Applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

A co-ordinated research programme (CRP) on applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related techniques is a global CRP which will run from 1992-1996, and will build upon the experience gained by the Agency from the laboratory support that it has been providing for several years to BAPMoN - the Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network programme organized under the auspices of the World Meterological Organization. The purpose of this CRP is to promote the use of nuclear analytical techniques in air pollution studies, e.g. NAA, XFR, and PIXE for the analysis of toxic and other trace elements in suspended particulate matter (including air filter samples), rainwater and fog-water samples, and in biological indicators of air pollution (e.g. lichens and mosses). The main purposes of the core programme are i) to support the use of nuclear and nuclear-related analytical techniques for practically-oriented research and monitoring studies on air pollution ii) to identify major sources of air pollution affecting each of the participating countries with particular reference to toxic heavy metals, and iii) to obtain comparative data on pollution levels in areas of high pollution (e.g. a city centre or a populated area downwind of a large pollution source) and low pollution (e.g. rural areas). This document reports the discussions held during the first Research Co-ordination Meeting (RCM) for the CRP which took place at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna. Refs, figs and tabs

Physician scientist research pathway leading to certification by the American Board of Pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Sharon W; Johnson, Rebecca L

2016-06-01

In 2014, the American Board of Pathology, in response to the pathology community, approved a physician scientist research pathway (PSRP). This brief report summarizes the history of and objectives for creating the physician scientist research pathway and the requirements of the American Board of Pathology for the certification of physician scientist research pathway trainees. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 63454 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-24

... Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board that was to have taken... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of Federal Advisory Committee Meeting; Cancellation of Meeting...

Pollutant emissions during pyrolysis and combustion of waste printed circuit boards, before and after metal removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortuño, Nuria; Conesa, Juan A.; Moltó, Julia; Font, Rafael

2014-01-01

The constant increase in the production of electronic devices implies the need for an appropriate management of a growing number of waste electrical and electronic equipment. Thermal treatments represent an interesting alternative to recycle this kind of waste, but particular attention has to be paid to the potential emissions of toxic by-products. In this study, the emissions from thermal degradation of printed circuit boards (with and without metals) have been studied using a laboratory scale reactor, under oxidizing and inert atmosphere at 600 and 850 °C. Apart from carbon oxides, HBr was the main decomposition product, followed by high amounts of methane, ethylene, propylene, phenol and benzene. The maximum formation of PAHs was found in pyrolysis at 850 °C, naphthalene being the most abundant. High levels of 2-, 4-, 2,4-, 2,6- and 2,4,6-bromophenols were found, especially at 600 °C. Emissions of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs were quite low and much lower than that of PBDD/Fs, due to the higher bromine content of the samples. Combustion at 600 °C was the run with the highest PBDD/F formation: the total content of eleven 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners (tetra- through heptaBDD/Fs) was 7240 and 3250 ng WHO 2005 -TEQ/kg sample, corresponding to the sample with and without metals, respectively. - Highlights: • Thermal decomposition of printed circuit boards (with and without metals) is studied. • Important differences were found at the different experimental conditions. • Emission of brominated pollutants is much higher than that of chlorinated. • Metal enhances emission of halogenated compounds. • An increase in the temperature produces the destruction of pollutants

Environmental health research in the UK and European Union : research priorities in water and air pollution control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ince, M; Wheatley, A [Loughborough Univ. of Technology (United Kingdom). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1997-12-31

The contents are involvement of the European community, integration of research and development programmes ; surface water quality and pollution incidents; surface water pollution in the UK ; eutrophication ; drinking water quality ; causes and current treatment for removal of pollutants ; future causes of water pollution ; and , water and wastewater research.

Environmental health research in the UK and European Union : research priorities in water and air pollution control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ince, M.; Wheatley, A.

1996-01-01

The contents are involvement of the European community, integration of research and development programmes ; surface water quality and pollution incidents; surface water pollution in the UK ; eutrophication ; drinking water quality ; causes and current treatment for removal of pollutants ; future causes of water pollution ; and , water and wastewater research

[Research advances in eco-toxicological diagnosis of soil pollution].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Feng; Teng, Hong-Hui; Ren, Bai-Xiang; Shi, Shu-Yun

2014-09-01

Soil eco-toxicology provides a theoretical basis for ecological risk assessment of contaminated soils and soil pollution control. Research on eco-toxicological effects and molecular mechanisms of toxic substances in soil environment is the central content of the soil eco-toxicology. Eco-toxicological diagnosis not only gathers all the information of soil pollution, but also provides the overall toxic effects of soil. Therefore, research on the eco-toxicological diagnosis of soil pollution has important theoretical and practical significance. Based on the research of eco-toxicological diagnosis of soil pollution, this paper introduced some common toxicological methods and indicators, with the advantages and disadvantages of various methods discussed. However, conventional biomarkers can only indicate the class of stress, but fail to explain the molecular mechanism of damage or response happened. Biomarkers and molecular diagnostic techniques, which are used to evaluate toxicity of contaminated soil, can explore deeply detoxification mechanisms of organisms under exogenous stress. In this paper, these biomarkers and techniques were introduced systematically, and the future research trends were prospected.

Project 'European Research Center for Air Pollution Abatement Measures'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-04-01

During the 5-7th of March 1985 the first status report of the project 'European Research Center for Air Pollution Control Measures' took place in the Nuclear Research Center, Karlsruhe. Progress reports on the following topics assessment and analysis of the impacts of airborne pollutants on forest trees; distinction from other potential causes of recent forest dieback, research into atmospheric dispersion, conversion and deposition of airborne pollutants, development and optimization of industrial-technical processes to reduce or avoid emissions and providing instruments and making recommendations to the industrial and political sectors were presented. This volume is a collection of the work reported there. 42 papers were entered separately. (orig./MG) [de

Biologic markers of air-pollution stress and damage in forests

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1989-01-01

...-Pollution Damage in Trees Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology Commission on Life Sciences National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1989 i Copyrighttrue Please breaks inserted. are Page files. accidentally typesetting been have may original from the errors not typographic original retained, and from th...

Pollutant emissions during pyrolysis and combustion of waste printed circuit boards, before and after metal removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortuño, Nuria; Conesa, Juan A., E-mail: ja.conesa@ua.es; Moltó, Julia; Font, Rafael

2014-11-15

The constant increase in the production of electronic devices implies the need for an appropriate management of a growing number of waste electrical and electronic equipment. Thermal treatments represent an interesting alternative to recycle this kind of waste, but particular attention has to be paid to the potential emissions of toxic by-products. In this study, the emissions from thermal degradation of printed circuit boards (with and without metals) have been studied using a laboratory scale reactor, under oxidizing and inert atmosphere at 600 and 850 °C. Apart from carbon oxides, HBr was the main decomposition product, followed by high amounts of methane, ethylene, propylene, phenol and benzene. The maximum formation of PAHs was found in pyrolysis at 850 °C, naphthalene being the most abundant. High levels of 2-, 4-, 2,4-, 2,6- and 2,4,6-bromophenols were found, especially at 600 °C. Emissions of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs were quite low and much lower than that of PBDD/Fs, due to the higher bromine content of the samples. Combustion at 600 °C was the run with the highest PBDD/F formation: the total content of eleven 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners (tetra- through heptaBDD/Fs) was 7240 and 3250 ng WHO{sub 2005}-TEQ/kg sample, corresponding to the sample with and without metals, respectively. - Highlights: • Thermal decomposition of printed circuit boards (with and without metals) is studied. • Important differences were found at the different experimental conditions. • Emission of brominated pollutants is much higher than that of chlorinated. • Metal enhances emission of halogenated compounds. • An increase in the temperature produces the destruction of pollutants.

Towards Personal Exposures: How Technology Is Changing Air Pollution and Health Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Larkin, A; Hystad, P

2017-12-01

We present a review of emerging technologies and how these can transform personal air pollution exposure assessment and subsequent health research. Estimating personal air pollution exposures is currently split broadly into methods for modeling exposures for large populations versus measuring exposures for small populations. Air pollution sensors, smartphones, and air pollution models capitalizing on big/new data sources offer tremendous opportunity for unifying these approaches and improving long-term personal exposure prediction at scales needed for population-based research. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to combine these technologies to not only estimate personal exposures for epidemiological research but also determine drivers of these exposures and new prevention opportunities. While available technologies can revolutionize air pollution exposure research, ethical, privacy, logistical, and data science challenges must be met before widespread implementations occur. Available technologies and related advances in data science can improve long-term personal air pollution exposure estimates at scales needed for population-based research. This will advance our ability to evaluate the impacts of air pollution on human health and develop effective prevention strategies.

NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER AND THE TIDEWATER INTERAGENCY POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM

Science.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Langley Research Center (LaRC) is an 807-acre research center devoted to aeronautics and space research. aRC has initiated a broad-based pollution prevention program guided by a Pollution Prevention Program Plan and implement...

Manufacturing and process optimization of porous rice straw board

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dejun; Dong, Bing; Bai, Xuewei; Gao, Wei; Gong, Yuanjuan

2018-03-01

Development and utilization of straw resources and the production of straw board can dramatically reduce straw waste and environmental pollution associated with straw burning in China. However, the straw board production faces several challenges, such as improving the physical and mechanical properties, as well as eliminating its formaldehyde content. The recent research was to develop a new straw board compound adhesive containing both inorganic (MgSO4, MgCO3, active silicon and ALSiO4) and organic (bean gum and modified Methyl DiphenylDiisocyanate, MDI) gelling materials, to devise a new high frequency straw board hot pressing technique and to optimize the straw board production parameters. The results indicated that the key hot pressing parameters leading to porous straw board with optimal physical and mechanical properties. These parameters are as follows: an adhesive containing a 4:1 ratio of inorganic-to-organic gelled material, the percentage of adhesive in the total mass of preload straw materials is 40%, a hot-pressing temperature in the range of 120 °C to 140 °C, and a high frequency hot pressing for 10 times at a pressure of 30 MPa. Finally, the present work demonstrated that porous straw board fabricated under optimal manufacturing condition is an environmentally friendly and renewable materials, thereby meeting national standard of medium density fiberboard (MDF) with potential applications in the building industry.

Applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related analytical techniques. Report on the second research co-ordination meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

A co-ordinated research programme (CRP) on applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related techniques is a global CRP which started in 1992, and is scheduled to run until early 1997. The purpose of this CRP is to promote the use of nuclear analytical techniques in air pollution studies, e.g. NAA, XRF, and PIXE for the analysis of toxic and other trace elements in air particulate matter. The main purposes of the core programme are i) to support the use of nuclear and nuclear-related analytical techniques for research and monitoring studies on air pollution, ii) to identify major sources of air pollution affecting each of the participating countries with particular reference to toxic heavy metals, and iii) to obtain comparative data on pollution levels in areas of high pollution (e.g. a city centre or a populated area downwind of a large pollution source) and low pollution (e.g. rural area). This document reports the discussions held during the second Research Co-ordination Meeting (RCM) for the CRP which took place at ANSTO in Menai, Australia. (author)

Applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related analytical techniques. Report on the second research co-ordination meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

A co-ordinated research programme (CRP) on applied research on air pollution using nuclear-related techniques is a global CRP which started in 1992, and is scheduled to run until early 1997. The purpose of this CRP is to promote the use of nuclear analytical techniques in air pollution studies, e.g. NAA, XRF, and PIXE for the analysis of toxic and other trace elements in air particulate matter. The main purposes of the core programme are i) to support the use of nuclear and nuclear-related analytical techniques for research and monitoring studies on air pollution, ii) to identify major sources of air pollution affecting each of the participating countries with particular reference to toxic heavy metals, and iii) to obtain comparative data on pollution levels in areas of high pollution (e.g. a city centre or a populated area downwind of a large pollution source) and low pollution (e.g. rural area). This document reports the discussions held during the second Research Co-ordination Meeting (RCM) for the CRP which took place at ANSTO in Menai, Australia. (author)

A Twenty-Two-Year-Old Community Advisory Board: Health Research as an Opportunity for Social Change

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Anthony J.; Quinn, Sandra J.; Rinaldo, Charles R.

2010-01-01

Conducting health research often requires a partnership between marginalized communities and researchers. Community organizers can broker this partnership in a way that not only produces important scientific discoveries but also brings needed resources to the communities. This article is a description of a community advisory board established in 1984 to advise researchers on a longitudinal study of the natural history of AIDS among gay men. The Board successfully guided the recruitment of more than 3,000 gay and bisexual male volunteers and, at the same time worked as a powerful change agent. An analysis of minutes from all Board meetings between 1984-2006 indicates that significant social change as well as important research findings resulted from Board actions. Community organizers who work to create a mutually beneficial partnership between communities and researchers may find new opportunities to support community growth and social justice. PMID:20523763

Status of marine pollution research in South Africa (1960-present).

Science.gov (United States)

Wepener, V; Degger, N

2012-07-01

The published literature on marine pollution monitoring research in South Africa from 1960 to present was evaluated. There has been a general decline in the number of papers from the 1980s and this can be linked to the absence of a marine pollution monitoring programme in South Africa. General trends observed were that contaminant exposure monitoring of metals predominates the research conducted to date. Monitoring results indicate that there has been a general decrease in metal concentrations in South African coastal waters and concentrations of metals and most organics in mussels are lower than in other industrialised nations. This is reflected in the general pristine nature and high biodiversity of the South African coastline. The establishment of a national marine pollution monitoring framework would stimulate marine pollution research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 81918 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-29

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION... research and development projects requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program...

75 FR 57967 - Science Advisory Board to the National Center for Toxicological Research Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-23

...] Science Advisory Board to the National Center for Toxicological Research Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Food... closed to the public. Name of Committee: Science Advisory Board (SAB) to the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). General Function of the Committee: To provide advice and recommendations to the...

77 FR 57569 - Science Advisory Board to the National Center for Toxicological Research; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-18

...] Science Advisory Board to the National Center for Toxicological Research; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Food... closed to the public. Name of Committee: Science Advisory Board (SAB) to the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). General Function of the Committee: To provide advice and recommendations to the...

[Research advances in heavy metals pollution ecology of diatom].

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Teng-Da; Ni, Wan-Min; Zhang, Jian-Ying

2012-03-01

Diatom, due to its high sensitivity to environmental change, is one of the bio-indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, and some typical diatom species have been applied to indicate the heavy metals pollution of water body. With the focus on the surface water heavy metals pollution, this paper reviewed the research advances in the toxic effect of heavy metals pollution on diatom, biosorption and bioaccumulation of heavy metals by diatom, ecological adaptation mechanisms of diatom to heavy metals pollution, and roles of diatom as bio-indicator and in ecological restoration of heavy metals pollution. The growth tendency of diatom and the morphological change of frustule under heavy metals pollution as well as the differences in heavy metals biosorption and bioaccumulation by diatom, the ecological adaptation mechanisms of diatom on heavy metals surface complexation and ion exchange, and the roles of diatom as bio-indicator and in ecological restoration of heavy metals polluted water body were also discussed. This review could provide scientific evidences for the prevention of aquatic ecosystems heavy metals pollution and related early warning techniques.

In situ lake pollutant survey using prompt-gamma probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiunnhsing Chao; Chien Chung

1991-01-01

An aluminium-made neutron-gamma probe, consisting of a 1.5 μg 252 Cf neutron source and a high purity germanium detector, was mounted on a mobile floating platform to survey chlorine pollutant concentration in lake water in situ. Laboratory tests for determining the probe operating depth and in situ field trials of a polluted lake were conducted; evaluation of radiation exposure to workers on board was carried out. The polluted chlorine concentration in lake water was found to be 86 ppm, with minimal radiation exposure for the operating crew on board. (author)

75 FR 5288 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-02

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This... requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program funds in excess of $1M. This meeting is...

75 FR 55778 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-14

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice is... requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program funds in excess of $1M. This meeting is...

Ethical dilemmas in community-based participatory research: recommendations for institutional review boards.

Science.gov (United States)

Flicker, Sarah; Travers, Robb; Guta, Adrian; McDonald, Sean; Meagher, Aileen

2007-07-01

National and international codes of research conduct have been established in most industrialized nations to ensure greater adherence to ethical research practices. Despite these safeguards, however, traditional research approaches often continue to stigmatize marginalized and vulnerable communities. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has evolved as an effective new research paradigm that attempts to make research a more inclusive and democratic process by fostering the development of partnerships between communities and academics to address community-relevant research priorities. As such, it attempts to redress ethical concerns that have emerged out of more traditional paradigms. Nevertheless, new and emerging ethical dilemmas are commonly associated with CBPR and are rarely addressed in traditional ethical reviews. We conducted a content analysis of forms and guidelines commonly used by institutional review boards (IRBs) in the USA and research ethics boards (REBs) in Canada. Our intent was to see if the forms used by boards reflected common CBPR experience. We drew our sample from affiliated members of the US-based Association of Schools of Public Health and from Canadian universities that offered graduate public health training. This convenience sample (n = 30) was garnered from programs where application forms were available online for download between July and August, 2004. Results show that ethical review forms and guidelines overwhelmingly operate within a biomedical framework that rarely takes into account common CBPR experience. They are primarily focused on the principle of assessing risk to individuals and not to communities and continue to perpetuate the notion that the domain of "knowledge production" is the sole right of academic researchers. Consequently, IRBs and REBs may be unintentionally placing communities at risk by continuing to use procedures inappropriate or unsuitable for CBPR. IRB/REB procedures require a new framework more

Institutional review board challenges related to community-based participatory research on human exposure to environmental toxins: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudel Ruthann A

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We report on the challenges of obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB coverage for a community-based participatory research (CBPR environmental justice project, which involved reporting biomonitoring and household exposure results to participants, and included lay participation in research. Methods We draw on our experiences guiding a multi-partner CBPR project through university and state Institutional Review Board reviews, and other CBPR colleagues' written accounts and conference presentations and discussions. We also interviewed academics involved in CBPR to learn of their challenges with Institutional Review Boards. Results We found that Institutional Review Boards are generally unfamiliar with CBPR, reluctant to oversee community partners, and resistant to ongoing researcher-participant interaction. Institutional Review Boards sometimes unintentionally violate the very principles of beneficence and justice which they are supposed to uphold. For example, some Institutional Review Boards refuse to allow report-back of individual data to participants, which contradicts the CBPR principles that guide a growing number of projects. This causes significant delays and may divert research and dissemination efforts. Our extensive education of our university Institutional Review Board convinced them to provide human subjects protection coverage for two community-based organizations in our partnership. Conclusions IRBs and funders should develop clear, routine review guidelines that respect the unique qualities of CBPR, while researchers and community partners can educate IRB staff and board members about the objectives, ethical frameworks, and research methods of CBPR. These strategies can better protect research participants from the harm of unnecessary delays and exclusion from the research process, while facilitating the ethical communication of study results to participants and communities.

76 FR 26930 - Dairy Promotion and Research Program; Importer Nominations to the Dairy Promotion and Research Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-10

...: AMS-DA-08-0050] Dairy Promotion and Research Program; Importer Nominations to the Dairy Promotion and... to the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (Dairy Act), as amended, and the Dairy Promotion... importer representation, initially two members, to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (Dairy...

78 FR 1 - Soybean Promotion and Research: Amend the Order To Adjust Representation on the United Soybean Board

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-02

... practice and procedure; Advertising; Agricultural research; Marketing agreements; Soybeans and soybean...] Soybean Promotion and Research: Amend the Order To Adjust Representation on the United Soybean Board... occurred since the Board was reapportioned in 2009. As required by the Soybean Promotion, Research, and...

Indoor Pollution Emissions from Building Materials; Case of Study: Gypsum Boards Indoor Pollution Emissions from Building Materials; Case of Study: Gypsum Boards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silverio Hernández Moreno

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Este reporte presenta una evaluación de las emisiones de materiales de construcción, al interior de los edificios que pueden causar daño a la salud de los usuarios durante la ocupación, pues emiten sustancias tóxicas al interior de los edificios. Este reporte presenta un caso de studio que evalúa a los tableros de yeso, frecuentemente usados en la construcción de muros divisorios y falsos plafones. La parte experimental se basa en un espacio tridimensional el cual simula un cuarto de cualquier tipo de edificación; por ejemplo: un salón de clases u oficina. Las condiciones ambientales al interior, tales como: ventilación, temperatura y humedad, afectan directamente las emisiones de sustancias químicas por los materiales de construcción. La metodología se basa en la comparación de materiales convencionales y materiales alternativos con distinta composición y similares características, en donde usamos métodos de prueba, condiciones ambientales, instrumentos y herramientas similares. Este es un estudio muy importante para entender los problemas relacionadoscon la contaminación ambiental, específicamente del aire y sus efectos en el interior de los edificios, y que se relaciona directamente con la salud pública e indirectamente con los sistemas constructivos y la selección de materiales en los edificios. Las pruebas concluyen que los materiales alternativos (de contenido reciclado son mejores que los tradicionales, porque reducen la contaminación del aire al interior de los edificios. This report presents an evaluation of emissions from indoor building materials that may cause health damage to the people who occupy the building, since these materials emit toxic chemicals into the air and indoor surfaces. This report presents a case study which evaluates Gypsum Boards, frequently used in the construction of dividing walls and ceilings. The experimental part of this report is based on a three-dimensional space that simulates a

Development and application of an emitter for research of an on-board ultraviolet polarimeter

Science.gov (United States)

Nevodovskyi, P. V.; Geraimchuk, M. D.; Vidmachenko, A. P.; Ivakhiv, O. V.

2018-05-01

In carrying out of the work a layout of on-board small-sized ultraviolet polarimeter (UVP) was created. UVP is the device, which provides an implementation of passive remote studies of stratospheric aerosol from the board of the microsatellite of the Earth by the method of polarimetry. For carrying out of tests and the research of polarimetric equipment, a special stand was created at MAO of NAS of Ukraine. In its composition is an ultraviolet emitter. Emitter is one of the main components of a special stand for the study of on-board ultraviolet polarimeters.

The Satisfaction and Use of Research Ethics Board Information Systems in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Detlor, Brian; Wilson, Michael J

2015-10-01

This article reports findings from a national survey of Research Ethics Board (REB) personnel across Canada on the satisfaction and use of information systems that support the review and administration of research ethics protocols. Findings indicate that though a wide variety of REB systems are utilized, the majority fall short of desired characteristics. Despite these shortcomings, most respondents are satisfied with their current REB systems. Satisfaction is dependent on the volume of protocols processed in relation to the robustness of the system. Boards with higher volumes are more satisfied with full-fledged systems; however, the satisfaction of REBs with lower volumes is not affected by the robustness of the REB system used. Recommendations are provided. © The Author(s) 2015.

76 FR 45542 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense. ACTION... program areas. These projects are requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program...

76 FR 46756 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-03

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Scientific Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary. ACTION... Change program areas. These projects are requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development...

Board on Research Data and Information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sztein, A. Ester [National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States); Boright, John [National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-08-14

The Board on Research Data and Information (BRDI) has planned and undertaken numerous activities regarding data citation, attribution, management, policy, publishing, centers, access, curation, sharing, and infrastructure; and international collaboration and cooperation. Some of these activities resulted in National Research Council reports (For Attribution: Developing Data Attribution and Citation Practices and Standards (2012), The Case for International Scientific Data Sharing: A Focus on Developing Countries (2012), and The Future of Scientific Knowledge Discovery in Open Networked Environments (2012); and a peer-reviewed paper (Out of Cite, Out of Mind: The Current State of Practice, Policy, and Technology for the Citation of Data, 2013). BRDI held symposia, workshops and sessions in the U.S. and abroad on diverse topics such as global scientific data infrastructures, discovery of data online, privacy in a big data world, and data citation principles, among other timely data-related subjects. In addition, BRDI effects the representation of the United States before the International Council for Science’s International Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA).

Research Evidence and School Board Deliberations: Lessons from Three Wisconsin School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Asen, Robert; Gurke, Deb; Conners, Pamela; Solomon, Ryan; Gumm, Elsa

2013-01-01

This article analyzes the use of research evidence in school-board deliberations in three school districts in Wisconsin. In these settings, the circulation, meaning, and function of research depended importantly on the interests and backgrounds of advocates, the composition of audiences, and the values and contexts of decision-making. Board…

77 FR 49439 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice... research and development projects requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program funds...

Pollution prevention for cleaner air: EPA's air and energy engineering research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaver, E.M.

1992-01-01

The article discusses the role of EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) in pollution prevention research for cleaner air. For more than 20 years, AEERL has been conducting research to identify control approaches for the pollutants and sources which contribute to air quality problems. The Laboratory has successfully developed and demonstrated cost-effective sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate control technologies for fossil fuel combustion sources. More recently, it has expanded its research activities to include indoor air quality, radon, organic control, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global warming. AEERL also develops inventories of air emissions of many types. Over the last several years, it has made substantial efforts to expand research on pollution prevention as the preferred choice for air emissions reduction

76 FR 49753 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Scientific Advisory Board Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-11

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Scientific Advisory Board Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This... projects requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) funds in excess of $1M...

The Atomic Energy Control Board's regulatory research and support program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-04-01

The purpose of the Regulatory Research and Support Program is to augment and extend the capability of the Atomic Energy Control Board's (AECB) regulatory program beyond the capability of in-house resources. The overall objective of the program is to produce pertinent and independent scientific and other knowledge and expertise that will assist the AECB in making correct, timely and credible decisions on regulating the development, application and use of atomic energy. The objectives are achieved through contracted research, development, studies, consultant and other kinds of projects administered by the Research and Radiation Protection Branch (RRB) of the AECB

Ethical Dilemmas in Community-Based Participatory Research: Recommendations for Institutional Review Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Travers, Robb; Guta, Adrian; McDonald, Sean; Meagher, Aileen

2007-01-01

National and international codes of research conduct have been established in most industrialized nations to ensure greater adherence to ethical research practices. Despite these safeguards, however, traditional research approaches often continue to stigmatize marginalized and vulnerable communities. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has evolved as an effective new research paradigm that attempts to make research a more inclusive and democratic process by fostering the development of partnerships between communities and academics to address community-relevant research priorities. As such, it attempts to redress ethical concerns that have emerged out of more traditional paradigms. Nevertheless, new and emerging ethical dilemmas are commonly associated with CBPR and are rarely addressed in traditional ethical reviews. We conducted a content analysis of forms and guidelines commonly used by institutional review boards (IRBs) in the USA and research ethics boards (REBs) in Canada. Our intent was to see if the forms used by boards reflected common CBPR experience. We drew our sample from affiliated members of the US-based Association of Schools of Public Health and from Canadian universities that offered graduate public health training. This convenience sample (n = 30) was garnered from programs where application forms were available online for download between July and August, 2004. Results show that ethical review forms and guidelines overwhelmingly operate within a biomedical framework that rarely takes into account common CBPR experience. They are primarily focused on the principle of assessing risk to individuals and not to communities and continue to perpetuate the notion that the domain of “knowledge production” is the sole right of academic researchers. Consequently, IRBs and REBs may be unintentionally placing communities at risk by continuing to use procedures inappropriate or unsuitable for CBPR. IRB/REB procedures require a new framework

Social Media in Health Research: An Example from Childcare Provider Message Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Meghan

2011-01-01

Social media sites, such as message boards and blogs, provide innovative data sources for researchers as these sites feature people sharing advice and discussing issues in a public arena. Research has found the online context can encourage people to reveal more information than do such traditional methods as interviews or focus groups. However,…

The Consensus Process at the Water Science and Technology Board, National Research Council

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, W. S.

2001-12-01

Whereas the very birth of the U.S. Geological Survey arose from the recommendations of a National Academy of Sciences report, water science has not always had a prominent place at that institution. Prior to the 1980s, water issues were dealt with on an ad hoc basis by various boards related to science, engineering, and policy. With the birth of the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) in 1982, a diversity of water-related issues are now handled under one roof. The "business" of the WSTB is to produce consensus reports on a spectrum of topics in water science. Some of the projects that the WSTB works on are self-generated. The majority are generated either by Congress, or by government agencies. The WSTB takes on several different kinds of studies. Some of these are designed to advance the science of hydrology itself. This category would include the report Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences, which helped to establish hydrologic science as something separate from applied hydrology in Congress, the White House, and agencies such as NSF. However, the majority of the board's consensus studies involve hydrology in the interests of improving the natural and human environment. For example, Water for the Future: The West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel, and Jordan outlined consensus principles backed by scientists from all of these entities for sustaining freshwater resources of the region. Closer to home, but no less controversial, a WSTB committee recently reached consensus on improving the process by which states determine which water bodies are polluted enough to require clean-up, and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads for these pollutants. Another committee recently sorted through the scientific bases for using natural attenuation for various contaminants in ground water and soil. And an ongoing committee is trying to help the South Florida scientific community to determine the best strategies for restoring the Everglades to some semblance of its former self

Performance evaluation on air pollution reducing facilities and mechanism research on the third-party governance on environmental pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Bingsheng, Xu; Ling, Lin; Jin, Huang; Geng, Wang; Jianhua, Chen; Shuo, Yang; Huiting, Guo

2017-11-01

The paper focuses on developing the operational efficiency of air pollution reducing facilities and the treatment effect of the third-party governance on environmental pollution. Comprehensive analysis method and influence factor analysis are employed to build an evaluation index system by means of discussing major pollution control factors derived from the performance of pollution control equipment operation, environmental protection, technological economy, recourse consumption and manufacturing management. Based on the pattern of environmental pollution control offered by the third-party company, the static games model is further established between the government and the pollution emission firm by considering the whole process of the pollution abatement including investment, construction and operation of the treatment project, which focuses on establishing the policy condition and consequence by discussing the cost and benefit in a short and a long time, respectively. The research results can improve the market access requests of the pollution control equipment and normalize the environmental protection service offered by the third-party company. Moreover, the establishment of the evaluation index system for pollution control equipment and the evaluation mechanism for the third-party governance on environmental pollution has guiding significance on leading environmental protection industry and promoting market-oriented development

Sediment pollution of the Elbe River side structures - current research

Science.gov (United States)

Chalupova, Dagmar; Janský, Bohumír

2016-04-01

The contribution brings the summarized results of a long-term research on sediment pollution of side structures of the Elbe River over the last 14 years. The investigation has been focused on old anthropogenic pollution of sediment cores taken from fluvial lakes and floodplain, as the sampling of deeper sediments outside the riverbed is not a part of systematic monitoring of sediment pollution of the Elbe. The Elbe River floodplain has been influenced by human activities since the Middle Ages, but the main anthropogenic pollution have been produced in the 20th century. The studied localities were chosen with the respect to the distance from the source of industrial pollution, the intensity of hydrological communication with the river and the surrounding landuse to determine the extend and the level of anthropogenic contamination in the Elbe River floodplain ecosystem. Apart from bathymetric measurements, observation of the hydrological regime in several fluvial lakes or water quality sampling at some localities, the research was focused above all on determination of metal concentrations (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, Zn) in all taken sediment cores, specific organic compounds (PCBs, DDT, HCH, HCB, PAHs etc.), total organic carbon at some localities and grain structure analyses. The data were also compared with the results of systematic sediment monitoring from the nearest riverbed sampling stations on the Elbe River. The highest concentrations of metals and specific organic compounds were determined in the sediments taken from fluvial lakes and floodplain (Zimní přístav PARAMO, Rosice fuvial Lake, Libiš pool etc.) situated in the vicinity of the main Elbe River polluters - Synthesia chemical plant and PARAMO refinery in Pardubice or Spolana chemical plant near Neratovice. However, there was also determined a significant role of the hydrological communication with the river proved with lower sediment pollution in separated localities. The realization of the

The Geotechnical Board National Research Council. [Annual] activities report, March 1, 1991--June 30, 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smeallie, P.H.

1993-08-11

This report covers the activities of the Geotechnical Board and its two national committees, the US National Committee for Rock Mechanics (USNC/RM) and the US National Committee on Tunneling Technology (USNC/TT), for the period from March 1, 1991 to June 30, 1992. The report covers a 16-month period, through June of this year, to bring the reporting period in line with the National Research Council`s (NRC) fiscal year. Subsequent reports will cover the 12-month period July 1--June 30, unless individual contracts require otherwise. A description of the Geotechnical Board and its committees within the context of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, as well as lists of current members of the board and national committees can be found in Attachment A.

77 FR 26521 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-04

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice... development projects requesting Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) funds in...

Medipix3 array high performance read-out board for synchrotron research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tartoni, N.; Horswell, I. C.; Marchal, J.; Gimenez, E. N.; Fearn, R. D.; Silfhout, R. G. van

2010-01-01

The Medipix3 ASIC is one of the most advanced chip that is presently available to build photon counting area detectors. The capabilities of the chip include adjacent pixels charge summing circuitry to sort out the distortion due to charge sharing, simultaneous counting and read-out that enables frames to be acquired without dead time, the colour mode of operation that enables up to eight energy bands to be acquired. In order to fully exploit the capabilities of the Medipix3 chip in synchrotron research, a high performance electronic board capable of driving large arrays of chips is necessary. We propose a parallel read-out board of Medipix3 chip arrays with a scalable architecture that allows driving the Medipix3 chip in all of its modes of operation. The board functions include the control of the chip arrays, data formatting and data compression, the management of the communications with the data storage devices, and operation in various trigger modes. In addition to this the board will have some 'intelligence' embedded. This will add some very important features to the final detector such as pattern recognition, capability of variable frame duration as a function of the photon flux, feedback to other equipment and real time calculations of data relevant to experiments such as the autocorrelation function.

75 FR 3542 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-21

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... Board is to review rehabilitation research and development applications for scientific and technical...

Challenges and future direction of molecular research in air pollution-related lung cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahadin, Maizatul Syafinaz; Ab Mutalib, Nurul Syakima; Latif, Mohd Talib; Greene, Catherine M; Hassan, Tidi

2018-04-01

Hazardous air pollutants or chemical release into the environment by a variety of natural and/or anthropogenic activities may give adverse effects to human health. Air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), heavy metals and particulate matter (PM) affect number of different human organs, especially the respiratory system. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that ambient air pollution is a cause of lung cancer. Recently, the agency has classified outdoor air pollution as well as PM air pollution as Group 1 carcinogens. In addition, several epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between air pollutants to lung cancer risks and mortality. However, there are only a few studies examining the molecular effects of air pollution exposure specifically in lung cancer due to multiple challenges to mimic air pollution exposure in basic experimentation. Another major issue is the lack of adequate adjustments for exposure misclassification as air pollution may differ temporo-spatially and socioeconomically. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review the current molecular understanding of air pollution-related lung cancer and potential future direction in this challenging yet important research field. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Black Sea ecology. Pollution research in Turkey of the marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Topcuoglu, Sayhan

2000-01-01

Scientific research is leading to answers that can help protect the Black Sea marine environment. Through projects supported by the IAEA and other cooperative channels, countries in the Black Sea region are applying their expertise and capabilities to expand scientific knowledge of chemical and radioactive pollution. Turkey stands among the countries engaged in studies of the Black Sea, for a number of reasons related to environmental, economic, and health issues. Our scientific knowledge of pollution problems in the marine environment promises to expand in years ahead. Advances in the integration of biokinetic, ecotoxicology and risk analysis with environmental monitoring studies could make it possible to eventually determine the sensitivity to pollutants of human populations and marine organisms. Such integrated studies are being conducted by the Radioecology Laboratory of Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center (CNAEM) in Turkey. The Laboratory has gained considerable experience over the years, including through its collaboration since 1970 with the IAEA's Marine Environment Laboratory (MEL) in Monaco. Agency technical cooperation projects and research programmes additionally have benefited the laboratory. This article highlights selected Turkish studies of the Black Sea related to both radioactive and chemical pollution

Progress of ambient air pollution and cardiovascular disease research in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Ta-Chen; Chen, Szu-Ying; Chan, Chang-Chuan

2011-01-01

Asian countries are with deteriorating air quality accompanying the rapid economic and social development of the past decades, and the potential health impacts of air pollution have been noticed by researchers in the region. We reviewed the scientific literature on air pollution and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) published by Asian researchers in English since the 1980s to determine whether the findings in Europe and North America can be extrapolated to Asia. Epidemiological studies show that short-term particulate matter pollution is a strong predictor for CVD morbidity and mortality and suggestive on cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality in newly developed countries in Asia. Multicountry epidemiological studies are needed to fully appreciate the extent of air pollution on CVD in Asia, especially less developed Asian countries. New cohort studies should be initiated to improve our understanding of particulate matter's toxicological pathways, long-term exposure effects, and gene-environment interaction on CVD among the Asian population. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RESEARCH OF AIR POLLUTION FROM TRAFFIC IN «STREET CANYONS» OF CITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. I. Rusakova

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The article is devoted to state analyze of atmospheric air at its pollution with vehicle emissions in Dnipropetrovsk city, the development a numerical model and applied computing program for research of air pollution level with vehicle emissions on the streets when several buildings are located on the scheme «street canyon». Methodology. To achieve the research purpose it was studied the dynamic of change concentration of different pollutants that have been fixed on monitoring station of air quality in Dnipropetrovsk city. It was performed level assessment of air pollution from traffic (according to the Main Statistical Office in Dnipropetrovsk region. It was developed methodology for numerical calculation of concentration the atmospheric air pollution from vehicle emissions. To solve hydrodynamic task of determining velocity field of wind flow in streets the model of separated flows of an inviscid fluid was used; to solve the task of the calculation process of dispersion pollution the equation of convective-diffusion transfer of pollutant was used. To implement the proposed methodology we used implicit difference schemes. Findings.In the work a mathematical numerical model was developed and computing programs on its base were created. It allows conducting the computational experiments for evaluation the level of air pollution from vehicle emissions on the streets when several buildings are located on the scheme «street canyon». As a result of research regulations on change concentration of carbon monoxide near a considered group of buildings at different pollutant emissions were established. Originality.This numerical model was developed which allows accounting the hydrodynamic impact of group buildings on dispersion of pollutants when the wind speed and the vertical diffusion coefficient vary with height. Practical value. Conducting such class of computational experiments is necessary in the case of reconstruction of city

76 FR 13124 - Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-10

... Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting AGENCY: Research, Education, and Economics, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: In accordance with...) announces a meeting of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory...

75 FR 12171 - Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-15

... Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting AGENCY: Research, Education, and Economics, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: In accordance with... announces a meeting of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory...

75 FR 61692 - Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-06

... Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting AGENCY: Research, Education, and Economics, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: In accordance with...) announces a meeting of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory...

Oil Pollution in the Southeastern Baltic Sea in 2009-2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lavrova O. Yu.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available From January 2009 to April 2012 a satellite survey of the central and southeastern parts of the Baltic Sea was carried out by the Space Radar Laboratory at the Space Research Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS. The main attention was focused on the detection of oil pollution as well as biogenic and anthropogenic surfactant films. The basic data are high resolution radar images obtained by advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR on board of the Envisat satellite of the European Space Agency. Remotely sensed data in visual and infrared (IR bands acquired by sensors MERIS Envisat, MODIS-Terra and -Aqua, and AVHRR NOAA nearly simultaneously with the ASAR images, were processed and analysed in order to facilitate the discrimination between different types of surface pollutants, to understand a comprehensive features of meteorological and hydrodynamic processes in the sea area of investigation, and to reveal factors determining pollutants spread and drift. The regions of the most intense oil pollution are outlined.

Use of electronic bulletin boards for environmental management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, A.; Rao, H.G.

