Research problems of fission product behaviour in fuels of nuclear power plants and ways of their solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulaberidze, V.Sh.

1988-01-01

The most important problems of studying behaviour of fission products in fuel elements of maneouvrable nuclear power plants units are formulated. In-pile and out-of-pile investigation methods solving these problems are characterized in brief. 12 refs.; 2 figs

Operations research problems statements and solutions

CERN Document Server

Poler, Raúl; Díaz-Madroñero, Manuel

2014-01-01

The objective of this book is to provide a valuable compendium of problems as a reference for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers and practitioners of operations research and management science. These problems can serve as a basis for the development or study of assignments and exams. Also, they can be useful as a guide for the first stage of the model formulation, i.e. the definition of a problem. The book is divided into 11 chapters that address the following topics: Linear programming, integer programming, non linear programming, network modeling, inventory theory, queue theory, tree decision, game theory, dynamic programming and markov processes. Readers are going to find a considerable number of statements of operations research applications for management decision-making. The solutions of these problems are provided in a concise way although all topics start with a more developed resolution. The proposed problems are based on the research experience of the authors in real-world com...

Improving product development practice: An action-research based approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harmsen, Hanne

In studies of new product development it has often been concluded that to a large extent new product suc-cess is tunder the influence of companies and long lists of direct norma-tive guide-lines have been formulated. Nevertheless descriptive studi that deve-lopment practice is still far from...... studies both purely descriptive and studies identifying success and failure factors, but almost no studies of how companies actually undertake improve-ments, which problems they encounter,, and how/whether they overcome these problems. Action research is proposed as a suitable method for studying...

The theory of inventive problem solving integrated to the cleaner production: theoretical approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávio Issao Kubota

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Efforts towards to reduction of environmental impact by enterprises are a solving problem process, which often need inventive solutions that generate environmental, technical and economic benefits. Hence, this research aimed to verify, through literature, and discuss the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ integration to cleaner production (CP strategies, in order to structure a new methodology for inventive solutions focused on reduction of effluents, waste and emissions. To perform this study, we proceeded a qualitative and descriptive research, with documentary data collection strategy. The results show predominance of CP level 1 researches, with greater focus on product improvement, a smaller quantity of process modification studies (level 1 and internal recycling (level 2, and no evidence of TRIZ utilization was obtained on level 3 (external recycling and biogenic cycles. The proposed integration is promising, since both methodologies aim ideal situation and problems’ reduction. At the end, opportunities were detected for application of TRIZ in production processes, by means of functional analysis and Ideal Final Result (IFR, being possible to direct teams towards optimization of technical systems.

Production loss among employees perceiving work environment problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Hagberg, Jan; Bergström, Gunnar

2015-08-01

The overall aim of this explorative study was to investigate the relationship between factors in the psychosocial work environment and work environment-related production loss. Employees at a Swedish university were invited to answer a workplace questionnaire and were selected for this study if they reported having experienced work environment-related problems in the past 7 days (n = 302). A stepwise logistic regression and a modified Poisson regression were used to identify psychosocial work factors associated with work environment-related production loss as well as to identify at what level those factors are associated with production loss. Employees who reported having experienced work environment problems but also fair leadership, good social climate, role clarity and control of decision had significantly lower levels of production loss, whereas employees who reported inequality and high decision demands reported significantly higher levels of production loss. Never or seldom experiencing fair leadership, role clarity, equality, decision demands and good social climate increase the risk of production loss due to work environment problems, compared to those who experience these circumstances frequently, always or most of the time. Several psychosocial work factors are identified as factors associated with a reduced risk of production losses among employees despite the nature of the work environment problem. Knowledge of these factors may be important not only to reduce employee ill-health and the corresponding health-related production loss, but also reduce immediate production loss due to work environment-related problems.

Combining FMEA with DEMATEL models to solve production process problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Gao, Yang; Wang, Jiangtao; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Ren, Peng; Xu, Wei

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an analysis tool for identifying and preventing flaws or defects in products during the design and process planning stage, preventing the repeated occurrence of problems, reducing the effects of these problems, enhancing product quality and reliability, saving costs, and improving competitiveness. However, FMEA can only analyze one influence factor according to its priority, rendering this method ineffective for systems containing multiple FMs whose effects are simultaneous or interact with one another. Accordingly, when FMEA fails to identify the influence factors and the factors being influenced, the most crucial problems may be placed in lower priority or remain unresolved. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) facilitates the determination of cause and effect factors; by identifying the causal factors that should be prioritized, prompt and effective solutions to core problems can be derived, thereby enhancing performance. Using the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry in China as the research target, the present study combined FMEA with DEMATEL to amend the flaws of FMEA and enhance its effectiveness. First, FMEA was used to identify items requiring improvement. Then, DEMATEL was employed to examine the interactive effects and causal relationships of these items. Finally, the solutions to the problems were prioritized. The proposed method effectively combined the advantages of FMEA and DEMATEL to facilitate the identification of core problems and prioritization of solutions in the Chinese photovoltaic cell industry.

The economic impact of diseases and parasitic problems in freshwater fish production

OpenAIRE

Okaeme, A.N.; Obiekezie, A.I.; Ogbondeminu, F.S.

1987-01-01

Diseases and parasitic problems could constitute significant economic losses in fish production if not controlled, thus the need to continue monitoring its prevalence. Based on field studies on feral and intensively raised fish at the Kainji Lake Research Institute Nigeria, some diseases and parasitic problems have been identified. These include; helminthiasis; fungal disease; protozoa which include Myxosoma sp., Myxobolus spp., Henneguya sp., Trichodina sp., Ichthopthrius sp. bacterial mainl...

Faculty research productivity and organizational structure in schools of nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohlenberg, E M

1992-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between faculty research productivity and organizational structure in schools of nursing. The need for nursing research has been widely recognized by members of the nursing profession, yet comparatively few engage in conducting research. Although contextual variables have been investigated that facilitate or inhibit nursing research, the relationship between organizational structure and nursing research productivity has not been examined. This problem was examined within the context of the Entrepreneurial Theory of Formal Organizations. A survey methodology was used for data collection. Data on individual faculty research productivity and organizational structure in the school of nursing were obtained through the use of a questionnaire. A random sample of 300 faculty teaching in 60 master's and doctoral nursing schools in the United States was used. The instruments for data collection were Wakefield-Fisher's Adapted Scholarly Productivity Index and Hall's Organizational Inventory. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients and multiple correlation/regression techniques. The overall relationship between faculty research productivity and organizational structure in schools of nursing was not significant at the .002 level of confidence. Although statistically significant relationships were not identified, scholarly research productivity and its subscale prepublication and research activities tended to vary positively with procedural specifications in a highly bureaucratic organizational structure. Further research may focus on identification of structural variables that support highly productive nurse researchers.

Perceived health and work-environment related problems and associated subjective production loss in an academic population.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Nybergh, Lotta; Jensen, Irene

2018-02-14

The aim was to investigate the prevalence of health problems and work environment problems and how these are associated with subjective production loss among women and men at an academic workplace. An additional aim was to investigate whether there were differences between women and men according to age group, years at current workplace, academic rank or managerial position. A questionnaire was sent in 2011 to all employees at a Swedish university (n = 5144). Only researchers and teachers were included in the study (n = 3207). Spearman correlations were performed to investigate differences in health and work environment problems. Employees who reported having experienced work environment or health problems in the previous seven days (n = 1475) were included in the analyses in order to investigate differences in subjective production loss. This was done using Student's t-test, One-way Anova and generalized linear models. The response rate was 63% (n = 2022). A total of 819 academic staff (40% of the population) reported experiencing either health problems, work environment problems or both during the previous seven days. The prevalence of health problems only or a combination of work environment and health problems was higher among women than men (p-value ˂0.05). This was especially the case for younger women, those in lower academic positions and those who had worked for fewer years at their current workplace. No difference was found for work environment problems. The majority of the employees who reported problems said that these problems affected their ability to perform at work (84-99%). The average production loss varied between 31 and 42% depending on the type of problem. Production loss due to health-related and work-environment related problems was highest among junior researchers and managers. No significant difference between men and women was found in the level of production loss. Subjective production loss in academia can be associated

Brief report : ethical problems in research practice

OpenAIRE

Colnerud, Gunnel

2013-01-01

Most accounts of the ethical problems facing researchers across a broad spectrum of research fields come from ethicists, ethics committees, and specialists committed to the study of ethics in human research. In contrast, this study reports on the ethical questions that researchers, themselves, report facing in their everyday practice. Fifty-five Swedish researchers contributed 109 examples of ethical dilemmas, conflicts, and problems in research. They were all researchers at the postdoctoral ...

Generalized production planning problem under interval uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samir A. Abass

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Data in many real life engineering and economical problems suffer from inexactness. Herein we assume that we are given some intervals in which the data can simultaneously and independently perturb. We consider the generalized production planning problem with interval data. The interval data are in both of the objective function and constraints. The existing results concerning the qualitative and quantitative analysis of basic notions in parametric production planning problem. These notions are the set of feasible parameters, the solvability set and the stability set of the first kind.

Improved Ant Colony Optimization for Seafood Product Delivery Routing Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baozhen Yao

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with a real-life vehicle delivery routing problem, which is a seafood product delivery routing problem. Considering the features of the seafood product delivery routing problem, this paper formulated this problem as a multi-depot open vehicle routing problem. Since the multi-depot open vehicle routing problem is a very complex problem, a method is used to reduce the complexity of the problem by changing the multi-depot open vehicle routing problem into an open vehicle routing problem with a dummy central depot in this paper. Then, ant colony optimization is used to solve the problem. To improve the performance of the algorithm, crossover operation and some adaptive strategies are used. Finally, the computational results for the benchmark problems of the multi-depot vehicle routing problem indicate that the proposed ant colony optimization is an effective method to solve the multi-depot vehicle routing problem. Furthermore, the computation results of the seafood product delivery problem from Dalian, China also suggest that the proposed ant colony optimization is feasible to solve the seafood product delivery routing problem.

Combining FMEA with DEMATEL models to solve production process problems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang-Bing Tsai

Full Text Available Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA is an analysis tool for identifying and preventing flaws or defects in products during the design and process planning stage, preventing the repeated occurrence of problems, reducing the effects of these problems, enhancing product quality and reliability, saving costs, and improving competitiveness. However, FMEA can only analyze one influence factor according to its priority, rendering this method ineffective for systems containing multiple FMs whose effects are simultaneous or interact with one another. Accordingly, when FMEA fails to identify the influence factors and the factors being influenced, the most crucial problems may be placed in lower priority or remain unresolved. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL facilitates the determination of cause and effect factors; by identifying the causal factors that should be prioritized, prompt and effective solutions to core problems can be derived, thereby enhancing performance. Using the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry in China as the research target, the present study combined FMEA with DEMATEL to amend the flaws of FMEA and enhance its effectiveness. First, FMEA was used to identify items requiring improvement. Then, DEMATEL was employed to examine the interactive effects and causal relationships of these items. Finally, the solutions to the problems were prioritized. The proposed method effectively combined the advantages of FMEA and DEMATEL to facilitate the identification of core problems and prioritization of solutions in the Chinese photovoltaic cell industry.

Combining FMEA with DEMATEL models to solve production process problems

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Gao, Yang; Wang, Jiangtao; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Ren, Peng; Xu, Wei

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an analysis tool for identifying and preventing flaws or defects in products during the design and process planning stage, preventing the repeated occurrence of problems, reducing the effects of these problems, enhancing product quality and reliability, saving costs, and improving competitiveness. However, FMEA can only analyze one influence factor according to its priority, rendering this method ineffective for systems containing multiple FMs whose effects are simultaneous or interact with one another. Accordingly, when FMEA fails to identify the influence factors and the factors being influenced, the most crucial problems may be placed in lower priority or remain unresolved. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) facilitates the determination of cause and effect factors; by identifying the causal factors that should be prioritized, prompt and effective solutions to core problems can be derived, thereby enhancing performance. Using the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry in China as the research target, the present study combined FMEA with DEMATEL to amend the flaws of FMEA and enhance its effectiveness. First, FMEA was used to identify items requiring improvement. Then, DEMATEL was employed to examine the interactive effects and causal relationships of these items. Finally, the solutions to the problems were prioritized. The proposed method effectively combined the advantages of FMEA and DEMATEL to facilitate the identification of core problems and prioritization of solutions in the Chinese photovoltaic cell industry. PMID:28837663

Problems of research politics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luest, R.

1977-01-01

The development in the FRG is portrayed. Illustrated by a particular example, the problems of basic research and of the scientists are presented looking back, looking at the present, and into the future. (WB) [de

Improving product development practice: An action-research based approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harmsen, Hanne

In studies of new product development it has often been concluded that to a large extent new product suc-cess is tunder the influence of companies and long lists of direct norma-tive guide-lines have been formulated. Nevertheless descriptive studi that deve-lopment practice is still far from...... the widely published normative advice. While there may be several reasons for discrepancies between research results and prac-tice this paper focuses on problems of implementation of the identified success factors. Within the research area of NPD-management there has been numerous surveys as well as case...

Heuristics for the Economic Production Quantity Problem under Restrictions on Production and Maintenance Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Xu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an economic production quantity problem with the maximal production run time and minimal preventive maintenance time over a finite planning horizon. The objective is to find the efficient production and maintenance policy to minimize the total cost composed of production, maintenance, shortages, and holding costs under the restriction on the production run time and the preventive maintenance time. The production and maintenance decisions include the production and maintenance frequencies and the production run and the maintenance time. The variability and the boundedness of the production run and maintenance time make the problem difficult to solve. Two heuristic algorithms are developed using different techniques based on the optimal properties of the relaxed problem. The performance comparison between the two algorithms is illustrated by numerical examples. The numerical results show that, for the most part, there exists a heuristic algorithm which is more effective than the other.

EARTHQUAKE RESEARCH PROBLEMS OF NUCLEAR POWER GENERATORS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Housner, G. W.; Hudson, D. E.

1963-10-15

Earthquake problems associated with the construction of nuclear power generators require a more extensive and a more precise knowledge of earthquake characteristics and the dynamic behavior of structures than was considered necessary for ordinary buildings. Economic considerations indicate the desirability of additional research on the problems of earthquakes and nuclear reactors. The nature of these earthquake-resistant design problems is discussed and programs of research are recommended. (auth)

Anticipating Soft Problems with Consumer Electronic Products : How do soft problems interact with user characteristics and product properties?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, C.

2012-01-01

Over the last decade consumer electronic product industries have been confronted with an increase in consumer complaints. Interestingly about half of the reasons for product return are based on so called ‘soft problems’, consumer complaints that cannot be traced back to technical problems. Probably

Research Productivity and Academics' Conceptions of Research

Science.gov (United States)

Brew, Angela; Boud, David; Namgung, Sang Un; Lucas, Lisa; Crawford, Karin

2016-01-01

This paper asks the question: do people with different levels of research productivity and identification as a researcher think of research differently? It discusses a study that differentiated levels of research productivity among English and Australian academics working in research-intensive environments in three broad discipline areas: science,…

Research, Research Gap and the Research Problem

OpenAIRE

Dissanayake, D.M.N.S.W.

2013-01-01

Mainly, due to new scientific inquiries and technological advancements Knowledge becomes obsolete. So it creates a dilemma where the applicability of so called theories and models which we learnt in class can still be applied to solve problems? Thus, the scholars bring the notion of RESEARCH as a definite solution which enriches the existing understanding of a phenomenon. This can be either a theory testing or a theory extension (theory building) approach. In fact, gap identification and form...

Robust Optimization Model for Production Planning Problem under Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pembe GÜÇLÜ

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Conditions of businesses change very quickly. To take into account the uncertainty engendered by changes has become almost a rule while planning. Robust optimization techniques that are methods of handling uncertainty ensure to produce less sensitive results to changing conditions. Production planning, is to decide from which product, when and how much will be produced, with a most basic definition. Modeling and solution of the Production planning problems changes depending on structure of the production processes, parameters and variables. In this paper, it is aimed to generate and apply scenario based robust optimization model for capacitated two-stage multi-product production planning problem under parameter and demand uncertainty. With this purpose, production planning problem of a textile company that operate in İzmir has been modeled and solved, then deterministic scenarios’ and robust method’s results have been compared. Robust method has provided a production plan that has higher cost but, will result close to feasible and optimal for most of the different scenarios in the future.

Exact and Heuristic Solutions to Minimize Total Waiting Time in the Blood Products Distribution Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Salehipour

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel application of operations research to support decision making in blood distribution management. The rapid and dynamic increasing demand, criticality of the product, storage, handling, and distribution requirements, and the different geographical locations of hospitals and medical centers have made blood distribution a complex and important problem. In this study, a real blood distribution problem containing 24 hospitals was tackled by the authors, and an exact approach was presented. The objective of the problem is to distribute blood and its products among hospitals and medical centers such that the total waiting time of those requiring the product is minimized. Following the exact solution, a hybrid heuristic algorithm is proposed. Computational experiments showed the optimal solutions could be obtained for medium size instances, while for larger instances the proposed hybrid heuristic is very competitive.

Statistical problems in medical research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-12-29

Dec 29, 2008 ... medical research, there are some common problems in using statistical methodology which may result ... optimal combination of diagnostic tests for osteoporosis .... randomization used include stratification and minimize-.

Polymorphic Uncertain Linear Programming for Generalized Production Planning Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinbo Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A polymorphic uncertain linear programming (PULP model is constructed to formulate a class of generalized production planning problems. In accordance with the practical environment, some factors such as the consumption of raw material, the limitation of resource and the demand of product are incorporated into the model as parameters of interval and fuzzy subsets, respectively. Based on the theory of fuzzy interval program and the modified possibility degree for the order of interval numbers, a deterministic equivalent formulation for this model is derived such that a robust solution for the uncertain optimization problem is obtained. Case study indicates that the constructed model and the proposed solution are useful to search for an optimal production plan for the polymorphic uncertain generalized production planning problems.

Examining problem solving in physics-intensive Ph.D. research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne E. Leak

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Problem-solving strategies learned by physics undergraduates should prepare them for real-world contexts as they transition from students to professionals. Yet, graduate students in physics-intensive research face problems that go beyond problem sets they experienced as undergraduates and are solved by different strategies than are typically learned in undergraduate coursework. This paper expands the notion of problem solving by characterizing the breadth of problems and problem-solving processes carried out by graduate students in physics-intensive research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten graduate students to determine the routine, difficult, and important problems they engage in and problem-solving strategies they found useful in their research. A qualitative typological analysis resulted in the creation of a three-dimensional framework: context, activity, and feature (that made the problem challenging. Problem contexts extended beyond theory and mathematics to include interactions with lab equipment, data, software, and people. Important and difficult contexts blended social and technical skills. Routine problem activities were typically well defined (e.g., troubleshooting, while difficult and important ones were more open ended and had multiple solution paths (e.g., evaluating options. In addition to broadening our understanding of problems faced by graduate students, our findings explore problem-solving strategies (e.g., breaking down problems, evaluating options, using test cases or approximations and characteristics of successful problem solvers (e.g., initiative, persistence, and motivation. Our research provides evidence of the influence that problems students are exposed to have on the strategies they use and learn. Using this evidence, we have developed a preliminary framework for exploring problems from the solver’s perspective. This framework will be examined and refined in future work. Understanding problems

Examining problem solving in physics-intensive Ph.D. research

Science.gov (United States)

Leak, Anne E.; Rothwell, Susan L.; Olivera, Javier; Zwickl, Benjamin; Vosburg, Jarrett; Martin, Kelly Norris

2017-12-01

Problem-solving strategies learned by physics undergraduates should prepare them for real-world contexts as they transition from students to professionals. Yet, graduate students in physics-intensive research face problems that go beyond problem sets they experienced as undergraduates and are solved by different strategies than are typically learned in undergraduate coursework. This paper expands the notion of problem solving by characterizing the breadth of problems and problem-solving processes carried out by graduate students in physics-intensive research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten graduate students to determine the routine, difficult, and important problems they engage in and problem-solving strategies they found useful in their research. A qualitative typological analysis resulted in the creation of a three-dimensional framework: context, activity, and feature (that made the problem challenging). Problem contexts extended beyond theory and mathematics to include interactions with lab equipment, data, software, and people. Important and difficult contexts blended social and technical skills. Routine problem activities were typically well defined (e.g., troubleshooting), while difficult and important ones were more open ended and had multiple solution paths (e.g., evaluating options). In addition to broadening our understanding of problems faced by graduate students, our findings explore problem-solving strategies (e.g., breaking down problems, evaluating options, using test cases or approximations) and characteristics of successful problem solvers (e.g., initiative, persistence, and motivation). Our research provides evidence of the influence that problems students are exposed to have on the strategies they use and learn. Using this evidence, we have developed a preliminary framework for exploring problems from the solver's perspective. This framework will be examined and refined in future work. Understanding problems graduate students

ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS IN CONTEXT OF SOCIAL ORIENTED ENTEPRENEURSHIP

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G. Chornous

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Practical realization of sustainable development general conception is passing to the organic production, that allows to satisfy society problems, not putting health and future generations' existence under a threat. At this entrepreneurs, which work in the consumer products' field, must displace accents from economic oriented to social oriented entrepreneurship. The article is dedicated to research negative and positive factors that influence on social oriented Ukrainian enterprises in the sphere of organic goods production. The special attention is attended to the analysis of foodstuffs producers' activity, the results of which have considerable direct influence on consumers' health. The value of informative influences on consumers and producers is analyzed. State support directions of organic goods production, creation of internal market ecologically safe products infrastructure are defined. Recommendations are given according to research results in relation to stimulation social responsibility of businessmen and model forming, which combines interests of consumers and producers, environmental preservation, population health refinement and ecological situation improvement.

Market problems of agricultural products in Albania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merita Marku

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The production of fruits and vegetables in our country still faces challenges, including informality in sector of planting material, high costs of inputs purchased and fuel (especially affecting the green houses with heating, low productivity and high losses of post-harvest, especially in the case of fruit. Fresh fruit and vegetable marketing is different in many respects from the marketing of other agricultural and nonagricultural products. Hundreds of individual commodities comprise the total group. Each product has its own special requirements for growing and handling, with its own quality attributes, merchandising methods, and standards of consumer acceptance (How, R. B. 2012, 1. Food safety standards of fruits and vegetables their compliance with key standards and certification as a prerequisite and a challenge to be addressed in order to increase Albanian exports of agricultural products to European markets. Concerning vegetables and fruits, Albanian farmers face important marketing problems. Such problems are encountered at all stages of the production system-provision of inputs, both in terms of processing, promotion and other market incentives, which directly assist in the efficient realization of the sale of fruits and vegetables.

Problems of Development and Increase of Economic Efficiency of Sugar Beet Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomashevska Olga A.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is the studying of the trends of development and economic efficiency of sugar beet production (using the example of agricultural enterprises of Rokytne district of Kyiv region and an attempt to outline the directions for improvement of the situation in the sugar beet industry. As a result of the research, the dynamics of development and economic efficiency of sugar beet production at farms of Rokytne district of Kyiv region is analyzed, and the break-even volume of sugar beet production by agrarian enterprises of Kiev region and an individual enterprise of Rokytne district is determined. Particular attention is paid to the dynamics of profitability of sugar beet production in the period from 2011 to 2015. The main problems hindering the development of sugar beet production are identified, namely, the lack of sales channels and high production costs. Prospects for further research in this area are to increase the economic efficiency of sugar beet production and find ways to develop this sector, provided that the production is properly organized, the manufacturing process is followed, the fertilizers are properly used, the seeds are chosen correctly, advanced technologies and high-performance equipment are applied, etc.

ADDRESSING RESEARCH DESIGN PROBLEM IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

OpenAIRE

Hamed ALAVI; Patrycja HĄBEK

2016-01-01

Alongside other disciplines in social sciences, management researchers use mixed methods research more and more in conduct of their scientific investigations. Mixed methods approach can also be used in the field of production engineering. In comparison with traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods, reasons behind increasing popularity of mixed research method in management science can be traced in different factors. First of all, any particular discipline in management can be...

Engaged Problem Formulation in IS Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter Axel; Persson, John Stouby

2016-01-01

“Is this the problem?”: the question that haunts many information systems (IS) researchers when they pursue work relevant to both practice and research. Nevertheless, a deliberate answer to this question requires more than simply asking the involved IS practitioners. Deliberately formulating...

Research on hydrogen production system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagiri, Toshio

2002-07-01

Hydrogen is closely watched for environmental issues in recent years. In this research, hydrogen production systems and production techniques are widely investigated, and selected some hydrogen production process which have high validity for FBR system. Conclusions of the investigation are shown below. (1) Water-electrolysis processes and steam reform processes at low temperatures are already realized in other fields, so they well be easily adopted for FBR system. FBR system has no advantage when compared with other systems, because water-electrolysis processes can be adopted for other electricity generation system. On the other hand, FBR system has an advantage when steam reforming processes at low temperatures will be adopted, because steam reforming processes at 550-600degC can't be adopted for LWR. (2) Thermochemical processes will be able to adopted for FBR when process temperature will be lowered and material problems solved, because their efficiencies are expected high. Radiolysis processes which use ray (for example, gamma rya) emitted in reactor can be generate hydrogen easily, so they will be able to be adopted for FBR if splitting efficiency will be higher. Further investigation and R and D to realize these processes are considered necessary. (author)

Solar Cell Production in Nigeria: Prospects, Options and Problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fasasi, A. Y.; Siyanbola, W.O.; Ibitoye, F. I.; Pelemo, D. A.

2002-01-01

The prospects and problems facing solar cell production in Nigeria are discussed. The paper reviews many proven solar cell materials in terms of their current efficiencies and production costs. Silicon solar cell production appears to be the best technology option for Nigeria because of the abundant quartz sand and waste products from our phosphate fertiliser company that can be employed as starting materials to produce solar grade silicon. Factors affecting solar cell efficiency, choice of solar cell as well as financial and material problems limiting the progress on silicon solar cell production are also discussed. Finally, the paper recommends the simultaneous production of solar grade silicon and coordinated development of the balance of system components as first steps towards actualizing this objective

Contribution of health researches in national knowledge production: A scientometrics study on 15-year research products of Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirin Djalalinia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers call for updated valid evidence to monitor, prevent, and control of alarming trends of health problems. To respond to these needs, health researches provide the vast multidisciplinary scientific fields. We quantify the national trends of health research outputs and its contribution in total science products. Methods: We systematically searched Scopus database with the most coverage in health and biomedicine discipline as the only sources for multidisciplinary citation reports, for all total and health-related publications, from 2000 to 2014. These scientometrics analyses covered the trends of main index of scientific products, citations, and collaborative papers. We also provided information on top institutions, journals, and collaborative research centers in the fields of health researches. Results: In Iran, over a 15-year period, 237,056 scientific papers have been published, of which 81,867 (34.53% were assigned to health-related fields. Pearson's Chi-square test showed significant time trends between published papers and their citations. Tehran University of Medical Sciences was responsible for 21.87% of knowledge productions share. The second and the third ranks with 11.15% and 7.28% belonged to Azad University and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, respectively. In total fields, Iran had the most collaborative papers with the USA (4.17%, the UK (2.41%, and Canada (0.02%. In health-related papers, similar patterns of collaboration followed by 4.75%, 2.77%, and 1.93% of papers. Conclusions: Despite the ascending trends in health research outputs, more efforts required for the promotion of collaborative outputs that cause synergy of resources and the use of practical results. These analyses also could be useful for better planning and management of planning and conducting studies in these fields.

Means-end chains and laddering: An inventory of problems and an agenda for research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Grunert, Suzanne C.; Sørensen, Elin

Executive summary 1. Means-end chains are a device used to understand how consumers mentally link products to self-relevant consequences. Means-end chains are usually measured by a method called laddering. 2. Means-end chains may fall short of tapping all relevant aspects of how consumers think...... about products. Specifically, nonverbal imagery, episodic information, and procedural knowledge are not included in means-end chains. 3. A number of methodological problems can be identified in the collection of means-end chain data. Major problems, which should be addressed in research, are methods...... to elicit the product attributes the laddering is to start with, the integration of a usage situation in the interview, and the basic decision on how much direct the respondent. 4. Concerning the coding of laddering data, a higher degree of transparency of the coding process would be desirable. 5...

Problems of metrological supply of carbon materials production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belov, G.V.; Bazilevskij, L.P.; Cherkashina, N.V.

1989-01-01

Carbon materials and products contain internal residual stresses and have an anisotropy of properties therefore special methods of tests are required to control their quality. The main metrological problems during development, production and application of carbon products are: metrological supply of production forms and records during the development of production conditions; metrological supply of quality control of the product; metrological supply of methods for the tests of products and the methods to forecast the characteristics of product quality for the period of quaranteed service life

Research reactors fuel cycle problems and dilemma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romano, R.

2004-01-01

During last 10 years, some problems appeared in different steps of research reactors fuel cycle. Actually the majority of these reactors have been built in the 60s and these reactors were operated during all this long period in a cycle with steps which were dedicated to this activity. Progressively and for reasons often economical, certain steps of the cycle became more and more difficult to manage due to closing of some specialised workshops in the activities of scraps recycling, irradiated fuel reprocessing, even fuel fabrication. Other steps of the cycle meet or will meet difficulties, in particular supplying of fissile raw material LEU or HEU because this material was mostly produced in enrichment units existing mainly for military reason. Rarefaction of fissile material lead to use more and more enriched uraniums said 'of technical quality', that is to say which come from mixing of varied qualities of enriched material, containing products resulting from reprocessing. Actually, problems of end of fuel cycle are increased, either consisting of intermediary storage on the site of reactor or on specialised sites, or consisting of reprocessing. This brief summary shows most difficulties which are met today by a major part of industrials of the fuel cycle in the exercise of their activities

Gravitational Particle Production and the Moduli Problem

CERN Document Server

Felder, G; Linde, Andrei D; Felder, Gary; Kofman, Lev; Linde, Andrei

2000-01-01

A theory of gravitational production of light scalar particles during and after inflation is investigated. We show that in the most interesting cases where long-wavelength fluctuations of light scalar fields can be generated during inflation, these fluctuations rather than quantum fluctuations produced after inflation give the dominant contribution to particle production. In such cases a simple analytical theory of particle production can be developed. Application of our results to the theory of quantum creation of moduli fields demonstrates that if the moduli mass is smaller than the Hubble constant then these fields are copiously produced during inflation. This gives rise to the cosmological moduli problem even if there is no homogeneous component of the classical moduli field in the universe. To avoid this version of the moduli problem it is necessary for the Hubble constant H during the last stages of inflation and/or the reheating temperature T_R after inflation to be extremely small.

Problems of zirconium metal production in Czechoslovakia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vareka, J.; Vaclavik, E.

1975-01-01

The problems are summed up of the production and quality control of zirconium sponge. A survey is given of industrial applications of zirconium in form of pure metal or alloys in nuclear power production, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical engineering and electrical engineering. A survey is also presented of the manufacture of zirconium metal in advanced capitalist countries. (J.B.)

7 CFR 915.45 - Production research, marketing research and development.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production research, marketing research and... Production research, marketing research and development. The committee may, with the approval of the Secretary, establish or provide for the establishment of production research, marketing research and...

Enabling Effective Problem-oriented Research for Sustainable Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Kueffer

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Environmental problems caused by human activities are increasing; biodiversity is disappearing at an unprecedented rate, soils are being irreversibly damaged, freshwater is increasingly in short supply, and the climate is changing. To reverse or even to reduce these trends will require a radical transformation in the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Just how this can be achieved within, at most, a few decades is unknown, but it is clear that academia must play a crucial role. Many believe, however, that academic institutions need to become more effective in helping societies move toward sustainability. We first synthesize current thinking about this crisis of research effectiveness. We argue that those involved in producing knowledge to solve societal problems face three particular challenges: the complexity of real-world sustainability problems, maintaining impartiality when expert knowledge is used in decision making, and ensuring the salience of the scientific knowledge for decision makers. We discuss three strategies to meet these challenges: conducting research in interdisciplinary teams, forming research partnerships with actors and experts from outside academia, and framing research questions with the aim of solving specific problems (problem orientation. However, we argue that implementing these strategies within academia will require both cultural and institutional change. We then use concepts from transition management to suggest how academic institutions can make the necessary changes. At the level of system optimization, we call for: quality criteria, career incentives, and funding schemes that reward not only disciplinary excellence but also achievements in inter-/transdisciplinary work; professional services and training through specialized centers that facilitate problem-oriented research and reciprocal knowledge exchange with society; and the integration of sustainability and inter

Vegetable soybean: seed composition and production research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiuying Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Vegetable soybean (edamame [Glycine max (L. Merr.] is a low input, high nutritional value, short crop cycle and soil-enriching profitable crop. It offers quick economic return and provides health benefits to the consumers. The market demand for edamame has begun to flourish and expand dramatically in recent decades due to increased awareness of nutritional properties, and the change in life styles towards healthier food. This article highlighted the importance of edamame as a nutraceutical and functional food-grade produce, summarised the research advances in seed composition and their roles, cultivar selection and crop establishment, planting date and fertilisation, weed management and harvesting. Current production problem of extensive labor at harvest and future research challenges in improving crop establishment, developing cultivars competitive to weed and resistant to pest insects/diseases, assessing biological activities of edamame elemental and phytochemical properties on cancer cell inhibition, and developing organic production system were also proposed with aims of enhancing farm profitability and expanding opportunities for extensive use of edamame.

The ecological production of cleans stock-breeding problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meldebekov, A.M.

2002-01-01

KazSRTIS have made researches on study of maintenance in cows' milk developed in Almaty's region, determination of heavy metal salts and radionuclides. It has been noted that maintenance of mercury, lead, cupper and zinc increased in suburb's housekeeping cows' milk, which was disposed nearly international highway and industry activities. It is known that entering radionuclides human organism happens by food chain 'soil - vegetable cover - animals product stock-breeding -person'. Animals transformer stern's plants energy at the in conclusion it allows to take the compare with initial vegetable exponent more ecological tidy products limits stream toxic elements in food series of person. It lets to study agricultural animals, how 'biological filter' in production ecological clean and healthy product of food. Changing structure and set stern's rationals, method contents the limit of animals stream manufacturing pollution from soil vegetable cover agricultural used in milk and in mead from 2 till 5 times. Utilisation tidy stern's in final period fatten meat cattle give possibility to clean the organs and tissue of animals which representative food's value from admixture to level, corresponding medical - hygienic standards. It is necessary to make analysis on compound investigation on the effect of radionuclides in agricultural animals, namely to utilize them, that really barrier migrate toxic elements in captured chain of person. The ways of solutions in ecological stock-breeding problems are next: to show up ecological tidy and ecological unsuccessful places; to study rules of transition in basic pollutions of food chains; toxic elements limitation rules in stock-breeding production; utilization manufactory-polluted territories from technological elements for stock-breeding

Research approaches to the analysis of «man-production» relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliya A. Otstavnova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective to identify and describe research approaches used in the analysis of the relationship between humans and production. Methods in this work we have applied the methods of grouping describing and historical and logical method. Results basing on the characteristics of the main approaches used in the analysis of laquomanproductionraquo relations and taking into account the focus of the research it was established that the application of institutional systematic quantitative regulatory legislative structural functional and integrated approaches allows to pay equal attention to both production and man. Organic humanistic reproductive and situational approaches focus primarily on the man while economic procedural structural and marketing approaches focus on production. The distribution of each approach to a particular group is justified. Scientific novelty the author presents a classification of research approaches to the analysis of the laquomanproductionraquo relations system consisting of two subsystems. Each approach is given a detailed characteristic of both man and production that allows to evaluate the possibility of using these approaches and increasing the efficiency of this system research. Research approaches to the analysis of laquomanproductionraquo relations Practical value is manifested in the ability to optimize the use of research approaches to the analysis of the laquomanproductionraquo relations system to identify problems and ways to address them.

The problem of appraising qualitative research

OpenAIRE

Dixon-Woods, M; Shaw, R; Agarwal, S; Smith, J

2004-01-01



 Qualitative research can make a valuable contribution to the study of quality and safety in health care. Sound ways of appraising qualitative research are needed, but currently there are many different proposals with few signs of an emerging consensus. One problem has been the tendency to treat qualitative research as a unified field. We distinguish universal features of quality from those specific to methodology and offer a set of minimally prescriptive prompts to assist with the assessme...

Nuclear graphite development, operational problems, and resolution of these problems at the Hanford production reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, W.C.

