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Sample records for otway project overcoming

  1. Mesozoic tectonics of the Otway Basin region: The legacy of Gondwana and the active Pacific margin: a review and ongoing research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hill, K.A. [Monash Univ., Clayton, VIC (Australia). Department of Earth Sciences; Finlayson, D.M. [Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Canberra, ACT (Australia); Hill, K.C. [La Trobe Univ., Bundoora, VIC (Australia). School of Earth Sciences; Cooper, G.T. [Monash Univ., Clayton, VIC (Australia). Department of Earth Sciences

    1995-12-31

    Recent plate tectonic models for SE Australia and the formerly contiguous parts of Gondwana are reviewed in this paper in order to assess the Mesozoic evolution of the Otway Basin. Research around the Otway Basin is summarised to demonstrate how the application of new technology can address some of the outstanding questions regarding the Basin`s evolution on local to lithospheric scales. The geometry and geology of Australia`s southern margin are compared with Atlantic rift-drift margins to provide analogues for tectonics and hydrocarbon exploration in the Otway Basin. At least two stages of rifting were found to be evident in the Cretaceous and in the deep structure of the Otway basin. These are Early Cretaceous rifting which is manifested in numerous half-graben and accommodation zones, and Late Cretaceous rifting in the deep seismic data seaward of the Tartwaup, Timboon and Sorell fault zones. Major offsets of the spreading axis during break up, at the Tasman and Spencer Fracture Zones were probably controlled by the location of Paleozoic terrace boundaries. The Tasman Fracture System was reactivated during break-up, with considerable uplift and denudation of the Bass failed rift to the east, which controlled Otway Basin facies distribution. Paleozoic structures also had a significant effect in determining the half graben orientations within a general N-S extensional regime during early Cretaceous rifting. The late Cretaceous second stage of rifting, seaward of the Tartwaup, Timboon and Sorell fault zones, left stable failed rift margin to the north, but the attenuated lithosphere of the Otway-Sorell microplate to the south records repeated extension that led to continental separation and may be part of an Antarctic upper plate. 1 table. 16 figs., 4 photos., refs.

  2. Identification of multiple detrital sources for Otway Supergroup sedimentary rocks: implications for basin models and chronostratigraphic correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, M.M.

    1997-01-01

    Correlation of apatite chlorine content (wt%) with apatite fission track age (Ma) from Lower Cretaceous Otway Supergroup sediments at present-day low temperatures, allows identification of two characteristic detrital source regions. Apatites from eroded Palaeozoic basement terrains yield low Cl content (generally 0.5 wt%) and syndepositional fission track ages. Where post-depositional thermal annealing ( > 70 degree C) has significantly reduced the fission track age, provenance information is preserved in the apatite Cl composition alone. In the Otway Supergroup, evidence for contemporaneous volcanism was found in both the Eumeralla Formation (Albian-Aptian), and Crayfish Group (Aptian-Berriasian) in samples located towards the central rift, where less sandy facies dominate. Results suggest that Crayfish Group sediments deposited along the northern margin of the basin were predominantly derived from eroding basement material, while the section located towards the central rift contains a greater proportion of volcanogenic detritus. Evidence from this study suggests that volcanogenic detritus was a distal sediment source throughout the entire early rift phase, prior to the main influx of arc-related volcanogenic material during deposition of the Eumeralla Formation. As diagenesis of volcanogenic sediments significantly reduces porosity and permeability of the sandstones, reservoir quality and petroleum potential may be significantly reduced in the Crayfish Group in deeper parts of the basin where a greater proportion of volcanogenic detritus is suggested. The results presented here provide important information regarding Lower Cretaceous Otway Basin stratigraphy and clearly indicate that this methodology may have wider application. (authors)

  3. The Seno Otway pockmark field and its relationship to thermogenic gas occurrence at the western margin of the Magallanes Basin (Chile)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilian, R.; Breuer, S.; Behrmann, J. H.; Baeza, O.; Diaz-Michelena, M.; Mutschke, E.; Arz, H.; Lamy, F.

    2017-12-01

    Pockmarks are variably sized crater-like structures that occur in young continental margin sediments. They are formed by gas eruptions and/or long-term release of fluid or gas. So far no pockmarks were known from the Pacific coast of South America between 51°S and 55°S. This article documents an extensive and previously unknown pockmark field in the Seno Otway (Otway Sound, 52°S) with multibeam bathymetry and parametric echosounding as well as sediment drill cores. Up to 31 pockmarks per square kilometer occur in water depths of 50 to >100 m in late glacial and Holocene sediments. They are up to 150 m wide and 10 m deep. Below and near the pockmarks, echosounder profiles image acoustic blanking as well as gas chimneys often crosscutting the 20 to >30 m thick glacial sediments above the acoustic basement, in particular along fault zones. Upward-migrating gas is trapped within the sediment strata, forming dome-like features. Two 5 m long piston cores from inside and outside a typical pockmark give no evidence for gas storage within the uppermost sediments. The inside core recovered poorly sorted glacial sediment, indicating reworking and re-deposition after several explosive events. The outside core documents an undisturbed stratigraphic sequence since 15 ka. Many buried paleo-pockmarks occur directly below a prominent seismic reflector marking the mega-outflow event of the Seno Otway at 14.3 ka, lowering the proglacial lake level by about 80 m. This decompression would have led to frequent eruptions of gas trapped in reservoirs below the glacial sediments. However, the sediment fill of pockmarks formed after this event suggests recurrent events throughout the Holocene until today. Most pockmarks occur above folded hydrocarbon-bearing Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene rocks near the western margin of the Magallanes Basin, constraining them as likely source rocks for thermogenic gas.

  4. Poisson's ratio model derived from P- and S-wave reflection seismic data at the CO2CRC Otway Project pilot site, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beilecke, Thies; Krawczyk, Charlotte M.; Tanner, David C.; Ziesch, Jennifer; Research Group Protect

    2014-05-01

    Compressional wave (P-wave) reflection seismic field measurements are a standard tool for subsurface exploration. 2-D seismic measurements are often used for overview measurements, but also as near-surface supplement to fill gaps that often exist in 3-D seismic data sets. Such supplementing 2-D measurements are typically simple with respect to field layout. This is an opportunity for the use of shear waves (S-waves). Within the last years, S-waves have become more and more important. One reason is that P- and S-waves are differently sensitive to fluids and pore fill so that the additional S-wave information can be used to enhance lithological studies. Another reason is that S-waves have the advantage of higher spatial resolution. Within the same signal bandwidth they typically have about half the wavelength of P-waves. In near-surface unconsolidated sediments they can even enhance the structural resolution by one order of magnitude. We make use of these capabilities within the PROTECT project. In addition to already existing 2-D P-wave data, we carried out a near surface 2-D S-wave field survey at the CO2CRC Otway Project pilot site, close to Warrnambool, Australia in November 2013. The combined analysis of P-wave and S-wave data is used to construct a Poisson's Ratio 2-D model down to roughly 600 m depth. The Poisson's ratio values along a 1 km long profile at the site are surprisingly high, ranging from 0.47 in the carbonate-dominated near surface to 0.4 at depth. In the literature, average lab measurements of 0.22 for unfissured carbonates and 0.37 for fissured examples have been reported. The high values that we found may indicate areas of rather unconsolidated or fractured material, or enhanced fluid contents, and will be subject of further studies. This work is integrated in a larger workflow towards prediction of CO2 leakage and monitoring strategies for subsurface storage in general. Acknowledgement: This work was sponsored in part by the Australian

  5. The enigmatic Otway odd-clawed spider (Progradungula otwayensis Milledge, 1997, Gradungulidae, Araneae: Natural history, first description of the female and micro-computed tomography of the male palpal organ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Michalik

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The recently described cribellate gradungulid Progradungula otwayensis Milledge, 1997 is endemic to the Great Otway National Park (Victoria, Australia and known from only one male and a few juvenile specimens. In a recent survey we recorded 47 specimens at several localities across the western part of the Great Otway National park. Our field data suggest that this species is dependant on the microclimate in the hollows of old myrtle beech trees since other hollow trees were very much less inhabited. Furthermore, we describe the female for the first time and study the male palpal organ by using X-ray microtomography. The female genitalia are characterized by eight spermathecae which are grouped in two quartets. The spermophor resembles the general organization of gradungulids, but is similar to Kaiya Gray, 1987 by a convoluted appearance within the embolus. The muscle 30 is located in the cymbium and resembles the organization of other non-entelegyne Araneomorphae.

  6. Chromosomocentric approach to overcoming difficulties in implementation of international project Human Proteome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. I. Archakov

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The international project Human Proteome (PHP, being a logical continuation of the project Human Genome, was started on September 23, 2010. In correspondence with the genocentric approach, the PHP aim is to prepare a catalogue of all human proteins and to decipher a network of their interactions. The PHP implementation difficulties arise because the research subject itself – proteome – is much more complicated than genome. The major problem is the insufficient sensitivity of proteome methods that does not allow detecting low- and ultralow-copy proteins. Bad reproducibility of proteome methods and the lack of so-called “gold standard” is the second major complicacy in PHP implementation. The third problem is the dynamic character of proteome, its instabili­ty in time. The paper deals with possible variants of overcoming these complicacies, preventing from successful implementation of PHP.

  7. Overcoming challenges: The Koeberg simulator project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marin, J: Bruchental, S.; Lagerwall, J.R.

    2006-01-01

    As the nuclear power simulation training industry matures, the needs of the individual training facilities are becoming increasingly diverse. To respond to this trend, simulation vendors must offer a greater level of customization, and as such, are facing increasingly challenging projects. In 2002, CAE embarked on such a project for South Africas Koeberg nuclear power station. This simulator upgrade project, carried out in two phases, served as a unique exercise in product customization. In the first phase, CAE replaced the simulation servers, the software environment, and re-hosted the existing plant models. In the second phase, CAE replaced several of the existing thermal-hydraulics models to improve simulator fidelity. Throughout this project, CAE overcame a series of challenges stemming from project-specific requirements. In fact, the retention of the legacy software maintenance tools, the preservation of the instructor station package, and the interfacing with the existing hardware panel elements presented a number of opportunities for innovation. In the end, CAE overcame the challenges and acquired invaluable experience in doing so. (author)

  8. Pasture Monitoring Using SAR with COSMO-SkyMed, ENVISAT ASAR, and ALOS PALSAR in Otway, Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaojing Li

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Because of all-weather working ability, sensitivity to biomass and moisture, and high spatial resolution, Synthetic aperture radar (SAR satellite images can perfectly complement optical images for pasture monitoring. This paper aims to examine the potential of the integration of COnstellation of small Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observasion (COSMO-SkyMed, Environmental Satellite Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ENVISAT ASAR, and Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR radar signals at horizontally emitted and received polarization (HH for pasture monitoring at the paddock scale in order to guide farmers for better management. The pasture site is selected, in Otway, Victoria, Australia. The biomass, water content of grass, and soil moisture over this site were analyzed with these three bands of SAR images, through linear relationship between SAR backscattering coefficient, and vegetation indices Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI, together with soil moisture index (MI. NDVI, NDWI, and MI are considered as proxy of pasture biomass, plant water content, and soil moisture, respectively, and computed from optical images and climate data. SAR backscattering coefficient and vegetation indices are computed within a grass zone, defined by classification with MODIS data. The grass condition and grazing activities for specific paddocks are detectable, based on SAR backscatter, with all three wavelengths datasets. Both temporal and spatial analysis results show that the X-band SAR has the highest correlation to the vegetation indices. However, its accuracy can be affected by wet weather due to its sensitivity to the water on leaves. The C-band HH backscattering coefficient showed moderate reliability to evaluate biomass and water content of grass, with limited influence from rainfall in the dry season

  9. Mean transit times in headwater catchments: insights from the Otway Ranges, Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Howcroft

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the timescales of water flow through catchments and the sources of stream water at different flow conditions is critical for understanding catchment behaviour and managing water resources. Here, tritium (3H activities, major ion geochemistry and streamflow data were used in conjunction with lumped parameter models (LPMs to investigate mean transit times (MTTs and the stores of water in six headwater catchments in the Otway Ranges of southeastern Australia. 3H activities of stream water ranged from 0.20 to 2.14 TU, which are significantly lower than the annual average 3H activity of modern local rainfall, which is between 2.4 and 3.2 TU. The 3H activities of the stream water are lowest during low summer flows and increase with increasing streamflow. The concentrations of most major ions vary little with streamflow, which together with the low 3H activities imply that there is no significant direct input of recent rainfall at the streamflows sampled in this study. Instead, shallow younger water stores in the soils and regolith are most likely mobilised during the wetter months. MTTs vary from approximately 7 to 230 years. Despite uncertainties of several years in the MTTs that arise from having to assume an appropriate LPM, macroscopic mixing, and uncertainties in the 3H activities of rainfall, the conclusion that they range from years to decades is robust. Additionally, the relative differences in MTTs at different streamflows in the same catchment are estimated with more certainty. The MTTs in these and similar headwater catchments in southeastern Australia are longer than in many catchments globally. These differences may reflect the relatively low rainfall and high evapotranspiration rates in southeastern Australia compared with headwater catchments elsewhere. The long MTTs imply that there is a long-lived store of water in these catchments that can sustain the streams over drought periods lasting several years. However, the

  10. Mean transit times in headwater catchments: insights from the Otway Ranges, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howcroft, William; Cartwright, Ian; Morgenstern, Uwe

    2018-01-01

    Understanding the timescales of water flow through catchments and the sources of stream water at different flow conditions is critical for understanding catchment behaviour and managing water resources. Here, tritium (3H) activities, major ion geochemistry and streamflow data were used in conjunction with lumped parameter models (LPMs) to investigate mean transit times (MTTs) and the stores of water in six headwater catchments in the Otway Ranges of southeastern Australia. 3H activities of stream water ranged from 0.20 to 2.14 TU, which are significantly lower than the annual average 3H activity of modern local rainfall, which is between 2.4 and 3.2 TU. The 3H activities of the stream water are lowest during low summer flows and increase with increasing streamflow. The concentrations of most major ions vary little with streamflow, which together with the low 3H activities imply that there is no significant direct input of recent rainfall at the streamflows sampled in this study. Instead, shallow younger water stores in the soils and regolith are most likely mobilised during the wetter months. MTTs vary from approximately 7 to 230 years. Despite uncertainties of several years in the MTTs that arise from having to assume an appropriate LPM, macroscopic mixing, and uncertainties in the 3H activities of rainfall, the conclusion that they range from years to decades is robust. Additionally, the relative differences in MTTs at different streamflows in the same catchment are estimated with more certainty. The MTTs in these and similar headwater catchments in southeastern Australia are longer than in many catchments globally. These differences may reflect the relatively low rainfall and high evapotranspiration rates in southeastern Australia compared with headwater catchments elsewhere. The long MTTs imply that there is a long-lived store of water in these catchments that can sustain the streams over drought periods lasting several years. However, the catchments are likely

  11. Learning communities and overcoming poverty in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Santos Pitanga

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Object: Brazil has implemented social programs to meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and inequality. Despite the good results still there are ghettos and educational and social inequalities. Moreover Learning Communities are responding to these needs by promoting education based on successful actions scientifically proven of which promote educational change and social inclusion. The aim of this article is to highlight the characteristics of Learning Communities that allow overcoming poverty, and in this perspective, explain the implementation of the Learning Communities in Brazil and how, in this way, it is creating the conditions for effective overcoming give poverty and inequality in this country.Design / methodology: This article is based on documentary analysis of reports of the INCLUD-ED - the project on school education more scientific resources has been funded by the European Union, United Nations / ECLAC, Brazilian public agencies and websites of official institutions that promote Learning Communities in Brazil. Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics are also collected.Contributions and results: It highlights successful actions that contribute to overcoming poverty and social exclusion. Such actions are based on dialogic learning, democratic management and the formation of heterogeneous groups. It is observed that in Brazil are carrying out such actions and the ongoing expansion of the project in the country is creating the conditions for effective poverty reduction.Added value: This article reveals specific elements of overcoming poverty through education.

  12. Heidegger e o projeto de superação da subjetividade [Heidegger and the project of overcoming of subjectivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acylene Maria Cabral Ferreira

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Nosso objetivo é mostrar como o projeto heideggeriano de superação da metafísica ocidental enquanto um retorno à questão do ser enquanto ser, simultaneamente, implica em um projeto de superação da subjetividade. Utilizaremos a proposta de classificação elaborada pelos estudiosos do pensamento heideggeriano, para pontuarmos o tema da superação da subjetividade.  Em seguida, indicaremos porque a temporalidade do Dasein (Ser e tempo e a Temporalität do ser (Os problemas fundamentais de fenomenologia constituem momentos distintos da superação da metafísica e da subjetividade, visto que ser não é mais concebido como substância, mas como temporalidade; e o homem não é mais entendido como sujeito, mas como Dasein. Assim, concluímos que o ser do homem não é mais determinado como subjetividade, mas como temporalidade. [Our aim is to show how the Heiddegerian Project of overcoming of Western Metaphysics through a return to the question of being as being, implies, at the same time, a project of overcoming of subjectivity. Based on the classification elaborated by Heideggerian scholars, we will start by locating the question of subjectivity in Heidegger’s work. Next, we will discuss why the temporality of Dasein (Being and Time and the Temporalität of being (The Basic Problems of Phenomenology are different moments of overcoming both Metaphysics and subjectivity, in the sense that being is no longer understood as substance, but as temporality; and mankind is no longer understood as subject but as Dasein. This reflexion enables us to conclude that for Heidegger it is not subjectivity but temporality that constitutes the being of mankind.

  13. Overcoming obstacles against effective solar lighting interventions in South Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, Sam

    2012-01-01

    Basing on our devised World Bank’s ‘Design Principles’ for effective renewable energy projects in developing countries and an in-depth analysis of our two solar lighting projects in Bangladesh and India, this paper explores three key obstacles that constrain poor people from obtaining solar lighting: financial exclusion, weak governance, and passive NGO and customer participation. The low take-up rate has a social and psychological impact. This paper recommends creating easy access to credit, establishing a robust complaint system, and developing strategic partnership to overcome the obstacles. - Research Highlights: ► To provide a critical analysis of the World Bank's 'Design Principles' for renewable energy policies in developing countries. ► To explain why some solar lighting projects do not work and how the barriers can be overcome. ► To highlight the roles of poverty, governance and technical support in solar lighting design.

  14. Overcoming challenges to secure a renewable future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McGrath, Rob; Philpott, Angie; Bown, Charles W.; Thompson, Robert; Dunderdale, Kathy

    2010-09-15

    Newfoundland and Labrador is on the brink of two extraordinary energy achievements: 1) becoming one of the world's only jurisdictions thermal generation almost entirely; and 2) making a huge contribution of renewable energy to North America. These achievements require the development of the 3,000 MW Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project; however, the Project will not be developed without a business case to support it. This paper will highlight how the province, through its Energy Plan, has set the path forward for the future development of its renewable resources, including how it plans to overcome some of the challenges ahead.

  15. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... section Back to section menu It's Only Natural Planning ahead Breastfeeding and baby basics Making breastfeeding work ... It's Only Natural Overcoming challenges It's Only Natural Planning ahead Addressing breastfeeding myths Overcoming challenges Common questions ...

  16. Overcoming Barriers in the Implementation of Environmental Remediation Projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-06-15

    characterization techniques and strategies; assessment of remediation technologies; techniques and strategies for post-remediation compliance monitoring; special issues such as the remediation of sites with dispersed radioactive contamination or mixed contamination by hazardous and radioactive substances, as well as monitored natural attenuation; and long term management issues at sites with residual contamination. It was noted that, although the understanding of the need to address radiological liabilities had gained considerable momentum since the end of the Cold War, in many Member States actual remediation programmes have made little progress beyond the assessment and perhaps the planning phase. This publication analyses the various drivers for remediation projects, possible obstacles and potential solutions to overcome those obstacles. It is noted that care must be taken when establishing measures that are intended to foster increased protection, for example a very prescriptive regulatory framework, as such measures may turn out to be counterproductive. The main obstacle in most cases is a lack of funding. A number of creative ways to structure projects and to identify sources of funds are discussed in this book.

  17. Overcoming Barriers in the Implementation of Environmental Remediation Projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    characterization techniques and strategies; assessment of remediation technologies; techniques and strategies for post-remediation compliance monitoring; special issues such as the remediation of sites with dispersed radioactive contamination or mixed contamination by hazardous and radioactive substances, as well as monitored natural attenuation; and long term management issues at sites with residual contamination. It was noted that, although the understanding of the need to address radiological liabilities had gained considerable momentum since the end of the Cold War, in many Member States actual remediation programmes have made little progress beyond the assessment and perhaps the planning phase. This publication analyses the various drivers for remediation projects, possible obstacles and potential solutions to overcome those obstacles. It is noted that care must be taken when establishing measures that are intended to foster increased protection, for example a very prescriptive regulatory framework, as such measures may turn out to be counterproductive. The main obstacle in most cases is a lack of funding. A number of creative ways to structure projects and to identify sources of funds are discussed in this book.

  18. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... breastfeeding Overcoming challenges Common questions about breastfeeding and pain Breastfeeding checklist: How to get a good latch Finding ... myths Overcoming challenges Common questions about breastfeeding and pain Breastfeeding checklist: How to get a good latch Finding ...

  19. Work-based Project Overcomes Basic Skills Stigma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallis, Emma

    2002-01-01

    A project to provide steel workers in North Wales with guidance about learning opportunities and to promote lifelong learning in the workplace focused on the development of basic information technology skills. (JOW)

  20. Overcoming barriers to wind project finance in Australia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kann, Shayle

    2009-01-01

    The wind power industry in Australia is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade, primarily due to a forthcoming expanded national renewable energy target (RET) which will mandate that renewable sources provide approximately 20% of Australia's electricity production by 2020. However, development of new wind generation in Australia has stalled as a result of several barriers to project finance, the mechanism through which most wind farms have been developed historically. This paper provides an overview of wind power financing in Australia in light of recent political and financial trends. Drawing upon existing literature and a series of stakeholder interviews, it identifies three primary barriers to project finance: regulatory risk surrounding legislation of the RET, semi-privatization of electricity retailers in New South Wales, and limited capital availability resulting from the recent global credit crisis. The paper concludes that the confluence of these barriers limits the availability of long-term contracts that provide revenue certainty for pre-construction wind projects, while simultaneously making these contracts a necessity in order to obtain project finance. In an attempt to mitigate these effects, this paper identifies four alternative development strategies that can be pursued.

  1. Identification of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in coastal strata in the Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frieling, Joost; Huurdeman, Emiel P.; Rem, Charlotte C. M.; Donders, Timme H.; Pross, Jörg; Bohaty, Steven M.; Holdgate, Guy R.; Gallagher, Stephen J.; McGowran, Brian; Bijl, Peter K.

    2018-02-01

    Detailed, stratigraphically well-constrained environmental reconstructions are available for Paleocene and Eocene strata at a range of sites in the southwest Pacific Ocean (New Zealand and East Tasman Plateau; ETP) and Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1356 in the south of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf (AAG). These reconstructions have revealed a large discrepancy between temperature proxy data and climate models in this region, suggesting a crucial error in model, proxy data or both. To resolve the origin of this discrepancy, detailed reconstructions are needed from both sides of the Tasmanian Gateway. Paleocene-Eocene sedimentary archives from the west of the Tasmanian Gateway have unfortunately remained scarce (only IODP Site U1356), and no well-dated successions are available for the northern sector of the AAG. Here we present new stratigraphic data for upper Paleocene and lower Eocene strata from the Otway Basin, southeast Australia, on the (north)west side of the Tasmanian Gateway. We analyzed sediments recovered from exploration drilling (Latrobe-1 drill core) and outcrop sampling (Point Margaret) and performed high-resolution carbon isotope geochemistry of bulk organic matter and dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) and pollen biostratigraphy on sediments from the regional lithostratigraphic units, including the Pebble Point Formation, Pember Mudstone and Dilwyn Formation. Pollen and dinocyst assemblages are assigned to previously established Australian pollen and dinocyst zonations and tied to available zonations for the SW Pacific. Based on our dinocyst stratigraphy and previously published planktic foraminifer biostratigraphy, the Pebble Point Formation at Point Margaret is dated to the latest Paleocene. The globally synchronous negative carbon isotope excursion that marks the Paleocene-Eocene boundary is identified within the top part of the Pember Mudstone in the Latrobe-1 borehole and at Point Margaret. However, the high abundances of the

  2. Experiences of project developers around CDM projects in South Africa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thurner, Thomas W.; Varughese, Arun

    2013-01-01

    Project developers in South Africa are puzzled with the long process of evaluating and registering their CDM projects. In addition to other obstacles, we find that South African big businesses are rather reluctant to engage in any new business activities such as CDM projects and municipalities often lack the necessary flexibility. This offers opportunities for small-scale project developers who spot the opportunities and find creative solutions to overcome these difficulties. - Highlights: • First paper analysing the experience of small project developers in South Africa. • Project developers in South Africa are puzzled with the long process. • South African big businesses are reluctant to engage in CDM projects. • Small-scale project developers spot opportunities and find creative solutions to overcome difficulties. • Also, we saw learning processes of South African administration in support of CDM projects

  3. Development of active guidance systems to overcome problems of disorientation and low visibility following severe explosions.

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Phillips, HR

    1995-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research project was to review methods of overcoming the disorientation of underground mine workers following an explosion or severe fire. The results of this project indicate that different strategies may be required for fires...

  4. Namaste (counterbalancing) technique: Overcoming warping in costal cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Kapil S; Bachhav, Manoj; Shrotriya, Raghav

    2015-01-01

    Indian noses are broader and lack projection as compared to other populations, hence very often need augmentation, that too by large volume. Costal cartilage remains the material of choice in large volume augmentations and repair of complex primary and secondary nasal deformities. One major disadvantage of costal cartilage grafts (CCG) which offsets all other advantages is the tendency to warp and become distorted over a period of time. We propose a simple technique to overcome this menace of warping. We present the data of 51 patients of rhinoplasty done using CCG with counterbalancing technique over a period of 4 years. No evidence of warping was found in any patient up to a maximum follow-up period of 4 years. Counterbalancing is a useful technique to overcome the problem of warping. It gives liberty to utilize even unbalanced cartilage safely to provide desired shape and use the cartilage without any wastage.

  5. Namaste (counterbalancing) technique: Overcoming warping in costal cartilage

    OpenAIRE

    Kapil S Agrawal; Manoj Bachhav; Raghav Shrotriya

    2015-01-01

    Background: Indian noses are broader and lack projection as compared to other populations, hence very often need augmentation, that too by large volume. Costal cartilage remains the material of choice in large volume augmentations and repair of complex primary and secondary nasal deformities. One major disadvantage of costal cartilage grafts (CCG) which offsets all other advantages is the tendency to warp and become distorted over a period of time. We propose a simple technique to overcome th...

  6. Namaste (counterbalancing technique: Overcoming warping in costal cartilage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kapil S Agrawal

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Indian noses are broader and lack projection as compared to other populations, hence very often need augmentation, that too by large volume. Costal cartilage remains the material of choice in large volume augmentations and repair of complex primary and secondary nasal deformities. One major disadvantage of costal cartilage grafts (CCG which offsets all other advantages is the tendency to warp and become distorted over a period of time. We propose a simple technique to overcome this menace of warping. Materials and Methods: We present the data of 51 patients of rhinoplasty done using CCG with counterbalancing technique over a period of 4 years. Results: No evidence of warping was found in any patient up to a maximum follow-up period of 4 years. Conclusion: Counterbalancing is a useful technique to overcome the problem of warping. It gives liberty to utilize even unbalanced cartilage safely to provide desired shape and use the cartilage without any wastage.

  7. Overcoming barriers to trust in agricultural biotechnology projects: a case study of Bt cowpea in Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ezezika Obidimma C

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has been the world’s largest cowpea importer since 2004. The country is currently in the early phases of confined field trials for two genetically modified crops: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt cowpea and nutritionally enhanced cassava (“BioCassava Plus”. Using the bio-safety guidelines process as a backdrop, we evaluate the role of trust in the operation of the Cowpea Productivity Improvement Project, which is an international agricultural biotechnology public-private partnership (PPP aimed at providing pest-resistant cowpea varieties to Nigerian farmers. Methods We reviewed the published literature and collected data through direct observations and semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed based on emergent themes to create a comprehensive narrative on how trust is understood and built among the partners and with the community. Results Our findings highlight the importance of respecting mandates and eliminating conflicts of interest; holding community engagement initiatives early on; having on-going internal discussion and planning; and serving a locally-defined need. These four lessons could prove helpful to other agricultural biotechnology initiatives in which partners may face similar trust-related challenges. Conclusions Overcoming challenges to building trust requires concerted effort throughout all stages of project implementation. Currently, plans are being made to backcross the cowpea strain into a local variety in Nigeria. The development and adoption of the Bt cowpea seed hinges on the adoption of a National Biosafety Law in Nigeria. For countries that have decided to adopt biotech crops, the Nigerian cowpea experiment can be used as a model for other West African nations, and is actually applied as such in Ghana and Burkina Faso, interested in developing a Bt cowpea.

  8. CCS Research Development and Deployment in a Clean Energy Future: Lessons from Australia over the Past Two Decades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J. Cook

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available There is widespread, though by no means universal, recognition of the importance of carbon capture and storage (CCS as a carbon mitigation technology. However, the rate of deployment does not match what is required for global temperatures to stay well below 2 °C. Although some consider the hurdles to achieving the widespread application of CCS to be almost insurmountable, a more optimistic view is that a great deal is now known about CCS through research, demonstration, and deployment. We know how to do it; we are confident it can be done safely and effectively; we know what it costs; and we know that costs are decreasing and will continue to do so. We also know that the world will need CCS as long as countries, companies, and communities continue to use fossil fuels for energy and industrial processes. What is lacking are the necessary policy drivers, along with a technology-neutral approach to decrease carbon emissions in a cost-effective and timely manner while retaining the undoubted benefits of ready access to reliable and secure electricity and energy-intensive industrial products. In this paper, Australia is used as an example of what has been undertaken in CCS over the past 20 years, particularly in research and demonstration, but also in international collaboration. Progress in the large-scale deployment of CCS in Australia has been too slow. However, the world’s largest storage project will soon be operational in Australia as part of the Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG project, and investigations are underway into several large-scale CCS Flagship program opportunities. The organization and progress of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC Otway Project, which is currently Australia’s only operational storage project, is discussed in some detail because of its relevance to the commercial deployment of CCS. The point is made that there is scope for building on this Otway activity to investigate

  9. Overcoming the initial investment hurdle for advanced biofuels. An analysis of biofuel-related risks and their impact on project financing. Report of ELOBIO subtask 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bole, T.; Londo, M.; Van Stralen, J.; Uslu, A.

    2010-04-01

    The ELOBIO research project aims to develop policies that will help achieve a higher share of biofuels in total transport fuel in a low-disturbing and sustainable way. Workpackage 7 of the ELOBIO project aims at addressing the objective of providing a reliable estimate of the potential and costs of biofuels, given the application of low-disturbing policy measures. More specifically, we seek to evaluate the impact of these biofuel policy measures on the investment climate for second-generation technologies. To this end, we try to answer several sub-questions in a following logical sequence: (1) What are the different factors that contribute to investment risk in biofuels and what are their relative contributions to overall biofuel project risk as perceived by finance providers?; (2) How do these risks translate into cost of capital for different biofuel technologies?; (3) How does cost of capital influence market penetration rates for the different technologies?; and (4) What is the best policy (or policy mix) to overcome the initial investment hurdle for advanced biofuels, thus lowering their cost of capital and achieve wider market deployment?.

  10. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... facts about babies, breastmilk, and breastfeeding Overcoming challenges Common questions about breastfeeding and pain Breastfeeding checklist: How to get a good latch Finding support It takes a village: Building ...

  11. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... and mission Leadership Programs and activities In your community Funding opportunities Internships and jobs View all pages ... breastfeeding myths Breastfeeding myths in the African-American community Incredible facts about babies, breastmilk, and breastfeeding Overcoming ...

  12. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... menu It's Only Natural Planning ahead Breastfeeding and baby basics Making breastfeeding work for you Addressing breastfeeding ... in the African-American community Incredible facts about babies, breastmilk, and breastfeeding Overcoming challenges Common questions about ...

  13. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Disease and Stroke HIV and AIDS Mental Health Pain Pregnancy Reproductive Health Sexual Health Sexually Transmitted Infections ... breastfeeding Overcoming challenges Common questions about breastfeeding and pain Breastfeeding checklist: How to get a good latch ...

  14. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... into your life Breastfeeding in daily life: At home and in public Laws that support breastfeeding 10 ... and jobs View all pages in this section Home It's Only Natural Overcoming challenges It's Only Natural ...

  15. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... breastfeeding means to them. Subscribe To receive Breastfeeding email updates Enter email Submit Overcoming challenges Breastfeeding has a long list ... breastfeeding means to them. Subscribe To receive Breastfeeding email updates Enter email Submit All material contained on ...

  16. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Contact Us Blog Popular topics Vision and mission Leadership Programs and activities In your community Funding opportunities Internships and jobs View all pages in this section Home It's Only Natural Overcoming challenges It's Only Natural Planning ahead Addressing breastfeeding myths ...

  17. Overcoming the Law of the Hidden in Cyberinfrastructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucksch, Alexander; Das, Abhiram; Schneider, Hannah; Merchant, Nirav; Weitz, Joshua S

    2017-02-01

    Cyberinfrastructure projects (CIPs) are complex, integrated systems that require interaction and organization amongst user, developer, hardware, technical infrastructure, and funding resources. Nevertheless, CIP usability, functionality, and growth do not scale with the sum of these resources. Instead, growth and efficient usage of CIPs require access to 'hidden' resources. These include technical resources within CIPs as well as social and functional interactions among stakeholders. We identify approaches to overcome resource limitations following the conceptual basis of Liebig's Law of the Minimum. In so doing, we recommend practical steps towards efficient and scaleable resource use, taking the iPlant/CyVerse CIP as an example. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Overcoming challenges

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... we are What we do Programs and activities Work with us Contact Us Blog Popular topics Vision and mission Leadership Programs and activities In your community Funding opportunities Internships and jobs View all pages in this section Home It's Only Natural Overcoming challenges It's Only Natural ...

  19. The Fulton School Recycling Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, Jean

    1994-01-01

    Outlines a school recycling project that started as a newspaper collection for library funds and evolved into a community service. Discusses problems that were overcome, strategies for implementation of the project, and related cross-curricular studies and activities. Contains two curriculum mind maps. (LZ)

  20. Overcoming job stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000884.htm Overcoming job stress To use the sharing features on this page, ... stay healthy and feel better. Causes of Job Stress Although the cause of job stress is different ...

  1. Public participation in UMTRA Project program management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majors, M.J.; Ulland, L.M.

    1993-01-01

    Innovative techniques for overcoming barriers to public participation on the US Department of Energy's Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project have led to improved communications with stakeholders at project sites and improved communications within the project. On the UMTRA Project, it's been shown that an effective public participation program is an essential element to successful project implementation

  2. Homogenisation in project management for large German research projects in the Earth system sciences: overcoming the institutional coordination bias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rauser, Florian; Vamborg, Freja

    2016-04-01

    The interdisciplinary project on High Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing climate prediction HD(CP)2 (hdcp2.eu) is an example for the trend in fundamental research in Europe to increasingly focus on large national and international research programs that require strong scientific coordination. The current system has traditionally been host-based: project coordination activities and funding is placed at the host institute of the central lead PI of the project. This approach is simple and has the advantage of strong collaboration between project coordinator and lead PI, while exhibiting a list of strong, inherent disadvantages that are also mentioned in this session's description: no community best practice development, lack of integration between similar projects, inefficient methodology development and usage, and finally poor career development opportunities for the coordinators. Project coordinators often leave the project before it is finalized, leaving some of the fundamentally important closing processes to the PIs. This systematically prevents the creation of professional science management expertise within academia, which leads to an automatic imbalance that hinders the outcome of large research programs to help future funding decisions. Project coordinators in academia often do not work in a professional project office environment that could distribute activities and use professional tools and methods between different projects. Instead, every new project manager has to focus on methodological work anew (communication infrastructure, meetings, reporting), even though the technological needs of large research projects are similar. This decreases the efficiency of the coordination and leads to funding that is effectively misallocated. We propose to challenge this system by creating a permanent, virtual "Centre for Earth System Science Management CESSMA" (cessma.com), and changing the approach from host- based to centre-based. This should

  3. Reconstruction for limited-projection fluorescence molecular tomography based on projected restarted conjugate gradient normal residual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Xu; Zhang, Bin; Liu, Fei; Wang, Xin; Bai, Jing

    2011-12-01

    Limited-projection fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) can greatly reduce the acquisition time, which is suitable for resolving fast biology processes in vivo but suffers from severe ill-posedness because of the reconstruction using only limited projections. To overcome the severe ill-posedness, we report a reconstruction method based on the projected restarted conjugate gradient normal residual. The reconstruction results of two phantom experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is feasible for limited-projection FMT. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  4. PORTFOLIO COMMUNICATION BASE OF PROJECT ORIENTED ORGANIZATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Тетяна Віталіївна РОМАНІВ

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available It is proposed a tool for overcoming communication barriers that arise between all stakeholders in the implementation of complex projects where the company understands the limits and properties of own resources as well as the construction of communication noise to a minimum, taking into account the plans, performance indicators and received projections in fact the project.

  5. The GEOFAR Project - Geothermal Finance and Awareness in Europeans Regions - Development of new schemes to overcome non-technical barriers, focusing particularly on financial barriers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poux, Adeline; Wendel, Marco; Jaudin, Florence; Hiegl, Mathias

    2010-05-01

    Numerous advantages of geothermal energy like its widespread distribution, a base-load power and availability higher than 90%, a small footprint and low carbon emissions, and the growing concerns about climate changes strongly promote the development of geothermal projects. Geothermal energy as a local energy source implies needs on surface to be located close to the geothermal resource. Many European regions dispose of a good geothermal potential but it is mostly not sufficiently developed due to non-technical barriers occurring at the very early stages of the project. The GEOFAR Project carried out within the framework of EU's "Intelligent Energy Europe" (IEE) program, gathers a consortium of European partners from Germany, France, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Launched in September 2008, the aim of this research project is to analyze the mentioned non-technical barriers, focusing most particularly on economic and financial aspects. Based on this analysis GEOFAR aims at developing new financial and administrative schemes to overcome the main financial barriers for deep geothermal projects (for electricity and direct use, without heat pumps). The analysis of the current situation and the future development of geothermal energy in GEOFAR target countries (Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary) was necessary to understand and expose the diverging status of the geothermal sector and the more and less complicated situation for geothermal projects in different Europeans Regions. A deeper analysis of 40 cases studies (operating, planned and failed projects) of deep geothermal projects also contributed to this detailed view. An exhaustive analysis and description of financial mechanisms already existing in different European countries and at European level to support investors completed the research on non-technical barriers. Based on this profound analysis, the GEOFAR project has made an overview of the difficulties met by project

  6. Strategies for Overcoming Key Barriers to Development of a National Security Workforce

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-06-30

    This report documents the strategies for overcoming identified key barriers to development of an adequate national security workforce as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP) being performed under a Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. Many barriers currently exist that prevent the development of an adequate number of properly trained national security personnel. The identified strategies to address the barriers will focus on both short-term and long-term efforts, as well as strategies to capture legacy knowledge of retiring national security workforce personnel.

  7. Transforming local government by project portfolio management: Identifying and overcoming control problems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lars Kristian

    2013-01-01

    Purpose – As public organizations strive for higher e-government maturity, information technology (IT) Project Portfolio Management (IT PPM) has become a high priority issue. Assuming control is central in IT PPM, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a Danish local government conducts...... to understand how local governments can improve IT PPM. Keywords IT project portfolio management, E-government, Control theory, Control problems, Formal mechanisms, Informal mechanisms, Local government, Denmark...... control in IT PPM. The authors identify control problems and formulate recommendations to address these. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting principles from Engaged Scholarship, the authors have conducted a case study using a wide variety of data collection methods, including 29 interviews, one...

  8. Improving Student Readiness to Overcome IT-Related Obstacles During Pedagogical Interaction in Post-Soviet Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitry Luchaninov

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The relevance of the study deals with the importance of improvement of student readiness to overcome IT-related obstacles in post-Soviet social studies education. In this regard, this paper aims at identifying the concept of pedagogical interaction in the information and educational environment and revealing the effective use of pedagogical interaction to improve student readiness to overcome IT-related obstacles. The leading research method used to solve the problem is teaching project, which allows an integrated treatment of methodology in developing student readiness to overcome IT-related obstacles. The paper presents such methods as creating positive motivation, arranging interactive educational cognitive and practical student activities and boosting the personal educational environment; it is shown that a distinctive feature of pedagogical interaction is the acquaintance of students with various elements of the information and educational environment, leading to the development of student readiness to overcome IT-related obstacles; it is found out that the use of pedagogical interaction in the information and educational environment ensures the purposefulness and efficiency of educational process; it is justified that using interactive means of information and educational environment in the context of arrangement of pedagogical interaction can enrich educational process, develop specific student skill that will definitely help them in future professional activities. The research materials are of practical value to the further expansion of functional and methodical aspects of using interactive media in the information and educational environment.

  9. Towards overcoming poor readership and building reading culture ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Towards overcoming poor readership and building reading culture of in schools. ... of this paper is to find strategies that can overcome poor readership in schools. ... Keywords: English First Additional Language, Writing Skills, Spelling Errors, ...

  10. A Study of Using Simulation to Overcome Obstacles That Block the Implementation of Critical Chain Project Management to Project Management Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Chia-Ling Huang; Rong-Kwei Li; Chih-Hung Tsai; Yi-Chan Chung; Yao-Wen Hsu

    2014-01-01

    Since 1997, the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) method has received considerable attention. Hundreds of successful CCPM cases have achieved highly reliable on-time delivery (OTD) with short project lead-time (PLT) in multi-project environments. However, two obstacles have remained, blocking the implementation of CCPM to project management (PM) society. The first has been addressed by PM practitioners, who have been less than confident that OTD and PLT can be significantly improved by...

  11. Fast Missile Boat Project Planning using CPM and What If Analysis Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvianita; Firmansyah, R.; Rosyid, D. M.; Suntoyo; Chamelia, D. M.

    2018-03-01

    This paper discusses analysis of fast ship missile project planning with CPM and What If analysis.The poor performance can cause project delay and cost overruns, these two things often occur in a project management. Scheduling has an important role to control the project. Good scheduling is required because it will affect the product quality. Scheduling is useful to manage the activities so that the project completion time can be as short as possible and it is used to determine the costs of the project are in optimum condition. The alternatives that can be used to overcome the delay project namely increasing labor and equipment.Project planning can be done to determine whether the project is already in an optimum condition. Alternatives that can be used to overcome the delay in the project is to increase labor and equipment, the next is to look for the optimum solution taking into account the duration and gain of each alternative.

  12. Multidisciplinary Knowledge Transfer in Training Multimedia Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freyens, Benoit; Martin, Marguerite

    2007-01-01

    Purpose--Training multimedia projects often face identical knowledge-transfer obstacles that partly originate in the multidisciplinarity of the project team. The purpose of this paper is to describe these difficulties and the tools used to overcome them. In particular, the aim is to show how elements of cognitive psychology theory (concept maps,…

  13. The Wiluna Uranium Project, Western Australia: Bringing a new project to the market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guthrie, V.

    2014-01-01

    Summary - Wiluna: One of the few projects able to provide new production from 2016 to take advantage of the predicted U market upswing. The 3Ps: • Process – Sound science is fundamental; – There are no short-cuts (but can be lots of delays)! • Persistence: – Tell your story over and over again; – Every roadblock can be overcome; • Patience: – Start early; – Expect all stakeholders to take longer to accept the project

  14. Overcoming Absence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paldam, Camilla Skovbjerg

    2017-01-01

    In this chapter, I address the rhetoric of modern love correspondence – its various purposes, modes of communication, and meta-reflections on writing and media – from the beginning of the 20th century till today. I analyze how love and the beloved are mediated in the articulated desire and longing...... of love letters, and how love letters are used as a medium to overcome absence. I also reflect on the material status of love letters in relation to the technological development and subsequently the replacement of traditional letters by their digital counterparts such as email, text messages and real...

  15. Mid-Atlantic Wind - Overcoming the Challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daniel F. Ancona III; Kathryn E. George; Richard P. Bowers; Dr. Lynn Sparling; Bruce Buckheit; Daniel LoBue

    2012-05-31

    This study, supported by the US Department of Energy, Wind Powering America Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, analyzed barriers to wind energy development in the Mid-Atlantic region along with options for overcoming or mitigating them. The Mid-Atlantic States including Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, have excellent wind energy potential and growing demand for electricity, but only two utility-scale projects have been installed to date. Reasons for this apathetic development of wind resources were analyzed and quantified for four markets. Specific applications are: 1) Appalachian mountain ridgeline sites, 2) on coastal plains and peninsulas, 3) at shallow water sites in Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and 4) at deeper water sites off the Atlantic coast. Each market has distinctly different opportunities and barriers. The primary barriers to wind development described in this report can be grouped into four categories; state policy and regulatory issues, wind resource technical uncertainty, economic viability, and public interest in environmental issues. The properties of these typologies are not mutually independent and do interact. The report concluded that there are no insurmountable barriers to land-based wind energy projects and they could be economically viable today. Likewise potential sites in sheltered shallow waters in regional bay and sounds have been largely overlooked but could be viable currently. Offshore ocean-based applications face higher costs and technical and wind resource uncertainties. The ongoing research and development program, revision of state incentive policies, additional wind measurement efforts, transmission system expansion, environmental baseline studies and outreach to private developers and stakeholders are needed to reduce barriers to wind energy development.

  16. Mid-Atlantic Wind - Overcoming the Challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daniel F. Ancona III; Kathryn E. George; Lynn Sparling; Bruce C. Buckheit; Daniel LoBue; and Richard P. Bowers

    2012-06-29

    This study, supported by the US Department of Energy, Wind Powering America Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, analyzed barriers to wind energy development in the Mid-Atlantic region along with options for overcoming or mitigating them. The Mid-Atlantic States including Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia, have excellent wind energy potential and growing demand for electricity, but only two utility-scale projects have been installed to date. Reasons for this apathetic development of wind resources were analyzed and quantified for four markets. Specific applications are: 1) Appalachian mountain ridgeline sites, 2) on coastal plains and peninsulas, 3) at shallow water sites in Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and 4) at deeper water sites off the Atlantic coast. Each market has distinctly different opportunities and barriers. The primary barriers to wind development described in this report can be grouped into four categories; state policy and regulatory issues, wind resource technical uncertainty, economic viability, and public interest in environmental issues. The properties of these typologies are not mutually independent and do interact. The report concluded that there are no insurmountable barriers to land-based wind energy projects and they could be economically viable today. Likewise potential sites in sheltered shallow waters in regional bay and sounds have been largely overlooked but could be viable currently. Offshore ocean-based applications face higher costs and technical and wind resource uncertainties. The ongoing research and development program, revision of state incentive policies, additional wind measurement efforts, transmission system expansion, environmental baseline studies and outreach to private developers and stakeholders are needed to reduce barriers to wind energy development.

  17. Virtuality and efficiency - overcoming past antinomy in the remote collaboration experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandes, Joao; Bjorkli, Knut; Clavo, David Martin; Baron, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Several recent initiatives have been put in place by the CERN IT Department to improve the user experience in remote dispersed meetings and remote collaboration at large in the LHC communities worldwide. We will present an analysis of the factors which were historically limiting the efficiency of remote dispersed meetings and describe the consequent actions which were undertaken at CERN to overcome these limitations. After giving a status update of the different equipment available at CERN to enable the virtual sessions and the various collaborative tools which are currently proposed to users, we will focus on the evolution of this market: how can the new technological trends (among others, HD videoconferencing, Telepresence, Unified Communications, etc.) impact positively the user experience and how to attain the best usage of them. Finally, by projecting ourselves in the future, we will give some hints as to how to answer the difficult question of selecting the next generation of collaborative tools: which set of tools among the various offers (systems like Vidyo H264 SVC, next generation EVO, Groupware offers, standard H323 systems, etc.) is best suited for our environment and how to unify this set for the common user. This will finally allow us to definitively overcome the past antinomy between virtuality and efficiency.

  18. Why Mondragon? Analyzing What Works in Overcoming Inequalities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redondo, Gisela; Santa Cruz, Ignacio; Rotger, Josep Maria

    2011-01-01

    Research using the critical communicative methodology (CCM) aims to identify the elements that help overcome inequalities. Drawing on research on the Basque Mondragon Corporation (MC), the authors focus on two major elements such as, selecting research cases that have been shown to succeed in overcoming inequalities, and communicative data…

  19. Overcoming weak intrinsic depolarizing resonances with energy-jump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, H.; Ahrens, L.; Alessi, J.G.

    1997-01-01

    In the recent polarized proton runs in the AGS, a 5% partial snake was used successfully to overcome the imperfection depolarizing resonances. Polarized proton beam was accelerated up to the required RHIC injection energy of 25 GeV. However, significant amount of polarization was lost at 0+ν y , 12+ν y and 36+ν y , which is believed to be partially due to the coupling resonances. To overcome the coupling resonance, an energy-jump was generated by rapidly changing the beam circumference using the powerful AGS rf system. It clearly demonstrates that the novel energy-jump method can successfully overcome coupling resonances and weak intrinsic resonances

  20. LVIF announces five more funded projects | CRDI - Centre de ...

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

    10 avr. 2018 ... To date, 11 projects are being supported for a combined CA$13.6 million in research funding. The projects are driving innovation in livestock vaccines by accelerating the development of new vaccines and overcoming production challenges for existing vaccines. Collectively, these world-class research ...

  1. Overcoming Blockages to Collective Innovation in Digital Infrastructures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rukanova, Boriana; Reuver, Mark; Henningsson, Stefan

    2017-01-01

    Decentralized digital technologies increasingly enable multiple organizations to co-create digital infrastructures. However, collective innovation processes often come to a stand-still because of conflicting interests and business models. While existing research suggests various factors that block...... collective innovation processes, there is still little understanding of how organizations can overcome these blockages. In this paper, we identify patterns that explain how organizations overcome blockages of collective innovation processes for digital infrastructures. We follow a processual approach...... and develop a conceptual framework based on collective action theory. We evaluate the framework through a longitudinal case study on mobile payment infrastructure development. We find various reconfiguration processes that organizations use to overcome blockages of collective innovation. Theoretically...

  2. Ranking the Project Management Success Factors for Construction Project in South India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aneesha, K.; Haridharan, M. K.

    2017-07-01

    In Today’s construction industry, to achieve a greater advantage over the firms, success of each project and efficiency is required. Effective Project Management overcomes these types of challenges. This study identifies the success factors which are important for project management in construction project success. From the literature review, 26 factors were found to be critical. Project managers, construction managers, civil engineers, contractors and site engineers were the respondents. After analyzing the data in SPSS software, the dominant factors from the regression analysis are top management support, competent project team, abilities to solve problems, realistic cost and time estimates, information/communication, competency of the project manager are the 6 factors out of 12 in 26 factors. Effective communication between stakeholders got highest priority and client involvement, good leadership, clarity of project goals got second priority. Informal communication gives better results compared to formal communications like written formats. To remove communication barrier with the stakeholders, informal communication like speaking face-to-face with the language this fits for the stakeholders.

  3. Fear of Public Speaking: How Can I Overcome It?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... I overcome it? How can I overcome my fear of public speaking? Answers from Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P. Fear of public speaking is a common form of ... It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many people with this fear avoid ...

  4. Overcoming PV grid issues in the urban areas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ehara, T.

    2009-10-15

    This report for the International Energy Agency (IEA) made by Task 10 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) programme takes a look at grid issues in urban photovoltaic electricity and how to overcome them. The mission of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme is to enhance the international collaboration efforts which accelerate the development and deployment of photovoltaic solar energy as a significant and sustainable renewable energy option. The objective of Task 10 is stated as being to enhance the opportunities for wide-scale, solution-oriented application of photovoltaics in the urban environment. The paper discusses the goal of mainstreaming PV systems in the urban environment. In this report, PV grid interconnection issues and countermeasures based on the latest studies are identified and summarised. Appropriate and understandable information is provided for all possible stakeholders. Possible impacts and benefits of PV grid interconnection are identified, technical measures designed to eliminate negative impacts and enhance possible benefits are presented. The status of research and demonstration projects is introduced and the latest outcomes are summarised. Recommendations and conclusions based on the review process are summarised and presented.

  5. Bakhtinian Thought and the Defence of Narrative: Overcoming Universalism and Relativism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Owen

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available In light of recalcitrant global problems such as the prevalence of various levels and forms of inequality and increased environmental destruction, there is a growing recognition of the limitations, epistemological, political, social, cultural, ethical and ecological, of the modes of thought that have dominantly governed and continue to govern our worldview. The modernist project, despite various attempts to give voice to those previously denied, has come under criticism for tendencies to totalise experience and overlook or exclude differences. On the other hand, the postmodernist glorification of difference and tendency to isolate and fragment has generated a kind of debilitating uncertainty in the form of absolute relativism rendering any pursuit of meaning meaningless. Alongside the recognition of these limitations are attempts to overcome the negative effects of these modes of understanding and to create new ways of understanding ourselves, our relationship to others, human and non-human and to the larger world process in which we find ourselves. Despite the supposed opposition between the modern and postmodern projects, the two share in common the tendency to undermine another mode of understanding that by its very nature both precludes and succeeds them. The mode of understanding referred to is narrative understanding which has the potential to pave a middle way between modernity’s totalising exclusions and postmodernity’s fragmenting nihilism, furthermore when the narrative approach is seriously undertaken it becomes clear that the formerly polarised dominant modes of thought are part of a wider, more heterogeneous process. The following article examines and highlights in detail some of the problems surrounding the modern and postmodern modes of thought in order to demonstrate the usefulness of narrative theory in overcoming these problems. In order to augment the defence of narrative theory this article also draws considerably from

  6. A Viral Receptor Complementation Strategy to Overcome CAV-2 Tropism for Efficient Retrograde Targeting of Neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shu-Jing; Vaughan, Alexander; Sturgill, James Fitzhugh; Kepecs, Adam

    2018-06-06

    Retrogradely transported neurotropic viruses enable genetic access to neurons based on their long-range projections and have become indispensable tools for linking neural connectivity with function. A major limitation of viral techniques is that they rely on cell-type-specific molecules for uptake and transport. Consequently, viruses fail to infect variable subsets of neurons depending on the complement of surface receptors expressed (viral tropism). We report a receptor complementation strategy to overcome this by potentiating neurons for the infection of the virus of interest-in this case, canine adenovirus type-2 (CAV-2). We designed AAV vectors for expressing the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) throughout candidate projection neurons. CAR expression greatly increased retrograde-labeling rates, which we demonstrate for several long-range projections, including some resistant to other retrograde-labeling techniques. Our results demonstrate a receptor complementation strategy to abrogate endogenous viral tropism and thereby facilitate efficient retrograde targeting for functional analysis of neural circuits. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Towards A Framework For ICT-Enabled Materials Management In Complex Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. B. Kasim

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a research project, aimed at developing a system to integrate RFID-based materials management with resources modelling in project management to improve on-site materials tracking and inventory management processes. In order to develop the system, a comprehensive literature review and exploratory case studies were conducted to investigate current practices, problems, implementation of ICT and potential use of emerging technologies (such as RFID and wireless technologies in overcoming the logistical difficulties associated with materials management. An initial assessment revealed that there is a potential to improve the tracking and management of materials using modern ICT, thus will enhance the operational efficiency of the project delivery process. Moreover, sophisticated technologies such as wireless systems and tagging are not generally used to overcome human error in materials identification and the space constraints inherent in many projects. This paper concludes the finding from case studies for developing a real-time materials tracking framework to support construction professional in handling materials more effectively.

  8. Components of Hospital Perioperative Infrastructure Can Overcome the Weekend Effect in Urgent General Surgery Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kothari, Anai N; Zapf, Matthew A C; Blackwell, Robert H; Markossian, Talar; Chang, Victor; Mi, Zhiyong; Gupta, Gopal N; Kuo, Paul C

    2015-10-01

    We hypothesized that perioperative hospital resources could overcome the "weekend effect" (WE) in patients undergoing emergent/urgent surgeries. The WE is the observation that surgeon-independent patient outcomes are worse on the weekend compared with weekdays. The WE is often explained by differences in staffing and resources resulting in variation in care between the week and weekend. Emergent/urgent surgeries were identified using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database (Florida) from 2007 to 2011 and linked to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey Database to determine hospital level characteristics. Extended median length of stay (LOS) on the weekend compared with the weekdays (after controlling for hospital, year, and procedure type) was selected as a surrogate for WE. Included were 126,666 patients at 166 hospitals. A total of 17 hospitals overcame the WE during the study period. Logistic regression, controlling for patient characteristics, identified full adoption of electronic medical records (OR 4.74), home health program (OR 2.37), pain management program [odds ratio (OR) 1.48)], increased registered nurse-to-bed ratio (OR 1.44), and inpatient physical rehabilitation (OR 1.03) as resources that were predictors for overcoming the WE. The prevalence of these factors in hospitals exhibiting the WE for all 5 years of the study period were compared with those hospitals that overcame the WE (P surgery procedures. Improved hospital perioperative infrastructure represents an important target for overcoming disparities in surgical care.

  9. An Introduction to International Factoring & Project Finance

    OpenAIRE

    Glinavos, Ioannis

    2002-01-01

    This work consists of two essays on law and finance in international trade. It addresses the means of raising funds for investment through receivables financing and project finance. The first essay discusses the role of receivables financing and in particular factoring in international trade. It examines the nature of factoring transactions and presents the efforts at regulation on an international level aimed at overcoming the difficulties in enforcement. The second essay discusses project f...

  10. Overcoming Barriers between Volunteer Professionals Advising Project-Based Learning Teams with Regulation Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees Lewis, Daniel G.; Easterday, Matthew W.; Harburg, Emily; Gerber, Elizabeth M.; Riesbeck, Christopher K.

    2018-01-01

    To provide the substantial support required for project-based learning (PBL), educators can incorporate professional experts as "design coaches." However, previous work shows barriers incorporating design coaches who can rarely meet face-to-face: (1) communication online is time-consuming, (2) updating coaches online is not perceived as…

  11. Obstacle factors and overcoming plans of public communication: With an emphasis on radioactive waste disposal facility siting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Hae-Woon; Oh, Chang-Taeg

    1996-01-01

    Korea is confronting a serious social conflict, which is phenomenon of local residents reaction to radioactive waste disposal facility. This phenomenon is traced back to the reason that the project sponsors and local residents do not communicate sufficiently each other. Accordingly, in order to overcome local residents' reaction to radioactive waste disposal facility siting effectively, it is absolutely necessary to consider the way of solutions and strategies with regard to obstacle factors for public communication. In this content, this study will review three cases (An-myon Island, Gul-up Island, Yang-yang) on local residents reaction to facility siting. As a result of analysis, authoritarian behavior of project sponsors, local stigma, risk, antinuclear activities of environmental group, failures in siting the radioactive waste disposal facility, etc. has negative impact on public communication of the radioactive waste disposal facility siting. In this study, 5 strategies (reform of project sponsor's authoritarianism, incentive offer, strengthening PA activities, more active talks with environmental groups, promoting credibility of project sponsors) arc suggested to cope with obstacle factors of public communication

  12. Conducting a Multisite Education Research Project: Strategies to Overcome the Barriers to Achieve the Benefits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beischel, Kelly P; Hart, Julie; Turkelson, Sandra L

    2016-01-01

    Multisite education research projects have many benefits as well as perceived barriers. In this article, we share our experiences with a multisite education research project and the barriers we overcame to reap the benefits. The outcome of our research resulted in increased rigor, role-modeling professional collaboration, and promotion of future multisite education studies. The strategies presented in this article will help alleviate perceived barriers and ameliorate the process of conducting multisite education research studies.