1991-01-01

As a result of changes to existing environmental protection legislation, and the numerous changes to existing regulations that continually take place, environmental managers need updated information on federal mandated programs and regulation, approved and other mathematical models, control technologies, acceptable measurement techniques and continuing education courses. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing help to state and local air pollution control agencies, the regulated community, consultants and the general public through electronic bulletin boards. Each bulletin board (BB) uses data base management system and communication technology to provide access to information on several specific topics of interest to the environmental manager. This review discusses nine bulletin board systems available to the public from the EPA. Several alternative bulletin board systems are also available and will be discussed in future columns

[Heavy metal pollution ecology of macro-fungi: research advances and expectation].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qi-xing; An, Xin-long; Wei, Shu-he

2008-08-01

Macro-fungi are the main component of biosphere and one of the ecological resources, and play very important roles in matter cycling and in maintaining ecological balances. This paper summarized and reviewed the research advances in the eco-toxicological effects of heavy metals on macro-fungi, the bioaccumulation function of macro-fungi on heavy metals, the ecological adaptation mechanisms of macro-fungi to heavy metal pollution, the role of macro-fungi as a bio-indicator of heavy metal pollution, and the potential of macro-fungi in the ecological remediation of contaminated environment. To strengthen the researches on the heavy metal pollution ecology of macro-fungi would be of practical significance in the reasonable utilization of macro-fungi resources and in the ecological remediation of contaminated environment.

Research project on “A Study in Urban Air Pollution Improvement in Asia”

OpenAIRE

2017-01-01

This final report of the joint research project “A study in urban air pollution improvement in Asia” is submitted by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on behalf of the project team following the contract between AIT and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the project period of March 2015 - December 2017. Technical support is provided by the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) Japan and the operational support is provided by the Pollution Control Department (P...

Board effectiveness: Investigating payment asymmetry between board members and shareholders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wuchun Chi

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Board members may well be responsible for dissension between themselves and shareholders since they are simultaneously the setters and receivers of both board remuneration and dividends. They may act out of their own personal interests at the expense of external shareholders. We investigate the impact of ownership structure, board structure and control deviation on payment asymmetry, where excessively high remuneration is paid to board members but considerably lower dividends are distributed to shareholders. We find strong evidence confirming that the smaller the shareholdings of board members and outside blockholders are, the more asymmetric the payments are. With controlling family members on the board and a higher percentage of seats held by independent board members, there is a slight reduction in the likelihood and severity of payment asymmetry. In addition, it is abundantly clear that the larger the board seat-control deviation is, the greater is the likelihood and severity of payment asymmetry. While prior research has primarily focused on board-manager agency issues, the board-shareholder perspective could be even more important in that it is the board that is the most directly delegated agent of shareholders, not the managers

Global research priorities to mitigate plastic pollution impacts on marine wildlife

Science.gov (United States)

Vegter, Amanda C.; Barletta, Mário; Beck, Cathy A.; Borrero, Jose C.; Burton, Harry; Campbell, Marnie L.; Costa, Monica F.; Eriksen, Marcus; Eriksson, Cecilia; Estrades, Andres; Gilardi, Kirsten V.; Hardesty, Britta D.; do Sul, Juliana A. Ivar; Lavers, Jennifer L.; Lazar, Bojan; Lebreton, Laurent; Nichols, Wallace J.; Ribic, Christine A.; Ryan, Peter G.; Schuyler, Qamar A.; Smith, Stephen D. A.; Takada, Hideshige; Townsend, Kathy A.; Wabnitz, Colette C. C.; Wilcox, Chris; Young, Lindsay C.; Hamann, Mark

2014-01-01

Marine wildlife faces a growing number of threats across the globe, and the survival of many species and populations will be dependent on conservation action. One threat in particular that has emerged over the last 4 decades is the pollution of oceanic and coastal habitats with plastic debris. The increased occurrence of plastics in marine ecosystems mirrors the increased prevalence of plastics in society, and reflects the high durability and persistence of plastics in the environment. In an effort to guide future research and assist mitigation approaches to marine conservation, we have generated a list of 16 priority research questions based on the expert opinions of 26 researchers from around the world, whose research expertise spans several disciplines, and covers each of the world’s oceans and the taxa most at risk from plastic pollution. This paper highlights a growing concern related to threats posed to marine wildlife from microplastics and fragmented debris, the need for data at scales relevant to management, and the urgent need to develop interdisciplinary research and management partnerships to limit the release of plastics into the environment and curb the future impacts of plastic pollution.

SenStick: Comprehensive Sensing Platform with an Ultra Tiny All-In-One Sensor Board for IoT Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yugo Nakamura

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a comprehensive sensing platform called SenStick, which is composed of hardware (ultra tiny all-in-one sensor board, software (iOS, Android, and PC, and 3D case data. The platform aims to allow all the researchers to start IoT research, such as activity recognition and context estimation, easily and efficiently. The most important contribution is the hardware that we have designed. Various sensors often used for research are embedded in an ultra tiny board with the size of 50 mm (W × 10 mm (H × 5 mm (D and weight around 3 g including a battery. Concretely, the following sensors are embedded on this board: acceleration, gyro, magnetic, light, UV, temperature, humidity, and pressure. In addition, this board has BLE (Bluetooth low energy connectivity and capability of a rechargeable battery. By using 110 mAh battery, it can run more than 15 hours. The most different point from other similar boards is that our board has a large flash memory for logging all the data without a smartphone. By using SenStick, all the users can collect various data easily and focus on IoT data analytics. In this paper, we introduce SenStick platform and some case studies. Through the user study, we confirmed the usefulness of our proposed platform.

Description of how the Atomic Energy Control Board research and development program is administered

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-06-01

The Regulatory Research Program should be seen as augmenting and extending the capability of in-house resources. The overall objective of the research program is to produce pertinent and independent information that will assist the Board and its staff in making correct, timely and credible decisions on regulating atomic energy. Within the framework of the general objective, the specific objectives are: (i) to verify information, claims or analyses from licensees in support of licensing actions; (ii) to fill gaps in knowledge to enable the Board to contribute to the establishment of health and safety requirements or guidelines or to aid in arriving at licensing decisions; (iii) to stimulate licensees to do more work on certain topics relating to health, safety or security; (iv) to develop information on the regulatory process and the evaluation of the regulatory process; (v) to develop equipment or procedures to enhance health, safety or security in those cases where the industry is not competent or inclined to do so; and (vi) to enhance the competence of the Board and its credibility in the eyes of licensees and the public

Research ethics and Institutional Review Boards. The influence of moral constraints on emotion research.

Science.gov (United States)

Sontag, Michael

2012-01-01

Researchers in the twenty-first century face a set of challenges unknown to researchers a half century ago--the need to justify the moral acceptability of their research methods through formal review processes. However, the role that moral constraints play in the development and demise of scientific theories has largely gone unappreciated. The rise of Institutional Review Boards (IRB) in the 1960s compounded the impact of moral constraints on scientific research and on the theories that develop out of such highly monitored research. To demonstrate the effects of moral constraints on scientific theory and research, this paper offers a history and analysis of the interaction between evolving moral standards and twentieth century emotion theory. Recommendations regarding IRB reform are also reviewed. The paper concludes by arguing that, while appropriate IRB reform is important, it cannot eliminate the need for careful reflection on the broader forces that shape scientific practice and understanding.

Bioremediation of polluted wasewaterwater influent: phiosphorus and nitrogen removal. Scientific Research and Essays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muchie, Mammo; Akpor, OB

2010-01-01

Akpor OB and Muchie M. (2010). Bioremediation of polluted wasewaterwater influent: phiosphorus and nitrogen removal. Scientific Research and Essays, Vol. 5(21), pp. 3222–3230......Akpor OB and Muchie M. (2010). Bioremediation of polluted wasewaterwater influent: phiosphorus and nitrogen removal. Scientific Research and Essays, Vol. 5(21), pp. 3222–3230...

microRNAs: Implications for air pollution research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jardim, Melanie J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the current understanding on the role of microRNAs in mediating genetic responses to air pollutants and to contemplate on how these responses ultimately control susceptibility to ambient air pollution. Morbidity and mortality attributable to air pollution continues to be a growing public health concern worldwide. Despite several studies on the health effects of ambient air pollution, underlying molecular mechanisms of susceptibility and disease remain elusive. In the last several years, special attention has been given to the role of epigenetics in mediating, not only genetic and physiological responses to certain environmental insults, but also in regulating underlying susceptibility to environmental stressors. Epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of gene products, both basally and as a response to a perturbation, without affecting the sequence of DNA itself. These mechanisms include structural regulation of the chromatin structure, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, and post-transcriptional gene regulation, such as microRNA mediated repression of gene expression. microRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that have been quickly established as key regulators of gene expression. As such, miRNAs have been found to control several cellular processes including apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation. More recently, research has emerged suggesting that changes in the expression of some miRNAs may be critical for mediating biological, and ultimately physiological, responses to air pollutants. Although the study of microRNAs, and epigenetics as a whole, has come quite far in the field of cancer, the understanding of how these mechanisms regulate gene–environment interactions to environmental exposures in everyday life is unclear. This article does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the US EPA.

microRNAs: Implications for air pollution research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jardim, Melanie J., E-mail: melaniejardim@gmail.com [Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

2011-12-01

The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the current understanding on the role of microRNAs in mediating genetic responses to air pollutants and to contemplate on how these responses ultimately control susceptibility to ambient air pollution. Morbidity and mortality attributable to air pollution continues to be a growing public health concern worldwide. Despite several studies on the health effects of ambient air pollution, underlying molecular mechanisms of susceptibility and disease remain elusive. In the last several years, special attention has been given to the role of epigenetics in mediating, not only genetic and physiological responses to certain environmental insults, but also in regulating underlying susceptibility to environmental stressors. Epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of gene products, both basally and as a response to a perturbation, without affecting the sequence of DNA itself. These mechanisms include structural regulation of the chromatin structure, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, and post-transcriptional gene regulation, such as microRNA mediated repression of gene expression. microRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that have been quickly established as key regulators of gene expression. As such, miRNAs have been found to control several cellular processes including apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation. More recently, research has emerged suggesting that changes in the expression of some miRNAs may be critical for mediating biological, and ultimately physiological, responses to air pollutants. Although the study of microRNAs, and epigenetics as a whole, has come quite far in the field of cancer, the understanding of how these mechanisms regulate gene-environment interactions to environmental exposures in everyday life is unclear. This article does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the US EPA.

77 FR 51785 - Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-27

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice... Act (Pub. L. 92-463). The topic of the meeting on October 23-25, 2012 is to review new start research...

76 FR 62755 - National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting Notice

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-11

... structure of the Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics... the full Advisory Board will convene at 8 a.m. with introductory remarks by the Chair of the Advisory... also include a discussion on the impact of National Agricultural Statistic Service reports on grain...

Health effects of ambient air pollution – recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ren Cizao

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. Air quality in developed countries has been generally improved over the last three decades. However, many recent epidemiological studies have consistently shown positive associations between low-level exposure to air pollution and health outcomes. Thus, adverse health effects of air pollution, even at relatively low levels, remain a public concern. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges in this field and to identify future research directions for air pollution epidemiological studies.

Coastal marine pollution and toxicology : overview of current research and future needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubir Din

1996-01-01

The contents are marine pollution and toxicology studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia, their facilities, and research projects have been done on this subject. In coastal pollution monitoring and baseline studies, the emphasis have been on determination of levels of trace-metals in the coastal marine environment, in relation to other physico-chemical parameters. The future needs and goals of marine pollution and toxicology studies in Malaysia also discussed

Coastal marine pollution and toxicology : overview of current research and future needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Din, Zubir [Science Univ. of Malaysia, Minden, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia). Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies

1997-12-31

The contents are marine pollution and toxicology studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia, their facilities, and research projects have been done on this subject. In coastal pollution monitoring and baseline studies, the emphasis have been on determination of levels of trace-metals in the coastal marine environment, in relation to other physico-chemical parameters. The future needs and goals of marine pollution and toxicology studies in Malaysia also discussed.

Current research trends on plastic pollution and ecological impacts on the soil ecosystem: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Yooeun; An, Youn-Joo

2018-05-09

Plastic pollution in the environment is currently receiving worldwide attention. Improper dumping of disused or abandoned plastic wastes leads to contamination of the environment. In particular, the disposal of municipal wastewater effluent, sewage sludge landfill, and plastic mulch from agricultural activities is a serious issue and of major concern regarding soil pollution. Compared to plastic pollution in the marine and freshwater ecosystems, that in the soil ecosystem has been relatively neglected. In this study, we discussed plastic pollution in the soil environment and investigated research on the effects of plastic wastes, especially microplastics, on the soil ecosystem. We found that earthworms have been predominantly used as the test species in investigating the effects of soil plastic pollution on organisms. Therefore, further research investigating the effects of plastic on other species models (invertebrates, plants, microorganisms, and insects) are required to understand the effects of plastic pollution on the overall soil ecosystem. In addition, we suggest other perspectives for future studies on plastic pollution and soil ecotoxicity of plastics wastes, providing a direction for such research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 12422 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-22

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit, mission relevance, and the... Program Manager, Scientific Merit Review Board, Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research...

78 FR 6854 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-31

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on February 13-14, 2013, at the... research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit. Recommendations regarding funding...

The harm of petroleum-polluted soil and its remediation research

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuguang; Xu, Yan; Lin, Zhaofeng; Zhang, Jishi; Norbu, Namkha; Liu, Wei

2017-08-01

Land resources are the foundation of human's survival and development, and it's one of the most valuable natural resources of each country. In view of the serious problems of petroleum pollution to soil caused during the exploration and development processes, this article based on a large number of literature researches, firstly discussed the compositions and properties of petroleum contaminants, secondly investigated some restoration methods for the current situation of petroleum polluted soil, compared and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of three kinds of bioremediation technologies. Finally, according to the deficiencies of previous research and existing problems, made an outlook of the physical and chemical remediation, bioremediation, and microbe-plant remediation, to provide some enlightenments for petroleum-contaminated soil remediation.

7 CFR 1215.2 - Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POPCORN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Definitions § 1215.2 Board. Board...

77 FR 21622 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-10

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held on April 20, 2012, 131 M Street NE., Washington, DC...

75 FR 72872 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-26

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held on December 13-14, 2010, at the Hilton Alexandria Old...

7 CFR 1230.4 - Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PORK PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order Definitions § 1230.4 Board. Board means...

76 FR 20335 - Meeting of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-12

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Meeting of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Scientific Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This...-463). The topic of the meeting on June 16, 2011 is to review continuing research and development...

Comparison of different test methods to assess thermal stresses of metal oxide surge arresters under pollution conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bargigia, A.; de Nigris, M.; Pigini, A.; Sironi, A.

1992-01-01

The report deals with the research conducted by ENEL, the Italian Electricity Board, to assess the performance of zinc oxide surge arresters under pollution condition, with special reference to the consequent thermal stress on internal active parts which can affect the energy handling capabality of the arrester and may lead, in particular conditions, even to thermal runaway

More electric power for cleaner air: ENEL air pollution abatement program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landini, P.; Segreto, F.

1991-01-01

ENEL (Italian National Electricity Board) is conducting an intensive anti-pollution campaign that is expected to lead to overall reductions by about 80% in polluting emissions by the year 2000. Existing plants are being equipped with low NOx burners and electrostatic precipitators; coal units are receiving flue gas desulfurization systems. New poly-fuel plants, to be located far from residential zones, are to use low sulfur fuels or natural gas, and employ 250 meter high smoke-stacks. ENEL's anti-pollution campaign also involves a series of co-ordinated research studies directed towards the development of new sulfur and nitrogen oxides emission control technologies and innovative fluidized-bed and coal-water fuel slurry combustion systems. ENEL will also participate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests in environmental protection programs. These will involve the setting-up of acid rain monitoring and sampling networks and atmospheric circulation mapping and modelling

76 FR 6197 - Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-03

... Board will be held March 2-3, 2011, at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District, 750 Kearny Street... management, and nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit... subcommittee on Nursing Research Initiatives will convene from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the subcommittee for pilot...

Research and information needs related to nonpoint source pollution and wetlands in the watershed: An EPA perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ethridge, B.J.; Olson, R.K.

1992-01-01

Two related Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) efforts, wetlands protection and nonpoint source pollution control, fail to fully consider landscape factors when making site-specific decisions. The paper discusses the relationship of the two programs and the use of created and natural wetlands to treat nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Recommendations to improve the programs include increased technical transfer of existing information, and more research on construction methods and siting of created wetlands to effectively manage NPS pollution. Additional research is also needed to determine (1) the maximum pollutant loading rates to assure the biological integrity of wetlands, (2) the effectiveness of current land-use practices in protecting habitat and water quality functions, (3) wetland functions as pollutant sinks, (4) NPS pollution threats to wildlife, (5) practical watershed models, and (6) indicators and reference sites for monitoring wetland condition. Model watershed demonstrations, jointly implemented by the research and conservation communities, are recommended as a means of integrating research results. (Copyright (c) 1992 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.)

Pollution law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triffterer, O.

1980-01-01

In the draft proposed by the legal advisory board the law for the controlling of environmental criminality was promulgated on 28th March 1980. The present commentary therefore - as seen from the results - corresponds in essential to the original assessment of the governmental draft. However, an introduction into the problems of environmental law precedes this commentary for the better unterstanding of all those not acquainted with pollution law and the whole legal matter. (orig./HP) [de

The Influence of Board of Directors, Independent Board of Commissioners, Leverage, and Corporate Activities To Disclosure of Sustainability Report.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eria Nissa Awalia

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This research was intended to examine the influences of board of directors, board of independent commissioner, leverage, and activity of company toward sustainability report disclosure. Sustainability Report Disclosure is the dependent variable sinthis research were measured by GRIG 3.1 Content Index and Checklists. For the independent variables in this research, using board of directors were measured by sum of directors meetings, board of in dependent commissioner were measured by proportion of independent commissioner, leverage were measured by debt to equity, activity of company were measured by total asset turnover. This research uses secondary data which is financial statement. and sustainability report from Indonesian Stock Exchange Listed Companies in 2010-2012. While the sampling method used was purposive sampling method which is overall 39 observations. This research uses multiple regression method to test the hypothesis with SPSS computer program. From the analysis performed in this research, it can be concluded that board of directors, and leverage have no significant influence to sustainability report disclosure. The other hand activity of company has positive influence and significant to sustainability report disclosure. And Board of independent commissioner has negative influence and significant to sustainability reporting disclosure.

Effective Governance and Hospital Boards Revisited: Reflections on 25 Years of Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, Cathleen O; Landry, Amy Yarbrough; Livingston, Avery C; Dias, Ashley

2018-01-01

This study reviews and synthesizes empirical research literature focusing on the relationship between boards of directors and organizational effectiveness of U.S. hospitals. The study examines literature published in scholarly journals during the period of 1991-2017. Fifty-one empirical articles were identified that met the study's inclusion criteria. A framework from the corporate governance and nonprofit governance literature is used to classify the articles according to level of analysis (individual actors, governing bodies, organizations, and networks, alliances and multiorganizational initiatives) and focus of research (formal structure and behavioral dynamics-including informal structures and processes). Results are discussed, emerging trends are identified, and recommendations are made for future research.

77 FR 42365 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-18

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that various subcommittees of the Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on August 28-30, 2012, at the Boston Omni Parker...

AIR EMISSIONS FROM LASER DRILLING OF PRINTED WIRING BOARD MATERIALS

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of a study to characterize gases generated during laser drilling of printed wiring board (PWB) material and identifies the pollutants and generation rates found during the drilling process. Typically found in the missions stream were trace amounts of carbo...

Foreign board members and firm innovativeness: An exploratory analysis for setting a research agenda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu; Williams, Allan; Habersetzer, Antoine

2018-01-01

Purpose This paper aims to assess the often repeated, but empirically unconfirmed, supposition that there is a positive connection between foreign board members (FBMs) and firm innovativeness and to set a research agenda for future studies on the topic. Design/methodology/approach The analyses ar...

Research on numerical method for multiple pollution source discharge and optimal reduction program

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingchang; Dai, Mingxin; Zhou, Bin; Zou, Bin

2018-03-01

In this paper, the optimal method for reduction program is proposed by the nonlinear optimal algorithms named that genetic algorithm. The four main rivers in Jiangsu province, China are selected for reducing the environmental pollution in nearshore district. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is studied as the only pollutant. The environmental status and standard in the nearshore district is used to reduce the discharge of multiple river pollutant. The research results of reduction program are the basis of marine environmental management.

An institutional review board-based clinical research quality assurance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Lad, Pramod M; Dahl, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Despite the acknowledged importance of quality assurance in the clinical research process, the problem of how such a program should be implemented at the level of an academic teaching hospital or a similar institution has not been addressed in the literature. Despite the fact that quality assurance is expected in programs which certify and accredit Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), very little is known about the role of the IRB in programs of clinical research quality assurance. In this article we consider the definition of clinical research quality assurance, and describe a program designed to achieve it. The key elements of such a program are education at the site level, which has both mandatory and voluntary components, and an auditing and monitoring program, which reinforces the education on quality assurance. The role of the IRB in achieving the program goals and the organizational placement of the quality assurance program within the IRB structure and function are important items of discussion.

76 FR 42167 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-18

... subcommittees of the Board will meet to evaluate merit review applications: August 9--Rehabilitation Engineering... Rehabilitation. August 16--Rehabilitation Engineering and Prosthetics/Orthotics. August 16-17--Psychological... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...

What makes boards effective? An examination of the relationships between board inputs, structures, processes and effectiveness in non-profit organizations

OpenAIRE

Cornforth, Chris

2001-01-01

Based on a survey of charity boards in England and Wales this paper examines what influence board inputs, structures and processes have on board effectiveness. The findings provide mixed support for the normative literature on board effectiveness. Using stepwise logistic regression the research suggests that board inputs and three process variables are important in explaining board effectiveness, namely: board members have the time, skills and experience to do the job; clear board roles and r...

Institutional Review Boards: Perspectives from the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alvita Nathaniel, Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In the U.S., all research must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB that evaluates research protocols for the purpose of protecting human subjects. This paper includes a brief history of the development of public policy that guides institutional review boards in the U.S. and commentary on the responsibilities of a grounded theory researcher interested in applying for approval for a research study.An institutional review board (IRB is a formally constituted committee that approves and monitors biomedical and behavioural research with the purpose of protecting the rights and welfare of research participants. An IRB performs scientific, ethical, and regulatory oversight functions. In the U.S., it is common for grounded theorists to experience frustration with the IRB protocol submission process. Facets of the application process may seem rigid, redundant, and non-applicable. Review board members may not seem to understand or appreciate qualitative methods and delays are common. In addition, a conglomeration of disparate policies and procedures coupled with a variety of types of review boards creates a system that defies description. Nevertheless, a researcher who understands public policy and the responsibilities of institutional review boards can learn to develop research applications that are quickly approved.

77 FR 8330 - Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-14

... Disorders; HCR 2--Substance Use Disorders; HCR 3--Rehabilitation/Rural; HCR 4--Women's Health; HCR 5--Pain... Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on March 6-8, 2012, at the Hilton New Orleans... to the Chief Research and Development Officer. On March 6, the subcommittee on Nursing Research...

77 FR 214 - Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-04

... the California State Implementation Plan, San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District... approval of revisions to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD) portion of the... used by the California Air Resources Board and air districts for evaluating air pollution control...

1st PBWU status seminar on research in the field of 'air pollution and human health'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohmanns, B.; Kirchner, M.; Reuther, M.; Roesel, K.

1993-08-01

On February 25th and 26th, the first Status Seminar of the Bavarian Projekt Group for Research on the Effect of Environmental Pollutants (PBWU) concerning research in 'Air pollution and human health' was held at the GSF research centre, Neuherberg. Its aim was to present the current state of the research coordinated by PBWU and funded by the Bavarian ministry for land growth and the environment as a part of environment-related health research in Bavaria. The event centered around the discussion of possible influence of air pollutants on respiratory diseases and allergies. In order to round off the programme, the lectures on projects funded by the Bavarian ministry for land growth and the environment were complemented by lectures on non-Bavarian research initiatives. On all fourteen technical lectures the database contains individual entries. (orig.) [de

Long distance atmospheric pollution: assessment, risks, management and decision. Collection of abstracts of research works. Synthesis of results of researches performed within the framework of the PRIMEQUAL programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, Severine; Ramalho, Olivier; Bellanger, Anne-Pauline; Blondeau, Patrice; Bonvallot, Nathalie; Campagna, Dave; Cellier, Pierre; Charles, Lionel; Coddeville, Patrice; Coll, Isabelle; Frejafon, Emeric; Gehin, Evelyne; George, Christian; Glorennec, Philippe; Gros, Valerie; Hecq, Walter; Laj, Paolo; Le Calve, Stephane; Mallet, Cecile; Momas, Isabelle; Mullot, Jean-Ulrich; Plaisance, Herve; Probst, Anne; Seigneur, Christian; Vlassopoulo, Chloe; Weiss, Karine

2014-11-01

After a brief presentation of the PRIMEQUAL programme, an inter-agency and institution research programme for a better air quality (275 supported research actions since the programme creation), an introduction presents the context of research works within this programme on long distance pollution. Various research works are then briefly presented. They address three main themes: 1) determining factors and atmospheric processes (role of organic nitrates in nitrogen transport, source and evolution of organic carbonated pollution in the atmosphere, modelling of long distance pollution, a miniature and autonomous station for atmospheric composition monitoring), 2) the regional evidence of pollutants transport (local and long distance pollution in Ile-de-France, pollutant transport and air quality in Mediterranean Sea, measurement and modelling of the deposition of Saharan dusts, relationship between forest fires and air quality), and 3) long term impacts on ecosystems, health and economy (peat lands as markers of atmospheric contamination, 20 years of measurements of atmospheric depositions in France and trends on the long term, vulnerability of ecosystems to atmospheric nitrogen, a cost-benefit approach to the relationship between long distance pollution and climate change). An appendix contains the call for research propositions which resulted in the above-mentioned researches

Board on chemical sciences and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology organizes and provides direction for standing and ad hoc committees charged with addressing specific issues relevant to the continued health of the chemical sciences and technology community. Studies currently under the oversight of the BCST include a major survey of chemical engineering, an examination of the problems of biohazards in the laboratory, and an analysis of the roots and magnitude of the problem of obsolescent facilities for research and teaching in departments in the chemical sciences and engineering. The Board continues to respond to specific agency requests for program assessments and advice. BCST members are designated to serve as liaison with major federal agencies or departments that support research in order to help identify ways for the board to assist the these organizations. The BCST also maintains close contact with professional societies and nongovernmental organizations that share the Board's concern for the health of chemical sciences and technology. Individual Board members are assigned responsibility for liaison with the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society of Biological Chemists, the Council for Chemical Research, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Sections of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). In the past few years, the Board has served as a focus and a forum for a variety of issues that relate specifically to the health of chemistry. A sampling of these concerns include: industry-university cooperation; basic research funding in DOD, DOE, NIH, and NSF; basic research in the chemistry of life processes; basic research in biochemical engineering; basic research in the science and technology of new materials; and undergraduate education in chemistry and chemical engineering

The early history of research funding in South Africa: From the Research Grant Board to the FRD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ndivhuwo M. Luruli

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The South African government has a long tradition of supporting research at public higher education institutions. Such support commenced in the early 20th century, although the exact nature of the support at that time is poorly documented. The oldest research funding model in the country was agency funding, which started as early as 1911 through the Royal Society of South Africa. A few years later, in 1918, a more coordinated funding body called the Research Grant Board (RGB was established in the Union of South Africa. The RGB offered competitive funding to individual academics in the natural and physical sciences. The human sciences were only supported much later with the establishment of the Council for Educational and Social Research in 1929. Here we review the history of research funding in South Africa, with a special focus on the work of the RGB between 1918 and 1938.

Board of Governors | IDRC - International Development Research ...

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

... internal control and management information systems are viable; Track corporate performance against strategic and business plans; Monitor the performance of the president and chief executive officer; Ensure IDRC has an effective communications strategy; Assess our own performance in fulfilling Board responsibilities ...

Toxicity removal from hard board wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nawar, S.S.; El Kamah, H.

1984-01-01

The rapid growth of industry in Egypt in recent years has made industrial pollution an important issue. During the past decade fish production in some canals and lakes have virtually ceased due to the discharge of industrial and agricultural wastewater. The alternatives under study include effluent treatment before discharge to receiving water. Highly polluted waste from a hard board mill was treated using the activated sludge process. Factors affecting the efficiency of the treatment were detention time and organic loading rate. The results indicated that BOD and phenol reduction reached 82% and 94% respectively, when the organic loading rate was 0.1 (kg BOD/kg SS). The process proved to be successful in completely eliminating the toxicity effect of the waste on Nile fish (Tilapia nilotica). 14 references, 1 figure, 3 tables.

Perspective for Future Research Direction About Health Impact of Ambient Air Pollution in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Guang-Hui

2017-01-01

Air pollution has become one of the major risks to human health because of the progressive increase in the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Although lots of works on the health impact of ambient air pollution have been done in China, the following recommendations for future research were identified in this chapter: (1) the synergistic effect of indoor air pollution with climate change; (2) develop new technologies to improve accurate assessment of air pollution exposure; (3) well-designed cohort study of sensitive populations including children, older people, and people with chronic health problems; (4) multi-omics technologies in the underlying mechanisms study; and (5) benefits evaluation of improvement of air quality. In conclusion, China is becoming a suitable study site, providing an ideal opportunity to evaluate the effects of environmental pollution, including air pollution, on human health, which might serve as an example for developing countries where health impacts of air pollution are as serious as in China.

The co-ordinated programme for research and monitoring of pollution in the Mediterranean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Civili, F.S.; Jeftic, L.

1987-01-01

The turnover rate of water in the Mediterranean is explained, and the problem of pollution is identified. The Mediterranean Action Plan which was approved in 1975, has three main elements: environmental legislation, environmental management and environmental assessments. The environmental assessment component is a coordinated programme involving groups and institutions in 16 countries. The longterm objectives are stated and the activities undertaken are given. Four types of monitoring are being carried out - of sources, of coastal areas, of reference areas and of the transport of pollutants to the Mediterranean Sea through the atmosphere. The research activities are outlined and the resulting reports are considered. The state of pollution is assessed and the measures proposed to solve the problems are given. In particular, mercury pollution is explained. (UK)

The relationship between top management team – outside board conflict and outside board service involvement in high-tech start-ups

OpenAIRE

Vandenbrouke, Elien; Knockaert, Mirjam; Ucbasaran, Deniz

2017-01-01

Corporate governance research has extensively studied the relationship between outside board characteristics and outside board involvement. We add to this literature by investigating the extent to which interactions between outside board members and the top management team (TMT) affect the functioning of the outside board. Building on conflict theory, our study shows how conflict between TMT and outside board is an important antecedent for outside board service involvement. Specifically, draw...

A Review of Epidemiological Research on Adverse Neurological Effects of Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaohui; Ha, Sandie Uyen; Basnet, Rakshya

2016-01-01

There is a growing body of epidemiological research reporting the neurological effects of ambient air pollution. We examined current evidence, identified the strengths and weaknesses of published epidemiological studies, and suggest future directions for research in this area. Studies were identified through a systematic search of online scientific databases, in addition to a manual search of the reference lists from the identified papers. Despite being a relatively new area of investigation, overall, there is mounting evidence implicating adverse effects of air pollution on neurobehavioral function in both adults and children. Further research is needed to expand our understanding of these relationships, including improvement in the accuracy of exposure assessments; focusing on specific toxicants and their relationships to specific health endpoints, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases; investigating the combined neurological effects of multiple air pollutants; and further exploration of genetic susceptibility for neurotoxicity of air pollution. In order to achieve these goals collaborative efforts are needed from multidisciplinary teams, including experts in toxicology, biostatistics, geographical science, epidemiology, and neurology. PMID:27547751

Institutional Review Boards at Very High Research Activity Universities: An Opportunity for Social Workers

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, Clare; Buttell, Frederick

2015-01-01

Objectives: This study investigated to what degree social work was represented in the position of chair of social-behavioral institutional review boards (IRBs) at very high research activity (VHRA) universities in the United States. Method: We collected data on IRB rosters for all 108 schools designated by the Carnegie Foundation as VHRAs in the…

Epidemiology and air pollution. A report of the Committee on the Epidemiology of Air Pollutants, Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1985-01-01

This report examines the role of epidemiology in the study of the health effects of air pollution. The four health effects of concern in the report art acute respiratory infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and lung cancer. The five types of pollution said to be of continuing concern are woodsmoke, nitrogen oxides, persistant ozone and acid aerosols, episodic ozone and acid aerosol haze and radon. The advantages of using epidemiological studies are discussed. They include: direct determination of public health problems and estimation of their magnitude; evaluation of the impact of decreases in exposure; and defining characteristics of the problem that can guide intervention even before the mechanics are understood

Estimation of metal pollutant loads from Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (Brazil)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marques, Joyce R.; Monteiro, Lucilena R.; Soares, Sabrina M.V.; Stellato, Thamiris B.; Silva, Tatiane B.S.C.; Silva, Douglas B. da; Faustino, Mainara G.; Pires, Maria A.F.; Cotrim, Marycel E.B., E-mail: joyce.marques@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

According to National Environmental Council's (CONAMA) Resolution 357/05, pollutant load can be defined as the amount of a particular pollutant released in receiving water body; it is commonly expressed in a mass-time ratio. As specified in CONAMA's Resolution 430/11, the responsible for the pollutant source must present the Pollutant Load Declaration to environmental authorities. However, pollutant load knowledge is also important to the water quality maintenance and its environmental rating that must be kept to meet the requirements of the most restrictive use. In the control of metals releases is also important due public health matters, since they can cause harmful environmental contamination and major public health issues. Therefore this work aims to present the estimated metal pollutant load released by Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN/CNEN - Brazil), between 2013 and 2014. Results of cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, zinc, nickel, manganese, iron, barium, silver, boron and tin in composite samples (weekly) via Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and bromide (Br-) released as a tracer, to measure the wastewater flow were used to estimate IPEN's Metal Pollutant load. This study is part of the environmental assessment Program at IPEN, instituted since 2006 to the attendance of the current environmental legislation (CONAMA's Resolution 430/11, Article 19-A of State Decree 8.468/76 and State Decree 15.425/80). (author)

Marine Casualty and Pollution Data for Researchers

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Homeland Security — The Marine Casualty and Pollution Data files provide details about marine casualty and pollution incidents investigated by Coast Guard Offices throughout the United...

7 CFR 1260.150 - Duties of the Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEEF PROMOTION AND RESEARCH Beef Promotion and Research Order Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board § 1260.150 Duties of the Board...

Board on chemical sciences and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology organizes and provides direction for standing and ad-hoc committees charged with addressing specific issues relevant to the continued health of the chemical sciences and technology community. Studies currently under the oversight of the BCST include a major survey of the chemical sciences, a complementary survey of chemical engineering, an examination of the problems of biohazards in the laboratory, and an analysis of the roots and magnitude of the problem of obsolescent facilities for research and teaching in departments in the chemical sciences and engineering. The Board continues to respond to specific agency requests for program assessments and advice. BCST members are designated to serve as liaison with major federal agencies or departments that support research in order to help identify ways for the Board to assist these organizations. The BCST maintains close contact with professional societies and non-governmental organizations that share the Board's concern for the health of chemical sciences and technology. Individual Board members are assigned responsibility for liaison with the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society of Biological Chemists, the Council for Chemical Research, the NAS Chemistry and Biochemistry Sections, and the National Academy of Engineering. In the past few years, the Board has served as a focus and a forum for a variety of issues that relate specifically to the health of chemistry

Impact of environmental pollution and climate change on forest ecosystems: the activity of the IUFRO Research Group 7.01

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paoletti E

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Impact of environmental pollution and climate change on forest ecosystems: the activity of the IUFRO Research Group 7.01. The IUFRO RG 7.01 deals with "Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change on Forest Ecosystems". Climate change and air pollution are closely linked, although in applied scientific research and even more in political negotiations they have been largely separated. Many of the traditional air pollutants and greenhouse gases have not only common sources, but may also interact physically and chemically in the atmosphere causing a variety of environmental impacts on the local, regional and global scales. The impacts on forest ecosystems have been traditionally treated separately for air pollution and climate change. However, the combined effects of numerous climate change and air pollution factors may significantly differ from a sum of separate effects due to an array of various synergistic or antagonistic interactions. The net effect varies for different ecosystem types and geographic regions, and depends on magnitude of climate or air pollution drivers, and types of interactions between them. This paper reviews the links between air pollution and climate change and their interactive effects on forests. A simultaneous addressing of the air pollution and climate change effects on forests is an opportunity for capturing synergies and avoiding overlaps between two lines of traditional research. This could result in more effective research, monitoring and management as well as better integration of environmental policies.

The Role of Different Agricultural Plant Species in Air Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Fiala, P.; Miller, D.; Shivers, S.; Pusede, S.; Roberts, D. A.

2017-12-01

The goal of this research project is to use remote sensing data to study the relationship between different plant species and the pollutants in the air. It is known that chemical reactions within plants serve as both sources and sinks for different types of Volatile Organic Compounds. However, the species-specific relationships have not been well studied. Through the better characterization of this relationship, certain aspects of air pollution may be more effectively managed. For this project, I used Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data and trace gas measurements from instruments on board the NASA DC-8 to assess the relationship between different plant species and the pollutants in the air. I used measurements primarily from the agricultural land surrounding Bakersfield, CA. I created a map of the crop species in this area using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) on the AVIRIS imagery, and matched this to trace gas measurements taken on the DC-8. I used a Hysplit matrix trajectory to account for the air transport over the vegetation and up to contact with the plane. Finally, I identified correlations between the plant types and the concentration of the pollutants. The results showed that there were significant relationships between specific species and pollutants, with lemons and grapes contributing to enhanced pollution, and tree nuts reducing pollution. Specifically, almonds produced significantly lower levels of O3 , NO, and NO2. Lemons and grapes had high O3 levels, and lemons had high levels of isoprene. In total, these data show that it may be possible to mitigate airborne pollution via selective planting; however, the overall environmental effects are much more complicated and must be analyzed further.

Historical Trends in Graduate Research and Training of Diplomates of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bethard, Jonathan D

2017-01-01

The history of forensic anthropology has been documented by numerous scholars. These contributions have described the work of early pioneers in the field and have described important milestones, such as the founding of the Physical Anthropology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) in 1972 and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) in 1977. This paper contributes to the growing literature on the history of forensic anthropology by documenting the academic training of all individuals who have been granted diplomate status by the ABFA (n = 115). Doctoral dissertation titles were queried to discern broad patterns of research foci. A total of 39 doctoral granting institutions have trained diplomates and 77.3% of board-certified forensic anthropologists wrote dissertations involving skeletal biology, bioarchaeology, or forensic anthropology. Board-certified forensic anthropologists are a broadly trained group of professionals with far-reaching anthropological interests and expertise. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

New technological methods for protecting underground waters from agricultural pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Mavlyanov, Gani

2015-04-01

The agricultural production on the irrigated grounds can not carry on without mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Especially it is shown in Uzbekistan, in cultivation of cotton. There is an increase in mineralization, rigidity, quantity of heavy metals, phenols and other pollutions in the cotton fields. Thus there is an exhaustion of stocks of fresh underground waters. In the year 2003 we were offered to create the ecological board to prevent pollution to get up to a level of subsoil waters in the top 30 centimeter layer of the ground. We carried out an accumulation and pollution processing. This layer possesses a high adsorbing ability for heavy metals, mineral oil, mineral fertilizers remnants, defoliants and pesticides. In order to remediate a biological pollution treatment processing should be take into account. The idea is consisted in the following. The adsorption properties of coal is all well-known that the Angren coal washing factories in Tashkent area have collected more than 10 million tons of the coal dust to mix with clays. We have picked up association of anaerobic microorganisms which, using for development, destroys nutrients of coal waste pollutions to a harmless content for people. Coal waste inoculation also are scattered by these microorganisms on the field before plowing. Deep (up to 30 cm) plowing brings them on depth from 5 up to 30 cm. Is created by a plough a layer with necessary protective properties. The norm of entering depends on the structure of ground and the intensity of pollutions. Laboratory experiments have shown that 50% of pollutions can be treated by the ecological board and are processed up to safe limit.