1996-01-01

This paper chronicles the history of the Hanford Production Reactor, from the initial design considerations for B, D, and F Reactors through the selection of the agreed method for safe disposal of the decommissioned reactors. The operational problems that challenged the operations and support staff of each new generation of production reactors, the engineering actions an operational changes that alleviated or resolved the immediate problems, the changes in reactor design and design-bases for the next generation of production reactors, and the changes in manufacturing variables that resulted in new ''improved'' grades of nuclear graphites for use in the moderators of the Hanford Production Reactors are reviewed in the context of the existing knowledge-base and the mission-driven priorities on the time. 14 refs, 6 figs, 3 tabs

An Algorithm to Solve the Equal-Sum-Product Problem

OpenAIRE

Nyblom, M. A.; Evans, C. D.

2013-01-01

A recursive algorithm is constructed which finds all solutions to a class of Diophantine equations connected to the problem of determining ordered n-tuples of positive integers satisfying the property that their sum is equal to their product. An examination of the use of Binary Search Trees in implementing the algorithm into a working program is given. In addition an application of the algorithm for searching possible extra exceptional values of the equal-sum-product problem is explored after...

Process Research Methods and Their Application in the Didactics of Text Production and Translation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dam-Jensen, Helle; Heine, Carmen

2009-01-01

not only as learners, but also as thinkers and problem solvers. This can be achieved by systematically applying knowledge from process research as this can give insight into mental and physical processes of text production. This article provides an overview of methods commonly used in process research...

Application of productive research tasks in working with gifted students in teaching Serbian language and literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stakić Mirjana M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the work we examine the possibility of application of productive research tasks in working with gifted students in teaching Serbian language and literature. Using specific examples of interpretations of literary works we show that productive research assignments encourage students' creative and inventive expression, creativity, imagination and criticality and enable them to develop in accordance with their personality, individual preferences and abilities. In the examples of their use in problem solving, we determine how productive research tasks are conducive to gifted students who need to learn through problem solving and school work and to experience learning as a challenge. They present the basis for independent research, which allows gifted students to express their own creativity and the need to acquire new, challenging knowledge, and represent a powerful motivational tool that teachers can use in order to further develop their talent. Creative application of the productive research tasks in teaching Serbian language and literature is the possibility that the education of gifted students is not treated as elitist question, but to transform teaching process into development of giftedness and talent, where the role of the teacher in the teaching process rises to the role of the mentor.

Research on the ITOC based scheduling system for ship piping production

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rui; Liu, Yu-Jun; Hamada, Kunihiro

2010-12-01

Manufacturing of ship piping systems is one of the major production activities in shipbuilding. The schedule of pipe production has an important impact on the master schedule of shipbuilding. In this research, the ITOC concept was introduced to solve the scheduling problems of a piping factory, and an intelligent scheduling system was developed. The system, in which a product model, an operation model, a factory model, and a knowledge database of piping production were integrated, automated the planning process and production scheduling. Details of the above points were discussed. Moreover, an application of the system in a piping factory, which achieved a higher level of performance as measured by tardiness, lead time, and inventory, was demonstrated.

The field-tested and grounded technological rule as product of mode 2 management research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aken, van J.E.

2004-01-01

The relevance problem of academic management research in organization and management is an old and thorny one. Recent discussions on this issue have resulted in proposals to use more Mode 2 knowledge production in our field. These discussions focused mainly on the process of research itself and less

Beyond Research Productivity: Matching Productivity Measures to Institutional Mission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Bartholomew

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a unified methodology inclusive of the three primary areas of faculty responsibility (teaching, research, and service to calculate departmental productivity that fills the gap in methodological bench-marking tools for overall faculty productivity. Background:\tA disproportionate number of departmental and faculty productivity indices in higher education rely solely on research. Productivity in other areas of faculty workload areas, like teaching and institutional and community service, are either measured separately or ignored all together – even when those activities are institutionally mandated. This does a disservice to those who work in those institutions and skews incentives. Methodology: This paper utilizes a unified methodology inclusive of the three primary areas of faculty responsibility (teaching, research, and service to calculate depart-mental productivity in five disparate departments (English, Biology, Mathematics, Sociology, and Computer Science common to two universities with differing missions (teaching and service. Findings: The results reveal the bias inherent in relying solely on research as a proxy for overall productivity in institutions that have differing missions. Recommendations for Practitioners: Utilizing better metrics informs higher education administrators, promotes better decision-making, and allows incentives to re-align with desired outcomes. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper recommends combing all aspects of faculty workload into a single benchmark index to better measure departmental productivity. Future Research: Further research into improving this simple index is warranted and would include how to account for quality and other facets of productivity.

Animal Production Research Advances

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Animal Production Research Advances is a peer-review journal established expressly to promote the production of all animal species utilized as food. The journal has an international scope and is intended for professionals in animal production and related sciences. We solicit contributions from animal production and ...

MICROFLORA OF BEET SUGAR PRODUCTION: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. G. Kulneva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Summary. Sugar beet is one of the strategic crops for food safety of Russia. The lack of specialized warehouse for harvest does not provide storage of roots for a long time. In the case of a thaw roots that have been defrosted unsuitable for processing. Beet and products of its processing is a good object for the development of microorganisms. Permanent microflora of sugar production are: Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringes, Leuconostoc dextranicum, Torula alba, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Sarcina lutea and other kinds of microorganisms, leading to a problem processing of beet root and reduced quality of sugar. The most dangerous is the slimy bacteriosis is a bacterial disease beet caused by heterofermentative cocci of Leuconostoc (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, L. dextranicum. Product of the vital activity of microorganisms is dextran, which is synthesized from sucrose as a result of dextrany or mucous fermentation and leads to significant technological problems in processing of infected beet. Improving the efficiency of sugar production is connected with decrease in loss of quality of raw material preparation, storing and processing of sugar beet. At sugar plants use a variety of drugs that suppress the growth of pathogenic microflora, but there comes a rapid adaptation of microorganisms, therefore there is a need to implement new products to prevent damage to roots and improve the quality of produced sugar. To resolve this problem experimentally selected bactericidal drug, defined its rational concentration and conditions for the use in sugar beet production. The use of antibacterial drug in the process of extraction allows to increase the purity of diffusion juice 1.3 %, reduce the protein content in it (12.5 %; with the purity of the pure juice increases by 1.1 %, its color index is reduced by 44.7 %.

Open problems in traceability: from raw materials to finished food products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorenzo Comba

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Even though the main EU regulations concerning food traceability have already entered to force since many years, we still remark very wide and impacting product recalls, which often involve simultaneously large territories and many countries. This is a clear sign that current traceability procedures and systems, when implemented with the only aim of respecting mandatory policies, are not effective, and that there are some aspects that are at present underestimated, and therefore should be attentively reconsidered. In particular, the sole adoption of the so-called “one step back-one step forward traceability” to comply the EC Regulation 178/2002, where every actor in the chain handles merely the data coming from his supplier and those sent to his client, is in fact not sufficient to control and to limit the impact of a recall action after a risk notification. Recent studies on lots dispersion and routing demonstrate that each stakeholder has to plan his activities (production, transformation or distribution according to specific criteria that allow pre-emptively estimating and limiting the range action of a possible recall. Moreover, these new and very recently proposed techniques still present some limits; first of all the problem of traceability of bulk products (e.g. liquids, powders, grains, crystals during production phases that involve mixing operations of several lots of different/same materials. In fact, current traceability practices are in most cases unable to deal efficiently with this kind of products, and, in order to compensate the lack of knowledge about lot composition, typically resort to the adoption of very large lots, based for instance on a considered production period. Aim of this paper is to present recent advances in the design of supply chain traceability systems, discussing problems that are still open and are nowadays subject of research.

Addressing Research Design Problem in Mixed Methods Research

Science.gov (United States)

Alavi, Hamed; Hąbek, Patrycja

2016-03-01

Alongside other disciplines in social sciences, management researchers use mixed methods research more and more in conduct of their scientific investigations. Mixed methods approach can also be used in the field of production engineering. In comparison with traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods, reasons behind increasing popularity of mixed research method in management science can be traced in different factors. First of all, any particular discipline in management can be theoretically related to it. Second is that concurrent approach of mixed research method to inductive and deductive research logic provides researchers with opportunity to generate theory and test hypothesis in one study simultaneously. In addition, it provides a better justification for chosen method of investigation and higher validity for obtained answers to research questions. Despite increasing popularity of mixed research methods among management scholars, there is still need for a comprehensive approach to research design typology and process in mixed research method from the perspective of management science. The authors in this paper try to explain fundamental principles of mixed research method, its typology and different steps in its design process.

Research of cement mixtures with additions of industrial by-products

Science.gov (United States)

Papesch, R.; Klus, L.; Svoboda, J.; Zajac, R.

2017-10-01

The main goal of the article is the comparison of the possible use of secondary energy products. Used fly ashes, respectively steel dusts in cement mixes derive from production in Moravian-Silesian Region. The research focused on their influence on the chemical and physico-mechanical characteristics of the fresh and solid mixture. The aim was to find suitable formulations for grouting works, highway construction possibly rehabilitation of underground cavities created by mining activities. The introduction is mentioned the history of waste utilization up to current use as a product and the overall state of the problem. The conclusion is an evaluation of possible use in practice, including recommendations to carry out further tests.

Co-ordinated Interdisciplinary Efforts on Research in Animal Production and Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Houe Hans

2003-03-01

Full Text Available The objectives are to review results and experiences from interdisciplinary research projects in Research Centre for the Management of Animal Production and Health (CEPROS concerning scientific content, organisation, and collaboration. The Centre has been founded as a result of an agreement between four institutions: the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS, the Danish Veterinary Laboratory (DVL, the Danish Veterinary Institute for Virus Research (DVIV and The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL. CEPROS is a "research centre without walls" and is physically located as an integrated part of the four institutions named above. The Centre has close collaboration with the industry. The superior goals of the Centre are to co-ordinate fundamental and applied research and simultaneously integrate the veterinary and the production oriented livestock research within animal health and welfare, taking into consideration the production economics and reduced use of medication. The assignment of the Centre is to initiate and carry out research, aiming to investigate the influence of breeding and production systems on animal health and welfare as well as on production and product quality. The Centre has since 1997 established 16 interdisciplinary research projects dealing with cattle, pigs, poultry, or mink. The scientific content can be divided into three research clusters: A. Management of animal production and health in production systems, B: Pathogenesis of production diseases, and C. Animal health economics. In Cluster A, the physical environments of production systems have been investigated, broader definitions of the concept health have been established and used in identification of risk factors. Cluster B has investigated physiological, immunological and genetic mechanisms behind development of production diseases and how to apply this knowledge in disease prevention. The cluster in animal health economics has developed decision

Trends and problems in marital and family therapy research: Possible use of action research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Cvetek

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Although research in marital and family therapy (MFT is becoming increasingly important, it continues to encounter several major problems. Studies have shown that research has very little influence on the practice of the majority of MFT practitioners. Practitioners see research as unrelated to their concerns. The practice of the majority of MFT practitioners is very individualized, as are the clinical problems and circumstances. Some have therefore started to emphasize the transferability of results instead of generalizability, and studying the practitioner's own practice instead of general concepts. Action research in the field of psychotherapy, as well as in the field of MFT, has been mainly overlooked as a potential method for solving these problems in MFT research. The paper addresses one of many possible ways to use the repeating cycles of the four basic steps in action research (observing and gathering information, reflecting, planning, and acting. The use of these four steps in action research enables therapists to study and improve their own practice in a more systematic, structured, and valid manner. This kind of research connects research and therapy. It is very individualized and oriented towards actions that create therapeutic changes.

[Analysis of difficult problems on European Union laws and regulations of traditional herbal medicinal products].

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Li-Ping; Zhang, Xiao-Qun; Xiong, Yan; Wang, Yi-Tao; Zou, Wen-Jun

2017-10-01

Registration of Chinese patent medicine in European Union (EU) is of great significance to the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine as EU market acts as an important position in the global botanical market. In retrospect, the domestic studies on EU regulations of traditional herbal medicinal products have been conducted for more than 10 years, but there is still some cognitive bias and lack of research. In this paper, a review of the relevant research progress and the main misunderstanding problems about Directive 2004/24/EC, like the centralized and decentralized supervision system of traditional herbal medicinal products in the EU, marketing authorization procedures for traditional herbal medicinal products, Community Herbal Monograph and List Entries, would be systematically analyzed, so as to provide reference for the registration of Chinese patent medicine in EU. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Appreciative Problem Solving

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, David

2012-01-01

Many industrial production work systems have increased in complexity, and their new business model scompete on innovation, rather than low cost.At a medical device production facility committed to Lean Production, a research project was carried out to use Appreciative Inquiry to better engage...... employee strengths in continuou simprovements of the work system. The research question was: “How can Lean problem solving and Appreciative Inquiry be combined for optimized work system innovation?” The research project was carried out as a co-creation process with close cooperation between researcher...

Problems and prospects of Ukraine’s export of agricultural products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oksana Lysak

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this publication is to review current trends Ukrainian exports of agricultural products and develop recommendations on the prospects of export of agricultural products in Ukraine. The problem of marketing of agricultural products by agricultural enterprises is considered in the article. The distribution channels of agricultural products in Ukraine are analyzed. The factors constraining agricultural exports are established. Advantages and disadvantages of agricultural products within the Association Agreement with the European Union are analyzed. Analyzed the first results of cooperation with the EU in agriculture. The problems of the use of quotas dispose of agricultural products within the Association Agreement with the European Union are identified. An simplified legalization exports from Ukraine to the EU of animal origin products is offered. The export of agricultural products to other countries is analyzes. The modern trend in the export of Ukrainian agricultural products based on the reorientation of Asian and European markets is considered. The strategic directions of development of Ukrainian agricultural exports are identified.

7 CFR 917.39 - Production research, market research and development.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... establish or provide for the establishment of production research, marketing research, and development... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production research, market research and development...) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF...

The area-of-interest problem in eyetracking research: A noise-robust solution for face and sparse stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Hessels, Roy S; Kemner, Chantal; van den Boomen, Carlijn; Hooge, Ignace T C

2016-12-01

A problem in eyetracking research is choosing areas of interest (AOIs): Researchers in the same field often use widely varying AOIs for similar stimuli, making cross-study comparisons difficult or even impossible. Subjective choices while choosing AOIs cause differences in AOI shape, size, and location. On the other hand, not many guidelines for constructing AOIs, or comparisons between AOI-production methods, are available. In the present study, we addressed this gap by comparing AOI-production methods in face stimuli, using data collected with infants and adults (with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and matched controls). Specifically, we report that the attention-attracting and attention-maintaining capacities of AOIs differ between AOI-production methods, and that this matters for statistical comparisons in one of three groups investigated (the ASD group). In addition, we investigated the relation between AOI size and an AOI's attention-attracting and attention-maintaining capacities, as well as the consequences for statistical analyses, and report that adopting large AOIs solves the problem of statistical differences between the AOI methods. Finally, we tested AOI-production methods for their robustness to noise, and report that large AOIs-using the Voronoi tessellation method or the limited-radius Voronoi tessellation method with large radii-are most robust to noise. We conclude that large AOIs are a noise-robust solution in face stimuli and, when implemented using the Voronoi method, are the most objective of the researcher-defined AOIs. Adopting Voronoi AOIs in face-scanning research should allow better between-group and cross-study comparisons.

Radiation research contracts: Distribution of fission products in the biosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenfeld, T.

1959-01-01

According to its Statute the IAEA has to fulfil a dual function - to help individual countries in solving their specific problems and to undertake tasks in the common interest of all its Member States. With this latter aim in mind the Agency has placed a number of research contracts with national research institutes. One of them deals with the distribution of fission products in the biosphere. The Agency has contributed to this work by putting at the institutes' disposal scientists from its own staff apparatus and financial aid. Protection against ionizing radiation given off in nuclear transformations is one of the foremost safety problems in all atomic energy operations. While every effort is being made to prevent reactors, processing plants and all other installations from releasing radioactive materials into the biosphere - air, water and earth - under any foreseeable conditions, small amounts of it are actually released into man's living space. Undoubtedly, this will continue to be so, at least for the time being. For example, low activity liquid wastes from some chemical processing plants are decontaminated in special processes, but traces of fission products remain in the liquids finally discharged on the ground or to nearby waterways. In some installations low and medium activity liquid wastes are even released on the ground or into swamps without prior decontamination. It is also to be expected that in accidents larger amounts of fission products may occasionally be released. (author)

Improving the production of applied health research findings: insights from a qualitative study of operational research.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Sonya; Turner, Simon; Utley, Martin; Fulop, Naomi J

2017-09-08

Knowledge produced through applied health research is often of a form not readily accessible to or actionable by policymakers and practitioners, which hinders its implementation. Our aim was to identify research activities that can support the production of knowledge tailored to inform policy and practice. To do this, we studied an operational research approach to improving the production of applied health research findings. A 2-year qualitative study was conducted of the operational research contribution to a multidisciplinary applied health research project that was successful in rapidly informing national policy. Semi-structured interviews (n = 20) were conducted with all members of the project's research team and advisory group (patient and health professional representatives and academics). These were augmented by participant (> 150 h) and non-participant (> 15 h) observations focusing on the process and experience of attempting to support knowledge production. Data were analysed thematically using QSR NVivo software. Operational research performed a knowledge mediation role shaped by a problem-focused approach and an intent to perform those tasks necessary to producing readily implementable knowledge but outwith the remit of other disciplinary strands of the project. Three characteristics of the role were found to support this: engaging and incorporating different perspectives to improve services by capturing a range of health professional and patient views alongside quantitative and qualitative research evidence; rendering data meaningful by creating and presenting evidence in forms that are accessible to and engage different audiences, enabling them to make sense of it for practical use; and maintaining perceived objectivity and rigour by establishing credibility, perceived neutrality and confidence in the robustness of the research in order to unite diverse professionals in thinking creatively about system-wide service improvement. Our study

Approximations for the single-product production-inventory problem with compound Poisson demand and service-level constraints

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, de A.G.; Tijms, H.C.; Duyn Schouten, van der F.A.

1984-01-01

We consider a production-inventory problem in which the production rate can be continuously controlled in order to cope with random fluctuations in the demand. The demand process for a single product is a compound Poisson process. Excess demand is backlogged. Two production rates are available and

Problems of radiation safety of petroleum and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garibov, A.A.

2002-01-01

Oil and gas production is the basis of economy of the Azerbaijan Republic and its cause in ecological and radioecology problems. One form this problem is the pollution by radionuclides of environment at the time of gas and petroleum production. At the time of petroleum and gas production the three-phase radionuclides are emitted in atmosphere: Emissions consisted from solid U-238, Ra-226, Th-232, K-40 discharged to atmosphere at the time of production, exploring and exploitation of petroleum and gas. They are presented in compounds of sand, clay, and petroleum residues; During the drilling and production the gross quantities of water flows out and collects. These water areas consist of radium, uranium, Th and K-40 dissolved in water salts; There are the radionuclides being in 902 condition emitted in atmosphere at the places of petroleum and gas production. The radon and its isotopes are emitted at this time; At the places of petroleum and gas production it is observed at local pollution areas polluted by solid emissions that at this territories the doze of exposition power variable 100 - 1000 micro/hour. The radioactivity at this system according to 2-1000 year/k consists from Ra, K-40, and U. At this areas the value of total background changes 5 - 1000 micro R/hour. The total radioactivity of water polls formed at the places of petroleum and gas production consisted 50 -150 Bq/L. In the case of gas the separated radionuclides are mainly consisted from Radon and its isotopes. In the compound of produced gas the concentration of radon varied 20 - 1700 Bq/m 3 . Thus, at the places of petroleum and gas production radioactive pollutants emitted to atmosphere, forms the polluted environment for working and living people at the same territory. This problem's status haven't been investigated thoroughly, the sources of pollution hasn't been uncovered concretely, the cleaning technology for polluted areas is unknown

7 CFR 932.45 - Production research and marketing research and development projects.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production research and marketing research and....45 Production research and marketing research and development projects. (a) The following activities... Secretary, establish or provide for the establishment of production research, and marketing research and...

Integrating Problem Solvers from Analogous Markets in New Product Ideation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franke, Nikolaus; Poetz, Marion; Schreier, Martin

2014-01-01

Who provides better inputs to new product ideation tasks, problem solvers with expertise in the area for which new products are to be developed or problem solvers from “analogous” markets that are distant but share an analogous problem or need? Conventional wisdom appears to suggest that target...... market expertise is indispensable, which is why most managers searching for new ideas tend to stay within their own market context even when they do search outside their firms' boundaries. However, in a unique symmetric experiment that isolates the effect of market origin, we find evidence...... for the opposite: Although solutions provided by problem solvers from analogous markets show lower potential for immediate use, they demonstrate substantially higher levels of novelty. Also, compared to established novelty drivers, this effect appears highly relevant from a managerial perspective: we find...

Applying environmental product design to biomedical products research.

Science.gov (United States)

Messelbeck, J; Sutherland, L

2000-12-01

The principal themes for the Biomedical Research and the Environment Conference Committee on Environmental Economics in Biomedical Research include the following: healthcare delivery companies and biomedical research organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, need to improve their environmental performance; suppliers of healthcare products will be called upon to support this need; and improving the environmental profile of healthcare products begins in research and development (R&D). The committee report begins with requirements from regulatory authorities (e.g., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), and the healthcare delivery sector). The 1998 American Hospital Association and EPA Memorandum of Understanding to reduce solid waste and mercury from healthcare facilities is emblematic of these requirements. The dominant message from the requirements discussion is to ensure that R&D organizations do not ignore customer, environmental, and regulatory requirements in the early stages of product development. Several representatives from healthcare products manufacturers presented their companies' approaches to meeting these requirements. They reported on efforts to ensure that their R&D processes are sensitive to the environmental consequences from manufacturing, distributing, using, and disposing of healthcare products. These reports describe representatives' awareness of requirements and the unique approaches their R&D organizations have taken to meet these requirements. All representatives reported that their R&D organizations have embraced environmental product design because it avoids the potential of returning products to R&D to improve the environmental profile. Additionally, several reports detailed cost savings, sustainability benefits, and improvements in environmental manufacturing or redesign, and increased customer satisfaction. Many companies in healthcare delivery are working to improve environmental

Esperanto and International Language Problems: A Research Bibliography.

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkin, Humphrey R.

This bibliography is intended both for the researcher and for the occasional student of international language problems, particularly as these relate to the international language Esperanto. The book is divided into two main sections: Part One deals with problems arising from communication across national boundaries and the search for a solution…

Statistical Problems In Medical Research | Okeh | East African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Given the main role of a general practitioner as a biostatistician, I thought it would be of interest to enumerate statistical problems in assessing methods of medical diagnosis in general terms. In conducting and reporting of medical research, there are some common problems in using statistical methodology which may result ...

Review of xenon-133 production and related problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrachina, M.; Ropero, M.

1980-01-01

A literature survey is given on the production methods of fission xenon-133 and related problems, such as purification, metrological and dosimetric aspects, preparation of isotopic solutions, recycling, etc. 127 references are included. (Author) 127 refs

Problems of Conducting Research in Organizations: The Case of Police Departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefkowitz, Joel

This paper presents a description of police research problems in such fashion that it could be generalized to other types of organizations. A two-dimensional taxonomy of problems in conducting psychological research in police departments is discussed. The first dimension concerns generality-uniqueness of the problem, relative to formal…

Measuring production loss due to health and work environment problems: construct validity and implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsson, Malin Lohela; Bergström, Gunnar; Björklund, Christina; Hagberg, Jan; Jensen, Irene

2013-12-01

The aim was to validate two measures of production loss, health-related and work environment-related production loss, concerning their associations with health status and work environment factors. Validity was assessed by evaluating the construct validity. Health problems related and work environment-related problems (or factors) were included in separate analyses and evaluated regarding the significant difference in proportion of explained variation (R) of production loss. health problems production loss was not found to fulfill the criteria for convergent validity in this study; however, the measure of work environment-related production loss did fulfill the criteria that were set up. The measure of work environment-related production loss can be used to screen for production loss due to work environment problems as well as an outcome measure when evaluating the effect of organizational interventions.

Problems of scientific research in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vose, P.B.; Cervellini, A.

1983-01-01

The paper gives a general consideration of the problems encountered in the scientific research by the developing countries. Possible optimizations in the long term as well as short term strategies are pointed out

The use of U.S. Geological Survey digital geospatial data products for science research

Science.gov (United States)

Varanka, Dalia E.; Deering, Carol; Caro, Holly

2012-01-01

The development of geographic information system (GIS) transformed the practice of geographic science research. The availability of low-cost, reliable data by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supported the advance of GIS in the early stages of the transition to digital technology. To estimate the extent of the scientific use of USGS digital geospatial data products, a search of science literature databases yielded numbers of articles citing USGS products. Though this method requires careful consideration to avoid false positives, these citation numbers of three types of products (vector, land-use/land-cover, and elevation data) were graphed, and the frequency trends were examined. Trends indicated that the use of several, but not all, products increased with time. The use of some products declined and reasons for these declines are offered. To better understand how these data affected the design and outcomes of research projects, the study begins to build a context for the data by discussing digital cartographic research preceding the production of mass-produced products. The data distribution methods used various media for different system types and were supported by instructional material. The findings are an initial assessment of the affect of USGS products on GIS-enabled science research. A brief examination of the specific papers indicates that USGS data were used for science and GIS conceptual research, advanced education, and problem analysis and solution applications.

Animal Production Research Advances: Submissions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Where this is not possible, authors should submit two copies of original article not yet published anywhere and accompanied with a 3.5” diskette containing the article labeled appropriately in MS Word version to: Editor–in–Chief, Animal Production Research Advances Tropical Animal Health and Production Research Lab

The two-dimensional cutting stock problem within the roller blind production process

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.R. de Gelder; A.P.M. Wagelmans (Albert)

2007-01-01

textabstractIn this paper we consider a two-dimensional cutting stock problem encountered at a large manufacturer of window covering products. The problem occurs in the production process of made-to-measure roller blinds. We develop a solution method that takes into account the characteristics of

A Methodological Problem Associated with Researching Women Entrepreneurs

OpenAIRE

Beatrice E. Avolio

2011-01-01

This article highlights one of the most significant methodological problems of researching women entrepreneurs and understanding the female entrepreneurial experience, which is related to the definition of what is a women entrepreneur. The article outlines the state of research on women entrepreneurs, presents the diverse definitions used in research, conceptualizes the different aspects related to the definition of a woman entrepreneur, and proposes future directions for developing research ...

Medical-isotope supply hit by production problems

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Paula

2008-10-01

A shortfall in the production of medical isotopes in Europe has forced hospitals to delay patient scans or offer alternative diagnostic tests. The problems began in August when all three nuclear reactors used to generate molybdenum-99, which then decays to form the key nuclear-imaging agent technetium-99, had to be unexpectedly shut down at the same time.

Decomposition principles applied to the dynamic production and work-force scheduling problem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aardal, K.I.; Ari, A.

1987-01-01

One of the most important problems in the production and inventory planning field, is the scheduling of production and work force in a dynamic environment. Although this problem can be formulated as a linear program, it is often quite difficult to solve directly, due to its large scale. Instead, it

Applications of systems thinking and soft operations research in managing complexity from problem framing to problem solving

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This book captures current trends and developments in the field of systems thinking and soft operations research which can be applied to solve today's problems of dynamic complexity and interdependency. Such ‘wicked problems’ and messes are seemingly intractable problems characterized as value-laden, ambiguous, and unstable, that resist being tamed by classical problem solving. Actions and interventions associated with this complex problem space can have highly unpredictable and unintended consequences. Examples of such complex problems include health care reform, global climate change, transnational serious and organized crime, terrorism, homeland security, human security, disaster management, and humanitarian aid. Moving towards the development of solutions to these complex problem spaces depends on the lens we use to examine them and how we frame the problem. It will be shown that systems thinking and soft operations research has had great success in contributing to the management of complexity. .

7 CFR 925.45 - Production research and market research and development.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Secretary, may establish or provide for the establishment of production research, marketing research and... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production research and market research and...) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF...

Sterilization of solutions for parenterals products. Problem analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanelys Montes-González

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The solutions for the formulation of parenteral products must be sterile before the aseptic formulation process. For this reason, different methods of sterilization referred in the literature are analyzed. Thermodynamic criteria that rule the sterilization are presented. Furthermore, previous experiences in the sterilization of solutions for the formulation of parental products in an autoclave are analyzed, that take large time of processing and only low volumes of solution can be handled. Using jacketed stirred tanks for the sterilization may solve the problem and, therefore, criteria for the design of the later that allow to process high volumes of solution for the formulation of parenteral products are shown.

Spatial extent in demographic research - approach and problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Knežević Aleksandar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available One of the starting methodological problems in demographic research is the definition of spatial extent, which mostly doesn’t correspond to spatial extent already defined by different levels of administrative-territorial unitsthat are used for distribution of usable statistical data. That’s why determining the spatial extent of a demographic research is closely tied with administrative-territorial division of the territory that is being researched, wherein the fact that differentiation of demographic phenomena and processes cannot be the only basis of setting the principles of regionalization must be strictly acknowledged. This problem is particularly common in historical demographic analyses of geographically determined wholes, which are in administratively-territorial sense represented by one or more smaller territorial units, with their borders changing through the history, which directly affects comparability of the statistical data, and makes it considerably more difficult to track demographic change through longer time intervals. The result of these efforts is usually a solution based on a compromise which enables us to examine the dynamics of population change with little deviation from already defined borders of regional geographic wholes. For that reason in this paper the problem of defining spatial extent in demographic research is examined trough several different approaches in case of Eastern Serbia, as a geographically determined region, a historic area, a spatially functioning whole and as a statistical unit for demographic research, with no judgment calls in regard to any of the regionalization principles. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 47006

Solving ethanol production problems with genetically modified yeast strains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Abreu-Cavalheiro

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The current world demand for bioethanol is increasing as a consequence of low fossil fuel availability and a growing number of ethanol/gasoline flex-fuel cars. In addition, countries in several parts of the world have agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the use of ethanol as a fuel (which produces fewer pollutants than petroleum products has been considered to be a good alternative to petroleum products. The ethanol that is produced in Brazil from the first-generation process is optimized and can be accomplished at low cost. However, because of the large volume of ethanol that is produced and traded each year, any small improvement in the process could represent a savings of billions dollars. Several Brazilian research programs are investing in sugarcane improvement, but little attention has been given to the improvement of yeast strains that participate in the first-generation process at present. The Brazilian ethanol production process uses sugarcane as a carbon source for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is then grown at a high cellular density and high temperatures in large-capacity open tanks with cells recycle. All of these culture conditions compel the yeast to cope with several types of stress. Among the main stressors are high temperatures and high ethanol concentrations inside the fermentation tanks during alcohol production. Moreover, the competition between the desired yeast strains, which are inoculated at the beginning of the process, with contaminants such as wild type yeasts and bacteria, requires acid treatment to successfully recycle the cells. This review is focused on describing the problems and stressors within the Brazilian ethanol production system. It also highlights some genetic modifications that can help to circumvent these difficulties in yeast.

Solving ethanol production problems with genetically modified yeast strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu-Cavalheiro, A; Monteiro, G

2013-01-01

The current world demand for bioethanol is increasing as a consequence of low fossil fuel availability and a growing number of ethanol/gasoline flex-fuel cars. In addition, countries in several parts of the world have agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the use of ethanol as a fuel (which produces fewer pollutants than petroleum products) has been considered to be a good alternative to petroleum products. The ethanol that is produced in Brazil from the first-generation process is optimized and can be accomplished at low cost. However, because of the large volume of ethanol that is produced and traded each year, any small improvement in the process could represent a savings of billions dollars. Several Brazilian research programs are investing in sugarcane improvement, but little attention has been given to the improvement of yeast strains that participate in the first-generation process at present. The Brazilian ethanol production process uses sugarcane as a carbon source for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is then grown at a high cellular density and high temperatures in large-capacity open tanks with cells recycle. All of these culture conditions compel the yeast to cope with several types of stress. Among the main stressors are high temperatures and high ethanol concentrations inside the fermentation tanks during alcohol production. Moreover, the competition between the desired yeast strains, which are inoculated at the beginning of the process, with contaminants such as wild type yeasts and bacteria, requires acid treatment to successfully recycle the cells. This review is focused on describing the problems and stressors within the Brazilian ethanol production system. It also highlights some genetic modifications that can help to circumvent these difficulties in yeast.

The inverse problem for Schwinger pair production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Hebenstreit

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The production of electron–positron pairs in time-dependent electric fields (Schwinger mechanism depends non-linearly on the applied field profile. Accordingly, the resulting momentum spectrum is extremely sensitive to small variations of the field parameters. Owing to this non-linear dependence it is so far unpredictable how to choose a field configuration such that a predetermined momentum distribution is generated. We show that quantum kinetic theory along with optimal control theory can be used to approximately solve this inverse problem for Schwinger pair production. We exemplify this by studying the superposition of a small number of harmonic components resulting in predetermined signatures in the asymptotic momentum spectrum. In the long run, our results could facilitate the observation of this yet unobserved pair production mechanism in quantum electrodynamics by providing suggestions for tailored field configurations.

Advanced Research Workshop on Nonlinear Hyperbolic Problems

CERN Document Server

Serre, Denis; Raviart, Pierre-Arnaud

1987-01-01

The field of nonlinear hyperbolic problems has been expanding very fast over the past few years, and has applications - actual and potential - in aerodynamics, multifluid flows, combustion, detonics amongst other. The difficulties that arise in application are of theoretical as well as numerical nature. In fact, the papers in this volume of proceedings deal to a greater extent with theoretical problems emerging in the resolution of nonlinear hyperbolic systems than with numerical methods. The volume provides an excellent up-to-date review of the current research trends in this area.

Optimal Control Approaches to the Aggregate Production Planning Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasser A. Davizón

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In the area of production planning and control, the aggregate production planning (APP problem represents a great challenge for decision makers in production-inventory systems. Tradeoff between inventory-capacity is known as the APP problem. To address it, static and dynamic models have been proposed, which in general have several shortcomings. It is the premise of this paper that the main drawback of these proposals is, that they do not take into account the dynamic nature of the APP. For this reason, we propose the use of an Optimal Control (OC formulation via the approach of energy-based and Hamiltonian-present value. The main contribution of this paper is the mathematical model which integrates a second order dynamical system coupled with a first order system, incorporating production rate, inventory level, and capacity as well with the associated cost by work force in the same formulation. Also, a novel result in relation with the Hamiltonian-present value in the OC formulation is that it reduces the inventory level compared with the pure energy based approach for APP. A set of simulations are provided which verifies the theoretical contribution of this work.

Transitions in Sustainable Product Design Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boks, Casper; McAloone, Tim C.

2009-01-01

By the early 1990s, sustainable product innovation (or ecodesign, or Design for environment) had gained sufficient critical mass in academic research to be identified as a distinct research area. In the past 15 years, stimulated by a growing environmental concern and awareness in the media...... of transitions; this is illustrated by discussing characteristic aspects of each transition, which together provide a historic account of how academic research into sustainable product innovation had matured. In conclusion, a number of possible future transitions or extensions of the research area are discussed......., this research area has expanded considerably; from a bunch of opportunistic eco-pathfinders trying to make products better recyclable into acknowledged scientific research regarding technology transfer and commercialisation. This paper proposes that this maturing process took place through a number...

The Topical Problems of Reengineering of Production Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chumak Larysa F.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at researching the problems of reengineering of industrial enterprises and determining the efficient ways of their solution. The essence of process of reengineering, conditions and expediency of carrying out reengineering were researched. Elements of the system of principles of reengineering, its stages, problems of implementation, and typical errors arising during reengineering, have been defined. It has been determined that reengineering should be closely connected with the strategies of industrial enterprise in order to achieve maximum efficiency of the enterprise’s activity and to prevent additional costs. Reengineering of an industrial enterprise should be supported by an appropriate organizational structure, sound information technology, and contemporary strategic considerations.

A heuristic algorithm for a multi-product four-layer capacitated location-routing problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Hamidi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to solve a complex multi-product four-layer capacitated location-routing problem (LRP in which two specific constraints are taken into account: 1 plants have limited production capacity, and 2 central depots have limited capacity for storing and transshipping products. The LRP represents a multi-product four-layer distribution network that consists of plants, central depots, regional depots, and customers. A heuristic algorithm is developed to solve the four-layer LRP. The heuristic uses GRASP (Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure and two probabilistic tabu search strategies of intensification and diversification to tackle the problem. Results show that the heuristic solves the problem effectively.

