to the permanent disposal of nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain Repository. The culmination of the workshop is this report that identifies both generic and Yucca Mountain Project-specific research opportunities in basic and applied topic areas. The research opportunities would be realized well after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's initial construction-authorization licensing process. At the workshop, twenty-three invited scientists deliberated on basic and applied science opportunities in corrosion science relevant to long-term prediction of damage accumulation by corrosive processes that affect materials performance.

Essays on issues relevant to the regulation of radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishop, W.P.; Hoos, I.R.; Hilberry, N.; Metlay, D.S.; Watson, R.A.

1978-05-01

This document contains a collection of essays prepared by the individuals who participated in a Special Task Group for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the purpose of identifying and proposing goals (or guiding principles) for the regulation of radioactive waste management. The report of the Special Task group to the NRC is contained in 'Proposed Goals for Radioactive Waste Management'. The titles of the essays are as follows: History and interpretation of radioactive waste management in the United States; The credibility issue; Assessment of methodologies for radioactive waste management; Remarks on managerial errors and public participation; Observations and impressions on the nature of radioactive waste management problems; and Goals for nuclear waste management

Pipeline integrity management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guyt, J.; Macara, C.

1997-12-31

This paper focuses on some of the issues necessary for pipeline operators to consider when addressing the challenge of managing the integrity of their systems. Topics are: Definition; business justification; creation and safeguarding of technical integrity; control and deviation from technical integrity; pipelines; pipeline failure assessment; pipeline integrity assessment; leak detection; emergency response. 6 figs., 3 tabs.

Issues of Financial Assurance of Economy Greening in the Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Shekhova, Natalia V.; Kireeva, Ekaterina E.; Nazarov, Michael A.; Peskova, Dinara R.; Gusakova, Elena P.; Dorozhkin, Vladimir E.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the analyzed issue is caused by the need to internalize environmental externalities in the modern world. The purpose of the article is to examine the issue of financial support of the green economy using the example of the regions included in the Volga Federal District (VFD). The leading methods to the study of this issue is a…

A review of occupational safety and health issues relevant to the Environmental Restoration Program: Selected case histories and associated issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesperance, A.M.; Siegel, M.R.; McKinney, M.C.

1994-08-01

Since the 1940s, US Department of Energy (DOE) sites have been used for nuclear materials processing and production, warhead testing, and weapons research and development. These activities have resulted in extensive environmental contamination. DOE has established a goal to cleanup and restore the groundwater, soils, sediments, and surface water at its facilities across the nation. To achieve this goal, many workers will be needed to conduct the cleanup. These workers will need training and will be required to follow occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations and guidelines. Compliance with the OSH regulations and guidelines will have an anomous influence on the schedule, money, and technology needed for environmental restoration. Therefore, one area that must be considered in the early stages of long-term planning is the impact of OSH issues on the environmental restoration process. The DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management has requested that the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) investigate the impact of these issues on the environmental restoration process

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2017-11-24

Nov 24, 2017 ... FEDERAL UNIVERSITY (FROM EMOTIONAL EDUCATION TO GLOBAL. THINKING ... ANNOTATION. The article highlights the topical issues of human education of the future humanistic- ... conditions (continuous self-education, updating and integration of educational resources on the basis of the ...

The European answer to the integration issues of excimer laser annealing in MOS technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Privitera, V.; La Magna, A.; Fortunato, G.; Camalleri, M.; Magri, A.; Simon, F.; Svensson, B.G.

2004-01-01

Excimer laser annealing (ELA) of MOSFET devices is currently studied and evaluated within the frame of the IST project 'Fundamentals and applications of laser processing for highly innovative MOS technology' (FLASH), funded by the European Commission. This European consortium aim to demonstrate that ELA can be industrialized in the context of semiconductor device fabrication. The technical achievement of homogeneous irradiation of entire wafers by industrial line beam system set up has been combined with device design solutions, in order to avoid the detrimental effects of the laser beam on device structures and tackle the integration issues, main obstacles for the use of ELA in the semiconductor industry. The launch of ELA, to open a new market segment in the semiconductor industry, implies also the availability of reliable process simulation tools. Therefore, a simulation program based on the phase-field method was produced, fully working and available

Issues related to choosing a guard force structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averbach, C.; Cusack, J.; Green, L.; Higinbotham, W.; Indusi, J.; Marcuse, W.; Weinstock, E.

1975-01-01

The establishment of a federal security force has been suggested as an additional step to protect nuclear material. The force would be given the responsibility for guarding nuclear facilities and shipments of nuclear materials. A study to identify the issues that are relevant to choosing between the private guard forces that are presently employed by industry or a guard force under federal authority is summarized. To examine the issues which would be relevant, three possible types of security force structures were selected for comparison: a federal force under central authority, a private guard force employed by or under contract to a facility, and a private arrangement to employ local police officers similar to the arrangement for armed guards at airports. The issues were divided into seven categories: (1) legal considerations, (2) liability, (3) staffing and operations, (4) costs, (5) relationship to off-site forces, (6) management and control, and (7) transportation. (U.S.)

Investigation of display issues relevant to the presentation of aircraft fault information

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Donald M.

1989-01-01

This research, performed as a part of NASA Langley's Faultfinder project, investigated display implementation issues related to the introduction of real time fault diagnostic systems into next generation commercial aircraft. Three major issues were investigated: visual display styles for presenting fault related information to the crew, the form the output from the expert system should take, and methods for filtering fault related information for presentation to the crew. Twenty-four flight familiar male volunteers participated as subjects. Five subjects were NASA test pilots, six were Commercial Airline Pilots, seven were Air Force Lear Jet pilots, and six were NASA personnel familiar with flight (non-pilots). Subjects were presented with aircraft subsystem information on a CRT screen. They were required to identify the subsystems presented in a display and to remember the state (normal or abnormal) of subsystem parameter information contained in the display. The results of the study indicated that in the simpler experimental test cases (i.e., those involving single subsystem failures and composite hypothesis displays) subjects' performance did not differ across the different display formats. However, for the more complex cases (i.e., those involving multiple subsystem faults and multiple hypotheses displays), subjects' performance was superior in the text- and picture-based display formats compared to the symbol-based format. In addition, the findings suggest that a layered approached to information display is appropriate.

The integrated reporting: A presentation of the current state of art and aspects of integrated reporting that need further development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi Morros

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to synthesise what is the emerging field of integrated reporting, with particular emphasis in the International Integrated Reporting Council, and outline a list of items for future research in this area. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is to outline a presentation of integrated reporting (IR, and make a review of the implications for the research agenda of the most important items. Findings: The need for quality researchers to address a number of pressing challenges posed by the rapid development of IR policies and practices. Research limitations/implications: The paper provide insights into issues and aspects of integrated reporting that need further development and need robust evidence to help inform improvements in policy and practice. Practical implications: Highlight how companies may benefit from integrated reporting in response to stakeholders’ calls for enhanced disclosure of environmental, social, governance and other non financial information. Social implications: The main social implication is to promote the wider public interest of improving the relevance of information for decision-making, for all stakeholders, and allow greater efficiency in the allocation of financial and other resources and in adding public value Originality/value: This paper offers a general view on a subject that is a challenge for entities oriented to the implementation of sustainability in their values and also in their reporting.

Transmission Integration | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Transmission Integration Transmission Integration The goal of NREL's transmission integration integration issues and provide data, analysis, and models to enable the electric power system to more and finding solutions to address them to enable transmission grid integration. Capabilities Power

Toward an Information Integration Approach to Issue Advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, William; And Others

Issue advertising is intended to inform an audience--most commonly with the intent of changing unfavorable opinions or reinforcing favorable ones--to affect cognition (in contrast to the behavioral emphasis of product and service advertising, intended to stimulate trail and adoption). To explore public reactions to printed and televised issues…

Earnings Management, Value Relevance Of Earnings and Book Value of Equity

OpenAIRE

Subekti, Imam

2013-01-01

Previous studies examining relationship between earnings management and value relevance of accounting information show that earnings management decrease value relevance of accounting information. Generally, the studies apply accruals earnings management. In contrast, the present study applies integrated earnings management proxies i.e. real and accruals earnings manage-ment. Real earnings management proxies are measured by abnormal cash flow of operation, ab-normal production cost, and abnorm...

Ethical issues of perinatal human gene therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, J C; Richter, G

1996-01-01

This paper examines some key ethical issues raised by trials of human gene therapy in the perinatal period--i.e., in infants, young children, and the human fetus. It describes five resources in ethics for researchers' considerations prior to such trials: (1) the history of ethical debate about gene therapy, (2) a literature on the relevance of major ethical principles for clinical research, (3) a body of widely accepted norms and practices, (4) knowledge of paradigm cases, and (5) researchers' own professional integrity. The paper also examines ethical concerns that must be met prior to any trial: benefits to and safety of subjects, informed assent of children and informed parental permission, informed consent of pregnant women in fetal gene therapy, protection of privacy, and concerns about fairness in the selection of subjects. The paper criticizes the position that cases of fetal gene therapy should be restricted only to those where the pregnant woman has explicitly refused abortion. Additional topics include concerns about genetic enhancement and germ-line gene therapy.

Methods and Issues for the Combined Use of Integral Experiments and Covariance Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvatores, M.; Palmiotti, G.; Aliberti, G.; McKnight, R.; Archier, P.; De Saint Jean, C.; Dupont, E.; Herman, M.; Ishikawa, M.; Sugino, K.; Ivanova, T.; Ivanov, E.; Kim, S.J.; Kodeli, I.; Trkov, A.; Manturov, G.; Pelloni, S.; Perfetti, C.; Rearden, B.T.; Plompen, A.; Rochman, D.; Wang, W.; Wu, H.; Yang, W.S.

2013-01-01

The Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation (WPEC) has been established under the aegis of the OECD/NEA Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) to promote the exchange of information on nuclear data evaluations, validation and related topics. Its aim is also to provide a framework for co-operative activities between the members of the major nuclear data evaluation projects. This includes the possible exchange of scientists in order to encourage co-operation. Requirements for experimental data resulting from this activity are compiled. The WPEC determines common criteria for evaluated nuclear data files with a view to assessing and improving the quality and completeness of evaluated data. The parties to the project are: BROND (Russian Federation), ENDF (United States), JENDL (Japan) and JEFF (other NEA Data Bank member countries). Co-operation with evaluation projects of non-NEA countries, specifically the Chinese CENDL project, is organised through the Nuclear Data Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This report has been issued by the WPEC Subgroup 33, whose mission was to review methods and issues of the combined use of integral experiments and covariance data, with the objective of recommending a set of best and consistent practices in order to improve evaluated nuclear data files. In particular, it is shown that the statistical adjustment methodologies used worldwide are well understood and essentially equivalent. The results of the benchmark adjustment exercise indicate common trends for important data, even when they start from different basic nuclear data and different covariance matrices. In this respect, adjustment methodologies can provide a powerful tool to improve nuclear data (and associated uncertainties) if used in an appropriate manner

Energy investments and environmental implications: key policy issues in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siddayao, Corazon M. (World Bank Washington, DC (USA). Economic Development Institute)

1992-03-15

Energy investments imply changes in the physical, social, and economic environment. Hence, both the short-term and the long-term costs and benefits of these investments must be taken into account. These changes may affect not only the immediate environment of the investment site but may extend geographically far beyond national borders as well as beyond the lifetimes of the people for whom the investments are intended. This paper reviews the issues relevant to developing countries. General conceptual and policies issues are discussed. Issues about the measurement of costs and benefits (including issues of 'sustainability' and the internalization of externalities resulting from environmental changes) as well as the role of opportunity costs in deciding a country's energy investment strategies are raised. The macroeconomic and institutional issues relevant to environmental impacts that might be incorporated in energy planning are suggested. The paper is based on a presentation to the 'Workshop on energy investments and the environment'. 24 refs., 1 fig.

Reconciling the Rigor-Relevance Dilemma in Intellectual Capital Research

Science.gov (United States)

Andriessen, Daniel

2004-01-01

This paper raises the issue of research methodology for intellectual capital and other types of management research by focusing on the dilemma of rigour versus relevance. The more traditional explanatory approach to research often leads to rigorous results that are not of much help to solve practical problems. This paper describes an alternative…

Adolescent developmental issues in Hong Kong: Relevance to positive youth development programs in Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Shek, Daniel T L

2006-01-01

Several adolescent developmental issues and problems in Hong Kong are examined in this paper. First, the changing adolescent substance abuse patterns are described. Second, although the overall youth crime trend was relatively stable in the past decade, shoplifting and stealing crimes deserve our concern. Third, adolescent mental health problem is a growing problem. Fourth, statistics show that unhealthy life styles, such as smoking, early sex and moral confusion are issues of concern. Fifth, the proportion of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased. Sixth, youth unemployment and non-engaged youth are growing problems when the economy of Hong Kong is undergoing re-structuring. Seventh, family and parenting problems in families with adolescents deserve our attention. Finally, the Social Development Index showed that the development of young people has gradually deteriorated in the past decade. These adolescent issues and problems provide useful pointers for designing the positive youth development program financially sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Integration of design applications with building models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eastman, C. M.; Jeng, T. S.; Chowdbury, R.

1997-01-01

This paper reviews various issues in the integration of applications with a building model... (Truncated.)......This paper reviews various issues in the integration of applications with a building model... (Truncated.)...

Radiation protection: Some philosophical and ethical issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sia, Santiago; Chhem, Rethy K.; Czarwinski, Renate

2010-01-01

The ethical issue of justification has become an urgent issue in radiology. There has been a shift in emphasis in the discussion from what has been regarded as a rather paternalistic attitude of practitioners to one that stresses the rights of the individual patient. This article comments on this current move on the part of the profession by offering certain relevant philosophical considerations. Using a medical scenario as the context to comment on this shift, it discusses important and fundamental issues, such as the autonomy and the rights of the patient in addition to the question of consent on the patient's part.

Consideration of social scientific issues in a safety case. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sailer, Michael; Kallenbach-Herbert, Beate; Brohmann, Bettina; Spieth-Achtnich, Angelika

2010-01-01

The research outcome presented here - a model for identifying and describing safety-relevant social scientific issues - provides a scientific basis for addressing these issues in a safety case. In order for them to be implemented in a repository process, it would be necessary to elaborate in greater detail the initial conceptual foundations that have been laid in this research project in line with the project's terms of reference. The requisite elaboration relates to binding rules for designing the repository process, particularly with regard to the stages in which the safety case is to be developed during planning, approval, construction and operation through to repository closure. Such detailed elaboration also needs to involve specifying the extent to which each social scientific issue and sub-issue is to be addressed in the different stages. Consideration would need to be given not only to the relevance of the issue for a given stage but also to the various options and methods for providing proof of safety. It would be possible to draw on experiences with handling safety management in nuclear power plants - a sphere in which over the last ten years efforts have been ongoing to develop methods for presentation by the operator and review by the authorities. Furthermore, it is likely that the social scientific issues relevant to a safety case cannot be defined once and for all in a single process, but that the need for continual revision and adaptation will arise due to both the increasing knowledge acquired during the course of the repository process and the experiences and expectations of stakeholders (similarly to experiences in the sphere of scientific-technological requirements). Appropriate conditions need to be defined for such a process. This process could be supported by implementing the option mentioned above whereby a regulatory definition of safety management for geological disposal is formulated which encompasses all safety-relevant social scientific

Accrediting Professional Education: Research and Policy Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Koff, Robert H.; Florio, David H.

Research and legal issues that relate to accreditation policy questions for schools, colleges, and departments of education are reviewed, and strategies for integrating empirical information and social/professional values are presented. The discussion divides into three sections: (1) information concerning a variety of contextual issues that…

ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF EXPATRIATE LEADERS IN CORPORATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anona F. Armstrong

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This paper draws upon theories of leadership and ethics to add to the understanding of ethical and cultural factors that impact on expatriates’ experiences. The paper discusses issues for expatriates, particularly relevant for those who are appointed as leaders of corporations in other countries. The paper addresses a wide range of cultural issues and how expatriates might manage the conflicts and risks emerging from different cultural values, attitudes and practices. Examples of the difficulties faced are given, as are consequences. The article concludes with some general observations, particularly relevant to those people employed as corporate expatriate managers.

NST Quarterly - Oct 2000 issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

NST Quarterly reports current development in Nuclear Science and Technology in Malaysia. In this issue it highlights the bioremediation of soils, the use of biological agents to reclaim soils and water polluted by substances hazardous to human health and/or the environment. Integrated waste management and thermal oxidation plant also reported, the topics discussed includes the role of the integrated waste management system, plant description and equipment design

NKS-R ExCoolSe mid-term report KTH severe accidents research relevant to the NKS-ExCoolSe project[KTH = Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hyun Sun Park; Truc-Nam Dinh [Royal Inst. of Technology (Sweden)

2006-04-15

The present mid-term progress report is prepared on the recent results from the KTH severe accident research program relevant to the objective of the ExCoolSe project sponsored by the NKS-R program. The previous PRE-MELT-DEL project at KTH sponsored by NKS provided an extensive assessment on the remaining issues of severe accidents in general and suggested the key issues to be resolved such as coolability and steam explosion energetics in ex-vessel which became a backbone of the ExCoolSe project in NKS. The EXCOOLSE project has been integrated with, and leveraged on, parallel research program at KTH on severe accident phenomena the MSWI project which is funded by the APRI program, SKI in Sweden and HSK in Switzerland and produced more understanding of the key remaining issues. During last year, the critical assessment of the existing knowledge and current SAMG and designs of Nordic BWRs identified the research focus and initiated the new series of research activities toward the resolution of the key remaining issues specifically pertaining to the Nordic BWRs.(au)

Issues and strategies for DEMO in-vessel component integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bachmann, C.; Arbeiter, F.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Coleman, M.; Federici, G.; Fischer, U.; Kemp, R.; Maviglia, F.; Mazzone, G.; Pereslavtsev, P.; Roccella, R.; Taylor, N.; Villari, R.; Villone, F.; Wenninger, R.; You, J.-H.

2016-01-01

In the frame of the EUROfusion Consortium activities were launched in 2014 to develop a concept of a DEMO reactor including a large R&D program and the integrated design of the tokamak systems. The integration of the in-vessel components (IVCs) must accommodate numerous constraints imposed by their operating environment, the requirements for precise alignment, high performance, reliability, and remote maintainability. This makes the development of any feasible design a major challenge. Although DEMO is defined to be a one-of-a-kind device there needs to be in addition to the development of the IVC design solutions a remarkable emphasis on the optimization of these solutions already at the conceptual level. Their design has a significant impact on the machine layout, complexity, and performance. This paper identifies design and technology limitations of IVCs, their consequences on the integration principles, and introduces strategies currently considered in the DEMO tokamak design approach.