  13. How Do Artifact Models Help Direct SPI Projects?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuhrmann, Marco; Richardson, Ita

    2015-01-01

    To overcome shortcomings associated with software process improvement (SPI), we previously recommended that process engineers focus on the artifacts to be developed in SPI projects. These artifacts should define desired outcomes, rather than specific methods. During this prior research, we develo...

  14. Case study: I-95 Landfill gas recovery project Fairfax County, Virginia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGuigan, M.J.; Peterson, E.R.; Smithberger, J.M.; Owen, W.L.

    1993-01-01

    This paper presents a case study of the landfill gas (LFG) recovery project at the I-95 Landfill in Fairfax County, Virginia. The project originally was conceived more than 10 years ago and has overcome numerous obstacles enroute to its present success. The efforts of the landfill owner (Fairfax County) and the project developer (Michigan Cogeneration Systems, Inc.) to surmount these obstacles are presented

  15. First, build the project team

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Snyder, J.C. [Duke/Fluor Daniel, Charlotte, NC (United States)

    1997-03-01

    The EPC consortium of American, Japanese and Indonesian companies has been formed to construct the first phase of the coal-fired Paiton Power Project in Indonesia under a lump sum turnkey contract. A Consortium Agreement defines the respective roles, scope and responsibilities, as well as allocation of risks and rewards for each member. The roles of members have been assigned to match their experience and expertise and a Division of Responsibility document has been drawn up for each stage of the project. The management of the project depends on an effective team aligning the consortium members to a common set of project goals and objectives. Communication and understanding are all important. The project team have overcome some of the challenges of differences in culture, language, contractual practice and experience between the members. Some of the systems which are in place to minimise the effect of these differences and to focus on the execution of the project are outlined. (UK)

  16. Overcoming diabetes-related stigma in Iran: A participatory action research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doosti-Irani, Mehri; Abdoli, Samereh; Parvizy, Soroor; Fatemi, Naimeh Seyed

    2017-08-01

    The study aimed to overcome diabetes-related stigma in individuals living with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in Iran. The study proposed that if individuals with T1DM and the community work together to develop and implement an anti-stigma program, diabetes-related stigma in individuals with T1DM can be reduced. This study was conducted as a participatory action research study based on Kemmis and McTaggert's (2000) Model to design and implement an anti-stigma program for T1DM. Participants were selected among individuals with T1DM, their family members, health care providers, and residents without diabetes in Isfahan, Iran. Data collection was conducted using interviews, focus groups, emails, and text messages. Content analysis was used to analyze the data to develop anti-stigma interventions. Interventions were prioritized based on the Suitability, Feasibility and Flexibility (SFF) Matrix. Anti-stigma interventions were implemented in different levels in Isfahan, Iran, from 2011 to 2014. The effect of the program was evaluated based on interviews, feedback, and focus groups at the individual level. However, interventions were implemented in different levels including community, organization, family, and individual. Participants with T1DM experienced significant empowerment during the project to overcome diabetes-related stigma. The three main themes indicating this feeling of empowerment are "from doubt to trust", "from shadow to light", and "from me to us". Participatory action research can be an effective way to reduce diabetes-related stigma in individuals living with T1DM. It integrates the voices of the marginalized group reducing stigma and discrimination against diabetes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Overcoming technical and market barriers for distributed wind applications : reaching the mainstream

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhoads-Weaver, H.; Forsyth, T.

    2006-01-01

    Technical and market barriers for distributed wind applications were reviewed. A renewable energy survey has recently suggested that while less than 10 per cent of survey respondents had installed wind turbines, 40 per cent indicated that they plan to use wind energy on-site in the future. It is estimated that global annual sales of wind systems have the potential to reach $110 million by 2010 under ideal conditions. Distributed wind market growth areas include residential grid-connected sites, schools, public facilities and farms, business and industry. Grid-connected wind projects are expected to grow from less than 5 per cent of the total small wind market to over 20 per cent by 2020. However, without a federal investment tax credit, more modest growth is anticipated. Drivers of the distributed wind market were identified as financial incentives and programs; favorable policies and regulations; and increasing retail electricity rates and loads. Challenges and barriers to distributed wind market growth included economics; lack of performance standards and ratings; difficult interconnection processes; prohibitive zoning rules; low manufacturing volumes; and low consumer awareness. While there has been a 5-fold increase in photovoltaics (PV) sales in the United States since 2000, small wind turbines sales have only grown by approximately 70 per cent over the same period. Market increases in distributed wind systems are anticipated with the introduction of hybrid wind/PV systems. Improved designs for small and mid-sized turbines, rotors and towers may help to overcome barriers to wind energy growth. Technology developments in remote-monitored controllers and improved computer tools for analyzing project economics may also help to overcome market barriers. However, significant cost reductions are needed to stimulate widespread market acceptance of distributed wind. It was concluded that distributed wind is well-positioned to play an important role in supplying clean

  18. The role of Project Finance in the viability of infrastructure projects: case of the petroleum and natural gas sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faria, Viviana Cardoso de Sa e; Rodrigues, Adriano Pires

    2000-01-01

    Project finance represents neither recent news nor a panacea in the fields of long term financing. It is not able to solve the chronicle scarcity of resources applied in big projects financing in developing countries. In fact, underdeveloped markets as the Brazilian one offer, at the beginning, almost no chances to the project finance solution. In this case a path full of barriers overcome the solutions that project finance may offer. The process to adapt this instrument to the Brazilian reality presents the following hindrances: a different law framework, capital market underdevelopment; economical instability; political and regulating risks; incapability of the national insurance companies to insure big projects; cultural differences and lack of know-how in this area, and lastly, the out of date tax system. (author)

  19. Real Option--A New Approach in the Evaluation of Telecom Investment Projects

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WU Hong

    2005-01-01

    This paper gives a new method into the evaluating system of telecom investment projects, I.e. Real Option. This may overcome the defects resulted from employing Net Present Value (NPV), which is now used in the evaluation of telecom projects. A theoretical analysis of Real Option is provided, followed by an example of telecom investment project to illustrate the differences between the two methods.

  20. Overcoming Barriers in Working with Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heru, Alison M.; Drury, Laura

    2006-01-01

    Objective: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Residency Review Committee for psychiatry outline the expected competencies for residents. These competencies include working with families. This article describes barriers that residents face when working with families, and offers ways to overcome these barriers. Method:…

  1. Adolescents' Self-Efficacy to Overcome Barriers to Physical Activity Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwyer, John J. M.; Chulak, Tala; Maitland, Scott; Allison, Kenneth R.; Lysy, Daria C.; Faulkner, Guy E. J.; Sheeshka, Judy

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes a revised measure of self-efficacy to overcome barriers to moderate and vigorous physical activity in a sample of 484 high school students in Toronto, Ontario. The students had a mean age of 15.3 years. Principal axis factoring with oblique rotation yielded five factors: self-efficacy to overcome internal, harassment, physical…

  2. A computer based approach for Material, Manpower and Equipment managementin the Construction Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasidhar, Jaladanki; Muthu, D.; Venkatasubramanian, C.; Ramakrishnan, K.

    2017-07-01

    The success of any construction project will depend on efficient management of resources in a perfect manner to complete the project with a reasonable budget and time and the quality cannot be compromised. The efficient and timely procurement of material, deployment of adequate labor at correct time and mobilization of machinery lacking in time, all of them causes delay, lack of quality and finally affect the project cost. It is known factor that Project cost can be controlled by taking corrective actions on mobilization of resources at a right time. This research focuses on integration of management systems with the computer to generate the model which uses OOM data structure which decides to include automatic commodity code generation, automatic takeoff execution, intelligent purchase order generation, and components of design and schedule integration to overcome the problems of stock out. To overcome the problem in equipment management system inventory management module is suggested and the data set of equipment registration number, equipment number, description, date of purchase, manufacturer, equipment price, market value, life of equipment, production data of the equipment which includes equipment number, date, name of the job, hourly rate, insurance, depreciation cost of the equipment, taxes, storage cost, interest, oil, grease, and fuel consumption, etc. is analyzed and the decision support systems to overcome the problem arising out improper management is generated. The problem on labor is managed using scheduling, Strategic management of human resources. From the generated support systems tool, the resources are mobilized at a right time and help the project manager to finish project in time and thereby save the abnormal project cost and also provides the percentage that can be improved and also research focuses on determining the percentage of delays that are caused by lack of management of materials, manpower and machinery in different types of projects

  3. Successful Writing: Five Roadblocks to Overcome

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Kathleen P.

    2013-01-01

    This article provides essential strategies to be more successful in one of the major roles in academia: writing. Most academics struggle with roadblocks in their writing process. We are forever battling to complete research articles, manuscripts, grant proposals or other documents. The strategies and perspective shared here help overcome several…

  4. Cut It Up and Put It Back Together: Cut-up and Collage as Tools to Overcome Academic Deadlock

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bager-Elsborg, Anna; Loads, Daphne

    2016-01-01

    This ‘On the Horizon’ paper concerns creativity in the research process as a way to overcome unhelpful pre-understandings and ‘false clarity’. This paper gives an idea of how we can allow research to be as complex and messy as reality. Cut-up and collage are introduced and suggested as a way...... of letting go of rational analysis and allowing subconscious observations to come forward. The research example is from a project examining the disciplinary characteristics of academic law in a research intensive university...

  5. Overcoming Barriers to Public Engagement through a Multi-Institution Consortium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, K. F.; Weiss, M.; Garlick, S.

    2016-12-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that public engagement with science (PES) can enhance the relevance and impact of science on society. At the same time, advances in our understanding of public engagement suggest that greater skills, resources, and time horizons are often required to create effective programs. Consequently, despite a proliferation of training programs, many scientists still face the challenge of balancing the demands of public engagement with the requirements of their disciplinary research. Novel institutions are emerging that bring together interdisciplinary networks of principle investigators with PES practitioners to overcome barriers to effective and sustained public engagement in the environmental sciences. We will use the Science Policy Exchange (SPE), a consortium housed at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University, to illustrate how PIs and PES practitioners can collaborate to design public engagement processes, conduct policy-relevant scientific syntheses, and implement science communication strategies. Results from two SPE case studies demonstrate how multi-institutional consortia can help scientists overcome barriers such as lack of knowledge of evidence-based PES approaches, limits on time and funding to implement PES projects, and the need to integrate PES activities with research. The case studies also show how SPE strives to achieve credibility, saliency, and legitimacy in different public policy contexts: (1) engagement between scientists and local stakeholders to develop scenarios of landscape change; and (2) engagement between scientists and policy makers to understand the relationship between power plant emission standards, and air quality, human health and ecosystem function. The presentation will conclude with examples of how SPE programs have led to institutional change (staffing and budget), cultural change (attitudes and expectations of senior leaders), and research change (development of research questions, funding proposals

  6. Addressing and overcoming barriers for energy savings in business

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Kasper

    Energy savings are generally viewed as an effective way to cut GHG emissions, as there are huge potentials for improvements because of several barriers and constraining factors for implementing otherwise profitable solutions. Several different polity tools have been applied to overcome these barr......Energy savings are generally viewed as an effective way to cut GHG emissions, as there are huge potentials for improvements because of several barriers and constraining factors for implementing otherwise profitable solutions. Several different polity tools have been applied to overcome...

  7. Human factors and technology environment in multinational project: problems and solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jardi Besa, X.; Munoz Cervantes, A.

    2012-01-01

    At the onset of nuclear projects in Spain, there was an import of nuclear technology. In a second phase, there was a transfer of technology. Subsequently, there was an adaptation of the technology. In this evolution, comparable to that of other countries, were involved several countries, overcoming the difficulties of human factors involved. The current nuclear projects multinationals have a new difficulty: the different industrial technological environments. This paper will address the organizational challenges of multinational engineering projects, in the type of project and the human factors of the participating companies.

  8. Operational intervention levels (OILs): a tool to overcome differences in intervention levels?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchner, Gerald; Wirth, Erich

    2008-01-01

    The intervention levels for evacuation, sheltering and iodine blockade still differ in many countries, although international organisation like IAEA, NEA or ICRP aspire to harmonise them on an international level. Even if the dose values of the limits are in agreement, they are not necessarily comparable because the type of dose (projected dose, averted dose), the respected exposure pathways (external dose, inhalation, ingestion) or the integration time might differ significantly. The question is raised, how can harmonisation being achieved? International organisations recommend 'operational intervention levels' (OILs) for promptly assessing the results of environmental monitoring and to decide on protective actions. OILs are measurable values derived from dose limits. Best examples are the derived intervention levels for food and feed in the codex alimentarius or by the EC, which limit the ingestion dose to about 5 mSv/a. This paper discusses the properties and potential use of OILs, identifies and derives useful OILs and addresses their benefit in practise both for early and later countermeasures. Furthermore it is discussed whether OILs might be a useful tool to overcome national differences in intervention levels because an OIL value covers a relative wide range of the projected dose due to the uncertainty of the parameters needed for derivation. (author)

  9. Overcoming the Social Stigma on Mood Disorders with Dancing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavormina, Romina; Tavormina, Maurilio Giuseppe Maria

    2017-09-01

    In our society, the social stigma against people who suffer from mood disorders is a very powerful factor that negatively affects the healing of patient. He is often isolated from the others for the fear of being judged "fool, crazy or dangerous" or discriminated and emarginated for his mental health problem. For this reason, a cornerstone of mood disorder rehabilitation is the bringing out of the patient from his isolation, the reintegration of the user in the social context with the increase and the improvement in the quality of interpersonal relationships in the family and in the external context. The method used in our project is the dance-therapy one. In particular dancing the "Bachata" becomes a rehabilitation tool to express emotions through the body and to open to the world, on the territory, overcoming the fear of being judged by others, and of the prejudice and the social stigma about mental illness. The strength and cohesion of the rehabilitation group has given to the patients the opportunity to believe in their own abilities, to accept themselves with their difficulties and to improve the relationship with their body in relation to each other.

  10. Intervention: Help a Loved One Overcome Addiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Intervention: Help a loved one overcome addiction An intervention can motivate someone to seek help for alcohol or drug misuse, compulsive eating, or ... successful. By Mayo Clinic Staff It's challenging to help a loved one struggling with any type of ...

  11. Overcoming the Obstacle of Poor Knowledge in Proving Geometry Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zlatan Magajna

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Proving in school geometry is not just about validating the truth of a claim. In the school setting, the main function of the proof is to convince someone that a claim is true by providing an explanation. Students consider proving to be difficult; in fact, they find the very concept of proof demanding. Proving a claim in planar geometry involves several processes, the most salient being visual observation and deductive argumentation. These two processes are interwoven, but often poor observation hinders deductive argumentation. In the present article, we consider the possibility of overcoming the obstacle of a student’s poor observation by making use of computer-aided observation with appropriate software. We present the results of two small-scale research projects, both of which indicate that students are able to work out considerably more deductions if computer-aided observation is used. Not all students use computer-aided observation effectively in proving tasks: some find an exhaustive computer-provided list of properties confusing and are not able to choose the properties that are relevant to the task.

  12. Transforming local government by project portfolio management: Identifying and overcoming control problems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lars Kristian

    2013-01-01

    Purpose – As public organizations strive for higher e-government maturity, information technology (IT) Project Portfolio Management (IT PPM) has become a high priority issue. Assuming control is central in IT PPM, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a Danish local government conducts...... workshop, and analyses of documents. Findings – It is found that the local government relies vastly on informal control mechanisms and five control problems are identified: weak accountability processes between the political and administrative level; weak accountability between the director level...... the identified control problems. Research limitations/implications – As a single qualitative case study, the results are limited to one organization and subject. Practical implications – The paper has implications for IT PPM in Danish local governments and similar organizations in other countries. The paper...

  13. Projected phase-change memory devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koelmans, Wabe W; Sebastian, Abu; Jonnalagadda, Vara Prasad; Krebs, Daniel; Dellmann, Laurent; Eleftheriou, Evangelos

    2015-09-03

    Nanoscale memory devices, whose resistance depends on the history of the electric signals applied, could become critical building blocks in new computing paradigms, such as brain-inspired computing and memcomputing. However, there are key challenges to overcome, such as the high programming power required, noise and resistance drift. Here, to address these, we present the concept of a projected memory device, whose distinguishing feature is that the physical mechanism of resistance storage is decoupled from the information-retrieval process. We designed and fabricated projected memory devices based on the phase-change storage mechanism and convincingly demonstrate the concept through detailed experimentation, supported by extensive modelling and finite-element simulations. The projected memory devices exhibit remarkably low drift and excellent noise performance. We also demonstrate active control and customization of the programming characteristics of the device that reliably realize a multitude of resistance states.

  14. Implementing a Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Springer, David [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); German, Alea [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States)

    2015-08-01

    An objective of this project was to gain a highly visible foothold for residential buildings built to the U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) specification that can be used to encourage participation by other California builders. This report briefly describes two single family homes that were ZERH-certified, and focuses on the experience of working with developer Mutual Housing on a 62 unit multi-family community at the Spring Lake subdivision in Woodland, CA. The Spring Lake project is expected to be the first ZERH certified multi-family project nationwide. This report discusses challenges encountered, lessons learned, and how obstacles were overcome.

  15. Transformed Science: Overcoming Barriers of Inequality and Mistrust to Pursue the Agenda of Underrepresented Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Renee

    Educational programs created to provide opportunities for all, in reality often reflect social inequalities. Such is the case for Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) Projects. PPSR projects have been proposed as an effective way to engage more diverse audiences in science, yet the demographics of PPSR participants do not correspond with the demographic makeup of the United States. The field of PPSR as a whole has struggled to recruit low SES and underrepresented populations to participate in project research efforts. This research study explores factors, which may be affecting an underrepresented community's willingness to engage in scientific research and provides advice from PPSR project leaders in the field, who have been able to engage underrepresented communities in scientific research, on how to overcome these barriers. Finally the study investigates the theoretical construct of a Third Space within a PPSR project. The research-based recommendations for PPSR projects desiring to initiate and sustain research partnerships with underrepresented communities well align with the theoretical construct of a Third Space. This study examines a specific scientific research partnership between an underrepresented community and scientific researchers to examine if and to what extent a Third Space was created. Using qualitative methods to understand interactions and processes involved in initiating and sustaining a scientific research partnership, this study provides advice on how PPSR research partnerships can engage underrepresented communities in scientific research. Study results show inequality and mistrust of powerful institutions stood as participation barriers for underrepresented community members. Despite these barriers PPSR project leaders recommend barriers can be confronted by open dialogue with communities about the abuse and alienation they have faced, by signaling respect for the community, and by entering the community through someone the

  16. Sesquiterpenes with TRAIL-resistance overcoming activity from Xanthium strumarium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karmakar, Utpal K; Ishikawa, Naoki; Toume, Kazufumi; Arai, Midori A; Sadhu, Samir K; Ahmed, Firoj; Ishibashi, Masami

    2015-08-01

    The ability of TRAIL to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells while sparing normal cells makes it an attractive target for the development of new cancer therapy. In search of bioactive natural products for overcoming TRAIL-resistance from natural resources, we previously reported a number of active compounds. In our screening program on natural resources targeting overcoming TRAIL-resistance, activity-guided fractionations of the extract of Xanthium strumarium led to the isolation of five sesquiterpene compounds (1-5). 11α,13-dihydroxanthinin (2) and 11α,13-dihydroxanthuminol (3) were first isolated from natural resources and xanthinosin (1), desacetylxanthanol (4), and lasidiol p-methoxybenzoate (5) were known compounds. All compounds (1-5) showed potent TRAIL-resistance overcoming activity at 8, 20, 20, 16, and 16 μM, respectively, in TRAIL-resistant AGS cells. Compounds 1 and 5 enhanced the levels of apoptosis inducing proteins DR4, DR5, p53, CHOP, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-8, and cleaved caspase-9 and also decreased the levels of cell survival protein Bcl-2 in TRAIL-resistant AGS cells in a dose-dependent manner. Compound 1 also enhanced the levels of DR4 and DR5 proteins in a time-dependent manner. Thus, compounds 1 and 5 were found to induce both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic cell death. Compound 1 also exhibit TRAIL-resistance overcoming activity in DLD1, DU145, HeLa, and MCF7 cells but did not decrease viability in non-cancer HEK293 cells up to 8 μM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Overcoming Learned Helplessness in Community College Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roueche, John E.; Mink, Oscar G.

    1982-01-01

    Reviews research on the effects of repeated experiences of helplessness and on locus of control. Identifies conditions necessary for overcoming learned helplessness; i.e., the potential for learning to occur; consistent reinforcement; relevant, valued reinforcers; and favorable psychological situation. Recommends eight ways for teachers to…

  18. Overcoming Family Planning Challenges in Africa: Toward Meeting ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    Overcoming Family Planning Challenges in Africa: Toward Meeting. Unmet Need ... The challenges posed are greater in ... Gaps in meeting women's needs persist especially ..... WHO. Everybody's business: Strengthening health systems to.

  19. Perceptions of Teacher Candidates Regarding Project-Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baysura, Ozge Deniz; Altun, Sertel; Yucel-Toy, Banu

    2016-01-01

    Problem Statement: Project-based learning (PBL) is a learning and teaching approach that makes students search for new knowledge and skills, helps them overcome real-life questions, and makes them design their own studies and performances. Research in Turkey reveals that teachers are not well-informed about PBL, can not guide students in this…

  20. SOCIAL PROJECT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AS A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE MOTIVATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Юлия Леонидовна Гончарова

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Subject and purpose of the researchThis paper describes an experiment on the use of social projects as a kind of extra-curricular collaboration in order to increase students' motivation to learn English, to overcome the psychological barrier of communication in a foreign language, and for the purpose of evaluating the skills of independent learning in the process of solving practical problems or tasks.Design of the experimentThe origin of the problem and the development of learning and cognitive activity during the preparation of students for the project is being described; the expected positive result and the organizational algorithm of the project are proposed.Progress and findingsA phased description of the work of students with emphasis on unexpected and interesting findings is presented; an evaluation system of the individual contribution of each of the students on the project and the ability to work on a team is offered.Practical implicationsConclusions are made about the relevance of the use of group projects in teaching foreign languages as an effective tool to stimulate learning motivation and overcoming socio-psychological and communication problems within the training group and the community as a whole.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-6-44

  1. Objections to tubal sterilization: what reversibility can and cannot overcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shain, R N

    1980-09-01

    In a study of 1074 women, 696 and 338 subjects would not seriously consider permanent and hypothetically reversible sterilization, respectively; they were asked to explain their feelings. The reason accounting for most objections to permanent sterilization (65%) was irreversibility and of the subjects who would not consider reversible sterilization or were unsure, 42.7% attributed their principal objection to unnecessary surgery, a factor at least currently intrinsic to the procedure and not readily overcome by education. Many of the remaining objections to both permanent and reversible sterilization may be amenable to change either through education or financial subsidies. In response to a question concerning female attractiveness subsequent to permanent sterilization, 3% of the sample felt attractiveness would decrease and 17.5% were unsure of the surgery's effect. Unsure responses were largely negative in character. This issue is important because of its relationship to intention to undergo sterilization. Upon consideration of reversible sterilization, negative and unsure responses significantly declined, even on the part of those women whose friends have had a poor experience with currently available procedures. Thus, whereas the option of reversibility cannot overcome objections to surgery, it does overcome those regarding permanency; moreover, the "temporary" character it bestows upon surgical sterilization appears to help certain individuals overcome their fears of losing their physical appeal as a result of such procedures.

  2. Overcoming the Confucian psychological barrier in government cyberspace.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ook; Gong, Sung Jin

    2004-02-01

    The Confucian tradition still dictates the behavior of many people in East Asian countries such as South Korea. Even in e-mail communication, people try their best to show signs of respect which is required by the Confucian tradition. This psychological barrier can be detrimental to the development of democracy as people are educated not to challenge opinions of elders or bosses. After a long military dictatorship, South Korea has emerged as a newly democratized nation where the Confucian tradition is less emphasized. However, this tradition dies hard, and citizens are still afraid of offending government officials who have the power to affect lives of citizens. In light of creating a more democratic society, the e-government project has been implemented, and one of the features of cyber-government is to give citizens a place in cyberspace to express their concerns. Even though citizens have to use their real names, it is found that those who wrote messages in the bulletin board of the city of Seoul government's web pages tend not to use terms that are often used in e-mails for the purpose of expressing respect. A survey was conducted, and results show that people were able to overcome the Confucian psychological barrier in government cyberspace. Self-efficacy is proposed to explain this phenomenon.

  3. Family skills for overcoming adversity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónica Patricia Ardila Hernández

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This section draws on research four families in displacement in Tunja Boyacá step of this research is to present the problem of displacement from another different look that has embargoed regarding this topic. Critical reflection was raised from resilient approach Parsons theory in order to understand families immersed in this conflict as change agents capable of adapting to a new system and overcome adversity. Within this scheme is used to obtain qualitative research of the following categories : adaptation to the new social context risk factors present in families and protective factors.

  4. The Evaluation of Techniques for Overcoming with the Stress in a Physician Group

    OpenAIRE

    Humman Sen; Mehmet Toygar; Turker Turker; Nurhan Ince; Harun Tugcu; Halit Keskin

    2012-01-01

    Objective: This study was made in order to determine the methods of overcoming with stress of the specialist physicians. Material-Method: Our study is a descriptive study. In the study, the scale of overcoming with stress was applied to the 100 specialist physicians who working in 5 different health care institutions in and around the Istanbul in 2009. Results: The scores that the participants takes from sub-categories of scales of overcoming with stress types were measured respectively as; 2...

  5. The Difficulty in Following Project Schedule as a Key Project Management Challenge: Family Firm Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna SADKOWSKA

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The problem of how to manage projects successfully has been gaining growing interest for the last decades. The aforementioned is mainly caused by the fact that project management offers a wide range of methods and tools which, when properly used, can stimulate long-term growth of businesses. As a consequence it offers a particular development opportunity for family enterprises which, due to their specificity, have to overcome many difficulties. The primary objective of this paper is to examine whether family enterprises perceive, and to what extent, the factor of following project schedule as a difficulty in the area of project management. 154 Polish family firms representing different sectors were surveyed. The results of regression analysis show that family firms with global range of business activities, on the contrary to those with local or regional ones, do not find the factor of following project schedule as a difficulty. This results manly from the tools employed and the maturity level they have reached in project management. The findings support the current discussion on the specificity and uniqueness of family businesses in relationship to the knowledge area of project management. It also contributes to filling the gap on understanding the functioning of family firms in the emerging economies of Eastern Europe.

  6. The facilitation by church leaders in overcoming resistance to change.

    OpenAIRE

    2008-01-01

    Little has been done to address the issue of how to overcome resistance to change in a change effort in the church world. “How to overcome resistance to change?” is a question that requires serious consideration among church leaders. Church leaders continue to act in ways that produce resistance to change and ultimately failed change efforts. These actions on the part of church leaders often strengthen and reinforce the sources of resistance to change, making it very difficult for change to b...

  7. Renewable energy strategies to overcome power shortage in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al-Din Salar Salah Muhy

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to investigate the possibility of applying renewable energy strategies in Kurdistan Region of Iraq to overcome the shortage of electricity supply. Finding alternative renewable sources could overcome the problem. The renewable energy will reduce CO2 emission in the cities which considers the main source of pollution. That will participate in reducing the effect of global warming. The study tries to investigate the direct solar renewable energy through two of the main renewable energy categories to produce electricity based on a survey of literature review. Photovoltaic and wind power technologies are possible to be conducted in the region to overcome power shortage.

  8. Overcoming violence - a basic task of Christian churches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolfgang Huber

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article � based on the second of two keynote lectures at a conference on violence � the view is developed that the task of the church with respect to violence consists mainly in overcoming violence. In the first part of the article dealing with the basic tasks of the church it is argued that the task to overcome violence is close to the essence of the church. The point of departure is taken in Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession, which understands the church as the �communion of saints� and names the pure proclamation of the gospel and the right administration of the sacraments as the two characteristics of the church. The Christian message that the church has to proclaim the gospel entails a preferential option for nonviolence that includes the responsibility to put an end to existing violence. In the second part of the article attention is given to the implications the basic task of the church in overcoming violence holds for the practice of the church. It is argued that the starting point is that the church has to proclaim the gospel of peace and as a community of faith become a community of peace herself. Some of the most important practical consequences the proclamation of the gospel of peace has for the church as a community of action, for her work in education, for her promotion of justice and for her solidarity with those in need, are discussed.

  9. Overcoming practical challenges to conducting clinical research in the inpatient stroke rehabilitation setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Grace B; Skidmore, Elizabeth R; Whyte, Ellen M; Matthews, Judith T

    2015-10-01

    There is a shortage of published empirical studies conducted in acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation, though such studies are greatly needed in order to shed light on the most efficacious inpatient stroke rehabilitation interventions. The inherent challenges of inpatient research may dissuade researchers from undertaking this important work. This paper describes our institution's experience devising practical solutions to research barriers in this setting. Through concentrated efforts to overcome research barriers, such as by cultivating collaborative relationships and capitalizing on unanticipated benefits, we successfully facilitated conduct of five simultaneous inpatient stroke studies. Tangible benefits realized include increased effectiveness of research participant identification and enrollment, novel collaborative projects, innovative clinical care initiatives, and enhanced emotional and practical support for patients and their families. We provide recommendations based on lessons learned during our experience, and discuss benefits of this collaboration for our research participants, clinical staff, and the research team.

  10. Learn to Avoid or Overcome Leadership Obstacles

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Auria, John

    2015-01-01

    Leadership is increasingly recognized as an important factor in moving schools forward, yet we have been relatively random in how we prepare and support them. Four obstacles often block or diminish their effectiveness. Avoiding or overcoming each of these requires an underlying set of skills and knowledge that we believe can be learned and…

  11. Mismanagement Reasons of the Projects Execution Phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hatem Khaleefah Al-Agele

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The execution phase of the project is most dangerous and the most drain on the resources during project life cycle, therefore, its need to monitor and control by specialists to exceeded obstructions and achieve the project goals. The study aims to detect the actual reasons behind mismanagement of the execution phase. The study begins with theoretical part, where it deals with the concepts of project, project selection, project management, and project processes. Field part consists of three techniques: 1- brainstorming, 2- open interviews with experts and 3- designed questionnaire (with 49 reason. These reasons result from brainstorming and interviewing with experts., in order to find the real reasons behind mismanagement of the execution phase. The most important reasons which are negatively impact on management of the execution phase that proven by the study were (Inability of company to meet project requirements because it's specialized and / or large project, Multiple sources of decision and overlap in powers, Inadequate planning, Inaccurate estimation of cost, Delayed cash flows by owners, Poor performance of project manager, inefficient decision making process, and the Negative impact of people in the project area. Finally, submitting a set of recommendations which will contribute to overcome the obstructions of successful management of the execution phase.

  12. Eurasia: The Rivalry of Global Integration Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olesia Kobenko

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The article reveals the Eurasian integration projects as major drivers of world globalization. Eurasian regionalism seems to be gaining attention in the scientific literature. Under the current political circumstance many regions are accelerating integration and many countries are opting for regional associations as a mechanism to help them overcome the global recession. Moreover, the global political leaders , some developed countries - the U.S., China, and the European Union (EU are interested to set up regional economic blocs such as Eurasian Economic Union (The EEU, the China's project 'One Belt One Road', the U.S's projects - The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP and The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP. The goal of this paper is to introduce a number of integration initiatives and to analyze the current strategies of Eurasian regionalism.

  13. A Study on Overcoming Misconceptions of 6th Graders About Equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gözde AKYÜZ

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine and overcome misconceptions of 6th graders about first degree equations with one unknown. The study has a mixed research design and was conducted with 25 sixth graders in a public school during the spring semester of the 2011-2012 academic year. Data were collected through a test of 20 open-ended items developed by the researcher. The misconceptions were detected through descriptive analysis of the test. Then, students were being taught based on activity-based instructional methods for eight hours. The test was also given at the end of the instruction as a post-test to examine the effectiveness of the activity-based instruction with overcoming their misconceptions. Data were analyzed by paired samples t test through SPSS 16.0. Findings indicated that activity-based instruction was effective in overcoming students’ misconceptions.

  14. Re-Vitalizing Worthiness: A theory of overcoming suicidality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evelyn Gordon, RPN, Reg. Fam. Ther. & Sup. (FTAI, MSc, Ph.D.

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Rates of suicide and suicidality have risen in many countries in recent years and in Ireland this trend has been particularly evident among young men (NOSP, 2005, focusing attention on how best to respond to this group. Although mental health professionals have been identified as a key group to respond to the suicidal person, it has been suggested that they are ill-prepared for working in this area (Maltsberger & Goldblatt, 1996; Ting et al., 2006; Cutcliffe & Stevenson, 2007. This study aimed to address these issues by developing a theoretical understanding of suicidality among young men to inform professional practice. Using Classic Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967, in-depth one-to-one interviews were conducted with 17 young men who had been suicidal and had been in contact with the mental health services. The substantive theory that emerged, re-vitalizing worthiness in overcoming suicidality, describes the psychosocial process that young men go through to resolve their main concern, which centres on their painful pull between life and death. Overcoming suicidality involves moving from a death orientation to a life orientation while incorporating the inevitability of death into their new sense of being. This transition entails identity re-configuration whereby young men emerge as individuals of value who are deserving of life. The process is influenced significantly by personal insights and interpersonal interactions that influence their suicide trajectories and life pathways. The theory contributes to the fields of suicidology and mental health by providing a theoretical understanding of overcoming suicidality and identifying professional and social practices that facilitate and impede this process.

  15. ANALYSIS OF THE POSSIBILITY FOR ESTABLISHING PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE (PMO IN COMPANIES IN SERBIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragana Milin

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Project Management Office (PMO is an organizational unit established to help project managers, project teams and the various levels of management in carrying out the principles of project management. The research was carried out in Serbia, in 2011, with the aim to establish which methodologies and techniques are used for project m anagement, and which of them are used the most frequently. Furthermore, the need for establishment of PMOs in Serbia is discussed. These offices should help in establishing a standardized methodology (at the organization level and thus overcome the obviou s poor use of any project management methodology at all.

  16. The Adverse Drug Reactions from Patient Reports in Social Media Project: Five Major Challenges to Overcome to Operationalize Analysis and Efficiently Support Pharmacovigilance Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bousquet, Cedric; Dahamna, Badisse; Guillemin-Lanne, Sylvie; Darmoni, Stefan J; Faviez, Carole; Huot, Charles; Katsahian, Sandrine; Leroux, Vincent; Pereira, Suzanne; Richard, Christophe; Schück, Stéphane; Souvignet, Julien; Lillo-Le Louët, Agnès; Texier, Nathalie

    2017-09-21

    Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Classical Pharmacovigilance process is limited by underreporting which justifies the current interest in new knowledge sources such as social media. The Adverse Drug Reactions from Patient Reports in Social Media (ADR-PRISM) project aims to extract ADRs reported by patients in these media. We identified 5 major challenges to overcome to operationalize the analysis of patient posts: (1) variable quality of information on social media, (2) guarantee of data privacy, (3) response to pharmacovigilance expert expectations, (4) identification of relevant information within Web pages, and (5) robust and evolutive architecture. This article aims to describe the current state of advancement of the ADR-PRISM project by focusing on the solutions we have chosen to address these 5 major challenges. In this article, we propose methods and describe the advancement of this project on several aspects: (1) a quality driven approach for selecting relevant social media for the extraction of knowledge on potential ADRs, (2) an assessment of ethical issues and French regulation for the analysis of data on social media, (3) an analysis of pharmacovigilance expert requirements when reviewing patient posts on the Internet, (4) an extraction method based on natural language processing, pattern based matching, and selection of relevant medical concepts in reference terminologies, and (5) specifications of a component-based architecture for the monitoring system. Considering the 5 major challenges, we (1) selected a set of 21 validated criteria for selecting social media to support the extraction of potential ADRs, (2) proposed solutions to guarantee data privacy of patients posting on Internet, (3) took into account pharmacovigilance expert requirements with use case diagrams and scenarios, (4) built domain-specific knowledge resources embeding a lexicon, morphological rules, context rules, semantic rules

  17. Planning a change project in mental health nursing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorpe, Rebecca

    2015-09-02

    This article outlines a plan for a change project to improve the quality of physical health care on mental health wards. The plan was designed to improve the monitoring and recording of respiratory rates on mental health wards, through the implementation of a training programme for staff. A root cause analysis was used to explore the reasons for the low incidence of respiratory rate measurement on mental health wards, and the results of this establish the basis of the proposed change project and its aims and objectives. The article describes how the project could be implemented using a change management model, as well as how its effects could be measured and evaluated. Potential barriers to the planned change project are discussed, including the human dimensions of change. The article suggests methods to overcome such barriers, discusses the value of leadership as an important factor, and examines the principles of clinical governance in the context of the planned change project.

  18. Overcoming The Problem Of English Sound System Among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper tries to examine important issues in teaching phonetics. These are the interference problem that can affect one's speech during communication and how the teacher through the use of appropriate techniques and methods can assist the second language learner overcome these problems. Journal of Technology ...

  19. Overcoming family planning challenges in Africa: toward meeting ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Overcoming family planning challenges in Africa: toward meeting unmet need and scaling up service delivery. Andrzej Kulczycki. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  20. Overcoming Jealousy: An Experiential Analysis of Common Factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrell, James J.; Richards, Anne C.

    1982-01-01

    Investigated key aspects of the experience of jealousy through the recorded experiences of a study group consisting of three males and three females. Results indicated that jealousy is a complex experience which may be accompanied by a variety of negative feelings. Provides suggestions for overcoming jealousy. (RC)

  1. Six world-class research teams to investigate overcoming ...

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

    Six world-class research teams to investigate overcoming therapeutic resistance in high fatality cancers. 26 octobre 2017. Together with our partners the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Azrieli Foundation and the Israel Science Foundation we are pleased to announce the recipients of the Joint Canada-Israel ...

  2. Dos Hermanas Chicanas: Overcoming Barriers to Professional Advancement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prospero, Moises

    2007-01-01

    Women and ethnic minorities face steep barriers to professional advancement, and those who rise to the executive level typically use a variety of strategies to overcome obstacles in their way. This study first reviewed the literature on barriers to professional advancement for women and ethnic minorities and the strategies that they report using…

  3. A Probabilistic Alternative Approach to Optimal Project Profitability Based on the Value-at-Risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yonggu Kim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on an investment decision-making process for sustainable development based on the profitability impact factors for overseas projects. Investors prefer to use the discounted cash-flow method. Although this method is simple and straightforward, its critical weakness is its inability to reflect the factor volatility associated with the project evaluation. To overcome this weakness, the Value-at-Risk method is used to apply the volatility of the profitability impact factors, thereby reflecting the risks and establishing decision-making criteria for risk-averse investors. Risk-averse investors can lose relatively acceptable investment opportunities to risk-neutral or risk-amenable investors due to strict investment decision-making criteria. To overcome this problem, critical factors are selected through a Monte Carlo simulation and a sensitivity analysis, and solutions to the critical-factor problems are then found by using the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving and a business version of the Project Definition Rating Index. This study examines the process of recovering investment opportunities with projects that are investment feasible and that have been rejected when applying the criterion of the Value-at-Risk method. To do this, a probabilistic alternative approach is taken. To validate this methodology, the proposed framework for an improved decision-making process is demonstrated using two actual overseas projects of a Korean steel-making company.

  4. Key Technologies of the Hydraulic Structures of the Three Gorges Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xinqiang Niu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available To date, the Three Gorges Project is the largest hydro junction in the world. It is the key project for the integrated water resource management and development of the Changjiang River. The technology of the project, with its huge scale and comprehensive benefits, is extremely complicated, and the design difficulty is greater than that of any other hydro project in the world. A series of new design theories and methods have been proposed and applied in the design and research process. Many key technological problems regarding hydraulic structures have been overcome, such as a gravity dam with multi-layer large discharge orifices, a hydropower station of giant generating units, and a giant continual multi-step ship lock with a high water head.

  5. Overcoming Residents Opportunity Apathy in Danish Social Housing Democracy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, Olav W.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, I discuss how various technologies can support democratic collaboration in the social housing sector in Denmark, and help overcome opportunity apathy. I exemplify the discussion with an ongoing process of strategy development, in a Danish housing organization....

  6. Strategies of Overcoming Acculturation Stress in Students from Different Parts of the World

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Ju Chebotareva

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the results of the study of strategies of acculturation stress overcoming in the students from different regions, as well as the correlations of preferring certain strategies with successful cross-cultural adaptation. It was found out that, in general, the constructive coping strategies contribute to successful adaptation, help to overcome adaptation problems and negative emotional states.

  7. Collins pine/BCI biomass to ethanol project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yancy, M.A.; Hinman, N.D.; Sheehan, J.J.; Tiangco, V.M.

    1999-01-01

    California has abundant biomass resources and a growing transportation fuels market. These two facts have helped to create an opportunity for biomass to ethanol projects within the state. One such project under development is the Collins Pine/BCI Project. Collins Pine Company and BC International (BCI) have teamed up to develop a forest biomass to ethanol facility to be collocated with Collins Pine's 12 MW, biomass-fueled electric generator in Chester, California. The Collins Pine Company (headquartered in Portland, Oregon) is an environmentally progressive lumber company that has owned and operated timberlands near Chester, California since the turn of the century. Collins manages 100,000 acres of timberland in the immediate area of the project. BCI (Dedham, Massachusetts) holds an exclusive license to a new, patented biotechnological process to convert lignocellulosic materials into ethanol and other specially chemicals with significant cost savings and environmental benefits. The project has received a California Energy Commission PIER program award to continue the developmental work done in the Quincy Library Group's Northeastern California Ethanol Manufacturing Feasibility Study (November 1997). This paper provides (1) a brief overview of the biomass and transportation fuels market in California; (2) the current status of the Collins Pine/BCI biomass ethanol project; and (3) future prospects and hurdles for the project to overcome. (author)

  8. Family constellation as a treatment for overcoming the consequences of violence on victims

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hrnčić Jasna

    2017-01-01

    alternative solution that could generate impulse for overcoming the violence. A frequent solution is that the perpetrator takes responsibility and expresses guilt for the deed and suffers together with the victim. That enables the victim to accept and overcome the effects of the violence. This solution is also useful in overcoming consequences of incest because it enables the victim to accept the perpetrator as a member of family. The victim could also have an insight into the role of other family members and significant others, accept it and find a better place in the family for himself/herself. This approach causes different reaction with public with its focus on reparation instead on retribution even in such a difficult issue as incest. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations have documented the positive effects of family constellations on problem solving and social relations of both active and observing participants. Further systematic researches of constellations’ effects on victims of violence and comparative studies with other therapeutic approaches are needed. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 47021: Rodna ravnopravnost i kultura građanskog statusa - Istorijska i teorijska utemeljenja u Srbiji

  9. From concept to construction: a 15 MW small hydro project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stephens, S.; Neegan, K.

    1995-12-31

    An audio recording of an address by Chief Stanley Stephens and Deputy-Chief Ken Neegan of the Constance Lake First Nation, at the Renewable Energy Commercial Trade Show and Markets Conference was presented. The speech concerned development of a 15 MW hydro project on the reservation. Stephens recalled how initial opposition was overcome by addressing simple misconceptions about the project. The project was initiated by the Ontario Energy Corporation with a series of community discussions which addressed environmental impacts, and benefits that would result from the project. Neegan explained that after deliberation and negotiations, the Constance Lake First Nation was pleased with the project. This project was evidence that sound partnership could be formed between First Nations and hydro developers, while preserving respect for `Mother Earth` in the process. Trust between the community, the developers and government was considered to be the critical component of the project. Sound legal, technical, environmental and financial information was also indispensable in allowing the Constance Lake First Nation to make its decision to proceed with the project.

  10. From concept to construction: a 15 MW small hydro project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stephens, S.; Neegan, K.

    1995-01-01

    An audio recording of an address by Chief Stanley Stephens and Deputy-Chief Ken Neegan of the Constance Lake First Nation, at the Renewable Energy Commercial Trade Show and Markets Conference was presented. The speech concerned development of a 15 MW hydro project on the reservation. Stephens recalled how initial opposition was overcome by addressing simple misconceptions about the project. The project was initiated by the Ontario Energy Corporation with a series of community discussions which addressed environmental impacts, and benefits that would result from the project. Neegan explained that after deliberation and negotiations, the Constance Lake First Nation was pleased with the project. This project was evidence that sound partnership could be formed between First Nations and hydro developers, while preserving respect for 'Mother Earth' in the process. Trust between the community, the developers and government was considered to be the critical component of the project. Sound legal, technical, environmental and financial information was also indispensable in allowing the Constance Lake First Nation to make its decision to proceed with the project

  11. Brazilian Strategies to Overcome Molybdenum Crisis: Present and Future Perspectives of the Multipurpose Research Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Osso, J.A. Jr.; Teodoro, R.; Dias, C.R.B.R.; Bezerra, R.R.L.; Villela, L.A.; Correia, J.L.; Perrotta, J.A.; Pereira, G.A.; Zapparoli, C.L. Jr.; Mengatti, J. [Diretoria de Radiofarmacia, Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (DIRF-IPEN), Avenida Prof. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    Nuclear Medicine applications in Brazil have been widely growing in the past few decades, following the world trends. Procedures in oncology and cardiology can be highlighted among its major contributions. Nowadays more than 80% of diagnosis procedures are performed with {sup 99m}Tc, readily available from the elution of {sup 99}Mo-{sup 99m}Tc generators. The Brazilian demand, attended solely by IPEN-CNEN/SP, reaches out more than 320 generators per week with a total activity of about 16.7 TBq (450 Ci), which corresponds to 4% of the overall {sup 99}Mo global demand at an importation cost of US$20 million/year, most of it from Canada. The recent {sup 99}Mo supply crisis deeply affected the distribution of generators in Brazil. A short term solution was achieved with the purchase of {sup 99}Mo from Argentine and more recently from South Africa and also the distribution of generators produced by IBA and Israel. Mid term and long term projects are under way aiming the nationalization of the production of {sup 99}Mo. Both solutions will use the recently approved new Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (BMR) that will be built near Sao Paulo city and will have a 30 MW power. The mid term project consists on the production of (n,{gamma}) {sup 99}Mo and distribution of {sup 99m}Tc and monodoses of radiopharmaceuticals labelled with {sup 99m}Tc to hospitals near Sao Paulo. The long term project deals with the production of {sup 99}Mo through the fission of {sup 235}U using LEU targets. This work describes the efforts taken by IPEN-CNEN/SP to overcome the recent {sup 99}Mo supply crisis and an up-to-date on the projects aiming the nationalization of the {sup 99}Mo production. (author)

  12. Adaptive pixel-to-pixel projection intensity adjustment for measuring a shiny surface using orthogonal color fringe pattern projection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao; Gao, Nan; Wang, Xiangjun; Zhang, Zonghua

    2018-05-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement based on fringe pattern projection techniques has been commonly used in various fields. One of the remaining challenges in fringe pattern projection is that camera sensor saturation may occur if there is a large range of reflectivity variation across the surface that causes measurement errors. To overcome this problem, a novel fringe pattern projection method is proposed to avoid image saturation and maintain high-intensity modulation for measuring shiny surfaces by adaptively adjusting the pixel-to-pixel projection intensity according to the surface reflectivity. First, three sets of orthogonal color fringe patterns and a sequence of uniform gray-level patterns with different gray levels are projected onto a measured surface by a projector. The patterns are deformed with respect to the object surface and captured by a camera from a different viewpoint. Subsequently, the optimal projection intensity at each pixel is determined by fusing different gray levels and transforming the camera pixel coordinate system into the projector pixel coordinate system. Finally, the adapted fringe patterns are created and used for 3D shape measurement. Experimental results on a flat checkerboard and shiny objects demonstrate that the proposed method can measure shiny surfaces with high accuracy.

  13. Estimation of volatility of selected oil production projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa Lima, Gabriel A.; Suslick, Saul B.

    2006-01-01

    In oil project valuation and investment decision-making, volatility is a key parameter, but it is difficult to estimate. From a traditional investment viewpoint, volatility reduces project value because it increases its discount rate via a higher risk premium. Contrarily, according to the real-option pricing theory, volatility may aggregate value to the project, since the downside potential is limited whereas the upside is theoretically unbounded. However, the estimation of project volatility is very complicated since there is not a historical series of project values. In such cases, many analysts assume that oil price volatility is equal to that of project. In order to overcome such problems, in this paper an alternative numerical method based on present value of future cash flows and Monte Carlo simulation is proposed to estimate the volatility of projects. This method is applied to estimate the volatility of 12 deep-water offshore oil projects considering that oil price will evolve according to one of two stochastic processes: Geometric Brownian Motion and Mean-Reverting Motion. Results indicate that the volatility of commodity usually undervalue that of project. For the set of offshore projects analyzed in this paper, project volatility is at least 79% higher than that of oil prices and increases dramatically in those cases of high capital expenditures and low price. (author)

  14. A framework to overcome barriers to green innovation in SMEs using BWM and Fuzzy TOPSIS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Himanshu; Barua, Mukesh Kumar

    2018-08-15

    Recent years have witnessed a significant rise in exploring the barriers which obstruct adoption of green practices by SMEs. There is a constant need to innovate in terms of products, processes, and management so that we can overcome these barriers to green practices adoption and implementation. This study employs a three-phase methodology to identify barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers to green innovation in SMEs. Through extensive literature review and the opinion of selective manager's, seven main category barriers, thirty-six sub-category barriers, and twenty solutions to overcome these barriers were identified. BWM is used to rank these barriers and Fuzzy TOPSIS is used to rank solutions to overcome these barriers. Four Indian SMEs are taken to exemplify the proposed three paged model. To check the robustness of the model, a sensitivity analysis was also performed. The results of the analysis can act as a stepping stone for SME managers to eliminate and overcome barriers to green innovation in their firm and compete healthily in the market. The paper sets a framework for future studies in this area of research-work. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. WSB1 overcomes oncogene-induced senescence by targeting ATM for degradation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jung Jin; Lee, Seung Baek; Yi, Sang-Yeop; Han, Sang-Ah; Kim, Sun-Hyun; Lee, Jong-Min; Tong, Seo-Yun; Yin, Ping; Gao, Bowen; Zhang, Jun; Lou, Zhenkun

    2017-01-01

    Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) or apoptosis through the DNA-damage response is an important barrier of tumorigenesis. Overcoming this barrier leads to abnormal cell proliferation, genomic instability, and cellular transformation, and finally allows cancers to develop. However, it remains unclear how the OIS barrier is overcome. Here, we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase WD repeat and SOCS box-containing protein 1 (WSB1) plays a role in overcoming OIS. WSB1 expression in primary cells helps the bypass of OIS, leading to abnormal proliferation and cellular transformation. Mechanistically, WSB1 promotes ATM ubiquitination, resulting in ATM degradation and the escape from OIS. Furthermore, we identify CDKs as the upstream kinase of WSB1. CDK-mediated phosphorylation activates WSB1 by promoting its monomerization. In human cancer tissue and in vitro models, WSB1-induced ATM degradation is an early event during tumorigenic progression. We suggest that WSB1 is one of the key players of early oncogenic events through ATM degradation and destruction of the tumorigenesis barrier. Our work establishes an important mechanism of cancer development and progression in premalignant lesions. PMID:27958289

  16. Project management in Ghana: expectations, realities and barriers to use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fred Venter

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available This article reports the findings of an empirical study of the problems of developing Project Management (PM practice in Ghanaian organisations. Based on previous research and survey data, the characteristics of the project life cycle (PLC are used as a basis to examine the nature, type and severity of the problems encountered by organisations implementing projects. It is also used to determine the extent and relevance of PM usage: concepts, methods and application. It is concluded that although PM is important, legitimate and relevant, its practice in Ghana has been fraught with problems. Some recommendations for overcoming these problems are also made, and it is recommended that further research is required in order to ascertain the nature of PM practice and to gauge the attitudes and opinions of people involved in projects in Ghana.

  17. Project management in Ghana: Expectations, realities and barriers to use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel F. Ofori

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available This article reports the findings of an empirical study of the problems of developing Project Management (PM practice in Ghanaian organisations. Based on previous research and survey data, the characteristics of the project life cycle (PLC are used as a basis to examine the nature, type and severity of the problems encountered by organisations implementing projects. It is also used to determine the extent and relevance of PM usage: concepts, methods and application. It is concluded that although PM is important, legitimate and relevant, its practice in Ghana has been fraught with problems. Some recommendations for overcoming these problems are also made, and it is recommended that further research is required in order to ascertain the nature of PM practice and to gauge the attitudes and opinions of people involved in projects in Ghana.

  18. Augmenting SCA project management and automation framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyapparaja, M.; Sharma, Bhanupriya

    2017-11-01

    In our daily life we need to keep the records of the things in order to manage it in more efficient and proper way. Our Company manufactures semiconductor chips and sale it to the buyer. Sometimes it manufactures the entire product and sometimes partially and sometimes it sales the intermediary product obtained during manufacturing, so for the better management of the entire process there is a need to keep the track record of all the entity involved in it. Materials and Methods: Therefore to overcome with the problem the need raised to develop the framework for the maintenance of the project and for the automation testing. Project management framework provides an architecture which supports in managing the project by marinating the records of entire requirements, the test cases that were created for testing each unit of the software, defect raised from the past years. So through this the quality of the project can be maintained. Results: Automation framework provides the architecture which supports the development and implementation of the automation test script for the software testing process. Conclusion: For implementing project management framework the product of HP that is Application Lifecycle management is used which provides central repository to maintain the project.

  19. Disciplinary maintenance of process of overcoming of deformations of professional-pedagogical authentication of future teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhanna P. Pavlova

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available In the article examined disciplinary maintenance of process of overcoming of deformations of professional-pedagogical authentication of future teachers and maintenance of process of overcoming of deformations, which is built on module principle on the basis of disciplinary connections.

  20. The Evaluation of Techniques for Overcoming with the Stress in a Physician Group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Humman Sen

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study was made in order to determine the methods of overcoming with stress of the specialist physicians. Material-Method: Our study is a descriptive study. In the study, the scale of overcoming with stress was applied to the 100 specialist physicians who working in 5 different health care institutions in and around the Istanbul in 2009. Results: The scores that the participants takes from sub-categories of scales of overcoming with stress types were measured respectively as; 22.4±3.5 point for self-confident approach, 16.3± 3.6 point for helpless, 14.4± 2.6 point for optimistic, 10.8±2.6 point for submissive, 9.9±2.1 point for seeking social support. It is determined that the self-confident approach method was the most used method among the participants in methods of overcoming with stres. It is determined that the submissive method was the least used method. No statistical significant differences were determined between the men and women, marrieds and singles, subgroup and total score, categories composed according to the age range and institutons. (p>0.05 [TAF Prev Med Bull 2012; 11(2.000: 211-218

  1. Investigating and stimulating primary teachers’ attitudes towards science: Summary of a large-scale research project

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Walma van der Molen, Julie Henriëtte; van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra

    2013-01-01

    Attention to the attitudes of primary teachers towards science is of fundamental importance to research on primary science education. The current article describes a large-scale research project that aims to overcome three main shortcomings in attitude research, i.e. lack of a strong theoretical

  2. Sustainable Relations in International Development Cooperation Projects: The Role of Organizational Climate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cosimo Rota

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available  The importance of the human side of project management to assess the success of international development project has not been fully considered yet. An analysis of the literature on the project success definition, focused on the success criteria and success factors, was carried out. The organization’s effectiveness, in terms of Relations Sustainability, emerged as a criteria integrating the "time, cost, performance" approach to define a project success. Based on previous research contributions on the factors influencing the organization’s effectiveness, the paper expands the analysis of the influence of Organizational Climate on the Relation Sustainability between project manager and project team involved in international cooperation for development. The statistical methods used include confirmatory factors analysis and structural equation modeling. The results carry implications for project management identifying five dimensions of Organizational Climate (trust, innovation, social cohesion, communication and job challenge influencing Relations Sustainability. This finding suggests that Organizational Climate contributes to project success by creating trust, stimulating commitment and generating satisfaction to overcome conflicts between project manager and project team.

  3. Challenges to collaboration in school mental health and strategies for overcoming them.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weist, Mark D; Mellin, Elizabeth A; Chambers, Kerri L; Lever, Nancy A; Haber, Deborah; Blaber, Christine

    2012-02-01

    This article reviews challenges to collaboration in school mental health (SMH) and presents practical strategies for overcoming them. The importance of collaboration to the success of SMH programs is reviewed, with a particular focus on collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals. Challenges to effective collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals in SMH are considered. Strategies for overcoming challenges to effective collaboration are presented. Marginalization of the SMH agenda, limited interdisciplinary teamwork, restricted coordination mechanisms, confidentiality concerns, and resource and funding issues are key challenges to collaboration. Strategies targeted toward each of these challenges may help improve the effectiveness of SMH programs and ultimately student outcomes. Collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals is critical to the success of SMH programs. Despite its promise, the success of SMH programs can be jeopardized by ineffective collaboration between school- and community-employed professionals. Strategies to overcome marginalization, promote authentic interdisciplinary teamwork, build effective coordination mechanisms, protect student and family confidentiality, and promote policy change and resource enhancements should be addressed in SMH improvement planning. © 2012, American School Health Association.

  4. Overcoming the species hybridization barrier by ploidy manipulation in the genus Oryza.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonosaki, Kaoru; Sekine, Daisuke; Ohnishi, Takayuki; Ono, Akemi; Furuumi, Hiroyasu; Kurata, Nori; Kinoshita, Tetsu

    2018-02-01

    In most eudicot and monocot species, interspecific and interploidy crosses generally display abnormalities in the endosperm that are the major cause of a post-zygotic hybridization barrier. In some eudicot species, however, this type of hybridization barrier can be overcome by the manipulation of ploidy levels of one parental species, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms underlying the species hybridization barrier can be circumvented by genome dosage. We previously demonstrated that endosperm barriers in interspecific and interploidy crosses in the genus Oryza involve overlapping but different mechanisms. This result contrasts with those in the genus Arabidopsis, which shows similar outcomes in both interploidy and interspecific crosses. Therefore, we postulated that an exploration of pathways for overcoming the species hybridization barrier in Oryza endosperm, by manipulating the ploidy levels in one parental species, might provide novel insights into molecular mechanisms. We showed that fertile hybrid seeds could be produced by an interspecific cross of female tetraploid Oryza sativa and male diploid Oryza longistaminata. Although the rate of nuclear divisions did not return to normal levels in the hybrid endosperm, the timing of cellularization, nucellus degeneration and the accumulation of storage products were close to normal levels. In addition, the expression patterns of the imprinted gene MADS87 and YUCCA11 were changed when the species barrier was overcome. These results suggest that the regulatory machinery for developmental transitions and imprinted gene expression are likely to play a central role in overcoming species hybridization barriers by genome dosage in the genus Oryza. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Disposition of overcoming students for critical reading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosangela Miola Galvão

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to present the possibilities of an educational practice that focuses on the formation of Basic Education students in critical readers. For this, understand the concepts of alienation and language from the point of view of Historical and Dialectical Materialism and Historical-Cultural Theory was essential to understand how the students of the 7th year are able to overcome this paradigm that contributes to the naive reading of texts worked in the classroom. It was a qualitative study of bibliographic revision in union with the dialectical practice with students in a public school located in the north of the State of Paraná. As methodology, was developed twelve classes with diversified material in which the teacher's mediation sought to contemplate form and content in the way that occurred the deconstruction of the fictitious hero concept represented at the end by the art of the haicai poem. The use of the cell phone instrument and Whatsapp were important for the development of the poetic sense. It seeks, therefore, to demonstrate the contributions of historical and dialectical materialism to teaching practice and human development. The theorists considerations allow us to note that language contributes to the development of higher psychic functions in man and the alienation of subjects in today's society considerably affects the students interpretation and, consequently, formation for critical reading, which can be overcome with the use of a conscious theoretical current.