Impact of research investment on scientific productivity of junior researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrokhyar, Forough; Bianco, Daniela; Dao, Dyda; Ghert, Michelle; Andruszkiewicz, Nicole; Sussman, Jonathan; Ginsberg, Jeffrey S

2016-12-01

There is a demand for providing evidence on the effectiveness of research investments on the promotion of novice researchers' scientific productivity and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. We used a mixed method approach to evaluate the funding effect of the New Investigator Fund (NIF) by comparing scientific productivity between award recipients and non-recipients. We reviewed NIF grant applications submitted from 2004 to 2013. Scientific productivity was assessed by confirming the publication of the NIF-submitted application. Online databases were searched, independently and in duplicate, to locate the publications. Applicants' perceptions and experiences were collected through a short survey and categorized into specified themes. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Of 296 applicants, 163 (55 %) were awarded. Gender, affiliation, and field of expertise did not affect funding decisions. More physicians with graduate education (32.0 %) and applicants with a doctorate degree (21.5 %) were awarded than applicants without postgraduate education (9.8 %). Basic science research (28.8 %), randomized controlled trials (24.5 %), and feasibility/pilot trials (13.3 %) were awarded more than observational designs (p   scientific productivity and professional growth of novice investigators and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. Further efforts are recommended to enhance the support of small grant funding programs.

Hydrogen production through photovoltaic processes: Italian ENEA and other research projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barra, L.; Coiante, D.

1992-01-01

Brief arguments favouring greater emphasis by government R ampersand D strategies on commercialization efforts to further develop hydrogen production processes involving the use of renewable energy sources are presented. These include the worsening global greenhouse effect problems due to the intensified use of fossil fuels and recent technological advances being made in photovoltaic energy conversion. A world-wide review is then made of on-going research programs in hydrogen production through the use of hydroelectric and solar energy sources. This review provides outlines of project objectives, schedules and financing schemes. Attention is given to the commercialization programs and strategies of ENEA (Italian Commission for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment)

Current problems of raw fish material processing while manufacturing dried products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yashonkov A. A.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The substantiation for using techniques of fish raw material canning has been presented, raw fish being caught or farmed in aquaculture. The main problems in raw fish canning have been reviewed, including significant reduction in thermolabile vitamins in the ultimate product as compared with the raw material due to the thermal processing. Promising canning technique – vacuum drying – has been proposed. This technique makes possible to reduce the temperature of thermal processing down to 50…55 °С and significantly enlarge preservation of thermolabile vitamins from the raw fish. Sampling of raw materials, semi-finished products, finished products, including preparation for analysis has been conducted by standard methods. Disadvantages of this way have been found, it is low energy efficiency of the process. The way to intensify the vacuum drying of aquatic organisms has been proposed based on the method of preliminary pore-forming due to augmenting the area of moisture evaporation. The design of the pilot plant has been proposed in order to research the process of pore forming and vacuum drying. Target species for processing have been suggested. They are as follows: Azov goby (fillet for food products and Black Sea sprat for feeds. The recipes of the feed mixture for granulated floating food for trout have been developed. The results of the first series of the pilot research have been provided. The experiments have proved that preliminary pore forming immediately before vacuum drying makes possible to enlarge the surface area of moisture evaporation by 15…25 %. By processing photomicrographs of sections by means of a special software the authors have got the results demonstrating that when manufacturing dried products by pore forming and drying under pressure 10 kPa the pore take 35...38 % of the inner volume of the product and with drying under pressure 10 kPa – only 18...21 %, and when drying under the atmospheric pressure – 11...13 %.

MULTI-CRITERIA PROGRAMMING METHODS AND PRODUCTION PLAN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM SOLVING IN METAL INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tunjo Perić

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the production plan optimization in the metal industry considered as a multi-criteria programming problem. We first provided the definition of the multi-criteria programming problem and classification of the multicriteria programming methods. Then we applied two multi-criteria programming methods (the STEM method and the PROMETHEE method in solving a problem of multi-criteria optimization production plan in a company from the metal industry. The obtained results indicate a high efficiency of the applied methods in solving the problem.

The problem of creative activity in of social work research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilka L.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Current Latvian research in the area of social work is not characteristic of a creative and innovative methodological approach. The methodological conservatism derived from general sociology is particularly affecting students in doctoral studies. This proposes a question: should, in the name of scientific novelty, we support research in which the PhD student aims to get rid of his personality behind the shield of authority, sometimes even general sociology textbook truths? Or should we encourage bold challenges to methodological schematism, in which the researcher takes a pose of truly creative research and avoids becoming a representative of scientific marginality lacking one’s personality? The subject of creative activity – the researcher in social work – can best express oneself in the level of philosophic wisdom, identifying only the main guidelines of his creative processes and allowing a large headspace for one’s creative quests. A scientist, also one interested in the problems of social work, can ascertain his/her uniqueness by relying on the concept that any researcher has embarked on an individual journey, circulating on different orbits around one central idea. If the distance between such central idea and the researcher’s activities is increasing, this signifies of either a creatively productive reevaluation of the researcher’s position, or the death of the research process in having lost the original idea. On the other hand, continuous approach towards the central idea either means that the researcher is consistent and determined in his creative research, or there is complete lack of scientific novelty in cases when borrowed foreign ideas are worshipped.

MULTI-CRITERIA PROGRAMMING METHODS AND PRODUCTION PLAN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM SOLVING IN METAL INDUSTRY

OpenAIRE

Tunjo Perić; Željko Mandić

2017-01-01

This paper presents the production plan optimization in the metal industry considered as a multi-criteria programming problem. We first provided the definition of the multi-criteria programming problem and classification of the multicriteria programming methods. Then we applied two multi-criteria programming methods (the STEM method and the PROMETHEE method) in solving a problem of multi-criteria optimization production plan in a company from the metal industry. The obtained resul...

RESEARCH PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND DEFINITION: FROM MENTAL MAP TO CONNECTION CIRCLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mildeová, Stanislava

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The paper examines the research problem (question as one of the first methodological steps that has to be accurately and clearly defined. The necessity of modern scientific work is to understand and analyse problems holistically, to see it as a network of interconnected parts. In this sense we show that combination of mental mapping and connection circle may be a way that will be beneficial defining the research problem. There is some evidence from interviews held with PhD students, who were participated in the course Research Methods for Managers at the University of Economics in Prague from 2012-2013.

Research and development for ethylbenzene production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xue, Mingwei; Sun, Hongmin; Shen, Zhenhao; Zhang, Bin; Yang, Weimin [SINOPEC Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (China); Huan, Mingyao

2013-11-01

Ethylbenzene (EB) is important raw material for the production of styrene. Now, EB is mainly produced by the alkylation of benzene with ethylene catalyzed by zeolite in vapour phase or liquid phase. Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (SRIPT) began to research the catalysts for the production of ethylbenezene in 1993. With near 20 years work, three series of catalysts for the alkylation of benzene with pure ethylene, dilute ethylene and ethanol are in commerical in China. This paper mainly introduced the research and development of SRIPT for the EB production. (orig.)

Handbook of Research on Creative Problem-Solving Skill Development in Higher Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

-solving. This has prompted institutions of higher education to implement new pedagogical methods such as problem-based and case-based education. The Handbook of Research on Creative Problem-Solving Skill Development in Higher Education is an essential, comprehensive collection of the newest research in higher...... education, creativity, problem solving, and pedagogical design. It provides the framework for further research opportunities in these dynamic, necessary fields. Featuring work regarding problem-oriented curriculum and its applications and challenges, this book is essential for policy makers, teachers......Developing students’ creative problem-solving skills is paramount to today’s teachers, due to the exponentially growing demand for cognitive plasticity and critical thinking in the workforce. In today’s knowledge economy, workers must be able to participate in creative dialogue and complex problem...

Estimates of Arab world research productivity associated with groundwater: a bibliometric analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zyoud, Shaher H.; Fuchs-Hanusch, Daniela

2017-06-01

The sustainable management of groundwater resources is a pressing necessity for most countries. As most of the Arab world is facing severe water scarcity, threats of depletion of non-renewable groundwater, and problems of pollution and salt-water intrusions into groundwater aquifers, much effort should be devoted to eliminate these dangers in advance. This work was devoted to bring up insights into Arab world research activities in groundwater, which is a crucial task to identify their status and can help in shaping up and improving future research activities. A bibliometric analysis has been conducted to track these activities. The study identified 1417 documents which represent 3.3% of global research productivity. Egypt was the most productive country (313; 22.1%), followed by Saudi Arabia (254; 17.9%). Total citations were 9720 with an average of 6.9. The h-index of the retrieved documents was 39, and the highest one was 22 for Egypt. The most common subject category was Environmental Science, and the most productive journal was Arabian Journal of Geosciences (99; 7.0%). In international research collaboration, France was the most collaborated country with Arab world (125; 8.8%), followed by the United States (113; 8.0%). The most productive institution was King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia (66; 4.7%). The outcomes shows remarkable improvements in groundwater research activities originated from the Arab world. Even though, constructive efforts should be pursued vigorously to bridge the gaps in groundwater-based research. Moreover, promotion of better evaluation tools to assess the risks arising from the mismanagement of groundwater resources is required urgently.

Prevalence of Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Systematic Review of Recent Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Calado, Filipa; Alexandre, Joana; Griffiths, Mark D

2017-06-01

Previous research has shown that gambling is a popular activity among adolescents. Following a rapid expansion of legalized gambling opportunities and the emergence of new forms of gambling, many researchers have carried out studies on adolescent gambling and problem gambling. The present paper reviews studies that have been conducted worldwide since 2000, and then presents a more detailed picture of adolescent gambling research in Europe, by providing a country-by country analysis. After an extensive search on academic databases and following an exclusion process, 44 studies were identified. The findings showed that 0.2-12.3 % of youth meet criteria for problem gambling, notwithstanding differences among assessment instruments, cut-offs, and timeframes. However, despite this variability, several demographic characteristics were associated with adolescent gambling involvement and problem gambling. It is concluded that a small but significant minority of adolescents have gambling-related problems. Such findings will hopefully encourage more research into youth gambling to further understand the determinants of this phenomenon.

Scientific and technical problems in the production of coke

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glushchenko, I M

1979-05-01

This paper lists several scientific and technological problems facing the producers of coke in the future. The demand for coke on the world market is steadily increasing despite the efforts of metallurgists to find non-coke methods of ore smelting. The major problems are held to be the gap between very successful results of research and the lack of their application to industry, unsatisfactory coke oven construction, problems in quenching and imperfections in the formed coke process. (In Russian)

Marketing Structure, Problems and Suggestions of Small Ruminant Production in Çamardı District of Niğde Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arzu Seçer

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In Turkey, there are 31.1 million head sheep in 2014. Central Anatolia Region has 8.3% of this total number. Nigde is the most important sheep producer province in this region. In this study it is aimed to determine marketing structure of products obtained from sheep production activities, define problems of it and present solutions for these problems. The main material of the research was consisted of primary data obtained from 39 Akkaraman sheep producers in Çamardı district in Nigde. In the sheep farms, milk production yield was 1374.4 kg per year. As 73.5% of this yield was presented to market, rest of it was used for self-consumption. Milk was generally sold to local traders. In the operations, livestock also was sold. When 89.7% of livestock sold to kasaps 10.3% of it was sold to local traders. It can be said that producers who are the members of cooperatives were very low and 51.3% of the producers stated that cooperatives can be useful for the solutions of marketing problems of sheep products. Main expectations of producers from cooperatives were providing them market alternative, providing easiness for processing of products and leading to increasing numbers and kinds of buyers in the market.

Problem-Based Learning for Production and Operations Management

Science.gov (United States)

Kanet, John J.; Barut, Mehmet

2003-01-01

In this paper, we describe our application of "problem-based learning" in the teaching of production/operations management. We describe a study of the effectiveness of this approach and present the results and analysis of this study. We provide a collection of our experiences in using this method and conclude with some general…

RUPS: Research Utilizing Problem Solving. Administrators Version. Leader's Manual.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Charles; And Others

This manual is to be used by leaders of RUPS (Research Utilizing Problem Solving) workshops for school or district administrators. The workshop's goal is for administrators to develop problem solving skills by using the RUPS simulation situations in a teamwork setting. Although workshop leaders should be familiar with the RUPS materials and…

Research and development of HTTR hydrogen production systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiozawa, Shusaku; Ogawa, Masuro; Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Onuki, Kaoru; Takeda, Tetsuaki; Nishihara, Tetsuo; Hayashi, Koji; Kubo, Shinji; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Ohashi, Hirofumi

2002-01-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has constructed the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) with a thermal output of 30MW and a reactor out let coolant temper at ure of 950 .deg. C. There search and development (R and D) program on nuclear production of hydrogen was started on January in 1997 as a study consigned by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. A hydrogen production system connected to the HTTR is being designed to be able to produce hydrogen of about 4000m 3 /h by steam reforming of natural gas, using a nuclear heat of 10MW supplied by the HTTR hydrogen production system. In order to confirm controllability, safety and performance of key components in the HTTR hydrogen production system, the facility for the out-of-pile test was constructed on the scale of approximately 1/30 of the HTTR hydrogen production system. In parallel to the out-of-pile test, the following tests as essential problem, a corrosion test of a reforming tube, a permeation test of hydrogen isotopes through heat exchanger and reforming tubes, and an integrity test of a high-temperature isolation valve are carried out to obtain detailed data for safety review and development of analytical codes. Other basis studies on the hydrogen production technology of thermochemical water splitting called an iodine sulfur (IS) process, has been carried out for more effective and various uses of nuclear heat. This paper describes the present status and a future plan on the R and D of the HTTR hydrogen production systems in JAERI

Problems connected with the production of heavy water in France; Problemes relatifs a la production d'eau lourde en France

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roth, E [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1956-07-01

The decision to study the nuclear energy in France in 1945 has seen the construction of the first natural uranium reactor for research purpose only, Zoe reactor. The utilization of heavy water as moderator was motivated by permitting the economical utilization of natural uranium oxides as fuel and a good handling. The five tons of heavy water required by the Zoe reactor were initially obtained from Norway production. With nuclear development and the construction of the first power reactors for electricity production, the demand in heavy water increased. The heavy water production by French industry became of a great interest. The first production started in the southwest of France using a fertilizers production plant and the electrolytic process used in Norway. The electrolytic process of hydrogen was quickly limited by the limited number of large fertilizers plants in France. Thus, in 1953, French nuclear research concentrated on the distillation of liquid hydrogen and water distillation for the heavy water production. The liquid hydrogen distillation presents a better yield in heavy water extraction than the electrolytic process but it was still depending from large fertilizers production plants. Although the water distillation process is simple, the high purity required for nuclear uses induced a high cost. The advantages and disadvantages of these two processes are discussed as well as others heavy water production processes using concentration process of already enriched water and the prospect of the use of the natural gas from the Lacq deposit. Economical aspect and cost production for each of heavy water production processes will be also discussed. (M.P.)

Cognitive styles: Controversial issues and research problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia N. Volkova

2016-06-01

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

From research to production: field induced electro-mechanical polymer-transducer (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Kovacs, Gabor M.

2017-04-01

In the past decades the development of compliant dielectric materials, capable of storing high electric energy density, is the object of considerable research efforts for commercial applications. Compared to the widely used soft dielectrics as compliant insulators, only a small variety of commercially products based on dielectric polymer transducers are available on the market up to date. A whole bunch of research activities worldwide has created a lot of very useful knowledge; but many researchers have been faced to different obstacles to manufacture devices for demonstrations. However, building handy demonstrators is one of the most relevant action in order to attract the interest of decision makers of industrial companies. Moreover, low cost devices strictly require highly efficient production methods and facilities to become competitive on the market. This aspect contains the ultimate requirement especially for very high output rates and represents one of the major topic at most negotiations. All technological problems linked to this issue have been addressed only a little in the past R+D activities and are still widely not satisfactory solved. The present talk will provide an overview of the options for opening the door of industrial production of polymer transducers and the remaining obstacles to be solved for the next step. In particular, the most relevant actions to be taken for enabling high capacity production at very low cost will be discussed, which have an essential impact on the direction of future research activities.

A Causal Model of Faculty Research Productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bean, John P.

A causal model of faculty research productivity was developed through a survey of the literature. Models of organizational behavior, organizational effectiveness, and motivation were synthesized into a causal model of productivity. Two general types of variables were assumed to affect individual research productivity: institutional variables and…

Supply network configuration—A benchmarking problem

Science.gov (United States)

Brandenburg, Marcus

2018-03-01

Managing supply networks is a highly relevant task that strongly influences the competitiveness of firms from various industries. Designing supply networks is a strategic process that considerably affects the structure of the whole network. In contrast, supply networks for new products are configured without major adaptations of the existing structure, but the network has to be configured before the new product is actually launched in the marketplace. Due to dynamics and uncertainties, the resulting planning problem is highly complex. However, formal models and solution approaches that support supply network configuration decisions for new products are scant. The paper at hand aims at stimulating related model-based research. To formulate mathematical models and solution procedures, a benchmarking problem is introduced which is derived from a case study of a cosmetics manufacturer. Tasks, objectives, and constraints of the problem are described in great detail and numerical values and ranges of all problem parameters are given. In addition, several directions for future research are suggested.

A Multiobjective Stochastic Production-Distribution Planning Problem in an Uncertain Environment Considering Risk and Workers Productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. M. J. Mirzapour Al-e-Hashem

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A multi-objective two stage stochastic programming model is proposed to deal with a multi-period multi-product multi-site production-distribution planning problem for a midterm planning horizon. The presented model involves majority of supply chain cost parameters such as transportation cost, inventory holding cost, shortage cost, production cost. Moreover some respects as lead time, outsourcing, employment, dismissal, workers productivity and training are considered. Due to the uncertain nature of the supply chain, it is assumed that cost parameters and demand fluctuations are random variables and follow from a pre-defined probability distribution. To develop a robust stochastic model, an additional objective functions is added to the traditional production-distribution-planning problem. So, our multi-objective model includes (i the minimization of the expected total cost of supply chain, (ii the minimization of the variance of the total cost of supply chain and (iii the maximization of the workers productivity through training courses that could be held during the planning horizon. Then, the proposed model is solved applying a hybrid algorithm that is a combination of Monte Carlo sampling method, modified -constraint method and L-shaped method. Finally, a numerical example is solved to demonstrate the validity of the model as well as the efficiency of the hybrid algorithm.

Eradication of Productivity Related Problems Through Lean Principles In Integrated Manufacturing Environment

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Rahul

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In this competitive era, manufacturing enterprises struggle to adopt cost-effective manufacturing systems. Overview of the recent manufacturing enterprises shows that successful global manufacturing enterprises have distributed their manufacturing capabilities over the globe. The successes of distributed integrated manufacturing enterprises depend upon the adaptation of appropriate manufacturing technologies like computer integrated manufacturing (CIM under the global collaborative environment along with the principles of lean manufacturing so that their corporate goals are achieved. CIM is an umbrella term which involves automated design, analysis, planning manufacturing, dispatching, customer-interaction, purchasing, cost accounting, inventory control and factory floor functions, which are inter-linked through the computer, to control all the campus-wide manufacturing related operations. It helps to improve the performance of a firm by integrating various areas of manufacturing business in which most of lean ideas are embedded. These lean ideas cause work in a process to be performed with minimum of non-value adding activities and focus on customers’ needs by delivering them at minimum time, with high quality and at minimum cost by eliminating hidden waste. What happens at the shop floor of even an integrated industry is that proper and timely attention is not paid to the intangible lean principles in the manual part of the CIM system which results in substantial loss of the plant productivity. Therefore the objective of this research paper is to investigate the different poor productivity-related problems in a partially integrated manufacturing environment and lay down the remedial measures to eradicate them using ‘Juran’s problem solving techniques’ and various ‘lean tools’ which results in the reduced wastages and hence improved productivity.

Pragmatic evaluation of the Toyota Production System (TPS analysis procedure for problem solving with entry-level nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukasz Maciej Mazur

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Medication errors occurring in hospitals are a growing national concern. These medication errors and their related costs (or wastes are seen as major factors leading to increased patient safety risks and increased waste in the hospital setting.  This article presents a study in which sixteen entry-level nurses utilized a Toyota Production System (TPS analysis procedure to solve medication delivery problems at one community hospital. The objective of this research was to study and evaluate the TPS analysis procedure for problem solving with entry-level nurses. Personal journals, focus group discussions, and a survey study were used to collect data about entry-level nurses’ perceptions of using the TPS problem solving approach to study medication delivery. A regression analysis was used to identify characteristics that enhance problem solving efforts. In addition, propositions for effective problem solving by entry-level nurses to aid in the reduction of medication errors in healthcare delivery settings are offered.

THE RESEARCH OF THE AMOUNT OF HEAVY METALS AND NITROSO COMPOUNDS IN CONCENTRATED TOMATO PRODUCTS

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V.V. Shutyuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The constant selling race results in need for improving the quality of nutrition products among in-house food and pharmaceutical processing industries, which is an all-important key to success on the consumer market. This requires constant improvement of the product producing technologies. The topical problem of quality is the presence of heavy metals and nitroso compounds in the products. The research aimed at studying the changes in the heavy metal concentration levels (including Zn, Cu, Pb in tomato products at their thickening has been conducted at the national University of Food Technologies. On the basis of the received results the relationship between the lead, copper, zinc, nitrosocompounds and the solid substances’ amount has been established. The conducted research allowed us to ascertain the fact that the amount of heavy metals and nitroso compounds in raw materials for the concentrated tomato products to be ofhigh quality must not exceed the values of 18…35 % of the limiting concentration.

Recent Research Trends in Genetic Algorithm Based Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problems

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Muhammad Kamal Amjad

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSSP is an extension of the classical Job Shop Scheduling Problem (JSSP. The FJSSP is known to be NP-hard problem with regard to optimization and it is very difficult to find reasonably accurate solutions of the problem instances in a rational time. Extensive research has been carried out in this area especially over the span of the last 20 years in which the hybrid approaches involving Genetic Algorithm (GA have gained the most popularity. Keeping in view this aspect, this article presents a comprehensive literature review of the FJSSPs solved using the GA. The survey is further extended by the inclusion of the hybrid GA (hGA techniques used in the solution of the problem. This review will give readers an insight into use of certain parameters in their future research along with future research directions.

Problems and Prospects of Pineapple Production in Enugu State ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study identified problems and prospects of pineapple production in Enugu State of Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was used to select eighty (80) pineapple farmers from two agricultural zones. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean score. Results showed that greater proportion of the farmers was ...

The Ethical Problems of Reserach : An empirical study of ethics in research practice

OpenAIRE

Colnerud, Gunnel

2013-01-01

Most accounts of the ethical problems facing researchers across a broad spectrum of research fields come from ethicists, ethics committees and specialists committed to the study of ethics in human research. In contrast, this study reports on the ethical questions that researchers, themselves, report facing in their everyday practice. Fifty-five Swedish researchers contributed 109 examples of ethical dilemmas, conflicts and problems in research. They were all researchers at the post-doctoral l...

The Problem of Being in Metaphysics | Kanu | African Research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

What is being? This was and still is one of the fundamental questions within the area of metaphysics. The researcher in this piece studies the dynamics of the problem of being in metaphysics. A historical approach is adopted to this study. The researcher goes through the Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary ...

DERMATITIS DIGITALIS GREAT PROBLEM OF MODERN CATTLE PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivanka Hadzic

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Dermatitis digitalis is an extremely contagious disease of cattle hooves multicausal etiology, which soon turns into a problem of the whole herd. It significantly decreases the milk, which may be in the global market economy can seriously undermine the competitiveness of producers who do not suppressed adequately. Analysis of data collected in 2013. and 2014th year coincides with the findings from the literature that bacterial causes of dermatitis digitalis in conditions of high temperature and humidity raised the number of infected animals in the warm period of the year. The most economical way to control this disease is constant zoohygienic implementation of measures and procedures: Hygiene herd at the prescribed level, proper design and construction of the reservoir, the proper design of the ventilation facility and strict implementation measures of disinfection and hoof bearing animals. The most effective way suppression diseases and hoof it to reduce the losses caused by the conditions of intensive livestock production that preventive measures and procedures as well as raising the level of biotechnology thinking of all employees in cattle production, while curative repair problems in patients with animals but does not eliminate losses manufacturer.

Integrated Production-Distribution Scheduling Problem with Multiple Independent Manufacturers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhong Hao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the nonstandard parts supply chain with a public service platform for machinery integration in China. The platform assigns orders placed by a machinery enterprise to multiple independent manufacturers who produce nonstandard parts and makes production schedule and batch delivery schedule for each manufacturer in a coordinate manner. Each manufacturer has only one plant with parallel machines and is located at a location far away from other manufacturers. Orders are first processed at the plants and then directly shipped from the plants to the enterprise in order to be finished before a given deadline. We study the above integrated production-distribution scheduling problem with multiple manufacturers to maximize a weight sum of the profit of each manufacturer under the constraints that all orders are finished before the deadline and the profit of each manufacturer is not negative. According to the optimal condition analysis, we formulate the problem as a mixed integer programming model and use CPLEX to solve it.

Factors affecting research productivity of production and operations management groups: An empirical study

OpenAIRE

George C. Hadjinicola; Andreas C. Soteriou

2006-01-01

This paper identifies factors that promote research productivity of production and operations management (POM) groups of researchers in US business schools. In this study, research productivity of a POM group is defined as the number of articles published per POM professor in a specific period of time. The paper also examines factors that affect research quality, as measured by the number of articles published per POM professor in journals, which have been recognized in the POM literature as ...

Case study of information product for strategy research, planning research, and policy research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Yujun; Zou Lin; Liu Qun; Wang Yongping

2010-01-01

Soft science research is significant and can directly support the decision-making and development. The strategy research, planning research, and policy research each play an important role in soft science research. As the National Strategy of Informatization being implemented and advanced, some progress are made and some special information tools are produced in the process of strengthening the development research with information technologies. At first, the article introduced some cases of information products application, such as the domestic and overseas information products for energy strategy research and planning research and policy research, the governmental management information system for planning and investment, examination and approval and permission system for the planning of the land for construction, China agriculture decision support system and so on, and also gave a brief analysis on the theories and methods, main functions and application status. And then, with a analysis on the features of the works of development planning of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) development, this article gave some suggestions on how to strengthen the development of information system for the development planning of the CNNC. (authors)

Animal Production Research Advances: Editorial Policies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Focus and Scope. Animal production research advances is a peer-review journal established expressly to promote the production of all animal species utilized as food. The journal has an international scope and is intended for professionals in animal production and related sciences. We solicit contributions from animal ...

Urgent problems of radioecology concerned with the problems of the Atomic Energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksakhin, R.M.; Polikarpov, G.G.

1982-11-01

Fundamentals tasks of contemporary radioecology concerning migration of natural and artificial radionuclides and the effect of ionizing radiation on natural biogeocenosis are expounded which arose from the developing production and uses of atomic energy. The authors discuss the problems of ecological control over radiation affection of ecosystems and present the classification of natural areas according to their ecological condition. The authors also stress the urgency of studies of migration in the biosphere of radionuclides of the complete nuclear fuel turnover [fr

Finite Blaschke products with prescribed critical points, Stieltjes polynomials, and moment problems

Science.gov (United States)

Semmler, Gunter; Wegert, Elias

2017-09-01

The determination of a finite Blaschke product from its critical points is a well-known problem with interrelations to several other topics. Though existence and uniqueness of solutions are established for long, we present new aspects which have not yet been explored to their full extent. In particular, we show that the following three problems are equivalent: (i) determining a finite Blaschke product from its critical points, (ii) finding the equilibrium position of moveable point charges interacting with a special configuration of fixed charges, and (iii) solving a moment problem for the canonical representation of power moments on the real axis. These equivalences are not only of theoretical interest, but also open up new perspectives for the design of algorithms. For instance, the second problem is closely linked to the determination of certain Stieltjes and Van Vleck polynomials for a second order ODE and characterizes solutions as global minimizers of an energy functional.

Women Academics and Research Productivity: An International Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Aiston, Sarah Jane; Jung, Jisun

2015-01-01

In the prestige economy of higher education, research productivity is highly prized. Previous research indicates, however, a gender gap with respect to research output. This gap is often explained by reference to familial status and responsibilities. In this article, we examine the research productivity gender gap from an international perspective…

Research Problems in Data Curation: Outcomes from the Data Curation Education in Research Centers Program

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, C. L.; Mayernik, M. S.; Weber, N.; Baker, K. S.; Kelly, K.; Marlino, M. R.; Thompson, C. A.

2013-12-01

The need for data curation is being recognized in numerous institutional settings as national research funding agencies extend data archiving mandates to cover more types of research grants. Data curation, however, is not only a practical challenge. It presents many conceptual and theoretical challenges that must be investigated to design appropriate technical systems, social practices and institutions, policies, and services. This presentation reports on outcomes from an investigation of research problems in data curation conducted as part of the Data Curation Education in Research Centers (DCERC) program. DCERC is developing a new model for educating data professionals to contribute to scientific research. The program is organized around foundational courses and field experiences in research and data centers for both master's and doctoral students. The initiative is led by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, and library and data professionals at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). At the doctoral level DCERC is educating future faculty and researchers in data curation and establishing a research agenda to advance the field. The doctoral seminar, Research Problems in Data Curation, was developed and taught in 2012 by the DCERC principal investigator and two doctoral fellows at the University of Illinois. It was designed to define the problem space of data curation, examine relevant concepts and theories related to both technical and social perspectives, and articulate research questions that are either unexplored or under theorized in the current literature. There was a particular emphasis on the Earth and environmental sciences, with guest speakers brought in from NCAR, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Through the assignments, students

Optimizing a Biobjective Production-Distribution Planning Problem Using a GRASP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martha-Selene Casas-Ramírez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses a biobjective production-distribution planning problem. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem with two objectives. The objectives are to minimize the total costs and to balance the total workload of the supply chain, which consist of plants and depots, considering that it represents a company vertically integrated. In order to solve the model, we propose an adapted biobjective GRASP to obtain an approximation of the Pareto front. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, numerical experimentations are conducted over a set of instances used for similar problems. Results indicate that the proposed GRASP obtains a relatively small number of nondominated solutions for each tested instance in very short computational time. The approximated Pareto fronts are discontinuous and nonconvex. Moreover, the solutions clearly show the compromise between both objective functions.

Challenges in Education Research in Taiwan: Research Institutes and Organizations, Research Policies, and Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia Li Huang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Since the 1990s, many education researchers and policy makers worldwide have reviewed education research to attempt to provide strategies to improve the quality of such research in their countries. Taiwan’s government has launched policies and funded support to set the benchmark for Taiwan’s leading universities in international academic competition. The external environment of global competition based on research policy influences the ecosystem of social science research production. To assure the quality of education policy, peer review from within the education community is one approach to supplementing the government’s governance, including the establishment of research institutes, promotion, rewards, and research value. This study tracked the mode of academic research and provides an overview of the status of academic education research in Taiwan. Because education research is part of the humanities and social sciences fields, this study identified the challenges in educational research by examining the trend of social science research and by analyzing research organizations, policy, and the evaluation of research performance. Due to the environment of education research in Taiwan is not friendly to education researcher to accumulate papers in SSCI or international journal, additional concerns entail how education research communities can develop and agree on its quality.

Process-Product Research: A Cornerstone in Educational Effectiveness Research

Science.gov (United States)

Creemers, Bert; Kyriakides, Leonidas

2015-01-01

This article links the contribution of process-product studies in developing the theoretical framework of educational effectiveness by pointing out the importance of teacher behavior in the classroom. The role that Jere Brophy played in this evolving research is described within the various phases of teacher effectiveness research. Process-product…

If All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Begins to Look Like a Nail--How Wicked Is the Problem of Measuring Productivity in Higher Education?

Science.gov (United States)

Drengenberg, Nicholas; Bain, Alan

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the wicked problem of measuring the productivity of learning and teaching in higher education. We show how fundamental validity issues and difficulties identified in educational productivity research point to the need for a qualitatively different framework when considering the entire question. We describe the work that needs…

The Journal of Stored-Products Research: The living history of stored product protection

Science.gov (United States)

This year, the Journal of Stored Products Research (JSPR) completes 52 years of history with publications of research papers. With approx. one hundred articles annually, the JSPR is an important scientific forum for stored product researchers throughout the globe. The aims and scope of JSPR are focu...

Analysis of the problems, which have the users employing software packages in the production control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vortherms, B.; Moeller, C.

1977-08-01

The use of EDP is particularly effective in the dispositive area of enterprises. The realization of adequate systems, however, is involving considerable problems. This study is analyzing such problems of production control which have been obtained by investigations carried out in several enterprises. The problems of production control, the procedure in carrying out investigations and the prevalence of EDP in enterprises are demonstrated. The problems found out and their causes are then systematized and analyzed. The solution proposals derived are orientation aids for an optimum use of EDP. (orig.) [de

Two efficient heuristics to solve the integrated load distribution and production planning problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajpal, Yuvraj; Nourelfath, Mustapha

2015-01-01

This paper considers a multi-period production system where a set of machines are arranged in parallel. The machines are unreliable and the failure rate of machine depends on the load assigned to the machine. The expected production rate of the system is considered to be a non-monotonic function of its load. Because of the machine failure rate, the total production output depends on the combination of loads assigned to different machines. We consider the integration of load distribution decisions with production planning decision. The product demands are considered to be known in advance. The objective is to minimize the sum of holding costs, backorder costs, production costs, setup costs, capacity change costs and unused capacity costs while satisfying the demand over specified time horizon. The constraint is not to exceed available repair resources required to repair the machine breakdown. The paper develops two heuristics to solve the integrated load distribution and production planning problem. The first heuristic consists of a three-phase approach, while the second one is based on tabu search metaheuristic. The efficiency of the proposed heuristics is tested through the randomly generated problem instances. - Highlights: • The expected performance of the system is a non-monotonic function of its load. • We consider the integration of load distribution and production planning decisions. • The paper proposes three phase and tabu search based heuristics to solve the problem. • Lower bound has been developed for checking the effectiveness of the heuristics. • The efficiency of the heuristic is tested through randomly generated instances.

North American long-term soil productivity research program

Science.gov (United States)

Allan E. Tiarks; Robert F. Powers; Jerry F. Ragus; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Felix Ponder; Douglas M. Stone

1997-01-01

The National Long-term Soil Productivity research program was chartered to address National Forest Management Act concerns over possible losses n soil productivity on national forest lands. The program supports validation of soil quality monitoring standards and process-level productivity research. Summarized results are supplied to forests as collected. National...

A problem with inclusion in learning disability research.

Science.gov (United States)

McClimens, Alex; Allmark, Peter

2011-09-01

People with severe learning disability are particularly difficult to include in the research process. As a result, researchers may be tempted to focus on those with learning disability who can be included. The problem is exacerbated in this field as the political agenda of inclusion and involvement is driven by those people with learning disability who are the higher functioning. To overcome this we should first detach the notion of consent from ideas about autonomy and think instead of it as a way to avoid wronging others; this fits the original historical use of consent in research. This allows us to think in terms of including participants to the best of their abilities rather than in terms of a threshold of autonomy. Researchers could then use imaginative ways to include the least able and to ensure they are not wronged in research or by exclusion from it.

Flood Fighting Products Research Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — A wave research basin at the ERDC Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory has been modified specifically for testing of temporary, barrier-type, flood fighting products....

Bioenergy Research Programme. Yearbook 1994. Production of wood fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alakangas, E.

1995-01-01

BIOENERGIA Research Programme is one of energy technology programmes of the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry (in 1995 TEKES, Technology Development Center). The aim of Bioenergy Research Programme is to increase the use of economically profitable and environmentally sound bioenergy by improving the competitiveness of present peat and wood fuels. Research and development projects will also develop new economically competitive biofuels and new equipment and methods for production, handling and using of biofuels. The funding for 1994 was nearly 50 million FIM and projects numbered 60. The main goal of the production of wood fuels research area is to develop new production methods in order to decrease the production costs to the level of imported fuels. The total potential of the wood fuel use should be at least 1.0 million toe/a (5.5 million m 3 ). There were 27 projects in 1994 for research on wood fuel production. This part of the yearbook 1994 presents the main results of these projects. The wood reserves do not limit the obtainability of the target. Research and development work has, however, directed to development of equipment and research on wood fuels production chains. Many devices, designed for both separate and integrated production of wood fuels became ready or were becoming ready for prototyping, to be used for production tests. Results of the biomass harvesting and properties research were obtained for utilization in 1994. According to the results it is possible to obtain the desired targets both in integrated and separated production of wood fuels. (author)

[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.