Issues and strategies for DEMO in-vessel component integration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachmann, C., E-mail: christian.bachmann@euro-fusion.org [EUROfusion PMU, Garching (Germany); Arbeiter, F.; Boccaccini, L.V. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Coleman, M.; Federici, G. [EUROfusion PMU, Garching (Germany); Fischer, U. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Kemp, R. [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Maviglia, F. [EUROfusion PMU, Garching (Germany); Mazzone, G. [ENEA Dipartimento Fusione e Sicurezza Nucleare C. R. Frascati – via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Pereslavtsev, P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Roccella, R. [ITER Organization, St. Paul Lez Durance (France); Taylor, N. [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Villari, R. [ENEA Dipartimento Fusione e Sicurezza Nucleare C. R. Frascati – via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Villone, F. [ENEA-CREATE Association, DIEI, Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridiona (Italy); Wenninger, R. [EUROfusion PMU, Garching (Germany); You, J.-H. [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany)

2016-11-15

In the frame of the EUROfusion Consortium activities were launched in 2014 to develop a concept of a DEMO reactor including a large R&D program and the integrated design of the tokamak systems. The integration of the in-vessel components (IVCs) must accommodate numerous constraints imposed by their operating environment, the requirements for precise alignment, high performance, reliability, and remote maintainability. This makes the development of any feasible design a major challenge. Although DEMO is defined to be a one-of-a-kind device there needs to be in addition to the development of the IVC design solutions a remarkable emphasis on the optimization of these solutions already at the conceptual level. Their design has a significant impact on the machine layout, complexity, and performance. This paper identifies design and technology limitations of IVCs, their consequences on the integration principles, and introduces strategies currently considered in the DEMO tokamak design approach.

Implementation science approaches for integrating eHealth research into practice and policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Glasgow, Russell E; Phillips, Siobhan M; Sanchez, Michael A

2014-07-01

To summarize key issues in the eHealth field from an implementation science perspective and to highlight illustrative processes, examples and key directions to help more rapidly integrate research, policy and practice. We present background on implementation science models and emerging principles; discuss implications for eHealth research; provide examples of practical designs, measures and exemplar studies that address key implementation science issues; and make recommendations for ways to more rapidly develop and test eHealth interventions as well as future research, policy and practice. The pace of eHealth research has generally not kept up with technological advances, and many of our designs, methods and funding mechanisms are incapable of providing the types of rapid and relevant information needed. Although there has been substantial eHealth research conducted with positive short-term results, several key implementation and dissemination issues such as representativeness, cost, unintended consequences, impact on health inequities, and sustainability have not been addressed or reported. Examples of studies in several of these areas are summarized to demonstrate this is possible. eHealth research that is intended to translate into policy and practice should be more contextual, report more on setting factors, employ more responsive and pragmatic designs and report results more transparently on issues important to potential adopting patients, clinicians and organizational decision makers. We outline an alternative development and assessment model, summarize implementation science findings that can help focus attention, and call for different types of more rapid and relevant research and funding mechanisms. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Toward Integrated Resource Management: Lessons About the EcosystemApproach from the Laurentian Great Lakes

Science.gov (United States)

MACKENZIE

1997-03-01

/ The ecosystem approach is an innovative tool for integratedresource management. Its goal is to restore, enhance, and protect ecosystemintegrity through a holistic and integrated mode of planning. Under thisapproach, the ecosystem itself becomes the unit of analysis and organizingprinciple for environmental management. Utilizing the ecosystem approachchallenges the prevailing structure and function of contemporary resourcemanagement agencies. This paper explores a number of important policy andmanagement issues in the context of a ten-year initiative to remediate theLaurentian Great Lakes using the ecosystem approach. The lessons gleaned fromthe Great Lakes experience are relevant to other areas in North America andabroad where resource management responsibilities are held by multiple andsometimes overlapping jurisdictions.KEY WORDS: Integrated resource management; Ecosystem approach; Watershedmanagement; Great Lakes

Fabric quality issues related to apparel merchandising

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Das, Sonali

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study are to develop an understanding of fabric quality related issues and research gaps relevant to apparel manufacturing and merchandising within the South African context. The specific focus is on fabric objective...

The Value Relevance of IFRS: The Case of Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmet Turel

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Accounting standards that are mostly compatible with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS are required for consolidatedfinancial statements of all Turkish listed firms starting from 2005 fiscal year end. Before that, financial reporting in Turkey was closely related to taxreporting. Until 2003, all Turkish listed firms were preparing their financial statements in accordance with the local standards issued by the CapitalMarket Board of Turkey. In this study, I examine the relative and incremental value relevance of earnings and the book value of equity under CapitalMarket Board (CMB Accounting Standards (2001-2002 and under IFRS (2005-2006 for Turkish listed firms. I compare these two periods toinvestigate whether the mandatory adoption of IFRS increase relevance of earnings and book value of equity which are accepted as proxies ofaccounting quality. I find evidence that the value relevance of earnings and book value of equity has increased significantly after adopting IFRS. Inaddition, I find that the incremental value relevance of earnings increased between the CMB accounting standards period and the IFRS period.However, the incremental value relevance of book value of equity degreased in the same period.

Key Issues for Seamless Integrated Chemistry–Meteorology Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Online coupled meteorology–atmospheric chemistry models have greatly evolved in recent years. Although mainly developed by the air quality modeling community, these integrated models are also of interest for numerical weather prediction and climate modeling, as they can con...

Maintenance simulation: Software issues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luk, C.H.; Jette, M.A.

1995-07-01

The maintenance of a distributed software system in a production environment involves: (1) maintaining software integrity, (2) maintaining and database integrity, (3) adding new features, and (4) adding new systems. These issues will be discussed in general: what they are and how they are handled. This paper will present our experience with a distributed resource management system that accounts for resources consumed, in real-time, on a network of heterogenous computers. The simulated environments to maintain this system will be presented relate to the four maintenance areas.

Combined horizontal and vertical integration of care: a goal of practice-based commissioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Paul; Meads, Geoffrey; Moustafa, Ahmet; Nazareth, Irwin; Stange, Kurt C; Donnelly Hess, Gertrude

2008-01-01

Practice-based commissioning (PBC) in the UK is intended to improve both the vertical and horizontal integration of health care, in order to avoid escalating costs and enhance population health. Vertical integration involves patient pathways to treat named medical conditions that transcend organisational boundaries and connect community-based generalists with largely hospital-sited specialists, whereas horizontal integration involves peer-based and cross-sectoral collaboration to improve overall health. Effective mechanisms are now needed to permit ongoing dialogue between the vertical and horizontal dimensions to ensure that medical and nonmedical care are both used to their best advantage. This paper proposes three different models for combining vertical and horizontal integration - each is a hybrid of internationally recognised ideal types of primary care organisation. Leaders of PBC should consider a range of models and apply them in ways that are relevant to the local context. General practitioners, policy makers and others whose job it is to facilitate horizontal and vertical integration must learn to lead such combined approaches to integration if the UK is to avoid the mistakes of the USA in over-medicalising health issues.

Alpha power gates relevant information during working memory updating.

Science.gov (United States)

Manza, Peter; Hau, Chui Luen Vera; Leung, Hoi-Chung

2014-04-23

Human working memory (WM) is inherently limited, so we must filter out irrelevant information in our environment or our mind while retaining limited important relevant contents. Previous work suggests that neural oscillations in the alpha band (8-14 Hz) play an important role in inhibiting incoming distracting information during attention and selective encoding tasks. However, whether alpha power is involved in inhibiting no-longer-relevant content or in representing relevant WM content is still debated. To clarify this issue, we manipulated the amount of relevant/irrelevant information using a task requiring spatial WM updating while measuring neural oscillatory activity via EEG and localized current sources across the scalp using a surface Laplacian transform. An initial memory set of two, four, or six spatial locations was to be memorized over a delay until an updating cue was presented indicating that only one or three locations remained relevant for a subsequent recognition test. Alpha amplitude varied with memory maintenance and updating demands among a cluster of left frontocentral electrodes. Greater postcue alpha power was associated with the high relevant load conditions (six and four dots cued to reduce to three relevant) relative to the lower load conditions (four and two dots reduced to one). Across subjects, this difference in alpha power was correlated with condition differences in performance accuracy. In contrast, no significant effects of irrelevant load were observed. These findings demonstrate that, during WM updating, alpha power reflects maintenance of relevant memory contents rather than suppression of no-longer-relevant memory traces.

Transforming Big Data into cancer-relevant insight: An initial, multi-tier approach to assess reproducibility and relevance* | Office of Cancer Genomics

Science.gov (United States)

The Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD^2) Network was established to accelerate the transformation of "Big Data" into novel pharmacological targets, lead compounds, and biomarkers for rapid translation into improved patient outcomes. It rapidly became clear in this collaborative network that a key central issue was to define what constitutes sufficient computational or experimental evidence to support a biologically or clinically relevant finding.

Ethics issues in scientific data and service provision: evidence and challenges for the European Plate Observing System (EPOS)

Science.gov (United States)

Cocco, Massimo; Freda, Carmela; Haslinger, Florian; Consortium, Epos

2016-04-01

Addressing Ethics issues is nowadays a relevant challenge for any initiative, program or project dealing with scientific data and products provision, access to services for scientific purposes and communication with different stakeholders, including society. This is corroborated by the evidence that Ethics has very high priority in EU funded research. Indeed, all the activities carried out under Horizon 2020 must comply with ethical principles and national, Union and international legislation. This implies that "For all activities funded by the European Union, Ethics is an integral part of research from beginning to end, and ethical compliance is seen as pivotal to achieve real research excellence." Here, we present the experience of EPOS, a public pan-European research infrastructure. EPOS aims at integrating data, data products, services and software (DDSS) for solid Earth science generated and provided by monitoring networks, observing systems and facilities belonging to European countries. EPOS fosters the integrated use of multidisciplinary solid Earth data to improve the understanding of physical and chemical processes controlling earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis as well as those driving tectonics and surface dynamics. The EPOS integration plan will make significant contributions to understanding and mitigating geo-hazards, yielding data for hazard assessment, data products for engaging different stakeholders, and services for training, education and communication to society. Numerous national research infrastructures engaged in EPOS are deployed for the monitoring of areas prone to geo-hazards and for the surveillance of the national territory including areas used for exploiting geo-resources. The EPOS community is therefore already trained to provide services to public (civil defence agencies, local and national authorities) and private (petroleum industry, mining industry, geothermal companies, aviation security) stakeholders. Our ability to

The Importance of Integrating Clinical Relevance and Statistical Significance in the Assessment of Quality of Care--Illustrated Using the Swedish Stroke Register.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Lindmark

Full Text Available When profiling hospital performance, quality inicators are commonly evaluated through hospital-specific adjusted means with confidence intervals. When identifying deviations from a norm, large hospitals can have statistically significant results even for clinically irrelevant deviations while important deviations in small hospitals can remain undiscovered. We have used data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke to illustrate the properties of a benchmarking method that integrates considerations of both clinical relevance and level of statistical significance.The performance measure used was case-mix adjusted risk of death or dependency in activities of daily living within 3 months after stroke. A hospital was labeled as having outlying performance if its case-mix adjusted risk exceeded a benchmark value with a specified statistical confidence level. The benchmark was expressed relative to the population risk and should reflect the clinically relevant deviation that is to be detected. A simulation study based on Riksstroke patient data from 2008-2009 was performed to investigate the effect of the choice of the statistical confidence level and benchmark value on the diagnostic properties of the method.Simulations were based on 18,309 patients in 76 hospitals. The widely used setting, comparing 95% confidence intervals to the national average, resulted in low sensitivity (0.252 and high specificity (0.991. There were large variations in sensitivity and specificity for different requirements of statistical confidence. Lowering statistical confidence improved sensitivity with a relatively smaller loss of specificity. Variations due to different benchmark values were smaller, especially for sensitivity. This allows the choice of a clinically relevant benchmark to be driven by clinical factors without major concerns about sufficiently reliable evidence.The study emphasizes the importance of combining clinical relevance and level of statistical

The Importance of Integrating Clinical Relevance and Statistical Significance in the Assessment of Quality of Care--Illustrated Using the Swedish Stroke Register.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindmark, Anita; van Rompaye, Bart; Goetghebeur, Els; Glader, Eva-Lotta; Eriksson, Marie

2016-01-01

When profiling hospital performance, quality inicators are commonly evaluated through hospital-specific adjusted means with confidence intervals. When identifying deviations from a norm, large hospitals can have statistically significant results even for clinically irrelevant deviations while important deviations in small hospitals can remain undiscovered. We have used data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke) to illustrate the properties of a benchmarking method that integrates considerations of both clinical relevance and level of statistical significance. The performance measure used was case-mix adjusted risk of death or dependency in activities of daily living within 3 months after stroke. A hospital was labeled as having outlying performance if its case-mix adjusted risk exceeded a benchmark value with a specified statistical confidence level. The benchmark was expressed relative to the population risk and should reflect the clinically relevant deviation that is to be detected. A simulation study based on Riksstroke patient data from 2008-2009 was performed to investigate the effect of the choice of the statistical confidence level and benchmark value on the diagnostic properties of the method. Simulations were based on 18,309 patients in 76 hospitals. The widely used setting, comparing 95% confidence intervals to the national average, resulted in low sensitivity (0.252) and high specificity (0.991). There were large variations in sensitivity and specificity for different requirements of statistical confidence. Lowering statistical confidence improved sensitivity with a relatively smaller loss of specificity. Variations due to different benchmark values were smaller, especially for sensitivity. This allows the choice of a clinically relevant benchmark to be driven by clinical factors without major concerns about sufficiently reliable evidence. The study emphasizes the importance of combining clinical relevance and level of statistical confidence when

ASEAN: perspectives on economic integration: ASEAN capital market integration: issues and challenges

OpenAIRE

Datuk Ranjit Ajit Singh

2009-01-01

I am grateful for the assistance of Kaleon Leong and Chong Wui Jean in the preparation of this paper. The paper draws on the work of the ASEAN Integration plan and other related papers for which the author gratefully acknowledges. The views expressed in the paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Securities Commission.

A quantitative approach to diagnosis and correction of organizational and programmatic issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, C.; Johnson, K.

1997-01-01

A integrated approach to diagnosis and correction of critical Organizational and Programmatic (O and P) issues is summarized, and the quantitative special evaluations that ar used to confirm the O and P issues identified by the periodic common cause analysis and integrated safety assessments

[Relevance of Personality Factors for Successful Vocational Rehabilitation].

Science.gov (United States)

Arling, V; Slavchova, V; Knispel, J; Spijkers, W

2016-02-01

The Main purpose of vocational rehabilitation is occupational reintegration of clients into the job market who have lost their job or whose job is threatened because of a handicap or chronicl illness. With regard to existing evidence for the relevance of personality factors for work performance and job achievement, the present study investigated the influence of participants' personality factors on a successful reintegration after a retraining program in a vocational training center over 2 years. A central research objective was to identify prognostic personality factors for successful vocational integration. In this longitudinal study 15 vocational training centers participated at 3 time points of measurement (T1, T2 and T3). Data gathering was based on rehabilitants' self-reports (standardized questionnaires: SVF, BSW, SPR, CSES) about personality aspects. First data collection started at the beginning (T1) and a second survey was conducted at the end of the training 2 years later (T2). Based on the data at measurement points T1 and T2, 4 prognostic models were computed (binary logistic regression analysis) and evaluated, examining the differenzial influence of several scales and items on direct reintegration after completing the vocational retraining and reintegration status 6 months later (T3). As expected, different variables turned out to be relevant for occupational integration at the end of the training program and 6 months later. Correspondingly other variables appeared to be relevant for occupational reintegration at T1 and at T2. At the end of the vocational training program, approximately 24% of the participants had a job. With respect to direct reintegration, regression analysis revealed that vocational self-efficacy (R(2)=0,175) and self-evaluation were relevant (R(2)=0,383). Approximately 70% of the participants had gotten a job 6 months later. Several stress coping strategies (R(2)=0,170), estimation of the own reintegration prognosis and aspects

Unpacking the burden: gender issues in anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Strange Khursandi, D C

1998-02-01

A survey carried out by the Australian Society of Anaesthetists explored gender issues in the personal and professional lives of anaesthetists. Issues highlighted include training and career paths, combining anaesthetic training with domestic responsibilities, personal relationships, pregnancy and childrearing, private practice, part-time work, parental leave, the single anaesthetist, doctor spouses, sexual harassment, and negative attitudes in colleagues. Particular problems were identified in the training years, in part-time work, in private practice, and in combining parental and domestic responsibilities with a career in anaesthesia. Strategies to address relevant issues are discussed, with reference to the increasing proportion of women in medicine and anaesthesia.