  6. Development and application of new quality model for software projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karnavel, K; Dillibabu, R

    2014-01-01

    The IT industry tries to employ a number of models to identify the defects in the construction of software projects. In this paper, we present COQUALMO and its limitations and aim to increase the quality without increasing the cost and time. The computation time, cost, and effort to predict the residual defects are very high; this was overcome by developing an appropriate new quality model named the software testing defect corrective model (STDCM). The STDCM was used to estimate the number of remaining residual defects in the software product; a few assumptions and the detailed steps of the STDCM are highlighted. The application of the STDCM is explored in software projects. The implementation of the model is validated using statistical inference, which shows there is a significant improvement in the quality of the software projects.

  7. [Projective identification in human relations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Göka, Erol; Yüksel, Fatih Volkan; Göral, F Sevinç

    2006-01-01

    Melanie Klein, one of the pioneers of Object Relations Theory, first defined "projective identification", which is regarded as one of the most efficacious psychoanalytic concepts after the discovery of the "unconscious". Examination of the literature on "projective identification" shows that there are various perspectives and theories suggesting different uses of this concept. Some clinicians argue that projective identification is a primitive defense mechanism observed in severe psychopathologies like psychotic disorder and borderline personality disorder, where the intra-psychic structure has been damaged severely. Others suggest it to be an indispensable part of the transference and counter-transference between the therapist and the patient during psychotherapy and it can be used as a treatment material in the therapy by a skillful therapist. The latter group expands the use of the concept through normal daily relationships by stating that projective identification is one type of communication and part of the main human relation mechanism operating in all close relationships. Therefore, they suggest that projective identification has benign forms experienced in human relations as well as malign forms seen in psychopathologies. Thus, discussions about the definition of the concept appear complex. In order to clarify and overcome the complexity of the concept, Melanie Klein's and other most important subsequent approaches are discussed in this review article. Thereby, the article aims to explain its important function in understanding the psychopathologies, psychotherapeutic relationships and different areas of normal human relations.

  8. Overcoming the isolation of disadvantaged housing areas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stender, Marie; Bech-Danielsen, Claus

    Disadvantaged social housing areas in Denmark are currently subject to more thorough physical refurbishments, aiming to overcome the isolated character of the housing estates. The ambition is to attract new users and residents by opening up the borders of the area and establish attractive, new...... penthouse flats, new urban functions within the area or spectacular new public spaces near it. In this paper the social impact of such transformations are analysed and discussed based on case-studies in 3 Danish areas. The analysis shows that especially everyday-route strategies adding new public functions...

  9. Overcoming barriers to membrane protein structure determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bill, Roslyn M; Henderson, Peter J F; Iwata, So; Kunji, Edmund R S; Michel, Hartmut; Neutze, Richard; Newstead, Simon; Poolman, Bert; Tate, Christopher G; Vogel, Horst

    2011-04-01

    After decades of slow progress, the pace of research on membrane protein structures is beginning to quicken thanks to various improvements in technology, including protein engineering and microfocus X-ray diffraction. Here we review these developments and, where possible, highlight generic new approaches to solving membrane protein structures based on recent technological advances. Rational approaches to overcoming the bottlenecks in the field are urgently required as membrane proteins, which typically comprise ~30% of the proteomes of organisms, are dramatically under-represented in the structural database of the Protein Data Bank.

  10. Overcome IMF crisis with idea and invention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Yeon Jung

    1998-01-01

    This book introduces the invention as a tool to overcome IMF crisis. These are the titles of the way to create invention and idea : what is idea? everyone can create something, have a confidence, this is patent, replace or change something, invention is not logical, challenge the normal law, throw away stereotype, movement of idea, original imagination, there are a lot of solutions, there is no expert, have a positive thought, why does inventor invent? necessity is invention of mother, three stage of idea and invention and imitation for invention.

  11. Overcome IMF crisis with idea and invention

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yeon Jung

    1998-01-15

    This book introduces the invention as a tool to overcome IMF crisis. These are the titles of the way to create invention and idea : what is idea? everyone can create something, have a confidence, this is patent, replace or change something, invention is not logical, challenge the normal law, throw away stereotype, movement of idea, original imagination, there are a lot of solutions, there is no expert, have a positive thought, why does inventor invent? necessity is invention of mother, three stage of idea and invention and imitation for invention.

  12. Fuel and Core Design Options to Overcome the Heavy Metal Loading Limit and Improve Performance and Safety of Liquid Salt Cooled Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrovic, Bojan; Maldonado, Ivan

    2016-01-01

    The research performed in this project addressed the issue of low heavy metal loading and the resulting reduced cycle length with increased refueling frequency, inherent to all FHR designs with solid, non-movable fuel based on TRISO particles. Studies performed here focused on AHTR type of reactor design with plate ('plank') fuel. Proposal to FY12 NEUP entitled 'Fuel and Core Design Options to Overcome the Heavy Metal Loading Limit and Improve Performance and Safety of Liquid Salt Cooled Reactors' was selected for award, and the 3-year project started in August 2012. A 4-month NCE was granted and the project completed on December 31, 2015. The project was performed by Georgia Tech (Prof. Bojan Petrovic, PI) and University of Tennessee (Prof. Ivan Maldonado, Co-PI), with a total funding of $758,000 over 3 years. In addition to two Co-PIs, the project directly engaged 6 graduate students (at doctoral or MS level) and 2 postdoctoral researchers. Additionally, through senior design projects and graduate advanced design projects, another 23 undergraduate and 12 graduate students were exposed to and trained in the salt reactor technology. We see this as one of the important indicators of the project's success and effectiveness. In the process, 1 journal article was published (with 3 journal articles in preparation), together with 8 peer-reviewed full conference papers, 8 peer-reviewed extended abstracts, as well as 1 doctoral dissertation and 2 master theses. The work included both development of models and methodologies needed to adequately analyze this type of reactor, fuel, and its fuel cycle, as well as extensive analyses and optimization of the fuel and core design.

  13. Comparative International Communication Projects: Overcoming the Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank Esser

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Over the last 10-20 years, comparative research in the feld of communication has almost become fashionable. Many factors are responsible for this, for example: an increased awareness of globalisation as a communication-driven process; an awareness of increased transnational conglomerization of media organizations; and the increasing use of the Internet which facilitates easier access to information around the world. But the big question is how to organize collaborative international communication research efectively? Which models of cooperation are available to us, and what are their advantages and disadvantages? In this article, I analyze fve ways of doing collaborative researches and their respective challenges.

  14. Overcoming Branding Barriers in Nonprofit, Private Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chyr, Fred

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore the views of experts in the field of nonprofit private colleges and universities in the United States to define branding and identify current barriers to branding, to discover how those barriers can be overcome, and to determine what barriers to branding are likely to occur 5 years in the…

  15. Overcoming Dietary Assessment Challenges in Low-Income Countries: Technological Solutions Proposed by the International Dietary Data Expansion (INDDEX) Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coates, Jennifer C.; Colaiezzi, Brooke A.; Bell, Winnie; Charrondiere, U. Ruth; Leclercq, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    An increasing number of low-income countries (LICs) exhibit high rates of malnutrition coincident with rising rates of overweight and obesity. Individual-level dietary data are needed to inform effective responses, yet dietary data from large-scale surveys conducted in LICs remain extremely limited. This discussion paper first seeks to highlight the barriers to collection and use of individual-level dietary data in LICs. Second, it introduces readers to new technological developments and research initiatives to remedy this situation, led by the International Dietary Data Expansion (INDDEX) Project. Constraints to conducting large-scale dietary assessments include significant costs, time burden, technical complexity, and limited investment in dietary research infrastructure, including the necessary tools and databases required to collect individual-level dietary data in large surveys. To address existing bottlenecks, the INDDEX Project is developing a dietary assessment platform for LICs, called INDDEX24, consisting of a mobile application integrated with a web database application, which is expected to facilitate seamless data collection and processing. These tools will be subject to rigorous testing including feasibility, validation, and cost studies. To scale up dietary data collection and use in LICs, the INDDEX Project will also invest in food composition databases, an individual-level dietary data dissemination platform, and capacity development activities. Although the INDDEX Project activities are expected to improve the ability of researchers and policymakers in low-income countries to collect, process, and use dietary data, the global nutrition community is urged to commit further significant investments in order to adequately address the range and scope of challenges described in this paper. PMID:28300759

  16. Biomass market introduction. How to overcome the non-technical barriers for a wider use of biomass gasification in Europe. Proceedings of a workshop. Utrecht, November 28. 1997

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaltschmitt, M.; Kwant, K.W.

    1998-03-01

    Bioenergy projects can fail due to technical problems but also due to non-technical barriers. The authors mention the risk of failure, the biomass supply assurance, financing, uncertainty about emission regulations, and acceptance by the public. On the above mentioned background a workshop was organised at 28 November 1997, as a joint activity of Novem and the EU / FAIR Concerted Action Analysis and Co-ordination of the Activities concerning a Gasification of Biomass'. At this workshop important non-technical barriers are identified, ways how to overcome them are analyzed, defined and actions are discussed to be taken on the EU and National level to improve the implementation of biomass gasification projects. Copies of overhead sheets and texts of 14 papers are presented

  17. The dilemma of BME research projects in developing countries: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zahedi, Edmond; Attar, Hamid Movahedian

    2011-01-01

    Researchers are faced with huge challenges when undertaking BME research projects in developing countries. Various administrative, technical, economic and even cultural barriers have to be overcome whereas the quality and quantity of the output has to be comparable with the developed world in order to make results publishable. This paper uses a real project context to highlight the major problems and the necessity of a holistic approach which would take into consideration all stakeholders interests. It is only by tackling problems such as relationship between academia-industry and administration efficiency at their root that significant progress can be achieved.

  18. Social learning in transnational projects – lessons from European territorial cooperation projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joern Harfst

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Old industrial regions in Europe have undergone radical changes in the last decades. After downsizing or closure of predominant industries such regions usually face big challenges concerning their economic, social and ecological futures. One chance to master this transformation process is the identification and sustainable utilisation of potentials left by industrial production. Utilisation of regional potentials, commonly categorized as natural and cultural potentials, was the aim of two transnational cooperation projects ReSource and SHIFT-X, which were both funded by European Union’s Development Fund (ERDF, INTERREG IVB. The paper shows how the involvement of research partners in the projects supported and facilitated joint learning effects and knowledge transfer between all project partners. It is argued that on the one hand such an approach offers important mutual benefits for partners, while on the other hand the realisation of such benefits remains a challenging task in a transnational collaboration. In declining industrial regions, especially when characterised by small- and medium-sized towns, the capacities to act are scarce and any outside intervention is often seen more as an unwanted factor that additionally stretches resources and provides little advantages for such regions. Therefore one of the main aims in transnational collaboration has to be the establishment of a trustful and committed working relation between all partners. The engagement in the projects has shown that the joint work between regional actors and the external academic partners can create important transnational learning effects for all involved; nevertheless it has to overcome certain reservations on all sides before innovative ways can be pursued successfully.

  19. Categorization of potential project cost overrun factors in construction industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karunakaran, P.; Abdullah, A. H.; Nagapan, S.; Sohu, S.; Kasvar, K. K.

    2018-04-01

    Cost overrun has been severely hit down the economy and reputations for many construction industry around the world. Many project management tools developed to control the budget of a project. However, the cost management is still considered poor as there are many cost overrun issues occurred in the construction industry. Thus, this paper aims to identify and cluster the potential construction project cost overrun factors according to their originating groups using the thematic approach. Basically, through literature review, all the potential factors that may cause cost overrun were screened thoroughly before they were clustered into seven (7) groups of the originating factors, namely project, contract, client, contractor, consultant, labour and external. Each potential factor was explained clearly with some examples based on the Malaysian case studies to illustrate the cost overrun scenario. These findings may aid in the future to highlight on how to mitigate the critical potential factors of cost overrun to reduce or overcome its impact on all the stakeholders involved.

  20. Reshaping transport operations to overcome new challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harari, F.; Blachet, L.

    2004-01-01

    After more than 30 years of Spent Fuel Nuclear Fuel (SFN) and High Level Waste (HLW) casks shipments to and from the COGEMA reprocessing factories in LA HAGUE, COGEMA LOGISTICS has demonstrated a unique outstanding performance in transportation for the benefit of its international customers and has integrated all feed-back from past successful operations. While maintaining the highest safety and security records, the last 5 years have been a major challenge to overcome the increase in transport throughputs, regulatory requirements, specific customer demands and new environmental approach (both COGEMA-La Hague and COGEMA LOGISTICS have been certified ISO14001 since 2003). Improvements in procedures, equipments, controls, inspection and organization have been undertaken. Additional important logistics means such as cranes, lifting devices, spreaders were put in operations in the dedicated workshop of our road and maritime facilities as well as in our rail terminals. Thus COGEMA LOGISTICS has developed and improved important logistics means in the Cherbourg area for the loading and unloading operations of heavy casks (i.e. whose weight is between 25 and 120 tons) among three modes of freight (road, railway or maritime transportation). In Valognes, which is currently the most important railway terminal in the world for the transfer of nuclear materials, about 1200 transfers of heavy casks were performed in 2003. New transport equipment and assets were integrated successfully to answer the new requirements for the best interest of our customers. This paper will provide information about equipments and management system developed to overcome these challenges

  1. Reshaping transport operations to overcome new challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harari, F.; Blachet, L. [COGEMA Logistics, (AREVA Group) (France)

    2004-07-01

    After more than 30 years of Spent Fuel Nuclear Fuel (SFN) and High Level Waste (HLW) casks shipments to and from the COGEMA reprocessing factories in LA HAGUE, COGEMA LOGISTICS has demonstrated a unique outstanding performance in transportation for the benefit of its international customers and has integrated all feed-back from past successful operations. While maintaining the highest safety and security records, the last 5 years have been a major challenge to overcome the increase in transport throughputs, regulatory requirements, specific customer demands and new environmental approach (both COGEMA-La Hague and COGEMA LOGISTICS have been certified ISO14001 since 2003). Improvements in procedures, equipments, controls, inspection and organization have been undertaken. Additional important logistics means such as cranes, lifting devices, spreaders were put in operations in the dedicated workshop of our road and maritime facilities as well as in our rail terminals. Thus COGEMA LOGISTICS has developed and improved important logistics means in the Cherbourg area for the loading and unloading operations of heavy casks (i.e. whose weight is between 25 and 120 tons) among three modes of freight (road, railway or maritime transportation). In Valognes, which is currently the most important railway terminal in the world for the transfer of nuclear materials, about 1200 transfers of heavy casks were performed in 2003. New transport equipment and assets were integrated successfully to answer the new requirements for the best interest of our customers. This paper will provide information about equipments and management system developed to overcome these challenges.

  2. Fuel and Core Design Options to Overcome the Heavy Metal Loading Limit and Improve Performance and Safety of Liquid Salt Cooled Reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petrovic, Bojan [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Maldonado, Ivan [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

    2016-04-14

    The research performed in this project addressed the issue of low heavy metal loading and the resulting reduced cycle length with increased refueling frequency, inherent to all FHR designs with solid, non-movable fuel based on TRISO particles. Studies performed here focused on AHTR type of reactor design with plate (“plank”) fuel. Proposal to FY12 NEUP entitled “Fuel and Core Design Options to Overcome the Heavy Metal Loading Limit and Improve Performance and Safety of Liquid Salt Cooled Reactors” was selected for award, and the 3-year project started in August 2012. A 4-month NCE was granted and the project completed on December 31, 2015. The project was performed by Georgia Tech (Prof. Bojan Petrovic, PI) and University of Tennessee (Prof. Ivan Maldonado, Co-PI), with a total funding of $758,000 over 3 years. In addition to two Co-PIs, the project directly engaged 6 graduate students (at doctoral or MS level) and 2 postdoctoral researchers. Additionally, through senior design projects and graduate advanced design projects, another 23 undergraduate and 12 graduate students were exposed to and trained in the salt reactor technology. We see this as one of the important indicators of the project’s success and effectiveness. In the process, 1 journal article was published (with 3 journal articles in preparation), together with 8 peer-reviewed full conference papers, 8 peer-reviewed extended abstracts, as well as 1 doctoral dissertation and 2 master theses. The work included both development of models and methodologies needed to adequately analyze this type of reactor, fuel, and its fuel cycle, as well as extensive analyses and optimization of the fuel and core design.

  3. Investigating and Stimulating Primary Teachers' Attitudes Towards Science: Summary of a Large-Scale Research Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walma van der Molen, Juliette; van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra

    2013-01-01

    Attention to the attitudes of primary teachers towards science is of fundamental importance to research on primary science education. The current article describes a large-scale research project that aims to overcome three main shortcomings in attitude research, i.e. lack of a strong theoretical concept of attitude, methodological flaws in…

  4. The range of bioinclusions and pseudoinclusions preserved in a new Turonian (~90 ma) amber occurrence from Southern Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinney, Annie; Mays, Chris; Stilwell, Jeffrey D; Zelenitsky, Darla K; Therrien, François

    2015-01-01

    A new Turonian amber occurrence, representing the oldest in situ amber locality in Australia and the southern-most locality in Gondwana, has recently been discovered in the Otway Basin of Victoria. The amber was collected from petroleum cores and many pieces contain a range of inclusions that can provide information on the depositional history of the resin. To date, one species of fern spore (Cyathidites minor) and one species of lycophyte spore (Kraeuselisporites sp?) have been conclusively identified in the amber, along with filamentous microorganisms and degraded plant matter. Several samples are also rife with pseudoinclusions as reported recently in other ambers. The abundance of preserved particulate debris and wind dispersed spores suggest that the Otway amber formed subaerially. Furthermore, based on the range of bioinclusions and forms of pseudoinclusions preserved within a single piece of amber, the locus of hardening for individual samples is variably interpreted as occurring in the tree tops, on the tree trunk or on the ground surface. Notably, specific inclusion assemblages are associated with certain colours of amber. By extension, and in accordance with recent studies, amber colour may be indicative of depositional environment. Variation in the environment of solidification may, therefore, be sufficient to account for the broad range of morphological characteristics preserved in a single amber deposit.

  5. A Novel Nipple Reconstruction Technique for Maintaining Nipple Projection: The Boomerang Flap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Eun Kim

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Nipple-areolar complex (NAC reconstruction is the final step in the long journey of breast reconstruction for mastectomy patients. Successful NAC reconstruction depends on the use of appropriate surgical techniques that are simple and reliable. To date, numerous techniques have been used for nipple reconstruction, including contralateral nipple sharing and various local flaps. Recently, it has been common to utilize local flaps. However, the most common nipple reconstruction problem encountered with local flaps is the loss of nipple projection; there can be approximately 50% projection loss in reconstructed nipples over long-term follow-up. Several factors might contribute to nipple projection loss, and we tried to overcome these factors by performing nipple reconstructions using a boomerang flap technique, which is a modified C–V flap that utilizes the previous mastectomy scar to maintain long-term nipple projection.

  6. A Novel Nipple Reconstruction Technique for Maintaining Nipple Projection: The Boomerang Flap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young-Eun; Hong, Ki Yong; Minn, Kyung Won; Jin, Ung Sik

    2016-09-01

    Nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction is the final step in the long journey of breast reconstruction for mastectomy patients. Successful NAC reconstruction depends on the use of appropriate surgical techniques that are simple and reliable. To date, numerous techniques have been used for nipple reconstruction, including contralateral nipple sharing and various local flaps. Recently, it has been common to utilize local flaps. However, the most common nipple reconstruction problem encountered with local flaps is the loss of nipple projection; there can be approximately 50% projection loss in reconstructed nipples over long-term follow-up. Several factors might contribute to nipple projection loss, and we tried to overcome these factors by performing nipple reconstructions using a boomerang flap technique, which is a modified C-V flap that utilizes the previous mastectomy scar to maintain long-term nipple projection.

  7. Construction Project Leadership from the Perspective of Islam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MUHAMAD ROSDI SENAM

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Construction industry is continuously being accused with common issues such as low performance, corruptions, spillages, bad practices in addition to common project failures despite advances in project management tools and techniques. This further adds to the existing and increasing complex and multi-facets business environment in construction projects that has resulted in the increasing pressure and challenges faced by project leaders and project managers today. Researchers in project management literature calls for more project leadership research as leadership now is increasingly recognised as project success factor. Ethical dilemma and leadership crisis facing the project managers and business organisations reveals the shortcomings and inadequacies of the conventional non-Islamic leadership that is believed to be or that has not fully considered the religious, spiritual, moral and ethical dimensions. Examples of these theories of leadership are authentic leadership, servant leadership and ethical leadership. Therefore, recent trend from literature has implicitly suggested a new form of leadership for construction project manager which is spiritual, moral, values and ethical form of leadership. The uniqueness of Islam is that it does not separate religion and other aspects of human life activities. Construction and project activities are part of the whole economic and social transactions of a nation and thus it is part of Islam. Project management in particular leadership awaits divine intervention that is tied to God consciousness and accords with values and principles prescribed in the Quran and Sunnah. This research is intended to overcome the spiritual and religious shortcomings of the present leadership models by proposing an Islamic perspective of leadership for construction project manager.

  8. The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamauchi, Gloria K.

    2018-01-01

    The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project is one of six projects in the Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP) of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The overarching goal of the RVLT Project is to develop and validate tools, technologies, and concepts to overcome key barriers for vertical lift vehicles. The project vision is to enable the next generation of vertical lift vehicles with aggressive goals for efficiency, noise, and emissions, to expand current capabilities and develop new commercial markets. The RVLT Project invests in technologies that support conventional, non-conventional, and emerging vertical-lift aircraft in the very light to heavy vehicle classes. Research areas include acoustic, aeromechanics, drive systems, engines, icing, hybrid-electric systems, impact dynamics, experimental techniques, computational methods, and conceptual design. The project research is executed at NASA Ames, Glenn, and Langley Research Centers; the research extensively leverages partnerships with the US Army, the Federal Aviation Administration, industry, and academia. The primary facilities used by the project for testing of vertical-lift technologies include the 14- by 22-Ft Wind Tunnel, Icing Research Tunnel, National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, 7- by 10-Ft Wind Tunnel, Rotor Test Cell, Landing and Impact Research facility, Compressor Test Facility, Drive System Test Facilities, Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Facility, Vertical Motion Simulator, Mobile Acoustic Facility, Exterior Effects Synthesis and Simulation Lab, and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Complex. To learn more about the RVLT Project, please stop by booth #1004 or visit their website at https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/programs/aavp/rvlt.

  9. Evaluation of different methods to overcome in vitro seed dormancy ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAM

    2014-09-03

    Sep 3, 2014 ... Seeds from yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) present dormancy imposed by the seed-coat. The present study aimed to evaluate some methods to overcome dormancy of seeds from P. edulis grown under in vitro conditions. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial scheme ...

  10. Technology Adoption in Higher Education: Overcoming Anxiety through Faculty Bootcamp

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Terri; Wisniewski, Mary Ann; Kuhlemeyer, Greg; Isaacs, Gerald; Krzykowski, Jamie

    2012-01-01

    The reluctance to design and teach online courses in higher education is often attributed to technology anxiety in faculty. This article documents a faculty development model that has successfully helped faculty overcome this obstacle. "Bootcamps," faculty development programs held at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI, were specifically and…

  11. A preliminary survey into ways of overcoming self-incompatibility in theobroma cacao L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adu-Ampomah, Y.; Klu, G.Y.P.; Lamptey, T.V.O.; Novak, F.

    1990-01-01

    Varying concentrations of NAA and GA 3 (100-500 mg/l) were applied to the base of self-incompatible cocoa flowers with the view to delaying floral abscission and thus lengthening the time needed for the fusion of self-incompatible male and female gametes. NAA above 300 mg/l slightly delayed floral abscission but this did not help overcome the self-incompatibility whilst none of the GA 3 concentrations used either delayed floral abscission or promoted self-compatibility. Similar concentrations of both hormones when applied to the stigma before selfing also did not help to overcome the self-incompatibility. Self-incompatibility was partially overcome by treating compatible pollen with 60Gy of gamma rays and mixing it with self-incompatible pollen. Compatible pollen treated at 60Gy and used alone to pollinate self-incompatible flowers resulted in 100 percent flat, non-viable cocoa beans whilst gamma treated pollen mixed with self-incompatible pollen produced about 30 percent fully formed and viable cocoa beans. This appears to suggest that the irradiated compatible pollen is acting as mentor pollen and promoting selfing. (author)

  12. Overcoming the Challenges of siRNA Delivery: Nanoparticle Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shajari, Neda; Mansoori, Behzad; Davudian, Sadaf; Mohammadi, Ali; Baradaran, Behzad

    2017-01-01

    Despite therapeutics based on siRNA have an immense potential for the treatment of incurable diseases such as cancers. However, the in vivo utilization of siRNA and also the delivery of this agent to the target site is one of the most controversial challenges. The helpful assistance by nanoparticles can improve stable delivery and also enhance efficacy. More nanoparticle-based siRNA therapeutics is expected to become available in the near future. The search strategy followed the guidelines of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. The studies were identified from seven databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premiere, CINAHL, Medline Ovid, Eric and Cochrane Library). Studies was selected based on titles, abstracts and full texts. One hundred twenty nine papers were included in the review. These papers defined hurdles in RNAi delivery and also strategies to overcome these hurdles. This review discussed the existing hurdles for systemic administration of siRNA as therapeutic agents and highlights the various strategies to overcome these hurdles, including lipid-based nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles, and we also briefly reviewed chemical modification. Delivery of siRNA to the target site is the biggest challenge for its application in the clinic. The findings of this review confirmed by encapsulation siRNA in the nanoparticles can overcome these challenges. The rapid progress in nanotechnology has enabled the development of effective nanoparticles as the carrier for siRNA delivery. However, our data about siRNA-based therapeutics and also nanomedicine are still limited. More clinical data needs to be completely understood in the benefits and drawbacks of siRNA-based therapeutics. Prospective studies must pay attention to the in vivo safety profiles of the different delivery systems, including uninvited immune system stimulation and cytotoxicity. In essence, the development of nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable delivery systems for

  13. Public participation in UMTRA Project Program Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majors, M.J.; Ulland, L.M.

    1993-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is cleaning up radioactive soil and ore residue from 24 inactive uranium processing sites under the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. In early 1993, the DOE adopted new guidelines strongly encouraging public participation. This guidance commits to providing the public with opportunities to participate in the decision-making process for program planning, design, and implementation. Rooted in the conviction that an effective public participation program will enable citizens to take part in policy decisions, the full adoption of the guidance by the UMTRA project can also help DOE make better decisions, provide a means to build consensus, and assist in building credibility. This transition to open communication parallels the climate of corporate America in which increases in productivity are often the result of workers and management teaming together to solve problems. While these guidelines have been embraced by public affairs staff from headquarters to the field offices, barriers still exist that inhibit substantive public involvement. The challenge for the UMTRA project is to overcome these barriers to ensure that public participation is an integral part of the way business is conducted. This paper discusses lessons learned by the UMTRA project in its efforts to address barriers to public participation and the project's plans for full compliance with the DOE guidelines

  14. Increasing EFL Learners’ Oral Production at a Public School Through Project-Based Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ady Marcela Vaca Torres

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This research study examined how a group of ninth graders enhanced the speaking skill in an English as a foreign language classroom through project-based learning. Data about the experience were collected through field notes, transcripts of learners’ oral performance, and one interview. Grounded theory was implemented for data analysis, out of which three main findings emerged: (1 project-based learning encouraged students to increase oral production through lexical competence development, (2 helped them to overcome fears of speaking in L2, and (3, increased their interest in learning about their school life and community.

  15. Intelligent Materials Tracking System for Construction Projects Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Narimah Kasim

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available An essential factor adversely affecting the performance of construction projects is the improper handling of materials during site activities. In addition, paper-based reports are mostly used to record and exchange information related to the material components within the supply chain, which is problematic and inefficient. Generally, technologies (such as wireless systems and RFID are not being adequately used to overcome human errors and are not well integrated with project management systems to make tracking and management of materials easier and faster. Findings from a literature review and surveys showed that there is a lack of positive examples of such tools having been used effectively. Therefore, this research focused on the development of a materials tracking system that integrates RFID-based materials management with resources modelling to improve on-site materials tracking. Rapid prototyping was used to develop the system and testing of the system was carried out to examine the functionality and working appropriately. The proposed system is intended to promote the employment of RFID for automatic materials tracking with integration of resource modelling (Microsoft (R Office Project in the project management system in order to establish which of the tagged components are required resources for certain project tasks. In conclusion, the system provides an automatic and easy tracking method for managing materials during materials delivery and inventory management processes in construction projects.

  16. Optical projects in the Clinic program at Harvey Mudd College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Q.

    2017-08-01

    Clinic program is the senior capstone program at Harvey Mudd College (HMC). Multidisciplinary and industry-sponsored projects allow a team of students to solve a real-world problem over one academic year. Over its 50 plus years, Clinic program has completed numerous optics related projects. This report gives an overview of the Clinic program, reviews recent optical projects and discusses how this program supports the learning of the HMC engineering students. A few sample optical projects with more details are presented to provide an insight of what challenges that undergraduates can overcome. Students achieve learning within the optics discipline and the related engineering disciplines. The experiences in these optical projects indicate the great potential to bringing optical hands-on projects into the undergraduate level. Because of the general engineering curriculum at HMC, these projects often work the best with a multidisciplinary nature even if the core of the project is optically focused. Students gain leadership training, oral and written communication skills and experiences in team work. Close relationship with the sponsor liaisons allows for the students to gain skills in professional conduct, management of tight schedule and a specified budget, and it well prepares the students to their engineering practice. Optical projects have their own sets of specific challenges, so it needs to be chosen properly to match the undergraduate skill sets such as those of HMC engineering students.

  17. The Arnot capacity increase project - An integrated boiler and turbine retrofit by Alstom - Implementation and operational experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, Mike; Stephen, Don; Rich, Glyn; Mills, Jeff; Allen, Steve

    2010-09-15

    In cooperation with South African utility giant Eskom, Alstom has undertaken an ambitious project to upgrade the six-unit Arnot Power Station. The objective was to retrofit major plant components in a cost effective manner in order to extend plant life and increase output. This paper will consider the implementation of the project, the challenges overcome and the operational experience subsequently gained. Lessons learned will be identified. Conclusions will be drawn concerning the effectiveness of a comprehensive feasibility study prior to project implementation and the ability of modern design and manufacturing techniques to retrofit older machines, thus releasing latent potential.

  18. Evaluating impacts of development and conservation projects using sustainability indicators: Opportunities and challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agol, Dorice, E-mail: d.agol@uea.a.c.uk [University of East Anglia, School of International Development, Norwich NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); Latawiec, Agnieszka E., E-mail: a.latawiec@iis-rio.org [International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina 124, 22460-320 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Opole University of Technology, Department of Production Engineering and Logistics, Luboszycka 5, 45-036 Opole (Poland); University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); Strassburg, Bernardo B.N., E-mail: b.strassburg@iis-rio.org [International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina 124, 22460-320 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Department of Geography and the Environment, Pontificia Universidade Catolica, 22453-900 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

    2014-09-15

    There has been an increased interest in using sustainability indicators for evaluating the impacts of development and conservation projects. Past and recent experiences have shown that sustainability indicators can be powerful tools for measuring the outcomes of various interventions, when used appropriately and adequately. Currently, there is a range of methods for applying sustainability indicators for project impact evaluation at the environment–development interface. At the same time, a number of challenges persist which have implication for impact evaluation processes especially in developing countries. We highlight some key and recurrent challenges, using three cases from Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil. In this study, we have conducted a comparative analysis across multiple projects from the three countries, which aimed to conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods. The assessments of these projects were designed to evaluate their positive, negative, short-term, long term, direct and indirect impacts. We have identified a set of commonly used sustainability indicators to evaluate the projects and have discussed opportunities and challenges associated with their application. Our analysis shows that impact evaluation processes present good opportunities for applying sustainability indicators. On the other hand, we find that project proponents (e.g. managers, evaluators, donors/funders) face challenges with establishing full impacts of interventions and that these are rooted in monitoring and evaluation processes, lack of evidence-based impacts, difficulties of measuring certain outcomes and concerns over scale of a range of impacts. We outline key lessons learnt from the multiple cases and propose ways to overcome common problems. Results from our analysis demonstrate practical experiences of applying sustainability indicators in developing countries context where there are different prevailing socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. The

  19. Evaluating impacts of development and conservation projects using sustainability indicators: Opportunities and challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agol, Dorice; Latawiec, Agnieszka E.; Strassburg, Bernardo B.N.

    2014-01-01

    There has been an increased interest in using sustainability indicators for evaluating the impacts of development and conservation projects. Past and recent experiences have shown that sustainability indicators can be powerful tools for measuring the outcomes of various interventions, when used appropriately and adequately. Currently, there is a range of methods for applying sustainability indicators for project impact evaluation at the environment–development interface. At the same time, a number of challenges persist which have implication for impact evaluation processes especially in developing countries. We highlight some key and recurrent challenges, using three cases from Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil. In this study, we have conducted a comparative analysis across multiple projects from the three countries, which aimed to conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods. The assessments of these projects were designed to evaluate their positive, negative, short-term, long term, direct and indirect impacts. We have identified a set of commonly used sustainability indicators to evaluate the projects and have discussed opportunities and challenges associated with their application. Our analysis shows that impact evaluation processes present good opportunities for applying sustainability indicators. On the other hand, we find that project proponents (e.g. managers, evaluators, donors/funders) face challenges with establishing full impacts of interventions and that these are rooted in monitoring and evaluation processes, lack of evidence-based impacts, difficulties of measuring certain outcomes and concerns over scale of a range of impacts. We outline key lessons learnt from the multiple cases and propose ways to overcome common problems. Results from our analysis demonstrate practical experiences of applying sustainability indicators in developing countries context where there are different prevailing socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. The

  20. EXPERIENCES OF OVERCOMING THE MASTER PRIMARY TO USE THE GEOGEBRA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Luz Fuentes-Pérez

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results of the experience of two researchers in overcoming 15 primary teachers, was used for this purpose a postgraduate course, in order to be trained so that they can use the dynamic geometry software Geogebra in the process of learning that develop in their classrooms. It is an investigation that used the systematization of experiences as a methodology and as research methods participant observation to get to know the moods and difficulties of trainees during class activities, group interview to gather data on participants in the course and with directors of primary education to meet the expectations and results related to the improvement and implementation of PNI for the views after some of the educational activities considered relevant. The results show as advances are obtained in overcoming teachers to use Geogebra and mention some lessons that emerge from the systematization about conception must have a course which is intended to prepare teachers who are not digital natives use the software mentioned.

  1. By inhibiting PFKFB3, aspirin overcomes sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Sainan; Dai, Weiqi; Mo, Wenhui; Li, Jingjing; Feng, Jiao; Wu, Liwei; Liu, Tong; Yu, Qiang; Xu, Shizan; Wang, Wenwen; Lu, Xiya; Zhang, Qinghui; Chen, Kan; Xia, Yujing; Lu, Jie; Zhou, Yingqun; Fan, Xiaoming; Xu, Ling; Guo, Chuanyong

    2017-12-15

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the few cancers with a continuous increase in incidence and mortality. Drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of HCC. In this study, two sorafenib-resistant HCC cell lines and a nude mouse subcutaneously tumor model were used to explore the possible mechanisms leading to sorafenib resistance, and to investigate whether aspirin could increase the sensitivity of hepatoma cells to sorafenib. The combination of aspirin and sorafenib resulted in a synergistic antitumor effect against liver tumors both in vitro and in vivo. High glycolysis and PFKFB3 overexpression occupied a dominant position in sorafenib resistance, and can be targeted and overcome by aspirin. Aspirin plus sorafenib induced apoptosis in tumors without inducing weight loss, hepatotoxicity or inflammation. Our results suggest that aspirin overcomes sorafenib resistance and their combination may be an effective treatment approach for HCC. © 2017 UICC.

  2. Human factors and technology environment in multinational project: problems and solutions; Factores humanos y entorno tecnologico en proyectos multinacionales: dificultades y soluciones

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jardi Besa, X.; Munoz Cervantes, A.

    2012-07-01

    At the onset of nuclear projects in Spain, there was an import of nuclear technology. In a second phase, there was a transfer of technology. Subsequently, there was an adaptation of the technology. In this evolution, comparable to that of other countries, were involved several countries, overcoming the difficulties of human factors involved. The current nuclear projects multinationals have a new difficulty: the different industrial technological environments. This paper will address the organizational challenges of multinational engineering projects, in the type of project and the human factors of the participating companies.

  3. Recognizing and overcoming challenges of couple interview research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellor, Ruth M; Slaymaker, Emma; Cleland, John

    2013-10-01

    In this article we discuss some methodological and ethical challenges we faced when conducting a couple-based study on men's role in contraceptive switching, and how we overcame them. The challenges we discuss include recruiting couples with a range of experiences, ensuring informed consent of participants, maintaining confidentiality within interviews, and participants discussing interview content between interviews. As appropriate, we have drawn on study participants' views of these challenges. We conclude that although couple research poses challenges, they can be overcome or minimized, and that for certain research questions this methodology is well worth using.

  4. Cross-border teleradiology-Experience from two international teleradiology projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, Peeter; Sepper, Ruth; Pohjonen, Hanna

    2010-01-01

    Teleradiology aims to even radiologists' workload, ensure on-call services, reduce waiting lists, consult other specialists and cut costs. Cross-border teleradiology widens this scope beyond the country borders. However, the new service should not reduce the quality of radiology. Quality and trust are key factors in establishment of teleradiology. Additionally there are organizational, technical, legal, security and linguistic issues influencing the service. Herein, we have used experiences from two partially European Union funded telemedicine projects to evaluate factors affecting cross-border teleradiology. Clinical partners from Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands went through 649 radiology test cases in two different teleradiology projects to build trust and agree about the report structure. Technical set-up was established using secure Internet data transfer, streaming technology, integration of workflows and creating structured reporting tool to overcome language barriers. The biggest barrier to overcome in cross-border teleradiology was the language issue. Establishment of the service was technically and semantically successful but limited to knee and hip X-ray examinations only because the structured reporting tool did not cover any other anatomical regions yet. Special attention has to be paid to clinical quality and trust between partners in cross-border teleradiology. Our experience shows that it is achievable. Legal, security and financial aspects are not covered in this paper because today they differ country by country. There is however an European Union level harmonization process started to enable cross-border eHealth in general.

  5. Cross-border teleradiology-Experience from two international teleradiology projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ross, Peeter [Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tallinn University of Technology, East Tallinn Central Hospital, Paernu mnt 104, 11312 Tallinn (Estonia)], E-mail: Peeter.Ross@itk.ee; Sepper, Ruth [Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia tee 15, 12618 Tallinn (Estonia)], E-mail: Ruth.Sepper@gmail.com; Pohjonen, Hanna [Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia tee 15, 12618 Tallinn (Estonia)], E-mail: Hanna.Pohjonen@rosalieco.fi

    2010-01-15

    Teleradiology aims to even radiologists' workload, ensure on-call services, reduce waiting lists, consult other specialists and cut costs. Cross-border teleradiology widens this scope beyond the country borders. However, the new service should not reduce the quality of radiology. Quality and trust are key factors in establishment of teleradiology. Additionally there are organizational, technical, legal, security and linguistic issues influencing the service. Herein, we have used experiences from two partially European Union funded telemedicine projects to evaluate factors affecting cross-border teleradiology. Clinical partners from Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands went through 649 radiology test cases in two different teleradiology projects to build trust and agree about the report structure. Technical set-up was established using secure Internet data transfer, streaming technology, integration of workflows and creating structured reporting tool to overcome language barriers. The biggest barrier to overcome in cross-border teleradiology was the language issue. Establishment of the service was technically and semantically successful but limited to knee and hip X-ray examinations only because the structured reporting tool did not cover any other anatomical regions yet. Special attention has to be paid to clinical quality and trust between partners in cross-border teleradiology. Our experience shows that it is achievable. Legal, security and financial aspects are not covered in this paper because today they differ country by country. There is however an European Union level harmonization process started to enable cross-border eHealth in general.

  6. Prioritising the implementation of practices to overcome operational barriers in reverse logistics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda Badenhorst

    2016-09-01

    Conclusion: The framework developed in this article will enable organisations to identify the operational barriers they experience in reverse logistics and the practices they can implement on a priority basis to overcome these barriers.

  7. IFN-γ fails to overcome inhibition of selected macrophage activation events in response to pathogenic mycobacteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shyamala Thirunavukkarasu

    Full Text Available According to most models of mycobacterial infection, inhibition of the pro-inflammatory macrophage immune responses contributes to the persistence of bacteria. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP is a highly successful pathogen in cattle and sheep and is also implicated as the causative agent of Crohn's disease in humans. Pathogenic mycobacteria such as MAP have developed multiple strategies to evade host defence mechanisms including interfering with the macrophages' capacity to respond to IFN-γ, a feature which might be lacking in non-pathogenic mycobacteria such as M. smegmatis. We hypothesized that pre-sensitisation of macrophages with the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ would help in overcoming the inhibitory effect of MAP or its antigens on macrophage inflammatory responses. Herein we have compared a series of macrophage activation parameters in response to MAP and M. smegmatis as well as mycobacterial antigens. While IFN-γ did overcome the inhibition in immune suppressive mechanisms in response to MAP antigen as well as M. smegmatis, we could not find a clear role for IFN-γ in overcoming the inhibition of macrophage inflammatory responses to the pathogenic mycobacterium, MAP. We demonstrate that suppression of macrophage defence mechanisms by pathogenic mycobacteria is unlikely to be overcome by prior sensitization with IFN-γ alone. This indicates that IFN-γ signaling pathway-independent mechanisms may exist for overcoming inhibition of macrophage effector functions in response to pathogenic mycobacteria. These findings have important implications in understanding the survival mechanisms of pathogenic mycobacteria directed towards finding better therapeutics and vaccination strategies.

  8. Synthesis of Nanodiamond-Daunorubicin Conjugates to Overcome Multidrug Chemoresistance in Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Man, Han B.; Kim, Hansung; Kim, Ho-Joong; Robinson, Erik; Liu, Wing Kam; Chow, Edward Kai-Hua; Ho, Dean

    2013-01-01

    Nanodiamonds (NDs) are promising candidates in nanomedicine, demonstrating significant potential as gene/drug delivery platforms for cancer therapy. We have synthesized ND vectors capable of chemotherapeutic loading and delivery with applications towards chemoresistant leukemia. The loading of Daunorubicin (DNR) onto NDs was optimized by adjusting reaction parameters such as acidity and concentration. The resulting conjugate, a novel therapeutic payload for NDs, was characterized extensively for size, surface charge, and loading efficiency. A K562 human myelogenous leukemia cell line, with multidrug resistance conferred by incremental DNR exposure, was used to demonstrate the efficacy enhancement resulting from ND-based delivery. While resistant K562 cells were able to overcome treatment from DNR alone, as compared with non-resistant K562 cells, NDs were able to improve DNR delivery into resistant K562 cells. By overcoming efflux mechanisms present in this resistant leukemia line, ND-enabled therapeutics have demonstrated the potential to improve cancer treatment efficacy, especially towards resistant strains. PMID:23916889

  9. Awareness On Microgrids And Various Protection Issues To Overcome In It

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachna Verma

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT As we know India faces problem of Power blackout every year due to the overloading on the main electrical grid. To avoid the above problem Microgrids are the best solution. Basically Microgrids are the small version of electrical grid. They are independent power system. Microgrids can be connected with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. The use of renewable energy introduces the need of various storing devices and supplies it whenever required. Microgrids can provide wide range of applications in buildings military camps and corporateacademic campuses etc. They can have efficient and effective provision of electricity to off-grid areas as well as keep the lights on in times of crisis for critical applications like hospital. Though Microgrids being so advantageous it has several technical challenging issues to overcome i.e. voltage and frequency control islanding and its protection in Microgrids. This paper discusses the overview of Microgrids and issue to overcome in it-its Protection.

  10. The Ikhil Gas Project: developing the first commercial natural gas project north of the Arctic Circle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malin, G. [AltaGas Services Inc., AB (Canada)

    2001-07-01

    Development of the Ikhil Natural Gas Project by the Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation in partnership with Enbridge and AltaGas Services are described in a step-by-step fashion. A minimum of 11 Bcf of recoverable natural gas reserves have been established to date. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation is committed under a 15-year take-or-pay contract to take the gas, and the Town of Inuvik also has a franchise agreement with the project owners for a 15-year period. Challenges faced and overcome in adapting to the regulatory process, the engineering problems that required special solutions (e.g. ice/snow roads, gravel pad to support wellhead and production facilities, reducing temperature of gas to avoid disturbing the permafrost, sand-padding pipeline to supplement high ice/content material), converting a diesel town to a natural gas town, and installing an underground distribution system in ground that is constantly shifting due to permafrost, are some of the examples discussed. Benefits accruing to local people and businesses during construction and the production phases of the project are described, along with details of an assessment and discussion of lessons learned after two years of operation. Overall, the project is considered to have been an engineering success. Financially, it is too early to judge, but it is expected that with economic development in Inuvik taking off, demand for natural gas and electricity will develop and justify the confidence of the developers.

  11. OPG Western waste management facility resin overpacking project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rae, G.A.; Van de Bospoort, P.; Pearson, S.D.

    2007-01-01

    Liners containing radioactive resins are stored in in-ground containers. Over time, degradation of the liners has occurred and there is potential for eventual leakage. The liners require overpacking in more robust packages to allow for extended storage and final placement in the Deep Geologic Repository. This paper will discuss the equipment design for safe venting, weather protection, radiation shielding, and remote handling of the liners. Alternative considerations and reasoning for final equipment design will be addressed. It will present issues encountered and how they were overcome as well as the logistical overview of the project, including milestones and time tables. (author)

  12. Pedagogical design for knowledge creating inquiry in customer projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanni Muukkonen

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Two higher education courses involving students, teachers, and customers in multifaceted experiences of knowledge creation are described. The Trialogical Learning Approach (TLA provides a theoretical framework to address learning and teaching organized around authentic problems and the development of shared knowledge objects, such as reports, products, and new practices. The approach directs attention to those aspects of social interaction and artifact-mediated activities, which focus on the development of shared objects and the pursuit of novel knowledge and understanding. The roles of technology-mediation, customer involvement, and guidance in developing effective pedagogical practices for knowledge creation were addressed. It appears necessary to design sufficient open-endedness and complexity for students’ teamwork to generate unpredictable, practical, and epistemologically challenging situations. Pedagogical design for such a process has different foci in the four central phases: planning, project initiation, project execution, and presentation and evaluation. Planning and initiation are central to establishing relevance and project awareness for the collaboration of student teams with a customer. Guidance and expert modeling during project initiation and execution is needed to overcome feelings of uncertainty during a challenging and complex assignment. Mediation provided by collaboration tools facilitates reflection on collective practices, iterative development of knowledge objects, and documentation of the learning outcomes of customer projects.

  13. A Case Study of User-Centred Design in Four Swiss RUP Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ljiljana Vukelja

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We analysed four Rational Unified Process (RUP projects in Switzerland that identified themselves as following a user-centred approach. Grounded theory served for analysis of 12 interviews with software developers, project managers, and UI specialists. For each professional group we analysed their work context, motivations, work practices, and strategies used to overcome the obstacles to user-centred design. Results show that end users did not participate in the projects. Instead of working directly with end users, participants used data from marketing research or consulted colleagues from other departments. Prototypes played an important role. We suggest the following remedies: (1 developing methods for easy integration of existing company knowledge about products with usability features, (2 professionalising UI design by educating project stakeholders in standard UI design, (3 creating an approved pool of company's personas for UI specialists' work, and (4 educating customers on their right to get good user interfaces.

  14. Right prefrontal activity reflects the ability to overcome sleepiness during working memory tasks: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Motoyasu Honma

    Full Text Available It has been speculated that humans have an inherent ability to overcome sleepiness that counteracts homeostatic sleep pressure. However, it remains unclear which cortical substrate activities are involved in the ability to overcome sleepiness during the execution of cognitive tasks. Here we sought to confirm that this ability to overcome sleepiness in task execution improves performance on cognitive tasks, showing activation of neural substrates in the frontal cortex, by using a modified n-back (2- and 0-back working memory task and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The change in alertness was just correlated with performances on the 2-back task. Activity in the right prefrontal cortex changed depending on alertness changes on the 2- and 0-back tasks independently, which indicates that activity in this region clearly reflects the ability to overcome sleepiness; it may contribute to the function of providing sufficient activity to meet the task load demands. This study reveals characteristics of the ability to overcome sleepiness during the n-back working memory task which goes beyond the attention-control function traditionally proposed.

  15. Fear of examinations and educational factors of its overcoming

    OpenAIRE

    Bagdonas, Algimantas; Merkys, Gediminas

    2005-01-01

    This article, based on the carried out scientific researches' data of late decades, tries to reveal die actuality of the phenomenon of exam fear and opportunities of solving this problem. In this article there is analyzed an actual exam fear phenomenon characteristic of different aged students from various countries and social classes. Exam fear is presented as a constituent part of the complicated phenomenon of school fear, emphasizing educational factors of its overcoming. Exam fear is also...

  16. Experiences with a Japanese-American fusion fuel processing hardware project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, J.W.; Anderson, J.L.; Bartlit, J.R.; Carlson, R.V.; Konishi, S.; Inoue, M.; Naruse, Y.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) have installed a full-sale fuel cleanup system (JFCU) for testing at Los Alamos. The JFCU was designed by JAERI and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Kobe, Japan. Experience gained by Japanese working at Los Alamos facilitated development of a system consistent with Los Alamos operations and standards. US or equivalent Japanese standards were generally used for design resulting in minor problems at electrical interfaces. Frequent written interchanges were essential to project success, as spoken communications can be misunderstood. Differing work styles required detailed pre-planning, separation of responsibilities, and daily scheduling meetings. Safety and operational documentation drafted by JAERI personnel was revised at Los Alamos to assure conformance with USDOE and Los Alamos standards. The project was successful because both Japanese and American participants worked hard to overcome potential problems. These experiences will be valuable in conducting future international fusion projects

  17. EXTERNAL BORROWING – A SOLUTION IN OVERCOMING THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Pascal (căs. Andriescu

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The government decisions to call, in recent years, more and more reimbursable financing gave birth to fierce reactions among politicians and economy specialists. The present article aims to analyze how the external borrowing may be a solution to overcome the difficult situation where we are.

  18. A projective surgical navigation system for cancer resection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Qi; Shao, Pengfei; Wang, Dong; Ye, Jian; Zhang, Zeshu; Wang, Xinrui; Xu, Ronald

    2016-03-01

    Near infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging technique can provide precise and real-time information about tumor location during a cancer resection surgery. However, many intraoperative fluorescence imaging systems are based on wearable devices or stand-alone displays, leading to distraction of the surgeons and suboptimal outcome. To overcome these limitations, we design a projective fluorescence imaging system for surgical navigation. The system consists of a LED excitation light source, a monochromatic CCD camera, a host computer, a mini projector and a CMOS camera. A software program is written by C++ to call OpenCV functions for calibrating and correcting fluorescence images captured by the CCD camera upon excitation illumination of the LED source. The images are projected back to the surgical field by the mini projector. Imaging performance of this projective navigation system is characterized in a tumor simulating phantom. Image-guided surgical resection is demonstrated in an ex-vivo chicken tissue model. In all the experiments, the projected images by the projector match well with the locations of fluorescence emission. Our experimental results indicate that the proposed projective navigation system can be a powerful tool for pre-operative surgical planning, intraoperative surgical guidance, and postoperative assessment of surgical outcome. We have integrated the optoelectronic elements into a compact and miniaturized system in preparation for further clinical validation.

  19. INVAP and its project management capabilities: a key to company success

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salvatore, Marcelo; Delgado, Ricardo; Niklison, Carlos; Ordonez, Juan Pablo; Gerbino, Juan Jose Gil

    2002-01-01

    Over the past 26 years, several factors have contributed to INVAP's projection into domestic and overseas operations. Of these, the most recognized is of course the technological capabilities INVAP keeps developing to satisfy our customer's requirements. In a second thought, the other factor is the strategic objective of providing specific purpose customer oriented solutions. The less obvious third important factor in this trilogy is the successful application of Project Management techniques and methods. INVAP's vision on Project Management encompasses well known concepts as: Integrated Management, Proactive solutions, Cost Control and Reporting, Quality Assurance, Target Schedules, Performance Requirements, Risk Management, Configuration Management and Integrated Logistic Support. After 2 years of execution of the Replacement Research Reactor Project for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, our Project Management methodology have allowed us to timely meet all project milestones, complete basic and detail engineering, timely deliver the preliminary safety reports, manufacture and test technological concepts in specifically built mock ups and overcome risky situations -like the economical panorama in Argentina- without jeopardizing our Contractual commitments. Present paper depicts the practical approach INVAP has for Project Management -particularly within the Nuclear Division-, and a description of the tools to such aim developed. (author)

  20. A new technology to overcome the limits of HCCI engine through fuel modification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bahng, GunWoong; Jang, Dongsoon; Kim, Youngtae; Shin, Misoo

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Problems of HCCI engine can be overcome by adopting fuel modification. • Gasoline vapor with HHO gas showed drastic improvement of fuel efficiency. • Performance of single cylinder engine shows fuel efficiency more than double. - Abstract: The energy efficiency of internal combustion engine reached to about 30% only recently. To increase the efficiency, homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) has been proposed, however, there is no available commercial engine yet. The main problem lies in the delayed heating rate in spite of fast reaction of homogeneous charged state of HCCI with excess air. To overcome this difficulty, a modification of fuel by vaporization of liquid gasoline with water electrolysis gas and air was adopted in order to warrant the fast and high temperature rise. Experiments were carried out with single cylinder engines supplied from the four different manufacturers. Experimental results show that fuel consumption was decreased by more than 50% compared to the case of supplying liquid fuel. It is believed it was due to the combined effects of the high and fast heating potential of water electrolysis gas together with the efficient turbulence mixing effect of vaporized fuel with excess air. By this method, the drawbacks caused by lean burn in the HCCI engine such as small power range can be overcome.

  1. Software Project Management and Measurement on the World-Wide-Web (WWW)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callahan, John; Ramakrishnan, Sudhaka

    1996-01-01

    We briefly describe a system for forms-based, work-flow management that helps members of a software development team overcome geographical barriers to collaboration. Our system, called the Web Integrated Software Environment (WISE), is implemented as a World-Wide-Web service that allows for management and measurement of software development projects based on dynamic analysis of change activity in the workflow. WISE tracks issues in a software development process, provides informal communication between the users with different roles, supports to-do lists, and helps in software process improvement. WISE minimizes the time devoted to metrics collection and analysis by providing implicit delivery of messages between users based on the content of project documents. The use of a database in WISE is hidden from the users who view WISE as maintaining a personal 'to-do list' of tasks related to the many projects on which they may play different roles.

  2. Wind energy: Overcoming inadequate wind and modeling uncertainties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kane, Vivek

    2010-09-15

    'Green Energy' is the call of the day, and significance of Wind Energy can never be overemphasized. But the key question here is - What if the wind resources are inadequate? Studies reveal that the probability of finding favorable wind at a given place on land is only 15%. Moreover, there are inherent uncertainties associated with wind business. Can we overcome inadequate wind resources? Can we scientifically quantify uncertainty and model it to make business sense? This paper proposes a solution, by way of break-through Wind Technologies, combined with advanced tools for Financial Modeling, enabling vital business decisions.

  3. Overcoming Learning Aversion in Evaluating and Managing Uncertain Risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Louis Anthony Tony

    2015-10-01

    Decision biases can distort cost-benefit evaluations of uncertain risks, leading to risk management policy decisions with predictably high retrospective regret. We argue that well-documented decision biases encourage learning aversion, or predictably suboptimal learning and premature decision making in the face of high uncertainty about the costs, risks, and benefits of proposed changes. Biases such as narrow framing, overconfidence, confirmation bias, optimism bias, ambiguity aversion, and hyperbolic discounting of the immediate costs and delayed benefits of learning, contribute to deficient individual and group learning, avoidance of information seeking, underestimation of the value of further information, and hence needlessly inaccurate risk-cost-benefit estimates and suboptimal risk management decisions. In practice, such biases can create predictable regret in selection of potential risk-reducing regulations. Low-regret learning strategies based on computational reinforcement learning models can potentially overcome some of these suboptimal decision processes by replacing aversion to uncertain probabilities with actions calculated to balance exploration (deliberate experimentation and uncertainty reduction) and exploitation (taking actions to maximize the sum of expected immediate reward, expected discounted future reward, and value of information). We discuss the proposed framework for understanding and overcoming learning aversion and for implementing low-regret learning strategies using regulation of air pollutants with uncertain health effects as an example. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

  4. The small and rural academic library leveraging resources and overcoming limitations

    CERN Document Server

    Davis Kendrick, Kaetrena

    2016-01-01

    Through the use of case studies, research, and practical interviews, The Small or Rural Academic Library: Leveraging Resources and Overcoming Limitations explores how academic librarians in such environments can keep pace with, create, and improve modern library practices and services, network with colleagues, and access continuing education and professional development opportunities.

  5. Lessons learnt from a primary care asthma improvement project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenney, Warren; Clayton, Sadie; Gilchrist, Francis J; Price, David; Small, Iain; Smith, Judy; Sutton, Emma J

    2016-01-07

    Asthma is a very common disease that can occur at any age. In the UK and in many other countries it is mainly managed in primary care. The published evidence suggests that the key to improving diagnosis and management lies in better training and education rather than in the discovery of new medications. An asthma improvement project managed through the British Lung Foundation is attempting to do this. The project has three pilot sites: two in England supported by the Department of Health and one in Scotland supported by the Scottish Government. If the project is successful it will be rolled out to other health areas within the UK. The results of this project are not yet available. This article highlights the challenges encountered in setting up the project and may well be applicable to other areas in the UK and to other countries where similar healthcare systems exist. The encountered challenges reflect the complex nature of healthcare systems and electronic data capture in primary care. We discuss the differences between general practices in their ability and willingness to support the project, the training and education of their staff on asthma management, governance issues in relation to information technology systems, and the quality of data capture. Virtually all the challenges have now been overcome, but discussing them should ensure that others become aware of them at an early stage should they wish to undertake similar projects in the future.