Product Development and Commercialization of Diagnostic or Life Science Products for Scientists and Researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Meghan M

2017-01-01

Commercializing a diagnostic or life science product often encompasses different goals than that of research and grant funding. There are several necessary steps, and a strategy needs to be well defined in order to be successful. Product development requires input from and between various groups within a company and, for academia, outside entities. The product development stakeholder groups/entities are research, marketing, development, regulatory, manufacturing, clinical, safety/efficacy, and quality. After initial research and development, much of the work in product development can be outsourced or jointly created using public-private partnerships. This chapter serves as an overview of the product development process and provides a guide to best define a product strategy.

On a directed tree problem motivated by a newly introduced graph product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoon H. Boode

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce and study a directed tree problem motivated by a new graph product that we have recently introduced and analysed in two conference contributions in the context of periodic real-time processes. While the two conference papers were focussing more on the applications, here we mainly deal with the graph theoretical and computational complexity issues. We show that the directed tree problem is NP-complete and present and compare several heuristics for this problem.

Spelling the Domain of Sustainable Product Innovation Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boks, Casper; McAloone, Tim C.

2009-01-01

on research methodologies used (case study research, explorative research, descriptive or prescriptive research), case studies analysed, and theories used (such as innovation theory, institutional theory, organisational learning, entrepreneurship, technology management, or design theory). A recent survey......- and user thinking, product stewardship, environmental management of industrial systems, integrated product policies, environmental technology transfer, sustainable consumption and corporate social responsibility. A related question is to determine how scientific research on the PhD level has been......, including learning from historical developments, towards future research strategies and their industrial application....

Estimating the Effect and Economic Impact of Absenteeism, Presenteeism, and Work Environment-Related Problems on Reductions in Productivity from a Managerial Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Strömberg, Carl; Aboagye, Emmanuel; Hagberg, Jan; Bergström, Gunnar; Lohela-Karlsson, Malin

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to propose wage multipliers that can be used to estimate the costs of productivity loss for employers in economic evaluations, using detailed information from managers. Data were collected in a survey panel of 758 managers from different sectors of the labor market. Based on assumed scenarios of a period of absenteeism due to sickness, presenteeism and work environment-related problem episodes, and specified job characteristics (i.e., explanatory variables), managers assessed their impact on group productivity and cost (i.e., the dependent variable). In an ordered probit model, the extent of productivity loss resulting from job characteristics is predicted. The predicted values are used to derive wage multipliers based on the cost of productivity estimates provided by the managers. The results indicate that job characteristics (i.e., degree of time sensitivity of output, teamwork, or difficulty in replacing a worker) are linked to productivity loss as a result of health-related and work environment-related problems. The impact of impaired performance on productivity differs among various occupations. The mean wage multiplier is 1.97 for absenteeism, 1.70 for acute presenteeism, 1.54 for chronic presenteeism, and 1.72 for problems related to the work environment. This implies that the costs of health-related and work environment-related problems to organizations can exceed the worker's wage. The use of wage multipliers is recommended for calculating the cost of health-related and work environment-related productivity loss to properly account for actual costs. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Projects in Physics: A Mechanism for Teaching Ill-Structured Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Milbourne, Jeff; Bennett, Jonathan

2017-10-01

Physics education research has a tradition of studying problem solving, exploring themes such as physical intuition and differences between expert and novice problem solvers. However, most of this work has focused on traditional, or well-structured, problems, similar to what might appear in a textbook. Less work has been done with open-ended, or ill-structured, problems, similar to the types of problems students might face in their professional lives. Given the national discourse on educational system reform aligned with 21st century skills, including problem solving, it is critical to provide educational experiences that help students learn to solve all types of problems, including ill-structured problems.

Alaska communities and forest environments: a problem analysis and research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Linda E. Kruger; Rhonda L. Mazza

2006-01-01

This problem analysis describes a variety of human-resource interaction issues and identifies related social science research and development needs that serve as the foundation for the Alaska Communities and Forest Environments Team within the Pacific Northwest Research Station. The document lays out a research agenda that focuses on understanding relations between...

Intermodal safety research needs report of the sixth workshop on national transportation problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warshawer, A.J. (ed.)

1976-04-01

This conference brought together DOT policymakers, university principal investigators and other professionals to consider the intermodal safety research requirements of the Department of Transportation. The objectives of the conference were: (1) to highlight safety problems and needed transportation safety research identified by DOT modal safety managers and to stimulate university or university/industry teams to respond with research proposals which emphasize multi-modal applicability and a system view; and (2) to provide a forum for university research groups to inform DOT safety managers of promising new directions in transportation safety research and new tools with which to address safety related problems. The conference addressed the research requirements for safety as identified by the Statement of National Transportation Policy and by the modal safety managers in three principal contexts, each a workshop panel: I, Inter-Institutional Problems of Transportation Safety. Problems were described as: Federal-State, local; Federal-Industry; Federal-Public, Consumer groups. II, Goal Setting and Planning for Transportation Safety Programs. Issues were: modifying risk behavior, safety as a social value, and involving citizens in development of standards as a way of increasing probability of achieving program objectives. III, DOT Information, Management, and Evaluation Systems Requirements. Needs were: data requirements and analytic tools for management of safety programs.

On the Problem of Validity of Qualitative Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jo Reichertz

2000-06-01

Full Text Available Whether the research results put forth by (social scientists on behalf of their professional vocation and on behalf of their professional standards they adhere to, can be regarded as valid, shall be examined from the perspective of the sociology of knowledge. By means of applying the sociology of knowledge to its own research results, it shall be shown that research and research results are inevitably bound to perspective (in fact, not a surprising insight. Therefore—so the underlying thesis of the argument—, research must be aimed at the systematic production of doubt in order to facilitate maximum extinction of fault. Suggestions are advanced of how qualitative research projects can be defended despite the increasing competition regarding research grants and despite the problematic epistemological position. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002324

The programme 'fission product deposition' at the IRB of Juelich nuclear research centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gottaut, H.; Iniotakis, N.; Malinowski, J.; Muenchow, K.H.; Sackmann, B.

1976-01-01

The transport and deposition behaviour of the non-gaseous fission and activation products in the primary circuit of HTR-type reactors determines the possibility of inspection and maintenance of single components of the primary circuit as well as the safety of the reactor in normal operation and during accidents. For the investigation of these problems, the programme 'fission product deposition' was started at Juelich nuclear research centre in 1969 in cooperation with a number of industrial firms. The programme covers in-pile and out-of-pile experiments, in which the HTR conditions are simulated as realistically as possible, as well as various laboratory experiments and extensive theoretical studies. It is the objective of this work to establish a realistic physical model and computer programme with which the transport and deposition of nuclides in the primary circuit of HTR reactors can be calculated in advance. A report is given on the experimental and theoretical studies carried out at the IRB of Juelich nuclear research centre. (orig./AK) [de

Research on Energy-Saving Production Scheduling Based on a Clustering Algorithm for a Forging Enterprise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yifei Tong

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Energy efficiency is a buzzword of the 21st century. With the ever growing need for energy efficient and low-carbon production, it is a big challenge for high energy-consumption enterprises to reduce their energy consumption. To this aim, a forging enterprise, DVR (the abbreviation of a forging enterprise, is researched. Firstly, an investigation into the production processes of DVR is given as well as an analysis of forging production. Then, the energy-saving forging scheduling is decomposed into two sub-problems. One is for cutting and machining scheduling, which is similar to traditional machining scheduling. The other one is for forging and heat treatment scheduling. Thirdly, former forging production scheduling is presented and solved based on an improved genetic algorithm. Fourthly, the latter is discussed in detail, followed by proposed dynamic clustering and stacking combination optimization. The proposed stacking optimization requires making the gross weight of forgings as close to the maximum batch capacity as possible. The above research can help reduce the heating times, and increase furnace utilization with high energy efficiency and low carbon emissions.

Research Projects in Physics: A Mechanism for Teaching Ill-Structured Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Milbourne, Jeff; Bennett, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Physics education research has a tradition of studying problem solving, exploring themes such as physical intuition and differences between expert and novice problem solvers. However, most of this work has focused on traditional, or well-structured, problems, similar to what might appear in a textbook. Less work has been done with open-ended, or…

Solution Method of Multi-Product Two-Stage Logistics Problem with Constraints of Delivery Course

Science.gov (United States)

Ataka, Shinichiro; Gen, Mitsuo

The logistics network design is one of the important phase of Supply Chain Management (SCM) and it is the problem that should be optimized for long-term promotion of efficiency of the whole supply chain. Usually a plant produces different type of products. Even if it is a factory of the same company, delivery is different by a kind of a produced product. The restrictions which this model has are deeply concerned with TP in the real world. In this paper, we consider the logistics network design problems with multi-products and constraints for delivery course. To solve the problem, we used a hybrid priority-based Genetic Algorithm (h-priGA), and we tried the comparison experiment with priority-based Genetic Algorithm (priGA)and h-priGA, we show it about the effectiveness of h-priGA.

Regional Research Networking: A Stimulus to Research Collaboration and Research Productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

McElmurry, Beverly J.; Minckley, Barbara B.

1986-01-01

Models for collegial networking as a means of increasing the participants' scholarly productivity are presented. A Midwestern historical methodology research interest group is described as an example of the long-term benefits of forming networks of scholars. (MSE)

THE PERCEPTION ON ECOLOGICAL PRODUCTS – A RESEARCH ON THE URBAN CONSUMER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanase Laura Daniela

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This paper is about the consumers of organic products. The work is important because in Romania, although consumption data show a small percentage consumption of organic products, in words it is still high. The difference consists between the definition and the perception of the concept of ecological products in respondents’ eye. This work aims to study the consumer perception of such niche products from a narrow perspective and that of products certified or not. Trying to prove that there are differences in behaviour between the two groups. Problem arising in this field is that there are many concepts of period of environmentally-friendly. Marketing and criterion by which to do all the market report shows green products from the point of view as they are legal certificates. Only that in Romania, there are two different segments of shoppers. Those who buy green products certified and those who buy green products certified. These latter, which many call the peasant market supplies, are an interesting group of future investigation for this type of sale. This paper comes as a complete research done in this market and brings attention to a new variable of analysis for motivational research. This research is an exploratory research that proposed method is very common in research of this kind. We held three focus group meetings divided by a selection questionnaire. The first group of 7 persons included only persons who have declared that they have bought certified products and the second group of 9 persons included only people who bought uncertified products. The third group also of 9 persons included people in both categories. So we could identify what some say about others when they are face to face and also when they are not. The results are as expected. We can say says there difference between the two groups in terms of motivation choosing those types of products, the same reasons are for buyers and their family, taste and the appearance of

Research Mentorship Program (RMP to Enhance the Research Productivity in a Psychiatric Hospital: First Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhila Afshar

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Despite rapid movement in student research in recent years, there is still little evidence that shows the impact of students' activities on research productivity. In this RMP (Research Mentorship Program, we have tried to create a link between medical students with little experience and the professors in the field of medicine. This research was led by a group of medical students who are highly experienced in research. The aim of this study has been to evaluate the impact of the RMP on research productivity.Methods: The Research Mentorship Program began in July 2009 and the program continued for 6 months. After that initial period, the results were evaluated following another 18 months. Some of the interventions included: introducing the RMP to the students; student meetings of the RMP; meetings with the professors; designing a psychiatric history and mental status examination checklist; and research workshops.Results: In eleven semi years, the research productivity scores were evaluated, including eight semi years before interventions and 3 semi years after it. The results show a significant increase in the research productivity score after the RMP in comparison to the research productivity score before it (P-value=0.047. The mean RPS before the RMP was 16.56±7.30 and the score changed to 28.16±7.94 after the RMP.Conclusions: This study shows that with suitable interventions the student researcher’s have the potential to increase research productivity.

APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH TO THE PROBLEM OF INSTRUCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY.

Science.gov (United States)

SARTAIN, HARRY W.

SELECTED RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM OF INSTRUCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY IS SURVEYED AND DISCUSSED. BROAD TOPICS OF DISCUSSION ARE DEPARTMENTALIZATION, HOMOGENEOUS SECTIONING, INTERCLASS ABILITY SECTIONING, THE EXTENT OF VARIABILITY IN READING DEVELOPMENT, AND PRACTICES THAT MAY INCREASE FLEXIBILITY. AMONG THOSE PRACTICES TO INCREASE FLEXIBILITY ARE TEAM…

Wood products research in the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Theodore Wegner

2010-01-01

Forest biomass conversion to biofuels and other value-added co-products; hyper-performance advanced composites custom tailored to end use requirements; advanced high performance wood-based structures; and nanomaterials and nano-enable high performance products from wood represent important research and development investment areas for the successful transformation of...

Ground-breaking virtual research in product development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Helle Alsted; Jespersen, Kristina Risom; Buck, Nuka

2008-01-01

MAPP also focuses on virtual reality. In the research project RIPS - the Role of Information Processing in NPD Strategy - a simulation of a product development process was used as a data collection instrument.......MAPP also focuses on virtual reality. In the research project RIPS - the Role of Information Processing in NPD Strategy - a simulation of a product development process was used as a data collection instrument....

A facility for using cluster research to study environmental problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-11-01

This report begins by describing the general application of cluster based research to environmental chemistry and the development of a Cluster Structure and Dynamics Research Facility (CSDRF). Next, four important areas of cluster research are described in more detail, including how they can impact environmental problems. These are: surface-supported clusters, water and contaminant interactions, time-resolved dynamic studies in clusters, and cluster structures and reactions. These facilities and equipment required for each area of research are then presented. The appendices contain workshop agenda and a listing of the researchers who participated in the workshop discussions that led to this report

A facility for using cluster research to study environmental problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-11-01

This report begins by describing the general application of cluster based research to environmental chemistry and the development of a Cluster Structure and Dynamics Research Facility (CSDRF). Next, four important areas of cluster research are described in more detail, including how they can impact environmental problems. These are: surface-supported clusters, water and contaminant interactions, time-resolved dynamic studies in clusters, and cluster structures and reactions. These facilities and equipment required for each area of research are then presented. The appendices contain workshop agenda and a listing of the researchers who participated in the workshop discussions that led to this report.

Procurement management in scientific research and production project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Yi

2008-01-01

To meet the requirement of development trend of scientific research and production, it is necessary to incorporate the modern procurement management theory in the whole procurement process for the items used in scientific research and production.This paper provided some suggestions to improve the procurement management by introducing the experiences in the application of the modern procurement management methods in the procurement of parts production. (author)

Research Productivity: Some Paths Less Travelled

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Brian

2009-01-01

Conventional approaches for fostering research productivity, such as recruitment and incentives, do relatively little to develop latent capacities in researchers. Six promising unorthodox approaches are the promotion of regular writing, tools for creativity, good luck, happiness, good health and crowd wisdom. These options challenge conventional…

[Rwandan authorities preoccupied with the problem of disequilibrium between population and production].

Science.gov (United States)

1990-08-01

The density and rapid growth of population are Rwanda's most pressing national problem. the magnitude of the population problem cannot be adequately grasped without consideration of soil exhaustion and insufficient productivity of agricultural lands and the nutritional and health problems of the population. All citizens and authorities of Rwanda must respond at once to the need to increase production and control demographic growth. Members of the Central Committee of the National Revolutionary Movement for Development and government officials held joint meetings in June 1990 to consider a 4-volume work on population and family planning problems in Rwanda prepared by the National Office of Population and to debate the social, psychological, religious, and financial constraints on family planning programs in Rwanda. The meetings stressed that the imbalance between population and production is at the root of a series of social, economic, and health problems. It is the basic cause of famines in some regions of Rwanda, which threaten to become endemic if nothing is done to modify the demographic situation. The public powers, who are responsible for the welfare of the population, cannot remain indifferent to the prospect of a population growth rate expected to accelerate from 3.6% per year to 4.5% by 2011 if nothing is done. Attempts have been made to reconcile the views of the Catholic Church with the need to control population growth in Rwanda. The ultimate objective of Rwanda's population policy is to achieve food self-sufficiency through a decline in fertility. Family planning must be promoted at the same time that efforts are made to reduce early childhood mortality, increase awareness of family welfare, and provide training in demography and family planning.

Advanced Product Development for Combat Casualty Care at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

soldiers (22). These results were in contrast to concerns that ketamine, a psychoactive drug , would increase PTSD development. Later work showed that...problem. As the most important step to this process, research products, devices, drugs , techniques and practice guidelines are fielded to implement...Anesthesia (URODA) in decreasing narcotic consumption and opioid dependence in burned soldiers. Within our burn center, increased and improved

34 CFR 356.11 - What types of problems may be researched under the fellowship program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What types of problems may be researched under the... (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISABILITY AND... Program? § 356.11 What types of problems may be researched under the fellowship program? Problems...

Using the method of ideal point to solve dual-objective problem for production scheduling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariia Marko

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In practice, there are often problems, which must simultaneously optimize several criterias. This so-called multi-objective optimization problem. In the article we consider the use of the method ideal point to solve the two-objective optimization problem of production planning. The process of finding solution to the problem consists of a series of steps where using simplex method, we find the ideal point. After that for solving a scalar problems, we use the method of Lagrange multipliers

Problems Encountered during the Scientific Research Process in Graduate Education: The Institute of Educational Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Akyürek, Erkan; Afacan, Özlem

2018-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the problems faced by graduate students when conducting scientific research and to make suggestions for solving these problems. The research model was a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in the study with questions about the problems encountered during scientific research…

Peat production. Review of research projects; Turvetuotanto. Tutkimusalueen katsaus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leinonen, A. [VTT Energy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

1997-12-01

The development target in the research area of peat production is to improve the competitiveness of peat by reducing production costs by 20 % (by FIM 5 - 6/MWh) from the level of the year 1992 and to reduce environmental impacts. The most important research objects by which the target in peat production technology will be achieved are drawing and preparation technology, drying technology, mechanical technology, method technology, integration of wood harvesting and peat production, and the application of the results of the OPTIMITURVE Research Programme in practice. (orig.)

Socioeconomic analysis and problems of maize seed production in mid hill area of Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahesh Sapkota

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Maize is considered as staple food and is a way of life for the hilly region of Nepal. The production and yield of maize crop is very low which is unable to meet the current demand and is mostly affected by various insect/pests and diseases. For such a backdrop, 182 cross sectional data were collected using simple random techniques in Palpa in June, 2016. Forced scaling technique was used to rank problems based on index value. The total average landholding was 0.91 hectare with 0.32 ha under maize seed cultivation. About 90.7 and 69.8% farmers were access to extension service and had received training respectively. Infestation of insect/pests ranked at first as a major problem in maize seed production with 0.79 index value followed by infrastructure/credit, storage, unavailability of inputs and marketing problems. Similarly poor bargaining power ranked as a 1st major marketing problem. Better access to extension service as well as frequent training service to farmers should be provided to increase production and yield of maize seed. Government and other stakeholder organizations should focus to develop irrigation infrastructure for the overall development of maize sector.

Recent Research Trends in Genetic Algorithm Based Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problems

OpenAIRE

Amjad, Muhammad Kamal; Butt, Shahid Ikramullah; Kousar, Rubeena; Ahmad, Riaz; Agha, Mujtaba Hassan; Faping, Zhang; Anjum, Naveed; Asgher, Umer

2018-01-01

Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSSP) is an extension of the classical Job Shop Scheduling Problem (JSSP). The FJSSP is known to be NP-hard problem with regard to optimization and it is very difficult to find reasonably accurate solutions of the problem instances in a rational time. Extensive research has been carried out in this area especially over the span of the last 20 years in which the hybrid approaches involving Genetic Algorithm (GA) have gained the most popularity. Keeping in...

Research Productivity of Sports Medicine Fellowship Faculty

OpenAIRE

Cvetanovich, Gregory L.; Saltzman, Bryan M.; Chalmers, Peter N.; Frank, Rachel M.; Cole, Brian J.; Bach, Bernard R.

2016-01-01

Background: Research productivity is considered an important factor in academic advancement in sports medicine. No study to date has evaluated academic productivity and correlates of academic rank for sports medicine fellowship faculty. Purpose: To describe the academic productivity of American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) fellowship program faculty and to determine the association between academic productivity, fellowship characteristics, and academic rank. Study Design: D...

Problem-centric Process for Research-based Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled Shaban

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Research-based Learning (RbL extends Inquiry and Project-based Learning by facilitating an early stage exposure and training for future scientists through authentic research activities. In this paper, an iterative problem-centric RbL process is introduced, and its activities and management aspects are described. The process helps implement course-integrated research systematically and practically. Furthermore, the novel process follows constructivist methods in incorporating inquiry, scaffolding, open-ended projects, as well as a goal oriented learning approach. The RbL process is adopted in two advanced computing courses, at two different universities: a leading comprehensive Western university and a new university in a developing country. The paper summarizes new lessons learned in these rewarding experiences. In particular, the instructor should help students start their projects, by providing them with previous work or data and pre-approving the papers to review by students. He should also maintain a continuous feedback to and from students to keep the students motivated and help the instructor refine and adapt the RBL process. We note that research collaborators can help students in identifying the research topics early. The paper also shows how to alleviate difficulties that may be encountered by students who find the novel approach demanding, and consequently it also helps the instructors better manage the course contents.

RUPS: Research Utilizing Problem Solving. Administrators Version. Participant Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Charles; And Others

These materials are the handouts for school administrators participating in RUPS (Research Utilizing Problem Solving) workshops. The purposes of the workshops are to develop skills for improving schools and to increase teamwork skills. The handouts correspond to the 16 subsets that make up the five-day workshop: (1) orientation; (2) identifying…

Gender disparities in research productivity among 9952 academic physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Eloy, Jean Anderson; Svider, Peter F; Cherla, Deepa V; Diaz, Lucia; Kovalerchik, Olga; Mauro, Kevin M; Baredes, Soly; Chandrasekhar, Sujana S

2013-08-01

The number of women in medicine has increased considerably over the past 3 decades, and they now comprise approximately half of medical school matriculants. We examine whether gender disparities in research productivity are present throughout various specialties and compare these findings to those previously described among otolaryngologists. Bibliometric analysis. Research productivity, measured by the h-index, was calculated for 9,952 academic physicians representing 34 medical specialties. Additionally, trends in how rate of research productivity changed throughout different career stages were compared. Women were underrepresented at the level of professor and in positions of departmental leadership relative to their representation among assistant and associate professors. Male faculty had statistically higher research productivity both overall (H = 10.3 ± 0.14 vs. 5.6 ± 0.14) and at all academic ranks. For the overall sample, men and women appeared to have equivalent rates of research productivity. In internal medicine, men had higher early-career productivity, while female faculty had productivity equaling and even surpassing that of their male colleagues beyond 20 to 25 years. Men and women had equivalent productivity in surgical specialties throughout their careers, and similar rates in pediatrics until 25 to 30 years. Female academic physicians have decreased research productivity relative to men, which may be one factor contributing to their underrepresentation at the level of professor and departmental leader relative to their proportions in junior academic ranks. Potential explanations may include fewer woman physicians in the age groups during which higher academic ranks are attained, greater family responsibilities, and greater involvement in clinical service and educational contributions. © 2013 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Impact of problem finding on the quality of authentic open inquiry science research projects

Science.gov (United States)

Labanca, Frank

2008-11-01

Problem finding is a creative process whereby individuals develop original ideas for study. Secondary science students who successfully participate in authentic, novel, open inquiry studies must engage in problem finding to determine viable and suitable topics. This study examined problem finding strategies employed by students who successfully completed and presented the results of their open inquiry research at the 2007 Connecticut Science Fair and the 2007 International Science and Engineering Fair. A multicase qualitative study was framed through the lenses of creativity, inquiry strategies, and situated cognition learning theory. Data were triangulated by methods (interviews, document analysis, surveys) and sources (students, teachers, mentors, fair directors, documents). The data demonstrated that the quality of student projects was directly impacted by the quality of their problem finding. Effective problem finding was a result of students using resources from previous, specialized experiences. They had a positive self-concept and a temperament for both the creative and logical perspectives of science research. Successful problem finding was derived from an idiosyncratic, nonlinear, and flexible use and understanding of inquiry. Finally, problem finding was influenced and assisted by the community of practicing scientists, with whom the students had an exceptional ability to communicate effectively. As a result, there appears to be a juxtaposition of creative and logical/analytical thought for open inquiry that may not be present in other forms of inquiry. Instructional strategies are suggested for teachers of science research students to improve the quality of problem finding for their students and their subsequent research projects.

Current Situation, Problems and Solution Proposals of Kiwi Producer Associations in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erdal SIRAY

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Producer associations have an important role in adoption and implementation of new agricultural technologies. In Turkey, associations have contributed significantly to increase of kiwi production and its consumption in recent years. The most important function of kiwi producer associations is to assist their members in marketing of products as well as to try to provide solutions to problems related to kiwi production techniques. The data of this research was obtained from the 12 kiwi producer associations. According to the research results, the most important problem of kiwi producer associations is having financial difficulties. The associations, getting 79.4% of their incomes from the subscriptions, are unable to sufficiently perform their duties due to their limited budgets. The associations have indicated that the main problems in kiwi production are lack of knowledge for production techniques and qualified technical staff. There is no marketing problem of the product due to adequate domestic demand. But, the products should be disposed immediately due to lack of cold storage facilities and they are not sold at desired price.

The effective management of medical isotope production in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drummond, D.T.

1993-01-01

During the 50-yr history of the use of radioisotopes for medical applications, research reactors have played a pivotal role in the production of many if not most of the key products. The marriage between research reactors and production operations is subject to significant challenges on two fronts. The medical applications of the radioisotope products impose some unique constraints and requirements on the production process. In addition, the mandates and priorities of a research reactor are not always congruent with the demands of a production environment. This paper briefly reviews the historical development of medical isotope production, identifies the unique challenges facing this endeavor, and discusses the management of the relationship between the isotope producer and the research reactor operator. Finally, the key elements of a successful relationship are identified

Marketing research: Pathway to optimal market oriented products ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper examines the role of marketing research as pathway to developing optimal market oriented products. The objectives of this paper among others are to (i) Establish whether the use of marketing research has effect on new product adoption process by consumers (ii) Find out if there is any relationship between the ...

Requirements Engineering as Creative Problem Solving: A Research Agenda for Idea Finding

OpenAIRE

Maiden, N.; Jones, S.; Karlsen, I. K.; Neill, R.; Zachos, K.; Milne, A.

2010-01-01

This vision paper frames requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. Its purpose is to enable requirements researchers and practitioners to recruit relevant theories, models, techniques and tools from creative problem solving to understand and support requirements processes more effectively. It uses 4 drivers to motivate the case for requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. It then maps established requirements activities onto one of the longest-esta...

Problems Teachers Face When Doing Action Research and Finding Possible Solutions: Three Cases

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jun

2012-01-01

Through case studies, this paper explores problems teachers face when doing action research: for instance, teachers may misunderstand the research, mistrust university researchers, lack the time or adequate library resources to conduct research, lack theoretical guidance or knowledge of research methodology, and feel pressure or frustration during…

Characteristics of a productive research environment: literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bland, C J; Ruffin, M T

1992-06-01

What environmental factors stimulate and maintain research productivity? To answer this question, the authors conducted an extensive review of articles and books on research productivity published from the mid-1960s through 1990. This review revealed that a consistent set of 12 characteristics was found in research-conducive environments: (1) clear goals that serve a coordinating function, (2) research emphasis, (3) distinctive culture, (4) positive group climate, (5) assertive participative governance, (6) decentralized organization, (7) frequent communication, (8) accessible resources, particularly human, (9) sufficient size, age, and diversity of the research group, (10) appropriate rewards, (11) concentration on recruitment and selection, and (12) leadership with research expertise and skill in both initiating appropriate organizational structure and using participatory management practices. Some of these characteristics are not surprising, although some findings were unexpected, such as that participative governance correlated consistently with research productivity. The differential impact of each of these 12 characteristics is unclear. It is clear, however, that the leader has a disproportionate impact through his or her influence on all of the other characteristics. Yet, an overarching feature of these characteristics is their interdependency. These factors do not operate in research groups as isolated characteristics. Rather, they are like fine threads of a whole fabric: individual, yet when interwoven, providing a strong, supportive, and stimulating backdrop for the researcher. The authors conclude that while at a distance the productive research enterprise looks like a highly robust entity, upon closer inspection it is revealed to be a delicate structure highly dependent on the existence and effective working of numerous individual, organizational, and leadership characteristics.

General problems specific to hot nuclear materials research facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bart, G.

1996-01-01

During the sixties, governments have installed hot nuclear materials research facilities to characterize highly radioactive materials, to describe their in-pile behaviour, to develop and test new reactor core components, and to provide the industry with radioisotopes. Since then, the attitude towards the nuclear option has drastically changed and resources have become very tight. Within the changed political environment, the national research centres have defined new objectives. Given budgetary constraints, nuclear facilities have to co-operate internationally and to look for third party research assignments. The paper discusses the problems and needs within experimental nuclear research facilities as well as industrial requirements. Special emphasis is on cultural topics (definition of the scope of nuclear research facilities, the search for competitive advantages, and operational requirements), social aspects (overageing of personnel, recruitment, and training of new staff), safety related administrative and technical issues, and research needs for expertise and state of the art analytical infrastructure

Theory and algorithms for solving large-scale numerical problems. Application to the management of electricity production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiche, A.

2012-01-01

This manuscript deals with large-scale optimization problems, and more specifically with solving the electricity unit commitment problem arising at EDF. First, we focused on the augmented Lagrangian algorithm. The behavior of that algorithm on an infeasible convex quadratic optimization problem is analyzed. It is shown that the algorithm finds a point that satisfies the shifted constraints with the smallest possible shift in the sense of the Euclidean norm and that it minimizes the objective on the corresponding shifted constrained set. The convergence to such a point is realized at a global linear rate, which depends explicitly on the augmentation parameter. This suggests us a rule for determining the augmentation parameter to control the speed of convergence of the shifted constraint norm to zero. This rule has the advantage of generating bounded augmentation parameters even when the problem is infeasible. As a by-product, the algorithm computes the smallest translation in the Euclidean norm that makes the constraints feasible. Furthermore, this work provides solution methods for stochastic optimization industrial problems decomposed on a scenario tree, based on the progressive hedging algorithm introduced by [Rockafellar et Wets, 1991]. We also focus on the convergence of that algorithm. On the one hand, we offer a counter-example showing that the algorithm could diverge if its augmentation parameter is iteratively updated. On the other hand, we show how to recover the multipliers associated with the non-dualized constraints defined on the scenario tree from those associated with the corresponding constraints of the scenario subproblems. Their convergence is also analyzed for convex problems. The practical interest of theses solutions techniques is corroborated by numerical experiments performed on the electric production management problem. We apply the progressive hedging algorithm to a realistic industrial problem. More precisely, we solve the French medium

An Analytical Model for Multilayer Well Production Evaluation to Overcome Cross-Flow Problem

KAUST Repository

Hakiki, Farizal; Wibowo, Aris T.; Rahmawati, Silvya D.; Yasutra, Amega; Sukarno, Pudjo

2017-01-01

One of the major concerns in a multi-layer system is that interlayer cross-flow may occur if reservoir fluids are produced from commingled layers that have unequal initial pressures. Reservoir would commonly have bigger average reservoir pressure (pore fluid pressure) as it goes deeper. The phenomenon is, however, not followed by the reservoir productivity or injectivity. The existence of reservoir with quite low average-pressure and high injectivity would tend experiencing the cross-flow problem. It is a phenomenon of fluid from bottom layer flowing into upper layer. It would strict upper-layer fluid to flow into wellbore. It is as if there is an injection treatment from bottom layer. The study deploys productivity index an approach parameter taking into account of cross-flow problem instead of injectivity index since it is a production well. The analytical study is to model the reservoir multilayer by addressing to avoid cross-flow problem. The analytical model employed hypothetical and real field data to test it. The scope of this study are: (a) Develop mathematical-based solution to determine the production rate from each layer; (b) Assess different scenarios to optimize production rate, those are: pump setting depth and performance of in-situ choke (ISC) installation. The ISC is acting as an inflow control device (ICD) alike that help to reduce cross-flow occurrence. This study employed macro program to write the code and develop the interface. Fast iterative procedure happens on solving the analytical model. Comparison results recognized that the mathematical-based solution shows a good agreement with the commercial software derived results.

An Analytical Model for Multilayer Well Production Evaluation to Overcome Cross-Flow Problem

KAUST Repository

Hakiki, Farizal

2017-10-17

One of the major concerns in a multi-layer system is that interlayer cross-flow may occur if reservoir fluids are produced from commingled layers that have unequal initial pressures. Reservoir would commonly have bigger average reservoir pressure (pore fluid pressure) as it goes deeper. The phenomenon is, however, not followed by the reservoir productivity or injectivity. The existence of reservoir with quite low average-pressure and high injectivity would tend experiencing the cross-flow problem. It is a phenomenon of fluid from bottom layer flowing into upper layer. It would strict upper-layer fluid to flow into wellbore. It is as if there is an injection treatment from bottom layer. The study deploys productivity index an approach parameter taking into account of cross-flow problem instead of injectivity index since it is a production well. The analytical study is to model the reservoir multilayer by addressing to avoid cross-flow problem. The analytical model employed hypothetical and real field data to test it. The scope of this study are: (a) Develop mathematical-based solution to determine the production rate from each layer; (b) Assess different scenarios to optimize production rate, those are: pump setting depth and performance of in-situ choke (ISC) installation. The ISC is acting as an inflow control device (ICD) alike that help to reduce cross-flow occurrence. This study employed macro program to write the code and develop the interface. Fast iterative procedure happens on solving the analytical model. Comparison results recognized that the mathematical-based solution shows a good agreement with the commercial software derived results.

Profile and scientific production of CNPq researchers in cardiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Eduardo Araujo de; Ribeiro, Antonio Luiz Pinho; Quirino, Isabel Gomes; Oliveira, Maria Christina Lopes; Martelli, Daniella Reis; Lima, Leonardo Santos; Colosimo, Enrico Antonio; Lopes, Thais Junqueira; Silva, Ana Cristina Simões; Martelli, Hercílio

2011-09-01

Systematic assessments of the scientific production can optimize resource allocation and increase research productivity in Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile and scientific production of researchers in the field of Cardiology who have fellowship in Medicine provided by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. The curriculum Lattes of 33 researchers with active fellowships from 2006 to 2008 were included in the analysis. The variables of interest were: gender, affiliation, tutoring of undergraduate, masters and PhD students, and scientific production and its impact. : There was predominance of males (72.7%) and of fellowship level 2 (56.4%). Three states of the Federation were responsible for 94% of the researchers: SP (28; 71.8%), RS (4; 10.3%), e RJ (3; 9.1%). Four institutions are responsible for about 82% of researchers: USP (13; 39.4%), UNESP (5; 15.2%), UFRGS (4; 12.1%) e UNIFESP (3; 9.1%). During all academic careers, the researchers published 2.958 journal articles, with a mean of 89 articles per researcher. Of total, 55% and 75% were indexed at Web of Science and Scopus databases, respectively. The researchers received a total of 19648 citations at the database Web of Science, with a median of 330 citations per researcher (IQ = 198-706). The average number of citations per article was 13.5 citations (SD = 11.6). Our study has shown that researchers in the field of cardiology have a relevant scientific production. The knowledge of the profile of researchers in the field of Cardiology will probably enable effective strategies to qualitatively improve the scientific output of Brazilian researchers.

Clinical Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Irene

2016-01-01

This paper is about the logic of problem solving and the production of scientific knowledge through the utilisation of clinical research perspective. Ramp-up effectiveness, productivity, efficiency and organizational excellence are topics that continue to engage research and will continue doing so...... for years to come. This paper seeks to provide insights into ramp-up management studies through providing an agenda for conducting collaborative clinical research and extend this area by proposing how clinical research could be designed and executed in the Ramp- up management setting....

Considerations for higher efficiency and productivity in research activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Forero, Diego A; Moore, Jason H

2016-01-01

There are several factors that are known to affect research productivity; some of them imply the need for large financial investments and others are related to work styles. There are some articles that provide suggestions for early career scientists (PhD students and postdocs) but few publications are oriented to professors about scientific leadership. As academic mentoring might be useful at all levels of experience, in this note we suggest several key considerations for higher efficiency and productivity in academic and research activities. More research is needed into the main work style features that differentiate highly productive scientists and research groups, as some of them could be innate and others could be transferable. As funding agencies, universities and research centers invest large amounts of money in order to have a better scientific productivity, a deeper understanding of these factors will be of high academic and societal impact.