Integrating ecological restoration into CDM forestry projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Maohua; Haapanen, Toni; Singh, Ram Babu; Hietala, Reija

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Concerns and issues in sustainability of CDM forestry projects are reviewed. • Ecological restoration is suggested to be integrated in the CDM framework. • As an ecosystem supporting service, soil restoration on degraded land is of primary importance. • Regenerating forests naturally rather than through monoculture plantations is suggested. • Potential social impacts of ecological restoration are discussed. - Abstract: The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development. CDM forestry projects should contribute to mitigation of climate change through afforestation and reforestation (A/R) activities on degraded land in developing countries. However, like other types of CDM projects, the forestry projects have encountered a number of concerns and critiques. Appropriate approaches and concrete aims to achieve long-term sustainability have been lacking, and reforms have therefore been called for. The aims of this paper are to examine the published information relevant to these concerns, and frame appropriate approaches for a more sustainable CDM. In this review, as a first step to tackle some of these issues, ecological restoration is suggested for integration into the CDM framework. Essentially, this involves the restoration of ecosystem supporting service (soil restoration), upon which forests regenerate naturally rather than establishing monoculture plantations. In this way, forestry projects would bring cost-effective opportunities for multiple ecosystem services. Potential approaches, necessary additions to the monitoring plans, and social impacts of ecological restoration in CDM projects are discussed

Can the EVIDEM Framework Tackle Issues Raised by Evaluating Treatments for Rare Diseases: Analysis of Issues and Policies, and Context-Specific Adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Monika; Khoury, Hanane; Willet, Jacob; Rindress, Donna; Goetghebeur, Mireille

2016-03-01

The multiplicity of issues, including uncertainty and ethical dilemmas, and policies involved in appraising interventions for rare diseases suggests that multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) based on a holistic definition of value is uniquely suited for this purpose. The objective of this study was to analyze and further develop a comprehensive MCDA framework (EVIDEM) to address rare disease issues and policies, while maintaining its applicability across disease areas. Specific issues and policies for rare diseases were identified through literature review. Ethical and methodological foundations of the EVIDEM framework v3.0 were systematically analyzed from the perspective of these issues, and policies and modifications of the framework were performed accordingly to ensure their integration. Analysis showed that the framework integrates ethical dilemmas and issues inherent to appraising interventions for rare diseases but required further integration of specific aspects. Modification thus included the addition of subcriteria to further differentiate disease severity, disease-specific treatment outcomes, and economic consequences of interventions for rare diseases. Scoring scales were further developed to include negative scales for all comparative criteria. A methodology was established to incorporate context-specific population priorities and policies, such as those for rare diseases, into the quantitative part of the framework. This design allows making more explicit trade-offs between competing ethical positions of fairness (prioritization of those who are worst off), the goal of benefiting as many people as possible, the imperative to help, and wise use of knowledge and resources. It also allows addressing variability in institutional policies regarding prioritization of specific disease areas, in addition to existing uncertainty analysis available from EVIDEM. The adapted framework measures value in its widest sense, while being responsive to rare disease

Ten Years in the Academic Integrity Trenches: Experiences and Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Doug; Nau, S. Zaung; Symons, Christine

2016-01-01

In 2016, our university launched its Academic Integrity Program (AIP) in order to promote and protect academic integrity. All commencing students must complete this online AIP within 14 days of starting their course. Satisfactory completion of this module with a test score of 80% is required before students can access their course materials.…

Ethical issues in public health surveillance: a systematic qualitative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Klingler, Corinna; Silva, Diego Steven; Schuermann, Christopher; Reis, Andreas Alois; Saxena, Abha; Strech, Daniel

2017-04-04

Public health surveillance is not ethically neutral and yet, ethics guidance and training for surveillance programmes is sparse. Development of ethics guidance should be based on comprehensive and transparently derived overviews of ethical issues and arguments. However, existing overviews on surveillance ethics are limited in scope and in how transparently they derived their results. Our objective was accordingly to provide an overview of ethical issues in public health surveillance; in addition, to list the arguments put forward with regards to arguably the most contested issue in surveillance, that is whether to obtain informed consent. Ethical issues were defined based on principlism. We assumed an ethical issue to arise in surveillance when a relevant normative principle is not adequately considered or two principles come into conflict. We searched Pubmed and Google Books for relevant publications. We analysed and synthesized the data using qualitative content analysis. Our search strategy retrieved 525 references of which 83 were included in the analysis. We identified 86 distinct ethical issues arising in the different phases of the surveillance life-cycle. We further identified 20 distinct conditions that make it more or less justifiable to forego informed consent procedures. This is the first systematic qualitative review of ethical issues in public health surveillance resulting in a comprehensive ethics matrix that can inform guidelines, reports, strategy papers, and educational material and raise awareness among practitioners.

F-Word or Blueprint for Institutional Reform? European Integration and the Continued Relevance of Federalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maximilian Conrad

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Federalist thought has historically been an important source of inspiration in European integration. Although the last few decades have witnessed a gradual decline of the concept’s relevance, the most recent developments in the wake of the Eurozone debt crisis have drawn renewed attention to shortcomings in the European Union’s institutional architecture as well as to the feasibility of federal solutions to such institutional shortcomings. This article explores the potential of federalist thought as a blueprint for institutional reform in the EU. Based on a brief introduction to the concept of federalism, the article contextualizes federalism in debates on the democratic deficit, the EU’s sources of legitimacy and the relationship between the union institutions and the member states. If shortcomings in institutional design are the source of the current (and future crises, then closer attention needs to be paid to the costs and benefits of federal reorganization in terms of democracy, legitimacy and sovereignty, particularly from the perspective of small states in the EU. Federal reorganization would not only improve the democratic character of EU decision making, but also strengthen the role of small states in the union. However, it also prompts a number of thorny questions, most importantly regarding the construction of a European demos and its relationship to deeply engrained ideas about the nation state as a more or less natural home of democracy.

Integration issues of distributed generation in distribution grids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coster, E.J.; Myrzik, J.M.A.; Kruimer, B.; Kling, W.L.

2011-01-01

In today’s distribution grids the number of distributed generation (DG) units is increasing rapidly. Combined heat and power (CHP) plants and wind turbines are most often installed. Integration of these DG units into the distribution grid leads to planning as well as operational challenges. Based on

Producer-retailer integrated EMQ system with machine breakdown, rework failures, and a discontinuous inventory issuing policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Singa Wang; Chen, Shin-Wei; Chiu, Yuan-Shyi Peter; Li, Ting-Wei

2016-01-01

This study develops two extended economic manufacturing quantity (EMQ)-based models with a discontinuous product issuing policy, random machine breakdown, and rework failures. Various real conditions in production processes, end-product delivery, and intra-supply chains such as a producer-retailer integrated scheme are examined. The first model incorporates a discontinuous multi-delivery policy into a prior work (Chiu et al. in Proc Inst Mech Eng B J Eng 223:183-194, 2009) in lieu of their continuous policy. Such an enhanced model can address situations in supply chain environments, where finished products are transported to outside retail stores (or customers). The second model further combines retailer's stock holding costs into the first model. This extended EMQ model is applicable in situations in present-day manufacturing firms where finished products are distributed to company's own retail stores (or regional sales offices) and stocked there for sale. Two aforementioned extended EMQ models are investigated, respectively. Mathematical modeling along with iterative algorithms are employed to derive the optimal production run times that minimize the expected total system costs, including the costs incurred in production units, transportation, and retail stores, for these integrated EMQ systems. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the practical application of the research results.

Biology as an Integrating Natural Science Domain

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 13; Issue 3. Biology as an Integrating Natural Science Domain: A Proposal for BSc (Hons) in Integrated Biology. Kambadur Muralidhar. Classroom Volume 13 Issue 3 March 2008 pp 272-276 ...

On the form factors of relevant operators and their cluster property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acerbi, C.; Valleriani, A.; Mussardo, G.

1996-09-01

We compute the Form Factors of the relevant scaling operators in a class of integrable models without internal symmetries by exploiting their cluster properties. Their identification is established by computing the corresponding anomalous dimensions by means of Delfino-Simonetti-Cardy sum-rule and further confirmed by comparing some universal ratios of the nearby non-integrable quantum field theories with their independent numerical determination. (author). 21 refs, 5 figs, 16 tabs

Stem cell research ethics: consensus statement on emerging issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Caulfield, Timothy; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Nelson, Erin; Einsiedel, Edna; Knoppers, Bartha; McDonald, Michael; Brunger, Fern; Downey, Robin; Fernando, Kanchana; Galipeau, Jacques; Geransar, Rose; Griener, Glenn; Grenier, Glenn; Hyun, Insoo; Isasi, Rosario; Kardel, Melanie; Knowles, Lori; Kucic, Terrence; Lotjonen, Salla; Lyall, Drew; Magnus, David; Mathews, Debra J H; Nisbet, Matthew; Nisker, Jeffrey; Pare, Guillaume; Pattinson, Shaun; Pullman, Daryl; Rudnicki, Michael; Williams-Jones, Bryn; Zimmerman, Susan

2007-10-01

This article is a consensus statement by an international interdisciplinary group of academic experts and Canadian policy-makers on emerging ethical, legal and social issues in human embryonic stem cells (hESC) research in Canada. The process of researching consensus included consultations with key stakeholders in hESC research (regulations, stem cell researchers, and research ethics experts), preparation and distribution of background papers, and an international workshop held in Montreal in February 2007 to discuss the papers and debate recommendations. The recommendations provided in the consensus statement focus on issues of immediate relevance to Canadian policy-makers, including informed consent to hESC research, the use of fresh embryos in research, management of conflicts of interest, and the relevance of public opinion research to policy-making.

Validation of the Community Integration Questionnaire in the adult burn injury population.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerrard, Paul; Kazis, Lewis E; Ryan, Colleen M; Shie, Vivian L; Holavanahalli, Radha; Lee, Austin; Jette, Alan; Fauerbach, James A; Esselman, Peter; Herndon, David; Schneider, Jeffrey C

2015-11-01

With improved survival, long-term effects of burn injuries on quality of life, particularly community integration, are important outcomes. This study aims to assess the Community Integration Questionnaire's psychometric properties in the adult burn population. Data were obtained from a multicenter longitudinal data set of burn survivors. The psychometric properties of the Community Integration Questionnaire (n = 492) were examined. The questionnaire items were evaluated for clinical and substantive relevance; validation procedures were conducted on different samples of the population; construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis; internal consistency reliability was examined using Cronbach's α statistics; and item response theory was applied to the final models. The CIQ-15 was reduced by two questions to form the CIQ-13, with a two-factor structure, interpreted as self/family care and social integration. Item response theory testing suggests that Factor 2 captures a wider range of community integration levels. Cronbach's α was 0.80 for Factor 1, 0.77 for Factor 2, and 0.79 for the test as a whole. The CIQ-13 demonstrates validity and reliability in the adult burn survivor population addressing issues of self/family care and social integration. This instrument is useful in future research of community reintegration outcomes in the burn population.

Overview of design issues in product-integrated Photovoltaics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Apostolou, G.; Reinders, Angelina H.M.E.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the design features and characteristics of photovoltaic (PV)-powered products based on a literature study on product-integrated PV and an analysis of 90 PV-powered products executed during 2011–2013. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the current

Nuclear thermal rocket clustering: 1, A summary of previous work and relevant issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buksa, J.J.; Houts, M.G.

1991-01-01

A general review of the technical merits of nuclear thermal rocket clustering is presented. A summary of previous analyses performed during the Rover program is presented and used to assess clustering in the context of projected Space Exploration Initiative missions. A number of technical issues are discussed including cluster reliability, engine-out operation, neutronic coupling, shutdown core power generation, shutdown reactivity requirements, reactor kinetics, and radiation shielding. 7 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Elluminate Article: An Investigation into the Use of an Orientation Course to Address Academic and Social Integration Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heather Kanuka

2006-06-01

Full Text Available The publisher of IRRODL, The Canadian Institute of Distance Education Research (CIDER, is pleased to link here to a series of eight online seminars that took place over Spring 2006, using Elluminate live e-learning and collaborative solutions. These interactive CIDER Sessions disseminate research emanating from Canada's vibrant DE research community, and we feel these archived recordings are highly relevant to many in the international distance education research community. To access these sessions, you must first download FREE software. Visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/ (Elluminate Support for details on how to download this FREE software. * An Investigation into the Use of an Orientation Course to Address Academic and Social Integration Heather Kanuka and Kam Jugdev Athabasca University

Substituting fields within the action: Consistency issues and some applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pons, Josep M.

2010-01-01

In field theory, as well as in mechanics, the substitution of some fields in terms of other fields at the level of the action raises an issue of consistency with respect to the equations of motion. We discuss this issue and give an expression which neatly displays the difference between doing the substitution at the level of the Lagrangian or at the level of the equations of motion. Both operations do not commute in general. A very relevant exception is the case of auxiliary variables, which are discussed in detail together with some of their relevant applications. We discuss the conditions for the preservation of symmetries--Noether as well as non-Noether--under the reduction of degrees of freedom provided by the mechanism of substitution. We also examine how the gauge fixing procedures fit in our framework and give simple examples on the issue of consistency in this case.

A study of ruthenium complexes of some biologically relevant a-N ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Chemical Sciences; Volume 112; Issue 3. A study of ruthenium complexes of some biologically relevant ∙ -N-heterocyclic ... Author Affiliations. P Sengupta1 S Ghosh1. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Calcutta 700 032, India ...

Can integrative catchment management mitigate future water quality issues caused by climate change and socio-economic development?

Science.gov (United States)

Honti, Mark; Schuwirth, Nele; Rieckermann, Jörg; Stamm, Christian

2017-03-01

The design and evaluation of solutions for integrated surface water quality management requires an integrated modelling approach. Integrated models have to be comprehensive enough to cover the aspects relevant for management decisions, allowing for mapping of larger-scale processes such as climate change to the regional and local contexts. Besides this, models have to be sufficiently simple and fast to apply proper methods of uncertainty analysis, covering model structure deficits and error propagation through the chain of sub-models. Here, we present a new integrated catchment model satisfying both conditions. The conceptual iWaQa model was developed to support the integrated management of small streams. It can be used to predict traditional water quality parameters, such as nutrients and a wide set of organic micropollutants (plant and material protection products), by considering all major pollutant pathways in urban and agricultural environments. Due to its simplicity, the model allows for a full, propagative analysis of predictive uncertainty, including certain structural and input errors. The usefulness of the model is demonstrated by predicting future surface water quality in a small catchment with mixed land use in the Swiss Plateau. We consider climate change, population growth or decline, socio-economic development, and the implementation of management strategies to tackle urban and agricultural point and non-point sources of pollution. Our results indicate that input and model structure uncertainties are the most influential factors for certain water quality parameters. In these cases model uncertainty is already high for present conditions. Nevertheless, accounting for today's uncertainty makes management fairly robust to the foreseen range of potential changes in the next decades. The assessment of total predictive uncertainty allows for selecting management strategies that show small sensitivity to poorly known boundary conditions. The identification

A systematic review of methodology applied during preclinical anesthetic neurotoxicity studies: important issues and lessons relevant to the design of future clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Disma, Nicola; Mondardini, Maria C; Terrando, Niccolò; Absalom, Anthony R; Bilotta, Federico

2016-01-01

Preclinical evidence suggests that anesthetic agents harm the developing brain thereby causing long-term neurocognitive impairments. It is not clear if these findings apply to humans, and retrospective epidemiological studies thus far have failed to show definitive evidence that anesthetic agents are harmful to the developing human brain. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the preclinical studies published over the past decade, with a focus on methodological issues, to facilitate the comparison between different preclinical studies and inform better design of future trials. The literature search identified 941 articles related to the topic of neurotoxicity. As the primary aim of this systematic review was to compare methodologies applied in animal studies to inform future trials, we excluded a priori all articles focused on putative mechanism of neurotoxicity and the neuroprotective agents. Forty-seven preclinical studies were finally included in this review. Methods used in these studies were highly heterogeneous-animals were exposed to anesthetic agents at different developmental stages, in various doses and in various combinations with other drugs, and overall showed diverse toxicity profiles. Physiological monitoring and maintenance of physiological homeostasis was variable and the use of cognitive tests was generally limited to assessment of specific brain areas, with restricted translational relevance to humans. Comparison between studies is thus complicated by this heterogeneous methodology and the relevance of the combined body of literature to humans remains uncertain. Future preclinical studies should use better standardized methodologies to facilitate transferability of findings from preclinical into clinical science. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The relevance of the ISO26000 social responsibility issues to the Hong Kong construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa Robyn Barnes

2013-09-01

Full Text Available CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR, the responsibility of a corporation for theimpacts of its decisions on society and the environment, originated as a termin the 1950’s (Carroll 1999. However, ISO 26000 (ISO 2010“Guidance on Social Responsibility” published in November 2010, redefines “SocialResponsibility” (“SR” broadly, by reference to SR principles, core subjectsand issues. The Hong Kong Construction Industry (“HKCI” sector is critical to Hong Kong’s economy, accounting for5.6% of the GDP and 9.2% of employment in 1999 (Tang 2001. In 2011, the gross value of constructionwork by main contractors amounted to HK$128.53 billion and contributed HK$65.4 billion (HKGov 2013to the total GDP of HK$1,823.2 billion (3.6% (HKTDC 2013.The aim of this research is toinvestigate which ISO 26000 CSR issues are relevantto HKCI firms. Theprinciple findings are that: the reported level of HKCI CSR activity relativeto the 7 core subject of ISO 26000 is a function of company size; many SME’sconsider that many of the ISO 26000 SR issues are irrelevant to them; but forthe large construction contractors, reputation, legislation and or regulation andcorporate culture are drivers of improvements in CSR in the HKCI.

End-of-life care in the United States: policy issues and model programs of integrated care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua M. Wiener

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Background: End-of-life care financing and delivery in the United States is fragmented and uncoordinated, with little integration of acute and long-term care services. Objective: To assess policy issues involving end-of-life care, especially involving the hospice benefit, and to analyse model programs of integrated care for people who are dying. Methods: The study conducted structured interviews with stakeholders and experts in end-of-life care and with administrators of model programs in the United States, which were nominated by the experts. Results: The two major public insurance programs—Medicare and Medicaid—finance the vast majority of end-of-life care. Both programs offer a hospice benefit, which has several shortcomings, including requiring physicians to make a prognosis of a six month life expectancy and insisting that patients give up curative treatment—two steps which are difficult for doctors and patients to make—and payment levels that may be too low. In addition, quality of care initiatives for nursing homes and hospice sometimes conflict. Four innovative health systems have overcome these barriers to provide palliative services to beneficiaries in their last year of life. Three of these health systems are managed care plans which receive capitated payments. These providers integrate health, long-term and palliative care using an interdisciplinary team approach to management of services. The fourth provider is a hospice that provides palliative services to beneficiaries of all ages, including those who have not elected hospice care. Conclusions: End-of-life care is deficient in the United States. Public payers could use their market power to improve care through a number of strategies.

Theoretical Issues in Clinical Social Group Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Randall, Elizabeth; Wodarski, John S.