  6. Failure to Respond to Food Resource Decline Has Catastrophic Consequences for Koalas in a High-Density Population in Southern Australia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Desley A Whisson

    Full Text Available Understanding the ability of koalas to respond to changes in their environment is critical for conservation of the species and their habitat. We monitored the behavioural response of koalas to declining food resources in manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis woodland at Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia, from September 2011 to November 2013. Over this period, koala population density increased from 10.1 to 18.4 koalas.ha-1. As a result of the high browsing pressure of this population, manna gum canopy condition declined with 71.4% manna gum being completely or highly defoliated in September 2013. Despite declining food resources, radio collared koalas (N = 30 exhibited high fidelity to small ranges (0.4-1.2 ha. When trees became severely defoliated in September 2013, koalas moved relatively short distances from their former ranges (mean predicted change in range centroid = 144 m and remained in areas of 0.9 to 1.0 ha. This was despite the high connectivity of most manna gum woodland, and close proximity of the study site (< 3 km to the contiguous mixed forest of the Great Otway National Park. Limited movement had catastrophic consequences for koalas with 71% (15/21 of radio collared koalas dying from starvation or being euthanased due to their poor condition between September and November 2013.

  7. Overcoming barriers to ITS : lessons from other technologies : final task E report

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-12-01

    The Task E report involves an analysis of franchises and license agreements for the provision of public services, which is the fourth in a series in the study. Overcoming Barriers to ITS - Lessons from Other Technologies. This report follows alternat...

  8. Problem Solving Instruction for Overcoming Students' Difficulties in Stoichiometric Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadreck, Mandina; Enunuwe, Ochonogor Chukunoye

    2017-01-01

    The study sought to find out difficulties encountered by high school chemistry students when solving stoichiometric problems and how these could be overcome by using a problem-solving approach. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design. 485 participants drawn from 8 highs schools in a local education district in Zimbabwe participated in the…

  9. Scientific provision of the problems of overcoming the Chernobyl catastrophe consequences. Chapter 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konoplya, E.F.; Rolevich, I.V.; Gurachevskij, V.L.; Poplyko, I.Ya.; Semeshko, A.V.

    1998-01-01

    At present in the Republic of Belarus the research works on the problems of overcoming of the Chernobyl accident consequences are carried out in the following directions: radiation protection of the population; health of the population affected by the Chernobyl NPP accident; complex radiation-ecological estimation of the environment and conditions of the life activity of the population; rehabilitation of the contaminated territories; instrumental and methodical provision of the radiation control. The experience of the scientific approach to the decision of wide-scale and multiple-discipline tasks of overcoming of the Chernobyl accident consequences promotes for transformation of separate knowledge about radiation safety in holistic conception of safety and protection of the population in emergency caused by industrial accidents, catastrophes, natural disasters

  10. Overcoming hERG affinity in the discovery of maraviroc; a CCR5 antagonist for the treatment of HIV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, David A; Armour, Duncan; de Groot, Marcel; Leishman, Derek; Napier, Carolyn; Perros, Manos; Stammen, Blanda L; Wood, Anthony

    2008-01-01

    Avoiding cardiac liability associated with blockade of hERG (human ether a go-go) is key for successful drug discovery and development. This paper describes the work undertaken in the discovery of a potent CCR5 antagonist, maraviroc 34, for the treatment of HIV. In particular the use of a pharmacophore model of the hERG channel and a high throughput binding assay for the hERG channel are described that were critical to elucidate SAR to overcome hERG liabilities. The key SAR involves the introduction of polar substituents into regions of the molecule where it is postulated to undergo hydrophobic interactions with the ion channel. Within the CCR5 project there appeared to be no strong correlation between hERG affinity and physiochemical parameters such as pKa or lipophilicity. It is believed that chemists could apply these same strategies early in drug discovery to remove hERG interactions associated with lead compounds while retaining potency at the primary target.

  11. Project W-340 tank 241-C-106 manipulator system closeout summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDaniel, L.B.

    1995-02-01

    This document summarizes the work that was ongoing when Project W-340 was put on hold. Project W-340: Tank 241-C-106 Manipulator Retrieval System, was a candidate FY98 Major System Acquisition. The project was to develop, procure and deploy a Long Reach Manipulator (LRM) waste retrieval system to provide an alternate method to completing the in-tank demonstration of Single Shell Tank waste retrieval technology. The need for enhanced capabilities derives from (1) the inability of the baseline technology to retrieve certain hard waste forms; (2) uncertainty in the quantity of leakage which will be allowed. Numerous studies over the years have identified an arm architecture as a promising retrieval technology to overcome these concerns. The W340 project was intended to further develop and demonstrate this alternative, as part of selecting the best approach for all tanks. Prior to completing the effort, it was determined that an LRM system was too architecture specific and was envisioned to be too expensive for a one time demonstration of retrieval technology. At the time the work was stopped, an effort was underway to broaden the project scope to allow alternatives to an arm-based system

  12. 20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges in West Virginia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patrick Mann; Christine Risch

    2012-02-15

    Final Report for '20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges in West Virginia'. The objective of this project was to examine the obstacles and constraints to the development of wind energy in West Virginia as well as the obstacles and constraints to the achievement of the national goal of 20% wind by 2030. For the portion contracted with WVU, there were four tasks in this examination of obstacles and constraints. Task 1 involved the establishment of a Wind Resource Council. Task 2 involved conducting limited research activities. These activities involved an ongoing review of wind energy documents including documents regarding the potential for wind farms being located on reclaimed surface mining sites as well as other brownfield sites. The Principal Investigator also examined the results of the Marshall University SODAR assessment of the potential for placing wind farms on reclaimed surface mining sites. Task 3 involved the conducting of outreach activities. These activities involved working with the members of the Wind Resource Council, the staff of the Regional Wind Energy Institute, and the staff of Penn Future. This task also involved the examination of the importance of transmission for wind energy development. The Principal Investigator kept informed as to transmission developments in the Eastern United States. The Principal Investigator coordinated outreach activities with the activities at the Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University. Task 4 involved providing technical assistance. This task involved the provision of information to various parties interested in wind energy development. The Principal Investigator was available to answer requests from interested parties regarding in formation regarding both utility scale as well as small wind development in West Virginia. Most of the information requested regarded either the permitting process for wind facilities of various sizes in the state or information regarding the

  13. Genome network medicine: innovation to overcome huge challenges in cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roukos, Dimitrios H

    2014-01-01

    The post-ENCODE era shapes now a new biomedical research direction for understanding transcriptional and signaling networks driving gene expression and core cellular processes such as cell fate, survival, and apoptosis. Over the past half century, the Francis Crick 'central dogma' of single n gene/protein-phenotype (trait/disease) has defined biology, human physiology, disease, diagnostics, and drugs discovery. However, the ENCODE project and several other genomic studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies, computational strategies, and imaging techniques to visualize regulatory networks, provide evidence that transcriptional process and gene expression are regulated by highly complex dynamic molecular and signaling networks. This Focus article describes the linear experimentation-based limitations of diagnostics and therapeutics to cure advanced cancer and the need to move on from reductionist to network-based approaches. With evident a wide genomic heterogeneity, the power and challenges of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to identify a patient's personal mutational landscape for tailoring the best target drugs in the individual patient are discussed. However, the available drugs are not capable of targeting aberrant signaling networks and research on functional transcriptional heterogeneity and functional genome organization is poorly understood. Therefore, the future clinical genome network medicine aiming at overcoming multiple problems in the new fields of regulatory DNA mapping, noncoding RNA, enhancer RNAs, and dynamic complexity of transcriptional circuitry are also discussed expecting in new innovation technology and strong appreciation of clinical data and evidence-based medicine. The problematic and potential solutions in the discovery of next-generation, molecular, and signaling circuitry-based biomarkers and drugs are explored. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Evaluative pressure overcomes perceptual load effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Normand, Alice; Autin, Frédérique; Croizet, Jean-Claude

    2015-06-01

    Perceptual load has been found to be a powerful bottom-up determinant of distractibility, with high perceptual load preventing distraction by any irrelevant information. However, when under evaluative pressure, individuals exert top-down attentional control by giving greater weight to task-relevant features, making them more distractible from task-relevant distractors. One study tested whether the top-down modulation of attention under evaluative pressure overcomes the beneficial bottom-up effect of high perceptual load on distraction. Using a response-competition task, we replicated previous findings that high levels of perceptual load suppress task-relevant distractor response interference, but only for participants in a control condition. Participants under evaluative pressure (i.e., who believed their intelligence was assessed) showed interference from task-relevant distractor at all levels of perceptual load. This research challenges the assumptions of the perceptual load theory and sheds light on a neglected determinant of distractibility: the self-relevance of the performance situation in which attentional control is solicited.

  15. Developing an intervention to overcome procrastination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otermin-Cristeta, Solange; Hautzinger, Martin

    2018-01-01

    The main goal of this study was the development of a reliable intervention to overcome general procrastination orientated to college students, designed to be used in practical clinical work. The workshops involved six meetings based on behavioral and cognitive techniques, paradox intervention, and psychoeducation. 175 students participated voluntarily. Their procrastination levels were measured in a pretest, post-test, and a 3-month follow-up. After the first interview, the participants were randomly divided into three groups (Intervention A, Intervention B, and a control group with no intervention). There was a significant improvement after the intervention. After 3 months, the average score was still significantly lower than in the pretest, whereas the score of the control group remained unchanged. The participants in Workshop A scored significantly lower in the post-test than the ones in Workshop B. After 3 months, the participants in Workshop B scored significantly lower in the follow up. So both interventions resulted to be effective in reducing procrastination sustainably.

  16. The use of ion beam to overcome interspecific hybrid inviability in plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inoue, Masayoshi [Kyoto Prefectural Univ. (Japan); Watanabe, Hiroshi

    1997-03-01

    In order to overcome sexual incompatibility between distantly related species in Nicotiana, the crosses with {sup 4}He{sup 2+} beam-irradiated pollen were carried out, and survival hybrids were obtained. They were resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and green peach aphid. (author)

  17. Using Appropriate Digital Tools to Overcome Barriers to Collaborative Learning in Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wardlow, Liane; Harm, Eian

    2015-01-01

    Collaborative learning provides students with vital opportunities to create and build knowledge. Existing technologies can facilitate collaborative learning. However, barriers exist to enacting collaborative practices related to the coverage of material for assessments and classroom management concerns, among others. Teachers can overcome these…

  18. Static Validation of Security Protocols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bodei, Chiara; Buchholtz, Mikael; Degano, P.

    2005-01-01

    We methodically expand protocol narrations into terms of a process algebra in order to specify some of the checks that need to be made in a protocol. We then apply static analysis technology to develop an automatic validation procedure for protocols. Finally, we demonstrate that these techniques ...... suffice to identify several authentication flaws in symmetric and asymmetric key protocols such as Needham-Schroeder symmetric key, Otway-Rees, Yahalom, Andrew secure RPC, Needham-Schroeder asymmetric key, and Beller-Chang-Yacobi MSR...

  19. Overcoming selfishness: reciprocity, inhibition, and cardiac-autonomic control in the ultimatum game.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sütterlin, Stefan; Herbert, Cornelia; Schmitt, Michael; Kübler, Andrea; Vögele, Claus

    2011-01-01

    The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG) have recently been discussed in light of models of reciprocity and fairness-related behavior. It has been suggested that behavior following norm-oriented, internalized expectations of reciprocity requires overcoming economic self-interest. In this study we investigated both, behavioral and peripheral-physiological indicators of inhibitory capacity related to neuronal networks that are likely to be involved in the behavioral response to unfair offers. Both heart-rate variability as an index of inhibitory capacity, and performance in a motor response inhibition task predicted rejection of unfair offers in an UG, suggesting an important role of inhibitory processes in overcoming economic temptations and regulating behavior conforming to social norms of reciprocity and fairness. The role of parasympathetic activity as a physiological trait-marker predicting inter-individual differences in the rejection of unfair offers is discussed.

  20. Rural water-supply and sanitation planning: The use of socioeconomic preconditions in project identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Dennis B.

    1984-02-01

    Recognition of the socioeconomic preconditions for successful rural water-supply and sanitation projects in developing countries is the key to identifying a new project. Preconditions are the social, economic and technical characteristics defining the project environment. There are two basic types of preconditions: those existing at the time of the initial investigation and those induced by subsequent project activities. Successful project identification is dependent upon an accurate recognition of existing constraints and a carefully tailored package of complementary investments intended to overcome the constraints. This paper discusses the socioeconomic aspects of preconditions in the context of a five-step procedure for project identification. The procedure includes: (1) problem identification; (2) determination of socioeconomic status; (3) technology selection; (4) utilization of support conditions; and (5) benefit estimation. Although the establishment of specific preconditions should be based upon the types of projects likely to be implemented, the paper outlines a number of general relationships regarding favourable preconditions in water and sanitation planning. These relationships are used within the above five-step procedure to develop a set of general guidelines for the application of preconditions in the identification of rural water-supply and sanitation projects.

  1. Comment: Kidney exchange to overcome financial barriers to kidney transplantation

    OpenAIRE

    Baines, L.S.; Jindal, R.M.

    2017-01-01

    Rees et al. have shown the feasibility of global kidney exchange (GKE) to overcome financial cost and address the current shortage of organs for transplantation. Wiseman and Gill, question their interpretation of definition of "financial incompatibility". The authors1 do not factor in the well documented cognitive and emotional aspects of kidney transplantation. Particularly, relevant to kidney transplantation is how patients calculate risk and the emotional turmoil characterised by anxiety a...

  2. Debate on science and technology promotion for overcoming economic crisis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-05-01

    This book records debate point and topic presentation of debate on science and technology promotion for overcoming economic difficulties which lists opening greeting, topic presentation such as innovation of national science technology system, sufficient supply and demand of science and engineering personnel, invigoration of technology research of corporation and general debate. This debate was held by the Policy Board of democratic and liberal party on 22 May 1990 in Press center.

  3. Comparison of Strategies to Overcome Drug Resistance: Learning from Various Kingdoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroshi Ogawara

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Drug resistance, especially antibiotic resistance, is a growing threat to human health. To overcome this problem, it is significant to know precisely the mechanisms of drug resistance and/or self-resistance in various kingdoms, from bacteria through plants to animals, once more. This review compares the molecular mechanisms of the resistance against phycotoxins, toxins from marine and terrestrial animals, plants and fungi, and antibiotics. The results reveal that each kingdom possesses the characteristic features. The main mechanisms in each kingdom are transporters/efflux pumps in phycotoxins, mutation and modification of targets and sequestration in marine and terrestrial animal toxins, ABC transporters and sequestration in plant toxins, transporters in fungal toxins, and various or mixed mechanisms in antibiotics. Antibiotic producers in particular make tremendous efforts for avoiding suicide, and are more flexible and adaptable to the changes of environments. With these features in mind, potential alternative strategies to overcome these resistance problems are discussed. This paper will provide clues for solving the issues of drug resistance.

  4. PI3K inhibition to overcome endocrine resistance in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keegan, Niamh M; Gleeson, Jack P; Hennessy, Bryan T; Morris, Patrick G

    2018-01-01

    Activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) pathway is a critical step in oncogenesis and plays a role in the development of treatment resistance for both estrogen receptor (ER) positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancers. Hence, there have been efforts to therapeutically inhibit this pathway. Areas covered: Several inhibitors of PI3K are now progressing through clinical trials with varying degrees of efficacy and toxicity to date. Numerous unresolved questions remain concerning the optimal isoform selectivity of PI3K inhibitors and use of predictive biomarkers. This review examines the most important PI3K inhibitors in ER positive breast cancer to date, with a particular focus on their role in overcoming endocrine therapy resistance and the possible use of PIK3CA mutations as a predictive biomarker. Expert opinion: We discuss some of the emerging challenges and questions encountered during the development of PI3K inhibitors from preclinical to phase III studies, including other novel biomarkers and future combinations to overcome endocrine resistance.

  5. RESEARCH OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF TERMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION AS A BASIS OF EFFECTIVE MECHANISM OF INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kolesnik Teona Davidovna

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Today Project management turned into a separate discipline with its standards, techniques and body of knowledge. There are more than 40 methodologies, the most recognition among them is standard PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge. However, officially there is no single definition nor the term "project" nor the term "project management". The concept of "innovation" quite fully indicated, so innovation often is limited by time and budget, associated with novelty and irregularity, it is inherent uncertainties, risks, and weak of structure. In turn, the Project management uses technologies of managing resources to overcome the limitations of the budget, as well as a wide range of predictors and risk management, formalized and integrated management of individual project processes. All this makes the project management of highly effective technique to manage innovation.

  6. Measuring women's perceived ability to overcome barriers to healthcare seeking in Burkina Faso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikiema Béatrice

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In sub-Saharan Africa, women must overcome numerous barriers when they need modern healthcare. Respect of gender norms within the household and the community may still influence women's ability to obtain care. A lack of gender-sensitive instruments for measuring women's ability to overcome barriers compromises attempts to adequately quantify the burden and risk of exclusion they face when seeking modern healthcare. The aim of this study was to create and validate a synthetic measure of women's access to healthcare from a publicly available and possibly internationally comparable population-based survey. Method Seven questionnaire items from the Burkina Faso 2003 DHS were combined to create the index. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to test the reliability of the index. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA were applied to evaluate the factorial structure and construct validity of the index while taking into account the hierarchical structure of the data. Results The index has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.75, suggesting adequate reliability. In EFA, three correlated factors fitted the data best. In CFA, the construct of perceived ability to overcome barriers to healthcare seeking emerged as a second-order latent variable with three domains: socioeconomic barriers, geographical barriers and psychosocial barriers. Model fit indices support the index's global validity for women of reproductive age in Burkina Faso. Evidence for construct validity comes from the finding that women's index scores increase with household living standard. Conclusion The DHS items can be combined into a reliable and valid, gender-sensitive index quantifying reproductive-age women's perceived ability to overcome barriers to healthcare seeking in Burkina Faso. The index complies conceptually with the sector-cross-cutting capability approach and enables measuring directly the perceived access to healthcare. Therefore it

  7. Overcoming Obstacles to Drug Repositioning in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuhei Nishimura

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Drug repositioning (DR is the process of identifying new indications for existing drugs. DR usually focuses on drugs that have cleared phase-I safety trials but has yet to show efficacy for the intended indication. Therefore, DR can probably skip the preclinical and phase-I study, which can reduce the cost throughout drug development. However, the expensive phase-II/III trials are required to establish efficacy. The obstacles to DR include identification of new indications with a high success rate in clinical studies, obtaining funding for clinical studies, patent protection, and approval systems. To tackle these obstacles, various approaches have been applied to DR worldwide. In this perspective, we provide representative examples of DR and discuss the ongoing efforts to overcome obstacles to DR in Japan.

  8. Project-based faculty development for e-learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyas, Rashmi; Faith, Minnie; Selvakumar, Dhayakani; Pulimood, Anna; Lee, Mary

    2016-12-01

    The Christian Medical College, Vellore, in collaboration with Tufts University, Boston, conducted an advanced workshop in e-learning for medical faculty members in India. E-learning can enhance educational reforms for today's computer-literate generation, and keep faculty members up to speed in a rapidly changing world. The purpose of this paper is to report on the design and evaluation of a project-based faculty member development programme focused on developing faculty members as educators and as peer trainers who can use e-learning for educational reforms. During a 2-day workshop, 29 participants in groups of two or three developed 13 e-learning projects for implementation in their institutions. Evaluation of the workshop was through written feedback from the participants at the end of the workshop and by telephone interview with one participant from each project group at the end of one year. Content analysis of qualitative data was perfomed. The participants reported that they were motivated to implement e-learning projects and recognised the need for and usefulness of e-learning. The majority of projects (10 out of 13) that were implemented 'to some extent' or 'to a great extent' faced challenges with a lack of resources and administrative support, but faculty members were able to overcome them. E-learning can enhance educational reforms for today's computer-literate generation IMPLICATIONS: Designing feasible e-learning projects in small groups and obtaining hands-on experience with e-learning tools enhance the effectiveness of subsequent implementation. To successfully incorporate e-learning when designing educational reforms, faculty member training, continuing support and infrastructure facilities are essential. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Diabetes Management in the Elderly: An Intervention Study

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Munshi, Medha

    2008-01-01

    .... The interventions are now being implemented with help of a geriatric life specialist (GLS). Intervention by GDT includes focused strategies to overcome barriers in the areas of clinical care, education, social environment, and finances...

  10. Hybrid petacomputing meets cosmology: The Roadrunner Universe project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Habib, Salman; Pope, Adrian; Lukic, Zarija; Daniel, David; Fasel, Patricia; Desai, Nehal; Heitmann, Katrin; Hsu, Chung-Hsing; Ankeny, Lee; Mark, Graham; Bhattacharya, Suman; Ahrens, James

    2009-01-01

    The target of the Roadrunner Universe project at Los Alamos National Laboratory is a set of very large cosmological N-body simulation runs on the hybrid supercomputer Roadrunner, the world's first petaflop platform. Roadrunner's architecture presents opportunities and difficulties characteristic of next-generation supercomputing. We describe a new code designed to optimize performance and scalability by explicitly matching the underlying algorithms to the machine architecture, and by using the physics of the problem as an essential aid in this process. While applications will differ in specific exploits, we believe that such a design process will become increasingly important in the future. The Roadrunner Universe project code, MC 3 (Mesh-based Cosmology Code on the Cell), uses grid and direct particle methods to balance the capabilities of Roadrunner's conventional (Opteron) and accelerator (Cell BE) layers. Mirrored particle caches and spectral techniques are used to overcome communication bandwidth limitations and possible difficulties with complicated particle-grid interaction templates.

  11. Overcoming barriers to development of cooperative medical decision support models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudson, Donna L; Cohen, Maurice E

    2012-01-01

    Attempts to automate the medical decision making process have been underway for the at least fifty years, beginning with data-based approaches that relied chiefly on statistically-based methods. Approaches expanded to include knowledge-based systems, both linear and non-linear neural networks, agent-based systems, and hybrid methods. While some of these models produced excellent results none have been used extensively in medical practice. In order to move these methods forward into practical use, a number of obstacles must be overcome, including validation of existing systems on large data sets, development of methods for including new knowledge as it becomes available, construction of a broad range of decision models, and development of non-intrusive methods that allow the physician to use these decision aids in conjunction with, not instead of, his or her own medical knowledge. None of these four requirements will come easily. A cooperative effort among researchers, including practicing MDs, is vital, particularly as more information on diseases and their contributing factors continues to expand resulting in more parameters than the human decision maker can process effectively. In this article some of the basic structures that are necessary to facilitate the use of an automated decision support system are discussed, along with potential methods for overcoming existing barriers.

  12. How to handle multidisciplinary, multi-national and multi-sectoral projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reitz, Anja; Wallmann, Klaus; Visbeck, Martin

    2016-04-01

    Collaborative research projects funded by the European Commission are by nature multi-national. Often they bring together different scientific communities as the questions raised in EU project calls can typically only be addressed through the convergence of these previously separated disciplines in one research consortium. Some work programmes even necessitate to team up as different disciplines as natural sciences, social science, legal science and economic science. Examples for such multi- national, -disciplinary and - sectoral projects are the EU projects ECO2 (FP7, concluded) and AtlantOS (H2020). Project managers of such projects need to develop skills beyond the common technical and management skills namely go into the domain of partners and stakeholders psychology and be able to maintain different perspectives on communication and interaction needs regarding cultural-, discipline- and sectoral background. Accordingly, the project manager has besides his technical role as manager at least three further roles: that of a communicator, that of a mediator and that of a person convincing partners of the necessary and selling the project products to the stakeholders. As the typical project manager has not too much power and authority by his position he has to use the power of smart communication and persuasion to overcome potential dissension between disciplines, national reservation or potential conflicts regarding different sectoral views. Accordingly, the project manager of such a complex project would try to arrange the ideal working environment by considering cultural feel, the cooperation of disciplines, information and the control of resources. The way he develops such ideal working environment is by reflection of past, present and future experiences/needs.

  13. High-efficiency free-form condenser overcoming rotational symmetry limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miñano, Juan C; Benítez, Pablo; Blen, José; Santamaría, Asunción

    2008-12-08

    Conventional condensers using rotational symmetric devices perform far from their theoretical limits when transferring optical power from sources such as arc lamps or halogen bulbs to the rectangular entrance of homogenizing prisms (target). We present a free-form condenser design (calculated with the SMS method) that overcomes the limitations inherent to rotational devices and can send to the target 1.8 times the power sent by an equivalent elliptical condenser for a 4:1 target aspect ratio and 1.5 times for 16:9 target and for practical values of target etendue.

  14. BioTwist : overcoming severe distortions in ridge-based biometrics for succesful identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kotzerke, J.

    2016-01-01

    This thesis focuses on ridge-based and highly distorted biometrics, the different chal-lenges involved in a verification of identity scenario, and how to overcome them. More specifically, we work on ridge-based biometrics in two different contexts: (i) newborn and infant biometrics and (ii) quality

  15. Overcoming selfishness: reciprocity, inhibition, and cardiac autonomic control in the ultimatum game

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan eSütterlin

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG have recently been discussed in light of models of reciprocity and fairness-related behavior. It has been suggested that behavior following norm-oriented, internalized expectations of reciprocity requires overcoming economic self-interest. In this study we investigated both, behavioral and peripheral-physiological indicators of inhibitory capacity related to neuronal networks that are likely to be involved in the behavioral response to unfair offers. Both heart-rate variability as an index of inhibitory capacity, and performance in a motor response inhibition task predicted rejection of unfair offers in an ultimatum game, suggesting an important role of inhibitory processes in overcoming economic temptations and regulating behavior conforming to social norms of reciprocity and fairness. The role of parasympathetic activity as a physiological trait-marker predicting inter-individual differences in the rejection of unfair offers is discussed.

  16. Comments by ABCT's first female president on overcoming the glass ceiling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson-Gray, Rosemery O

    2012-12-01

    At the annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in New York City in November 2009, a most interesting panel discussion occurred: Overcoming the Glass Ceiling: A Conversation With the Trailblazers. This article is a written version of my oral presentation at this panel discussion in my role as ABCT's first female president. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Seismic signals hard clipping overcoming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olszowa, Paula; Sokolowski, Jakub

    2018-01-01

    In signal processing the clipping is understand as the phenomenon of limiting the signal beyond certain threshold. It is often related to overloading of a sensor. Two particular types of clipping are being recognized: soft and hard. Beyond the limiting value soft clipping reduces the signal real gain while the hard clipping stiffly sets the signal values at the limit. In both cases certain amount of signal information is lost. Obviously if one possess the model which describes the considered signal and the threshold value (which might be slightly more difficult to obtain in the soft clipping case), the attempt of restoring the signal can be made. Commonly it is assumed that the seismic signals take form of an impulse response of some specific system. This may lead to belief that the sine wave may be the most appropriate to fit in the clipping period. However, this should be tested. In this paper the possibility of overcoming the hard clipping in seismic signals originating from a geoseismic station belonging to an underground mine is considered. A set of raw signals will be hard-clipped manually and then couple different functions will be fitted and compared in terms of least squares. The results will be then analysed.

  18. Strategies to overcome type 1 diabetes-related social stigma in the Iranian society.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irani, Mehri Doosti; Abdoli, Samereh; Bijan, Iraj; Parvizy, Soroor; Fatemi, Naimeh Seyed; Amini, Massoud

    2014-09-01

    This study explored the strategies to overcome diabetes-related social stigma in Iran. This paper is part of an action research study which was designed in Iran in 2012 to plan and implement a program for overcoming diabetes-related stigma. Participants were people with type 1 diabetes, their family members, people without diabetes, and care providers in a diabetes center. Data collection was done through unstructured in-depth interviews, focus groups, e-mail, Short Message Service (SMS), and telephone interview. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis approach. Participants believed that it is impossible to overcome the stigma without community-based strategies. Community-based strategies include education, advocacy, contact, and protest. The anti-stigma strategies obtained in the study are based on the cultural context in Iran. They are extracted from statements of a wide range of people (with and without diabetes). However, during planning for stigma reduction, it is necessary to note that the effectiveness of social strategies varies in different studies and in different stigmatizing conditions and many factors are involved. These strategies should be implemented simultaneously at different levels to produce structural and social changes. It should be accepted that research on reducing health-related stigma has shown that it is very difficult to change beliefs and behavior. Evidence suggests that individuals and their families should be involved in all aspects of the program, and plans should be made according to the local conditions.

  19. Overcoming Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karobi Moitra

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The principle mechanism of protection of stem cells is through the expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC transporters. These transporters serve as the guardians of the stem cell population in the body. Unfortunately these very same ABC efflux pumps afford protection to cancer stem cells in tumors, shielding them from the adverse effects of chemotherapy. A number of strategies to circumvent the function of these transporters in cancer stem cells are currently under investigation. These strategies include the development of competitive and allosteric modulators, nanoparticle mediated delivery of inhibitors, targeted transcriptional regulation of ABC transporters, miRNA mediated inhibition, and targeting of signaling pathways that modulate ABC transporters. The role of ABC transporters in cancer stem cells will be explored in this paper and strategies aimed at overcoming drug resistance caused by these particular transporters will also be discussed.

  20. The Three Gorges Project: How sustainable?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kepa Brian Morgan, Te Kipa; Sardelic, Daniel N.; Waretini, Amaria F.

    2012-08-01

    SummaryIn 1984 the Government of China approved the decision to construct the Three Gorges Dam Project, the largest project since the Great Wall. The project had many barriers to overcome, and the decision was made at a time when sustainability was a relatively unknown concept. The decision to construct the Three Gorges Project remains contentious today, especially since Deputy Director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, Wang Xiaofeng, stated that "We absolutely cannot relax our guard against ecological and environmental security problems sparked by the Three Gorges Project" (Bristow, 2007; McCabe, 2007). The question therefore was posed: how sustainable is the Three Gorges Project? Conventional approaches to sustainability assessment tend to use monetary based assessment aligned to triple bottom line thinking. That is, projects are evaluated as trade-offs between economic, environmental and social costs and benefits. The question of sustainability is considered using such a traditional Cost-Benefit Analysis approach, as undertaken in 1988 by a CIPM-Yangtze Joint Venture, and the Mauri Model Decision Making Framework (MMDMF). The Mauri Model differs from other approaches in that sustainability performance indicators are considered independently from any particular stakeholder bias. Bias is then introduced subsequently as a sensitivity analysis on the raw results obtained. The MMDMF is unique in that it is based on the Māori concept of Mauri, the binding force between the physical and the spiritual attributes of something, or the capacity to support life in the air, soil, and water. This concept of Mauri is analogous to the Chinese concept of Qi, and there are many analogous concepts in other cultures. It is the universal relevance of Mauri that allows its use to assess sustainability. This research identified that the MMDMF was a strong complement to Cost-Benefit Analysis, which is not designed as a sustainability assessment tool in itself. The

  1. INCREASING THE AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS MAINTENANCE EFICIENCY BASED ON THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Abramovich Itskovich

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The interrelation between aircraft airworthiness maintenance process (AAMP and the process of project man- agement methodology application is demonstrated.A project portfolio can be formed based on the strategic objectives. The projects with the highest priority are car- ried out, including those which strive to improve the efficiency of AAMP. The proposed approach allows to find the priori- ties of specific projects realization, which are included in the airline project portfolio.The project aimed to improve the efficiency of the AAMP of AN-124-100 of "Volga-Dnepr Airlines" is presented as an example. The statistical data analysis of failures of AN-124-100 fleet has demonstrated that wing components most frequently fail, especially spoiler sections, which are subjected to honeycomb skin mass exfoliation and need to be modi- fied. One of the expected project results should be the К1000 reduction of the wing spoilers not less than for 40 % and, respectively, the plane in total - not less than for 4 %.The work is executed in full compliance with the standards of project management. The passport of the project is given, which contains all the necessary information about the project: its goals, outcomes, results, timelines, action plan, budget and participants. A special attention is paid to the risks of the project, their probability assessment and the actions for overcoming possible consequences. It is shown that the implementation of the project "Introduction of aircraft AN-124-100 spoilers technology modi- fication" allows to improve a number of production and technical efficiency indicators, with material, financial and organi- zational resources optimization.

  2. Devices for overcoming biological barriers: the use of physical forces to disrupt the barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitragotri, Samir

    2013-01-01

    Overcoming biological barriers including skin, mucosal membranes, blood brain barrier as well as cell and nuclear membrane constitutes a key hurdle in the field of drug delivery. While these barriers serve the natural protective function in the body, they limit delivery of drugs into the body. A variety of methods have been developed to overcome these barriers including formulations, targeting peptides and device-based technologies. This review focuses on the use of physical methods including acoustic devices, electric devices, high-pressure devices, microneedles and optical devices for disrupting various barriers in the body including skin and other membranes. A summary of the working principles of these devices and their ability to enhance drug delivery is presented. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. PENGARUH MODEL PROJECT CITIZEN DALAM PEMBELAJARAN PENDIDIKAN KEWARGANEGARAAN TERHADAP PENANAMAN NILAI-NILAI ANTI KORUPSI SISWA SMA PADA KONSEP SISTEM HUKUM DAN PERADILAN NASIONAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Efi Miftah Faridli

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Corruption is our national problem that we have to overcome this attitude start from little things in our clayly activity, project citizen model in every school could have our society especially for our senior high school to understand the habit of corruption with civic education in school.This research conducted with quantitative research by quasi experiment method. Analysis of this research consist of : 1 Seen that Project citizen in Civic education promoted Significant face with anti corruption values, 2 thus there are significant differences between students anti corruption values that use the project citizen model and without treatment. Key Words:: Civic Education, Project Citizen, Anti Corruption Values

  4. Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dr. Scott Staley

    2010-03-31

    the fuel provider, while viability of the vehicle requires an expected level of cost, comfort, safety and operation, especially driving range, that consumers require. This presents a classic 'chicken and egg' problem, which Ford believes can be solved with thoughtful implementation plans. The eighteen Ford Focus FCV vehicles that were operated for this demonstration project provided the desired real world experience. Some things worked better than expected. Most notable was the robustness and life of the fuel cell. This is thought to be the result of the full hybrid configuration of the drive system where the battery helps to overcome the performance reduction associated with time related fuel cell degradation. In addition, customer satisfaction surveys indicated that people like the cars and the concept and operated them with little hesitation. Although the demonstrated range of the cars was near 200 miles, operators felt constrained because of the lack of a number of conveniently located fueling stations. Overcoming this major concern requires overcoming a key roadblock, fuel storage, in a manner that permits sufficient quantity of fuel without sacrificing passenger or cargo capability. Fueling infrastructure, on the other hand, has been problematic. Only three of a planned seven stations were opened. The difficulty in obtaining public approval and local government support for hydrogen fuel, based largely on the fear of hydrogen that grew from past disasters and atomic weaponry, has inhibited progress and presents a major roadblock to implementation. In addition the cost of hydrogen production, in any of the methodologies used in this program, does not show a rapid reduction to commercially viable rates. On the positive side of this issue was the demonstrated safety of the fueling station, equipment and process. In the Ford program, there were no reported safety incidents.

  5. Qualitative Examination of Strategies to Overcome Resistance to Change in Lean Manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burmester, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    Approximately 80% of lean manufacturing program initiatives are abandoned in the first year of implementation. Only 2% of organizations that embark on the lean journey complete it with the results and the sustainability they expected. There is a gap in past research regarding, the leadership strategies organizations can use to overcome resistance…

  6. Math Is Like a Scary Movie? Helping Young People Overcome Math Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkin, Margaret

    2016-01-01

    Afterschool teachers who tutor students or provide homework help have a unique opportunity to help students overcome the social or emotional barriers that so often block learning. They can embrace a creative and investigative approach to math learning. Margaret Kulkin's interest in being a math attitude "myth-buster" led her to apply to…

  7. Technical Status Report of the Regulatory Assistance Project: October 2001-February 2003

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2003-08-01

    This report details the work undertaken from October 2001 to February 2003 by the Regulatory Assistance Project under subcontract to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The objectives of this work were to develop regulatory policy options that would reduce the institutional and infrastructure barriers to full-value deployment of distributed power systems. Specific tasks included leading technical workshops on removing or overcoming regulatory barriers to distributed resources for state utility regulators and developing a draft model rule on emission performance standards for distributed generation.

  8. PORTFOLIO SELECTION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROJECTS USING PROMETHEE V WITH C-OPTIMAL CONCEPT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonatas A. de Almeida

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a multicriteria decision model for selecting a portfolio of information system (IS projects, which integrates strategic and organizational view within a multicriteria decision structure. The PROMETHEE V method, based on outranking relations is applied, considering the c-optimal concept in order to overcome some scaling problems found in the classical PROMETHEE V approach. Then, a procedure is proposed in order to make a final analysis of the c-optimal portfolios found as a result of using PROMETHEE V. Also, the organizational view is discussed, including some factors that may influence decision making on IS projects to be included in the portfolio, such as adding the company's strategic vision and technical aspects that demonstrate how IS contributes value to a company's business.

  9. The Marulu Strategy 2008-2012: overcoming Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the Fitzroy Valley.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzpatrick, James P; Oscar, June; Carter, Maureen; Elliott, Elizabeth J; Latimer, Jane; Wright, Edie; Boulton, John

    2017-10-01

    Aboriginal leaders concerned about high rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the Fitzroy Valley, remote north-western Australia, introduced restrictions on access to take-away full-strength alcohol. Following this, Aboriginal leaders engaged strategic partners in a broader strategy to address FASD in the region. The aim of this study was to develop and implement a community-led, researcher-supported, FASD strategy. A review of literature focusing on community-led FASD strategies identified key components that informed the Marulu FASD strategy. These included strategy ownership, leadership, and governance by participating communities, and a research framework. Community meetings and workshops led to the development of The Marulu FASD Strategy (2008). Feasibility and community consent to conduct a FASD prevalence study (the Lililwan Project) was confirmed, and implementation was progressed (2010-2013). Concurrent FASD prevention activities were conducted. In 2012, the Marulu FASD Unit was established within a local Aboriginal organisation to sustain and coordinate ongoing strategy activities. Community control of public health initiatives can be achieved when Aboriginal communities prioritise issues of significant concern, and engage strategic partners to overcome them. Implications for public health: The Marulu Strategy forms a template for action to address FASD and other public health issues in Aboriginal communities in Australia and internationally. © 2017 The Authors.

  10. Overcoming pitfalls: Results from a mandatory peer review process for written examinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilby, Kyle John; El Hajj, Maguy S; El-Bashir, Marwa; Mraiche, Fatima

    2018-04-01

    Written assessments are essential components of higher education practices. However, faculty members encounter common pitfalls when designing questions intended to evaluate student-learning outcomes. The objective of this project was to determine the impact of a mandatory examination peer review process on question accuracy, alignment with learning objectives, use of best practices in question design, and language/grammar. A mandatory peer review process was implemented for all midterm (before phase) and final (after phase) examinations. Peer review occurred by two reviewers and followed a pre-defined guidance document. Non-punitive feedback given to faculty members served as the intervention. Frequencies of flagged questions according to guidance categories were compared between phases. A total of 21 midterm and 21 final exam reviews were included in the analysis. A total of 637 questions were reviewed across all midterms and 1003 questions were reviewed across all finals. Few questions were flagged for accuracy and alignment with learning outcomes. The median total proportion of questions flagged for best practices was significantly lower for final exams versus midterm exams (15.8 vs. 6.45%, p = 0.014). The intervention did not influence language and grammar errors (9.68 vs. 10.0% of questions flagged before and after, respectively, p = 0.305). A non-punitive peer review process for written examinations can overcome pitfalls in exam creation and improve best practices in question writing. The peer-review process had a substantial effect at flagging language/grammar errors but error rate did not differ between midterm and final exams. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Age-differences in cognitive flexibility when overcoming a preexisting bias through feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Cristina G; Nusbaum, Amy T; Whitney, Paul; Hinson, John M

    2018-08-01

    Older adults are often worse than younger adults at adapting to changing situational demands, and this difference is commonly attributed to an age-related decline in acquiring and updating information. Previous research on aging and cognitive flexibility has used measures that require adapting to novel associations learned during a laboratory task (e.g., choice X led to positive outcomes but now leads to negative outcomes). However, in everyday life people must frequently overcome associations based on preexisting beliefs and biases (e.g., you like to eat cake, but your doctor said to limit your sugar intake). The goal of the present study was to examine possible age-differences in overcoming a preexisting bias and determine whether age-related changes in the acquisition and updating of information influence this form of flexibility. Older (n = 20) and younger (n = 20) adults completed a novel task in which repeated choices were made between a sure option (gain or loss) and one of two risky options that were initially ambiguous. Optimal performance required overcoming a framing bias toward being risk seeking to avoid a sure loss and risk averse when offered a sure gain. Probe questions assessed knowledge of choice outcomes, while skin conductance assessed physiological reactions to choices and choice outcomes. Both older and younger adults demonstrated flexibility by reducing the impact of bias over trials, but younger adults had better performance overall. Age-differences were associated with distinct aspects of processing. Young adults had more precise knowledge of choice outcomes and developed skin conductance responses in anticipation of bad choices that were not apparent in older adults. Older adults showed significant improvement over trials in their ability to decrease bias-driven choices, but younger showed greater flexibility. Age-differences in task performance were based on differences in learning and corresponding representations of task

  12. Using Ontological Engineering to Overcome AI-ED Problems: Contribution, Impact and Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizoguchi, Riichiro; Bourdeau, Jacqueline

    2016-01-01

    This article reflects on the ontology engineering methodology discussed by the paper entitled "Using Ontological Engineering to Overcome AI-ED Problems" published in this journal in 2000. We discuss the achievements obtained in the last 10 years, the impact of our work as well as recent trends and perspectives in ontology engineering for…

  13. Poliovirus intrahost evolution is required to overcome tissue-specific innate immune responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Yinghong; Dolan, Patrick Timothy; Goldstein, Elizabeth Faul; Li, Min; Farkov, Mikhail; Brodsky, Leonid; Andino, Raul

    2017-08-29

    RNA viruses, such as poliovirus, have a great evolutionary capacity, allowing them to quickly adapt and overcome challenges encountered during infection. Here we show that poliovirus infection in immune-competent mice requires adaptation to tissue-specific innate immune microenvironments. The ability of the virus to establish robust infection and virulence correlates with its evolutionary capacity. We further identify a region in the multi-functional poliovirus protein 2B as a hotspot for the accumulation of minor alleles that facilitate a more effective suppression of the interferon response. We propose that population genetic dynamics enables poliovirus spread between tissues through optimization of the genetic composition of low frequency variants, which together cooperate to circumvent tissue-specific challenges. Thus, intrahost virus evolution determines pathogenesis, allowing a dynamic regulation of viral functions required to overcome barriers to infection.RNA viruses, such as polioviruses, have a great evolutionary capacity and can adapt quickly during infection. Here, the authors show that poliovirus infection in mice requires adaptation to innate immune microenvironments encountered in different tissues.

  14. Simplified zygomatic arch radiographic technique to overcome the drawback of jug handle view

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siddana Gouda Siddana

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The imaging of the zygomatic arch is very important in the diagnosis and management of zygomatic arch fractures. It is accomplished by jug handle radiography (a variation of the submentovertex view and sometimes with modifications like the tangential or tea cup projection. For these techniques, the patient has to be positioned in a way which makes it non-applicable in cases having cervical injuries or suspected cervical injuries. Aims and Objectives: To devise a new approach with which the image of the zygomatic arch can be obtained with normal head position, in either sitting or supine position, using a dental X-ray machine and an occlusal film, which can even be used in patients with cervical injuries or suspected cervical injuries, without any complications. Materials and Methods: The present approach requires a dental X-ray machine and an occlusal X-ray film thereby eliminating the need for additional equipment like a general X-ray machine and extraoral film cassette. This approach can be carried out in a conventional dental setup to rule out zygomatic arch fractures. Conclusion: This technique can be applied in patients having cervical injuries or suspected cervical injuries, thus overcoming the drawback of the jug handle view, and is easy to master. This technique can be used in a conventional dental setup and holds good with the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable principle of radiation protection and safety.

  15. U.S. China Carbon Capture and Storage Development Project at West Virginia University

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fletcher, Jerald

    2013-12-31

    The original overall objective of this activity was to undertake resource evaluation and planning for CCS projects and to describe and quantify the geologic, environmental, and economic challenges to successful development of large-scale CCS in China’s coal sector. Several project execution barriers were encountered in the course of this project, most notably a project stop/delay due to funds availability/costing restrictions from the US State Department to the US Department of Energy at the end of CY2012, which halted project execution from January 2, 2013 to April 1, 2013. At the resolution of this project delay, it was communicated to the project team that the overall project period would also be reduced, from a completion date of February 28, 2014 to December 31, 2013. The net impact of all these changes was a reduction in the project period from 24 months (3/1/2012-2/28/2014) to 22 months (3/1/2012-12/31/2013), with a 3 month stop from 1/1/2013-3/31/2013. The project team endeavored to overcome these project time impacts, focusing heavily on technoeconomic modeling that would be deliverable under Task 3 (Ordos Basin Feasibility Study), and choosing to abandon the full investigation into the Demonstration Site (Task 4) due to the reduced project time. The ultimate focus of this project changed to work with the Chinese on a carbon atlas/geologic characterization, and on mechanisms for CO2 storage options from high-quality streams within China.

  16. Kinetic parameter estimation from attenuated SPECT projection measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reutter, B.W.; Gullberg, G.T.

    1998-01-01

    Conventional analysis of dynamically acquired nuclear medicine data involves fitting kinetic models to time-activity curves generated from regions of interest defined on a temporal sequence of reconstructed images. However, images reconstructed from the inconsistent projections of a time-varying distribution of radiopharmaceutical acquired by a rotating SPECT system can contain artifacts that lead to biases in the estimated kinetic parameters. To overcome this problem the authors investigated the estimation of kinetic parameters directly from projection data by modeling the data acquisition process. To accomplish this it was necessary to parametrize the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiopharmaceutical within the SPECT field of view. In a simulated transverse slice, kinetic parameters were estimated for simple one compartment models for three myocardial regions of interest, as well as for the liver. Myocardial uptake and washout parameters estimated by conventional analysis of noiseless simulated data had biases ranging between 1--63%. Parameters estimated directly from the noiseless projection data were unbiased as expected, since the model used for fitting was faithful to the simulation. Predicted uncertainties (standard deviations) of the parameters obtained for 500,000 detected events ranged between 2--31% for the myocardial uptake parameters and 2--23% for the myocardial washout parameters

  17. RESEARCH OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF TERMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION, AS A BASIS OF EFFECTIVE MECHANISM OF INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Теона Давидовна Колесник

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Today Project management turned into a separate discipline with its standards, techniques and body of knowledge. There are more than 40 methodologies, the most recognition among them is standard PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge. However, officially there is no single definition nor the term "project" nor the term "project management". The concept of "innovation" quite fully indicated, so innovation often is limited by time and budget, associated with novelty and irregularity, it is inherent uncertainties, risks, and weak of structure. In turn, the Project management uses technologies of managing resources to overcome the limitations of the budget, as well as a wide range of predictors and risk management, formalized and integrated management of individual project processes. All this makes the project management of highly effective technique to manage innovation.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-3-14

  18. Analyzing pictorial artifacts from psychotherapy and art therapy when overcoming stress and trauma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerge, Anna; Pedersen, Inge Nygaard

    2017-01-01

    Abstract This process based article tries to zoom into the need for assessment tools from a wider perspective to come to a preliminary understanding of what to analyze in relation to overcome traumatization and dissociation. The article wants to discuss and build understanding on what we ought...

  19. Different sterilization methods for overcoming internal bacterial infection in sunflower seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taški-Ajduković Ksenija J.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available During culture of protoplasts in agarose droplets, permanent problem was bacterial infection. It was assumed that the seeds are the origin of infection, so different sterilization methods were tested in order to overcome this problem. Germination, infection of seeds and hypocotyls and their growth were examined. Based on these parameters, the best result was obtained with the combined use of 5% commercial bleach and dry heating at 45°C.

  20. FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT: 20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tom Kaiserski; Dan Lloyd

    2012-02-28

    The funds allocated through the Wind Powering America (WPA) grant were utilized by the State of Montana to support broad outreach activities communicating the benefits and opportunities of increased wind energy and transmission development. The challenges to increased wind development were also clearly communicated with the understanding that a clearer comprehension of the challenges would be beneficial in overcoming the obstacles to further development. The ultimate purpose of these activities was to foster the increased development of Montana's rich wind resources through increased public acceptance and wider dissemination of technical resources.

  1. Financial feasibility analysis on small medium reactor nuclear power plant (SMR NPP) project in Indonesia under uncertainty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nuryanti; Suparman; Mochamad Nasrullah; Elok Satiti Amitayani; Wiku Lulus Widodo

    2015-01-01

    NPP SMR is one alternative to overcome the Outside Java Bali region's dependence on diesel power plant. One crucial issue in the NPP project (including SMR) would be financing, associated with the capital-intensive nature of the project. In addition, the SMR NPP project also be vulnerable in occurrence of some uncertainties. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the financial feasibility of SMR NPP project by accommodating the possibility of the uncertainties. The methodology used is probabilistic analysis which was performed by Monte Carlo technique. This technique simulates the relationship between the uncertainty variables with financial feasibility indicators. The results showed that in probabilistic approach, SMR NPP project is considered feasible on the 'most probable value' of electricity selling price of 15 cents/kWh, indicated by positive average value of NPV (US$ 135,324,004) and the average value of both of IRRs are bigger than MARR (IRR project = 10.65 %, IRR Equity = 14.29 %, while MARR = 10 %). The probability of rejection of the SMR project was about 20 %. The three main variables that are most influential in the project were: selling price of electricity, investment cost and inflation rate. (author)

  2. [Pain and Christianity. A symbol for overcoming pain?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markschies, C

    2007-08-01

    Pain and Christianity appear to belong together: Christ's pain stands at the centre of God's healing; his pain leads to the salvation of mankind. We can learn from Jesus' example how to bear suffering and pain. In early Christian times, the belief that Jesus Christ suffered pain on the cross was usually not accepted. In line with the "apathy axiom", freedom from emotion was something to strive for at that time. Only after the acceptance of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD did the pain of Christ again stand in the centre of the Christian doctrine of salvation. The memory of the fact that Jesus himself had to undergo the worst pain can still help people to overcome their pain and comfort them.

  3. How insects overcome two-component plant chemical defence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pentzold, Stefan; Zagrobelny, Mika; Rook, Frederik

    2014-01-01

    Insect herbivory is often restricted by glucosylated plant chemical defence compounds that are activated by plant β-glucosidases to release toxic aglucones upon plant tissue damage. Such two-component plant defences are widespread in the plant kingdom and examples of these classes of compounds...... are alkaloid, benzoxazinoid, cyanogenic and iridoid glucosides as well as glucosinolates and salicinoids. Conversely, many insects have evolved a diversity of counteradaptations to overcome this type of constitutive chemical defence. Here we discuss that such counter-adaptations occur at different time points......, before and during feeding as well as during digestion, and at several levels such as the insects’ feeding behaviour, physiology and metabolism. Insect adaptations frequently circumvent or counteract the activity of the plant β-glucosidases, bioactivating enzymes that are a key element in the plant’s two...

  4. Building America Guidance for Identifying and Overcoming Code, Standard, and Rating Method Barriers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cole, P. C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Halverson, M. A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2013-09-01

    This guidance document was prepared using the input from the meeting summarized in the draft CSI Roadmap to provide Building America research teams and partners with specific information and approaches to identifying and overcoming potential barriers to Building America innovations arising in and/or stemming from codes, standards, and rating methods.

  5. Dental Hygiene Entry-Level Program Administrators' Strategies for Overcoming Challenges of Distance Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, Bette A.

    2009-01-01

    The use of distance education by entry-level dental hygiene programs is increasing. The focus of this study was to determine the number of entry-level dental hygiene program administrators with experience developing and/or maintaining dental hygiene education by distance, the challenges encountered, and the strategies used to overcome the…

  6. Review of issues and challenges for public private partnership (PPP) project performance in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashim, H.; Che-Ani, A. I.; Ismail, K.

    2017-10-01

    Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Malaysia aims to stimulate economic growth and overcome the weakness of conventional system. Over the years, many critics have been reported along the massive growth of PPP project development. Within that context, this study provides a review of issues and challenges for PPP pertaining to project performance in Malaysia. The study also attempts to investigate four performance measurement models around the globe as a basis for improvement of PPP in Malaysia. A qualitative method was used to analyse literature review from previous published literatures while comparative analysis was carried out within the models to identify their advantages and disadvantages. The findings show that the issues and challenges occurred were related to human, technical and financial factor that could hinder the implementation of PPP project in Malaysia. From the analysis, KPIs, guideline / framework, risk allocation, efficiency & flexibility are perceived as dominant issues. Finally, the findings provide an informed basis on the opportunity areas to be considered for improvement in order to achieved project effectiveness.

  7. Infusing and sustaining aging content in social work education: findings from GeroRich projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hash, Kristina M; Gottlieb, Jody; Harper-Dorton, Karen V; Crawley-Woods, Geraldine; Shelek-Furbee, Katherine; Smith, John David; Brown, Rita

    2007-01-01

    This article presents findings from experiences of 67 projects involved in GeroRich, an initiative funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation designed to infuse, enrich and sustain aging content in BSW and MSW curricula. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to uncover themes in answers to open-ended questions contained in End-of-Year 2 project reports. Content areas addressed by open-ended answers were: (1) successes and innovations, and (2) challenges requiring responses. Primary successes and innovations identified were as follows: curriculum enrichment, faculty and student involvement, student-learning activities and community. Challenges to be responded to were identified as lack of faculty involvement, competing demands on faculty and programs, and sustainability of project efforts. Examples of strategies implemented to overcome these obstacles include providing teaching resources, instituting financial and other supports, and developing strategic plans for sustaining content infusion post-funding. Experiences of the GeroRich projects offer practical considerations for other social work programs that accept the challenge of attracting and preparing students to work with the increasing population of older adults.

  8. Rwanda after the Genocide: Formal and Informal Institutions in Overcoming Development Traps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina S. Glazova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Permanent self-reproduction of crises or getting into so called development traps in underdeveloped countries constitutes one of the most significant world problems. An explanatory hypothesisis that antagonistic relationship between formal and informal institutions makes it impossible to overcome path dependence. The problem is illustrated by the case of Rwanda, which, despite the large-scale foreign aid in the 1960s-early 1990s, failed to resolve the growing socio-political contradictions that eventually led to the 1994 genocide. However, since the 2000s Rwanda has been demonstrating an upward trend especially in governance and control of corruption. In the author's view, success in the post-genocidal period was determined by two factors: first, by the institutional vacuum created by the collapse of competitive rules and practices of the President Habyarimana era; second, by the effective leadership shown by the ruling elite support of informal practices to overcome the crisis. Between the possible reform options the choice was made in favor of formalization of autochthonous practices, introduction of traditional or restored (filled with a new meaning institutions into the legal sphere, and creation of new rules. Rwanda is therefore an example of successful institutional transformation.

  9. Effect of storage in overcoming seed dormancy of Annona coriacea Mart. seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DAIANE M. DRESCH

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-treatments on overcoming dormancy of A. coriacea seeds. Seeds were processed and stored in polyethylene bags at temperatures of at -18°C (42% RH, 5°C (34% RH, 15°C (60% RH and 25°C (34% RH, during 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days. After storage, seeds were immersed in 350 mg.L−1 gibberellic acid for 144 hours. Sowing was carried out in plastic bags containing Red Latosol + Bioplant®. Moisture content, emergence percentage, emergence speed index, length and dry mass of seedlings, were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial with four replications of 50 seeds each. The seed storage at 5°C and subsequent immersion in gibberellic acid was efficient to reach high percentage, emergence speed and plant growth. A. coriacea seeds showed non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy wherein the physiological component can be overcome after the seeds are storage at 5°C for a maximum period of 53 days and subsequent immersed in exogenous GA (350 mg.L−1 for 144 hours.

  10. Effect of storage in overcoming seed dormancy of Annona coriacea Mart. seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dresch, Daiane M; Scalon, Silvana P Q; Masetto, Tathiana E

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-treatments on overcoming dormancy of A. coriacea seeds. Seeds were processed and stored in polyethylene bags at temperatures of at -18°C (42% RH), 5°C (34% RH), 15°C (60% RH) and 25°C (34% RH), during 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days. After storage, seeds were immersed in 350 mg.L-1 gibberellic acid for 144 hours. Sowing was carried out in plastic bags containing Red Latosol + Bioplant®. Moisture content, emergence percentage, emergence speed index, length and dry mass of seedlings, were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial with four replications of 50 seeds each. The seed storage at 5°C and subsequent immersion in gibberellic acid was efficient to reach high percentage, emergence speed and plant growth. A. coriacea seeds showed non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy wherein the physiological component can be overcome after the seeds are storage at 5°C for a maximum period of 53 days and subsequent immersed in exogenous GA (350 mg.L-1 for 144 hours).

  11. Life after abuse : an exploration of women's strategies for overcoming abuse

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    D.Litt et Phil. The study explored strategies abused women use to overcome power and control in their intimate relationships, using their own self-agency. Data was collected through the technique of triangulation in which three women who were legally divorced, wrote their own stories, after which each was individually interviewed by the researcher to get information about the process of leaving and staying away from their abusive relationships, and clearing up and moving on with their live...

  12. Modelling Difficulties and Their Overcoming Strategies in the Solution of a Modelling Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dede, Ayse Tekin

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to reveal the elementary mathematics student teachers' difficulties encountered in the solution of a modelling problem, the strategies to overcome those difficulties and whether the strategies worked or not. Nineteen student teachers solved the modelling problem in their four or five-person groups, and the video records…

  13. Agora: A proposal to overcome the limitations of the current knowledge creation process

    OpenAIRE

    ScientistFive

    2015-01-01

    Agora: A proposal to overcome the limitations of the current knowledge creation process ======================================================================================= By Scientistsfive () Abstract: The knowledge creation process is broken and can be improved by a combination of currently emerging tools. The rationale for this proposal is the notion that the current scientific process is not optimal: * Artificially staged competitions (g...

  14. Overcoming barriers to public understanding of nuclear waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilder, M.; Hall, S.

    1987-01-01

    Communication with the public to promote public understanding of, and participation in, nuclear waste issues is crucial. However, such communication with the public is falling short. One of the major reasons for this failure is that the public feels it cannot trust the motivations or actions of USDOE. The biggest barrier to public involvement in nuclear waste issues is the lack of trust in those who invite us to be involved. Many methods could be employed to increase communication and public involvement in complex and technical nuclear matters. This paper discusses the authors' observations of how USDOE's loss of credibility has affected the high-level nuclear waste repository siting process and suggests methods to overcome this primary barrier

  15. Overcoming Resistance to Change: An Analysis to the Department of Defense's Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Johnson, Irene

    2004-01-01

    The goal of this research was to investigate the impact of change on organizations, in the absence of a preparedness program and to develop strategies for overcoming resistance to change, in the midst...