Research plan for integrated ecosystem and pollutant monitoring at remote wilderness study sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruns, D.A.; Wiersma, G.B.

1988-03-01

This research plan outlines an approach to the measurement of pollutants and ecosystem parameters at remote, high-elevation, wilderness study sites. A multimedia, systems approach to environmental monitoring is emphasized. The primary purpose of the research is to apply and field test a technical report entitled ''Guidelines for measuring the physical, chemical, and biological condition of wilderness ecosystems.'' This document intended to provide Federal Land Managers with information to establish environmental monitoring programs in wilderness areas. To date, this monitoring document has yet to be evaluated under rigorous field conditions at a remote, high-elevation Rocky Mountain site. For the purpose of field testing approaches to monitoring of pollutants and ecosystems in remote, wilderness areas, evaluation criteria were developed. These include useability, cost-effectiveness, data variability, alternative approaches, ecosystems conceptual approach, and quality assurance. Both the Forest Service and INEL environmental monitoring techniques will be evaluated with these criteria. Another objective of this research plan is to obtain an integrated data base on pollutants and ecosystem structure and function at a remote study site. The methods tested in this project will be used to acquire these data from a systems approach. This includes multimedia monitoring of air and water quality, soils, and forest, stream, and lake ecosystems. 71 refs., 1 fig., 9 tabs

Board Characteristics and Firm Performance: Evidence from Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Athalia Ariati Hidayat

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This research examines the effect of board characteristics (comprising in different sized proportions: family commissioners, family directors, independent commissioners, ex-government officer commissioners, and board of commissioners size to firm performance. Using fixed-effects data panel regression, this research investigates 293 firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange during 2008-2012. Firm performance is proxied by market measure (Tobin’s Q and accounting measure (ROA. The findings of this research suggest that the proportion of family commissioners and family directors have positive impact only to Tobin’s Q value, while the proportion of independent directors can increase both Tobin’s Q and ROA. On the other hand, this research finds that the proportion of ex-government officers in the board gives no impact to firm performance. This research also finds that the board size has U-shaped non-linear relationship with firm performance as proxied by Tobin’s Q and ROA.

Tribute to a frontline scientist in marine pollution research

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sarkar, A

frontline scientist in marine pollution research Anupam Sarkar Accepted: 1 February 2006 / Published online: 4 May 2006 C211 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006 Dr. Simao Nascimento de Sousa This special issue of Ecotoxicology is dedicated to a... stream_size 2562 stream_content_type text/plain stream_name Ecotoxicology_15_329.pdf.txt stream_source_info Ecotoxicology_15_329.pdf.txt Content-Encoding UTF-8 Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Tribute to a...

75 FR 64321 - Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR); Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-19

... public meeting in New Orleans, LA to hear comments on the priorities of oil pollution research, including... (NASA) --United States Coast Guard (USCG) --Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United States...

Wastewater Pollution from Cruise Ships in the Adriatic Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Perić

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The global growth of cruise tourism has brought increasing concern for the pollution of the marine environment. Marine pollution from sanitary wastewater is a problem especially pronounced on large cruise ships where the number of people on board may exceed 8,000. To evaluate future marine pollution in any selected period of time it is necessary to know the movement of ships in the Adriatic Sea. This paper presents the problem of marine pollution by sanitary wastewater from cruise ships, wastewater treatment technology and a model of cruise ship traffic in the Adriatic Sea considering MARPOL Annex IV areas of limited wastewater discharge. Using the model, it is possible to know in advance the routes of the cruisers and retention time in certain geographic areas. The data obtained by this model can be used as input parameters for evaluation model of wastewater pollution or for evaluation of other types of pollution from cruise ships.

Gender Quotas on Board of Directors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Nina

2013-01-01

Beside arguments of fairness and equal opportunities, it is often argued that gender diversity on boards of directors may improve firm performance, but the empirical results are mixed and often negative. Based on the available research, gender quotas on boards of directors cannot be justified...

Investigation of radioactive pollution on land at Thule and assessment of radiation doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-12-01

Risoe National Laboratory at the Technical University of Denmark has carried out research on the terrestrial contamination in the Thule area, Greenland, after the radioactive contents of four nuclear weapons were dispersed following the crash of an American B-52 bomber in 1968. The results of this research are described in the report ''Thule-2007 - Investigation of radioactive pollution on land''. Based on this report, the National Board of Health made an assessment of radiation doses and the risk for individuals in the Thule area. The results of the assessment are described in the report ''The Thule accident. Assessment of radiation doses from terrestrial radioactive contamination''. The present report is a summary of these two reports. (ln)

7 CFR 1219.62 - Books and records of the Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Books and records of the Board. 1219.62 Section 1219... AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Books, Records, and Reports § 1219.62 Books and records of the Board. (a) The Board shall maintain such books and...

Augmentation of board games using smartphones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kulsinskas, Arturas; Balan, Catalin; Egede Bukdahl, Nicholas

2015-01-01

This paper contains details about research into the effect of digital augmentation on social presence in board games. A case study of the board game Tobago was performed during the project and a prototype application for smartphones was developed in order to compare the players’ social presence...

The Problem: Low-Achieving Districts and Low-Performing Boards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David E. Lee

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Effective school districts maintain superintendent and school board collegiality which can foster success and connectedness among members. Delagardelle and Alsbury (2008 found that superintendents and board members are not consistent in their perceptions about the work the board does, and Glass (2007 found that states do not require boards to undergo evaluation for effectiveness. In the current study, 115 board meetings were observed using the School Board Video Project (SBVP survey, which was created in 2012 by researchers to uncover school board meetings’ effectiveness. MANOVA, Univariate ANOVA, and Pearson Chi-Square test results revealed significant differences between low-, medium-, and high-performing districts’ school board meetings. Evidence indicated that low-performing districts’ board meetings were: less orderly; had less time spent on student achievement; lacked respectful and attentive engagement across speakers; had board meeting members who seemed to advance their own agenda; had less effective working relationships among the governance team; had fewer board members who relied on the superintendent for advice and input; had one member, other than the board president, stand out for taking excessive time during meetings; and did not focus on policy items as much as high- and medium-performing school districts. The research concluded that more school board members from low-performing districts needed training to improve their effectiveness. Furthermore, highly refined and target-enhanced school board training programs might lead to lasting governance success and more effective teaming that could improve district, and ultimately, student achievement.

Boards and governance in African national cricket organisations: An ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Southern African Business Review ... the boards of African national cricket organisations to enhance the understanding of board involvement in ... The research reports on the composition of the boards of African cricket organisations as well as ...

How to do human-subjects research if you do not have an institutional review board.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Todd W

2008-10-01

Biomedical research with human subjects has expanded outside of traditional medical centers and hospitals into other health care entities, such as rehabilitation facilities, free-standing out-patient treatment centers, and even home-health agencies. Regardless of the location, federal regulations mandate that all human-subjects research must be overseen by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee to ensure the research abide by the Code of Federal Regulations. Consequently, all human-subjects research must be reviewed and approved by an IRB prior to initiation of any research procedures. Unfortunately, many of these nontraditional research facilities do not have easy access to an IRB. This does not render such research exempt from federal oversight. Clinicians at these facilities have viable options for obtaining IRB approval and legally conducting such research. This paper outlines the available options and their pros and cons.

Research of the influence of air chemical pollutions on the health of urban population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naumenko, T.; Smirnov, M.; Amvrosiev, P.; Kurganskaya, G.; Gritsenko, T. [The Byelorussian Sanitation and Hygiene Research Inst., Minsk (Russian Federation)

1995-12-31

The main problem of environmental hygiene in the Republic of Belarus is ecological situation health effects extent determination and risk assessment. The different epidemiological studies of ecological risk for public health due to atmosphere industry emissions, directed to hygiene standards correction and epidemiological and ecological situation management were conducted by the Belarussian Sanitation and Hygiene Research Institute. Atmosphere pollution of heavy industry enterprises, pharmaceutical production, the electric power stations and its impact on people morbidity in adjacent and sanitary protection areas was studied. The objective of the research is hygienic assessment and determination of public health changes, caused by atmosphere pollution, and preventive measures programs elaboration in such industrial cities as Brest, Gomel, Minsk, Grodno, Mogilev, Novopolotsk. (author)

Research of the influence of air chemical pollutions on the health of urban population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naumenko, T; Smirnov, M; Amvrosiev, P; Kurganskaya, G; Gritsenko, T [The Byelorussian Sanitation and Hygiene Research Inst., Minsk (Russian Federation)

1996-12-31

The main problem of environmental hygiene in the Republic of Belarus is ecological situation health effects extent determination and risk assessment. The different epidemiological studies of ecological risk for public health due to atmosphere industry emissions, directed to hygiene standards correction and epidemiological and ecological situation management were conducted by the Belarussian Sanitation and Hygiene Research Institute. Atmosphere pollution of heavy industry enterprises, pharmaceutical production, the electric power stations and its impact on people morbidity in adjacent and sanitary protection areas was studied. The objective of the research is hygienic assessment and determination of public health changes, caused by atmosphere pollution, and preventive measures programs elaboration in such industrial cities as Brest, Gomel, Minsk, Grodno, Mogilev, Novopolotsk. (author)

Forests under climate change and air pollution: Gaps in understanding and future directions for research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matyssek, R.; Wieser, G.; Calfapietra, C.; Vries, W. de; Dizengremel, P.; Ernst, D.; Jolivet, Y.; Mikkelsen, T.N.; Mohren, G.M.J.; Le Thiec, D.; Tuovinen, J.-P.

2012-01-01

Forests in Europe face significant changes in climate, which in interaction with air quality changes, may significantly affect forest productivity, stand composition and carbon sequestration in both vegetation and soils. Identified knowledge gaps and research needs include: (i) interaction between changes in air quality (trace gas concentrations), climate and other site factors on forest ecosystem response, (ii) significance of biotic processes in system response, (iii) tools for mechanistic and diagnostic understanding and upscaling, and (iv) the need for unifying modelling and empirical research for synthesis. This position paper highlights the above focuses, including the global dimension of air pollution as part of climate change and the need for knowledge transfer to enable reliable risk assessment. A new type of research site in forest ecosystems (“supersites”) will be conducive to addressing these gaps by enabling integration of experimentation and modelling within the soil-plant-atmosphere interface, as well as further model development. - Highlights: ► Research needs are identified for forests under climate change and air pollution. ► Abiotic–biotic interactions in response impede tree-ecosystem upscaling. ► Integration of empirical and modelling research is advocated. ► The concept of multi-scale investigations at novel “Supersites” is propagated. ► “Supersites” warrant mechanistic understanding of soil-plant-atmosphere interface. - Forests under climate change and air pollution require empirical and modelling research needs to be integrated at novel “Supersites” through multi-scale investigations.

Adaptation of forest ecosystems to air pollution and climate change: a global assessment on research priorities

Science.gov (United States)

Y. Serengil; A. Augustaitis; Andrzej Bytnerowicz; Nancy Grulke; A.R. Kozovitz; R. Matyssek; G. Müller-Starck; M. Schaub; G. Wieser; A.A. Coskun; E. Paoletti

2011-01-01

Climate change and air pollution are two of the anthropogenic stressors that require international collaboration. Influence mechanisms and combating strategies towards them have similarities to some extent. Impacts of air pollution and climate change have long been studied under IUFRO Research Group 7.01 and state of the art findings are presented at biannual meetings...

Environmental research programme. Ecological research. Annual report 1994. Urban-industrial landscapes, forests, agricultural landscapes, river and lake landscapes, terrestrial ecosystem research, environmental pollution and health

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

In the annual report 1994 of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, the points of emphasis of the ecological research programme and their financing are discussed. The individual projects in the following subject areas are described in detail: urban-industrial landscapes, forests, agricultural landscapes, river and lake landscapes, other ecosystems and landscapes, terrestrial ecosystem research, environmental pollution and human health and cross-sectional activities in ecological research. (vhe) [de

Experimental research of joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on thermal capacity of frozen ground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motenko, R.G.

2010-01-01

Most gas and petroleum fields are located in permafrost zones, with some being on saline territories. Oil pollution of soils can occur in different ways and at different points such as during the extraction, processing and storage, and during transportation of oil and petroleum products. Oil producing pollution and salinization of soil often happen together. In this case, the sources of salts are the formation fluid, commercial waste water, the contents of the granaries and other geochemically active substances used for the extraction and desalting of crude oil. Joint salinization and contamination can also happen during the rupture of oil pipelines in saline areas. Although there is research available on the properties of saline soils and on properties of soils polluted with petroleum, there are no studies that describe changes of ground properties with joint pollution of salt and petroleum. This paper presented a study that examined the joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on the thermal characteristics of thawed and frozen grounds, particularly on thermal capacity. The paper outlined the purpose of the research and described the experimental methods. It was concluded that an increase of salinization increases the heat capacity of frozen soil because the amount of unfrozen water increases with increasing salinization. 10 refs., 5 figs.

Experimental research of joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on thermal capacity of frozen ground

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motenko, R.G. [Moscow State Univ., Moscow (Russian Federation). Dept. of Geocryology; Grechishcheva, E.S. [Fundamentproek, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2010-07-01

Most gas and petroleum fields are located in permafrost zones, with some being on saline territories. Oil pollution of soils can occur in different ways and at different points such as during the extraction, processing and storage, and during transportation of oil and petroleum products. Oil producing pollution and salinization of soil often happen together. In this case, the sources of salts are the formation fluid, commercial waste water, the contents of the granaries and other geochemically active substances used for the extraction and desalting of crude oil. Joint salinization and contamination can also happen during the rupture of oil pipelines in saline areas. Although there is research available on the properties of saline soils and on properties of soils polluted with petroleum, there are no studies that describe changes of ground properties with joint pollution of salt and petroleum. This paper presented a study that examined the joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on the thermal characteristics of thawed and frozen grounds, particularly on thermal capacity. The paper outlined the purpose of the research and described the experimental methods. It was concluded that an increase of salinization increases the heat capacity of frozen soil because the amount of unfrozen water increases with increasing salinization. 10 refs., 5 figs.

IOC-UNEP regional workshop to review priorities for marine pollution monitoring, research, control and abatement in the wider Caribbean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The IOC-UNEP Regional Workshop to Review Priorities for Marine Pollution Monitoring, Research, Control and Abatement in the Wider Caribbean Region (San Jose, 24-30 August 1989) examined a possible general framework for a regionally co-ordinated comprehensive joint IOC/UNEP programme for marine pollution assessment and control in the Wider Caribbean region (CEPPOL). The overall objective of CEPPOL is to establish a regionally co-ordinated comprehensive joint IOC/UNEP Marine Pollution Assessment and Control Programme catering to the immediate and long-term requirements of the Cartagena Convention as well as the requirements of the member States of IOCARIBE. The specific objectives of the programmes are: (i) To organize and carry out a regionally co-ordinated marine pollution monitoring and research programme concentrating on contaminants and pollutants affecting the quality of the marine and coastal environment, as well as the human health in the Wider Caribbean and to interpret/assess the results of the programme as part of the scientific basis for the region; (ii) To generate information on the sources, levels, amounts, trends and effects of marine pollution within the Wider Caribbean region as an additional component of the scientific basis upon which the formulation of proposals for preventive and remedial actions can be based; (iii) To formulate proposals for technical, administrative and legal pollution control, abatement, and preventive measures and to assist the Governments in the region in implementing and evaluating their effectiveness; and (iv) To strengthen and , when necessary, to develop/establish the capabilities of national institutions to carry out marine pollution monitoring and research, as well as to formulate and apply pollution control and abatement measures

Complexities of Social Capital in Boards of Directors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sulinska, Iwona Magdalena

and firm performance. Chapter 3 explores social capital of board chair, which has been overlooked in previous studies. It suggests that individual social capital of board chair is as important for organizational performance as social capital of CEO and directors. Therefore, performance effect derives from...... and external networks of social relationships created by board members. Evolution paths are consequently proposed for diversity and strength of external network ties, and for internal network cohesion. In light of the overarching research question, the final chapter summarizes the findings.......The aim of the dissertation is to disentangle complexities of social capital in boards of directors through proposing new theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Although extant previous research has discussed various aspects of social capital and its association with numerous...

Individual air pollution monitors. 2. Examination of some nonoccupational research and regulatory uses and needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morgan, M.G.; Morris, S.C.

1977-01-01

Knowledge of the relationship between ambient air pollution levels measured at fixed monitoring stations and the actual exposure of the population is very limited. Indeed, there is rapidly growing evidence that fixed-station monitors do not provide adequate data for population exposure. This report examines available data for carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) and presents a new analysis. Actual population exposure to CO appears to be consistently higher than expected from fixed-station data, while limited evidence suggests that exposures to SO/sub 2/ are lower. A reported general relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of SO/sub 2/ is not supported by the data. If air pollution represents a threat to public health, then more attention must be given to total population exposure to pollutants. A selective use of individual air pollution monitors that can be worn or carried appears to be required at some stage by any experimental design seeking to uncover the relation between air pollution exposure and health effects. Additionally, potential uses of individual monitoring in air pollution regulation are explored. Current status and research needs for individual air pollution monitors are examined and a first-order evaluation is given of the promise held by the candidate instrumentation technologies. A national program of support for the development of individual air pollution monitors is recommended.

An effective board from a team perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eythor Ivar Jonsson

2006-11-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at boards from a team perspective, where insights from research on teams are used to discuss some classical problems of corporate governance. The Enron-case is used as an underlying theme as it portrays some of the biggest challenges that boards face today. Theories developed within the team literature emphasise that for boards to become more effective they need more time and better access to information as a source of knowledge, more structure and purposeful roles for directors and for the board in general, and they need to become smaller and more focused. In effect, the culture of teams could have avoided some of the blunders of the Enron board.

Board and card games for studying electrochemistry: Preliminary research and early design

Science.gov (United States)

Kurniawan, Rizmahardian Ashari; Kurniasih, Dedeh; Jukardi

2017-12-01

Games in the chemistry classroom can offer engaging and fun alternative method of learning. However, only a few games in chemistry, especially in electrochemistry subject are available commercially. In this research, we developed board and card games for studying electrochemistry. We surveyed chemistry teacher and students from 10 different senior high schools in Pontianak to decide content and characteristic of the game. We have designed the game that can be played by four students or four group of students, either as a specific instruction in the classroom or as a supplementary learning material. The game was designed to help students understanding the voltaic cell configuration and its voltaic potential.

Board's system of publications. [National Radiological Protection Board

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaines, M J [National Radiological Protection Board, Harwell (UK)

1978-07-01

The purpose of each of the several classes of publication issued by the National Radiological Protection Board is stated. The classes are: advice on standards for protection, emergency reference levels, technical reports, instrument evaluation reports, annual research and development reports, three-yearly reports on the work of the NRPB, miscellaneous specialist booklets, publications for the layman, radiological protection bulletin, information sheets, and brochures.

Rethinking board role performance: Towards an integrative model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Babić Verica M.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This research focuses on the board role evolution analysis which took place simultaneously with the development of different corporate governance theories and perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to provide understanding of key factors that make a board effective in the performance of its role. We argue that analysis of board role performance should incorporate both structural and process variables. This paper’s contribution is the development of an integrative model that aims to establish the relationship between the board structure and processes on the one hand, and board role performance on the other.

Board structure and performance in Ethiopian microfinance institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Letenah Ejigu Wale

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This research investigated the effect of one governance dimension, board structure on the sustainability and outreach performance of Ethiopian MFIs. A panel data of 13 MFIs for 6 years (2003-2008 is used for the study. No study of such type is conducted in the past for the Ethiopian environment. The results indicate an experienced manager, a larger board size and educated board members all help to increase sustainability with board education having the largest effect. Manager experience and board size also have a negative effect on depth of outreach (i.e. less lending to women. Board independence has no visible effect on either sustainability or outreach. Surprisingly, no governance variable explains breath of outreach

Energy Research Advisory Board, Civilian Nuclear Power Panel: Subpanel 1 report, Light water reactor utilization and improvement: Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-10-01

The Secretary of Energy requested that the Office of Nuclear Energy prepare a strategic national plan that outlines the Department's role in the future development of civilian nuclear power and that the Energy Research Advisory Board establish an ad hoc panel to review and comment on this plan. The Energy Research Advisory Board formed a panel for this review and three subpanels were formed. One subpanel was formed to address the institutional issues surrounding nuclear power, one on research and development for advanced nuclear power plants and a third subpanel on light water reactor utilization and improvement. The subpanel on light water reactors held two meetings at which representatives of the DOE, the NRC, EPRI, industry and academic groups made presentations. This is the report of the subpanel on light water reactor utilization and improvement. This report presents the subpanel's assessment of initiatives which the Department of Energy should undertake in the national interest, to develop and support light water reactor technologies

Diversity in Board of Directors: Review of Diversity as a Factor to Enhance Board Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pechersky Alexander

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In light of growing corporate influence in the business world and thus increasing further need to improve framework of corporate governance for shareholders’ protection, diversity is examined as a necessary factor to enhance monitoring and leadership functions of board of directors. This article analyses empirical studies with samples on various countries in order to examine effect of board composition and diversity on primary responsibilities of Board of Directors. Author is providing theoretical overview of diversity benefits and practical perspective of gender, qualifications, and background diversity in board performance. Our results show an added value of gender diversity to company performance in social and healthcare industries. Furthermore, author shows a rather negative effect of gender quotas. This study sheds a light on empirical researches and a need to include additional cultural factors called country readiness factors.

Research on evaluation of third-party governance operation services for environmental pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bingsheng; Ling, Lin; Jin, Huang

2017-11-01

This paper focuses on the evaluation of third-party governance operation services for environmental pollution, and determines the evaluation indicator system composed of 5 primary indicators as the basic competence of enterprise, operation of equipment, technique economics, environmental benefit and management level, and 26 secondary indicators via policies and regulations, standards, literature research and expert consultation in combination with the composition elements, service value judgment factors and full-life cycle of the work, providing theoretical support for the effect evaluation of third-governance over the environmental pollution in China. Then, the hierarchical analytic matrix is formed by analyzing the environmental pollution governance evaluation indicator system via analytic hierarchy process and scoring the importance of various indicators by experts by applying the Delphi method. The feature vector of the matrix is then calculated to obtain the weight of each indicator and verify the effectiveness of the Delphi method and obtain the comprehensive weight by judging the consistency of the matrix, so as to finally determine the overall ordering level of the importance of secondary indicators.

Local scale air pollution forecasting by artificial intelligence techniques and assess the pollution-related social effects

OpenAIRE

Gong, Bing; Ordieres-Meré, Joaquín

2016-01-01

Since the air pollution can cause serious health problem, the concerns about forecasting air pollution timely and accurately arise by researchers in order to alert the public avoiding high level pollution and help the government make decisions. In our research, we take Hong Kong (finished research) and the cities in Mexico (finishing) and Mainland China (starting), especially the high pollutant areas such as Mexico City and Beijing, as study cases. Meanwhile, various types of arti...

Gendered Behavior Patterns in School Board Governance

Science.gov (United States)

Mountford, Meredith; Brunner, C. Cryss

2010-01-01

Background/Context: Educational leadership literature lacks research focused on how gender influences decision making, in particular at the highest level of school governance, the school board table. Consequently, whether gender makes a difference during decision making at the school board table has yet to be determined. Purpose/Objective/Research…

Pollution Monitoring System Using Gas Sensor based on Wireless Sensor Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Udin Harun Al Rasyid

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Carbon monoxide (CO and carbon dioxide (CO2 gases are classified as colorless and odorless gas so we need special tools to monitor their concentration in the air. Concentration of air pollution of CO and CO2 that are high in the air will give serious effects for health status. CO is a poisonous gas that damages the circulation of oxygen in the blood when inhaled, while CO2 is one of the gases that causes global warming. In this paper, we developed an integrated pollution monitoring (IPOM system to monitor the concentration of air pollution. This research implemented three sensor nodes (end-device which each node contains CO and CO2 sensors on the gas sensors board to perform sensing from the environment. Furthermore, the data taken from the environment by the sensor will be sent to the meshlium gateway using IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee communications and processed by the gateway in order to be sent to the computer server. The data is stored in meshlium gateway using MySQL database as a backup, and it will be synchronized to the MySQL database in the computer server. We provide services for public to access the information in database server through a desktop and website application.

7 CFR 1280.222 - Books and Records of Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Books and Records of Board. 1280.222 Section 1280.222... INFORMATION ORDER Lamb Promotion, Research, and Information Order Reports, Books, and Records § 1280.222 Books and Records of Board. The Board shall: (a) Maintain such books and records, which shall be made...

Light pollution : working paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lechner, Stefan; Arns, Marieke

2013-01-01

Light pollution is one of the fastest growing and most pervasive of environmental pollution (Chepesiuk, 2009). In the last couple of years, a lot of research has been done about the effects of light pollution. The interest in light pollution has been growing in many fields of science, extending from

Nonlinear finite element modeling of corrugated board

Science.gov (United States)

A. C. Gilchrist; J. C. Suhling; T. J. Urbanik

1999-01-01

In this research, an investigation on the mechanical behavior of corrugated board has been performed using finite element analysis. Numerical finite element models for corrugated board geometries have been created and executed. Both geometric (large deformation) and material nonlinearities were included in the models. The analyses were performed using the commercial...

[Research advances in identifying nitrate pollution sources of water environment by using nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes].

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Wei; Liang, Zhi-wei; Li, Wei; Zhu, Yao; Yanng, Mu-yi; Jia, Chao-jie

2013-04-01

Water body' s nitrate pollution has become a common and severe environmental problem. In order to ensure human health and water environment benign evolution, it is of great importance to effectively identify the nitrate pollution sources of water body. Because of the discrepant composition of nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes in different sources of nitrate in water body, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes can be used to identify the nitrate pollution sources of water environment. This paper introduced the fractionation factors of nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes in the main processes of nitrogen cycling and the composition of these stable isotopes in main nitrate sources, compared the advantages and disadvantages of five pre-treatment methods for analyzing the nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in nitrate, and summarized the research advances in this aspect into three stages, i. e. , using nitrogen stable isotope alone, using nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes simultaneously, and combining with mathematical models. The future research directions regarding the nitrate pollution sources identification of water environment were also discussed.

Analysis of the repeatability of the exhaust pollutants emission research results for cold and hot starts under controlled driving cycle conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworski, Artur; Kuszewski, Hubert; Ustrzycki, Adam; Balawender, Krzysztof; Lejda, Kazimierz; Woś, Paweł

2018-04-20

Measurement of car engines exhaust pollutants emissions is very important because of their harmful effects on the environment. This article presents the assessment of repeatability of the passenger car engine exhaust pollutants emission research results obtained in the conditions of a chassis dynamometer. The research was conducted in a climate chamber, enabling the temperature conditions to be determined from - 20 to + 30 °C. The emission of CO, CH 4 , CO 2 , NO X , THC, and NMHC was subjected to the analysis. The aim of the research is to draw attention to the accuracy of the pollutant emission research results in driving cycles, and the comparison of pollutant emission results and their repeatability obtained in successive NEDC cycles under cold and hot start conditions. The results of the analysis show that, in the case of a small number of measurements, the results repeatability analysis is necessary for a proper interpretation of the pollutant emission results on the basis of the mean value. According to the authors' judgment, it is beneficial to determine the coefficient of variation for a more complete assessment of exhaust emission result repeatability obtained from a small number of measurements. This parameter is rarely presented by the authors of papers on exhaust components emission research.

How US institutional review boards decide when researchers need to translate studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Klitzman, Robert

2014-03-01

Informed consent is crucial in research, but potential participants may not all speak the same language, posing questions that have not been examined concerning decisions by institutional review boards (IRBs) and research ethics committees' (RECs) about the need for researchers to translate consent forms and other study materials. Sixty US IRBs (every fourth one in the list of the top 240 institutions by The National Institutes of Health funding) were contacted, and leaders (eg, chairs) from 34 (response rate=57%) and an additional 12 members and administrators were interviewed. IRBs face a range of problems about translation of informed consent documents, questionnaires and manuals-what, when and how to translate (eg, for how many or what proportion of potential subjects), why to do so and how to decide. Difficulties can arise about translation of specific words and of broader cultural concepts regarding processes of informed consent and research, especially in the developing world. In these decisions, IRBs weigh the need for autonomy (through informed consent) and justice (to ensure fair distribution of benefits and burdens of research) against practical concerns about costs to researchers. At times IRBs may have to compromise between these competing goals. These data, the first to examine when and how IRBs/RECs require researchers to translate materials, thus highlight a range of problems with which these committees struggle, suggesting a need for further normative and empirical investigation of these domains, and consideration of guidelines to help IRBs deal with these tensions.

Role of the American Institute for Pollution Prevention in reducing environmental risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauser, T.R.

1991-01-01

The EPA Science Advisory Board recommended that in the decade of the 1990's, EPA strategy should focus on the long-term goal of preventing and reducing environmental risk and should shift from end-of-pipe controls to preventing the generation of pollution. To assist EPA in developing and implementing this philosophy, the American Institute for Pollution Prevention (AIPP) was founded jointly by EPA and the University of Cincinnati in June, 1989. The mission of the Institute is to generate broad support from private and public sectors and to assist EPA in achieving widespread and expeditious adoption of pollution prevention concepts. AIPP will provide a novel communication bridge between EPA and industry. AIPP will provide and promote liasion between professionals in the field of pollution and those who need to employ new and improved pollution prevention techniques

National Board Certified Teachers andTheir Students' Achievement

OpenAIRE

Leslie G. Vandevoort; Audrey Amrein-Beardsley; David C. Berliner

2004-01-01

Contemporary research on teaching indicates that teachers are powerful contributors to students’ academic achievement, though the set and interrelationships of characteristics that make for high-quality and effective teaching have yet to be satisfactorily determined. Nevertheless, on the basis of the extant research and a vision of exemplary teaching, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards stipulated a definition of a superior teacher. The Board did this without empirical evid...

Board Task Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Minichilli, Alessandro; Zattoni, Alessandro; Nielsen, Sabina

2012-01-01

identify three board processes as micro-level determinants of board effectiveness. Specifically, we focus on effort norms, cognitive conflicts and the use of knowledge and skills as determinants of board control and advisory task performance. Further, we consider how two different institutional settings....... The findings show that: (i) Board processes have a larger potential than demographic variables to explain board task performance; (ii) board task performance differs significantly between boards operating in different contexts; and (iii) national context moderates the relationships between board processes...... and board task performance....

Research program on the biological effects of oil pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrett, R.T.

1991-12-01

A national research program on the biological effects of oil pollution (FOBO) was initiated by the Norwegian Ministry of Environment in October 1983 in the light of the increasing oil exploration and production activity in the North Sea and northern Norwegian waters. Ambitions were high and five main fields of research were suggested: Seabirds, fish (incl. salmon), marine mammals, the littoral zone and plankton. However, due to the lack of interest on the part of other potential financers, e.g. the Ministry of Fisheries and the oil companies, to participate, the four-year programme had to be limited to the following three topics: Seabirds around bruding colonies and at sea; Higher plants along the shoreline; The littoral zone. The program ran from the autumn of 1985 to the end of 1989 and this report summarizes the main results and conclusions of each project. 95 refs., 52 figs., 9 tabs

Abatement of mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining industry: restructuring the policy and research agendas.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilson, Gavin

2006-06-01

This paper critiques contemporary research and policy approaches taken toward the analysis and abatement of mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining sector. Unmonitored releases of mercury from gold amalgamation have caused considerable environmental contamination and human health complications in rural reaches of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia. Whilst these problems have caught the attention of the scientific community over the past 15-20 years, the research that has since been undertaken has failed to identify appropriate mitigation measures, and has done little to advance understanding of why contamination persists. Moreover, the strategies used to educate operators about the impacts of acute mercury exposure, and the technologies implemented to prevent further pollution, have been marginally effective at best. The mercury pollution problem will not be resolved until governments and donor agencies commit to carrying out research aimed at improving understanding of the dynamics of small scale gold mining communities. Acquisition of this knowledge is the key to designing and implementing appropriate support and abatement measures.

Light pollution in Spain 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez de Miguel, A.; Zamorano, J.; Pila-Díez, B.; Rubio, J.; Ruiz, R.; Rodríguez-Herranz, I.; González-Pérez, A.

2011-11-01

The most recent data on electricity consumption for public lighting inSpain is presented and compared with light pollution measurements asderived from night satellite imagery. NOAA-MSP images (low-resolution)and higher resolution images obtained with conventional DSLR cameras on board the International Space Station (ISS) have been used.We show that the data can be related to night sky brightness maps with a study conducted within the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. Weintend to extend our work to the rest of Spain through tight collaborationwith amateur astronomers.

Air Pollution Forecasts: An Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Lu; Wang, Jianzhou; Ma, Xuejiao; Lu, Haiyan

2018-04-17

Air pollution is defined as a phenomenon harmful to the ecological system and the normal conditions of human existence and development when some substances in the atmosphere exceed a certain concentration. In the face of increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, scholars have conducted a significant quantity of related research, and in those studies, the forecasting of air pollution has been of paramount importance. As a precaution, the air pollution forecast is the basis for taking effective pollution control measures, and accurate forecasting of air pollution has become an important task. Extensive research indicates that the methods of air pollution forecasting can be broadly divided into three classical categories: statistical forecasting methods, artificial intelligence methods, and numerical forecasting methods. More recently, some hybrid models have been proposed, which can improve the forecast accuracy. To provide a clear perspective on air pollution forecasting, this study reviews the theory and application of those forecasting models. In addition, based on a comparison of different forecasting methods, the advantages and disadvantages of some methods of forecasting are also provided. This study aims to provide an overview of air pollution forecasting methods for easy access and reference by researchers, which will be helpful in further studies.

Air Pollution Forecasts: An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Bai

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Air pollution is defined as a phenomenon harmful to the ecological system and the normal conditions of human existence and development when some substances in the atmosphere exceed a certain concentration. In the face of increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, scholars have conducted a significant quantity of related research, and in those studies, the forecasting of air pollution has been of paramount importance. As a precaution, the air pollution forecast is the basis for taking effective pollution control measures, and accurate forecasting of air pollution has become an important task. Extensive research indicates that the methods of air pollution forecasting can be broadly divided into three classical categories: statistical forecasting methods, artificial intelligence methods, and numerical forecasting methods. More recently, some hybrid models have been proposed, which can improve the forecast accuracy. To provide a clear perspective on air pollution forecasting, this study reviews the theory and application of those forecasting models. In addition, based on a comparison of different forecasting methods, the advantages and disadvantages of some methods of forecasting are also provided. This study aims to provide an overview of air pollution forecasting methods for easy access and reference by researchers, which will be helpful in further studies.

Air Pollution Forecasts: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Lu; Wang, Jianzhou; Lu, Haiyan

2018-01-01

Air pollution is defined as a phenomenon harmful to the ecological system and the normal conditions of human existence and development when some substances in the atmosphere exceed a certain concentration. In the face of increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, scholars have conducted a significant quantity of related research, and in those studies, the forecasting of air pollution has been of paramount importance. As a precaution, the air pollution forecast is the basis for taking effective pollution control measures, and accurate forecasting of air pollution has become an important task. Extensive research indicates that the methods of air pollution forecasting can be broadly divided into three classical categories: statistical forecasting methods, artificial intelligence methods, and numerical forecasting methods. More recently, some hybrid models have been proposed, which can improve the forecast accuracy. To provide a clear perspective on air pollution forecasting, this study reviews the theory and application of those forecasting models. In addition, based on a comparison of different forecasting methods, the advantages and disadvantages of some methods of forecasting are also provided. This study aims to provide an overview of air pollution forecasting methods for easy access and reference by researchers, which will be helpful in further studies. PMID:29673227

A Regulation for the Control of Atmospheric Pollution, Amended Version.

Science.gov (United States)

Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, San Juan.

Nine articles, related to the preservation of the natural quality of the air, and to prevention, elimination and control of atmospheric pollution in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, are contained in this document. These articles were written and enacted by the Environmental Quality Board in accordance with Law No. 9, approved June 18, 1970 -…

Air Pollutants Minimalization of Pollutant Absorber with Condensation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruhiat, Yayat; Wibowo, Firmanul Catur; Oktarisa, Yuvita

2017-01-01

Industrial development has implications for pollution, one of it is air pollution. The amount of air pollutants emitted from industrial depend on several factors which are capacity of its fuel, high chimneys and atmospheric stability. To minimize pollutants emitted from industries is created a tool called Pollutant Absorber (PA) with a condensing system. Research and Development with the approach of Design for Production was used as methodology in making PA. To test the function of PA, the simulation had been done by using the data on industrial emissions Cilegon industrial area. The simulation results in 15 years period showed that the PA was able to minimize the pollutant emissions of SO2 by 38% NOx by 37% and dust by 64%. Differences in the absorption of pollutants shows the weakness of particle separation process in the separator. This condition happen because the condensation process is less optimal during the absorption and separation in the separator. (paper)

Method for determining the biological effects of air pollution by transplanted lichens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoenbeck, H

1969-01-01

The natural sensitivity of the leaf Parmelia physodes to air pollutants can be used for their detection. For this purpose the lichens are transplanted in many parallel lines onto boards made of wood or of any other material (lichen exposure boards) and are exposed in the area to be investigated at a height of 1.50 m. Their reactions are recorded photographically at definite intervals. The biological test values determined permit evidence of the existing emission load to be obtained, which can then be used in addition to the chemical air analysis.

Analysis of research ethics board approval times in an academic department of medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Teresa S M; Jones, Meaghan; Meneilly, Graydon S

2015-04-01

As part of an ongoing effort to better understand barriers to academic research, we reviewed and analyzed the process of research ethics applications, focusing on ethics approval time, within the Department of Medicine from 2006 to 2011. A total of 1,268 applications for approval to use human subjects in research were included in our analysis. Three variables, risk category (minimal vs. non-minimal risk), type of funding, and year of submission, were statistically significant for prediction of ethics approval time, with risk status being the most important of these. The covariate-adjusted mean time for approval for minimal risk studies (35.7 days) was less than half that of non-minimal risk protocols (76.5 days). Studies funded through a for-profit sponsor had significantly longer approval times than those funded through other means but were also predominantly (87%) non-minimal risk protocols. Further investigations of the reasons underlying the observed differences are needed to determine whether improved training for research ethics board (REB) members and/or greater dialogue with investigators may reduce the lengthy approval times associated with non-minimal risk protocols. © The Author(s) 2015.

7 CFR 1250.517 - Remittance to Egg Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Remittance to Egg Board. 1250.517 Section 1250.517... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EGG RESEARCH AND PROMOTION Rules and Regulations Assessments, Collections, and Remittances § 1250.517 Remittance to Egg Board. (a) The...

Gender Distribution Among American Board of Medical Specialties Boards of Directors.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Laura E; Sadosty, Annie T; Colletti, James E; Goyal, Deepi G; Sunga, Kharmene L; Hayes, Sharonne N

2016-11-01

Since 1995, women have comprised more than 40% of all medical school graduates. However, representation at leadership levels in medicine remains considerably lower. Gender representation among the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) boards of directors (BODs) has not previously been evaluated. Our objective was to determine the relative representation of women on ABMS BODs and compare it with the in-training and in-practice gender composition of the respective specialties. The composition of the ABMS BODs was obtained from websites in March 2016 for all Member Boards. Association of American Medical Colleges and American Medical Association data were utilized to identify current and future trends in gender composition. Although represented by a common board, neurology and psychiatry were evaluated separately because of their very different practices and gender demographic characteristics. A total of 25 specialties were evaluated. Of the 25 specialties analyzed, 12 BODs have proportional gender representation compared with their constituency. Seven specialties have a larger proportion of women serving on their boards compared with physicians in practice, and 6 specialties have a greater proportion of men populating their BODs. Based on the most recent trainee data (2013), women have increasing workforce representation in almost all specialties. Although women in both training and practice are approaching equal representation, there is variability in gender ratios across specialties. Directorship within ABMS BODs has a more equitable gender distribution than other areas of leadership in medicine. Further investigation is needed to determine the reasons behind this difference and to identify opportunities to engage women in leadership in medicine. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Air pollution

OpenAIRE

MacKenbach, JP; Henschel, S; Goodman, P; McKee, M

2013-01-01

The human costs of air pollution are considerable in Jordan. According to a report published in 2000 by the World Bank under the Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Program (METAP), approximately 600 people die prematurely each year in Jordan because of urban pollution. 50-90% of air pollution in Jordanian towns is caused by road traffic. Readings taken in 2007 by Jordanian researchers showed that levels of black carbon particles in the air were higher in urban areas (caused by v...

Board of Directors or Supervisory Board

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werlauff, Erik

2009-01-01

The article analyses the legal consequences of the choice now available to Danish public limited companies, which can now opt for a two-tier management structure, in which the management board undertakes both the day-to-day and the overall management, while a supervisory board exercises control...... over the management board, including its appointment and dismissal. The article considers which companies a two-tier structure may be relevant for, and reviews the consequences for the composition, election and functioning of the company organs....

Aircraft engine pollution reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudey, R. A.

1972-01-01

The effect of engine operation on the types and levels of the major aircraft engine pollutants is described and the major factors governing the formation of these pollutants during the burning of hydrocarbon fuel are discussed. Methods which are being explored to reduce these pollutants are discussed and their application to several experimental research programs are pointed out. Results showing significant reductions in the levels of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen obtained from experimental combustion research programs are presented and discussed to point out potential application to aircraft engines. An experimental program designed to develop and demonstrate these and other advanced, low pollution combustor design methods is described. Results that have been obtained to date indicate considerable promise for reducing advanced engine exhaust pollutants to levels significantly below current engines.

National Board Certified Teachers andTheir Students' Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leslie G. Vandevoort

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Contemporary research on teaching indicates that teachers are powerful contributors to students’ academic achievement, though the set and interrelationships of characteristics that make for high-quality and effective teaching have yet to be satisfactorily determined. Nevertheless, on the basis of the extant research and a vision of exemplary teaching, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards stipulated a definition of a superior teacher. The Board did this without empirical evidence to support their claim that teachers’ who meet the standards set by the Board were superior in promoting academic achievement to those who did not meet those standards. In the 17 years since the founding of the National Board, only a few empirical studies have addressed this important issue. In this study we compare the academic performance of students in the elementary classrooms of 35 National Board Certified teachers and their non-certified peers, in 14 Arizona school districts. Board Certified teachers and their principals provide additional information about these teachers and their schools. Four years of results from the Stanford Achievement Tests in reading, mathematics and language arts, in grades three through six, were analyzed. In the 48 comparisons (four grades, four years of data, three measures of academic performance, using gain scores adjusted for students’ entering ability, the students in the classes of National Board Certified Teachers surpassed students in the classrooms of non-Board certified teachers in almost threequarters of the comparisons. Almost one-third of these differences were statistically significant. In the cases where the students of non-Board certified teachers gained more in an academic year, none of the differences found were statistically significant. Effect size, translated into grade equivalents, informs us that the gains made by students of Board Certified teachers were over one month greater than the

Intercontinental Transport of Air Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, David; Whung, Pai-Yei; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The development of the global economy goes beyond raising our standards of living. We are in an ear of increasing environmental as well as economic interdependence. Long-range transport of anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants such as ozone, ozone precursors, airborne particles, heavy metals (such as mercury) and persistent organic pollutants are the four major types of pollution that are transported over intercontinental distances and have global environmental effects. The talk includes: 1) an overview of the international agreements related to intercontinental transport of air pollutants, 2) information needed for decision making, 3) overview of the past research on intercontinental transport of air pollutants - a North American's perspective, and 4) future research needs.

High spatio-temporal resolution pollutant measurements of on-board vehicle emissions using ultra-fast response gas analyzers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Irwin

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Existing ultra-fast response engine exhaust emissions analyzers have been adapted for on-board vehicle use combined with GPS data. We present, for the first time, how high spatio-temporal resolution data products allow transient features associated with internal combustion engines to be examined in detail during on-road driving. Such data are both useful to examine the circumstances leading to high emissions, and reveals the accurate position of urban air quality hot spots as deposited by the candidate vehicle, useful for source attribution and dispersion modelling. The fast response time of the analyzers, which results in 100 Hz data, makes accurate time-alignment with the vehicle's engine control unit (ECU signals possible. This enables correlation with transient air fuel ratio, engine speed, load, and other engine parameters, which helps to explain the causes of the emissions spikes that portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS and conventional slow response analyzers would miss or smooth out due to mixing within their sampling systems. The data presented is from NO and NOx analyzers, but other fast analyzers (e.g. total hydrocarbons (THC, CO and CO2 can be used similarly. The high levels of NOx pollution associated with accelerating on entry ramps to motorways, driving over speed bumps, accelerating away from traffic lights, are explored in detail. The time-aligned ultra-fast analyzers offer unique insight allowing more accurate quantification and better interpretation of engine and driver activity and the associated emissions impact on local air quality.

Leading for Learning: Leadership Practices of Effective Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Paul A.

2010-01-01

Do school boards have a role in student achievement? Recent research suggests that they do. This article identifies 12 board of education leadership practices associated with higher levels of student achievement: creating a vision, using data, setting goals, monitoring progress and taking corrective action, creating awareness and urgency, engaging…

Women on the corporate board of directors and corporate sustainability disclosure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emeldah M. Modiba

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This research examined whether an improved participation of women in the board of directors has any relationship with sustainability disclosure. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to examine the relationship between the number of women on the board of directors and social investment disclosure and energy disclosure in the sample of companies. The paper used a quantitative approach and data were collected from the archives of sustainability reports of five companies that formed the sample. The panel-data regression analysis was used in data arrangement. Five sample of companies over five years produced a (5 x 5 panel resulting in 25 observations. Data was tested at an alpha of 0.05. Results from all the analysis showed a P value below the research alpha (P < 0,05 indicating a significant relationship. Therefore, findings from the panel-data regression analysis disclosed a positive relationship between the number of women on the board of directors and corporate disclosure on social investment and energy consumption. Further analysis also disclosed that women on the board of directors are related with the overall number of women employees in the company. The paper concludes that within the sample of companies, women on the board of directors may influence sustainability disclosure such as energy and social investment. Women on the board of directors might also assist the companies to achieve gender equity employment goals. The research recommends that given the unique social and environmental proclivity of women, the corporate should recruit more women in the boards to enhance accelerated corporate sustainability performance. Further research using expanded number of companies is recommended.

Research on heavy metal pollution of river Ganga: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dipak Paul

2017-06-01

Full Text Available River Ganga is considered sacred by people of India for providing life sustenance to environment and ecology. Anthropogenic activities have generated important transformations in aquatic environments during the last few decades. Advancement of human civilization has put serious questions to the safe use of river water for drinking and other purposes. The river water pollution due to heavy metals is one of the major concerns in most of the metropolitan cities of developing countries. These toxic heavy metals entering the environment may lead to bioaccumulation and biomagnifications. These heavy metals are not readily degradable in nature and accumulate in the animal as well as human bodies to a very high toxic amount leading to undesirable effects beyond a certain limit. Heavy metals in riverine environment represent an abiding threat to human health. Exposure to heavy metals has been linked to developmental retardation, kidney damage, various cancers, and even death in instances of very high exposure. The following review article presents the findings of the work carried out by the various researchers in the past on the heavy metal pollution of river Ganga.

Defense Business Board

Science.gov (United States)

Skip to main content (Press Enter). Toggle navigation Defense Business Board Search Search Defense Business Board: Search Search Defense Business Board: Search Defense Business Board Business Excellence in Defense of the Nation Defense Business Board Home Charter Members Meetings Studies Contact Us The Defense

Chinese air pollution embodied in trade

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, S. J.

2014-12-01

Rapid economic development in China has been accompanied by high levels of air pollution in many areas of China. Although researchers have applied a range of methods to monitor and track pollutant emissions in the atmosphere, studies of the underlying economic and technological drivers of this pollution have received considerably less attention. I will present results of a series of studies that have quantified the air pollutants embodied in goods being traded both within China and internationally. The results show that trade is facilitating the concentration of pollution in less economically developed areas, which in turn export pollution-intensive goods to more affluent areas. However, the export-related pollution itself is sometimes transported long distances; for instance, we have quantified the impacts of the Chinese pollution embodied in internationally-exported goods on air quality in the US. These findings important implications for Chinese efforts to curb CO2 emissions and improve air quality. The research to be presented reflects the efforts of a multiple year, ongoing collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers in China, the US and the UK.

Fast Aircraft Turnaround Enabled by Reliable Passenger Boarding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Schultz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Future 4D aircraft trajectories demand comprehensive consideration of environmental, economic, and operational constraints, as well as reliable prediction of all aircraft-related processes. Mutual interdependencies between airports result in system-wide, far-reaching effects in the air traffic network (reactionary delays. To comply with airline/airport challenges over the day of operations, a change to an air-to-air perspective is necessary, with a specific focus on the aircraft ground operations as major driver for airline punctuality. Aircraft ground trajectories primarily consists of handling processes at the stand (deboarding, catering, fueling, cleaning, boarding, unloading, loading, which are defined as the aircraft turnaround. Turnaround processes are mainly controlled by ground handling, airport, or airline staff, except the aircraft boarding, which is driven by passengers’ experience and willingness/ability to follow the proposed boarding procedures. This paper provides an overview of the research done in the field of aircraft boarding and introduces a reliable, calibrated, and stochastic aircraft boarding model. The stochastic boarding model is implemented in a simulation environment to evaluate specific boarding scenarios using different boarding strategies and innovative technologies. Furthermore, the potential of a connected aircraft cabin as sensor network is emphasized, which could provide information on the current and future status of the boarding process.

Female Institutional Directors on Boards and Firm Value

OpenAIRE

Pucheta Martínez, María Consuelo; Bel Oms, Inmaculada; Olcina Sempere, Gustau

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is to examine what impact female institutional directors on boards have on corporate performance. Previous research shows that institutional female directors cannot be considered as a homogeneous group since they represent investors who may or may not maintain business relations with the companies on whose corporate boards they sit. Thus, it is not only the effect of female institutional directors as a whole on firm value that has been analysed, but also the impact of...

Patients overwhelmingly prefer inpatient boarding to emergency department boarding.

Science.gov (United States)

Viccellio, Peter; Zito, Joseph A; Sayage, Valerie; Chohan, Jasmine; Garra, Gregory; Santora, Carolyn; Singer, Adam J

2013-12-01

Boarding of admitted patients in the emergency department (ED) is a major cause of crowding. One alternative to boarding in the ED, a full-capacity protocol where boarded patients are redeployed to inpatient units, can reduce crowding and improve overall flow. Our aim was to compare patient satisfaction with boarding in the ED vs. inpatient hallways. We performed a structured telephone survey regarding patient experiences and preferences for boarding among admitted ED patients who experienced boarding in the ED hallway and then were subsequently transferred to inpatient hallways. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as patient preferences, including items related to patient comfort and safety using a 5-point scale, were recorded and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Of 110 patients contacted, 105 consented to participate. Mean age was 57 ± 16 years and 52% were female. All patients were initially boarded in the ED in a hallway before their transfer to an inpatient hallway bed. The overall preferred location after admission was the inpatient hallway in 85% (95% confidence interval 75-90) of respondents. In comparing ED vs. inpatient hallway boarding, the following percentages of respondents preferred inpatient boarding with regard to the following 8 items: rest, 85%; safety, 83%; confidentiality, 82%; treatment, 78%; comfort, 79%; quiet, 84%; staff availability, 84%; and privacy, 84%. For no item was there a preference for boarding in the ED. Patients overwhelmingly preferred the inpatient hallway rather than the ED hallway when admitted to the hospital. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Some research aspects for irradiation treatment of the polluted waters in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Jingtian; Yun Guichun; Ha Hongfei

1988-01-01

This paper is a review of some aspects of research work on radiation treatment of surface and industrial polluted waters in China. These studies include: radiation-oxidized decomposition of phenols, cyanides and pesticides etc., radiation decolourization of wastewater from dyeworks, radiation modification of the biodegradability of saponificated wastewater as well as radiation sterilization of surface water, hospital sewage sludge, industrial cooling-water and water flooding in oil field. (author)

DOE's Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board: The Roles, Work, and Assessment of the Constituent Local Boards - 13587

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, Catherine; Freeman, Jenny; Cantrell, Yvette

2013-01-01

The charter for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management (EM) Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) was approved under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) in 1994. With a unique mandate to provide public input on issues associated with the cleanup of nuclear legacy sites in the U.S., the EM SSAB comprises eight local boards, which are based at major EM sites. While each board is unique to the community in which it is located and reflects the diversity of the local population, the boards are governed by FACA, related regulations, and DOE policies that are intended to standardize agency advisory board operations. The EM SSAB local boards are made up of a diverse group of citizens who want to understand the mission and goals of the EM program and to help EM achieve those goals for the benefit of their communities. Some are quite passionate about their mission; others need to be coaxed into active participation. Maintaining productive relationships and a supportive environment for effective board operations is the challenge of board management for DOE EM and the board members themselves. DOE draws on research findings and best practices literature from academics and practitioners in the field of public involvement in its board management practices. The EM SSAB is also evaluated annually under the law to ensure that the investment of taxpayer dollars in the board is warranted in light of the contributions of the board. Further evaluation takes place at the agency and site levels in order to identify what aspects of board functioning the agency and board members find important to its success and to address areas where improvement is needed. Board contributions, compliance factors, and measurable outcomes related to board products and process areas are key to agency commitment to ongoing support of the boards and to participant satisfaction and thus continued member involvement. In addition to evaluation of these factors in improving board effectiveness

On-Board Mining in the Sensor Web

Science.gov (United States)

Tanner, S.; Conover, H.; Graves, S.; Ramachandran, R.; Rushing, J.

2004-12-01

On-board data mining can contribute to many research and engineering applications, including natural hazard detection and prediction, intelligent sensor control, and the generation of customized data products for direct distribution to users. The ability to mine sensor data in real time can also be a critical component of autonomous operations, supporting deep space missions, unmanned aerial and ground-based vehicles (UAVs, UGVs), and a wide range of sensor meshes, webs and grids. On-board processing is expected to play a significant role in the next generation of NASA, Homeland Security, Department of Defense and civilian programs, providing for greater flexibility and versatility in measurements of physical systems. In addition, the use of UAV and UGV systems is increasing in military, emergency response and industrial applications. As research into the autonomy of these vehicles progresses, especially in fleet or web configurations, the applicability of on-board data mining is expected to increase significantly. Data mining in real time on board sensor platforms presents unique challenges. Most notably, the data to be mined is a continuous stream, rather than a fixed store such as a database. This means that the data mining algorithms must be modified to make only a single pass through the data. In addition, the on-board environment requires real time processing with limited computing resources, thus the algorithms must use fixed and relatively small amounts of processing time and memory. The University of Alabama in Huntsville is developing an innovative processing framework for the on-board data and information environment. The Environment for On-Board Processing (EVE) and the Adaptive On-board Data Processing (AODP) projects serve as proofs-of-concept of advanced information systems for remote sensing platforms. The EVE real-time processing infrastructure will upload, schedule and control the execution of processing plans on board remote sensors. These plans

How well-run boards make decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Useem, Michael

2006-11-01

In the aftermath of seismic debacles like those that toppled Enron and WorldCom, corporate boards have been shaken up and made over. More directors are independent these days, for instance, and corporations now disclose directors' salaries and committee members' names. Research shows that most of the changes are having a positive effect on companies' performance. They are primarily structural, though, and don't go to the heart of a board's work: making the choices that shape a firm's future. Which decisions boards own and how those calls are made are largely hidden from the public. As a result, boards are often unable to learn from the best governance practices of their counterparts at other companies. This article pulls back the curtain and provides an inside look. Drawing on interviews with board members and executives at 31 companies, along with a close examination of three boardroom decisions, the author identifies several formal processes that can help companies improve their decision making: creating calendars that specify when the board and the standing committees will consider key items; drafting charters that define the decisions committees are responsible for; and developing decision protocols that divvy up responsibilities between directors and executives. The author also identifies a number of informal decision-making principles: Items that are strategically significant and touch on the firm's core values should go to the board. Large decisions should be divided into small pieces, so the board can devote sufficient attention to each one. Directors must remain vigilant to ensure that their decisions are effectively implemented. The CEO and either the nonexecutive chair or the lead director should engage in ongoing dialogue regarding which decisions to take to the full board and when. And directors should challenge assumptions before making yes-or-no decisions on management proposals.

Approaches to facilitate institutional review board approval of multicenter research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsolo, Keith

2012-07-01

Gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a multicenter research study can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. It can increase the complexity of consent forms, decreasing patient understanding and lowering recruitment numbers. It also leads to increased costs through the duplication of effort. This paper examines some of the strategies used to streamline the IRB review process for multicenter studies and provides examples used by 2 existing multicenter comparative effectiveness research networks. A literature search was conducted to identify sources that described the challenges and potential strategies to facilitate multicenter IRB approval. The most promising avenues were identified and included in this review. Phone interviews were conducted with the Principal Investigators and Project Managers of 2 successful multicenter research networks to learn their "keys to success" and their lessons learned. Three strategies were identified that held the most promise: working with IRBs before submission, the use of central and/or federated IRBs, and the establishment of an umbrella protocol. Each of these strategies was used to some degree by the case study projects. Although the approaches documented here can help streamline the IRB approval process, they are not a "silver bullet." Because some of these approaches are still relatively new, empirical data are sparse. However, it is believed that they will significantly reduce the administrative burden of the project as a whole and lead to a decrease in the overall time to protocol approval.

[Research on problem of exogenous pollution of Chinese medicine resources from perspective of circular economy].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Tian, Kan; Tian, Hong

2016-08-01

Based on the in-depth analysis of the current situation of the exogenous pollution of Chinese medicine resources, this research mainly discusses the intrinsic link and practical significance between the development of circular economy in Chinese medicine resources and the control of the problem of the exogenous pollution from the perspective of circular economy, and proposes some suggestions to develop the recycling economy of Chinese medicine resources from the establishment of legal system, mechanism of development, production norms, industry standards and regulatory system of the recycling of Chinese medicine resources. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Research ethics board approval for an international thromboprophylaxis trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Lutz, Kristina; Wilton, Kelly; Zytaruk, Nicole; Julien, Lisa; Hall, Richard; Harvey, Johanne; Skrobik, Yoanna; Vlahakis, Nicholas; Meade, Laurie; Matte, Andrea; Meade, Maureen; Burns, Karen; Albert, Martin; Cash, Bronwyn Barlow; Vallance, Shirley; Klinger, James; Heels-Ansdell, Diane; Cook, Deborah

2012-06-01

Research ethics board (REB) review of scientific protocols is essential, ensuring participants' dignity, safety, and rights. The objectives of this study were to examine the time from submission to approval, to analyze predictors of approval time, and to describe the scope of conditions from REBs evaluating an international thromboprophylaxis trial. We generated survey items through literature review and investigators' discussions, creating 4 domains: respondent and institutional demographics, the REB application process, and alternate consent models. We conducted a document analysis that involved duplicate assessment of themes from REB critique of the protocol and informed consent forms (ICF). Approval was granted from 65 REB institutions, requiring 58 unique applications. We analyzed 44 (75.9%) of 58 documents and surveys. Survey respondents completing the applications had 8 (5-12) years of experience; 77% completed 4 or more REB applications in previous 5 years. Critical care personnel were represented on 54% of REBs. The time to approval was a median (interquartile range) of 75 (42, 150) days, taking longer for sites with national research consortium membership (89.1 vs 31.0 days, P = .03). Document analysis of the application process and ICF yielded 5 themes: methodology, data management, consent procedures, cataloguing, and miscellaneous. Protocol-specific themes focused on trial implementation, external critiques, and budget. The only theme specific to the ICF was risks and benefits. The most frequent comments on the protocol and ICF were about methodology and miscellaneous issues; ICF comments also addressed study risks and benefits. More studies on methods to enhance efficiency and consistency of the REB approval processes for clinical trials are needed while still maintaining high ethical standards. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

School buses, air pollution and children's health : improving children's health and local air quality by reducing school bus emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perrotta, K. [Ontario Public Health Association, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2005-11-01

The exhaust gases from school buses was examined and recommendations were presented for the establishment of a healthy school bus program in Ontario that is directed at improving children's health and local air quality. The Ontario Public Health Association is concerned with school bus emissions because they are heavy-duty vehicles that emit large quantities of diesel-related air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and diesel particulates. In addition, school buses can be self-polluting vehicles that expose children on-board to high levels of fine particulates and diesel particulate matter. Both these pollutants have been associated with a range of acute and chronic health problems such as asthma, respiratory infections, allergies, and school absences. With nearly 800,000 Ontario children being transported on school buses annually, these exposures can represent a serious public health concern, as childhood exposures can also influence the health of exposed individuals later in life. Exposure studies have found that tailpipe and engine emissions contribute greatly to concentrations of air pollutants on-board school buses. The studies also showed that on-board concentrations were also influenced by local air quality in the communities studied, traffic density, wind direction, the configuration of windows, idling and queuing patterns. It was recommended that the use of ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel along with the installation of diesel particulate filters and closed crankcase filters can reduce the concentrations of air pollutants on-board school buses to almost ambient air levels, even under idling conditions. This report recommended the replacement of pre-1994 school buses, the retrofitting of 1994-2003 school buses with filters, and maintaining proper maintenance, idling and vehicle operation practices. refs., tabs., figs.

77 FR 9633 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-17

... to academic affairs; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement during... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

76 FR 62787 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-11

... relating to academic affairs; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of Meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

Focus on CSIR research in pollution waste: CSIR Groundwater research into mine closure strategies

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Turton, A

2007-08-01

Full Text Available on innovative ways of managing the impact of mine closure, in particular the decant of polluted mine water. Radon isotopes are being used to determine where mine water is contributing to surface water flows, which helps to identify sources of pollution...

Board members’ contribution to strategy: The mediating role of board internal processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Barroso-Castro

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study aims to explore what directors do on the board, to what extent the processes occurring in the board allow the sharing and integrating of the existing knowledge, thus facilitating the board members’ contributions to strategy. We adopt the view that the internal board processes increase the impact of the cognitive resources on board performance. Using survey data from 200 large Spanish companies we demonstrate that directors’ level of knowledge of the firm and board job-related diversity positively influence the degree of the board's strategic involvement. Additionally, the internal processes that take place within the board – particularly Cognitive Conflict, the Critical and Independent Approach and the Comprehensive Discussion Process – influence the board's strategic involvement and play a partial mediating role on the aforementioned relationships. However, our results show no evidence for a positive relationship between Board Meeting Dynamics and the board's strategic involvement.

76 FR 67715 - Science Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-02

... Administration (NOAA) science programs are of the highest quality and provide optimal support to resource... Advisory Board in Reviewing NOAA's Research and Development Portfolio-Presentation and Discussion; (6) NOAA...

Mechanisms to promote board gender diversity in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzette Viviers

2017-09-01

Contribution: Whereas existing research mainly centres on the rationale for board gender diversity, this study goes a step further by investigating three prominent mechanisms to promote female board representation. A contribution is made to the body of knowledge on diversity management. Context-specific recommendations are offered.

Archives of Environmental Health, Volume 18 Number 4. Ninth AMA Air Pollution Medical Research Conference, Denver, July 22-24, 1968.

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, Frank

Papers read before the Ninth American Medical Association (AMA) Air Pollution Medical Research Conference, Denver, Colorado, July 22-24, 1968, are presented in this document. Topics deal with the relationship and effects of atmospheric pollution to respiratory diseases, epidemiology, human physiological reactions, urban morbidity, health of school…

76 FR 10341 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-24

...; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of Meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

Risk assessment - a research program aimed at health risks from air pollution in the general environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindahl-Kiessling, K.; Ahlborg, U.; Bylin, G.; Ehrenberg, L.; Hemminki, K.; Lindell, B.; Nilsson, Robert; Bostroem, C.E.; Swarn, U.

1991-01-01

The paper presents a new research program for assessment of health risks caused by air pollutants. It is important to develop general methods for quantitative risk assessments and to improve the scientific base materials. (KAE)

Air pollution and respiratory illness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Indra, G. [DIET, Uttamasolapuram, Salem (India)

2005-07-01

This presentation provides an overview of air pollution and impacts on public health. It provides a definition of pollution according to the Oxford English dictionary and categorizes the different types of pollution according to air, water, land and noise. It discusses air pollution and its pollutants (gaseous and particulate pollutants) as well as the diameter of the pollutant (dust, smoke, and gas). The paper also illustrates the formation of acid rain and discusses the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere per year. It presents occupational diseases, discusses radio active pollutants, respiratory illnesses as well as pollution prevention and control. The paper concluded that more research is needed to obtain information on ways to reduce the quantity of pollutants being discharged from special processes. 3 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Interpersonal Communication Processes Between Students, Caregivers of Boarding School, and Boarding School Environments in Building the Self Concept

OpenAIRE

Maulia, Putri; Budi Lestari, SU, Dr. Dra. Sri

2017-01-01

In a family, interpersonal communication processes take place in nurturing and controlling against the behavior of their children. Now, many parents who choose to educate his children in boarding schools and they hopes their children can have a religious knowledge as well as a good general science, have a good character, and have a positive self-concept if educated in the boarding school. This research using a qualitative approach, aims to describing interpersonal communication processes betw...

AirPEx: Air Pollution Exposure Model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freijer JI; Bloemen HJTh; Loos S de; Marra M; Rombout PJA; Steentjes GM; Veen MP van; LBO

1997-01-01

Analysis of inhalatory exposure to air pollution is an important area of investigation when assessing the risks of air pollution for human health. Inhalatory exposure research focuses on the exposure of humans to air pollutants and the entry of these pollutants into the human respiratory tract. The

78 FR 66384 - Membership of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-05

... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD Membership of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the members of the Merit Systems Protection Board's Performance Review Board. DATES: November 5, 2013...

ADDRESSING POLLUTION PREVENTION ISSUES IN THE DESIGN OF A NEW NUCLEAR RESEARCH FACILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cournoyer, Michael E.; Corpion, Juan; Nelson, Timothy O.

2003-01-01

The Chemistry and Metallurgical Research (CMR) Facility was designed in 1949 and built in 1952 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to support analytical chemistry, metallurgical studies, and actinide research and development on samples of plutonium and other nuclear materials for the Atomic Energy Commission's nuclear weapons program. These primary programmatic uses of the CMR Facility have not changed significantly since it was constructed. In 1998, a seismic fault was found to the west of the CMR Facility and projected to extend beneath two wings of the building. As part of the overall Risk Management Strategy for the CMR Facility, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed to replace it by 2010 with what is called the CMR Facility Replacement (CMRR). In an effort to make this proposed new nuclear research facility environmentally sustainable, several pollution prevention/waste minimization initiatives are being reviewed for potential incorporation during the design phase. A two-phase approach is being adopted; the facility is being designed in a manner that integrates pollution prevention efforts, and programmatic activities are being tailored to minimize waste. Processes and procedures that reduce waste generation compared to current, prevalent processes and procedures are identified. Some of these ''best practices'' include the following: (1) recycling opportunities for spent materials; (2) replacing lithium batteries with alternate current adaptors; (3) using launderable contamination barriers in Radiological Control Areas (RCAs); (4) substituting mercury thermometers and manometers in RCAs with mercury-free devices; (5) puncturing and recycling aerosol cans; (6) using non-hazardous low-mercury fluorescent bulbs where available; (7) characterizing low-level waste as it is being generated; and (8) utilizing lead alternatives for radiological shielding. Each of these pollution prevention initiatives are being assessed for their technical validity, relevancy

Lead (Pb) Air Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

... Regional Offices Labs and Research Centers Lead (Pb) Air Pollution Contact Us Share As a result of EPA's ... and protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Lead (Pb) Air Pollution Basic Information How does lead get in the ...

Ignorance is no excuse for directors minimizing information asymmetry affecting boards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eythor Ivar Jonsson

2006-11-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at information asymmetry at the board level and how lack of information has played a part in undermining the power of the board of directors. Information is power, and at board level, information is essential to keep the board knowledgeable about the failures and successes of the organization that it is supposed to govern. Although lack of information has become a popular excuse for boards, the mantra could –and should –be changing to, “Ignorance is no excuse” (Mueller, 1993. This paper explores some of these information system solutions that have the aim of resolving some of the problems of information asymmetry. Furthermore, three case studies are used to explore the problem of asymmetric information at board level and the how the boards are trying to solve the problem. The focus of the discussion is to a describe how directors experience the information asymmetry and if they find it troublesome, b how important information is for the control and strategy role of the board and c find out how boards can minimize the problem of asymmetric information. The research is conducted through semi-structured interviews with directors, managers and accountants. This paper offers an interesting exploration into information, or the lack of information, at board level. It describes both from a theoretical and practical viewpoint the problem of information asymmetry at board level and how companies are trying to solve this problem. It is an issue that has only been lightly touched upon in the corporate governance literature but is likely to attract more attention and research in the future.

The municipal continuum: Research on maritime water pollution in Helsinki in the 20th century

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laurila, S. K. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Social History; Laakkonen, S. J. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Social Policy

2004-07-01

In general, the history of environmental research is not known very well. Our study contributes to filling this gap by focusing on the history of the methods that were used during the 20th century to study the state of the urban sea area in Helsinki, Finland. From the beginning of the past century, the methodological basis of municipal water pollution studies in Helsinki was broad, involving the use of physical, chemical, hygienic and biological methods. Since 1904, municipal laboratories have overseen and conducted most physico-chemical and bacteriological studies of pollution of urban watercourses, and they have done regular annual sampling since 1947. In the 1920s and 1930s, the municipal laboratories cooperated with the University of Helsinki and, secondarily, with the Helsinki University of Technology in order to develop the skills and manpower that were required in order to conduct pollution studies. Statutory monitoring was initiated in the mid-1960s, and it continues today. (orig.)

Sex-Divergent Clinical Outcomes and Precision Medicine: An Important New Role for Institutional Review Boards and Research Ethics Committees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio Segarra

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The efforts toward individualized medicine have constantly increased in an attempt to improve treatment options. These efforts have led to the development of small molecules which target specific molecular pathways involved in cancer progression. We have reviewed preclinical studies of sunitinib that incorporate sex as a covariate to explore possible sex-based differences in pharmacokinetics and drug–drug interactions (DDI to attempt a relationship with published clinical outputs. We observed that covariate sex is lacking in most clinical outcome reports and suggest a series of ethic-based proposals to improve research activities and identify relevant different sex outcomes. We propose a deeper integration of preclinical, clinical, and translational research addressing statistical and clinical significance jointly; to embed specific sex-divergent endpoints to evaluate possible gender differences objectively during all stages of research; to pay greater attention to sex-divergent outcomes in polypharmacy scenarios, DDI and bioequivalence studies; the clear reporting of preclinical and clinical findings regarding sex-divergent outcomes; as well as to encourage the active role of scientists and the pharmaceutical industry to foster a new scientific culture through their research programs, practice, and participation in editorial boards and Institutional Ethics Review Boards (IRBs and Research Ethics Committees (RECs. We establish the IRB/REC as the centerpiece for the implementation of these proposals. We suggest the expansion of its competence to follow up clinical trials to ensure that sex differences are addressed and recognized; to engage in data monitoring committees to improve clinical research cooperation and ethically address those potential clinical outcome differences between male and female patients to analyze their social and clinical implications in research and healthcare policies.

Hospital board effectiveness: relationships between board training and hospital financial viability.

Science.gov (United States)

Molinari, C; Morlock, L; Alexander, J; Lyles, C A

1992-01-01

This study examined whether hospital governing boards that invest in board education and training are more informed and effective decision-making bodies. Measures of hospital financial viability (i.e., selected financial ratios and outcomes) are used as indicators of hospital board effectiveness. Board participation in educational programs was significantly associated with improved profitability, liquidity, and occupancy levels, suggesting that investment in the education of directors is likely to enhance hospital viability and thus increase board effectiveness.

Pollution prevention: The new environmental ethic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breen, J.J.; Dellarco, M.J.

1991-01-01

EPA is embarking on a new major environmental policy initiative: pollution prevention. It obviates the short-comings of end-of-pipe regulations and fosters efforts for industry to modify production practices to prevent pollution. For its part, the Agency has adopted this initiative in research and development, regulatory program development, and technology transfer activities. Research and Development programs are being established to address chemical substitution, reductions in chemical usage, product life cycles, and recycling. Regulatory programs are incorporating pollution prevention in major strategies of product stewardship and hazardous waste management. Technology transfer activities are designed to inform and educate industry and the public through Agency sponsored programs with the Pollution Prevention Information Center and the American Pollution Prevention Institute

Core Support of the Board on Mathematical Sciences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1995-04-04

This proposal summarizes activities conducted by the Board on Mathematical Sciences (BMS) during the period August 1, 1994 to July 31, 1995 and describes future plans of the Board for the period August 1, 1995 to July 31, 1998. We are requesting core support in the amount of $105,000 ($35,000 each year) from the Department of Energy for the additional three-year period. The BMS activities supported exclusively by core funding are the annual Department Chairs Colloquia, the National Science and Technology Symposia, specific reports, the initiation of all projects, continuous oversight of all activities, and partial core support of the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (CATS). Other activities of the Board include giving recommendations on research directions to federal agencies, and reports on education in the mathematical sciences, interaction of mathematical sciences with other areas, health of the mathematical sciences, and emerging research directions.

Engaging with Community Advisory Boards (CABs) in Lusaka Zambia: perspectives from the research team and CAB members.

Science.gov (United States)

Mwinga, Alwyn; Moodley, Keymanthri

2015-06-03

The use of a Community Advisory Board (CAB) is one method of ensuring community engagement in community based research. To identify the process used to constitute CABs in Zambia, this paper draws on the perspectives of both research team members and CAB members from research groups who used CABs in Lusaka. Enabling and restricting factors impacting on the functioning of the CAB were identified. All studies approved by the University of Zambia Bioethics Research Committee (UBNZABREC) from 2008 - 2012 were reviewed to identify those studies that were likely to include a CAB. Eight teams with studies that included a CAB were identified. For each of these studies, consent was obtained to conduct an informal interview with a research team member and to obtain contact details for one CAB member. In total 14 interviews were conducted with 8 research team members and 6 CAB members from 12-30 August 2013. Identification of potential CAB members from the community and their participation in developing the terms of reference for CABs was perceived to have contributed to the success of the CAB. Due to the trust that the community had in members of their community the CABs were then in a stronger position to influence community participation in the research. Training of CAB members was identified as a factor that enhanced the functioning of a CAB. Lack of commitment and low literacy levels of CAB members posed a threat to the role of the CAB. Although compensation in the form of a stipend was not provided, CAB members were provided with transport reimbursements for attending meetings. Selection of CAB members from within the community contributed to community confidence in the CAB, enhancing its ability to act as an effective link between study team and community. This contributed positively to the conduct of the study and enhanced community awareness and acceptance of the research. However, establishment of study specific CABs has the potential to compromise CAB independence

Online research article discussion board to increase knowledge translation during emergency medicine residency.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoneking, Lisa R; Grall, Kristi H; Min, Alice A; Panchal, Ashish R

2013-01-01

Many clinicians have difficulties reading current best practice journal articles on a regular basis. Discussion boards are one method of online asynchronous learning that facilitates active learning and participation. We hypothesized that an online repository of best practice articles with a discussion board would increase journal article reading by emergency medicine residents. PARTICIPANTS ANSWERED THREE QUESTIONS WEEKLY ON A DISCUSSION BOARD: What question does this study address? What does this study add to our knowledge? How might this change clinical practice? A survey regarding perceived barriers to participating was then distributed. Most participants completed an article summary once or twice in total (23/32, 71.9%). Only three were involved most weeks (3/32, 9.4%) whereas 5/32 (15.6%) participated monthly. The most common barriers were lack of time (20/32, 62.5%), difficulty logging on (7/32, 21.9%), and forgetting (6/32, 18.8%). Although subjects were provided weekly with an article link, email, and feedback, journal article reading frequency did not increase.

DOE's Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board: The Roles, Work, and Assessment of the Constituent Local Boards - 13587

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexander, Catherine [U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, Office of Intergovernmental and Community Activities, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.,Washington, D.C. 20585 (United States); Freeman, Jenny [Strata-G, LLC, 2027 Castaic Lane, Knoxville, TN 37932 (United States); Cantrell, Yvette [Restoration Services, Inc., 136 Mitchell Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States)

2013-07-01

The charter for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management (EM) Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) was approved under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) in 1994. With a unique mandate to provide public input on issues associated with the cleanup of nuclear legacy sites in the U.S., the EM SSAB comprises eight local boards, which are based at major EM sites. While each board is unique to the community in which it is located and reflects the diversity of the local population, the boards are governed by FACA, related regulations, and DOE policies that are intended to standardize agency advisory board operations. The EM SSAB local boards are made up of a diverse group of citizens who want to understand the mission and goals of the EM program and to help EM achieve those goals for the benefit of their communities. Some are quite passionate about their mission; others need to be coaxed into active participation. Maintaining productive relationships and a supportive environment for effective board operations is the challenge of board management for DOE EM and the board members themselves. DOE draws on research findings and best practices literature from academics and practitioners in the field of public involvement in its board management practices. The EM SSAB is also evaluated annually under the law to ensure that the investment of taxpayer dollars in the board is warranted in light of the contributions of the board. Further evaluation takes place at the agency and site levels in order to identify what aspects of board functioning the agency and board members find important to its success and to address areas where improvement is needed. Board contributions, compliance factors, and measurable outcomes related to board products and process areas are key to agency commitment to ongoing support of the boards and to participant satisfaction and thus continued member involvement. In addition to evaluation of these factors in improving board

Environmental pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanif, J.; Hanif, M.I.

1997-01-01

The third proceedings of National Symposium on Modern Trends in Contemporary Chemistry was held in Islamabad, Pakistan from February 24-26, 1997. In this symposium more than 220 scientists, engineers and technologist were registered from 11 universities, 17 research organisations and 8 non-governmental organisation including some commercial establishments. The symposium was divided into five technical sessions on hydro spheric pollution, atmospheric pollution, bio spheric pollution, lithospheric pollution and impact assessment and environmental education. Environmental and ecology are so interdependent that any change in the balance due to natural and man made cause may result in a disaster, flood, fire, earthquake, epidemic, population explosion etc. are the natural ways of unbalancing our ecosystem. The scope of this symposium includes: 1) Review the chemistry and the chemical techniques like polarography, coulometry, HPLC, GC-MS, NAA, XRF, AAS, AES etc. involved in the assessment monitoring and control of various pollutions. 2) Propose sampling, transportation, measurement and standardization procedures. 3) Collaboration in scientific data collection. 4) Mutual consultation for management of the pollution problem in a cost effective manner. 5) sharing knowledge and experience with various environmental protection groups both in public and private sector. (A.B.)

Gender balance on company boards: a summary from a research project about the impact of the Norwegian gender quota legislation

OpenAIRE

2015-01-01

This report summarizes main findings from the research project: Effects of gender balance in corporate boards. The project is financed by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. The report consists of nine chapters. The introductory chapter will provide key information about the gender quota legislation, as well as describe the policy process that led to the gender balance legislation; the second chapter will present some of the existing research on the gender balance regulat...

The Federal Air Pollution Program.

Science.gov (United States)

National Air Pollution Control Administration (DHEW), Washington, DC.

Described is the Federal air pollution program as it was in 1967. The booklet is divided into these major topics: History of the Federal Program; Research; Assistance to State and Local Governments; Abatement and Prevention of Air Pollution; Control of Motor Vehicle Pollution; Information and Education; and Conclusion. Federal legislation has…

7 CFR 1219.13 - Hass Avocado Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hass Avocado Board. 1219.13 Section 1219.13... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order Definitions § 1219.13 Hass...

Research Note Impacts of mine dump pollution on plant species ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of mine dump pollution on semiarid savanna vegetation were investigated in Kombat, Namibia. Vegetation structure, species richness, composition and diversity were compared between polluted and control sites. Concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead and zinc in soils were significantly higher closer to a ...

Critical Review on Hotel Tax over Boarding House from the Perspective of Islamic Equality Principle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khoirul Hidayah

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Perception of community are the regulation about tax of hotel in boarding house over 10 (ten rooms in The Law No. 28 of 2009 about The Region Tax and Retribution is unclear and unfair. The problems are what are the nature meaning of hotel and boarding house services, second, analize tax of hotel in boarding house by fairness perspective. The research method is normative research with modern interpretation and fairness theory. The result are the nature meaning of hotel and boarding house services are differences. The regulation about tax of hotel in boarding house over 10 (ten rooms is unfair.

76 FR 67402 - Performance Review Board Appointments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

... Executive Service (SES), Senior Level (SL), and Scientific or Professional (ST) Performance Review Boards...; White, Dave. Research, Education and Economics (REE) Bartuska, Ann; Jacobs-Young, Chavonda; Woteki...

Mobile Instruments Measure Atmospheric Pollutants

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

As a part of NASA's active research of the Earth s atmosphere, which has included missions such as the Atmospheric Laboratory of Applications and Science (ATLAS, launched in 1992) and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS, launched on the Earth Probe satellite in 1996), the Agency also performs ground-based air pollution research. The ability to measure trace amounts of airborne pollutants precisely and quickly is important for determining natural patterns and human effects on global warming and air pollution, but until recent advances in field-grade spectroscopic instrumentation, this rapid, accurate data collection was limited and extremely difficult. In order to understand causes of climate change and airborne pollution, NASA has supported the development of compact, low power, rapid response instruments operating in the mid-infrared "molecular fingerprint" portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. These instruments, which measure atmospheric trace gases and airborne particles, can be deployed in mobile laboratories - customized ground vehicles, typically - to map distributions of pollutants in real time. The instruments must be rugged enough to operate rapidly and accurately, despite frequent jostling that can misalign, damage, or disconnect sensitive components. By measuring quickly while moving through an environment, a mobile laboratory can correlate data and geographic points, revealing patterns in the environment s pollutants. Rapid pollutant measurements also enable direct determination of pollutant sources and sinks (mechanisms that remove greenhouse gases and pollutants), providing information critical to understanding and managing atmospheric greenhouse gas and air pollutant concentrations.

Ademe et Vous. Research Newsletter No. 12, September 2015. Soils: from characterising different types of pollution to tackling climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varet, Anne; Guignard, Stephanie

2015-09-01

The research led by ADEME has evolved from characterising different types of pollution to providing a better understanding of complex mechanisms, such as the relationship between soils and climate change. The results of this research have focused on evaluating carbon stocks, their vulnerability to climate change and the impact of land-use change. This letter is the second of a 'triptych' of research letters put together as part of the lead up to COP21. Content: - Soils: from characterising different types of pollution to tackling climate change; - Significant results: GHG flux from soil systems and climate change; - Meeting... Jean-Francois Soussana scientific director (environment) at the French national institute for agricultural research (INRA) and Isabelle Feix national soils expert at ADEME

Worldwide Portals to Classroom Research on Light Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.; Buxner, S.

2016-12-01

Issues affecting society can provide stimulus for scientific research relevant to students' lives and, hence, of interest to them. These multi-disciplinary, non-traditional science topics often need foundational instruction for both students and instructors that steers students to and through research using Problem-Based or Project-Based Learning and provides more of a comfort zone for the instructor in terms of content and execution. A program created by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Education and Public Outreach staff (NOAO EPO) during the International Year of Light (2015) offers real-life challenges for students to solve and leads them to further research. The program is called the Quality Lighting Teaching (QLT) program (www.noao.edu/education/qltkit.php). For instructors, the impact of the program is amplified by providing professional development using tutorial videos created at NOAO on each of 6 activities and by conducting Q&A sessions via 14 Google+ Hangouts. Hangouts make communication possible with groups from 30 countries, which have received 88 QLT Kits. The central issue is poor quality lighting. It not only impedes astronomy research and seeing a starry night sky, but creates safety issues, affects human circadian sensitivities, disrupts ecosystems, and wastes billions of dollars/year in energy consumption. It also leads to excess carbon emissions. In this problem-based scenario, the city mayor (e.g., instructor) has received complaints from citizens about streetlights. Students are assembled into task forces to determine the underlying problems in the 6 complaint categories, as well as come up with feasible solutions. By exploring the concepts and practices of quality lighting, students will solve realistic cases on how light pollution affects wildlife, the night sky, our eyes, energy consumption, safety, and light trespass into buildings. The QLT Kit has all the materials for the explorations. Join us for our assessment of the

Hyperspectral remote sensing for light pollution monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Marcoionni

2006-06-01

Full Text Available industries. In this paper we introduce the results from a remote sensing campaign performed in September 2001 at night time. For the first time nocturnal light pollution was measured at high spatial and spectral resolution using two airborne hyperspectral sensors, namely the Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer (MIVIS and the Visible InfraRed Scanner (VIRS-200. These imagers, generally employed for day-time Earth remote sensing, were flown over the Tuscany coast (Italy on board of a Casa 212/200 airplane from an altitude of 1.5-2.0 km. We describe the experimental activities which preceded the remote sensing campaign, the optimization of sensor configuration, and the images as far acquired. The obtained results point out the novelty of the performed measurements and highlight the need to employ advanced remote sensing techniques as a spectroscopic tool for light pollution monitoring.

Annual report to the Atomic Energy Control Board on the Regulatory Research and Support Program April 1, 1994 - March 31, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-03-01

The Regulatory Research and Support Program (RSP) is intended to augment and extend activities, undertaken by the Atomic Energy Control Board, beyond what would be possible with in-house resources. The overall objective of the research and support activity is to produce pertinent and independent information that will assist the Board and its staff in making sound, timely and credible decisions for the regulation of nuclear facilities and materials. During Fiscal Year 1994/95, a total of $3.245M was spent of RSP research and support work. The range of activities included projects in the general fields of nuclear reactors, fuel cycle facilities, uranium mines and mills, waste management, dosimetry, health physics, regulations and regulatory process development, and other special support services. Some of this work was organized into sub-program groups, each of which addresses research and support effort in theme-related areas. Five sub-programs were launched during the year bringing to eight the total number of such sub-programs. Areas addressed in the sub-programs are environmental impact assessment and management, safety critical software, seismologic studies, pressure boundary integrity, integrity of containment and safety-related structures, human factors, internal dosimetry, and health effects in human populations. During the year, there were a total of 157 active projects

The dBoard: a Digital Scrum Board for Distributed Software Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esbensen, Morten; Tell, Paolo; Cholewa, Jacob Benjamin

2015-01-01

In this paper we present the dBoard - a digital Scrum Board for distributed Agile software development teams. The dBoard is designed as a 'virtual window' between two Scrum team spaces. It connects two locations with live video and audio, which is overlaid with a synchronized and interactive...... digital Scrum board, and it adapts the fidelity of the video/audio to the presence of people in front of it. The dBoard is designed to work (i) as a passive information radiator from which it is easy to get an overview of the status of work, (ii) as a media space providing awareness about the presence...... of remote co-workers, and (iii) as an active meeting support tool. The paper presents a case study of distributed Scrum in a large software company that motivates the design of the dBoard, and details the design and technical implementation of the dBoard. The paper also reports on an initial user study...

Turning Schools Around: The National Board Certification Process as a School Improvement Strategy. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Jaquith, Ann; Snyder, Jon

2016-01-01

Can the National Board certification process support school improvement where large proportions of students score below grade level on standardized tests? This SCOPE study examines a project that sought to seize and capitalize upon the learning opportunities embedded in the National Board certification process, particularly opportunities to learn…

Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertazzon, Stefania; Shahid, Rizwan

2017-07-25

An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children.

Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Bertazzon, Stefania; Shahid, Rizwan

2017-01-01

An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children. PMID:28757577

Oceans and Human Health (OHH): a European perspective from the Marine Board of the European Science Foundation (Marine Board-ESF).

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Michael N; Depledge, Michael H; Fleming, Lora; Hess, Philipp; Lees, David; Leonard, Paul; Madsen, Lise; Owen, Richard; Pirlet, Hans; Seys, Jan; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Viarengo, Aldo

2013-05-01

The oceans and coastal seas provide mankind with many benefits including food for around a third of the global population, the air that we breathe and our climate system which enables habitation of much of the planet. However, the converse is that generation of natural events (such as hurricanes, severe storms and tsunamis) can have devastating impacts on coastal populations, while pollution of the seas by pathogens and toxic waste can cause illness and death in humans and animals. Harmful effects from biogenic toxins produced by algal blooms (HABs) and from the pathogens associated with microbial pollution are also a health hazard in seafood and from direct contact with water. The overall global burden of human disease caused by sewage pollution of coastal waters has been estimated at 4 million lost person-years annually. Finally, the impacts of all of these issues will be exacerbated by climate change. A holistic systems approach is needed. It must consider whole ecosystems, and their sustainability, such as integrated coastal zone management, is necessary to address the highly interconnected scientific challenges of increased human population pressure, pollution and over-exploitation of food (and other) resources as drivers of adverse ecological, social and economic impacts. There is also an urgent and critical requirement for effective and integrated public health solutions to be developed through the formulation of politically and environmentally meaningful policies. The research community required to address "Oceans & Human Health" in Europe is currently very fragmented, and recognition by policy makers of some of the problems, outlined in the list of challenges above, is limited. Nevertheless, relevant key policy issues for governments worldwide include the reduction of the burden of disease (including the early detection of emerging pathogens and other threats) and improving the quality of the global environment. Failure to effectively address these issues

78 FR 50144 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-16

... Review Board; Notice of Meetings The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under the Federal... Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the dates indicated below: Subcommittee Date(s) Location Career Development Award Program.... August 6, 2013........ VHA National...

Enhancing board oversight on quality of hospital care: an agency theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, H Joanna; Lockee, Carlin; Fraser, Irene

2012-01-01

Community hospitals in the United States are almost all governed by a governing board that is legally accountable for the quality of care provided. Increasing pressures for better quality and safety are prompting boards to strengthen their oversight function on quality. In this study, we aimed to provide an update to prior research by exploring the role and practices of governing boards in quality oversight through the lens of agency theory and comparing hospital quality performance in relation to the adoption of those practices. Data on board practices from a survey conducted by The Governance Institute in 2007 were merged with data on hospital quality drawn from two federal sources that measured processes of care and mortality. The study sample includes 445 public and private not-for-profit hospitals. We used factor analysis to explore the underlying dimensions of board practices. We further compared hospital quality performance by the adoption of each individual board practice. Consistent with the agency theory, the 13 board practices included in the survey appear to center around enhancing accountability of the board, management, and the medical staff. Reviewing the hospital's quality performance on a regular basis was the most common practice. A number of board practices, not examined in prior research, showed significant association with better performance on process of care and/or risk-adjusted mortality: requiring major new clinical programs to meet quality-related criteria, setting some quality goals at the "theoretical ideal" level, requiring both the board and the medical staff to be as involved as management in setting the agenda for discussion on quality, and requiring the hospital to report its quality/safety performance to the general public. Hospital governing boards should examine their current practices and consider adopting those that would enhance the accountability of the board itself, management, and the medical staff.

Board game

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brennan, N.S.

1982-01-01

A board game comprises a board, a number of counters and two dice. The board is marked to provide a central area, representing the nucleus of an atom, and six or more annular rings extending concentrically around the central area, the rings being divided into 2,8,18,32,48 and 72 squares. Each ring represents an electron shell, and some of the squares are numbered, the number representing the atomic number of different elements. (author)

Landcover change and light pollution in Kota Bandarlampung

Science.gov (United States)

Rohman, Akmal F.; Hafidz, Muhammad; Hazairin, Azra Q.; Riadini, Fitri

2016-10-01

Excessive emission of light or light pollution at night is one of the elements of environmental pollution. Indirectly light pollution causes increase of fossil fuel use, greenhouse gasses and pollution in the atmosphere. Direct effects of light pollution including: disturbance of animals life, human's psychology and environmental degradation. Light pollution in an area is related with the existence of built-up area and the lack of vegetation as a manifestation of economic and population growth. This research aims to know the relation of land cover changes with light pollution in Bandar Lampung and surrounding with 40 km radius over the last ten years. This research used satellite imagery to obtained data and later does the verification and accuracy tests on the field. The variables used in this research include light pollution radiance value, percentages in the built-up area and vegetation density. Light pollution radiance value is obtained from DMSP-OLS Version 4 satellite images, while the changes of built up and vegetation density data obtained from NDBI dan NDVI from Landsat 8 satellite images. The research area is divided into a grid with a size of 30"×30" which is the same as spatial resolution of DMSP. From sample grids, regression analysis between the percentage of light pollution radiance value with the percentage of NDVI and NDBI index on each grids. The percentages of built up areas and vegetation has 58 % of fair correlation with light emission.

Achievements of the ITB's--Furniture and Timber Industry Training Board

Science.gov (United States)

Industrial Training International, 1974

1974-01-01

The Furniture and Industry Training Board set out in 1965 to find a means of successfully implementing management training in small firms. The author describes research efforts undertaken by the Board which led to the development of the training program now in use--management development based on company appraisal. (AJ)

75 FR 44811 - Sunshine Act Meeting of the Board of Directors and Five Board Committees

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-29

... Virtual Board Manual 4. Consider and act on Committee Self-Evaluation Forms 5. Discussion of LSC research... i. Presentation by Mattie Cohan, Senior Assistant General Counsel ii. Comment by Laurie Tarantowicz, Assistant Inspector General and Legal Counsel iii. Public Comment 5. Consider and act on the proposed 2011...

Development of an Adjustable board and a Rotational Board for Scaffold

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Myunghoun

2017-06-01

Scaffold is widely used in high work-places inside and outside of a building construction site. It is inexpensive and is installed and dismantled easily. Although standards and ledgers of a steel tube and coupler scaffold are installed in a regular distance, the distances of transoms are not equal in some places. Sometimes a working platform or a board is absent in the corner of scaffold. This may cause safety accidents because a foothold is not stable on the transoms. An adjustable safety board and a rotational safety board are suggested in this paper. The adjustable board consists of two footholds. The small one is inserted into the large one. The rotational board covers not only right angle but also acute or obtuse angles. These safety boards for scaffold help to decrease safety accidents in construction sites.

``Losing the Dark:'' A Planetarium PSA about Light Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Productions, L. N.; Walker, D. C.

2013-04-01

Losing the Dark is a PSA video being created for fulldome theaters by Loch Ness Productions under the direction of the International Dark Sky Association Education Committee headed by Dr. Constance Walker of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. It explains the problems with light pollution, its effects on life, and three ways in which people can implement “wise lighting” practices to mitigate light pollution. The show is also being produced in a flat-screen HD format for use in classical planetarium and non-dome theaters, for presentations by IDA speakers when addressing planning boards, etc. and will be posted on the IDA and other web sites. The final length is six minutes for both versions. Funding has been provided by The International Planetarium Society and the International Dark-Sky Association.

[Application of lysosomal detection in marine pollution monitoring: research progress].

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, You-Zhu; Fang, Yong-Qiang; Zhang, Yu-Sheng

2013-11-01

Lysosome is an important organelle existing in eukaryotic cells. With the development of the study on the structure and function of lysosome in recent years, lysosome is considered as a target of toxic substances on subcellular level, and has been widely applied abroad in marine pollution monitoring. This paper summarized the biological characteristics of lysosomal marker enzyme, lysosome-autophagy system, and lysosomal membrane, and introduced the principles and methods of applying lysosomal detection in marine pollution monitoring. Bivalve shellfish digestive gland and fish liver are the most sensitive organs for lysosomal detection. By adopting the lysosomal detection techniques such as lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) test, neutral red retention time (NRRT) assay, morphological measurement (MM) of lysosome, immunohistochemical (Ih) assay of lysosomal marker enzyme, and electron microscopy (EM), the status of marine pollution can be evaluated. It was suggested that the lysosome could be used as a biomarker for monitoring marine environmental pollution. The advantages and disadvantages of lysosomal detection and some problems worthy of attention were analyzed, and the application prospects of lysosomal detection were discussed.

Air Pollution and Watershed Research in the Central Sierra Nevada of California: Nitrogen and Ozone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolyn Hunsaker

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Maintaining healthy forests is the major objective for the Forest Service scientists and managers working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Air pollution, specifically ozone (O3 and nitrogenous (N air pollutants, may severely affect the health of forest ecosystems in the western U.S. Thus, the monitoring of air pollution concentration and deposition levels, as well as studies focused on understanding effects mechanisms, are essential for evaluation of risks associated with their presence. Such information is essential for development of proper management strategies for maintaining clean air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems on land managed by the Forest Service. We report on two years of research in the central Sierra Nevada of California, a semi-arid forest at elevations of 1100–2700 m. Information on O3 and N air pollutants is obtained from a network of 18 passive samplers. We relate the atmospheric N concentration to N concentrations in streams, shallow soil water, and bulk deposition collectors within the Kings River Experimental Watershed. This watershed also contains an intensive site that is part of a recent Forest Service effort to calculate critical loads for N, sulfur, and acidity to forest ecosystems. The passive sampler design allows for extensive spatial measurements while the watershed experiment provides intensive spatial data for future analysis of ecosystem processes.

Research on visible and near infrared spectral-polarimetric properties of soil polluted by crude oil

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hui-yan; Zhou, Pu-cheng; Pan, Bang-long

2017-10-01

Hydrocarbon contaminated soil can impose detrimental effects on forest health and quality of agricultural products. To manage such consequences, oil leak indicators should be detected quickly by monitoring systems. Remote sensing is one of the most suitable techniques for monitoring systems, especially for areas which are uninhabitable and difficulty to access. The most available physical quantities in optical remote sensing domain are the intensity and spectral information obtained by visible or infrared sensors. However, besides the intensity and wavelength, polarization is another primary physical quantity associated with an optical field. During the course of reflecting light-wave, the surface of soil polluted by crude oil will cause polarimetric properties which are related to the nature of itself. Thus, detection of the spectralpolarimetric properties for soil polluted by crude oil has become a new remote sensing monitoring method. In this paper, the multi-angle spectral-polarimetric instrument was used to obtain multi-angle visible and near infrared spectralpolarimetric characteristic data of soil polluted by crude oil. And then, the change rule between polarimetric properties with different affecting factors, such as viewing zenith angle, incidence zenith angle of the light source, relative azimuth angle, waveband of the detector as well as different grain size of soil were discussed, so as to provide a scientific basis for the research on polarization remote sensing for soil polluted by crude oil.

High-Speed On-Board Data Processing for Science Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Ng, Tak-Kwong; Lin, Bing; Hu, Yongxiang; Harrison, Wallace

2014-01-01

A new development of on-board data processing platform has been in progress at NASA Langley Research Center since April, 2012, and the overall review of such work is presented in this paper. The project is called High-Speed On-Board Data Processing for Science Instruments (HOPS) and focuses on a high-speed scalable data processing platform for three particular National Research Council's Decadal Survey missions such as Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS), Aerosol-Cloud-Ecosystems (ACE), and Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN) 3-D Winds. HOPS utilizes advanced general purpose computing with Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based algorithm implementation techniques. The significance of HOPS is to enable high speed on-board data processing for current and future science missions with its reconfigurable and scalable data processing platform. A single HOPS processing board is expected to provide approximately 66 times faster data processing speed for ASCENDS, more than 70% reduction in both power and weight, and about two orders of cost reduction compared to the state-of-the-art (SOA) on-board data processing system. Such benchmark predictions are based on the data when HOPS was originally proposed in August, 2011. The details of these improvement measures are also presented. The two facets of HOPS development are identifying the most computationally intensive algorithm segments of each mission and implementing them in a FPGA-based data processing board. A general introduction of such facets is also the purpose of this paper.

[National Academies' Board on Mathematical Sciences and their Application] Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott T. Weidman

2005-01-11

The National Academies' Board on Mathematical Sciences and their Applications (BMSA) is a primary interface between the research enterprise and federal agencies that rely on the mathematical sciences. The Board provides objective and authoritative advice on how best to apply the tools of mathematics, statistics, operations research, financial engineering, computational modeling, computational science, information analysis, and decision analysis to practical problems of national importance. In so doing, the Board strengthens the policy-making process and increases the visibility of, and appreciation for, the mathematical sciences while also identifying growth areas for the discipline. The Board consists of 18 pro bono experts from a broad range of quantitative fields, with experience in academia, industry, and national laboratories.

[Bibliometrics and visualization analysis of land use regression models in ambient air pollution research].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y J; Zhou, D H; Bai, Z P; Xue, F X

2018-02-10

Objective: To quantitatively analyze the current status and development trends regarding the land use regression (LUR) models on ambient air pollution studies. Methods: Relevant literature from the PubMed database before June 30, 2017 was analyzed, using the Bibliographic Items Co-occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB 2.0). Keywords co-occurrence networks, cluster mapping and timeline mapping were generated, using the CiteSpace 5.1.R5 software. Relevant literature identified in three Chinese databases was also reviewed. Results: Four hundred sixty four relevant papers were retrieved from the PubMed database. The number of papers published showed an annual increase, in line with the growing trend of the index. Most papers were published in the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives . Results from the Co-word cluster analysis identified five clusters: cluster#0 consisted of birth cohort studies related to the health effects of prenatal exposure to air pollution; cluster#1 referred to land use regression modeling and exposure assessment; cluster#2 was related to the epidemiology on traffic exposure; cluster#3 dealt with the exposure to ultrafine particles and related health effects; cluster#4 described the exposure to black carbon and related health effects. Data from Timeline mapping indicated that cluster#0 and#1 were the main research areas while cluster#3 and#4 were the up-coming hot areas of research. Ninety four relevant papers were retrieved from the Chinese databases with most of them related to studies on modeling. Conclusion: In order to better assess the health-related risks of ambient air pollution, and to best inform preventative public health intervention policies, application of LUR models to environmental epidemiology studies in China should be encouraged.

Women on Corporate Boards in Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, and Serbia

OpenAIRE

Djulic, Katarina; Kuzman, Tanja

2013-01-01

In January 2013, International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched a research project entitled women on corporate boards in Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, and Serbia. The purpose of the project was to gather information on the representation of women on corporate boards and to learn about the determinants of female board membership in these countries. Which skills and knowledge do w...

Psychiatric boarding incidence, duration, and associated factors in United States emergency departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Jason M; Fee, Christopher; Cooper, Bruce A; Rankin, Sally H; Blegen, Mary A

2015-01-01

Boarding, especially among psychiatric patients, has been characterized as a significant cause of ED crowding, but no quantitative analysis has described boarding nationally. This study determines the incidence, duration, and factors associated with ED boarding in the United States. 2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ED data were stratified by visit type (psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric), boarding status, and patient and hospital characteristics. Boarding was defined as a visit with an ED length of stay >6 hours, and boarding time as ED length of stay minus 6 hours. Pearson's chi-square tests describe hospital and patient characteristics stratified by boarding status. Multilevel multivariable logistic and linear regressions determine associations with boarding and boarding time. While 11% of all ED patients boarded, 21.5% of all psychiatric ED patients boarded. Boarding was also more prolonged for psychiatric ED patients. Controlling for confounders, odds of boarding for psychiatric patients were 4.78 (2.63-8.66) times higher than non-psychiatric, and psychiatric patients boarded 2.78 (1.91-3.64) hours longer than non-psychiatric. US EDs experienced high proportions and durations of boarding with psychiatric patients disproportionately affected. Additional research concerning mental health care services and legislation may be required to address ED psychiatric patient boarding. Copyright © 2015 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustainable urban development and industrial pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Julka

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sustainable development of cities is highly connected with the pollution generated from industrial facilities and power plants. Both affect quality of air, weather, health and quality of life. The main goal of this paper is to determine the impact of selected weather parameters on the pollution from mentioned plants. From the research results, it can be concluded that sustainable urban development and welfare of citizens are dependent on causal relationship between pollution and weather. The greatest level of impact was recorded for nitric dioxide. In the case of carbon monoxide, the level of impact is the middle. The lowest level was recorded for particulate matter. The biggest impact on the carbon monoxide emission and particulate matter is that of air pressure, whereas temperature has the biggest impact on nitrogen dioxide emission. The research shows that air humidity and wind speed do not have a significant impact on the emission of pollutants from the plants. Research shows need for further studies in the field of impact of pollution from industry on urban weather and human health.

Nurses on health care governing boards: An integrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundean, Lisa J; Polifroni, E Carol; Libal, Kathryn; McGrath, Jacqueline M

Nurses are key change agents in health care; yet, nurses have not been sufficiently engaged on boards to shape decision making. Without an equal voice in the boardroom, nurses cannot fulfill their professional obligation to society. The purpose of this study was to understand the progression in research focus and recommendations over time about nurses on boards (NOB), identify research gaps, and make research/practice recommendations. An integrative review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (2009) for data evaluation and analysis. Eleven studies (six quantitative, three qualitative, and two quasi-mixed methods) were included in the review. The focus/recommendations of research about NOB have changed from passive observation to action-oriented inquiry that considers nurse expertise and value but lacks a coordinated approach to advance board appointments for nurses. A systematic approach to the research is needed to advance NOB as key agents in health care transformation and social justice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ninth Annual "Brown" Lecture in Education Research: Black Educators as Educational Advocates in the Decades before "Brown v. Board of Education"

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Vanessa Siddle

2013-01-01

This research sought to extend the historical record of advocacy for Black education by exploring the role of Black educators in the decades before the "Brown v. Board of Education" decision. It addressed (a) the ways the educators were involved in advocating for Black schools and (b) the relationship of the activities to the more…

7 CFR 1160.105 - Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FLUID MILK PROMOTION PROGRAM Fluid Milk Promotion Order Definitions § 1160.105 Board. Board means the National Processor Advertising and Promotion Board established... Promotion Board or Board). ...

Study on the Influence of Building Materials on Indoor Pollutants and Pollution Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yao

2018-01-01

The paper summarizes the achievements and problems of indoor air quality research at home and abroad. The pollutants and pollution sources in the room are analyzed systematically. The types of building materials and pollutants are also discussed. The physical and chemical properties and health effects of main pollutants were analyzed and studied. According to the principle of mass balance, the basic mathematical model of indoor air quality is established. Considering the release rate of pollutants and indoor ventilation, a mathematical model for predicting the concentration of indoor air pollutants is derived. The model can be used to analyze and describe the variation of pollutant concentration in indoor air, and to predict and calculate the concentration of pollutants in indoor air at a certain time. The results show that the mathematical model established in this study can be used to analyze and predict the variation law of pollutant concentration in indoor air. The evaluation model can be used to evaluate the impact of indoor air quality and evaluation of current situation. Especially in the process of building and interior decoration, through pre-evaluation, it can provide reliable design parameters for selecting building materials and determining ventilation volume.

Hydrothermal modification and recycling of nonmetallic particles from waste print circuit boards.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xuehua; Li, Qisheng; Qiu, Jun

2018-04-01

Nonmetallic particles recycled from waste print circuit boards (NPRPs) were modified by a hydrothermal treatment method and the catalysts, solvents, temperature and time were investigated, which affected the modification effect of NPRPs. The mild hydrothermal treatment method does not need high temperature, and would not cause secondary pollution. Further, the modified NPRPs were used as the raw materials for the epoxy resin and glass fibers/epoxy resin composites, which were prepared by pouring and hot-pressing method. The mechanical properties and morphology of the composites were discussed. The results showed that relative intensity of the hydroxyl bonds on the surface of NPRPs increased 58.9% after modification. The mechanical tests revealed that both flexural and impact properties of the composites can be significantly improved by adding the modified NPRPs. Particularly, the maximum increment of flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength of the epoxy matrix composites with 30% modified NPRPs is 40.1%, 80.0% and 79.0%, respectively. Hydrothermal treatment can modify surface of NPRPs successfully and modified NPRPs can not only improve the properties of the composites, but also reduce the production cost of the composites and environmental pollution. Thus, we develop a new way to recycle nonmetallic materials of waste print circuit boards and the highest level of waste material recycling with the raw materials-products-raw materials closed cycle can be realized through the hydrothermal modification and reuse of NPRPs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marine pollution originating from purse seine and longline fishing vessel operations in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, 2003-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Kelsey; Haynes, David; Talouli, Anthony; Donoghue, Michael

2017-03-01

Fisheries observer data recorded between 2003 and 2015 on-board purse seine and longline vessels operating in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean reported more than 10 000 pollution incidents within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of 25 Pacific countries and territories, and in international waters. A majority of the reported purse seine pollution incidents related to dumping of plastics waste. Other common pollution incidents related to oil spillages and to abandoned, lost or dumped fishing gear. Data analysis highlighted the need for increased monitoring, reporting, and enforcement of pollution violations by all types of fishing vessels operating in the Pacific region; a regional outreach and compliance assistance programme on marine pollution prevention and improvements in Pacific port waste reception facilities.

Perceived and measured levels of environmental pollution: interdisciplinary research in the subarctic lowlands of Northeast European Russia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tony R. Walker; Joachim Otto Habeck; Timo P. Karjalainen; Tarmo Virtanen; Nadia Solovieva; Viv Jones; Peter Kuhry; Vasily I. Ponomarev; Kari Mikkola; Ari Nikula; Elena Patova; Peter D. Crittenden; Scott D. Young; Tim Ingold [Jacques Whitford, Dartmouth, NS (Canada)

2006-08-15

Using interdisciplinary field research in the Usa Basin, northeast European Russia, we compared local inhabitants' perception of environmental problems with chemical and remote-sensing signatures of environmental pollution and their local impacts. Extensive coal mining since the 1930s around Inta and Vorkuta has left a legacy of pollution, detected by measuring snowpack, topsoil, and lichen chemistry, together with remote-sensing techniques and analysis of lake water and sediments. Vorkuta and its environs suffered the worst impacts, with significant metal loading and alkalization in lakes and topsoils, elevated metals and cations in terricolous (reindeer) lichens, and changes in vegetation communities. Although the coal industry has declined recently, the area boasts a booming oil and gas industry, based around Usinsk. Local perceptions and concerns of environmental pollution and protection were higher in Usinsk, as a result of increased awareness after a major oil spill in 1994, compared with Vorkuta's inhabitants, who perceived air pollution as the primary environmental threat. Our studies indicate that the principal sources of atmospheric emissions and local deposition within 25 to 40 km of Vorkuta were coal combustion from power and heating plants, coal mines, and a cement factory. Local people evaluated air pollution from direct observations and personal experiences, such as discoloration of snow and respiratory problems, whereas scientific knowledge played a minor role in shaping these perceptions.

Bioremediation of marine oil pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutnick, D.L.

1991-11-01

An assessment is presented of the scientific and technological developments in the area of bioremediation and biodegradation of marine oil pollution. A number of allied technologies are also considered. The basic technology in bioremediation involves adding fertilizers to an oil spill to enhance the natural process of oil biodegradation. Bioremediation can be applied to open systems such as beach or land spills, or in closed and controlled environments such as storage containers, specially constructed or modified bioreactors, and cargo tanks. The major advantage of using closed environments is the opportunity to control the physical and nutritional parameters to optimize the rate of biodegradation. An evaluation of the state of the art of bioremediation in Canada is also included. Recommendations are made to involve the Canadian Transportation Development Centre in short-term research projects on bioremediation. These projects would include the use of a barge as a mobile bioreactor for the treatment of off-loaded oily waste products, the use of in-situ bioremediation to carry out extensive cleaning, degassing, and sludge remediation on board an oil tanker, and the use of a barge as a mobile bioreactor and facility for the bioremediation of bilges. 51 refs., 4 figs., 14 tabs

Bioremediation of marine oil pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutnick, D L

1991-11-01

An assessment is presented of the scientific and technological developments in the area of bioremediation and biodegradation of marine oil pollution. A number of allied technologies are also considered. The basic technology in bioremediation involves adding fertilizers to an oil spill to enhance the natural process of oil biodegradation. Bioremediation can be applied to open systems such as beach or land spills, or in closed and controlled environments such as storage containers, specially constructed or modified bioreactors, and cargo tanks. The major advantage of using closed environments is the opportunity to control the physical and nutritional parameters to optimize the rate of biodegradation. An evaluation of the state of the art of bioremediation in Canada is also included. Recommendations are made to involve the Canadian Transportation Development Centre in short-term research projects on bioremediation. These projects would include the use of a barge as a mobile bioreactor for the treatment of off-loaded oily waste products, the use of in-situ bioremediation to carry out extensive cleaning, degassing, and sludge remediation on board an oil tanker, and the use of a barge as a mobile bioreactor and facility for the bioremediation of bilges. 51 refs., 4 figs., 14 tabs.

Women on board and firm performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lückerath – Rovers, M.

2010-01-01

This study addresses the research question of whether companies with female directors on the board have a higher average performance than companies with no female directors. The debate about the low representation of women in the top management of companies involves both moral arguments (equality

Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zlatev, Z.; Brandt, J.; Builtjes, P. J. H.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998......Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998...

The impact of the board's strategy-setting role on board-management relations and hospital performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Büchner, Vera Antonia; Schreyögg, Jonas; Schultz, Carsten

2014-01-01

The appropriate governance of hospitals largely depends on effective cooperation between governing boards and hospital management. Governing boards play an important role in strategy-setting as part of their support for hospital management. However, in certain situations, this active strategic role may also generate discord within this relationship. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the roles, attributes, and processes of governing boards on hospital performance. We examine the impact of the governing board's strategy-setting role on board-management collaboration quality and on financial performance while also analyzing the interaction effects of board diversity and board activity level. The data are derived from a survey that was sent simultaneously to German hospitals and their associated governing board, combined with objective performance information from annual financial statements and quality reports. We use a structural equation modeling approach to test the model. The results indicate that different board characteristics have a significant impact on hospital performance (R = .37). The strategy-setting role and board-management collaboration quality have a positive effect on hospital performance, whereas the impact of strategy-setting on collaboration quality is negative. We find that the positive effect of strategy-setting on performance increases with decreasing board diversity. When board members have more homogeneous backgrounds and exhibit higher board activity levels, the negative effect of the strategy-setting on collaboration quality also increases. Active strategy-setting by a governing board may generally improve hospital performance. Diverse members of governing boards should be involved in strategy-setting for hospitals. However, high board-management collaboration quality may be compromised if managerial autonomy is too highly restricted. Consequently, hospitals should support board-management collaboration about

Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, D. Bradley

2011-01-01

Green roofs involve growing vegetation on rooftops and are one tool that can help mitigate the negative effects of pollution. This review encompasses published research to date on how green roofs can help mitigate pollution, how green roof materials influence the magnitude of these benefits, and suggests future research directions. The discussion concentrates on how green roofs influence air pollution, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon sequestration, longevity of roofing membranes that result in fewer roofing materials in landfills, water quality of stormwater runoff, and noise pollution. Suggestions for future directions for research include plant selection, development of improved growing substrates, urban rooftop agriculture, water quality of runoff, supplemental irrigation, the use of grey water, air pollution, carbon sequestration, effects on human health, combining green roofs with complementary related technologies, and economics and policy issues. - Green roofs can help mitigate air pollution, carbon dioxide emissions, sequester carbon, conserve energy, reduce the urban heat island, and improve water quality.

Instrumental Genesis in GeoGebra Based Board Game Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misfeldt, Morten

2013-01-01

In this paper I address the use of digital tools (GeoGebra) in open ended design activities, with primary school children. I present results from the research and development project “Creative Digital Mathematics”, which aims to use the pupil’s development of mathematical board games as a vehicle...... in their work with GeoGebra and how they relate their work with GeoGebra and mathematics to fellow pupils and real life situations. The results show that pupils’ consider development of board games as meaningful mathematical activity, and that they develop skills with GeoGebra, furthermore the pupils considers...... potential use of their board game by classmates in their design activities....

EVALUATION OF A PORTABLE FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED GAS ANALYZER FOR MEASUREMENTS OF AIR TOXICS IN POLLUTION PREVENTION RESEARCH

Science.gov (United States)

A portable Fourier transform infrared gas analyzer with a photoacoustic detector performed reliably during pollution prevention research at two industrial facilities. It exhibited good agreement (within approximately 6%) with other analytical instruments (dispersive infrared and ...

Research on Toxicity Evaluation of Waste Incineration Residues of Printed Circuit Boards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasa Volungevičienė

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Recycling waste printed circuit boards (PCB is an extremely complicated process, because PCBs consist of a number of complex components – hazardous and non-hazardous materials sets. Pyrolysis and combustion are currently the most effective treatment technologies for waste printed circuit boards. Pyrolysis can be used for thermally decomposing PCBs allowing for the simultaneous recovery of valuable materials. Following the extraction of valuable materials, the problem of residual ash utilization is encountered. Determining the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of incineration residue helps with choosing effective ash management technologies. This paper analyzes PCB ash generated at three different temperatures of 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C. Ash residues have been analysed to determine the quantity and type of metals present. Furthermore, the experiment of leaching heavy metals from ash has been described.

TH-C-17A-12: Integrated CBCT and Optical Tomography System On-Board a Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, K; Zhang, B; Eslami, S; Iordachita, I; Wong, J [Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Patterson, M [Hamilton Regional Cancer Ctr., Hamilton, ON (Canada)

2014-06-15

Purpose: We present a newly developed on-board optical tomography system for SARRP. Innovative features include the compact design and fast acquisition optical method to perform 3D soft tissue radiation guidance. Because of the on-board feature and the combination of the CBCT, diffusive optical tomography (DOT), bioluminescence and fluorescence tomography (BLT and FT), this integrated system is expected to provide more accurate soft tissue guidance than an off-line system as well as highly sensitive functional imaging in preclinical research. Methods: Images are acquired in the order of CBCT, DOT and then BLT/FT, where the SARRP CBCT and DOT are used to provide the anatomical and optical properties information to enhance the subsequent BLT/FT optical reconstruction. The SARRP stage is redesigned to include 9 imbedded optical fibers in contact with the animal's skin. These fibers, connected to a white light lamp or laser, serve as the light sources for the DOT or FT, respectively. A CCD camera with f/1.4 lens and multi-spectral filter set is used as the optical detector and is mounted on a portable cart ready to dock into the SARRP. No radiation is delivered during optical image acquisition. A 3-way mirror system capable of 180 degree rotation around the animal reflects the optical signal to the camera at multiple projection angles. A special black-painted dome covers the stage and provides the light shielding. Results: Spontaneous metastatic bioluminescent liver and lung tumor models will be used to validate the 3D BLT reconstruction. To demonstrate the capability of our FT system, GastroSense750 fluorescence agent will be used to imaging the mouse stomach and intestinal region in 3D. Conclusion: We expect that this integrated CBCT and optical tomography on-board a SARRP will present new research opportunities for pre-clinical radiation research. Supported by NCI RO1-CA 158100.