1989-01-01

Reviews relevant issues in clinical social group practice including group versus individual treatment, group work advantages, approach rationale, group conditions for change, worker role in group, group composition, group practice technique and method, time as group work dimension, pretherapy training, group therapy precautions, and group work…

Cultural and Contextual Issues in Exemplar Research

Science.gov (United States)

King, Pamela Ebstyne; Oakes Mueller, Ross A.; Furrow, James

2013-01-01

This chapter specifically addresses how exemplar methods are especially relevant to examining cultural and contextual issues. Cross-cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologies are discussed in order to highlight how studying actual exemplars in their unique and complex developmental contexts has the potential to identify themes that either…

The nexus between integrated natural resources management and integrated water resources management in southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Twomlow, Stephen; Love, David; Walker, Sue

The low productivity of smallholder farming systems and enterprises in the drier areas of the developing world can be attributed mainly to the limited resources of farming households and the application of inappropriate skills and practices that can lead to the degradation of the natural resource base. This lack of development, particularly in southern Africa, is of growing concern from both an agricultural and environmental perspective. To address this lack of progress, two development paradigms that improve land and water productivity have evolved, somewhat independently, from different scientific constituencies. One championed by the International Agricultural Research constituency is Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM), whilst the second championed predominantly by Environmental and Civil Engineering constituencies is Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). As a result of similar objectives of working towards the millennium development goals of improved food security and environmental sustainability, there exists a nexus between the constituencies of the two paradigms, particularly in terms of appreciating the lessons learned. In this paper lessons are drawn from past INRM research that may have particular relevance to IWRM scientists as they re-direct their focus from blue water issues to green water issues, and vice-versa. Case studies are drawn from the management of water quality for irrigation, green water productivity and a convergence of INRM and IWRM in the management of gold panning in southern Zimbabwe. One point that is abundantly clear from both constituencies is that ‘one-size-fits-all’ or silver bullet solutions that are generally applicable for the enhancement of blue water management/formal irrigation simply do not exist for the smallholder rainfed systems.

Understanding public perceptions of biotechnology through the "Integrative Worldview Framework".

Science.gov (United States)

De Witt, Annick; Osseweijer, Patricia; Pierce, Robin

2015-07-03

Biotechnological innovations prompt a range of societal responses that demand understanding. Research has shown such responses are shaped by individuals' cultural worldviews. We aim to demonstrate how the Integrative Worldview Framework (IWF) can be used for analyzing perceptions of biotechnology, by reviewing (1) research on public perceptions of biotechnology and (2) analyses of the stakeholder-debate on the bio-based economy, using the Integrative Worldview Framework (IWF) as analytical lens. This framework operationalizes the concept of worldview and distinguishes between traditional, modern, and postmodern worldviews, among others. Applied to these literatures, this framework illuminates how these worldviews underlie major societal responses, thereby providing a unifying understanding of the literature on perceptions of biotechnology. We conclude the IWF has relevance for informing research on perceptions of socio-technical changes, generating insight into the paradigmatic gaps in social science, and facilitating reflexive and inclusive policy-making and debates on these timely issues. © The Author(s) 2015.

Support and Against Historical Cost Accounting: is IT Value Relevance for Decision Making?

OpenAIRE

Rahmawati, Evi

2006-01-01

This paper reviews the issues on the support and criticism of historical cost accounting (HCA) and the incremental information content on current cost disclosures. Based on literature review this study find that historical cost is still relevant to use in decision making. Empirical studies show evidence both; supporting historical cost accounting and criticisms against the conventional historical cost based financial statements. Issues on historical cost are raised because of economic condit...

Integrating Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues into Mainstream Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldfried, Marvin R.

2001-01-01

Illustrates how clinical and research writings on gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues remain invisible to mainstream psychology in such areas as life span development and aging, teen suicide, substance abuse, victimization, and family and couple relationships, examining determinants of wellbeing among GLBs and discussing what mainstream…

Integrated Marketing Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Jim

2004-01-01

Integration has become a cliche in enrollment management and student services circles. The term is used to describe everything from integrated marketing to seamless services. Often, it defines organizational structures, processes, student information systems, and even communities. In Robert Sevier's article in this issue of "College and…

[Materiality Analysis of Health Plans Based on Stakeholder Engagement and the Issues Included at ISO 26000:2010].

Science.gov (United States)

Moyano Santiago, Miguel Angel; Rivera Lirio, Juana María

2017-01-18

Health plans of the Spanish autonomous communities can incorporate sustainable development criteria in its development. There have been no analysis or proposals about development and indicators. The goal is to add a contribution to help build better health plans aimed at sustainable development and help to manage economic, social and environmental impacts of health systems criteria. We used a variation of the RAND/UCLA or modified Delphi technique method. The process consisted of a bibliographical and context matters and issues related to health and social responsibility analysis based on ISO 26000: 2010. A survey by deliberately to a selection of 70 expert members of the identified stakeholders was carried out and a discussion group was held to determine the consensus on the issues addressed in the survey sample. The research was conducted in 2015. From the literature review 33 health issues included in ISO 26000:2010 were obtained. 7 survey proved relevant high consensus, 8 relevance and average consensus and 18 with less relevance and high level of dissent. The expert group excluded 4 of the 18 subjects with less consensus. 29 issues included 33 at work, divided into 7 subjects contained in the guide ISO 26000 of social responsibility, were relevant stakeholders regarding possible inclusion in health plans. Considering the direct relationship published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) among the issues ISO 26000 and the economic, social and environmental indicators in GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) in its G4 version, a panel with monitoring indicators related to relevant issues were elaborated.

Digest of Russian Space Life Sciences, issue 33

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Lydia Razran (Editor); Teeter, Ronald (Editor); Rowe, Joseph (Editor)

1993-01-01

This is the thirty-third issue of NASA's USSR Space Life Sciences Digest. It contains abstracts of 55 papers published in Russian journals. The abstracts in this issue have been identified as relevant to the following areas of space biology and medicine: biological rhythms, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, developmental biology, endocrinology, equipment and instrumentation, gastrointestinal system, genetics, hematology, human performance, metabolism, microbiology, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, operational medicine, psychology, radiobiology, and reproductive system.

What Is Postmodernism and How Is It Relevant to Engaged Pedagogy?

Science.gov (United States)

Cosgrove, Lisa

2004-01-01

This article identifies some of the advantages of using a postmodern approach in the psychology classroom. A postmodern pedagogical stance has special relevance for faculty who teach abnormal psychology insofar as postmodernism encourages reflexivity and increases students' awareness of social justice issues. The author provides specific ideas for…

Economical, environmental and technical analysis of building integrated photovoltaic systems in Malaysia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seng, Lim Yun [Department of Physical Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tunku Abdul Rahman University, 53300 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Lalchand, G.; Sow Lin, Gladys Mak [Malaysia Energy Centre, Building Integrated Photovoltaic Project (Malaysia)

2008-06-15

Malaysia has identified photovoltaic systems as one of the most promising renewable sources. A great deal of efforts has been undertaken to promote the wide applications of PV systems. With the recent launch of a PV market induction programme known as SURIA 1000 in conjunction with other relevant activities undertaken under the national project of Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV), the market of PV systems begins to be stimulated in the country. As a result, a wide range of technical, environmental and economic issues with regard to the connection of PV systems to local distribution networks becomes apparent. Numerous studies were therefore carried out in collaboration with Malaysian Energy Centre to address a number of those important issues. The findings of the studies are presented in the paper and can be served as supplementary information to parties who are directly and indirectly involved in the PV sector in Malaysia. (author)

Economical, environmental and technical analysis of building integrated photovoltaic systems in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seng, Lim Yun; Lalchand, G.; Sow Lin, Gladys Mak

2008-01-01

Malaysia has identified photovoltaic systems as one of the most promising renewable sources. A great deal of efforts has been undertaken to promote the wide applications of PV systems. With the recent launch of a PV market induction programme known as SURIA 1000 in conjunction with other relevant activities undertaken under the national project of Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV), the market of PV systems begins to be stimulated in the country. As a result, a wide range of technical, environmental and economic issues with regard to the connection of PV systems to local distribution networks becomes apparent. Numerous studies were therefore carried out in collaboration with Malaysian Energy Centre to address a number of those important issues. The findings of the studies are presented in the paper and can be served as supplementary information to parties who are directly and indirectly involved in the PV sector in Malaysia. (author)

Essays on financial market integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pungulescu, C.

2009-01-01

The four essays in this dissertation address these main questions and alternate a general perspective with focused analysis on specific measures of integration and regions, providing several novel answers. First, new relevant proxies are proposed to measure financial market integration. They give

Madagascar Conservation & Development Volume 5, Issue 2

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Madagascar Conservation & Development

fect detection when monitoring this species, an issue especially relevant when ... tant d'introduire des co variables pour expliquer l'occupation .... 'groups encountered per hour of search' in different areas of the marsh to the group encounter rate from an area where density .... The method only requires presence records.

A Study on the Structural Integrity Issues of a Dual-Cooled Fuel Rod

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyung-Kyu; Lee, Kang-Hee; Lee, Young-Ho; Yoon, Kyung-Ho; Kim, Jae-Yong; Song, Kun-Woo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 1045 Daedeokdaero Yuseong Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of)

2009-06-15

A dual-cooled fuel rod has an internal coolant flow passage in addition to the external one. A remarkable power up-rate can be achieved due to the increased surface area, which may draw great interests from the fuel researchers, designers and vendors. However, it requires effective resolution to the difficult technical issues when a fuel assembly is to be realized. It becomes much more difficult if a tough boundary condition needs to be satisfied such as a compatibility with the existing reactor internal structures. This kind of challenge is tackled through a national R and D project in Korea: to develop the structural components of a dual-cooled fuel that should be compatible with the current OPR 1000 (Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant) internal structures. Fuel rod supporting structures, top and bottom end pieces and guide tubes are the components. Besides, the fuel rod components have to be developed as well since the fuel rod's geometry becomes much different from the conventional rod's one. The dimension change may well affect the above mentioned structural components. As a part of the work, structural integrity of the components of a dual-cooled fuel rod is studied in this paper. The investigated topics are: i) the thickness determination of a cladding tube (especially outer tube of a large diameter), ii) vibration issue of an inner cladding tube, iii) design concern of plenum spring and spacer. The cladding thickness issue arises due to the increased outside diameter of a fuel rod, which is caused by an internal flow passage formation. Among the criteria for the thickness determination, an elastic buckling criteria was focused on. Theoretical background for the well-known formula (such as a stability problem) was revisited. Verification tests were carried out independently with using a cladding tube of PHWR fuel rod. Results showed that the formula was not conservative to apply for the cladding thickness determination. Minimum thickness for the

Economic evaluation of integrated care: an introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hindrik Vondeling

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Integrated care has emerged in a variety of forms in industrialised countries during the past decade. It is generally assumed that these new arrangements result in increased effectiveness and quality of care, while being cost-effective or even cost-saving at the same time. However, systematic evaluation, including an evaluation of the relative costs and benefits of these arrangements, has largely been lacking. Objectives: To stimulate fruitful dialogue and debate about the need for economic evaluation in integrated care, and to outline possibilities for undertaking economic appraisal studies in this relatively new field. Theory: Key concepts, including e.g. scarcity and opportunity costs, are introduced, followed by a brief overview of the most common methods used in economic evaluation of health care programmes. Then a number of issues that seem particularly relevant for economic evaluation of integrated care arrangements are addressed in more detail, illustrated with examples from the literature. Conclusion and discussion: There is a need for well-designed economic evaluation studies of integrated care arrangements, in particular in order to support decision making on the long-term financing of these programmes. Although relatively few studies have been done to date, the field is challenging from a methodological point of view, offering analysts a wealth of opportunities. Guidance to realise these opportunities is provided by the general principles for economic evaluation, which can be tailored to the requirements of this particular field.

Community for Data Integration 2014 annual report

Science.gov (United States)

Langseth, Madison L.; Chang, Michelle Y.; Carlino, Jennifer; Birch, Daniella D.; Bradley, Joshua; Bristol, R. Sky; Conzelmann, Craig; Diehl, Robert H.; Earle, Paul S.; Ellison, Laura E.; Everette, Anthony L.; Fuller, Pamela L.; Gordon, Janice M.; Govoni, David L.; Guy, Michelle R.; Henkel, Heather S.; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Kern, Tim; Lightsom, Frances L.; Long, Joseph W.; Longhenry, Ryan; Preston, Todd M.; Smith, Stan W.; Viger, Roland J.; Wesenberg, Katherine; Wood, Eric C.

2015-10-02

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researches Earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and delivery of Earth science research and investigate the use of “communities of practice” as mechanisms to share expertise about these issues. Out of this effort emerged the Council for Data Integration, which was conceived as an official organizational function that would help guide data integration activities and formalize communities of practice into working groups; however, by 2009 it became evident that many members of the Council for Data Integration had an interest in developing data integration solutions and sharing expertise in a less formal, grassroots manner, which transformed the Council into a Community for Data Integration (CDI). As of 2014, the CDI represents a dynamic community of practice focused on advancing science data and information management and integration capabilities across the USGS and the CDI community.

The relevance of the psychometrist category as a professional resource: Training-related issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

René van Eeden

2016-05-01

Research purpose: The aim was to explore if the training of student psychometrists contributes to the relevance of this category in terms of the demographic profile of student psychometrists, the scope of services potentially provided by them and the content of training programmes. Motivation for the study: There is a paucity of research on training in the psychometrist category. Research design, approach and method: Data were obtained from the files of a cohort of student psychometrists who were registered in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Africa (UNISA. Follow-up surveys on training and work contexts were conducted amongst these students and their in-practice supervisors to confirm and supplement the data. In addition, a survey on the national availability of training programmes for psychometrists was conducted at South African universities. Main findings: Gender and racial skewness in terms of the demographic profile of the UNISA students seemed to reflect a national trend. In terms of the scope of services, training opportunities and perceived job opportunities for psychometrists seemed limited and despite the utilisation of the skills area in all the applied contexts, concerns related to the sectors being served were identified. With regard to the content of the training programmes, students and in-practice supervisors expressed a need for greater preparation in test use before related practical experience takes place. The importance of the university’s involvement during the practicum was also emphasised. Practical/managerial implications: Recommendations are made regarding the structure and content of training programmes. This information could be applied in adapting existing programmes and in developing new programmes. Contribution/value-add: Ultimately, these recommendations could contribute to the value of the psychometrist category as a professional resource relevant to a variety of settings.

Integrating natural and social sciences to inspire public confidence in radioactive waste policy case study - Committee on radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usher, Sam

2007-01-01

Holistic assessments, coupled with an overarching deliberative approach. How this was managed and delivered to programme demonstrates how important effective integration of different issues, interests and world views can be achieved, and the paper looks forward to how the continued integration of both natural and social sciences is essential if public confidence is to be maintained through implementation stages. This paper will be particularly relevant to governments, waste owners and implementing bodies who are responsible for developing and implementing policy. (author)

Public Issue Priority Formation: Media Agenda-Setting and Social Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jian-Hua; And Others

1993-01-01

Presents a mathematical model to explain the public's issue priority by integrating media agenda-setting and social interaction. Finds that the public's issue priority was influenced by both media and social interaction. (RS)

Impairments in Skin Integrity.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphree, Rose W

2017-09-01

Altered skin integrity increases the chance of infection, impaired mobility, and decreased function and may result in the loss of limb or, sometimes, life. Skin is affected by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors can include altered nutritional status, vascular disease issues, and diabetes. Extrinsic factors include falls, accidents, pressure, immobility, and surgical procedures. Ensuring skin integrity in the elderly requires a team approach and includes the individual, caregivers, and clinicians. The twenty-first century clinician has several online, evidence-based tools to assist with optimal treatment plans. Understanding best practices in addressing skin integrity issues can promote positive outcomes with the elderly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, issue 29

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Lydia Razran (Editor); Teeter, Ronald (Editor); Rowe, Joseph (Editor)

1991-01-01

This is the twenty-ninth issue of NASA's Space Life Sciences Digest. It is a double issue covering two issues of the Soviet Space Biology and Aerospace Medicine Journal. Issue 29 contains abstracts of 60 journal papers or book chapters published in Russian and of three Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables from the original. A review of a book on environmental hygiene and a list of papers presented at a Soviet conference on space biology and medicine are also included. The materials in this issue were identified as relevant to 28 areas of space biology and medicine. The areas are: adaptation, aviation medicine, biological rhythms, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, developmental biology, digestive system, endocrinology, equipment and instrumentation, genetics, habitability and environment effects, hematology, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, metabolism, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, personnel selection, psychology, radiobiology, reproductive system, space biology and medicine, and the economics of space flight.

The maxillae: integrated and applied anatomy relevant to dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Du Tolt, D F; Nortjé, Curly

2003-09-01

The union of the two paired maxillae form the whole upper jaw. Individual components of the maxilla contribute to the formation of the face, nose, mouth and orbit. The bony surfaces are in relation to the infratemporal and pterygopalatine fossae. Grooves, openings and foramina lend passage to structures such as the infra-orbital, posterior superior alveolar, nasopalatine and greater palatine nerves. These nerves are of great importance for regional anaesthesia in dentistry. The maxillary antrum of Highmore is frequently affected by pathological processes such as accidental tooth root impaction during an extraction procedure, sinusitis, cysts, fractures (LeFort) and tumours. Fast-growing maxillary sinus tumours often breach the thin walls of this cavity and encroach upon adjacent structures such as the orbit, nose, cheek, infratemporal fossa and mouth. 'Blow-out' fractures through the orbital component may result in nerve and muscle entrapment. Alveolar processes form an arcade for the two incisors, one canine, two premolars and three molars on each side. Knowledge of regional and applied anatomy, relevant to the maxillae, is essential when considering diagnostic imaging by X-rays, CT, and MRI.

Autopsy issues in German Federal Republic transplantation legislation until 1997.

Science.gov (United States)

Schweikardt, Christoph

2014-01-01

This article analyzes the relevance of autopsy issues for German Federal Republic transplantation legislation until 1997 against the background of legal traditions and the distribution of constitutional legislative powers. It is based on Federal Ministry of Justice records and German Parliament documents on transplantation legislation. Transplantation and autopsy legislation started with close ties in the 1970s. Viewing transplantation legislation as relevant for future autopsy regulation contributed to the decision to stall transplantation legislation, because the interests of the federal government and the medical profession converged to avoid subsequent restrictions on the practice of conducting autopsies and procuring tissues for transplantation. Sublegal norms were insufficient for the prosecution of the organ trade and area-wide transplantation regulation after the reunification of Germany. In contrast to autopsy issues, legislative power for transplantation issues was extended to the federal level by an amendment to the constitution, allowing decision making for Germany as a whole.