  16. Overcoming resistance to culture change: nursing home administrators' use of education, training, and communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyler, Denise A; Lepore, Michael; Shield, Renee R; Looze, Jessica; Miller, Susan C

    2014-01-01

    Nursing home culture change is becoming more prevalent, and research has demonstrated its benefits for nursing home residents and staff-but little is known about the role of nursing home administrators in culture change implementation. The purpose of this study was to determine what barriers nursing home administrators face in implementing culture change practices, and to identify the strategies used to overcome them. The authors conducted in-depth individual interviews with 64 administrators identified through a nationally representative survey. Results showed that a key barrier to culture change implementation reported by administrators was staff, resident, and family member resistance to change. Most nursing home administrators stressed the importance of using communication, education and training to overcome this resistance. Themes emerging around the concepts of communication and education indicate that these efforts should be ongoing, communication should be reciprocal, and that all stakeholders should be included.

  17. Challenges and opportunities of multi-disciplinary, multi-national and multi-sectoral projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reitz, Anja; Hamann, Kristin

    2017-04-01

    Collaborative research projects e.g. funded or supported by the European Commission are by nature multi-national. Often EU calls bring together different scientific communities to jointly tackle challenges that can only be addressed through the convergence of previously separated disciplines in one research consortium. Some work programmes even necessitate to team up as different disciplines as natural sciences, social science, legal science and economic science. Examples for such multi- national, -disciplinary and - sectoral projects are the EU projects ECO2 (FP7, concluded), AtlantOS (H2020) and MiningImpact (JPI Oceans). Project managers of such projects need to develop skills beyond the common technical and management skills namely go into the domain of partners and stakeholders psychology and be able to maintain different perspectives on communication and interaction needs regarding cultural-, discipline- and sectoral background. Accordingly, the project manager has besides his or her technical role as manager at least three further roles: that of a communicator, that of a mediator and that of a person convincing partners of the necessary and selling the project products to the stakeholders. As the typical project manager has not too much power and authority by his or her position he or she has to use the power of smart communication and persuasion to overcome potential dissension between disciplines, national reservation or potential conflicts regarding different sectoral views. Accordingly, the project manager of such complex projects would try to arrange the ideal working environment by considering cultural feel, the cooperation of disciplines, information and the control of resources. The way he or she develops such ideal working environment is by reflection of past, present and future experiences/needs.

  18. Counter-stereotypical pictures as a strategy for overcoming spontaneous gender stereotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eimear eFinnegan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The present research investigated the use of counter-stereotypical pictures as a strategy for overcoming spontaneous gender stereotypes when certain social role nouns and professional terms are read. Across two experiments, participants completed a judgement task in which they were presented with word pairs comprised of a role noun with a stereotypical gender bias (e.g. beautician and a kinship term with definitional gender (e.g. brother. Their task was to quickly decide whether or not both terms could refer to one person. In each experiment they completed 2 blocks of such judgement trials separated by a training session in which they were presented with pictures of people working in gender counter-stereotypical (Experiment 1 or gender stereotypical roles (Experiment 2. To ensure participants were focused on the pictures, they were also required to answer 4 questions on each one relating to the character’s leisure activities, earnings, job satisfaction and personal life. Accuracy of judgements to stereotype incongruent pairings was found to improve significantly across blocks when participants were exposed to counter-stereotype images (9.87% as opposed to stereotypical images (0.12%, while response times decreased significantly across blocks in both studies. It is concluded that exposure to counter-stereotypical pictures is a valuable strategy for overcoming spontaneous gender stereotype biases in the short term.

  19. Overcoming Barriers to Frugal Innovation: Emerging Opportunities for Finnish SMEs in Brazilian Markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirva Hyypiä

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Frugal innovation has become a popular concept, in academia but also in industry at large. Although there has been a great deal of discussion about the relevance of frugal innovation to the developed world, the notion’s full acceptance within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs still seems far in the distance. The opportunities and barriers seen with practical implementation of frugal innovation during the development processes have received little attention. This article considers these opportunities and barriers in the context of Finnish SMEs, providing insight specifically into the approaches these companies take in Brazilian markets. Qualitative data were drawn from a case study forming part of an extensive action research-based development project called SCALA, aimed at creating suitable and scalable mobile learning services for global markets. The concepts of frugal innovation and proceeding from user needs – essential parts of the development processes – are examined by observing three Finnish SMEs and their top managers, with particular focus on their interaction with Brazilian partners. Development sessions and meetings shed light on how the companies perceived and responded to testing their products/services with six individual schools in Brazil. Although frugal innovation is seen as essential for guaranteeing long-term competitiveness of Finnish SMEs – and access to rapidly growing, unsaturated emerging markets such as Brazil can be a step in the right direction – our study highlights numerous barriers and ways to overcome them in the real-world implementation of frugality in SMEs’ development processes.

  20. Overcoming Barriers to Skills Training in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Interview Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnicot, Kirsten; Couldrey, Laura; Sandhu, Sima; Priebe, Stefan

    2015-01-01

    Despite evidence suggesting that skills training is an important mechanism of change in dialectical behaviour therapy, little research exploring facilitators and barriers to this process has been conducted. The study aimed to explore clients' experiences of barriers to dialectical behaviour therapy skills training and how they felt they overcame these barriers, and to compare experiences between treatment completers and dropouts. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 clients with borderline personality disorder who had attended a dialectical behaviour therapy programme. A thematic analysis of participants' reported experiences found that key barriers to learning the skills were anxiety during the skills groups and difficulty understanding the material. Key barriers to using the skills were overwhelming emotions which left participants feeling unable or unwilling to use them. Key ways in which participants reported overcoming barriers to skills training were by sustaining their commitment to attending therapy and practising the skills, personalising the way they used them, and practising them so often that they became an integral part of their behavioural repertoire. Participants also highlighted a number of key ways in which they were supported with their skills training by other skills group members, the group therapists, their individual therapist, friends and family. Treatment dropouts were more likely than completers to describe anxiety during the skills groups as a barrier to learning, and were less likely to report overcoming barriers to skills training via the key processes outlined above. The findings of this qualitative study require replication, but could be used to generate hypotheses for testing in further research on barriers to skills training, how these relate to dropout, and how they can be overcome. The paper outlines several such suggestions for further research.

  1. Nanocarrier mediated retinal drug delivery: overcoming ocular barriers to treat posterior eye diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bisht, Rohit; Mandal, Abhirup; Jaiswal, Jagdish K; Rupenthal, Ilva D

    2018-03-01

    Effective drug delivery to the retina still remains a challenge due to ocular elimination mechanisms and complex barriers that selectively limit the entry of drugs into the eye. To overcome these barriers, frequent intravitreal injections are currently used to achieve high drug concentrations in vitreous and retina. However, these repetitive injections may result in several side effects. Recent advancements in the field of nanoparticle-based drug delivery could overcome some of these unmet needs and various preclinical studies conducted to date have demonstrated promising results of nanotherapies in the treatment of retinal diseases. Compared to the majority of commercially available ocular implants, the biodegradable nature of most nanoparticles (NPs) avoids the need for surgical implantation and removal after the release of the payload. In addition, the sustained drug release from NPs over an extended period of time reduces the need for frequent intravitreal injections and the risk of associated side effects. The nanometer size and highly modifiable surface properties make NPs excellent candidates for targeted ocular drug delivery. Studies have shown that nanocarriers enhance the intravitreal half-life and thus bioavailability of a number of drugs including proteins and peptides. In addition, they have shown promising results in delivering genetic material to the retinal tissues by protecting it from possible intravitreal degradation. This review covers the various challenges associated with drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye, particularly the retina, and highlights the application of nanocarriers to overcome these challenges in context with recent advances in preclinical studies. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2018, 10:e1473. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1473 This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals

  2. Overcoming Barriers to Skills Training in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Interview Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirsten Barnicot

    Full Text Available Despite evidence suggesting that skills training is an important mechanism of change in dialectical behaviour therapy, little research exploring facilitators and barriers to this process has been conducted. The study aimed to explore clients' experiences of barriers to dialectical behaviour therapy skills training and how they felt they overcame these barriers, and to compare experiences between treatment completers and dropouts. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 clients with borderline personality disorder who had attended a dialectical behaviour therapy programme. A thematic analysis of participants' reported experiences found that key barriers to learning the skills were anxiety during the skills groups and difficulty understanding the material. Key barriers to using the skills were overwhelming emotions which left participants feeling unable or unwilling to use them. Key ways in which participants reported overcoming barriers to skills training were by sustaining their commitment to attending therapy and practising the skills, personalising the way they used them, and practising them so often that they became an integral part of their behavioural repertoire. Participants also highlighted a number of key ways in which they were supported with their skills training by other skills group members, the group therapists, their individual therapist, friends and family. Treatment dropouts were more likely than completers to describe anxiety during the skills groups as a barrier to learning, and were less likely to report overcoming barriers to skills training via the key processes outlined above. The findings of this qualitative study require replication, but could be used to generate hypotheses for testing in further research on barriers to skills training, how these relate to dropout, and how they can be overcome. The paper outlines several such suggestions for further research.

  3. Exploring How Lay Rescuers Overcome Barriers to Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Qualitative Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathiesen, Wenche Torunn; Bjørshol, Conrad Arnfinn; Høyland, Sindre; Braut, Geir Sverre; Søreide, Eldar

    2017-02-01

    Survival rates after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary considerably among regions. The chance of survival is increased significantly by lay rescuer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrival. It is well known that for bystanders, reasons for not providing CPR when witnessing an OHCA incident may be fear and the feeling of being exposed to risk. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of why barriers to providing CPR are overcome. Using a semi-structured interview guide, 10 lay rescuers were interviewed after participating in eight OHCA incidents. Qualitative content analysis was used. The lay rescuers were questioned about their CPR-knowledge, expectations, and reactions to the EMS and from others involved in the OHCA incident. They also were questioned about attitudes towards providing CPR in an OHCA incident in different contexts. The lay rescuers reported that they were prepared to provide CPR to anybody, anywhere. Comprehending the severity in the OHCA incident, both trained and untrained lay rescuers provided CPR. They considered CPR provision to be the expected behavior of any community citizen and the EMS to act professionally and urgently. However, when asked to imagine an OHCA in an unclear setting, they revealed hesitation about providing CPR because of risk to their own safety. Mutual trust between community citizens and towards social institutions may be reasons for overcoming barriers in providing CPR by lay rescuers. A normative obligation to act, regardless of CPR training and, importantly, without facing any adverse legal reactions, also seems to be an important factor behind CPR provision. Mathiesen WT , Bjørshol CA , Høyland S , Braut GS , Søreide E . Exploring how lay rescuers overcome barriers to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a qualitative study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):27-32.

  4. Progress toward overcoming hypoxia-induced resistance to solid tumor therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karakashev, Sergey V; Reginato, Mauricio J

    2015-01-01

    Hypoxic tumors are associated with poor clinical outcome for multiple types of human cancer. This may be due, in part, to hypoxic cancer cells being resistant to anticancer therapy, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Hypoxia inducible factor 1, a major regulator of cellular response to hypoxia, regulates the expression of genes that are involved in multiple aspects of cancer biology, including cell survival, proliferation, metabolism, invasion, and angiogenesis. Here, we review multiple pathways regulated by hypoxia/hypoxia inducible factor 1 in cancer cells and discuss the latest advancements in overcoming hypoxia-mediated tumor resistance

  5. DOE/Project SEED student scholars partnership. Final report, June 7, 1994--April 27, 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-06-13

    Project SEED is an innovative career development activity administered by ACS for economically disadvantaged high school students. SEED students spend 10 weeks during the summer in an academic, industrial, or governmental research laboratory working under the supervision of a researcher. Intent is to attempt to overcome obstacles which have excluded the economically disadvantaged from professional careers. Students are required to prepare a technical summary, give presentations to their sponsoring groups, and design and display a poster session. Each student also completed a pre- and post-program survey.

  6. Overcoming Uncertainty: Agency, Stance and the Rise of Collective Action in Times of Crisis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heidemann, Kai

    2017-01-01

    How do people exert their agency in the face of large-scale societal crises? Merging strands of sociolinguistic scholarship with social movement theory, this article offers a way of looking at how grassroots actors work to overcome dramatic episodes of macro-structural instability and uncertainty

  7. Applying decision-making techniques to Civil Engineering Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fam F. Abdel-malak

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM techniques are found to be useful tools in project managers’ hands to overcome decision-making (DM problems in Civil Engineering Projects (CEPs. The main contribution of this paper includes selecting and studying the popular MCDM techniques that uses different and wide ranges of data types in CEPs. A detailed study including advantages and pitfalls of using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Fuzzy TOPSIS is introduced. Those two techniques are selected for the purpose of forming a package that covers most available data types in CEPs. The results indicated that AHP has a structure which simplifies complicated problems, while Fuzzy TOPSIS uses the advantages of linguistic variables to solve the issue of undocumented data and ill-defined problems. Furthermore, AHP is a simple technique that depends on pairwise comparisons of factors and natural attributes, beside it is preferable for widely spread hierarchies. On the other hand, Fuzzy TOPSIS needs more information but works well for the one-tier decision tree as well as it shows more flexibility to work in fuzzy environments. The two techniques have the facility to be integrated and combined in a new module to support most of the decisions required in CEPs. Keywords: Decision-making, AHP, Fuzzy TOPSIS, CBA, Civil Engineering Projects

  8. The linear collider alignment and survey (LiCAS) project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bingham, Richard; Botcherby, Edward; Coe, Paul; Grzelak, Grzegorz; Mitra, Ankush; Reichold, Armin; Prenting, Johannes

    2003-01-01

    For the next generation of Linear Colliders (LC) the precision alignment of accelerator components will be critical. The DESY applied geodesy group has developed the concept of an automated 'survey train'. The train runs along the accelerator wall measuring the 3D position of a set of equispaced reference markers. This reference structure is then used to align the accelerator components. The LiCAS group is developing a measurement system for the survey train. It will use a combination of Laser Straightness Monitors (SM) and Frequency Scanning Interferometry (FSI). FSI is an interferometric length measurement technique originally developed for the online alignment of the ATLAS Inner Detector. This novel combination of optical techniques is expected to overcome the limitations of traditional open air survey. The authors describe the LiCAS project, the measurement systems and their integration into the survey train. The technical parameters and constraints will be mentioned. There will also be brief discussion of the second phase of the project to allow on-line monitoring of the LC alignment. (author)

  9. Overcoming soil compaction in surface mine reclamation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sweigard, R.J. (University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (USA). Dept. of Mining Engineering)

    1991-01-01

    Rubber-tyred soil reconstruction equipment causes compaction of soil and means surface mine operators cannot satisfy crop yield standards defined by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Soil compaction can be overcome by either modifying the reconstruction process or alleviating the problem, for example by deep tillage, once it occurs. The Dept. of Mining Engineering at the Institute of Mining and Minerals Research is conducting a laboratory investigation into a method of injecting low density porous organic material into a bin containing soil at the same time as the soil is ripped. This should prevent voids collapsing when subjected to forces from farm equipment and natural sources. Soil analyses are performed before and after the injection. Ripping and injection with ground pecan shells had a residual effect on nuclear bulk density compared to the initially compacted case and also showed an improvement in hydraulic conductivity. Work is in progress on modifying the system to handle other injection material and should lead on to field tests on a prototype involving both soil analysis and crop yield determination. 1 fig.

  10. Overcoming soil compaction in surface mine reclamation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sweigard, R.J.

    1991-01-01

    Rubber-tyred soil reconstruction equipment causes compaction of soil and means surface mine operators cannot satisfy crop yield standards defined by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Soil compaction can be overcome by either modifying the reconstruction process or alleviating the problem, for example by deep tillage, once it occurs. The Dept. of Mining Engineering at the Institute of Mining and Minerals Research is conducting a laboratory investigation into a method of injecting low density porous organic material into a bin containing soil at the same time as the soil is ripped. This should prevent voids collapsing when subjected to forces from farm equipment and natural sources. Soil analyses are performed before and after the injection. Ripping and injection with ground pecan shells had a residual effect on nuclear bulk density compared to the initially compacted case and also showed an improvement in hydraulic conductivity. Work is in progress on modifying the system to handle other injection material and should lead on to field tests on a prototype involving both soil analysis and crop yield determination. 1 fig

  11. OVERCOMING THE ANTINOMIES OF HUMAN EXISTENCE: ONTOLOGY OF TRICKSTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. V. Danylova

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. This paper aims to study the ontological status of a trickster character in “Panchatantra” and its receptions. Methodology. The author has used analytical methodology of C. Levi-Strauss, C. Jung’s theory of archetypes, and hermeneutical methodology. Theoretical basis and results. Perception of the world in the form of a narrative is inherent in the very specifics of the human thinking. Among the most famous literary narratives that structured cultural experience of different nations are the framed story “Panchatantra” and its receptions “Kalilah and Dimnah” and “Stefanit and Ihnilat”. The framework of the analyzed text is the story about two jackals Karataka and Damanaka, Lion, and Bull. “Panchatantra” is deeply rooted in the animal epos, which is based on the totemic myth. Myths were created by primitive thinking that sought to systematize the world, to give it order through binary oppositions. Their hard core is “Life – Death” opposition. A myth deals with oppositions and seeks to neutralize them. Thus, a myth serves as the logical tool to overcome the fundamental contradictions. This is carried out by introducing a mediator. Two poles, two extreme points are unambiguous; ambiguity “occurs” at an intermediate stage only. Shift from one point to another is impossible directly – for this we need a mediator. In the given narrative the binary opposition “Life – Death” is replaced by its metaphor – Bull and Lion, herbivore (metaphor for life and carnivore (metaphor for death. These oppositions are mediated by Jackal (Karataka&Damanaka that feeds on carrion and has a dual nature. A mediator, which overcomes or at least mitigates the binary opposition, is seen as a compromise between herbivores and carnivores that embody the antinomy of life and death. This mediator is a trickster – bipolar character (good and evil at the same time. A trickster freely acts in unordered world of Chaos without Life

  12. Implementing Earned Value Management in the CxP EVA Systems Project Office

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorge, Les L.

    2009-01-01

    Earned Value Management (EVM), like project management, is as much art as it is science to develop an implementation plan for a project. This presentation will cover issues that were overcome and the implementation strategy to deploy Earned Value Management (EVM) within the Constellation Program (CxP), EVA Systems Project Office (ESPO), as well as discuss additional hurdles that currently prevent the organization from optimizing EVM. Each organization and each project within an organization needs to mold an EVM implementation plan around existing processes and tools, while at the same time revising those existing processes and tools as necessary to make them compatible with EVM. The ESPO EVM implementation covers work breakdown structure, organizational breakdown structure, control account, work/planning package development; integrated master schedule development using an integrated master plan; incorporating reporting requirements for existing funding process such as Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) and JSC Internal Task Agreements (ITA); and interfacing with other software tools such as the Systems Applications and Products (SAP) accounting system and the CxP wInsight EVM analysis tool. However, there are always areas for improvement and EVM is no exception. As EVM continues to mature within the NASA CxP, these areas will continue to be worked to resolution to provide the Program Managers, Project Managers, and Control Account Managers the best EVM data possible to make informed decisions.

  13. Techniques for overcoming community resistance to family planning programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palley, H A

    1968-01-01

    Methods of overcoming resistance to publicly subsidized family planning programs are discussed. The main sources of opposition include groups that oppose family planning for moral reasons, and those who object to the spending of government funds to provide services and information. Such opposition can be weakened by indicating that family planning clinics fulf: 11 important medical needs. Presenting social justification for family planning can help to lower oppostion. In order to secure participation in the programs by low income groups it is essential to have community leaders involved in policy decisions and to use indigenous community paraprofessionals in the clinics. A coalition of representatives of the poor community and the health and welfare system, aided by the community organization, can lead to an effective family planning program.

  14. Exploring delay causes of road construction projects in

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Remon F. Aziz

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Construction delays are a common phenomenon in civil engineering projects in Egypt including road construction projects. Therefore, it is essential to study and analyze causes of road construction delays. This paper studied a list of construction delay causes gathered from literature having different types of construction, different countries, different periods and different numbers of delay causes and delay groups. A questionnaire and personal interviews have formed the basis of this paper listing 293 delay causes. The questionnaire survey was distributed to 500 construction participants and 389 were received who represent consultants, contractors and site/design engineers excluding the owner representing the government in road projects as one party only. Relative Importance Index (RII is calculated and according to the highest values the top twenty and the least twenty delay causes of construction projects in Egypt are determined. A case study is analyzed and compared to the most important delay causes in the paper. The test results reveal good correlation of causes and groups between contractors and site/design engineers and between consultants and site design engineers and a somewhat low correlation between contractors and consultants. So there are no root causes that can be taking for granted to be most or least effective delay causes. Proposed model for predicting actual road construction project duration was developed; a real case study tested the accuracy of proposed model. According to the analysis of case study, the most contributing causes and groups to delays were discussed, and some future recommendations were proposed in order to control and minimize delays in road construction projects. These findings can be helpful for project managers to mitigate the road construction delays in Egypt. In order to effectively overcome the road construction delays in developing countries, suggestions are made for fundamental and large

  15. Overcoming Recruitment Barriers in Urban Older Adults Residing in Congregate Living Facilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Simning

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Participation of minority older adults in mental health research has been limited by mistrust, transportation difficulties, lack of knowledge, and insufficient community partnership. We describe strategies utilized to overcome these recruitment barriers. Methods. Our target population included 553 public housing residents of older adult high-rise buildings in Rochester, NY. We had a two-stage cross-sectional study: Stage 1 was a health survey for all residents and Stage 2 was a psychiatric interview of English-speaking residents aged 60 years and older. Recruitment occurred through mailings, onsite activities, and resident referrals. Results. Stage 1 had 358 participants (64.7% response and Stage 2 had 190 (61.6% target population response, with higher participation among African Americans. We found some strategies effective for overcoming recruitment barriers. First, we partnered with a community agency and organized onsite educational activities to improve residents’ trust. Second, the study occurred entirely onsite, which facilitated participation of functionally impaired residents. Third, onsite activities allowed the residents to learn about the study and complete surveys in person. Fourth, we provided immediate incentives that resulted in many study referrals. Conclusions. Although recruitment of minority older adults presents unique challenges, a multifaceted community-tailored approach mitigated several recruitment barriers in this mental health study.

  16. Text Based Analogy in Overcoming Student Misconception on Simple Electricity Circuit Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesti, R.; Maknun, J.; Feranie, S.

    2017-09-01

    Some researcher have found that the use of analogy in learning and teaching physics was effective enough in giving comprehension in a complicated physics concept such as electrical circuits. Meanwhile, misconception become main cause that makes students failed when learning physics. To provide teaching physics effectively, the misconception should be resolved. Using Text Based Analogy is one of the way to identifying misconceptions and it is enough to assist teachers in conveying scientific truths in order to overcome misconceptions. The purpose of the study to investigate the use of text based analogy in overcoming students misconception on simple electrical circuit material. The samples of this research were 28 of junior high school students taken purposively from one high school in South Jakarta. The method use in this research is pre-experimental and design in one shot case study. Students who are the participants of sample have been identified misconception on the electrical circuit material by using the Diagnostic Test of Simple Electricity Circuit. The results of this study found that TBA can replace the misconceptions of the concept possessed by students with scientific truths conveyed in the text in a way that is easily understood so that TBA is strongly recommended to use in other physics materials.

  17. Combating dephasing decoherence by periodically performing tracking control and projective measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Ming; Dai Hongyi; Xi Zairong; Xie Hongwei; Hu Dewen

    2007-01-01

    We propose a scheme to overcome phase damping decoherence by periodically performing open loop tracking control and projective measurement. Although it is impossible to stabilize a qubit subject to Markovian dynamics only by open loop coherent control, one can attain a 'softened' control goal with the help of periodical projective measurement. The 'softened' control objective in our scheme is to keep the state of the controlled qubit to stay near a reference pure state with a high probability for a sufficiently long time. Two suboptimal control problems are given in the sense of trace distance and fidelity, respectively, and they are eventually reduced to the design of a period T. In our scheme, one can choose the period T as long as possible if the 'softened' control goal is attained. This is in contrast to the observation that quantum Zeno effect takes place only if measurements are performed in a very frequent manner, i.e., the period T must be extremely small

  18. Overcoming Resistance to Cetuximab with Honokiol, A Small-Molecule Polyphenol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Hannah E; Iida, Mari; Orbuch, Rachel A; McDaniel, Nellie K; Nickel, Kwangok P; Kimple, Randall J; Arbiser, Jack L; Wheeler, Deric L

    2018-01-01

    Overexpression and activation of the EGFR have been linked to poor prognosis in several human cancers. Cetuximab is a mAb against EGFR that is used for the treatment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and metastatic colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, most tumors have intrinsic or will acquire resistance to cetuximab during the course of therapy. Honokiol is a natural compound found in the bark and leaves of the Chinese Magnolia tree and is established to have several anticancer properties without appreciable toxicity. In this study, we hypothesized that combining cetuximab and honokiol treatments could overcome acquired resistance to cetuximab. We previously developed a model of acquired resistance to cetuximab in non-small cell lung cancer H226 cell line. Treatment of cetuximab-resistant clones with honokiol and cetuximab resulted in a robust antiproliferative response. Immunoblot analysis revealed the HER family and their signaling pathways were downregulated after combination treatment, most notably the proliferation (MAPK) and survival (AKT) pathways. In addition, we found a decrease in phosphorylation of DRP1 and reactive oxygen species after combination treatment in cetuximab-resistant clones, which may signify a change in mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we utilized cetuximab-resistant HNSCC patient-derived xenografts (PDX) to test the benefit of combinatorial treatment in vivo There was significant growth delay in PDX tumors after combination treatment with a subsequent downregulation of active MAPK, AKT, and DRP1 signaling as seen in vitro Collectively, these data suggest that honokiol is a promising natural compound in overcoming acquired resistance to cetuximab. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(1); 204-14. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  19. Evidence that implementation intentions can overcome the effects of smoking habits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, Christopher J

    2016-09-01

    In this study, the aim was to (a) test for the first time whether implementation intentions formed outside the laboratory can overcome the effects of habits, and (b) see whether the operation of implementation intentions could be improved by asking people to form certain "when-then" plans as opposed to uncertain "if-then" plans. The study employed a 2 × 2 fully factorial design with baseline and follow-up measures of smoking status and habits. Smokers (N = 168; circa 33 years of age; 79 women, 89 men) were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 intervention groups to form either if-then plans or when-then plans using supporting tools, or to 1 of 2 control conditions in which they were exposed to identical supporting tools but were not asked to form if-then plans or when-then plans. Certainty did not affect the operation of implementation intentions, but smokers who formed implementation intentions were significantly more likely to quit, χ2(1, N = 168) = 8.86, p smoking habits (95% CI [0.02, 0.14]). Similar effects were observed when cigarettes smoked per day, nicotine dependence, and craving served as the dependent variables. The findings demonstrate that people who have formed implementation intentions can overcome habits, such as smoking, outside the laboratory. The supporting tools described in the present research could be deployed at low cost with high public health reach to support behavior change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Chernobyl 30 years on. Key remediation and safety projects are 'on track'

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalton, David [NucNet, Brussels (Belgium)

    2016-06-15

    Thirty years after the accident at Chernobyl, key remediation and safety projects are on track and construction of the vital Euro 1.5 bn (US Dollars 1.6 bn) New Safe Confinement (NSC) is almost finished with commissioning scheduled for November 2017, the company in charge of construction and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) told NucNet. The NSC is the most high profile and expensive element of the US Dollars 2.15 bn Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP), a framework developed to overcome the consequences of the accident.

  1. RGMDV: An approach to requirements gathering and the management of data virtualization projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mousa, Ayad Hameed; Shiratuddin, Norshuhada; Bakar, Muhamad Shahbani Abu

    2015-12-01

    Data virtualization (DV) refers to a set of data stores that enable users to query, access, and manipulate data in a unified, abstracted, and encapsulated manner regardless of data location. Apart from reducing data movement, this system provides a unified, abstracted, real-time, and encapsulated view of information for query purposes. Through its provision of live, virtual data in a timely manner, the DV technique can overcome the obstacles faced by organizations and companies as a result of using other data integration techniques. The systematic planning for the period that precedes DV deployment enables organizations to avoid many challenges related to manageability, usability, data quality, and performance. DV requirements are among the most significant and challenging aspects of a DV project. In this study, an approach has been developed to gather and manage the requirements of a DV design model as an initial step in developing such projects. Expert methods are reviewed to validate and evaluate the proposed approach in terms of usability and related components; the results of this review demonstrate that the applied approaches benefit DV development projects.

  2. A projected decrease in lightning under climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finney, Declan L.; Doherty, Ruth M.; Wild, Oliver; Stevenson, David S.; MacKenzie, Ian A.; Blyth, Alan M.

    2018-03-01

    Lightning strongly influences atmospheric chemistry1-3, and impacts the frequency of natural wildfires4. Most previous studies project an increase in global lightning with climate change over the coming century1,5-7, but these typically use parameterizations of lightning that neglect cloud ice fluxes, a component generally considered to be fundamental to thunderstorm charging8. As such, the response of lightning to climate change is uncertain. Here, we compare lightning projections for 2100 using two parameterizations: the widely used cloud-top height (CTH) approach9, and a new upward cloud ice flux (IFLUX) approach10 that overcomes previous limitations. In contrast to the previously reported global increase in lightning based on CTH, we find a 15% decrease in total lightning flash rate with IFLUX in 2100 under a strong global warming scenario. Differences are largest in the tropics, where most lightning occurs, with implications for the estimation of future changes in tropospheric ozone and methane, as well as differences in their radiative forcings. These results suggest that lightning schemes more closely related to cloud ice and microphysical processes are needed to robustly estimate future changes in lightning and atmospheric composition.

  3. NREL Energy Storage Projects. FY2014 Annual Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pesaran, Ahmad [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ban, Chunmei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Burton, Evan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gonder, Jeff [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Grad, Peter [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jun, Myungsoo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Keyser, Matt [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kim, Gi-Heon [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Neubauer, Jeremy [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Santhanagopalan, Shriram [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Saxon, Aron [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Shi, Ying [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Kandler [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sprague, Michael [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tenent, Robert [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wood, Eric [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Yang, Chuanbo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Chao [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Han, Taeyoung [General Motors, Detroit, MI (United States); Hartridge, Steve [CD-adapco, Detroit, MI (United States); Shaffer, Christian E. [EC Power, Aurora, CO (United States)

    2015-03-01

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory supports energy storage R&D under the Office of Vehicle Technologies at the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE Energy Storage Program’s charter is to develop battery technologies that will enable large market penetration of electric drive vehicles. These vehicles could have a significant impact on the nation’s goal of reducing dependence on imported oil and gaseous pollutant emissions. DOE has established several program activities to address and overcome the barriers limiting the penetration of electric drive battery technologies: cost, performance, safety, and life. These programs are; Advanced Battery Development through the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC); Battery Testing, Analysis, and Design; Applied Battery Research (ABR); and Focused Fundamental Research, or Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) In FY14, DOE funded NREL to make technical contributions to all of these R&D activities. This report summarizes NREL’s R&D projects in FY14 in support of the USABC; Battery Testing, Analysis, and Design; ABR; and BATT program elements. The FY14 projects under NREL’s Energy Storage R&D program are briefly described below. Each of these is discussed in depth in this report.

  4. Overcoming Pedagogical, Social/Cultural, and Attitudinal Barriers to Technology Integration in K-5 Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durff, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    Technology engages and increases academic achievement for K-5 students, but teachers face attitudinal, social/cultural, and pedagogical barriers when they integrate technology for student learning. Although some teachers overcome these barriers, it remains unclear how they do so. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to analyze…

  5. Explaining the Effects of Narrative in an Entertainment Television Program: Overcoming Resistance to Persuasion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyer-Guse, Emily; Nabi, Robin L.

    2010-01-01

    Research has examined the ability of entertainment-education (E-E) programs to influence behavior across a variety of health and social issues. However, less is known about the underlying mechanisms that account for these effects. In keeping with the extended elaboration likelihood model (E-ELM) and the entertainment overcoming resistance model…

  6. Modeling of problems of projection: A non-countercyclic approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason Ginsburg

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a computational implementation of the recent Problems of Projection (POP approach to the study of language (Chomsky 2013; 2015. While adopting the basic proposals of POP, notably with respect to how labeling occurs, we a attempt to formalize the basic proposals of POP, and b develop new proposals that overcome some problems with POP that arise with respect to cyclicity, labeling, and wh-movement operations. We show how this approach accounts for simple declarative sentences, ECM constructions, and constructions that involve long-distance movement of a wh-phrase (including the that-trace effect. We implemented these proposals with a computer model that automatically constructs step-by-step derivations of target sentences, thus making it possible to verify that these proposals work.

  7. Effects arising from charged particles overcoming of the light velocity barrier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afanas'ev, G.N.; Eliseev, S.M.; Stepanovskij, Yu.P.

    1997-01-01

    The effects arising from accelerated and decelerated motion of the charged point particle inside the medium are studied. It is shown explicitly that in addition to the Bremsstrahlung and Cherenkov shock wave, the electromagnetic shock wave arising from the charge overcoming the light velocity in the medium should be observed. This shock wave has the same singularity as the Cherenkov one and, therefore, it is more singular than the Bremsstrahlung shock wave. The space-time regions where these shock waves exist and conditions under which they appear are determined

  8. Improved superficial brain hemorrhage visualization in susceptibility weighted images by constrained minimum intensity projection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, Marcelo A.; Pham, Dzung L.; Butman, John

    2016-03-01

    Minimum intensity projection is a technique commonly used to display magnetic resonance susceptibility weighted images, allowing the observer to better visualize hemorrhages and vasculature. The technique displays the minimum intensity in a given projection within a thick slab, allowing different connectivity patterns to be easily revealed. Unfortunately, the low signal intensity of the skull within the thick slab can mask superficial tissues near the skull base and other regions. Because superficial microhemorrhages are a common feature of traumatic brain injury, this effect limits the ability to proper diagnose and follow up patients. In order to overcome this limitation, we developed a method to allow minimum intensity projection to properly display superficial tissues adjacent to the skull. Our approach is based on two brain masks, the largest of which includes extracerebral voxels. The analysis of the rind within both masks containing the actual brain boundary allows reclassification of those voxels initially missed in the smaller mask. Morphological operations are applied to guarantee accuracy and topological correctness, and the mean intensity within the mask is assigned to all outer voxels. This prevents bone from dominating superficial regions in the projection, enabling superior visualization of cortical hemorrhages and vessels.

  9. 'Hidden poverty' of teachers: Status, consequences and overcoming strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogunović Blanka

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The consequences of reduced financial and other possibilities in the period of social transition are reflected on the quality of life and work of teachers, and thereby indirectly on education of pupils as well. Aims: (1 to determine teachers' estimation of their own financial status and subjective perception of teachers' poverty; (2 to examine in which way the personal perception of poverty of teachers is linked with the quality of their engagement in curricular and extracurricular activities; (3 to examine which economic and psychological strategies teachers use in overcoming stress because of the lower financial status; (4 to examine whether there are differences between teachers with regard to socio-demographic variables and the previously established goals. Sample consists of 141 teachers of music and general education schools in Belgrade and the interior of the country. Method: research is explorative and uses qualitative and psychometric methods of analysis. Results point out to the structure of 'hidden poverty' of teachers: average and poor financial status, financial and logistic support of the extended family, additional job, unfulfilled financial expectations regarding the educational status and ungratified higher needs. Teachers estimate that real poverty of educational system and 'hidden poverty' of teachers are reflected on the quality of certain aspects of educational process as a whole and in certain elements: teacher's personal life and work motivation, authority in school, quality of teacher's engagement in tuition and the possibility of professional specialization. Teachers use financial and psychological strategies for overcoming stress that can be determined as: moralist compensatory, evasive, inappropriate, emotional, relying on family and friendly supportive systems and activist. Conclusion: primarily subjective and spiritual impoverishment of the stratum of highly educated people, who are, in addition to this, the bearers

  10. Heating plant overcomes coal crisis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobinkovic, B.

    2006-01-01

    At the last moment Kosice managed to overcome the threat of a more than 30-percent heating price increase. The biggest local heat producer, Teplaren Kosice, is running out of coal supplies. The only alternative would be gas, which is far more expensive. The reason for this situation was a dispute of the heating plant with one of its suppliers, Kimex. Some days ago, the dispute was settled and the heating plant is now expecting the first wagon loads of coal to arrive. These are eagerly awaited, as its supplies will not last for more than a month. It all started with a public tender for a coal supplier. Teplaren Kosice (TEKO) announced the tender for the delivery of 120,000 tons of coal in June. Kimex, one of the traditional and biggest suppliers, was disqualified in the course of the tender. The winners of the tender were Slovenergo, Bratislava and S-Plus Trade, Vranov nad Toplou. TEKO signed contracts with them but a district court in Kosice prohibited the company from purchasing coal from these contractors. Kimex filed a complaint claiming that it was disqualified unlawfully. Based on this the court issued a preliminary ruling prohibiting the purchase of coal from the winners of the tender. The heating plant had to wait for the final verdict. The problem was then solved by the company's new Board of Directors, who were appointed in mid October who managed to sign new contracts with the two winners and Kimex. The new contracts cover the purchase of 150-thousand tons of coal, which is 30,000 more than in the original tender specification. Each company will supply one third. (authors)

  11. CACAO: A project for a laboratory for the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bacri, C.O., E-mail: bacri@ipno.in2p3.f [Institut de Physique Nucleaire d' Orsay, 91406 Orsay Cedex, CNRS (UMR8608-IN2P3), Universite Paris-Sud (Paris XI) (France); Petitbon, V.; Pierre, S. [Institut de Physique Nucleaire d' Orsay, 91406 Orsay Cedex, CNRS (UMR8608-IN2P3), Universite Paris-Sud (Paris XI) (France)

    2010-02-11

    CACAO, Chimie des Actinides et Cibles radioActives a Orsay (actinide chemistry and radioactive targets at Orsay), is a project under construction that consists of the installation of a hot laboratory dedicated to the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers. The project aims to be a joint CNRS-CEA national laboratory to overcome difficulties related mainly to safety issues and to the lack of knowledge and potential manpower. The first goal is to fulfill, at least, the needs of the whole French community, and to be able to coordinate the different activities related to radioactive targets. For this purpose, itis important to be complementary to already existing international installations. Inside this framework, it will of course be possible to produce and/or characterize targets for other users.

  12. CACAO: A project for a laboratory for the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacri, C. O.; Petitbon, V.; Pierre, S.; Cacao Group

    2010-02-01

    CACAO, Chimie des Actinides et Cibles radioActives à Orsay (actinide chemistry and radioactive targets at Orsay), is a project under construction that consists of the installation of a hot laboratory dedicated to the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers. The project aims to be a joint CNRS-CEA national laboratory to overcome difficulties related mainly to safety issues and to the lack of knowledge and potential manpower. The first goal is to fulfill, at least, the needs of the whole French community, and to be able to coordinate the different activities related to radioactive targets. For this purpose, itis important to be complementary to already existing international installations. Inside this framework, it will of course be possible to produce and/or characterize targets for other users.

  13. CACAO: A project for a laboratory for the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacri, C.O.; Petitbon, V.; Pierre, S.

    2010-01-01

    CACAO, Chimie des Actinides et Cibles radioActives a Orsay (actinide chemistry and radioactive targets at Orsay), is a project under construction that consists of the installation of a hot laboratory dedicated to the production and characterization of thin radioactive layers. The project aims to be a joint CNRS-CEA national laboratory to overcome difficulties related mainly to safety issues and to the lack of knowledge and potential manpower. The first goal is to fulfill, at least, the needs of the whole French community, and to be able to coordinate the different activities related to radioactive targets. For this purpose, itis important to be complementary to already existing international installations. Inside this framework, it will of course be possible to produce and/or characterize targets for other users.

  14. SELLING CANANG SARI (As an Alternative of Effort in Informal Sector to overcome household economics problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Desak Putu Eka Nilakusmawati

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Decrease in family income represent an impact of economic pressures, as an effect of economic crisis. Other side, the existing problems that extension of the job opportunity in the urban area with existence of development in the various sector do not absorb entire labour force which is progressively growing larger its amount.Economic problem force woman of lower economic class to involved take part in earning for increase family income by working beyond domestic sectors. Involvement of woman in labor market trigered by family’s economic problems, besides existence of the job opportunity factor. Alternative effort being carried out is by selling canang.Increasing of urban community activities in Denpasar City makes them have no time to make banten or canang. To find an easier way to overcome this situation, many people tend to buy canang/banten which is ready to use, also more practical and spent less time than the time spent when they make by themselves . This phenomenon gives a chance to canang sellers to get income additional. In the difficult condition of the economics problem, many woman have to take part to overcome economic problems which they face. One of the alternative is involved into labour market, and involve in trade is one of the choice. Because of the existence of opportunity as explained above, many women overcome their economic problems and try to give contribution to their family income by selling the canang.Phenomenon more and more canang sellers which are spread alongside the road side in Denpasar City shown that the informal sector have a great role to maintaining and also improving household economics. The effort as the canang seller can represent an alternative of effort in informal sector to overcome economics problem in the household level. Roles of woman as a subject of this informal sector, have a big contribution in maintaining household economics.

  15. Overcoming Barriers to Successfully Commercializing Carbon Dioxide Utilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kant, Marvin

    2017-01-01

    The successful transition to a low-carbon economy hinges on innovative solutions and collaborative action on a global scale. Sustainable entrepreneurship is thereby recognized as a key driver in the creation and transformation of ecologically and socially sustainable economic systems. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this topic by understanding commercialization barriers for strong sustainability-oriented new technology ventures and to derive recommendations to overcome them. A qualitative multilevel approach is applied to identify barriers and drivers within the internal dynamic capabilities of the organization and within the organization’s external stakeholders. A model of barriers has been developed based on semi-structured interviews with new carbon dioxide utilization ventures and associated industry players in Canada, the USA, and the European Economic Area. Resulting recommendations to facilitate the (re-)design of a dedicated support system are proposed on four levels: (a) actors, (b) resources, (c) institutional settings, and (d) the coordination of the support system.

  16. Overcoming Barriers to Successfully Commercializing Carbon Dioxide Utilization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kant, Marvin, E-mail: marvin.kant@tu-berlin.de [Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

    2017-09-13

    The successful transition to a low-carbon economy hinges on innovative solutions and collaborative action on a global scale. Sustainable entrepreneurship is thereby recognized as a key driver in the creation and transformation of ecologically and socially sustainable economic systems. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this topic by understanding commercialization barriers for strong sustainability-oriented new technology ventures and to derive recommendations to overcome them. A qualitative multilevel approach is applied to identify barriers and drivers within the internal dynamic capabilities of the organization and within the organization’s external stakeholders. A model of barriers has been developed based on semi-structured interviews with new carbon dioxide utilization ventures and associated industry players in Canada, the USA, and the European Economic Area. Resulting recommendations to facilitate the (re-)design of a dedicated support system are proposed on four levels: (a) actors, (b) resources, (c) institutional settings, and (d) the coordination of the support system.

  17. Overcoming Barriers to Successfully Commercializing Carbon Dioxide Utilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marvin Kant

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The successful transition to a low-carbon economy hinges on innovative solutions and collaborative action on a global scale. Sustainable entrepreneurship is thereby recognized as a key driver in the creation and transformation of ecologically and socially sustainable economic systems. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this topic by understanding commercialization barriers for strong sustainability-oriented new technology ventures and to derive recommendations to overcome them. A qualitative multilevel approach is applied to identify barriers and drivers within the internal dynamic capabilities of the organization and within the organization’s external stakeholders. A model of barriers has been developed based on semi-structured interviews with new carbon dioxide utilization ventures and associated industry players in Canada, the USA, and the European Economic Area. Resulting recommendations to facilitate the (re-design of a dedicated support system are proposed on four levels: (a actors, (b resources, (c institutional settings, and (d the coordination of the support system.

  18. Overcoming tumor resistance by heterologous adeno-poxvirus combination therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Vähä-Koskela

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Successful cancer control relies on overcoming resistance to cell death and on activation of host antitumor immunity. Oncolytic viruses are particularly attractive in this regard, as they lyse infected tumor cells and trigger robust immune responses during the infection. However, repeated injections of the same virus promote antiviral rather than antitumor immunity and tumors may mount innate antiviral defenses to restrict oncolytic virus replication. In this article, we have explored if alternating the therapy virus could circumvent these problems. We demonstrate in two virus-resistant animal models a substantial delay in antiviral immune- and innate cellular response induction by alternating injections of two immunologically distinct oncolytic viruses, adenovirus, and vaccinia virus. Our results are in support of clinical development of heterologous adeno-/vaccinia virus therapy of cancer.

  19. Economic and Environmental Performances of Small-Scale Rural PV Solar Projects under the Clean Development Mechanism: The Case of Cambodia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen De Schepper

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The two core objectives of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM are cost-effective emission reduction and sustainable development. Despite the potential to contribute to both objectives, solar projects play a negligible role under the CDM. In this research, the greenhouse gas mitigation cost is used to evaluate the economic and environmental performances of small-scale rural photovoltaic solar projects. In particular, we compare the use of absolute and relative mitigation costs to evaluate the attractiveness of these projects under the CDM. We encourage the use of relative mitigation costs, implying consideration of baseline costs that render the projects profitable. Results of the mitigation cost analysis are dependent on the baseline chosen. To overcome this drawback, we complement the analysis with a multi-objective optimization approach, which allows quantifying the trade-off between economic and environmental performances of the optimal technologies without requiring a baseline.

  20. Effectiveness of Targeted Musical Therapy on Sleep Quality and Overcoming Insomnia in Seniors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Mottaghi

    2016-07-01

    Conclusion: The present study showed that targeted music therapy can lead to the improvement in the overall sleep quality, daily functioning, and subjective sleep quality thereby resulting in a sharp decline in the number of sleep drugs in seniors with primary insomnia disorder. Therefore, it is highly recommended by the music therapy and mental health experts for overcoming the sleep problems in older adults.

  1. Rapid Co-optimization of Processing and Circuit Design to Overcome Carbon Nanotube Variations

    OpenAIRE

    Hills, Gage; Zhang, Jie; Shulaker, Max Marcel; Wei, Hai; Lee, Chi-Shuen; Balasingam, Arjun; Wong, H. -S. Philip; Mitra, Subhasish

    2015-01-01

    Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) are promising candidates for building energy-efficient digital systems at highly-scaled technology nodes. However, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are inherently subject to variations that reduce circuit yield, increase susceptibility to noise, and severely degrade their anticipated energy and speed benefits. Joint exploration and optimization of CNT processing options and CNFET circuit design are required to overcome this outstanding challenge. Unfor...

  2. Integrating a Procurement Management Process into Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM: A Case-Study on Oil and Gas Projects, the Piping Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung-Hwan Jo

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC of oil and gas megaprojects often experience cost overruns due to substantial schedule delays. One of the greatest causes of these overruns is the mismanagement of the project schedule, with the piping works (prefabrication and installation occupying a majority of that schedule. As such, an effective methodology for scheduling, planning, and controlling of piping activities is essential for project success. To meet this need, this study used the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM to develop a piping construction delay prevention methodology, incorporating material procurement processes for EPC megaprojects. Recent studies indicate that the traditional scheduling method used on oil and gas mega projects has critical limitations regarding resource scarcity, calculation of activity duration, and dealing with uncertainties. To overcome these limitations, the Theory of Constraints-based CCPM was proposed and implemented to provide schedule buffers management. Nonexistent in literature, and of critical importance, is this paper’s focus on the resource buffer, representing material uncertainty and management. Furthermore, this paper presents a step-by-step process and flow chart for project, construction, and material managers to effectively manage a resource buffer through the CCPM process. This study extends the knowledge of traditional resource buffers in CCPM to improve material and procurement management, thus avoiding the shortage of piping materials and minimizing delays. The resultant process was validated by both deterministic and probabilistic schedule analysis through two case studies of a crude pump unit and propylene compressor installation at a Middle Eastern Refinery Plant Installation. The results show that the CCPM method effectively handles uncertainty, reducing the duration of piping works construction by about a 35% when compared to the traditional method. Furthermore, the

  3. MODIFIED AES WITH RANDOM S BOX GENERATION TO OVERCOME THE SIDE CHANNEL ASSAULTS USING CLOUD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Navaneetha Krishnan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Development of any communication system with secure and complex cryptographic algorithms highly depends on concepts of data security which is crucial in the current technological world. The security and complexity of the cryptography algorithms need to get increased by randomization of secret keys. To overcome the issues associated to data security and for improvising it during encryption and decryption process over the encrypting device, a novel Secure Side Channel Assault Prevention (SSCAP approach has been projected which will eliminate outflow of side channel messages and also provides effective security over the encrypting device. An effective Enriched AES (E-AES encryption algorithm is proposed to reduce the side channel attack; the modified algorithm in this research shows its improvement in the Generation of Random Multiple S - Box (GRM S-Box which makes it hard to the attacks to break the text which is in encrypted form. Our novel SSCAP approach also improves the security over the original information; it widely minimizes the leakage of the side channel information. Attackers cannot easily get a clue about the proposed S-Box Generation technique. Our E-AES algorithm will be implemented in cloud environment thereby improving the cloud security. The proposed SSCAP approach is judged against the existing security based algorithms on the scale of encryption and decryption time, time taken for generating the key, and performance. The proposed work proves to outperform over all other methods used in the past.

  4. Cooperative networks overcoming defectors by social influence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez Portillo, Ignacio

    2014-01-01

    We address the cooperation problem in structured populations by considering the prisoner’s dilemma game as a metaphor of the social interactions between individuals with imitation capacity. We present a new strategy update rule called democratic weighted update where the individual’s behavior is socially influenced by each one of their neighbors. In particular, the capacity of an individual to socially influence other ones is proportional to its accumulated payoff. When in a neighborhood there are cooperators and defectors, the focal player is contradictorily influenced by them and, therefore, the effective social influence is given by the difference of the accumulated payoff of each strategy in its neighborhood. First, by considering the growing process of the network and neglecting mutations, we show the evolution of highly cooperative systems. Then, we broadly show that the social influence allows to overcome the emergence of defectors into highly cooperative systems. In this way, we conclude that in a structured system formed by a growing process, the cooperation evolves if the individuals have an imitation capacity socially influenced by each one of their neighbors. Therefore, here we present a theoretical solution of the cooperation problem among genetically unrelated individuals.

  5. Prometheus Project Reactor Module Final Report, For Naval Reactors Information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MJ Wollman; MJ Zika

    2006-01-01

    The Naval Reactors Prime Contractor Team (NRPCT) led the development of a power plant for a civilian nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) system concept as part of the Prometheus Project. This report provides a summary of the facts, technical insights, and programmatic perspectives gained from this two-year program. The Prometheus Project experience has been extensively documented to better position the US for future space reactor development. Major Technological and engineering challenges exist to develop a system that provides useful electric power from a nuclear fission heat source operating in deep space. General issues include meeting mission requirements in a system that has a mass low enough to launch from earth while assuring public safety and remaining safely shutdown during credible launch accidents. These challenges may be overcome in the future if there is a space mission with a compelling need for nuclear power to drive development. Past experience and notional mission requirements indicate that any useful space reactor system will be unlike past space reactors and existing terrestrial reactors

  6. Harnessing atomistic simulations to predict the rate at which dislocations overcome obstacles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saroukhani, S.; Nguyen, L. D.; Leung, K. W. K.; Singh, C. V.; Warner, D. H.

    2016-05-01

    Predicting the rate at which dislocations overcome obstacles is key to understanding the microscopic features that govern the plastic flow of modern alloys. In this spirit, the current manuscript examines the rate at which an edge dislocation overcomes an obstacle in aluminum. Predictions were made using different popular variants of Harmonic Transition State Theory (HTST) and compared to those of direct Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The HTST predictions were found to be grossly inaccurate due to the large entropy barrier associated with the dislocation-obstacle interaction. Considering the importance of finite temperature effects, the utility of the Finite Temperature String (FTS) method was then explored. While this approach was found capable of identifying a prominent reaction tube, it was not capable of computing the free energy profile along the tube. Lastly, the utility of the Transition Interface Sampling (TIS) approach was explored, which does not need a free energy profile and is known to be less reliant on the choice of reaction coordinate. The TIS approach was found capable of accurately predicting the rate, relative to direct MD simulations. This finding was utilized to examine the temperature and load dependence of the dislocation-obstacle interaction in a simple periodic cell configuration. An attractive rate prediction approach combining TST and simple continuum models is identified, and the strain rate sensitivity of individual dislocation obstacle interactions is predicted.

  7. Modeling Governance KB with CATPCA to Overcome Multicollinearity in the Logistic Regression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khikmah, L.; Wijayanto, H.; Syafitri, U. D.

    2017-04-01

    The problem often encounters in logistic regression modeling are multicollinearity problems. Data that have multicollinearity between explanatory variables with the result in the estimation of parameters to be bias. Besides, the multicollinearity will result in error in the classification. In general, to overcome multicollinearity in regression used stepwise regression. They are also another method to overcome multicollinearity which involves all variable for prediction. That is Principal Component Analysis (PCA). However, classical PCA in only for numeric data. Its data are categorical, one method to solve the problems is Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA). Data were used in this research were a part of data Demographic and Population Survey Indonesia (IDHS) 2012. This research focuses on the characteristic of women of using the contraceptive methods. Classification results evaluated using Area Under Curve (AUC) values. The higher the AUC value, the better. Based on AUC values, the classification of the contraceptive method using stepwise method (58.66%) is better than the logistic regression model (57.39%) and CATPCA (57.39%). Evaluation of the results of logistic regression using sensitivity, shows the opposite where CATPCA method (99.79%) is better than logistic regression method (92.43%) and stepwise (92.05%). Therefore in this study focuses on major class classification (using a contraceptive method), then the selected model is CATPCA because it can raise the level of the major class model accuracy.

  8. Implementing a Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Springer, David [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); German, Alea [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2015-08-17

    Building cost-effective, high-performance homes that provide superior comfort, health, and durability is the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program. Building America research and other innovative programs throughout the country have addressed many of the technical challenges of building to the ZERH standard. The cost-effectiveness of measure packages that result in 30% source energy savings compared to a code-compliant home have been demonstrated. However, additional challenges remain, particularly with respect to convincing production builders of the strong business case for ZERH. The Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) team believes that the keys to successfully engaging builders and developers in the California market are to help them leverage development agreement requirements, code compliance requirements, incentives, and competitive market advantages of ZERH certification, and navigate through this process. A primary objective of this project was to gain a highly visible foothold for residential buildings that are built to the DOE ZERH specification that can be used to encourage participation by other California builders. This report briefly describes two single-family homes that were ZERH certified and focuses on the experience of working with developer Mutual Housing on a 62-unit multifamily community at the Spring Lake subdivision in Woodland, California. The Spring Lake project is expected to be the first ZERH-certified multifamily project in the country. This report discusses the challenges encountered, lessons learned, and how obstacles were overcome.

  9. Kinetic parameter estimation from SPECT cone-beam projection measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huesman, Ronald H.; Reutter, Bryan W.; Zeng, G. Larry; Gullberg, Grant T.

    1998-01-01

    Kinetic parameters are commonly estimated from dynamically acquired nuclear medicine data by first reconstructing a dynamic sequence of images and subsequently fitting the parameters to time-activity curves generated from regions of interest overlaid upon the image sequence. Biased estimates can result from images reconstructed using inconsistent projections of a time-varying distribution of radiopharmaceutical acquired by a rotating SPECT system. If the SPECT data are acquired using cone-beam collimators wherein the gantry rotates so that the focal point of the collimators always remains in a plane, additional biases can arise from images reconstructed using insufficient, as well as truncated, projection samples. To overcome these problems we have investigated the estimation of kinetic parameters directly from SPECT cone-beam projection data by modelling the data acquisition process. To accomplish this it was necessary to parametrize the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiopharmaceutical within the SPECT field of view. In a simulated chest image volume, kinetic parameters were estimated for simple one-compartment models for four myocardial regions of interest. Myocardial uptake and washout parameters estimated by conventional analysis of noiseless simulated cone-beam data had biases ranging between 3-26% and 0-28%, respectively. Parameters estimated directly from the noiseless projection data were unbiased as expected, since the model used for fitting was faithful to the simulation. Statistical uncertainties of parameter estimates for 10 000 000 events ranged between 0.2-9% for the uptake parameters and between 0.3-6% for the washout parameters. (author)

  10. A Domain Specific Embedded Language in C++ for Automatic Differentiation, Projection, Integration and Variational Formulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christophe Prud'homme

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we present a domain specific embedded language in C++ that can be used in various contexts such as numerical projection onto a functional space, numerical integration, variational formulations and automatic differentiation. Albeit these tools operate in different ways, the language overcomes this difficulty by decoupling expression constructions from evaluation. The language is implemented using expression templates and meta-programming techniques and uses various Boost libraries. The language is exercised on a number of non-trivial examples and a benchmark presents the performance behavior on a few test problems.

  11. Radiometric compensation for cooperative distributed multi-projection system through 2-DOF distributed control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsukamoto, Jun; Iwai, Daisuke; Kashima, Kenji

    2015-11-01

    This paper proposes a novel radiometric compensation technique for cooperative projection system based-on distributed optimization. To achieve high scalability and robustness, we assume cooperative projection environments such that 1. each projector does not have information about other projectors as well as target images, 2. the camera does not have information about the projectors either, while having the target images, and 3. only a broadcast communication from the camera to the projectors is allowed to suppress the data transfer bandwidth. To this end, we first investigate a distributed optimization based feedback mechanism that is suitable for the required decentralized information processing environment. Next, we show that this mechanism works well for still image projection, however not necessary for moving images due to the lack of dynamic responsiveness. To overcome this issue, we propose to implement an additional feedforward mechanism. Such a 2 Degree Of Freedom (2-DOF) control structure is well-known in control engineering community as a typical method to enhance not only disturbance rejection but also reference tracking capability, simultaneously. We theoretically guarantee and experimentally demonstrate that this 2-DOF structure yields the moving image projection accuracy that is overwhelming the best achievable performance only by the distributed optimization mechanisms.

  12. Musics of "The Other": Creating Musical Identities and Overcoming Cultural Boundaries in Australian Music Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cain, Melissa

    2015-01-01

    The binary opposition between "own music" and "other's music" is the "result of deep conditioning" (Drummond, 2010, p. 118) and is almost impossible to overcome. By exploring the underlying constructs that influence students' and teachers' perceptions of minority cultures and their musics, this paper explores the…

  13. A study and meta-analysis of lay attributions of cures for overcoming specific psychological problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furnham, A; Hayward, R

    1997-09-01

    Lay beliefs about the importance of 24 different contributors to overcoming 4 disorders that constitute primarily cognitive deficits were studied. A meta-analysis of previous programmatic studies in the area was performed so that 22 different psychological problems could be compared. In the present study, 107 participants completed a questionnaire indicating how effective 24 factors were in overcoming 4 specific problems: dyslexia, fear of flying, amnesia, and learning difficulties. Factor analysis revealed almost identical clusters (inner control, social consequences, understanding, receiving help, and fate) for each problem. The perceived relevance of those factors differed significantly between problems. Some individual difference factors (sex and religion) were found to predict certain factor attributions for specific disorders. A meta-analysis of the 5 studies in this series yielded a 6-factor structure comparable to those of the individual studies and provided results indicating the benefits and limitations of this kind of investigation. The clinical relevance of studying attributions for cure is considered.