TH-C-17A-12: Integrated CBCT and Optical Tomography System On-Board a Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, K; Zhang, B; Eslami, S; Iordachita, I; Wong, J; Patterson, M

2014-01-01

Purpose: We present a newly developed on-board optical tomography system for SARRP. Innovative features include the compact design and fast acquisition optical method to perform 3D soft tissue radiation guidance. Because of the on-board feature and the combination of the CBCT, diffusive optical tomography (DOT), bioluminescence and fluorescence tomography (BLT and FT), this integrated system is expected to provide more accurate soft tissue guidance than an off-line system as well as highly sensitive functional imaging in preclinical research. Methods: Images are acquired in the order of CBCT, DOT and then BLT/FT, where the SARRP CBCT and DOT are used to provide the anatomical and optical properties information to enhance the subsequent BLT/FT optical reconstruction. The SARRP stage is redesigned to include 9 imbedded optical fibers in contact with the animal's skin. These fibers, connected to a white light lamp or laser, serve as the light sources for the DOT or FT, respectively. A CCD camera with f/1.4 lens and multi-spectral filter set is used as the optical detector and is mounted on a portable cart ready to dock into the SARRP. No radiation is delivered during optical image acquisition. A 3-way mirror system capable of 180 degree rotation around the animal reflects the optical signal to the camera at multiple projection angles. A special black-painted dome covers the stage and provides the light shielding. Results: Spontaneous metastatic bioluminescent liver and lung tumor models will be used to validate the 3D BLT reconstruction. To demonstrate the capability of our FT system, GastroSense750 fluorescence agent will be used to imaging the mouse stomach and intestinal region in 3D. Conclusion: We expect that this integrated CBCT and optical tomography on-board a SARRP will present new research opportunities for pre-clinical radiation research. Supported by NCI RO1-CA 158100

UniBoard: generic hardware for radio astronomy signal processing

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, J. E.

2012-09-01

UniBoard is a generic high-performance computing platform for radio astronomy, developed as a Joint Research Activity in the RadioNet FP7 Programme. The hardware comprises eight Altera Stratix IV Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) interconnected by a high speed transceiver mesh. Each FPGA is connected to two DDR3 memory modules and three external 10Gbps ports. In addition, a total of 128 low voltage differential input lines permit connection to external ADC cards. The DSP capability of the board exceeds 644E9 complex multiply-accumulate operations per second. The first production run of eight boards was distributed to partners in The Netherlands, France, Italy, UK, China and Korea in May 2011, with a further production runs completed in December 2011 and early 2012. The function of the board is determined by the firmware loaded into its FPGAs. Current applications include beamformers, correlators, digital receivers, RFI mitigation for pulsar astronomy, and pulsar gating and search machines The new UniBoard based correlator for the European VLBI network (EVN) uses an FX architecture with half the resources of the board devoted to station based processing: delay and phase correction and channelization, and half to the correlation function. A single UniBoard can process a 64MHz band from 32 stations, 2 polarizations, sampled at 8 bit. Adding more UniBoards can expand the total bandwidth of the correlator. The design is able to process both prerecorded and real time (eVLBI) data.

Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Mark; Cooper, Harris; Kline, Rex B; Mayo-Wilson, Evan; Nezu, Arthur M; Rao, Stephen M

2018-01-01

Following a review of extant reporting standards for scientific publication, and reviewing 10 years of experience since publication of the first set of reporting standards by the American Psychological Association (APA; APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards, 2008), the APA Working Group on Quantitative Research Reporting Standards recommended some modifications to the original standards. Examples of modifications include division of hypotheses, analyses, and conclusions into 3 groupings (primary, secondary, and exploratory) and some changes to the section on meta-analysis. Several new modules are included that report standards for observational studies, clinical trials, longitudinal studies, replication studies, and N-of-1 studies. In addition, standards for analytic methods with unique characteristics and output (structural equation modeling and Bayesian analysis) are included. These proposals were accepted by the Publications and Communications Board of APA and supersede the standards included in the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Nuclear energy and the responsibilities of the Atomic Energy Board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Villiers, J.W.L.

1980-01-01

The paper discusses nuclear energy and the responsibilities of the previous Atomic Energy Board, (now the Atomic Energy Corporation) of South Africa in this respect. The paper starts by giving a brief introduction to the Atomic Energy Board, its organization and its functions. Research is undertaken in various fields such as the exploitation of nuclear fuels, radiobiology, radioisotopes, etc. Certain activities of the Board was also more directly related to Koeberg. The paper covers four of these areas, namely the early studies of the feasibility of introducing nuclear power in South Africa; the services involving the Board's special expertise in certain areas which Escom makes use of; the regulatory function and the preparation for handling and disposal of radioactive waste

Coordinated research programme on the application of isotope techniques to investigate groundwater pollution final research coordination meeting and consultants' meeting. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, B.; Chilton, J.; Travi, Y.; Gerardo-Abaya, J.

1998-02-01

This document summarizes the IAEA Coordinated Research Programme (CRP) on the Application of Isotope Techniques to Investigate Groundwater Pollution. Summaries of 16 completed investigations are given. The completed investigations resulted to the application of 18 O, 2 H, 3 H, 13 C, 14 C, 34 S, 15 N and boron isotopes integrated to some extend with the classical hydrological tools. These studies have broadly confirmed the use of isotope techniques on two main ways: a) to assist in the interpretation of groundwater flow systems; b) to act as tracers of the origin and pathways of ta range of groundwater pollutants. Several important aspects have become clear in the CRP: it is advisable not to rely on single isotopes, but to combine where possible the use of more than one, particularly oxygen with nitrogen and sulfur; it is essential to integrate isotope techniques with conventional hydrochemistry; trace elements have an important role to play in an integrated approach to the interpretation of contamination sources and pathways. This CRP should be regarded as a stepping stone, considering that the magnitude of the problem of groundwater pollution is enormous in global terms. In order to have an impact on the understanding of groundwater pollution, the need is seen for follow-up by several CRPs targeted at specific areas or problems. Of priorities are: a) urban waste, both human and industrial; b) the origin of saline groundwater; and c) nitrate in groundwater in both agricultural and urban areas

[The role of university hospital executive board members].

Science.gov (United States)

Debatin, J F; Rehr, J

2009-09-01

Demographic changes and medical progress in combination with vastly altered regulatory and economic environments have forced considerable change in the structure of German university hospitals in recent years. These changes have affected medical care as well as research and medical school training. To allow for more flexibility and a higher level of reactivity to the changing environment German university hospitals were transferred from state agencies to independent corporate structures. All but one remains wholly owned by the respective state governments. The governing structure of these independent medical hospitals consists of an executive board, generally made up of a medical director, a financial director, a director for nursing, and the dean of the medical faculty. In most hospitals, the medical director serves as chief executive officer. The regulations governing the composition and responsibility of the members of the executive board differ from state to state. These differences do affect to some degree the interactive effectiveness of the members of the executive boards. Modalities that stress the overall responsibility for all board members seem to work better than those that define clear portfolio limits. Even more than organizational and regulatory differences, the effectiveness of the work of the executive boards is influenced by the personality of the board members themselves. Success appears to be a clear function of the willingness of all members to work together.

Motives and Power of School Board Members: Implications for School Board-Superintendent Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Mountford, Meredith

2004-01-01

The qualitative study presented in this article explores motivations for school board membership and conceptions of power held by school board members. The findings of the study suggest a relationship exists between the way board members define power and the type of motivation board members have for service. The implications of these findings for…

77 FR 2541 - Board Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-18

... FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION Board Meeting AGENCY: Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Board; Regular Meeting. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Board (Board). DATE AND TIME: The meeting of the Board will be held at the...

Research of Control System and Fault Diagnosis of the Sound-absorbing Board Production Line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanjun Xiao

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Programmable Logic Controller is the core of the control system of the sound- absorbing board production line and the design of fault diagnosis is an essential modules in the sound- absorbing board production line. The article discourses the application of PLC in the control system of the production line, and designs the methods of grading treatment and prevention of troubles, which makes use of PLC’S logic functions. The method has good expansibility, and has good guidance to the fault diagnosis in other automation equipments.

Does Board Diversity Really Matter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Caspar; Munch-Madsen, Peter; Funch, Maja

2013-01-01

We study the impact of female board representation as well as citizenship on corporate performance based on a sample of the largest listed firms in the Nordic countries as well as Germany. We also seek to determine the variation of board structures using factor analysis. We find no support for any...... performance impact relating to female board representation. However, we find an impact of board citizenship on performance showing that board members with a background from common law have a significant positive influence on corporate performance measured as ROA, ROE and ROCE. Consistent with other studies we...... also document that large boards impact corporate performance negatively. Moreover we also show that data set on boards can be explained by four underlying factors. This article adds insight to board determinants of corporate performance as well as the classification of board variation. Specifically...

Analisis Preferensi Siswa Melanjutkan Studi Ke SMP Islamic Boarding School Babusalam Pekanbaru Tp. 2014/2015

OpenAIRE

Asmida, Titin Asmida Titin; Saam, Zulfan Saam Zulfan; Yakub, Elni Yakub Elni

2015-01-01

This research aims to: (a) Analyzeaspects ofthe internalfactorsthatbecomethe preferenceof studentschoosing islamic, (b) AnalyzeaspectsExternalfactorsthatbecomethe preferenceof studentschoosing islamic Boarding School, (c) Analyzingthe category ofinternal factorsthatbecomethe preferenceof studentschoosing islamic Boarding School, (d) Analyzingthe category ofexternal factorsintothe preferencesof studentschoosing islamic Boarding School. The method usedinthisstudyis adescriptivestudy, Samplingte...

Air Pollution Modeling at Road Sides Using the Operational Street Pollution Model-A Case Study in Hanoi, Vietnam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hung, Ngo Tho; Ketzel, Matthias; Jensen, Steen Solvang

2010-01-01

In many metropolitan areas, traffic is the main source of air pollution. The high concentrations of pollutants in streets have the potential to affect human health. Therefore, estimation of air pollution at the street level is required for health impact assessment. This task has been carried out...... in many developed countries by a combination of air quality measurements and modeling. This study focuses on how to apply a dispersion model to cities in the developing world, where model input data and data from air quality monitoring stations are limited or of varying quality. This research uses...... the operational street pollution model (OSPM) developed by the National Environmental Research Institute in Denmark for a case study in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. OSPM predictions from five streets were evaluated against air pollution measurements of nitrogen oxides (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide...

Hospital boards and hospital strategic focus: the impact of board involvement in strategic decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford-Eickhoff, Karen; Plowman, Donde Ashmos; McDaniel, Reuben R

2011-01-01

Despite pressures to change the role of hospital boards, hospitals have made few changes in board composition or director selection criteria. Hospital boards have often continued to operate in their traditional roles as either "monitors" or "advisors." More attention to the direct involvement of hospital boards in the strategic decision-making process of the organizations they serve, the timing and circumstances under which board involvement occurs, and the board composition that enhances their abilities to participate fully is needed. We investigated the relationship between broader expertise among hospital board members, board involvement in the stages of strategic decision making, and the hospital's strategic focus. We surveyed top management team members of 72 nonacademic hospitals to explore the participation of critical stakeholder groups such as the board of directors in the strategic decision-making process. We used hierarchical regression analysis to explore our hypotheses that there is a relationship between both the nature and involvement of the board and the hospital's strategic orientation. Hospitals with broader expertise on their boards reported an external focus. For some of their externally-oriented goals, hospitals also reported that their boards were involved earlier in the stages of decision making. In light of the complex and dynamic environment of hospitals today, those charged with developing hospital boards should match the variety in the external issues that the hospital faces with more variety in board makeup. By developing a board with greater breadth of expertise, the hospital responds to its complex environment by absorbing that complexity, enabling a greater potential for sensemaking and learning. Rather than acting only as monitors and advisors, boards impact their hospitals' strategic focus through their participation in the strategic decision-making process.

Core corporate governance dilemmas facing boards: a South African perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyram Serretta

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Directors and boards face many challenges in terms of managing complexity. A key factor of success in practicing good corporate governance is the board’s ability to cope with paradox. The purpose of this research has been to explore the core corporate governance dilemmas facing boards. The investigation was qualitative in nature using the Delphi technique. Six core corporate governance dilemmas facing board members were identified one of which is not mentioned in the international literature. The findings should provide directors with an ability to identify the nature of the paradoxes they need to respond to.

Particle Board and Oriented Strand Board Prepared with Nanocellulose-Reinforced Adhesive

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Veigel

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Adhesives on the basis of urea-formaldehyde (UF and melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF are extensively used in the production of wood-based panels. In the present study, the attempt was made to improve the mechanical board properties by reinforcing these adhesives with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs. The latter were produced from dissolving grade beech pulp by a mechanical homogenization process. Adhesive mixtures with a CNF content of 0, 1, and 3 wt% based on solid resin were prepared by mixing an aqueous CNF suspension with UF and MUF adhesives. Laboratory-scale particle boards and oriented strand boards (OSBs were produced, and the mechanical and fracture mechanical properties were investigated. Particle boards prepared with UF containing 1 wt% CNF showed a reduced thickness swelling and better internal bond and bending strength than boards produced with pure UF. The reinforcing effect of CNF was even more obvious for OSB where a significant improvement of strength properties of 16% was found. For both, particle board and OSB, mode I fracture energy and fracture toughness were the parameters with the greatest improvement indicating that the adhesive bonds were markedly toughened by the CNF addition.

Research on Financial Pressure, Poverty Governance, and Environmental Pollution in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zenglian Zhang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The traditional environmental governance theory attributes pollution to the result of market failure, but ignores the institution-level factors and the possibility of government failure. Using provincial panel data from 2001 to 2016 in China, and by drawing impulse response function graphs and building PVAR models, this paper studies the financial pressure and poor governance effect on environmental pollution. Financial pressure represents fiscal decentralization and debt pressure. The study finds that the increase of fiscal autonomy brings about the reduction of various types of pollutant emissions; the expansion of the scale of government debt causes very large pressure on the local governments to repay their debts and exacerbates environmental pollution in order to obtain debt repayment funds. For a long time, there was indeed a phenomenon in China in which the goal of reducing poverty was achieved at the cost of the environment. However, since 2012, the reduction of the poverty-stricken population has brought about a good trend of reducing emissions of various types of pollutants. There are no “PPE vicious circles” and “environmental traps” in China. There has been no contradiction between poverty reduction and the green development strategy implementation since 2012. There is a win-win trend in the process of environmental protection and poverty governance in China.

Deceased Donor Intervention Research: A Survey of Transplant Surgeons, Organ Procurement Professionals, and Institutional Review Board Members.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigue, J R; Feng, S; Johansson, A C; Glazier, A K; Abt, P L

2016-01-01

Innovative deceased donor intervention strategies have the potential to increase the number and quality of transplantable organs. Yet there is confusion over regulatory and legal requirements, as well as ethical considerations. We surveyed transplant surgeons (n = 294), organ procurement organization (OPO) professionals (n = 83), and institutional review board (IRB) members (n = 317) and found wide variations in their perceptions about research classification, risk assessment for donors and organ transplant recipients, regulatory oversight requirements, and informed consent in the context of deceased donor intervention research. For instance, when presented with different research scenarios, IRB members were more likely than transplant surgeons and OPO professionals to feel that study review and oversight were necessary by the IRBs at the investigator, donor, and transplant center hospitals. Survey findings underscore the need to clarify ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements and their application to deceased donor intervention research to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and facilitate more transplants. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Achievement report for fiscal 2000 on development of technology to recycle disintegrated waste gypsum boards; 1999 nendo kaitai haisekko board no saishigenka gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

Investigations and researches have been made on disintegrated waste gypsum boards generated in building demolishing sites, with a target of recycling them as a raw material for boards. In the investigations, the actual status of discarding the disintegrated gypsum boards was identified, whereas the harmful substance contents such as of heavy metals were verified to be below the environmental criteria. As a method to remove impurities and foreign materials from the disintegrated waste gypsum boards, the hydration crushing method was established, in which volumetric change when hemihydrate gypsum returns to gypsum dehydrate is utilized, and bond of gypsum particles with each other and with impurities is destructed to separate them into simple substances. Furthermore, discussions were given on the reforming conditions to reform in an energy saving manner the disintegrated waste gypsum boards into high-quality large-size hemihydrate gypsum by using the wet-type process that utilizes the reversible reaction between hemihydrate gypsum and gypsum dehydrate in the disintegrated waste gypsum boards. A manufacturing process to put the recycled gypsum into practical use was also discussed. Prototype board fabrication and tests were performed by using the reformed gypsum board materials, wherein good results were obtained from all of the practical, chemical, and physical tests. (NEDO)

14 CFR 250.5 - Amount of denied boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Amount of denied boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily. 250.5 Section 250.5 Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY... boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily. (a) Subject to the exceptions provided...

Determinants of Board Interlocking in the Brazilian Capital Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávio Ribeiro

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The objective in this article was to identify the main determinants of Board Interlocking in the Brazilian capital market. As the theoretical structure, the Agency theory and Corporate Governance, the Resource Dependence theory and the Board of Administrators and the Characteristics of Board Interlocking. The sample consists of 58 Brazilian companies that participate in the Bovespa Index (Ibovespa. An empirical analytic study was undertaken. With regard to the objectives, it is characterized as exploratory and, with regard to the procedures, a documentary research was undertaken. The data on the Boards of Administrators were collected from the Reference Forms available on the website of the São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&FBOVESPA. The results found demonstrate the generalized presence of Board Interlocking in these companies, normally associated with four factors: (1 economic group formation; (2 governmental control; (3 formation of pension funds; and (4 presence of professionals with acknowledged market experience. The results also suggest that the first three factors give rise to long-lasting links and that these connections are hard to break. On the other hand, the links established through professionals with market experience tend to be more unstable because the presence of these professionals is highly demanded to serve on the board of different companies.

Boards and the Selection Procedures Post Gender Quotas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arna Arnardóttir, Auður; Sigurjonsson, Olaf; Terjesen, Siri

Purpose: Director Selection process can greatly effect board’s behavior and effectiveness and ultimately the firm’s performance and outcome. Director selection practices are hence important and yet underresearched topic, especially practices applied in the wake of gender quota legislations....... The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the extant literature by gaining greater understanding into how new female board members are recruited and selected when demand for one gender is high. Design/methodology/approach: Mixed research methodology was applied. Questionnaire (N=260) and in......-depth interviews (N=20) were conducted with Icelandic non-executive board directors, to identify the selection criteria that are deemed most important when selecting the new female director candidates taking seat on boards in the wake of gender quota legislation and compare those practices with previous selection...

Refinement of boards' role required.

Science.gov (United States)

Umbdenstock, R J

1987-01-01

The governing board's role in health care is not changing, but new competitive forces necessitate a refinement of the board's approach to fulfilling its role. In a free-standing, community, not-for-profit hospital, the board functions as though it were the "owner." Although it does not truly own the facility in the legal sense, the board does have legal, fiduciary, and financial responsibilities conferred on it by the state. In a religious-sponsored facility, the board fulfills these same obligations on behalf of the sponsoring institute, subject to the institute's reserved powers. In multi-institutional systems, the hospital board's power and authority depend on the role granted it by the system. Boards in all types of facilities are currently faced with the following challenges: Fulfilling their basic responsibilities, such as legal requirements, financial duties, and obligations for the quality of care. Encouraging management and the board itself to "think strategically" in attacking new competitive market forces while protecting the organization's traditional mission and values. Assessing recommended strategies in light of consequences if constituencies think the organization is abandoning its commitments. Boards can take several steps to match their mode of operation with the challenges of the new environment. Boards must rededicate themselves to the hospital's mission. Trustees must expand their understanding of health care trends and issues and their effect on the organization. Boards must evaluate and help strengthen management's performance, rather than acting as a "watchdog" in an adversarial position. Boards must think strategically, rather than focusing solely on operational details. Boards must evaluate the methods they use for conducting business.

Decamp Clock Board Firmware

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vicente, J. de; Castilla, J.; Martinez, G.

2007-09-27

Decamp (Dark Energy Survey Camera) is a new instrument designed to explore the universe aiming to reveal the nature of Dark Energy. The camera consists of 72 CCDs and 520 Mpixels. The readout electronics of DECam is based on the Monsoon system. Monsoon is a new image acquisition system developed by the NOAO (National Optical Astronomical Observatory) for the new generation of astronomical cameras. The Monsoon system uses three types of boards inserted in a Eurocard format based crate: master control board, acquisition board and clock board. The direct use of the Monsoon system for DECam readout electronics requires nine crates mainly due to the high number of clock boards needed. Unfortunately, the available space for DECam electronics is constrained to four crates at maximum. The major drawback to achieve such desired compaction degree resides in the clock board signal density. This document describes the changes performed at CIEMAT on the programmable logic of the Monsoon clock board aiming to meet such restricted space constraints. (Author) 5 refs.

Decamp Clock Board Firmware

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicente, J. de; Castilla, J.; Martinez, G.

2007-01-01

Decamp (Dark Energy Survey Camera) is a new instrument designed to explore the universe aiming to reveal the nature of Dark Energy. The camera consists of 72 CCDs and 520 Mpixels. The readout electronics of DECam is based on the Monsoon system. Monsoon is a new image acquisition system developed by the NOAO (National Optical Astronomical Observatory) for the new generation of astronomical cameras. The Monsoon system uses three types of boards inserted in a Eurocard format based crate: master control board, acquisition board and clock board. The direct use of the Monsoon system for DECam readout electronics requires nine crates mainly due to the high number of clock boards needed. Unfortunately, the available space for DECam electronics is constrained to four crates at maximum. The major drawback to achieve such desired compaction degree resides in the clock board signal density. This document describes the changes performed at CIEMAT on the programmable logic of the Monsoon clock board aiming to meet such restricted space constraints. (Author) 5 refs

Anthropogenic versus natural processes and pollution in Padana Valley in last years involving new communication/policy strategies and ethical issues in research evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Quattrocchi, Fedora; Vaccaro, Carmela; Boschi, Enzo

2014-05-01

Smart grids-Smat cities "fashion" requires management plans of highly urbanized areas located over the Padanian floodplain, which are prone to diffuse pollution of both lands and urban sectors, mostly after the disasters caused by tremendous alluvial rains in January 2014, when shallow aquifers and agricultural matters could have increase pollution over wide territory. Moreover the urban expansion has affected areas previously used for industrial activity and in some cases such for landfills. When the loss of memory of previous activity prevails after urbanization, with health issues, ethical questions are inevitable, accompanied by social conflicts and economic impacts. The alluvial plains of active tectonic areas - as the Padania Valley - in additions to widespread "anthropogenic pollution" is suffering from widespread "natural pollution" of deep fluid sources - mainly methane - corresponding to areas prone to uprising gaseous brines, along faults. Some of them were partially activated during the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence. This noteworthy seismic sequence engaged discussion about the possible role of gas storages and hydrocarbons production or the simple/exploring drilling activity to trigger typical tectonic seismicity. The paper deepen this troubled communication strategy, their gaps and peculiar geopolicy case histories, to avoid the same strategy, in the future. On the other hand, gas burst or brine-gas-contamination in shallow aquifers, soils and indoor, should be studied by simple and cheap methods, by deepening stratigraphic gaps for the tectonics effects on sedimentation: natural processes should be recalled prior to recall anthropogenic causes, if any. Policy should be more responsible in state clearly the role of research in study infrastructures/processes, also when engaged by private companies, for sites selected by ministries mostly to star research: relevant gaps involves serious confusion in the public as regards responsibility and an exact

Annual report to the Atomic Energy Control Board on the Regulatory Research and Support Program April 1, 1994 - March 31, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-03-01

The Regulatory Research and Support Program (RSP) is intended to augment and extend activities, undertaken by the Atomic Energy Control Board, beyond what would be possible with in-house resources. The overall objective of the research and support activity is to produce pertinent and independent information that will assist the Board and its staff in making sound, timely and credible decisions for the regulation of nuclear facilities and materials. Represented in this report is a cataloging of seven appendices. The membership of active review panels is given in Appendix A. Appendix B contains summary descriptions and information on the status of individual projects. Appendix C presents a list of those projects which were within the overall RSP but were not active during the year. Appendix D lists the projects undergoing review of final report or post-project evaluation. All projects which were worked on during the year are listed in Appendix E. Specific objectives set for the RSP for Fiscal Year 1994/95 and the degree to which the objectives were achieved are outlined in Appendix F. Appendix G lists the INFO-series reports that were published during Fiscal Year 1994/95. 157 tabs

Annual report to the Atomic Energy Control Board on the Regulatory Research and Support Program April 1, 1994 - March 31, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

The Regulatory Research and Support Program (RSP) is intended to augment and extend activities, undertaken by the Atomic Energy Control Board, beyond what would be possible with in-house resources. The overall objective of the research and support activity is to produce pertinent and independent information that will assist the Board and its staff in making sound, timely and credible decisions for the regulation of nuclear facilities and materials. Represented in this report is a cataloging of seven appendices. The membership of active review panels is given in Appendix A. Appendix B contains summary descriptions and information on the status of individual projects. Appendix C presents a list of those projects which were within the overall RSP but were not active during the year. Appendix D lists the projects undergoing review of final report or post-project evaluation. All projects which were worked on during the year are listed in Appendix E. Specific objectives set for the RSP for Fiscal Year 1994/95 and the degree to which the objectives were achieved are outlined in Appendix F. Appendix G lists the INFO-series reports that were published during Fiscal Year 1994/95. 157 tabs.

Activity patterns of Californians: Use of and proximity to indoor pollutant sources

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Peggy L.; Phillips, Thomas J.; Mulberg, Elliot J.; Hui, Steve P.

The California Air Resources Board funded a statewide survey of activity patterns of Californians over 11 years of age in order to improve the accuracy of exposure assessments for air pollutants. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1762 respondents over the four seasons from fall 1987 through summer 1988. In addition to completing a 24-h recall diary of activities and locations, participants also responded to questions about their use of and proximity to potential pollutant sources. Results are presented regarding time spent by Californians in different activities and locations relevant to pollutant exposure, and their frequency of use of or proximity to pollutant sources including cigarettes, consumer products such as paints and deodorizers, combustion appliances and motor vehicles. The results show that Californians spend, on average, 87% of their time indoors, 7% in enclosed transit and 6% outdoors. At least 62% of the population over 11 years of age and 46% of nonsmokers are near others' tobacco smoke at some time during the day. Potential exposure to different pollutant sources appears to vary among different gender and age groups. For example, women are more likely to use or be near personal care products and household cleaning agents, while men are more likely to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, solvents and paints. Data from this study can be used to reduce significantly the uncertainty associated with risk assessments for many pollutants.

Prioritizing research for trace pollutants and emerging contaminants in the freshwater environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, Kyle E., E-mail: Kyle.Murray@utsa.ed [Center for Water Research, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249-0663 (United States); Thomas, Sheeba M [San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio, TX (United States); Bodour, Adria A [Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE), Brooks City-Base, TX (United States)

2010-12-15

Organic chemicals have been detected at trace concentrations in the freshwater environment for decades. Though the term trace pollutant indicates low concentrations normally in the nanogram or microgram per liter range, many of these pollutants can exceed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Trace pollutants referred to as emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently been detected in the freshwater environment and may have adverse human health effects. Analytical techniques continue to improve; therefore, the number and frequency of detections of ECs are increasing. It is difficult for regulators to restrict use of pollutants that are a human health hazard; scientists to improve treatment techniques for higher priority pollutants; and the public to modify consumption patterns due to the vast number of ECs and the breadth of literature on the occurrence, use, and toxicity. Hence, this paper examines literature containing occurrence and toxicity data for three broad classes of trace pollutants and ECs (industrials, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)), and assesses the relevance of 71 individual compounds. The evaluation indicates that widely used industrials (BPF) and PPCPs (AHTN, HHCB, ibuprofen, and estriol) occur frequently in samples from the freshwater environment but toxicity data were not available; thus, it is important to establish their ADI. Other widely used industrials (BDE-47, BDE-99) and pesticides (benomyl, carbendazim, aldrin, endrin, ethion, malathion, biphenthrin, and cypermethrin) have established ADI values but occurrence in the freshwater environment was not well documented. The highest priority pollutants for regulation and treatment should include industrials (PFOA, PFOS and DEHP), pesticides (diazinon, methoxychlor, and dieldrin), and PPCPs (EE2, carbamazepine, {beta}E2, DEET, triclosan, acetaminophen, and E1) because they occur frequently in the freshwater environment and pose a human health hazard at

Prioritizing research for trace pollutants and emerging contaminants in the freshwater environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, Kyle E.; Thomas, Sheeba M.; Bodour, Adria A.

2010-01-01

Organic chemicals have been detected at trace concentrations in the freshwater environment for decades. Though the term trace pollutant indicates low concentrations normally in the nanogram or microgram per liter range, many of these pollutants can exceed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Trace pollutants referred to as emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently been detected in the freshwater environment and may have adverse human health effects. Analytical techniques continue to improve; therefore, the number and frequency of detections of ECs are increasing. It is difficult for regulators to restrict use of pollutants that are a human health hazard; scientists to improve treatment techniques for higher priority pollutants; and the public to modify consumption patterns due to the vast number of ECs and the breadth of literature on the occurrence, use, and toxicity. Hence, this paper examines literature containing occurrence and toxicity data for three broad classes of trace pollutants and ECs (industrials, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)), and assesses the relevance of 71 individual compounds. The evaluation indicates that widely used industrials (BPF) and PPCPs (AHTN, HHCB, ibuprofen, and estriol) occur frequently in samples from the freshwater environment but toxicity data were not available; thus, it is important to establish their ADI. Other widely used industrials (BDE-47, BDE-99) and pesticides (benomyl, carbendazim, aldrin, endrin, ethion, malathion, biphenthrin, and cypermethrin) have established ADI values but occurrence in the freshwater environment was not well documented. The highest priority pollutants for regulation and treatment should include industrials (PFOA, PFOS and DEHP), pesticides (diazinon, methoxychlor, and dieldrin), and PPCPs (EE2, carbamazepine, βE2, DEET, triclosan, acetaminophen, and E1) because they occur frequently in the freshwater environment and pose a human health hazard at

Investigating The Self-Esteem of Elemantary Boarding Scholls' Students

OpenAIRE

SEÇER, İsmail; İLBAY, Azmi; AY, İsmail; ÇİFTÇİ, Muhammet

2013-01-01

In this study, the second-tier regional boarding primary schools, students are receiving education and self-esteem levels of age, gender, type of study, academic achievement and significant differences according to the variables  whether or not to take disciplinary action were investigated. 2010-2011 academic research in the regional boarding primary schools are receiving education in Erzurum, which was carried out on 428 students. Piers and Harris to collect data from the study (1964), devel...

Using Gemba Boards to Facilitate Evidence-Based Practice in Critical Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourgault, Annette M; Upvall, Michele J; Graham, Alison

2018-06-01

Tradition-based practices lack supporting research evidence and may be harmful or ineffective. Engagement of key stakeholders is a critical step toward facilitating evidence-based practice change. Gemba , derived from Japanese, refers to the real place where work is done. Gemba boards (visual management tools) appear to be an innovative method to engage stakeholders and facilitate evidence-based practice. To explore the use of gemba boards and gemba huddles to facilitate practice change. Twenty-two critical care nurses participated in interviews in this qualitative, descriptive study. Thematic analysis was used to code and categorize interview data. Two researchers reached consensus on coding and derived themes. Data were managed with qualitative analysis software. The code gemba occurred most frequently; a secondary analysis was performed to explore its impact on practice change. Four themes were derived from the gemba code: (1) facilitation of staff, leadership, and interdisciplinary communication, (2) transparency of outcome data, (3) solicitation of staff ideas and feedback, and (4) dissemination of practice changes. Gemba boards and gemba huddles became part of the organizational culture for promoting and disseminating evidence-based practices. Unit-based, publicly located gemba boards and huddles have become key components of evidence-based practice culture. Gemba is both a tool and a process to engage team members and the public to generate clinical questions and to plan, implement, and evaluate practice changes. Future research on the effectiveness of gemba boards to facilitate evidence-based practice is warranted. ©2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

What makes great boards great.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonnenfeld, Jeffrey A

2002-09-01

In the wake of meltdowns at WorldCom, Tyco, and Enron, enormous attention has been focused on the companies' boards. It seems inconceivable that business disasters of such magnitude could happen without gross or even criminal negligence on the part of board members. And yet a close examination of those boards reveals no broad pattern of incompetence or corruption. In fact, they followed most of the accepted standards for board operations: Members showed up for meetings; they had money invested in the company; audit committees, compensation committees, and codes of ethics were in place; the boards weren't too small or too big, nor were they dominated by insiders. In other words, they passed the tests that would normally be applied to determine whether a board of directors was likely to do a good job. And that's precisely what's so scary, according to corporate governance expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who suggests that it's time for some new thinking about how corporate boards operate and are evaluated. He proposes thinking not only about how to structure the board's work but also about how to manage it as a social system. Good boards are, very simply, high-functioning work groups. They're distinguished by a climate of respect, trust, and candor among board members and between the board and management. Information is shared openly and on time; emergent political factions are quickly eliminated. Members feel free to challenge one another's assumptions and conclusions, and management encourages lively discussion of strategic issues. Directors feel a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the board's performance. In addition, good boards assess their own performance, both collectively and individually.

75 FR 8355 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-24

...: Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer--Michelle Shore--Division of Research and Statistics, Board of... delinquency and nonaccrual status of trading securities is not particularly meaningful given that these... proposed disclosure requirements regarding the delinquency and nonaccrual status of trading securities. The...

Latin American protected areas: Protected from chemical pollution?

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Jorquera, Ignacio A; Siroski, Pablo; Espejo, Winfred; Nimptsch, Jorge; Choueri, Paloma Gusso; Choueri, Rodrigo Brasil; Moraga, Claudio A; Mora, Miguel; Toor, Gurpal S

2017-03-01

Protected areas (PAs) are critically important means to preserve species and maintain natural ecosystems. However, the potential impacts of chemical pollution on PAs are seldom mentioned in the scientific literature. Research on the extent of the occurrence of chemical pollution inside PAs and in-depth assessments of how chemical contaminants may adversely affect the maintenance of species abundance, species survival, and ecosystem functions are scarce to nonexistent. We investigated 1) the occurrence of chemical contaminants inside 119 PAs in Latin America from publically available databases, and 2) reviewed case studies of chemical contaminants and pollution in 4 Latin American PAs. Cases of chemical pollution and contamination inside Latin American PAs mostly originated from sources such as mining, oil, and gas extraction. To date, the focus of the research on chemical pollution research inside Latin American PAs has been primarily on the detection of contamination, typically limited to trace metals. Where management actions have occurred, they have been reactive rather than proactive. Protected areas established in wetlands are the most affected by chemical pollution. Based on the information from the pollution and/or contamination occurrence and the case studies analyzed, Latin American PAs are not well safeguarded from chemical pollution, resulting in both challenges and opportunities to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:360-370. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

The European concerted action on air pollution epidemiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ackermann-Liebrich, U. [Basel Univ. (Switzerland). Inst. for Social and Preventive Medicine

1995-12-31

The European Concerted Action on Air Pollution Epidemiology was started in 1990 with the aim of bringing together European researchers in the field and improving research through collaboration and by preparing documents which would help to this end and by organizing workshops. A further aim was to stimulate cooperative research. Air pollution epidemiology investigates human effects of community air pollution by epidemiological methods. Epidemiology in general investigates the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in populations. Diseases in which air pollution may play a significant role are mainly diseases of the respiratory system, for example chronic non-specific lung disease and lung cancer. Most diseases caused by air pollution can also be caused by other factors. Air pollution epidemiology is therefore specific in the expo variable (community air pollution) rather than in the type of health effects being studied. Air pollution epidemiology is beset with some specially challenging difficulties: ubiquitous exposure and as a consequence limited heterogeneity in exposure, low relative risks, few or specific health end points, and strong confounding. Further on the exposure-effect relationship is complicated by assumptions inherent to different study designs which relate to the exposure duration necessary to produce a certain health effect. In reports and workshops the concerted action tries to propose strategies to deal with these problems. (author)

The European concerted action on air pollution epidemiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ackermann-Liebrich, U [Basel Univ. (Switzerland). Inst. for Social and Preventive Medicine

1996-12-31

The European Concerted Action on Air Pollution Epidemiology was started in 1990 with the aim of bringing together European researchers in the field and improving research through collaboration and by preparing documents which would help to this end and by organizing workshops. A further aim was to stimulate cooperative research. Air pollution epidemiology investigates human effects of community air pollution by epidemiological methods. Epidemiology in general investigates the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in populations. Diseases in which air pollution may play a significant role are mainly diseases of the respiratory system, for example chronic non-specific lung disease and lung cancer. Most diseases caused by air pollution can also be caused by other factors. Air pollution epidemiology is therefore specific in the expo variable (community air pollution) rather than in the type of health effects being studied. Air pollution epidemiology is beset with some specially challenging difficulties: ubiquitous exposure and as a consequence limited heterogeneity in exposure, low relative risks, few or specific health end points, and strong confounding. Further on the exposure-effect relationship is complicated by assumptions inherent to different study designs which relate to the exposure duration necessary to produce a certain health effect. In reports and workshops the concerted action tries to propose strategies to deal with these problems. (author)

Long-Term Calculations with Large Air Pollution Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambelas Skjøth, C.; Bastrup-Birk, A.; Brandt, J.

1999-01-01

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998......Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998...

Women on boards and corporate social responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Gennari

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Data by EU Commission show a low representation of women on boards. The scope of this article is to read contemporary and according to a managerial approach the possible causes of this situation: the availability of skills possessed by women to cover top positions, the presence of binding or self-regulatory rules and the corporate culture towards CSR approach. Our research is focused on EU countries, where the gender equality on board is currently matter of attention and regulatory interventions. We conclude that the scarce presence of women in the boardrooms is not ascribable to a scarcity of expertise, but it is associated with a social background and a corporate culture not inspired by corporate global responsibility values. Regulatory interventions may accelerate the consciousness of gender balance on boards, but without companies’ commitment in CSR matters and without a clear vision of corporate global responsibility (including economic, social and environmental aspects, they tend to become additional tasks in the management of corporate compliance risk.

What Is an Elite Boarding School?

Science.gov (United States)

Gaztambide-Fernandez, Ruben

2009-01-01

This article brings attention to the rarefied world of elite boarding schools. Despite their reputation for excellence, these unique educational institutions remain largely outside the gaze of educational researchers and the scope of public debates about education. One reason for this absence is a lack of knowledge about what exactly defines an…

Ketahanan Papan Unting (Oriented Strand Board) terhadap Serangan Rayap Tanah dan Rayap Kayu Kering

OpenAIRE

Gea, Bud diman

2011-01-01

Oriented strand board is panel of wood raw material from which strand composed of cross and upright structure. In order to oriented strand board can be used for interior and exterior needs, than necessary to be applied various thenology of quality improvement like durabelities and endurance of oriented strand board. For it does found endurance oriented strand board from attack of ground termite and wood dry termite, necessary doing grave yard trial and wood dry termite trial. This research ta...

The Perceptions of Georgia School Board Members' Need for Training on School Board Governance

Science.gov (United States)

Nutt, Pamela Studdard

2010-01-01

This study explored the perceptions of training needs of school board members in Georgia. The study examined perceptions of school board chairs, board members with 1 to 5 years experience, members with 6 to 10 years experience, members with 11 to 15 years experience and board members with 16 plus years experience in the areas of school board…

Hospital ownership, decisions on supervisory board characteristics, and financial performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuntz, Ludwig; Pulm, Jannis; Wittland, Michael

2016-01-01

Dynamic and complex transformations in the hospital market increase the relevance of good corporate governance. However, hospital performance and the characteristics of supervisory boards differ depending on ownership. The question therefore arises whether hospital owners can influence performance by addressing supervisory board characteristics. The objective of this study is to explain differences in the financial performance of hospitals with regard to ownership by studying the size and composition of supervisory boards. The AMADEUS database was used to collect information on hospital financial performance in 2009 and 2010. Business and quality reports, hospital websites, and data from health insurer were used to obtain information on hospital and board characteristics. The resulting sample consisted of 175 German hospital corporations. We utilized ANOVA and regression analysis to test a mediation hypothesis that investigated whether decisions regarding board size and composition were associated with financial performance and could explain performance differences. Financial performance and board size and composition depend on ownership. An increase in board size and greater politician participation were negatively associated with all five tested measures of financial performance. Furthermore, an increase in physician participation was positively associated with one dimension of financial performance, whereas one negative relationship was identified for nurse and economist participation. For clerics, no associations were found. Decisions concerning board size and composition are important as they relate to hospital financial performance. We contribute to existing research by showing that, in addition to board size and physician participation, the participation of other professionals can also influence financial performance.

77 FR 55837 - Board Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-11

... FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION Board Meeting AGENCY: Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. ACTION: Regular meeting. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Board (Board). Date and Time: The meeting of the Board will be held...

3D multiplayer virtual pets game using Google Card Board

Science.gov (United States)

Herumurti, Darlis; Riskahadi, Dimas; Kuswardayan, Imam

2017-08-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology which allows user to interact with the virtual environment. This virtual environment is generated and simulated by computer. This technology can make user feel the sensation when they are in the virtual environment. The VR technology provides real virtual environment view for user and it is not viewed from screen. But it needs another additional device to show the view of virtual environment. This device is known as Head Mounted Device (HMD). Oculust Rift and Microsoft Hololens are the most famous HMD devices used in VR. And in 2014, Google Card Board was introduced at Google I/O developers conference. Google Card Board is VR platform which allows user to enjoy the VR with simple and cheap way. In this research, we explore Google Card Board to develop simulation game of raising pet. The Google Card Board is used to create view for the VR environment. The view and control in VR environment is built using Unity game engine. And the simulation process is designed using Finite State Machine (FSM). This FSM can help to design the process clearly. So the simulation process can describe the simulation of raising pet well. Raising pet is fun activity. But sometimes, there are many conditions which cause raising pet become difficult to do, i.e. environment condition, disease, high cost, etc. this research aims to explore and implement Google Card Board in simulation of raising pet.

Methodological approach in determination of small spatial units in a highly complex terrain in atmospheric pollution research: the case of Zasavje region in Slovenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kukec, Andreja; Boznar, Marija Z; Mlakar, Primoz; Grasic, Bostjan; Herakovic, Andrej; Zadnik, Vesna; Zaletel-Kragelj, Lijana; Farkas, Jerneja; Erzen, Ivan

2014-05-01

The study of atmospheric air pollution research in complex terrains is challenged by the lack of appropriate methodology supporting the analysis of the spatial relationship between phenomena affected by a multitude of factors. The key is optimal design of a meaningful approach based on small spatial units of observation. The Zasavje region, Slovenia, was chosen as study area with the main objective to investigate in practice the role of such units in a test environment. The process consisted of three steps: modelling of pollution in the atmosphere with dispersion models, transfer of the results to geographical information system software, and then moving on to final determination of the function of small spatial units. A methodology capable of designing useful units for atmospheric air pollution research in highly complex terrains was created, and the results were deemed useful in offering starting points for further research in the field of geospatial health.

75 FR 9196 - Letter From Secretary of Energy Accepting Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Letter From Secretary of Energy Accepting Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) Recommendation 2009-2 AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The...: The Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledges receipt of Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board...

Board affiliation and pay gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shenglan Chen

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the effects of board affiliation on the corporate pay gap. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2005 to 2011, we find that boards with a greater presence of directors appointed by block shareholders have lower pay gaps. Furthermore, the governance effects of board affiliation with and without pay are distinguished. The empirical results show that board affiliation without pay is negatively related to the pay gap, while board affiliation with pay is positively related to the pay gap. Overall, the results shed light on how block shareholders affect their companies’ pay gaps through board affiliation.

49 CFR 1011.2 - The Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BOARD ORGANIZATION; DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY § 1011.2 The Board. (a... submitted for decision except those assigned to an individual Board Member or employee or an employee board...) The Board may bring before it any matter assigned to an individual Board Member or employee or...

Exposure information in environmental health research: Current opportunities and future directions for particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air pollutants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKone, Thomas E.; Ryan, P. Barry; Ozkaynak, Haluk

2007-02-01

Understanding and quantifying outdoor and indoor sources of human exposure are essential but often not adequately addressed in health-effects studies for air pollution. Air pollution epidemiology, risk assessment, health tracking and accountability assessments are examples of health-effects studies that require but often lack adequate exposure information. Recent advances in exposure modeling along with better information on time-activity and exposure factors data provide us with unique opportunities to improve the assignment of exposures for both future and ongoing studies linking air pollution to health impacts. In September 2006, scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with scientists from the academic community and state health departments convened a symposium on air pollution exposure and health in order to identify, evaluate, and improve current approaches for linking air pollution exposures to disease. This manuscript presents the key issues, challenges and recommendations identified by the exposure working group, who used cases studies of particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air pollutant exposure to evaluate health-effects for air pollution. One of the over-arching lessons of this workshop is that obtaining better exposure information for these different health-effects studies requires both goal-setting for what is needed and mapping out the transition pathway from current capabilities to meeting these goals. Meeting our long-term goals requires definition of incremental steps that provide useful information for the interim and move us toward our long-term goals. Another over-arching theme among the three different pollutants and the different health study approaches is the need for integration among alternate exposure assessment approaches. For example, different groups may advocate exposure indicators, biomonitoring, mapping methods (GIS), modeling, environmental media

Institutional review board and regulatory solutions in the dental PBRN

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gilbert, Gregg H; Qvist, Vibeke; Moore, Sheila D

2010-01-01

Effectively addressing regulatory and human participant protection issues with Institutional Review Boards (IRBs, or ethics committees) and grants administration entities is an important component of conducting research in large collaborative networks. A dental practice-based research network...

Indoor air pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anwar, J.; Hussain, F.

2005-01-01

Indoor air pollution after being a neglected subject for a number of years, is attracting attention recently because it is a side effect of energy crisis. About 50% of world's 6 billion population, mostly in developing countries, depend on biomass and coal in the form of wood, dung and crop residues for domestic energy because of poverty. These materials are burnt in simple stoves with incomplete combustion and infants, children and women are exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution for a considerable period, approximately between 2-4 hours daily. Current worldwide trade in wood fuel is over US $7 billion and about 2 million people are employed full time in production and marketing it. One of the most annoying and common indoor pollutant in both, developing and developed countries, is cigarette smoke. Children in gas-equipped homes had higher incidences of respiratory disease. Babies' DNA can be damaged even before they are born if their mothers breathe polluted air. Exposure to indoor air pollution may be responsible for nearly 2 million excess deaths in developing countries and for 4% of the global burden of the disease. Only a few indoor pollutants have been studied in detail. Indoor air pollution is a major health threat on which further research is needed to define the extent of the problem more precisely and to determine solutions by the policy-makers instead of neglecting it because sufferers mostly belong to Third World countries. (author)

Dynamic Analysis and Research on Environmental Pollution in China from 1992 to 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Fei; Yuan, Peng; Li, Huiting; Zhang, Moli

2018-01-01

The regular pattern of development of the environmental pollution events was analyzed from the perspective of statistical analysis of pollution events in recent years. The Moran, s I and spatial center-of-gravity shift curve of China, s environmental emergencies were calculated by ARCGIS software. And the method is global spatial analysis and spatial center of gravity shift. The results showed that the trend of China, s environmental pollution events from 1992 to 2014 was the first dynamic growth and then gradually reduced. Environmental pollution events showed spatial aggregation distribution in 1992-1994, 2001-2006, 2008-2014, and the rest of year was a random distribution of space. There were two stages in China, s environmental pollution events: The transition to the southwest from 1992 to 2006 and the transition to the northeast from the year of 2006 to 2014.

Evaluation of pollutant emissions in North China Plain using aircraft measurements from the Air Chemistry Research In Asia (ARIAs) campaign

Science.gov (United States)

He, H.; Ren, X.; Li, Z.; Dickerson, R. R.

2017-12-01

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the most populated and polluted regions on Earth. With rapid economic development in past decades, air pollution including heavy atmospheric aerosol loadings became severe in this region, leading to environmental and climate problems. An aircraft campaign, Air Chemistry Research In Asia (ARIAs), was conducted in spring 2016 (in parallel to KORUS-AQ) to understand air quality in the NCP and transport of air pollutants from this area. Measurements of trace gases such as O3, CO, and SO2 and aerosol optical properties were analyzed to investigate the anthropogenic emissions in the NCP. Both high-efficiency combustion such as from automobiles and modern power plants as well as low-efficiency combustion such as from biomass burnings were identified. Transformations of primary pollutants and formation of secondary pollutants were simulated using the EPA CMAQ v5.2 model. The global HTAP-EDGAR v4.2 emission inventory of year 2010 was processed with SMOKE v4.5 to drive CMAQ. Modeling results were evaluated with aircraft observations to improve our knowledge of anthropogenic emissions and transport. We also used satellite observations including OMI SO2/NO2 and MODIS AOD to evaluate the model performance in the NCP. Through the comparison, we estimated the changes in emissions of major anthropogenic pollutants from 2010 to 2016. Sensitivity experiments with improved emission inventory were conducted to better investigate the air pollution in the NCP.

Indoor air pollution in developing countries: recommendations for research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, K.R. [University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (USA)

2002-09-01

Available studies indicate that indoor air pollution (IAP) from household cooking and space heating apparently causes substantial ill-health in developing countries where the majority of households rely on solid fuels (coal or biomass as wood, crop residues, and dung), but there are many remaining uncertainties. To pin down impacts in order to effectively target interventions, research is particularly needed in three areas: (1) epidemiology: case-control studies for tuberculosis (TB) and cardiovascular disease in women and randomized intervention trials for childhood acute respiratory diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes; (2) exposure assessment: techniques and equipment for inexpensive exposure assessment at large scale, including national level surveys; (3) interventions: engineering and dissemination approaches for improved stoves, fuels, ventilation, and behavior that reliably and economically reduce exposure. There are also important potential synergisms between efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and those to reduce health-damaging emissions from solid-fuel stoves. The substitution of biomass by coal being considered in some countries should be pursued with caution because of the known serious health effects of household coal use.

Spotlight on Ethics: Institutional Review Boards as Systemic Bullies

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Caleb T.

2015-01-01

Bullying, often considered an interpersonal or intergroup behaviour, has not been explored as an unintended artefact of organisational structure. Institutional review boards (IRBs), the 'human research ethics committees' at US universities, help oversee the protection of human research subjects, particularly in the social sciences within…

The effectiveness of boards of directors in two-tier board system: Evidence from Vietnamese-listed enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Tran

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents several theories to achieve a better understanding of corporate governance structures and their operations in a two-tier-board corporate governance structure. The author also analyses transitional economies using the case of Vietnam. The author investigates the influence of independent directors upon the probability of CEO turnover as well as the sensitivity of the link between performance and turnover. The findings show that non-executive directors are not always independent. At the same time, independent directors have a vital role to play in making decisions concerning CEO dismissal. These directors also reduce the effects of CEO ownership and CEO duality upon the probability of CEO turnover. In summation, the research found that performance and CEO age constitute key factors in CEO turnover, regardless of the corporation or board size.

The Effect of Board Size and Board Composition on Firms Corporate Environmental Disclosure: A Study of Selected Firms in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uwalomwa Nil Uwuigbe

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Environmental problems have become major headlines due to the negative effects they bring to the stability of the ecosystem. Thus, the increased awareness of social responsibility or, specifically, environmental concern is now a challenge facing the corporate world. Hence this study tests whether board size and board composition have any association with the level of firms’ corporate environmental disclosure in annual reports. To achieve the objective of this study, a total of 40 listed firms on the floor of the Nigerian stock exchange market were used. Also, the study critically developed and utilized the Kinder Lydenberg Domini (KLD rating scheme to analyze the level of corporate environmental disclosure made by firms in their annual reports for the period 2006-2010. In addition, the simple regression analysis was used to test the research propositions as stated in the study. However, empirical findings from the study reveal that while board size has a significant negative relationship with the level of corporate environmental disclosure; board composition on the other hand has a significant positive relationship with the level of firms’ corporate environmental disclosure in the annual report.

78 FR 4847 - Board Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-23

... FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION Board Meeting AGENCY: Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation Board (Board). DATE AND TIME: The meeting of the Board will be held at the offices of the Farm...

[Air pollutant exposure during pregnancy and fetal and early childhood development. Research protocol of the INMA (Childhood and Environment Project)].

Science.gov (United States)

Esplugues, Ana; Fernández-Patier, Rosalía; Aguilera, Inma; Iñíguez, Carmen; García Dos Santos, Saúl; Aguirre Alfaro, Amelia; Lacasaña, Marina; Estarlich, Marisa; Grimalt, Joan O; Fernández, Marieta; Rebagliato, Marisa; Sala, María; Tardón, Adonina; Torrent, Maties; Martínez, María Dolores; Ribas-Fitó, Núria; Sunyer, Jordi; Ballester, Ferran

2007-01-01

The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [Spanish for Environment and Childhood]) project is a cooperative research network. This project aims to study the effects of environment and diet on fetal and early childhood development. This article aims to present the air pollutant exposure protocol during pregnancy and fetal and early childhood development of the INMA project. The information to assess air pollutant exposure during pregnancy is based on outdoor measurement of air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide [NO2], volatile organic compounds [VOC], ozone, particulate matter [PM10, PM2,5 ] and of their composition [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]); measurement of indoor and personal exposure (VOC and NO2); urinary measurement of a biological marker of hydrocarbon exposure (1-hydroxypyrene); and data gathered by questionnaires and geographic information systems. These data allow individual air pollutant exposure indexes to be developed, which can then be used to analyze the possible effects of exposure on fetal development and child health. This protocol and the type of study allow an approximation to individual air pollutant exposure to be obtained. Finally, the large number of participants (N = 4,000), as well as their geographic and social diversity, increases the study's potential.

Pilot Boarding Areas

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Pilot boarding areas are locations at sea where pilots familiar with local waters board incoming vessels to navigate their passage to a destination port. Pilotage is...

Board Certification in Counseling Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Crowley, Susan L.; Lichtenberg, James W.; Pollard, Jeffrey W.

2012-01-01

Although specialty board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) has been a valued standard for decades, the vast majority of counseling psychologists do not pursue board certification in the specialty. The present article provides a brief history of board certification in general and some historical information about…

Occurrences and inventories of heavy metals and brominated flame retardants in wastes from printed circuit board production.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoyu; Guo, Jie; Zhang, Wei; Zhou, Peng; Deng, Jingjing; Lin, Kuangfei

2014-09-01

Pollutants including heavy metals and brominated flame retardant were detected in 10 types of production wastes from a typical printed circuit board manufacturing plant, and their inventories were estimated. Rinsing water from etching process had the highest concentrations of copper (665.51 mg/L), lead (1.02 mg/L), nickel (3.60 mg/L), chromium (0.97 mg/L), and tin (1.79 mg/L). Powdered solid waste (SW) from the cut lamination process contained the highest tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) levels (49.86 mg/kg). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were absent in this plant, in agreement with the international regulations of PBDE phase out. The pollutant inventories in the wastes exhibited in the order of copper > > zinc > tin ≈ nickel > lead > chromium > > TBBPA. The potential environmental impact of pollutants in SW during production and disposal were further investigated. A high partitioning of pollutant concentration between the total suspended particle and SW (-0.10 < log K TS < 2.12) was observed for most pollutants, indicating the emission pathway from SW to the airborne atmosphere in the workshop. Although SW met the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure, drilling powder with the smallest particle diameter still showed high leachabilities of lead and tin which may lead to a negative environmental impact during disposal.

Interactive Board with Technology of Bluetooth Data Sending Through Tablet for Learning and Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chonlatee Photong

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Interactive boards are the boards that can be written, presented or showed multimedia materials; thus, They become the most famous devices for modern learning and teaching. However, interactive boards currently sold in marketplace are expensive, large size and heavy, which are inconvenient to be carried-away. This paper presented an interactive board that utilizes technology of bluetooth data sending through a tablet. The paper presented the details of the board and satisfaction results of using the board from 253 sampling students and staff of Mahasarakham University. The research results showed that the constructed board had small size and light-weight, which would be convenient to be carried-away. The cost of the board was approximately 3-8 times less than the conventional boards. In addition, the board could be operated in the large area covering the area with estimated radius of 13 meters. The satisfaction of using the board from questionnaires showed that the constructed board was useful and should be used for learning and teaching, 94.1% of correspondents were highly and very highly statified of using the board, 89.3% of correspondents agreed that the board was suitable equipment in smart classroom and 88.4% of correspondents felt excited and very excited when using the board while 83.0% of correspondents have never seen this kind of innovation for education before.

[Pollution-ecological problems of old industrial and mining areas and future research prospects].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qixing

2005-06-01

Environmental pollution and its solicitation in ecological problems of old industrial and mining areas have become a worldwide technological puzzle restricting sustainable economic and social development. But, the definition and category of old industrial and mining areas is still disputed as an important concept. In this paper, the concept of old industrial and mining area was discussed in theory, and, proceeded with analyzing the complexity of current situation and environmental pollution problems of old industrial and mining areas in China, more keystone attention was paid to the secondary pollution problems from old industrial and mining areas as an important frontier of science. On the basis of expounding the complexity and characters of environmental pollution in old industrial and mining areas, it was suggested that as two key scientific problems in environmental sciences and ecology, the formation mechanisms and control technology of secondary pollution in old industrial and mining areas and the responses of new-type diseases to environmental pollution based on molecular ecotoxicology should be systematically studied on the national scale, and be an important component of environmental protection strategy in China in the future.

On-board measurements of gaseous pollutant emission characteristics under real driving conditions from light-duty diesel vehicles in Chinese cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gang; Cheng, Shuiyuan; Lang, Jianlei; Li, Song; Tian, Liang

2016-08-01

A total of 15 light-duty diesel vehicles (LDDVs) were tested with the goal of understanding the emission factors of real-world vehicles by conducting on-board emission measurements. The emission characteristics of hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) at different speeds, chemical species profiles and ozone formation potential (OFP) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from diesel vehicles with different emission standards were analyzed. The results demonstrated that emission reductions of HC and NOx had been achieved as the control technology became more rigorous from Stage I to Stage IV. It was also found that the HC and NOx emissions and percentage of O2 dropped with the increase of speed, while the percentage of CO2 increased. The abundance of alkanes was significantly higher in diesel vehicle emissions, approximately accounting for 41.1%-45.2%, followed by aromatics and alkenes. The most abundant species were propene, ethane, n-decane, n-undecane, and n-dodecane. The maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) method was adopted to evaluate the contributions of individual VOCs to OFP. The results indicated that the largest contributors to O3 production were alkenes and aromatics, which accounted for 87.7%-91.5%. Propene, ethene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1-butene, and 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene were the top five VOC species based on their OFP, and accounted for 54.0%-64.8% of the total OFP. The threshold dilution factor was applied to analyze the possibility of VOC stench pollution. The majority of stench components emitted from vehicle exhaust were aromatics, especially p-diethylbenzene, propylbenzene, m-ethyltoluene, and p-ethyltoluene. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Notes on the Narratological Approach to Board Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mattia Thibault

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays game studies are in the foreground of cultural and communication debates. Even if video games are strongly studied in semiotics, play is a wide field of study with many areas still unexplored. The area that this paper aims to explore concerns board games and it focuses on the relationship between game and narration and the role of a game’s intertextual dimension from a semiotic point of view. Semiotic tools that have been used include the Greimasian narrative sequence (a structuralist point of view that fits very well with the rigid, explicit grammaticalization of board games and Génette's narratology, unavoidable for every reflection on intertextuality. Last, but not least, cultural semiotics, based on Jurij Lotman's works, offers a valuable asset for understanding the enveloping and organic structure that surrounds games. The research proceeds to focus on some case studies of three ancient board games - chess, backgammon, and mancalas - underlining their common traits and differences. The paper shows that the structure of board games is very similar to the structure of the Greimasian narrative sequence, but they rather form a hybrid narration in which the player has a primary importance. Moreover, we see that games constantly retrieve sense from different kinds of other texts depending on the culture and society in which the game is played. The aim of this research is not to propound a complete theory, but rather to indicate a possible path to follow, between many, that could be a valuable resource in the exploration and the understanding of play.

Making use of what teachers know and can do: Policy, practice, and national board certification.

OpenAIRE

Julia E. Koppich; Daniel C. Humphrey; Heather J. Hough

2007-01-01

This paper is the culmination of a three-year study that sought to frame an initial answer to the question, "What are the circumstances and conditions under which National Board Certified teachers (NBCTs) can have a positive impact on low-performing schools?" The study, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, was part of the National Board's more comprehensive effort to answer a number of research questions about the impacts of board certification and board certified teachers in schools and distri...

Element Cycles: An Environmental Chemistry Board Game

Science.gov (United States)

Pippins, Tracy; Anderson, Cody M.; Poindexter, Eric F.; Sultemeier, S. Whitney; Schultz, Linda D.

2011-01-01

"Element Cycles" is an activity designed to reinforce correlation of essential elements and their different forms in the ecosystem. Students are assigned essential elements to research as homework, then share results, and construct game boards with four ecosphere sections: geosphere (earth), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere…

Board-to-Board Free-Space Optical Interconnections Passing through Boards for a Bookshelf-Assembled Terabit-Per-Second-Class ATM Switch.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirabayashi, K; Yamamoto, T; Matsuo, S; Hino, S

1998-05-10

We propose free-space optical interconnections for a bookshelf-assembled terabit-per-second-class ATM switch. Thousands of arrayed optical beams, each having a rate of a few gigabits per second, propagate vertically to printed circuit boards, passing through some boards, and are connected to arbitrary transmitters and receivers on boards by polarization controllers and prism arrays. We describe a preliminary experiment using a 1-mm-pitch 2 x 2 beam-collimator array that uses vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes. These optical interconnections can be made quite stable in terms of mechanical shock and temperature fluctuation by the attachment of reinforcing frames to the boards and use of an autoalignment system.

Modelling traffic pollution in streets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowicz, R.; Hertel, O. [National Environmental Research Inst., Dept. of Atmospheric Environment, Roskilde (Denmark); Larsen, S.E.; Soerensen, N.N.; Nielsen, M. [Risoe National Lab., Dept. of Meteorology and Wind Energy, Roskilde (Denmark)

1997-01-01

This report concerns mainly the subject related to modelling air pollution from traffic in urban streets. A short overview is presented over the theoretical aspects and examples of most commonly used methods and models are given. Flow and dispersion conditions in street canyons are discussed and the presentation is substantiated with the analysis of the experimental data. The main emphasis is on the modelling methods that are suitable for routine applications and a more detailed presentation is given of the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM), which was developed by the National Environmental Research Institute. The model is used for surveillance of air pollution from traffic in Danish cities and also for special air pollution studies. (au) 76 refs.

In Defense of Boards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B. Visser (Bauke); S. Dominguez Martinez (Silvia); O.H. Swank (Otto)

2007-01-01

textabstractIt is often assumed that bad corporate performance means a bad CEO. The task of a board of directors is then simple: dismiss the executive. If it fails to do so, the board is said to be indolent. We take a kinder approach to observed board behaviour and point to the problems even

COLLABORATION BOARD (CB55)

CERN Multimedia

B. Cousins

Open Access Publication Policy ATLAS had recently issued a short statement in support of open access publishing. The mood of the discussions in the December CMS Collaboration Board had appeared to be in favour and so it was being proposed that CMS issue the same statement as that made by ATLAS (the statement is attached to the agenda of this meeting). The Collaboration Board agreed. Election of the Chair of the Collaboration Board Following the agreement to shorten the terms of both the Spokesperson and the Collaboration Board Chair, and to introduce a longer overlap period between the election and the start of the term, the election for the next Collaboration Board Chair was due in December 2007. If the old standard schedule specified in the Constitution were adapted to this date, then the Board should be informed at the present meeting that the election was being prepared. However, it was felt that the experience of the previous year's election of the Spokesperson had shown that it would be desirable to...

MANAGEMENT BOARD MEETING OF 25 APRIL 2002

CERN Document Server

2002-01-01

Death of a Former CERN Director-General The Director-General informed the Management Board that Victor Weisskopf, Director-General of CERN from 1961-1965, had died in New York on Sunday, 21 April at the age of 93. Fiftieth Anniversary of the Provisional Establishment of CERN The Director-General observed that 2002 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the 1952 agreement establishing a provisional European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), which had been signed at the second session of an Inter-Governmental Meeting held in Geneva on 15 February that year. The 'provisional CERN' had been dissolved on 29 September 1954, when Member States had ratified the Convention formally establishing the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Later in the year it would be appropriate to start to discuss plans for an event to mark CERN's official fiftieth anniversary in September 2004. Outcome of the Recent Meetings of the Resources Review Boards R. Cashmore, Director for Collider Programmes, briefly reported on the outc...

WeaselBoard :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulder, John C.; Schwartz, Moses Daniel; Berg, Michael J.; Van Houten, Jonathan Roger; Urrea, Jorge Mario; King, Michael Aaron; Clements, Abraham Anthony; Jacob, Joshua A.

2013-10-01

Critical infrastructures, such as electrical power plants and oil refineries, rely on programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to control essential processes. State of the art security cannot detect attacks on PLCs at the hardware or firmware level. This renders critical infrastructure control systems vulnerable to costly and dangerous attacks. WeaselBoard is a PLC backplane analysis system that connects directly to the PLC backplane to capture backplane communications between modules. WeaselBoard forwards inter-module traffic to an external analysis system that detects changes to process control settings, sensor values, module configuration information, firmware updates, and process control program (logic) updates. WeaselBoard provides zero-day exploit detection for PLCs by detecting changes in the PLC and the process. This approach to PLC monitoring is protected under U.S. Patent Application 13/947,887.

Board on chemical sciences and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Board has completed five reports since June 1988. Biosafety in the Laboratory: Prudent Practices for Handling and Disposal of Infectious Materials is a comprehensive review of the principles and practices of biological safety in the laboratory. Currently in press, it promises to be a landmark publication in this field, comparable to the Board's two previous studies on handling and disposal of chemicals in laboratories. Chemical Processes and Products in Severe Nuclear Reactor Accidents: Report of a Workshop evaluates the quality and relevance of existing high-temperature thermodynamic and kinetic data to the analysis of light-water reactor accidents. A number of areas where important data was deemed to be lacking or inadequate were identified to provide a sound basis for predicting the behavior of fission products, fuel, and other materials in nuclear reactors during a severe accident leading to radioactivity release. Training Requirements for Chemists in Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Industry, and Related Areas assesses the training requirements for chemists in nuclear medicine, nuclear industry, and related areas. Finally, the Board's Air Force Office of Scientific Research High Energy Density Materials Panel has completed two program evaluation reports on this Air Force program

Analysis on Pollution Factors in Asparagus Production and Research on Safety Production Technology

OpenAIRE

Ma, Liping; Hao, Bianqing; Qiao, Xiongwu

2013-01-01

Based on the analysis on the infection degree, infection law and influencing factors of the main diseases on asparagus and the analysis on the pollution factors in asparagus production such as blind pesticide use, atmospheric pollution and acid rain, the pollution of soil and fertilizer, this article proposes asparagus safety production technologies which include the selection of disease-resistant variety and suitable planting field, scientific and reasonable disease control, balanced fertili...

Assessing the quality of VA Human Research Protection Programs: VA vs. affiliated University Institutional Review Board.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsan, Min-Fu; Nguyen, Yen; Brooks, Robert

2013-04-01

We compared the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) quality indicator data of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities using their own VA institutional review boards (IRBs) with those using affiliated university IRBs. From a total of 25 performance metrics, 13 did not demonstrate statistically significant differences, while 12 reached statistically significance differences. Among the 12 with statistically significant differences, facilities using their own VA IRBs performed better on four of the metrics, while facilities using affiliate IRBs performed better on eight. However, the absolute difference was small (0.2-2.7%) in all instances, suggesting that they were of no practical significance. We conclude that it is acceptable for facilities to use their own VA IRBs or affiliated university IRBs as their IRBs of record.

77 FR 26069 - Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-02

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting Amendment The... Development and Clinical Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board have changed...

49 CFR 1011.5 - Employee boards.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Employee boards. 1011.5 Section 1011.5... OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BOARD ORGANIZATION; DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY § 1011.5 Employee boards. This section covers matters assigned to the Accounting Board, a board of employees of the...

The internal processes and behavioral dynamics of hospital boards: an exploration of differences between high- and low-performing hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Nancy M; Clark, Jonathan R; Rivenson, Howard L

2009-01-01

Nonprofit hospital boards are under increasing pressure to improve financial, clinical, and charitable and community benefit performance. Most research on board effectiveness focuses on variables measuring board structure and attributes associated with competing ideal models of board roles. However, the results do not provide clear evidence that one role is superior to another and suggest that in practice boards pursue hybrid roles. Board dynamics and processes have received less attention from researchers, but emerging theoretical frameworks highlight them as key to effective corporate governance. We explored differences in board processes and behavioral dynamics between financially high- and low-performing hospitals, with the goal of developing a better understanding of the best board practices in nonprofit hospitals. A comparative case study approach allowed for in-depth, qualitative assessments of how the internal workings of boards differ between low- and high-performing facilities. Boards of hospitals with strong financial performance exhibited behavioral dynamics and internal processes that differed in important ways from those of hospitals with poor financial performance. Boards need to actively attend to key processes and foster positive group dynamics in decision making to be more effective in governing hospitals.

Board Size and Board Independence: A Quantitative Study on Banking Industry in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kashif Rashid

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to investigate the relationship of board independence and board size with productivity and efficiency of the listed banks on the Karachi Stock Exchange, Pakistan. There is a lack of consensus regarding impact of corporate governance practices in correspondence to number of board members and board independence in banking sector. The derived results of the study show that there is a positive relationship between board independence and bank profitability and efficiency. Independent directors play a crucial role in providing genuine advice during executive decision making process which is an important source for improving overall corporate governance. Moreover, results regarding the role of control variables suggest a positive relationship of the total assets and deposits of the firm with the firm’s performance supporting stewardship theory in the market.

Investigation of radioactive pollution on land at Thule and assessment of radiation doses; Undersoegelse af radioaktiv forurening paa landjorden ved Thule og vurdering af straaledoser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-12-15

Risoe National Laboratory at the Technical University of Denmark has carried out research on the terrestrial contamination in the Thule area, Greenland, after the radioactive contents of four nuclear weapons were dispersed following the crash of an American B-52 bomber in 1968. The results of this research are described in the report ''Thule-2007 - Investigation of radioactive pollution on land''. Based on this report, the National Board of Health made an assessment of radiation doses and the risk for individuals in the Thule area. The results of the assessment are described in the report ''The Thule accident. Assessment of radiation doses from terrestrial radioactive contamination''. The present report is a summary of these two reports. (ln)

[A Method Research on Environmental Damage Assessment of a Truck Rollover Pollution Incident].

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Feng; Zhao, Shi-ho; Chen, Gang-cai; Xian, Si-shu; Yang, Qing-ling; Zhou, Xian-jie; Yu, Hai

2015-05-01

With high occurrence of sudden water pollution incident, China faces an increasingly severe situation of water environment. In order to deter the acts of environmental pollution, ensure the damaged resources of environment can be restored and compensated, it is very critical to quantify the economic losses caused by the sudden water pollution incident. This paper took truck rollover pollution incidents in Chongqing for an example, established a set of evaluation method for quantifying the environmental damage, and then assessed the environmental damage by the method from four aspects, including the property damage, ecological environment and resources damages, the costs of administrative affairs in emergency disposal, and the costs of investigation and evaluation.

Institutional review board perspectives on obligations to disclose genetic incidental findings to research participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Gliwa, Catherine; Yurkiewicz, Ilana R; Lehmann, Lisa Soleymani; Hull, Sara Chandros; Jones, Nathan; Berkman, Benjamin E

2016-07-01

Researchers' obligations to disclose genetic incidental findings (GIFs) have been widely debated, but there has been little empirical study of the engagement of institutional review boards (IRBs) with this issue. This article presents data from the first extensive (n = 796) national survey of IRB professionals' understanding of, experience with, and beliefs surrounding GIFs. Most respondents had dealt with questions about GIFs (74%), but only a minority (47%) felt prepared to address them. Although a majority believed that there is an obligation to disclose GIFs (78%), there is still not consensus about the supporting ethical principles. Respondents generally did not endorse the idea that researchers' additional time and effort (7%), and lack of resources (29%), were valid reasons for diminishing a putative obligation. Most (96%) supported a right not to know, but this view became less pronounced (63%) when framed in terms of specific case studies. IRBs are actively engaged with GIFs but have not yet reached consensus. Respondents were uncomfortable with arguments that could be used to limit an obligation to return GIFs. This could indicate that IRBs are providing some of the impetus for the trend toward returning GIFs, although questions remain about the relative contribution of other stakeholders.Genet Med 18 7, 705-711.

Contextual influences on school effectiveness : The role of school boards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofman, RH

1995-01-01

The purpose of this research project is to investigate if characteristics of school boards and their administrative control do explain variance among schools in pupil achievement in the cognitive domain. A combination of findings of research on school effectiveness and organizational effectiveness,

Forests under climate change and air pollution: Gaps in understanding and future directions for research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Matyssek, R.; Wieser, G.; Calfapietra, C.

2012-01-01

Forests in Europe face significant changes in climate, which in interaction with air quality changes, may significantly affect forest productivity, stand composition and carbon sequestration in both vegetation and soils. Identified knowledge gaps and research needs include: (i) interaction between...... changes in air quality (trace gas concentrations), climate and other site factors on forest ecosystem response, (ii) significance of biotic processes in system response, (iii) tools for mechanistic and diagnostic understanding and upscaling, and (iv) the need for unifying modelling and empirical research...... for synthesis. This position paper highlights the above focuses, including the global dimension of air pollution as part of climate change and the need for knowledge transfer to enable reliable risk assessment. A new type of research site in forest ecosystems (“supersites”) will be conducive to addressing...

An assessment of South Africa's research journals: Impact factors, Eigenfactors and structure of editorial boards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Androniki E.M. Pouris

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Scientific journals play an important role in academic information exchange and their assessment is of interest to science authorities, editors and researchers. The assessment of journals is of particular interest to South African authorities as the country's universities are partially funded according to the number of publications they produce in accredited journals, such as the Thomson Reuters indexed journals. Scientific publishing in South Africa has experienced a revolution during the last 10 years. Our objective here is to report the performance of the country's journals during 2009 and 2010 according to a number of metrics (i.e. impact factors, Eigenfactors and the international character of editorial boards; to identify and compare the impact of the South African journals that have been recently added to the Thomson Reuters' Journal Citation Reports; and to elaborate on issues related to science policy.

Ocean Science for Decision-Making: Current Activities of the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, S.; Glickson, D.; Mengelt, C.; Forrest, S.; Waddell, K.

2012-12-01

The National Research Council is a private, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1916 as an expansion of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Its mission is to improve the use of science in government decision making and public policy, increase public understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. Within the National Research Council, the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) mission is to explore the science, policies, and infrastructure needed to understand, manage, and conserve coastal and marine environments and resources. OSB undertakes studies and workshops on emerging scientific and policy issues at the request of federal agencies, Congress, and others; provides program reviews and guidance; and facilitates communication on oceanographic issues among different sectors. OSB also serves as the U.S. National Committee to the international, nongovernmental Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR). OSB has produced reports on a wide range of topics of interest to researchers and educators, the federal government, the non-profit sector, and industry. Recent reports have focused on ecosystem services in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, sea level rise on the U.S. west coast, scientific ocean drilling needs and accomplishments, requirements for sustained ocean color measurements, critical infrastructure for ocean research, tsunami warning and preparedness, ocean acidification, and marine and hydrokinetic power resource assessments. Studies that are currently underway include responding to oil spills in the Arctic, evaluating the effectiveness of fishery stock rebuilding plans, and reviewing the National Ocean Acidification Research Plan. OSB plays an important role in helping create policy decisions and disseminating important information regarding various aspects of ocean science.

Preserving the Legitimacy of Board Certification.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanemann, Michael S; Wall, Holly C; Dean, John A

2017-06-01

The aims of this discussion were to inform the medical community about the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery's ongoing attempts in Louisiana to achieve equivalency to American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member boards so that its diplomates may use the term "board certified" in advertising and to ensure public safety by upholding the standards for medical board certification. In 2011, Louisiana passed a truth in medical advertising law, which was intended to protect the public by prohibiting the use of the term "board certified" by improperly credentialed physicians. An American Board of Cosmetic Surgery diplomate petitioned the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners to approve a rule that would establish a pathway to equivalency for non-ABMS member boards, whose diplomates have not completed training approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in the specialty they are certifying. Physicians and physician organizations representing multiple specialties (facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology [head and neck surgery], orthopedic spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, dermatology, and plastic surgery) urged the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners to clarify its advertising policy, limiting the use of the term "board certified" to physicians who have completed ACGME-approved training in the specialty or subspecialty named in the certificate. The public equates the term "board certified" with the highest level of expertise in a medical specialty. When a certifying board does not require completion of ACGME or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited training in the specialty it certifies, the result is an unacceptable degree of variability in the education and training standards applied to its diplomates. Independent, third-party oversight of certifying boards and training programs is necessary to ensure quality standards are upheld. Any system that assesses a non-ABMS member or non

Application of isotope techniques to groundwater pollution research for Xiangshan uranium ore field, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fulin; Liu Peilun; Zhu Chuande; Wu Xiaowei; Zeng Yinsheng

1998-01-01

The investigation of groundwater pollution due to uranium deposits focused on the most important uranium metallogenic area-Zhoujiashan district of Xiangshan uranium ore field, China. Groundwater collected from five completed exploration boreholes in the area is regarded as the pollution source and is traced and analysed by using isotope as well as radio-hydrochemical techniques. In addition, the pollution situation of a small uranium ore pile for heap-leaching and a big uranium ore open pit are monitored by the same techniques. It has been experimentally proven that the uranium concentration and the uranium isotope ratio 234 U/ 238 U in natural waters are two sensitive indicators of radioactive pollution in natural waters. It was concluded that under present conditions, exploration of uranium deposits may not cause serious groundwater pollution of radioactive elements (U, Ra, Rn and Th), however, it is difficult to avoid the serious surface water pollution coming from the exploitation of uranium ore by a big open pit. (author)

76 FR 79273 - Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-21

... Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board Panel for Eligibility, Notice of... and Clinical Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board will meet on... medical specialties within the general areas of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical science research. The...

High-Speed On-Board Data Processing Platform for LIDAR Projects at NASA Langley Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Beyon, J.; Ng, T. K.; Davis, M. J.; Adams, J. K.; Lin, B.

2015-12-01

The project called High-Speed On-Board Data Processing for Science Instruments (HOPS) has been funded by NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) program during April, 2012 - April, 2015. HOPS is an enabler for science missions with extremely high data processing rates. In this three-year effort of HOPS, Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) and 3-D Winds were of interest in particular. As for ASCENDS, HOPS replaces time domain data processing with frequency domain processing while making the real-time on-board data processing possible. As for 3-D Winds, HOPS offers real-time high-resolution wind profiling with 4,096-point fast Fourier transform (FFT). HOPS is adaptable with quick turn-around time. Since HOPS offers reusable user-friendly computational elements, its FPGA IP Core can be modified for a shorter development period if the algorithm changes. The FPGA and memory bandwidth of HOPS is 20 GB/sec while the typical maximum processor-to-SDRAM bandwidth of the commercial radiation tolerant high-end processors is about 130-150 MB/sec. The inter-board communication bandwidth of HOPS is 4 GB/sec while the effective processor-to-cPCI bandwidth of commercial radiation tolerant high-end boards is about 50-75 MB/sec. Also, HOPS offers VHDL cores for the easy and efficient implementation of ASCENDS and 3-D Winds, and other similar algorithms. A general overview of the 3-year development of HOPS is the goal of this presentation.

Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report

OpenAIRE

Levitt, H. M.; Bamberg, M.; Creswell, J. W.; Frost, D. M.; Josselson, R.; Suárez-Orozco, C.

2018-01-01

The American Psychological Association Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARS–Qual Working Group) was charged with examining the state of journal article reporting standards as they applied to qualitative research and with generating recommendations for standards that would be appropriate for a wide range of methods within the discipline of psychology. These standards describe what should be included in a resea...

The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for water pollution. Do regions matter?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chien-Chiang; Chiu, Yi-Bin [Department of Finance, National Sun Yat-Sen University Kaohsiung (China); Sun, Chia-Hung [Department of Economics, National Chung Cheng University (China)

2010-01-15

This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively. (author)

The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for water pollution: Do regions matter?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C.-C., E-mail: leecc@seed.net.t [Department of Finance, National Sun Yat-Sen University Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Chiu, Y.-B. [Department of Finance, National Sun Yat-Sen University Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Sun, C.-H. [Department of Economics, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan (China)

2010-01-15

This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively.

The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for water pollution: Do regions matter?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, C.-C.; Chiu, Y.-B.; Sun, C.-H.

2010-01-01

This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively.

Research of some operating parameters and the emissions level variation in a spark ignited engine through on-board investigation methods in different loading conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Iosif, Ferenti; Baldean, Doru Laurean

2014-06-01

The present paper shows research made on a spark ignited engine with port fuel injection in different operation conditions in order to improve the comprehension about the cold start sequence, acceleration when changing the gear ratios, quality of combustion process and also any measures to be taken for pollutant reduction in such cases. The engineering endeavor encompasses the pollutants investigation during the operation time of gasoline supplied engine with four inline cylinders in different conditions. The temperature and any other parameters were measured with specific sensors installed on the engine or in the exhaust pipes. All the data collected has been evaluated using electronic investigation systems and highly developed equipment. In this manner it has enabled the outline of the idea of how pollutants of engine vary in different operating conditions. Air quality in the everyday environment is very important for the human health, and thus the ambient air quality has a well-known importance in the European pollution standards and legislation. The high level of attention directed to the pollution problem in the European lifestyle is a driving force for all kinds of studies in the field of the reduction of engine emission.

77 FR 4584 - Sunshine Act Meetings; National Science Board

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-30

... regard to the scheduling of meetings for the transaction of National Science Board business and other... Presentation: Research in Mathematics Education Committee on Strategy and Budget (CSB) Open Session: 9-10 a.m...

Studying the removal of the pollutants from wetlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nevzorov Aleksandr Leonidovich

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Wetlands, considered as the territories unfit for agriculture and building, in the recent past served as the places for the industrial and municipal waste accommodation. That’s why the problems, connected with the studies of pollution and recovery duration of bogs, are rather current nowadays. The aim of this research is studying carrying out of pollutants from the polluted marsh massif. The object of the research is the Konnick bog, where the discharge of waste water from the hydrolysis plant and dumping of ash and sawmilling waste started in the fifties. The emission of waste water from the city’s treatment facilities also took place there. The Konnick bog is situated in the Arkhangelsk region. The network of stations for the ground and surface water monitoring was organized on the territory of the bog in 2004. The monitoring showed that the ground water composition has the excess of ammonium salt, phosphates, petroleum products, lignin substances, phenols, etc. Since 2004 there is a gradual decrease in concentration of the majority of pollutant, which is connected with the end of dumping of waste and discharge of waste water from the hydrolysis. In our opinion the decrease in the polluting substances concentration in marsh waters (self-cleaning happens due to dilution of ground waters. The process of the pollutants removal from the peat was investigated with the help of a specially constructed device. The researches offered an equation, which describes the relation between the relative concentration of pollutants and the ground water flow. The analysis of the results of the peat ablution showed that in order to reduce the concentration of most pollutants the water should be filtered through the peat (at least 1 liter per 1 gram of dry peat. Using the received equation the settlement curves of pollutant concentration reduction in a bog were obtained. The curves obtained according to laboratory researches correlate rather well with the data

Co-ordinated research project on application of isotopic and nuclear techniques in the study of nutrition-pollution interactions and their impact on the nutritional status of human subjects in developing country populations. Report on the 2. research co-ordination meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is actively contributing through coordinated research project mechanisms to the development of isotopic techniques applicable for pollution-nutrition interactions. This CRP is based on the recommendations of a consultants' meeting on: 'Nuclear Analytical and Isotope Techniques for assessing nutrition-pollution interactions', NAHRES-62. The main objective of the CRP is to provide a scientific basis for better assessment of selected pollutants and nutrients in biological samples with a view to elucidate their interactions and the impact on human health. Results of this study will enhance the existing body of knowledge on nutrition-pollution interactions mechanisms and can be used to develop preventive strategies. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: Use of non-invasive specimens (e.g. breast milk, blood, hair, urine, placenta, eventually adipose tissue for organic pollutants) as indicators to monitor the interaction between the environmental pollution (both organic and inorganic) and nutritional status. Development of protocols to assess the health impact of environmental conditions on populations living under the risk of malnutrition. Validated procedures for chemical analysis in selected environment and nutritional specimens for research in the pollutant-nutrition interaction

Application of Parallel Algorithms in an Air Pollution Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgiev, K.; Zlatev, Z.

1999-01-01

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998......Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Large Scale Computations in Air Pollution Modelling, Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-10 July 1998...

The price of pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bleijenberg, A.N.; Davidson, M.D.; Wit, R.

1998-06-01

The market does not create a price for environmental pollution for the simple reason that there is no market for the environment. What can be done is to calculate shadow prices for environmental pollution, which is achieved by calculating the price that would arise if there would be a market for the environment. In applying this method, it generally proves to be necessary to base calculations on government environmental targets. Using available research data, the method is used to calculate shadow prices for a number of key pollutants. The present report is based on the CE studies 'Schaduwprijzen Prioriterings Methodiek (SPM)' (1997), commissioned by ICI Holland BV, and 'De prijs van Milieuvervuiling' (1997), commissioned by KNP BT Packaging

76 FR 52997 - Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; Order Approving Proposed Board Funding Final Rules for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-24

... Accounting Oversight Board; Order Approving Proposed Board Funding Final Rules for Allocation of the Board's... August 18, 2011. I. Introduction On June 21, 2011, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the... public accounting firm, in amounts that are sufficient to cover the costs of processing and reviewing...

76 FR 24974 - Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-03

... Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting Amendment The... and Clinical Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board have been..., behavioral and clinical science research. The panel meetings will be open to the public for approximately one...

Making use of what teachers know and can do: Policy, practice, and national board certification.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia E. Koppich

2007-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is the culmination of a three-year study that sought to frame an initial answer to the question, "What are the circumstances and conditions under which National Board Certified teachers (NBCTs can have a positive impact on low-performing schools?" The study, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, was part of the National Board's more comprehensive effort to answer a number of research questions about the impacts of board certification and board certified teachers in schools and districts across the country.

Community-based participatory research for the study of air pollution: a review of motivations, approaches, and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Commodore, Adwoa; Wilson, Sacoby; Muhammad, Omar; Svendsen, Erik; Pearce, John

2017-08-01

Neighborhood level air pollution represents a long-standing issue for many communities that, until recently, has been difficult to address due to the cost of equipment and lack of related expertise. Changes in available technology and subsequent increases in community-based participatory research (CBPR) have drastically improved the ability to address this issue. However, much still needs to be learned as these types of studies are expected to increase in the future. To assist, we review the literature in an effort to improve understanding of the motivations, approaches, and outcomes of air monitoring studies that incorporate CBPR and citizen science (CS) principles. We found that the primary motivations for conducting community-based air monitoring were concerns for air pollution health risks, residing near potential pollution sources, urban sprawl, living in "unmonitored" areas, and a general quest for improved air quality knowledge. Studies were mainly conducted using community led partnerships. Fixed site monitoring was primarily used, while mobile, personal, school-based, and occupational sampling approaches were less frequent. Low-cost sensors can enable thorough neighborhood level characterization; however, keeping the community involved at every step, understanding the limitations and benefits of this type of monitoring, recognizing potential areas of debate, and addressing study challenges are vital for achieving harmony between expected and observed study outcomes. Future directions include assessing currently unregulated pollutants, establishing long-term neighborhood monitoring sites, performing saturation studies, evaluating interventions, and creating CS databases.

Financial Relationships With Industry of Editorial Board Members of the Three Journals of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Vivek

2017-10-01

To quantitate financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) among radiation oncology peer-reviewers, specifically editorial board members of the 3 American Society for Radiation Oncology journals. The public Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database delineates payments in 3 categories (general payments, research funding, and company ownership). After excluding non-US and non-MDs, names of board members were searched. Values of each FCOI were extracted for 2013 to 2015 and compiled. Of 85 board members, 65 (76%) received any form of payment during the overall period. The majority of delivered payments were general payments: 59 (69%) received at least 1 general payment during these 3 years. In each year, 9 board members (11%) received research funding, and 3 board members (4%) reported company ownership. Over the studied period, all board members received a sum total of $5,387,985; this was composed of $665,801 (12%) in general payments, $3,758,968 (70%) in research funding, and $963,216 (18%) in company ownership. The mean general payment and research funding amounts (all members) were $2,621 and $14,741, respectively. Median (interquartile range) general payments and research funding only in board members receiving payments were $419 ($91-$5072) and $56,250 ($13,345-$200,000), respectively. When assessing general payments according to amount, the vast majority of editorial board members received lower-quantity or no such payments, along with a smaller proportion that received higher-volume payments. The most frequent sources of general payments were Varian, Elekta, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Merck and Varian were the most frequent funding sources for research payments. In this population, the majority of FCOIs were general payments, but research funding comprised the highest monetary sums. Large-volume FCOIs do not apply to the vast majority of editorial board members, implying that the maintained integrity of academic peer-review is likely not

Environmental Pollution: Noise Pollution - Sonic Boom

Science.gov (United States)

1977-06-01

UNCLASSIFIED AD-A041 400 DDC/BIB-77/06 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION NOISE POLLUTION SONIC BOOM A DDC BIBLIOGRAPHY DDC-TAS Cameron Station Alexandria, Va...rn7Sttio 658S-A041 400 4 TITLE xand r.VuhtlVlia) 2 TA i b- 1iblog ra ph y ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION : --. Apr-l IM59-Jul, 7NOISE POLLUTION -SONIC BOOM. 1,976...BIBLIOGRAPHY SEARCH CONTROL NO. /2OM09 AD- 769 970 20/1 1/3 DEFENSE UOCUMENTATION CENTER ALEXANDRIA VA ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION : NOISE POLLUTION

Relationship between the Board Size and Financial Performance: Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mesut DOĞAN

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Cadbury Report (1992, a pioneer in outlining the financial aspects of corporate governance, was the first to put the spotlight on corporate boards of directors. Around the same time, academic work started to gain impetus with the Hermalin and Weisbach (1991 study. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the number of members of the board of directors with accounting and market-based performance indicators empirical research in the national and international literature. For this purpose, all studies conducted in the early 1990s up to the present day are classified examined in a systematic way. A significant part of the board of directors of the studies indicated a negative relationship between financial performance.

In regard to the change of the editorial board and the advisory board of the Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bakir Mehić

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The most vital part of a scientific journal is the Editorial board and Advisory board. So, it is never good that the composition of these boards lasts longer than 2-3 years.With the first number of BJBMS in 2014, a new composition of the Editorial board and Advisory Board of this journal was published. They consist of eminent scientists with adequate qualifications from nine countries and who can actively contribute to the good management of the journal and its further development. Their tasks will be: -Supporting and promotion of the journal (being true ambassadors of the journal,-Writing editorials, reviews and commentaries on works from the field of their expertise,-Giving opinions and suggestions on the management and policy of the journal, with the timely identification of the upcoming challenges. Commitment to upholding the ethics of publishing with impartiality and confidentiality, the fight against plagiarism and multiple or simultaneous publication of articles will remain a priority in the work of the Editorial Board and Advisory Board of BJBMS. Also, the newly appointed boards will continue to work in the way of protection of copyright for authors who were victims of plagiarism. In this sense, the editor in chief, together with the Editorial Board will take measures in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee for Ethics in publishing [1].Quality assurance in publishing and also in BJBMS is focused on the detection of forged data, images, and plagiarized articles. In its future work Editorial Board of BJBMS is obliged to pay attention to supporting academic integrity, ensuring the integrity of academic records and intellectual property. This latter implies: -Request for evidence of ethics for the approved research, that is, authors will be asked to prove that they obtained the consent of the patient for the study or in the case of experiments on animals, which methods were used so the animals would not suffer?-Ensuring that

The Canadian public's awareness and perception of the Atomic Energy Control Board. V. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacy, F.J.

1989-01-01

The primary objective of the research is to measure how the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) stands with the Canadian public. The research examines the existing level of awareness and knowledge about the AECB and the image that people have about the Board. Another issue addressed in the research is the level of confusion within the public between the AECB and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. The data in this report can also be used as a benchmark against which improvements can be measured from the AECB's communications programs and activities undertaken in the future

Modelling, analysis, and acceleration of a printed circuit board ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Springer Verlag Heidelberg #4 2048 1996 Dec 15 10:16:45

discuss lead time reduction in a qualitative way with illustrative case studies. Krishnan ... industry practices, and research questions that should drive new methods and computer ... There are three types of printed circuit boards available today.

77 FR 71793 - Notice of Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board Membership

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-04

..., Resources, and Technology, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Suite 4010... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Notice of Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board Membership The Agency for Healthcare Research and...

76 FR 64948 - Notice of Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board Membership

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-19

..., Accountability, Resources, and Technology, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Suite... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Notice of Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board Membership The Agency for Healthcare Research and...

Board Effectiveness and Employee Engagement: Nigeria Stakeholder Perceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bashir Mande

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to determine whether employee participation yields effective board performance. To stimulatedebates inthe stakeholder theoretical perspective in an attempt to offer more inclusive approach to strengthen the existing governance structure in Nigeria.This research intends to investigate the suitability of employees participating in board’s decision-making hierarchy because of their contractual importance as wealth creators of the firm. A conceptual model is proposed and tested on public listed companies in Nigeria based on survey perception of sampled 154 respondents. The study employs in-depth confirmatory factory analysis in a structural equation modeling approach. Building upon constructs such as union relations, productivity, and skilled-labor turnover, the study found the indicator variables measure employee participation, which focused more on the board’s control, operational decisions, and strategy in monitoring, service, and networking roles. Hence, we conclude that employees as important contractual company stakeholders affect board performance. Builds on the limited research agenda for boards and corporate governance that focus on coordinating, exploring and distribution of stakes using adventurous research designs and statistical tools, especially in Nigerian emerging economy. This paper exposes the firm’s potentials as provider of sustainable and longer-term benefits not only limited to equityholders, but also to employees as wealth creators, which will improve mutual trust, harmony and confidence for more stable and productive outputs that could give visibility to income inequality. The paper provides valid measures that link corporate governance debates to broader stakeholder perspective.

76 FR 7198 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public Meeting of a Science Advisory Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-09

..., preferably at least 10 days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your... Board can be found on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB... light of EPA's research needs. Previous SAB budget advisories are on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa...

Ground water pollution through air pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cichorowski, G.; Michel, B.; Versteegen, D.; Wettmann, R.

1989-01-01

The aim of the investigation is to determine the significance of air pollutants for ground water quality and ground water use. The report summarizes present knowledge and assesses statements with a view to potential ground water pollution from the air. In this context pollution paths, the spreading behaviour of pollutants, and 'cross points' with burden potentials from other pollutant sources are presented. (orig.) [de

NPS Transit System Passenger Boardings Study: Converting Ticket Sales to Passenger Boardings.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

This report examines the reporting of passenger boardings (unlinked passenger trips) by NPS transit systems that use a ticket sales conversion methodology. By studying and validating the park units' passenger boarding methodology from converting tick...

Is mandatory research ethics reviewing ethical?

Science.gov (United States)

Dyck, Murray; Allen, Gary

2013-08-01

Review boards responsible for vetting the ethical conduct of research have been criticised for their costliness, unreliability and inappropriate standards when evaluating some non-medical research, but the basic value of mandatory ethical review has not been questioned. When the standards that review boards use to evaluate research proposals are applied to review board practices, it is clear that review boards do not respect researchers or each other, lack merit and integrity, are not just and are not beneficent. The few benefits of mandatory ethical review come at a much greater, but mainly hidden, social cost. It is time that responsibility for the ethical conduct of research is clearly transferred to researchers, except possibly in that small proportion of cases where prospective research participants may be so intrinsically vulnerable that their well-being may need to be overseen.

Female directors on corporate boards provide legitimacy to a company : A resource dependency perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lückerath – Rovers, M.

2009-01-01

This study addresses the research question why some companies do and others do not have women on their boards. This study provides evidence on the organizational characteristics that affect the likelihood of women being appointed. The results show that in The Netherlands company size, board size,

On-board measurement of emissions from liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline and diesel powered passenger cars in Algeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Chikhi, Saâdane; Boughedaoui, Ménouèr; Kerbachi, Rabah; Joumard, Robert

2014-08-01

On-board measurements of unit emissions of CO, HC, NOx and CO₂ were conducted on 17 private cars powered by different types of fuels including gasoline, dual gasoline-liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, and diesel. The tests performed revealed the effect of LPG injection technology on unit emissions and made it possible to compare the measured emissions to the European Artemis emission model. A sequential multipoint injection LPG kit with no catalyst installed was found to be the most efficient pollutant reduction device for all of the pollutants, with the exception of the NOx. Specific test results for a sub-group of LPG vehicles revealed that LPG-fueled engines with no catalyst cannot compete with catalyzed gasoline and diesel engines. Vehicle age does not appear to be a determining parameter with regard to vehicle pollutant emissions. A fuel switch to LPG offers many advantages as far as pollutant emissions are concerned, due to LPG's intrinsic characteristics. However, these advantages are being rapidly offset by the strong development of both gasoline and diesel engine technologies and catalyst converters. The LPG's performance on a chassis dynamometer under real driving conditions was better than expected. The enforcement of pollutant emission standards in developing countries is an important step towards introducing clean technology and reducing vehicle emissions. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Measurements of ultrafine particles and other vehicular pollutants inside school buses in South Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qunfang; Zhu, Yifang

2010-01-01

Increasing evidence has demonstrated toxic effects of vehicular emitted ultrafine particles (UFPs, diameter pollutants, especially UFPs, was measured inside four diesel-powered school buses. Two 1990 and two 2006 model year diesel-powered school buses were selected to represent the age extremes of school buses in service. Each bus was driven on two routine bus runs to study school children's exposure under different transportation conditions in South Texas. The number concentration and size distribution of UFPs, total particle number concentration, PM 2.5, PM 10, black carbon (BC), CO, and CO 2 levels were monitored inside the buses. The average total particle number concentrations observed inside the school buses ranged from 7.3 × 10 3 to 3.4 × 10 4 particles cm -3, depending on engine age and window position. When the windows were closed, the in-cabin air pollutants were more likely due to the school buses' self-pollution. The 1990 model year school buses demonstrated much higher air pollutant concentrations than the 2006 model year ones. When the windows were open, the majority of in-cabin air pollutants came from the outside roadway environment with similar pollutant levels observed regardless of engine ages. The highest average UFP concentration was observed at a bus transfer station where approximately 27 idling school buses were queued to load or unload students. Starting-up and idling generated higher air pollutant levels than the driving state. Higher in-cabin air pollutant concentrations were observed when more students were on board.

Citizen advisory boards: An empirical model for choosing goals and methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunsberg, P.

1994-12-01

This is a study of Citizen Advisory Boards (CABS) undertaken for the Department of Energy (DOE) to draw practical insights from the accumulated experience of CAB members and agency officials who have worked with these boards over many years. Hence the main research tool is in-depth interviews of these individuals. In addition, the study relies on field observations of CABs at work, historical documentation of individual boards, and a large body of academic, professional, and government literature. The DOE is in the process of establishing Site Specific Advisory Boards (SSABs) at most of its major facilities in order to provide for community involvement in the DOE environmental restoration and environmental management programs, but these boards initiated by DOE do not yet have enough of a track-record for a study of this type. Consequently, the study focused on CABs at six other federal agencies which have had substantial experience with boards that are similar in composition and purpose to the SSABs. The study examined common problem that confront virtually every CAB in its organization and its decision-making process. For example, each board faces difficult issues in defining its goals and representational responsibilities, selection of members, selection of issues, reaching agreement on recommendations to the parent agency, getting responsive action from the parent agency, and evaluating the board`s success over time. An effort was made to identify solutions or best approaches to these fundamental problems such that the recommended approach has broad application to citizen advisory boards concerned with environmental issues. The conclusions of the study are summarized in a model which incorporates the optimal approaches discovered with respect to each of the critical issues. While acknowledging that the particular circumstances of a CAB may call for individual variations, the model provides a fairly comprehensive description of recommended features of a CAB.

Energy Research Advisory Board, Civilian Nuclear Power Panel: Subpanel 3 report, Institutional challenges: Volume IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-10-01

The Institutional Challenges Subpanel of the Energy Research Advisory Board's Civilian Nuclear Power Panel was charged with the task of addressing the institutional issues that affect the future of nuclear power in the United States. Barriers created by non-technical issues are generally considered to be primary obstacles to revitalizing the nuclear fission option as part of a robust supply for future electrical generation. The Subpanel examined the following categories of institutional issues: (1) Administration Policy and Leadership, (2) Licensing Reform, (3) Standardized Designs, (4) Shared Financial Risk, (5) State and Economic Regulation, (6) Waste Disposal, and (7) Public Perception. The Subpanel concluded that the Administration and Congress have the opportunity and responsibility to provide leadership in resolving these difficulties. The main report provides information on the background and current situation for each institutional issue and concludes with the set of recommendations for action

Board of Director Configurations in Mutual Funds Sponsors: A Board-Level Analysis of Director Performance and Ownership

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fraser, Steven

2003-01-01

... (or a cluster of funds); referred to as a Multiple Board Configuration (MBC). In a sample of the largest open-end mutual fund sponsors, I find MBC boards have significantly higher board-level objective-adjusted excess returns than SBC boards...

Alien invasive species and biological pollution of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem[Great Lakes Water Quality Board : Report to the International Joint Commission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-05-01

The displacement of important native species in the Great Lakes is a result of an invasion by a succession of non indigenous aquatic species. These invasion also resulted in interference with the proper human water uses and cost billions of dollars. The problem was considered serious enough that the International Joint Commission asked the Great Lakes Water Quality Board in 1999 to review the regulations in place and make recommendations, if necessary, for the implementation of additional measures that could be considered to keep control over the introduction of alien invasive species. Escapes from aquaria, aquaculture, research and educational facilities, canal and diversion water flows, and release of live bait are all sources of this invasion. The effectiveness of alternative technologies to control the invasion was to be examined by the Board. Other efforts taking place to address the situation in the basin are being complemented by the publication of this report. It is considered that the most important source of alien invasive species (AIS) to the Great Lakes is the discharge of ballast water from shipping vessels coming from outside the United States and Canada. A major concern is the role played by vessels reporting no ballast on board (NOBOB) upon entering the basin. A number of recommendations were made concerning: (1) implementation and enforcement of the ballast water discharge standards agreed upon by both countries, (2) the evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative technologies to achieve ballast water discharge standards over the long term, combined with the use of chemical treatment while the evaluation is being performed, (3) the implementation of optimal management practices to control sediments in shipping vessels, (4) modifications to the design of shipping vessels, and (5) the monitoring and contingency plans in the event of a repeat scenario in the future. Composed of an equal number representatives from the United States and Canada, at

Pembuatan Papan Partikel (Particle Board dari Tandan Kosong Sawit dengan Perekat Kulit Akasia dan Gambir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umi Fathanah

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The need of wood as one of raw materials in furniture industry keeps increasing. One of efforts to reduce wood consumption is to develop research by creating composite design from material that contains sellulose to be particle board. Particle board is one of material alternatives that can be wood substitute. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of natural-adhesive-mixture composition (acacia bark and gambier with oil-palm-empty bunch toward mechanical property of particle board. Characterization of particle board was carried out by undertaking mechanical property testing (tensile strength and compressive strength under wet and dry conditions. Composition variations of adhesive and oil-palm-empty bunch were 30:70; 40:60; 50:50; 60:40; 70:30. Making process of particle board is carried out by mixing oil-palm-empty bunch and adhesive with addition of 2% para-formaldehyde and water as much of 10%. Furthermore, the mixture is compressed by using Hot Press at temperature of 150oC and pressure of 10 kg/cm2 for 15 minutes. The research result indicates that the higher the adhesive composition (either adhesives of acacia bark or gambier, particle board resulted is better. In dry condition,  values of the tensile strength of particle boards  that have acacia bark adhesive and gambier adhesive have range of 84.2 - 104 Kgf/cm2 and 83.4 - 81.5 kg/cm2, respectively. Whereas, values of compressive strength of particle boards that have adhesives of acacia bark and gambier are in the range of 6.8 - 10.5 kg/cm2  and 6.3 - 9.3 kg/cm2, respectively. The values of tensile strength and compressive strength are obtained on compositions  of adhesive: oil-palm-empty bunch ≥ 40:60, and they have fulfilled satandard of SNI 03-2105-1996. The values of tensile strength and compressive strength of particle board in wet condition, either adhesives of acacia bark or gambier, have not fulfilled standard of SNI 03-2105-1996. Keywords: empty

Rethinking the ozone problem in urban and regional air pollution

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Committee on Geosciences, Environment and Resourcs S; National Research Council Staff; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council; National Academy of Sciences

... on Tropospheric Ozone Formation and Measurement Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1991 Copyrightthe cannot be not from book, paper however, version for formatting, original authoritati...

A Case for Limiting the Reach of Institutional Review Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Hessler, Richard M.; Donnell-Watson, D. J.; Galliher, John F.

2011-01-01

Institutional review boards (IRBs) governing social and behavioral research seem to systematically exceed the guidelines established by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. We examine a clandestine study of prostitution and another of employment discrimination and conclude that IRBs,…

SMART Boards Rock

Science.gov (United States)

Giles, Rebecca M.; Shaw, Edward L.

2011-01-01

SMART Board is a technology that combines the functionality of a whiteboard, computer, and projector into a single system. The interactive nature of the SMART Board offers many practical uses for providing an introduction to or review of material, while the large work area invites collaboration through social interaction and communication. As a…

Departmental Appeals Board Decisions

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Decisions issued by the Chair and Board Members of the Departmental Appeals Board concerning determinations in discretionary, project grant programs, including...

Good Board Governance and Perceived Business Continuity in Tunisian Corporate Groups

OpenAIRE

Ben Rejeb, Wajdi

2014-01-01

This research deals with the contribution of good board practices to perceived business continuity in Tunisian corporate groups. This paper aims to identify the components of good board governance that can promote business continuity in Tunisian corporate groups through the study of the directors’ perceptions. Large Tunisian business groups form the pillars of the country economic development and reflect the ownership structure as well as the management style of Tunisian companies. In this re...

The Atomic Energy Control Board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doern, G.B.

1976-01-01

This study describes and assesses the regulatory and administrative processes and procedures of the Atomic Energy Control Board, the AECB. The Atomic Energy Control Act authorized the AECB to control atomic energy materials and equipment in the national interest and to participate in measures for the international control of atomic energy. The AECB is authorized to make regulations to control atomic energy materials and equipment and to make grants in support of atomic energy research. (author)

77 FR 1956 - National Science Board; Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on the National Science Board...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-12

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION National Science Board; Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on the National Science Board Data Policies Report AGENCY: National Science Board (NSB), NSF. ACTION: Request for public comments. SUMMARY: The National Science Board seeks comments from the public on the...

Board diversity in family firms

OpenAIRE

Menozzi, Anna; Fraquelli, Giovanni; Novara, Jolanda de

2015-01-01

The paper deals with diversity as a key factor to improve the board of directors’ decision process in family firms. The empirical literature about board diversity points at the positive impact of diversity on board functioning and firm performance. The paper uses a statistical diversity index to capture the heterogeneity of board of directors and put it in relation with firm performance, as measured by firm profitability. The empirical analysis is based on a newly collected panel of 327 famil...

Annual Patterns of Atmospheric Pollutions and Episodes over Cairo Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Aboel Fetouh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Nile Delta major cities, particularly Cairo, experienced stagnant air pollution episodes, known as Black Cloud, every year over the past decade during autumn. Low-elevated thermal inversion layers play a crucial role in intensifying pollution impacts. Carbon monoxide, ozone, atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and methane measurements from the tropospheric emission spectrometer (TES on board the Aura have been used to assess the dominant component below the inversion layer. In this study, time series analysis, autocorrelations, and cross correlations are performed to gain a better understanding of the connections between those parameters and their local effect. Satellite-based data were obtained for the years 2005–2010. The parameters mentioned were investigated throughout the whole year in order to study the possible episodes that take place in addition to their change from year to year. Ozone and carbon monoxide were the two major indicators to the most basic episodes that occur over Cairo and the Delta region.

Failure to report and provide commentary on research ethics board approval and informed consent in medical journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Finlay, K A; Fernandez, C V

2008-10-01

The Declaration of Helsinki prohibits the publication of articles that do not meet defined ethical standards for reporting of research ethics board (REB) approval and informed consent. Despite this prohibition and a call to highlight the deficiency for the reader, articles with potential ethical shortcomings continue to be published. To determine what proportion of articles in major medical journals lack statements confirming REB approval and informed consent, and whether accompanying commentary alerts readers to this deficiency. Retrospective, observational study. Online review of five major medical journals. All clinical research articles published online between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2006 in the BMJ, Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. Statement of REB approval and informed consent. Of 1780 articles reviewed, 1133 (63.7%) met inclusion criteria (manuscripts reporting human subjects, human tissue or identifiable personal data research), 36 (3.2%) articles lacked a statement of REB approval, 62 (5.5%) lacked disclosure of informed consent and 15 (1.3%) articles lacked both. Articles that did not state REB approval were associated with not stating informed consent (pjournals without editorial statements to alert the reader to this deficiency.

Buddy Board

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enggaard, Helle; Moselund, Lene

2015-01-01

Projekt ’BuddyBoard’ er kommet i stand via et samarbejde mellem Frederikshavn kommune, Bunker43 og Lab. X. Afdeling en ’Havly’ på Sæby Ældrecenter fungerer som living lab, hvilket betyder, at det udgør et levende laboratorium for udvikling og afprøvning af teknologi (Schultz, 2013). Projektet er....... Bunker43 har udviklet en teknologi (BuddyBoard) til hurtig formidling af billeder fra pårørende og personale til beboere på institutioner. Pårørende og personale uploader billeder via en APP eller en hjemmeside og har mulighed for at tilføje en kort forklarende tekst til hvert billede. Beboeren ser...... billederne via en tablet. Systemet bygger på et simpelt og brugervenligt design, så ældre med kognitive og/eller fysiske funktionsnedsættelser kan anvende teknologien. BuddyBoard fungerer via internettet, og billederne gemmes på en sikret server hos udbyderen, som er Bunker43. Intentionerne med BuddyBoard er...

Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change on Forest Ecosystems — Emerging Research Needs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Paoletti

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Outcomes from the 22nd meeting for Specialists in Air Pollution Effects on Forest Ecosystems “Forests under Anthropogenic Pressure Effects of Air Pollution, Climate Change and Urban Development”, September 1016, 2006, Riverside, CA, are summarized. Tropospheric or ground-level ozone (O3 is still the phytotoxic air pollutant of major interest. Challenging issues are how to make O3 standards or critical levels more biologically based and at the same time practical for wide use; quantification of plant detoxification processes in flux modeling; inclusion of multiple environmental stresses in critical load determinations; new concept development for nitrogen saturation; interactions between air pollution, climate, and forest pests; effects of forest fire on air quality; the capacity of forests to sequester carbon under changing climatic conditions and coexposure to elevated levels of air pollutants; enhanced linkage between molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, and morphological traits.

76 FR 70970 - Technology Innovation Program Advisory Board

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-16

... Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act, Public Law 110-69 (August 9, 2007), 15 U.S.C. 278n, the... eminent in such fields as business, research, science and technology, engineering, education, and... Program Advisory Board AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce...

Liaison and Logistics Work with Industrial Advisory Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Kathryn K.

2014-01-01

One model for successful university research centers is based upon close collaboration with other organizations, including large and small companies as well as federal and state agencies. Collaborations of this nature often involve an Institutional Advisory Board (IAB), which can have significant responsibility for management and financial…

AirPEx. Air Pollution Exposure Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freijer, J.I.; Bloemen, H.J.Th.; De Loos, S.; Marra, M.; Rombout, P.J.A.; Steentjes, G.M.; Van Veen, M.P.

1997-12-01

Analysis of inhalatory exposure to air pollution is an important area of investigation when assessing the risks of air pollution for human health. Inhalatory exposure research focuses on the exposure of humans to air pollutants and the entry of these pollutants into the human respiratory tract. The principal grounds for studying the inhalatory exposure of humans to air pollutants are formed by the need for realistic exposure/dose estimates to evaluate the health effects of these pollutants. The AirPEx (Air Pollution Exposure) model, developed to assess the time- and space-dependence of inhalatory exposure of humans to air pollution, has been implemented for use as a Windows 3.1 computer program. The program is suited to estimating various exposure and dose quantities for individuals, as well as for populations and subpopulations. This report describes the fundamentals of the AirPEx model and provides a user manual for the computer program. Several examples included in the report illustrate the possibilities of the AirPEx model in exposure assessment. The model will be used at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment as a tool in analysing the current exposure of the Dutch population to air pollutants. 57 refs.

22 CFR 902.3 - Board staff.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Board staff. 902.3 Section 902.3 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE GRIEVANCE BOARD ORGANIZATION § 902.3 Board staff. The chairperson shall select the Board's executive secretary and other staff provided for in the Act. The executive secretary and staff...

76 FR 40950 - Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; Notice of Filing of Proposed Board Funding Final Rules...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-12

... available, the issuer's net asset value. (i)(v) Issuer Accounting Support Fee The term ``issuer accounting... Accounting Oversight Board; Notice of Filing of Proposed Board Funding Final Rules for Allocation of the Board's Accounting Support Fee Among Issuers, Brokers, and Dealers, and Other Amendments to the Board's...

Classification,Hazards and Countermeasures of Agricultural Environmental Pollution Emergencies

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiaoming; CHUAI; Haixia; ZHOU; Jianping; ZHAO; Shubo; CHENG; Jiang; YU

2013-01-01

Agricultural environmental pollution emergencies have become a hot research topic because of the high incidence and influence depth.This paper introduces classification and features of agricultural environmental pollution emergencies:by pollutant type,it falls into organic pollution emergencies and inorganic pollution emergencies;by the approach of entering agricultural environment,it falls into water resource agricultural environmental pollution emergencies and non-water resource agricultural environmental pollution emergencies.Hazards of agricultural environmental pollution emergencies are analyzed from 4 perspectives:personal security,indirect loss,ecological environment and social stability.In view of the hazards,countermeasures are given to deal with the pollution emergencies as(i)establishing a risk evaluation mechanism for agricultural environment;(ii)enhancing the capacity of handling agricultural environmental pollution emergencies;(iii)introducing new management concepts for environmental emergencies,and cultivating keen emergency management consciousness.

Annual report to the Atomic Energy Control Board on the regulatory research and support program April 1, 1995 - March 31, 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-10-01

The Regulatory Research and Support Program (RSP) is intended to augment and extend activities, undertaken by the Atomic Energy Control Board, beyond what would be possible with in-house resources. The overall objective of the research and support activity is to produce pertinent and independent information that will assist the Board and its staff in making sound, timely and credible decisions for the regulation of nuclear facilities and materials. During Fiscal Year 1995/96, a total of $3,029M was spent on RSP research and support work. The range of activities included projects in the general fields of nuclear reactors, fuel cycle facilities, uranium mines and mills, waste management, dosimetry, health physics, regulations and regulatory process development, and other special support services. Some of this work was organized into sub-program groups. Four sub-programs were launched during the year bringing to twelve the total number. Areas addressed in the sub-programs are environmental impact assessment and management, safety-related computerized systems, seismologic studies, pressure boundary integrity, integrity of containment and safety-related structures, human factors, internal dosimetry, health effects in human populations, physics and fuel studies, probabilistic safety assessment, emergency preparedness, and radiobiology. During the year, there were a total of 118 active projects. This number included projects planned for the year, others which remained incomplete from the previous year and a significant number of projects which were initiated in response to new, high-priority needs. This report presents information on the scope of RSP activities during the year and describes how the program was managed, organized and implemented. Overviews are presented of research and support work undertaken in each field of activity and some highlights of results obtained are included. (Abstract Truncated)

Fossil fuel power plant combustion control: Research in Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasini, S.; Trebbi, G.

1991-01-01

Electric power demand forecasts for Italy to the year 2000 indicate an increase of about 50% which, due to the current moratorium on nuclear energy, should be met entirely by fossil fuel power plants. Now, there is growing public concern about possible negative health impacts due to the air pollution produced through the combustion of fossil fuels. In response to these concerns, ENEL (Italian National Electricity Board) is investing heavily in air pollution abatement technology R ampersand D. The first phase involves the investigation of pollution mechanisms in order to develop suitable mathematical models and diagnostic techniques. The validity of the models is being tested through through measurements made by sophisticated instrumentation placed directly inside the combustion chambers of steam generator systems. These are allowing engineers to develop improved combustion control methods designed to reduce air pollution at source

Bringing out the Best Board Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Nicholas

2004-01-01

The author's advice for for a school board superintendent is to assume incompetence instead of malevolence. Board members who behave inappropriately are a minority, and those with malicious intent are extremely rare. Most misbehaving board members act out of frustration. They may not understand the appropriate role of a board member.…