An Integrated Theory of Thinking and Speaking that Draws on Vygotsky and Bakhtin/Vološinov

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolff-Michael Roth

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Vygotsky’s social-psychological theory of human development and Bakhtin/Vološinov’s theory of language and the dialogical nature of thought have received increasing interest in the educational research literature but tend to remain unrelated even where co-citation occurs. In this article, I first present a model that integrates the fundamentally common features in the two approaches and present a table with the correspondences of the theoretical terms across four European languages; the model thereby integrates the psychological and sociological dimensions at the heart of the two approaches. I then articulate and elaborate on six main issues that are relevant to and have implications for research: (a sensual life as integrative unit, (b self-movement and development, (c the nested relations between activity and living utterance, (d signification, (e vernacular as the origin and locus of development, and (f unit analysis.

Space station operations task force. Panel 4 report: Management integration

Science.gov (United States)

1987-01-01

The Management Integration Panel of the Space Station Operations Task Force was chartered to provide a structure and ground rules for integrating the efforts of the other three panels and to address a number of cross cutting issues that affect all areas of space station operations. Issues addressed include operations concept implementation, alternatives development and integration process, strategic policy issues and options, and program management emphasis areas.

Support and Against Historical Cost Accounting: is IT Value Relevance for Decision Making?

OpenAIRE

Rahmawati, Evi

2006-01-01

This paper reviews the issues on the support and criticism of historical cost accounting (HCA) and the incremental information content on current cost disclosures. Based on literature review this study find that historical cost is still relevant to use in decision making. Empirical studies show evidence both; supporting historical cost accounting and criticisms against the conventional historical cost based financial statements. Issues on historical cost are raised because of  economic condit...

Giftedness and Talent in University Education: A Review of Issues and Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Abeysekera, Indra

2014-01-01

The limited literature on the gifted and talented in university education reveals the importance of investigating relevant issues and directions, given that this human resource should be nurtured for both individual and national development. This review investigates issues relating to definitions, methodologies, and theoretical interpretations,…

The LAILAPS Search Engine: Relevance Ranking in Life Science Databases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lange Matthias

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Search engines and retrieval systems are popular tools at a life science desktop. The manual inspection of hundreds of database entries, that reflect a life science concept or fact, is a time intensive daily work. Hereby, not the number of query results matters, but the relevance does. In this paper, we present the LAILAPS search engine for life science databases. The concept is to combine a novel feature model for relevance ranking, a machine learning approach to model user relevance profiles, ranking improvement by user feedback tracking and an intuitive and slim web user interface, that estimates relevance rank by tracking user interactions. Queries are formulated as simple keyword lists and will be expanded by synonyms. Supporting a flexible text index and a simple data import format, LAILAPS can easily be used both as search engine for comprehensive integrated life science databases and for small in-house project databases.

Environmental trends and issues at the research horizon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, J.H.; Warshaw, C.J.; Stoner, B.; Coerr, S.; O'Neal, J.

1992-01-01

This report provides a forecast of environmental trends and issues likely to emerge in the next 5 to 15 years. The report identifies and describes eleven significant emerging tends (i.e., general shifts in environmental policy-making, technology, regulation and public opinion) and - specific environmental issues (i.e., real or perceived environmental problems). The report further describes various debates or key questions that will determine over the next 5 to 15 years the potential government response to these environmental issues. This information is intended to assist the Gas research Institute as a research organization in planning and initiating research projects that will be relevant to important debates in the future

The Criteria People Use in Relevance Decisions on Health Information: An Analysis of User Eye Movements When Browsing a Health Discussion Forum.

Science.gov (United States)

Pian, Wenjing; Khoo, Christopher Sg; Chang, Yun-Ke

2016-06-20

People are increasingly accessing health-related social media sites, such as health discussion forums, to post and read user-generated health information. It is important to know what criteria people use when deciding the relevance of information found on health social media websites, in different situations. The study attempted to identify the relevance criteria that people use when browsing a health discussion forum, in 3 types of use contexts: when seeking information for their own health issue, when seeking for other people's health issue, and when browsing without a particular health issue in mind. A total of 58 study participants were self-assigned to 1 of the 3 use contexts or information needs and were asked to browse a health discussion forum, HealthBoards.com. In the analysis, browsing a discussion forum was divided into 2 stages: scanning a set of post surrogates (mainly post titles) in the summary result screen and reading a detailed post content (including comments by other users). An eye tracker system was used to capture participants' eye movement behavior and the text they skim over and focus (ie, fixate) on during browsing. By analyzing the text that people's eyes fixated on, the types of health information used in the relevance judgment were determined. Post-experiment interviews elicited participants' comments on the relevance of the information and criteria used. It was found that participants seeking health information for their own health issue focused significantly more on the poster's symptoms, personal history of the disease, and description of the disease (P=.01, .001, and .02). Participants seeking for other people's health issue focused significantly more on cause of disease, disease terminology, and description of treatments and procedures (P=.01, .01, and .02). In contrast, participants browsing with no particular issue in mind focused significantly more on general health topics, hot topics, and rare health issues (P=.01, .01, and .01

The Criteria People Use in Relevance Decisions on Health Information: An Analysis of User Eye Movements When Browsing a Health Discussion Forum

Science.gov (United States)

Khoo, Christopher SG; Chang, Yun-Ke

2016-01-01

Background People are increasingly accessing health-related social media sites, such as health discussion forums, to post and read user-generated health information. It is important to know what criteria people use when deciding the relevance of information found on health social media websites, in different situations. Objective The study attempted to identify the relevance criteria that people use when browsing a health discussion forum, in 3 types of use contexts: when seeking information for their own health issue, when seeking for other people’s health issue, and when browsing without a particular health issue in mind. Methods A total of 58 study participants were self-assigned to 1 of the 3 use contexts or information needs and were asked to browse a health discussion forum, HealthBoards.com. In the analysis, browsing a discussion forum was divided into 2 stages: scanning a set of post surrogates (mainly post titles) in the summary result screen and reading a detailed post content (including comments by other users). An eye tracker system was used to capture participants’ eye movement behavior and the text they skim over and focus (ie, fixate) on during browsing. By analyzing the text that people’s eyes fixated on, the types of health information used in the relevance judgment were determined. Post-experiment interviews elicited participants’ comments on the relevance of the information and criteria used. Results It was found that participants seeking health information for their own health issue focused significantly more on the poster’s symptoms, personal history of the disease, and description of the disease (P=.01, .001, and .02). Participants seeking for other people’s health issue focused significantly more on cause of disease, disease terminology, and description of treatments and procedures (P=.01, .01, and .02). In contrast, participants browsing with no particular issue in mind focused significantly more on general health topics, hot

Relevance of CBR for the Asia-Pacific Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

San Yuenwah

2012-06-01

Full Text Available While the focus of CBR action is at the community level, it is pertinent to note some of the Asia-Pacific region’s overall development trends. In an interconnected world, these trends have significant implications for the practice of CBR and its advancement in the region.This paper discusses how CBR could give impetus to a community-supported self-help movement for change. The paper presents seven prisms for akaleidoscopic view to highlight some parameters that are unique to the Asia-Pacific scenario for CBR. The relevance of CBR for this region is discussed in relation to two groups of issues: the first refers to chronic issues of poverty, hunger and inequalities; and the second, to dramatic emerging challenges, from urbanisation to the current economic scenario.

Ethical Issues of Social Media Usage in Healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Denecke, K; Bamidis, P; Bond, C; Gabarron, E; Househ, M; Lau, A Y S; Mayer, M A; Merolli, M; Hansen, M

2015-08-13

Social media, web and mobile technologies are increasingly used in healthcare and directly support patientcentered care. Patients benefit from disease self-management tools, contact to others, and closer monitoring. Researchers study drug efficiency, or recruit patients for clinical studies via these technologies. However, low communication barriers in socialmedia, limited privacy and security issues lead to problems from an ethical perspective. This paper summarizes the ethical issues to be considered when social media is exploited in healthcare contexts. Starting from our experiences in social-media research, we collected ethical issues for selected social-media use cases in the context of patient-centered care. Results were enriched by collecting and analyzing relevant literature and were discussed and interpreted by members of the IMIA Social Media Working Group. Most relevant issues in social-media applications are confidence and privacy that need to be carefully preserved. The patient-physician relationship can suffer from the new information gain on both sides since private information of both healthcare provider and consumer may be accessible through the Internet. Physicians need to ensure they keep the borders between private and professional intact. Beyond, preserving patient anonymity when citing Internet content is crucial for research studies. Exploiting medical social-media in healthcare applications requires a careful reflection of roles and responsibilities. Availability of data and information can be useful in many settings, but the abuse of data needs to be prevented. Preserving privacy and confidentiality of online users is a main issue, as well as providing means for patients or Internet users to express concerns on data usage.

An assessment of the role mass market demand response could play in contributing to the management of variable generation integration issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cappers, Peter; Mills, Andrew; Goldman, Charles; Wiser, Ryan; Eto, Joseph H.

2012-01-01

The penetration of wind and solar generating resources is expected to dramatically increase in the United States over the coming years. It is widely understood that large scale deployment of these types of renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, solar) that have variable and less predictable production characteristics than traditional thermal resources poses integration challenges for bulk power system operators. At present, bulk power system operators primarily utilize strategies that rely on existing thermal generation resources and improved wind and solar energy production forecasts to manage this uncertainty; a host of additional options are also envisioned for the near future including demand response (DR). There are well-established bodies of research that examine variable generation integration issues as well as demand response potential; but, the existing literature that provides a comparative assessment of the two neither treats this topic comprehensively nor in a highly integrated fashion. Thus, this paper seeks to address these missing pieces by considering the full range of opportunities and challenges for mass market DR rates and programs to support integration of variable renewable generation. - Highlights: ► Mass market demand response can help manage the integration of renewable resources. ► To be more effective, retail electricity rates must apply contemporaneous prices. ► Demand response programs will require shorter duration and more frequent events. ► Mass market customers will likely need to accept control technology. ► Market rules and regulatory policies must change to expand demand response's role.

Safety analysis methodology with assessment of the impact of the prediction errors of relevant parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galia, A.V.

2011-01-01

The best estimate plus uncertainty approach (BEAU) requires the use of extensive resources and therefore it is usually applied for cases in which the available safety margin obtained with a conservative methodology can be questioned. Outside the BEAU methodology, there is not a clear approach on how to deal with the issue of considering the uncertainties resulting from prediction errors in the safety analyses performed for licensing submissions. However, the regulatory document RD-310 mentions that the analysis method shall account for uncertainties in the analysis data and models. A possible approach is presented, that is simple and reasonable, representing just the author's views, to take into account the impact of prediction errors and other uncertainties when performing safety analysis in line with regulatory requirements. The approach proposes taking into account the prediction error of relevant parameters. Relevant parameters would be those plant parameters that are surveyed and are used to initiate the action of a mitigating system or those that are representative of the most challenging phenomena for the integrity of a fission barrier. Examples of the application of the methodology are presented involving a comparison between the results with the new approach and a best estimate calculation during the blowdown phase for two small breaks in a generic CANDU 6 station. The calculations are performed with the CATHENA computer code. (author)

Serbian migration policy concerning irregular migration and asylum in the context of the EU integration process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Stojić-Mitrović

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper I would like to present Serbian migration policy concerning irregular migration and asylum in the context of the attempts of the Serbian state to become a member of the European Union. I would describe the history of the asylum system prior and after the implementation of the independent asylum system in Serbia in 2008. My presentation of the Serbian migration policy would be channelled by the analysis of some particular political issues, such as the externalization of the EU borders’ control, as well as some relevant elements of the European integration process, like visa liberalization. The second, more culturally specific dimension of the issue would be accessed through the demonstration of both legislative and public conceptualizations of the irregular migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Serbia.

Review, modeling, Heat Integration, and improved schemes of Rectisol®-based processes for CO2 capture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatti, Manuele; Martelli, Emanuele; Marechal, François; Consonni, Stefano

2014-01-01

The paper evaluates the thermodynamic performances and the energy integration of alternative schemes of a methanol absorption based acid gas removal process designed for CO 2 Capture and Storage. More precisely, this work focuses the attention on the Rectisol ® process specifically designed for the selective removal of H 2 S and CO 2 from syngas produced by coal gasification. The study addresses the following issues: (i) perform a review of the Rectisol ® schemes proposed by engineers and researchers with the purpose of determining the best one for CO 2 capture and storage; (ii) calibrate the PC-SAFT equation of state for CH 3 OH–CO 2 –H 2 S–H 2 –CO mixtures at conditions relevant to the Rectisol ® process; (iii) evaluate the thermodynamic performances and optimize the energy integration of a “Reference” scheme derived from those available in the literature; (iv) identify and assess alternative Rectisol ® schemes with optimized performance for CO 2 Capture and Storage and Heat Integration with utilities. On the basis of the analysis of the Composite Curves of the integrated process, we propose some possible improvements at the level of the process configuration, like the introduction of mechanical vapor recompression and the development of a two stage regeneration arrangement. - Highlights: • Comprehensive review of the Rectisol ® process configurations and applications. • Calibration of PC-SAFT equation of state for Rectisol ® -relevant mixtures. • Detailed process simulation and optimized Heat Integration, and utility design. • Development of alternative Rectisol ® schemes optimized for CO 2 Capture

Supply chain strategies, issues and models

CERN Document Server

Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan

2014-01-01

In the 21st century, supply chain operations and relationships among supply chain partners have become highly challenging, necessitating new approaches, e.g., the development of new models. Supply Chain Strategies, Issues and Models discusses supply chain issues and models with examples from actual industrial cases. Expert authors with a wide spectrum of knowledge working in various areas of supply chain management from various geographical locations offer refreshing, novel and insightful ideas and address possible solutions using established theories and models. Supply Chain Strategies, Issues and Models features studies that have used mathematical modeling, statistical analyses and also descriptive qualitative studies. The chapters cover many relevant themes related to supply chains and logistics including supply chain complexity, information sharing, quality (six sigma), electronic Kanbans, inventory models, scheduling, purchasing and contracts. To facilitate easy reading, the chapters that deal with suppl...

Ethical issues in radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, Lars

2000-03-01

Ethical theories are relevant to the current recommendations and standards for radiation protection. Radiation protection is not only a matter for science. It is also a problem of philosophy. In order for protection regulations to be respected, it must correspond to widely accepted ethical values among those who are affected by the regulations. The workshop covered the following issues: Problems in Present Protection Policy, ICRP Protection Policy - A Historical Perspective, Radiation Risk - What we know and what we believe, Present ICRP Recommendations, Ethical Values in the Context of ICRP Recommendations, Collective Responsibility for Invisible Harm, Environmental Protection - Ethical Issues, The Global Change of Values, and Procedural justice and Radiation Protection. Six workshop contributions and a workshop summary are presented in this report

Ethical issues in radiation protection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persson, Lars (ed.)

2000-03-15

Ethical theories are relevant to the current recommendations and standards for radiation protection. Radiation protection is not only a matter for science. It is also a problem of philosophy. In order for protection regulations to be respected, it must correspond to widely accepted ethical values among those who are affected by the regulations. The workshop covered the following issues: Problems in Present Protection Policy, ICRP Protection Policy - A Historical Perspective, Radiation Risk - What we know and what we believe, Present ICRP Recommendations, Ethical Values in the Context of ICRP Recommendations, Collective Responsibility for Invisible Harm, Environmental Protection - Ethical Issues, The Global Change of Values, and Procedural justice and Radiation Protection. Six workshop contributions and a workshop summary are presented in this report.

Technical issues in fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohatgi, V.K.; Vijayan, T.

1989-01-01

In this paper the issues in fusion reactor technology are examined. Rapid progress in fusion technology research in recent years can be attributed to the advances in various technologies. The commercial generation of fusion power greatly depends on the evolution and improvements in these technologies. With better understanding of plasma physics, fusion reactor designs are becoming more and more realistic and comprehensive. It is now possible to compare various concepts within the framework of established technologies. The technological issues needing better understanding and solutions to problem areas are identified. Various instabilities and energy losses are major problem areas. Extensive developments in reactor-relevant advanced materials, compact and powerful superconducting magnets, high-power systems, and plasma heating drivers need to be undertaken and emphasized

Systematic literature review of integrated community case management and the private sector in Africa: Relevant experiences and potential next steps.

Science.gov (United States)

Awor, Phyllis; Miller, Jane; Peterson, Stefan

2014-12-01

Despite substantial investments made over the past 40 years in low income countries, governments cannot be viewed as the principal health care provider in many countries. Evidence on the role of the private sector in the delivery of health services is becoming increasingly available. In this study, we set out to determine the extent to which the private sector has been utilized in providing integrated care for sick children under 5 years of age with community-acquired malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea. We reviewed the published literature for integrated community case management (iCCM) related experiences within both the public and private sector. We searched PubMed and Google/Google Scholar for all relevant literature until July 2014. The search terms used were "malaria", "pneumonia", "diarrhoea", "private sector" and "community case management". A total of 383 articles referred to malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea in the private sector. The large majority of these studies (290) were only malaria related. Most of the iCCM-related studies evaluated introduction of only malaria drugs and/or diagnostics into the private sector. Only one study evaluated the introduction of drugs and diagnostics for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea in the private sector. In contrast, most iCCM-related studies in the public sector directly reported on community case management of 2 or more of the illnesses. While the private sector is an important source of care for children in low income countries, little has been done to harness the potential of this sector in improving access to care for non-malaria-associated fever in children within the community. It would be logical for iCCM programs to expand their activities to include the private sector to achieve higher population coverage. An implementation research agenda for private sector integrated care of febrile childhood illness needs to be developed and implemented in conjunction with private sector intervention programs.

Relevant patient characteristics for guiding tailored integrated diabetes primary care: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hertroijs, Dorijn F L; Elissen, Arianne M J; Brouwers, Martijn C G J; Schaper, Nicolaas C; Ruwaard, Dirk

2018-02-06

Aim To identify which patient-related effect modifiers influence the outcomes of integrated care programs for type 2 diabetes in primary care. Integrated care is a widespread management strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, most integrated care programs are not tailored to patients' needs, preferences and abilities. There is increasing consensus that such a patient-centered approach could improve the management of type 2 diabetes. Thus far, it remains unclear which patient-related effect modifiers should guide such an approach. PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE were searched for empirical studies published after 1998. A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Findings In total, 23 out of 1015 studies were included. A total of 21 studies measured the effects of integrated diabetes care programs on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and three on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and health-care utilization. In total, 49 patient characteristics were assessed as potential effect modifiers with HbA1c as an outcome, of which 46 were person or health-related and only three were context-related. Younger age, insulin therapy and longer disease duration were associated with higher HbA1c levels in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Higher baseline HbA1c was associated with higher HbA1c at follow-up in longitudinal studies. Information on context- and person-related characteristics was limited, but is necessary to help identify the care needs of individual patients and implement an effective integrated type 2 diabetes tailored care program.