  14. A critical Social Work project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Montaño

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary social transformations, operated by the neoliberal program under the command of financial capital, bring new challenges to the group of citizens and men and women who live by the sale of their labor power. Social workers, individually and collectively, are not separate from this reality. The profession was characterized by its confrontation with these challenges and its questioning and analysis of its role in society, in its attempt to assume more critical profiles and commitments to the interests of workers and the subaltern sectors. An example of this is the “Reconceptualization Movement” and the later attempt to define na “Alternative Social Service” concerned with the meaning of its practice, with the process of critical knowledge, with a criticism of capitalism and its situations of social injustice. The current challenges include overcoming earlier weaknesses, collectively constructing an ethicalpolitical professional project that can competently and committedly confront, at the heart of progressive social forces, the conditions in which workers live (with or without employment as well as other subaltern populations.

  15. A simple reduction-sensitive micelles co-delivery of paclitaxel and dasatinib to overcome tumor multidrug resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li J

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Jun Li,1,* Ruitong Xu,2,* Xiao Lu,3 Jing He,1 Shidai Jin1 1Department of Medical Oncology, 2Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 3Department of Medical Oncology, Changshu No 1 People’s Hospital, Changshu, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Multidrug resistance (MDR is one of the major obstacles in successful chemotherapy. The combination of chemotherapy drugs and multidrug-resistant reversing agents for treating MDR tumor is a good strategy to overcome MDR. In this work, we prepared the simple redox-responsive micelles based on mPEG-SS-C18 as a co-delivery system to load the paclitaxel (PTX and dasatinib (DAS for treatment of MCF-7/ADR cells. The co-loaded micelles had a good dispersity and a spherical shape with a uniform size distribution, and they could quickly disassemble and rapidly release drugs under the reduction environment. Compared with MCF-7 cells, the DAS and PTX co-loaded redox-sensitive micelle (SS-PDNPs showed stronger cytotoxicity and a more improving intracellular drug concentration than other drug formulations in MCF-7/ADR cells. In summary, the results suggested that the simple co-delivery micelles of PTX and DAS possessed significant potential to overcome drug resistance in cancer therapy. Keywords: redox responsive, overcoming multidrug resistant, co-delivery, paclitaxel, dasatinib 

  16. 3D-shape of objects with straight line-motion by simultaneous projection of color coded patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Jorge L.; Ayubi, Gaston A.; Di Martino, J. Matías; Castillo, Oscar E.; Ferrari, Jose A.

    2018-05-01

    In this work, we propose a novel technique to retrieve the 3D shape of dynamic objects by the simultaneous projection of a fringe pattern and a homogeneous light pattern which are both coded in two of the color channels of a RGB image. The fringe pattern, red channel, is used to retrieve the phase by phase-shift algorithms with arbitrary phase-step, while the homogeneous pattern, blue channel, is used to match pixels from the test object in consecutive images, which are acquired at different positions, and thus, to determine the speed of the object. The proposed method successfully overcomes the standard requirement of projecting fringes of two different frequencies; one frequency to extract object information and the other one to retrieve the phase. Validation experiments are presented.

  17. Overponderabilia: Overcoming Overthinking When Studying "Ourselves"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kasper Tang Vangkilde

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses a key methodological difficulty in conducting qualitative research close to home: the issue of overthinking. Whereas MALINOWSKI's concern regarding imponderabilia, i.e., the risk of not thinking about the subtle phenomena of everyday life, has long haunted ethnographers and qualitative researchers, not least those working "at home," we highlight an issue of overponderabilia, i.e., the risk of overthinking seemingly familiar statements and practices of the people studied. How do we, as qualitative researchers, study very well-known phenomena such as science, bureaucracy, management etc. without reading our own ideas and understandings into the deceptively familiar concepts and accounts of our research subjects? Pondering this issue is inevitably a central concern for the increasing number of qualitative researchers who study people who apparently talk, think and work in a way which is similar to their own. While previous answers or solutions to this issue first and foremost emphasize various means of reflexivity, this article presents the method of "mutual participatory observation" as a particular way of overcoming overthinking: a method which in situ invites our research subjects into our thinking. Thus, in the pursuit of an ever enhanced understanding, qualitative research becomes not so much a reflexive deciphering as an active debate; that is, a mutual induction of the differences between the qualitative researcher and the research subjects. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1602281

  18. Demands on project management of comprehensive modernization projects in the electrical systems area. Example of modernization of electrical systems of Kozloduy NPP Unit 5 and 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stinshoff, Helmut; Weber, Patrick

    2006-01-01

    In nuclear power plants, station supply with electric energy must be guaranteed any time. This applies in particular also during the implementation of complex electrical systems modernization projects. Highest demands on the project management, extensive experience and system knowledge are required. In the frame of the Modernization Program for the nuclear power plant Kozloduy unit 5 and 6 in Bulgaria Framatome ANP has approved its ability to implement a large scope of modernization measures during the refueling outages of the years 2003 to 2005. The Contract of the Modernization Program for the European Consortium Kozloduy (Framatome ANP, Atomenergoexport) was signed in July 1999 and became effective in June 2001. The project will be finished by May 2006, with the approval of the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report. The scope of hardware work has been implemented within 6 plant outages during the years 2002 to 2005. The focus of the Modernization Program is mainly oriented to nuclear safety aspects, with the aim of upgrading of the Units to a high safety level in compliance with international practice. A further section of the project is dedicated to upgrading of operational equipment. Framatome ANP personnel have shown that besides the technical challenges which had to be faced, also the intercultural and language barriers were successfully overcome. The good teamwork between the partners of the Consortium ECK, its Bulgarian subcontractors and with Kozloduy plant personnel has been an important success factor. (authors)

  19. Financing green energy projects in Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eddynor Manshor; Yvonne Lunsong; Norhayati Kamaruddin

    2000-01-01

    Kyoto Protocol is the first global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Malaysia, which signed the Protocol on 12 March 1999, must also take steps to address the climate change concerns. The use of renewable energy sources is seen as a feasible way to address the issue. Despite their environment-friendliness, these sources of energy are grossly under-utilised even though Malaysia is amply endowed with renewable energies, particularly biomass and solar. As a unique domestic resource, recurring energy savings from energy efficiency could also qualify as renewable energy. At present, the contribution of renewable energy in the country's energy mix is very small compared to its large potential. The Malaysian Government recognizes the potential of this form of energy. As part of its fuel diversification policy, the government plans to expand the four-fuel strategy to include renewable energy as the fifth fuel. Due to all year constant sunshine and vast oil palm cultivation, both solar and palm oil residues are identified as the most promising green energy option. Efforts are underway to embark on programs to demonstrate and evaluate the viability of these emerging green technologies. A few organizations are given grants to undertake pre-feasibility studies of pre-commercialization demonstration projects. When approved, viable projects could also qualify for technical and financial assistance from foreign partners. However, grants are limited and under World Trade Organization rules such subsidies should not exceed 30 percent in most cases. Commercialization of green energy projects must therefore involve full participation of private developers and financial institutions. Yet, virtually no attempt is made to promote financing of such projects in Malaysia. In most cases, financial institutions are not aware of the economic potential of these unique and under exploited sources. This paper will discuss problems in financing green energy projects and then

  20. Interaction enablers, drivers and barriers of collaborative innovation projects between small firms and academia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Filip, Diane; Hansen, Bettina Dencker; Frølunde, Thea Thorsgaard

    2016-01-01

    drivers, and main barriers. Our three major findings relate to the phases of a structured program, elements of collaborative innovation projects, and the facilitation of interaction at two levels, i.e. meta-level and micro-level, by two types of brokers. The operator of the regional program facilitates...... types of brokers acting at two different levels have proven to be useful in overcoming some of the classical barriers firms face when interacting with academia. Essentially, the gap between the world of business and the world of academia has been mitigated by the structured and formalized interactions...

  1. Management and integration of engineering and construction activities: Lessons learned from the AP1000R nuclear power plant China project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCullough, M. C.; Ebeling-Koning, D.; Evans, M. C.

    2012-01-01

    The lessons learned during the early phase of design engineering and construction activities for the AP1000 China Project can be applied to any project involving multiple disciplines and multiple organizations. Implementation of a first-of-a-kind design to directly support construction activities utilizing resources assigned to design development and design delivery creates challenges with prioritization of activities, successful closure of issues, and communication between site organizations and the home office. To ensure successful implementation, teams were assigned and developed to directly support construction activities including prioritization of activities, site communication and ensuring closure of site emergent issues. By developing these teams, the organization is better suited to meet the demands of the construction schedule while continuing with design evolution of a standard plant and engineering delivery for multiple projects. For a successful project, proper resource utilization and prioritization are key for overcoming obstacles and ensuring success of the engineering organization. (authors)

  2. A comparative analysis of business structures suitable for farmer-owned wind power projects in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolinger, Mark; Wiser, Ryan

    2006-01-01

    For years, farmers in the United States have looked with envy on their European counterparts' ability to profitably farm the wind through ownership of distributed, utility-scale wind projects. Only within the past few years, however, has farmer- or community-owned wind power development become a reality in the United States. The primary hurdle to this type of development in the United States has been devising and implementing suitable business and legal structures that enable such projects to take advantage of tax-based federal incentives for wind power. This article discusses the limitations of such incentives in supporting farmer- or community-owned wind projects, describes four ownership structures that potentially overcome such limitations, and finally conducts comparative financial analysis on those four structures, using as an example a hypothetical 1.5 MW farmer-owned project located in the state of Oregon. We find that material differences in the competitiveness of each structure do exist, but that choosing the best structure for a given project will largely depend on the conditions at hand; e.g., the ability of the farmer(s) to utilize tax credits, preference for individual versus 'cooperative' ownership, and the state and utility service territory in which the project will be located

  3. Decision-making for supplying energy projects: A four-dimensional model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith Stegen, Karen; Palovic, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Extant pipeline evaluation models offer insufficient supplier analysis tools. • We offer a four-dimensional decision-making tool to augment extant models. • Model employs four filters to help decision makers eliminate unsuitable suppliers. • Aids in prioritization of best courses of action for overcoming obstacles. • Case study of Nabucco pipeline shows Azerbaijan would have been best supply option. - Abstract: Importing states and regions employ myriad strategies to enhance energy security, from stockpiling to diversification to efficiency programs. As has occurred in recent years, importers can seek diversification by initiating pipeline and liquefied natural gas projects, meaning they may also have to select suppliers. However, most extant pipeline evaluation models erroneously assume suppliers are known and thus neglect supplier selection. We propose a decision-making tool to augment these older models: a systematic and replicable four-dimensional model to help policymakers and managers identify suitable suppliers and prioritize the best courses of action for overcoming obstacles. The first three dimensions—timeframe, supply availability and infrastructure constraints—filter out unsuitable suppliers. The fourth dimension then assesses the political, geopolitical and commercial stability of the remaining candidates. To demonstrate the model in practice, we assess the original Nabucco pipeline proposal, which was designed to transport gas from the Caspian and Middle East regions to Europe

  4. Approach to assessing local socio-cultural impacts using projections of population growth and composition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baldwin, T. E.; Poetsch, R.

    1977-08-01

    All assessment of future domestic development projects assumes that the problems to be examined have been properly identified and defined before the application of a projection technique. An attempt is made to codify socio-cultural problems mentioned in literature and clarify how existing demographic projection techniques can be applied to assessing the problems. The relationship between changes in local population size and composition induced by in-migration and the potential for socio-cultural incompatibilities is described heuristically. For simplification, the problems expected to emerge from differences in demographic composition are classified into three categories: (1) service needs, such as those for housing, recreation, and education; (2) types of social organizations related to capacities for, or constraints on, reaping the benefits of rapid economic development and social changes (e.g., employment and income); and (3) attitudes, values, and cultural perspectives. These areas of concern are very broad, and quantitative projections of population size and composition are more easily related to the first than to the third. Although demographic projection provides a valuable tool for estimating future social change, the knowledge about cause and effect is not sufficient to support the quantification of socio-cultural impact. Therefore, the projections are used only as relative indicators and the assessments of socio-cultural impact based on them are qualitative only. Therefore, identification and assessment of socio-cultural impacts are a means of developing plans to overcome the expected problems.

  5. Overcoming Gender Stereotypes & Improving Learning through the Participation of the

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carme Garcia

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results of research on how the daily participation of the "Other Women" women without an academic background or from cultural and ethnic minorities contributes to overcoming sexist stereotypes. The study demonstrates that their participation in instrumental learning activities transforms stereotypical beliefs about the skills of women without academic education, immigrant women, or those from cultural minorities. It can also be observed that their participation in decision-making spaces and in learning activities promotes student learning. In short, this study demonstrates that we need to include the "Other Women" into our diverse schools to progress towards the achievement of gender equity in education and society, and to create more positive learning experiences for all children.

  6. Overcoming multicollinearity in multiple regression using correlation coefficient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zainodin, H. J.; Yap, S. J.

    2013-09-01

    Multicollinearity happens when there are high correlations among independent variables. In this case, it would be difficult to distinguish between the contributions of these independent variables to that of the dependent variable as they may compete to explain much of the similar variance. Besides, the problem of multicollinearity also violates the assumption of multiple regression: that there is no collinearity among the possible independent variables. Thus, an alternative approach is introduced in overcoming the multicollinearity problem in achieving a well represented model eventually. This approach is accomplished by removing the multicollinearity source variables on the basis of the correlation coefficient values based on full correlation matrix. Using the full correlation matrix can facilitate the implementation of Excel function in removing the multicollinearity source variables. It is found that this procedure is easier and time-saving especially when dealing with greater number of independent variables in a model and a large number of all possible models. Hence, in this paper detailed insight of the procedure is shown, compared and implemented.

  7. Automatic transfer function design for medical visualization using visibility distributions and projective color mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Lile; Tay, Wei-Liang; Nguyen, Binh P; Chui, Chee-Kong; Ong, Sim-Heng

    2013-01-01

    Transfer functions play a key role in volume rendering of medical data, but transfer function manipulation is unintuitive and can be time-consuming; achieving an optimal visualization of patient anatomy or pathology is difficult. To overcome this problem, we present a system for automatic transfer function design based on visibility distribution and projective color mapping. Instead of assigning opacity directly based on voxel intensity and gradient magnitude, the opacity transfer function is automatically derived by matching the observed visibility distribution to a target visibility distribution. An automatic color assignment scheme based on projective mapping is proposed to assign colors that allow for the visual discrimination of different structures, while also reflecting the degree of similarity between them. When our method was tested on several medical volumetric datasets, the key structures within the volume were clearly visualized with minimal user intervention. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Money for nothing: How firms have financed R&D-projects since the Industrial Revolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Gerben

    2013-12-01

    We investigate the long-run historical pattern of R&D-outlays by reviewing aggregate growth rates and historical cases of particular R&D projects, following the historical-institutional approach of Chandler (1962), North (1981) and Williamson (1985). We find that even the earliest R&D-projects used non-insignificant cash outlays and that until the 1970s aggregate R&D outlays grew far faster than GDP, despite five well-known challenges that implied that R&D could only be financed with cash, for which no perfect market existed: the presence of sunk costs, real uncertainty, long time lags, adverse selection, and moral hazard. We then review a wide variety of organisational forms and institutional instruments that firms historically have used to overcome these financing obstacles, and without which the enormous growth of R&D outlays since the nineteenth century would not have been possible.

  9. Money for nothing: How firms have financed R&D-projects since the Industrial Revolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Gerben

    2013-01-01

    We investigate the long-run historical pattern of R&D-outlays by reviewing aggregate growth rates and historical cases of particular R&D projects, following the historical-institutional approach of Chandler (1962), North (1981) and Williamson (1985). We find that even the earliest R&D-projects used non-insignificant cash outlays and that until the 1970s aggregate R&D outlays grew far faster than GDP, despite five well-known challenges that implied that R&D could only be financed with cash, for which no perfect market existed: the presence of sunk costs, real uncertainty, long time lags, adverse selection, and moral hazard. We then review a wide variety of organisational forms and institutional instruments that firms historically have used to overcome these financing obstacles, and without which the enormous growth of R&D outlays since the nineteenth century would not have been possible. PMID:24910477

  10. Show small close comfort and listen - How to overcome barriers in the use of social media

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verjans, Steven

    2011-01-01

    Verjans, S. (2011, 23 November). Show small close comfort and listen - How to overcome barriers in the use of social media. Presentation at the SVEA Final Conference "Next Generation Learning - How to Integrate Social Media in Vocational and Adult Training", Brussels, Belgium.

  11. Frequent Change Request From User to Handle Cost on Project in Agile Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shariq Aziz Butt

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Agile has invented to improve and overcome Draw backs of software development. Now agile model is using in software development very vastly. It is facilitating the developer and client both very resourcefully. It is getting popularity than the other Software Development Life Cycle models because of its characteristics and most owing to allow change request at any level of the project. The client in the software development is the main part and asset of the company. The software house always focuses on its client because client is an asset. Thus developer has major concern with the client’s requirement and change request. Agile is getting popularity because of allow change request at any stage of project, on the other hand it is also a drawback in agile model because when project starts the project’s completion time and cost is decided. But due to frequent change of requests come from client the cost and completion time both increase eventually which is not good for software house’s business and reputation. So there is need a cost and time estimation technique to solve change request issue in agile model.

  12. "Closing the Loop": Overcoming barriers to locally sourcing food in Fort Collins, Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMets, C. M.

    2012-12-01

    Environmental sustainability has become a focal point for many communities in recent years, and restaurants are seeking creative ways to become more sustainable. As many chefs realize, sourcing food locally is an important step towards sustainability and towards building a healthy, resilient community. Review of literature on sustainability in restaurants and the local food movement revealed that chefs face many barriers to sourcing their food locally, but that there are also many solutions for overcoming these barriers that chefs are in the early stages of exploring. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify barriers to local sourcing and investigate how some restaurants are working to overcome those barriers in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. To do this, interviews were conducted with four subjects who guide purchasing decisions for restaurants in Fort Collins. Two of these restaurants have created successful solutions and are able to source most of their food locally. The other two are interested in and working towards sourcing locally but have not yet been able to overcome barriers, and therefore only source a few local items. Findings show that there are four barriers and nine solutions commonly identified by each of the subjects. The research found differences between those who source most of their food locally and those who have not made as much progress in local sourcing. Based on these results, two solution flowcharts were created, one for primary barriers and one for secondary barriers, for restaurants to assess where they are in the local food chain and how they can more successfully source food locally. As there are few explicit connections between this research question and climate change, it is important to consider the implicit connections that motivate and justify this research. The question of whether or not greenhouse gas emissions are lower for locally sourced food is a topic of much debate, and while there are major developments

  13. Novel nanostructured enoxaparin sodium-PLGA hybrid carriers overcome tumor multidrug resistance of doxorubicin hydrochloride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jia; Wu, Lei; Kou, Longfa; Xu, Meng; Sun, Jin; Wang, Yongjun; Fu, Qiang; Zhang, Peng; He, Zhonggui

    2016-11-20

    Novel enoxaparin sodium-PLGA hybrid nanocarries (EPNs) were successfully designed for sustained delivery of hydrophilic cationic doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). By incorporation of the negative polymer of enoxaparin sodium (ES), DOX was highly encapsulated into EPNs with an encapsulation efficiency of 92.49%, and ES effectively inhibited the proliferation of HUVEC cell lines. The in vivo pharmacokinetics study after intravenous injection indicated that DOX-loaded EPNs (DOX-EPNs) exhibited a higher area under the curve (AUC) and a longer half-life (t 1/2 ) in comparison with DOX solution (DOX-Sol). The biodistribution study demonstrated that DOX-EPNs increased the DOX level in plasma and decreased the accumulation of DOX in liver and spleen. Compared with DOX-Sol, DOX-EPNs increased the cytotoxicity in P-gp over-expressing MCF-7/Adr cells, attributed to the higher intracellular efficiency of DOX produced by the EPNs. DOX-EPNs entered into resistant tumor cells by multiple endocytosis pathways, which resulted in overcoming the multidrug resistance of MCF-7/Adr cells by escaping the efflux induced by P-gp transporters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Micelle System Based on Molecular Economy Principle for Overcoming Multidrug Resistance and Inhibiting Metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Yan; Qin, Xianya; Yang, Conglian; Wu, Tingting; Qiao, Qi; Song, Qingle; Zhang, Zhiping

    2018-03-05

    The high mortality of cancer is mainly attributed to multidrug resistance (MDR) and metastasis. A simple micelle system was constructed here to codeliver doxorubicin (DOX), adjudin (ADD), and nitric oxide (NO) for overcoming MDR and inhibiting metastasis. It was devised based on the "molecular economy" principle as the micelle system was easy to fabricate and exhibited high drug loading efficiency, and importantly, each component of the micelles would exert one or more active functions. DOX acted as the main cell killing agent supplemented with ADD, NO, and d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS). MDR was overcome by synergistic effects of mitochondria inhibition agents, TPGS and ADD. A TPGS-based NO donor can be used as a drug carrier, and it can release NO to enhance drug accumulation and penetration in tumor, resulting in a positive cycle of drug delivery. This DOX-ADD conjugate self-assembly system demonstrated controlled drug release, increased cellular uptake and cytotoxicity, enhanced accumulation at tumor site, and improved in vivo metastasis inhibition of breast cancer. The micelles can fully take advantage of the functions of each component, and they provide a potential strategy for nanomedicine design and clinical cancer treatment.

  15. Determinants of sustainability in solid waste management - The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Indonesia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zurbruegg, Christian, E-mail: zurbrugg@eawag.ch [Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries (Sandec), Ueberlandstrasse 133, P.O. Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); Gfrerer, Margareth, E-mail: margareth.gfrerer@gmx.net [Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, Depok Campus, 16424 Jakarta (Indonesia); Ashadi, Henki, E-mail: henki@eng.ui.ac.id [Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, Depok Campus, 16424 Jakarta (Indonesia); Brenner, Werner, E-mail: werner.brenner@gmx.at [Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, Depok Campus, 16424 Jakarta (Indonesia); Kueper, David, E-mail: dkuper@indo.net.id [Yayasan Pemilahan Sampah Temesi, Temsi-Gianyar, Bali (Indonesia)

    2012-11-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Our assessment tool helps evaluate success factors in solid waste projects. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Success of the composting plant in Indonesia is linked to its community integration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Appropriate technology is not a main determining success factor for sustainability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Structured assessment of 'best practices' can enhance replication in other cities. - Abstract: According to most experts, integrated and sustainable solid waste management should not only be given top priority, but must go beyond technical aspects to include various key elements of sustainability to ensure success of any solid waste project. Aside from project sustainable impacts, the overall enabling environment is the key feature determining performance and success of an integrated and affordable solid waste system. This paper describes a project-specific approach to assess typical success or failure factors. A questionnaire-based assessment method covers issues of: (i) social mobilisation and acceptance (social element), (ii) stakeholder, legal and institutional arrangements comprising roles, responsibilities and management functions (institutional element); (iii) financial and operational requirements, as well as cost recovery mechanisms (economic element). The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Bali, Indonesia was analysed using this integrated assessment method. The results clearly identified chief characteristics, key factors to consider when planning country wide replication but also major barriers and obstacles which must be overcome to ensure project sustainability. The Gianyar project consists of a composting unit processing 60 tons of municipal waste per day from 500,000 inhabitants, including manual waste segregation and subsequent composting of the biodegradable organic fraction.

  16. Genecialist manifesto: overcoming the “class struggle” in medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iwata K

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Kentaro Iwata Division of Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan Abstract: Generalists and specialists are often considered two completely distinct species, which culminates in the establishment of a concept of dichotomy. However, these dichotomy can at times fuel tension and even erupt into open conflict. In order to resolve this issue, the author herein proposes the concept of a “genecialist.” The genecialist refers to a hybrid comprising elements inherent to both generalists and specialists. This potentially overcomes the multitude of issues associated with both generalists and specialists in the practical aspects of medicine. The coalescence of these two contrarieties may hold the key to improving the future of health care. Mediating and integrating both categories into one consolidated entity carries the potential to stem the tide of class warfare between generalists and specialists. Keywords: genecialist, aufheben, generalist, specialist, asymmetry

  17. Overcoming preexisting humoral immunity to AAV using capsid decoys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mingozzi, Federico; Anguela, Xavier M; Pavani, Giulia; Chen, Yifeng; Davidson, Robert J; Hui, Daniel J; Yazicioglu, Mustafa; Elkouby, Liron; Hinderer, Christian J; Faella, Armida; Howard, Carolann; Tai, Alex; Podsakoff, Gregory M; Zhou, Shangzhen; Basner-Tschakarjan, Etiena; Wright, John Fraser; High, Katherine A

    2013-07-17

    Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors delivered through the systemic circulation successfully transduce various target tissues in animal models. However, similar attempts in humans have been hampered by the high prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to AAV, which completely block vector transduction. We show in both mouse and nonhuman primate models that addition of empty capsid to the final vector formulation can, in a dose-dependent manner, adsorb these antibodies, even at high titers, thus overcoming their inhibitory effect. To further enhance the safety of the approach, we mutated the receptor binding site of AAV2 to generate an empty capsid mutant that can adsorb antibodies but cannot enter a target cell. Our work suggests that optimizing the ratio of full/empty capsids in the final formulation of vector, based on a patient's anti-AAV titers, will maximize the efficacy of gene transfer after systemic vector delivery.

  18. Image-projection ion-beam lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, P.A.

    1989-01-01

    Image-projection ion-beam lithography is an attractive alternative for submicron patterning because it may provide high throughput; it uses demagnification to gain advantages in reticle fabrication, inspection, and lifetime; and it enjoys the precise deposition characteristics of ions which cause essentially no collateral damage. This lithographic option involves extracting low-mass ions (e.g., He + ) from a plasma source, transmitting the ions at low voltage through a stencil reticle, and then accelerating and focusing the ions electrostatically onto a resist-coated wafer. While the advantages of this technology have been demonstrated experimentally by the work of IMS (Austria), many difficulties still impede extension of the technology to the high-volume production of microelectronic devices. We report a computational study of a lithography system designed to address problem areas in field size, telecentricity, and chromatic and geometric aberration. We present a novel ion-column-design approach and conceptual ion-source and column designs which address these issues. We find that image-projection ion-beam technology should in principle meet high-volume-production requirements. The technical success of our present relatively compact-column design requires that a glow-discharge-based ion source (or equivalent cold source) be developed and that moderate further improvement in geometric aberration levels be obtained. Our system requires that image predistortion be employed during reticle fabrication to overcome distortion due to residual image nonlinearity and space-charge forces. This constitutes a software data preparation step, as do correcting for distortions in electron lithography columns and performing proximity-effect corrections. Areas needing further fundamental work are identified

  19. Empowering breeding programs with new approaches to overcome constraints for selecting superior quality traits of rice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Calingacion, M.N.

    2015-01-01

    Empowering breeding programs with new approaches to overcome constraints for selecting superior quality traits of rice

    Mariafe N. Calingacion

    Most rice breeding programs have focused on improving agronomic traits such as yield, while enhancing grain quality traits

  20. Management and integration of engineering and construction activities: Lessons learned from the AP1000{sup R} nuclear power plant China project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McCullough, M. C.; Ebeling-Koning, D.; Evans, M. C. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, 1000 Westinghouse Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (United States)

    2012-07-01

    The lessons learned during the early phase of design engineering and construction activities for the AP1000 China Project can be applied to any project involving multiple disciplines and multiple organizations. Implementation of a first-of-a-kind design to directly support construction activities utilizing resources assigned to design development and design delivery creates challenges with prioritization of activities, successful closure of issues, and communication between site organizations and the home office. To ensure successful implementation, teams were assigned and developed to directly support construction activities including prioritization of activities, site communication and ensuring closure of site emergent issues. By developing these teams, the organization is better suited to meet the demands of the construction schedule while continuing with design evolution of a standard plant and engineering delivery for multiple projects. For a successful project, proper resource utilization and prioritization are key for overcoming obstacles and ensuring success of the engineering organization. (authors)

  1. Overcoming Abuse: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Journey to Recovery From Past Intimate Partner Violence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flasch, Paulina; Murray, Christine E; Crowe, Allison

    2015-08-10

    To date, minimal research has focused on the recovery process for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). This study utilized a phenomenological methodology to understand the lived experiences of survivors of IPV (N = 123) who had overcome abusive relationships and created violence-free and meaningful lives. The researchers aimed to understand key factors involved in their recovery processes. Results indicated two main processes in the IPV recovery process: intrapersonal processes and interpersonal processes. Intrapersonal processes included (a) regaining and recreating one's identity, (b) embracing the freedom and power to direct one's own life, (c) healing from the mental and physical health symptoms of the abuse, (d) fostering acceptance and forgiveness with self and abuser, (e) education and examination of abusive relationships, (f) determining whether and how to enter new intimate relationships, and (g) acknowledging the long-term process of overcoming abuse. Interpersonal processes included themes of (a) building positive social support and relationships and (b) using ones' experiences with abuse to help others. Results of the present study are presented, and implications for practitioners are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Study of a family that overcomes poverty issues: family resilience?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Ángela Mattar Yunes

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Generally, researches with families focus the difficulties and the negative aspects of family life by bringing up their maladjustments and failures. The interest in family resilience contributes to change this logic by demonstrating the healthy aspects of the family world. Nevertheless, the term resilience presents ideological controversies which are more severe when the discussion is about families and poverty. In order to diminish these contradictions this study adopted a systemic concept of resilience which refers to “those processes that make possible to overcome adversities”. A case study was realized with a low income family who lived in a “very poor” neighborhood in the deep south of Brazil. The methodological strategies to the formal investigation of the family were: life history of the family using the principles of reflexive interview, genograms and data analyses through the approach of the grounded theory. The results showed that the family lived a number of risk experiences such as adoption, privation of basic needs, migration and diseases. Among the indicators of their abilities of “overcoming adversities”, emerged the belief system as the core of the discourses. The family showed that they value the interpersonal relationships through intra and extra familiar interactions based in the patterns of help, learning, affection and solidarity. During the crisis the family gives meaning to the difficulties in order to maintaining the situation controlled through cohesion, open communication, mutual respect and getting support of the extended family/ social network. The pos-adversity period is perceived as benefic and transforming as the family feels stronger and with feelings of solidarity, which is a mark of this family. Their attitude in relation to the neighborhood is active in the sense of promoting the welfare of other families who live in the same social address. Would those above identified processes be adequate to

  3. Development of time projection chamber for precise neutron lifetime measurement using pulsed cold neutron beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arimoto, Y. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Ibaraki (Japan); Higashi, N. [Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Igarashi, Y. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Ibaraki (Japan); Iwashita, Y. [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Ino, T. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Ibaraki (Japan); Katayama, R. [Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Kitaguchi, M. [Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute, Nagoya University, Aichi (Japan); Kitahara, R. [Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Matsumura, H.; Mishima, K. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Ibaraki (Japan); Nagakura, N.; Oide, H. [Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Otono, H., E-mail: otono@phys.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Research Centre for Advanced Particle Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan); Sakakibara, R. [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Aichi (Japan); Shima, T. [Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Shimizu, H.M.; Sugino, T. [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Aichi (Japan); Sumi, N. [Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan); Sumino, H. [Department of Basic Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Taketani, K. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Ibaraki (Japan); and others

    2015-11-01

    A new time projection chamber (TPC) was developed for neutron lifetime measurement using a pulsed cold neutron spallation source at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). Managing considerable background events from natural sources and the beam radioactivity is a challenging aspect of this measurement. To overcome this problem, the developed TPC has unprecedented features such as the use of polyether-ether-ketone plates in the support structure and internal surfaces covered with {sup 6}Li-enriched tiles to absorb outlier neutrons. In this paper, the design and performance of the new TPC are reported in detail.

  4. The Influence of Creativity Level on Overcoming the Barriers of Teachers’ Professional Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. F. Zeer

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper summarizes the research findings concerning the influence of creativity on overcoming the barriers of teachers’ professional development. The re- search subject includes defining the interrelations between the creativity and profes- sional burn-out. The aim of the studies is to find out the influencing factors of creativ- ity eliminating the destructive trends of professional pedagogic activity. The methodology is based on the E. E. Simanyuk’s concept describing the de- structive tendencies of teachers’ professional formation and the constructive overcom- ing strategies. The teachers’ refresher course at Sverdlovsk Regional Institute of Education De- velopment was taken as the experimental ground for the research. The diagnostics of the psychological constructs relating to the discussed phenomena was carried out by using tests of high validity and reliability. The modern methods of mathematical statis- tics were applied. The research outputs are of high practical importance both for designing the content of teachers’ professional development and upgrading their readiness for educa- tional innovations. 

  5. WISE: Automated support for software project management and measurement. M.S. Thesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramakrishnan, Sudhakar

    1995-01-01

    One important aspect of software development and IV&V is measurement. Unless a software development effort is measured in some way, it is difficult to judge the effectiveness of current efforts and predict future performances. Collection of metrics and adherence to a process are difficult tasks in a software project. Change activity is a powerful indicator of project status. Automated systems that can handle change requests, issues, and other process documents provide an excellent platform for tracking the status of the project. A World Wide Web based architecture is developed for (a) making metrics collection an implicit part of the software process, (b) providing metric analysis dynamically, (c) supporting automated tools that can complement current practices of in-process improvement, and (d) overcoming geographical barrier. An operational system (WISE) instantiates this architecture allowing for the improvement of software process in a realistic environment. The tool tracks issues in software development process, provides informal communication between the users with different roles, supports to-do lists (TDL), and helps in software process improvement. WISE minimizes the time devoted to metrics collection, analysis, and captures software change data. Automated tools like WISE focus on understanding and managing the software process. The goal is improvement through measurement.

  6. RF/microwave properties of nanotubes and nanowires : LDRD Project 105876 final report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scrymgeour, David; Lee, Mark; Hsu, Julia W. P.; Highstrete, Clark

    2009-09-01

    LDRD Project 105876 was a research project whose primary goal was to discover the currently unknown science underlying the basic linear and nonlinear electrodynamic response of nanotubes and nanowires in a manner that will support future efforts aimed at converting forefront nanoscience into innovative new high-frequency nanodevices. The project involved experimental and theoretical efforts to discover and understand high frequency (MHz through tens of GHz) electrodynamic response properties of nanomaterials, emphasizing nanowires of silicon, zinc oxide, and carbon nanotubes. While there is much research on DC electrical properties of nanowires, electrodynamic characteristics still represent a major new frontier in nanotechnology. We generated world-leading insight into how the low dimensionality of these nanomaterials yields sometimes desirable and sometimes problematic high-frequency properties that are outside standard model electron dynamics. In the cases of silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes, evidence of strong disorder or glass-like charge dynamics was measured, indicating that these materials still suffer from serious inhomogeneities that limit there high frequency performance. Zinc oxide nanowires were found to obey conventional Drude dynamics. In all cases, a significant practical problem involving large impedance mismatch between the high intrinsic impedance of all nanowires and nanotubes and high-frequency test equipment had to be overcome.

  7. Strategies to overcome or circumvent P-glycoprotein mediated multidrug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Hongyu; Li, Xun; Wu, Jifeng; Li, Jinpei; Qu, Xianjun; Xu, Wenfang; Tang, Wei

    2008-01-01

    Cancer patients who receive chemotherapy often experience intrinsic or acquired resistance to a broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic agents. The phenomenon, termed multidrug resistance (MDR), is often associated with the over-expression of P-glycoprotein, a transmembrane protein pump, which can enhance efflux of a various chemicals structurally unrelated at the expense of ATP depletion, resulting in decrease of the intracellular cytotoxic drug accumulation. The MDR has been a big threaten to the human health and the war fight for it continues. Although several other mechanisms for MDR are elucidated in recent years, considerable efforts attempting to inverse MDR are involved in exploring P-glycoprotein modulators and suppressing P-glycoprotein expression. In this review, we will report on the recent advances in various strategies for overcoming or circumventing MDR mediated by P-glycoprotein.

  8. Medical Students' Personal Determinants of Overcoming Strategies in Difficult Situations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veretelnikova Yu.Ya.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Goal of the research was to study conditionality of overcoming strategies in difficult situations of social interaction by personal representations of attitude to others among medical students. Material and methods. 134 first-year students of Saratov State Medical University n.a. V. I. Razumovsky took part in the comparative diagnostic study. Results. Comparison of average indices of various strategies evidence in coping behaviour allowed revealing statistically significant dependence of coping behaviour modi in difficult situations of social interaction upon types of personal representations of attitude toward others and gender features of forming effective strategies of coping behaviour among medical students. Conclusion. Correlation between coping behaviour modi in difficult situations of social interaction and typology of personal representations of attitudes toward others among medical students was marked.

  9. Polymer nanotherapeutics to overcome multidrug resistance

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Braunová, Alena; Kostka, Libor; Sivák, Ladislav; Filippov, Sergey K.; Pechar, Michal; Janoušková, Olga; Šírová, Milada; Etrych, Tomáš

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 6, 4 (Suppl) (2017), s. 92 ISSN 2325-9604. [International Conference and Exhibition on Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery. 29.05.2017-31.05.2017, Osaka] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-17207S; GA MZd(CZ) NV16-28600A Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:61388971 Keywords : polymer- drug carrier * micelle * controlled drug release Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry

  10. Integration of advanced technologies to enhance problem-based learning over distance: Project TOUCH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Joshua; Caudell, Thomas; Wilks, David; Keep, Marcus F; Mitchell, Steven; Buchanan, Holly; Saland, Linda; Rosenheimer, Julie; Lozanoff, Beth K; Lozanoff, Scott; Saiki, Stanley; Alverson, Dale

    2003-01-01

    Distance education delivery has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of the rapid advancement of communication technology. The National Computational Science Alliance's Access Grid represents a significant advancement in communication technology with potential for distance medical education. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the TOUCH project (Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health; http://hsc.unm.edu/touch) with special emphasis on the process of problem-based learning case development for distribution over the Access Grid. The objective of the TOUCH project is to use emerging Internet-based technology to overcome geographic barriers for delivery of tutorial sessions to medical students pursuing rotations at remote sites. The TOUCH project also is aimed at developing a patient simulation engine and an immersive virtual reality environment to achieve a realistic health care scenario enhancing the learning experience. A traumatic head injury case is developed and distributed over the Access Grid as a demonstration of the TOUCH system. Project TOUCH serves as an example of a computer-based learning system for developing and implementing problem-based learning cases within the medical curriculum, but this system should be easily applied to other educational environments and disciplines involving functional and clinical anatomy. Future phases will explore PC versions of the TOUCH cases for increased distribution. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  11. Wafer-level vacuum packaged resonant micro-scanning mirrors for compact laser projection displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmann, Ulrich; Oldsen, Marten; Quenzer, Hans-Joachim; Janes, Joachim; Heller, Martin; Weiss, Manfred; Fakas, Georgios; Ratzmann, Lars; Marchetti, Eleonora; D'Ascoli, Francesco; Melani, Massimiliano; Bacciarelli, Luca; Volpi, Emilio; Battini, Francesco; Mostardini, Luca; Sechi, Francesco; De Marinis, Marco; Wagner, Bernd

    2008-02-01

    Scanning laser projection using resonant actuated MEMS scanning mirrors is expected to overcome the current limitation of small display size of mobile devices like cell phones, digital cameras and PDAs. Recent progress in the development of compact modulated RGB laser sources enables to set up very small laser projection systems that become attractive not only for consumer products but also for automotive applications like head-up and dash-board displays. Within the last years continuous progress was made in increasing MEMS scanner performance. However, only little is reported on how mass-produceability of these devices and stable functionality even under harsh environmental conditions can be guaranteed. Automotive application requires stable MEMS scanner operation over a wide temperature range from -40° to +85°Celsius. Therefore, hermetic packaging of electrostatically actuated MEMS scanning mirrors becomes essential to protect the sensitive device against particle contamination and condensing moisture. This paper reports on design, fabrication and test of a resonant actuated two-dimensional micro scanning mirror that is hermetically sealed on wafer level. With resonant frequencies of 30kHz and 1kHz, an achievable Theta-D-product of 13mm.deg and low dynamic deformation <20nm RMS it targets Lissajous projection with SVGA-resolution. Inevitable reflexes at the vacuum package surface can be seperated from the projection field by permanent inclination of the micromirror.

  12. Challenges for investment in renewable electricity in the European Union. Background report in the ADMIRE REBUS project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uyterlinde, M.A.; Skytte, K.; Meibom, P.; Lescot, D.; Hoffmann, T.; Del Rio, P.

    2003-11-01

    This report serves as a background report of the final main report of the ADMIRE REBUS project. The report focuses on challenges that arise from changes in political support systems, lead time and risk with respect to investment in RES-E technologies. It discusses which tools and strategies that can be used in order to overcome these challenges. The objective of this report is to elaborate further on the above-mentioned discussions compared to the main report. This is mainly done based on illustrative case studies with data taken from questionnaire analyses and data surveys

  13. Overcoming Learning Time And Space Constraints Through Technological Tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nafiseh Zarei

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Today the use of technological tools has become an evolution in language learning and language acquisition. Many instructors and lecturers believe that integrating Web-based learning tools into language courses allows pupils to become active learners during learning process. This study investigate how the Learning Management Blog (LMB overcomes the learning time and space constraints that contribute to students’ language learning and language acquisition processes. The participants were 30 ESL students at National University of Malaysia. A qualitative approach comprising an open-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The results of the study revealed that the students’ language learning and acquisition processes were enhanced. The students did not face any learning time and space limitations while being engaged in the learning process via the LMB. They learned and acquired knowledge using the language learning materials and forum at anytime and anywhere. Keywords: learning time, learning space, learning management blog

  14. A Salmonella nanoparticle mimic overcomes multidrug resistance in tumours.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercado-Lubo, Regino; Zhang, Yuanwei; Zhao, Liang; Rossi, Kyle; Wu, Xiang; Zou, Yekui; Castillo, Antonio; Leonard, Jack; Bortell, Rita; Greiner, Dale L; Shultz, Leonard D; Han, Gang; McCormick, Beth A

    2016-07-25

    Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium is a food-borne pathogen that also selectively grows in tumours and functionally decreases P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a multidrug resistance transporter. Here we report that the Salmonella type III secretion effector, SipA, is responsible for P-gp modulation through a pathway involving caspase-3. Mimicking the ability of Salmonella to reverse multidrug resistance, we constructed a gold nanoparticle system packaged with a SipA corona, and found this bacterial mimic not only accumulates in tumours but also reduces P-gp at a SipA dose significantly lower than free SipA. Moreover, the Salmonella nanoparticle mimic suppresses tumour growth with a concomitant reduction in P-gp when used with an existing chemotherapeutic drug (that is, doxorubicin). On the basis of our finding that the SipA Salmonella effector is fundamental for functionally decreasing P-gp, we engineered a nanoparticle mimic that both overcomes multidrug resistance in cancer cells and increases tumour sensitivity to conventional chemotherapeutics.

  15. OVERCOMING THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: PARABLE AS A MEANS OF INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetyana V. Danylova

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. This article attempts to investigate the ways to overcome negative after-effects of intercultural communication. Methodology and theoretical results: To avoid the negative after-effects of intercultural communication caused by the clash of different reality tunnels, it is necessary to go beyond the framework of the specific symbolical territory, which is seen as the only true reality. Expanding the horizons of life, going beyond the boundaries of a personal reality tunnel can be achieved, in particular, by using parables. Acquaintance with parables helps to extend the set of the world perception models and to change the positions of the communication process participants. Parables act as intermediaries between people of different cultures and mentalities. Owing to its archetypical form, parable becomes one of the most popular narratives illustrating deep and multi-faceted truths that sometimes cannot be expressed by any other way. Parable serves as an open and flexible model of the world and a model of an individual "I self". This model helps people to constitute themselves as a part of their world. Parable requires to reject its interpretation in the oppositions inherent in a given culture and to reconsider the very way of understanding. Rejection of the oppositions provides the possibility of perceiving the world as integrity, unity in diversity, helps to overcome one-sided picture of the inner world of a man and his life in society. Understanding of a parable works towards changing personal position, and human creative nature is actualized. Conclusion: Parables uniquely reflect the real world and contribute to personal understanding of reality. Parables are successfully transplanted into different cultures operating as heritage of a culture-recipient and as a connecting link, which optimizes an intercultural dialogue.

  16. Determination of the Projected Atomic Potential by Deconvolution of the Auto-Correlation Function of TEM Electron Nano-Diffraction Patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liberato De Caro

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available We present a novel method to determine the projected atomic potential of a specimen directly from transmission electron microscopy coherent electron nano-diffraction patterns, overcoming common limitations encountered so far due to the dynamical nature of electron-matter interaction. The projected potential is obtained by deconvolution of the inverse Fourier transform of experimental diffraction patterns rescaled in intensity by using theoretical values of the kinematical atomic scattering factors. This novelty enables the compensation of dynamical effects typical of transmission electron microscopy (TEM experiments on standard specimens with thicknesses up to a few tens of nm. The projected atomic potentials so obtained are averaged on sample regions illuminated by nano-sized electron probes and are in good quantitative agreement with theoretical expectations. Contrary to lens-based microscopy, here the spatial resolution in the retrieved projected atomic potential profiles is related to the finer lattice spacing measured in the electron diffraction pattern. The method has been successfully applied to experimental nano-diffraction data of crystalline centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric specimens achieving a resolution of 65 pm.

  17. A Hybrid MCDM Technique for Risk Management in Construction Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kajal Chatterjee

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Multi-stakeholder based construction projects are subject to potential risk factors due to dynamic business environment and stakeholders’ lack of knowledge. When solving project management tasks, it is necessary to quantify the main risk indicators of the projects. Managing these requires suitable risk mitigation strategies to evaluate and analyse their severity. The existence of information asymmetry also causes difficulties with achieving Pareto efficiency. Hence, to ensure balanced satisfaction of all participants, risk evaluation of these projects can be considered as an important part of the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM process. In real-life problems, evaluation of project risks is often uncertain and even incomplete, and the prevailing methodologies fail to handle such situations. To address the problem, this paper extends the analytical network process (ANP methodology in the D numbers domain to handle three types of ambiguous information’s, viz. complete, uncertain, and incomplete, and assesses the weight of risk criteria. The D numbers based approach overcomes the deficiencies of the exclusiveness hypothesis and completeness constraint of Dempster–Shafer (D–S theory. Here, preference ratings of the decision matrix for each decision-maker are determined using a D numbers extended consistent fuzzy preference relation (D-CFPR. An extended multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC method in D numbers is then developed to rank and select the best alternative risk response strategy. Finally, an illustrative example from construction sector is presented to check the feasibility of the proposed approach. For checking the reliability of alternative ranking, a comparative analysis is performed with different MCDM approaches in D numbers domain. Based on different criteria weights, a sensitivity analysis of obtained ranking of the hybrid D-ANP-MABAC model is performed to verify the robustness of the proposed

  18. DNA Repair and Photoprotection: Mechanisms of Overcoming Environmental Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure in Halophilic Archaea

    OpenAIRE

    Daniel L. Jones; Bonnie K. Baxter

    2017-01-01

    Halophilic archaea push the limits of life at several extremes. In particular, they are noted for their biochemical strategies in dealing with osmotic stress, low water activity and cycles of desiccation in their hypersaline environments. Another feature common to their habitats is intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is a challenge that microorganisms must overcome. The consequences of high UV exposure include DNA lesions arising directly from bond rearrangement of adjacent bipyrimidine...

  19. Overcoming the effects of differential skewness of test items in scale construction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johann M. Schepers

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available The principal objective of the study was to develop a procedure for overcoming the effects of differential skewness of test items in scale construction. It was shown that the degree of skewness of test items places an upper limit on the correlations between the items, regardless of the contents of the items. If the items are ordered in terms of skewness the resulting inter correlation matrix forms a simplex or a pseudo simplex. Factoring such a matrix results in a multiplicity of factors, most of which are artifacts. A procedure for overcoming this problem was demonstrated with items from the Locus of Control Inventory (Schepers, 1995. The analysis was based on a sample of 1662 first year university students. Opsomming Die hoofdoel van die studie was om ’n prosedure te ontwikkel om die gevolge van differensiële skeefheid van toetsitems, in skaalkonstruksie, teen te werk. Daar is getoon dat die graad van skeefheid van toetsitems ’n boonste grens plaas op die korrelasies tussen die items ongeag die inhoud daarvan. Indien die items gerangskik word volgens graad van skeefheid, sal die interkorrelasiematriks van die items ’n simpleks of pseudosimpleks vorm. Indien so ’n matriks aan faktorontleding onderwerp word, lei dit tot ’n veelheid van faktore waarvan die meerderheid artefakte is. ’n Prosedure om hierdie probleem te bowe te kom, is gedemonstreer met behulp van die items van die Lokus van Beheer-vraelys (Schepers, 1995. Die ontledings is op ’n steekproef van 1662 eerstejaaruniversiteitstudente gebaseer.

  20. Translating Research to Practice: Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Effective Off-Campus Party Intervention. Issues in Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2012

    2012-01-01

    This issue of "Issues in Prevention" focuses on overcoming barriers in implementing effective off-campus party intervention. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Confronting the Problems Associated With Off-Campus Parties With Evidence-Based Strategies (John D. Clapp); (2) Overview of Research on Effective Off-Campus Party…

  1. Erratum: Correction to: Polarisation vision: overcoming challenges of working with a property of light we barely see

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foster, James J.; Temple, Shelby E.; How, Martin J.; Daly, Ilse M.; Sharkey, Camilla R.; Wilby, David; Roberts, Nicholas W.

    2018-06-01

    In "Polarisation vision: overcoming challenges of working with a property of light we barely see" (Foster et al. 2018) we provide a basic description of how Stokes parameters can be estimated and used to calculate the angle of polarisation (AoP).

  2. Complementary Health Approaches: Overcoming Barriers to Open Communication During Cancer Therapy
.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanchai, Ausanee; Armer, Jane M; Smith, Kandis M; Rodrick, Julia

    2017-12-01

    Complementary health approaches (CHAs) have been widely used by patients with cancer for many reasons. However, some patients choose not to disclose their use of CHAs to their nurses, fearing that this use will be viewed as unacceptable. Nurses may be uncomfortable talking about CHAs because of a lack of evidence-based research on the subject.
. This article promotes ways in which nurses can overcome barriers to open communication about CHAs with patients during cancer therapy.
. The literature related to CHAs and communication was reviewed.
. To encourage open communication between nurses and patients regarding the use of CHAs, nurses need to be more knowledgeable about CHAs through training or by conducting research related to CHAs.

  3. Determinants of sustainability in solid waste management – The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Indonesia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zurbrügg, Christian; Gfrerer, Margareth; Ashadi, Henki; Brenner, Werner; Küper, David

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Our assessment tool helps evaluate success factors in solid waste projects. ► Success of the composting plant in Indonesia is linked to its community integration. ► Appropriate technology is not a main determining success factor for sustainability. ► Structured assessment of “best practices” can enhance replication in other cities. - Abstract: According to most experts, integrated and sustainable solid waste management should not only be given top priority, but must go beyond technical aspects to include various key elements of sustainability to ensure success of any solid waste project. Aside from project sustainable impacts, the overall enabling environment is the key feature determining performance and success of an integrated and affordable solid waste system. This paper describes a project-specific approach to assess typical success or failure factors. A questionnaire-based assessment method covers issues of: (i) social mobilisation and acceptance (social element), (ii) stakeholder, legal and institutional arrangements comprising roles, responsibilities and management functions (institutional element); (iii) financial and operational requirements, as well as cost recovery mechanisms (economic element). The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Bali, Indonesia was analysed using this integrated assessment method. The results clearly identified chief characteristics, key factors to consider when planning country wide replication but also major barriers and obstacles which must be overcome to ensure project sustainability. The Gianyar project consists of a composting unit processing 60 tons of municipal waste per day from 500,000 inhabitants, including manual waste segregation and subsequent composting of the biodegradable organic fraction.

  4. A Blockchain-Based Approach Towards Overcoming Financial Fraud in Public Sector Services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hyvärinen, Hissu; Risius, Marten; Friis, Gustav

    2017-01-01

    damage of 1.8 billion USD, for example, in Denmark alone. This paper assesses the potential of a blockchain database to provide a feasible solution for overcoming this problem against the backdrop of recent advances in the public sector and the unique set of blockchain capacities. Towards this end, we...... develop and evaluate a blockchain-based prototype system aimed at eliminating this type of tax fraud and increasing transparency regarding the flow of dividends. While the prototype is based on the specific context of the Danish tax authority, we discuss how it can be generalized for tracking...

  5. Rapid parallel evolution overcomes global honey bee parasite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oddie, Melissa; Büchler, Ralph; Dahle, Bjørn; Kovacic, Marin; Le Conte, Yves; Locke, Barbara; de Miranda, Joachim R; Mondet, Fanny; Neumann, Peter

    2018-05-16

    In eusocial insect colonies nestmates cooperate to combat parasites, a trait called social immunity. However, social immunity failed for Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) when the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor switched hosts from Eastern honey bees (Apis cerana). This mite has since become the most severe threat to A. mellifera world-wide. Despite this, some isolated A. mellifera populations are known to survive infestations by means of natural selection, largely by supressing mite reproduction, but the underlying mechanisms of this are poorly understood. Here, we show that a cost-effective social immunity mechanism has evolved rapidly and independently in four naturally V. destructor-surviving A. mellifera populations. Worker bees of all four 'surviving' populations uncapped/recapped worker brood cells more frequently and targeted mite-infested cells more effectively than workers in local susceptible colonies. Direct experiments confirmed the ability of uncapping/recapping to reduce mite reproductive success without sacrificing nestmates. Our results provide striking evidence that honey bees can overcome exotic parasites with simple qualitative and quantitative adaptive shifts in behaviour. Due to rapid, parallel evolution in four host populations this appears to be a key mechanism explaining survival of mite infested colonies.

  6. Overcoming dormancy in seeds of cotton-silk tree

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irinaldo Lima do Nascimento

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Cotton-silk tree Ceiba glaziovii (kuntze k. Schu belongs to family Bombacaceas and is locally known as barriguda. It is widely used in landscaping and reforestation, neverdeless seed dormancy affects reproduction in this species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods to overcome dormancy in the germination process. Treatments included mechanical scarification with 85-grit sandpaper, chemical scarification with concentrated sulfuric acid for 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, physical scarification with hot water at 60°, 70°, 80°and 90° C for one minute, imbibition in distilled water for 24, 48 and 72 hours, oven heating at 65° C for 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours, and a control treatment. Each treatment included four replicates of 25 seeds, using a completely randomized experimental design, and means were compared by the Scott-Knott test at the 5% probability level. Assessed parameters included emergence percentage, emergence rate index, dry matter and length of plants. The most recommended treatments were mechanical scarification, immersion in sulfuric acid for 5, 10 and 15 minutes and immersion in distilled water for 48 hours.

  7. Developing Cultural Competence and Overcoming Ethical Challenges in the Informed Consent Process: An Experience from Egypt

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Messih, Ibrahim Adib; El-Setouhy, Maged; Crouch, Michael M.; Earhart, Kenneth C.

    2008-01-01

    Research is conducted in a variety of cultural settings. Ethical standards developed in Europe and the Americas are increasingly applied in these settings, many of which are culturally different from the countries in which these standards originated. To overcome these cultural differences, investigators may be tempted to deviate from ethical…

  8. The effects of different pollination methods on overcoming distant cross barriers of the Lily 'cordelia' x Lilium dauricum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma Li; Zhang Qixiang; Zhang Kezhong; Jia Yuehui; Wang Zhe

    2008-01-01

    The application of irradiated pollen assisting pollination, cross chemical assisting pollination and cut-style pollination in overcoming the cross barriers of lily 'cordelia' x Lilium dauricum were investigated. A number of fruits and plump seeds were produced by using the normal stigma pollination, which indicated that the cross was a compatible cross. The fact that the application of 1000 Gy or 2000 Gy irradiated pollen assisting pollination increased the fruitset and seedset obviously exhibited that this methods could overcome the cross barriers effectively. More hybrid seeds would have a positive effect on the future breeding selection. Application of cross chemical's assisting pollination raised the fruitset and seedset to some extent. The cut-style pollination method deduced the fruitset and seedset, which suggested that the method was not suitable for bypassing the cross barriers. (authors)

  9. Roadmapping - A Systematic Approach to Overcoming NGNP Challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John W. Collins

    2008-01-01

    Changing requirements, programmatic challenges, and technical risk hinder even the best projects. The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) is a complex project with technical and programmatic uncertainty. This paper presents the path forward, methods, and tools used to understand the requirements, manage the uncertainty, and mitigate the risk for the NGNP project. The key tool, technology development roadmaps, is described in detail as a means to facilitate NGNP risk-informed decision making, technology down selection, and technology qualification and maturation. Technology roadmaps for each NGNP System, Structure, or Component (SSC) were developed to set the vision for and drive the needed actions to down select technologies and designs; to assure technology readiness is demonstrated through testing, modeling, piloting, and prototyping; and to develop the test plans required to provide demonstrable evidence of the technology maturation required for codification and qualification. In the NGNP application, technology roadmaps provide the framework and structure required to systematically perform decision analysis, reduce risk, and mature technologies in a cost effective and timely manner. The steps followed include Structure Identification, Technology Readiness Assessment, Technology Selection, Technology Maturation, and Test Plan Development

  10. The leadership challenges of Paul's collection for the saints in Jerusalem: Part I: Overcoming the obstacles on the side of the Gentile Christian donors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph W. Stenschke

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In addition to many other activities, the Apostle Paul was involved in a large-scale fund raising project. Following a charge he once had received in Jerusalem to remember the poor (Gl 2:10, Paul tried to convince the predominantly Gentile Christian churches which he had founded to contribute to a collection for the impoverished Jewish Christians of Jerusalem. For the potential donors it was far from obvious that they should be involved in benefaction for people far away and unable to reciprocate to their would-be �patrons�, to name but one obstacle. Whilst Paul is best known as theologian, missionary and pastor, his collection project also indicates his determination and skills as an early Christian leader. In this quest, Paul combined a broad salvation historical perspective, skilful persuasion and rhetoric, the notions of honour and shame, exemplary transparency and other aspects. This article describes what obstacles Paul had to overcome on the side of the Gentile Christian donors, how he did so and how he proceeded in preparing and organising the actual collection, the transport of the funds to Jerusalem and its presentation in Jerusalem. In closing, the article suggests applications for today�s Christian leaders.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article indicates that already in early Christianity Christian leadership involved the use of several skills and was controversial. Far from being able to simply demand a certain course of action, early Christian leaders such as Paul had to convince others to lead by their own example and had to be involved themselves in what they demanded of others. This challenges some contemporary notions of Christian leadership. Following the portrayal of Paul�s leadership as it emerges from his collection project will lead to more effective Christian leadership.

  11. Supermolecular drug challenge to overcome drug resistance in cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onishi, Yasuhiko; Eshita, Yuki; Ji, Rui-Cheng; Kobayashi, Takashi; Onishi, Masayasu; Mizuno, Masaaki; Yoshida, Jun; Kubota, Naoji

    2018-06-04

    Overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells can be accomplished using drug delivery systems in large-molecular-weight ATP-binding cassette transporters before entry into phagolysosomes and by particle-cell-surface interactions. However, these hypotheses do not address the intratumoral heterogeneity in cancer. Anti-MDR must be related to alterations of drug targets, expression of detoxification, as well as altered proliferation. In this study, it is shown that the excellent efficacy and sustainability of anti-MDR is due to a stable ES complex because of the allosteric facilities of artificial enzymes when they are used as supramolecular complexes. The allosteric effect of supermolecular drugs can be explained by the induced-fit model and can provide stable feedback control systems through the loop transfer function of the Hill equation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Subarray Processing for Projection-based RFI Mitigation in Radio Astronomical Interferometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnett, Mitchell C.; Jeffs, Brian D.; Black, Richard A.; Warnick, Karl F.