From problem people to addictive products: a qualitative study on rethinking gambling policy from the perspective of lived experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Helen E; Thomas, Samantha L; Robinson, Priscilla

2018-04-06

Previous research has shown that government and industry discussions of gambling may focus on personal responsibility for gambling harm. In Australia, these discussions have largely excluded people with lived experience of problem gambling, including those involved in peer support and advocacy. We conducted 26 in-depth interviews with people with current or previous problem gambling on electronic gaming machines (EGMs) involved in peer support and advocacy activities, using an approach informed by Interpretive Policy Analysis and Constructivist Grounded Theory. Participants perceived that government and industry discussed gambling as safe and entertaining with a focus on personal responsibility for problem gambling. This focus on personal responsibility was perceived to increase stigma associated with problem gambling. In contrast, they described gambling as risky, addictive and harmful, with problem gambling resulting from the design of EGMs. As a result of their different perspectives, participants proposed different interventions to reduce gambling harm, including reducing accessibility and making products safer. Challenging the discourses used by governments and industry to describe gambling, using the lived experience of people with experience of gambling harm, may result in reduced stigma associated with problem gambling, and more effective public policy approaches to reducing harm.

RUPS: Research Utilizing Problem Solving. Classroom Version. Leader's Manual.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Charles; And Others

This training manual is for teachers participating in the Research Utilizing Problem Solving (RUPS) workshops. The workshops last for four and one-half days and are designed to improve the school setting and to increase teamwork skills. The teachers participate in simulation exercises in which they help a fictitious teacher or principal solve a…

An Analysis of Female Research Productivity in Nigerian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Ogbogu, Christiana O.

2009-01-01

This study examines the research output of female staff and the factors that affect their research productivity in the Nigerian university system. The study was carried out with a view to promoting strategies that will enhance productivity and increase the research output of female staff in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a survey…

Scientific Paradigms and Falsification: Kuhn, Popper, and Problems in Education Research

Science.gov (United States)

Hyslop-Margison, Emery James

2010-01-01

By examining the respective contributions of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn to the philosophy of science, the author highlights some prevailing problems in this article with the methods of so-called scientific research in education. The author enumerates a number of reasons why such research, in spite of its limited tangible return, continues to gain…

Genetic Algorithm for Solving Location Problem in a Supply Chain Network with Inbound and Outbound Product Flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suprayogi Suprayogi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper considers a location problem in a supply chain network. The problem addressed in this paper is motivated by an initiative to develop an efficient supply chain network for supporting the agricultural activities. The supply chain network consists of regions, warehouses, distribution centers, plants, and markets. The products include a set of inbound products and a set of outbound products. In this paper, definitions of the inbound and outbound products are seen from the region’s point of view.  The inbound product is the product demanded by regions and produced by plants which flows on a sequence of the following entities: plants, distribution centers, warehouses, and regions. The outbound product is the product demanded by markets and produced by regions and it flows on a sequence of the following entities: regions, warehouses, and markets. The problem deals with determining locations of the warehouses and the distribution centers to be opened and shipment quantities associated with all links on the network that minimizes the total cost. The problem can be considered as a strategic supply chain network problem. A solution approach based on genetic algorithm (GA is proposed. The proposed GA is examined using hypothetical instances and its results are compared to the solution obtained by solving the mixed integer linear programming (MILP model. The comparison shows that there is a small gap (0.23%, on average between the proposed GA and MILP model in terms of the total cost. The proposed GA consistently provides solutions with least total cost. In terms of total cost, based on the experiment, it is demonstrated that coefficients of variation are closed to 0.

Nigerian Educational Research For Sustainable Development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Education and research controls the development of any nation because no nation can rise above the products of its educational system. However, a number of problems face our educational and national development in general. The solution to such problem lies in research . educational research for sustainable ...

The waste management at research laboratories - problems and solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dellamano, Jose Claudio; Vicente, Roberto

2011-01-01

The radioactive management in radioactive installations must be planned and controlled. However, in the case of research laboratories, that management is compromised due to the common use of materials and installations, the lack of trained personnel and the nonexistence of clear and objective orientations by the regulator organism. Such failures cause an increasing of generated radioactive wastes and the imprecision or nonexistence of record of radioactive substances, occasioning a financial wastage, and the cancelling of licences for use of radioactive substances. This paper discusses and proposes solutions for the problems found at radioactive waste management in research laboratories

Problems and Instruments of Product and Technological Diversification of Manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuzmin Oleg Ye.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article involves identification of objectives and development of instruments for product and technological diversification aimed at updating the range of products and introducing innovative technologies, which will ensure a high level of competitiveness and create preconditions for steady development of the enterprise. As a result of studying the literary sources the objectives and instruments for development of enterprises by means of product and technological diversification have been defined. The article suggests effective instruments of product and technological diversification of manufacturing, namely: the model of expansion of the product range, multi-criteria model of optimization of the product range, a modified model of Kantorovich-Koopmans for implementing new production technologies with set limits on the product output. Further research relate to formation of instruments for manufacturing diversification by means of introducing new types of production.

How Can We Improve Problem Solving in Undergraduate Biology? Applying Lessons from 30 Years of Physics Education Research

Science.gov (United States)

Hoskinson, A.-M.; Caballero, M. D.; Knight, J. K.

2013-01-01

If students are to successfully grapple with authentic, complex biological problems as scientists and citizens, they need practice solving such problems during their undergraduate years. Physics education researchers have investigated student problem solving for the past three decades. Although physics and biology problems differ in structure and content, the instructional purposes align closely: explaining patterns and processes in the natural world and making predictions about physical and biological systems. In this paper, we discuss how research-supported approaches developed by physics education researchers can be adopted by biologists to enhance student problem-solving skills. First, we compare the problems that biology students are typically asked to solve with authentic, complex problems. We then describe the development of research-validated physics curricula emphasizing process skills in problem solving. We show that solving authentic, complex biology problems requires many of the same skills that practicing physicists and biologists use in representing problems, seeking relationships, making predictions, and verifying or checking solutions. We assert that acquiring these skills can help biology students become competent problem solvers. Finally, we propose how biology scholars can apply lessons from physics education in their classrooms and inspire new studies in biology education research. PMID:23737623

How can we improve problem solving in undergraduate biology? Applying lessons from 30 years of physics education research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoskinson, A-M; Caballero, M D; Knight, J K

2013-06-01

If students are to successfully grapple with authentic, complex biological problems as scientists and citizens, they need practice solving such problems during their undergraduate years. Physics education researchers have investigated student problem solving for the past three decades. Although physics and biology problems differ in structure and content, the instructional purposes align closely: explaining patterns and processes in the natural world and making predictions about physical and biological systems. In this paper, we discuss how research-supported approaches developed by physics education researchers can be adopted by biologists to enhance student problem-solving skills. First, we compare the problems that biology students are typically asked to solve with authentic, complex problems. We then describe the development of research-validated physics curricula emphasizing process skills in problem solving. We show that solving authentic, complex biology problems requires many of the same skills that practicing physicists and biologists use in representing problems, seeking relationships, making predictions, and verifying or checking solutions. We assert that acquiring these skills can help biology students become competent problem solvers. Finally, we propose how biology scholars can apply lessons from physics education in their classrooms and inspire new studies in biology education research.

Trouble in Paradise: Problems in Academic Research Co-authoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozeman, Barry; Youtie, Jan

2016-12-01

Scholars and policy-makers have expressed concerns about the crediting of coauthors in research publications. Most such problems fall into one of two categories, excluding deserving contributors or including undeserving ones. But our research shows that there is no consensus on "deserving" or on what type of contribution suffices for co-authorship award. Our study uses qualitative data, including interviews with 60 US academic science or engineering researchers in 14 disciplines in a set of geographically distributed research-intensive universities. We also employ data from 161 website posts provided by 93 study participants, again US academic scientists. We examine a variety of factors related to perceived unwarranted exclusion from co-author credit and unwarranted inclusion, providing an empirically-informed conceptual model to explain co-author crediting outcomes. Determinants of outcomes include characteristics of disciplines and fields, institutional work culture, power dynamics and team-specific norms and decision processes.

Measuring the productivity of university research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voth, M.H.

1989-01-01

University Research Reactors (URRs) on 33 campuses in the United States provide valuable contributions to academic instruction and research programs. In most cases, there are no alternative diagnostic techniques to supplant the need for a reactor and associated facilities. Since URRs constitute a major financial commitment, it is important that they be operated in a productive manner. Productivity may be defined as the sum of new knowledge generated, existing knowledge transferred to others, and analytical services provided to assist in the generation of new knowledge; another definition of productivity is this sum expressed as a function of the cost incurred. In either case, a consistent measurement is difficult and more qualitative than quantitative. A uniform reporting system has been proposed that defines simplified categories through which meaningful comparisons can be performed

Means-end chains and laddering: An inventory of problems and an agenda for research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Beckmann, Suzanne C.; Sørensen, Elin

2001-01-01

and unconscious (or, at least, semiconscious) factors. It is intuitively appealing to the practitioner but has, likewise, attracted academic research. Increased acceptance and use of a new approach inevitably leads to the detection of unresolved issues and problems. Many of these unresolved issues are related...... to the collection and analysis of laddering data. However, many of these also point at problems of a more theoretical nature. In this chapter presented are some of the issues regarded as unresolved and suggested research that could help in solving these problems. The mayor part of this chapter deals...... with methodological problems of the interview technique called laddering, og coding laddering data, and of analysing the coded data. However, also shown, methodological and theoretical issues are partly interlinked: resolutions of methodological problems may require theoretical progress or at least a clarification...

Predictors of Teacher Educators' Research Productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Nasser-Abu Alhija, Fadia M.; Majdob, Arin

2017-01-01

This study examined the relationship between teacher educators' research productivity (RP) and their background and professional characteristics, attitudes, motives, obstacles and time devoted to research. The sample included 161 teacher educators from four teacher education colleges in Israel. The findings indicate the significance of five…

‘"Education-based Research"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Degn Johansson, Troels

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

Livestock Production - Future Directions and Priority Research Areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robinson, P.H., E-mail: phrobinson@ucdavis.edu [Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA (United States)

2014-07-15

While specific issues facing ruminant production differ in detail between developed and developing countries, the general constraints and challenges suggest that common research interests will continue to exist. The need to increase outputs of ruminant meat and milk products differ sharply between the developed and developing world, although a need to increase animal productivity is evident in both, albeit primarily to increase product output in the developing world but to decrease environmental impacts of food producing ruminants in the developed world. The largest single limitation to increasing productivity of ruminants in the low digestibility of the structural carbohydrates which comprise a large proportion of their diets. Research on actions of secondary compounds in ruminal metabolism is required to avoid their negative effects and harvest the benefits of their positive effects. Domesticated ruminants have historically provided a substantial portion of the world's supplies. However if that is to continue, ways must be found to increase digestibility of their primary feedstocks, increase the 'healthfulness' of their products to humans, and decrease the environmental impact of their production systems.

Livestock Production - Future Directions and Priority Research Areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, P.H.

2014-01-01

While specific issues facing ruminant production differ in detail between developed and developing countries, the general constraints and challenges suggest that common research interests will continue to exist. The need to increase outputs of ruminant meat and milk products differ sharply between the developed and developing world, although a need to increase animal productivity is evident in both, albeit primarily to increase product output in the developing world but to decrease environmental impacts of food producing ruminants in the developed world. The largest single limitation to increasing productivity of ruminants in the low digestibility of the structural carbohydrates which comprise a large proportion of their diets. Research on actions of secondary compounds in ruminal metabolism is required to avoid their negative effects and harvest the benefits of their positive effects. Domesticated ruminants have historically provided a substantial portion of the world's supplies. However if that is to continue, ways must be found to increase digestibility of their primary feedstocks, increase the 'healthfulness' of their products to humans, and decrease the environmental impact of their production systems

University of Maine Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) Technology Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pendse, Hemant P.

2010-11-23

This project supported research on science and technology that forms a basis for integrated forest product refinery for co-production of chemicals, fuels and materials using existing forest products industry infrastructure. Clear systems view of an Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) allowed development of a compelling business case for a small scale technology demonstration in Old Town ME for co-production of biofuels using cellulosic sugars along with pulp for the new owners of the facility resulting in an active project on Integrated Bio-Refinery (IBR) at the Old Town Fuel & Fiber. Work on production of advanced materials from woody biomass has led to active projects in bioplastics and carbon nanofibers. A lease for 40,000 sq. ft. high-bay space has been obtained to establish a Technology Research Center for IFPR technology validation on industrially relevant scale. UMaine forest bioproducts research initiative that began in April 2006 has led to establishment of a formal research institute beginning in March 2010.

Research on Life Science and Life Support Engineering Problems of Manned Deep Space Exploration Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Bin; Guo, Linli; Zhang, Zhixian

2016-07-01

Space life science and life support engineering are prominent problems in manned deep space exploration mission. Some typical problems are discussed in this paper, including long-term life support problem, physiological effect and defense of varying extraterrestrial environment. The causes of these problems are developed for these problems. To solve these problems, research on space life science and space medical-engineering should be conducted. In the aspect of space life science, the study of space gravity biology should focus on character of physiological effect in long term zero gravity, co-regulation of physiological systems, impact on stem cells in space, etc. The study of space radiation biology should focus on target effect and non-target effect of radiation, carcinogenicity of radiation, spread of radiation damage in life system, etc. The study of basic biology of space life support system should focus on theoretical basis and simulating mode of constructing the life support system, filtration and combination of species, regulation and optimization method of life support system, etc. In the aspect of space medical-engineering, the study of bio-regenerative life support technology should focus on plants cultivation technology, animal-protein production technology, waste treatment technology, etc. The study of varying gravity defense technology should focus on biological and medical measures to defend varying gravity effect, generation and evaluation of artificial gravity, etc. The study of extraterrestrial environment defense technology should focus on risk evaluation of radiation, monitoring and defending of radiation, compound prevention and removal technology of dust, etc. At last, a case of manned lunar base is analyzed, in which the effective schemes of life support system, defense of varying gravity, defense of extraterrestrial environment are advanced respectively. The points in this paper can be used as references for intensive study on key

The fuel element of the first charge for EL 4; presentation, main problems arising in the research, production problems; L'element combustible du 1. jeu de EL 4; presentation, problemes essentiels poses par l'etude, problemes de fabrication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ringot, C; Bailly, H; Bujas, R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1964-07-01

The fuel element making up the first charge for EL-4 is made of slightly enriched uranium oxide canned in stainless steel. This fuel element makes it possible to operate the reactor in the safest conditions awaiting the development of the fuel which will be finally adopted; this will have a low absorption can: beryllium, or a zirconium copper alloy. The 500 mm assembly is made up of 19 small rods placed on 3 rings, inside a graphite jacket. The solution adopted was a solution using completely independent small rods. This report deals with possible problems resulting from their study and production. (authors) [French] L'element combustible du 1er jeu EL-4 est un element combustible a oxyde d'uranium legerement enrichi gaine d'acier inoxydable. C'est un element combustible permettant de faire fonctionner le reacteur EL 4 dans des conditions aussi sures que possible avant de mettre au point le combustible definitif qui sera a gaine peu absorbante: beryllium, ou alliage zirconium-cuivre. L'assemblage de longueur 500 mm est constitue de 19 crayons places sur 3 couronnes, a l'interieur d'une chemise de graphite. La solution adoptee a ete une solution a crayons independants les uns des autres. Ce rapport traite des problemes eventuels poses par leur etude et leur fabrication. (auteurs)

Computational problems in Arctic Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrov, I

2016-01-01

This article is to inform about main problems in the area of Arctic shelf seismic prospecting and exploitation of the Northern Sea Route: simulation of the interaction of different ice formations (icebergs, hummocks, and drifting ice floes) with fixed ice-resistant platforms; simulation of the interaction of icebreakers and ice- class vessels with ice formations; modeling of the impact of the ice formations on the underground pipelines; neutralization of damage for fixed and mobile offshore industrial structures from ice formations; calculation of the strength of the ground pipelines; transportation of hydrocarbons by pipeline; the problem of migration of large ice formations; modeling of the formation of ice hummocks on ice-resistant stationary platform; calculation the stability of fixed platforms; calculation dynamic processes in the water and air of the Arctic with the processing of data and its use to predict the dynamics of ice conditions; simulation of the formation of large icebergs, hummocks, large ice platforms; calculation of ridging in the dynamics of sea ice; direct and inverse problems of seismic prospecting in the Arctic; direct and inverse problems of electromagnetic prospecting of the Arctic. All these problems could be solved by up-to-date numerical methods, for example, using grid-characteristic method. (paper)

Comparative analysis as a basic research orientation: Key methodological problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N P Narbut

2015-12-01

Full Text Available To date, the Sociological Laboratory of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia has accumulated a vast experience in the field of cross-cultural studies reflected in the publications based on the results of mass surveys conducted in Moscow, Maikop, Beijing, Guangzhou, Prague, Belgrade, and Pristina. However, these publications mainly focus on the comparisons of the empirical data rather than methodological and technical issues, that is why the aim of this article is to identify key problems of the comparative analysis in cross-cultural studies that become evident only if you conduct an empirical research yourself - from the first step of setting the problem and approving it by all the sides (countries involved to the last step of interpreting and comparing the data obtained. The authors are sure that no sociologist would ever doubt the necessity and importance of comparative analysis in the broadest sense of the word, but at the same time very few are ready to discuss its key methodological challenges and prefer to ignore them completely. We summarize problems of the comparative analysis in sociology as follows: (1 applying research techniques to the sample in another country - both in translating and adapting them to different social realities and worldview (in particular, the problematic status of standardization and qualitative approach; (2 choosing “right” respondents to question and relevant cases (cultures to study; (3 designing the research scheme, i.e. justifying the sequence of steps (what should go first - methodology or techniques; (4 accepting the procedures that are correct within one country for cross-cultural work (whether or not that is an appropriate choice.

Radioisotopes In Animal Production Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eduvie, L.O.

1994-05-01

Animal productivity may be measured among others, in terms of two important physiological processes of reproduction and growth each of which involves a number of integrated disciplines. Both physiological processes are controlled by interactions of genotype and environment. Reproduction essentially involves complex physiological processes controlled by secretions of endocrine glands known as hormones. On the other hand growth is determined largely by availabilty of essential nutrients. In order to achieve good reproductive and growth rates adequate and constant nutrition for livestock include pasture, cereals, tubers and their by-products as well as industrial by-products. While reproduction is essential to provide the required number and replacement of livestock, growth guarantees availability of meat. Another aspect of livestock production is disease control. An animal needs a good health to adequately express its genetic make up and utilize available nutrition. Research in animal production is aimed at improving all aspects of productivity of livestock which include reproduction, growth, milk production, egg production, good semen etc. of livestock. In order to achieve this an understanding of the biochemical and physiological processes occurring in the animal itself, and in the feedstuff fed to the animal as well as the aetiology and control of diseases affecting the animal among other factors, is desirable. A number of methods of investigation have evolved with time. These include colorimetry, spectrophotometry, chromatography, microscopy and raidoisotopic tracer methods. While most of these methods are cumbersome and use equipment with low precision, radioisotopic tracer methods utilize equipment with relatively high precision

Problems Analysis on Increasing Rice Production Through Food Estate Program in Bulungan Regency, North Kalimantan

Science.gov (United States)

Setyo, P.; Elly, J.

2018-05-01

To increase rice production in the Province of North Kalimantan, the provincial government has launched a Food Estate Program. The program is also a central government program in relation to government policies on food security. One of the food estate development areas is the Delta Kayan Food Estate of 50,000 hectares in Bulungan Regency, where about 30,000 hectares area is a tidal land with a very fertile alluvial soil type. This policy study aims to identify and analyze problems of increasing rice production through food estate development in North Kalimantan Province and formulate priority programs as recommendations for policy making in increasing rice production. The study has identified a number of problems of increasing rice production, such as land tenure, land suitability, water system, infrastructure, accessibility of production factors, institutional, and capacity of human resources. The Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied to develop priority programs, resulting in the three most important programs being water management, improving access to production factors, and improving the capacity of human resources. Action plans related to priority programs have also been identified.

Product Design: Research Trends and an Agenda for the Future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Di Benedetto, A.C.

2012-01-01

Academic research in product design is growing in popular- ity, and new challenging research questions are emerging. This article explores several of these product design research issues. We first explore the role of design as a driver of innovation and as a strategic resource to senior managers for

Computer codes for problems of isotope and radiation research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remer, M.

1986-12-01

A survey is given of computer codes for problems in isotope and radiation research. Altogether 44 codes are described as titles with abstracts. 17 of them are in the INIS scope and are processed individually. The subjects are indicated in the chapter headings: 1) analysis of tracer experiments, 2) spectrum calculations, 3) calculations of ion and electron trajectories, 4) evaluation of gamma irradiation plants, and 5) general software

Research Results Transfer towards the Productive Sector via Research Collaboration in Four Colombian Public Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Eugenia Morales Rubiano

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article shows the determining factors in the research results transfer towards the productive sector via research collaboration in four Colombian public universities. Thirty heads of units in the aforementioned universities were interviewed, which served to determine eleven cases of study and conduct interviews with thirty-five participants ranging from researchers, participant in formation and business people, in each case, it was found that especially in the last decade universities have turned to creating capacities for research collaboration as well as an openness in participants to create links that not only go in favor of enriching the productive sector but also in strengthening formation and research processes. It was concluded that there is a recent growing interest in the different actors in strengthening the bonds between the universities and the productive sector, though there may be some difficulties in the process of research collaboration due to the lack of an appropriate regulatory framework.

Engaged Problem Formulation in IS Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter Axel; Persson, John Stouby

2016-01-01

problems requires a more substantial engagement with the different stakeholders, especially when their problems are ill structured and situated in complex organizational settings. On this basis, we present an engaged approach to formulating IS problems with, not for, IS practitioners. We have come...

Certification of forests and wood products in Serbia in the context of new European union legislations: Current situation, problems and challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasiljević Aleksandar

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents research results of the current situation in the area of certification of forests and wood products in Serbia in the context of new European Union legislation referring to the placement of wood and wood products on this market. The objective of the research was to observe the situation, phases which Serbia implemented in the process of forest and wood products certification until now, as well as the problems and challenges the companies in this process face. Based on research results, future development of the market of certified wood products in Serbia was assessed and the proposal of measures which should be realized in order for Serbia to become a country whose companies will be ready for the moment when provisions and measures of the new EU legislation become effective was given. The selection of the abovementioned objective was conditioned by the fact that from January 1st, 2013 new legislation takes effect, with significantly stricter terms for the placement of wood and wood products from other countries on this market. One of the conditions which will have to be fulfilled by the companies wishing to export their products on this market refers to proving their origin. Since the EU is the most significant market for wood products exported from Serbia, fulfillment of the stated and other terms from the new EU legislation is of great importance to Serbian companies. Until the beginning of September 2010, only 387,000 ha were certified, namely 17.2% of the total area under forests. In the same period, only 33 wood processing companies in Serbia possessed CoC certificates for their products. Such a small number of companies possessing certificates for their wood products compared to competitive neighboring countries can represent a serious limitation in achieving their satisfactory competitiveness on the EU market in the following period.

Market research companies and new product development tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijssen, E.J.; Frambach, R.T.

1998-01-01

This research investigates (1) the share of new product development (NPD) research services in market research (MR) companies’ turnover, (2) MR companies’ awareness and use of NPD tools and the modifications made to these NPD tools, and (3) MR company managers’ perceptions of the influence of client

Market research companies and new product development tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijssen, Edwin J.; Frambach, Ruud T.

1998-01-01

This research investigates (1) the share of new product development (NPD) research services in market research (MR) companies' turnover, (2) MR companies' awareness and use of NPD tools and the modifications made to these NPD tools, and (3) MR company managers' perceptions of the influence of client

Modeling and Optimization of Inventory-Distribution Routing Problem for Agriculture Products Supply Chain

OpenAIRE

Liao, Li; Li, Jianfeng; Wu, Yaohua

2013-01-01

Mathematical models of inventory-distribution routing problem for two-echelon agriculture products distribution network are established, which are based on two management modes, franchise chain and regular chain, one-to-many, interval periodic order, demand depending on inventory, deteriorating treatment cost of agriculture products, start-up costs of vehicles and so forth. Then, a heuristic adaptive genetic algorithm is presented for the model of franchise chain. For the regular chain model,...

Students’ Problems in Writing Paraphrases in Research Paper Writing Class

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herdiansari Hayuningrum

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Paraphrase is one of the techniques of incorporating sources in which every writer is allowed to borrow the author’s ideas and restate them into their own words. Based on the previous study, it was found that English Language Education Study Program (ELESP students, Sanata Dharma University, were unable to paraphrase properly since they tended to copy the author’s words directly. If this problem was continuously ignored, it would be dangerous for the students because they could be charged with inadvertent plagiarism. This study was intended to investigate ELESP students’ problems in writing paraphrases and the reasons why they produce unacceptable paraphrases by conducting document analysis and interview in Research Paper Writing class. From the findings, it could be identified that the most frequent type of problem encountered by the students was word-for-word plagiarism.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2012.150101

Research Utilizing Problem Solving (RUPS) - Classroom Version. Description of Teacher Inservice Education Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

National Education Association, Washington, DC. Project on Utilization of Inservice Education R & D Outcomes.

The workshop instructional materials described here are designed to try out a systematic problem solving process as a way of working toward improvements in the school setting. Topics include diagnosis using force field technique, small group dynamics, planning for action, and planning a RUPS (Research Using Problem Solving) project. This…

Optimizing decentralized production-distribution planning problem in a multi-period supply chain network under uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Nourifar, Raheleh; Mahdavi, Iraj; Mahdavi-Amiri, Nezam; Paydar, Mohammad Mahdi

2017-09-01

Decentralized supply chain management is found to be significantly relevant in today's competitive markets. Production and distribution planning is posed as an important optimization problem in supply chain networks. Here, we propose a multi-period decentralized supply chain network model with uncertainty. The imprecision related to uncertain parameters like demand and price of the final product is appropriated with stochastic and fuzzy numbers. We provide mathematical formulation of the problem as a bi-level mixed integer linear programming model. Due to problem's convolution, a structure to solve is developed that incorporates a novel heuristic algorithm based on Kth-best algorithm, fuzzy approach and chance constraint approach. Ultimately, a numerical example is constructed and worked through to demonstrate applicability of the optimization model. A sensitivity analysis is also made.

Revisiting Employee Assistance Programs and Substance Use Problems in the Workplace: Key Issues and a Research Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Levy Merrick, Elizabeth S.; Volpe-Vartanian, Joanna; Horgan, Constance M.; McCann, Bernard

2012-01-01

This column describes employee assistance program (EAPs) and identifies key issues for contemporary EAPs. These programs began as occupational alcohol programs and have evolved into more comprehensive resources. To better understand contemporary EAPs, the authors suggest a research agenda at includes descriptive studies to provide an up-to-date picture of services; investigations of how contemporary EAPs address substance use problems, including management consultation for early identification; further study of EAPs’ effects on outcomes, such as productivity and work group outcomes; examination of the relationship between EAPs and other workplace resources; further examination of influences on EAP utilization; and development and testing of EAP performance measures. PMID:17914000

Environmental monitoring and management of contaminated territories for clean product production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncharova, N.; Bajrasheuskaya, D.; Laberch, J.-C.; Pohu, J.

2006-01-01

Current research interests are focussing into two major research problems with immense environmental importance and impact to society. These two areas of interest are (a) the radioactive pollution of an ecosystem and, particularly, the behavior of the radionuclides in soil and the pollution of plants which participate in human's food and (b) the production of municipal solid wastes and the problem of uncontrolled disposal and its negative effects to the environment. (authors)

Inoculant production in developing countries - Problems, potentials and success

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannaiyan, S.

2001-01-01

Sustainable agriculture is a long-term goal that seeks to overcome some of problems and constraints that confront the economic viability, environmental soundness and social acceptance of agricultural production systems. In this context, bio-fertilizers assume special significance particularly because they are 'eco-friendly', but also since their alternative, chemical fertilizers are expensive. Undoubtedly, the most commonly used bio-fertilizers are soil bacteria of the genus Rhizobium, but others like Azolla, Azospirillum, various cyanobacteria also contribute significant amounts of N to e.g. rice. Other bacteria like Frankia and Acetobacter contribute N to trees of the genus Casuarina and sugarcane, respectively. Furthermore, although they are rarely used as inoculants, vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) and phosphobacteria help countless plants solubilise and assimilate soil phosphorus. Despite these advantages, bio-fertilizers could be more widely used in developing countries. Contingent upon greater use is improved quality of the inoculants, and all aspects of their production are discussed here. (author)

Research on the Decision Model for Self-Production and Outsourcing Choices under Limited Production Capacity

OpenAIRE

Y.-T. Chang; C.-Y. Lo

2011-01-01

Problem statement: In the face of competitive environments with uncertain demands and a trend toward High-Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) production, self-production or direct outsourcing has troubled decision-makers of enterprise for a long time. In the previous studies, not much has been written about the topic. Approach: Therefore, this study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to investigate the topic through either qualitative or quantitative decision-making factors that influence enterp...

Research productivity in select psychology journals, 1986-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Kevin T; Buboltz, Walter C; Calvert, Barbara; Hoffmann, Rebecca

2010-01-01

Examination of research productivity has a long history in psychology. Journals across psychology have periodically published research-productivity studies. An analysis of institutional research productivity was conducted for 17 journals published by the American Psychological Association for the years 1986-2008. This analysis implemented two methodologies: one a replication and extension of G. S. Howard, D. A. Cole, and S. E. Maxwell's (1987) method, the other a new method designed to give credit to psychology departments rather than only overall institutions. A system of proportional credit assured all articles with multiple institutions received credit. Results show that for the 23-year period, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was ranked 1st, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Overall, results showed both consistency and change across all journals examined. The authors explore the implications of these findings in the context of the current academic environment.

Key Problems in Organizing and Structuring University Research in Vietnam: The Lack of an Effective Research "Behaviour Formalization" System

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Huong Thi Lan; Meek, Vincent Lynn

2016-01-01

Structure and organization seems to be at the root of many of the questions raised about institutional behaviour; however, with respect to research on university capacity building, few studies have examined research organizational problems, particularly in developing countries. This study investigates academic reactions to the structure and…

The problem of sustainability within the complexity of agricultural production systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cotes Torres, Alejandro; Cotes Torres, Jose Miguel

2005-01-01

The problem of sustainability is a topic that since the end of the XX century has been worrying more the different sectors of society; becoming one of the topics of greatest interest for managers, consumers, academics and investigators that conform the different agricultural food chains of the world. This paper presents from the general systems theory point of view some elements of critical reflection, approaching the problem of sustainability from the complexity of agricultural production systems, beginning with the original philosophical conception of agricultural and ending by outlining some considerations that should be kept in mind for the development of scientific and technological advances concordant with the agricultural food chain needs of the XX century; which permit an orientation of not only work by profession is who lead the processes of animal and vegetable production, but also creates a sense of pertinence in all of the participants in the chain, highlighting the importance of studying by means of systemic thought, agronomy and animal science, as disciplines that approach to complexities of agriculture which is the angular stone of civilization, such as we know it at the moment

Resolution on the problems and prospects of common research policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The European Parliament sets priorities for future research policy; it supports e.g.: the Europeanization of large-scale research because it shall facilitate the combination of the research and financing potential. It also secures a wide adaptation of the knowledge achieved by the joint financial efforts of all member states. The demander made for a joint research project are: that the next programme for several years of the joint research project may launch its position and special qualification as a safety research centre for industrial activities of high risks (nuclear energy sector, chemistry, biology) and that the joint research project may be organized as independently as possible. Moreover, the European Parliament demands that the member states increase their research budgets to at least 2.5% of the gross national product. (orig./HSCH) [de

Understanding wicked problems and organized irresponsibility: challenges for governing the sustainable intensification of chicken meat production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bueren, E.M.; Lammerts Van Bueren, E.; Zijpp, van der A.J.

2014-01-01

Framing sustainable intensification as a wicked problem reveals how inherent trade-offs and resulting uncertainty and ambiguity block integrated problem solving as promoted by sustainable chain management approaches to production and consumption. The fragmented institutional set-up of the chains

Action Research in User-Centered Product Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Eva

2004-01-01

Technological development and increased international competition have imposed a significant burden on the product development function of many companies. The growing complexity of products demands a larger product development team with people having various competencies. Simultaneously...... the importance of good quality, usability and customisation of products is growing, and many companies want to involve customers and users directly in the development work. Both the complexity and quality demand new ways of working that support collaboration between people with various competencies, interests...... and responsibilities both inside and outside the company. This paper reports experiences from using action research to introduce new user-centred work practices in two commercial product development projects. The interventions varied. In the first project it was found rewarding to engage customers and users...

Biomass production and basic research on photosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broda, E.

1979-01-01

This document is a report of the conference: research and development work in Austria, organized by Austrian ministry of science and research, the ASSA and the OMV-stock company in 1979, which took place in Vienna. The text is about the different possible forms of solar energy utilization. Broda analyses in detail the utilization and production of biomass. (nowak)

Teaching medical students to discern ethical problems in human clinical research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Laura Weiss; Warner, Teddy D; Green Hammond, Katherine A; Brody, Janet L; Kaminsky, Alexis; Roberts, Brian B

2005-10-01

Investigators and institutional review boards are entrusted with ensuring the conduct of ethically sound human studies. Assessing ethical aspects of research protocols is a key skill in fulfilling this duty, yet no empirically validated method exists for preparing professionals to attain this skill. The authors performed a randomized controlled educational intervention, comparing a criteria-based learning method, a clinical-research- and experience-based learning method, and a control group. All 300 medical students enrolled at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 2001 were invited to participate. After a single half-hour educational session, a written posttest of ability to detect ethical problems in hypothetical protocol vignettes was administered. The authors analyzed responses to ten protocol vignettes that had been evaluated independently by experts. For each vignette, a global assessment of the perceived significance of ethical problems and the identification of specific ethical problems were evaluated. Eighty-three medical students (27%) volunteered: 50 (60%) were women and 55 (66%) were first- and second-year students. On global assessments, the criteria-focused group perceived ethical problems as more significant than did the other two groups (p evaluation skills. This work supports the potential value of empirically derived methods for preparing professionals to discern ethical aspects of human studies.

Analysis of labor employment assessment on production machine to minimize time production

Science.gov (United States)

Hernawati, Tri; Suliawati; Sari Gumay, Vita

2018-03-01

Every company both in the field of service and manufacturing always trying to pass efficiency of it’s resource use. One resource that has an important role is labor. Labor has different efficiency levels for different jobs anyway. Problems related to the optimal allocation of labor that has different levels of efficiency for different jobs are called assignment problems, which is a special case of linear programming. In this research, Analysis of Labor Employment Assesment on Production Machine to Minimize Time Production, in PT PDM is done by using Hungarian algorithm. The aim of the research is to get the assignment of optimal labor on production machine to minimize time production. The results showed that the assignment of existing labor is not suitable because the time of completion of the assignment is longer than the assignment by using the Hungarian algorithm. By applying the Hungarian algorithm obtained time savings of 16%.

A facility for using cluster research to study environmental problems. Workshop proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-11-01

This report begins by describing the general application of cluster based research to environmental chemistry and the development of a Cluster Structure and Dynamics Research Facility (CSDRF). Next, four important areas of cluster research are described in more detail, including how they can impact environmental problems. These are: surface-supported clusters, water and contaminant interactions, time-resolved dynamic studies in clusters, and cluster structures and reactions. These facilities and equipment required for each area of research are then presented. The appendices contain workshop agenda and a listing of the researchers who participated in the workshop discussions that led to this report.

Twenty Years of Cultural Imperialism Research: Some Conceptual and Methodological Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Burrowes, Carl Patrick

While the notion of "cultural imperialism" has received significant attention in communication studies since the early 1970s, researchers have ignored analyses of message systems and audience cultivation in favor of institutional analysis. Likewise, researchers have concentrated on the technologies, media products and processes of…

Science dynamics and research production indicators, indexes, statistical laws and mathematical models

CERN Document Server

Vitanov, Nikolay K

2016-01-01

This book deals with methods to evaluate scientific productivity. In the book statistical methods, deterministic and stochastic models and numerous indexes are discussed that will help the reader to understand the nonlinear science dynamics and to be able to develop or construct systems for appropriate evaluation of research productivity and management of research groups and organizations. The dynamics of science structures and systems is complex, and the evaluation of research productivity requires a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and measures. The book has three parts. The first part is devoted to mathematical models describing the importance of science for economic growth and systems for the evaluation of research organizations of different size. The second part contains descriptions and discussions of numerous indexes for the evaluation of the productivity of researchers and groups of researchers of different size (up to the comparison of research productivities of research communiti...

An Approach for Solving Linear Fractional Programming Problems

OpenAIRE

Andrew Oyakhobo Odior

2012-01-01

Linear fractional programming problems are useful tools in production planning, financial and corporate planning, health care and hospital planning and as such have attracted considerable research interest. The paper presents a new approach for solving a fractional linear programming problem in which the objective function is a linear fractional function, while the constraint functions are in the form of linear inequalities. The approach adopted is based mainly upon solving the problem algebr...

Electrocatalysis research for fuel cells and hydrogen production

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mathe, MK

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The CSIR undertakes research in the Electrocatalysis of fuel cells and for hydrogen production. The Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) strategy supports research on electrocatalysts due to their importance to the national beneficiation strategy. The work...

Research Advances of Social Security Problems in China —Visualization Research based on Bibliometrics

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

赵琳

2016-01-01

This article summarized the research progress and characteristics of Chinese social security issues from 2000 papers, which record in CNKI. We find that, the topic in the field of social security is board and dispersion. Due to the huge system and complex problem of social security, there is no central theme. Through cluster analysis, multi dimensional scaling analysis and social network analysis, we got the high frequency keywords atlas. Then, we summarized the research topic to six parts. They are rural social security, urban and rural social security co-ordination, vulnerable group social security, social security fund management, the social insurance system, and social security system and government responsibility. It summed up the theme of the module, meanwhile, combined the practice analysis.

Radioactive waste disposal in deep geologic deposits. Associated research problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rousset, G.

1992-01-01

This paper describes the research associated problems for radioactive waste disposal in deep geologic deposits such granites, clays or salt deposits. After a brief description of the underground disposal, the author studies the rheology of sedimentary media and proposes rheological models applied to radioactive wastes repositories. Waste-rock interactions, particularly thermal effects and temperature distribution versus time. 17 refs., 14 figs

Ethical problems inherent in psychological research based on internet communication as stored information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Øhrstrøm, Peter; Dyhrberg, Johan

2007-01-01

This paper deals with certain ethical problems inherent in psychological research based on internet communication as stored information. Section 1 contains an analysis of research on Internet debates. In particular, it takes into account a famous example of deception for psychology research...... purposes. In section 2, the focus is on research on personal data in texts published on the Internet. Section 3 includes an attempt to formulate some ethical principles and guidelines, which should be regarded as fundamental in research on stored information....

Irradiated fuel by-product separation research in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burston, M.

1984-01-01

Although no decision has been made to reprocess irradiated CANDU fuel, by-product separation research has recently been initiated in Canada because of its potential importance to Canadian research programs in advanced fuel cycles (especially U/Pu cycle development in the near term) and nuclear waste management. In addition, separated by-products could have a significant commercial potential. Demonstrated applications include: heat sources, gamma radiation sources, light sources, new materials for productions of other useful isotopes, etc. For illustrative purposes the calculated market value of by-products currently stored in irradiated CANDU fuel is approximately $210/kgU. Ontario Hydro has initiated a program to study the application of new separation technolgies, such as laser-based techniques and the plasma ion cyclotron resonance separation technique, to either augment and/or supplant the chemical extraction methods. The main goal is to develop new, more economical extraction methods in order to increase the magnitude of the advantages resulting from this approach to reprocessing. (author)

Nanomaterials in consumer products: a challenging analytical problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catia eContado

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Many products used in everyday life are made with the assistance of nanotechnologies. Cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, sunscreen, powdered food are only few examples of end products containing nano-sized particles (NPs, generally added to improve the product quality. To evaluate correctly benefits versus risks of engineered nanomaterials and consequently to legislate in favor of consumer’s protection, it is necessary to know the hazards connected with the exposure levels. This information implies transversal studies and a number of different competences.On analytical point of view the identification, quantification and characterization of NPs in food matrices and in cosmetic or personal care products pose significant challenges, because NPs are usually present at low concentration levels and the matrices, in which they are dispersed, are complexes and often incompatible with analytical instruments that would be required for their detection and characterization.This paper focused on some analytical techniques suitable for the detection, characterization and quantification of NPs in food and cosmetics products, reports their recent application in characterizing specific metal and metal-oxide NPs in these two important industrial and market sectors.The need of a characterization of the NPs as much as possible complete, matching complementary information about different metrics, possible achieved through validate procedures, is what clearly emerges from this research. More work should be done to produce standardized materials and to set-up methodologies to determine number-based size distributions and to get quantitative date about the NPs in such a complex matrices.

Nanomaterials in consumer products: a challenging analytical problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Contado, Catia

2015-01-01

Many products used in everyday life are made with the assistance of nanotechnologies. Cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, sunscreen, powdered food are only few examples of end products containing nano-sized particles (NPs), generally added to improve the product quality. To evaluate correctly benefits vs. risks of engineered nanomaterials and consequently to legislate in favor of consumer's protection, it is necessary to know the hazards connected with the exposure levels. This information implies transversal studies and a number of different competences. On analytical point of view the identification, quantification and characterization of NPs in food matrices and in cosmetic or personal care products pose significant challenges, because NPs are usually present at low concentration levels and the matrices, in which they are dispersed, are complexes and often incompatible with analytical instruments that would be required for their detection and characterization. This paper focused on some analytical techniques suitable for the detection, characterization and quantification of NPs in food and cosmetics products, reports their recent application in characterizing specific metal and metal-oxide NPs in these two important industrial and market sectors. The need of a characterization of the NPs as much as possible complete, matching complementary information about different metrics, possible achieved through validate procedures, is what clearly emerges from this research. More work should be done to produce standardized materials and to set-up methodologies to determine number-based size distributions and to get quantitative date about the NPs in such a complex matrices.

Study of a methodology of identifying important research problems by the PIRT process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Takayuki; Takagi, Toshiyuki; Urayama, Ryoichi; Komura, Ichiro; Furukawa, Takashi; Yusa, Noritaka

2014-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new methodology of identifying important research problems to be solved to improve the performance of some specific scientific technologies by the phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) process which has been used as a methodology for demonstrating the validity of the best estimate simulation codes in US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) licensing of nuclear power plants. The new methodology makes it possible to identify important factors affecting the performance of the technologies from the viewpoint of the figure of merit and problems associated with them while it keeps the fundamental concepts of the original PIRT process. Also in this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the new methodology by applying it to a task of extracting research problems for improving an inspection accuracy of ultrasonic testing or eddy current testing in the inspection of objects having cracks due to fatigue or stress corrosion cracking. (author)

Ten-Year Research Update Review: Psychiatric Problems in Children with Epilepsy

Science.gov (United States)

Plioplys, Sigita; Dunn, David W.; Caplan, Rochelle

2007-01-01

The research on epilepsy, a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by seizures, psychopathology, cognitive, and linguistic problems among children in the age group of 0 to 18 years is reported. Early identification of children with epilepsy (CWE) and the development of multidisciplinary management strategies would advance relevant clinical…

Simulation Modeling by Classification of Problems: A Case of Cellular Manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afiqah, K N; Mahayuddin, Z R

2016-01-01

Cellular manufacturing provides good solution approach to manufacturing area by applying Group Technology concept. The evolution of cellular manufacturing can enhance performance of the cell and to increase the quality of the product manufactured but it triggers other problem. Generally, this paper highlights factors and problems which emerge commonly in cellular manufacturing. The aim of the research is to develop a thorough understanding of common problems in cellular manufacturing. A part from that, in order to find a solution to the problems exist using simulation technique, this classification framework is very useful to be adapted during model building. Biology evolution tool was used in the research in order to classify the problems emerge. The result reveals 22 problems and 25 factors using cladistic technique. In this research, the expected result is the cladogram established based on the problems in cellular manufacturing gathered. (paper)

Radioisotope production experience at the Cintichem 5-MW research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGovern, J.J.

1993-01-01

The Cintichem radiochemical production facility was constructed in the late 1950s and became operational in October of 1961. The facility was originally designed and constructed by Union Carbide Corporation for research and development of nuclear technology with the ultimate objective of exploiting it commercially. Research projects were conducted in the fields of direct energy conversion for the production of electric power and chemical synthesis, neutron spectrometry, nuclear fuel cycle development, and radiochemical production. Radiochemical production for medical applications was the only development project that was successfully commercialized

Problems and challenges in social marketing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloom, P N; Novelli, W D

1981-01-01

This article reviews the problems that arise when general marketing principles are applied to social programs. Social marketing is conceptualized as the design, implementation, and control of programs seeking to increase the acceptability of a social ideal or practice in a target group. These problems can occur in 8 basic decision-making areas: market analysis, market segmentation, product strategy development, pricing strategy development, channel strategy development, communications strategy development, organizational design and planning, and evaluation. Social marketers find that they have less good secondary data about their consumers, more problems obtaining valid and reliable measures of relevant variables, more difficulty sorting out the relative influence of determinants of consumer behavior, and more problems getting consumer research funded than marketers in the commercial sector. They tend to have less flexibility in shaping their products and more difficulty formulating product concepts. Problems associated with establishing, utilizing, and controlling distribution channels comprise another major difference between social and more conventional forms of marketing. Social marketers also find that their communications options are somewhat limited as a result of problems associated with use of paid advertisements, pressures not to use certain types of appeals in their messages, and the need to communicate large amounts of information in their messages. Moreover, social marketers must function in organizations where marketing activities are poorly understood, underappreciated, and inappropriately located. Finally, they face problems trying to define effectiveness measures or estimating the contribution their program has made toward the achievement of certain objectives. If all these problems are anticipated and handled creatively, social marketing efforts can succeed.

A research agenda for helminth diseases of humans: the problem of helminthiases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Lustigman

Full Text Available A disproportionate burden of helminthiases in human populations occurs in marginalised, low-income, and resource-constrained regions of the world, with over 1 billion people in developing areas of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas infected with one or more helminth species. The morbidity caused by such infections imposes a substantial burden of disease, contributing to a vicious circle of infection, poverty, decreased productivity, and inadequate socioeconomic development. Furthermore, helminth infection accentuates the morbidity of malaria and HIV/AIDS, and impairs vaccine efficacy. Polyparasitism is the norm in these populations, and infections tend to be persistent. Hence, there is a great need to reduce morbidity caused by helminth infections. However, major deficiencies exist in diagnostics and interventions, including vector control, drugs, and vaccines. Overcoming these deficiencies is hampered by major gaps in knowledge of helminth biology and transmission dynamics, platforms from which to help develop such tools. The Disease Reference Group on Helminths Infections (DRG4, established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR, was given the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps. In this review, we provide an overview of the forces driving the persistence of helminthiases as a public health problem despite the many control initiatives that have been put in place; identify the main obstacles that impede progress towards their control and elimination; and discuss recent advances, opportunities, and challenges for the understanding of the biology, epidemiology, and control of these infections. The helminth infections that will be discussed include: onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, schistosomiasis, food-borne trematodiases, and taeniasis/cysticercosis.

Trends in nursing ethics research: Mapping the literature production.

Science.gov (United States)

Blažun Vošner, Helena; Železnik, Danica; Kokol, Peter; Vošner, Janez; Završnik, Jernej

2017-12-01

There have been a number of debates in the field of nursing ethics. Researchers have focused on various aspects of nursing ethics, such as professional ethics, professional, nursing and ethical values. Within this research, a variety of literature reviews have been conducted, but to the best of our knowledge, bibliometric mapping has not yet been used. This article aims to analyse the production of literature within nursing ethics research. In order to examine publishing patterns, we focused on publishing dynamics, prolific research entities and the most-cited articles. We additionally visualised the content of the literature using a novel mixed-method approach, combining bibliometric analysis and mapping with thematic analysis. Ethical considerations: In our study, ethical review was not required. A total of 1416 information sources were found in the Scopus database. Overall, literature production has increased; however, in recent years, the quantity of published material has begun to decrease. The most prolific countries are the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and the most prolific source titles are Nursing Ethics, Journal of Advanced Nursing and Nursing Times. Lately, research in the field of nursing ethics has been focused more on life care (providing for the basic needs of older residents), moral distress and community nursing. The dynamics of research literature production showed an exponential rise in the number of published information sources - a rise which started in the period between 1974 and 1998. Since that period, the trend has stabilised, which might indicate that nursing ethics research is starting a transition to a mature phase. The innovative use of bibliometric analysis and mapping, together with thematic analysis, is a useful tool for analysis of research production in the field of nursing ethics. The results presented can be an excellent starting point for literature reviews and more exhaustive data, information and knowledge

Thoughts and Practice on Some Problems about Research and Application of Two-Line Hybrid Rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-yun CHEN

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The main problems about research and application of two-line hybrid rice were reviewed, including the confusing nomenclature and male sterile lines classification, the unclear characteristics of photoperiod and temperature responses and the unsuitable site selection for male sterile line and hybrid rice seed production. In order to efficiently and accurately use dual-purpose genic male sterile lines, four types, including PTGMS (photo-thermo-sensitive genic male sterile rice, TGMS (thermo-sensitive genic male sterile rice, reverse PTGMS and reverse TGMS, were proposed. A new idea for explaining the mechanism of sterility in dual-purpose hybrid rice was proposed. The transition from sterile to fertile was involved in the cooperative regulation of major-effect sterile genes and photoperiod and/or temperature sensitive ones. The minor-effect genes with accumulative effect on sterility were important factors that affected the critical temperature of sterility transfer. In order to make better use of dual-purpose lines, the characterization of responses to photoperiod and temperature of PTGMS should be made and the identification method for the characterization of photoperiod and temperature responses of PTGMS should also be put forward. The optimal ecological site for seed production could be determined according to the historical climate data and the requirements for the meteorological conditions during the different periods of seed production.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND ITS DISCUSSION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Pasek de Pinto

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Language has different functions. One of them, the communication, is fundamental for the investigation, because the textualization of its process and results is the base of the diffusion of the advance and increase of the scientific knowledge. However, most students - and those who are not already so - present difficulties in using references, in breaks in cohesion, or in logical and argumentative coherence. Such difficulties limit the generation of texts, as they constitute an obstacle to translate written ideas into an argumentative discourse, typical of science and research. The latter requires the argued presentation of an idea, whose perception, description and obvious reasons make up the problem that is wanted to know, to explain, to verify, to understand or to interpret. Therefore, this short space / time has the purpose of reflecting on the discursive construction of the problem of an inquiry. Its importance lies precisely in the disadvantages of its configuration. In this sense, the reflection is developed from a vision of language and communication; The argumentative discourse and the types of reasoning involved in order to fulfill certain guidelines that underlie the construction of the problem of inquiry and its approach in terms of a positivist-quantitative and / or qualitative study.

Family poultry production in Mauritius: problems and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jugessur, V.S.; Seenevassen Pillay, M.M.

2002-01-01

The Republic of Mauritius has been self-sufficient in poultry meat and eggs for more than two decades and has been successfully meeting the increasing demand for these commodities. About 85% of the poultry meat is presently produced by four industrial farms, 10% by small commercial producers, and around 5% by family (backyard) poultry farms. The flourishing broiler production industry has transformed the erstwhile important traditional backyard poultry farming of indigenous chickens into an insignificant side activity on the main island of Mauritius, while on the other hand, scavenging chickens continue to be an important source of both food and income on Rodrigues, the second biggest island territory of the Republic. A survey carried out on 30 selected family poultry farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues in 1999 and 2000 enabled the identification of the major problems faced by smallholder poultry farmers. At the same time the results provided a basis for future interventions for improving family poultry production. The results showed that diseases like fowl pox, Newcastle disease, Gumboro disease, respiratory and parasitic diseases occurred all year round on 42% and 82% of farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues, respectively. Low to mild helminth and lice infestations were detected on 40% and 50% of the farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues, respectively. (author)

Status of anesthesiology resident research education in the United States: structured education programs increase resident research productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Shireen; De Oliveira, Gildasio S; McCarthy, Robert J

2013-01-01

The enhancement of resident research education has been proposed to increase the number of academic anesthesiologists with the skills and knowledge to conduct meaningful research. Program directors (PDs) of the U.S. anesthesiology residency programs were surveyed to evaluate the status of research education during residency training and to test the hypothesis that structured programs result in greater resident research productivity based on resident publications. Survey responses were solicited from 131 anesthesiology residency PDs. Seventy-four percent of PDs responded to the survey. Questions evaluated department demographic information, the extent of faculty research activity, research resources and research funding in the department, the characteristics of resident research education and resident research productivity, departmental support for resident research, and perceived barriers to resident research education. Thirty-two percent of programs had a structured resident research education program. Structured programs were more likely to be curriculum based, require resident participation in a research project, and provide specific training in presentation and writing skills. Productivity expectations were similar between structured and nonstructured programs. Forty percent of structured programs had > 20% of trainees with a publication in the last 2 years compared with 14% of departments with unstructured programs (difference, 26%; 99% confidence interval [CI], 8%-51%; P = 0.01). The percentage of programs that had research rotations for ≥2 months was not different between the structured and the nonstructured programs. A research rotation of >2 months did not increase the percentage of residents who had published an article within the last 2 months compared with a research rotation of 20% of residents with a publication in the last 2 years compared with 36% in programs with >20% of faculty involvement (difference, 21%; 99% CI, -4% to 46%; P = 0.03). Our

Problem-Solving Management Training Effects on Sales Productivity and Job Satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Paul C.; And Others

Research suggests that effective organizational change must be led by line personnel rather than by outside consultants. The Performance Management Program (PMP) implemented in two Bell Telephone companies is a line-led, self-help program in which managers participate in problem-solving activities within their own jobs. Marketing and sales…

Research governance and scientific knowledge production in The Gambia

OpenAIRE

Frederick U. Ozor

2014-01-01

Public research institutions and scientists are principal actors in the production and transfer of scientific knowledge, technologies and innovations for application in industry as well for social and economic development. Based on the relevance of science and technology actors, the aim of this study was to identify and explain factors in research governance that influence scientific knowledge production and to contribute to empirical discussions on the impact levels of different governance m...

Gathering Stones: The Problems of Modern Cultural and Activity Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reed M.,

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Cultural-Historical Psychology 2017. Vol. 13, no. 1, 4–22 doi:10.17759/chp.2017130101 ISSN: 1816-5435 / 2224-8935 (online Gathering Stones: The Problems of Modern Cultural and Activity Research 28 Reed M., Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Bristol, Graduate School of Education, Bristol, Great Britain , Malcolm.Reed@bristol.ac.uk Download PDF-fulltext (306 kbFull Text in Russian (PDF, 306 kbPrintRUIn Russian Abstract This paper explores the verbal image of ‘gathering stones’ in order to appreciate the continuing relevance of Vygotsky to the tradition of inquiry that has been inspired by his example and his work. It considers how our tradition is built on the ancient and critical activity of problematization. The meaning and inner value of tradition is explored in relation to problems we address now and have addressed historically, in particular in relation to the problem of an ascendant version of enculturation. The argument ends with a reflection on the difficulties we still face in addressing educational needs.

Problems concerning product quality enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marek Krynke

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In the article analysis of the discrepancies in the production process for selected products in a company producing candles was carried out. Using the Pareto-Lorenzdiagram and the FMEA method the most essential areas having influence on the production of candles were shown. Apart from factors connected with the manufacturing side of the process, factors of the labour organization and requirements concerning the quality of material were also noted. An appropriate quality of equipment constitutes one of the essential conditions of production process functioning and this directly influences manufacturing possibilities of the enterprise. A synthesis of immaterial factors that influence the production of the enterprise, taking into consideration conditions of functioning the production system, was also carried out. The set of factors selected for description was the fourteenth Toyota management principle. Respondents were asked to provide answers which could bring the best improvements.

Treatment of paraffin problems in petroleum production with chemicals; Tratamento de problemas parafinicos com agentes quimicos na producao de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jennings, David; Yin, Ralph; Weispfennig, Klaus; Newberry, Mike [Baker Petrolite, Sugar Land, TX (United States)

2004-07-01

Paraffin problems can greatly reduce production of certain crude oils, if correct methods to control the problems are not used. These problems are primarily related to flow line deposition and reduction in crude oil flow properties caused by wax network growth. Deep water production and production of high-wax content crude oils can be especially problematic. Much of the petroleum production in Brazil falls in these categories: in the Campos Basin and in Bahia. Paraffin problems can be controlled with diverse methods. These methods include use of: pigging, insulation, heating, and chemicals. Sometimes, the use of chemicals can be very practical, alone or in combination with other methods. This paper discusses the use of chemicals for the treatment of paraffin problems. Three types of treatments are discussed: prevention of deposition in flow lines with paraffin inhibitors; improvement in flow properties of crude oils with pour point depressants, and removal of paraffin deposits with dispersants. The discussion includes the physical effects of the treatment chemicals and field examples. (author)

Economic Analysis Of Rabbit Production: On Farm Research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The technical data derived from this indicate that technical data are more efficient and dependable in determining production outcomes on the filed relative to survey data. As a result of this, on-farm research was thus suggested as a way by which correct information on cost, returns and profitability of agricultural production ...

Peculiarities of product placement in Lithuanian movies

OpenAIRE

Pilelienė, Lina; Jurgilaitė, Sigita

2013-01-01

The scientific problem analysed in the article is formulates as follows: how product placement is used in Lithuanian movies. The object of the article is product placement in Lithuanian movies, and the aim is to analyse the peculiarities of product placement in Lithuanian movies. Following methods were used to reveal the problem and reach the aim. Theoretical analysis of scientific literature was provided to construct the framework for the research. The analysis of current usage of product pl...

Identifying and Researching Market Opportunities for New High Technology Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunstan, Peter

Using a product called the synchro-pulse welder as a case study example, this paper discusses the activities of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in identifying and marketing new high-technology products. A general discussion of CSIRO's market research plans includes two goals to be attained within the next 5…

Symposium Connects Government Problems with State of the Art Network Science Research

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-16

Symposium Connects Government Problems with State-of-the- Art Network Science Research By Rajmonda S. Caceres and Benjamin A. Miller Network...the US Gov- ernment, and match these with the state-of-the- art models and techniques developed in the network science research community. Since its... science has grown significantly in the last several years as a field at the intersec- tion of mathematics, computer science , social science , and engineering

Multiobjective Joint Optimization of Production Scheduling and Maintenance Planning in the Flexible Job-Shop Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianfei Ye

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to solve the joint optimization of production scheduling and maintenance planning problem in the flexible job-shop, a multiobjective joint optimization model considering the maximum completion time and maintenance costs per unit time is established based on the concept of flexible job-shop and preventive maintenance. A weighted sum method is adopted to eliminate the index dimension. In addition, a double-coded genetic algorithm is designed according to the problem characteristics. The best result under the circumstances of joint decision-making is obtained through multiple simulation experiments, which proves the validity of the algorithm. We can prove the superiority of joint optimization model by comparing the result of joint decision-making project with the result of independent decision-making project under fixed preventive maintenance period. This study will enrich and expand the theoretical framework and analytical methods of this problem; it provides a scientific decision analysis method for enterprise to make production plan and maintenance plan.

The future trends for research on quality and safety of animal products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nigel D. Scollan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Quality must now be considered as a convergence between consumers' wishes and needs and the intrinsic and extrinsic quality attributes of food products. The increasing number of quality attributes which must be considered, increasing globalisation and the heterogeneity in consumption habits between countries are making this convergence progressively more difficult. In parallel, science is rapidly evolving (with the advent of genomics for instance, and a growing number of applications is thus expected for the improvement of food safety and quality. Among the meat and fish quality attributes, colour is very important because it determines, at least in part, consumer choice. The key targets to ensure a satisfactory colour are animal nutrition and management for fish, processing and product conditioning for meat. Tenderness and flavour continue to be important issues for the consumer because eating remains a pleasure. They both determine quality experience which itself influences repetitive purchase. Meat tenderness is a very complex problem which can be solved only by a holistic approach involving all the factors from conception, animal breeding and production, muscle biology and slaughter practice to carcass processing and meat preparation at the consumer end. Today, safety and healthiness are among the most important issues. Unfortunately, animal products can potentially be a source of biological and chemical contamination for consumers. The introduction of both control strategies along the food chain and the development of a food safety management system, from primary production to the domestic environment, are key issues that must be achieved. Despite a high dietary supply of saturated fats by dairy and meat products, it is imperative that professionals involved in animal research and in the associated industry convey the positive nutritional contributions of animal products to both consumers and health professionals. The latter include protein

Impact of the Managerial Communication upon the Work Productivity in Organization

OpenAIRE

Luminita Lupu; Monica Voicu

2006-01-01

The main objective of the paper is to analyze on a real cases how communication offer gains on work productivity. The authors present on their researche results in the N-E Region organizations, which have real problems in work productivity. The conclusions of these researches are useful to managers to identify and analyze all factors which determine the the work productivity increases and the importance of managerial communication in these problems.

Factors affecting the water holding capacity of red meat products: a review of recent research advances.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Qiaofen; Sun, Da-Wen

2008-02-01

The water holding capacity of meat products is a very important quality attribute which has an influence on product yield, which in turn has economic implications, but is also important in terms of eating quality. A number of pre-and post-mortem factors influence the water holding capacity (WHC) of meat. During the growth and development of meat animals, genotype and animal diet are important due to their direct influence on muscle characteristics. In the immediate pre-slaughter period, stresses on the animal such as fasting, and different stunning methods are likely to influence meat WHC. In the post-slaughter period chilling, ageing, injecting non-meat ingredients, as well as tumbling have important influences on WHC. Furthermore, cooking and cooling procedures for the final meat products can also affect the WHC of the product, in particular the cooking and the cooling methods, the heating and the cooling rate, the cooking temperature, and the endpoint temperature. This paper provides an overview of recent research on important intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect the WHC of beef, pork, and lamb products, and reveals explanations and solutions to some of the critical problems related to WHC and product quality.

Research and development for botanical products in medicinals and food supplements market.

Science.gov (United States)

Miroddi, Marco; Mannucci, Carmen; Mancari, Ferdinando; Navarra, Michele; Calapai, Gioacchino

2013-01-01

Botanical products sold in the health area are generally intended as drugs, medicinal products, food supplements or substances for therapeutic use. Use of botanicals for improving or to care human health has evolved independently in different countries worldwide. Regulatory issues regarding botanical products designed for the food supplements or medicinal market and their influence on research and development are discussed. European Union (EU) and United States (US) policies regulating these products are focused with comments on the legislations delivered during the last ten years and differences existing in rules between these countries are emphasized. Research and development on botanical products nowdays strongly influenced by the product destination in the market. Addressed and differentiated research for either food supplements or medicinal markets is necessary to purchase data really useful for assessment of safe and effective use for both the categories. The main objective is to catalyze interest of academic and companies' researchers on crucial aspects to be taken into account in the research for the development of botanical products.

Research and Development for Botanical Products in Medicinals and Food Supplements Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Miroddi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Botanical products sold in the health area are generally intended as drugs, medicinal products, food supplements or substances for therapeutic use. Use of botanicals for improving or to care human health has evolved independently in different countries worldwide. Regulatory issues regarding botanical products designed for the food supplements or medicinal market and their influence on research and development are discussed. European Union (EU and United States (US policies regulating these products are focused with comments on the legislations delivered during the last ten years and differences existing in rules between these countries are emphasized. Research and development on botanical products nowdays strongly influenced by the product destination in the market. Addressed and differentiated research for either food supplements or medicinal markets is necessary to purchase data really useful for assessment of safe and effective use for both the categories. The main objective is to catalyze interest of academic and companies' researchers on crucial aspects to be taken into account in the research for the development of botanical products.

The research of the production function of an industrial enterprise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezepin Alexandr

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the use of a production function model for the description of production process and the solution of practical problems, such as choice of technological method of production, rational and effective use of invested funds. Analysis of the production process is carried out by the example of Urals Stampings Plant. The analysis consists of two parts. In the first part with the use of regression analysis the production function is evaluated and the elasticity of revenue is calculated on the cost for main types of resources. In the second part of the analysis with the help of artificial neural networks constructing authors investigate the significance of influence the dynamics in the number of production factors and productivity on the physical volume of the issue. In conclusion, the authors provide recommendations for the implementation to increase the level of productivity of the investment strategy for the Urals Stampings Plant.

New heuristic method for the optimization of product mix based on theory of constraints and knapsack problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinicius Amorim Sobreiro

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The definition of the product mix provides the allocation of the productive resources in the manufacture process and the optimization of productive system. However, the definition of the product mix is a problem of the NP-complete, in other words, of difficult solution. Taking this into account, with the aid of the Theory of Constraints - TOC, some constructive heuristics have been presented to help to solve this problem. Thus, the objective in this paper is to propose a new heuristics to provide better solutions when compared with the main heuristics presented in the literature, TOC-h of Fredendall and Lea. To accomplish this comparison, simulations were accomplished with the objective of identifying the production mix with the best throughput, considering CPU time and the characteristics of the productive ambient. The results show that the heuristics proposal was more satisfactory when compared to TOC-h and it shows good solution when compared with the optimum solution. This fact evidence the importance of the heuristics proposal in the definition of product mix.

The research for flexible product family manufacturing based on real options

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Maozhu Jin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The goal of this paper is to find the best production strategy for product mix, which means the largest value of the options. And finally, give a case and find the solution of the optimal production strategy for product mix. Design/methodology/approach: This article, based on the production with characteristics of a call option and 0-1 integer programming model, build new-products mix strategy, and through case demonstrate that traditional method underestimates the value of the products mix. Finding: According to market being volatility and uncertainty and the production can being delayed, firms can flexibly arrange the best time for products to manufacture. Use real options theory to analyze product decision and the best production timing decision. Find the total options value is higher than the traditional methods. Research limitations/implications: We are not applied to real option pricing theory in modular flexible production system. We just applied real option pricing theory to the product platform. The basic model needs to improve. While the thinking of this paper provides some research ideas for flexible production systems based on real option in further research. Practical Implications: The introduction of the real option make the company can achieve dynamic planning and flexible management for production of products mix and get the better benefit. Originality/value: The central contribution of this paper is to introduce the option mechanism in the production timing for the product mix.

THE APPLICATION OF QRQC METHOD TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION FLUX (2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ancuta BALTEANU

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The subject proposed was developed over two parts. In the first written work it was presented the initial situation within a production flow that is sensed in the appearance of defects and nonconformities in obtain the final products. In this second paper - respectively this - we will show the use of this method in a situation that requires elimination of a technological problem appeared in the production flux and in relieving its positive consequence.

AN EXPLORATORY RESEARCH OVER THE CHINESE PRODUCTS ON THE ROMANIAN MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aldea Roxana

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper we studied the influence on the Asian products over the consumer decision making. We observed that because of the economic crisis most of the people are buying products made in China, although they now that the quality and the price are lower. The factors that change the habits and the consumer behavior decision making are: the lower wage, the small number of work places and the prices of the products. Regarding the low price of Chinese products quality, some times arouses suspicions. Romania is a parts of the European Union and on the market there are various products made in European countries but also products made in China. People with low wages from the last step of social classes are prone to buy lower prices products. Other consumers on the contrary became more sensitive and they prefer to pay more than to buy products made in China. The quality prevails over the price and sometimes over the quantity although the money to spend are dwindled. The crisis affected consumer behavior, consumers have become more attentive to the country of origin and the disposable income for shopping. In order to validate some of the ideas the authors undertook a quantitative online research. The research had as purpose to identify the main influences of the decision making when the consumer buys Chinese products. The chosen investigation was the selective survey, the research technique was the exploratory interrogation and the research instrument – structured in online questionnaire. After research we found that the economic crisis caused consumer behavior change as a result of diminishing the income buyers, the consumer is placed in a position to buy products of questionable quality at low prices, mostly from China. Lower purchase price often makes Chinese goods represent an attractive option for consumers. On the other hand, the quality of Chinese products has proven to not comply with the quality expectations of the consumers, based on

Otolaryngology Residency Program Research Resources and Scholarly Productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Villwock, Jennifer A; Hamill, Chelsea S; Nicholas, Brian D; Ryan, Jesse T

2017-06-01

Objective To delineate research resources available to otolaryngology residents and their impact on scholarly productivity. Study Design Survey of current otolaryngology program directors. Setting Otolaryngology residency programs. Subjects and Methods An anonymous web-based survey was sent to 98 allopathic otolaryngology training program directors. Fisher exact tests and nonparametric correlations were used to determine statistically significant differences among various strata of programs. Results Thirty-nine percent (n = 38) of queried programs responded. Fourteen (37%) programs had 11 to 15 full-time, academic faculty associated with the residency program. Twenty (53%) programs have a dedicated research coordinator. Basic science lab space and financial resources for statistical work were present at 22 programs (58%). Funding is uniformly provided for presentation of research at conferences; a minority of programs (13%) only funded podium presentations. Twenty-four (63%) have resident research requirements beyond the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandate of preparing a "manuscript suitable for publication" prior to graduation. Twenty-five (67%) programs have residents with 2 to 3 active research projects at any given time. None of the investigated resources were significantly associated with increased scholarly output. There was no uniformity to research curricula. Conclusions Otolaryngology residency programs value research, evidenced by financial support provided and requirements beyond the ACGME minimum. Additional resources were not statistically related to an increase in resident research productivity, although they may contribute positively to the overall research experience during training. Potential future areas to examine include research curricula best practices, how to develop meaningful mentorship and resource allocation that inspires continued research interest, and intellectual stimulation.

Competitiveness regulation of dairy products production in the Crimea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domozhilkina Zh. V.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available the article outlines the results of studying the major problems concerning supporting competitiveness and quality of dairy products in the Crimea. The researchers compared the level of competitiveness of the dairy enterprise ltd. «Бег» with other brands of milk and suggested measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of competitiveness management of dairy products in this region.

Completion strategy or emphasis manipulation? Task support for teaching information problem solving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frerejean, Jimmy; Van Strien, Johan; Kirschner, Paul A.; Brand-Gruwel, Saskia

2016-01-01

While most students seem to solve information problems effortlessly, research shows that the cognitive skills for effective information problem solving are often underdeveloped. Students manage to find information and formulate solutions, but the quality of their process and product is questionable.

Completion strategy or emphasis manipulation? : Task support for teaching information problem solving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frerejean, Jimmy; van Strien, J.L.H.; Kirschner, Paul A.; Brand-Gruwel, Saskia

While most students seem to solve information problems effortlessly, research shows that the cognitive skills for effective information problem solving are often underdeveloped. Students manage to find information and formulate solutions, but the quality of their process and product is questionable.

Problems and possible remedies concerning NORM in by-Product gypsum produced by the phosphate industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, W.C.; Hull, C.D

1996-01-01

Large quantities (∼ 30 million tons/year) of phosphogypsum are produced as a by-product of fertilizer production in Florida. The sedimentary phosphate rock, used as the raw material for phosphoric acid production, is enriched in uranium and daughter products. Relatively high concentrations of some of these U-series daughters, particularly 226 Ra (av. = 910 Bq.Kg -1 ), prevent use of the by-product gypsum for construction or other purposes. The material is thus stockpiled on huge stacks which are unsightly and a potential threat to the surrounding air and especially groundwater resources. It is estimated that ∼ 10 9 tons of this material will be on Florida stacks by the turn of the century. We have been investigating the detailed radiochemistry of phosphogypsum in the hope that can understanding of how these radionuclides are fixed in the material may lead to cost-effective purification schemes. Our work has focused on the distribution of 226 Ra but has also included 210 Pb and 210 Po (av. = 860 Bq.Kg -1 ) which are also enriched in phosphogypsum. This paper summarizes the problems associated with this material and reviews its radiochemistry as elucidated by sequential extraction and other methodologies. We also present some possible alternatives to long-term storage as a solution to the phosphogypsum problem. (author)

An imperialist competitive algorithm for solving the production scheduling problem in open pit mine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Mokhtarian Asl

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Production scheduling (planning of an open-pit mine is the procedure during which the rock blocks are assigned to different production periods in a way that the highest net present value of the project achieved subject to operational constraints. The paper introduces a new and computationally less expensive meta-heuristic technique known as imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA for long-term production planning of open pit mines. The proposed algorithm modifies the original rules of the assimilation process. The ICA performance for different levels of the control factors has been studied and the results are presented. The result showed that ICA could be efficiently applied on mine production planning problem.

Active and Healthy Ageing as a Wicked Problem: The Contribution of a Multidisciplinary Research University.

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, Giuseppe; Graffigna, Guendalina; Baitieri, Maddalena; Amato, Alessandra; Bonanomi, Maria Grazia; Valentini, Paolo; Castelli, Guido

2014-01-01

The quest for an active and healthy ageing can be considered a "wicked problem." It is a social and cultural problem, which is difficult to solve because of incomplete, changing, and contradictory requirements. These problems are tough to manage because of their social complexity. They are a group of linked problems embedded in the structure of the communities in which they occur. First, they require the knowledge of the social and cultural context in which they occur. They can be solved only by understanding of what people do and why they do it. Second, they require a multidisciplinary approach. Wicked problems can have different solutions, so it is critical to capture the full range of possibilities and interpretations. Thus, we suggest that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is well suited for accepting and managing this challenge because of its applied research orientation, multidisciplinary approach, and integrated vision. After presenting the research activity of UCSC, we describe a possible "systems thinking" strategy to consider the complexity and interdependence of active ageing and healthy living.

Production of 131 Iodine in research reactors from elementary tellurium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Constancia Pagano Goncalves da

1970-01-01

Presents the history of the production of iodine-131 in the Institute of Atomic Energy (IEA), SP, Brazil), the preliminary works for the development of the method, which were done in small scale and it was not necessary protection for the operators, the evolution of these operations until the final assembling of the equipment in shielded cells, the efficiency of operations and product purity. The problems linked to the presence of iodate in the preparations and the changes made for elimination of that ion, harmful to many types and use of iodine-131 are examined. The quality of the product delivered today, an average of 140 departures per month, and the number of departures, per year since the beginning of iodine-131 production were indicated

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH REGARDING LEATHER APPLICATIONS IN PRODUCT DESIGN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PRALEA Jeni

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the role and importance of experimental research in design activity. The designer, as a researcher and a project manager, proposes to establish a relationship between functional-aesthetic-constructive-technological-economic,based on the aesthetic possibilities of the materials used for the experiments. With the aim to identify areas for the application of leather waste resulted from the production process, the paper presents experiments conducted with this material in combination with wood, by using different techniques that lead to different aesthetic effects. Identifying the areas to use and creating products from leather and/or wood waste, is based on the properties of these materials. Leather, the subject of these experiments, has the advantage that it can be used on both sides. Tactile differences of the two sides of this material has both aesthetical and functional advantages, which makes it suitable for applications on products that meet the requirements of "design for all". With differentiated tactile characteristics, in combination with other materials, for these experiments wood, easily "read touch" products can be generated to help people with certain disabilities. Thus, experiments presented in this paper allows the establishment of aesthetic schemes applicable to products that are friendly both with the environment (based on the reuse of wood and leather waste and with the users (can be used as applications, accessories and concepts of products for people with certain disabilities. The designer’s choices or decisions can be based on the results of this experiment. The experiment enables the designer to develop creative, innovative and environmentally friendly products.

The Legacy of Hobbs and Gray: Research on the Development and Prevention of Conduct Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodge, Kenneth A.

1996-01-01

Describes research on the development of chronic conduct problems in childhood and adolescence, examining a multiple risk-factor model that includes biological predispositions, ecological context, family processes, peer influences, academic performance, and social information processing as factors leading to conduct problems. The paper describes a…

Faculty Research Productivity and Organizational Structure in Schools of Nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohlenberg, Eileen Mieras

1992-01-01

A sample of 128 of 221 nursing faculty completed a scholarly productivity index and organizational inventory, which did not yield significant relationships between productivity and organizational structure. Productivity and prepublication research activities varied positively with procedural specifications in a highly bureaucratic organizational…

ETHICAL REVIEW OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH IN BELARUS: CURRENT STATUS, PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES.

Science.gov (United States)

Famenka, Andrei

2011-04-01

The paper provides description of the system of ethical review for biomedical research in Belarus, with special emphasis on its historical background, legal and regulatory framework, structure and functioning. It concludes that the situation with research ethics in Belarus corresponds to the tendency of bureaucratic approach to establishment of systems of ethical review for biomedical research, observed in a number of countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Different social, economical and political factors of transition have major impact on capacities of the Belarusian RECs to ensure adequate protection of human subjects. Among the main problems identified are non-equivalent stringency of ethical review for different types of biomedical research; lack of independence, multidisciplinarity, pluralism and lay representation experienced by RECs; low level of research ethics education and transparency of RECs activities. Recommendations are made to raise the issue of research ethics on the national agenda in order to develop and maintain the research ethics system capable to effectively protect research participants and promote ethical conduct in research.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2009-01-01

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

International Conference on Production Research (ICPR) Americas Region

CERN Document Server

Velasco, Nubia

2012-01-01

The book presents several highly selected cases in emerging countries where the production-logistics systems have been optimized or improved with the support of mathematical models. The book contains a selection of papers from the 5th International Conference on Production Research (ICPR) Americas 2010 held on July 21-23 in Bogotá, Colombia. The main topic of the conference was “Technologies in Logistics and Manufacturing for Small and Medium Enterprises” which is perfectly aligned with the realities of emerging countries. The book presents methodologies and case studies related to a wide variety of production/logistics systems such as diary production, auto parts, steel and iron production, and financial services. It is focused but not limited to Small/Medium Enterprises.

Efficient Sum of Outer Products Dictionary Learning (SOUP-DIL) and Its Application to Inverse Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravishankar, Saiprasad; Nadakuditi, Raj Rao; Fessler, Jeffrey A

2017-12-01

The sparsity of signals in a transform domain or dictionary has been exploited in applications such as compression, denoising and inverse problems. More recently, data-driven adaptation of synthesis dictionaries has shown promise compared to analytical dictionary models. However, dictionary learning problems are typically non-convex and NP-hard, and the usual alternating minimization approaches for these problems are often computationally expensive, with the computations dominated by the NP-hard synthesis sparse coding step. This paper exploits the ideas that drive algorithms such as K-SVD, and investigates in detail efficient methods for aggregate sparsity penalized dictionary learning by first approximating the data with a sum of sparse rank-one matrices (outer products) and then using a block coordinate descent approach to estimate the unknowns. The resulting block coordinate descent algorithms involve efficient closed-form solutions. Furthermore, we consider the problem of dictionary-blind image reconstruction, and propose novel and efficient algorithms for adaptive image reconstruction using block coordinate descent and sum of outer products methodologies. We provide a convergence study of the algorithms for dictionary learning and dictionary-blind image reconstruction. Our numerical experiments show the promising performance and speedups provided by the proposed methods over previous schemes in sparse data representation and compressed sensing-based image reconstruction.

Nursing Doctorates in Brazil: research formation and theses production.

Science.gov (United States)

Scochi, Carmen Gracinda Silvan; Gelbcke, Francine Lima; Ferreira, Márcia de Assunção; Lima, Maria Alice Dias da Silva; Padilha, Katia Grillo; Padovani, Nátali Artal; Munari, Denize Bouttelet

2015-01-01

to analyze the formation of nursing doctorates in Brazil, from theses production, disciplines and other strategies focusing on research offered by courses. a descriptive and analytical study of the performance of 18 doctoral courses in nursing, running from 1982 to 2010, and defended their theses between 2010-2012. 502 theses were defended in this period, most linked to the online research process of health and nursing care. There are gaps in the knowledge of theoretical and philosophical foundations of care, nursing history and ethics. There are also weaknesses in the methodological design of the theses, with a predominance of descriptive and/or exploratory studies. This was consistent with international standards set with regards to the proposition of research of disciplines and complementary strategies in forming the doctorate. despite the efforts and advances in research formation, it is essential to expand to more robust research designs with a greater impact on production knowledge that is incorporated into practice.

Excursions in classical analysis pathways to advanced problem solving and undergraduate research

CERN Document Server

Chen, Hongwei

2010-01-01

Excursions in Classical Analysis introduces undergraduate students to advanced problem solving and undergraduate research in two ways. Firstly, it provides a colourful tour of classical analysis which places a wide variety of problems in their historical context. Secondly, it helps students gain an understanding of mathematical discovery and proof. In demonstrating a variety of possible solutions to the same sample exercise, the reader will come to see how the connections between apparently inapplicable areas of mathematics can be exploited in problem-solving. This book will serve as excellent preparation for participation in mathematics competitions, as a valuable resource for undergraduate mathematics reading courses and seminars and as a supplement text in a course on analysis. It can also be used in independent study, since the chapters are free-standing.

Collaboration networks and research productivity at IPEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monteiro, Carlos Anisio; Barroso, Antonio Carlos de Oliveira, E-mail: monteiro@ipen.br, E-mail: barroso@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

In this article, we investigate the IPEN's scientific collaboration network. Based on publications registered in IPEN's technical and scientific database was extracted a set of authors that developed technical and scientific work on the 2001 to 2010 period, using coauthorship to define the relationship between authors. From the data collected, we used degree centrality indicator in conjunction with two approaches to assess the relationship between collaboration and productivity: normal count, where for each publication that the author appears is added one for the author’s productivity indicator, and fractional count which is added a fractional value according to the total number of publication's authors. We concluded that collaboration for the development of a technical and scientific work has a positive correlation with the researchers productivity, that is, the greater the collaboration greater the productivity. We presented, also, a statistical summary to reveal the total number of publications and the number of IPEN's authors by publication, the average number of IPEN's authors per publication and the average number of publications by IPEN's author, the number of IPEN's authors that not published with no other author of the IPEN and, finally, the number of active and inactive (ex. retirees) researchers of the IPEN, as well as, the number of authors who do not have employment contract with the IPEN. (author)

Collaboration networks and research productivity at IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monteiro, Carlos Anisio; Barroso, Antonio Carlos de Oliveira

2015-01-01

In this article, we investigate the IPEN's scientific collaboration network. Based on publications registered in IPEN's technical and scientific database was extracted a set of authors that developed technical and scientific work on the 2001 to 2010 period, using coauthorship to define the relationship between authors. From the data collected, we used degree centrality indicator in conjunction with two approaches to assess the relationship between collaboration and productivity: normal count, where for each publication that the author appears is added one for the author’s productivity indicator, and fractional count which is added a fractional value according to the total number of publication's authors. We concluded that collaboration for the development of a technical and scientific work has a positive correlation with the researchers productivity, that is, the greater the collaboration greater the productivity. We presented, also, a statistical summary to reveal the total number of publications and the number of IPEN's authors by publication, the average number of IPEN's authors per publication and the average number of publications by IPEN's author, the number of IPEN's authors that not published with no other author of the IPEN and, finally, the number of active and inactive (ex. retirees) researchers of the IPEN, as well as, the number of authors who do not have employment contract with the IPEN. (author)

Organizational learning perspective on continuous improvement and innovation in product realization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Christina Villefrance

with cross-functional collaboration in solving problems that subsequently restraining continuous improvement and innovation (CII) in product realization. This research project apply an organizational learning perspective on cross-functional problem solving in product realization processes. The research...... project has two main objectives, first to develop and test a CIIprogram that integrates cross-functional work practices into product realization. The second objective is to enhance understanding of organizational learning processes in cross-functional and multilevel settings within manufacturing....

Faculty Research Productivity in Hong Kong across Academic Discipline

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Jisun

2012-01-01

This study examines the research productivity of Hong Kong academics. Specifically, it explores the individual and institutional factors that contribute to their productivity while also comparing determinants across academic disciplines. We have conducted OLS regression analysis using the international survey data from "The Changing Academics…

Profile and scientific production of CNPq researchers in Nephrology and Urology.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Eduardo A; Pécoits-Filho, Roberto; Quirino, Isabel G; Oliveira, Maria Christina; Martelli, Daniela Reis; Lima, Leonardo S; Martelli, Hercílio

2011-03-01

This study aimed at evaluating the profile and scientific production of researchers in Nephrology and Urology, receiving grants in the area of Clinical Medicine from the Brazilian National Research Council. The standardized online curriculum vitae (Curriculum Lattes) of 39 researchers in Medicine receiving grants in the 2006-2008 triennium were included in the analysis. The variables analyzed were: gender, affiliation, time from completion of the PhD program, scientific production, and supervision of undergraduate students, and master's and PhD programs. Males (74.4%) and category 2 grants (56.4%) predominated. The following three Brazilian states are responsible for 90% of the researchers: São Paulo (28; 71.8%); Rio Grande do Sul (4; 10.3%); and Minas Gerais (3; 7.7%). Four institutions are responsible for 70% of the researchers: UNIFESP (14; 36%); USP (8; 20.5%); UFMG (3, 7.7%); and UNICAMP (3; 7.7%). Considering the academic career, the assessed researchers published 3,195 articles in medical journals, with a median of 75 articles per researcher (QI = 52-100). The researchers received a total of 25,923 citations at the database Web of Science®, with a median of 452 citations per researcher (QI = 161-927). The average number of citations per article was 13.8 citations (SD = 11.6). The Southeastern region of Brazil concentrates researchers in Nephrology and Urology. Our study has shown an increase in the scientific production of most researchers in the last five years. By knowing the profile of researchers in Nephrology and Urology, more effective strategies to encourage the scientific production and the demand for resources to finance research projects can be defined.

Production, consumption and research on solar energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanz-Casado, Elias; Lascurain-Sánchez, Maria Luisa; Serrano-Lopez, Antonio Eleazar

2014-01-01

An analysis of scientific publications on solar energy was conducted to determine whether public interest in the subject is mirrored by more intense research in the area. To this end, the research published by Spain and Germany, the two EU countries with the highest installed photovoltaic capacity......, was analyzed based on Web of Science data. The results show that: solar output has risen substantially; solar research has a greater impact (measured in terms of citations) than publications on other renewables such as wind power; scientific production on solar energy is high in Germany and Spain, which...... intense. The main conclusion is the divergence in Germany and Spain between solar energy demand/output growth, being exponential, and the growth of research papers on the subject, which is linear...

Research Mathematicians' Practices in Selecting Mathematical Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Misfeldt, Morten; Johansen, Mikkel Willum

2015-01-01

Developing abilities to create, inquire into, qualify, and choose among mathematical problems is an important educational goal. In this paper, we elucidate how mathematicians work with mathematical problems in order to understand this mathematical process. More specifically, we investigate how mathematicians select and pose problems and discuss to…

Research governance and scientific knowledge production in The Gambia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederick U. Ozor

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Public research institutions and scientists are principal actors in the production and transfer of scientific knowledge, technologies and innovations for application in industry as well for social and economic development. Based on the relevance of science and technology actors, the aim of this study was to identify and explain factors in research governance that influence scientific knowledge production and to contribute to empirical discussions on the impact levels of different governance models and structures. These discussions appear limited and mixed in the literature, although still are ongoing. No previous study has examined the possible contribution of the scientific committee model of research governance to scientific performance at the individual level of the scientist. In this context, this study contributes to these discussions, firstly, by suggesting that scientific committee structures with significant research steering autonomy could contribute not only directly to scientific output but also indirectly through moderating effects on research practices. Secondly, it is argued that autonomous scientific committee structures tend to play a better steering role than do management-centric models and structures of research governance.

Problem Solving Model for Science Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Alberida, H.; Lufri; Festiyed; Barlian, E.

2018-04-01

This research aims to develop problem solving model for science learning in junior high school. The learning model was developed using the ADDIE model. An analysis phase includes curriculum analysis, analysis of students of SMP Kota Padang, analysis of SMP science teachers, learning analysis, as well as the literature review. The design phase includes product planning a science-learning problem-solving model, which consists of syntax, reaction principle, social system, support system, instructional impact and support. Implementation of problem-solving model in science learning to improve students' science process skills. The development stage consists of three steps: a) designing a prototype, b) performing a formative evaluation and c) a prototype revision. Implementation stage is done through a limited trial. A limited trial was conducted on 24 and 26 August 2015 in Class VII 2 SMPN 12 Padang. The evaluation phase was conducted in the form of experiments at SMPN 1 Padang, SMPN 12 Padang and SMP National Padang. Based on the development research done, the syntax model problem solving for science learning at junior high school consists of the introduction, observation, initial problems, data collection, data organization, data analysis/generalization, and communicating.

Institutional and Individual Research Productivity in Five Nominated Multicultural Psychology Journals

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Michael Y.; Cisco, Hilary C.; Delgado-Romero, Edward A.

2008-01-01

Research productivity was examined across 5 highly nominated multicultural psychology journals. This yielded a ranking of 40 highly productive institutions and individuals between 1994 and 2007. The results are potentially useful in beginning to track trends in the publication of multicultural psychology studies in research journals.…

Profession based research through Action research. Framing knowledge production in an interdisciplinary perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tofteng, Ditte Maria Børglum; Bladt, Mette; Husted, Mia

to work on tendencies to privilege some types of knowledge above others when it comes to knowledge production and research processes. The participatory worldview mandates action researchers to consider participants as a collaborative resource and agents of cyclical transformation who bring to the table...... practical knowledge and experience about situations while the recurring pattern of reflection, analysis and action contributes to the constant evolution and redefinition of the original goal. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This paper is a theoretical reflection on actions...... will be an reflection on action research and participatory research processes as an asvwer to developing a vocational research practice that goes beyond quantitative an qualitative methodologies and into to research as an research and development process. References Bladt, M. (2012): Frirum og værksteder I Duus m...

A review of research on the problem of aggression inhibitors (Part II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalashnikova A.S.

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Many researchers in the genesis of the formation of aggressive behavior inextricably consider proagressive and constraining, or inhibiting, aggressive manifestations of structure. The second part of the article deals with a theoretical overview of the problem of aggression inhibitors, which covers the latest Russian and foreign research aimed at studying the individual manifestations of factors deterring aggression. For basis for the analysis we chose classification of personality structures inhibiting aggressive manifestations, proposed by F.S. Safuanov, which includes values, socio-normative, dispositional, emotional, communicative, intellectual restraining structure and psychological protective mechanisms. We made conclusion that the problem of aggression inhibitors currently stands on the threshold of a new phase of the study, that is to provide a holistic model, including illegal aggressive behavior, taking into account not only the socio-psychological characteristics of "aggressor" and his victims, and personality structures that promote and inhibiting aggression, but also covering a wide range of inhibitors of aggression, acting through different psychological mechanisms.

RESEARCH ON PROBLEMS WITH PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN THE CENTRE REGION FACED IN ACCESSING EUROPEAN FUNDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DUMITRASCU DANUT

2012-12-01

Full Text Available European project management is the main filed of the article. Assuming a connection between the degree of absorption of European funds and the degree of maturity of the Romanian society in terms of project management, the article seeks to identify the negative factors on accessing and carrying out European projects. The identified problem is a low degree of absorption of European funds in Romania, and the main objective of the research is to identify the problems faced by the public institutions in the Centre Region in accessing European funds and also the causes that led to the low absorption of European funds. This article’s research is based on a preliminary analysis performed by the authors on the rate of accessing of European funds published in the article called “The current state of European funds absorption through funding programmes – measure of the Romanian performances in the project management practice”. The conclusion of this article was a low rate of absorption of European funds in Romania, a fact that reveals a poor practice of the theory on project management. This article identifies part of the causes of this situation by identifying a part of the problems that stood in the way of beneficiaries of European funds The qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in combination in the research. The investigation has however a highly quantitative character, the purpose of the qualitative research being to provide the prerequisites for achieving the quantitative research. The interview-based qualitative research enabled the researcher to get acquainted with the subjects’ problems related to the theme of investigation, the causes that have generated these problems. This preliminary investigation to the questionnaire-based research aims to provide information that would help the researcher prepare the questionnaire, so that the questions allow getting the most comprehensive information to

THE APPLICATION OF QRQC METHOD TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION FLUX (1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ancuţa BĂLTEANU

2015-05-01

Full Text Available ORQC is a quality management system which aims customer satisfaction through immediate action. The subject proposed will be developed over two parts. The first written work – respectively this - will presented initial situation within a production flow that is sensed in the appearance of defects and nonconformities in obtain the final products. In this second paper we will show the use of this method in a situation that requires elimination of a technological problem appeared in the production flux and in relieving its positive consequence.

Radiological protection problems associated with parasitic X-ray emission from electronic products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amlinger, G.; Anger, K.; Billaudelle, H.; Ehlers, J.; Fendt, H.W.; Festag, J.G.; Haug, R.; Herrmann, K.H.; Klein, H.; Kossel, F.; Krebs, A.; Lauterbach, U.; Leibssle, H. Fa.; Lustig, H.; Maushart, R.; Milde, K.G.; Peter, F.; Ritter, J.; Riecke, W.D.; Rosenbaum, O.; Schiekel, M. Fa.; Schleich, F.; Schmidt, Th.; Speyer, K.; Teschke, L.; Tzschaschel, R.; Wagner, H.; Wehner, G.; Wendel, W.; Zehender, E.; Aiginoer, H.; Zakovsky, J.; Blom, G.; De backer, J.; Delhove, J.; Hublet, P.; Lejeune, P.; Misslin, A.; Nuyts, R.; Popovitch, I.; Hjardemaal, O.; Oehlenschlaeger, N.; Gonzalez Del Campo, R.; Becker, S.; Elder, R.L.; Matthews, J.D.; Sheldon, J.L.; Viitaniemi, T.J.; Aouizerate, H.; Aymeric, H.; Barthe, J.; Bermann, F.; Berthaud, Madeleine; Blanc, D.; Bory, P.; Bourrieau, J.; Bouville, A.; Bovagne, H.; Bresson, G.; Casanovas, J.; Cassanhiol, E.; Cassanhiol, E.; Chambragne, J.; Chanteur, J.; Choquet, R.; Cluchet, J.; Commanay, L.; Commanay, P.; Cros, J.L.; Dana, M.; Danna, J.; Decossas, J.L.; Delpla, M.; Destame, D.; Dieval, M.; Drouet, J.; Dubec, A.; Galy, J.; Garnier, A.; Gouerne, R.; Gras, M.; Grob, R.; Guelfucci, J.P.; Guevenoux, J.; Guichardiere, R.; Hamard, J.; Hardy, J.; Haym, J.P.; Hionette, J.; Jacob, G.; Lavie, J.M.; Levy, L.; Logre, P.; Manquene, J.; Martin, H.; Mathieu, J.; Odievre, Monique; Oustrin, J.; Palluel, P.; Patau, J.P.; Penotet, H.; Perrot, A.; Petel, M.; Peyrelavigne, A.; Peyrelavigne, Monique; Provincial, M.; Raedersdorff, J.; Renard, Cl.; Roche, L.; Roche, R.; Schaeffer, R.; Soubiran, J.; Soudain, G.; Stern, J.C.; Terrissol, M.; Tixier, M.; Vialettes, H.; Wauquier, J.M.; Casbolt, P.N.; Ciuciura, A.; Goodhew, E.G.; Jones, I.S.; O'riordan, M.C.; Speight, D.L.; Ward, P.R.; Williams, K.F.; Biro, T.; Vago, G.; Rosental, N.; Argiero, L.; Belli, M.; Boggio, M.; Carfi, N.; Garretti, S.; Loppa, A.; Parisi, A.; Susanna, A.; Ogawa, I.; Koren, K.; Aten, J.B.Th.; Barendsen, G.W.; Den Boer, A.M.; De Pijper, M.A.; Hekman, H.; Julius, H.W.; Strackee, L.; Van daatselaar, G.; Lorentzon, L.; Hadzi-Pealo, M.; Jeremio, M.; Stevanovio, Marija; Oosterkamp, W.J.; Shalmon, E.; Doyen, Diana; Goetschalkx, J.; Puel, R.

1971-03-01

During the past few decades there has been an increase in the production of many types of electronic devices such as rectifying tubes, thyratrons, klystrons, magnetrons, etc., containing elements capable of emitting undesirable X-radiation. These components are not only found in equipment used in industry and research laboratories, but also in devices of a more domestic nature, such as colour television sets, usually low in energy, this radiation may nevertheless constitute a health hazard for many users of such devices and may affect not only workers but even the population as a whole. The Commission of the European Communities (Euratom) felt it was desirable to review the state of the art with regard to problems of radiological protection arising in the manufacture, repair and use of such electronic equipment and to seek suitable technical and administrative solutions. In conjunction with the Centre Physique Atomique et Nucleaire of the Paul Sabatier University, the Commission held an International Symposium in Toulouse on 3-6 November 1970, which was attended by manufacturers of electronic equipment, officials of technical inspection bodies and representatives of public health and occupational safety authorities. The following items were discussed: classification and identification of sources of parasitic X-rays, methods of measuring soft X-rays, biological aspects of exposure to soft X-rays, performance standards and methods for testing and inspecting electronic equipment. The Symposium was followed attentively by 180 delegates from 21 countries and international organizations, and was concluded by a round table discussion at which the chairmen of the different sessions, assisted by experts, drew conclusions from their sessions and from the discussions, pointing up the problems which needed most urgently to be studied. This document contains the texts, in their original versions, of the papers presented at the meetings, together with the minutes of the

Marketing research for choosing the promotional message content for domestic organic products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salai Suzana

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Choosing the content of promotional messages is a part of the activities of integrated marketing communication. As far as organic products in the world are concerned, research related to the choice of promotional message content is the object of much attention, primarily based on the conduct of research among the consumers of these product (information for defining the aim of promotion, creating and testing promotional messages, selecting media and media mix, and determining the number and frequency of promotional events. Promoting domestic organic products also inevitably implies conducting consumer-centred marketing research, in order to choose the appropriate promotional message. In this respect, this article defines several goals: study the choice of the promotional message content in relation to other activities of integrated marketing communication; consider this question in the context of relevant foreign market research into organic product consumers; determine the level of marketing research, which could be used for approaching the issue from the domestic perspective; and establish which recommendations and implication could be generated when domestic organic products are concerned.

An Existential Perspective on Death Anxiety, Retirement, and Related Research Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Osborne, John W

2017-06-01

Aspects of existentialism relevant to existence and death anxiety (DA) are discussed. Included are the "thrownness" of existence, being-with-others, the motivational influence of inevitable death, the search for meaning, making the most of existence by taking responsibility for one's own life, and coping with existential isolation. The attempted separation of DA from object anxiety is a significant difficulty. The correlations among age, gender, and DA are variable. Personality and role-oriented problems in the transition to retirement are discussed along with Erikson's notion of "generativity" as an expression of the energy and purpose of mid-life. Furthermore, methodological and linguistic problems in DA research are considered. The article suggests qualitative methodologies as an interpersonal means of exploring DA within the contexts of psychotherapy and counselling.

Effects of a Research-Based Intervention to Improve Seventh-Grade Students' Proportional Problem Solving: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Jitendra, Asha K.; Harwell, Michael R.; Dupuis, Danielle N.; Karl, Stacy R.; Lein, Amy E.; Simonson, Gregory; Slater, Susan C.

2015-01-01

This experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a research-based intervention, schema-based instruction (SBI), on students' proportional problem solving. SBI emphasizes the underlying mathematical structure of problems, uses schematic diagrams to represent information in the problem text, provides explicit problem-solving and metacognitive…

A review of maturation diets for mud crab genus Scylla broodstock: Present research, problems and future perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Azra, Mohamad N; Ikhwanuddin, Mhd

2016-03-01

Study of broodstock maturation diets is important in order to increase the quality of berried females, which indirectly improve the larval quantity in the hatchery production of cultured species. This paper reviewed the studies on the maturation diets for mud crab broodstock, genus Scylla and compared independently to identify their effect on reproductive performance and larval quality. The broodstock is usually caught from the wild and held in the spawning or maturation tank for further use of hatchery seed production. Mud crab broodstock was fed either natural diet, artificial diet or mixed diet. Trash fishes were commonly used as a natural feed for mud crab broodstock; meanwhile artificial diets are from formulated fish meal and various kinds of feed. The results indicated that mud crab broodstock has a high dietary requirement for lipids, fatty acids and protein which are to be used during the maturation and breeding processes. However, the natural diet produce better larval quality compared to the artificial diet. The mixed diet is the better diet which resulted in better reproductive performances such as growth, survival, fecundity and maturation processes. This review also discusses the problems in the previous studies for the potential future research to develop very high quality and cost-effective formulated diet for the enhancement of broodstock and seed production technology. Information from this review can be useful in developing a better quality of crustacean broodstock's diet for commercial hatchery production.

New Product Development and Business Strategy of Research and Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sun Cheol

1998-05-01

The contents of this book are new product development strategy of the top business, commercialization and new product development, development case analysis and framework of new product development, investigation strategy for idea of new product development, case analysis of research as development and goal of new product development, case analysis and planning and management for new product development, innovative item development and technical management against confusion, the map for determination procedure of development, strategy of market and goods and development strategy cases in leading company.

Reconfigurable layout problem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meng, G.; Heragu, S.S.; Heragu, S.S.; Zijm, Willem H.M.

2004-01-01

This paper addresses the reconfigurable layout problem, which differs from traditional, robust and dynamic layout problems mainly in two aspects: first, it assumes that production data are available only for the current and upcoming production period. Second, it considers queuing performance

Development of Learning Models Based on Problem Solving and Meaningful Learning Standards by Expert Validity for Animal Development Course

Science.gov (United States)

Lufri, L.; Fitri, R.; Yogica, R.

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study is to produce a learning model based on problem solving and meaningful learning standards by expert assessment or validation for the course of Animal Development. This research is a development research that produce the product in the form of learning model, which consist of sub product, namely: the syntax of learning model and student worksheets. All of these products are standardized through expert validation. The research data is the level of validity of all sub products obtained using questionnaire, filled by validators from various field of expertise (field of study, learning strategy, Bahasa). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result of the research shows that the problem solving and meaningful learning model has been produced. Sub products declared appropriate by expert include the syntax of learning model and student worksheet.

Triage: Making a Political Decision to Solve an Environmental Science Problem Through Research

Science.gov (United States)

Ridolfi, Thomas

1974-01-01

A description is given of a class project concerned with examining a population problem and making some political decisions to solve it. A list of topics for the students to research as a basis for their decisions is provided. (DT)

Quantitative and qualitative approaches in educational research — problems and examples of controlled understanding through interpretive methods

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Karl

1987-06-01

In the methodological discussion of recent years it has become apparent that many research problems, including problems relating to the theory of educational science, cannot be solved by using quantitative methods. The multifaceted aspects of human behaviour and all its environment-bound subtle nuances, especially the process of education or the development of identity, cannot fully be taken into account within a rigid neopositivist approach. In employing the paradigm of symbolic interactionism as a suitable model for the analysis of processes of education and formation, the research has generally to start out from complex reciprocal social interactions instead of unambigious connections of causes. In analysing several particular methodological problems, the article demonstrates some weaknesses of quantitative approaches and then shows the advantages in and the necessity for using qualitative research tools.

Sources of Research Ideas Among Productive Scholars. Implications for Administrators

Science.gov (United States)

Glueck, William F.; Jauch, Lawrence R.

1975-01-01

Administrators wishing to stimulate research productivity should try to lure the most creative researchers but should also put emphasis on libraries and information retrieval services, and funds to attend professional meetings. (Editor)

How do Older Employees with Health Problems Remain Productive at Work?: A Qualitative Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leijten, F.; van den Heuvel, S.; Geuskens, G.; Ybema, J.F.; de Wind, A.; Burdorf, A.; Robroek, S.

2013-01-01

Purpose The goal of this qualitative study was to gain insight into how older employees remain productive at work in spite of health problems. Methods Twenty-six semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with older employees, 46-63 years of age, who reported a poor health in the Study on

Alcohol & drug abuse: Revisiting employee assistance programs and substance use problems in the workplace: key issues and a research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrick, Elizabeth S Levy; Volpe-Vartanian, Joanna; Horgan, Constance M; McCann, Bernard

2007-10-01

This column describes employee assistance program (EAPs) and identifies key issues for contemporary EAPs. These programs began as occupational alcohol programs and have evolved into more comprehensive resources. To better understand contemporary EAPs, the authors suggest a research agenda that includes descriptive studies to provide an up-to-date picture of services; investigations of how contemporary EAPs address substance use problems, including management consultation for early identification; further study of EAPs' effects on outcomes, such as productivity and work group outcomes; examination of the relationship between EAPs and other workplace resources; further examination of influences on EAP utilization; and development and testing of EAP performance measures.

The a3 problem solving report: a 10-step scientific method to execute performance improvements in an academic research vivarium.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassuk, James A; Washington, Ida M

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to illustrate the application of A3 Problem Solving Reports of the Toyota Production System to our research vivarium through the methodology of Continuous Performance Improvement, a lean approach to healthcare management at Seattle Children's (Hospital, Research Institute, Foundation). The Report format is described within the perspective of a 10-step scientific method designed to realize measurable improvements of Issues identified by the Report's Author, Sponsor and Coach. The 10-step method (Issue, Background, Current Condition, Goal, Root Cause, Target Condition, Countermeasures, Implementation Plan, Test, and Follow-up) was shown to align with Shewhart's Plan-Do-Check-Act process improvement cycle in a manner that allowed for quantitative analysis of the Countermeasure's outcomes and of Testing results. During fiscal year 2012, 9 A3 Problem Solving Reports were completed in the vivarium under the teaching and coaching system implemented by the Research Institute. Two of the 9 reports are described herein. Report #1 addressed the issue of the vivarium's veterinarian not being able to provide input into sick animal cases during the work day, while report #7 tackled the lack of a standard in keeping track of weekend/holiday animal health inspections. In each Report, a measurable Goal that established the basis for improvement recognition was present. A Five Whys analysis identified the Root Cause for Report #1 as historical work patterns that existed before the veterinarian was hired on and that modern electronic communication tools had not been implemented. The same analysis identified the Root Cause for Report #7 as the vivarium had never standardized the process for weekend/holiday checks. Successful outcomes for both Reports were obtained and validated by robust audit plans. The collective data indicate that vivarium staff acquired a disciplined way of reporting on, as well as solving, problems in a manner consistent with high

Data and Data Products for Climate Research: Web Services at the Asia-Pacific Data-Research Center (APDRC)

Science.gov (United States)

DeCarlo, S.; Potemra, J. T.; Wang, K.

2012-12-01

The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) at the University of Hawaii maintains a data center for climate studies called the Asia-Pacific Data-Research Center (APDRC). This data center was designed within a center of excellence in climate research with the intention of serving the needs of the research scientist. The APDRC provides easy access to a wide collection of climate data and data products for a wide variety of users. The data center maintains an archive of approximately 100 data sets including in-situ and remote data, as well as a range of model-based output. All data are available via on-line browsing tools such as a Live Access Server (LAS) and DChart, and direct binary access is available through OPeNDAP services. On-line tutorials on how to use these services are now available. Users can keep up-to-date with new data and product announcements via the APDRC facebook page. The main focus of the APDRC has been climate scientists, and the services are therefore streamlined to such users, both in the number and types of data served, but also in the way data are served. In addition, due to the integration of the APDRC within the IPRC, several value-added data products (see figure for an example using Argo floats) have been developed via a variety of research activities. The APDRC, therefore, has three main foci: 1. acquisition of climate-related data, 2. maintenance of integrated data servers, and 3. development and distribution of data products The APDRC can be found at http://apdrc.soest.hawaii.edu. The presentation will provide an overview along with specific examples of the data, data products and data services available at the APDRC.; APDRC product example: gridded field from Argo profiling floats

Training Interdisciplinary "Wicked Problem" Solvers: Applying Lessons from HERO in Community-Based Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Cantor, Alida; DeLauer, Verna; Martin, Deborah; Rogan, John

2015-01-01

Management of "wicked problems", messy real-world problems that defy resolution, requires thinkers who can transcend disciplinary boundaries, work collaboratively, and handle complexity and obstacles. This paper explores how educators can train undergraduates in these skills through applied community-based research, using the example of…

Materials of research-practical conference dedicated to 70-anniversary of sanitation, hygiene and occupational diseases research institute 'Actual problems of hygiene, sanitation and ecology'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskandarov, T.I.; Kamil'dzhanov, A.Kh.

2004-01-01

The Research-practical conference dedicated to 70-anniversary of sanitation, hygiene and occupational diseases research institute 'Actual problems of hygiene, sanitation and ecology' was held on 2004 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Specialists discussed various aspects of actual problems of sanitation, hygiene, occupational diseases and ecology. They discussed also some aspects of radiology and nuclear medicine, radiation protection and dosimetry, radiation and other environmental pollutant effect on living organisms and biological materials. More than 250 talks were presented in the meeting. (k.m.)

Product-related research: how research can contribute to successful life-cycle management.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandner, Peter; Ziegelbauer, Karl

2008-05-01

Declining productivity with decreasing new molecular entity output combined with increased R&D spending is one of the key challenges for the entire pharmaceutical industry. In order to offset decreasing new molecular entity output, life-cycle management activities for established drugs become more and more important to maintain or even expand clinical indication and market opportunities. Life-cycle management covers a whole range of activities from strategic pricing to a next generation product launch. In this communication, we review how research organizations can contribute to successful life-cycle management strategies using phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors as an example.

Farming Systems Involving Fruit Crops Production And Research In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research interventions to expand the scope of the farmers have shown that greater efficiency of land utilization is exhibited. New areas of research for the evaluation, as well as suggests consideration for intercropping with fruit trees are suggested. The current challenges to fruit production were also identified, while the ...

Evaluation of the influence of dominance rules for the assembly line design problem under consideration of product design alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Oesterle, Jonathan; Lionel, Amodeo

2018-06-01

The current competitive situation increases the importance of realistically estimating product costs during the early phases of product and assembly line planning projects. In this article, several multi-objective algorithms using difference dominance rules are proposed to solve the problem associated with the selection of the most effective combination of product and assembly lines. The list of developed algorithms includes variants of ant colony algorithms, evolutionary algorithms and imperialist competitive algorithms. The performance of each algorithm and dominance rule is analysed by five multi-objective quality indicators and fifty problem instances. The algorithms and dominance rules are ranked using a non-parametric statistical test.

Closed nuclear facilities in Estonia: developments and problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Realo, E.; Realo, K.

2000-01-01

At present Estonia has no operating nuclear or a radioactive material production facility. As a legacy of the past the country has become responsible for the decommissioning of two large nuclear cycle facilities of the former USSR. Besides limited funding, major problems arise from deficiencies in legislation, expertise, training and research. International co-operation has been of immense importance to overcome the problems, to establish the national radiation protection and radioactive waste management infrastructure and to launch decommissioning and remediation activities. An overview is given on the status and problems. Copyright (2000) Australasian Radiation Protection Society Inc

Current status of production and research of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soenarjo, Sunarhadijoso; Tamat, Swasono R.

2000-01-01

The use of radioactive preparation in Indonesia has sharply increased during the past years, indicated by increase of the number of companies utilizing radioisotopes during 1985 to 1999. It has been clearly stressed in the BATAN's Strategic Plan for 1994-2014 that the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals is one of five main industrial fields within the platform of the Indonesian nuclear industry. Research programs supporting the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals as well as development of production technology are undertaken by the Research Center for Nuclear Techniques (RCNT) in Bandung and by the Radioisotope Production Center (RPC) in Serpong, involving cooperation with other research center within BATAN, universities and hospitals as well as overseas nuclear research institution. The presented paper describes production and research status of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Indonesia after the establishment of P.T. Batan Teknologi in 1996, a government company assigned for activities related to the commercial application of nuclear technology. The reviewed status is divided into two short periods, i.e. before and after the Chairman Decree No. 73/KA/IV/1999 declaring new BATAN organizational structure. Subsequent to the Decree, all commercial requests for radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals are fulfilled by P.T. Batan Teknologi, while demands on novel radioactive preparations or new processing technology, as well as research and development activities should be fulfilled by the Center for the Development of Radioisotopes and Radiopharmaceuticals (CDRR) through non-commercial arrangement. The near-future strategic research programs to response to dynamic public demand are also discussed. The status of research cooperation with JAERI (Japan) is also reported. (author)

Communicating Academic Research Findings to IS Professionals: An Analysis of Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Lang

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Because research findings often do not have direct or immediate relevance to IS professionals in industry, the question arises as to how those findings should be disseminated to them in a suitable form at such time as they do become relevant. A central argument of this paper is that the traditional mechanisms whereby academic researchers disseminate their work are prone to numerous communication breakdowns, and that much work which could potentially make valuable contributions to practice is haplessly lost within the vaults of academia. Using the well-known Shannon & Weaver communication model, three major problems are analyzed: the choice of dissemination channels, language barriers, and the alienation of academia from industry.

A rugged landscape model for self-organization and emergent leadership in creative problem solving and production groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Guastello, Stephen J; Craven, Joanna; Zygowicz, Karen M; Bock, Benjamin R

2005-07-01

The process by which an initially leaderless group differentiates into one containing leadership and secondary role structures was examined using the swallowtail catastrophe model and principles of selforganization. The objectives were to identify the control variables in the process of leadership emergence in creative problem solving groups and production groups. In the first of two experiments, groups of university students (total N = 114) played a creative problem solving game. Participants later rated each other on leadership behavior, styles, and variables related to the process of conversation. A performance quality measure was included also. Control parameters in the swallowtail catastrophe model were identified through a combination of factor analysis and nonlinear regression. Leaders displayed a broad spectrum of behaviors in the general categories of Controlling the Conversation and Creativity in their role-play. In the second experiment, groups of university students (total N = 197) engaged in a laboratory work experiment that had a substantial production goal component. The same system of ratings and modeling strategy was used along with a work production measure. Leaders in the production task emerged to the extent that they exhibited control over both the creative and production aspects of the task, they could keep tension low, and the externally imposed production goals were realistic.

Simulation of product distribution at PT Anugrah Citra Boga by using capacitated vehicle routing problem method

Science.gov (United States)

Lamdjaya, T.; Jobiliong, E.

2017-01-01

PT Anugrah Citra Boga is a food processing industry that produces meatballs as their main product. The distribution system of the products must be considered, because it needs to be more efficient in order to reduce the shipment cost. The purpose of this research is to optimize the distribution time by simulating the distribution channels with capacitated vehicle routing problem method. Firstly, the distribution route is observed in order to calculate the average speed, time capacity and shipping costs. Then build the model using AIMMS software. A few things that are required to simulate the model are customer locations, distances, and the process time. Finally, compare the total distribution cost obtained by the simulation and the historical data. It concludes that the company can reduce the shipping cost around 4.1% or Rp 529,800 per month. By using this model, the utilization rate can be more optimal. The current value for the first vehicle is 104.6% and after the simulation it becomes 88.6%. Meanwhile, the utilization rate of the second vehicle is increase from 59.8% to 74.1%. The simulation model is able to produce the optimal shipping route with time restriction, vehicle capacity, and amount of vehicle.

Parents of children with chronic health problems: programs of nursing research and their relationship to developmental science.

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, Margaret Shandor

2003-01-01

This review identified nurse researchers and research teams that have current programs of research focused on parents and parenting of children with chronic health problems. Researchers were included if they had at least five publications since 1990, with at least three of these articles first-authored. These programs of research were critiqued from a developmental science perspective. Multiple methods were used for the search, including examination of previous review articles, hand search of journals, online computer searches, and review of the curriculum vitae of authors. Seven programs of research were identified. Two programs of research focused on childhood cancer--Ida M. Martinson et al. and Marsha H. Cohen. Three programs of research used a noncategorical approach encompassing a variety of childhood chronic conditions--Katherine A. Knafl and Janet A. Deatrick, Sharon O. Burke, and Ann Garwick. One program focused primarily on parents of children with Down syndrome and disabilities--Marsha Van Riper--and another on parents of infants with a variety of chronic health problems--Margaret S. Miles and Diane Holditch-Davis. Diverse theories and conceptual frameworks were used, and most had some focus on ecological systems that might affect parents and parenting. Many used a family perspective and included fathers. Still broader aspects of the family and community ecology and the health care were not generally included. Few examined the bidirectionality of the relationship between the child and aspects of the child's illness and parental responses. There was variability in the extent to which ethnicity and socioeconomic status were considered. Studies provide important insight into the responses of parents and their parenting of children with chronic health problems. The studies provide a sound base for continuing to build a developmentally sensitive body of knowledge related to parents and parenting of the child with chronic health problems.

Research on the Governance Mechanism of Aviation Complex Product Manufacturing Supply Chain Based on Dynamic Game Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Nan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the manufacturing process of aeronautical complex products, for the following problems: develop long production cycle, a large number of ancillary products, a plurality of participating units, etc, and the status of the frequency of quality problems, using single-phase static game model in the case of asymmetric information, study on Supplier Quality insufficient investment, which resulting in opportunistic behaviour reasons. And using KMRW dynamic game model, we quantitative analysis the mechanism and crucial role of reputation mechanisms to ensure aeronautical complex product manufacturing supply chain and effective operation.

SHIPBUILDING PRODUCTION PROCESS DESIGN METHODOLOGY USING COMPUTER SIMULATION

OpenAIRE

Marko Hadjina; Nikša Fafandjel; Tin Matulja

2015-01-01

In this research a shipbuilding production process design methodology, using computer simulation, is suggested. It is expected from suggested methodology to give better and more efficient tool for complex shipbuilding production processes design procedure. Within the first part of this research existing practice for production process design in shipbuilding was discussed, its shortcomings and problem were emphasized. In continuing, discrete event simulation modelling method, as basis of sugge...

Quantitative and qualitative problems of short film production in cinema education in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erkanı Mehmet Emrah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Although Turkish cinema has completed its 100 years, short film could not find the place it deserves in the institutions and in the sector. There are problems in terms of the narrative and technical characteristics of short films beside presentation, marketing and international festival attendance issues. Low budgets, course schedules and structures of the cinema departments and short films and the sector’s ignorance of the importance of short film are the obstacles to the development of short films in Turkey. Increasing the government support, strengthening the cooperation between the sector and the university, improving the festivals’ screening conditions, reforming the arrangements to increase the sponsorship incentives, solving the equipment problems of the institutions will positively affect the productivity of Turkish cinema.

Causes of Indoor Air Quality Problems in Schools: Summary of Scientific Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bayer, C.W.

2001-02-22

chemical sensitivity versus bioaerosols (aerosolized microbes), or the contribution of the microorganisms to the chemical sensitivities, is not yet understood. If the inhabitants of a building exhibit similar symptoms of a clearly defined disease with a nature and time of onset that can be related to building occupancy, the disease is generally referred to as ''building-related illness.'' Once the SBS has been allowed to elevate to this level, buildings are typically evacuated and the costs associated with disruption of the building occupants, identification of the source of the problem, and eventual remediation can be significant. Understanding the primary causes of IAQ problems and how controllable factors--proper HVAC system design, allocation of adequate outdoor air, proper filtration, effective humidity control, and routine maintenance--can avert the problems may help all building owners, operators, and occupants to be more productive (Arens and Baughman 1996). This paper provides a comprehensive summary of IAQ research that has been conducted in various types of facilities. However, it focuses primarily on school facilities because, for numerous reasons that will become evident, they are far more susceptible to developing IAQ problems than most other types of facilities; and the occupants, children, are more significantly affected than adults (EPA 1998).

A Decision Optimization Model for Leased Manufacturing Equipment with Warranty under Forecasting Production/Maintenance Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zied Hajej

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the expensive production equipment, many manufacturers usually lease production equipment with a warranty period during a finite leasing horizon, rather than purchasing them. The lease contract contains the possibility of obtaining an extended warranty for a given additional cost. In this paper, based on the forecasting production/maintenance optimization problem, we develop a mathematical model to study the lease contract with basic and extended warranty based on win-win relationship between the lessee and the lessor. The influence of the production rates in the equipment degradation consequently on the total cost by each side during the finite leasing horizon is stated in order to determine a theoretical condition under which a compromise-pricing zone exists under different possibilities of maintenance policies.

Clinical research in dermatology: resources and activities associated with a higher scientific productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina-Leyva, Alejandro; Descalzo, Miguel A; García-Doval, Ignacio

2018-03-06

Clinical research papers and their derived metrics can be useful to assess the scientific production of medical and research centers. Diverse factors are probably associated to differences in scientific production. But there are scarce studies analyzing them. Resources are limited and have to be distributed efficiently. The objective of this study is to explore what resources and activities are potentially associated with a higher scientific productivity. A bibliometric study was performed to obtain information about scientific productivity. Papers included had to meet criteria to be considered clinical research in dermatology, additionally had to be published between the years 2005-2014, had to be included in Pubmed or Embase and had to include a Spanish center of dermatology as the correspondence address. Information about research resources and activities of the year 2015 was gathered by means of an online survey sent to the authors identified in the bibliometric study. The search strategy returned 8617 papers and only 1104 of them (12.81%) met the inclusion criteria. 63 out of 113 centers responded to the survey (55.75%). Factors associated with a higher scientific productivity were: the size of the resident program, the amount of time specifically dedicated to research, a lower clinical workload, and the number of clinical trials performed in the last year. We have demonstrated that some factors are associated with a higher scientific productivity. Residency program, more research staff, clinical workload redistribution and research motivation/initiatives are key strategies that could improve scientific productivity of a center.

Quality of life of people with mental health problems: a synthesis of qualitative research

OpenAIRE

Connell, Janice; Brazier, John; O?Cathain, Alicia; Lloyd-Jones, Myfanwy; Paisley, Suzy

2012-01-01

Abstract Purpose To identify the domains of quality of life important to people with mental health problems. Method A systematic review of qualitative research undertaken with people with mental health problems using a framework synthesis. Results We identified six domains: well-being and ill-being; control, autonomy and choice; self-perception; belonging; activity; and hope and hopelessness. Firstly, symptoms or ‘ill-being’ were an intrinsic aspect of quality of life for people with severe m...

Comparison of problem solving tools in lean organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuga Maria Virginia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As global market competition is getting fiercer, and companies are looking at ways to stay on top, more and more organizations are looking at Lean Manufacturing and lean tools to support them in achieving their goals. Especially within the automotive industry, lean practices are very well received. The speed at which the automotive industry is evolving, especially but not only, in countries like Romania, leads to the need to carefully analyze lean manufacturing concepts, examine them against local production conditions, and to develop and standardize them. One of the most important things to take into consideration here is the application of an adequate problem solving technique to avoid waste. The objective of this research paper lies in analyzing and comparing the problem-solving methods recommended by the Toyota Production System, and to propose their appropriate application at shop floor, in relation to the specific problem type.

SOLVING TRANSPORT LOGISTICS PROBLEMS IN A VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS

OpenAIRE

PAVLENKO, Vitaliy; PAVLENKO, Tetiana; MOROZOVA, Olga; KUZNETSOVA, Anna; VOROPAI, Olena

2017-01-01

The paper offers a solution to the problem of material flow allocation within a virtual enterprise by using artificial intelligence methods. The research is based on the use of fuzzy relations when planning for optimal transportation modes to deliver components for manufactured products. The Fuzzy Logic Toolbox is used to determine the optimal route for transportation of components for manufactured products. The methods offered have been exemplified in the present research. The authors have b...

Strengthening Knowledge Co-Production Capacity: Examining Interest in Community-University Partnerships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen P. Bell

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Building successful, enduring research partnerships is essential for improving links between knowledge and action to address sustainability challenges. Communication research can play a critical role in fostering more effective research partnerships, especially those concerned with knowledge co-production processes. This article focuses on community-university research partnerships and factors that influence participation in the co-production process. We identify specific pathways for improving partnership development through a prospective analytical approach that examines community officials’ interest in partnering with university researchers. Using survey responses from a statewide sample of Maine municipal officials, we conduct a statistical analysis of community-university partnership potential to test a conceptual model of partnership interest grounded in natural resource management theory and environmental communication. Our findings both support and advance prior research on collaborations. Results reveal that belief in the helpfulness of the collaborator to solve problems, institutional proximity, familiarity, perceived problem severity and problem type and trust influence interest in developing community-university partnerships. These findings underscore the benefits of proactively assessing partnership potential prior to forming partnerships and the important roles for communication research within sustainability science, especially with regard to strengthening partnership formation and knowledge co-production processes.

PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES AS A PART OF IMPLEMENTATION OF SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGY IN TIRE PRODUCTION. CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej WOJTASZAK

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Problem solving methods – are an indispensable part of the management and improvement of production. At the turn of decades, with the development of industry, specific techniques have been implemented and refined by the leaders in this field, such as Toyota, GE and Motorola. The foundation of problem solving is to find real root cause of the problem as soon as possible, its understanding and implementation of appropriate solutions that will ensure that the problem does not occur again. This paper provides an overview of methods and techniques to solve problems in the manufactur-ing plant Trelleborg Wheel Systems Sri Lanka, producing pneumatic tires for light agricultural machinery. These tech-niques are implemented as part of the Lean Six Sigma program.

Research program on climatic and environmental problems. Summary of Norwegian climatic and ozone layer research in the last decade and important research tasks in the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlin, Elin

1999-04-01

This report includes 44 abstracts, 21 lectures and 23 posters from a workshop arranged by the Norwegian Research Council, the Steering Group for the Norwegian research programme for changes in climate and ozone layer. The topics dealt with are: Results from the research, the greenhouse effect and its influence on the climate of today, the interactions between ocean and climate, pollution influence on ozone layer changes, the UV radiation effects and their influence on the environment, climatic modelling and forecasting, ecological problems related to climatic and environmental changes, the climatic influences of human energy utilisation and suggestions for future research

Customizing NASA's Earth Science Research Products for addressing MENA Water Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Habib, Shahid

2012-01-01

As projected by IPCC 2007 report, by the end of this century the Middle East North Mrica (MENA) region is projected to experience an increase of 3 C to 5 C rise in mean temperatures and a 20% decline in precipitation. This poses a serious problem for this geographic zone especially when majority of the hydrological consumption is for the agriculture sector and the remaining amount is for domestic consumption. In late 2011, the World Bank, USAID and NASA have joined hands to establishing integrated, modem, up to date NASA developed capabilities for various countries in the MENA region for addressing water resource issues and adapting to climate change impacts for improved decision making for societal benefits. The main focus of this undertaking is to address the most pressing societal issues which can be modeled and solved by utilizing NASA Earth Science remote sensing data products and hydrological models. The remote sensing data from space is one of the best ways to study such complex issues and further feed into the decision support systems. NASA's fleet of Earth Observing satellites offer a great vantage point from space to look at the globe and provide vital signs necessary to maintain healthy and sustainable ecosystem. NASA has over fifteen satellites and thirty instruments operating on these space borne platforms and generating over 2000 different science products on a daily basis. Some of these products are soil moisture, global precipitation, aerosols, cloud cover, normalized difference vegetation index, land cover/use, ocean altimetry, ocean salinity, sea surface winds, sea surface temperature, ozone and atmospheric gasses, ice and snow measurements, and many more. All of the data products, models and research results are distributed via the Internet freely through out the world. This project will utilize several NASA models such as global Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) to generate hydrological states and fluxes in near real time. These LDAS products

Utilization of the Dalat Research Reactor for Radioisotope Production, Neutron Activation Analysis, Research and Training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Nhi Dien; Duong Van Dong; Cao Dong Vu; Nguyen Xuan Hai

2013-01-01

The Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor (DNRR) is a 500 kW pool type reactor loaded with a mixed core of HEU (36% enrichment) and LEU (19.75% enrichment) fuel assemblies. The reactor is used as a neutron source for the purposes of radioisotopes production, neutron activation analysis, basic and applied research and training. The reactor is operated mainly in continuous runs of 108 hours for cycles of 3–4 weeks for the above mentioned purposes. The current status of safety, operation and utilization of the reactor is given and some aspects for improvement of commercial products and services of the DNRR are also discussed in this paper. (author)

Current status of production and research of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Indonesia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soenarjo, Sunarhadijoso; Tamat, Swasono R. [Center for Development of Radioisotopes and Radiopharmaceuticals, National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), Kawasan Puspiptek, Serpong, Tangerang (Indonesia)

2000-10-01

The use of radioactive preparation in Indonesia has sharply increased during the past years, indicated by increase of the number of companies utilizing radioisotopes during 1985 to 1999. It has been clearly stressed in the BATAN's Strategic Plan for 1994-2014 that the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals is one of five main industrial fields within the platform of the Indonesian nuclear industry. Research programs supporting the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals as well as development of production technology are undertaken by the Research Center for Nuclear Techniques (RCNT) in Bandung and by the Radioisotope Production Center (RPC) in Serpong, involving cooperation with other research center within BATAN, universities and hospitals as well as overseas nuclear research institution. The presented paper describes production and research status of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Indonesia after the establishment of P.T. Batan Teknologi in 1996, a government company assigned for activities related to the commercial application of nuclear technology. The reviewed status is divided into two short periods, i.e. before and after the Chairman Decree No. 73/KA/IV/1999 declaring new BATAN organizational structure. Subsequent to the Decree, all commercial requests for radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals are fulfilled by P.T. Batan Teknologi, while demands on novel radioactive preparations or new processing technology, as well as research and development activities should be fulfilled by the Center for the Development of Radioisotopes and Radiopharmaceuticals (CDRR) through non-commercial arrangement. The near-future strategic research programs to response to dynamic public demand are also discussed. The status of research cooperation with JAERI (Japan) is also reported. (author)

‘Publish or perish’: Family life and academic research productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris W. Callaghan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Research purpose: The influence of work-to-family and family-to-work spillovers is well documented in the human resources literature. However, little is known of the relationships between the pressures faced by academics to publish and the potential family life consequences of being a highly productive academic. Research design, approach and method: This research sought to investigate these relationships within the context of a large South African university by testing associations between family life variables such as marriage and dependent children against measures of the following specific types of research publication: (1 South African Department of Higher Education and Training–accredited journal publications; (2 Thompson Reuters Institute for Scientific Information (ISI and ProQuest’s International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS– indexed journal article publications; (3 conference proceedings publications; (4 conference paper presentations; (5 book chapter publications; (6 book publications; and (7 gross research productivity, reflecting a volume or quantity measure of research publication. Main findings: ISI and/or IBSS journal article publication is found to be negatively associated with dependent children, but only for male academics, and to be negatively associated with female gender over and above the effect of family life variables in testing. Practical/managerial implications: Human resources managers in universities need to be cognisant of the specific pressures faced by staff that are required to produce ever more research publications, in order to help them achieve work–life balance. Contribution: In a global context of increasing pressures for research publication, and for higher and higher numbers of publications, it is necessary to identify the potential costs involved for high-volume–producing academics, particularly in terms of family versus work. Keywords: research productivity; family-work life balance

Research Regarding The Purchase Decision Process Of Consumer Of Food Products

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Diana Marin

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Consumer behavior includes all thoughts,feelings and actions involved in the selection, purchase, use of products orservices. When they watching an advertisement on TV, when they read a book orrecycled packaging, people fall into a certain behavior. The decision processis the software of the whole model, and involves the crossing of some specificstages: recognition of the problem, gathering the information, evaluation ofalternatives, product selection and post-purchase evaluation. The succession ofthese stages can be interrupted at a moment in time temporarily or permanently.

A Further Study of Productive Failure in Mathematical Problem Solving: Unpacking the Design Components

Science.gov (United States)

Kapur, Manu

2011-01-01

This paper replicates and extends my earlier work on productive failure in mathematical problem solving (Kapur, doi:10.1007/s11251-009-9093-x, 2009). One hundred and nine, seventh-grade mathematics students taught by the same teacher from a Singapore school experienced one of three learning designs: (a) traditional lecture and practice (LP), (b)…

Research on consumable distribution mode of shipbuilder’s shop based on vehicle routing problem

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Xiang Su

2017-02-01

Full Text Available A distribution vehicle optimization is established with considerations for the problem of long period of requisition and high shop costs due to the existing consumable requisition mode in shipbuilder’s shops for the requirements of shops for consumables. The shortest traveling distance of distribution vehicles are calculated with the genetic algorithm (GA. Explorations are made into a shop consumable distribution mode for shipbuilders to help them to effectively save their production logistics costs, enhance their internal material management level and provide reference for shipbuilder’s change in traditional ways and realization of just-in-time (JIT production.

A Three-Stage Optimization Algorithm for the Stochastic Parallel Machine Scheduling Problem with Adjustable Production Rates

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Rui Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We consider a parallel machine scheduling problem with random processing/setup times and adjustable production rates. The objective functions to be minimized consist of two parts; the first part is related with the due date performance (i.e., the tardiness of the jobs, while the second part is related with the setting of machine speeds. Therefore, the decision variables include both the production schedule (sequences of jobs and the production rate of each machine. The optimization process, however, is significantly complicated by the stochastic factors in the manufacturing system. To address the difficulty, a simulation-based three-stage optimization framework is presented in this paper for high-quality robust solutions to the integrated scheduling problem. The first stage (crude optimization is featured by the ordinal optimization theory, the second stage (finer optimization is implemented with a metaheuristic called differential evolution, and the third stage (fine-tuning is characterized by a perturbation-based local search. Finally, computational experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Sensitivity analysis and practical implications are also discussed.

Scenarios for remote gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangen, Grethe; Molnvik, Mona J.

2009-01-01

The amount of natural gas resources accessible via proven production technology and existing infrastructure is declining. Therefore, smaller and less accessible gas fields are considered for commercial exploitation. The research project Enabling production of remote gas builds knowledge and technology aiming at developing competitive remote gas production based on floating LNG and chemical gas conversion. In this project, scenarios are used as basis for directing research related to topics that affect the overall design and operation of such plants. Selected research areas are safety, environment, power supply, operability and control. The paper summarises the scenario building process as a common effort among research institutes and industry. Further, it documents four scenarios for production of remote gas and outlines how the scenarios are applied to establish research strategies and adequate plans in a multidisciplinary project. To ensure relevance of the scenarios, it is important to adapt the building process to the current problem and the scenarios should be developed with extensive participation of key personnel.

Assessment of the Impact of Teaching Demands on Research Productivity Among Doctoral Nursing Program Faculty.

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Smeltzer, Suzanne C; Cantrell, Mary Ann; Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C; Heverly, Mary Ann; Jenkinson, Amanda; Nthenge, Serah

2016-01-01

This article reports the findings of a study that examined the research and scholarship productivity of doctorally prepared nursing faculty teaching and mentoring doctoral students and the conflicting demands on them to maintain programs of research and scholarship. The specific aims were to (a) examine the research productivity and scholarship of faculty members teaching in doctoral programs and mentoring doctoral students to examine the perceived effectiveness of existing institutional mechanisms to support scholarship, (b) explore institutional features and personal practices used by doctoral program faculty to develop and maintain research and scholarship productivity, and (c) analyze predictors of scholarship productivity. Data were collected via an on-line researcher-developed survey that examined doctoral faculty roles/responsibilities and their relationship to their scholarly productivity, overall research productivity, and institutional features and personal practices to support research/scholarship activities. Survey respondents reported spending a large amount of time engaged in research-related activities with 58.9% (n = 326) spending anywhere from 6 to 20 hours per week conducting research, writing research-based papers, giving presentations, grant writing, or conducting evidence-based improvement projects. Scholar productivity among the respondents was robust. Personal practices that most strongly supported faculty members' scholarship productivity were the belief that engaging in scholarship made them better teachers and the personal gratification in experiencing doctoral students' successes. A multiple regression analysis conducted to determine predictors of productivity indicated that the strongest predictor was the average number of hours spent on research/scholarship-related activities, followed by time bought out from teaching and other responsibilities of the faculty role for research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New paradigms for old problems: some (small) advances in laser resonator research at the CSIR

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Forbes, Andrew

2010-02-01

In this paper we outline new approaches to old problems, namely understanding the transverse modes in Porro prism resonators, and creating methods to select Gaussian beams by phase-only intra-cavity elements. In the process we outline some of the recent research that has taken place within the Mathematical Optics research group.

Sales plan generation problem on TV broadcasting

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Özlem Cosgun

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Major advertisers and/or advertisement agencies purchase hundreds of slots during a given broadcast period. Deterministic optimization approaches have been well developed for the problem of meeting client requests. The challenging task for the academic research currently is to address optimization problem under uncertainty. This paper is concerned with the sales plan generation problem when the audience levels of advertisement slots are random variables with known probability distributions. There are several constraints the TV networks must meet including client budget, product category and demographic information, plan weighting by week, program mix requirements, and the lengths of advertisement slots desired by the client. We formulate the problem as a chance constrained goal program and we demonstrate that it provides a robust solution with a user specified level of reliability.

Mathematical models for a batch scheduling problem to minimize earliness and tardiness

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Basar Ogun

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Today’s manufacturing facilities are challenged by highly customized products and just in time manufacturing and delivery of these products. In this study, a batch scheduling problem is addressed to provide on-time completion of customer orders in the environment of lean manufacturing. The problem is to optimize partitioning of product components into batches and scheduling of the resulting batches where each customer order is received as a set of products made of various components. Design/methodology/approach: Three different mathematical models for minimization of total earliness and tardiness of customer orders are developed to provide on-time completion of customer orders and also, to avoid from inventory of final products. The first model is a non-linear integer programming model while the second is a linearized version of the first. Finally, to solve larger sized instances of the problem, an alternative linear integer model is presented. Findings: Computational study using a suit set of test instances showed that the alternative linear integer model is able to solve all test instances in varying sizes within quite shorter computer times comparing to the other two models. It was also showed that the alternative model can solve moderate sized real-world problems. Originality/value: The problem under study differentiates from existing batch scheduling problems in the literature since it includes new circumstances which may arise in real-world applications. This research, also, contributes the literature of batch scheduling problem by presenting new optimization models.

Research and production of knowledge in Social Work

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Aldaíza Sposati

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This article concerns research paths in the field of Social Work. It begins with the polemic concerning the potential and ability of Social Work as a social practice to produce knowledge. It revives the debate concerning the "war of the sciences" between physicists and mathematicians with social analysts, in which the later do not recognize the scientific dimension of research in the social realm. It analyzes the growth of scientific production in Social Work through dissertations and theses in the Graduate Social Work Program. To do so it comments on the analyses of Iamamoto, Silva and Silva and Carvalho and indicates the need to establish a research policy, orient the epistemic community in Social Work and organize a network of researchers centers.

Advances in chemical product design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Lei; Fung, Ka Yip; Wibowo, Christianto

2018-01-01

The nature of chemical product design problems is diverse and multidisciplinary. It involves many design issues such as project management, market study, product design, process design, and economic analysis for better organizing the product design project and achieving better products. This arti......The nature of chemical product design problems is diverse and multidisciplinary. It involves many design issues such as project management, market study, product design, process design, and economic analysis for better organizing the product design project and achieving better products....... This article provides an overview of chemical product design with a multidisciplinary hierarchical framework including all the design issues and tasks. Each of the design issues and tasks are introduced and discussed, methods and tools are summarized and compared, challenges and perspectives are presented...... to help the chemical product design researchers on finding more novel, innovative and sustainable products, by the combined effort from academia and industry to develop a systematic generic framework, and tools including product simulator, process simulator, database manager, modeling tool, and templates...

U.S. Institutional Research Productivity in Major Science Education Research Journals: Top 30 for 2000's

Science.gov (United States)

Barrow, Lloyd H.; Tang, Nai-en

2013-01-01

VonAalst (2010) used Google Scholar to identify the top four science education research journals: "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," "Science Education," "International Journal of Science Education," and "Journal of Science Teacher Education." U.S. institutional productivity for 2000-2009 for the…

The Teaching Model through Problem-Based Learning in a Course on Bibliographic Research

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Ruth Cristina Hernández-Ching

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The experience of applying problem-based learning (PBL technique in the Bibliographic Research course from a Bachelor of English study plan of a public university during the first half of 2014 is shared. The investigation aimed to answer the following question: Does the problem-based learning technique in the Bibliographic Research course allows to implement the main tenets of the teaching model: epistemological foundation, learning theory, methodology and didactics, and communication processes? The research approach proposed was qualitative, and triangulation for measuring variables was implemented. The following instruments were applied: observation, experience record books, and focus groups. Furthermore, formative learning was measured by means of an online survey. Results of the instruments were categorized using technology-based tools such as Wordle (observation, NVivo (record books and MindNode (focus groups. A convenience sampling was used to collect data from eight students enrolled in the Bibliographic Research course, ten students of Integrated English II for non-English majors, and the researcher, as professor of the courses. It was determined that the PBL technique permitted to reach the main tenets of the teaching model. It was identified that the teacher was the main learner, and the one who benefited from the process, since a culture of knowledge, throughout the course, was created. It was also concluded that this technique allowed to develop twenty-first century skills. It would be valuable to quantify whether the development of the four basic skills of English, especially the conversation one, improves using the technique along with technologies.

Lagged life cycle structures for food products: Their role in global marketing, their determinants and some problems in their estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baadsgaard, Allan; Gede, Mads Peter; Grunert, Klaus G.

cycles for different product categories may be lagged (type II lag) because changes in economic and other factors will result in demands for different products. Identifying lagged life cycle structures major importance in global marketing of food products. The problems in arriving at such estimates...

Research mathematicians’ practices in selecting mathematical problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misfeldt, Morten; Johansen, Mikkel Willum

2015-01-01

mathematicians select and pose problems and discuss to what extent our results can be used to inform, criticize, and develop educational practice at various levels. Selecting and posing problems is far from simple. In fact, it is considered hard, complex, and of crucial importance. A number of criteria...

Knapsack problems

CERN Document Server

Kellerer, Hans; Pisinger, David

2004-01-01

Thirteen years have passed since the seminal book on knapsack problems by Martello and Toth appeared. On this occasion a former colleague exclaimed back in 1990: "How can you write 250 pages on the knapsack problem?" Indeed, the definition of the knapsack problem is easily understood even by a non-expert who will not suspect the presence of challenging research topics in this area at the first glance. However, in the last decade a large number of research publications contributed new results for the knapsack problem in all areas of interest such as exact algorithms, heuristics and approximation schemes. Moreover, the extension of the knapsack problem to higher dimensions both in the number of constraints and in the num­ ber of knapsacks, as well as the modification of the problem structure concerning the available item set and the objective function, leads to a number of interesting variations of practical relevance which were the subject of intensive research during the last few years. Hence, two years ago ...

Privacy problems in the small sample selection

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Loredana Cerbara

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The side of social research that uses small samples for the production of micro data, today finds some operating difficulties due to the privacy law. The privacy code is a really important and necessary law because it guarantees the Italian citizen’s rights, as already happens in other Countries of the world. However it does not seem appropriate to limit once more the possibilities of the data production of the national centres of research. That possibilities are already moreover compromised due to insufficient founds is a common problem becoming more and more frequent in the research field. It would be necessary, therefore, to include in the law the possibility to use telephonic lists to select samples useful for activities directly of interest and importance to the citizen, such as the collection of the data carried out on the basis of opinion polls by the centres of research of the Italian CNR and some universities.

A genetic algorithm for a bi-objective mathematical model for dynamic virtual cell formation problem

Science.gov (United States)

Moradgholi, Mostafa; Paydar, Mohammad Mahdi; Mahdavi, Iraj; Jouzdani, Javid

2016-09-01

Nowadays, with the increasing pressure of the competitive business environment and demand for diverse products, manufacturers are force to seek for solutions that reduce production costs and rise product quality. Cellular manufacturing system (CMS), as a means to this end, has been a point of attraction to both researchers and practitioners. Limitations of cell formation problem (CFP), as one of important topics in CMS, have led to the introduction of virtual CMS (VCMS). This research addresses a bi-objective dynamic virtual cell formation problem (DVCFP) with the objective of finding the optimal formation of cells, considering the material handling costs, fixed machine installation costs and variable production costs of machines and workforce. Furthermore, we consider different skills on different machines in workforce assignment in a multi-period planning horizon. The bi-objective model is transformed to a single-objective fuzzy goal programming model and to show its performance; numerical examples are solved using the LINGO software. In addition, genetic algorithm (GA) is customized to tackle large-scale instances of the problems to show the performance of the solution method.

Popular Problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovhus, Randi Boelskifte; Thomsen, Rie

2017-01-01

This article introduces a method to critical reviews and explores the ways in which problems have been formulated in knowledge production on career guidance in Denmark over a 10-year period from 2004 to 2014. The method draws upon the work of Bacchi focussing on the ‘What's the problem represented...... to be’ (WPR) approach. Forty-nine empirical studies on Danish youth career guidance were included in the study. An analysis of the issues in focus resulted in nine problem categories. One of these, ‘targeting’, is analysed using the WPR approach. Finally, the article concludes that the WPR approach...... provides a constructive basis for a critical analysis and discussion of the collective empirical knowledge production on career guidance, stimulating awareness of problems and potential solutions among the career guidance community....

Production of Radioisotopes and Radiopharmaceuticals at the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duong Van Dong; Pham Ngoc Dien; Bui Van Cuong; Mai Phuoc Tho; Nguyen Thi Thu; Vo Thi Cam Hoa

2014-01-01

After reconstruction, the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor (DNRR) was inaugurated on March 20th, 1984 with the nominal power of 500 kW. Since then the production of radioisotopes and labelled compounds for medical use was started. Up to now, DNRR is still the unique one in Vietnam. The reactor has been operated safely and effectively with the total of about 37,800 hrs (approximately 1,300 hours per year). More than 90% of its operation time and over 80% of its irradiation capacity have been exploited for research and production of radioisotopes. This paper gives an outline of the radioisotope production programme using the DNRR. The production laboratory and facilities including the nuclear reactor with its irradiation positions and characteristics, hot cells, production lines and equipment for the production of Kits for labelling with 99m Tc and for quality control, as well as the production rate are mentioned. The methods used for production of 131 I, 99m Tc, 51 Cr, 32 P, etc. and the procedures for preparation of radiopharmaceuticals are described briefly. Status of utilization of domestic radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Vietnam is also reported. (author)