PFP issues/assumptions development and management planning guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SINCLAIR, J.C.

1999-01-01

The PFP Issues/Assumptions Development and Management Planning Guide presents the strategy and process used for the identification, allocation, and maintenance of an Issues/Assumptions Management List for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) integrated project baseline. Revisions to this document will include, as attachments, the most recent version of the Issues/Assumptions Management List, both open and current issues/assumptions (Appendix A), and closed or historical issues/assumptions (Appendix B). This document is intended be a Project-owned management tool. As such, this document will periodically require revisions resulting from improvements of the information, processes, and techniques as now described. Revisions that suggest improved processes will only require PFP management approval

Community for Data Integration 2013 Annual Report

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Michelle Y.; Carlino, Jennifer; Barnes, Christopher; Blodgett, David L.; Bock, Andrew R.; Everette, Anthony L.; Fernette, Gregory L.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Gordon, Janice M.; Govoni, David L.; Hay, Lauren E.; Henkel, Heather S.; Hines, Megan K.; Holl, Sally L.; Homer, Collin G.; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Ignizio, Drew A.; Kern, Tim J.; Lightsom, Frances L.; Markstrom, Steven L.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Schei, Jacquelyn L.; Schmid, Lorna A.; Schoephoester, Kathryn M.; Schweitzer, Peter N.; Skagen, Susan K.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Talbert, Colin; Warren, Meredith Pavlick

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and delivery of earth science research and investigate the use of “communities of practice” as mechanisms to share expertise about these issues. Out of this effort emerged the Council for Data Integration, which was conceived as an official organizational function that would help guide data integration activities and formalize communities of practice into working groups. However by 2009, it became apparent that many members of the council had an interest in developing data integration solutions and sharing expertise in a less formal grassroots perspective, thus transforming the “Council” into a “Community” for Data Integration (CDI). Today, the CDI represents a dynamic community of practice focused on advancing science data and information management and integration capabilities across the USGS and the CDI community.

Report of the Workshop on Petascale Systems Integration for LargeScale Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kramer, William T.C.; Walter, Howard; New, Gary; Engle, Tom; Pennington, Rob; Comes, Brad; Bland, Buddy; Tomlison, Bob; Kasdorf, Jim; Skinner, David; Regimbal, Kevin

2007-10-01

There are significant issues regarding Large Scale System integration that are not being addressed in other forums such as current research portfolios or vendor user groups. Unfortunately, the issues in the area of large-scale system integration often fall into a netherworld; not research, not facilities, not procurement, not operations, not user services. Taken together, these issues along with the impact of sub-optimal integration technology means the time required to deploy, integrate and stabilize large scale system may consume up to 20 percent of the useful life of such systems. Improving the state of the art for large scale systems integration has potential to increase the scientific productivity of these systems. Sites have significant expertise, but there are no easy ways to leverage this expertise among them . Many issues inhibit the sharing of information, including available time and effort, as well as issues with sharing proprietary information. Vendors also benefit in the long run from the solutions to issues detected during site testing and integration. There is a great deal of enthusiasm for making large scale system integration a full-fledged partner along with the other major thrusts supported by funding agencies in the definition, design, and use of a petascale systems. Integration technology and issues should have a full 'seat at the table' as petascale and exascale initiatives and programs are planned. The workshop attendees identified a wide range of issues and suggested paths forward. Pursuing these with funding opportunities and innovation offers the opportunity to dramatically improve the state of large scale system integration.

Present status on atomic and molecular data relevant to fusion plasma diagnostics and modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawara, H.

1997-01-01

This issue is the collection of the paper presented status on atomic and molecular data relevant to fusion plasma diagnostics and modeling. The 10 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

The Educated Citizen and Global Public-Health Issues: One Model for Integration into the Undergraduate Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Caron, Rosemary M

2016-01-01

The Educated Citizen Initiative proposes that an understanding of public-health issues is a core component of an educated citizenry and is essential to develop one's societal responsibility. This initiative supports the Institute of Medicine's recommendation that "all undergraduates should have access to education in public health." Furthermore, the Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) framework developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities supports the "integration of public-health education into general and liberal education with an aim to produce an educated citizenry." The LEAP framework is implemented by teaching about the role of social determinants in a population's health status; the significance of personal and social responsibility; and providing skills for inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and evaluation. This article describes one university's experience in generating an educated citizenry cognizant of comprehensive public-health conflicts, thus contributing to both a local and global perspective on learning.

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the health risks of phthalates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zimmer, K.E.; Gutleb, A.C.; Ravnum, S.; Krayer von Krauss, M.; Murk, A.J.; Ropstad, E.; Skaare, J.U.; Eriksen, G.S.; Lyche, J.L.; Koppe, J.G.; Magnanti, B.; Yang, A.; Keune, H.

2012-01-01

Background: The EU 6th Framework Program (FP)-funded Health and Environment Network (HENVINET) aimed to support informed policy making by facilitating the availability of relevant knowledge on different environmental health issues. An approach was developed by which scientific agreement,

Employing finite-state machines in data integrity problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malikov Andrey

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the issue of group integrity of tuple subsets regarding corporate integrity constraints in relational databases. A solution may be found by applying the finite-state machine theory to guarantee group integrity of data. We present a practical guide to coding such an automaton. After creating SQL queries to manipulate data and control its integrity for real data domains, we study the issue of query performance, determine the level of transaction isolation, and generate query plans.

AN INVESTIGATION OF CO-INTEGRATION AND CAUSALITY BETWEEN TRADE OPENNESS AND GOVERNMENT SIZE IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismail Aydogus

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Validity of globalization brings out the question of whether greater openness is a booster reason to have a bigger government. This issue has been started to be discussed in relevant literature since the late 1970s. In this context, the purpose of this study is to examine the linkage between trade openness and the size of the government in Turkey over the period 1974-2011. Using residual based co-integration approach, we fail to find an evidence of a long run relationship. In addition, we do not provide causal support of compensation hypothesis in Turkish economy.

Addressing Physical and Emotional Issues in Children's Literature

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Jonathon

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine how physical and mental disabilities are addressed in children's literature. Many authors are able to integrate the issues into their work in a way that enhances the story and benefits the reader. As young readers learn about the issues and struggles faced by children with mental and physical disabilities,…

Economic School Integration: An Update. The Century Foundation Issue Brief Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahlenberg, Richard D.

In 2000, an Idea Brief asserted that the best way to improve education would be to give every schoolchild the opportunity to attend a middle class public school (economic school integration). This brief reviews recent research and policy developments regarding economic school integration, noting that school segregation based on socioeconomic…

Corporate Culture Assessments in Integrative Oncology: A Qualitative Case Study of Two Integrative Oncology Centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Mittring

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The offer of “integrative oncology” is one option for clinics to provide safe and evidence-based complementary medicine treatments to cancer patients. As known from merger theories, corporate culture and integration models have a strong influence on the success of such integration. To identify relevant corporate culture aspects that might influence the success in two highly visible integrative oncology clinics, we interviewed physicians, nurses, practitioners, and managers. All interviews (11 in a German breast cancer clinic and 9 in an integrative medicine cancer service in the USA were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. According to the theoretical framework of mergers, each clinic selected a different integration type (“best of both worlds” and “linking”. Nonetheless, each developed a similar corporate culture that has a strong focus on research and safe and evidence-based treatments, and fosters a holistic and patient-centered approach. Structured communication within the team and with other departments had high relevance. Research was highlighted as a way to open doors and to facilitate a more general acceptance within the hospital. Conventional physicians felt unburdened by the provision of integrative medicine service but also saw problems in the time required for scheduled treatments, which often resulted in long waiting lists.

Corporate culture assessments in integrative oncology: a qualitative case study of two integrative oncology centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mittring, Nadine; Pérard, Marion; Witt, Claudia M

2013-01-01

The offer of "integrative oncology" is one option for clinics to provide safe and evidence-based complementary medicine treatments to cancer patients. As known from merger theories, corporate culture and integration models have a strong influence on the success of such integration. To identify relevant corporate culture aspects that might influence the success in two highly visible integrative oncology clinics, we interviewed physicians, nurses, practitioners, and managers. All interviews (11 in a German breast cancer clinic and 9 in an integrative medicine cancer service in the USA) were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. According to the theoretical framework of mergers, each clinic selected a different integration type ("best of both worlds" and "linking"). Nonetheless, each developed a similar corporate culture that has a strong focus on research and safe and evidence-based treatments, and fosters a holistic and patient-centered approach. Structured communication within the team and with other departments had high relevance. Research was highlighted as a way to open doors and to facilitate a more general acceptance within the hospital. Conventional physicians felt unburdened by the provision of integrative medicine service but also saw problems in the time required for scheduled treatments, which often resulted in long waiting lists.

Lifelong bilingualism contributes to cognitive reserve against white matter integrity declines in aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Brian T; Johnson, Nathan F; Powell, David K

2013-11-01

Recent evidence suggests that lifelong bilingualism may contribute to cognitive reserve (CR) in normal aging. However, there is currently no neuroimaging evidence to suggest that lifelong bilinguals can retain normal cognitive functioning in the face of age-related neurodegeneration. Here we explored this issue by comparing white matter (WM) integrity and gray matter (GM) volumetric patterns of older adult lifelong bilinguals (N=20) and monolinguals (N=20). The groups were matched on a range of relevant cognitive test scores and on the established CR variables of education, socioeconomic status and intelligence. Participants underwent high-resolution structural imaging for assessment of GM volume and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for assessment of WM integrity. Results indicated significantly lower microstructural integrity in the bilingual group in several WM tracts. In particular, compared to their monolingual peers, the bilingual group showed lower fractional anisotropy and/or higher radial diffusivity in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus/inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus bilaterally, the fornix, and multiple portions of the corpus callosum. There were no group differences in GM volume. Our results suggest that lifelong bilingualism contributes to CR against WM integrity declines in aging. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cloud Computing : Goals, Issues, SOA, Integrated Technologies and Future -scope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Madhu Viswanatham

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The expansion of networking infrastructure has provided a novel way to store and access resources in a reliable, convenient and affordable means of technology called the Cloud. The cloud has become so popular and established its dominance in many recent world innovations and has highly influenced the trend of the Business process Management with the advantage of shared resources. The ability to remain disaster tolerant, on-demand scalability, flexible deployment and cost effectiveness has made the future world technologies like Internet of Things, to determine the cloud as their data and processing center. However, along with the implementation of cloud based technologies, we must also address the issues involved in its realization. This paper is a review on the advancements, scopes and issues involved in realizing a secured cloud powered environments.

III-V nanoelectronics and related surface/interface issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, Hideki

2003-01-01

The conventional logic gate architecture is not suitable for high-density integration of quantum devices which are non-robust and extremely structure- and charge-sensitive. In this paper, our novel hexagonal binary-decision-diagram (BDD) quantum circuit approach for III-V nanoelectronics is reviewed and related critical surface/interface issues for high-density integration are discussed. First, the basic concept and actual implementation method of our approach are explained, giving examples of novel BDD quantum integrated circuits where nanowire networks are controlled by nanoscale Schottky wrap gates. For high-density integration, growth of embedded sub-10 nm III-V quantum wire networks by selective molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on patterned substrates is described, including effects of atomic hydrogen irradiation and kinetic control of wire width. The key processing issue lies in understanding and control of nanostructure surfaces/interfaces. Behavior of nanoscale Schottky gates, recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)/scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) studies of surface states, and successful removal of surface states by MBE-grown silicon interface control layer are discussed

Issues of effective field theories with resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gegelia, J.; Japaridze, G.

2014-01-01

We address some issues of renormalization and symmetries of effective field theories with unstable particles - resonances. We also calculate anomalous contributions in the divergence of the singlet axial current in an effective field theory of massive SU(N) Yang-Mills fields interacting with fermions and discuss their possible relevance to the strong CP problem. (author)

Issues facing the U. S. mirror program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, T.V.

1978-07-01

Some of the current issues associated with the U.S. Magnetic Mirror Program are analyzed. They are presented as five separate papers entitled: (1) Relevant Issues Broughtup by the Mirror Reactor Design Studies. (2) An Assessment of the Design Study of the 1 MeV Neutral Beam Injector Required for a Tandem Mirror Reactor. (3) The Significance of the Radial Plasma Size Measured in Units of Ion Gyroradii in Tandem Mirrors and Field Reversed Mirrors. (4) Producing Field Reversed Mirror Plasmas by Methods used in Field Reversed Theta Pinch. (5) RF Stoppering of Mirror Confined Plasma.

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, issue 28

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Lydia Razran (Editor); Teeter, Ronald (Editor); Rowe, Joseph (Editor)

1990-01-01

This is the twenty-eighth issue of NASA's Space Life Sciences Digest. It contains abstracts of 60 journal papers or book chapters published in Russian and of 3 Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables from the original. The abstracts in this issue have been identified as relevant to 20 areas of space biology and medicine. These areas include: adaptation, aviation medicine, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, developmental biology, endocrinology, enzymology, equipment and instrumentation, hematology, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, personnel selection, psychology, radiobiology, reproductive system, and space medicine.

IJIMAI Editor's Note - Vol. 3 Issue 4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angel Alberto Magreñán

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This special issue, Teaching Mathematics using new and classic tools, concentrates on the practical and experimental teaching in advanced Mathematics in Engineering. The selected papers deal with the most relevant issues in the field, such as Mathematical learning and other different subjects in which Mathematics are needed, Advanced Mathematics, the development of different studied using Masive Open Online courser (MOOCs or even the history of E-Learning and Mathematics. The result is a collection of experimental validations, mathematical papers and MOOCs studies which constitutes a clear contribution to the state of the art.

Asian Economic Integration Monitor July 2012

OpenAIRE

Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB)

2012-01-01

The Asian Economic Integration Monitor is a semiannual review of Asia’s regional economic cooperation and integration. It covers 48 regional member countries of the Asian Development Bank. This issue includes a special section—Regional Integration: A Balanced View.

Moving ERP Systems to the Cloud - Data Security Issues

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Pablo Saa

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This paper brings to light data security issues and concerns for organizations by moving their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP systems to the cloud. Cloud computing has become the new trend of how organizations conduct business and has enabled them to innovate and compete in a dynamic environment through new and innovative business models. The growing popularity and success of the cloud has led to the emergence of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS ERP systems, a new alternative approach to traditional on-premise ERP systems. Cloud-based ERP has a myriad of benefits for organizations. However, infrastructure engineers need to address data security issues before moving their enterprise applications to the cloud. Cloud-based ERP raises specific concerns about the confidentiality and integrity of the data stored in the cloud. Such concerns that affect the adoption of cloud-based ERP are based on the size of the organization. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs gain the maximum benefits from cloud-based ERP as many of the concerns around data security are not relevant to them. On the contrary, larger organizations are more cautious in moving their mission critical enterprise applications to the cloud. A hybrid solution where organizations can choose to keep their sensitive applications on-premise while leveraging the benefits of the cloud is proposed in this paper as an effective solution that is gaining momentum and popularity for large organizations.

Heterodox Autonomy Doctrine: realism and purposes, and its relevance

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Raúl Bernal-Meza

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The Autonomy Doctrine, elaborated by Juan Carlos Puig, is a realist point of view of International Relations. It is an analysis, from the periphery, about the structure of world power, and a roadmap (from a theoretical point of view for the longing process of autonomization-regarding hegemonic power-for a country whose ruling class would decide to overcome dependency. The elements its author took into account when analyzing its own context are explained in this text and, afterwards, are reflected over its relevance nowadays. For that purpose, it is necessary to answer certain questions, such as which are the concepts and categories that may explain its relevance, its applicability to regional integration and cooperation models and projects, and what would be the analytical method to compare reality versus ideas, among others. The methodological proposal to analyze the relevance of Puig's doctrine is to compare it to different visions of regionalism that are currently in effect in Latin America.

Does emotion help or hinder reasoning? The moderating role of relevance.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchette, Isabelle; Gavigan, Sarah; Johnston, Kathryn

2014-06-01

Some prior research has shown that emotion impairs logicality in deductive reasoning tasks, while other research suggests improved performance with emotional contents. We suggest that relevance, whether the affective state is associated with the semantic contents of the reasoning task, may be crucial in explaining these apparently inconsistent findings. This hypothesis is based on a framework distinguishing between integral emotions, where affective responses are evoked by the semantic contents of the target task, and incidental emotions, where affective responses are not related to the task. In 4 experiments we examined the effect of emotion on conditional reasoning when affective responses were relevant and irrelevant. We used images presented simultaneously with the reasoning stimuli (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) or videos presented prior to the reasoning stimuli (Experiment 4) that were either emotional or neutral and semantically related or not to the conditional statements. Results showed that emotion decreased the proportion of normatively correct responses only in the irrelevant condition. In the relevant condition, emotion did not produce reliable deleterious effects. We used reaction time and skin conductance measures to investigate the physiological and cognitive correlates of these effects. Results are discussed in terms of the distinction between incidental and integral emotions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Built-in future: integration, technical and market-development issues for PV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordmann, T.

2005-01-01

Although large ground-mounted multi-megawatt photovoltaic plants have become common, it is argued that integration of photovoltaics into the fabric of buildings is their optimum use. In Germany, with its well-established grid network, there is a marked imbalance in the deployment of photovoltaics and only 1% are integrated into the roofs or facades of buildings. A similar pattern is found in most other countries in central Europe and the article seeks to discover the reasons for this. The situation in Japan is different in that the relatively high cost of electricity has encouraged a robust market for domestic photovoltaics. It is argued that the market for building-integrated photovoltaics in Europe has massive potential

Ethical Issues in Radiology Journalism, Peer Review, and Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Douglas S; Gardner, James B; Hoffmann, Jason C; Patlas, Michael N; Bhargava, Puneet; Moshiri, Mariam; Remer, Erick M; Gould, Elaine S; Smith, Stacy

2016-08-17

Although some research and publication practices are clearly unethical, including fraud and plagiarism, other areas of research and publication, such as informed consent and conflicts of interest, fall into grayer areas. The purposes of this article are, therefore, to review a variety of relevant ethical issues in radiology-related journalism, peer review, and research; to review the radiology literature to date that has addressed these issues; and to present position statements and potential solutions to these problems.

Relevant Market in Commercial Aviation of the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakub Kociubiński

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the issue of definition of relevant market in civil aviation within the European Union. The liberalization of the market since the early 1990s has led to a rapid increase in the number of airlines operating in the EU. The increase in the competitiveness of the market has brought many positive changes for passengers, such as lower fares and a better network of connections. At the same time it has created a risk that the airlines, in order to gain a competitive edge, would infringe the rules of competition. This is especially important in the context of the phenomenon that is the development of the airline alliances, which could lead to an abuse of a dominant position. A clear definition of the relevant market is a first step in an assessment of whether such an abuse occurred. This paper focus on the elements that Internal Market regulator, the European Commission, takes into consideration when defining relevant market in the airline industry.

Women in Iraq: Background and Issues for U.S. Policy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Pina, Aaron D

2006-01-01

The issue of women's rights in Iraq has taken on new relevance, following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, efforts to reconstruct Iraq, and recent elections for a Transitional National Assembly...

Regulatory framework in assisted reproductive technologies, relevance and main issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Merlet, Françoise

2009-01-01

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have changed life for the past 25 years and many ethical and social issues have emerged following this new method of conception. In order to protect individuals against scientific and ethical abuses without inhibiting scientific progress, a specific legal framework is necessary. The first French law on Bioethics was voted after an extensive debate in 1994 then reviewed in 2004. This review previously scheduled every five years is currently being discussed. Legal provisions applying to ART are part of a large framework including the protection of the patients' rights and biomedical research. The key principles consist of respect for human life and ban on commercial practices of human body parts, eugenic practices and any kind of cloning. These key principles apply to ART. Donation is anonymous and free. Created in 2004, the Agence de la biomédecine is a government agency and one of the main tools of the French regulations. The missions focus on improving the quality and the safety of the management of ART. Evaluation of activities is available to all from the annual report. The agency represents the French competent authority for medical and scientific aspects of ART. Substantial differences in European legislations exist from the open-up "laissez faire" to the most restrictive one. As a consequence a large reproductive tourism has developed particularly for egg donation or surrogacy. The medical and ethical conditions of management of patients and donors represent the main critical points. In order to avoid ethical abuses, homogenization regarding the key principles is necessary in Europe. It is an opportunity to reassert that human body parts should not be a source of financial gain.

Integrated approach to planning the remediation of sites undergoing decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

between decommissioning and site remediation in order to allow for the implementation of both processes in an integrated and cost effective way. The publication reviews the planning procedures for, and operational constraints on, partial remediation of sites and examines, with the aid of case studies, the advantages of integrating it with decommissioning. With a discussion of issues relevant to tackling the conceptual, management and technical problems of such a transition, this report constitutes an important resource for engineers and regulatory authorities involved in the remediation of contaminated sites

Utility customer issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downey, W.H.

1997-01-01

Customer issues affected by the restructuring of the $250 billion US electric power industry were discussed. In the past the industry's vertically integrated utilities conducted their business in protected geographic markets. With deregulation and greater competition, that industry structure will change. This presentation highlighted the strategies that Unicom is using to react to the restructuring of the electric power industry. The underlying principle is for the utility to reinvent itself to change its market orientation and focus on customer services, such as reliability, responsiveness, custom tailored solutions, and guaranteed savings over time. Attempting to become total energy providers and delivering integrated solutions to meet the needs of large industrial and commercial consumers, intensive market research, improved service and installation, and sophisticated customer retention initiatives will also have to be high on the agenda

B factory RF system design issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisman, M.S.

1992-01-01

We discuss the issues of relevance to the design of a B factory RF system. First, the general parameter regime is outlined, and the reasons behind certain commonly made choices are indicated. This regime involves high beam currents, and many relatively short bunches. Next, the physics difficulties associated with coupled-bunch instabilities are described briefly. We then describe in general terms the alternative approaches taken by various B factory designers, the motivation for these choices, and the technical issues raised by them. Technical solutions have been proposed for both the room-temperature and the superconducting RF scenarios, and considerable R ampersand D is being carried out worldwide to confirm and optimize these solutions

B factory rf system design issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisman, M.S.

1992-06-01

We discuss the issues of relevance to the design of a B factory RF system. First, the general parameter regime is outlined, and the reasons behind certain commonly made choices are indicated. This regime involves high beam currents, and many relatively short bunches. Next, the physics difficulties associated with coupled-bunch instabilities are described briefly. We then describe in general terms the alternative approaches taken by various B factory designers, the motivation for these choices, and the technical issues raised by them. Technical solutions have been proposed for both the room-temperature and the superconducting RF scenarios, and considerable R ampersand D is being carried out worldwide to confirm and optimize these solutions

Deep learning relevance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lioma, Christina; Larsen, Birger; Petersen, Casper

2016-01-01

train a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) on existing relevant information to that query. We then use the RNN to "deep learn" a single, synthetic, and we assume, relevant document for that query. We design a crowdsourcing experiment to assess how relevant the "deep learned" document is, compared...... to existing relevant documents. Users are shown a query and four wordclouds (of three existing relevant documents and our deep learned synthetic document). The synthetic document is ranked on average most relevant of all....

Mechanisms and mediation in survival analysis: towards an integrated analytical framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Pratschke

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A wide-ranging debate has taken place in recent years on mediation analysis and causal modelling, raising profound theoretical, philosophical and methodological questions. The authors build on the results of these discussions to work towards an integrated approach to the analysis of research questions that situate survival outcomes in relation to complex causal pathways with multiple mediators. The background to this contribution is the increasingly urgent need for policy-relevant research on the nature of inequalities in health and healthcare. Methods The authors begin by summarising debates on causal inference, mediated effects and statistical models, showing that these three strands of research have powerful synergies. They review a range of approaches which seek to extend existing survival models to obtain valid estimates of mediation effects. They then argue for an alternative strategy, which involves integrating survival outcomes within Structural Equation Models via the discrete-time survival model. This approach can provide an integrated framework for studying mediation effects in relation to survival outcomes, an issue of great relevance in applied health research. The authors provide an example of how these techniques can be used to explore whether the social class position of patients has a significant indirect effect on the hazard of death from colon cancer. Results The results suggest that the indirect effects of social class on survival are substantial and negative (-0.23 overall. In addition to the substantial direct effect of this variable (-0.60, its indirect effects account for more than one quarter of the total effect. The two main pathways for this indirect effect, via emergency admission (-0.12, on the one hand, and hospital caseload, on the other, (-0.10 are of similar size. Conclusions The discrete-time survival model provides an attractive way of integrating time-to-event data within the field of

Mechanisms and mediation in survival analysis: towards an integrated analytical framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratschke, Jonathan; Haase, Trutz; Comber, Harry; Sharp, Linda; de Camargo Cancela, Marianna; Johnson, Howard

2016-02-29

A wide-ranging debate has taken place in recent years on mediation analysis and causal modelling, raising profound theoretical, philosophical and methodological questions. The authors build on the results of these discussions to work towards an integrated approach to the analysis of research questions that situate survival outcomes in relation to complex causal pathways with multiple mediators. The background to this contribution is the increasingly urgent need for policy-relevant research on the nature of inequalities in health and healthcare. The authors begin by summarising debates on causal inference, mediated effects and statistical models, showing that these three strands of research have powerful synergies. They review a range of approaches which seek to extend existing survival models to obtain valid estimates of mediation effects. They then argue for an alternative strategy, which involves integrating survival outcomes within Structural Equation Models via the discrete-time survival model. This approach can provide an integrated framework for studying mediation effects in relation to survival outcomes, an issue of great relevance in applied health research. The authors provide an example of how these techniques can be used to explore whether the social class position of patients has a significant indirect effect on the hazard of death from colon cancer. The results suggest that the indirect effects of social class on survival are substantial and negative (-0.23 overall). In addition to the substantial direct effect of this variable (-0.60), its indirect effects account for more than one quarter of the total effect. The two main pathways for this indirect effect, via emergency admission (-0.12), on the one hand, and hospital caseload, on the other, (-0.10) are of similar size. The discrete-time survival model provides an attractive way of integrating time-to-event data within the field of Structural Equation Modelling. The authors demonstrate the efficacy

Management issues in automated audit analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, K.A.; Hochberg, J.G.; Wilhelmy, S.K.; McClary, J.F.; Christoph, G.G.

1994-03-01

This paper discusses management issues associated with the design and implementation of an automated audit analysis system that we use to detect security events. It gives the viewpoint of a team directly responsible for developing and managing such a system. We use Los Alamos National Laboratory`s Network Anomaly Detection and Intrusion Reporter (NADIR) as a case in point. We examine issues encountered at Los Alamos, detail our solutions to them, and where appropriate suggest general solutions. After providing an introduction to NADIR, we explore four general management issues: cost-benefit questions, privacy considerations, legal issues, and system integrity. Our experiences are of general interest both to security professionals and to anyone who may wish to implement a similar system. While NADIR investigates security events, the methods used and the management issues are potentially applicable to a broad range of complex systems. These include those used to audit credit card transactions, medical care payments, and procurement systems.

Baccalaureate Minority Nursing Students Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Clinical Education Practices: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Crystal L; Phillips, Shannon M; Newman, Susan D; Atz, Teresa W

2016-01-01

This integrative review synthesized baccalaureate minority nursing students' perceptions of their clinical experiences. The diversity of the nursing workforce does not mirror the United States population. Attrition rates of minority nursing students remain higher than rates for White students. Literature examining facilitators and barriers to minority student success predominantly focuses on academic factors, excluding those relevant to clinical education. An integrative review using literature from nursing and education. Three common perceived barriers were identified: discrimination from faculty, peers, nursing staff, and patients; bias in faculty grading practices; and isolation. Although little is known about the relationship between clinical failures and overall attrition, this review provides evidence that minority students encounter significant barriers in clinical education. To increase the diversity of the nursing workforce, faculty must address these issues and make modifications to ensure an equal opportunity at a quality education for all students.

Severe accident issue resolution -- definition and perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harper, F.T.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this discussion is to introduce the session on the Progress on the Resolution of Severe Accident Issues. There has been much work in the area of resolution of severe accident issues over the past few years. This work has been focused on those issues most important to risk as assessed by comprehensive studies such as NUREG-1150. In particular, issues associated with early containment failure have been analyzed. These efforts to resolve issues have been hampered by the fact that open-quotes issue resolutionclose quotes has not always been well defined. The term open-quotes issue resolutionclose quotes conjures tip different images for the regulator, the accident analyst, the physicist, and the probabalist. In fact it is common to have as many different images of issue resolution as there are people in the room. This issue is complicated by the fact that the uncertainty in severe accident issues is enormous. (When convolved, the quantitative uncertainty in an integrated analysis due to severe accident issues can span several orders of magnitude.) In this summary, hierarchy is presented in an attempt to add some perspective to the resolution of issues in the face of large uncertainties. Recommendations are also made for analysts communicating in the area of issue resolution

The educated citizen and global public health issues: One model for integration into the undergraduate curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosemary M. Caron

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Educated Citizen Initiative proposes that an understanding of public health issues is a core component of an educated citizenry and is essential to developing one’s societal responsibility. This initiative supports the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that all undergraduates should have access to education in public health. Furthermore, the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP framework developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities supports the integration of public health education into general and liberal education with an aim to produce an educated citizenry. The LEAP framework is implemented by teaching about the role of social determinants in a population’s health status; the significance of personal and social responsibility; and providing skills for inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and evaluation. This article describes one university’s experience in generating an educated citizenry cognizant of comprehensive public health conflicts, thus contributing to both a local and global perspective on learning.

The Educated Citizen and Global Public-Health Issues: One Model for Integration into the Undergraduate Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Caron, Rosemary M.

2016-01-01

The Educated Citizen Initiative proposes that an understanding of public-health issues is a core component of an educated citizenry and is essential to develop one’s societal responsibility. This initiative supports the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that “all undergraduates should have access to education in public health.” Furthermore, the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) framework developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities supports the “integration of public-health education into general and liberal education with an aim to produce an educated citizenry.” The LEAP framework is implemented by teaching about the role of social determinants in a population’s health status; the significance of personal and social responsibility; and providing skills for inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and evaluation. This article describes one university’s experience in generating an educated citizenry cognizant of comprehensive public-health conflicts, thus contributing to both a local and global perspective on learning. PMID:26973829

Essays on the relevance and use of dirty surplus accounting flows in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Y.

2006-01-01

This thesis intends to add empirical evidence to a recently heavily debated regulatory issue, the necessity of promoting a clean surplus income statement. I document the magnitude, and assess the relevance of dirty surplus accounting flows in European member states. In particular, this thesis

Identity Formation and Self-Esteem Issues in the Male Transvestite: A Humanistic Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Bordan, Terry; De Ricco, Marc

1997-01-01

Explores identity formation issues associated with low self-esteem in the transvestite population. Research showed significantly higher self-esteem for non-cross-dressers (N=27) than for cross-dressers (N=27). Focuses on relevant counseling issues when working with the transvestite population and proposes a humanistic and non-pathological…

Decision-Making for Supply Chain Integration Supply Chain Integration

CERN Document Server

Lettice, Fiona; Durowoju, Olatunde

2012-01-01

Effective supply chain integration, and the tight co-ordination it creates, is an essential pre-requisite for successful supply chain management.  Decision-Making for Supply Chain Integration is a practical reference on recent research in the area of supply chain integration focusing on distributed decision-making problems. Recent applications of various decision-making tools for integrating supply chains are covered including chapters focusing on: •Supplier selection, pricing strategy and inventory decisions in multi-level supply chains, •RFID-enabled distributed decision-making, •Operational risk issues and time-critical decision-making for sensitive logistics nodes, Modelling end to end processes to improve supply chain integration, and •Integrated systems to improve service delivery and optimize resource use. Decision-Making for Supply Chain Integration provides an insight into the tools and methodologies of this field with support from real-life case studies demonstrating successful application ...

Communication among scientists, decision makers and society: Developing policy-relevant global climate change research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernabo, J.C.

1995-01-01

Defining the research most relevant to policy is not simply a technical task that can be answered by scientists. Decision makers need and value information differently than curiosity-driven scientists. In order to link science more effectively to policy, the two communities must gain a greater mutual understanding. Decision makers must define their needs so that scientists can determine how, and by when, research can address these needs. This vital dialogue between communities typically has been more ad hoc than systematic. The complexity and urgency of the global climate change issue necessitate ongoing communication between scientists and decision makers on the information needed for policy development and what research can provide The results of relevant science policy dialogues are discussed herein. Effective communication between researchers and decision makers is a crucial ingredient for successfully addressing society's pressing environmental concerns. The increase in policy makers' demands for research that is relevant to solving societal issues highlights the communication gap between the technical and policy communities. The gap, largely caused by lack of mutual understanding, results in flawed and inadequate communication that hinders decision making and confuses the public. This paper examines the cause of this communication gap and describes the significance of recent efforts to develop more fruitful science-policy dialogues on the issue of global climate change. First, the post-Cold War shift in government priorities for research funding is described; then the underlying relationship between science and policy is explored to identify key sources of ongoing mis-communication. The paper then explains the importance of defining policy-relevant science questions that research can address. Finally, three projects are described involving the elicitation of decision makers' information needs in The United States, The Netherlands, and internationally

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; social issues fact sheet 18: Issues affecting social acceptability of fuels treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Christine Esposito

2006-01-01

Researchers have tried to understand how information about forest management can influence a person's landscape preferences and aesthetic appreciation. These findings are relevant for fuels management projects, since these projects are often characterized by conflicts between aesthetic and ecological objectives. This fact sheet discusses different aspects and ways...

International firms in Africa’s food retail business-emerging issues and research agenda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nandonde, Felix Adamu; Kuada, John

2016-01-01

/methodology/approach – This paper is comprised of a comprehensive review of the literature and integrates the fragmented body of knowledge on the area of retail internationalisation and food marketing. The gaps in the literature identified here may help to understand the sector better and develop academic research agendas on both......Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, to point out the lack of information on some critical issues and to raise some questions about relevant topics for researchers and practitioners in the retail area for the African market. Design...... the growth of the modern food retail sector and the agribusiness sector in Africa. Findings – Four major topics were identified in the urban agri-food retail business in the African continent: large global retailers in Africa’s food sector; the internationalisation of African food retailers; the procurement...

Low carbon thermal technologies in an ageing society – What are the issues?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, Rosie

2015-01-01

This paper is a commentary on the theme of this special issue, low carbon thermal technologies and older age, and the Conditioning Demand project. Drawing on the project findings, I discuss some key aspects of ageing that are relevant to the roll-out of low carbon technologies in domestic settings in ageing, developed societies. These include biological, cognitive, institutional and social dimensions. I conclude with some suggestions for ways of working to maximise the potential benefits of low carbon thermal technologies for older people. -- Highlights: •The specific needs of older people must be considered in low carbon transitions. •The vulnerability discourse however dominates in a way which is unhelpful. •Some physiological aspects of ageing affect person-technology fit. •Cultural aspects influence the success of integration of LCTs into domestic settings. •More inclusive design is needed if older people are to benefit from LCTs

[Integrity].

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez Rodríguez, Rafael Ángel

2014-01-01

To say that someone possesses integrity is to claim that that person is almost predictable about responses to specific situations, that he or she can prudentially judge and to act correctly. There is a closed interrelationship between integrity and autonomy, and the autonomy rests on the deeper moral claim of all humans to integrity of the person. Integrity has two senses of significance for medical ethic: one sense refers to the integrity of the person in the bodily, psychosocial and intellectual elements; and in the second sense, the integrity is the virtue. Another facet of integrity of the person is la integrity of values we cherish and espouse. The physician must be a person of integrity if the integrity of the patient is to be safeguarded. The autonomy has reduced the violations in the past, but the character and virtues of the physician are the ultimate safeguard of autonomy of patient. A field very important in medicine is the scientific research. It is the character of the investigator that determines the moral quality of research. The problem arises when legitimate self-interests are replaced by selfish, particularly when human subjects are involved. The final safeguard of moral quality of research is the character and conscience of the investigator. Teaching must be relevant in the scientific field, but the most effective way to teach virtue ethics is through the example of the a respected scientist.

Landscape ecological assessment: a tool for integrating biodiversity issues in strategic environmental assessment and planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Mörtberg, U M; Balfors, B; Knol, W C

2007-03-01

To achieve a sustainable development, impacts on biodiversity of urbanisation, new infrastructure projects and other land use changes must be considered on landscape and regional scales. This requires that important decisions are made after a systematic evaluation of environmental impacts. Landscape ecology can provide a conceptual framework for the assessment of consequences of long-term development processes like urbanisation on biodiversity components, and for evaluating and visualising the impacts of alternative planning scenarios. The aim of this paper was to develop methods for integrating biodiversity issues in planning and strategic environmental assessment in an urbanising environment, on landscape and regional levels. In order to test developed methods, a case study was conducted in the region of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and the study area embraced the city centre, suburbs and peri-urban areas. Focal species were tested as indicators of habitat quality, quantity and connectivity in the landscape. Predictive modelling of habitat distribution in geographic information systems involved the modelling of focal species occurrences based on empirical data, incorporated in a landscape ecological decision support system. When habitat models were retrieved, they were applied on future planning scenarios in order to predict and assess the impacts on focal species. The scenario involving a diffuse exploitation pattern had the greatest negative impacts on the habitat networks of focal species. The scenarios with concentrated exploitation also had negative impacts, although they were possible to mitigate quite easily. The predictions of the impacts on habitats networks of focal species made it possible to quantify, integrate and visualise the effects of urbanisation scenarios on aspects of biodiversity on a landscape level.

Integrated approaches for assessment of cellular performance in industrially relevant filamantous fungi

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Workman, Mhairi; Andersen, Mikael Rørdam; Thykær, Jette

2013-01-01

The performance of filamentous fungi in submerged cultivation determines their suitability for large-scale industrial biotechnology processes and is the result of complex interplay between the physical and chemical parameters of the process and the cellular biology of the fungi. Filamentous fungi...... of these organisms. Increased future focus on multicellular physiology and relevant assays will lead to fungal cells and processes that are customizable to a greater degree, finally allowing the full potential of these complex organisms and their product diversity to unfold....

Commutators of Integral Operators with Variable Kernels on Hardy ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Proceedings – Mathematical Sciences; Volume 115; Issue 4. Commutators of Integral Operators with Variable Kernels on Hardy Spaces. Pu Zhang Kai Zhao. Volume 115 Issue 4 November 2005 pp 399-410 ... Keywords. Singular and fractional integrals; variable kernel; commutator; Hardy space.

Web 2.0.: Conceptual foundations and Marketing Issues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constantinides, Efthymios; Fountain, Stefan J.

2008-01-01

This paper identifies the technological and commercial foundations of the new category of online applications commonly described as Web 2.0 or Social Media. It examines the relevance of Web 2.0 for Marketing Strategy and for Direct Marketing in particular. The issue is not a clear-cut one: while

Engineering structural integrity issues in the pulp and paper industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garner, A.; Singbeil, D.

2002-01-01

ESI issues for Pulp and Paper (P and P) plant are reviewed. Five typical processes are covered, namely: Chemical Pulping, Bleaching, Chemical Recovery, Mechanical Pulping and Papermaking. Equipment, chemical environments and failure modes are summarized with examples from each process. Pressure, temperature, corrosion and rotation are typical sources of risk, which is managed by appropriate inspection. The nature of the P and P Industry and its technology supply is summarized: current trends are consolidation and outsourcing. Three examples are presented to illustrate typical ESI issues: deaerator cracking where the P and P Industry alerted others to this serious cross-industry problem; pressure vessel safety factors and inconsistent international codes; and caustic cracking in continuous kraft digesters, which required rapid and concerted action to diagnose and control. In the future better predictability, data-bases, more formal risk based inspection and fitness-for-service assessments are envisaged. (author)

Microblogging for Class: An Analysis of Affective, Cognitive, Personal Integrative, and Social Integrative Gratifications

Science.gov (United States)

Gant, Camilla; Hadley, Patrick D.

2014-01-01

This study shows that undergraduate students can gratify cognitive, affective, social integrative, and personal integrative needs microblogging via a learning management system discussion tool. Moreover, the researchers find that microblogging about news regarding mass media events and issues via Blackboard heightened engagement, expanded…

Regulatory framework in assisted reproductive technologies, relevance and main issues.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Françoise Merlet

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Assisted reproductive technologies (ART have changed life for the past 25 years and many ethical and social issues have emerged following this new method of conception. In order to protect individuals against scientific and ethical abuses without inhibiting scientific progress, a specific legal framework is necessary. The first French law on Bioethics was voted after an extensive debate in 1994 then reviewed in 2004. This review previously scheduled every five years is currently being discussed. Legal provisions applying to ART are part of a large framework including the protection of the patients' rights and biomedical research. The key principles consist of respect for human life and ban on commercial practices of human body parts, eugenic practices and any kind of cloning. These key principles apply to ART. Donation is anonymous and free. Created in 2004, the Agence de la biomĂŠdecine is a government agency and one of the main tools of the French regulations. The missions focus on improving the quality and the safety of the management of ART. Evaluation of activities is available to all from the annual report. The agency represents the French competent authority for medical and scientific aspects of ART. Substantial differences in European legislations exist from the open-up "laissez faire" to the most restrictive one. As a consequence a large reproductive tourism has developed particularly for egg donation or surrogacy. The medical and ethical conditions of management of patients and donors represent the main critical points. In order to avoid ethical abuses, homogenization regarding the key principles is necessary in Europe. It is an opportunity to reassert that human body parts should not be a source of financial gain.

Data Security, Privacy, Availability and Integrity in Cloud Computing: Issues and Current Solutions

OpenAIRE

Sultan Aldossary; William Allen

2016-01-01

Cloud computing changed the world around us. Now people are moving their data to the cloud since data is getting bigger and needs to be accessible from many devices. Therefore, storing the data on the cloud becomes a norm. However, there are many issues that counter data stored in the cloud starting from virtual machine which is the mean to share resources in cloud and ending on cloud storage itself issues. In this paper, we present those issues that are preventing people from adopting the cl...

HIV in Harare: The role and relevance of social stigma | O'Brien ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To provide theoretical context to this issue, we utilised the ideas of Erving Goffman for exploring the individual experience of stigma and the concept of structural violence to understand stigma as a social phenomenon. This paper considers the relevance and role of stigma in the context of a country undergoing significant ...

Utility Wind Integration and Operating Impact - State of the Art

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, J. C.; Milligan, M. R.; DeMeo, E. A.; Parsons, B.

2007-08-01

At the end of 2005, the Power Engineering Society (PES) published a special issue of its Power & Energy Magazine that focused on integrating wind into the power system. This paper provides a summary and update on many of the salient points from that special issue about the current state of knowledge regarding utility wind integration issues.

The structuration of issue-based fields: social accountability, social movements and the Equator Principles issue-based field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

O'Sullivan, N.; O'Dwyer, B.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a longitudinal case study examining why and how commercial banks sought to integrate sustainability issues into their project finance operations between 2003 and 2008. We study the evolution of a set of influential environmental and social risk management guidelines for project

Integrating Data Warehouses with Web Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez, Juan Manuel; Berlanga, Rafael; Aramburu, Maria Jose

This paper surveys the most relevant research on combining Data Warehouse (DW) and Web data. It studies the XML technologies that are currently being used to integrate, store, query and retrieve web data, and their application to data warehouses. The paper addresses the problem of integrating...

Four integration patterns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bygstad, Bendik; Nielsen, Peter Axel; Munkvold, Bjørn Erik

2010-01-01

This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of IS project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an increasingly integrated information infrastructure in corporate and governmental organizations....... Expanding the perspective of traditional project management research, we draw extensively on central insights from IS research. Building on socio-technical IS research and Software Engineering research we suggest four generic patterns of integration: Big Bang, Stakeholder Integration, Technical Integration...... and Socio-Technical Integration. We analyze and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern. The four patterns are ideal types. To explore the forces and challenges in these patterns three longitudinal case studies were conducted. In particular we investigate the management challenges for each...

Model-based Impact Assessment of an Integrated Water Management Strategy on Ecosystem Services relevant to Food Security in Namibia

Science.gov (United States)

Luetkemeier, R.; Liehr, S.

2012-04-01

North-central Namibia is characterized by seasonal alterations of drought and heavy rainfall, mostly saline groundwater resources and a lack of perennial rivers. Water scarcity poses a great challenge for freshwater supply, harvest and food security against the background of high population growth and climate change. CuveWaters project aims at poverty reduction and livelihood improvement on a long term basis by introducing a multi-resource-mix as part of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach. Herein, creating water buffers by rainwater harvesting (RWH) and subsurface water storage as well as reuse of treated wastewater facilitates micro-scale gardening activities. This link constitutes a major component of a sustainable adaptation strategy by contributing to the conservation and improvement of basic food and freshwater resources in order to reduce drought vulnerability. This paper presents main findings of an impact assessment carried out on the effect of integrated water resources management on ecosystem services (ESS) relevant to food security within the framework of CuveWaters project. North-central Namibia is perceived as a social-ecological system characterized by a strong mutual dependence between natural environment and anthropogenic system. This fundamental reliance on natural resources highlights the key role of ESS in semi-arid environments to sustain human livelihoods. Among other services, food provision was chosen for quantification as one of the most fundamental ESS in north-central Namibia. Different nutritional values were utilized as indicators to adopt a demand-supply approach (Ecosystem Service Profile) to illustrate the ability of the ecosystem to meet people's nutritional requirements. Calculations have been conducted using both Bayesian networks to incorporate uncertainty introduced by the variability of monthly precipitation and the application of plant specific water production functions. Results show that improving the

The Conceptual Framework for Ensuring Economic Safety of Corporate Integration Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gutsaliuk Oleksii M.

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The objective growth of the number of displays and influence of negative factors of threats from the environment actualizes the issue of ensuring economic safety of national economic entities. The article notes that simultaneously with counteracting threats enterprises are working for development, one form of which is the establishment of corporate structures and implementation of integration processes. It is proposed to ensure achieving the desired level of the corporate structure economic safety through optimizing the correlation of resources and competencies, skills and technologies for their use within the integrated logistics value chain. In this case it is the implementation of the integration process that serves as an instrument for achieving this optimal correlation, and the level of economic safety is considered as one of the optimization criteria. The system of authors’ hypotheses is taken as the basis for ensuring economic safety of the corporate integration process. Each of the hypotheses corresponds to a set of conceptual principles aimed at practical implementation of the proposed approaches. Within these conceptual principles the relationship between incentives and benefits of integration and the basis for ensuring their safety is presented, the differences between safety of functioning and safety of development are studied, the use of the methodology of logistics to harmonize the interests of participants of the corporate structure is justified, the relevance of applying the resource approach to manage the integration and development safety is proved. The graphical representation of causal relationships between the proposed conceptual principles allowed formalizing the subject area of studying corporate integration safety

Persistent Issues in Library and Information Science Education in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Alemna, A. A.

1994-01-01

Discusses issues relating to library and information science education in Africa. Topics include a historical background; professional recognition; standards; student recruitment; physical facilities; relevance of the curricula; financial constraints; research degrees; continuing education; paraprofessional library staff training; employment…

Emission trading schemes: potential revenue effects, compliance costs and overall tax policy issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pope, Jeff; Owen, Anthony D.

2009-01-01

The case for the imposition of carbon (emission) taxes or tradable carbon permits in important tax jurisdictions is arguably strong, based upon the polluter pays principle first proposed by Pigou almost a century ago. This paper briefly reviews the arguments for and against these market-based instruments, and discusses their relative advantages and disadvantages in a practical context. In the case of Australia, the revenue effect of the proposed tradable carbon permits scheme is estimated to be A$11.5 billion in 2010-11. For comparison, this is roughly equivalent to a quarter of the revenue from the Goods and Services Tax. The paper focuses on three neglected aspects of climate change taxation discussion to date: how much tax revenue is likely to be raised, and the administrative and compliance costs of an emissions trading scheme, with particular reference to Australia. In discussing these issues, the paper draws upon selected and relevant international experience, particularly the European Union emissions trading scheme. The challenges of an emissions trading scheme, including integration with the existing tax system, particularly in an Australian context, are also discussed. The paper concludes by emphasising the key challenges and issues facing this 'ultimate externality' debate, particularly from a taxation policy perspective.

Policy, sport and integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agergaard, Sine; Sørensen, Jan Kahr

2010-01-01

Increased public funding, more governmental involvement and an emphasis on the instrumental values of physical activities have in general become characteristic of Western nations’ policies towards sport. Denmark is, however, a little different in that there is still little political intervention...... in sport, although sports clubs do get economic support and are seen as having the potential to solve crucial social issues. The purpose of this article is to analyse and discuss the ways in which the political assumption that sport can enhance social integration is reflected in the practical governance...... of integration issues in particular in sports clubs. The article is based on a local field study in which we interviewed 10 talented football players with ethnic minority backgrounds and eight coaches and club leaders from six different football clubs. Distinguishing between integration and assimilation...

Socio-cultural Issues for Sustainable Development in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Socio-cultural Issues for Sustainable Development in Africa. ... focal areas of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental factors. ... that designed a Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (SIRDA) programme.

The remarkable robustness of the first-offer effect: across culture, power, and issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunia, Brian C; Swaab, Roderick I; Sivanathan, Niro; Galinsky, Adam D

2013-12-01

The first-offer effect demonstrates that negotiators achieve better outcomes when making the first offer than when receiving it. The evidence, however, primarily derives from studies of Westerners without systematic power differences negotiating over one issue-contexts that may amplify the first-offer effect. Thus, the present research explored the effect across cultures, among negotiators varying in power, and in negotiations involving single and multiple issues. The first two studies showed that the first-offer effect remains remarkably robust across cultures and multi-issue negotiations. The final two studies demonstrated that low-power negotiators benefit from making the first offer across single- and multi-issue negotiations. The second and fourth studies used multi-issue negotiations with distributive, integrative, and compatible issues, allowing us to show that first offers operate through the distributive, not the integrative or compatible issues. Overall, these results reveal that moving first can benefit negotiators across many organizational and personal situations.

Performance Sustainability and Integrated Reporting: Empirical Evidence from Mandatory and Voluntary Adoption Contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvatore Loprevite

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at the topic of regulation of integrated reporting for listed companies, with the aim of contributing to the debate on the usefulness of introducing a mandatory regime, both from the perspective of integrated performance sustainability of companies and from that of relevance of information for providers of financial capital. The study is based on empirical research carried out on a sample composed of companies operating in territories where the adoption of integrated reporting is voluntary (Europe and those operating in a country where adoption is mandatory (South Africa. The research shows that (a in voluntary regimes, levels of integrated performance achieved by companies are higher; (b mandatory regulation produces positive effects on integrated performance levels in the medium term; (c integrated performance indicators are value-relevant, though having different levels of relevance under the two regimes examined.

Transmission issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradford, J.; Wilson, L.; Thon, S.; Millar, N.

2005-01-01

This session on transmission issues focused on the role that transmission plays in electricity markets and the importance of getting the market structure right in terms of generation divestiture with buy back contracts, demand side responsive programs, transmission upgrades and long term contracts. The difficulties of distinguishing between market power and scarcity were examined along with some of the complications that ensue if transmission experiences congestion, as exemplified by the August 2003 blackout in eastern North America. The presentations described the best ways to handle transmission issues, and debated whether transmission should be deregulated or follow market forces. Issues of interconnections and reliability of connections were also debated along with the attempt to integrate renewables into the grid. Some presentations identified what new transmission must be built and what must be done to ensure that transmission gets built. The challenges and business opportunities for transmission in Alberta were discussed with reference to plans to invest in new infrastructure, where it is going outside of the province and how it works with other jurisdictions. Manitoba's Conawapa Hydro Project and its 2000 MW tie line to Ontario was also discussed. Some examples of non-optimal use of interconnections in Europe were also discussed in an effort to learn from these mistakes and avoid them in Canada. tabs., figs

Issues and scenarios for nuclear waste management systems analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendel, J.E.

1980-11-01

The Planning and Analysis Branch of the Department of Energy's Nuclear Waste Management Programs is developing a new systems integration program. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory was requested to perform a brief scoping analysis of what scenarios, questions, and issues should be addressed by the systems integration program. This document reports on that scoping analysis

Regulatory policy issues and the Clean Air Act: Issues and papers from the state implementation workshops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rose, K. [ed.; Burns, R.E.

1993-07-01

The National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI), with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), conducted four regional workshops` on state public utility commission implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA). The workshops had four objectives: (1) to discuss key issues and concerns on CAAA implementation, (2) to encourage a discussion among states on issues of common interests, (3) to attempt to reach consensus, where possible, on key issues, and (4) to provide the workshop participants with information and materials to assist in developing state rules, orders, and procedures. From the federal perspective, a primary goal was to ensure that workshop participants return to their states with a comprehensive background and understanding of how state commission actions may affect implementation of the CAAA and to be able to provide guidance to their jurisdictional utilities. It was hoped that this would reduce some of the uncertainty utilities face and assist in the development of an efficient allowance market. This report is divided into two main sections. In Section II, eleven principal issues are identified and discussed. These issues were chosen because they were either the most frequently discussed or they were related to the questions asked in response to the speakers` presentations. This section does not cover all the issues relevant to state implementation nor all the issues discussed at the workshops; rather, Section II is intended to provide an overview of the,planning, ratemaking, and multistate issues. Part III is a series of workshop papers presented by some of the speakers. Individual papers have been cataloged separately.

Integration of complementary and alternative medicine information and advice in chronic disease management guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Team, Victoria; Canaway, Rachel; Manderson, Lenore

2011-01-01

The growing evidence on the benefits and risks of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its high rate of use (69% of Australians) - particularly for chronic or recurrent conditions - means increasing attention on CAM. However, few people disclose CAM use to their GP, and health professionals tend to inadequately discuss CAM-related issues with their patients, partly due to insufficient knowledge. As clinical and non-clinical chronic condition management guidelines are a means to educate primary health care practitioners, we undertook a content analysis of guidelines relevant to two common chronic conditions - cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) - to assess their provision of CAM-related information. Ten current Australian guidelines were reviewed, revealing scant CAM content. When available, the CAM-relevant information was brief, in some cases unclear, inconclusive and lacking in direction to the GP or health care provider. Although we focus on CVD and T2DM, we argue the value of all chronic condition management guidelines integrating relevant evidence-informed information and advice on CAM risks, benefits and referrals, to increase GP awareness and knowledge of appropriate CAM therapies, and potentially to facilitate doctor-client discussion about CAM.