    2018-04-01

    Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is a major problem for observations in Radio Astronomy (RA). Adaptive spatial filtering techniques such as subspace projection are promising candidates for RFI mitigation; however, for radio interferometric imaging arrays, these have primarily been used in engineering demonstration experiments rather than mainstream scientific observations. This paper considers one reason that adoption of such algorithms is limited: RFI decorrelates across the interferometric array because of long baseline lengths. This occurs when the relative RFI time delay along a baseline is large compared to the frequency channel inverse bandwidth used in the processing chain. Maximum achievable excision of the RFI is limited by covariance matrix estimation error when identifying interference subspace parameters, and decorrelation of the RFI introduces errors that corrupt the subspace estimate, rendering subspace projection ineffective over the entire array. In this work, we present an algorithm that overcomes this challenge of decorrelation by applying subspace projection via subarray processing (SP-SAP). Each subarray is designed to have a set of elements with high mutual correlation in the interferer for better estimation of subspace parameters. In an RFI simulation scenario for the proposed ngVLA interferometric imaging array with 15 kHz channel bandwidth for correlator processing, we show that compared to the former approach of applying subspace projection on the full array, SP-SAP improves mitigation of the RFI on the order of 9 dB. An example of improved image synthesis and reduced RFI artifacts for a simulated image “phantom” using the SP-SAP algorithm is presented.

  13. Cherokee Adaptation to the Landscape of the West and Overcoming the Loss of Culturally Significant Plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vick, R. Alfred

    2011-01-01

    Plant species utilized by Cherokees have been documented by several authors. However, many of the traditional uses of plants were lost or forgotten in the generations following the Trail of Tears. The pressures of overcoming the physical and psychological impact of the removal, adapting to a new landscape, rebuilding a government, rebuilding…

  14. History of the idea of a European electric power system. project, advancement, continuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lagendijk, Vincent

    2008-01-01

    Creating a European electrical network is an idea originating from the inter-war years and that was to be realized only in 1995. By replacing the history of this idea within its historic dimension, this article breaks with the determinist visions. The actor's play and more particularly the international institutions, can explain that the European dimension, even though continually asserted, has only been designed as the growth of the regional networks. Additionally, in the context of cold war, the projects that associate the East to the West had to overcome several obstacles. Parties were brought together many times, but only the fall of the Iron Curtain has enabled a true interconnection between the two halves of Europe

  15. 4-1BB Signaling in Conventional T Cells Drives IL-2 Production That Overcomes CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T Regulatory Cell Suppression.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hampartsoum B Barsoumian

    Full Text Available Costimulation with the recombinant SA-4-1BBL agonist of 4-1BB receptor on conventional CD4+ T cells (Tconvs overcomes the suppression mediated by naturally occurring CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T regulatory cells (Tregs. The mechanistic basis of this observation has remained largely unknown. Herein we show that Tconvs, but not Tregs, are the direct target of SA-4-1BBL-mediated evasion of Treg suppression. IL-2 produced by Tconvs in response to 4-1BB signaling is both necessary and sufficient for overcoming Treg suppression. Supernatant from Tconvs stimulated with SA-4-1BBL contains high levels of IL-2 and overcomes Treg suppression in ex vivo Tconv:Treg cocultures. Removal of IL-2 from such supernatant restores Treg suppression and repletion of Tconv:Treg cocultures with exogenous recombinant IL-2 overcomes suppression. This study establishes 4-1BB signaling as a key circuit that regulates physical and functional equilibrium between Tregs and Tconvs with important implications for immunotherapy for indications where a fine balance between Tregs and Teffs plays a decisive role.

  16. Assessing the appropriateness of carbon financing for micro-scale projects in terms of capabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caitlin Trethewy

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Micro-scale development projects are currently underrepresented in global carbon markets. This paper outlines the process of becoming eligible to generate carbon credits and examines some of the barriers that may inhibit access to carbon markets. In particular, it focuses on barriers relating to the capacity and resources of the organisation developing the project. This approach represents a deviation from the standard discourse which has traditionally focused on barriers relating to the availability of up-front finance and the capacity of local public and private sector institutions required to participate in the carbon standard certification process. The paper contains an analysis of the carbon offset project cycle from which follows a discussion of potential capacity- related barriers focusing on time, skills and resources. Recommendations are made as to how these may be overcome with a particular focus on the role of technical organisations in assisting project developers. Completed during 2012 this research comes at an interesting time for global carbon markets as the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period ended in 2012 and negotiations have failed to produce and agreement that would commit major emitters to reductions targets from 2013 onward. Despite this, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has gained momentum on the national level and many governments are in the process of formulating and introducing emissions trading schemes.

  17. The leadership challenges of Paul�s collection for the saints in Jerusalem: Part II: Overcoming the obstacles on the side of the recipients and of Paul

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph W. Stenschke

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Paul tried to convince the predominantly Gentile Christian churches to contribute to a collection for the impoverished Jewish Christians of Jerusalem. While Paul is best known as a theologian, missionary and pastor, his collection project also shows his skills as an early Christian leader. Part II of this article describes what obstacles Paul had to overcome on the side of the Jewish Christian recipients of the collection, how he did so and how he proceeded in preparing and organising the actual collection, the transport and presentation of the funds in Jerusalem. It also discusses what obstacles were involved for Paul personally in this project and how he dealt with them. In closing, the article relates the portrait of Paul the leader as it emerges in this enterprise to modern leadership theory. Paul�s leadership evinces elements of servant leadership, authentic leadership and adaptive leadership.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article indicates to what extent early Christianity was affected by and had to interact with the political situation of its day. It also shows the complexities of Paul�s life and ministry and his relations to the church in Jerusalem. It also provides an example of how Paul can be related to current leadership theory and suggests that awareness of this discourse sheds fresh light on Paul.

  18. DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN ISO 9001:2008 IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS IN INCUBATED TECHNOLOGY-BASED COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Gome Salgado

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Quality Management Systems (QMS are designed to continuously improve the performance of organizations aiming to constantly improve their services seeking to overcome their results. Thus, for the services and/or products offered to transmit confidence and credibility, they should be designed within appropriate norms and standards. This research aims to assess the difficulties encountered by the incubated companies participating in the PRIME-FINEP project and developing projects for certification of their QMS in accordance with ISO 9001:2008. An exploratory survey was performed in nine incubated technology-based companies (TBC, through a questionnaire with 21 questions totaling the opinion of 20 respondents. After analyzing the data it is concluded, with statistical meaning, that the TBC's with little incubation time present difficulties in implementing the quality policy (5.3, difficulty not identified in other studies conducted in large companies. However difficulties similar to those of the large companies are present in the incubated TBC, and are the following: documentation requirements (4.2 present in all incubated companies (regardless of incubation time, and design and development (7.3 present in companies with little incubation time. The difficulty in implementing the quality policy (5.3 is reflected in the achievement of the QMS certification project in accordance with ISO 9001:2008.

  19. Microbial advanced biofuels production: overcoming emulsification challenges for large-scale operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heeres, Arjan S; Picone, Carolina S F; van der Wielen, Luuk A M; Cunha, Rosiane L; Cuellar, Maria C

    2014-04-01

    Isoprenoids and alkanes produced and secreted by microorganisms are emerging as an alternative biofuel for diesel and jet fuel replacements. In a similar way as for other bioprocesses comprising an organic liquid phase, the presence of microorganisms, medium composition, and process conditions may result in emulsion formation during fermentation, hindering product recovery. At the same time, a low-cost production process overcoming this challenge is required to make these advanced biofuels a feasible alternative. We review the main mechanisms and causes of emulsion formation during fermentation, because a better understanding on the microscale can give insights into how to improve large-scale processes and the process technology options that can address these challenges. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Overcoming hybridization barriers by the secretion of the maize pollen tube attractant ZmEA1 from Arabidopsis ovules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Márton, Mihaela L; Fastner, Astrid; Uebler, Susanne; Dresselhaus, Thomas

    2012-07-10

    A major goal of plant reproduction research is to understand and overcome hybridization barriers so that the gene pool of crop plants can be increased and improved upon. After successful pollen germination on a receptive stigma, the nonmotile sperm cells of flowering plants are transported via the pollen tube (PT) to the egg apparatus for the achievement of double fertilization. The PT path is controlled by various hybridization mechanisms probably involving a larger number of species-specific molecular interactions. The egg-apparatus-secreted polymorphic peptides ZmEA1 in maize and LURE1 and LURE2 in Torenia fournieri as well as TcCRP1 in T. concolor were shown to be required for micropylar PT guidance, the last step of the PT journey. We report here that ZmEA1 attracts maize PTs in vitro and arrests their growth at higher concentrations. Furthermore, it binds to the subapical region of maize PT tips in a species-preferential manner. To overcome hybridization barriers at the level of gametophytic PT guidance, we expressed ZmEA1 in Arabidopsis synergid cells. Secreted ZmEA1 enabled Arabidopsis ovules to guide maize PT in vitro in a species-preferential manner to the micropylar opening of the ovule. These results demonstrate that the egg-apparatus-controlled reproductive-isolation barrier of PT guidance can be overcome even between unrelated plant families. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The social marketing of project ARIES: overcoming challenges in recruiting gay and bisexual males for HIV prevention counseling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, D S; Ryan, R; Esacove, A W; Bishofsky, S; Wallis, J M; Roffman, R A

    1996-01-01

    This paper reports on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a social marketing campaign designed to recruit clients Project ARIES, and AIDS prevention study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Marketing channels employed for the campaign included advertising in the gay press, generating coverage in the mainstream press, distributing materials to HIV testing centers and other health and social service providers, and displaying posters in gay bars and baths. While these approaches all succeeded in eliciting inquiries from individuals engaging in high risk sexual behaviors, they differed in several respects, including their ability to reach specific subgroups that are often underserved by more traditional programs, such as men of color, younger men, and men who self-report as being closeted. Promotional materials displayed in gay bars and baths resulted in the highest percentage of callers who, after inquiring about the program, decided to participate in the counseling. Coverage in the mainstream press was the most successful in reaching closeted men, men who were less active in the gay community, and individuals who did not self-identify as gay. Display and classified ads in the gay press produced the highest number of initial inquiries. Finally, recruitment of participants via materials distributed to HIV test sites and other service providers was the most effective in reaching men who were HIV-positive.

  2. Identifying Problems in Students’ Final Projects Based on Scientific Writing Guidelines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Endang Ernawati

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Article analyzed student’s difficulties and abilities in writing their final projects, which were undergraduate theses and undergraduate paper conducted by some students at the English Department, Bina Nusantara University. This was a preliminary study to support an appropriate student guideline in writing their final project. The study was conducted by applying qualitative methods that was by analyzing the four theses and one paper in terms of their format: titles, introduction, theoretical background, analysis, conclusion, bibliography, and paper rubric to analyze the contents. It can be concluded that generally, students, guided by their mentor/lecturer, understand the final paper guidelines and they are able to apply it in their thesis and paper. But, there are still lack of clarity and relevancy in expressing their ideas properly, and their ability in writing in both English and Bahasa Indonesia must be improved. These problems can be overcome by socializing the writing guidelines to both students and lecturers, providing them with critical thinking skills, cooperation with library that will guide them in information literacy skills, and language center that will improve their writing skills. 

  3. Features of Active Stress Overcoming Behavior among Civil Servants and Students of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T S Pilishvili

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The study is devoted to the active overcoming of everyday stress by civil servants and students of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, focused on a similar professional activity. Different behavioral coping strategies are shown in terms of personal activity and their relationship with vitality.

  4. Overcoming strategy to strengthen the History of Medicine in Santiago of Cuba

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana María Durán-Fonseca

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available A strategy of improvement in the Medical Sciences is proposed, integrated to the performance of every teacher that forms part of the Cuban educational system associated with health. The overcoming of the teachers of Medical Sciences in History of Medicine, takes into account the new conceptions and demands of the training of the doctor at present, for what constitutes a challenge from recognizing that the History of Medicine is not a appendix of Medicine, or History, but with its own legitimacy erected in science synthesis with structural and methodological architecture, deduced by the independent position that Medicine occupies in the set of Natural and Humanistic sciences.

  5. Understanding and overcoming the “positive profits with negative surplus-value” paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GUSTAVO DAOU LUCAS

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This paper explains the “positive profits with negative surplus-value” example of Steedman (1975 and shows that while in joint production systems individual labour values can be negative, the claim that the total labour embodied in the surplus product of the economy (surplus-value can also be negative is based on assumptions that have no economic meaning (such as negative activity levels.The paper also provides a way to measure the surplus-value of joint production systems which overcomes the problems of the traditional concept and restates the proposition that a positive amount of surplus labour is a necessary condition for positive profits.

  6. Near Real-Time MOPITT Data - Its Architecture, Obstacles Overcome, and Strategic Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziskin, D.; Mao, D.; Worden, H. M.; Deeter, M. N.; D'Attilo, G.; Fredrick, T.; Martinez-Alonso, S.; Francis, G.; Drews, C.

    2017-12-01

    Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) is an instrument that has been flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite and collecting CO data since March 2000. The standard MOPITT product uses ancillary data that can delay its production by several weeks. Furthermore, final processing does not occur until after the annual calibration event, creating a lag of up to a year. In contrast, MOPITT produces a Near Real-Time (NRT) product available through the Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) interface with a latency of less than three hours. This presentation details the architecture of the system, obstacles overcome, and strategic decisions made in order become a LANCE node.

  7. The Effects of Saltwater Intrusion to Flood Mitigation Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azida Abu Bakar, Azinoor; Khairudin Khalil, Muhammad

    2018-03-01

    The objective of this study is to determine the effects of saltwater intrusion to flood mitigation project located in the flood plains in the district of Muar, Johor. Based on the studies and designs carried out, one of the effective flood mitigation options identified is the Kampung Tanjung Olak bypass and Kampung Belemang bypass at the lower reaches of Sungai Muar. But, the construction of the Kampung Belemang and Tanjung Olak bypass, while speeding up flood discharges, may also increase saltwater intrusion during drought low flows. Establishing the dynamics of flooding, including replicating the existing situation and the performance with prospective flood mitigation interventions, is most effectively accomplished using computer-based modelling tools. The finding of this study shows that to overcome the problem, a barrage should be constructed at Sungai Muar to solve the saltwater intrusion and low yield problem of the river.

  8. Overcoming the obstacles: Life stories of scientists with learning disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Force, Crista Marie

    Scientific discovery is at the heart of solving many of the problems facing contemporary society. Scientists are retiring at rates that exceed the numbers of new scientists. Unfortunately, scientific careers still appear to be outside the reach of most individuals with learning disabilities. The purpose of this research was to better understand the methods by which successful learning disabled scientists have overcome the barriers and challenges associated with their learning disabilities in their preparation and performance as scientists. This narrative inquiry involved the researcher writing the life stories of four scientists. These life stories were generated from extensive interviews in which each of the scientists recounted their life histories. The researcher used narrative analysis to "make sense" of these learning disabled scientists' life stories. The narrative analysis required the researcher to identify and describe emergent themes characterizing each scientist's life. A cross-case analysis was then performed to uncover commonalities and differences in the lives of these four individuals. Results of the cross-case analysis revealed that all four scientists had a passion for science that emerged at an early age, which, with strong drive and determination, drove these individuals to succeed in spite of the many obstacles arising from their learning disabilities. The analysis also revealed that these scientists chose careers based on their strengths; they actively sought mentors to guide them in their preparation as scientists; and they developed coping techniques to overcome difficulties and succeed. The cross-case analysis also revealed differences in the degree to which each scientist accepted his or her learning disability. While some demonstrated inferior feelings about their successes as scientists, still other individuals revealed feelings of having superior abilities in areas such as visualization and working with people. These individuals revealed

  9. Overcoming the Challenges of Co-creation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandya, R.; Udu-gama, N.; Goodwin, M.; Otellini, P.

    2016-12-01

    There is growing interest in co-creation, especially for community-related issues like climate change, resilience, pollution, and environmental justice. Nevertheless, co-creation is still not mainstream practice in either geosciences or the world of decision-makers. This presents many challenges. On the science side, challenges include a paucity of training opportunities, lack of funding for co-creation, difficulty publishing or otherwise getting credit for the effort, and a perceived lack of prestige compared to theoretical research. On the community side, parallel challenges include a lack of experience working with scientists or thinking about geoscience's relevance to community issues, tight budgets and competing priorities, the need for outputs beyond publications, and the difficulty including science among a range of factors. Additionally, scientists and community leaders often work across public and private sectors and must navigate different approaches to data, privacy, and accountability. We'll use this session to explore opportunities to overcome the challenges of co-creation. Systems thinking suggests a range of approaches: enabling individuals, reducing specific challenges, changing the relationship between the elements of the systems, and changing the goals or mindsets of the systems - each more powerful than the last. For example, mentoring and coaching enables individuals, and pro-bono work eases the challenge of getting professional credit. New modes of output, like plain language abstracts, change the relationship between publications and other outputs. We can work on changing mindsets by publicizing and celebrating individual successes. With more effort and impact, we can build collaborations in the collective impact model, where we bring scientific and community organizations together around a common agenda and shared measurement. Building on these examples, we will use this session to collect strategies and opportunities from all participants.

  10. Overcoming bottlenecks in the membrane protein structural biology pipeline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, David; Bill, Roslyn M; Jawhari, Anass; Rothnie, Alice J

    2016-06-15

    Membrane proteins account for a third of the eukaryotic proteome, but are greatly under-represented in the Protein Data Bank. Unfortunately, recent technological advances in X-ray crystallography and EM cannot account for the poor solubility and stability of membrane protein samples. A limitation of conventional detergent-based methods is that detergent molecules destabilize membrane proteins, leading to their aggregation. The use of orthologues, mutants and fusion tags has helped improve protein stability, but at the expense of not working with the sequence of interest. Novel detergents such as glucose neopentyl glycol (GNG), maltose neopentyl glycol (MNG) and calixarene-based detergents can improve protein stability without compromising their solubilizing properties. Styrene maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) focus on retaining the native lipid bilayer of a membrane protein during purification and biophysical analysis. Overcoming bottlenecks in the membrane protein structural biology pipeline, primarily by maintaining protein stability, will facilitate the elucidation of many more membrane protein structures in the near future. © 2016 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  11. Dormancy overcome and seedling quality of pecan in nursery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tales Poletto

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the efficiency of methods to overcome seed dormancy in different storage periods in the production of pecan seedlings. Seeds were submitted to the following treatments: T1, T4 and T7 - control treatments (seeds with no treatment, stored at room temperature for 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively, T2, T5 and T8 - stratification (seeds were distributed in boxes with wet sand maintained at a temperature of 4°C for 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively, T3, T6 and T9 - scarification + stratification (seeds scarified with sandpaper n.80 and stratified by 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively, in completely random experimental design. Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, full emergence and emergence speed index (ESI were evaluated after 14 weeks of sowing. The best development of pecan 'plants, their emergence, and ESI were observed in the stratification treatment for 90 day as well as in the scarification + stratification treatment for 90 day. Storing seeds in uncontrolled environment reduced their viability.

  12. Overcoming barriers to integrating economic analysis into risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Sandra

    2011-09-01

    Regulatory risk analysis is designed to provide decisionmakers with a clearer understanding of how policies are likely to affect risk. The systems that produce risk are biological, physical, and social and economic. As a result, risk analysis is an inherently interdisciplinary task. Yet in practice, risk analysis has been interdisciplinary in only limited ways. Risk analysis could provide more accurate assessments of risk if there were better integration of economics and other social sciences into risk assessment itself. This essay examines how discussions about risk analysis policy have influenced the roles of various disciplines in risk analysis. It explores ways in which integrated bio/physical-economic modeling could contribute to more accurate assessments of risk. It reviews examples of the kind of integrated economics-bio/physical modeling that could be used to enhance risk assessment. The essay ends with a discussion of institutional barriers to greater integration of economic modeling into risk assessment and provides suggestions on how these might be overcome. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

  13. A 3D Kinematic Measurement of Knee Prosthesis Using X-ray Projection Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirokawa, Shunji; Ariyoshi, Shogo; Hossain, Mohammad Abrar

    We have developed a technique for estimating 3D motion of knee prosthesis from its 2D perspective projections. As Fourier descriptors were used for compact representation of library templates and contours extracted from the prosthetic X-ray images, the entire silhouette contour of each prosthetic component was required. This caused such a problem as our algorithm did not function when the silhouettes of tibio and femoral components overlapped with each other. Here we planned a novel method to overcome it; which was processed in two steps. First, the missing part of silhouette contour due to overlap was interpolated using a free-formed curvature such as Bezier. Then the first step position/orientation estimation was performed. In the next step, a clipping window was set in the projective coordinate so as to separate the overlapped silhouette drawn using the first step estimates. After that the localized library whose templates were clipped in shape was prepared and the second step estimation was performed. Computer model simulation demonstrated sufficient accuracies of position/orientation estimation even for overlapped silhouettes; equivalent to those without overlap.

  14. Cost/CYP: a bottom line that helps keep CSM projects cost-efficient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-01-01

    In contraceptive social marketing (CSM), the objective is social good, but project managers also need to run a tight ship, trimming costs, allocating scarce funds, and monitoring their program's progress. 1 way CSM managers remain cost-conscious is through the concept of couple-years-of-protection (CYP). Devised 2 decades ago as an administrative tool to compare the effects of different contraceptive methods, CYP's uses have multiplied to include assessing program output and cost effectiveness. Some of the factors affecting cost/CYP are a project's age, sales volume, management efficiency, and product prices and line. These factors are interconnected. The cost/CYP figures given here do not include outlays for commodities. While the Agency for International Development's commodity costs alter slightly with each new purchase contrast, the agency reports that a condom costs about 4 cents (US), an oral contraceptive (OC) cycle about 12 cents, and a spermicidal tablet about 7 cents. CSM projects have relatively high start-up costs. Within a project's first 2 years, expenses must cover such marketing activities as research, packaging, warehousing, and heavy promotion. As a project ages, sales should grow, producing revenues that gradually amortize these initial costs. The Nepal CSM project provides an example of how cost/CYP can improve as a program ages. In 1978, the year sales began, the project's cost/CYP was about $84. For some time the project struggled to get its products to its target market and gradually overcome several major hurdles. The acquisition of jeeps eased distribution and, by adding another condom brand, sales were increased still more, bringing the cost/CYP down to $8.30 in 1981. With further sales increases and resulting revenues, the cost/CYP dropped to just over $7 in 1983. When the sales volume becomes large enough, CSM projects can achieve economies of scale, which greatly improves cost-efficiency. Fixed costs shrink as a proportion of total

  15. Targeting Metabolic Symbiosis to Overcome Resistance to Anti-angiogenic Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Pisarsky

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Despite the approval of several anti-angiogenic therapies, clinical results remain unsatisfactory, and transient benefits are followed by rapid tumor recurrence. Here, we demonstrate potent anti-angiogenic efficacy of the multi-kinase inhibitors nintedanib and sunitinib in a mouse model of breast cancer. However, after an initial regression, tumors resume growth in the absence of active tumor angiogenesis. Gene expression profiling of tumor cells reveals metabolic reprogramming toward anaerobic glycolysis. Indeed, combinatorial treatment with a glycolysis inhibitor (3PO efficiently inhibits tumor growth. Moreover, tumors establish metabolic symbiosis, illustrated by the differential expression of MCT1 and MCT4, monocarboxylate transporters active in lactate exchange in glycolytic tumors. Accordingly, genetic ablation of MCT4 expression overcomes adaptive resistance against anti-angiogenic therapy. Hence, targeting metabolic symbiosis may be an attractive avenue to avoid resistance development to anti-angiogenic therapy in patients.

  16. Bacterial resistance to silver nanoparticles and how to overcome it

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panáček, Aleš; Kvítek, Libor; Smékalová, Monika; Večeřová, Renata; Kolář, Milan; Röderová, Magdalena; Dyčka, Filip; Šebela, Marek; Prucek, Robert; Tomanec, Ondřej; Zbořil, Radek

    2018-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles have already been successfully applied in various biomedical and antimicrobial technologies and products used in everyday life. Although bacterial resistance to antibiotics has been extensively discussed in the literature, the possible development of resistance to silver nanoparticles has not been fully explored. We report that the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli 013, Pseudomonas aeruginosa CCM 3955 and E. coli CCM 3954 can develop resistance to silver nanoparticles after repeated exposure. The resistance stems from the production of the adhesive flagellum protein flagellin, which triggers the aggregation of the nanoparticles. This resistance evolves without any genetic changes; only phenotypic change is needed to reduce the nanoparticles' colloidal stability and thus eliminate their antibacterial activity. The resistance mechanism cannot be overcome by additional stabilization of silver nanoparticles using surfactants or polymers. It is, however, strongly suppressed by inhibiting flagellin production with pomegranate rind extract.

  17. DEVELOPMENT OF ESTIMATION METHODS OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RELIABILITY LEVEL OF BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES IN PROJECTS OF BIOPHER-SUPPORTING CONSTRUCTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHERNYSHEV D. О.

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Summary. The article is devoted to the search of advanced analytical tools and methodical-algorithmic techniques of organizational and technological and stochastic evaluation, risks and threats overcoming during the implementation of biosphere construction projects. The application expediency of theory and methods of wavelet analysis in the study of non-stationary stochastic oscillations of complex spatial structures is substantiated due to the need for more accurate prediction of their dynamic behavior and identification of the structures characteristics in the frequency-time space.

  18. Identification and characterization of SSE15206, a microtubule depolymerizing agent that overcomes multidrug resistance

    KAUST Repository

    Manzoor, Safia

    2018-02-13

    Microtubules are highly dynamic structures that form spindle fibres during mitosis and are one of the most validated cancer targets. The success of drugs targeting microtubules, however, is often limited by the development of multidrug resistance. Here we describe the discovery and characterization of SSE15206, a pyrazolinethioamide derivative [3-phenyl-5-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carbothioamide] that has potent antiproliferative activities in cancer cell lines of different origins and overcomes resistance to microtubule-targeting agents. Treatment of cells with SSE15206 causes aberrant mitosis resulting in G2/M arrest due to incomplete spindle formation, a phenotype often associated with drugs that interfere with microtubule dynamics. SSE15206 inhibits microtubule polymerization both in biochemical and cellular assays by binding to colchicine site in tubulin as shown by docking and competition studies. Prolonged treatment of cells with the compound results in apoptotic cell death [increased Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and Annexin V/PI staining] accompanied by p53 induction. More importantly, we demonstrate that SSE15206 is able to overcome resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs in different cancer cell lines including multidrug-resistant KB-V1 and A2780-Pac-Res cell lines overexpressing MDR-1, making it a promising hit for the lead optimization studies to target multidrug resistance.

  19. Methods for overcoming dormancy in Stryphnodendron pulcherrimum seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriano Gonçalves Pereira

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Seed dormancy is a phenomenon observed in several tropical species. This condition causes low and non-uniform germination. The present study was designed to identify an efficient method of breaking seed dormancy in Stryphnodendron pulcherrimum. Seeds of four mother plants were subjected to the following treatments: immersion in sulfuric acid for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 min and scarification on 150-grit sandpaper. Seeds were sown on substrate containing sand and sawdust (1:1. It was evaluate the days to onset seedlings emergence, seedlings emergence (SE, emergence speed index (ESI, germination (G, hard seeds (HS, dead seeds (DS, dormant seeds (DMS, abnormal seedlings (AS and dry mass of aerial part (DMAP and roots (DMR. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replications of 25 seeds for each treatment. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means compared by Tukey’s test (p < 0.05. Significant differences among treatments were observed for ESI, SE, G, HS, DMAP and DMR. Highest HS was observed in control treatment (85%. Highest G was observed in seeds scarified with sulfuric acid for 10 min (82% and 12 min (74%. These treatments also showed highest ESI, DMAP and DMR, indicating that these scarification treatments were the most efficient in overcoming dormancy.

  20. Will new antimicrobials overcome resistance among Gram-negatives?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassetti, Matteo; Ginocchio, Francesca; Mikulska, Małgorzata; Taramasso, Lucia; Giacobbe, Daniele Roberto

    2011-10-01

    The spread of resistance among Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria represents a growing challenge for the development of new antimicrobials. The pace of antibiotic drug development has slowed during the last decade and, especially for Gram-negatives, clinicians are facing a dramatic shortage in the availability of therapeutic options to face the emergency of the resistance problem throughout the world. In this alarming scenario, although there is a shortage of compounds reaching the market in the near future, antibiotic discovery remains one of the keys to successfully stem and maybe overcome the tide of resistance. Analogs of already known compounds and new agents belonging to completely new classes of antimicrobials are in early stages of development. Novel and promising anti-Gram-negative antimicrobials belong both to old (cephalosporins, carbapenems, β-lactamase inhibitors, monobactams, aminoglycosides, polymyxin analogues and tetracycline) and completely new antibacterial classes (boron-containing antibacterial protein synthesis inhibitors, bis-indoles, outer membrane synthesis inhibitors, antibiotics targeting novel sites of the 50S ribosomal subunit and antimicrobial peptides). However, all of these compounds are still far from being introduced into clinical practice. Therefore, infection control policies and optimization in the use of already existing molecules are still the most effective approaches to reduce the spread of resistance and preserve the activity of antimicrobials.

  1. Oxygen isotopic composition of carbonate concretions from the lower Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia: Implications for the evolution of meteoric waters on the Australian continent in a paleopolar environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregory, R.T.

    1989-01-01

    Oxygen isotopic data from carbonate cements in concretions have been used to infer the isotopic composition of meteoric fluids present at the time of concretion growth in terrestrial sediments that were deposited within the early Cretaceous South Polar Circle at 75-80 0 S. Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions have been determined on over 135 samples of carbonate from 45 concretions taken from 24 localities (Aptian-Albian in age) in the terrestrial sedimentary basins associated with the Otway and Strzelecki groups, southeastern Australia. The carbonate cements include calcite having -26.4≤δ 13 C≤19.6 and 3.6≤δ 18 O≤29.6 or siderite having 17.6≤δ 18 O≤30.8. Calcite-cemented concretions are more abundant and are interpreted to represent early near-surface cementation events on the basis of textural evidence such as high (>30%) porosities at the time of cementation and mineralogical evidence such as the preferential preservation within concretions of labile detrital grains including plagioclase, pyroxene, and amphibole. The oxygen isotopic data indicate that meteoric fluids with very low δ 18 O, certainly less than -15per mille and probably on the order of -20per mille, were involved in the precipitation of the early calcites. The extremely low δ 18 O values of the fluids involved in the early diagenesis of both the Otway and Strzelecki groups suggest that the catchment area of the river system that carried sediments to these basins had a cold high-latitude climate (with mean annual temperatures less than 5 0 C and quite possibly below freezing). By analogy with the relationship between modern 18 O distribution of meteoric fluids and climate, these new data suggest that the early Cretaceous polar regions may not have been ice-free. (orig.)

  2. Towards sentiment analysis application in housing projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahadzir, Nurul Husna; Omar, Mohd Faizal; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd

    2016-08-01

    In becoming a develop nation by 2020, Malaysia Government realized the need in providing affordable house to the public. Since Second Malaysia Plan, government has implemented various affordable housing projects and it continues until recent Malaysia Plan. To measure the effectiveness of the initiatives taken, public opinion is necessary. A social media platform has been seen as the most effective mechanism to get information on people's thought and feeling towards certain issues. One of the best ways to extract emotions and thoughts from what people post in social media is through Sentiment Analysis (SA). There are three different levels of analysis: document level, sentence level and feature level. Most of previous research focused on the classification of sentiment at document or sentence level. Unfortunately, both document and sentence level does not discover what exactly people like or not. While the analysis based on feature, there exist accuracy problem when classifying the sentiment scores. This paper will propose a new framework that focuses on sentiment classification scores at feature level to overcome the uncertainty and accuracy issues on the result.

  3. Development of clinical pharmacy in Belgian hospitals through pilot projects funded by the government.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somers, A; Spinewine, A; Spriet, I; Steurbaut, S; Tulkens, P; Hecq, J D; Willems, L; Robays, H; Dhoore, M; Yaras, H; Vanden Bremt, I; Haelterman, M

    2018-04-30

    Objectives The goal is to develop clinical pharmacy in the Belgian hospitals to improve drug efficacy and to reduce drug-related problems. Methods From 2007 to 2014, financial support was provided by the Belgian federal government for the development of clinical pharmacy in Belgian hospitals. This project was guided by a national Advisory Working Group. Each funded hospital was obliged to describe yearly its clinical pharmacy activities. Results In 2007, 20 pharmacists were funded in 28 pilot hospitals; this number was doubled in 2009 to 40 pharmacists over 54 institutions, representing more than half of all acute Belgian hospitals. Most projects (72%) considered patient-related activities, whereas some projects (28%) had a hospital-wide approach. The projects targeted patients at admission (30%), during hospital stay (52%) or at discharge (18%). During hospital stay, actions were mainly focused on geriatric patients (20%), surgical patients (15%), and oncology patients (9%). Experiences, methods, and tools were shared during meetings and workshops. Structure, process, and outcome indicators were reported and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were described. The yearly reports revealed that the hospital board was engaged in the project in 87% of the cases, and developed a vision on clinical pharmacy in 75% of the hospitals. In 2014, the pilot phase was replaced by structural financing for clinical pharmacy in all acute Belgian hospitals. Conclusion The pilot projects in clinical pharmacy funded by the federal government provided a unique opportunity to launch clinical pharmacy activities on a broad scale in Belgium. The results of the pilot projects showed clear implementation through case reports, time registrations, and indicators. Tools for clinical pharmacy activities were developed to overcome identified barriers. The engagement of hospital boards and the results of clinical pharmacy activities persuaded the government to start structural

  4. Overcoming Barriers: Engaging Younger Students in an Online Intercultural Exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peiser, Gillian

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on a small-scale project involving an online school exchange between two classes of 12-/13-year olds located in the North of England and the Ruhr area of Germany. The overarching aim of the project was to develop intercultural understanding in foreign language learning through communication in an online environment. Analysing…

  5. The REEME project: a cooperative model for sharing international medical education materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iserson, Kenneth V

    2008-07-01

    Although the Internet has become an excellent source of medical education materials, in many specialties, including Emergency Medicine (EM), most of the information is in English. Few international EM practitioners can attend costly specialty conferences, importing foreign experts to teach at these conferences is costly and, even then, these experts are available for a limited time to relatively few people. Countries with minimal health care or medical education budgets find providing even basic materials for professional medical education difficult. An exciting international project now freely distributes Spanish language educational programs to health care professionals on topics relating to EM. The Recursos Educacionales en Español para Medicina de Emergencia (REEME; Educational Resources in Spanish for EM) Project (www.reeme.arizona.edu) was developed to overcome some of these problems by providing language-specific specialty information and widespread international availability, and by promoting international cooperation among professional health care educators. It also provides a ready source of Spanish medical vocabulary for those trying to learn the language. With computer support from the University of Arizona's Learning and Technology Center, REEME first went "live" on November 1, 2004. Three years later, as of November 1, 2007, the site had 575 programs from 411 donors representing 19 countries and the United Nations. There are currently about 645 downloads per month to users in 73 countries. The REEME Project demonstrates the power of the Internet as a means to achieve international cooperation in medical education, and can serve as a model for similar projects in other specialties and languages.

  6. The fighter, the punk and the clown – how to overcome the position of victim of bullying?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Viala, Eva Silberschmidt

    2015-01-01

    , the paper attempts to describe how and why some children succeed in overcoming their position of victim of bullying. The analyses indicate that it is possible to exceed or avert the victim position, but the strategies applied are different and the issue of dignity emerges as important in the victims...

  7. Factors in Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Co-management in British Columbia Salmon Fisheries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evelyn Pinkerton

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available Ten years of research and efforts to implement co-management in British Columbia fisheries have demonstrated that we lack neither good models nor the political will in communities to design and test local and regional institutions for successful involvement in various aspects of management. The barriers lie rather in the distrust and resistance of management agencies and the lack of broadly organized political support. The nature of the barriers and some of the elements of a successful approach to overcoming them are identified and discussed. The analysis is focused around the barriers encountered by two differently situated fishing communities or regions that have launched conservation initiatives through cooperation between local aboriginal and nonaboriginal fishing groups. In attempting to overcome the political barriers, the communities seek to develop expertise in selective fishing technology for more sustainable harvest, principled multi-stakeholder negotiation, marketing, shared databases, and preliminary ecosystem monitoring. The communities exemplify small- and medium-scale bottom-up approaches to adaptive management. The analysis shows the key and possibly unique contributions of processes at these levels, and suggests how they can be scaled up and linked to processes at other levels. Both types of analysis are largely missing in adaptive management theory, which has tended to focus on larger scale processes and to dismiss the potential of smaller scale ones to transform, expand, and link. This analysis focuses on salmon (Oncorhynchus spp. fisheries of British Columbia, Canada, but the literature suggests that the findings have far broader applicability.

  8. SUCCESSION PROCESS IN A FAMILY BUSINESS: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia de Sá Freire

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the perception of a family business’ employees over changes brought about by the company’s succession procsess through the identification of existing problems and the probabilities of overcoming them. The company was classified as a family business organization as per Bernhoeft´s (1991 definition, and the perspectives proposed by Motta (2001 were used as a basis for change analysis. The succession challenges were studied through the knowledge management viewpoint. The methodological approach is characterized as a qualitative descriptive study done through interviews and document analysis. Quantitative data was used, with the application of questionnaires in order to obtain primary data. Data analysis is mainly characterized by its qualitative and descriptive content. After data analysis, the following issues were detected: (1 lack of or inneficient internal communication, (2 the decision making process was either slow or not committed to the desired results and (3 there was either dual leadership or no leadership. It was concluded that in order to achieve the objectives of the changes, it would require a new look into the intraorganizational integration to eliminate features of the family business such as lack of dialogue and unilateral decisions. It is finally suggested the use of strategies for sharing information and knowledge that will pave the way for understanding the entire succession process, overcoming uncertainties and individual resistance. Thus, the inclusion of Knowledge Management in the family business succession process will result in more aware leaders, managers and employees in terms of change of power during the mentioned process.

  9. CD44-engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles for overcoming multidrug resistance in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Xin; Liu, Ying; Wang, Shouju; Shi, Donghong; Zhou, Xianguang; Wang, Chunyan; Wu, Jiang; Zeng, Zhiyong; Li, Yanjun; Sun, Jing; Wang, Jiandong; Zhang, Longjiang; Teng, Zhaogang; Lu, Guangming

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • CD44-engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles are synthesized. • The mechanism of CD44-engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles is revealed. • This new delivery system increased the drug accumulation in vitro and in vivo. • This new delivery system offers an effective approach to treat multidrug resistance. - Abstract: Multidrug resistance is a major impediment for the successful chemotherapy in breast cancer. CD44 is over-expressed in multidrug resistant human breast cancer cells. CD44 monoclonal antibody exhibits anticancer potential by inhibiting proliferation and regulating P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux activity in multidrug resistant cells. Thereby, CD44 monoclonal antibody in combination with chemotherapeutic drug might be result in enhancing chemosensitivity and overcoming multidrug resistance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the CD44 monoclonal antibody functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing doxorubicin on human breast resistant cancer MCF-7 cells. The data showed that CD44-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles increased cytotoxicity and enhanced the downregulation of P-glycoprotein in comparison to CD44 antibody. Moreover, CD44-engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles provided active target, which promoted more cellular uptake of DOX in the resistant cells and more retention of DOX in tumor tissues than unengineered counterpart. Animal studies of the resistant breast cancer xenografts demonstrated that CD44-engineered drug delivery system remarkably induced apoptosis and inhibited the tumor growth. Our results indicated that the CD44-engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticle-based drug delivery system offers an effective approach to overcome multidrug resistance in human breast cancer

  10. Integrating ergonomics knowledge into business-driven design projects: The shaping of resource constraints in engineering consultancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall-Andersen, Lene Bjerg; Neumann, Patrick; Broberg, Ole

    2016-10-17

    The integration of ergonomics knowledge into engineering projects leads to both healthier and more efficient workplaces. There is a lack of knowledge about integrating ergonomic knowledge into the design practice in engineering consultancies. This study explores how organizational resources can pose constraints for the integration of ergonomics knowledge into engineering design projects in a business-driven setting, and how ergonomists cope with these resource constraints. An exploratory case study in an engineering consultancy was conducted. A total of 27 participants were interviewed. Data were collected applying semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentary studies. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and categorized into themes. From the analysis five overall themes emerged as major constituents of resource constraints: 1) maximizing project revenue, 2) payment for ergonomics services, 3) value of ergonomic services, 4) role of the client, and 5) coping strategies to overcome resource constraints. We hypothesize that resource constraints were shaped due to sub-optimization of costs in design projects. The economical contribution of ergonomics measures was not evaluated in the entire life cycle of a designed workplace. Coping strategies included teaming up with engineering designers in the sales process or creating an alliance with ergonomists in the client organization.

  11. Dormancy overcoming, temperatures and substrates on germination of Mimosa tenuiflora Willd seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clarisse Pereira Benedito

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Mimosa tenuiflora Willd., popularly known as jurema-preta, is an arboreal species of great importance for the brazilian Northeast due to its uses as a medicinal plant and in the restoration of degraded soils. No information is available in the Rules for Seed Analysis and the Instructions for Seed Analysis of Forest Species regarding ideal conditions for of this species. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the influence of pre-germination treatments, in addition to verifying the germination performance at different temperatures and in different substrates. In both experiments, four replicates of 25 seeds were used for each treatment. In experiment I, seeds were submitted to the following methods for overcoming dormancy: witness - Intact seeds (T1 immersion in water at 100 °C for 1 (T2, 2 (T3, 3 (T4, 4 (T5, 5 (T6 and 6 min (T7, immersion in concentrated sulfuric acid for 1 (T8, 4 (T9, 7 (T10, 10 (T11 and 13 min (T12, scarification on sandpaper n° 80 (T13 and lopping in the region opposite the micropyle (T14. In experiment II, seed germination was evaluated in four types of substrates: between sand, paper on, paper roll and between vermiculite and at six different temperatures: 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 °C and alternating between 20 and 30 °C. Immersion in hot water for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 min, sulfuric acid treatment for 10 and 13 min, sand paper and lopping were the most appropriate treatments to overcome seed dormancy. The seed germination of M. Tenuiflora should be carried out at 25 °C on paper roll substrate.

  12. Overcoming the rate-distance limit of quantum key distribution without quantum repeaters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucamarini, M; Yuan, Z L; Dynes, J F; Shields, A J

    2018-05-01

    Quantum key distribution (QKD) 1,2 allows two distant parties to share encryption keys with security based on physical laws. Experimentally, QKD has been implemented via optical means, achieving key rates of 1.26 megabits per second over 50 kilometres of standard optical fibre 3 and of 1.16 bits per hour over 404 kilometres of ultralow-loss fibre in a measurement-device-independent configuration 4 . Increasing the bit rate and range of QKD is a formidable, but important, challenge. A related target, which is currently considered to be unfeasible without quantum repeaters 5-7 , is overcoming the fundamental rate-distance limit of QKD 8 . This limit defines the maximum possible secret key rate that two parties can distil at a given distance using QKD and is quantified by the secret-key capacity of the quantum channel 9 that connects the parties. Here we introduce an alternative scheme for QKD whereby pairs of phase-randomized optical fields are first generated at two distant locations and then combined at a central measuring station. Fields imparted with the same random phase are 'twins' and can be used to distil a quantum key. The key rate of this twin-field QKD exhibits the same dependence on distance as does a quantum repeater, scaling with the square-root of the channel transmittance, irrespective of who (malicious or otherwise) is in control of the measuring station. However, unlike schemes that involve quantum repeaters, ours is feasible with current technology and presents manageable levels of noise even on 550 kilometres of standard optical fibre. This scheme is a promising step towards overcoming the rate-distance limit of QKD and greatly extending the range of secure quantum communications.

  13. Geothermal Money Book [Geothermal Outreach and Project Financing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elizabeth Battocletti

    2004-02-01

    Small business lending is big business and growing. Loans under $1 million totaled $460 billion in June 2001, up $23 billion from 2000. The number of loans under $100,000 continued to grow at a rapid rate, growing by 10.1%. The dollar value of loans under $100,000 increased 4.4%; those of $100,000-$250,000 by 4.1%; and those between $250,000 and $1 million by 6.4%. But getting a loan can be difficult if a business owner does not know how to find small business-friendly lenders, how to best approach them, and the specific criteria they use to evaluate a loan application. This is where the Geothermal Money Book comes in. Once a business and financing plan and financial proposal are written, the Geothermal Money Book takes the next step, helping small geothermal businesses locate and obtain financing. The Geothermal Money Book will: Explain the specific criteria potential financing sources use to evaluate a proposal for debt financing; Describe the Small Business Administration's (SBA) programs to promote lending to small businesses; List specific small-business friendly lenders for small geothermal businesses, including those which participate in SBA programs; Identify federal and state incentives which are relevant to direct use and small-scale (< 1 megawatt) power generation geothermal projects; and Provide an extensive state directory of financing sources and state financial incentives for the 19 states involved in the GeoPowering the West (GPW). GPW is a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored activity to dramatically increase the use of geothermal energy in the western United States by promoting environmentally compatible heat and power, along with industrial growth and economic development. The Geothermal Money Book will not: Substitute for financial advice; Overcome the high exploration, development, and financing costs associated with smaller geothermal projects; Remedy the lack of financing for the exploration stage of a geothermal project; or Solve

  14. The potential of intermodal transport projects in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tudorica Alexandra

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The transport infrastructure sector is facing challenges related to the decarbonisation, financing and integrated developments, which need to be overcome so it can gain a competitive advantage among the strategic economic sectors. Known as a major pollutant, with 23.3 % of the total EU-28 GHG emissions in 2014, one of the transport policy objectives is to lower this percentage, by focusing on innovative solutions and modal shift (Eurostat, 2016. The White Paper (2011 promotes a sustainable development, aiming at a reduction by 60% by 2050 of the carbon emissions generated by the transport sector and at a modal shift from road to rail or waterborne transport for freight transport over 300 km with 30% by 2030, and more than 50% by 2050. The focus on an integrated development of the transport sector at the European level was reinforced with the adoption of the EU Regulation no. 1315/2013, marking the transition from a patchwork of different projects towards a vision for the achievement of an EU transport network. Moreover, another challenge is related to the scarce availability of the public money, making it necessary to attract private parties in the development of the transport infrastructure projects (The Investment Plan for Europe, 2014. Supporting the development of the intermodal transport is a way of surmounting the obstacles that this sector is confronting with, which is being implemented in Europe. The intermodal transport is introducing a paradigm shift, allowing the integration of the different transport modes together with their own advantages, as opposed to competing stand-alone modes and it can aid in the fight against climate change, scarce financial resources and congestion This article aims at determining the potential of Romania, as a member of European Union, to develop intermodal transport projects, to identify the funding sources, the obstacles and the solutions to promote the successful implementation of such projects.

  15. Etanercept overcomes P-glycoprotein-induced drug resistance in lymphocytes of patients with intractable rheumatoid arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujimura, Shizuyo; Saito, Kazuyoshi; Nakayamada, Shingo; Tanaka, Yoshiya

    2010-04-01

    P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on activated lymphocytes is an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter that causes drug resistance by exclusion of intracellular drugs in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, infliximab with methotrexate (MTX) can overcome P-gp-mediated drug resistance. We encounter patients who cannot continue infliximab or MTX. Here we tested how etanercept affected P-gp-mediated drug resistance in such intractable RA patients. Peripheral lymphocytes of 11 RA patients (3 switched from infliximab and 8 who could not be treated with MTX) were analyzed for P-gp expression by flow cytometry and for drug exclusion using radioisotope-labeled dexamethasone. Activated lymphocytes of RA patients overexpressed P-gp and coexpressed CD69. Incubation of these lymphocytes with dexamethasone in vitro reduced intracellular dexamethasone levels. Two-week etanercept therapy significantly reduced P-gp expression and eliminated such P-gp- and CD69-high-expressing subgroup. The reduction in P-gp resulted in recovery of intracellular dexamethasone levels in lymphocytes and improvement of disease activity, thus allowing tapering of corticosteroids. None of the patients experienced any severe adverse effects. Etanercept is useful for overcoming P-gp-mediated treatment resistance in intractable RA patients who have to discontinue infliximab or are intolerant to MTX.

  16. 20% wind by 2030: Overcoming the challenge - U.S. wind supply chain bottlenecks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaw, Meghan

    2010-09-15

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided PowerAdvocate with funding to evaluate the challenges facing the supply chain and provide strategic solutions to overcoming the short and long term supply chain challenges. PowerAdvocate conducted market research and interviews with wind developers, turbine and component suppliers and offshore wind development experts. PowerAdvocate created a comprehensive model. The model includes labor statistics, wind facility cost forecasting, and component supplier manufacturing investments in order to estimate the total cost to build a supply chain that supports the DOE's 20% by 2030 wind installation goal.

  17. [Scientific role of German ophthalmology in the European telecommunication project OPHTEL].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertz, M; Mann, G; Zahlmann, G; Obermaier, M

    1997-07-01

    In Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy, the OPHTEL project combines clinical centers of ophthalmology and internal medicine, an institute for medical informatics and health services research, a publishing company and different industrial partners in the EDP market. With the aid of visual telecommunication and rapid data transfer, methods and conditions will be developed and proved so that any physician can very easily obtain sufficient information for treating his patient. Thus, the regional differences in the quality of structured health service (e.g., urban/ rural) will be overcome throughout Europe. SCIENTIFIC TASKS: A multilingual diagnostic and therapeutic thesaurus has to be worked out in order to create standards for communication and quality control. Based on literature, images and image analysis in a knowledge-based data bank, a monitoring system (containing watch-dog functions) and the basic aspects of an ophthalmological patient/disease register will be investigated. (In parallel, a technical development of synchronous and asynchronous telecommunication between eye physicians is taking place in close cooperation with the regional Bavarian project Teleopathalmology in Bavaria on-line). State of the art 6 months after starting the project:the knowledge-based image data bank has been founded and also an ophthalmological 8 language thesaurus and definition standard. All data transfer lines are installed. The project is taking place amid diverging sections of medicine: ophthalmology and internal medicine, health politics and data protection, individual treatment and common interest (health care), product management and office organization. Thus, the scientific quality of the transferred ophthalmological content must undergo sophisticated controls. FUTURE STEPS: Intense cooperation with the big German associations for ophthalmology (DOG, BVA) and the European ophthalmological societies concerning EDP, classification and quality control.

  18. Human health and nutrition: How isotopes are helping to overcome ''hidden hunger''

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parr, R.M.; Fjeld, C.R.

    1994-01-01

    In a number of ways, the work of the IAEA is contributing to efforts directed at overcoming hidden hunger and other nutrition problems. The rationale for the IAEA's involvement is twofold. First, adequate nutrition is an essential component of any strategy for improving health, and the IAEA's Statute specifically identifies ''enlarging the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity'' as the major objective of programmes. Second, isotope techniques have a wide variety of applications -some of them unique - for targeted research in human nutrition, for assessing nutritional status, and for monitoring the effectiveness of nutritional intervention programmes. This article provides a brief overview of these techniques and their main applications in areas of human nutrition

  19. [Overcoming the limitations of the descriptive and categorical approaches in psychiatric diagnosis: a proposal based on Bayesian networks].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorias, Soli

    2015-01-01

    Efforts to overcome the problems of descriptive and categorical approaches have not yielded results. In the present article, psychiatric diagnosis using Bayesian networks is proposed. Instead of a yes/no decision, Bayesian networks give the probability of diagnostic category inclusion, thereby yielding both a graded, i.e., dimensional diagnosis, and a value of the certainty of the diagnosis. With the use of Bayesian networks in the diagnosis of mental disorders, information about etiology, associated features, treatment outcome, and laboratory results may be used in addition to clinical signs and symptoms, with each of these factors contributing proportionally to their own specificity and sensitivity. Furthermore, a diagnosis (albeit one with a lower probability) can be made even with incomplete, uncertain, or partially erroneous information, and patients whose symptoms are below the diagnostic threshold can be evaluated. Lastly, there is no need of NOS or "unspecified" categories, and comorbid disorders become different dimensions of the diagnostic evaluation. Bayesian diagnoses allow the preservation of current categories and assessment methods, and may be used concurrently with criteria-based diagnoses. Users need not put in extra effort except to collect more comprehensive information. Unlike the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project, the Bayesian approach neither increases the diagnostic validity of existing categories nor explains the pathophysiological mechanisms of mental disorders. It, however, can be readily integrated to present classification systems. Therefore, the Bayesian approach may be an intermediate phase between criteria-based diagnosis and the RDoC ideal.

  20. Overcoming Ex-Post Development Stagnation: Interventions with Continuity and Scaling in Mind

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bradley T. Hiller

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Project interventions are important vehicles for development globally. However, while there is often allocation of resources for new and innovative (pilot projects—with varying levels of success—there is seemingly less focus on consolidating and/or scaling the positive impacts of successful larger interventions. Assuming an overarching development goal to have long lasting impact at scale, this approach seems somewhat contradictory. Scaling is often not integrated into project planning, design and implementation and rarely pursued genuinely in the ex-post. However, where demand for further development remains outstanding beyond project completion, opportunities may exist to build upon project platforms and extend benefits in a cost effective manner. This paper examines existing scaling typologies, before introducing “scaling-within” as a concept to promote greater continuity of development to a wider range of stakeholders. Scaling-within offers the opportunity to “in-fill” intervention principles and practices to both project and non-project communities within a broader strategic framework to address disparities and to promote sustainable development. The authors draw on research from case studies of large-scale integrated watershed rehabilitation projects and assess scaling-within against a contemporary scaling framework drawn from the literature. While the concept is tested with watersheds as the administrative unit, the authors anticipate applications for other project management units.

  1. Persian Native Speakers Reading Persian and English Texts: Their Strategic Behavior to Overcome Syntactic and Semantic Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alimorad, Zahra

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to discover semantic and syntactic problems Persian native speakers might have while reading English and Persian texts and different strategies they use to overcome those problems. To this end, a convenient sample of 40 intermediate students studying English Literature at Shiraz University was selected. Twenty of them were asked…

  2. WE-G-BRF-04: Robust Real-Time Volumetric Imaging Based On One Single Projection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Y; Yan, H; Ouyang, L; Wang, J; Jiang, S; Jia, X; Zhou, L

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Real-time volumetric imaging is highly desirable to provide instantaneous image guidance for lung radiation therapy. This study proposes a scheme to achieve this goal using one single projection by utilizing sparse learning and a principal component analysis (PCA) based lung motion model. Methods: A patient-specific PCA-based lung motion model is first constructed by analyzing deformable vector fields (DVFs) between a reference image and 4DCT images at each phase. At the training stage, we “learn” the relationship between the DVFs and the projection using sparse learning. Specifically, we first partition the projections into patches, and then apply sparse learning to automatically identify patches that best correlate with the principal components of the DVFs. Once the relationship is established, at the application stage, we first employ a patchbased intensity correction method to overcome the problem of different intensity scale between the calculated projection in the training stage and the measured projection in the application stage. The corrected projection image is then fed to the trained model to derive a DVF, which is applied to the reference image, yielding a volumetric image corresponding to the projection. We have validated our method through a NCAT phantom simulation case and one experiment case. Results: Sparse learning can automatically select those patches containing motion information, such as those around diaphragm. For the simulation case, over 98% of the lung region pass the generalized gamma test (10HU/1mm), indicating combined accuracy in both intensity and spatial domain. For the experimental case, the average tumor localization errors projected to the imager are 0.68 mm and 0.4 mm on the axial and tangential direction, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed method is capable of accurately generating a volumetric image using one single projection. It will potentially offer real-time volumetric image guidance to facilitate lung

  3. WE-G-BRF-04: Robust Real-Time Volumetric Imaging Based On One Single Projection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Y [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Southern Medical University, Guangzhou (China); Yan, H; Ouyang, L; Wang, J; Jiang, S; Jia, X [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Zhou, L [Southern Medical University, Guangzhou (China)

    2014-06-15

    Purpose: Real-time volumetric imaging is highly desirable to provide instantaneous image guidance for lung radiation therapy. This study proposes a scheme to achieve this goal using one single projection by utilizing sparse learning and a principal component analysis (PCA) based lung motion model. Methods: A patient-specific PCA-based lung motion model is first constructed by analyzing deformable vector fields (DVFs) between a reference image and 4DCT images at each phase. At the training stage, we “learn” the relationship between the DVFs and the projection using sparse learning. Specifically, we first partition the projections into patches, and then apply sparse learning to automatically identify patches that best correlate with the principal components of the DVFs. Once the relationship is established, at the application stage, we first employ a patchbased intensity correction method to overcome the problem of different intensity scale between the calculated projection in the training stage and the measured projection in the application stage. The corrected projection image is then fed to the trained model to derive a DVF, which is applied to the reference image, yielding a volumetric image corresponding to the projection. We have validated our method through a NCAT phantom simulation case and one experiment case. Results: Sparse learning can automatically select those patches containing motion information, such as those around diaphragm. For the simulation case, over 98% of the lung region pass the generalized gamma test (10HU/1mm), indicating combined accuracy in both intensity and spatial domain. For the experimental case, the average tumor localization errors projected to the imager are 0.68 mm and 0.4 mm on the axial and tangential direction, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed method is capable of accurately generating a volumetric image using one single projection. It will potentially offer real-time volumetric image guidance to facilitate lung

  4. Survey and analysis of selected jointly owned large-scale electric utility storage projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1982-05-01

    The objective of this study was to examine and document the issues surrounding the curtailment in commercialization of large-scale electric storage projects. It was sensed that if these issues could be uncovered, then efforts might be directed toward clearing away these barriers and allowing these technologies to penetrate the market to their maximum potential. Joint-ownership of these projects was seen as a possible solution to overcoming the major barriers, particularly economic barriers, of commercializaton. Therefore, discussions with partners involved in four pumped storage projects took place to identify the difficulties and advantages of joint-ownership agreements. The four plants surveyed included Yards Creek (Public Service Electric and Gas and Jersey Central Power and Light); Seneca (Pennsylvania Electric and Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company); Ludington (Consumers Power and Detroit Edison, and Bath County (Virginia Electric Power Company and Allegheny Power System, Inc.). Also investigated were several pumped storage projects which were never completed. These included Blue Ridge (American Electric Power); Cornwall (Consolidated Edison); Davis (Allegheny Power System, Inc.) and Kttatiny Mountain (General Public Utilities). Institutional, regulatory, technical, environmental, economic, and special issues at each project were investgated, and the conclusions relative to each issue are presented. The major barriers preventing the growth of energy storage are the high cost of these systems in times of extremely high cost of capital, diminishing load growth and regulatory influences which will not allow the building of large-scale storage systems due to environmental objections or other reasons. However, the future for energy storage looks viable despite difficult economic times for the utility industry. Joint-ownership can ease some of the economic hardships for utilites which demonstrate a need for energy storage.

  5. Financing alternative energy projects: An examination of challenges and opportunities for local government

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheung, Grace; Davies, Peter J.; Trück, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    Local government in Australia has a strong collective capacity to reduce GHG emissions through policies, funding allocation to renewable energy projects and the delivery of programs and services. This study examines the institutional capacity of councils in Sydney and how this impacts on decisions to invest in alternative energy projects. We find greenhouse gas emission targets of councils are strongly aligned to national targets but do not reflect the local council's institutional capacity, political leadership or strategic priorities. Energy reduction projects are often identified and undertaken by environmental staff without support from financial staff or financial-evaluation tools. An absence of national guidelines to provide consistency in tracking and reporting limits cross-sector benchmarking. Street lighting contributes to a significant proportion of council's total electricity expenditure and GHG emission profile. Being highly regulated, existing contracts and the current practice of street lighting services limits the councils’ ability to reduce emissions. Based on our analysis we recommend a number of measures to overcome these constraints including the use of financial evaluation tools for small-scale renewable energy projects, a standardised national tracking and reporting platform to facilitate progress-reporting and meaningful comparative analysis between councils and policy reform to the regulation of street lighting. - Highlights: • Australian local government sector can influence up to 50% of GHG emissions. • Institutional capacity, finance, leadership and staff, influence GHG performance. • Monitoring GHG emissions is limited by a lack of national guidelines or protocols. • Environmental officers lack tools and support to assess GHG reduction projects. • Reducing GHG emissions from street lighting is a contested legal and policy area.

  6. Project report - an overview of the project and experiences with project management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Mikkelsen, Bent Egberg

    1996-01-01

    A collection of the project planning and the experiences with project management from the Catering 2000 project.As appendieces articles etc. from journals, newspapers etc. about the project.......A collection of the project planning and the experiences with project management from the Catering 2000 project.As appendieces articles etc. from journals, newspapers etc. about the project....

  7. Economic damage and state policy on the overcoming of the Chernobyl NPP catastrophe consequences. Chapter 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konoplya, E.F.; Rolevich, I.V.

    1998-01-01

    The economic consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident for the Republic of Belarus are given. The damage, taking into account the 30-years period needed for its overcoming, is estimated to be 235 billion US$ that is equal to 32 annual budgets of the republic of 1985. The losses connected with the deterioration of population health, damage incurred in industry and social sphere, agriculture, building complex, transport and communication, housing, with contamination of raw, mineral, land, water, forest and other resources are shown. The main directions of the state and legislative bodies activity on overcoming of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences are directed on realization of complex of measures on maximum decreasing the radiation exposure dose; providing safety of people's health at the expense of medical preventive measures, improvement of their health, social insurance and resettlement from the zones where the safe living criteria are not observed; providing safe living conditions in regions subjected to radioactive contamination; rise of population life quality in these regions; scientific research of the problems connected with radiation influence on ecosystem, etc. The medical care and social protection systems of the affected population are describe

  8. Nuclear New Build: Insights into Financing and Project Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horst Keppler, Jan; Cometto, Marco; Kim, Sang-Baik; Sozoniuk, Vladislav; Rothwell, Geoffrey; Thompson, Orme; Savage, Chris; Mancini, Mauro; Leigne, Philippe; Bickford, Erica; Crozat, Matt

    2015-01-01

    Nuclear new build has been progressing steadily since the year 2000, with the construction of 94 new reactors initiated and 56 completed reactors connected to the grid. Among these new reactors are some of the first generation III/III+ reactors of their kind. Drawing on a combination of conceptual analysis, expert opinion and seven in-depth case studies, this report provides policy makers and stakeholders with an overview of the principal challenges facing nuclear new build today, as well as ways to address and overcome them. It focuses on the most important challenges of building a new nuclear power plant, namely assembling the conditions necessary to successfully finance and manage highly complex construction processes and their supply chains. Different projects have chosen different paths, but they nonetheless share a number of features. Financing capital-intensive nuclear new build projects requires, for example, the long-term stabilisation of electricity prices whether through tariffs, power purchase agreements or contracts for difference. In construction, the global convergence of engineering codes and quality standards would also promote both competition and public confidence. In addition, change management, early supply chain planning and 'soft issues' such as leadership, team building and trust have emerged over and again as key factors in the new build construction process. This report looks at ongoing trends in these areas and possible ways forward. (authors)

  9. Software project management tools in global software development: a systematic mapping study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadli, Saad Yasser; Idri, Ali; Ros, Joaquín Nicolás; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; de Gea, Juan M Carrillo; Toval, Ambrosio

    2016-01-01

    Global software development (GSD) which is a growing trend in the software industry is characterized by a highly distributed environment. Performing software project management (SPM) in such conditions implies the need to overcome new limitations resulting from cultural, temporal and geographic separation. The aim of this research is to discover and classify the various tools mentioned in literature that provide GSD project managers with support and to identify in what way they support group interaction. A systematic mapping study has been performed by means of automatic searches in five sources. We have then synthesized the data extracted and presented the results of this study. A total of 102 tools were identified as being used in SPM activities in GSD. We have classified these tools, according to the software life cycle process on which they focus and how they support the 3C collaboration model (communication, coordination and cooperation). The majority of the tools found are standalone tools (77%). A small number of platforms (8%) also offer a set of interacting tools that cover the software development lifecycle. Results also indicate that SPM areas in GSD are not adequately supported by corresponding tools and deserve more attention from tool builders.

  10. Asymmetry in Lotto carpets and its implication for Hockney's optical projection theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stork, David G.

    2005-03-01

    Recently the artist David Hockney theorized that some European painters as early as 1420 used concave mirrors and, later, converging lenses, to project real inverted images onto their canvases or other supports which they then traced and painted over. We consider a specific painting adduced as the primary evidence for this bold theory by Hockney and his collaborator, thin-film physicist Charles Falco: Lorenzo Lotto"s Husband and wife (c. 1543). These projection theorists attribute perspective anomalies in the painting to Lotto repositioning a concave mirror, specifically to overcome its limitations in depth of field. Their analysis lies thoroughly and crucially upon the assumption that the physical carpet pattern was symmetric. We point to a study of "Lotto carpets" surviving in museum collections that shows that these comparison carpets are significantly asymmetric. There seems to be no persuasive independent evidence to support the projection proponents" assumption that these carpets, hand-knotted by children in 16th-century Turkey, were symmetric. Moreover, the angular asymmetries in these surviving carpets are nearly the same as those corresponding to the anomalies in the painting, strongly suggesting that these "anomalies" are in fact due to inherent carpet asymmetries, not to changes in configuration of an optical projector. We show that a non-optical explanation can fit the visual evidence with a precision roughly equal to that of the projection theory, but without the need to invoke a complicated, undocumented optical system. Finally, had Lotto used such an optical projector, we would expect both the general historical documentary record and Lotto"s own writings to indicate as much; however no such corroboratory evidence exists. We conclude by rejecting the numerous claims of "proof" that Lotto used optical projections when executing this painting.

  11. Green Grown- Bases of Bioeconomy Models in Correlation with Danubian Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iudith Ipate

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the our study is to provide defined measureable indicators at the Romanian region level that to possibility over time transition to low carbon-economic and developed the bio-economic models in correlation with economic development in this areas. For implementing the global bio-economy models is important to develop the innovative research in cooperation with regional entrepreneur. In this context must to implementing the projects in cooperation with local authority, promoting common action to overcome the physical and socio-cultural barriers, and to better exploit the opportunities offered by the development of the cross-border area for a mid-longterm sustainable growth. In our research we developed one model using the series from water exploitation index (WEI, GDP per capita, CO2 emissions per capita (2emision and population growth – POP.

  12. THE PROBLEM OF STATIN USE IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND CONCOMITANT LIVER DISEASES. WHAT PREVENTS OVERCOMING STATINOPHOBIA?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. N. Bel'diev

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available According to a recent study, Russian physicians often and sometimes unreasonably find it impossible to use statins in patients with cardiovascular diseases and concomitant chronic liver diseases. Analysis of domestic publications of recent years reveals the following factors which can impede overcoming statinophobia: 1 fragmentary and contradictory statement of the problem "Statins and liver" in Russian clinical guidelines for management of patients with high cardiovascular risk; 2 common perception that isolated transaminase increase in response to statin therapy is an indicator of "cytolysis" or "cytolytic syndrome"; 3 unreasonably overestimated lipid-lowering activity of combination therapy with low doses of statins and ursodeoxycholic acid; 4 view of the inadmissibility of statin use in patients with transaminase levels more than three upper limit of normal. To overcome these shortcomings and mistakes it seems appropriate to issue national clinical guidelines on statin use in high cardiovascular risk patients with underlying liver disease and/or with elevated transaminases.

  13. Self-Tracking: Reflections from the BodyTrack Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Anne

    2016-07-06

    Based on the author's experiences the practice of self-tracking can empower individuals to explore and address issues in their lives. This work is inspired by examples of people who have reclaimed their wellness through an iterative process of noticing patterns of ups and downs, trying out new ideas and strategies, and observing the results. In some cases, individuals have realized that certain foods, environmental exposures, or practices have unexpected effects for them, and that adopting custom strategies can greatly improve quality of life, overcoming chronic problems. Importantly, adopting the role of investigator of their own situation appears to be transformative: people who embarked on this path changed their relationship to their health situation even before making discoveries that helped lead to symptom improvement. The author co-founded the BodyTrack project in 2010 with the goal of empowering a broader set of people to embrace this investigator role in their own lives and better address their health and wellness concerns, particularly those with complex environmental or behavioral components. The core of the BodyTrack system is an open source web service called Fluxtream ( https://fluxtream.org ) that allows users to aggregate, visualize, and reflect on data from myriad sources on a common timeline. The project is also working to develop and spread peer coaching practices to help transfer the culture and skills of self-tracking while mentoring individuals in how to self-assess their own situation and guide the process for themselves.

  14. PROJECT CI-NERGY: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED ENERGY URBAN PLANNING SYSTEM FROM A DATA MODELLING AND SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Agugiaro

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Growing urbanisation, its related environmental impacts, and social inequalities in cities are challenges requiring a holistic urban planning perspective that takes into account the different aspects of sustainable development. One crucial point is to reconcile urban planning with environmental targets, which include decreasing energy demand and CO2 emissions, and increasing the share of renewable energy. Within this context, the project CI-NERGY aims to develop urban energy modelling, simulation and optimisation methods and tools to support decision making in urban planning. However, there are several barriers to the implementation of such tools, such as: fragmentation of involved disciplines, different stakeholders, multiplicity of scales in a city and extreme heterogeneity of data regarding all the processes to be addressed. Project CI-NERGY aims, among other goals, at overcoming these barriers, and focuses on two case study cities, Geneva in Switzerland and Vienna in Austria. In particular, project CI-NERGY faces several challenges starting with different cities, heterogeneous data sources and simulation tools, diverse user groups and their individual needs. This paper describes the experiences gathered during the project. After giving a brief overview of the project, the two case study cities, Geneva and Vienna, are briefly presented, and the focus shifts then on overall system architecture of the project, ranging from urban data modelling topics to the implementation of a Service-Oriented Architecture. Some of the challenges faced, the solutions found, as well some plans for future improvements are described and commented.

  15. Overcoming complexities: Damage detection using dictionary learning framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alguri, K. Supreet; Melville, Joseph; Deemer, Chris; Harley, Joel B.

    2018-04-01

    For in situ damage detection, guided wave structural health monitoring systems have been widely researched due to their ability to evaluate large areas and their ability detect many types of damage. These systems often evaluate structural health by recording initial baseline measurements from a pristine (i.e., undamaged) test structure and then comparing later measurements with that baseline. Yet, it is not always feasible to have a pristine baseline. As an alternative, substituting the baseline with data from a surrogate (nearly identical and pristine) structure is a logical option. While effective in some circumstance, surrogate data is often still a poor substitute for pristine baseline measurements due to minor differences between the structures. To overcome this challenge, we present a dictionary learning framework to adapt surrogate baseline data to better represent an undamaged test structure. We compare the performance of our framework with two other surrogate-based damage detection strategies: (1) using raw surrogate data for comparison and (2) using sparse wavenumber analysis, a precursor to our framework for improving the surrogate data. We apply our framework to guided wave data from two 108 mm by 108 mm aluminum plates. With 20 measurements, we show that our dictionary learning framework achieves a 98% accuracy, raw surrogate data achieves a 92% accuracy, and sparse wavenumber analysis achieves a 57% accuracy.

  16. Overcoming obstacles in the design of cancer anorexia/weight loss trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le-Rademacher, Jennifer G; Crawford, Jeffrey; Evans, William J; Jatoi, Aminah

    2017-09-01

    Most advanced cancer patients suffer loss of appetite (anorexia) and loss of weight. Despite the fact that cancer anorexia and weight loss are associated with a poor prognosis and detract from quality of life, no interventions have been demonstrated to palliate this syndrome in its entirety, particularly in patients with treatment-refractory malignancies. Recently, two registration trials - one with anamorelin and another with enobosarm - failed to reach their primary endpoints, thus raising questions. Were both these agents ineffective? Alternatively, did study design issues compromise the ability of these trials to identify effective agents? Thus, this review is timely insofar it serves as an introduction to study design, offers guidance on how to test promising agents for cancer anorexia/weight loss, and provides advice for overcoming trial design obstacles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Age-related changes in overcoming proactive interference in associative memory: The role of PFC-mediated executive control processes at retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dulas, Michael R; Duarte, Audrey

    2016-05-15

    Behavioral evidence has shown age-related impairments in overcoming proactive interference in memory, but it is unclear what underlies this deficit. Imaging studies in the young suggest overcoming interference may require several executive control processes supported by the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC). The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated whether age-related changes in dissociable executive control processes underlie deficits in overcoming proactive interference in associative memory during retrieval. Participants were tasked with remembering which associate (face or scene) objects were paired with most recently during study, under conditions of high or low proactive interference. Behavioral results demonstrated that, as interference increased, memory performance decreased similarly across groups, with slight associative memory deficits in older adults. Imaging results demonstrated that, across groups, left mid-VLPFC showed increasing activity with increasing interference, though activity did not distinguish correct from incorrect associative memory responses, suggesting this region may not directly serve in successful resolution of proactive interference, per se. Under conditions of high interference, older adults showed reduced associative memory accuracy effects in the DLPFC and anterior PFC. These results suggest that age-related PFC dysfunction may not be ubiquitous. Executive processes supported by ventral regions that detect mnemonic interference may be less affected than processes supported by dorsal and anterior regions that directly resolve interference. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Overcoming phytoremediation limitations. A case study of Hg contaminated soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbafieri, Meri

    2013-04-01

    Phytoremediation is a broad term that comprises several technologies to clean up water and soil. Despite the numerous articles appearing in scientific journals, very few field applications of phytoextraction have been successfully realized. The research here reported on Phytoextraction, the use the plant to "extract" metals from contaminated soil, is focused on implementations to overcome two main drawbacks: the survival of plants in unfavorable environmental conditions (contaminant toxicity, low fertility, etc.) and the often lengthy time it takes to reduce contaminants to the requested level. Moreover, to overcome the imbalance between the technology's potential and its drawbacks, there is growing interest in the use of plants to reduce only the fraction that is the most hazardous to the environment and human health, that is to target the bioavailable fractions of metals in soil. Bioavailable Contaminant Stripping (BCS) would be a remediation approach focused to remove the bioavailable metal fractions. BCS have been used in a mercury contaminated soil from Italian industrial site. Bioavailable fractions were determined by sequential extraction with H2O and NH4Cl.Combined treatments of plant hormone and thioligand to strength Hg uptake by crop plants (Brassica juncea and Helianthus annuus) were tested. Plant biomass, evapotranspiration, Hg uptake and distribution following treatments were compared. Results indicate the plant hormone, cytokinine (CK) foliar treatment, increased evapotranspiration rate in both tested plants. The Hg uptake and translocation in both tested plants increased with simultaneous addition of CK and TS treatments. B. juncea was the most effective in Hg uptake. Application of CK to plants grown in TS-treated soil lead to an increase in Hg concentration of 232% in shoots and 39% in roots with respect to control. While H. annuus gave a better response in plant biomass production, the application of CK to plants grown in TS-treated soil lead to

  19. Spiritual values of heads of general education institutions as a factor of professional crises’ overcoming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Алла Степанівна Москальова

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the important problem of psychology – the research of the spiritual values of heads of general education institutions. The content and indicators of development of spiritual values of managers are determined. The results of empirical research levels of spiritual values of managers are presented. It has been proved correlation between the levels of development of spiritual values of heads of general education institutions and their ability to overcome professional crises

  20. Strategies to overcome obstacles in the facilitation of critical thinking in nursing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangena, Agnes; Chabeli, Mary M

    2005-05-01

    This paper seeks to describe strategies that can be used to overcome obstacles in the facilitation of critical thinking in nursing education. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used to conduct the research in which fourth year basic comprehensive students and nurse educators volunteered to take part in the study by signing an informed consent. The participants were purposively selected. Focus group interviews were used to collect data from both groups. Tesch's descriptive method of open coding described in (Creswell, J. 1994. Qualitative and quantitative approach. Sage, London.) was used to analyse data. (Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, 1998. Ethical standards for nurse researchers. Denosa, Pretoria) ethical standards for research were observed to maintain the standard and quality of the research. (Lincoln, Y.S., Guba, E.G. 1985. Naturalistic inquiry. Sage, London.) framework was used to ensure trustworthiness of the study. The following obstacles were identified and recontextualised within the existing literature to be able to describe the strategies to overcome the identified obstacles to the facilitation of critical thinking of students: the educators' lack of knowledge; use of teaching and assessment methods that do not facilitate critical thinking of learners; the negative attitudes of educators and their resistance to change; inappropriate selection process and poor educational background that did not facilitate critical thinking of students; inadequate socialisation, cultural and instructional language incompetence. Findings indicated that there is a need for nurse educators to model critical thinking in all aspects of nursing education. It is recommended that there be a whole paradigm shift in nursing education from the traditional teacher-centred methods to a more learner-centred approach that will facilitate critical thinking of student nurses.

  1. Families OverComing under Stress (FOCUS) for Early Childhood: Building Resilience for Young Children in High Stress Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogil, Catherine; Paley, Blair; Doud, Tricia; Havens, Linda; Moore-Tyson, Jessica; Beardslee, William R.; Lester, Patricia

    2010-01-01

    Parental distress and trauma affects the entire family, including the youngest children. Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS) is a targeted prevention program for high-risk families that aims to enhance family cohesion, support the parent-child relationship, and build emotional regulation, communication, and problem-solving skills across the…

  2. HSA-based multi-target combination therapy: regulating drugs' release from HSA and overcoming single drug resistance in a breast cancer model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gou, Yi; Zhang, Zhenlei; Li, Dongyang; Zhao, Lei; Cai, Meiling; Sun, Zhewen; Li, Yongping; Zhang, Yao; Khan, Hamid; Sun, Hongbing; Wang, Tao; Liang, Hong; Yang, Feng

    2018-11-01

    Multi-drug delivery systems, which may be promising solution to overcome obstacles, have limited the clinical success of multi-drug combination therapies to treat cancer. To this end, we used three different anticancer agents, Cu(BpT)Br, NAMI-A, and doxorubicin (DOX), to build human serum albumin (HSA)-based multi-drug delivery systems in a breast cancer model to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of overcoming single drug (DOX) resistance to cancer cells in vivo, and to regulate the drugs' release from HSA. The HSA complex structure revealed that NAMI-A and Cu(BpT)Br bind to the IB and IIA sub-domain of HSA by N-donor residue replacing a leaving group and coordinating to their metal centers, respectively. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra demonstrated that one DOX molecule is conjugated with lysine of HSA by a pH-sensitive linker. Furthermore, the release behavior of three agents form HSA can be regulated at different pH levels. Importantly, in vivo results revealed that the HSA-NAMI-A-Cu(BpT)Br-DOX complex not only increases the targeting ability compared with a combination of the three agents (the NAMI-A/Cu(BpT)Br/DOX mixture), but it also overcomes DOX resistance to drug-resistant breast cancer cell lines.

  3. ARPA-E Impacts: A Sampling of Project Outcomes, Volume II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rohlfing, Eric [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States). Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)

    2017-02-27

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is demonstrating that a collaborative model has the power to deliver real value. The Agency’s first compilation booklet of impact sheets, published in 2016, began to tell the story of how ARPA-E has already made an impact in just seven years—funding a diverse and sophisticated research portfolio on advanced energy technologies that enable the United States to tackle our most pressing energy challenges. One year later our research investments continue to pay off, with a number of current and alumni project teams successfully commercializing their technologies and advancing the state of the art in transformative areas of energy science and engineering. There is no single measure that can fully illustrate ARPA-E’s success to date, but several statistics viewed collectively begin to reveal the Agency’s impact. Since 2009, ARPA-E has provided more than $1.5 billion in funding for 36 focused programs and three open funding solicitations, totaling over 580 projects. Of those, 263 are now alumni projects. Many teams have successfully leveraged ARPA-E’s investment: 56 have formed new companies, 68 have partnered with other government agencies to continue their technology development, and 74 teams have together raised more than $1.8 billion in reported funding from the private sector to bring their technologies to market. However, even when viewed together, those measures do not capture ARPA-E’s full impact. To best understand the Agency’s success, the specific scientific and engineering challenges that ARPA-E project teams have overcome must be understood. This booklet provides concrete examples of those successes, ranging from innovations that will bear fruit in the future to ones that are beginning to penetrate the market as products today. Importantly, half of the projects highlighted in this volume stem from OPEN solicitations, which the agency has run in 2009, 2012, and 2015. ARPA-E’s OPEN programs

  4. Overcoming decommissioning challenges through client/laboratory co-operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wharton, Mike; Gray, Lesley

    2007-01-01

    Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: Accelerated decommissioning projects of the type underway at the former gaseous diffusion plant at BNG Capenhurst, UK, involve characterisation and radiochemical fingerprinting of a variety of unusual materials derived from legacy wastes. The project management and technical challenges that can occur during such a program can be successfully surmounted if a close working relationship between the client and the analytical laboratory is achieved. The Capenhurst Integrated Decommissioning Program (IDP) is an example of how such co-operation can reduce costs and time scales by providing the analytical laboratory with key sample and technical information prior to the shipping of the samples to the lab. This ensures that challenges associated with unusual sample matrices can be anticipated and dealt with at an early stage in the project. Gamma spectrometry is the most common analytical technique when analysing samples for radioactive content as it is non-destructive, relatively inexpensive and fast. However, accurate measurement generally requires samples of a known density to be counted in calibrated geometries. This becomes a challenge as many legacy wastes comprise materials of uneven geometry and/or varying density, as has been the case during the Capenhurst IDP. Liaising with the client to ensure a representative sub-sample of the material is taken on-site, and a series of additional checks when analysing the sample ensure that accurate results are obtained even for non-routine materials. Often it is only one or two radionuclides that dominate the radioactive inventory for legacy wastes. (authors)

  5. Nuclear power in the 21st century. The challenge to overcome the 'trilemma'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoda, Susumu

    1997-01-01

    In light of the pending explosive growth in world population, massive consumption of energy and resources is required for the sustainable economic growth, which will in turn cause damage to the global environment. The nature of the problem is a sort of complicated chain of causes and effects - a vicious cycle. We must simultaneously solve the problems of economic growth, resources and energy, and the environment. This is the so-called 'trilemma'. Human wisdom and the collective efforts of each nation are indispensable to overcome the trilemma and to ensure sustainable development of the world. Nuclear power will play a key role to do it. (author)

  6. The Climate Impacts Research Consortium: Lessons Learned from the Evaluation of Co-production projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolovska, I.; Andrepont, J. A.; Lach, D.

    2017-12-01

    The Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC) is a climate-science-to-climate-action team funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), member of NOAA's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. The internal evaluation of the last 6 years of CIRC's work focused on the co-production of knowledge process. The evaluation was based on CIRC's Reflection and Logic model and used a mixed methods design. During regular monthly meetings in 2014/15, all CIRC PIs reflected on the co-production process and presented their evaluation of the projects they worked on. Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews with CIRC participants, purposefully targeting key informants. The Climate Impacts Research Consortium teams also administered surveys to assess participants' experiences of the coproduction process as they were engaging in it. Identifying and cultivating an informant from the local stakeholder group with deep, accessible roots within the target community can lead to better coproduction results than having to build those relationships from naught. Across projects, most participants agreed that the project increased their understanding of their area's hazards and by the end of the project most participants were confident the project would produce useful results for themselves. Finally, most participants intended to share what they had learned from this experience with their colleagues and we found that co-production built capacities necessary for communities to incorporate climate change in discussions even after the end of CIRC's participation. During the projects, the involvement of non-traditional participants along with experts was critical to success and a lot of work and preparation needs to be put into the planning of any co-production meeting to overcome various barriers to communication and build trust.

  7. Operation Cartwheel, 1943-1944: Integrated Force Projection to Overcome Limited Access

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-13

    catered to each commander, reinforcing the mutual support capability of the operation. However, separate Pacific advances also drained resources...coordinated operations of civilian airlines under Australian military control.40 This Australian Government contribution mitigated shortage of aircraft

  8. Overcoming cellular multidrug resistance using classical nanomedicine formulations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kunjachan, S.; Blauz, A.; Möckel, D.; Theek, B.; Kiessling, F.; Etrych, Tomáš; Ulbrich, K.; van Bloois, L.; Storm, G.; Bartosz, G.; Rychlik, B.; Lammers, T.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 45, č. 4 (2012), s. 421-428 ISSN 0928-0987 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA400500806 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : cancer * nanomedicine * multidrug resistance Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 2.987, year: 2012

  9. One project`s waste is another project`s resource

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Short, J.

    1997-02-01

    The author describes the efforts being made toward pollution prevention within the DOE complex, as a way to reduce overall project costs, in addition to decreasing the amount of waste to be handled. Pollution prevention is a concept which is trying to be ingrained into project planning. Part of the program involves the concept that ultimately the responsibility for waste comes back to the generator. Parts of the program involve efforts to reuse materials and equipment on new projects, to recycle wastes to generate offsetting revenue, and to increase awareness, accountability and incentives so as to stimulate action on this plan. Summaries of examples are presented in tables.

  10. Let's not contribute to disparities: the best methods for teaching clinicians how to overcome language barriers to health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diamond, Lisa C; Jacobs, Elizabeth A

    2010-05-01

    Clinicians should be educated about how language barriers contribute to disparities for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). However, educators must avoid developing educational interventions that increase health disparities for LEP patients. For example, studies suggest that teaching "Medical Spanish" or related courses may actually contribute to health care disparities if clinicians begin using these non-English language skills inappropriately with patients. We discuss the risks and benefits of teaching specific cultural competence skills and make evidence-based recommendations for the teaching content and methods for educational interventions focused on overcoming language barriers in health care. At minimum, we suggest such interventions include: (1) the role of language barriers in health disparities, (2) means of overcoming language barriers, (3) how to work with interpreters, (4) identifying and fixing problems in interpreted encounters, and (5) appropriate and safe use of one's own limited non-English language skills.

  11. Overcoming acquired drug resistance in colorectal cancer cells by targeted delivery of 5-FU with EGF grafted hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lijue; She, Xiaodong; Wang, Tao; He, Li; Shigdar, Sarah; Duan, Wei; Kong, Lingxue

    2015-08-01

    Acquired drug resistance (ADR) can be developed in colorectal cancer cells after 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment and diminish the effectiveness of chemotherapy. In this work, acquired 5-FU resistance in the colorectal cancer cell line SW480 was obtained with the up-regulation of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) gene expression which can convert 5-FU to its inactive metabolite. To overcome ADR in colorectal cancer, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) grafted with epidermal growth factor (EGF) were used as nanocarriers to deliver 5-FU to colorectal cancer cells with acquired drug resistance. The effect and mechanism of 5-FU loaded EGF grafted HMSNs (EGF-HMSNs-5-FU) in overcoming acquired drug resistance in SW480/ADR cells were studied. The EGF-HMSNs were demonstrated to be specifically internalized in EGFR overexpressed SW480/ADR cells via a receptor-mediated endocytosis and can escape from endo-lysosomes. The EGF-HMSNs-5-FU exhibited much higher cytotoxicity on SW480/ADR cells than HMSNs-5-FU and free 5-FU while the plain HMSNs did not show significant cytotoxicity. The mechanism of EGF-HMSNs-5-FU in overcoming drug resistance in SW480/ADR cells could be attributed to the specific internalization of EGF-HMSNs-5-FU in EGFR overexpressed cells which can lead to high intracellular drug accumulation and cause cell death through S phase arrest.Acquired drug resistance (ADR) can be developed in colorectal cancer cells after 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment and diminish the effectiveness of chemotherapy. In this work, acquired 5-FU resistance in the colorectal cancer cell line SW480 was obtained with the up-regulation of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) gene expression which can convert 5-FU to its inactive metabolite. To overcome ADR in colorectal cancer, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) grafted with epidermal growth factor (EGF) were used as nanocarriers to deliver 5-FU to colorectal cancer cells with acquired drug resistance. The

  12. High linear-energy-transfer radiation can overcome radioresistance of glioma stem-like cells to low linear-energy-transfer radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirota, Yuki; Masunaga, Shin-Ichiro; Kondo, Natsuko; Kawabata, Shinji; Hirakawa, Hirokazu; Yajima, Hirohiko; Fujimori, Akira; Ono, Koji; Kuroiwa, Toshihiko; Miyatake, Shin-Ichi

    2014-01-01

    Ionizing radiation is applied as the standard treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, radiotherapy remains merely palliative, not curative, because of the existence of glioma stem cells (GSCs), which are regarded as highly radioresistant to low linear-energy-transfer (LET) photons. Here we analyzed whether or not high-LET particles can overcome the radioresistance of GSCs. Glioma stem-like cells (GSLCs) were induced from the GBM cell line A172 in stem cell culture medium. The phenotypes of GSLCs and wild-type cells were confirmed using stem cell markers. These cells were irradiated with (60)Co gamma rays or reactor neutron beams. Under neutron-beam irradiation, high-LET proton particles can be produced through elastic scattering or nitrogen capture reaction. Radiosensitivity was assessed by a colony-forming assay, and the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were assessed by a histone gamma-H2AX focus detection assay. In stem cell culture medium, GSLCs could form neurosphere-like cells and express neural stem cell markers (Sox2 and Musashi) abundantly in comparison with their parental cells. GSLCs were significantly more radioresistant to gamma rays than their parental cells, but neutron beams overcame this resistance. There were significantly fewer gamma-H2AX foci in the A172 GSLCs 24 h after irradiation with gamma rays than in their parental cultured cells, while there was no apparent difference following neutron-beam irradiation. High-LET radiation can overcome the radioresistance of GSLCs by producing unrepairable DNA DSBs. High-LET radiation therapy might have the potential to overcome GBM's resistance to X-rays in a clinical setting.

  13. Project Success in IT Project Management

    OpenAIRE

    Siddiqui, Farhan Ahmed

    2010-01-01

    The rate of failed and challenged Information Technology (IT) projects is too high according to the CHAOS Studies by the Standish Group and the literature on project management (Standish Group, 2008). The CHAOS Studies define project success as meeting the triple constraints of scope, time, and cost. The criteria for project success need to be agreed by all parties before the start of the project and constantly reviewed as the project progresses. Assessing critical success factors is another ...

  14. Vague project start makes project success of outsourced software development projects uncertain

    OpenAIRE

    Savolainen, Paula

    2010-01-01

    peer-reviewed A definition of a project success includes at least three criteria: 1) meeting planning goals, 2) customer benefits, and 3) supplier benefits. This study aims to point out the importance of the definition of the project start, the project start date, and what work should be included in the project effort in order to ensure the supplier's benefits. The ambiguity of the project start risks the profitability of the project and therefore makes project success at least from suppli...

  15. Project management: a case of fixed price IS/IT projects. Analysis of projects by project scopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miroslav Kral

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper provides an overview of major issues of IS / IT projects. Attention will be focused on projects that are implemented under a contract for a specified amount of work and fixed price. The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the project parameters in terms of the types of projects, and to confirm, or refuse, a hypothesis related to this. There is some evidence from the portfolio of projects that have been implemented by the international companies providing IT services. Regarding the localisation, CEE region was selected for our research. The outputs of the paper should be a contribution to managing IS/IT projects in IT service delivery organizations and for the support of innovative thinking about project management generally.

  16. Overcoming barriers to exercise among parents: A social cognitive theory perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mailey, Emily L.; Phillips, Siobhan M.; Dlugonski, Deirdre; Conroy, David E.

    2017-01-01

    Parents face numerous barriers to exercise and exhibit high levels of inactivity. Examining theory-based determinants of exercise among parents may inform interventions for this population. The purpose of this study was to test a social-cognitive model of parental exercise participation over a 12-month period. Mothers (n=226) and fathers (n=70) of children exercise, barriers self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and exercise planning at baseline and one year later. Panel analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships. Barriers self-efficacy was related to exercise directly and indirectly through perceived barriers and prioritization/planning. Prioritization and planning also mediated the relationship between perceived barriers and exercise. These paths remained significant at 12 months. These results suggest efforts to increase exercise in parents should focus on improving confidence to overcome exercise barriers, reducing perceptions of barriers, and helping parents make specific plans for prioritizing and engaging in exercise. PMID:27108160

  17. Overcoming challenges to gender equality in the workplace leadership and innovation

    CERN Document Server

    Flynn, Patricia M; Kilgour, Maureen A

    2016-01-01

    Many businesses and organizations are increasingly aware of the case for promoting gender equality, both within and outside their organizational boundaries. Evidence suggests that gender equality in the workplace boosts performance, and legal frameworks in many countries mandate specific action on gender inequality in the workplace. However, despite organizational policies on promoting equality and equal opportunities, there remain challenges to be overcome in many businesses, including throughout their supply chains. The book provides research rationales as to why responsible organizations must address the issue of gender equality in the workplace. It also presents case studies, action research and examples of good practices, describing how businesses and organizations are working to promote gender equality in various contexts. The book is designed to support the rationale for gender equality in business and organizations, provide evidence of implementation of gender equality in the workplace, and how to dea...

  18. Towards overcoming the Monte Carlo sign problem with tensor networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bañuls Mari Carmen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The study of lattice gauge theories with Monte Carlo simulations is hindered by the infamous sign problem that appears under certain circumstances, in particular at non-zero chemical potential. So far, there is no universal method to overcome this problem. However, recent years brought a new class of non-perturbative Hamiltonian techniques named tensor networks, where the sign problem is absent. In previous work, we have demonstrated that this approach, in particular matrix product states in 1+1 dimensions, can be used to perform precise calculations in a lattice gauge theory, the massless and massive Schwinger model. We have computed the mass spectrum of this theory, its thermal properties and real-time dynamics. In this work, we review these results and we extend our calculations to the case of two flavours and non-zero chemical potential. We are able to reliably reproduce known analytical results for this model, thus demonstrating that tensor networks can tackle the sign problem of a lattice gauge theory at finite density.

  19. Geothermal Small Business Workbook [Geothermal Outreach and Project Financing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elizabeth Battocletti

    2003-05-01

    --the geothermal entrepreneur, small company, or project developer--step-by-step through the process needed to structure a business and financing plan for a small geothermal project; and Help you develop a financing plan that can be adapted and taken to potential financing sources. The Workbook will not: Substitute for financial advice; Overcome the high exploration, development, and financing costs associated with smaller geothermal projects; Remedy the lack of financing for the exploration stage of a geothermal project; or Solve financing problems that are not related to the economic soundness of your project or are caused by things outside of your control.

  20. Animals In Synchrotrons: Overcoming Challenges For High-Resolution, Live, Small-Animal Imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donnelley, Martin; Parsons, David; Morgan, Kaye; Siu, Karen

    2010-01-01

    Physiological studies in small animals can be complicated, but the complexity is increased dramatically when performing live-animal synchrotron X-ray imaging studies. Our group has extensive experience in high-resolution live-animal imaging at the Japanese SPring-8 synchrotron, primarily examining airways in two-dimensions. These experiments normally image an area of 1.8 mmx1.2 mm at a pixel resolution of 0.45 μm and are performed with live, intact, anaesthetized mice.There are unique challenges in this experimental setting. Importantly, experiments must be performed in an isolated imaging hutch not specifically designed for small-animal imaging. This requires equipment adapted to remotely monitor animals, maintain their anesthesia, and deliver test substances while collecting images. The horizontal synchrotron X-ray beam has a fixed location and orientation that limits experimental flexibility. The extremely high resolution makes locating anatomical regions-of-interest slow and can result in a high radiation dose, and at this level of magnification small animal movements produce motion-artifacts that can render acquired images unusable. Here we describe our experimental techniques and how we have overcome several challenges involved in performing live mouse synchrotron imaging.Experiments have tested different mouse strains, with hairless strains minimizing overlying skin and hair artifacts. Different anesthetics have also be trialed due to the limited choices available at SPring-8. Tracheal-intubation methods have been refined and controlled-ventilation is now possible using a specialized small-animal ventilator. With appropriate animal restraint and respiratory-gating, motion-artifacts have been minimized. The animal orientation (supine vs. head-high) also appears to affect animal physiology, and can alter image quality. Our techniques and image quality at SPring-8 have dramatically improved and in the near future we plan to translate this experience to the

  1. Can the Teachers' Creativity Overcome Limited Computer Resources?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikolov, Rumen; Sendova, Evgenia

    1988-01-01

    Describes experiences of the Research Group on Education (RGE) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education in using limited computer resources when teaching informatics. Topics discussed include group projects; the use of Logo; ability grouping; and out-of-class activities, including publishing a pupils' magazine. (13…

  2. The Influence of Creativity Level on Overcoming the Barriers of Teachers’ Professional Development

    OpenAIRE

    E. F. Zeer; L. S. Popova

    2012-01-01

    The paper summarizes the research findings concerning the influence of creativity on overcoming the barriers of teachers’ professional development. The re- search subject includes defining the interrelations between the creativity and profes- sional burn-out. The aim of the studies is to find out the influencing factors of creativ- ity eliminating the destructive trends of professional pedagogic activity. The methodology is based on the E. E. Simanyuk’s concept describing the de- structive te...

  3. Overcoming recruitment challenges in palliative care clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Thomas W; Lodato, Jordan E; Currow, David C; Abernethy, Amy P

    2013-11-01

    Palliative care is increasingly viewed as a necessary component of cancer care, especially for patients with advanced disease. Rigorous clinical trials are thus needed to build the palliative care evidence base, but clinical research-especially participant recruitment-is difficult. Major barriers include (1) patient factors, (2) "gatekeeping," and (3) ethical concerns. Here we discuss an approach to overcoming these barriers, using the Palliative Care Trial (PCT) as a case study. The PCT was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial (RCT) of different service delivery models to improve pain control in the palliative setting. It used a recruitment protocol that fused evidence-based strategies with principles of "social marketing," an approach involving the systematic application of marketing techniques. Main components included (1) an inclusive triage algorithm, (2) information booklets targeting particular stakeholders, (3) a specialized recruitment nurse, and (4) standardization of wording across all study communications. From an eligible pool of 607 patients, the PCT enrolled 461 patients over 26 months. Twenty percent of patients referred to the palliative care service were enrolled (76% of those eligible after screening). Several common barriers were minimized; among those who declined participation, family disinterest was uncommon (5%), as was the perception of burden imposed (4%). Challenges to clinical trial recruitment in palliative care are significant but not insurmountable. A carefully crafted recruitment and retention protocol can be effective. Our experience with designing and deploying a social-marketing-based protocol shows the benefits of such an approach.

  4. Challenges confronting female surgical leaders: overcoming the barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kass, Rena B; Souba, Wiley W; Thorndyke, Luanne E

    2006-05-15

    The number of women reaching top ranks in academic surgery is remarkably low. The purpose of this study was to identify: 1) barriers to becoming a female surgical leader; 2) key attributes that enable advancement and success; and 3) current leadership challenges faced as senior leaders. Semi-structured interviews of ten female surgical leaders queried the following dimensions: attributes for success, lessons learned, mistakes, key career steps, the role of mentoring, gender advantages/disadvantages, and challenges. Perseverance (60%) and drive (50%) were identified as critical success factors, as were good communication skills, a passion for scholarship, a stable home life and a positive outlook. Eighty percent identified discrimination or gender prejudice as a major obstacle in their careers. While 90% percent had mentors, 50% acknowledged that they had not been effectively mentored. Career advice included: develop broad career goals (50%); select a conducive environment (30%); find a mentor (60%); take personal responsibility (40%); organize time and achieve balance (40%); network (30%); create a niche (30%); pursue research (30%); publish (50%); speak in public (30%); and enjoy the process (30%). Being in a minority, being highly visible and being collaborative were identified as advantages. Obtaining buy-in and achieving consensus was the greatest leadership challenge reported. Female academic surgeons face challenges to career advancement. While these barriers are real, they can be overcome by resolve, commitment, and developing strong communication skills. These elements should be taken into consideration in designing career development programs for junior female surgical faculty.

  5. Managing project complexity : A study into adapting early project phases to improve project performance in large engineering projects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bosch-Rekveldt, M.G.C.

    2011-01-01

    Engineering projects become increasingly more complex and project complexity is assumed to be one of the causes for projects being delivered late and over budget. However, what this project complexity actually comprised of was unclear. To improve the overall project performance, this study focuses

  6. The TERRA project, a space nuclear micro-reactor case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Nascimento, Jamil A.; Borges, Eduardo M.; Lobo, Paulo D. Castro; Placco, Guilherme M.; Barrios Junior, Ary G.

    2011-01-01

    The TEcnologia de Reatores Rapidos Avancados project, also known as TERRA Project is been conducted by the Institute for Advanced Studies IEAv. The TERRA project has a general objective of understanding and developing the key technologies that will allow (Brazil) the use of nuclear technology to generate electricity in space. This electricity may power several space systems and/or a type of plasma based engine. Also, the type of reactor intended for space may be used for power generation in very inhospitable environment such as the ocean floor. Some of the mentioned technologies may include: Brayton cycles, Stirling engines, heat pipes and its coupled systems, nuclear fuel technology, new materials and several others. Once there is no mission into which apply this technology, at this moment, this research may be conducted in many forms and ways. The fact remains that when this technology becomes needed there will be no way that we (Brazilians) will be able to buy it from. This technology, in this sense, is highly strategic and will be the key to commercially explore deep space. Therefore, there is the need to face the development problems and solve them, to gain experience with our own rights and wrongs. This paper will give a brief overview of what has been done so far, on experimental facilities and hardware that could support space system development, including a Brayton cycle test facility, Tesla turbine testing, and Stirling engine development and modeling. Our great problem today is lack of human resources. To attend that problem we are starting a new graduate program that will allow overcoming that, given the proper time frame. (author)

  7. The TERRA project, a space nuclear micro-reactor case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Nascimento, Jamil A.; Borges, Eduardo M.; Lobo, Paulo D. Castro, E-mail: guimarae@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: jamil@ieav.cta.br, E-mail: eduardo@ieav.cta.br [Divisao de Energia Nuclear. Instituto de Estudos Avancados, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Placco, Guilherme M.; Barrios Junior, Ary G. [Faculdade de Tecnologia Sao Francisco (FATESF), Jacarei, SP (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    The TEcnologia de Reatores Rapidos Avancados project, also known as TERRA Project is been conducted by the Institute for Advanced Studies IEAv. The TERRA project has a general objective of understanding and developing the key technologies that will allow (Brazil) the use of nuclear technology to generate electricity in space. This electricity may power several space systems and/or a type of plasma based engine. Also, the type of reactor intended for space may be used for power generation in very inhospitable environment such as the ocean floor. Some of the mentioned technologies may include: Brayton cycles, Stirling engines, heat pipes and its coupled systems, nuclear fuel technology, new materials and several others. Once there is no mission into which apply this technology, at this moment, this research may be conducted in many forms and ways. The fact remains that when this technology becomes needed there will be no way that we (Brazilians) will be able to buy it from. This technology, in this sense, is highly strategic and will be the key to commercially explore deep space. Therefore, there is the need to face the development problems and solve them, to gain experience with our own rights and wrongs. This paper will give a brief overview of what has been done so far, on experimental facilities and hardware that could support space system development, including a Brayton cycle test facility, Tesla turbine testing, and Stirling engine development and modeling. Our great problem today is lack of human resources. To attend that problem we are starting a new graduate program that will allow overcoming that, given the proper time frame. (author)

  8. IEA HPP Annex 29 - ground-source heat pumps overcoming technical and market barriers. Status report Norway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stene, Joern

    2004-12-01

    Norway is a member of Annex 29, 'Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems Overcoming Technical and Market Barriers' (2004-2006), organized under the umbrella of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the IEA Heat Pump Programme (HPP). The 7 participating countries are Austria (Operating Agent), Canada, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the USA. The Norwegian participation is financed by ENOVA SF, and SINTEF Energy Research is responsible for planning and carrying out the Norwegian activities. This report provides a status for ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems in Norway with regard to state-of-the-art technology, installation examples, geological data, costs and market opportunities. A Norwegian Internet home page for ground-source heat pump systems (www.energy.sintef.no/prosjekt/Annex29) is also presented. GSHP systems in Norway are classified as direct systems (groundwater and soil/ground) and indirect closed-loop systems (vertical-rock and horizontal-soil/ground). The vast majority of the installations are indirect closed-loop systems utilizing vertical boreholes in rock as a heat source, heat sink and thermal energy storage. GSHP systems are relatively capital intensive installations, but they achieve high energy efficiency due to the relatively high and stable heat source temperature and the fact that a considerable share of the cooling demand in non-residential buildings can be covered by means of free cooling. In order to obtain energy efficient and reliable GSHP installations, it is important to implement a total quality concept where focus is on quality and system integration during all stages of the project. A life cycle analysis (LCA) will be an important tool in such a concept, since both the investment costs as well as the lifetime operational and maintenance costs are included (author) (ml) Litt usikker pae tag 620- ikke en vanlig sintef rapportkode

  9. Strategies to potentiate antimicrobial photoinactivation by overcoming resistant phenotypes†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera, D. Mariano A.; Haynes, Mark H; Ball, Anthony R.; Dai, D. Tianhong; Astrakas, Christos; Kelso, Michael J; Hamblin, Michael R; Tegos, George P.

    2012-01-01

    Conventional antimicrobial strategies have become increasingly ineffective due to the emergence of multidrug resistance among pathogenic microorganisms. The need to overcome these deficiencies has triggered the exploration of alternative treatments and unconventional approaches towards controlling microbial infections. Photodynamic therapy was originally established as an anti-cancer modality and is currently used in the treatment of age related macular degeneration. The concept of photodynamic inactivation requires cell exposure to light energy, typically wavelengths in the visible region that causes the excitation of photosensitizer molecules either exogenous or endogenous, which results in the production of reactive oxygen species. ROS produce cell inactivation and death through modification of intracellular components. The versatile characteristics of PDT prompted its investigation as an anti-infective discovery platform. Advances in understanding of microbial physiology have shed light on a series of pathways, and phenotypes that serve as putative targets for antimicrobial drug discovery. Investigations of these phenotypic elements in concert with PDT have been reported focused on multidrug efflux systems, biofilms, virulence and pathogenesis determinants. In many instances the results are promising but only preliminary and require further investigation. This review discusses the different antimicrobial PDT strategies and highlights the need for highly informative and comprehensive discovery approaches. PMID:22242675

  10. Strategies for Overcoming Resistance in Tumours Harboring BRAF Mutations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nourah Mohammad Obaid

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The development of resistance to previously effective treatments has been a challenge for health care providers and a fear for patients undergoing cancer therapy. This is an unfortunately frequent occurrence for patients undergoing targeted therapy for tumours harboring the activating V600E mutation of the BRAF gene. Since the initial identification of the BRAF mutation in 2002, a series of small molecular inhibitors that target the BRAFV600E have been developed, but intrinsic and acquired resistance to these drugs has presented an ongoing challenge. More recently, improvements in therapy have been achieved by combining the use of BRAF inhibitors with other drugs, such as inhibitors of the downstream effector mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK/extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK kinase (MEK. Despite improved success in response rates and in delaying resistance using combination therapy, ultimately, the acquisition of resistance remains a concern. Recent research articles have shed light on some of the underlying mechanisms of this resistance and have proposed numerous strategies that might be employed to overcome or avoid resistance to targeted therapies. This review will explore some of the resistance mechanisms, compare what is known in melanoma cancer to colorectal cancer, and discuss strategies under development to manage the development of resistance.

  11. Biodiesel Production From Algae to Overcome the Energy Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suliman Khan

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The use of energy sources has reached at the level that whole world is relying on it. Being the major source of energy, fuels are considered the most important. The fear of diminishing the available sources thirst towards biofuel production has increased during last decades. Considering the food problems, algae gain the most attention to be used as biofuel producers. The use of crop and food-producing plants will never be a best fit into the priorities for biofuel production as they will disturb the food needs. Different types of algae having the different production abilities. Normally algae have 20%–80% oil contents that could be converted into different types of fuels such as kerosene oil and biodiesel. The diesel production from algae is economical and easy. Different species such as tribonema, ulothrix and euglena have good potential for biodiesel production. Gene technology can be used to enhance the production of oil and biodiesel contents and stability of algae. By increasing the genetic expressions, we can find the ways to achieve the required biofuel amounts easily and continuously to overcome the fuels deficiency. The present review article focusses on the role of algae as a possible substitute for fossil fuel as an ideal biofuel reactant.

  12. Opportunities and criticisms of voluntary emission reduction projects developed by Public Administrations: Analysis of 143 case studies implemented in Italy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallo, Michela; Del Borghi, Adriana; Strazza, Carlo; Parodi, Lara; Arcioni, Livia; Proietti, Stefania

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • 143 voluntary emission reduction projects have been analysed. • The projects belong to renewable energy, energy efficiency and transport sectors. • Voluntary emission reduction standards and methodologies have been applied. • The paper identified the main criticisms for each sector. • Energy efficiency projects are the most promising for public entities. - Abstract: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. Besides the “flexibility mechanisms” defined by the Kyoto Protocol to lower the overall costs of achieving their emissions targets, The Voluntary Green House Gases (GHG) reduction projects can have a lead role in GHG reduction in “non Emissions Trading System ETS sectors”. Nowadays, the voluntary market is characterised by critical aspects, such as fragmentation, lack of accounting, monitoring and validation rules that have led to the low spread of voluntary emission reduction projects developed by local authorities in the European Union despite their high potentiality. The aim of this paper is to test the applicability of voluntary emission reduction projects in the public sector following a homogeneous and consistent pattern. A research has been performed at local level on 143 voluntary emission reduction projects implemented by Public Administrations in Northern and Central Italy in renewable energy, energy efficiency and transport sectors. The applicable standards and methodologies have been checked and the case studies have been analysed though a three-step process: Preliminary additionality assessment; Projects selection; Validation of the selected project. The assessment shows that energy efficiency projects, once overcoming additionality issues, are the most promising for public entities while renewable energy and transport projects resulted to be mainly affected by double counting problems and

  13. Japan's Sunshine Project. Solar energy R and D program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1981-05-01

    This paper explains the Sunshine Project and its solar energy R and D program. The solar energy is poured into the earth at 1.04 x 10{sup 17} kcal per hour, while the energy consumption of the world in 1970 is equivalent to 30 minutes of the solar energy. It is infinite compared to fossil fuel and clean, with no extreme partiality by areas. Its problem in utilization, however, is the low energy density of 1 kw/m{sup 2} and unsteady supply caused by weather conditions, which raises difficulties in matching energy demand. These demerits and low competitiveness in cost must be overcome through R and D. Under the Sunshine Project, the solar energy utilization is in progress in the areas of thermal utilization in a building, solar thermal power generation, and photovoltaic power generation. The budget was 9.6 billion yen for fiscal 1980 and 8 billion yen for fiscal 1981. Since fiscal 1980, emphasis has been placed particularly on photovoltaic power generation. The experimental production of solar cells of 500 kW/year is scheduled as a target through fiscal 1981-82. Four demonstration plants and two central distributing substations for photovoltaic power generation are planned to be built by fiscal 1985. Also to be studied are 2 solar thermal power generation plants of 1,000 kWe each and a solar thermal system for industrial process heating. (NEDO)

  14. FY2011 Annual Report for NREL Energy Storage Projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pesaran, A.; Ban, C.; Dillon, A.; Gonder, J.; Ireland, J.; Keyser, M.; Kim, G. H.; Lee, K. J.; Long, D.; Neubauer, J.; Santhangopalan, S.; Smith, K.

    2012-04-01

    This report describes the work of NREL's Energy Storage group for FY2011. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) supports energy storage R&D under the Vehicle Technologies Program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE Energy Storage program's charter is to develop battery technologies that will enable large market penetration of electric drive vehicles. These vehicles could have a significant impact on the nation's goal of reducing dependence on imported oil and gaseous pollutant emissions. DOE has established several program activities to address and overcome the barriers limiting the penetration of electric drive battery technologies: cost, performance, safety, and life. These programs are: (1) Advanced Battery Development [through the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC)]; (2) Testing, Design and Analysis (TDA); (3) Applied Battery Research (ABR); and (4) Focused Fundamental Research, or Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT). In FY11, DOE funded NREL to make technical contributions to all of these R&D activities. This report summarizes NREL's R&D projects in FY11 in support of the USABC, TDA, ABR, and BATT program elements. In addition, we continued the enhancement of NREL's battery testing facilities funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009. The FY11 projects under NREL's Energy Storage R&D program are briefly described below. Each of these is discussed in depth in the main sections of this report.

  15. Advanced Instrumentation, Information and Control (II&C) Research and Development Facility Buildout and Project Execution of LWRS II&C Pilot Projects 1 and 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronald Farris; Johanna Oxstrand; Gregory Weatherby

    2011-09-01

    results in plant status control, information management, knowledge management, and 'Real-Time-Truth' as it relates to the current plant conditions. The following report includes two attachments; each attachment represents Pilot Project 1 and 3. The two attachments also provide a report on two distinct milestones that were completed and are described below: M3L11IN06030307 - Complete initiation of two pilot projects Complete initiation of pilot projects on real-time configuration management and control to overcome limitations with existing permanent instrumentation and real-time awareness of plant configurations; two candidate projects that consider low-cost wireless technology for in situ configuration monitoring and candidate technologies and an information architecture for outage management and control will be initiated with utilities. M3L11IN06030309 - Complete data collection, R&D plans, and agreements needed to conduct the two pilot projects Complete data collection conducted at pilot project utilities to support real-time configuration management and outage control center pilot studies conducted; R&D plan for pilot projects produced and needed agreements established to support R&D activities.

  16. THE STRATEGY OF EMPOWERMENT BASED ON ESQ POWER: A SOCIAL INNOVATION IN THE POVERTY OVERCOMING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peribadi Peribadi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aimed to develop an innovation of empowerment strategy on ESQ Power – Based. It was designed through a phenomenology deductive, a case study and the methodof research and development or the procedure of member check. The three of them were used eclectically in order to design an ideal formulation. The research findings indicated that the actors and actresses of poverty overcoming in Kendari City have not had the emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence yet as ESQ Power. As a result, they were not optimal in performing their duties, roles and responsibilities. Therefore, the urgency of empowerment paradigm on ESQ Power – Based that has been formulated and validated by the skillful validator must be used in the future to increase the sense of responsibility of the actor network in overcoming the pauperization and poverty. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan sebuah inovasi strategi pemberdayaan berbasis ESQ Power. Hal itu dirancang melalui deduksi fenomenologis, studi kasus serta metode penelitian dan pengembangan atau prosedur member check. Ketiganya digunakan secara eklektik untuk merancang formulasi ideal. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa aktor dan aktris penanggulangan kemiskinan di Kota Kendari belum memiliki kecerdasan emosional dan kecerdasan spiritual sebagai ESQ Power. Akibatnya, mereka tidak optimal dalam menjalankan tugas, peran dan tanggung jawabnya. Oleh karena itu, urgensi paradigma pemberdayaan berbasis ESQ Power yang telah dirumuskan dan divalidasi oleh validator ahli tersebut harus mulai digunakan ke depan untuk meningkatkan rasa tanggung jawab jaringan aktor dalam mengatasi pemiskinan dan kemiskinan.

  17. Internationalization as a strategy to overcome industry barriers-An assessment of the marine energy industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lovdal, Nicolai; Neumann, Frank

    2011-01-01

    Research on conditions to develop new innovations within emerging renewable energy industries is often done with a national focus. However, recent research on international entrepreneurship has revealed that firms operate on international levels very early in their life time. Thus, based on former research on international entrepreneurship and case examples, we build the propositions that firms in the marine energy industry use internationalization as a strategy to overcome industry barriers. Our primary source of data is a unique dataset from a global survey of all the companies in the marine energy industry who are aiming to commercialize a wave or tidal energy device. This paper is organized in two steps: first we identified the most challenging industry barriers perceived by companies. Second we use these to form propositions which we assess through empirical data. The two most challenging barriers perceived by the companies are need for capital and need for supportive political schemes. Our findings reveal that internationalization certainly is a common strategy to access capital and attractive support schemes in foreign countries. The early internationalization has implications for researchers, managers and policy makers. - Research highlights: → Industry barriers identified as access to capital and supportive political schemes. → International entrepreneurship is used to overcome industry barriers. → Start-ups in emerging energy industries 'shop' national support schemes. → Future research to provide policy advice should adapt to the international reality. → Research based on a worldwide survey of wave and tidal energy device developers.

  18. Internationalization as a strategy to overcome industry barriers-An assessment of the marine energy industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lovdal, Nicolai, E-mail: nicolai.lovdal@iot.ntnu.n [Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Neumann, Frank, E-mail: frank@wave-energy-centre.or [Wave Energy Centre, Av. Manuel Maia, 36, r/c Dto., 1000-201 Lisboa (Portugal)

    2011-03-15

    Research on conditions to develop new innovations within emerging renewable energy industries is often done with a national focus. However, recent research on international entrepreneurship has revealed that firms operate on international levels very early in their life time. Thus, based on former research on international entrepreneurship and case examples, we build the propositions that firms in the marine energy industry use internationalization as a strategy to overcome industry barriers. Our primary source of data is a unique dataset from a global survey of all the companies in the marine energy industry who are aiming to commercialize a wave or tidal energy device. This paper is organized in two steps: first we identified the most challenging industry barriers perceived by companies. Second we use these to form propositions which we assess through empirical data. The two most challenging barriers perceived by the companies are need for capital and need for supportive political schemes. Our findings reveal that internationalization certainly is a common strategy to access capital and attractive support schemes in foreign countries. The early internationalization has implications for researchers, managers and policy makers. - Research highlights: {yields} Industry barriers identified as access to capital and supportive political schemes. {yields} International entrepreneurship is used to overcome industry barriers. {yields} Start-ups in emerging energy industries 'shop' national support schemes. {yields} Future research to provide policy advice should adapt to the international reality. {yields} Research based on a worldwide survey of wave and tidal energy device developers.

  19. Spent Nuclear Fuel project, project management plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuquay, B.J.

    1995-01-01

    The Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project has been established to safely store spent nuclear fuel at the Hanford Site. This Project Management Plan sets forth the management basis for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. The plan applies to all fabrication and construction projects, operation of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project facilities, and necessary engineering and management functions within the scope of the project

  20. Evaluation of mountain beetle-infested lodgepole pine for cellulosic ethanol production by sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose

    Science.gov (United States)

    X. Luo; R. Gleisner; S. Tian; J. Negron; W. Zhu; E. Horn; X. J. Pan; J. Y. Zhu

    2010-01-01

    The potentials of deteriorated mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)-killed lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees for cellulosic ethanol production were evaluated using the sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL) process. The trees were harvested from two sites in the United States Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado....