Requirements of modernization strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinbuch, R.

1997-01-01

Instrumentation and control contributed a major share to the current level of safety, economic efficiency, and availability of the German nuclear power plants. German NPPs occupy a top position in this respect at international level, but novel instrumentation and digital control technology alone will not guarantee further enhancements. Therefore, the owner/operators established carefully devised maintenance and modernization strategies in order to safeguard their NPPs top position in the long run. The German NPPs are the most thoroughly automated plants of the world. In addition to the sweeping modernization strategies recommended by the plant manufacturers, based on computer-supported control, alternative modernization strategies have been considered in the evaluation process. This approach provides for room for maneuvre, for manufacturers as well as managers responsible for risk and cost optimization, which is a major task in view of the changing regulatory framework in the electricity market. (orig./CB) [de

Information management and technology strategy in healthcare: local timescales and national requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Les Smith

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The UK National Health Service’s strategic switch-back is well documented and each centrally originated change results in various attempts to record the repercussions and predict the outcomes. The most recent shift is embodied in the Department of Health’s information strategy, Information for health published in September 1998. This document provides the context for an examination of the issue of developing an Information Management and Technology (IM&T strategy at the local level within the changing national requirements for NHS information management. The particular pressures on an individual unit and the need to react to them alongside the requirements of the national strategy are the subjects of this article. The case detailed is that of Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO on Merseyside, the second largest centre of its type in the UK. Its initial investigation of information needs preceded the publication of the national strategy and its implementation straddled the timescale devised by the NHS Information Authority. The inevitable incompatibility between timescales for the local and the national developments is examined within the case. The work of the new NHS Information Authority and its supporting guidance in its Circular, Information for Health: Initial Local Implementation Strategies, is evaluated as a tool in aligning local and national strategy. Information Managers in other centrally governed organisations within the public sector and large corporations are often alert to similar issues.

Young Children's Analogical Problem Solving: Gaining Insights from Video Displays

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhe; Siegler, Robert S.

2013-01-01

This study examined how toddlers gain insights from source video displays and use the insights to solve analogous problems. Two- to 2.5-year-olds viewed a source video illustrating a problem-solving strategy and then attempted to solve analogous problems. Older but not younger toddlers extracted the problem-solving strategy depicted in the video…

Identifying Strategies to Decrease Overtime, Absenteeism and Agency Use: Insights from Healthcare Leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffs, Lianne; Grinspun, Doris; Closson, Tom; Mainville, Marie-Claude

2015-09-01

Working overtime, absenteeism and agency use can negatively impact working environments, the health of staff and patient outcomes, and increase healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to explore how healthcare leaders in Ontario hospitals implement and sustain best practices that advance workforce stability within their organization. Qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Participants included 23 healthcare leaders from 16 hospital sites. Two main themes emerged: (1) enacting proactive human resource practices and (2) having strong, caring and strategic leaders that create learning and supportive work environments. A number of sub-themes identified were reported through narratives stratified according to size (small/large) and performance (low/high) of each site. Insights gained from this study may offer healthcare leaders strategies to maximize the nursing workforce and minimize overtime, absenteeism and agency use to ensure safe, efficient and quality healthcare. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

Success of mainstream partial nitritation/anammox demands integration of engineering, microbiome and modeling insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Shelesh; Seuntjens, Dries; Cocker, Pieter De; Lackner, Susanne; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E

2018-04-01

Twenty years ago, mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) was conceptually proposed as pivotal for a more sustainable treatment of municipal wastewater. Its economic potential spurred research, yet practice awaits a comprehensive recipe for microbial resource management. Implementing mainstream PN/A requires transferable and operable ways to steer microbial competition as to meet discharge requirements on a year-round basis at satisfactory conversion rates. In essence, the competition for nitrogen, organic carbon and oxygen is grouped into 'ON/OFF' (suppression/promotion) and 'IN/OUT' (wash-out/retention and seeding) strategies, selecting for desirable conversions and microbes. Some insights need mechanistic understanding, while empirical observations suffice elsewhere. The provided methodological R&D framework integrates insights in engineering, microbiome and modeling. Such synergism should catalyze the implementation of energy-positive sewage treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Search of Insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, Craig A.; Simon, Herbert A.

1990-01-01

Attaining the insight needed to solve the Mutilated Checkerboard problem, which requires discovery of an effective problem representation (EPR), is described. Performance on insight problems can be predicted from the availability of generators and constraints in the search for an EPR. Data for 23 undergraduates were analyzed. (TJH)

Design Requirements, Epistemic Uncertainty and Solution Development Strategies in Software Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ball, Linden J.; Onarheim, Balder; Christensen, Bo Thomas

2010-01-01

This paper investigates the potential involvement of “epistemic uncertainty” in mediating between complex design requirements and strategic switches in software design strategies. The analysis revealed that the designers produced an initial “first-pass” solution to the given design brief in a bre...... a view of software design as involving a mixed breadth-first and depth-first solution development approach, with strategic switching to depth-first design being triggered by requirement complexity and being mediated by associated feelings of uncertainty....

Status of cask procurement strategy to satisfy DOE/OCRWM requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teer, B.R.; Nolan, D.J.; Lake, W.H.

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires the development of a safe and efficient system to transport spent nuclear fuel to and within the Federal Waste Management System. This paper describes the DOE/OCRWM strategy to develop and procure a major component of the Transportation System-the transport cask systems. The original initiative to develop high-capacity innovative designs and its current status is described. The follow-on phase to design and procure proven technology cask systems is also discussed

Validity of Business Strategy as Driver in Technology Management – A Critical Discussion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tambo, Torben; Østergaard, Klaus

2015-01-01

in connecting technological design tightly to the business strategy. The purpose of this paper is to advance a research agenda, where long-term orientation of technology is connected to the necessary tools for obtaining insight in assessing adequacy, reliability and quality of business strategy and evaluation......Frameworks for technological development are increasingly requiring that technology must be developed in accordance with the corporate business strategy. It is an interesting tendency that technological development should reflect and interact with central change processes of the enterprise...... of alternatives. Alternatives are related to business environments, compliance, infrastructure, knowledge, skills and societal factors....

"Meatless days" or "less but better"? Exploring strategies to adapt Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, J.; Schösler, H.; Aiking, H.

2014-01-01

Adapting Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges requires an overall reduction of industrially produced animal proteins plus a partial replacement by plant proteins. Combining insights on food, environment, and consumers, this paper aims to explore change strategies that may

Establishing a health outcomes and economics center in radiology: strategies and resources required

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medina, Santiago L.; Altman, Nolan R.

2002-01-01

To describe the resources and strategies required to establish a health outcomes and economics center in radiology.Methods. Human and nonhuman resources required to perform sound outcomes and economics studies in radiology are reviewed.Results. Human resources needed include skilled medical and nonmedical staff. Nonhuman resources required are: (1) communication and information network; (2) education tools and training programs; (3) budgetary strategies; and (4) sources of income. Effective utilization of these resources allows the performance of robust operational and clinical research projects in decision analysis, cost-effectiveness, diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curves), and clinical analytical and experimental studies.Conclusion. As new radiologic technology and techniques are introduced in medicine, society is increasingly demanding sound clinical studies that will determine the impact of radiologic studies on patient outcome. Health-care funding is scarce, and therefore third-party payers and hospitals are demanding more efficiency and productivity from radiologic service providers. To meet these challenges, radiology departments could establish health outcomes and economics centers to study the clinical effectiveness of imaging and its impact on patient outcome. (orig.)

2016 Mars Insight Mission Design and Navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Abilleira, Fernando; Frauenholz, Ray; Fujii, Ken; Wallace, Mark; You, Tung-Han

2014-01-01

Scheduled for a launch in the 2016 Earth to Mars opportunity, the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) Mission will arrive to Mars in late September 2016 with the primary objective of placing a science lander on the surface of the Red Planet followed by the deployment of two science instruments to investigate the fundamental processes of terrestrial planet formation and evolution. In order to achieve a successful landing, the InSight Project has selected a launch/arrival strategy that satisfies the following key and driving requirements: (1) Deliver a total launch mass of 727 kg, (2) target a nominal landing site with a cumulative Delta V99 less than 30 m/s, and (3) approach EDL with a V-infinity upper limit of 3.941 km/s and (4) an entry flight-path angle (EFPA) of -12.5 +/- 0.26 deg, 3-sigma; the InSight trajectories have been designed such that they (5) provide UHF-band communications via Direct-To-Earth and MRO from Entry through landing plus 60 s, (6) with injection aimpoints biased away from Mars such that the probability of the launch vehicle upper stage impacting Mars is less than 1.0 X 10(exp 4) for fifty years after launch, and (7) non-nominal impact probabilities due to failure during the Cruise phase less than 1.0 X 10(exp 2).

Marketing biofortified crops: insights from consumer research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Marketing biofortified crops: insights from consumer research. ... To develop a global strategy for consumer marketing of biofortified crops, research is needed to understand consumer ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Alternative strategies for the British coal industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manners, G

1973-01-01

The Green Paper, 'Energy Policy - a Consultative Document' (HC-Cmnd--7101) affords a valuable insight into official attitudes towards the future of the British energy market. The present author challenges some of the energy supply and demand forecasts that are presented in the Working Document; in particular, he questions the optimistic market forecasts that continue to dominate official thinking about the coal industry; and he proposes that an alternative strategy is required for the British coal industry, one that involves quite painful choices of an economic, geographical, social and environmental nature.

Current Capabilities, Requirements and a Proposed Strategy for Interdependency Analysis in the UK

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomfield, Robin; Chozos, Nick; Salako, Kizito

The UK government recently commissioned a research study to identify the state-of-the-art in Critical Infrastructure modelling and analysis, and the government/industry requirements for such tools and services. This study (Cetifs) concluded with a strategy aiming to bridge the gaps between the capabilities and requirements, which would establish interdependency analysis as a commercially viable service in the near future. This paper presents the findings of this study that was carried out by CSR, City University London, Adelard LLP, a safety/security consultancy and Cranfield University, defense academy of the UK.

Enter the Matrix: Building Creative Industry through Delivering Insights in Comics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hafiz Ahmad Aziz

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Comic is a media which delivers its content through visual sequence. This media has negative preference in Indonesia’s community because viewed as mild entertainment for children. Yet in modern society, comics observed and researched as one of media which could penetrate deep within its reader’s mind. In re-create cultural insight through comic, the content must encrypt into visual and sequential mode which form a matrix of insight. This matrix will encompasses the effective transformation of cultural content in comic and also other visual media through media linkage strategy. The media linkage strategy is to surround the children’s access of information and visual entertainment in order to build certain knowledge and understanding. It’s a system that crystallized from global marketing practices of visual media industry over decades. This paper urges to highlight the visual communication design study in creating a matrix of cultural insight in translating cultures of Archipelago and media linkage strategy in order to strengthen cultural understanding among children.

Insight From Pilot Online Maintenance Implementation and A Graded Approach in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, H. S.; Kim, J. W.; Song, T. Y. [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. -Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-03-15

Online maintenance (OLM) is widely used in many countries such as the US, France, Spain and Switzerland to improve equipment reliability, reduce outage work activities, and improve availability of safety systems during outages. Many benefits of OLM have been reported from the above countries. Thus, some countries like Korea and Japan have tried to introduce OLM, but entering into a Limiting Condition for Operation voluntarily for preventive maintenance of safety systems during normal operation has not been allowed, even though corrective maintenance of safety systems is allowed at any time if it is within an allowed outage time in the Technical Specifications. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) recently performed the OLM for one safety system as a pilot program to determine the requirements and make preparations for full scope implementation to reduce work activities during the outage. There are several different positions between the regulators and industry on implementing the OLM from a safety standpoint. So a strategy for OLM was developed with a phased approach in order to minimize sudden transitions and to support successful implementation. This strategy includes required work management processes and risk management processes for each phase. In this paper, some insights from the pilot implementation and a strategy for a phased approach will be discussed, both of which may be useful for countries which want to introduce OLM.

Insight From Pilot Online Maintenance Implementation and A Graded Approach in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, H. S.; Kim, J. W.; Song, T. Y.

2012-01-01

Online maintenance (OLM) is widely used in many countries such as the US, France, Spain and Switzerland to improve equipment reliability, reduce outage work activities, and improve availability of safety systems during outages. Many benefits of OLM have been reported from the above countries. Thus, some countries like Korea and Japan have tried to introduce OLM, but entering into a Limiting Condition for Operation voluntarily for preventive maintenance of safety systems during normal operation has not been allowed, even though corrective maintenance of safety systems is allowed at any time if it is within an allowed outage time in the Technical Specifications. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) recently performed the OLM for one safety system as a pilot program to determine the requirements and make preparations for full scope implementation to reduce work activities during the outage. There are several different positions between the regulators and industry on implementing the OLM from a safety standpoint. So a strategy for OLM was developed with a phased approach in order to minimize sudden transitions and to support successful implementation. This strategy includes required work management processes and risk management processes for each phase. In this paper, some insights from the pilot implementation and a strategy for a phased approach will be discussed, both of which may be useful for countries which want to introduce OLM

PATTERNS FOR IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN ORGANIZATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khadijeh Salmani

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, striving to find an efficient way for developing or identifying appropriate knowledge management strategies in organizations has become so critical. Researchers and practitioners have attached great importance to information pyramids in organizations and have highlighted the lack of trained and skilled staff as a serious problem. On the other hand, having more flexibility at workplace, offering better service, and fulfilling customers' demands require a strategy for managing knowledge and its consequence. Knowledge management provides a wide range of different strategies and methods for identifying, creating, and sharing knowledge in organizations. This deep insight which consists of individual, organization’s experience, knowledge, and understanding helps organization respond to both internal and external stimuli and act in harmony. One fact which has seemingly achieved a consensus is the need for different strategies of knowledge management. Among the wide range of various and often unclear knowledge management strategies one can choose a strategy in a specific situation. The aim of this paper is to respond to strategic questions which emphasize competitive intelligence and internal knowledge retrieval system. The implications are discussed in detail.

Managing Conflict: 50 Strategies for School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Edmonson, Stacey; Combs, Julie; Harris, Sandra

2008-01-01

This book offers 50 easy-to-read strategies for managing conflicts in your school involving students, parents, and teachers. Individually, these strategies provide specific insights into conflict resolution, reduction, and management. As a whole, the 50 strategies provide a comprehensive method to lead constructive change in your school. With…

Prevention of OHSS: Current strategies and new insights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano E. Busso

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS is an iatrogenic and potentially life threatening condition that affects young healthy patients. Many strategies have been proposed to prevent this syndrome. However, to avoid OHSS without compromising on IVF outcome is still a challenge. The most important action is to identify patients at risk even before ovarian stimulation is initiated and to give them special attention. Coasting is the most popular method to avoid/minimize OHSS. Cycle cancellation, cryopreservation, GnRH antagonists, GnRH agonists, i.v. albumin are other strategies that can provide some kind of benefit but do not completely avoid both early and late forms of OHSS and/or cannot be applied to every patient. Recent studies demonstrate that dopamine agonists can prevent or minimize OHSS without affecting IVF outcome but clinical protocols are not well established yet.

Security leader insights for information protection lessons and strategies from leading security professionals

CERN Document Server

Fahy, Bob

2014-01-01

How do you, as a busy security executive or manager, stay current with evolving issues, familiarize yourself with the successful practices of your peers, and transfer this information to build a knowledgeable, skilled workforce the times now demand? With Security Leader Insights for Information Protection, a collection of timeless leadership best practices featuring insights from some of the nation's most successful security practitioners, you can. This book can be used as a quick and effective resource to bring your security staff up to speed on security's role in information protection. I

Putting leadership back into strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Cynthia A

2008-01-01

In recent decades an infusion of economics has lent the study of strategy much needed theory and empirical evidence. Strategy consultants, armed with frameworks and techniques, have stepped forward to help managers analyze their industries and position their companies for strategic advantage. Strategy has come to be seen as an analytical problem to be solved. But, says Montgomery, the Timken Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, the benefits of this rigorous approach have attendant costs: Strategy has become a competitive game plan, separate from the company's larger sense of purpose. The CEO's unique role as arbiter and steward of strategy has been eclipsed. And an overemphasis on sustainable competitive advantage has obscured the importance of making strategy a dynamic tool for guiding the company's development over time. For any company, intelligent guidance requires a clear sense of purpose, of what makes the organization truly distinctive. Purpose, Montgomery says, serves as both a constraint on activity and a guide to behavior. Creativity and insight are key to forging a compelling organizational purpose; analysis alone will never suffice. As the CEO--properly a company's chief strategist--translates purpose into practice, he or she must remain open to the possibility that the purpose itself may need to change. Lou Gerstner did this in the 1990s, when he decided that IBM would evolve to focus on applying technology rather than on inventing it. So did Steve Jobs, when he rescued Apple from a poorly performing strategy and expanded the company into attractive new businesses. Watching over strategy day in and day out is the CEO's greatest opportunity to shape the firm as well as outwit the competition.

Why copy others? Insights from the social learning strategies tournament.

Science.gov (United States)

Rendell, L; Boyd, R; Cownden, D; Enquist, M; Eriksson, K; Feldman, M W; Fogarty, L; Ghirlanda, S; Lillicrap, T; Laland, K N

2010-04-09

Social learning (learning through observation or interaction with other individuals) is widespread in nature and is central to the remarkable success of humanity, yet it remains unclear why copying is profitable and how to copy most effectively. To address these questions, we organized a computer tournament in which entrants submitted strategies specifying how to use social learning and its asocial alternative (for example, trial-and-error learning) to acquire adaptive behavior in a complex environment. Most current theory predicts the emergence of mixed strategies that rely on some combination of the two types of learning. In the tournament, however, strategies that relied heavily on social learning were found to be remarkably successful, even when asocial information was no more costly than social information. Social learning proved advantageous because individuals frequently demonstrated the highest-payoff behavior in their repertoire, inadvertently filtering information for copiers. The winning strategy (discountmachine) relied nearly exclusively on social learning and weighted information according to the time since acquisition.

Insight solutions are correct more often than analytic solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Salvi, Carola; Bricolo, Emanuela; Kounios, John; Bowden, Edward; Beeman, Mark

2016-01-01

How accurate are insights compared to analytical solutions? In four experiments, we investigated how participants’ solving strategies influenced their solution accuracies across different types of problems, including one that was linguistic, one that was visual and two that were mixed visual-linguistic. In each experiment, participants’ self-judged insight solutions were, on average, more accurate than their analytic ones. We hypothesised that insight solutions have superior accuracy because they emerge into consciousness in an all-or-nothing fashion when the unconscious solving process is complete, whereas analytic solutions can be guesses based on conscious, prematurely terminated, processing. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that participants’ analytic solutions included relatively more incorrect responses (i.e., errors of commission) than timeouts (i.e., errors of omission) compared to their insight responses. PMID:27667960

Training for Future Operations: Digital Leaders' Transformation Insights

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Johnston, John

2003-01-01

... and insights to expand the understanding of issues and requirements Finally, the team developed specific recommendations intended to give transformation leaders a distinctive training advantage The practical insights and recommendations point to initiatives the Army can take to establish Objective Force training as a decisive combat multiplier.

Plant hydraulic strategies and their variability at high latitudes: insights from a southern Canadian boreal forest site

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, C.; Matheny, A. M.; Maillet, J.; Baltzer, J. L.; Stephens, J.; Barr, A.; Black, T. A.; Sonnentag, O.

2016-12-01

Boreal forests cover about one third of the world's forested area with a large part of the boreal zone located in Canada. These high-latitude ecosystems respond rapidly to environmental changes. Plant water stress and the resulting drought-induced mortality has been recently hypothesised as a major driver of forest changes in western Canada. Although boreal forests often exhibit low floristic complexity, local scale abiotic heterogeneities may lead to highly variable plant functional traits and thus to diverging plant responses to environmental changes. However, detailed measurements of plant hydraulic strategies and their inter- and intra-specific variability are still lacking for these ecosystems. Here, we quantify plant water use and hydraulic strategies of black spruce (Picea mariana) and larch (Larix laricina), that are widespread in the boreal zone, at a long-term monitoring site located in central Saskatchewan (53.99° N, 105.12° W; elevation 628.94 m a.s.l.). The site is characterized by a mature black spruce overstorey that dominates the landscape with few larch individuals. The ground cover consists mainly of mosses with some peat moss and lichens over a rich soil organic layer. Tree-level sap flux density, measured with Granier-style thermal dissipation probes (N=39), and concurrently recorded radial stem dynamics, measured with high frequency dendrometers (N=13), are used to quantify plant hydraulic functioning during the 2016 growing season. Hydrometeorological measurements, including soil moisture and micrometeorological data, are used to describe environmental constraints in plant water use. Tree-level dynamics are then integrated to the landscape and compared with ecosystem-level evapotranspiration measurements from an adjacent eddy-covariance flux tower. This experimental design allows us to quantify the main environmental drivers that shape plant hydraulic strategies in this southern boreal zone and to provide new insights into the inter- and

Another Look at the Draft Mil-Std-1540E Unit Random Vibration Test Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Perl, E.; Peterson, A. J..; Davis, D.

2012-07-01

The draft Mil-Std-1540E has been updated to reflect lessons learned since its publication as an SMC Standard in 2008, [1], and an earlier Aerospace Corporation Technical Report released in 2006, [2]. This paper discusses the technical rationale supporting some of the unit random vibration test requirements to provide better insight into their derivation and application to programs. It is intended that these requirements be tailored for each program to reflect the customer risk profile. Several tailoring options are provided and a two phase test strategy is discussed to highlight its applicability to utilizing heritage hardware in new applications.

Going with the Grain of Cognition: Applying insights from psychology to build support for childhood vaccination.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel Rossen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Childhood vaccination is widely considered to be one of the most successful public health interventions. Yet, the effective delivery of vaccination depends upon public willingness to vaccinate. Recently, many countries have faced problems with vaccine hesitancy, where a growing number of parents perceive vaccination to be unsafe or unnecessary, leading some to delay or refuse vaccines for their children. Effective intervention strategies for countering this problem are currently sorely lacking, however. Here, we propose that this may be because existing strategies are grounded more in intuition than insights from psychology. Consequently, such strategies are sometimes at variance with basic psychological principles and assumptions. By going against the grain of cognition, such strategies potentially run the risk of undermining persuasive efforts to reduce vaccine hesitancy. We demonstrate this by drawing on key insights from cognitive and social psychology to show how various known features of human psychology can lead many intuitively appealing intervention strategies to backfire, yielding unintended and undesirable repercussions. We conclude with a summary of potential avenues of investigation that may be more effective in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Our key message is that intervention strategies must be crafted that go with the grain of cognition by incorporating key insights from the psychological sciences.

Insight in psychosis: Standards, science, ethics and value judgment.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, K S

2017-06-01

The clinical assessment of insight solely employs biomedical perspectives and criteria to the complete exclusion of context and culture and to the disregard of values and value judgments. The aim of this discussion article is to examine recent research from India on insight and explanatory models in psychosis and re-examine the framework of assessment, diagnosis and management of insight and explanatory models. Recent research from India on insight in psychosis and explanatory models is reviewed. Recent research, which has used longitudinal data and adjusted for pretreatment variables, suggests that insight and explanatory models of illness at baseline do not predict course, outcome and treatment response in schizophrenia, which seem to be dependent on the severity and quality of the psychosis. It supports the view that people with psychosis simultaneously hold multiple and contradictory explanatory models of illness, which change over time and with the trajectory of the illness. It suggests that insight, like all explanatory models, is a narrative of the person's reality and a coping strategy to handle with the varied impact of the illness. This article argues that the assessment of insight necessarily involves value entailments, commitments and consequences. It supports a need for a broad-based approach to assess awareness, attribution and action related to mental illness and to acknowledge the role of values and value judgment in the evaluation of insight in psychosis.

Five Forces of 21st Century Innovation Strategy: Insights for Leaders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arent, Douglas J.; Pless, Jacquelyn; Statwick, Patricia

2016-03-01

Understanding these dynamics informs 21st century innovation strategies that government and business leaders rely upon to address modern technological, social, environmental, and demographic realities. This Research Highlight previews JISEA's continuing work on innovation strategy.

Archiving InSight Lander Science Data Using PDS4 Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, T.; Guinness, E. A.; Slavney, S.

2017-12-01

The InSight Mars Lander is scheduled for launch in 2018, and science data from the mission will be archived in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) using the new PDS4 standards. InSight is a geophysical lander with a science payload that includes a seismometer, a probe to measure subsurface temperatures and heat flow, a suite of meteorology instruments, a magnetometer, an experiment using radio tracking, and a robotic arm that will provide soil physical property information based on interactions with the surface. InSight is not the first science mission to archive its data using PDS4. However, PDS4 archives do not currently contain examples of the kinds of data that several of the InSight instruments will produce. Whereas the existing common PDS4 standards were sufficient for most of archiving requirements of InSight, the data generated by a few instruments required development of several extensions to the PDS4 information model. For example, the seismometer will deliver a version of its data in SEED format, which is standard for the terrestrial seismology community. This format required the design of a new product type in the PDS4 information model. A local data dictionary has also been developed for InSight that contains attributes that are not part of the common PDS4 dictionary. The local dictionary provides metadata relevant to all InSight data sets, and attributes specific to several of the instruments. Additional classes and attributes were designed for the existing PDS4 geometry dictionary that will capture metadata for the lander position and orientation, along with camera models for stereo image processing. Much of the InSight archive planning and design work has been done by a Data Archiving Working Group (DAWG), which has members from the InSight project and the PDS. The group coordinates archive design, schedules and peer review of the archive documentation and test products. The InSight DAWG archiving effort for PDS is being led by the PDS Geosciences

Best voltage bias-flipping strategy towards maximum piezoelectric power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Junrui; Chung, Henry Shu-Hung

2013-01-01

In piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems, energy extracted from piezoelectric structure can be increased by making piezoelectric voltage in phase with vibration velocity and raising the voltage amplitude. Such voltage manipulations can be realized by synchronously flipping the piezoelectric voltage with respect to a bias dc source at every displacement extremum. Given that net harvested energy is obtained by deducting dissipated energy from total extracted energy, a sophisticated voltage bias-flipping scheme, which can maximize extracted energy at low dissipative cost, is required towards harvested energy optimization. This paper extends the state of the art by proposing the best bias-flip strategy, which is delivered on conceptual synchronized multiple bias-flip (SMBF) interface circuits. The proposed strategy coordinates both requirements on larger voltage change in synchronized instant for more extracted energy and smaller voltage change in each bias-flip action for less dissipated energy. It not only leads to further enhancement of harvesting capability beyond existing solutions, but also provides an unprecedented physical insight on maximum achievable harvesting capability of PEH interface circuit

Characteristics of Kodak Insight, an F-speed intraoral film.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludlow, J B; Platin, E; Mol, A

2001-01-01

This study reports film speed, contrast, exposure latitude, resolution, and response to processing solution depletion of Kodak Insight intraoral film. Densitometric curves were generated by using International Standards Organization protocol. Additional curves were generated for Ultra-speed, Ektaspeed Plus, and Insight films developed in progressively depleted processing solutions. Eight observers viewed images of a resolution test tool for maximum resolution assessment. Images of an aluminum step-wedge were reviewed to determine useful exposure latitude. Insight's sensitivity in fresh automatic processor solutions places it in the F-speed group. An average gradient of 1.8 was found with all film types. Insight provided 93% of the useful exposure latitude of Ektaspeed Plus film. Insight maintained contrast in progressively depleted processing solutions. Like Ektaspeed Plus, Insight was able to resolve at least 20 line-pairs per millimeter. Under International Standards Organization conditions, Insight required only 77% of the exposure of Ektaspeed Plus film. Insight film provided stable contrast in depleted processing solutions.

Applying a gaming approach to IP strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasnier, Arnaud; Vandamme, Luc

2010-02-01

Adopting an appropriate IP strategy is an important but complex area, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, in which aspects such as regulatory submissions, high competitive activity, and public health and safety information requirements limit the amount of information that can be protected effectively through secrecy. As a result, and considering the existing time limits for patent protection, decisions on how to approach IP in these sectors must be made with knowledge of the options and consequences of IP positioning. Because of the specialized nature of IP, it is necessary to impart knowledge regarding the options and impact of IP to decision-makers, whether at the level of inventors, marketers or strategic business managers. This feature review provides some insight on IP strategy, with a focus on the use of a new 'gaming' approach for transferring the skills and understanding needed to make informed IP-related decisions; the game Patentopolis is discussed as an example of such an approach. Patentopolis involves interactive activities with IP-related business decisions, including the exploitation and enforcement of IP rights, and can be used to gain knowledge on the impact of adopting different IP strategies.

Cooperative strategies European perspectives

CERN Document Server

Killing, J Peter

1997-01-01

Cooperative Strategies: European Perspectives is one of three geographically targeted volumes in which the contributors present the most current research on topics such as advances in theories of cooperative strategies, the formation of cooperative alliances, the dynamics of partner relationships, and the role of information and knowledge in cooperative alliances. Blending conceptual insights with empirical analyses, the contributors highlight commonalities and differences across national, cultural, and trade zones. The chapters in this volume are anchored in a wide set of theoretical approaches, conceptual frameworks, and models, illustrating how rich the area of cooperative strategies is for scholarly inquiry.

Theory to Strategy: War Insight for the Strategic Soldier

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fregoso, Luis A

2008-01-01

.... These Strategic Soldiers and their respective leaders must not only be aware of their potential influence in a war environment, they must learn how to harness this ability in support of their nation's war strategy...

Oligodendrocyte differentiation and implantation : new insights for remyelinating cell therapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sher, Falak; Balasubramaniyan, Veerakumar; Boddeke, Erik; Copray, Sjef

2008-01-01

Purpose of review Recent research on oligodendrocyte development has yielded new insights on the involvement of morphogens and differentiation factors in oligodendrogenesis. This knowledge has improved strategies to control neural stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte differentiation and functional

The Association of Insight and Change in Insight with Clinical Symptoms in Depressed Inpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Hongbo; Chang, Qing; Ma, Yarong

2018-04-25

Lack of insight has been extensively studied and was found to be adversely correlated with impaired treatment compliance and worse long term clinical outcomes among patients with schizophrenia, while not much is known about this phenonmenon in patients with severe depression. To explore the correlates of insight and its relation to symptom changes among the most seriously ill patients with affective disorders, those who require hospitalization. Patients hospitalized in a large psychiatric hospital in south China with either major depressive disorder (MDD)(N=55) or bipolar depression (BD) (N=85) based on ICD-10 diagnostic criteria were assessed with the Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire (ITAQ) one week after admission and at the time of discharge. Clinical symptoms were measured at the same time with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and the Depression subscale of the Symptom Check list-90 (SCL-90). Length of stay (LOS), duration of illness, duration of untreated mood disorder, number of previous episodes of depression and previous admissions for depression were documented during interviews with patients and their families and from a review of medical records. Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis were used to examine the relationship of sociodemographic characteristics, clinical symptomatology and clinical history, to insight at the time of admission. The relationships between change in clinical symptoms and change in insight from admission to discharge were also examined. Stepwise multiple regression models suggested that any previous admissions for depression and higher anxiety factor scores on the HAMD-17 are significant independent predictors of insight accounting for 22.9% of the variance. Multiple regression analysis residual change scores (change scores adjusted for baseline values) on the ITAQ showed that improved insight over average stays of 51 days were inversely related to the residual psychomotor

Consolidating Social Media Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gyimóthy, Szilvia; Munar, Ana Maria; Larson, Mia

2014-01-01

This study revisits and integrates the insights of recent studies on emergent social media strategies deployed by destination and event management organisations. In a comparative analysis Munar (2012) identified four generic approaches pursued by national tourism boards in the Nordic region, while...... Gyimóthy & Larson (2014) portrayed three digital value co-creation strategies deployed by festival social media. Both frameworks provided novel analytical typologies which identified a series of categories (mimetic, analytic, immersion, advertising and insourcing, crowdsourcing and community consolidation......). This paper discusses the complementary nature of these conceptual proposals and advances an integrated conceptual framework of social media strategies. Based on the empirical findings of a case study that revisits evolving digital and social media strategies of European DMOs this paper maps the dynamics...

National-scale strategic approaches for managing introduced plants: insights from Australian acacias in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

van Wilgen, BW

2011-09-01

Full Text Available A range of approaches and philosophies underpin national-level strategies for managing invasive alien plants. This study presents a strategy for the management of taxa that both have value and do harm. Insights were derived from examining Australian...

Clinical and Cognitive Insight in a Compensatory Cognitive Training Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Cynthia Z.; Vella, Lea; Twamley, Elizabeth W.

2013-01-01

The impact of limited insight is a crucial consideration in the treatment of individuals with psychiatric illness. In the context of psychosis, both clinical and cognitive insight have been described. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between clinical and cognitive insight and neuropsychological functioning, psychiatric symptom severity, and everyday functioning in patients with a primary psychotic disorder participating in a compensatory cognitive training (CT) intervention. Sixty-nine individuals diagnosed with a primary psychotic disorder were randomized to a 3-month CT intervention or to standard pharmacotherapy, and they completed a comprehensive neuropsychological, clinical, and functional battery at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The CT intervention focused on habit formation and compensatory strategy learning in four domains: prospective memory, attention and vigilance, learning and memory, and problem-solving/cognitive flexibility. At baseline, better clinical insight was significantly related to better executive functioning and less severe negative symptoms. There was no significant association between cognitive insight and cognitive functioning, symptom severity, or everyday functioning ability. The CT intervention did not have an effect on clinical or cognitive insight, but better cognitive insight prior to participation in CT significantly predicted decreased positive and depressive symptom severity posttreatment, and better clinical insight predicted improved self-reported quality of life. Although clinical insight is related to executive functioning, the correlates of cognitive insight remain elusive. Intact insight appears to be beneficial in ameliorating clinical symptomatology like positive symptoms and depression, rather than augmenting cognition. It may be valuable to develop brief interventions aimed at improving clinical and cognitive insight prior to other psychosocial rehabilitation in order to maximize the benefit of

Improving insight and non-insight problem solving with brief interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Ming-Ching; Butler, Laurie T; Koutstaal, Wilma

2013-02-01

Developing brief training interventions that benefit different forms of problem solving is challenging. In earlier research, Chrysikou (2006) showed that engaging in a task requiring generation of alternative uses of common objects improved subsequent insight problem solving. These benefits were attributed to a form of implicit transfer of processing involving enhanced construction of impromptu, on-the-spot or 'ad hoc' goal-directed categorizations of the problem elements. Following this, it is predicted that the alternative uses exercise should benefit abilities that govern goal-directed behaviour, such as fluid intelligence and executive functions. Similarly, an indirect intervention - self-affirmation (SA) - that has been shown to enhance cognitive and executive performance after self-regulation challenge and when under stereotype threat, may also increase adaptive goal-directed thinking and likewise should bolster problem-solving performance. In Experiment 1, brief single-session interventions, involving either alternative uses generation or SA, significantly enhanced both subsequent insight and visual-spatial fluid reasoning problem solving. In Experiment 2, we replicated the finding of benefits of both alternative uses generation and SA on subsequent insight problem-solving performance, and demonstrated that the underlying mechanism likely involves improved executive functioning. Even brief cognitive- and social-psychological interventions may substantially bolster different types of problem solving and may exert largely similar facilitatory effects on goal-directed behaviours. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Environmental strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zabkar, Vesna; Cater, Tomaz; Bajde, Domen

2013-01-01

perspective, appropriate environmental strategies in compliance with environmental requirements aim at building competitive advantages through sustainable development. There is no universal “green” strategy that would be appropriate for each company, regardless of its market requirements and competitive......Environmental issues and the inclusion of environmental strategies in strategic thinking is an interesting subject of investigation. In general, managerial practices organized along ecologically sound principles contribute to a more environmentally sustainable global economy. From the managerial...

Insight in Psychosis: An Indicator of Severity of Psychosis, an Explanatory Model of Illness, and a Coping Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, K. S.

2016-01-01

Recent studies related to insight, explanatory models (EMs) of illness and their relationship to outcome of psychosis are reviewed. The traditional argument that insight predicts outcome in psychosis is not supported by recent longitudinal data, which has been analyzed using multivariable statistics that adjust for severity and quality of illness. While all cognition will have a neurobiological representation, if “insight” is related to the primary psychotic process, then insight cannot be seen as an independent predictor of outcome but a part of the progression of illness. The evidence suggests insight, like all EMs, is belief which interacts with the trajectory of the person's illness and the local culture to produce a unique understanding of the illness for the particular individual and his/her family. PMID:27335513

The notion of strategy in facility management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holzweber, Markus

2013-01-01

and components of strategy in Facility Management (FM). Since strategy refers to a complex network of thoughts, insights, experiences, expertise, and expectations that provide general guidance for management action, organizations must keep pace with the changing environment to increase market shares and business......Strategy implementation is critical for any type of organization. Strategy implementation is complex despite previous research describing mechanisms related to the construction of strategy and strategy use of organizations. In this article I attempt to fill this vacuity by examining strategy...... success. Based on a literature review, the findings of the study report a service-strategy classification grid. Such a service-strategy grid provides for a better understanding of the business environment. The study findings are intended to enhance business managers’ understandings of the issues behind FM...

Insights into translation and the original text: Thomas Mofolo's Chaka

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper aims to explore the strategies applied during the translation of chosen passages from the original Sesotho text of Chaka by Thomas Mofolo into English. Insights expressed here originate from participation in the translation workshops during the conference on “Translating Mofolo”. Different stages of the ...

Counter-terrorism strategies in Indonesia, Algeria and Saudi Arabia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, R.; Hasan, Noorhaidi; Hendriks, B.; Janssen, F.

2012-01-01

This report is the result of a year-long study, conducted from March 2010 to March 2011, of the counter-terrorist strategies of three countries: Indonesia, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to acquire insight into the counter-terrorist strategies of these countries, to analyse

Inertia in strategy switching transforms the strategy evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yanling; Fu, Feng; Wu, Te; Xie, Guangming; Wang, Long

2011-12-01

A recent experimental study [Traulsen et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 107, 2962 (2010)] shows that human strategy updating involves both direct payoff comparison and the cost of switching strategy, which is equivalent to inertia. However, it remains largely unclear how such a predisposed inertia affects 2 × 2 games in a well-mixed population of finite size. To address this issue, the "inertia bonus" (strategy switching cost) is added to the learner payoff in the Fermi process. We find how inertia quantitatively shapes the stationary distribution and that stochastic stability under inertia exhibits three regimes, with each covering seven regions in the plane spanned by two inertia parameters. We also obtain the extended "1/3" rule with inertia and the speed criterion with inertia; these two findings hold for a population above two. We illustrate the above results in the framework of the Prisoner's Dilemma game. As inertia varies, two intriguing stationary distributions emerge: the probability of coexistence state is maximized, or those of two full states are simultaneously peaked. Our results may provide useful insights into how the inertia of changing status quo acts on the strategy evolution and, in particular, the evolution of cooperation.

Variations upon a theme: Australian lizards provide insights into the endocrine control of vertebrate reproductive cycles.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Susan M

2017-04-01

Australian lizards exhibit a broad array of different reproductive strategies and provide an extraordinary diversity and range of models with which to address fundamental problems in reproductive biology. Studies on lizards have frequently led to new insights into hormonal regulatory pathways or mechanisms of control, but we have detailed knowledge of the reproductive cycle in only a small percentage of known species. This review provides an overview and synthesis of current knowledge of the hormonal control of reproductive cycles in Australian lizards. Agamid lizards have provided useful models with which to test hypotheses about the hormonal regulation of the expression of reproductive behaviors, while research on viviparous skinks is providing insights into the evolution of the endocrine control of gestation. However, in order to better understand the potential risks that environmental factors such as climate change and endocrine disrupting chemicals pose to our fauna, better knowledge is required of the fundamental characteristics of the reproductive cycle in a broader range of lizard species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimizing the stirring strategy for the vibrating intrinsic reverberation chamber

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Serra, Ramiro; Serra, Ramiro; Leferink, Frank Bernardus Johannes

2010-01-01

This work describes the definition, application and assessment of a factorial plan with the aim of gaining insight on what kind of stirring strategy could work the best in a vibrating intrinsic reverberation chamber. Three different stirring strategies were defined as factors of a factorial

Social Media in Adult Education: Insights Gained from Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project “Institutional Strategies Targeting the Uptake of Social Networking in Adult Education (ISTUS”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilhelmina Vaičiūnienė

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose—the focus of this article is the role of social media in adult education and their impact on adult students in regards to their educational needs and specific personal situations within the frame of the learning partnership project. The Grundtvig learning partnership project “Institutional Strategies Targeting the Uptake of Social Networking in Adult Education (ISTUS is an international partnership that includes partners from 7 EU countries. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to define cases of the uptake of technologies and applications by MRU students; thus, the objectives of the research are 1 to review literature pertaining to the field of social media in adult education context and 2 to analyse the respondents’ insights as regards learning/teaching practices, resources, and facilities that affect their learning in relation to social networking and media use (taking into consideration both personal and educational perspectives. Design/methodology/approach—the research paper adopts qualitative research approach. Findings—students perceive SM mainly as online communication means (usually informal communication is implied. SM is firstly associated by learners with pastime venue, not educational resource. Thus, methods of teaching/learning in SM and with the help of SM have to be developed and improved. They have to be considered in line with the necessity to develop critical and reflexive thinking skills and media and information literacy skills. The respondents have pointed out both positive and negative aspects of social media use for learning/teaching. Creation of an inner institutional SM type involving qualified people with expertise in SM use for education has been suggested. Research limitations/implications—this article is focused only on the attitudes of MRU students though 105 interviews in total have been conducted within the framework of the project and not only students, but also teachers and

Social Media in Adult Education: Insights Gained from Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project “Institutional Strategies Targeting the Uptake of Social Networking in Adult Education (ISTUS”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilhelmina Vaičiūnienė

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose—the focus of this article is the role of social media in adult education and their impact on adult students in regards to their educational needs and specific personal situations within the frame of the learning partnership project. The Grundtvig learning partnership project “Institutional Strategies Targeting the Uptake of Social Networking in Adult Education (ISTUS is an international partnership that includes partners from 7 EU countries. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to define cases of the uptake of technologies and applications by MRU students; thus, the objectives of the research are 1 to review literature pertaining to the field of social media in adult education context and 2 to analyse the respondents’ insights as regards learning/teaching practices, resources, and facilities that affect their learning in relation to social networking and media use (taking into consideration both personal and educational perspectives.Design/methodology/approach—the research paper adopts qualitative research approach.Findings—students perceive SM mainly as online communication means (usually informal communication is implied. SM is firstly associated by learners with pastime venue, not educational resource. Thus, methods of teaching/learning in SM and with the help of SM have to be developed and improved. They have to be considered in line with the necessity to develop critical and reflexive thinking skills and media and information literacy skills. The respondents have pointed out both positive and negative aspects of social media use for learning/teaching. Creation of an inner institutional SM type involving qualified people with expertise in SM use for education has been suggested.Research limitations/implications—this article is focused only on the attitudes of MRU students though 105 interviews in total have been conducted within the framework of the project and not only students, but also teachers and

Insight into implementation of facility-based integrated management of childhood illness strategy in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Pradhan, Nousheen Akber; Rizvi, Narjis; Sami, Neelofar; Gul, Xaher

2013-07-05

Integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) strategy has been proven to improve health outcomes in children under 5 years of age. Pakistan, despite being in the late implementation phase of the strategy, continues to report high under-five mortality due to pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and malnutrition - the main targets of the strategy. The study determines the factors influencing IMCI implementation at public-sector primary health care (PHC) facilities in Matiari district, Sindh, Pakistan. An exploratory qualitative study with an embedded quantitative strand was conducted. The qualitative part included 16 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with stakeholders which included planners and policy makers at a provincial level (n=5), implementers and managers at a district level (n=3), and IMCI-trained physicians posted at PHC facilities (n=8). Quantitative part included PHC facility survey (n=16) utilizing WHO health facility assessment tool to assess availability of IMCI essential drugs, supplies, and equipments. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the textual information, whereas descriptive frequencies were calculated for health facility survey data. The major factors reported to enhance IMCI implementation were knowledge and perception about the strategy and need for separate clinic for children aged under 5 years as potential support factors. The latter can facilitate in strategy implementation through allocated workforce and required equipments and supplies. Constraint factors mainly included lack of clear understanding of the strategy, poor planning for IMCI implementation, ambiguity in defined roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, and insufficient essential supplies and drugs at PHC centers. The latter was further substantiated through health facilities' survey findings, which indicated that none of the facilities had 100% stock of essential supplies and drugs. Only one out of all 16 surveyed facilities had 75% of the total supplies

Insight into implementation of facility-based integrated management of childhood illness strategy in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nousheen Akber Pradhan

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI strategy has been proven to improve health outcomes in children under 5 years of age. Pakistan, despite being in the late implementation phase of the strategy, continues to report high under-five mortality due to pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and malnutrition – the main targets of the strategy. Objective: The study determines the factors influencing IMCI implementation at public-sector primary health care (PHC facilities in Matiari district, Sindh, Pakistan. Design: An exploratory qualitative study with an embedded quantitative strand was conducted. The qualitative part included 16 in-depth interviews (IDIs with stakeholders which included planners and policy makers at a provincial level (n=5, implementers and managers at a district level (n=3, and IMCI-trained physicians posted at PHC facilities (n=8. Quantitative part included PHC facility survey (n=16 utilizing WHO health facility assessment tool to assess availability of IMCI essential drugs, supplies, and equipments. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the textual information, whereas descriptive frequencies were calculated for health facility survey data. Results: The major factors reported to enhance IMCI implementation were knowledge and perception about the strategy and need for separate clinic for children aged under 5 years as potential support factors. The latter can facilitate in strategy implementation through allocated workforce and required equipments and supplies. Constraint factors mainly included lack of clear understanding of the strategy, poor planning for IMCI implementation, ambiguity in defined roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, and insufficient essential supplies and drugs at PHC centers. The latter was further substantiated through health facilities’ survey findings, which indicated that none of the facilities had 100% stock of essential supplies and drugs. Only one out of all

Managing Cuscuta gronovii (Swamp Dodder in Cranberry Requires an Integrated Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilary A. Sandler

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Dodders (Cuscuta spp. are parasitic plants that threaten the sustainability of many crops. Because this parasite is very adept and successful from biological and ecological perspectives, a single control strategy is unlikely to provide sufficient economic control. Dodder (C. gronovii is a particularly serious pest in commercial cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon production. Multiple viable strategies must be integrated and tailored into a weed management plan to provide acceptable control. The key to sustainable management of this serious pest will require a combination of chemical and cultural approaches, supported by understanding the complicated nature of dodder biology. Research from small fruit production systems like cranberry into the biology of dodder (e.g., germination patterns, host preference, use of plant growth regulators may provide insights that could ultimately be useful for other crop system management plans. This paper will present the current knowledge base for integrated management of dodder in cranberry as well as highlight relevant research from other crops and potential topics for future research.

Are strategies in physics discrete? A remote controlled investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Heck, Robert; Sherson, Jacob F.; www. scienceathome. org Team; players Team

2017-04-01

In science, strategies are formulated based on observations, calculations, or physical insight. For any given physical process, often several distinct strategies are identified. Are these truly distinct or simply low dimensional representations of a high dimensional continuum of solutions? Our online citizen science platform www.scienceathome.org used by more than 150,000 people recently enabled finding solutions to fast, 1D single atom transport [Nature2016]. Surprisingly, player trajectories bunched into discrete solution strategies (clans) yielding clear, distinct physical insight. Introducing the multi-dimensional vector in the direction of other local maxima we locate narrow, high-yield ``bridges'' connecting the clans. This demonstrates for this problem that a continuum of solutions with no clear physical interpretation does in fact exist. Next, four distinct strategies for creating Bose-Einstein condensates were investigated experimentally: hybrid and crossed dipole trap configurations in combination with either large volume or dimple loading from a magnetic trap. We find that although each conventional strategy appears locally optimal, ``bridges'' can be identified. In a novel approach, the problem was gamified allowing 750 citizen scientists to contribute to the experimental optimization yielding nearly a factor two improvement in atom number.

Clinical multi-omics strategies for the effective cancer management.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Byong Chul; Kim, Kyung-Hee; Woo, Sang Myung; Myung, Jae Kyung

2017-08-15

Cancer is a global health issue as a multi-factorial complex disease, and early detection and novel therapeutic strategies are required for more effective cancer management. With the development of systemic analytical -omics strategies, the therapeutic approach and study of the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and cancer progression have moved from hypothesis-driven targeted investigations to data-driven untargeted investigations focusing on the integrated diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer in individual patients. Predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) is a promising new approach to reduce the burden of cancer and facilitate more accurate prognosis, diagnosis, as well as effective treatment. Here we review the fundamentals of, and new developments in, -omics technologies, together with the key role of a variety of practical -omics strategies in PPPM for cancer treatment and diagnosis. In this review, a comprehensive and critical overview of the systematic strategy for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) for cancer disease was described in a view of cancer prognostic prediction, diagnostics, and prevention as well as cancer therapy and drug responses. We have discussed multi-dimensional data obtained from various resources and integration of multisciplinary -omics strategies with computational method which could contribute the more effective PPPM for cancer. This review has provided the novel insights of the current applications of each and combined -omics technologies, which showed their powerful potential for the establishment of PPPM for cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation-based Strategies for Smart Demand Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ines Leobner

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Demand Response can be seen as one effective way to harmonize demand and supply in order to achieve high self-coverage of energy consumption by means of renewable energy sources. This paper presents two different simulation-based concepts to integrate demand-response strategies into energy management systems in the customer domain of the Smart Grid. The first approach is a Model Predictive Control of the heating and cooling system of a low-energy office building. The second concept aims at industrial Demand Side Management by integrating energy use optimization into industrial automation systems. Both approaches are targeted at day-ahead planning. Furthermore, insights gained into the implications of the concepts onto the design of the model, simulation and optimization will be discussed. While both approaches share a similar architecture, different modelling and simulation approaches were required by the use cases.

Competency to stand trial and defendants who lack insight into their mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisner, Andrew D; Piel, Jennifer; Makey, Miller

2013-01-01

Forensic evaluators often assess patients who lack insight into their mental illnesses. This lack of insight can have a significant impact on the defendant's ability to make legal strategy decisions that rely on their acceptance of their mental illness. In this article, the relationship between refusing an insanity plea and competency to stand trial will be explored in the context of defendants who lack insight into their mental illness. The authors argue that an adequate competency assessment should take into account the defendant's ability to consider his available pleas rationally. Such evaluations may have the effect of negating the necessity of a Frendak inquiry in those jurisdictions that can impose the insanity defense on defendants.

Strategies for parenting by mothers and fathers with a mental illness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ende, P C; van Busschbach, J T; Nicholson, J; Korevaar, E L; van Weeghel, J

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT: Introduction Understanding of the problems of parents with mental illness is growing. Gaining insight into strategies for parenting, while taking the opportunities formulated by these parents themselves as a starting point is fairly new. Question What are the strategies of parents with a

Communication Strategies in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising (DTCA): Application of the Six Segment Message Strategy Wheel.

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Ilwoo; Park, Jin Seong

2015-01-01

This study addresses a void in the literature on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) with a theory-based content analysis. The findings indicate that Taylor's communication strategy wheel provides insight into what and how pharmaceutical marketers communicate with consumers by means of DTCA. Major findings are summarized as follows: (a) In most DTC ads, informational and transformational message themes and creative approaches were simultaneously used, indicating a combination strategy; (b) DTCA message themes were associated with creative strategies in alignment with Taylor's framework; and (c) message themes and creative strategies varied across therapeutic categories and DTCA categories with different levels of ad spending. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Knowledge and insight in relation to functional remission in patients with long-term psychotic disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alenius, Malin; Hammarlund-Udenaes, Margareta; Hartvig, Per

2009-01-01

: To investigate the knowledge and insight in relation to treatment response. METHODS: A naturalistic study was performed using patient interviews and information gathered from patient drug charts. Apart from the rating scales used for classification of treatment response (CANSEPT method), the SPKS knowledge......BACKGROUND: Patients with psychotic symptoms often respond poorly to treatment. Outcomes can be affected by biological, physiological and psychological factors according to the vulnerability-stress model. The patient's coping strategies and beliefs have been correlated with outcomes. OBJECTIVES...... of illness and drugs rating scale was utilized. RESULTS: In the group of patients in functional remission (FR; n = 38), 37% had insight into their illness as compared to 10% among those not in functional remission (non-FR; n = 78; P strategy for responding...

Gathering Requirements for Teacher Tools: Strategies for Empowering Teachers Through Co-Design

Science.gov (United States)

Matuk, Camillia; Gerard, Libby; Lim-Breitbart, Jonathan; Linn, Marcia

2016-02-01

Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and expectations. Participatory methods, which involve teachers closely in the design process, are widely recommended for establishing accurate design requirements that address users' needs. By collaborating with researchers, teachers can contribute their professional expertise to shape the tools of their practice, and ultimately ensure their sustained use. However, there is little guidance available for maintaining effective teacher-researcher design partnerships. We describe four strategies for engaging teachers in designing tools intended to support and enhance their practice within a web-based science learning environment: discussing physical artifacts, reacting to scenarios, customizing prototypes, and writing user stories. Using design artifacts and documents of teachers' reflections, we illustrate how we applied these techniques over 5 years of annual professional development workshops, and examine their affordances for eliciting teachers' ideas. We reflect on how these approaches have helped inform technology refinements and innovations. We moreover discuss the further benefits these strategies have had in encouraging teachers to reflect on their own practice and on the roles of technology in supporting it; and in allowing researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between technology, teaching, and design.

Developing green supply chain management strategies: A taxonomic approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Mutingi

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The objective of this research is to explore the empirical green supply chain activities found in literature, and to develop a taxonomic framework that can be used for formulating appropriate strategies for green supply chains, based on characteristic dimensions for the green supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: The taxonomic framework is developed through (i analysis of green supply chain activities found in existing empirical work or case studies recorded in literature, (ii identification of key dimensions that influence green supply chain management strategies, and (iii development of a taxonomic scheme for selecting or developing green strategies. Findings: The paper finds that this study yielded: a set of three characteristic dimensions that influence strategic green supply chain management, and a guided structured approach selecting appropriate green strategies, providing managerial insights. Research limitations/implications: This paper shows that future work includes development of specific performance management indices according to the taxonomy of green strategies developed in this study. Practical implications: This research provided a practical guided approach that enhances appropriate formulation of green strategies for green supply chain management, while providing sound managerial insights for the supply chain decision maker. The choice of supply chain strategy directly impacts the overall environmental, economic and operations performance of the supply chain. Originality/value: This study presents to supply chain decision makers a new taxonomic framework that simplifies and enhances the formulation of green strategies, and to researchers a comparative understanding of various strategies applicable to green supply chains.

Using Appropriate Strategies to Improve Students' Comprehension ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Using Appropriate Strategies to Improve Students' Comprehension of Chemistry Texts: A Guide for Chemistry Teachers. ... African Research Review ... Unfortunately, contemporary research insight into science reading is lacking and science educators tend to focus on methods of teaching specific subject matter and ...

Emotional labor actors: a latent profile analysis of emotional labor strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Allison S; Daniels, Michael A; Diefendorff, James M; Greguras, Gary J

2015-05-01

Research on emotional labor focuses on how employees utilize 2 main regulation strategies-surface acting (i.e., faking one's felt emotions) and deep acting (i.e., attempting to feel required emotions)-to adhere to emotional expectations of their jobs. To date, researchers largely have considered how each strategy functions to predict outcomes in isolation. However, this variable-centered perspective ignores the possibility that there are subpopulations of employees who may differ in their combined use of surface and deep acting. To address this issue, we conducted 2 studies that examined surface acting and deep acting from a person-centered perspective. Using latent profile analysis, we identified 5 emotional labor profiles-non-actors, low actors, surface actors, deep actors, and regulators-and found that these actor profiles were distinguished by several emotional labor antecedents (positive affectivity, negative affectivity, display rules, customer orientation, and emotion demands-abilities fit) and differentially predicted employee outcomes (emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and felt inauthenticity). Our results reveal new insights into the nature of emotion regulation in emotional labor contexts and how different employees may characteristically use distinct combinations of emotion regulation strategies to manage their emotional expressions at work. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Orbital prefrontal cortex is required for object-in-place scene memory but not performance of a strategy implementation task.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, Mark G; Gaffan, David; Kyriazis, Diana A; Mitchell, Anna S

2007-10-17

The orbital prefrontal cortex is thought to be involved in behavioral flexibility in primates, and human neuroimaging studies have identified orbital prefrontal activation during episodic memory encoding. The goal of the present study was to ascertain whether deficits in strategy implementation and episodic memory that occur after ablation of the entire prefrontal cortex can be ascribed to damage to the orbital prefrontal cortex. Rhesus monkeys were preoperatively trained on two behavioral tasks, the performance of both of which is severely impaired by the disconnection of frontal cortex from inferotemporal cortex. In the strategy implementation task, monkeys were required to learn about two categories of objects, each associated with a different strategy that had to be performed to obtain food reward. The different strategies had to be applied flexibly to optimize the rate of reward delivery. In the scene memory task, monkeys learned 20 new object-in-place discrimination problems in each session. Monkeys were tested on both tasks before and after bilateral ablation of orbital prefrontal cortex. These lesions impaired new scene learning but had no effect on strategy implementation. This finding supports a role for the orbital prefrontal cortex in memory but places limits on the involvement of orbital prefrontal cortex in the representation and implementation of behavioral goals and strategies.

Using constitutive equation gap method for identification of elastic material parameters: Technical insights and illustrations

KAUST Repository

Florentin, Éric

2011-08-09

The constitutive equation gap method (CEGM) is a well-known concept which, until now, has been used mainly for the verification of finite element simulations. Recently, CEGM-based functional has been proposed to identify local elastic parameters based on experimental full-field measurement. From a technical point of view, this approach requires to quickly describe a space of statically admissible stress fields. We present here the technical insights, inspired from previous works in verification, that leads to the construction of such a space. Then, the identification strategy is implemented and the obtained results are compared with the actual material parameters for numerically generated benchmarks. The quality of the identification technique is demonstrated that makes it a valuable tool for interactive design as a way to validate local material properties. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Computational metabolic engineering strategies for growth-coupled biofuel production by Synechocystis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiyan Shabestary

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Chemical and fuel production by photosynthetic cyanobacteria is a promising technology but to date has not reached competitive rates and titers. Genome-scale metabolic modeling can reveal limitations in cyanobacteria metabolism and guide genetic engineering strategies to increase chemical production. Here, we used constraint-based modeling and optimization algorithms on a genome-scale model of Synechocystis PCC6803 to find ways to improve productivity of fermentative, fatty-acid, and terpene-derived fuels. OptGene and MOMA were used to find heuristics for knockout strategies that could increase biofuel productivity. OptKnock was used to find a set of knockouts that led to coupling between biofuel and growth. Our results show that high productivity of fermentation or reversed beta-oxidation derived alcohols such as 1-butanol requires elimination of NADH sinks, while terpenes and fatty-acid based fuels require creating imbalances in intracellular ATP and NADPH production and consumption. The FBA-predicted productivities of these fuels are at least 10-fold higher than those reported so far in the literature. We also discuss the physiological and practical feasibility of implementing these knockouts. This work gives insight into how cyanobacteria could be engineered to reach competitive biofuel productivities. Keywords: Cyanobacteria, Modeling, Flux balance analysis, Biofuel, MOMA, OptFlux, OptKnock

A strategy for recovering continuous behavioral telemetry data from Pacific walruses

Science.gov (United States)

Fischbach, Anthony S.; Jay, Chadwick V.

2016-01-01

Tracking animal behavior and movement with telemetry sensors can offer substantial insights required for conservation. Yet, the value of data collected by animal-borne telemetry systems is limited by bandwidth constraints. To understand the response of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) to rapid changes in sea ice availability, we required continuous geospatial chronologies of foraging behavior. Satellite telemetry offered the only practical means to systematically collect such data; however, data transmission constraints of satellite data-collection systems limited the data volume that could be acquired. Although algorithms exist for reducing sensor data volumes for efficient transmission, none could meet our requirements. Consequently, we developed an algorithm for classifying hourly foraging behavior status aboard a tag with limited processing power. We found a 98% correspondence of our algorithm's classification with a test classification based on time–depth data recovered and characterized through multivariate analysis in a separate study. We then applied our algorithm within a telemetry system that relied on remotely deployed satellite tags. Data collected by these tags from Pacific walruses across their range during 2007–2015 demonstrated the consistency of foraging behavior collected by this strategy with data collected by data logging tags; and demonstrated the ability to collect geospatial behavioral chronologies with minimal missing data where recovery of data logging tags is precluded. Our strategy for developing a telemetry system may be applicable to any study requiring intelligent algorithms to continuously monitor behavior, and then compress those data into meaningful information that can be efficiently transmitted.

E072/ST-HM - A dynamic maintenance strategie to meet the requirements of the LHC installation

OpenAIRE

Böttcher, O

2003-01-01

The new ST-HM contract E072 for the maintenance of transport and handling equipment is designed to obtain the high operating reliability as required for the LHC installation and to respect the situation of limited resources at CERN at the same time. The contract is based on a dynamic maintenance strategy. It contains a flexible maintenance contingent that is essential to prepare the equipment for extremely important and critical utilization phases that will come up during the LHC installation...

Making the right move: investigating employers’ recruitment strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gërxhani, K.; Koster, F.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate employers’ recruitment strategies to address distinct job-related agency problems before establishing an employment relationship. Insights from agency theory and the social embeddedness perspective are combined to hypothesize whether and why

Online Strategy Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Dye, Bryan

2002-01-01

A strategy game is an online interactive game that requires thinking in order to be played at its best and whose winning strategy is not obvious. Provides information on strategy games that are written in Java or JavaScript and freely available on the web. (KHR)

New insights into the structure and composition of technical lignins : A comparative characterisation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constant, Sandra|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/374650519; Wienk, Hans L J|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/203884884; Frissen, Augustinus E.; Peinder, Peter De|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/325810818; Boelens, Rolf|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070151407; Van Es, Daan S.; Grisel, Ruud J H; Weckhuysen, Bert M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/285484397; Huijgen, Wouter J J; Gosselink, Richard J A; Bruijnincx, Pieter C A|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/33799529X

2016-01-01

Detailed insight into the structure and composition of industrial (technical) lignins is needed to devise efficient thermal, bio- or chemocatalytic valorisation strategies. Six such technical lignins covering three main industrial pulping methods (Indulin AT Kraft, Protobind 1000 soda lignin and

New insights into the structure and composition of technical lignins: a comparative characterisation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constant, Sandra; Wienk, Hans L.J.; Frissen, A.E.; Peinder, de Peter; Boelens, Rolf; Es, van D.S.; Grisel, Ruud J.H.; Weckhuysen, Bert M.; Huijgen, W.J.J.; Gosselink, R.J.A.; Bruijnincx, Pieter C.A.

2016-01-01

Detailed insight into the structure and composition of industrial (technical) lignins is needed to devise efficient thermal, bio- or chemocatalytic valorisation strategies. Six such technical lignins covering three main industrial pulping methods (Indulin AT Kraft, Protobind 1000 soda lignin and

STRATEGIES FOR COMPETETIVE ADVANTAGE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siamak Azadi

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Despite rapid and sustained development of electronic commerce, many companies doing e-business are still in the investment and brand-building phase and have yet to show a profit. However, as e-businesses shift their focus from  building a customer base to increasing revenue growth and profitability, they should reevaluate their current business strategies, if any, and develop strategies that provide a clear path to profitability. This study uses McCarthy’s four marketing mix model and Porter’s five competitive forces model to identify strategies for Internet companies that respond to the five competitive forces and thereby achieve a competitive advantage. The study provides significant new insights into the development and implementation of e-business strategies that contribute to increased profit.

APL: a corporate strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, J; Nyatanga, L; Ringer, C; Greaves, J

1992-06-01

This paper is based on, and summarises, papers read at the second annual international conference of Nurse Education Tomorrow held at the University of Durham (UK) September 1991. To this end this paper will offer: Some Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) definition and process as reflected in the literature available. A distinction will be made between APL and Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) although the procedures and processes for assessing them will be shown to be the same. A brief outline of corporate strategy, as it applies to APL, will be given to form the basis for logical demonstration of how Derbyshire Institute of Health and Community Studies has employed such a corporate strategy. Insights developed and gained from APL research currently being undertaken through the college of nursing and midwifery will be used to inform the development and nature of corporate strategy. A flowchart of the operationalisation of the corporate strategy is offered as an integrative summary of how all the APL ideas have had a positive cumulative effect. The paper finishes by highlighting the possible strengths and limitations of APL corporate strategy.

Pricing strategies under heterogeneous service requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mandjes, M.R.H.

This paper analyzes a communication network, used by customers with heterogeneous service requirements. We investigate priority queueing as a way to establish service differentiation. It is assumed that there is an infinite population of customers, who join the network as long as their utility

[Evidence-based clinical oral healthcare guidelines 4. Adherence requires an implementation strategy].

Science.gov (United States)

Braspenning, J C C; Mettes, T G P H; van der Sanden, W J M; Wensing, M J P

2015-03-01

Adherence to clinical guidelines requires support in practice. However, systematic implementation of evidence-based guidelines is not common practice in oral healthcare. The Knowledge Institute Oral Care (KiMo) offers the opportunity to take into account potential barriers and facilitators during the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. These factors which are relevant to the guideline and the oral healthcare practice provide the ingredients for a tailor-made programme of implementation that has a scientific basis. Elements of any implementation programme are the quality indicators derived from the oral healthcare guidelines. These indicators should fit, on the one hand, the specific goals of the guidelines (patient safety, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centred, timeliness, accessibility) and, onthe other hand, the various perspectives of the different stakeholders, such as patients, caregivers, health insurers and inspectorate. These quality indicators provide information on adherence to the guidelines, the results of a certain treatment and the success of the implementation strategy, all with the aim to improve the quality of oral healthcare.

The effects of aging on insight into illness in schizophrenia: a review†

Science.gov (United States)

Gerretsen, Philip; Plitman, Eric; Rajji, Tarek K.; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel

2015-01-01

Objectives Impaired insight into illness is a prevalent feature of schizophrenia, which negatively influences treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. Little is known about the effects of aging on insight impairment. We aimed to review the available research literature on the effects of aging on insight into illness in schizophrenia, in relation to positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Ultimately, we propose a trajectory of insight in schizophrenia across the lifespan. Method A systematic Medline® literature search was conducted, searching for English language studies describing the relationship of insight into illness in schizophrenia with aging. Results We identified 62 studies. Insight impairment is associated with illness severity, premorbid intellectual function (i.e. IQ), executive function, and memory. Insight impairment improves modestly during midlife, worsening again in late life. It tends to fluctuate with each episode of psychosis, likely in relation to worsening positive symptoms that improve with antipsychotic treatment. The relationship between insight impairment and cognitive dysfunction appears to attenuate with age, while the relationship with lower premorbid intellectual function is preserved. The association between impaired insight and negative symptoms is unclear. Conclusions The available literature suggests that the course of insight impairment follows a U-shaped curve, where insight impairment is severe during the first episode of psychosis, modestly improves over midlife, and declines again in late life. Future studies are required to investigate the trajectory of insight into illness and its core domains across the lifespan from prodromal phase to late life. PMID:25055980

Novel insights into iron regulation and requirement in marine medaka Oryzias melastigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jian; Wang, Wen-Xiong

2016-05-24

Iron (Fe) is an essential trace element for marine fish. However, our knowledge of Fe requirements at different development stages of marine fish is still limited. Here, we reported the efficient Fe absorption strategies adopted by larval fish under different dietary Fe supplementary levels (i.e., 0-640 mg/kg). Biokinetically, the larval fish controlled their dietary Fe assimilation efficiency (AE, 1.6-18.5%), and enhanced their waterborne Fe uptake (ca. 2.5 fold change of uptake rate constant) once the dietary Fe was deficient (i.e., 27.4 mg Fe/kg feed). Transcriptionally, the expression of hepcidin1 (hep1; Fe regulator; i.e., 2.3-15.7 fold change) in larval fish was positively correlated with the Fe supplementary levels. Comparatively, the female adult fish were poor in assimilating the added Fe source (i.e., ferric form) with similar life-sustainable levels of Fe (i.e., 0.046-0.12 μg/g/d assimilated for Fe supplementary levels of 27.4, 162 and 657 mg Fe/kg feed). The overall feeding experiments suggested that dietary net Fe flux sufficient for the normal growth of larval medaka was 0.71-1.75 μg/g/d (i.e., 83.9 mg Fe/kg feed), consistent with the modeled value (i.e., 1.09-2.16 μg/g/d). In female adults, the estimated essential net Fe flux was 0.88-0.90 μg/g/d.

Fed-Batch Feeding Strategies for Enzymatic Biodiesel Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Price, Jason Anthony; Nordblad, Mathias; Woodley, John

2014-01-01

of the differences in the interfacial and bulk concentrations of the enzyme. The model is then used to evaluate various feeding strategies to improve the enzymatic biodiesel production. The feeding strategies investigated, gave insight into how the methanol should be fed to potentially mitigate enzyme deactivation...... while improving the biodiesel yield. The best experimental results gave a yield of 703 .76 g FAME L-1 and a reactor productivity of 28.12 g FAME L-1 h-1. In comparison, to reach the same yield, the optimised two step feeding strategy took 6.25 hours less, which equates to an increase the reactor...

Shifting and Sharing: Academic Physicians' Strategies for Navigating Underperformance and Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

LaDonna, Kori A; Ginsburg, Shiphra; Watling, Christopher

2018-05-22

Medical practice is uncertain and complex. Consequently, even outstanding performers will inevitably experience moments of underperformance and failure. Coping relies on insight and resilience. However, how physicians develop and use these skills to navigate struggle remains underexplored. A better understanding may reveal strategies to support both struggling learners and stressed practitioners. In 2015, 28 academic physicians were interviewed about their experiences with underperformance or failure. Constructivist grounded theory informed data collection and analysis. Participants' experiences with struggle ranged from patient errors and academic failures to frequent, smaller moments of interpersonal conflict and work-life imbalance. To buffer impact, participants sometimes shifted their focus to an aspect of their identity where they felt successful. Additionally, while participants perceived that insight develops by acknowledging and reflecting on error, they sometimes deflected blame for performance gaps. More often, participants seemed to accept personal responsibility while simultaneously sharing accountability for underperformance or failure with external forces. Paradoxically, participants perceived learners who used these strategies as lacking in insight. Participants demonstrated the protective and functional value of distributing responsibility for underperformance and failure. Shifting and sharing may be an element of reflection and resilience; recognizing external factors may provide a way to gain perspective and to preserve the self. However, this strategy challenges educators' assumptions that learners who deflect are avoiding personal responsibility. The authors' findings raise questions about what it means to be resilient, and how assumptions about learners' responses to failure may affect strategies to support underperforming learners.

"Academic Strategy: The Management Revolution in American Higher Education," by George Keller (1983) Can Strategy Work in Higher Education?

Science.gov (United States)

Temple, Paul

2018-01-01

Keller's book was one of the first works to suggest strategic approaches to the management of higher education institutions. His case study method proved popular with readers. However, the limitations of his approach to strategy grew more apparent over time, although many of his insights remain valid today.

Strategies and Challenges for Energy Efficient Retrofitting: Study of the Empire State Building

Science.gov (United States)

De, B.; Mukherjee, M.

2013-11-01

Operational and maintenance cost of existing buildings is escalating making it tough for both the owner and the tenants. Retrofitting them with state of the art technologies help them to keep pace with amended recent code provisions and thus extending the older building stocks one more chance to live responsively. Retrofitted iconic buildings can thus retain their status in commerce driven real estate sector. It helps in reducing green house gas emission as well. World's iconic skyscraper, the Empire State Building (ESB), has undergone an exemplary retrofit process since 2008 to reduce its energy demands. To achieve the goal of operational cost and energy consumption reduction, stiff challenges had taken care in a systematic manner to realize benefit throughout the entire lifespan of the ESB. Least disturbances to the tenant and on-site component handling strategies required precise planning. The present paper explores strategies and process adopted for retrofitting the ESB, and derived insightful guidelines towards operational cost savings and energy efficiency of existing buildings through retrofitting.

Learning from professionals: Exploring cognitive rehabilitation strategies for the definition of the functional requirements of a telerehabilitation platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosso, Giovanni; Frisiello, Antonella; Trizio, Marco; Mosso, Cristina O; Bazzani, Marco

2018-04-01

In the past few years, the advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) led to the development of platforms and applications that aim to support cognitive rehabilitation therapy that contributes to extend patients' treatment at home. In our research we adopted the Human Centered Approach to design a cognitive rehabilitation platform that is able to provide tools and features tailored to the professional needs and strategies and also able to engage patients in their treatment process. In order to explore the clinicians' point of view on the neuropsychological intervention strategies, we applied two different techniques often used in human factors research: the Critical Decision Method to study professionals' strategies with a descriptive perspective, and the Hierarchical Task Analysis to analyze the processes with a normative view. The results of our research showed that the hybrid approach adopted allowed us to have a better focus on the cognitive rehabilitation process and on the professionals' decision making mechanism. This led to a better understanding of functional requirements for supporting clinician's strategic decision making, in terms of personalization of treatments, cognitive exercises settings and feedback customization. In conclusion, our research highlights the value of the CDM to focus deeply on which functionalities professionals require from a cognitive telerehabilitation system and allowed us to design more precisely clinician-patients interactions inside the system compared to prescriptive methods currently used. Our study offers contribution to the comprehension of the rehabilitation processes, suggesting the positive impacts of an "extended" clinic treatment by adopting a flexible and adaptable tool. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Obesity and adverse breast cancer risk and outcome: Mechanistic insights and strategies for intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Picon-Ruiz, Manuel; Morata-Tarifa, Cynthia; Valle-Goffin, Janeiro J; Friedman, Eitan R; Slingerland, Joyce M

2017-09-01

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Recent decades have seen an unprecedented rise in obesity, and the health impact thereof is increasingly evident. In 2014, worldwide, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25-29.9 kg/m 2 ), and of these, over 600 million were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ). Although the association between obesity and the risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease is widely known, the impact of obesity on cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality is not fully appreciated. Obesity is associated both with a higher risk of developing breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women, and with worse disease outcome for women of all ages. The first part of this review summarizes the relationships between obesity and breast cancer development and outcomes in premenopausal and postmenopausal women and in those with hormone receptor-positive and -negative disease. The second part of this review addresses hypothesized molecular mechanistic insights that may underlie the effects of obesity to increase local and circulating proinflammatory cytokines, promote tumor angiogenesis and stimulate the most malignant cancer stem cell population to drive cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. Finally, a review of observational studies demonstrates that increased physical activity is associated with lower breast cancer risk and better outcomes. The effects of recent lifestyle interventions to decrease sex steroids, insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway activation, and inflammatory biomarkers associated with worse breast cancer outcomes in obesity also are discussed. Although many observational studies indicate that exercise with weight loss is associated with improved breast cancer outcome, further prospective studies are needed to determine whether weight reduction will lead to improved patient outcomes. It is hoped that several ongoing lifestyle intervention trials, which are reviewed herein, will support the systematic

Developing predictive insight into changing water systems: use-inspired hydrologic science for the Anthropocene

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, S. E.; Sivapalan, M.; Harman, C. J.; Srinivasan, V.; Hipsey, M. R.; Reed, P.; Montanari, A.; Blöschl, G.

2013-12-01

Globally, many different kinds of water resources management issues call for policy- and infrastructure-based responses. Yet responsible decision-making about water resources management raises a fundamental challenge for hydrologists: making predictions about water resources on decadal- to century-long timescales. Obtaining insight into hydrologic futures over 100 yr timescales forces researchers to address internal and exogenous changes in the properties of hydrologic systems. To do this, new hydrologic research must identify, describe and model feedbacks between water and other changing, coupled environmental subsystems. These models must be constrained to yield useful insights, despite the many likely sources of uncertainty in their predictions. Chief among these uncertainties are the impacts of the increasing role of human intervention in the global water cycle - a defining challenge for hydrology in the Anthropocene. Here we present a research agenda that proposes a suite of strategies to address these challenges from the perspectives of hydrologic science research. The research agenda focuses on the development of co-evolutionary hydrologic modeling to explore coupling across systems, and to address the implications of this coupling on the long-time behavior of the coupled systems. Three research directions support the development of these models: hydrologic reconstruction, comparative hydrology and model-data learning. These strategies focus on understanding hydrologic processes and feedbacks over long timescales, across many locations, and through strategic coupling of observational and model data in specific systems. We highlight the value of use-inspired and team-based science that is motivated by real-world hydrologic problems but targets improvements in fundamental understanding to support decision-making and management. Fully realizing the potential of this approach will ultimately require detailed integration of social science and physical science

A cross-sectional study of insight and family accommodation in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

pediatric patients with OCD with respect to the requirement of insight. Subjects with low insight displayed clinical characteristics of increased severity compared with their high insight counterparts, suggesting that subjects with low insight may require multimodal approach to treatment. Family accommodation was found to mediate the relationship between symptom severity and functional impairment; the use of family-based approaches to cognitive behavioral therapy, with one of the aims of reducing/mitigating FA, may provide better treatment outcomes in pediatric OCD. PMID:23786761

Phosphoproteomics by mass spectrometry: insights, implications, applications and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayya, Viveka; Han, David K

2009-12-01

Phosphorylation of proteins is a predominant, reversible post-translational modification. It is central to a wide variety of physiological responses and signaling mechanisms. Recent advances have allowed the global scope of phosphorylation to be addressed by mass spectrometry using phosphoproteomic approaches. In this perspective, we discuss four aspects of phosphoproteomics: the insights and implications from recently published phosphoproteomic studies and the applications and limitations of current phosphoproteomic strategies. Since approximately 50,000 known phosphorylation sites do not yet have any ascribed function, we present our perspectives on a major function of protein phosphorylation that may be of predictive value in hypothesis-based investigations. Finally, we discuss strategies to measure the stoichiometry of phosphorylation in a proteome-wide manner that is not provided by current phosphoproteomic approaches.

DOE groundwater protection strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lichtman, S.

1988-01-01

EH is developing a DOE-wide Groundwater Quality Protection Strategy to express DOE's commitment to the protection of groundwater quality at or near its facilities. This strategy responds to a September 1986 recommendation of the General Accounting Office. It builds on EPA's August 1984 Ground-Water Protection Strategy, which establishes a classification system designed to protect groundwater according to its value and vulnerability. The purposes of DOE's strategy are to highlight groundwater protection as part of current DOE programs and future Departmental planning, to guide DOE managers in developing site-specific groundwater protection practices where DOE has discretion, and to guide DOE's approach to negotiations with EPA/states where regulatory processes apply to groundwater protection at Departmental facilities. The strategy calls for the prevention of groundwater contamination and the cleanup of groundwater commensurate with its usefulness. It would require long-term groundwater protection with reliance on physical rather than institutional control methods. The strategy provides guidance on providing long-term protection of groundwater resources; standards for new remedial actions;guidance on establishing points of compliance; requirements for establishing classification review area; and general guidance on obtaining variances, where applicable, from regulatory requirements. It also outlines management tools to implement this strategy

Key Vocabulary Learning Strategies in ESP And EGP Course Books

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Akbari

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An increasing body of research evidence is showing the advantages of using certain skills and behaviours called language learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs in particular in the process of L2 acquisition. University students who require reading English texts in their fields of study have to expand their vocabulary knowledge in a much more efficient way than ordinary ESL/EFL learners.  And ELT course books are a good place to incorporate learner training in this regard. The purpose of this study is to see how vocabulary learning strategies are treated in both the book designer's claims section and the exercises of English for Specific Purposes (ESP course books for students of medicine and para-medicine on the one hand and English for General Purposes (EGP course book used commonly by these students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran on the other. In other words, the specified course books were analyzed based on the insights gained from VLS research to gauge the extent to which they have incorporated VLSs and training in using them. These books were published under the supervision of the center for studying and compiling university books in humanities (SAMT. Based on the review of the relevant literature, three key strategies were identified and an analytic framework was devised. The framework was then applied to the course books. It was found that the treatments in the specified course books were deemed unlikely to improve students’ abilities with these important skills and strategies.

How Students Circumvent Problem-Solving Strategies that Require Greater Cognitive Complexity.

Science.gov (United States)

Niaz, Mansoor

1996-01-01

Analyzes the great diversity in problem-solving strategies used by students in solving a chemistry problem and discusses the relationship between these variables and different cognitive variables. Concludes that students try to circumvent certain problem-solving strategies by adapting flexible and stylistic innovations that render the cognitive…

Oncolytic Adenovirus: Strategies and Insights for Vector Design and Immuno-Oncolytic Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanni Uusi-Kerttula

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Adenoviruses (Ad are commonly used both experimentally and clinically, including oncolytic virotherapy applications. In the clinical area, efficacy is frequently hampered by the high rates of neutralizing immunity, estimated as high as 90% in some populations that promote vector clearance and limit bioavailability for tumor targeting following systemic delivery. Active tumor targeting is also hampered by the ubiquitous nature of the Ad5 receptor, hCAR, as well as the lack of highly tumor-selective targeting ligands and suitable targeting strategies. Furthermore, significant off-target interactions between the viral vector and cellular and proteinaceous components of the bloodstream have been documented that promote uptake into non-target cells and determine dose-limiting toxicities. Novel strategies are therefore needed to overcome the obstacles that prevent efficacious Ad deployment for wider clinical applications. The use of less seroprevalent Ad serotypes, non-human serotypes, capsid pseudotyping, chemical shielding and genetic masking by heterologous peptide incorporation are all potential strategies to achieve efficient vector escape from humoral immune recognition. Conversely, selective vector arming with immunostimulatory agents can be utilized to enhance their oncolytic potential by activation of cancer-specific immune responses against the malignant tissues. This review presents recent advantages and pitfalls occurring in the field of adenoviral oncolytic therapies.

Trace Metal Requirements and Interactions in Symbiodinium kawagutii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene B. Rodriguez

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic organisms need trace metals for various biological processes and different groups of microalgae have distinctive obligate necessities due to their respective biochemical requirements and ecological niches. We have previously shown that the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium kawagutii requires high concentrations of bioavailable Fe to achieve optimum growth. Here, we further explored the trace metal requirements of S. kawagutii with intensive focus on the effect of individual metal and its interaction with other divalent metals. We found that low Zn availability significantly decreases growth rates and results in elevated intracellular Mn, Co, Ni, and Fe quotas in the dinoflagellate. The results highlight the complex interaction among trace metals in S. kawagutii and suggest either metal replacement strategy to counter low Zn availability or enhanced uptake of other metals by non-specific divalent metal transporters. In this work, we also examined the Fe requirement of S. kawagutii using continuous cultures. We validated that 500 pM of Fe′ was sufficient to support maximum cell density during steady state growth period either at 26 or 28°C. This study shows that growth of S. kawagutii was limited by metal availability in the following order, Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Co. The fundamental information obtained for the free-living Symbiodinium shall provide insights into how trace metal availability, either from ambient seawater or hosts, affects growth and proliferation of symbiotic dinoflagellates and the interaction between symbiont and their hosts.

Can GWOT Primary Prevention Strategy More Effectively Impede Religious Extremism?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Meyers, Michael A

2007-01-01

.... This concept, when related to the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) in the Middle East, provides insights on the current strategy's effort and effectiveness in staying ahead of religious extremism expansion. Current U.S...

Preparing for the WFIRST Microlensing Survey: Simulations, Requirements, Survey Strategies, and Precursor Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudi, Bernard

-fidelity estimates of the science yield of bound planets, free floating planets, and potentially habitable planets. Goal 3: We will perform trade studies to determine the effect of different mission architectures on the yield, and optimization studies to determine the effect of different survey strategies on the yield within a given mission architecture. These studies will include considerations of the field location, number of fields and cadences, and filter properties and filter cadence choices. Goal 4: We will determine the precision with which the parameters of the detected planetary systems can be determined using all available constraints, and in particular provide the survey strategies and instrument requirements to enable the measurement host star masses and distances. Goal 5: We will determine the hardware, software, and calibration requirements needed to achieve our primary science goals. Goal 6: We will identify and carry out (where possible) precursor observations needed to inform our survey strategy and data reduction methodologies, verify our science output, and maximize the WFIRST scientific return. Goal 7: Where applicable, we will begin development of data reduction and analysis tools, and work with members of the WFIRST Science Centers to ensure that these tools are applicable to microlensing. We will issue data challenges, both to verify our methodologies, but also to draw people to the microlensing field.

Reactive Power Injection Strategies for Single-Phase Photovoltaic Systems Considering Grid Requirements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Yongheng; Wang, Huai; Blaabjerg, Frede

2014-01-01

.g. Germany and Italy. Those advanced features can be provided by next generation PV systems, and will be enhanced in the future to ensure an even efficient and reliable utilization of PV systems. In light of this, Reactive Power Injection (RPI) strategies for single-phase PV systems are explored...... in this paper. The RPI possibilities are: a) constant average active power control, b) constant active current control, c) constant peak current control and d) thermal optimized control strategy. All those strategies comply with the currently active grid codes, but are with different objectives. The proposed...... RPI strategies are demonstrated firstly by simulations and also tested experimentally on a 1 kW singe-phase grid-connected system in LVRT operation mode. Those results show the effectiveness and feasibilities of the proposed strategies with reactive power control during LVRT operation. The design...

Discourse strategies in professional e-mail negotiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Astrid

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to report on some of the preliminary results of an on-going study on the use of discourse strategies in e-mail negotiation. The analysis aims at showing how relations between the participants develop through the use of specific discourse strategies in their e......-mail communication which covers a period of three months, during which the relationship progresses from initial contact to on-going business. Drawing on Hyland's (2005) concept of metadiscourse combined with Charles' (1996) categories of ‘old and new relationship negotiations', this study provides insights...

The effects of task difficulty and resource requirements on attention strategies

Science.gov (United States)

King, Teresa

1991-01-01

The patterns of attention strategies for task difficulty/resource tasks for which experimental results are presented and analyzed support the hypothesis that subjects may adopt an alternating (rather than concurrent one) when compelled to do so by either the size or the complexity of a visual display. According to the multiple resource model, if subjects had been performing the two tasks concurrently, the cost of this strategy would have been shown by a decrement in the spatial format, rather than the verbal format, due to competition for the same resource. Subjects may apply different strategies as a function of task difficulty and/or resource demand.

Cognitive culture: theoretical and empirical insights into social learning strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Rendell, Luke; Fogarty, Laurel; Hoppitt, William J E; Morgan, Thomas J H; Webster, Mike M; Laland, Kevin N

2011-02-01

Research into social learning (learning from others) has expanded significantly in recent years, not least because of productive interactions between theoretical and empirical approaches. This has been coupled with a new emphasis on learning strategies, which places social learning within a cognitive decision-making framework. Understanding when, how and why individuals learn from others is a significant challenge, but one that is critical to numerous fields in multiple academic disciplines, including the study of social cognition. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Meatless days" or "less but better"? Exploring strategies to adapt Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

de Boer, Joop; Schösler, Hanna; Aiking, Harry

2014-05-01

Adapting Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges requires an overall reduction of industrially produced animal proteins plus a partial replacement by plant proteins. Combining insights on food, environment, and consumers, this paper aims to explore change strategies that may help to meet these challenges, such as promoting smaller portions of meat ("less"), smaller portions using meat raised in a more sustainable manner ("less but better"), smaller portions and eating more vegetable protein ("less and more varied"), and meatless meals with or without meat substitutes ("veggie-days"). The underlying logic of the strategies was clarified by analyzing dietary choices. A nationwide sample of 1083 Dutch consumers provided information on current eating practices and potential changes. The results show that strategies to change meat eating frequencies and meat portion sizes will appeal to overlapping but partly different segments of consumers and that these strategies can be applied to address consumers in terms of their own preferences. The strategies appeared to have different strengths and weaknesses, making them complementary pathways to facilitate step-by-step changes in the amounts and the sources of protein consumed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear power strategy: requirements for technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlov, V.V.; Rachkov, V.I.

2001-01-01

The possible role of nuclear power in sustainable development demands answers to at least three questions: Is large-scale nuclear power essential to future development? - Is it feasible to have modern nuclear power transformed for large-scale deployment? - When will large-scale nuclear power be practically needed? The questions are analysed with the requirements to be fulfilled concerning present-day technologies

Visuospatial Anatomy Comprehension: The Role of Spatial Visualization Ability and Problem-Solving Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Ngan; Mulla, Ali; Nelson, Andrew J.; Wilson, Timothy D.

2014-01-01

The present study explored the problem-solving strategies of high- and low-spatial visualization ability learners on a novel spatial anatomy task to determine whether differences in strategies contribute to differences in task performance. The results of this study provide further insights into the processing commonalities and differences among…

Theory of mind correlates with clinical insight but not cognitive insight in patients with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qi; Li, Xu; Parker, Giverny J; Hong, Xiao-Hong; Wang, Yi; Lui, Simon S Y; Neumann, David L; Cheung, Eric F C; Shum, David H K; Chan, Raymond C K

2016-03-30

Research on the relationship between insight and social cognition, in particular Theory of Mind (ToM), in schizophrenia has yielded mixed findings to date. Very few studies, however, have assessed both clinical insight and cognitive insight when examining their relationships with ToM in schizophrenia. The current study thus investigated the relationship between clinical insight, cognitive insight, and ToM in a sample of 56 patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls. Twenty-seven patients were classified as low in clinical insight according to their scores on the 'insight' item (G12) of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Moreover, cognitive insight and ToM were assessed with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) and the Yoni task, respectively. The results indicated that patients with poor clinical insight performed worse on tasks of second-order cognitive and affective ToM, while the ToM performance of patients with high clinical insight was equivalent to that of healthy controls. Furthermore, while clinical insight was correlated with ToM and clinical symptoms, cognitive insight did not correlate with clinical insight, ToM, or clinical symptoms. Clinical insight thus appears to be an important factor related to ToM in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cricket farming as a livelihood strategy in Thailand

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halloran, Afton Marina Szasz; Roos, Nanna; Hanboonsong, Yupa

2017-01-01

While many important aspects of wild and farmed insects have been discussed by scholars, such as nutritional value, conservation and farming techniques, no study has addressed how insect farming contributes to rural livelihoods. Furthermore, the roles that interactions between insect farmers......, their peers and institutions play in insect farming as a livelihood strategy are even less well understood. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of cricket farming as a livelihood strategy in Thailand. Fortynine cricket farmers participated in in-depth interviews designed to gain insight into how...... capital. As such, further empirical data and case study analyses are needed in order to advance our understanding of this particular livelihood strategy....

Management strategies of mothers of school-age children with autism: implications for practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Joosten, Annette V; Safe, Anneleise P

2014-08-01

Mothering children with autism results in mothers spending more time on daily tasks as well as managing the disorder. The need for mothers to self-manage often increases when the child is school aged. Mothers develop strategies, and occupational therapists and other health professional rely on or expect mothers to be involved in meeting the extra needs of their children with autism and other family members. Little is known about the strategies adopted by the mothers. The aim of this study was to explore the strategies mothers used to manage their roles and emotions, and their child's behaviours. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with seven mothers and data were analysed in this qualitative study using phenomenological analysis. Findings revealed that the mothers had adopted strategies to manage their roles, their emotions and their child's behaviour. However, the strategies were often shaped by the expectations of others or circumstances beyond their control and at times added further to their stress. Mothers of children with autism developed strategies to self-manage their lives and their child's disorder. However, even when these strategies were effective, they sometimes placed further stress on the mothers. The mothers provided insights to how they coped but need help to consider the support they require and therapists need to consider the pressures of expecting mothers to self-manage their child's disorder, their own lives and their family. Family-centred practice emphasising collaboration with mothers needs to be maintained with school-aged children. © 2014 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Developing people: a strategy for competitive advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

King, S

1995-05-01

This article will provide vital insights, acquired in a recent study with eight manufacturing companies, to guide the development of a human resource development strategy. This study was a pilot for a larger study, planned for the fall of 1995 with 50 manufacturing companies randomly chosen from the Directory of Massachusetts High Technology Companies.

Climate change induced transformations of agricultural systems: insights from a global model

Science.gov (United States)

Leclère, D.; Havlík, P.; Fuss, S.; Schmid, E.; Mosnier, A.; Walsh, B.; Valin, H.; Herrero, M.; Khabarov, N.; Obersteiner, M.

2014-12-01

Climate change might impact crop yields considerably and anticipated transformations of agricultural systems are needed in the coming decades to sustain affordable food provision. However, decision-making on transformational shifts in agricultural systems is plagued by uncertainties concerning the nature and geography of climate change, its impacts, and adequate responses. Locking agricultural systems into inadequate transformations costly to adjust is a significant risk and this acts as an incentive to delay action. It is crucial to gain insight into how much transformation is required from agricultural systems, how robust such strategies are, and how we can defuse the associated challenge for decision-making. While implementing a definition related to large changes in resource use into a global impact assessment modelling framework, we find transformational adaptations to be required of agricultural systems in most regions by 2050s in order to cope with climate change. However, these transformations widely differ across climate change scenarios: uncertainties in large-scale development of irrigation span in all continents from 2030s on, and affect two-thirds of regions by 2050s. Meanwhile, significant but uncertain reduction of major agricultural areas affects the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate latitudes, while increases to non-agricultural zones could be large but uncertain in one-third of regions. To help reducing the associated challenge for decision-making, we propose a methodology exploring which, when, where and why transformations could be required and uncertain, by means of scenario analysis.

Climate change induced transformations of agricultural systems: insights from a global model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leclère, D; Havlík, P; Mosnier, A; Walsh, B; Valin, H; Khabarov, N; Obersteiner, M; Fuss, S; Schmid, E; Herrero, M

2014-01-01

Climate change might impact crop yields considerably and anticipated transformations of agricultural systems are needed in the coming decades to sustain affordable food provision. However, decision-making on transformational shifts in agricultural systems is plagued by uncertainties concerning the nature and geography of climate change, its impacts, and adequate responses. Locking agricultural systems into inadequate transformations costly to adjust is a significant risk and this acts as an incentive to delay action. It is crucial to gain insight into how much transformation is required from agricultural systems, how robust such strategies are, and how we can defuse the associated challenge for decision-making. While implementing a definition related to large changes in resource use into a global impact assessment modelling framework, we find transformational adaptations to be required of agricultural systems in most regions by 2050s in order to cope with climate change. However, these transformations widely differ across climate change scenarios: uncertainties in large-scale development of irrigation span in all continents from 2030s on, and affect two-thirds of regions by 2050s. Meanwhile, significant but uncertain reduction of major agricultural areas affects the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate latitudes, while increases to non-agricultural zones could be large but uncertain in one-third of regions. To help reducing the associated challenge for decision-making, we propose a methodology exploring which, when, where and why transformations could be required and uncertain, by means of scenario analysis. (letter)

Stochastic noncooperative and cooperative evolutionary game strategies of a population of biological networks under natural selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bor-Sen; Yeh, Chin-Hsun

2017-12-01

We review current static and dynamic evolutionary game strategies of biological networks and discuss the lack of random genetic variations and stochastic environmental disturbances in these models. To include these factors, a population of evolving biological networks is modeled as a nonlinear stochastic biological system with Poisson-driven genetic variations and random environmental fluctuations (stimuli). To gain insight into the evolutionary game theory of stochastic biological networks under natural selection, the phenotypic robustness and network evolvability of noncooperative and cooperative evolutionary game strategies are discussed from a stochastic Nash game perspective. The noncooperative strategy can be transformed into an equivalent multi-objective optimization problem and is shown to display significantly improved network robustness to tolerate genetic variations and buffer environmental disturbances, maintaining phenotypic traits for longer than the cooperative strategy. However, the noncooperative case requires greater effort and more compromises between partly conflicting players. Global linearization is used to simplify the problem of solving nonlinear stochastic evolutionary games. Finally, a simple stochastic evolutionary model of a metabolic pathway is simulated to illustrate the procedure of solving for two evolutionary game strategies and to confirm and compare their respective characteristics in the evolutionary process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insight and analysis problem solving in microbes to machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Kevin B

2015-11-01

A key feature for obtaining solutions to difficult problems, insight is oftentimes vaguely regarded as a special discontinuous intellectual process and/or a cognitive restructuring of problem representation or goal approach. However, this nearly century-old state of art devised by the Gestalt tradition to explain the non-analytical or non-trial-and-error, goal-seeking aptitude of primate mentality tends to neglect problem-solving capabilities of lower animal phyla, Kingdoms other than Animalia, and advancing smart computational technologies built from biological, artificial, and composite media. Attempting to provide an inclusive, precise definition of insight, two major criteria of insight, discontinuous processing and problem restructuring, are here reframed using terminology and statistical mechanical properties of computational complexity classes. Discontinuous processing becomes abrupt state transitions in algorithmic/heuristic outcomes or in types of algorithms/heuristics executed by agents using classical and/or quantum computational models. And problem restructuring becomes combinatorial reorganization of resources, problem-type substitution, and/or exchange of computational models. With insight bounded by computational complexity, humans, ciliated protozoa, and complex technological networks, for example, show insight when restructuring time requirements, combinatorial complexity, and problem type to solve polynomial and nondeterministic polynomial decision problems. Similar effects are expected from other problem types, supporting the idea that insight might be an epiphenomenon of analytical problem solving and consequently a larger information processing framework. Thus, this computational complexity definition of insight improves the power, external and internal validity, and reliability of operational parameters with which to classify, investigate, and produce the phenomenon for computational agents ranging from microbes to man-made devices. Copyright

Sustainability Assessment of Plant Protection Strategies in Swiss Winter Wheat and Potato Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrik Mouron

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Production of arable crops in Switzerland is subsidized for services performed within the Proof of Ecological Performance (PEP program, the crop protection part of which is based on IPM principles. Within PEP, chemical insect control must rely on those approved insecticides that are deemed harmless for beneficial arthropods. Approved insecticides potentially impacting beneficial arthropods may also be applied, but only if unavoidable and with an official permit. In order to assess the ecological and economic sustainability of this PEP program, a reference insecticide strategy illustrating the current PEP requirements was compared with other strategies. For this purpose, a sustainability assessment taking account of ecotoxicological risks and economic viability in addition to the preservation of beneficial arthropods was performed according to the SustainOS methodology. The results show that the one-off use of Audienz (spinosad to control cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus—a key pest in winter wheat—would significantly improve sustainability vis-à-vis the reference (Nomolt (teflubenzuron plus Biscaya (thiacloprid. However, in the case of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, in potato crops, where Audienz is considered the reference, no alternative would exhibit better sustainability. Moreover, the study shows that strategies using Novodor (Bacillus thuringiensis protect beneficial species well but have the drawbacks of increased yield risk and higher costs. The conclusions drawn from these analyses allow recommendations for modifications of the PEP requirements for these two pest insects. The SustainOS methodology, a multi-step process combining expert knowledge with quantitative assessments including a sensitivity analysis of key target parameters and a rule-based aggregation of assessment results, yielded valuable insights into the sustainability of different crop protection strategies.

Facebook or Twitter?: Effective recruitment strategies for family caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbell, Kayla; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A

2018-06-01

This brief details recent recruitment insights from a large all-online study of family caregivers that aimed to develop a measure to assess how family caregivers manage daily stresses. Online recruitment strategies included the use of Twitter and Facebook. Overall, 800 individuals responded to the recruitment strategy; 230 completed all study procedures. The most effective online recruitment strategy for targeting family caregivers was Facebook, yielding 86% of the sample. Future researchers may find the use of social media recruitment methods appealing because they are inexpensive, simple, and efficient methods for obtaining National samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Labour flexibility and innovation, complementary or concurrent strategies? A review of the literature

OpenAIRE

De Spiegelaere, Stan; Van Gyes, Guy; Van Hootegem, Geert

2014-01-01

The European strategy for growth has a double aim: becoming an innovative union and enhancing labour flexibility. Yet, few addressed the question whether these two strategies are compatible or concurrent strategies. Through a review of the literature, we address this question by focusing on different types of labour flexibility (functional, contractual and financial), and two types of innovation outcomes: employee-driven innovation (EDI) and organizational innovativeness. Using insights from ...

Strategies for locating the female gamete: the importance of measuring sperm trajectories in three spatial dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, Adán; Carneiro, Jorge; Pimentel, Arturo; Wood, Christopher D.; Corkidi, Gabriel; Darszon, Alberto

2011-01-01

The spermatozoon must find its female gamete partner and deliver its genetic material to generate a new individual. This requires that the spermatozoon be motile and endowed with sophisticated swimming strategies to locate the oocyte. A common strategy is chemotaxis, in which spermatozoa detect and follow a gradient of chemical signals released by the egg and its associated structures. Decoding the female gamete’s positional information is a process that spermatozoa undergo in a three-dimensional (3D) space; however, due to their speed and small size, this process has been studied almost exclusively in spermatozoa restricted to swimming in two dimensions (2D). This review examines the relationship between the mechanics of sperm propulsion and the physiological function of these cells in 3D. It also considers whether it is possible to derive all the 3D sperm swimming characteristics by extrapolating from 2D measurements. It is concluded that full insight into flagellar beat dynamics, swimming paths and chemotaxis under physiological conditions will eventually require quantitative imaging of flagellar form, ion flux changes, cell trajectories and modelling of free-swimming spermatozoa in 3D. PMID:21642645

Insight Is Not in the Problem: Investigating Insight in Problem Solving across Task Types.

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Margaret E; Little, Daniel R; Cropper, Simon J

2016-01-01

The feeling of insight in problem solving is typically associated with the sudden realization of a solution that appears obviously correct (Kounios et al., 2006). Salvi et al. (2016) found that a solution accompanied with sudden insight is more likely to be correct than a problem solved through conscious and incremental steps. However, Metcalfe (1986) indicated that participants would often present an inelegant but plausible (wrong) answer as correct with a high feeling of warmth (a subjective measure of closeness to solution). This discrepancy may be due to the use of different tasks or due to different methods in the measurement of insight (i.e., using a binary vs. continuous scale). In three experiments, we investigated both findings, using many different problem tasks (e.g., Compound Remote Associates, so-called classic insight problems, and non-insight problems). Participants rated insight-related affect (feelings of Aha-experience, confidence, surprise, impasse, and pleasure) on continuous scales. As expected we found that, for problems designed to elicit insight, correct solutions elicited higher proportions of reported insight in the solution compared to non-insight solutions; further, correct solutions elicited stronger feelings of insight compared to incorrect solutions.

Strategy intervention for the evolution of fairness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanling Zhang

Full Text Available The 'irrational' preference for fairness has attracted increasing attention. Although previous studies have focused on the effects of spitefulness on the evolution of fairness, they did not consider non-monotonic rejections shown in behavioral experiments. In this paper, we introduce a non-monotonic rejection in an evolutionary model of the Ultimatum Game. We propose strategy intervention to study the evolution of fairness in general structured populations. By sequentially adding five strategies into the competition between a fair strategy and a selfish strategy, we arrive at the following conclusions. First, the evolution of fairness is inhibited by altruism, but it is promoted by spitefulness. Second, the non-monotonic rejection helps fairness overcome selfishness. Particularly for group-structured populations, we analytically investigate how fairness, selfishness, altruism, and spitefulness are affected by population size, mutation, and migration in the competition among seven strategies. Our results may provide important insights into understanding the evolutionary origin of fairness.

Assessing surface water flood risk and management strategies under future climate change: Insights from an Agent-Based Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, K; Surminski, S; Hall, J; Crick, F

2017-10-01

Climate change and increasing urbanization are projected to result in an increase in surface water flooding and consequential damages in the future. In this paper, we present insights from a novel Agent Based Model (ABM), applied to a London case study of surface water flood risk, designed to assess the interplay between different adaptation options; how risk reduction could be achieved by homeowners and government; and the role of flood insurance and the new flood insurance pool, Flood Re, in the context of climate change. The analysis highlights that while combined investment in property-level flood protection and sustainable urban drainage systems reduce surface water flood risk, the benefits can be outweighed by continued development in high risk areas and the effects of climate change. In our simulations, Flood Re is beneficial in its function to provide affordable insurance, even under climate change. However, the scheme does face increasing financial pressure due to rising surface water flood damages. If the intended transition to risk-based pricing is to take place then a determined and coordinated strategy will be needed to manage flood risk, which utilises insurance incentives, limits new development, and supports resilience measures. Our modelling approach and findings are highly relevant for the ongoing regulatory and political approval process for Flood Re as well as for wider discussions on the potential of insurance schemes to incentivise flood risk management and climate adaptation in the UK and internationally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prenatal stress perception and coping strategies: Insights from a longitudinal prospective pregnancy cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Goletzke, J; Kocalevent, R-D; Hansen, G; Rose, M; Becher, H; Hecher, K; Arck, P C; Diemert, A

2017-11-01

Prenatal distress has been linked to pregnancy complications and poor offspring's health, despite the fact that longitudinal assessments of various stress dimensions are still lacking. Hence, we aimed to assess perceived stress over the course of pregnancy. Moreover, we examined whether social support and coping styles are linked to prenatal stress trajectories. Data from 543 women participating in the PRINCE (Prenatal Identification of Children Health) study, a prospective population-based cohort study, was used for the present analyses. Once per trimester the women completed questionnaires regarding different psychometric measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Linear mixed regression models were used to examine perceived stress development longitudinally and to relate social support and coping styles to stress trajectories during pregnancy. A significant decrease of perceived stress was observed over the course of pregnancy. Stratifying the study sample according to parity, women delivering their first child had continuously lower perceived stress scores compared to women having already one or more children, and a significant decrease during pregnancy was exclusively observed in primiparous women. Both, positive coping strategies and higher perceived and received social support were independently associated with lower perceived stress, while evasive coping strategies were associated with higher levels of perceived stress. Our study reveals stress perception trajectories during pregnancies in primi- and multiparous women. Our findings underscore the need for intervention strategies aiming to improve social support and positive coping strategies especially in multiparous women in order to reduce the risks for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multinational Corporate Strategy-making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben Juul; Andersson, Ulf

2017-01-01

from corporate headquarters. The model considers local subsidiary actions of both operational and strategic nature and we argue that it may be futile to distinguish between these effects as incremental operational responses can cumulate into more substantial changes over time with dimensions...... the complementary effects of central planning and decentralized decision-making. We present and synthesize these rather field specific perspectives and try to synthesize insights from both fields in an adaptive strategy-making model including the effects of autonomous subsidiary initiatives and intended mandates...

Optical nano-biosensing interface via nucleic acid amplification strategy: construction and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Hong; Liu, Jing; Xu, Jing-Juan; Zhang, Shu-Sheng; Chen, Hong-Yuan

2018-03-21

Modern optical detection technology plays a critical role in current clinical detection due to its high sensitivity and accuracy. However, higher requirements such as extremely high detection sensitivity have been put forward due to the clinical needs for the early finding and diagnosing of malignant tumors which are significant for tumor therapy. The technology of isothermal amplification with nucleic acids opens up avenues for meeting this requirement. Recent reports have shown that a nucleic acid amplification-assisted modern optical sensing interface has achieved satisfactory sensitivity and accuracy, high speed and specificity. Compared with isothermal amplification technology designed to work completely in a solution system, solid biosensing interfaces demonstrated better performances in stability and sensitivity due to their ease of separation from the reaction mixture and the better signal transduction on these optical nano-biosensing interfaces. Also the flexibility and designability during the construction of these nano-biosensing interfaces provided a promising research topic for the ultrasensitive detection of cancer diseases. In this review, we describe the construction of the burgeoning number of optical nano-biosensing interfaces assisted by a nucleic acid amplification strategy, and provide insightful views on: (1) approaches to the smart fabrication of an optical nano-biosensing interface, (2) biosensing mechanisms via the nucleic acid amplification method, (3) the newest strategies and future perspectives.

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan - Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Part 2: Code Assessment Strategy, Procedure, and RTM Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Jun Soo [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Choi, Yong Joon [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis Lee [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-09-01

This document addresses two subjects involved with the RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP): (i) the principles and plan to assure the independence of RELAP-7 assessment through the code development process, and (ii) the work performed to establish the RELAP-7 assessment plan, i.e., the assessment strategy, literature review, and identification of RELAP-7 requirements. Then, the Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTMs) proposed in previous document (INL-EXT-15-36684) are updated. These RTMs provide an efficient way to evaluate the RELAP-7 development status as well as the maturity of RELAP-7 assessment through the development process.

Digestive enzyme activities in the guts of bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) provide insight into their digestive strategy and evidence for microbial digestion in their hindguts.

Science.gov (United States)

Jhaveri, Parth; Papastamatiou, Yannis P; German, Donovan P

2015-11-01

Few investigations have studied digestive enzyme activities in the alimentary tracts of sharks to gain insight into how these organisms digest their meals. In this study, we examined the activity levels of proteases, carbohydrases, and lipase in the pancreas, and along the anterior intestine, spiral intestine, and colon of the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. We then interpreted our data in the context of a rate-yield continuum to discern this shark's digestive strategy. Our data show anticipated decreasing patterns in the activities of pancreatic enzymes moving posteriorly along the gut, but also show mid spiral intestine peaks in aminopeptidase and lipase activities, which support the spiral intestine as the main site of absorption in bonnetheads. Interestingly, we observed spikes in the activity levels of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and β-glucosidase in the bonnethead colon, and these chitin- and cellulose-degrading enzymes, respectively, are likely of microbial origin in this distal gut region. Taken in the context of intake and relatively long transit times of food through the gut, the colonic spikes in N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and β-glucosidase activities suggest that bonnetheads take a yield-maximizing strategy to the digestive process, with some reliance on microbial digestion in their hindguts. This is one of the first studies to examine digestive enzyme activities along the gut of any shark, and importantly, the data match with previous observations that sharks take an extended time to digest their meals (consistent with a yield-maximizing digestive strategy) and that the spiral intestine is the primary site of absorption in sharks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOT strategies versus orbiter strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rutten, R.J.

2001-01-01

The Dutch Open Telescope is a high-resolution solar imager coming on-line at La Palma. The definition of the DOT science niche, strategies, and requirements resemble Solar Orbiter considerations and deliberations. I discuss the latter in the light of the former, and claim that multi-line observation

Insights to regenerate materials: learning from nature

Science.gov (United States)

García-Aznar, J. M.; Valero, C.; Gómez-Benito, M. J.; Javierre, E.

2016-08-01

Self-healing materials, both biological and engineered, integrate the ability to repair themselves and recover their functionality using the resources inherently available to them. Although significant advances have been made, in recent years, for the design of different concepts of self-healing materials, this work aims to provide some insights into how living materials are able to regenerate or heal when a fracture or injury occurs. The main sensors that regulate this adaptive and regenerative behavior are the cells. These are able to sense the mechanical alterations in their surroundings and regulate their activity in order to remove dead tissue and/or create new tissue. Therefore, understanding how cells are able to regenerate tissues under complex and multiphysics conditions can define the biomimetics guidelines to heal through inert or traditional engineering materials. In this work, we present a combination of experiments and different kinds of multiscale and multiphysics models in order to understand how mechanics regulate some mechanisms at cell and tissue level. This combination of results aims to gain insight into the development of novel strategies for self-healing materials, mimicking the behavior induced by cells and biological tissues.

Nurse managers' strategies for feeling less drained by their work: an action research and reflection project for developing emotional intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Bev; Roberts, Sue; Smyth, Therese; Tulloch, Moira

2015-10-01

To raise nurse managers' critical awareness of practice problems; uncover practice constraints and improve work effectiveness. Nurse management requires skills and knowledge, underscored by emotional intelligence. The research improved participants' practice and personal insights. Purposive sampling targeted nurse managers interested in improving their practice. Three experienced female nurse managers met fortnightly in a group, for 1 hour, for 10 meetings. The methods included: writing and sharing de-identified journal reflections; critically analysing practice stories; identifying a thematic concern; generating action strategies; and instituting and revising the action plan. Phase One resulted in the identification of the issue of 'being drained by the intensity of nurse managers' work'. The participants adopted five strategies: debriefing problematic situations; deflecting multiple requests; diffusing issues; naming dysfunctional behaviours; and regrouping. In Phase Two, participants implemented and revised the action plan strategies, which resulted in them feeling less drained by their work. Strategies can lessen nurse managers' sense of personal depletion. However, strategies cannot guarantee success every time because the emotional intelligence is integral to nurse management. Action research and reflection assist nurse managers to improve their practice and develop their emotional intelligence. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New Insights into the Microbiota of Moth Pests.

Science.gov (United States)

Mereghetti, Valeria; Chouaia, Bessem; Montagna, Matteo

2017-11-18

In recent years, next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have helped to improve our understanding of the bacterial communities associated with insects, shedding light on their wide taxonomic and functional diversity. To date, little is known about the microbiota of lepidopterans, which includes some of the most damaging agricultural and forest pests worldwide. Studying their microbiota could help us better understand their ecology and offer insights into developing new pest control strategies. In this paper, we review the literature pertaining to the microbiota of lepidopterans with a focus on pests, and highlight potential recurrent patterns regarding microbiota structure and composition.

Africa energy future: Alternative scenarios and their implications for sustainable development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouedraogo, Nadia S.

2017-01-01

The long-term forecasting of energy supply and demand is of prime importance in Africa due to the steady increase in energy requirements, the non-availability of sufficient resources, the high dependence on fossil-fuels to meet these requirements, and the global concerns over the energy-induced environmental issues. This paper is concerned with modelling possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions. Future energy demand is forecasted based on socio-economic variables such as gross domestic product, income per capita, population, and urbanisation. The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP) modelling framework is employed to analyse and project energy demand and the related emissions under alternative strategies for the period of 2010–2040. Results of scenarios including business-as-usual (BAU) policies, moderate energy access and accelerate energy access policies, renewable energies promotion and energy efficiency policies and their environmental implications are provided. The study provides some policy insights and identifies synergies and trade-offs relating to the potential for energy policies to promote universal energy access, enable a transition to renewable energy, and mitigate climate change for a sustainable development. - Highlights: • Possible future paths for Africa's energy future and the related emissions are modelled. • Scenarios using an adaptation of Schwartz's scenario approach, under LEAP are developed. • Under the current energy policies, the universal access to modern energy will not be met by 2030. • Policies to accelerate the changes in energy structure are required for sustainable development. • Investing in Energy efficient strategies has emerged as one of the best solution.

Best practice strategies for effective use of questions as a teaching tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Tofade, Toyin; Elsner, Jamie; Haines, Stuart T

2013-09-12

Questions have long been used as a teaching tool by teachers and preceptors to assess students' knowledge, promote comprehension, and stimulate critical thinking. Well-crafted questions lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote the comprehensive exploration of subject matter. Poorly constructed questions can stifle learning by creating confusion, intimidating students, and limiting creative thinking. Teachers most often ask lower-order, convergent questions that rely on students' factual recall of prior knowledge rather than asking higher-order, divergent questions that promote deep thinking, requiring students to analyze and evaluate concepts. This review summarizes the taxonomy of questions, provides strategies for formulating effective questions, and explores practical considerations to enhance student engagement and promote critical thinking. These concepts can be applied in the classroom and in experiential learning environments.

Insight in seasonal affective disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaemi, S N; Sachs, G S; Baldassano, C F; Truman, C J

1997-01-01

Lack of insight complicates the evaluation and treatment of patients with psychotic and affective disorders. No studies of insight in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) have been reported. Thirty patients with SAD diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R but no other axis I conditions were treated short-term with light-therapy. Insight was measured with the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD) as modified by the authors to assess the self-report of insight into depressive symptoms. Increasing scores (1 to 5) indicated increasing unawareness of illness (i.e., less insight). SAD patients displayed a moderate amount of insight when depressed (mean SUMD score, 2.5). When recovered, they showed no significant change in insight into past depressive symptoms (mean SUMD score, 2.8). Greater insight into current depressive symptoms correlated with more depressive symptoms on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score ([HRSD] r = .35, P depressive symptoms that does not change after recovery, a result in agreement with studies of insight in psychosis and mania. Further, in SAD, increased severity of illness may be associated with increased insight into depressive symptoms, consistent with the hypothesis of depressive realism.

Community strategies to address cancer disparities in Appalachian Kentucky.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenberg, Nancy E; Howell, Britteny M; Fields, Nell

2012-01-01

Central Appalachian residents suffer disproportionate health disparities, including an all-cancer mortality rate 17% higher than the general population. During 10 focus groups and 19 key informant interviews, 91 Appalachian residents identified cancer screening challenges and strategies. Challenges included (1) inadequate awareness of screening need, (2) insufficient access to screening, and (3) lack of privacy. Strategies included (1) witnessing/storytelling, (2) capitalizing on family history, (3) improving publicity about screening resources, (4) relying on lay health advisors, and (5) bundling preventive services. These insights shaped our community-based participatory research intervention and offered strategies to others working in Appalachia, rural locales, and other traditionally underserved communities.

Rejuvenating Strategies for Stem Cell-based Therapies in Aging

Science.gov (United States)

Neves, Joana; Sousa-Victor, Pedro; Jasper, Heinrich

2017-01-01

SUMMARY Recent advances in our understanding of tissue regeneration and the development of efficient approaches to induce and differentiate pluripotent stem cells for cell replacement therapies promise exciting avenues for treating degenerative age-related diseases. However, clinical studies and insights from model organisms have identified major roadblocks that normal aging processes impose on tissue regeneration. These new insights suggest that specific targeting of environmental niche components, including growth factors, ECM and immune cells, and intrinsic stem cell properties that are affected by aging will be critical for development of new strategies to improve stem cell function and optimize tissue repair processes. PMID:28157498

EFL Learners' Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Mekhlafi, Abdo Mohammed

2018-01-01

Reading, a literacy skill, is of great importance to all educational systems. Even in tertiary education, many EFL learners have trouble in reading academic texts in English, as they are often found to be using ineffective reading strategies. A review of relevant literature provides insights into a range of issues relating to the teaching of…

The Role of Ambidexterity in Marketing Strategy Implementation: Resolving the Exploration-Exploitation Dilemma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christiane Prange

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Formulating consistent marketing strategies is a difficult task, but successfully implementing them is even more challenging. This is even more pertinent as marketing strategies quite often incorporate inherent conflicts between major breakthroughs and consolidation. Consequently, marketers need to balance exploratory and exploitative strategies. However, the literature lacks concrete insights for marketing managers as to how exploratory and exploitative strategies can be best combined. This paper addresses this issue by introducing a framework of multiple types of ambidexterity. Based on qualitative research, tools and procedures are identified to overcome marketing dilemmas and support strategy implementation by drawing on ambidextrous designs.

Proposal of how to update the standard information requirements in REACH, PPPR and BPR – a testing strategy for identification of endocrine disruptors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holbech, Henrik; Bjerregaard, Poul; Hass, Ulla

to these, new test methods that include endocrine sensitive endpoints have been included with regard to human health and the environment. Similar data requirements and new test methods that include endocrine sensitive endpoints are included in the guidance on Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 on how to fulfil...... review on EDs and the revised strategy for the future work on endocrine disruptors, focusing on adequate detection of substances with endocrine disrupting properties under various legislative frameworks, including REACH (EC No 1907/2006), the Plant Protection Products Regulation (PPPR) (EC No 1107....../2009) and the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) (EC No 528/2012). There are currently no specific information requirements or testing strategies with regard to endocrine disruption in REACH and other relevant legislations. However, in relation to biocides and recently also to plant protection products, indications...

Risk-based Strategy to Determine Testing Requirement for the Removal of Residual Process Reagents as Process-related Impurities in Bioprocesses.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Jinshu; Li, Kim; Miller, Karen; Raghani, Anil

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to recommend a risk-based strategy for determining clearance testing requirements of the process reagents used in manufacturing biopharmaceutical products. The strategy takes account of four risk factors. Firstly, the process reagents are classified into two categories according to their safety profile and history of use: generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and potential safety concern (PSC) reagents. The clearance testing of GRAS reagents can be eliminated because of their safe use historically and process capability to remove these reagents. An estimated safety margin (Se) value, a ratio of the exposure limit to the estimated maximum reagent amount, is then used to evaluate the necessity for testing the PSC reagents at an early development stage. The Se value is calculated from two risk factors, the starting PSC reagent amount per maximum product dose (Me), and the exposure limit (Le). A worst-case scenario is assumed to estimate the Me value, that is common. The PSC reagent of interest is co-purified with the product and no clearance occurs throughout the entire purification process. No clearance testing is required for this PSC reagent if its Se value is ≥1; otherwise clearance testing is needed. Finally, the point of the process reagent introduction to the process is also considered in determining the necessity of the clearance testing for process reagents. How to use the measured safety margin as a criterion for determining PSC reagent testing at process characterization, process validation, and commercial production stages are also described. A large number of process reagents are used in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing to control the process performance. Clearance testing for all of the process reagents will be an enormous analytical task. In this article, a risk-based strategy is described to eliminate unnecessary clearance testing for majority of the process reagents using four risk factors. The risk factors included

Commercial Crew Program Crew Safety Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Vassberg, Nathan; Stover, Billy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this presentation is to explain to our international partners (ESA and JAXA) how NASA is implementing crew safety onto our commercial partners under the Commercial Crew Program. It will show them the overall strategy of 1) how crew safety boundaries have been established; 2) how Human Rating requirements have been flown down into programmatic requirements and over into contracts and partner requirements; 3) how CCP SMA has assessed CCP Certification and CoFR strategies against Shuttle baselines; 4) Discuss how Risk Based Assessment (RBA) and Shared Assurance is used to accomplish these strategies.

Conceptualizing operations strategy processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rytter, Niels Gorm; Boer, Harry; Koch, Christian

2007-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present insights into operations strategy (OS) in practice. It outlines a conceptualization and model of OS processes and, based on findings from an in-depth and longitudinal case study, contributes to further development of extant OS models and methods......; taking place in five dimensions of change - technical-rational, cultural, political, project management, and facilitation; and typically unfolding as a sequential and parallel, ordered and disordered, planned and emergent as well as top-down and bottom-up process. The proposed OS conceptualization...

75 FR 43889 - Proposed Confidentiality Determinations for Data Required Under the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-27

..., Ammonia Manufacturing; Subpart V, Nitric Acid Production; Subpart X, Petrochemical Production; Subpart Y... reporting facility to gain insights and develop market strategies that would harm the reporter's competitive...

Merajut Strategi dan “Merubahnya” Menjadi Aksi (Kajian Buku : “Strategy Maps” oleh Kaplan & Norton, dan Crafting And Executing Strategy oleh Thompson & Strickland)

OpenAIRE

Rizal Rivai, Alimuddin

2006-01-01

Strategies are important for an organization. Basic framework in the study of management strategy is that the strategy is built base on the right and proper organization's situation and condition. However, empirically, it is failvery often in the implementation. That's why the execution strategy level requires the correct socialized, structured, and systematically process which is done in the right time. The strategy will be useful for a company if it isexecuted consistently by all management...

Eye movements provide insight into individual differences in children's analogical reasoning strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Starr, Ariel; Vendetti, Michael S; Bunge, Silvia A

2018-05-01

Analogical reasoning is considered a key driver of cognitive development and is a strong predictor of academic achievement. However, it is difficult for young children, who are prone to focusing on perceptual and semantic similarities among items rather than relational commonalities. For example, in a classic A:B::C:? propositional analogy task, children must inhibit attention towards items that are visually or semantically similar to C, and instead focus on finding a relational match to the A:B pair. Competing theories of reasoning development attribute improvements in children's performance to gains in either executive functioning or semantic knowledge. Here, we sought to identify key drivers of the development of analogical reasoning ability by using eye gaze patterns to infer problem-solving strategies used by six-year-old children and adults. Children had a greater tendency than adults to focus on the immediate task goal and constrain their search based on the C item. However, large individual differences existed within children, and more successful reasoners were able to maintain the broader goal in mind and constrain their search by initially focusing on the A:B pair before turning to C and the response choices. When children adopted this strategy, their attention was drawn more readily to the correct response option. Individual differences in children's reasoning ability were also related to rule-guided behavior but not to semantic knowledge. These findings suggest that both developmental improvements and individual differences in performance are driven by the use of more efficient reasoning strategies regarding which information is prioritized from the start, rather than the ability to disengage from attractive lure items. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linking habitat structure to life history strategy: Insights from a Mediterranean killifish

Science.gov (United States)

Cavraro, Francesco; Daouti, Irini; Leonardos, Ioannis; Torricelli, Patrizia; Malavasi, Stefano

2014-01-01

Modern theories of life history evolution deal with finding links between environmental factors, demographic structure of animal populations and the optimal life history strategy. Small-sized teleost fish, occurring in fragmented populations under contrasting environments, have been widely used as study models to investigate these issues. In the present study, the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus was used to investigate the relationships between some habitat features and life history strategy. We selected four sites in the Venice lagoon inhabited by this species, exhibiting different combinations of two factors: overall adult mortality, related to intertidal water coverage and a consequent higher level of predator exposure, and the level of sediment organic matter, as indicator of habitat trophic richness. Results showed that these were the two most important factors influencing demography and life history traits in the four sites. Fish from salt marshes with high predator pressure were smaller and produced a higher number of eggs, whereas bigger fish and a lower reproductive investment were found in the two closed, not tidally influenced habitats. Habitat richness was positively related with population density, but negatively related with growth rate. In particular the synergy between high resources and low predation level was found to be important in shaping peculiar life history traits. Results were discussed in the light of the interactions between selective demographic forces acting differentially on age/size classes, such as predation, and habitat trophic richness that may represent an important energetic constraint on life history traits. The importance to link habitat productivity and morphology to demographic factors for a better understanding of the evolution of life history strategy under contrasting environments was finally suggested.

Strategy development marketing commercial enterprise

OpenAIRE

Shatalov D. S.; Hamidova O. M.

2016-01-01

in the scientific article the necessity of development and implementation of marketing strategies in the activity of any commercial enterprise, we give a meaningful description of the concept of «marketing strategy» and develop requirements for the selection strategy of trade enterprise.

Non-functional Avionics Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Paulitsch, Michael; Ruess, Harald; Sorea, Maria

Embedded systems in aerospace become more and more integrated in order to reduce weight, volume/size, and power of hardware for more fuel-effi ciency. Such integration tendencies change architectural approaches of system ar chi tec tures, which subsequently change non-functional requirements for plat forms. This paper provides some insight into state-of-the-practice of non-func tional requirements for developing ultra-critical embedded systems in the aero space industry, including recent changes and trends. In particular, formal requi re ment capture and formal analysis of non-functional requirements of avionic systems - including hard-real time, fault-tolerance, reliability, and per for mance - are exemplified by means of recent developments in SAL and HiLiTE.

Impaired insight into illness and cognitive insight in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Resting state functional connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Gerretsen, Philip; Menon, Mahesh; Mamo, David C.; Fervaha, Gagan; Remington, Gary; Pollock, Bruce G.; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel

2015-01-01

Background Impaired insight into illness (clinical insight) in schizophrenia has negative effects on treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. Schizophrenia is described as a disorder of disrupted brain connectivity. In line with this concept, resting state networks (RSNs) appear differentially affected in persons with schizophrenia. Therefore, impaired clinical, or the related construct of cognitive insight (which posits that impaired clinical insight is a function of metacognitive deficits), may reflect alterations in RSN functional connectivity (fc). Based on our previous research, which showed that impaired insight into illness was associated with increased left hemisphere volume relative to right, we hypothesized that impaired clinical insight would be associated with increased connectivity in the DMN with specific left hemisphere brain regions. Methods Resting state MRI scans were acquired for participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 20). Seed-to-voxel and ROI-to-ROI fc analyses were performed using the CONN-fMRI fc toolbox v13 for established RSNs. Clinical and cognitive insight were measured with the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight—Expanded Version and Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, respectively, and included as the regressors in fc analyses. Results As hypothesized, impaired clinical insight was associated with increased connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) with the left angular gyrus, and also in the self-referential network (SRN) with the left insula. Cognitive insight was associated with increased connectivity in the dorsal attention network (DAN) with the right inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Conclusion Increased connectivity in DMN and SRN with the left angular gyrus and insula, respectively, may represent neural correlates of impaired clinical insight in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and is consistent with the literature attributing impaired insight to left

Right frontal gamma and beta band enhancement while solving a spatial puzzle with insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, A; Reiner, M

2017-12-01

Solving a problem with an "a-ha" effect is known as insight. Unlike incremental problem solving, insight is sudden and unique, and the question about its distinct brain activity, intrigues many researchers. In this study, electroencephalogram signals were recorded from 12 right handed, human participants before (baseline) and while they solved a spatial puzzle known as the '10 coin puzzle' that could be solved incrementally or by insight. Participants responded as soon as they reached a solution and reported whether the process was incremental or by sudden insight. EEG activity was recorded from 19 scalp locations. We found significant differences between insight and incremental solvers in the Gamma and Beta 2 bands in frontal areas (F8) and in the alpha band in right temporal areas (T6). The right-frontal gamma indicates a process of restructuring which leads to an insight solution, in spatial problems, further suggesting a universal role of gamma in restructuring. These results further suggest that solving a spatial puzzle via insight requires exclusive brain areas and neurological-cognitive processes which may be important for meta-cognitive components of insight solutions, including attention and monitoring of the solution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unraveling navigational strategies in migratory insects

OpenAIRE

Merlin, Christine; Heinze, Stanley; Reppert, Steven M.

2011-01-01

Long-distance migration is a strategy some animals use to survive a seasonally changing environment. To reach favorable grounds, migratory animals have evolved sophisticated navigational mechanisms that rely on a map and compasses. In migratory insects, the existence of a map sense (sense of position) remains poorly understood, but recent work has provided new insights into the mechanisms some compasses use for maintaining a constant bearing during long-distance navigation. The best-studied d...

Proofs that Develop Insight

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Keith

2010-01-01

Many mathematics educators have noted that mathematicians do not only read proofs to gain conviction but also to obtain insight. The goal of this article is to discuss what this insight is from mathematicians' perspective. Based on interviews with nine research-active mathematicians, two sources of insight are discussed. The first is reading a…

Early Childhood Educators' Meta-Cognitive Knowledge of Problem-Solving Strategies and Quality of Childcare Curriculum Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeon Ha

2016-01-01

This study aims to explore the impact of early childhood educators' meta-cognitive knowledge on the quality of their childcare curriculum implementation, and to gain insights regarding successful problem-solving strategies associated with early education and care. Early childhood educators' implementation of general problem-solving strategies in…

A New Strategy to Control and Eradicate "Undruggable" Oncogenic K-RAS-Driven Pancreatic Cancer: Molecular Insights and Core Principles Learned from Developmental and Evolutionary Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Sciver, Robert E; Lee, Michael P; Lee, Caroline Dasom; Lafever, Alex C; Svyatova, Elizaveta; Kanda, Kevin; Colliver, Amber L; Siewertsz van Reesema, Lauren L; Tang-Tan, Angela M; Zheleva, Vasilena; Bwayi, Monicah N; Bian, Minglei; Schmidt, Rebecca L; Matrisian, Lynn M; Petersen, Gloria M; Tang, Amy H

2018-05-14

Oncogenic K-RAS mutations are found in virtually all pancreatic cancers, making K-RAS one of the most targeted oncoproteins for drug development in cancer therapies. Despite intense research efforts over the past three decades, oncogenic K-RAS has remained largely "undruggable". Rather than targeting an upstream component of the RAS signaling pathway (i.e., EGFR/HER2) and/or the midstream effector kinases (i.e., RAF/MEK/ERK/PI3K/mTOR), we propose an alternative strategy to control oncogenic K-RAS signal by targeting its most downstream signaling module, Seven-In-Absentia Homolog (SIAH). SIAH E3 ligase controls the signal output of oncogenic K-RAS hyperactivation that drives unchecked cell proliferation, uncontrolled tumor growth, and rapid cancer cell dissemination in human pancreatic cancer. Therefore, SIAH is an ideal therapeutic target as it is an extraordinarily conserved downstream signaling gatekeeper indispensable for proper RAS signaling. Guided by molecular insights and core principles obtained from developmental and evolutionary biology, we propose an anti-SIAH-centered anti-K-RAS strategy as a logical and alternative anticancer strategy to dampen uncontrolled K-RAS hyperactivation and halt tumor growth and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. The clinical utility of developing SIAH as both a tumor-specific and therapy-responsive biomarker, as well as a viable anti-K-RAS drug target, is logically simple and conceptually innovative. SIAH clearly constitutes a major tumor vulnerability and K-RAS signaling bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Given the high degree of evolutionary conservation in the K-RAS/SIAH signaling pathway, an anti-SIAH-based anti-PDAC therapy will synergize with covalent K-RAS inhibitors and direct K-RAS targeted initiatives to control and eradicate pancreatic cancer in the future.

Strategies for Minimizing Corruption in the Construction Industry in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick X.W. Zou

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Corruption is a social phenomenon deep rooted in the history of mankind. It is similar to other kinds of crime which are likely to occur in procurement of works by governments and local authorities, due to the large amount of money involved in a single transaction and the difficulty in monitoring project expenditure. Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies to minimize any corruption risks and corrupt behaviour in procurement of construction projects. The aim of this paper is to review the current corruption prevention practices in China’s construction industry and suggest ways for improvement. To collect useful and insightful information, desktop studies, focus-group workshops and face-to-face interviews were conducted with supervisory and construction officers at different levels – state, province and municipal in China, who have direct responsibilities and experience in cracking down construction corruption. It was found that corruption happens in different forms during any stage of construction project procurement, and the current anti-corrupt practices are reactive rather than proactive. It was also found that improvements on the legal system, inspection strategies and processes, and promotion of ethical culture are all required. Based on the research findings, corruption prevention strategies were developed. The paper concludes that institution of random and regular checks, severe punishment and prosecution to corrupt personnel, and promotion of a healthy and clean construction culture are all necessary to mitigate the scourge.

Some Insights into Listening Strategies of Learners of English as a Foreign Language in Vietnam

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Nga Thi Hang

2015-01-01

This study investigated listening strategies used by students in different listening tasks and situations in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Thirty EFL students in a university in Vietnam were recruited for the study. The study aimed to explore what listening strategies EFL Vietnamese learners at university level used and why and…

Balancing effluent quality, economic cost and greenhouse gas emissions during the evaluation of (plant-wide) control/operational strategies in WWTPs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flores Alsina, Xavier; Arnell, Magnus; Amerlinck, Youri

2014-01-01

The objective of this paper was to show the potential additional insight that result from adding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to plant performance evaluation criteria, such as effluent quality (EQI) and operational cost (OCI) indices, when evaluating (plant-wide) control/operational strategies ...... evaluation criteria to compare and evaluate (plant-wide) control strategies in a WWTP for more informed operational decision making. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.......The objective of this paper was to show the potential additional insight that result from adding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to plant performance evaluation criteria, such as effluent quality (EQI) and operational cost (OCI) indices, when evaluating (plant-wide) control/operational strategies...

Resource requirements of inclusive urban development in India: insights from ten cities

Science.gov (United States)

Singh Nagpure, Ajay; Reiner, Mark; Ramaswami, Anu

2018-02-01

This paper develops a methodology to assess the resource requirements of inclusive urban development in India and compares those requirements to current community-wide material and energy flows. Methods include: (a) identifying minimum service level benchmarks for the provision of infrastructure services including housing, electricity and clean cooking fuels; (b) assessing the percentage of homes that lack access to infrastructure or that consume infrastructure services below the identified benchmarks; (c) quantifying the material requirements to provide basic infrastructure services using India-specific design data; and (d) computing material and energy requirements for inclusive development and comparing it with current community-wide material and energy flows. Applying the method to ten Indian cities, we find that: 1%-6% of households do not have electricity, 14%-71% use electricity below the benchmark of 25 kWh capita-month-1 4%-16% lack structurally sound housing; 50%-75% live in floor area less than the benchmark of 8.75 m2 floor area/capita; 10%-65% lack clean cooking fuel; and 6%-60% lack connection to a sewerage system. Across the ten cities examined, to provide basic electricity (25 kWh capita-month-1) to all will require an addition of only 1%-10% in current community-wide electricity use. To provide basic clean LPG fuel (1.2 kg capita-month-1) to all requires an increase of 5%-40% in current community-wide LPG use. Providing permanent shelter (implemented over a ten year period) to populations living in non-permanent housing in Delhi and Chandigarh would require a 6%-14% increase over current annual community-wide cement use. Conversely, to provide permanent housing to all people living in structurally unsound housing and those living in overcrowded housing (social policies that seek to provide basic infrastructure provisioning for all residents would not dramatically increasing current community-wide resource flows.

Perceptions of human resource professionals of challenges to and strategies for retaining managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle Uitzinger

2018-01-01

Contribution or value add: This study adds to the insights of HR professionals, line managers and leaders in organisations regarding retention challenges and effective retention strategies for top- and middle-level managers.

Survey of Poetry Reading Strategy as the Modern Tool to Identify Poetry Reading Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimi, Shirin Shafiei; Zainal, Zaidah

2016-01-01

This study examines common strategies that English as a Foreign language (EFL) students employ when reading English poetry. To identify the strategies, a survey was designed for data collection from TESL students. The result shows that students significantly tend to use the strategies that require their creativity to construct new ideas in the…

Marketing Green Fertilizers: Insights into Consumer Preferences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes Dahlin

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In an effort to support the long-term viability of the bioenergy industry through an end market for digestate, we investigated purchasing preferences for fertilizer product features in the home gardening market. We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE, presenting 504 respondents with a total of 6048 product attribute choices in a simulated context that replicated the tradeoff decisions made in the real marketplace. We analyzed the choice data using a hierarchical Bayes estimate to generate part-worth utilities for fertilizer product attributes. We then conducted a latent class analysis to identify market segments that could be expected to respond to differentiated product design strategies. We were able to quantify both purchasing preferences for fertilizer product attributes as well as the importance of each attribute to the perceived utility of a product. We were further able to identify five distinct market segments that make clear the potential for differentiated strategies in the home gardening market. We found both negative and positive price sensitivities, with sociodemographically distinct subgroups that favored low-, mid-, and high-priced products. We also found purchasing preferences for brand status, product labeling and nutrient values. Our results provide insights that should help product managers in the biogas industry develop marketing strategies to integrate digestate into a sustainable energy production system.

Insight in schizophrenia: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Dam, Jesper

2006-01-01

The issue of insight in schizophrenia must be assumed to be one of the most important aspects of the clinical examination. Comprehensive studies have shown that between 50% and 80% of all patients suffering from schizophrenia do not believe that they have a disorder. In recent years, poor insight in schizophrenia has been the subject of increasing interest, as manifested in a number of studies discussed in the present review. Some of these studies focus on insight correlated to various parameters such as psychopathology, neuropsychology, clinical relevance and compliance. Other studies refer to more theoretical implications, among these the issue of defining the concept of insight: whether insight can be seen as a "primary" phenomenon in schizophrenia, and whether insight may be graduated, dimensioned or increased. Several authors have developed rating scales in an attempt to obtain a measure for the degree or dimension of insight. Here, the range of parameters employed gives an excellent impression of the complexity of the concept of insight. In the concluding discussion, a phenomenological aspect is brought in, in an attempt to place the concept of insight in relation to disturbances of the self in schizophrenia and to primary symptoms in schizophrenia, amongst these autism.

Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Neogy, P.

1990-01-01

Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize releases during a severe accident. The objective is to make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of the strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident. The identification and assessment process for containment and release strategies is described, and some insights derived from its application to a BWR Mark 1 plant are presented here. 13 refs., 2 figs

Strategy as Texts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Obed Madsen, Søren

of the strategy into four categories. Second, the managers produce new texts based on the original strategy document by using four different ways of translation models. The study’s findings contribute to three areas. Firstly, it shows that translation is more than a sociological process. It is also...... a craftsmanship that requires knowledge and skills, which unfortunately seems to be overlooked in both the literature and in practice. Secondly, it shows that even though a strategy text is in singular, the translation makes strategy plural. Thirdly, the article proposes a way to open up the black box of what......This article shows empirically how managers translate a strategy plan at an individual level. By analysing how managers in three organizations translate strategies, it identifies that the translation happens in two steps: First, the managers decipher the strategy by coding the different parts...

Voyager 2 Uranus targeting strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Cesarone, R. J.; Gray, D. L.; Potts, C. L.; Francis, K.

1986-01-01

One of the major challenges involved in the Voyager 2 Uranus flyby is to deliver the spacecraft to an appropriate aimpoint at the optimum time, so as to maximize the science return of the mission, while yet keeping propellant expenditure low. An unusual targeting strategy has been devised to satisfy these requirements. Its complexity arises from the great distance of the planet Uranus and the limited performance capabilities of Voyager. This selected strategy is developed in relation to a set of candidate strategies, mission requirements and shifting science objectives. The analysis of these candidates is conducted via a Monte Carlo simulation, the results of which yield data for the comparative evaluation and eventual and selection of the actual targeting strategy to be employed.

Habitat characteristics provide insights of carbon storage in seagrass meadows

KAUST Repository

Mazarrasa, Iné s; Samper-Villarreal, Jimena; Serrano, Oscar; Lavery, Paul S.; Lovelock, Catherine E.; Marbà , Nú ria; Duarte, Carlos M.; Corté s, Jorge

2018-01-01

Carbon strategies aim to enhance CO2 sequestration and avoid greenhouse gasses emissions through the management of coastal vegetated ecosystems, including seagrass meadows. The implementation of Blue Carbon strategies requires a good understanding

Safety insights from forensics evaluations at Daiichi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Rempe

2017-01-01

Information obtained from Daiichi is required to inform Decontamination and Decommissioning activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This paper reports initial results from the US Forensics Effort to utilize examination information obtained by TEPCO to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. In this paper, three examples are presented in which examination information, such as visual images, dose surveys, sample evaluations, and muon tomography examinations, along with data from plant instrumentation, are used to obtain significant safety insights in the areas of component performance, fission product release and transport, debris end-state location, and combustible gas generation and transport. In addition to reducing uncertainties related to severe accident modeling progression, these insights confirm actions, such as the importance of water addition and containment venting, that are emphasized in updated guidance for severe accident prevention, mitigation, and emergency planning.

Illness Insight and Recovery: How Important is Illness Insight in Peoples’ Recovery Process?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsbek, Lisa

2013-01-01

. Sources Used:The writing is based on research literature related to illness insight and on personal recovery experiences.Conclusions and Implications for Practice: It is helpful to consider the integration of the issue of illness insight when addressing the questions and consequences of diagnosis......Topic: This account reflects on the topic of illness insight and recovery. Purpose: The purpose of the account is to clarify our understanding about the importance of illness insight in peoples’ recovery process, especially when relating the question of illness insight to the question of identity......, and to assist individuals to work through the false analogy between illness and identity while supporting the transformation from patient to person. It is also necessary for clinicians to develop a clear understanding of peoples’ actual needs and gain more knowledge about peoples’ own views and experiences...

Social Media Strategies and Destination Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munar, Ana Maria

2012-01-01

This study provides insights into social media practices and strategic considerations used by destination management organizations (DMOs). It examines a theoretical model of generic social media strategies for destination management and applies qualitative methods to analyze the social media...... initiatives of DMOs of Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Scandinavian Tourist Board Asia/Pacific in the Nordic European Region. The study provides empirical evidence of emerging social media strategies among DMOs and confirms the growing importance of these new media. The findings point...... to the conflicting relationship between corporate culture and social media culture, the challenges innovative communication tools present for traditional management structures, poor levels of formalization and the lack of a knowledge base which results in ad-hoc decision making. Overall, the paper discusses...

Cognitive insight: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Camp, L S C; Sabbe, B G C; Oldenburg, J F E

2017-07-01

Cognitive insight is the ability to re-evaluate thoughts and beliefs in order to make thoughtful conclusions. It differs from clinical insight, as it focuses on more general metacognitive processes. Therefore, it could be relevant to diverse disorders and non-clinical subjects. There is a growing body of research on cognitive insight in individuals with and without psychosis. This review has summarised the current state of the art regarding this topic. We conclude that while cognitive insight in its current form seems valid for use in individuals with psychosis, it is less so for individuals without psychosis. Additionally, higher cognitive insight not always leads to better psychological functioning. For instance, higher levels of self-reflection are often associated with depressive mood. We therefore recommend the sub-components of cognitive insight to be studied separately. Also, it is unclear what position cognitive insight takes within the spectrum of metacognitive processes and how it relates to other self-related concepts that have been defined previously in literature. Combining future and past research on cognitive insight and its analogue concepts will help in the formation of a uniform definition that fits all subjects discussed here. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Insight on the impacts of free amino acids and their metabolites on the immune system from a perspective of inborn errors of amino acid metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Pakula, Malgorzata M; Maier, Thorsten J; Vorup-Jensen, Thomas

2017-06-01

Amino acids (AAs) support a broad range of functions in living organisms, including several that affect the immune system. The functions of the immune system are affected when free AAs are depleted or in excess because of external factors, such as starvation, or because of genetic factors, such as inborn errors of metabolism. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss the current insights into how free AAs affect immune responses. When possible, we make comparisons to known disease states resulting from inborn errors of metabolism, in which changed levels of AAs or AA metabolites provide insight into the impact of AAs on the human immune system in vivo. We also explore the literature describing how changes in AA levels might provide pharmaceutical targets for safe immunomodulatory treatment. Expert opinion: The impact of free AAs on the immune system is a neglected topic in most immunology textbooks. That neglect is undeserved, because free AAs have both direct and indirect effects on the immune system. Consistent choices of pre-clinical models and better strategies for creating formulations are required to gain clinical impact.

Requirements Analysis in the Value Methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conner, Alison Marie

2001-05-01

The Value Methodology (VM) study brings together a multidisciplinary team of people who own the problem and have the expertise to identify and solve it. With the varied backgrounds and experiences the team brings to the study, come different perspectives on the problem and the requirements of the project. A requirements analysis step can be added to the Information and Function Analysis Phases of a VM study to validate whether the functions being performed are required, either regulatory or customer prescribed. This paper will provide insight to the level of rigor applied to a requirements analysis step and give some examples of tools and techniques utilized to ease the management of the requirements and functions those requirements support for highly complex problems.

Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Caposey, PJ

2013-01-01

Written in a down-to-earth and people-first style, this book is for principals and aspiring school leaders. Caposey shares insightful advice and meaningful examples for building a healthy school culture. Learn the essential strategies that will help you transform and improve your school by embodying a service mindset and focusing on supporting the…

PROMOTION STRATEGIES IN WINE MARKETING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ştefan MATEI

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Marketing has proven to be very useful instrument in the wine industry, in fostering comprehensive, cohesive and effective strategies which wineries require to effectively compete in today’s almost saturated wine market. But within wine marketing, the promotion strategy, from our point of view, is the most important component of the winery that can ensure the success in the market or can shorten the life cycle of the product. This being said, the aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, to determine and analyze the steps that are required to create a promotion strategy in the wine industry, by comparing different approaches. Secondly, to identify the instruments of the promotional mix that helps a winery to implement its promotional strategy. Bearing that in mind, the paper starts with some theoretical aspects regarding the promotion strategy and ends by providing a brief overview of the main findings.

More than friendship is required : an empirical test of cooperative firm strategies

OpenAIRE

Pesämaa, Ossi; Hair Jr, Joseph F

2006-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine a proposed six-construct theoretical model of factors influencing successful cooperative relationships and strategy development. Design/methodology/approach - A theoretical model of strategy development and cooperative relationships was tested. Qualitative research among key experts identified 15 successful regional tourism networks. Two successful cooperative networks were selected based on annual revenues. A sample of 254 small and mediu...

Microbial survival strategies in ancient permafrost: insights from metagenomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackelprang, Rachel; Burkert, Alexander; Haw, Monica; Mahendrarajah, Tara; Conaway, Christopher H; Douglas, Thomas A; Waldrop, Mark P

2017-10-01

In permafrost (perennially frozen ground) microbes survive oligotrophic conditions, sub-zero temperatures, low water availability and high salinity over millennia. Viable life exists in permafrost tens of thousands of years old but we know little about the metabolic and physiological adaptations to the challenges presented by life in frozen ground over geologic time. In this study we asked whether increasing age and the associated stressors drive adaptive changes in community composition and function. We conducted deep metagenomic and 16 S rRNA gene sequencing across a Pleistocene permafrost chronosequence from 19 000 to 33 000 years before present (kyr). We found that age markedly affected community composition and reduced diversity. Reconstruction of paleovegetation from metagenomic sequence suggests vegetation differences in the paleo record are not responsible for shifts in community composition and function. Rather, we observed shifts consistent with long-term survival strategies in extreme cryogenic environments. These include increased reliance on scavenging detrital biomass, horizontal gene transfer, chemotaxis, dormancy, environmental sensing and stress response. Our results identify traits that may enable survival in ancient cryoenvironments with no influx of energy or new materials.

Psychological insights in Shakespeare's final play, The Two Noble Kinsmen.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahon, E J

2001-01-01

Shakespeare's final play, The Two Noble Kinsmen, contains profound psychological insights. Like all of Shakespeare's reworkings of old material, the result is not merely a variation on a theme but a psychological statement in and of itself, which respects and revisits the past even as it presents a new and original statement. In this paper I argue that the transformation of the Chaucerian into the Shakespearean has a premonition of the Freudian in it also: Shakespeare not only delivers insights on development and sexuality, he anticipates an important Freudian concept in his introduction of the theme of the jailer's daughter whose "love-sickness" requires on understanding of transference before sense can be made of it!

Requirements for Space Settlement Design

Science.gov (United States)

Gale, Anita E.; Edwards, Richard P.

2004-02-01

When large space settlements are finally built, inevitably the customers who pay for them will start the process by specifying requirements with a Request for Proposal (RFP). Although we are decades away from seeing the first of these documents, some of their contents can be anticipated now, and provide insight into the variety of elements that must be researched and developed before space settlements can happen. Space Settlement Design Competitions for High School students present design challenges in the form of RFPs, which predict basic requirements for space settlement attributes in the future, including structural features, infrastructure, living conveniences, computers, business areas, and safety. These requirements are generically summarized, and unique requirements are noted for specific space settlement locations and applications.

Readiness for self-directed change in professional behaviours: factorial validation of the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Chris; Stark, Patsy

2008-11-01

Self-reflection, the practice of inspecting and evaluating one's own thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and insight, the ability to understand one's own thoughts, feelings and behaviour, are central to the self-regulation of behaviours. The Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) measures three factors in the self-regulation cycle: need for reflection; engagement in reflection, and insight. We used structural equation modelling to undertake a confirmatory factor analysis of the SRIS. We re-specified our model to analyse all of the data to explain relationships between the SRIS, medical student characteristics, and responses to issues of teaching and learning in professionalism. The factorial validity of a modified SRIS showed all items loading significantly on their expected factors, with a good fit to the data. Each subscale had good internal reliability (> 0.8). There was a strong relationship between the need for reflection and engagement in reflection (r = 0.77). Insight was related to need for reflection (0.22) and age (0.21), but not to the process of engaging in reflection (0.06). Validation of the SRIS provides researchers with a new instrument with which to measure and investigate the processes of self-reflection and insight in the context of students' self-regulation of their professionalism. Insight is related to the motive or need for reflection, but the process of reflection does not lead to insight. Attending to feelings is an important and integral aspect of self-reflection and insight. Effective strategies are needed to develop students' insight as they reflect on their professionalism.

Dreaming and insight

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Christopher L.; Ruby, Perrine M.; Malinowski, Josie E.; Bennett, Paul D.; Blagrove, Mark T.

2013-01-01

This paper addresses claims that dreams can be a source of personal insight. Whereas there has been anecdotal backing for such claims, there is now tangential support from findings of the facilitative effect of sleep on cognitive insight, and of REM sleep in particular on emotional memory consolidation. Furthermore, the presence in dreams of metaphorical representations of waking life indicates the possibility of novel insight as an emergent feature of such metaphorical mappings. In order to assess whether personal insight can occur as a result of the consideration of dream content, 11 dream group discussion sessions were conducted which followed the Ullman Dream Appreciation technique, one session for each of 11 participants (10 females, 1 male; mean age = 19.2 years). Self-ratings of deepened self-perception and personal gains from participation in the group sessions showed that the Ullman technique is an effective procedure for establishing connections between dream content and recent waking life experiences, although wake life sources were found for only 14% of dream report text. The mean Exploration-Insight score on the Gains from Dream Interpretation questionnaire was very high and comparable to outcomes from the well-established Hill (1996) therapist-led dream interpretation method. This score was associated between-subjects with pre-group positive Attitude Toward Dreams (ATD). The need to distinguish “aha” experiences as a result of discovering a waking life source for part of a dream, from “aha” experiences of personal insight as a result of considering dream content, is discussed. Difficulties are described in designing a control condition to which the dream report condition can be compared. PMID:24550849

Insightful problem solving in an Asian elephant.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Preston Foerder

Full Text Available The "aha" moment or the sudden arrival of the solution to a problem is a common human experience. Spontaneous problem solving without evident trial and error behavior in humans and other animals has been referred to as insight. Surprisingly, elephants, thought to be highly intelligent, have failed to exhibit insightful problem solving in previous cognitive studies. We tested whether three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus would use sticks or other objects to obtain food items placed out-of-reach and overhead. Without prior trial and error behavior, a 7-year-old male Asian elephant showed spontaneous problem solving by moving a large plastic cube, on which he then stood, to acquire the food. In further testing he showed behavioral flexibility, using this technique to reach other items and retrieving the cube from various locations to use as a tool to acquire food. In the cube's absence, he generalized this tool utilization technique to other objects and, when given smaller objects, stacked them in an attempt to reach the food. The elephant's overall behavior was consistent with the definition of insightful problem solving. Previous failures to demonstrate this ability in elephants may have resulted not from a lack of cognitive ability but from the presentation of tasks requiring trunk-held sticks as potential tools, thereby interfering with the trunk's use as a sensory organ to locate the targeted food.

Insightful problem solving in an Asian elephant.

Science.gov (United States)

Foerder, Preston; Galloway, Marie; Barthel, Tony; Moore, Donald E; Reiss, Diana

2011-01-01

The "aha" moment or the sudden arrival of the solution to a problem is a common human experience. Spontaneous problem solving without evident trial and error behavior in humans and other animals has been referred to as insight. Surprisingly, elephants, thought to be highly intelligent, have failed to exhibit insightful problem solving in previous cognitive studies. We tested whether three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) would use sticks or other objects to obtain food items placed out-of-reach and overhead. Without prior trial and error behavior, a 7-year-old male Asian elephant showed spontaneous problem solving by moving a large plastic cube, on which he then stood, to acquire the food. In further testing he showed behavioral flexibility, using this technique to reach other items and retrieving the cube from various locations to use as a tool to acquire food. In the cube's absence, he generalized this tool utilization technique to other objects and, when given smaller objects, stacked them in an attempt to reach the food. The elephant's overall behavior was consistent with the definition of insightful problem solving. Previous failures to demonstrate this ability in elephants may have resulted not from a lack of cognitive ability but from the presentation of tasks requiring trunk-held sticks as potential tools, thereby interfering with the trunk's use as a sensory organ to locate the targeted food.

Smart Specialisation in European Regions: Issues of Strategy, Institutions and Implementation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

McCann, Philip; Ortega Argiles, Raquel

2014-01-01

After reviewing some of the key features of the smart specialisation approach this paper examines issues of strategy and implementation which arise in the light of institutional and macroeconomic context in regional examples from four EU countries. The specific insights provided by this comparative

Disputing strategies in medieval Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Orning, Hans Jacob

In Scandinavia the study of disputes is still a relatively new topic: The papers offered here discuss how conflicts were handled in Scandinavian societies in the Middle Ages before the emergence of strong centralized states. What strategies did people use to contest power, property, rights, honour......, and other kinds of material or symbolic assets? Seven essays by Scandinavian scholars are supplemented by contributions from Stephen White, John Hudson and Gerd Althoff, to provide a new baseline for discussing both the strategies pursued in the political game and those used to settle local disputes. Using...... practice and process as key analytical concepts, these authors explore formal law and litigation in conjunction with non-formal legal proceedings such as out-of-court mediation, rituals, emotional posturing, and feuding. Their insights place the Northern medieval world in a European context of dispute...

Getting the Joke: Insight during Humor Comprehension - Evidence from an fMRI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Fang; Hou, Yuling; Zhu, Wenfeng; Dietrich, Arne; Zhang, Qinglin; Yang, Wenjing; Chen, Qunlin; Sun, Jiangzhou; Jiang, Qiu; Cao, Guikang

2017-01-01

As a high-level cognitive activity, humor comprehension requires incongruity detection and incongruity resolution, which then elicits an insight moment. The purpose of the study was to explore the neural basis of humor comprehension, particularly the moment of insight, by using both characters and language-free cartoons in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. The results showed that insight involving jokes elicited greater activation in language and semantic-related brain regions as well as a variety of additional regions, such as the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), the superior temporal gyrus (STG), the temporoparietal junctions (TPJ), the hippocampus and visual areas. These findings indicate that the MTG might play a role in incongruity detection, while the SFG, IFG and the TPJ might be involved in incongruity detection. The passive insight event elicited by jokes appears to be mediated by a limited number of brain areas. Our study showed that the brain regions associated with humor comprehension were not affected by the type of stimuli and that humor and insight shared common brain areas. These results indicate that one experiences a feeling of insight during humor comprehension, which contributes to the understanding of humor comprehension.

Effective recruitment and retention strategies in community health programs.

Science.gov (United States)

McCann, Jennifer; Ridgers, Nicola D; Carver, Alison; Thornton, Lukar E; Teychenne, Megan

2013-08-01

The aim of this project was to identify effective recruitment and retention strategies used by health-promotion organisations that focus on increasing physical activity and improving nutrition within the local community. Semistructured telephone or face-to-face interviews with 25 key informants from stakeholder organisations were conducted. Key informants discussed strategies used by their organisation to effectively recruit and retain participants into community-based healthy eating and/or physical activity programs. Transcribed data were analysed with NVivo software. Effective recruitment strategies included word of mouth, links with organisations, dissemination of printed materials, media, referrals, cross-promotion of programs and face-to-face methods. Effective retention strategies included encouraging a sense of community ownership, social opportunities, recruiting a suitable leader and offering flexibility and support. Fees and support for recruiting and retaining participants was also identified. This study provides novel insights to a greatly under researched topic in the field of health promotion. There are two key take-home messages from the present study that are applicable to health practitioners as well as developers and deliverers of community health-promotion programs: (1) it is imperative that all community health organisations report on the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention, both successes and failures; and (2) there is a clear need to tailor the recruitment and retention approach to the target population and the setting the program is occurring in. SO WHAT? These findings provide important insights for the development of future community-based healthy eating and physical activity programs.

Sleep Does Not Promote Solving Classical Insight Problems and Magic Tricks

Science.gov (United States)

Schönauer, Monika; Brodt, Svenja; Pöhlchen, Dorothee; Breßmer, Anja; Danek, Amory H.; Gais, Steffen

2018-01-01

During creative problem solving, initial solution attempts often fail because of self-imposed constraints that prevent us from thinking out of the box. In order to solve a problem successfully, the problem representation has to be restructured by combining elements of available knowledge in novel and creative ways. It has been suggested that sleep supports the reorganization of memory representations, ultimately aiding problem solving. In this study, we systematically tested the effect of sleep and time on problem solving, using classical insight tasks and magic tricks. Solving these tasks explicitly requires a restructuring of the problem representation and may be accompanied by a subjective feeling of insight. In two sessions, 77 participants had to solve classical insight problems and magic tricks. The two sessions either occurred consecutively or were spaced 3 h apart, with the time in between spent either sleeping or awake. We found that sleep affected neither general solution rates nor the number of solutions accompanied by sudden subjective insight. Our study thus adds to accumulating evidence that sleep does not provide an environment that facilitates the qualitative restructuring of memory representations and enables problem solving. PMID:29535620

Developing a customer-centric digital marketing communication strategy : Commissioner Salusfin Oy

OpenAIRE

Lokteva, Daria

2015-01-01

The present study relates to the field of digital marketing communication. The purpose of the study is to create a customer-centric digital marketing communication strategy for Salusfin, a technological start-up company in need of an effective digital strategy. The key issue of the study is to provide an insight on how digital marketing communication tools can fulfil the needs and benefit the company while adding value for the customers. The research questions addressed in the study are 1. Wh...

Ergonomics strategies and actions for achieving productive use of an ageing work-force.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumashiro, M

2000-07-01

In this report, a basic ERGOMA (Ergonomics in Industrial Management) strategy is proposed as a policy for corporate production and employment in countries where ageing populations and reduced birth rates are imminent, and a strategy related to this is proposed. Specifically, as a strategy at the company level, the results of survey studies aimed at the development of methods for determining job capacity, to enable effective use of the labour of ageing workers, were summarized. A number of the insights gained here are steps in the development of a foundational methodology for practical use, and in actual practice a number of these insights must be subjected to measurements. However, the theory and newly developed methodology described here are thought to represent significant changes from the approaches to job capacity diagnosis and assessment published in the past and from the stance towards utilization of an ageing work-force. The author is confident that this represents new progress in one of the ergonomics approach to dealing with the working environment of ageing workers and an ageing work-force in general.

Self-management strategies of family caregivers faced with relatives with dementia.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Francke, A.L.; Huis in het Veld, J.; Verkaik, R.; Meijel, B. van; Verkade, P.J.; Werkman, W.; Hertogh, C.

2016-01-01

Background: Self-management is not only important for patients, but also for family caregivers. The aim of this presentation is to give insight into what makes dealing with behavior and mood changes stressful for family caregivers, and which self-management strategies they use in such situations.

What are System Dynamics Insights?

OpenAIRE

Stave, K.; Zimmermann, N. S.; Kim, H.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the concept of system dynamics insights. In our field, the term “insight” is generally understood to mean dynamic insight, that is, a deep understanding about the relationship between structure and behavior. We argue this is only one aspect of the range of insights possible from system dynamics activities, and describe a broader range of potential system dynamics insights. We also propose an initial framework for discussion that relates different types of system dynamics a...

Increasing loyalty to breastfeeding: investigating a product development strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkinson, Joy; Russell-Bennett, Rebekah; Previte, Josephine

2012-01-01

This article demonstrates how social marketing insights were used to influence women's loyalty to breastfeeding. The article reports on a social marketing campaign undertaken by the Australian Breastfeeding Association and a government health department, which used a product development strategy in order to increase breastfeeding loyalty. Seeking new approaches to support breastfeeding behaviors is critical and timely, because while initiation rates of breastfeeding are high in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States, duration rates are significantly lower. Results indicate that a product- focused strategy influences pregnant women's loyalty to exclusively breastfeeding.

Business intelligence: using insight to improve the value and performance of your practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Coan, Tim

2007-01-01

Using information to improve the value of your practice can be a great way to create leverage and improve the performance of your practice. Business intelligence (BI) is the result of a complete system that produces meaningful insights by providing the information necessary to make business decisions. Changes made from these insights improve both the performance and value of your practice. It is important to identify the key elements required of a good BI system and the areas within a practice that can directly benefit from an effective BI system.

Unraveling navigational strategies in migratory insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Merlin, Christine; Heinze, Stanley; Reppert, Steven M

2012-04-01

Long-distance migration is a strategy some animals use to survive a seasonally changing environment. To reach favorable grounds, migratory animals have evolved sophisticated navigational mechanisms that rely on a map and compasses. In migratory insects, the existence of a map sense (sense of position) remains poorly understood, but recent work has provided new insights into the mechanisms some compasses use for maintaining a constant bearing during long-distance navigation. The best-studied directional strategy relies on a time-compensated sun compass, used by diurnal insects, for which neural circuits have begun to be delineated. Yet, a growing body of evidence suggests that migratory insects may also rely on other compasses that use night sky cues or the Earth's magnetic field. Those mechanisms are ripe for exploration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategie di branding nei mercati business-to-business: il caso Schneider Electric

OpenAIRE

Cassia Fabio; Mangiò Dario

2014-01-01

The importance of business-to-business (B2B) branding has significantly increased in many industrial markets. Nonetheless knowledge about B2B branding strategies is still limited. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present an overview of current scientific knowledge on this issue; second, to analyze the case study of Schneider Electric. This case study offers interesting insights about several branding decisions and strategies in B2B markets, such as: brand positioning decisions,...

Operational risk in bank governance and control: How to save capital requirement through a risk transfer strategy. Evidences from a simulated case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enzo Scannella

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Operational risk management in banking has assumed such importance during the last decade. It has become increasingly important to measure, manage, and assess the impact of operational risk in the economics of banking. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an effective operational risk management provides mitigating effects on capital-at-risk in banking. The paper provides evidences that an implementation of an operational risk transfer strategy reduces bank capital requirement. The paper adopts the loss distribution approach, the Monte Carlo simulation, and copula methodologies to estimate the regulatory capital and simulate an operational risk transfer strategy in banking.

Personalized versus standardized dosing strategies for the treatment of childhood amblyopia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Moseley, Merrick J; Wallace, Michael P; Stephens, David A; Fielder, Alistair R; Smith, Laura C; Stewart, Catherine E

2015-04-25

Amblyopia is the commonest visual disorder of childhood in Western societies, affecting, predominantly, spatial visual function. Treatment typically requires a period of refractive correction ('optical treatment') followed by occlusion: covering the nonamblyopic eye with a fabric patch for varying daily durations. Recent studies have provided insight into the optimal amount of patching ('dose'), leading to the adoption of standardized dosing strategies, which, though an advance on previous ad-hoc regimens, take little account of individual patient characteristics. This trial compares the effectiveness of a standardized dosing strategy (that is, a fixed daily occlusion dose based on disease severity) with a personalized dosing strategy (derived from known treatment dose-response functions), in which an initially prescribed occlusion dose is modulated, in a systematic manner, dependent on treatment compliance. A total of 120 children aged between 3 and 8 years of age diagnosed with amblyopia in association with either anisometropia or strabismus, or both, will be randomized to receive either a standardized or a personalized occlusion dose regimen. To avoid confounding by the known benefits of refractive correction, participants will not be randomized until they have completed an optical treatment phase. The primary study objective is to determine whether, at trial endpoint, participants receiving a personalized dosing strategy require fewer hours of occlusion than those in receipt of a standardized dosing strategy. Secondary objectives are to quantify the relationship between observed changes in visual acuity (logMAR, logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution) with age, amblyopia type, and severity of amblyopic visual acuity deficit. This is the first randomized controlled trial of occlusion therapy for amblyopia to compare a treatment arm representative of current best practice with an arm representative of an entirely novel treatment regimen based on statistical

Strategy under uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtney, H; Kirkland, J; Viguerie, P

1997-01-01

At the heart of the traditional approach to strategy lies the assumption that by applying a set of powerful analytic tools, executives can predict the future of any business accurately enough to allow them to choose a clear strategic direction. But what happens when the environment is so uncertain that no amount of analysis will allow us to predict the future? What makes for a good strategy in highly uncertain business environments? The authors, consultants at McKinsey & Company, argue that uncertainty requires a new way of thinking about strategy. All too often, they say, executives take a binary view: either they underestimate uncertainty to come up with the forecasts required by their companies' planning or capital-budging processes, or they overestimate it, abandon all analysis, and go with their gut instinct. The authors outline a new approach that begins by making a crucial distinction among four discrete levels of uncertainty that any company might face. They then explain how a set of generic strategies--shaping the market, adapting to it, or reserving the right to play at a later time--can be used in each of the four levels. And they illustrate how these strategies can be implemented through a combination of three basic types of actions: big bets, options, and no-regrets moves. The framework can help managers determine which analytic tools can inform decision making under uncertainty--and which cannot. At a broader level, it offers executives a discipline for thinking rigorously and systematically about uncertainty and its implications for strategy.

Insight, Cognitive Insight and Sociodemographic Features in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Presenting with Reactive and Autogeneus Features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katre ÇAMLI

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of the present study was to test hypothesis that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD patients who have autogenous obsessions and reactive obsessions show different sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with different insight and cognitive insight levels. Method: Sixty-one patients diagnosed as OCD according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-I are recruited. 31 patients had reactive obsessions and 30 had autogenous obsessions. The sociodemographic characteristics of patients and the symptomatology were evaluated using psychiatric scales including SCID-I, Yale Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale (YBOCS, Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Symptom Checklist (YBOCS-SC and Beck Insight Scale. Results: The percentage of women in reactive obsessive group was higher and also this group had significantly less antipsychotic medication prescribed than the autogenous obsessive group. No significant difference was found for the other demographic variables. No significant difference was identified for the Beck Insight Self-Reflectiveness subscale but for the Self-Certainty subscale, reactive obsessives had higher scores. Although there was no significant difference for the composit index points, which is the subtraction of the two subscales, the p value was close to the limit. On the other hand YBOCS item- 11 scores which evaluates insight were higher in autogenous obsessives meaning low levels of insight. Conclusion: For the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics; there was no significant difference between the groups except gender distribution and antipsychotic medication. Our data about insight seems inconsistent but insight and cognitive insight can be different entities which show different levels of insight. Further investigation with different obsession types is needed.

24 CFR 954.103 - Housing strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Housing strategy. 954.103 Section... INDIAN HOME PROGRAM Applying for Assistance § 954.103 Housing strategy. Grantees are not required to submit a housing strategy to receive HOME funds. However, the application must demonstrate how the...

Strategies for Aging in Place

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For healthy and independent older adults, aging in place can be seen as identical to any other adult living at home. Little is known about how frail seniors, particularly those who speak a minority language, manage the challenges of aging in place. The present qualitative descriptive study explores the strategies that Canadian French-speaking seniors have put in place to counter their loss of independence and promote their ability to stay in their home. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 39 older adults and transcribed, followed by content analysis to identify common themes related to study objectives. Six themes emerged in response to strategies described for aging in place. Findings reveal the limited extent to which language issues were perceived as a barrier by participants. In conclusion, the results of this study provide us with fruitful insights to guide community nursing practice, future research, and public policy.

Genetic correlates of insight in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Xavier, Rose Mary; Vorderstrasse, Allison; Keefe, Richard S E; Dungan, Jennifer R

2018-05-01

Insight in schizophrenia is clinically important as it is associated with several adverse outcomes. Genetic contributions to insight are unknown. We examined genetic contributions to insight by investigating if polygenic risk scores (PRS) and candidate regions were associated with insight. Schizophrenia case-only analysis of the Clinical Antipsychotics Trials of Intervention Effectiveness trial. Schizophrenia PRS was constructed using Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) leave-one out GWAS as discovery data set. For candidate regions, we selected 105 schizophrenia-associated autosomal loci and 11 schizophrenia-related oligodendrocyte genes. We used regressions to examine PRS associations and set-based testing for candidate analysis. We examined data from 730 subjects. Best-fit PRS at p-threshold of 1e-07 was associated with total insight (R 2 =0.005, P=0.05, empirical P=0.054) and treatment insight (R 2 =0.005, P=0.048, empirical P=0.048). For models that controlled for neurocognition, PRS significantly predicted treatment insight but at higher p-thresholds (0.1 to 0.5) but did not survive correction. Patients with highest polygenic burden had 5.9 times increased risk for poor insight compared to patients with lowest burden. PRS explained 3.2% (P=0.002, empirical P=0.011) of variance in poor insight. Set-based analyses identified two variants associated with poor insight- rs320703, an intergenic variant (within-set P=6e-04, FDR P=0.046) and rs1479165 in SOX2-OT (within-set P=9e-04, FDR P=0.046). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study examining genetic basis of insight. We provide evidence for genetic contributions to impaired insight. Relevance of findings and necessity for replication are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How to the development strategy of Serbia?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popov Đorđe

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Experiences, especially those countries that in their development have achieved results above average confirmed the need for preparing and implementation the development strategy for Serbia. Preparation of strategy requires an intellectual effort. It requires the collection, analysis and evaluation of a series of data and trends in the country and in the world. Before starting work on the strategy there is a need to formulate what can be considered as a strategy. Serbia has a total of 120 strategies. It could not be just each document, regardless of title ,is a strategy. Development of the strategy must be delegated to the experts who are not compromised with actively participation in the destruction of the Serbian economy in the past decade. The strategy should clearly define the desired model of the economy. The strategy must be focused on the primary goal: growing production and employment. Serbia must redeveloped the industry. Foreign investments are important, but they can not substitute investments from domestic sources. Quality education, production and quality and uncorrupted public administration are the basic prerequisites for the successful economic development.

New Insights Offered by a Computational Model of Deep Brain Stimulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Modolo, J.; Mosekilde, Erik; Beuter, A.

2007-01-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a standard neurosurgical procedure used to treat motor symptoms in about 5% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the indisputable success of this procedure, the biological mechanisms underlying the clinical benefits of DBS have not yet been fully...... and exploring the physiological mechanisms which respond to this treatment strategy (i.e., DBS). Finally, we present new insights into the ways this computational model may help to elucidate the dynamic network effects produced in a cerebral structure when DBS is applied. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights...

An insight into spore dispersal of Ganoderma boninense on oil palm.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanderson, F R

2005-01-01

The disease of oil palm caused by Ganoderma boninense, although universally referred to as Ganoderma basal stem rot, occurs in three very distinct phases, with basal stem rot only part of the disease cycle. G. boninense also causes a seedling disease and an upper stem rot. An understanding of spore dispersal provides an insight into where spores of G. boninense have a role in the infection process. This role will be discussed in relation to each of these three infection phases. This understanding is a critical component of developing a successful disease control strategy.

Verification and validation of the decision analysis model for assessment of TWRS waste treatment strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awadalla, N.G.; Eaton, S.C.F.

1996-01-01

This document is the verification and validation final report for the Decision Analysis Model for Assessment of Tank Waste Remediation System Waste Treatment Strategies. This model is also known as the INSIGHT Model

Behavioural strategy: Adaptability context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piórkowska Katarzyna

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The paper is embedded in the following fields: strategic management in terms of behavioural strategy concept, adaptability construct, and micro-foundations realm as well as organizational theory and psychology. Moreover, the paper concerns to some extent a multi-level approach in strategic management involving individual, team, and organizational level. The aim of the paper is to contribute to extend, on one hand, the ascertainment set in the field of behavioural strategy as behavioural strategy encompasses a mindboggling diversity of topics and methods and its conceptual unity has been hard to achieve (Powell, Lovallo, Fox 2011, p. 1371, and on the other hand, to order mixed approaches to adaptability especially to gain insights on micro-level adapting processes (individual adaptability and adaptive performance in terms of the multi-level approach. The method that has been used is literature studies and the interference is mostly deductive. The structure of the manuscript is four-fold. The first part involves the considerations in the field of adaptability and adaptive performance at the individual level. The issues of adaptability and adaptive performance at the team level have been presented in the second part. The third part encompasses the organizational adaptability assertions. Finally, the conclusion, limitations of the considerations highlighted as well as the future research directions have been emphasized. The overarching key finding is that the behavioural strategy concept may constitute the boundary spanner in exploring and explaining adaptability phenomenon at different levels of analysis.

Strategies for Competitive Volleyball.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Stephen D.

This book deals with strategies and team tactics involved in the game of volleyball. It is not intended to be an instructional book on how to execute the various skills required to play volleyball but instead endeavors to detail and explain basic tactics and strategies involved in volleyball team play. Each chapter deals with major areas of team…

Comparative genomics provide insights into evolution of trichoderma nutrition style.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Bin-Bin; Qin, Qi-Long; Shi, Mei; Chen, Lei-Lei; Shu, Yan-Li; Luo, Yan; Wang, Xiao-Wei; Rong, Jin-Cheng; Gong, Zhi-Ting; Li, Dan; Sun, Cai-Yun; Liu, Gui-Ming; Dong, Xiao-Wei; Pang, Xiu-Hua; Huang, Feng; Liu, Weifeng; Chen, Xiu-Lan; Zhou, Bai-Cheng; Zhang, Yu-Zhong; Song, Xiao-Yan

2014-02-01

Saprotrophy on plant biomass is a recently developed nutrition strategy for Trichoderma. However, the physiology and evolution of this new nutrition strategy is still elusive. We report the deep sequencing and analysis of the genome of Trichoderma longibrachiatum, an efficient cellulase producer. The 31.7-Mb genome, smallest among the sequenced Trichoderma species, encodes fewer nutrition-related genes than saprotrophic T. reesei (Tr), including glycoside hydrolases and nonribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase. Homology and phylogenetic analyses suggest that a large number of nutrition-related genes, including GH18 chitinases, β-1,3/1,6-glucanases, cellulolytic enzymes, and hemicellulolytic enzymes, were lost in the common ancestor of T. longibrachiatum (Tl) and Tr. dN/dS (ω) calculation indicates that all the nutrition-related genes analyzed are under purifying selection. Cellulolytic enzymes, the key enzymes for saprotrophy on plant biomass, are under stronger purifying selection pressure in Tl and Tr than in mycoparasitic species, suggesting that development of the nutrition strategy of saprotrophy on plant biomass has increased the selection pressure. In addition, aspartic proteases, serine proteases, and metalloproteases are subject to stronger purifying selection pressure in Tl and Tr, suggesting that these enzymes may also play important roles in the nutrition. This study provides insights into the physiology and evolution of the nutrition strategy of Trichoderma.

A multi-attribute approach to choosing adaptation strategies: Application to sea-level rise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.E.; Chu, H.Q.

1994-01-01

Selecting good adaptation strategies in anticipation of climate change is gaining increasing attention as it becomes increasingly clear that much of the likely change is already committed, and could not be avoided even with aggressive and immediate emissions reductions. Adaptation decision making will place special requirements on regional and local planners in the US and other countries, especially developing countries. Approaches, tools, and guidance will be useful to assist in an effective response to the challenge. This paper describes the value of using a multi-attribute approach for evaluating adaptation strategies and its implementation as a decision-support software tool to help planners understand and execute this approach. The multi-attribute approach described here explicitly addresses the fact that many aspects of the decision cannot be easily quantified, that future conditions are highly uncertain, and that there are issues of equity, flexibility, and coordination that may be as important to the decision as costs and benefits. The approach suggested also avoids trying to collapse information on all of the attributes to a single metric. Such metrics can obliterate insights about the nature of the trade-offs that must be made in choosing among very dissimilar types of responses to the anticipated threat of climate change. Implementation of such an approach requires management of much information, and an ability to easily manipulate its presentation while seeking acceptable trade-offs. The Adaptation Strategy Evaluator (ASE) was developed under funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency to provide user-friendly, PC-based guidance through the major steps of a multi-attribute evaluation. The initial application of ASE, and the focus of this paper, is adaptation to sea level rise. However, the approach can be easily adapted to any multi-attribute choice problem, including the range of other adaptation planning needs

CUSTOMER EQUITY:MAKING MARKETING STRATEGY FINANCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Ashwin ARAVINDAKSHAN; Roland T. RUST; Katherine N. LEMON; Valerie A. ZEITHAML

2004-01-01

The article presents an overview of the literature on customer equity and how customer equity provides an opportunity for marketers to make marketing strategy financially accountable.Traditionally, Return on Investment (ROI) models have been used to evaluate the financial expenditures required by the strategies as well as the financial returns gained by them. However in addition to requiring lengthy longitudinal data, these models also have the disadvantage of not evaluating the effect of the strategies on a firm's customer equity. The dominance of customer-centered thinking over product-centered thinking calls for a shift from product-based strategies to customer-based strategies. Hence, it is important to evaluate a firm's marketing strategies in terms of the drivers of its customer equity. The article summarizes a unified strategic framework that enables competing marketing strategy options to be traded off on the basis of projected financial return, which is operationalized as the change in a firm's customer equity relative to the incremental expenditure necessary to produce the change.

Market Strategies for Climate Change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolk, A.; Pinkse, J. [Business School, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2004-06-01

The issue of climate change has attracted increasing business attention in the past decade. Whereas companies initially aimed primarily at influencing the policy debate, corporate strategies increasingly include economic responses. Existing classifications for climate change strategies however still reflect the political, non-market components. Using empirical information from the largest multinational companies worldwide, this article examines current market responses, focusing on the drivers (threats and opportunities) and the actions being taken by companies to address climate change. It also develops a typology of climate strategies that addresses the market dimensions, covering both the aim (strategic intent) and the degree of cooperation (form of organisation). The aim turns out to be either innovation or compensation, while the organisational arrangements to reach this objective can be oriented at the company level (internal), at companies' own supply chain (vertical) or at cooperation with other companies (competitors or companies in other sectors - horizontal). The typology can assist managers in deciding about the strategic option(s) they want to choose regarding climate change, also based on the insights offered by the paper about the current state of activities of other companies worldwide.

Energy efficiency design strategies for buildings with grid-connected photovoltaic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yimprayoon, Chanikarn

The building sector in the United States represents more than 40% of the nation's energy consumption. Energy efficiency design strategies and renewable energy are keys to reduce building energy demand. Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on buildings have been the fastest growing market in the PV industry. This growth poses challenges for buildings qualified to serve in this market sector. Electricity produced from solar energy is intermittent. Matching building electricity demand with PV output can increase PV system efficiency. Through experimental methods and case studies, computer simulations were used to investigate the priorities of energy efficiency design strategies that decreased electricity demand while producing load profiles matching with unique output profiles from PV. Three building types (residential, commercial, and industrial) of varying sizes and use patterns located in 16 climate zones were modeled according to ASHRAE 90.1 requirements. Buildings were analyzed individually and as a group. Complying with ASHRAE energy standards can reduce annual electricity consumption at least 13%. With energy efficiency design strategies, the reduction could reach up to 65%, making it possible for PV systems to meet reduced demands in residential and industrial buildings. The peak electricity demand reduction could be up to 71% with integration of strategies and PV. Reducing lighting power density was the best single strategy with high overall performances. Combined strategies such as zero energy building are also recommended. Electricity consumption reductions are the sum of the reductions from strategies and PV output. However, peak electricity reductions were less than their sum because they reduced peak at different times. The potential of grid stress reduction is significant. Investment incentives from government and utilities are necessary. The PV system sizes on net metering interconnection should not be limited by legislation existing in

Supply chain strategies, issues and models

CERN Document Server

Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan

2014-01-01

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

Deployment of e-health services - a business model engineering strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kijl, Björn; Nieuwenhuis, Lambert J M; Huis in 't Veld, Rianne M H A; Hermens, Hermie J; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam M R

2010-01-01

We designed a business model for deploying a myofeedback-based teletreatment service. An iterative and combined qualitative and quantitative action design approach was used for developing the business model and the related value network. Insights from surveys, desk research, expert interviews, workshops and quantitative modelling were combined to produce the first business model and then to refine it in three design cycles. The business model engineering strategy provided important insights which led to an improved, more viable and feasible business model and related value network design. Based on this experience, we conclude that the process of early stage business model engineering reduces risk and produces substantial savings in costs and resources related to service deployment.

Computer Simulation Lends New Insights Into Cyanide-Caused Cardiac Toxicity

Science.gov (United States)

2004-12-01

current, ICl,sw is needed to terminate VF. There are several drugs that block ICl,sw. 5. DISCUSSION Exposure to CN has immediate consequences ...the search on the requirements on the means of pharmacological intervention to counter the effect of cyanide-caused cardiac toxicity . Of special...COMPUTER SIMULATION LENDS NEW INSIGHTS INTO CYANIDE-CAUSED CARDIAC TOXICITY C.K. Zoltani* U.S. Army Research Laboratory Computational and

Best Strategies to Improve School-leavers' Knowledge of Nutrition and Food Systems: Views from Experts in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadegholvad, Sanaz; Yeatman, Heather; Omidvar, Nasrin; Parrish, Anne-Maree; Worsley, Anthony

2016-01-01

The research to date does not present an articulated approach to ensure nutrition and food systems education is systematically implemented within schools. This paper aimed to investigate food experts' views of the best strategies to improve school-leavers' knowledge of nutrition and food systems. In this qualitative study, 28 Iranian food and nutrition experts from four major provinces (Tehran, Fars, Isfahan, and Gilan) were selected and agreed to be interviewed. Required data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face, or telephone interviews and were analyzed thematically using NVivo. The experts' suggested strategies to improve Iranian school-leavers' knowledge of nutrition and food systems fell into three key themes: Policy, education processes, and supportive environments. Together they formed an overarching theme of a multileveled system approach for transferring knowledge. Development of a scaffolded education program could assist curriculum developers and policy makers to assess and update current nutrition and food systems education programs in schools. Insights gained about education initiatives in one country such as Iran can provide an important impetus to support nutrition and food system education more widely.

A Strategy Oriented Framework for Food and Beverage E-Supply Chain Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Dello Stritto

2013-10-01

into the internet business while also preserving a consistent alignment with their current company strategy. Some insights on this area are presented along with a field study approach and a proposal of a 6-phase framework to jointly manage all the relevant strategic and functional aspects of supply networks.

Linking Strategy-As-Practice Knowledge and Multi-Stakeholder Brand Meaning Co-Creation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vallaster, Christine; von Wallpach, Sylvia

2014-01-01

In this paper, we adopt a strategy-as-practice perspective and establish a link to the practices of brand meaning cocreation. We contribute empirical insights gained in the context of a small, non-commercial institution. The results show that brand meaning co-creation is a fluid, social phenomenon...

Identity at work: Exploring strategies for Identity Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byron G. Adams

2012-09-01

Research purpose: The main aim of this study was to explore employee narratives and identify the strategies available to them in the process of identity work, as they defined themselves at work. Motivation for the study: As there is a scarcity of research on identity work in South Africa, this study wanted to advance knowledge about identity work and the strategies used for regulating and negotiating an identity at work by exploring these constructs in this context. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research process formed the basis for this study. Nineteen employees from a global manufacturing company participated in two semi-structured in-depth interviews. Grounded theory was applied to analyse and interpret the data. Main findings: Nine strategies for identity work were identified and categorised into four broad themes (personal philosophies; relationships; career management and negotiating balance. Practical/managerial implications: Employees followed various strategies for defining themselves at work and this may have some implications for employee work engagement and productivity. Contribution/value-add: This study expands on current theoretical knowledge of identity work, and provides insights into the strategies people use to regulate and negotiate their identities at work.

The relationship between business strategy and organisational culture.

OpenAIRE

2008-01-01

This study has been undertaken with the specific objective of acquiring an insight into the concept “organisational culture” within a business strategic management context, as well as the role played by the organisation in the formulation and implementation of organisational strategy and culture. In this study an integrated approach is followed in order to describe and analyse the concepts within the context of business strategic management. The study confirms the importance of organisational...

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease through population-wide motivational strategies: insights from using smartphones in stroke prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Feigin, Valery L; Norrving, Bo; Mensah, George A

2017-01-01

The fast increasing stroke burden across all countries of the world suggests that currently used primary stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention strategies are not sufficiently effective. In this article, we overview the gaps in, and pros and cons of, population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies. We suggest that motivating and empowering people to reduce their risk of having a stroke/CVD by using increasingly used smartphone technologies would bridge the gap in the population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies and reduce stroke/CVD burden worldwide. We emphasise that for primary stroke prevention to be effective, the focus should be shifted from high-risk prevention to prevention at any level of CVD risk, with the focus on behavioural risk factors. Such a motivational population-wide strategy could open a new page in primary prevention of not only stroke/CVD but also other non-communicable disorders worldwide. PMID:28589034

Organizational Rhetoric in the Prospectuses of Elite Private Schools: Unpacking Strategies of Persuasion

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Paula; Pini, Barbara; Mayes, Robyn

2012-01-01

The way in which private schools use rhetoric in their communications offers important insights into how these organizational sites persuade audiences and leverage marketplace advantage in the context of contemporary educational platforms. Through systemic analysis of rhetorical strategies employed in 65 "elite" school prospectuses in…

Conference Reports:Strategies for marketing natural gas in the era of the mega-marketer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

This Insight conference was held to review the legal aspects of marketing strategies within the natural gas industry in light of the current trend of mergers and alliance activity within the energy industry. The deregulation of the natural gas industry, the resulting competitive marketplace, and the changes in marketing strategies resulting from these developments were the principal themes. The changing roles of decision makers, management and consultants within the industry were scrutinized

Business strategy reimagined: a paradigm shift based on “Creating Shared Value"

OpenAIRE

Böbel, Ingo

2015-01-01

Now is the time to reimagine Business Strategy (again)! What is the rationale for such a drastic request? We are driven by the insight that we have reached a tipping point caused by the acquisition of a critical mass of theoretical strategy knowledge coupled with sufficient practical business experience that has led to a point of no return (especially in the aftermath of the deep financial crisis that has changed the world since 2008). Consequently, in 2011, a movement was set in motion when...

Approaching the Distinction between Intuition and Insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhonglu; Lei, Yi; Li, Hong

2016-01-01

Intuition and insight share similar cognitive and neural basis. Though, there are still some essential differences between the two. Here in this short review, we discriminated between intuition, and insight in two aspects. First, intuition, and insight are toward different aspects of information processing. Whereas intuition involves judgment about "yes or no," insight is related to "what" is the solution. Second, tacit knowledge play different roles in between intuition and insight. On the one hand, tacit knowledge is conducive to intuitive judgment. On the other hand, tacit knowledge may first impede but later facilitate insight occurrence. Furthermore, we share theoretical, and methodological views on how to access the distinction between intuition and insight.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF EXCLUSIVE AND INCLUSIVE TALENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asta Savanevičienė

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the practical application of exclusive and inclusive talent management strategies in order to form and maintain a competitive human resource potential of the company. The features of both exclusive and inclusive talent management strategies were defined and their practical appication in companies of various Lithuaniam industries was studied. The input from the respondents suggests that major companies prefer the inclusive talent management strategy, rather than exclusive. Summing up all the research results, the following conclusions were formulated: the features characteristic to inclusive talent management strategy dominate in the companies of manufacturing, banking, catering, consulting, trade, energy, transport, and agribusiness industries. In the company of technology industry, features of a mixed (having both exclusive and inclusive talent management strategy are apparent. The company in the construction-engineering industry has the dominating features of exclusive talent management strategy. Inclusive talent management strategy responds to the principles of human potential development-oriented expression and is an important message for the formulation of further insight into talent management, based on the use of internal potential.

Successes and Challenges in School Meal Reform: Qualitative Insights From Food Service Directors.

Science.gov (United States)

Asada, Yuka; Ziemann, Margaret; Zatz, Lara; Chriqui, Jamie

2017-08-01

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards to increase healthy food offerings. A critical stakeholder in the implementation of standards is Food Service Directors (FSDs). We sought to examine FSDs' perspectives on revised school meal standards to gain insight into successful implementation strategies. Semistructured interviews were conducted with FSDs (N = 9) from high schools that had achieved HealthierUS Schools Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) status. Qualitative interview data were team coded in Atlas.ti v7 and analyzed with principles of constant comparative analysis. FSDs reported overall positive perceptions of the revised school meal standards and its potential impacts, as well as improved fruit and vegetable consumption, despite initial challenges with plate waste, procurement of whole grain-rich products, and fast paced sodium targets. Implementation was described as complex, ongoing processes; with time and in-service trainings, student acceptance to these changes improved. These findings are directly relevant to future reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and to revisions to the implementation time line for the federal school meal standards related to sodium, whole grains, and flavored milk. Insights into FSDs' strategies suggest that more time and targeted technical assistance at federal, state, and local levels is warranted. © 2017, American School Health Association.

Dimensions of insight in schizophrenia: Exploratory factor analysis of items from multiple self- and interviewer-rated measures of insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Konsztowicz, Susanna; Schmitz, Norbert; Lepage, Martin

2018-03-10

Insight in schizophrenia is regarded as a multidimensional construct that comprises aspects such as awareness of the disorder and recognition of the need for treatment. The proposed number of underlying dimensions of insight is variable in the literature. In an effort to identify a range of existing dimensions of insight, we conducted a factor analysis on combined items from multiple measures of insight. We recruited 165 participants with enduring schizophrenia (treated for >3years). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on itemized scores from two interviewer-rated measures of insight: the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight-Expanded and the abbreviated Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder; and two self-report measures: the Birchwood Insight Scale and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. A five-factor solution was selected as the best-fitting model, with the following dimensions of insight: 1) awareness of illness and the need for treatment; 2) awareness and attribution of symptoms and consequences; 3) self-certainty; 4) self-reflectiveness for objectivity and fallibility; and 5) self-reflectiveness for errors in reasoning and openness to feedback. Insight in schizophrenia is a multidimensional construct comprised of distinct clinical and cognitive domains of awareness. Multiple measures of insight, both clinician- and self-rated, are needed to capture all of the existing dimensions of insight. Future exploration of associations between the various dimensions and their potential determinants will facilitate the development of clinically useful models of insight and effective interventions to improve outcome. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Two Listening Strategies for Melodic Dictation

Science.gov (United States)

Buonviri, Nathan O.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine effects of two listening strategies on melodic dictation scores. Fifty-four undergraduate music majors completed short tonal melodic dictations in a within-subjects design with three conditions: (a) no specified strategy in the instructions, (b) required listening before writing, and (c) required writing…

Insights into business student's book

CERN Document Server

Lannon, Michael; Trappe, Tonya

1993-01-01

With Challenging reading and listening texts from a range of authentic business sources, New Insights into Business will really engage your students. The thorough language and vocabulary syllabus together with the strong focus on business skills development gives students everything they need to function effectively in the workplace. New Insights into Business is a self-contained course and is also an ideal follow-on to First Insights into Business.

Insight, self-stigma and psychosocial outcomes in Schizophrenia: a structural equation modelling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lien, Y-J; Chang, H-A; Kao, Y-C; Tzeng, N-S; Lu, C-W; Loh, C-H

2018-04-01

schizophrenia in non-Western societies, in which self-stigma plays a pivotal role. These findings elucidate the direct and indirect effects of insight on psychosocial outcomes and imply that identifying and correcting self-stigma in people with schizophrenia could be beneficial. Additional studies are required to identify whether several other neurocognitive or psychosocial variables mediate or moderate the association of insight with self-esteem, depression and QoL in patients with schizophrenia. Studies with detailed longitudinal assessments are necessary to confirm our findings.

Parental insightfulness: retrospect and prospect.

Science.gov (United States)

Koren-Karie, Nina; Oppenheim, David

2018-06-01

We open this introductory paper to the special issue with the theoretical and clinical roots of the insightfulness concept. Next, the Insightfulness Assessment (IA) is presented, followed by a review of key empirical findings supporting the IA. The central points in the papers in this special issue are reviewed next. These include the use of the IA with parents of children ranging in age from infancy to adolescence, its applicability outside the parent-child relationship (e.g. insightfulness toward a close friend), its use with high-risk mothers, and the usefulness of insightfulness both as a continuous and a categorical measure. The clinical applications of the IA are discussed, and we close with future directions for IA research.

Lithuanian Energy Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentukevichius, V.

1999-01-01

The First National Energy Strategy, outlining the principal provisions of the Government on the reconstruction and development of energy sector, was approved for a comparatively long period - until the year 2015. The Energy Law envisages that the energy strategy is approved by the Parliament and has to be revised every five year. This National Energy Strategy amended and specified the energy development trends defined in 1994. The recent positive developments and tendencies in Lithuania's economy called for the necessity to revise the strategies for the further development of the infra structural areas, especially the energy sector. The preparation of an updated National Energy Strategy was based on the overall forecasts for the development of the country, and also experience, which was gained by participation in the programmes and studies supported by European Union and PHARE, and also priorities indicated in the National Programme for Adoption of Acquis (NPAA programme). Formulation of the basic goals of the National Energy Strategy included requirements of the European Association Agreement, Energy Charter, and also principles and tendencies in the energy sector development of the member countries

40 CFR 123.46 - Individual control strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Individual control strategies. 123.46... PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Transfer of Information and Permit Review § 123.46 Individual control strategies. (a..., approval, and implementation an individual control strategy for each point source identified by the State...

Third-person Diagnostic Interview on the Cognitive Insight Level of Psychotic Patients with an Insight at the Denial Level.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehdizadeh, Mahsa; Rezaei, Omid

2016-01-01

According to the previous findings, the third-person technique improved the clinical insight of psychotic patients, therefore the present study aims to examine the effect of a third-person interview compared to a first-person interview on the level of cognitive insight of psychotic patients with an insight at the denial level. In this study, using interviews and questionnaires, a total number of 44 patients of Razi Psychiatric Educational and Treatment Center with an insight at the denial level being assessed using diagnostic interviews were divided randomly into two groups. Then, the two groups of patients' cognitive insights were evaluated using Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. The findings indicated that in psychotic patients with an insight at the denial level, the third-person technique of interview compared to the first-person had little effect on the improvement of overall cognitive insight and its components, including self-reflection and self-assurance; however, this effect was not strong enough to make a significant difference between the two groups of patients. According to the study findings, we can conclude that the third-person interview compared to the first-person interview has no effect on the improvement of the cognitive insight of psychotic patients with an insight at the denial level. This finding is consistent with the previous studies indicating that although the theory of mind has some correlations with the clinical insight of patients, it has no effect on their cognitive insight.

Regulation of phosphorus uptake and utilization: transitioning from current knowledge to practical strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Md Mahmudul; Hasan, Md Mainul; Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A; Li, Xuexian

2016-01-01

Phosphorus is a poorly bioavailable macronutrient that is essential for crop growth and yield. Overuse of phosphorus fertilizers results in low phosphorus use efficiency (PUE), has serious environmental consequences and accelerates the depletion of phosphorus mineral reserves. It has become extremely challenging to improve PUE while preserving global food supplies and maintaining environmental sustainability. Molecular and genetic analyses have revealed the primary mechanisms of phosphorus uptake and utilization and their relationships to phosphorus transporters, regulators, root architecture, metabolic adaptations, quantitative trait loci, hormonal signaling and microRNA. The ability to improve PUE requires a transition from this knowledge of molecular mechanisms and plant architecture to practical strategies. These could include: i) the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal symbioses for efficient phosphorus mining and uptake; ii) intercropping with suitable crop species to achieve phosphorus activation and mobilization in the soil; and iii) tissue-specific overexpression of homologous genes with advantageous agronomic properties for higher PUE along with breeding for phosphorus-efficient varieties and introgression of key quantitative trait loci. More effort is required to further dissect the mechanisms controlling phosphorus uptake and utilization within plants and provide new insight into the means to efficiently improve PUE.

Misleading or Falsification? Inferring Deceptive Strategies and Types in Online News and Social Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volkova, Svitlana; Jang, Jin Yea

2018-04-27

Deceptive information in online news and social media has had dramatic effect on our society in recent years. This study is the first to gain deeper insights into writers' intent behind digital misinformation by analyzing psycholinguistic signals: moral foundations and connotations extracted from different types of deceptive news ranging from strategic disinformation to propaganda and hoaxes. To ensure consistency of our findings and generalizability across domains, we experiment with data from: (1) confirmed cases of disinformation in news summaries, (2) {propaganda}, hoax, and disinformation news pages, and (3) social media news. We first contrast lexical markers of biased language, syntactic and stylistic signals, and connotations across deceptive news types including disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes, and {deceptive} strategies including misleading or falsification. We then incorporate these insights to build machine learning and deep learning predictive models to infer deception strategies and deceptive news types. Our experimental results demonstrate that unlike earlier work on deception detection, content combined with biased language markers, moral foundations, and connotations leads to better predictive performance of deception strategies compared to syntactic and stylistic signals (as reported in earlier work on deceptive reviews). Falsification strategy is easier to identify than misleading strategy. Disinformation is more difficult to predict than to propaganda or hoaxes. Deceptive news types (disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes), unlike deceptive strategies (falsification and misleading), are more salient, and thus easier to identify in tweets than in news reports. Finally, our novel connotation analysis across deception types provides deeper understanding of writers' perspectives and therefore reveals the intentions behind digital misinformation.

Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Second Edition

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Ceri B.; Stone, BJ; Hubbell, Elizabeth; Pitler, Howard

2012-01-01

First published in 2001, "Classroom Instruction That Works" revolutionized teaching by linking classroom strategies to evidence of increased student learning. Now this landmark guide has been reenergized and reorganized for today's classroom with new evidence-based insights and a refined framework that strengthens instructional planning. Whether…

Insights into Mechanisms of Chronic Neurodegeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abigail B. Diack

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD, and prion diseases are characterised by the accumulation of abnormal conformers of a host encoded protein in the central nervous system. The process leading to neurodegeneration is still poorly defined and thus development of early intervention strategies is challenging. Unique amongst these diseases are Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs or prion diseases, which have the ability to transmit between individuals. The infectious nature of these diseases has permitted in vivo and in vitro modelling of the time course of the disease process in a highly reproducible manner, thus early events can be defined. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the cell-to-cell spread of protein aggregates by a “prion-like mechanism” is common among the protein misfolding diseases. Thus, the TSE models may provide insights into disease mechanisms and testable hypotheses for disease intervention, applicable to a number of these chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

Strategi Pemasaran Global di Pasar Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Freddy Simbolon

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Globalization is a new challenge for companies in the implementation of marketing strategy. Due to globalization, companies are required to compete with world class companies that have large capital and higher quality products. Indonesia currently becomes the market target for global companies to enjoy huge profits, while the Indonesian companies lost the competition. This study aims to obtain global marketing strategy for Indonesian companies in Indonesian market. Research method used is descriptive analisys. Merger between adaptation of marketing strategies and standard marketing strategy is appropriate strategy in Indonesian market.

Cloud computing strategies

CERN Document Server

Chorafas, Dimitris N

2011-01-01

A guide to managing cloud projects, Cloud Computing Strategies provides the understanding required to evaluate the technology and determine how it can be best applied to improve business and enhance your overall corporate strategy. Based on extensive research, it examines the opportunities and challenges that loom in the cloud. It explains exactly what cloud computing is, what it has to offer, and calls attention to the important issues management needs to consider before passing the point of no return regarding financial commitments.

Requirements on future energy supply. Analysis on the demand of future power plant capacity and strategy for a sustainable power utilization in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-08-01

This strategy paper was drawn up with a view to maximum ecological compatibility of pwer plant modernization and sustainable power generation and use. The first part of the paper analyzes the power plants to be decommissioned on a medium-term basis and - against the background of several different scenarios for future power demand - an estimate of power plant capacities required by 2020. The second part describes the goals and concrete requirements of sustainable energy use. In the final part, the available instruments are presented, and those instruments are recommended that will be best suited for making power demand and supply efficient, sustainable and environment-friend.y [de

Insight in psychosis: Metacognitive processes and treatment

OpenAIRE

de Vos, Annerieke

2016-01-01

Insight is impaired in 50- 80% of the patients with schizophrenia. Annerieke de Vos working at GGZ Drenthe and the University Medical Hospital Groningen, aimed to elucidate which processes underlie impaired insight and tried to improve insight in patients by targeting these processes. On September 21st she will defend her thesis entitled: "Insight in psychosis. Metacognitive processes and treatment.". Patients with impaired insight may fail to recognize that things in life are not going well ...

Research Strategies in European Union Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manners, Ian James; Lynggaard, Kennet; Löfgren, Karl

2015-01-01

The contributing chapters of this book all illustrate the richness and diversity of problem-driven research in EU studies. This concluding chapter draws together the insights of this rich diversity in order to move the study of research strategies beyond the dichotomies of the past towards a new...... agenda for research on Europe. The crisis gripping the EU in the 21st century is not just an economic crisis, it is a crisis of belief in the EU. Research on the EU is deeply implicated in this crisis, not least because of the questions it does not ask, but also because of the pereceived weakness...... of demonstrating the methods and evidence used. A new agenda for research on Europe needs to acknowledge these weaknesses of the past and move beyond dichotomies towards greater awareness and openesss of the importance of research strategies, designs and methods....

The Effect of Queueing Strategy on Network Traffic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xue-Jun; Guan Xiang-Min; Sun Deng-Feng; Tang Shao-Ting

2013-01-01

In recent years, the transportation system has been faced by increasing challenge in congestion and inefficiency, and research in traffic network has become a significant area of interest. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic-information-based (DIB) queueing strategy into network traffic model under the efficient routing strategy. DIB makes a packet with higher priority to be delivered if there are less packets travelling along its path from the current node to the destination. It is found that, compared with the traditional first-in-first-out (FIFO) queueing strategy, DIB can effectively balance the traffic load of the system via delaying packets to be delivered to congested nodes. Although the network capacity has no obvious changes, some other indexes which reflect transportation efficiency are efficiently improved in the congestion state. Besides, extensive simulation results and discussions are provided to explain the phenomena. The results may provide novel insights for research on traffic systems. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

Using constitutive equation gap method for identification of elastic material parameters: Technical insights and illustrations

KAUST Repository

Florentin, É ric; Lubineau, Gilles

2011-01-01

based on experimental full-field measurement. From a technical point of view, this approach requires to quickly describe a space of statically admissible stress fields. We present here the technical insights, inspired from previous works in verification

Islamic Education With Multicultural Insight An Attempt Of Learning Unity In Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farid Hasyim, M.Ag

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Education has a vital role in smartening up human life; it is not surprising that the way to measure the quality of a civilization is determined by the quality of its educators. In the modern and heterogenic era as today, education with multicultural insight is required in order to give understanding about the importance of unity and diversity, so it is expected that there will be no more violence in the name of race, ethnicity, culture and even religion. Islam is often perceived as a harsh, exclusive and sectarian religion, whereas Islam is full of moral values, compassion, tolerance and inclusion. In response, Islamic education is required to give an understanding to the world that Islam is a religion that respects multiculturalism. This is where Islamic education with multicultural insight must be present in order to explain the relationship between man and God (hablun min Allah, theological aspects; the relationship of unity, namely human relationships with others (hablun min al-nas, anthropo-sociological aspects; and human relationship with the natural surroundings (hablun mi al-’Alam, cosmological aspect.

New insights into insight: Neurophysiological correlates of the difference between the intrinsic "aha" and the extrinsic "oh yes" moment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rothmaler, Katrin; Nigbur, Roland; Ivanova, Galina

2017-01-27

Insight refers to a situation in which a problem solver immediately changes his understanding of a problem situation. This representational change can either be triggered by external stimuli, like a hint or the solution itself, or by internal solution attempts. In the present paper, the differences and similarities between these two phenomena, namely "extrinsic" and "intrinsic" insight, are examined. To this end, electroencephalogram (EEG) is recorded while subjects either recognize or generate solutions to German verbal compound remote associate problems (CRA). Based on previous studies, we compare the alpha power prior to insightful solution recognition with the alpha power prior to insightful solution generation. Results show that intrinsic insights are preceded by an increase in alpha power at right parietal electrodes, while extrinsic insights are preceded by a respective decrease. These results can be interpreted in two ways. In consistency with other studies, the increase in alpha power before intrinsic insights can be interpreted as an increased internal focus of attention. Accordingly, the decrease in alpha power before extrinsic insights may be associated with a more externally oriented focus of attention. Alternatively, the increase in alpha power prior to intrinsic insights can be interpreted as an active inhibition of solution-related information, while the alpha power decrease prior to extrinsic insights may reflect its activation. Regardless of the interpretation, the results provide strong evidence that extrinsic and intrinsic insight differ on the behavioral as well as the neurophysiological level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Levodopa on Postural Strategies in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Baston, Chiara; Mancini, Martina; Rocchi, Laura; Horak, Fay

2016-05-01

Altered postural control and balance are major disabling issues of Parkinson's disease (PD). Static and dynamic posturography have provided insight into PD's postural deficits; however, little is known about impairments in postural coordination. We hypothesized that subjects with PD would show more ankle strategy during quiet stance than healthy control subjects, who would include some hip strategy, and this stiffer postural strategy would increase with disease progression. We quantified postural strategy and sway dispersion with inertial sensors (one placed on the shank and one on the posterior trunk at L5 level) while subjects were standing still with their eyes open. A total of 70 subjects with PD, including a mild group (H&Y≤2, N=33) and a more severe group (H&Y≥3, N=37), were assessed while OFF and while ON levodopa medication. We also included a healthy control group (N=21). Results showed an overall preference of ankle strategy in all groups while maintaining balance. Postural strategy was significantly lower ON compared to OFF medication (indicating more hip strategy), but no effect of disease stage was found. Instead, sway dispersion was significantly larger in ON compared to OFF medication, and significantly larger in the more severe PD group compared to the mild. In addition, increased hip strategy during stance was associated with poorer self-perception of balance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insight and satisfaction with life among adolescents with mental disorders: assessing associations with self-stigma and parental insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaziel, M; Hasson-Ohayon, I; Morag-Yaffe, M; Schapir, L; Zalsman, G; Shoval, G

2015-02-01

The purpose of the current study was to assess the associations of illness perception-related variables with satisfaction with life (SwL) among adolescents with mental disorders. Insight into mental disorder (SAI-E), Internalized stigma of mental illness (ISMI) and Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) were administrated to 30 adolescent patients. Adapted version for parents of the SAI-E was also administrated to 37 of their parents. Significant positive correlations were found between insight into the illness, self-stigma and parental insight. Insight and self-stigma were significantly negatively related to the total score of SwL and few of its dimensions while parental insight was significantly associated only with the SwL dimensions of school and self. Regression models revealed main negative effects of insight and self-stigma on SwL and no interaction effect. The possible independent contribution of insight and self-stigma to SwL should be addressed in interventions designed for family and adolescents coping with mental illness. Special attention should be given to the possible negative implications that insight possesses. In lack of support of the moderation role of self-stigma, reported in studies among adults with mental illness, future studies should trace other variables in order to further understand the insight paradox among adolescents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Applying insights from biofilm biology to drug development - can a new approach be developed?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjarnsholt, Thomas; Ciofu, Oana; Molin, Søren

2013-01-01

Most of the research on bacterial pathogenesis has focused on acute infections, but much less is known about the pathogenesis of infections caused by bacteria that grow as aggregates in biofilms. These infections tend to be chronic as they resist innate and adaptive immune defence mechanisms...... and pathology, and discuss how a deep insight into the physical and biological characteristics of biofilms can inform therapeutic strategies and molecular targets for the development of anti-biofilm drugs....

PREPARING FOR EXASCALE: ORNL Leadership Computing Application Requirements and Strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joubert, Wayne [ORNL; Kothe, Douglas B [ORNL; Nam, Hai Ah [ORNL

2009-12-01

In 2009 the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS), elicited petascale computational science requirements from leading computational scientists in the international science community. This effort targeted science teams whose projects received large computer allocation awards on OLCF systems. A clear finding of this process was that in order to reach their science goals over the next several years, multiple projects will require computational resources in excess of an order of magnitude more powerful than those currently available. Additionally, for the longer term, next-generation science will require computing platforms of exascale capability in order to reach DOE science objectives over the next decade. It is generally recognized that achieving exascale in the proposed time frame will require disruptive changes in computer hardware and software. Processor hardware will become necessarily heterogeneous and will include accelerator technologies. Software must undergo the concomitant changes needed to extract the available performance from this heterogeneous hardware. This disruption portends to be substantial, not unlike the change to the message passing paradigm in the computational science community over 20 years ago. Since technological disruptions take time to assimilate, we must aggressively embark on this course of change now, to insure that science applications and their underlying programming models are mature and ready when exascale computing arrives. This includes initiation of application readiness efforts to adapt existing codes to heterogeneous architectures, support of relevant software tools, and procurement of next-generation hardware testbeds for porting and testing codes. The 2009 OLCF requirements process identified numerous actions necessary to meet this challenge: (1) Hardware capabilities must be

PREPARING FOR EXASCALE: ORNL Leadership Computing Application Requirements and Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joubert, Wayne; Kothe, Douglas B.; Nam, Hai Ah

2009-01-01

In 2009 the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS), elicited petascale computational science requirements from leading computational scientists in the international science community. This effort targeted science teams whose projects received large computer allocation awards on OLCF systems. A clear finding of this process was that in order to reach their science goals over the next several years, multiple projects will require computational resources in excess of an order of magnitude more powerful than those currently available. Additionally, for the longer term, next-generation science will require computing platforms of exascale capability in order to reach DOE science objectives over the next decade. It is generally recognized that achieving exascale in the proposed time frame will require disruptive changes in computer hardware and software. Processor hardware will become necessarily heterogeneous and will include accelerator technologies. Software must undergo the concomitant changes needed to extract the available performance from this heterogeneous hardware. This disruption portends to be substantial, not unlike the change to the message passing paradigm in the computational science community over 20 years ago. Since technological disruptions take time to assimilate, we must aggressively embark on this course of change now, to insure that science applications and their underlying programming models are mature and ready when exascale computing arrives. This includes initiation of application readiness efforts to adapt existing codes to heterogeneous architectures, support of relevant software tools, and procurement of next-generation hardware testbeds for porting and testing codes. The 2009 OLCF requirements process identified numerous actions necessary to meet this challenge: (1) Hardware capabilities must be

Stigma as a predictor of insight in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruß, Linda; Wiedl, Karl Heinz; Waldorf, Manuel

2012-07-30

Insight in schizophrenia can be seen as a multifactorial phenomenon. Although multifactorial pathways have also been suggested for insight formation, motivational explanations have rarely been tested. The present study explores stigma as one possible determinant of a motivated lack of insight in integrated models of insight formation. It examines the contribution of socio-demographic and clinical variables, neurocognitive functions, symptoms, and stigma to the prediction of insight into illness. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N=111) participated in a comprehensive battery of instruments to measure insight dimensions, stigma, neurocognitive functions, symptoms, socio-demographic and clinical variables. Blockwise multiple regression analysis indicates significant association of variability in insight dimensions with gender (7%) and stigma (i. e., stereotype agreement: 5%). Our findings demonstrate an incremental validity of stigma, which indicates a motivational pathway of insight formation. This study enables better understanding of the multifactorial nature of insight, which should be considered in therapeutic interventions to improve insight. The roles of gender and neurocognitive functions in insight formation are also discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Course of insight in manic episode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Kumar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Insight is an important factor associated with non compliance and poor outcome. Poor level of insight has been described as a characteristic in patients with acute bipolar disorder with more unawareness in social consequences with increasing severity in manic episode. Aim: Main aim of study was to see the baseline and longitudinal relationship between dimensions of insight with improvement in psychopathology. Setting and Design: Forty four patients diagnosed with mania, were selected from an inpatient setting at Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Agra with mean age of 31.07(±9.00 years. They were assessed at base line and were followed up weekly or psychopathology and insight. Materials and Methods: The Young′s mania rating scale for psychopathology and insight was assessed on three dimensions of SUMD. Results: Twenty five patients eventually completed the study. There was a positive correlation with global insight and with psychopathology consistent in longitudinal follow-up (P<0.05, but not correlating for awareness for achieved effect of medication and social consequences. Linear regression showed a positive relationship at the first and second week of assessment of SUMD and YMRS scores (P=0.001; 0.019. Conclusion: Improvement in insight is graded in a manic episode as compared to psychopathology. There is slower improvement in awareness of social consequences of mental disorder. It means that improvement in psychopathology may not necessarily indicate remission and need further supervision to improve insight and hence monitoring.

Carl Von Clausewitz's on War A Modern-Day Interpretation of a Strategy Classic

CERN Document Server

Holmes, Andrew

2010-01-01

Here, Andrew Holmes' interpretation of On War illustrates the timeless nature of von Clausewitz's insights by bringing them to life through 52 modern case studies of business and society. This brilliant interpretation of On War is an entertaining accompaniment to one of the most famous strategy books ever written.

Leadership and Strategies in the 21st Century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amos Avny

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article defines and describes what are Strategy and leadership. It further explains that since the World configuration is uncertain and it changes even during these days, a new socio-economic strategy is required. The failure of both the traditional ideologies, Socialism and Capitalism, to provide a satisfactory prognosis induces, the Author to offer his Social-capitalism concept. The given prognosis combines the positive features of each of the two older views and offers a strategy working on a balanced and comprehensive mode of operation. Competent and proficient leadership are required from those who will be dedicated to establish, install and administer this strategy. Leaders are required to set an Example and should wish to become Role Models. Since they are very crucial and essential for moving people leaders should permanently improve and expand their personal communicating talent and their ability to inspire other people

Department of Energy licensing strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frei, M.W.

1984-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) is authorized by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Act) to site, design, construct, and operate mined geologic repositories for high-level radioactive wastes and is required to obtain licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to achieve that mandate. To this end the DOE has developed a licensing approach which defines program strategies and which will facilitate and ease the licensing process. This paper will discuss the regulatory framework within which the repository program is conducted, the DOE licensing strategy, and the interactions between DOE and NRC in implementing the strategy. A licensing strategy is made necessary by the unique technical nature of the repository. Such a facility has never before been licensed; furthermore, the duration of isolation of waste demanded by the proposed EPA standard will require a degree of reliance on probabilistic performance assessment as proof of compliance that is a first of a kind for any industry. The licensing strategy is also made necessary by the complex interrelationships among the many involved governmental agencies and even within DOE itself, and because these relationships will change with time. Program activities which recognize these relationships are essential for implementing the Act. The guiding principle in this strategy is an overriding commitment to safeguarding public health and safety and to protecting the environment

Human taeniasis: current insights into prevention and management strategies in endemic countries

Science.gov (United States)

Okello, Anna L; Thomas, Lian Francesca

2017-01-01

Human taeniasis is a zoonotic condition resulting from infection with the adult stages of Taenia saginata (“beef tapeworm”), Taenia solium (“pork tapeworm”) or Taenia asiatica (“Asian tapeworm”). Although these parasites have a worldwide distribution, the overwhelming burden is felt by communities in low- and middle-income countries. This is particularly true for T. solium, whereby infection of the central nervous system with the larval stage of the parasite (neurocysticercosis) is a major cause of acquired epilepsy in low-resource settings. With a focus on endemic countries, this review provides an insight into the prevention and management of human taeniasis, concluding with some recent case studies describing their implementation. Discussion of the opportunities and challenges regarding current fecal and serological diagnostic assays for detecting Taenia spp. highlights the importance of accurate and accessible diagnostic options for the field situation. The lack of long-term impact on the parasites’ lifecycle from human anthelmintic treatment, coupled with the propensity for adverse reactions, highlights the importance of a “two-pronged” approach that considers the relevant animal hosts, particularly in the case of T. solium. Aside from the therapeutic options, this review reiterates the importance of adequate assessment and consideration of the associated behavioral and policy aspects around sanitation, hygiene and meat inspection that have been shown to support parasite control, and potential elimination, in endemic regions. PMID:28615981

Analysis of the energy requirement for household consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vringer, Kees

2005-01-01

Humans in households use energy for their activities. This use is both direct, for example electricity and natural gas, but also indirect, for the production, transport and trade of other goods and services. The main objective of this thesis is to gain insight into the energy requirement associated

An Overview of Advanced SILAC-Labeling Strategies for Quantitative Proteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Terzi, F; Cambridge, S

2017-01-01

Comparative, quantitative mass spectrometry of proteins provides great insight to protein abundance and function, but some molecular characteristics related to protein dynamics are not so easily obtained. Because the metabolic incorporation of stable amino acid isotopes allows the extraction of distinct temporal and spatial aspects of protein dynamics, the SILAC methodology is uniquely suited to be adapted for advanced labeling strategies. New SILAC strategies have emerged that allow deeper foraging into the complexity of cellular proteomes. Here, we review a few advanced SILAC-labeling strategies that have been published during last the years. Among them, different subsaturating-labeling as well as dual-labeling schemes are most prominent for a range of analyses including those of neuronal proteomes, secretion, or cell-cell-induced stimulations. These recent developments suggest that much more information can be gained from proteomic analyses if the labeling strategies are specifically tailored toward the experimental design. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the state of quality-improvement science through evidence synthesis: insights from the closing the quality gap series.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Kathryn M; Schultz, Ellen M; Chang, Christine

2013-01-01

The Closing the Quality Gap series from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality summarizes evidence for eight high-priority health care topics: outcomes used in disability research, bundled payment programs, public reporting initiatives, health care disparities, palliative care, the patient-centered medical home, prevention of health care-associated infections, and medication adherence. To distill evidence from this series and provide insight into the "state of the science" of quality improvement (QI). We provided common guidance for topic development and qualitatively synthesized evidence from the series topic reports to identify cross-topic themes, challenges, and evidence gaps as related to QI practice and science. Among topics that examined effectiveness of QI interventions, we found improvement in some outcomes but not others. Implementation context and potential harms from QI activities were not widely evaluated or reported, although market factors appeared important for incentive-based QI strategies. Patient-focused and systems-focused strategies were generally more effective than clinician-focused strategies, although the latter approach improved clinician adherence to infection prevention strategies. Audit and feedback appeared better for targeting professionals and organizations, but not patients. Topic reviewers observed heterogeneity in outcomes used for QI evaluations, weaknesses in study design, and incomplete reporting. Synthesizing evidence across topics provided insight into the state of the QI field for practitioners and researchers. To facilitate future evidence synthesis, consensus is needed around a smaller set of outcomes for use in QI evaluations and a framework and lexicon to describe QI interventions more broadly, in alignment with needs of decision makers responsible for improving quality.

Applying risk insights in US NRC reviews of integral pressurized water reactor designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caruso, M.A.; Hilsmeier, T.; Kevern, T.A.

2012-01-01

In its Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) on COMGBJ-10-0004/COMGEA-10-0001, 'Use of Risk Insights to Enhance Safety Focus of Small Modular Reactor Reviews,' dated August 31, 2010 (ML102510405), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) directed the NRC staff to more fully integrate the use of risk insights into pre-application activities and the review of small modular reactor (SMR) applications with near-term focus on integral pressurized water reactor (iPWR) designs. The Commission's objective is to align the review focus and resources with the risk-significant systems, structures, and components (SSCs) and other aspects of the design, that contribute most to safety in order to enhance the efficiency of the review process while still enabling a decision of reasonable assurance of the design's safety. The staff was directed to develop a design-specific, risk-informed review plan for each SMR to address pre-application and application review activities. The NRC staff submitted a response to the Commission which describes its approach for (1) using risk insights, consistent with current regulatory requirements, to assign SSCs to one of a limited set of graded categories, and (2) adjusting the scope and depth of current review plans--where possible--consistent with regulatory requirements and consistent with the applicable graded category. Because the staff's review constitutes an independent audit of the application, the staff may emphasize or de-emphasize particular aspects of its review guidance (i.e., Standard Review Plan), as appropriate and consistent with regulatory requirements, for the application being reviewed. The staff may propose justifications for not performing certain sections of the reviews called for by the applicable review plan. Examples of acceptable variations in the scope of a review can include reduced emphasis on SSC attributes such as reliability, availability, or functional performance when the SSC will be in the scope of a program

Understanding Insight in the Context of Q

Science.gov (United States)

Coghlan, David

2012-01-01

In Revans' learning formula, L = P + Q, Q represents "questioning insight", by which Revans means that insight comes out of the process of questioning programmed knowledge (P) in the light of experience. We typically focus on the content of an insight rather than on the act of insight. Drawing primarily on the work of Bernard Lonergan this paper…

Proteomics insights into DNA damage response and translating this knowledge to clinical strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

von Stechow, Louise; Olsen, Jesper V

2017-01-01

Genomic instability is a critical driver in the process of cancer formation. At the same time, inducing DNA damage by irradiation or genotoxic compounds constitutes a key therapeutic strategy to kill fast-dividing cancer cells. Sensing of DNA lesions initiates a complex set of signalling pathways......) in the DDR. Finally, we provide an outlook on how proteomics studies of the DDR could aid clinical developments on multiple levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

Performance, Calibration and Stability of the Mars InSight Mission Pressure Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Banfield, Don; Banerdt, Bruce; Hurst, Ken; Grinblat, Jonny; murray, alex; Carpenter, Scott

2017-10-01

The NASA Mars InSight Discovery Mission is primarily aimed at understanding the seismic environment at Mars and in turn the interior structure of the planet. To this end, it carries a set of very sensitive seismometers to characterize fine ground movements from quakes, impacts and tides. However, to remove atmospheric perturbations that would otherwise corrupt the seismic signals, InSight also carries a pressure sensor of unprecedented sensitivity and frequency response for a Mars mission.The instrument is based on a commercial spacecraft pressure sensor built by the Tavis Corporation. Tavis heritage transducers have provided pressure measurements on several interplanetary missions, starting with a similar application on the Viking Landers. The sensor developed for the Insight mission is their most sensitive device. That same sensitivity was the root of the challenges faced in the design and development for Insight. It uses inductive sensing of a deformable membrane, and includes an internal temperature sensor to compensate for temperature effects in its overall response.The technical requirement on the pressure sensor performance is 0.01(f/0.1)^(-2/3) Pa/sqrt(Hz) between 0.01 and 0.1 Hz, and 0.01 Pa/sqrt(Hz) between 0.1 and 1 Hz. The actual noise spectrum is about 0.01(f/0.3)^(-2/3) Pa/sqrt(Hz) between 0.01 and 1 Hz, and its frequency response (including inlet plumbing) has good response up to about 10 Hz Nyquist (it will be sampled at 20 Hz).Achieving the required sensitivity proved to be a difficult engineering challenge, which necessitated extensive experimentation and prototyping of the electronics design. In addition, a late discovery of the introduction of noise by the signal processing chain into the measurement stream forced a last-minute change in the instrument’s firmware.The flight unit has been calibrated twice, separated by a time span of about 2 years due to the delay in launching the InSight mission. This has the benefit of allowing a direct

Active Anti-erosion Protection Strategy in Tamarisk (Tamarix aphylla)

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhiwu; Yin, Wei; Zhang, Junqiu; Niu, Shichao; Ren, Luquan

2013-12-01

Plants have numerous active protection strategies for adapting to complex and severe environments. These strategies provide endless inspiration for extending the service life of materials and machines. Tamarisk (Tamarix aphylla), a tree that thrives in raging sandstorm regions, has adapted to blustery conditions by evolving extremely effective and robust erosion resistant characteristics. However, the relationships among its surface cracks, internal histology and biomechanics, such as cracks, rings, cells, elasticity modulus and growth stress, which account for its erosion resistance, remain unclear. This present study reveals that the directionally eccentric growth rings of tamarisk, which are attributed to reduced stress and accelerated cell division, promote the formation of surface cracks. The windward rings are more extensive than the leeward side rings. The windward surfaces are more prone to cracks, which improves erosion resistance. Our data provide insight into the active protection strategy of the tamarisk against wind-sand erosion.

Multi-Robot Assembly Strategies and Metrics

Science.gov (United States)

MARVEL, JEREMY A.; BOSTELMAN, ROGER; FALCO, JOE

2018-01-01

We present a survey of multi-robot assembly applications and methods and describe trends and general insights into the multi-robot assembly problem for industrial applications. We focus on fixtureless assembly strategies featuring two or more robotic systems. Such robotic systems include industrial robot arms, dexterous robotic hands, and autonomous mobile platforms, such as automated guided vehicles. In this survey, we identify the types of assemblies that are enabled by utilizing multiple robots, the algorithms that synchronize the motions of the robots to complete the assembly operations, and the metrics used to assess the quality and performance of the assemblies. PMID:29497234

Multi-Robot Assembly Strategies and Metrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Marvel, Jeremy A; Bostelman, Roger; Falco, Joe

2018-02-01

We present a survey of multi-robot assembly applications and methods and describe trends and general insights into the multi-robot assembly problem for industrial applications. We focus on fixtureless assembly strategies featuring two or more robotic systems. Such robotic systems include industrial robot arms, dexterous robotic hands, and autonomous mobile platforms, such as automated guided vehicles. In this survey, we identify the types of assemblies that are enabled by utilizing multiple robots, the algorithms that synchronize the motions of the robots to complete the assembly operations, and the metrics used to assess the quality and performance of the assemblies.

The effect of social media marketing, on brand marketing and communication strategy: the case of Visit Denmark.

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Lingling

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: This thesis seeks to provide insight into the integration of social media marketing communications and brand strategy from the perspective of the destination marketing organization. Method: Qualitative case study methodology generated understanding of the approach to DMOs’ marketing. Interview allows exploration of how online marketing strategies with the practice of social media used in destination branding processes and content analysis to analyze audience engagement to ...

Identity at work: Exploring strategies for Identity Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byron G. Adams

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Orientation: This study explored strategies for identity work that are central to the negotiation and regulation of employee work identity.Research purpose: The main aim of this study was to explore employee narratives and identify the strategies available to them in the process of identity work, as they defined themselves at work.Motivation for the study: As there is a scarcity of research on identity work in South Africa, this study wanted to advance knowledge about identity work and the strategies used for regulating and negotiating an identity at work by exploring these constructs in this context.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research process formed the basis for this study. Nineteen employees from a global manufacturing company participated in two semi-structured in-depth interviews. Grounded theory was applied to analyse and interpret the data.Main findings: Nine strategies for identity work were identified and categorised into four broad themes (personal philosophies; relationships; career management and negotiating balance.Practical/managerial implications: Employees followed various strategies for defining themselves at work and this may have some implications for employee work engagement and productivity.Contribution/value-add: This study expands on current theoretical knowledge of identity work, and provides insights into the strategies people use to regulate and negotiate their identities at work. 

Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Neogy, P.

1993-01-01

Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize the release of radioactivity during a severe accident in a nuclear reactor. The objective is to make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of these strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident, i.e. after the molten core penetrates the reactor vessel. Significant uncertainties exist regarding some of the phenomena involved with this phase of a severe accident. The identification and assessment process for containment and release strategies is described, and some insights derived from its application to a BWR Mark I plant are presented. A station blackout accident for this kind of plant is considered. The challenges encountered are identified and existing emergency guidelines are reviewed, where needed and when possible, new strategies are devised. The feasibility and effectiveness of these new strategies are assessed, making due allowances for the complicated phenomena and associated uncertainties involved. Both beneficial and adverse effects of the suggested strategies are considered. (orig.)

Terrorism and Investigation Strategies

OpenAIRE

Muhammad Mustofa

2005-01-01

This paper discussed that, for successful implementation of the strategies in investigating terrorism, besides requiring professional skilled investigators, there are some additional requirements that need to be fulfilled. Effective and long term prevention of terrorism should be directed towards producing good social welfare and to minimize every condition that may be conducive to the emergence of terrorism, such as discrimination and marginalization.

Zebrafish Models of Human Leukemia: Technological Advances and Mechanistic Insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Nicholas R; Laroche, Fabrice J F; Gutierrez, Alejandro; Feng, Hui

2016-01-01

Insights concerning leukemic pathophysiology have been acquired in various animal models and further efforts to understand the mechanisms underlying leukemic treatment resistance and disease relapse promise to improve therapeutic strategies. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a vertebrate organism with a conserved hematopoietic program and unique experimental strengths suiting it for the investigation of human leukemia. Recent technological advances in zebrafish research including efficient transgenesis, precise genome editing, and straightforward transplantation techniques have led to the generation of a number of leukemia models. The transparency of the zebrafish when coupled with improved lineage-tracing and imaging techniques has revealed exquisite details of leukemic initiation, progression, and regression. With these advantages, the zebrafish represents a unique experimental system for leukemic research and additionally, advances in zebrafish-based high-throughput drug screening promise to hasten the discovery of novel leukemia therapeutics. To date, investigators have accumulated knowledge of the genetic underpinnings critical to leukemic transformation and treatment resistance and without doubt, zebrafish are rapidly expanding our understanding of disease mechanisms and helping to shape therapeutic strategies for improved outcomes in leukemic patients.

The "Insight Paradox" in Schizophrenia: Magnitude, Moderators and Mediators of the Association Between Insight and Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Belvederi Murri, Martino; Amore, Mario; Calcagno, Pietro; Respino, Matteo; Marozzi, Valentina; Masotti, Mattia; Bugliani, Michele; Innamorati, Marco; Pompili, Maurizio; Galderisi, Silvana; Maj, Mario

2016-09-01

The so-called "insight paradox" posits that among patients with schizophrenia higher levels of insight are associated with increased levels of depression. Although different studies examined this issue, only few took in account potential confounders or factors that could influence this association. In a sample of clinically stable patients with schizophrenia, insight and depression were evaluated using the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Other rating scales were used to assess the severity of psychotic symptoms, extrapyramidal symptoms, hopelessness, internalized stigma, self-esteem, and service engagement. Regression models were used to estimate the magnitude of the association between insight and depression while accounting for the role of confounders. Putative psychological and sociodemographic factors that could act as mediators and moderators were examined using the PROCESS macro. By accounting for the role of confounding factors, the strength of the association between insight into symptoms and depression increased from 13% to 25% explained covariance. Patients with lower socioeconomic status (F = 8.5, P = .04), more severe illness (F = 4.8, P = .03) and lower levels of service engagement (F = 4.7, P = .03) displayed the strongest association between insight and depression. Lastly, hopelessness, internalized stigma and perceived discrimination acted as significant mediators. The relationship between insight and depression should be considered a well established phenomenon among patients with schizophrenia: it seems stronger than previously reported especially among patients with lower socioeconomic status, severe illness and poor engagement with services. These findings may have relevant implications for the promotion of insight among patients with schizophrenia. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved

Eye Movements Reveal Optimal Strategies for Analogical Reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Vendetti, Michael S; Starr, Ariel; Johnson, Elizabeth L; Modavi, Kiana; Bunge, Silvia A

2017-01-01

Analogical reasoning refers to the process of drawing inferences on the basis of the relational similarity between two domains. Although this complex cognitive ability has been the focus of inquiry for many years, most models rely on measures that cannot capture individuals' thought processes moment by moment. In the present study, we used participants' eye movements to investigate reasoning strategies in real time while solving visual propositional analogy problems (A:B::C:D). We included both a semantic and a perceptual lure on every trial to determine how these types of distracting information influence reasoning strategies. Participants spent more time fixating the analogy terms and the target relative to the other response choices, and made more saccades between the A and B items than between any other items. Participants' eyes were initially drawn to perceptual lures when looking at response choices, but they nonetheless performed the task accurately. We used participants' gaze sequences to classify each trial as representing one of three classic analogy problem solving strategies and related strategy usage to analogical reasoning performance. A project-first strategy, in which participants first extrapolate the relation between the AB pair and then generalize that relation for the C item, was both the most commonly used strategy as well as the optimal strategy for solving visual analogy problems. These findings provide new insight into the role of strategic processing in analogical problem solving.

Eye Movements Reveal Optimal Strategies for Analogical Reasoning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael S. Vendetti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Analogical reasoning refers to the process of drawing inferences on the basis of the relational similarity between two domains. Although this complex cognitive ability has been the focus of inquiry for many years, most models rely on measures that cannot capture individuals' thought processes moment by moment. In the present study, we used participants' eye movements to investigate reasoning strategies in real time while solving visual propositional analogy problems (A:B::C:D. We included both a semantic and a perceptual lure on every trial to determine how these types of distracting information influence reasoning strategies. Participants spent more time fixating the analogy terms and the target relative to the other response choices, and made more saccades between the A and B items than between any other items. Participants' eyes were initially drawn to perceptual lures when looking at response choices, but they nonetheless performed the task accurately. We used participants' gaze sequences to classify each trial as representing one of three classic analogy problem solving strategies and related strategy usage to analogical reasoning performance. A project-first strategy, in which participants first extrapolate the relation between the AB pair and then generalize that relation for the C item, was both the most commonly used strategy as well as the optimal strategy for solving visual analogy problems. These findings provide new insight into the role of strategic processing in analogical problem solving.

An introduction to capital markets products, strategies, participants

CERN Document Server

Chisholm, Andrew M

2002-01-01

This comprehensive resource provides a complete introduction to global capital markets by explaining key instruments used in markets and their practical applications. An Introduction to Capital Marketsassumes no starting knowledge of the subject and begins with a general overview of the structure of the capital markets industry. Readers will quickly learn about swaps applications, options trading strategies, and much more. This introduction to financial markets offer valuable insights for anyone interested in the theory, practice, products, and applications within this field.

Altered cortical GABA neurotransmission in schizophrenia: insights into novel therapeutic strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Stan, Ana D; Lewis, David A

2012-06-01

Altered markers of cortical GABA neurotransmission are among the most consistently observed abnormalities in postmortem studies of schizophrenia. The altered markers are particularly evident between the chandelier class of GABA neurons and their synaptic targets, the axon initial segment (AIS) of pyramidal neurons. For example, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia immunoreactivity for the GABA membrane transporter is decreased in presynaptic chandelier neuron axon terminals, whereas immunoreactivity for the GABAA receptor α2 subunit is increased in postsynaptic AIS. Both of these molecular changes appear to be compensatory responses to a presynaptic deficit in GABA synthesis, and thus could represent targets for novel therapeutic strategies intended to augment the brain's own compensatory mechanisms. Recent findings that GABA inputs from neocortical chandelier neurons can be powerfully excitatory provide new ideas about the role of these neurons in the pathophysiology of cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia, and consequently in the design of pharmacological interventions.

Key insights for the future of urban ecosystem services research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peleg Kremer

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Understanding the dynamics of urban ecosystem services is a necessary requirement for adequate planning, management, and governance of urban green infrastructure. Through the three-year Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES research project, we conducted case study and comparative research on urban biodiversity and ecosystem services across seven cities in Europe and the United States. Reviewing > 50 peer-reviewed publications from the project, we present and discuss seven key insights that reflect cumulative findings from the project as well as the state-of-the-art knowledge in urban ecosystem services research. The insights from our review indicate that cross-sectoral, multiscale, interdisciplinary research is beginning to provide a solid scientific foundation for applying the ecosystem services framework in urban areas and land management. Our review offers a foundation for seeking novel, nature-based solutions to emerging urban challenges such as wicked environmental change issues.

Dengue virus requires the CC-chemokine receptor CCR5 for replication and infection development.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Rafael E; Guabiraba, Rodrigo; Del Sarto, Juliana L; Rocha, Rebeca F; Queiroz, Ana Luiza; Cisalpino, Daniel; Marques, Pedro E; Pacca, Carolina C; Fagundes, Caio T; Menezes, Gustavo B; Nogueira, Maurício L; Souza, Danielle G; Teixeira, Mauro M

2015-08-01

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that affects millions of people worldwide yearly. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment available. Further investigation on dengue pathogenesis is required to better understand the disease and to identify potential therapeutic targets. The chemokine system has been implicated in dengue pathogenesis, although the specific role of chemokines and their receptors remains elusive. Here we describe the role of the CC-chemokine receptor CCR5 in Dengue virus (DENV-2) infection. In vitro experiments showed that CCR5 is a host factor required for DENV-2 replication in human and mouse macrophages. DENV-2 infection induces the expression of CCR5 ligands. Incubation with an antagonist prevents CCR5 activation and reduces DENV-2 positive-stranded (+) RNA inside macrophages. Using an immunocompetent mouse model of DENV-2 infection we found that CCR5(-/-) mice were resistant to lethal infection, presenting at least 100-fold reduction of viral load in target organs and significant reduction in disease severity. This phenotype was reproduced in wild-type mice treated with CCR5-blocking compounds. Therefore, CCR5 is a host factor required for DENV-2 replication and disease development. Targeting CCR5 might represent a therapeutic strategy for dengue fever. These data bring new insights on the association between viral infections and the chemokine receptor CCR5. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The “Insight Paradox” in Schizophrenia: Magnitude, Moderators and Mediators of the Association Between Insight and Depression

Science.gov (United States)

Belvederi Murri, Martino; Amore, Mario; Calcagno, Pietro; Respino, Matteo; Marozzi, Valentina; Masotti, Mattia; Bugliani, Michele; Innamorati, Marco; Pompili, Maurizio; Galderisi, Silvana; Maj, Mario

2016-01-01

The so-called “insight paradox” posits that among patients with schizophrenia higher levels of insight are associated with increased levels of depression. Although different studies examined this issue, only few took in account potential confounders or factors that could influence this association. In a sample of clinically stable patients with schizophrenia, insight and depression were evaluated using the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Other rating scales were used to assess the severity of psychotic symptoms, extrapyramidal symptoms, hopelessness, internalized stigma, self-esteem, and service engagement. Regression models were used to estimate the magnitude of the association between insight and depression while accounting for the role of confounders. Putative psychological and sociodemographic factors that could act as mediators and moderators were examined using the PROCESS macro. By accounting for the role of confounding factors, the strength of the association between insight into symptoms and depression increased from 13% to 25% explained covariance. Patients with lower socioeconomic status (F = 8.5, P = .04), more severe illness (F = 4.8, P = .03) and lower levels of service engagement (F = 4.7, P = .03) displayed the strongest association between insight and depression. Lastly, hopelessness, internalized stigma and perceived discrimination acted as significant mediators. The relationship between insight and depression should be considered a well established phenomenon among patients with schizophrenia: it seems stronger than previously reported especially among patients with lower socioeconomic status, severe illness and poor engagement with services. These findings may have relevant implications for the promotion of insight among patients with schizophrenia. PMID:27069064

Use of Language Learning Strategies by Spanish Adults for Mastering Business English

Science.gov (United States)

Judge, Jeffrey Wallace

2010-01-01

Research of language learning strategy (LLS) has provided insight for language learners from many international cultures since this branch of research began in the 1970s. Despite the urgent need for competence in the use of business English in Western Europe, LLS studies have not been conducted on Spanish adults who use English for business. The…

The Videographic Requirements Gathering Method for Adolescent-Focused Interaction Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara Peyton

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We present a novel method for conducting requirements gathering with adolescent populations. Called videographic requirements gathering, this technique makes use of mobile phone data capture and participant creation of media images. The videographic requirements gathering method can help researchers and designers gain intimate insight into adolescent lives while simultaneously reducing power imbalances. We provide rationale for this approach, pragmatics of using the method, and advice on overcoming common challenges facing researchers and designers relying on this technique.

[Poor insight and psychosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Giotakos, O

2017-01-01

A variety of phenomena might be considered as reflecting impaired insight in psychosis, like failure to recognize signs, symptoms or disease, failure to derive appropriate cognitive representations, despite recognition of the disease, and misattribution of the source or cause of the disease. The unawareness of tardive dyskinesia symptoms in schizophrenic patients points that self-awareness deficits in schizophrenia may be domain specific. Poor insight is an independent phenomenological and a prevalent feature in psychotic disorders in general, and in schizophrenia in particular, but we don't know yet if delusions in schizophrenia are the result of an entirely normal attempt to account for abnormal perceptual experiences or a product of abnormal experience but of normal reasoning. The theoretical approaches regarding impaired insight include the disturbed perceptual input, the impaired linkage between thought and emotion and the breakdown of the process of self-monitoring and error checking. The inability to distinguish between internally and externally generated mental events has been described by the metarepresentation theory. This theory includes the awareness of ones' goals, which leads to disorders of willed action, the awareness of intention, which leads to movement disorders, and the awareness of intentions of others, which leads to paranoid delusions. The theory of metarepresentation implies mainly output mechanisms, like the frontal cortex, while the input mechanism implies posterior brain systems, including the parietal lobe. There are many similarities between the disturbances of awareness seen in schizophrenia and those seen as a result of known neurological impairment. Neuropsychological models of impaired insight typically attribute the disturbance to any of a variety of core deficits in the processing of information. In this respect, lack of insight is on conceptual par with alogia, apraxia or aphasia in reflecting disturbed cognitive processing. In

Using behavioural insights for citizen compliance and cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane Robb

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, public agencies have frequently deployed behavioural insights to generate benefits for society, through encouraging citizens to comply with official requests, and more generally encouraging them to cooperate with public agencies to help deliver outcomes of collective benefit. In parallel, there has been a large increase in the amount and quality of the research evidence available on behavioural public policy. This review takes two contrasting areas where behavioural insights have been used: tax collection where government policy is compulsory (i.e. requiring compliance, and energy use where social objectives are non-compulsory, and achieved more by persuasion and encouragement. Processes of modifying and changing behaviour require different approaches whether the change is deemed necessary by the state or not. In taxes, the sole use of enforcement is rarely efficacious, whereas increasing the uncertainty of follow-up and audit increases compliance. Offering discounts for energy bills appears to be an effective method for achieving cooperation. However, the use of social norms and increased information and professional advice is effective for both compulsory and non-compulsory areas of compliance and cooperation. This has important implications for policymakers, who may be seeking effective methods of encouraging behaviour change. While there are differences in approaches for compulsory and non-compulsory areas of policy, there may be areas that move from non-statutory to statutory in the future. In this case, the development of desired social norms appears to be the most effective method of ensuring overall compliance.

A Conceptual Methodology for Assessing Acquisition Requirements Robustness against Technology Uncertainties

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Shuo-Ju

2011-12-01

In recent years the United States has shifted from a threat-based acquisition policy that developed systems for countering specific threats to a capabilities-based strategy that emphasizes the acquisition of systems that provide critical national defense capabilities. This shift in policy, in theory, allows for the creation of an "optimal force" that is robust against current and future threats regardless of the tactics and scenario involved. In broad terms, robustness can be defined as the insensitivity of an outcome to "noise" or non-controlled variables. Within this context, the outcome is the successful achievement of defense strategies and the noise variables are tactics and scenarios that will be associated with current and future enemies. Unfortunately, a lack of system capability, budget, and schedule robustness against technology performance and development uncertainties has led to major setbacks in recent acquisition programs. This lack of robustness stems from the fact that immature technologies have uncertainties in their expected performance, development cost, and schedule that cause to variations in system effectiveness and program development budget and schedule requirements. Unfortunately, the Technology Readiness Assessment process currently used by acquisition program managers and decision-makers to measure technology uncertainty during critical program decision junctions does not adequately capture the impact of technology performance and development uncertainty on program capability and development metrics. The Technology Readiness Level metric employed by the TRA to describe program technology elements uncertainties can only provide a qualitative and non-descript estimation of the technology uncertainties. In order to assess program robustness, specifically requirements robustness, against technology performance and development uncertainties, a new process is needed. This process should provide acquisition program managers and decision

Diary Insights of an EFL Reading Teacher

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lopera Medina Sergio

2013-10-01

Full Text Available It is often argued that classroom diaries are subjective. This article explores the diary insights of a foreign language reading teacher. The inquiry was based on the following research question: What do the diary insights really evidence about the teaching practices of a foreign language reading teacher? As a research method, a case study was implemented. Five instruments were used to collect data: diary of the teacher, observations, questionnaires, tests, and focus groups. Given that motivation, interaction, reading improvement, and the application of reading strategies were supported by the research instruments, it would seem that a diary can be objective.A menudo se argumenta que los diarios de clase son subjetivos. En este artículo se exploran las apreciaciones que un profesor de lectura en inglés como lengua extranjera registra en su diario. La indagación se basó en la siguiente pregunta de investigación: ¿Qué apoya realmente las anotaciones de diario acerca de las prácticas de enseñanza de un profesor de lectura en lengua extranjera? Como método de estudio se implementó el estudio de caso. Se utilizaron cinco instrumentos para recolectar la información: diario del profesor, observaciones de clase, cuestionarios, exámenes y grupos focales. Dado que estos instrumentos de investigación incidieron en la motivación, la interacción, la mejoría en lectura y en la aplicación de las estrategias de lecturas, se podría concluir que un diario puede ser objetivo.

How copying affects the amount, evenness and persistence of cultural knowledge: insights from the social learning strategies tournament.

Science.gov (United States)

Rendell, L; Boyd, R; Enquist, M; Feldman, M W; Fogarty, L; Laland, K N

2011-04-12

Darwinian processes should favour those individuals that deploy the most effective strategies for acquiring information about their environment. We organized a computer-based tournament to investigate which learning strategies would perform well in a changing environment. The most successful strategies relied almost exclusively on social learning (here, learning a behaviour performed by another individual) rather than asocial learning, even when environments were changing rapidly; moreover, successful strategies focused learning effort on periods of environmental change. Here, we use data from tournament simulations to examine how these strategies might affect cultural evolution, as reflected in the amount of culture (i.e. number of cultural traits) in the population, the distribution of cultural traits across individuals, and their persistence through time. We found that high levels of social learning are associated with a larger amount of more persistent knowledge, but a smaller amount of less persistent expressed behaviour, as well as more uneven distributions of behaviour, as individuals concentrated on exploiting a smaller subset of behaviour patterns. Increased rates of environmental change generated increases in the amount and evenness of behaviour. These observations suggest that copying confers on cultural populations an adaptive plasticity, allowing them to respond to changing environments rapidly by drawing on a wider knowledge base.

How copying affects the amount, evenness and persistence of cultural knowledge: insights from the social learning strategies tournament

Science.gov (United States)

Rendell, L.; Boyd, R.; Enquist, M.; Feldman, M. W.; Fogarty, L.; Laland, K. N.

2011-01-01

Darwinian processes should favour those individuals that deploy the most effective strategies for acquiring information about their environment. We organized a computer-based tournament to investigate which learning strategies would perform well in a changing environment. The most successful strategies relied almost exclusively on social learning (here, learning a behaviour performed by another individual) rather than asocial learning, even when environments were changing rapidly; moreover, successful strategies focused learning effort on periods of environmental change. Here, we use data from tournament simulations to examine how these strategies might affect cultural evolution, as reflected in the amount of culture (i.e. number of cultural traits) in the population, the distribution of cultural traits across individuals, and their persistence through time. We found that high levels of social learning are associated with a larger amount of more persistent knowledge, but a smaller amount of less persistent expressed behaviour, as well as more uneven distributions of behaviour, as individuals concentrated on exploiting a smaller subset of behaviour patterns. Increased rates of environmental change generated increases in the amount and evenness of behaviour. These observations suggest that copying confers on cultural populations an adaptive plasticity, allowing them to respond to changing environments rapidly by drawing on a wider knowledge base. PMID:21357234

OpenGL Insights

CERN Document Server

Cozzi, Patrick

2012-01-01

Get Real-World Insight from Experienced Professionals in the OpenGL Community With OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and WebGL, real-time rendering is becoming available everywhere, from AAA games to mobile phones to web pages. Assembling contributions from experienced developers, vendors, researchers, and educators, OpenGL Insights presents real-world techniques for intermediate and advanced OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and WebGL developers. Go Beyond the Basics The book thoroughly covers a range of topics, including OpenGL 4.2 and recent extensions. It explains how to optimize for mobile devices, explores the design

Novel excipients - Regulatory challenges and perspectives - The EU insight.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozarewicz, Piotr; Loftsson, Thorsteinn

2018-05-21

Novel excipients are indispensable in development of modern, advanced drug delivery systems and biotechnology-derived drugs. Although numerous novel excipients are developed for pharmaceutical use, they are not frequently seen in medicinal products due to the strict regulatory requirements and perception that their use makes new product evaluation more complex with risk of delays in the approval process. Regulators regard novel excipients as new substances and whenever new excipient is used in a formulation it must be subjected to full evaluation, similarly to the one required for new active substance. Consequently, the amount of information required in support of the regulatory approval (i.e. marketing authorization) is much more complex and comprehensive than for established excipients. This short review provides an insight into the use of novel excipients in medicinal products approved in the European Union. In addition, barriers and challenges in development of novel excipients are being discussed as well as means to overcome those barriers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Large-scale brain network associated with creative insight: combined voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Takeshi; Aihara, Takatsugu; Shimokawa, Takeaki; Yamashita, Okito

2018-04-24

Creative insight occurs with an "Aha!" experience when solving a difficult problem. Here, we investigated large-scale networks associated with insight problem solving. We recruited 232 healthy participants aged 21-69 years old. Participants completed a magnetic resonance imaging study (MRI; structural imaging and a 10 min resting-state functional MRI) and an insight test battery (ITB) consisting of written questionnaires (matchstick arithmetic task, remote associates test, and insight problem solving task). To identify the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) associated with individual creative insight, we conducted an exploratory voxel-based morphometry (VBM)-constrained RSFC analysis. We identified positive correlations between ITB score and grey matter volume (GMV) in the right insula and middle cingulate cortex/precuneus, and a negative correlation between ITB score and GMV in the left cerebellum crus 1 and right supplementary motor area. We applied seed-based RSFC analysis to whole brain voxels using the seeds obtained from the VBM and identified insight-positive/negative connections, i.e. a positive/negative correlation between the ITB score and individual RSFCs between two brain regions. Insight-specific connections included motor-related regions whereas creative-common connections included a default mode network. Our results indicate that creative insight requires a coupling of multiple networks, such as the default mode, semantic and cerebral-cerebellum networks.

System 80+TM PRA insights on severe accident prevention and mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finnicum, D.J.; Jacob, M.C.; Schneider, R.E.; Weston, R.A.

2004-01-01

The System 80 + design is ABB-CE's standardized evolutionary Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) design. It incorporates design enhancements based on Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) insights, guidance from the ALWR Utility Requirements Document (URD), and US NRC's Severe Accident Policy. Major severe accident prevention and mitigation design features of the System 80 + design are described. The results of the System 80 + PRA are presented and the insights gained from the PRA sensitivity analyses are discussed. ABB-CE considered defense-in-depth for accident prevention and mitigation early in the design process and used robust design features to ensure that the System 80 + design achieved a low core damage frequency, low containment conditional failure probability, and excellent deterministic containment performance under severe accident conditions and to ensure that the risk was properly allocated among design features and between prevention and mitigation. (author)

Control strategies for demand controlled ventilation in dwellings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Toke Rammer; Drivsholm, Christian

2011-01-01

and efficient fans is becoming the standard solution. The building regulation requirement for air change in dwellings is often a constant value that has been chosen to avoid moisture related problems in the indoor environment. This required air change is sometimes sufficient, sometimes too low and sometimes too....... In the studied house two control strategies were tested. A simple strategy where all sensors and controls were located in the air handling unit and only the speed of the fans can be controlled, and a complex strategy where sensors were placed in each room and where individual control of air flow in each room...

A Strategy Modelling Technique for Financial Services

OpenAIRE

Heinrich, Bernd; Winter, Robert

2004-01-01

Strategy planning processes often suffer from a lack of conceptual models that can be used to represent business strategies in a structured and standardized form. If natural language is replaced by an at least semi-formal model, the completeness, consistency, and clarity of strategy descriptions can be drastically improved. A strategy modelling technique is proposed that is based on an analysis of modelling requirements, a discussion of related work and a critical analysis of generic approach...

Best Strategies to Improve School-leavers’ Knowledge of Nutrition and Food Systems: Views from Experts in Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Sadegholvad, Sanaz; Yeatman, Heather; Omidvar, Nasrin; Parrish, Anne-Maree; Worsley, Anthony

2016-01-01

Background: The research to date does not present an articulated approach to ensure nutrition and food systems education is systematically implemented within schools. This paper aimed to investigate food experts’ views of the best strategies to improve school-leavers’ knowledge of nutrition and food systems. Methods: In this qualitative study, 28 Iranian food and nutrition experts from four major provinces (Tehran, Fars, Isfahan, and Gilan) were selected and agreed to be interviewed. Required data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face, or telephone interviews and were analyzed thematically using NVivo. Results: The experts’ suggested strategies to improve Iranian school-leavers’ knowledge of nutrition and food systems fell into three key themes: Policy, education processes, and supportive environments. Together they formed an overarching theme of a multileveled system approach for transferring knowledge. Conclusions: Development of a scaffolded education program could assist curriculum developers and policy makers to assess and update current nutrition and food systems education programs in schools. Insights gained about education initiatives in one country such as Iran can provide an important impetus to support nutrition and food system education more widely. PMID:27857832

The Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Ian M; Williams, Jennifer S; Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie; Beiler, Jessica S; Makova, Kateryna D; Marini, Michele E; Hess, Lindsey B; Rzucidlo, Susan E; Verdiglione, Nicole; Mindell, Jodi A; Birch, Leann L

2014-07-18

Because early life growth has long-lasting metabolic and behavioral consequences, intervention during this period of developmental plasticity may alter long-term obesity risk. While modifiable factors during infancy have been identified, until recently, preventive interventions had not been tested. The Intervention Nurses Starting Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT). Study is a longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial evaluating a responsive parenting intervention designed for the primary prevention of obesity. This "parenting" intervention is being compared with a home safety control among first-born infants and their parents. INSIGHT's central hypothesis is that responsive parenting and specifically responsive feeding promotes self-regulation and shared parent-child responsibility for feeding, reducing subsequent risk for overeating and overweight. 316 first-time mothers and their full-term newborns were enrolled from one maternity ward. Two weeks following delivery, dyads were randomly assigned to the "parenting" or "safety" groups. Subsequently, research nurses conduct study visits for both groups consisting of home visits at infant age 3-4, 16, 28, and 40 weeks, followed by annual clinic-based visits at 1, 2, and 3 years. Both groups receive intervention components framed around four behavior states: Sleeping, Fussy, Alert and Calm, and Drowsy. The main study outcome is BMI z-score at age 3 years; additional outcomes include those related to patterns of infant weight gain, infant sleep hygiene and duration, maternal responsiveness and soothing strategies for infant/toddler distress and fussiness, maternal feeding style and infant dietary content and physical activity. Maternal outcomes related to weight status, diet, mental health, and parenting sense of competence are being collected. Infant temperament will be explored as a moderator of parenting effects, and blood is collected to obtain genetic predictors of weight status. Finally, second

Probabilistic safety assessment applications and insights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hitchler, M.J.; Burns, N.L.; Liparulo, N.J.; Mink, F.J.

1987-01-01

The insights gained through a comparison of seven PRA studies (Italian PUN, Sizewell B, Ringhals 2, Millstone 3, Zion 1 and 2, Oconee 3, and Seabrook) included insights regarding the adequacy of the PRA technology utilized in the studies and the potential areas for improvement and insights regarding the adequacy of plant designs and how PRA has been utilized to enhance the design and operation of nuclear power plants. (orig.)

13 CFR 307.5 - Application requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Application requirements. 307.5 Section 307.5 Business Credit and Assistance ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE... EDA) a CEDS, except that a CEDS is not required when applying for a Strategy Grant; and (2) Explain...

ICT-Supported Gaming for Competitive Intelligence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achterbergh, J.M.I.M.; Khosrow-Pour, M.

2005-01-01

Collecting and processing competitive intelligence for the purpose of strategy formulation are complex activities requiring deep insight in and models of the “organization in its environment.” These insights and models need to be not only shared between CI (competitive intelligence) practitioners

Insight in schizophrenia: involvement of self-reflection networks?

Science.gov (United States)

van der Meer, Lisette; de Vos, Annerieke E; Stiekema, Annemarie P M; Pijnenborg, Gerdina H M; van Tol, Marie-José; Nolen, Willem A; David, Anthony S; Aleman, André

2013-11-01

Impaired insight is a common feature in psychosis and an important predictor of variables such as functional outcome, prognosis, and treatment adherence. A cognitive process that may underlie insight in psychosis is self-reflection, or the conscious evaluation of one's traits and characteristics. The current study aims to investigate the neural correlates of self-reflective processing and its relationship with insight in schizophrenia. Forty-seven schizophrenia patients and 21 healthy controls performed a self-reflection task in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The tasks comprised a self-reflection, close other-reflection, and a semantic (baseline) condition. Insight scores were obtained with the Schedule of Assessment of Insight Expanded. In addition, cognitive insight scores were obtained (Beck Cognitive Insight Scale [BCIS]). Schizophrenia patients demonstrated less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex in the self- and other-reflection conditions and less activation in the precuneus in the other-reflection condition compared with healthy controls. Better insight was associated with greater response in the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, and inferior parietal lobule during self-reflection. In addition, better cognitive insight was associated with higher activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during self-reflection. In the current study, evidence for a relationship between self-reflection and insight in patients with schizophrenia was found in brain areas related to self-reflection, self/other distinction and source attribution. The findings support the rationale for a treatment that is currently under evaluation, which attempts to increase insight by enhancing self-reflection.

O conceito do insight em pacientes com transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo The concept of insight in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Júlia M. Fontenelle

2010-03-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Atualizar os clínicos sobre a existência de um possível subtipo do transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo caracterizado por pouco insight. MÉTODO: Revisão opinativa baseada em estudos indexados na base de dados PubMed e PsychINFO, identificados por meio dos unitermos "obsessive-compulsive disorder" e "insight" ou "ego-dystonic" e publicados entre 1966 e outubro de 2009. Os resultados foram examinados de acordo com a estratégia utilizada para abordar o insight, i.e. categórica vs. dimensional. RESULTADOS: Análise dos estudos nos permitiu identificar pontos que colocam em dúvida a existência de um subtipo do transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo bem delimitado caracterizado por pouco insight. Estes pontos incluem 1 prevalência extremamente variável do transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo com insight reduzido encontrada em estudos categóricos, 2 homogeneidade dos achados fenotípicos (i.e. maior gravidade associados a baixo insight em estudos categóricos e dimensionais e 3 ausência de estudos que investigam "zonas de raridade" entre as formas de transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo com pouco e bom insight. CONCLUSÃO: Embora uma abordagem categórica do insight no transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo seja importante em ambientes clínicos, uma vez que neles existem demandas prementes para tomada de decisões, a abordagem dimensional do insight parece refletir de forma mais fidedigna o fenômeno apresentado pelos pacientes em tela.OBJECTIVE: To update clinicians regarding the existence of a putative subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder based on poor insight. METHOD: Opinionative review based on studies indexed in the PubMed and PsychINFO databases, identified by means of the keywords "obsessive-compulsive disorder" AND "insight" OR "ego-syntonic", and published between 1966 and October 2009. The results were analyzed according to the approach adopted, i.e. a categorical or dimensional view of insight in obsessive-compulsive disorder. RESULTS: The

Practical Insights from Initial Studies Related to Human Error Analysis Project (HEAP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Follesoe, Knut; Kaarstad, Magnhild; Droeivoldsmo, Asgeir; Hollnagel, Erik; Kirwan; Barry

1996-01-01

This report presents practical insights made from an analysis of the three initial studies in the Human Error Analysis Project (HEAP), and the first study in the US NRC Staffing Project. These practical insights relate to our understanding of diagnosis in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) emergency scenarios and, in particular, the factors that influence whether a diagnosis will succeed or fail. The insights reported here focus on three inter-related areas: (1) the diagnostic strategies and styles that have been observed in single operator and team-based studies; (2) the qualitative aspects of the key operator support systems, namely VDU interfaces, alarms, training and procedures, that have affected the outcome of diagnosis; and (3) the overall success rates of diagnosis and the error types that have been observed in the various studies. With respect to diagnosis, certain patterns have emerged from the various studies, depending on whether operators were alone or in teams, and on their familiarity with the process. Some aspects of the interface and alarm systems were found to contribute to diagnostic failures while others supported performance and recovery. Similar results were found for training and experience. Furthermore, the availability of procedures did not preclude the need for some diagnosis. With respect to HRA and PSA, it was possible to record the failure types seen in the studies, and in some cases to give crude estimates of the failure likelihood for certain scenarios. Although these insights are interim in nature, they do show the type of information that can be derived from these studies. More importantly, they clarify aspects of our understanding of diagnosis in NPP emergencies, including implications for risk assessment, operator support systems development, and for research into diagnosis in a broader range of fields than the nuclear power industry. (author)

Cost reducing code implementation strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurtz, Randall L.; Griswold, Michael E.; Jones, Gary C.; Daley, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

Sargent and Lundy's Code consulting experience reveals a wide variety of approaches toward implementing the requirements of various nuclear Codes Standards. This paper will describe various Code implementation strategies which assure that Code requirements are fully met in a practical and cost-effective manner. Applications to be discussed includes the following: new construction; repair, replacement and modifications; assessments and life extensions. Lessons learned and illustrative examples will be included. Preferred strategies and specific recommendations will also be addressed. Sargent and Lundy appreciates the opportunity provided by the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum and Korean Nuclear Society to share our ideas and enhance global cooperation through the exchange of information and views on relevant topics

Insight in psychosis : Metacognitive processes and treatment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vos, Annerieke

2016-01-01

Insight is impaired in 50- 80% of the patients with schizophrenia. Annerieke de Vos working at GGZ Drenthe and the University Medical Hospital Groningen, aimed to elucidate which processes underlie impaired insight and tried to improve insight in patients by targeting these processes. On September

Effect of control strategies on the persistence of fish-borne zoonotic trematodes: A modelling approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boerlage, A.S.; Graat, E.A.M.; Verreth, J.A.J.; Jong, de M.C.M.

2013-01-01

Fish-borne Zoonotic Trematodes (FZTs) are a risk to human health and need to be controlled. A mathematical model was developed to give insight into how and to what extent control strategies change the dynamics of FZTs on integrated agriculture–aquaculture farms. The reproduction ratio R evaluates

ERP services effort estimation strategies based on early requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erasmus, I.P.; Daneva, Maia; Kalenborg, Axel; Trapp, Marcus

2015-01-01

ERP clients and vendors necessarily estimate their project interventions at a very early stage, before the full requirements to an ERP solution are known and often before a contract is finalized between a vendor/ consulting company and a client. ERP project estimation at the stage of early

Hydrogeology of Montserrat review and new insights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brioch Hemmings

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Study region: The tropical, active volcanic arc island of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean. Study focus: New insights into hydrological recharge distribution, measurements of aquifer permeability, and geological and hydrological field observations from Montserrat are combined with a review of the current understanding of volcanic island hydrology. The aim is to begin to develop a conceptual model for the hydrology of Montserrat, and to inform and stimulate further investigation into the hydrology of volcanic arc islands, by combining a review of the current understanding of essential components of the hydrological system with fresh analysis of existing data, and new observations, data collection and analysis. This study provides new insights into hydrological recharge distribution, measurements of aquifer permeability, and geological and hydrological field observations from Montserrat. New hydrological insights for the region: A new groundwater recharge model predicts whole island recharge of 266 mm/year, between 10% and 20% of annual rainfall. Core scale permeability tests reveal ranges from 10−14 to 10−12 m2 for volcaniclastic rocks with coarse matrix, to a minimum of 10−18 m2 for andesitic lavas and volcaniclastics with fine or altered matrix. Analysis of historical pumping tests on aquifers in reworked, channel and alluvial sediment indicate permeabilities ∼10−10 m2. Springs at elevations between 200 and 400 m above mean sea level on Centre Hills currently discharge over 45 L/s. High discharge require a reasonably laterally continuous low permeability body. Contrasting conceptual models are presented to illustrate two potential hydrogeological scenarios. New field observations also reveal systematic spatial variations in spring water temperature and specific electrical conductivity indicating that meteoric waters supplying the springs are mixed with a deeper groundwater source at some sites. Keywords: Volcanic island

Insights gained through probabilistic risk assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hitchler, M.J.; Burns, N.L.; Liparulo, N.J.; Mink, F.J.

1987-01-01

The insights gained through a comparison of seven probabilistic risk assessments (PRA) studies (Italian PUN, Sizewell B, Ringhals 2, Millstone 3, Zion 1 and 2, Oconee 3, and Seabrook) included insights regarding the adequacy of the PRA technology utilized in the studies and the potential areas for improvement and insights regarding the adequacy of plant designs and how PRA has been utilized to enhance the design and operation of nuclear power plants

The interactive role of organizational strategy and culture : a strategic management approach

OpenAIRE

2015-01-01

M.Com. This study has been undertaken with the specific objective of acquiring an insight into the concept "organizational culture" within a strategic management context, as well as the role played by the concept in the formulation and implementation of organizational strategy. Researchers from within various disciplines, such as anthropology, industrial psychology and strategic management, have analysed various aspects of the concept ...

Unraveling Platform Strategies: A Review from an Organizational Ambidexterity Perspective

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Xing Wan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Platform strategies, which highlight the interdependence in and evolution of business ecosystems, are increasingly relevant for sustainable business models in the digital era. So far, platform research has existed as a fragmented body of insights from different fields, but an integrated theoretical perspective can lead to a more coherent understanding of the research overall. Organizational ambidexterity emphasizes the balance between exploration and exploitation, which is particularly conducive to understanding the sustainability of a firm. Using an organizational ambidexterity perspective, the authors analyze five platform strategies: pricing, openness, integration, differentiation, and envelopment. This paper provides a systematic review of the theoretical and empirical studies in leading management, economics, and information systems journals from 2000 to 2016. The findings show that platform strategies can help platform owners achieve ambidexterity by domain, temporal, and organizational separation. Finally, this paper proposes an agenda for future research.

GLOBAL TEAM MANAGEMENT: AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF FIRMS’ INNOVATION STRATEGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AZİM ÖZTÜRK

2013-05-01

Full Text Available In the world marketplace some firms compete successfully and others fail to gain global competitive advantage. Some researchers argue that innovation strategy is the answer to successfully meeting today’s and tomorrow’s global business challenges.  An important aspect of the innovation strategy is managing global teams effectively.  Thus, firms of tomorrow will be characterized by values such as teamwork, innovation, cultural diversity, and a global mindset.  The rapid globalization of business, and increasing competition will continue to drive the need for effective teamwork and/in innovation management.  The purpose of our research is to gain insight into global team management and its role as a major component of innovation strategy.  We discuss the changing and developing functions of teamwork, examine the characteristics of global teams, and finally offer a process to achieve effective global team management.

Strategies for Translating Vocative Texts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga COJOCARU

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the linguistic and cultural elements of vocative texts and the techniques used in translating them by giving some examples of texts that are typically vocative (i.e. advertisements and instructions for use. Semantic and communicative strategies are popular in translation studies and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages in translating vocative texts. The advantage of semantic translation is that it takes more account of the aesthetic value of the SL text, while communicative translation attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original text in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. Focus is laid on the strategies used in translating vocative texts, strategies that highlight and introduce a cultural context to the target audience, in order to achieve their overall purpose, that is to sell or persuade the reader to behave in a certain way. Thus, in order to do that, a number of advertisements from the field of cosmetics industry and electronic gadgets were selected for analysis. The aim is to gather insights into vocative text translation and to create new perspectives on this field of research, now considered a process of innovation and diversion, especially in areas as important as economy and marketing.

Using genre pedagogy to promote student proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs

Science.gov (United States)

Smit, Jantien; Bakker, Arthur; van Eerde, Dolly; Kuijpers, Maggie

2016-09-01

The importance of language in mathematics learning has been widely acknowledged. However, little is known about how to make this insight productive in the design and enactment of language-oriented mathematics education. In a design-based research project, we explored how language-oriented mathematics education can be designed and enacted. We drew on genre pedagogy to promote student proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs. In the intervention, the teacher used scaffolding strategies to focus students' attention on the structure and linguistic features of the language involved in this particular domain. The research question addressed in this paper is how student proficiency in this language may be promoted. The study comprised nine lessons involving 22 students in grades 5 and 6 (aged 10-12); of these students, 19 had a migrant background. In light of the research aim, we first describe the rationale behind our design. Next, we illustrate how the design was enacted by means of a case study focusing on one student in the classroom practice of developing proficiency in the language required for interpreting line graphs. On the basis of pre- and posttest scores, we conclude that overall their proficiency has increased. Together, the results indicate that and how genre pedagogy may be used to help students become more proficient in the language required in a mathematical domain.

Maximing Learning Strategies to Promote Learner Autonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junaidi Mistar

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Learning a new language is ultimately to be able to communicate with it. Encouraging a sense of responsibility on the part of the learners is crucial for training them to be proficient communicators. As such, understanding the strategies that they employ in acquiring the language skill is important to come to ideas of how to promote learner autonomy. Research recently conducted with three different groups of learners of English at the tertiary education level in Malang indicated that they used metacognitive and social startegies at a high frequency, while memory, cognitive, conpensation, and affective strategies were exercised at a medium frewuency. This finding implies that the learners have acquired some degrees of autonomy because metacognive strategies requires them to independently make plans for their learning activities as well as evaluate the progress, and social strategies requires them to independently enhance communicative interactions with other people. Further actions are then to be taken increase their learning autonomy, that is by intensifying the practice of use of the other four strategy categories, which are not yet applied intensively.

Access to finance from different finance provider types: Farmer knowledge of the requirements

OpenAIRE

Wulandari, Eliana; Meuwissen, Miranda P. M.; Karmana, Maman H.; Oude Lansink, Alfons G. J. M.

2017-01-01

Analysing farmer knowledge of the requirements of finance providers can provide valuable insights to policy makers about ways to improve farmers' access to finance. This study compares farmer knowledge of the requirements to obtain finance with the actual requirements set by different finance provider types, and investigates the relation between demographic and socioeconomic factors and farmer knowledge of finance requirements. We use a structured questionnaire to collect data from a sample o...

Clinical correlates of loss of insight in bipolar depression

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Rafael de Assis da Silva

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Affective state may influence insight, especially regarding mania. Nevertheless, studies have so far suggested that depression seems not to significantly impair insight. To the best of our knowledge, this study pioneers the evaluation of how insight variations in bipolar depression correlate with clinical variables. Method A group of 165 bipolar patients, 52 of whom had depressive episodes according to DSM-5 criteria, were followed during a year. All patients underwent clinical assessment, and insight was evaluated through the Insight Scale for Affective Disorders (ISAD. Repeated-measures ANOVA was calculated comparing scores on the four ISAD factors (insight into symptoms, the condition itself, self-esteem and social relationships in order to investigate differences in insight according to different objects. Correlational analysis explored which clinical symptoms were linked to reduced insight. Results Worse total insight correlated with suicide attempt/ideation and fewer subsyndromal manic symptoms such as mood elevation, increased energy and sexual interest. Worse self-esteem insight was associated with not only suicide ideation/attempt but also with activity reduction and psychomotor retardation. Worse symptom insight also correlated with psychomotor retardation. Better insight into having an affective disorder was associated with more intense hypochondria symptoms. Finally, worse insight into having an illness was associated with psychotic episodes. Conclusion Our study found that symptoms other than psychosis – suicide ideation, psychomotor retardation and reduction of activity and work – correlate with insight impairment in bipolar depression.

New Insights into the Operating Voltage of Aqueous Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Minghao; Lu, Yongzhuang; Zheng, Haibing; Lu, Xihong

2018-03-12

The main limitation of aqueous supercapacitors (SCs) lies in their narrow operating voltages, especially when compared with organic SCs. Fundamental understanding of factors relevant to the operating voltage helps providing guidance for the assembly of high-voltage aqueous SCs. In this regard, this concept analyzes the deciding factors for the operating voltage of aqueous SCs. Strategies applied to expand the operating voltage are summarized and discussed from the aspects of electrolyte, electrode, and asymmetric structure. Dynamic factors associated with water electrolysis and maximally using the available potential ranges of electrodes are particularly emphasized. Finally, other promising approaches that have not been explored and their challenges are also elaborated, hoping to provide more insights for the design of high-voltage aqueous SCs. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Metacognitive strategies in learning sight-singing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogunović Blanka

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a part of a wider study that is based on interdisciplinary research of sight-singing (psychology and music education. Our intention was to join the psychological knowledge of cognitive processes on the one hand, and the practical approach of music teachers, based on methods, techniques and procedures of mastering sight-reading-singing skills on the other. We aimed: 1. to determine the kinds and levels of strategies that music students use in the cognitive processes involved during sight-singing; 2. to explore strategies of problem solving when difficulties appear; 3. to investigate the self-evaluation perspectives of students; and 4. to relate students' learning experience to the strategies used. The sample consisted of 89 music students from higher music education in Belgrade and The Hague. They filled in the questionnaire based on self-reports, covering general data about their music education background, different issues of sight-singing, such as planning, problem solving, monitoring and evaluation of outcomes, and three melodic examples written in different musical styles. Results showed that strategies used during sight-singing can be roughly sorted into three groups that differ according to the 'key accent' given: cognitive, intuitive and no-strategy. The music cognitive strategies involved cover three levels of musical organization and representation: a relying on smaller chunks of the musical piece, referring to existing knowledge and learning experience; b leaning on a slightly 'bigger picture' of familiar patterns; and c mental representation of melodic/rhythmic/harmonic structures. When faced with a problem, half of the students employed analytic approaches. Comparisons between sub-samples showed, for example, that future performing musicians more often used 'tone-to-tone' thinking and 'bottom-up' strategies in approaching musical structure, while music theory students had better insight into the whole and used

Is Insight Always the Same? A Protocol Analysis of Insight in Compound Remote Associate Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Cranford, Edward A.; Moss, Jarrod

2012-01-01

Compound Remote Associate (CRA) problems have been used to investigate insight problem solving using both behavioral and neuroimaging techniques. However, it is unclear to what extent CRA problems exhibit characteristics of insight such as impasses and restructuring. CRA problem-solving characteristics were examined in a study in which…

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

1996-12-01

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

Insight in Schizophrenia: Involvement of Self-Reflection Networks?

Science.gov (United States)

de Vos, Annerieke E.

2013-01-01

Background: Impaired insight is a common feature in psychosis and an important predictor of variables such as functional outcome, prognosis, and treatment adherence. A cognitive process that may underlie insight in psychosis is self-reflection, or the conscious evaluation of one’s traits and characteristics. The current study aims to investigate the neural correlates of self-reflective processing and its relationship with insight in schizophrenia. Methods: Forty-seven schizophrenia patients and 21 healthy controls performed a self-reflection task in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The tasks comprised a self-reflection, close other-reflection, and a semantic (baseline) condition. Insight scores were obtained with the Schedule of Assessment of Insight Expanded. In addition, cognitive insight scores were obtained (Beck Cognitive Insight Scale [BCIS]). Results: Schizophrenia patients demonstrated less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex in the self- and other-reflection conditions and less activation in the precuneus in the other-reflection condition compared with healthy controls. Better insight was associated with greater response in the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, and inferior parietal lobule during self-reflection. In addition, better cognitive insight was associated with higher activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex during self-reflection. Conclusion: In the current study, evidence for a relationship between self-reflection and insight in patients with schizophrenia was found in brain areas related to self-reflection, self/other distinction and source attribution. The findings support the rationale for a treatment that is currently under evaluation, which attempts to increase insight by enhancing self-reflection. PMID:23104865

Strategy making and power in environmental assessments. Lessons from the establishment of an out-of-town shopping centre in Vaesteras, Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isaksson, Karolina, E-mail: karolina.isaksson@vti.se [Mobility, Actors and Planning Processes (MAP), Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), 581 95 Linkoeping (Sweden); Storbjoerk, Sofie, E-mail: sofie.storbjork@liu.se [Department of Water and Environmental Studies (DWES) and Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research (CSPR), Linkoeping University, 581 83 Linkoeping (Sweden)

2012-04-15

This paper seeks to provide deeper insights into how EA ineffectiveness is produced in land use planning practice. This is explored in a study of local development planning in the city of Vaesteras, Sweden. The case in question is the development of a large out-of-town shopping centre, propelled by the establishment of a new IKEA furniture store. The Healey (2007) framework of planning as strategy making is applied as an analytical framework, together with a focus on power-knowledge relations. In the analysis, we identify a range of mechanisms that produced ineffectiveness by limiting the role of environmental knowledge throughout the planning process. The specific mechanisms we identified were related to the overall consensus perspective in local development strategies and plans, a lack of concretisation and integration of various policies and strategies, a range of exclusion mechanisms and an overall focus on mitigation and benefits of the process in question. In practice, these mechanisms were closely intertwined. Our main conclusion is, consequently, that increased effectiveness of EA would require fundamental transformation of the norms, frameworks and routines that implicitly and explicitly guide land use planning in practice. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We analyse how EA-ineffectiveness is produced in land use planning practice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Several mechanisms produce EA-ineffectiveness throughout the whole planning process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer These mechanisms are often closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing each other. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Enhancing EA-effectiveness requires a fundamental shift of the norms, frameworks and routines shaping planning practice.

A Think-Aloud Protocols Investigation of Dictionary Processing Strategies among Saudi EFL Students

Science.gov (United States)

Alhaysony, Maha

2012-01-01

This paper aims to examine qualitatively how Saudi EFL female students look-up word meanings in their dictionaries while reading. We aimed to identify and describe the look-up strategies used by these students. The subjects of the study were ten third-year English major students. A think-aloud protocol was used in order to gain insights into the…

Mentalization, insightfulness, and therapeutic action. The importance of mental organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugarman, Alan

2006-08-01

Continuing debates over the relative importance of the role of interpretation leading to insight versus the relationship with the analyst as contributing to structural change are based on traditional definitions of insight as gaining knowledge of unconscious content. This definition inevitably privileges verbal interpretation as self-knowledge becomes equated with understanding the contents of the mind. It is suggested that a way out of this debate is to redefine insight as a process, one that is called insightfulness. This term builds on concepts such as mentalization, or theory of mind, and suggests that patients present with difficulties being able to fully mentalize. Awareness of repudiated content will usually accompany the attainment of insightfulness. But the point of insightfulness is to regain access to inhibited or repudiated mentalization, not to specific content, per se. Emphasizing the process of insightfulness integrates the importance of the relationship with the analyst with the facilitation of insightfulness. A variety of interventions help patients gain the capacity to reflect upon and become aware of the intricate workings of their minds, of which verbal interpretation is only one. For example, often it seems less important to focus on a particular conflict than to show interest in our patients' minds. Furthermore, analysands develop insightfulness by becoming interested in and observing our minds in action. Because the mind originates in bodily experience, mental functioning will always fluctuate between action modes of experiencing and expressing and verbal, symbolic modes. The analyst's role becomes making the patient aware of regressions to action modes, understanding the reasons for doing so, and subordinating this tendency to the verbal, symbolic mode. All mental functions work better and facilitate greater self-regulation when they work in abstract, symbolic ways. Psychopathology can be understood as failing to develop or losing the

Human Performance on Insight Problem Solving: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Yun; MacGregor, James N.

2011-01-01

The article provides a review of recent research on insight problem-solving performance. We discuss what insight problems are, the different types of classic and newer insight problems, and how we can classify them. We also explain some of the other aspects that affect insight performance, such as hints, analogs, training, thinking aloud, and…

The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Katherine; Barton, Christian; Malliaras, Peter; Morrissey, Dylan

2012-07-19

military recruits. Effective implementation of practical neuromuscular warm-up strategies can reduce lower extremity injury incidence in young, amateur, female athletes and male and female military recruits. This is typically a warm-up strategy that includes stretching, strengthening, balance exercises, sports-specific agility drills and landing techniques applied consistently for longer than three consecutive months. In order to optimize these strategies, the mechanisms for their effectiveness require further evaluation.

The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herman Katherine

2012-07-01

knee pain (RR 0.27, CI 0.14 to 0.54 in military recruits. Conclusions Effective implementation of practical neuromuscular warm-up strategies can reduce lower extremity injury incidence in young, amateur, female athletes and male and female military recruits. This is typically a warm-up strategy that includes stretching, strengthening, balance exercises, sports-specific agility drills and landing techniques applied consistently for longer than three consecutive months. In order to optimize these strategies, the mechanisms for their effectiveness require further evaluation.

NATO strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarr, D.W.

1988-01-01

Nuclear weapons are for NATO both the primary instrument for deterring a nuclear attack and the fall-back option if, in the event of a conventional assault, NATO's non-nuclear defence forces cannot hold. The dilemma of depending upon potentially self-destructive nuclear responses if deterrence fails and defence falters has always haunted NATO strategy, but after the Soviets achieved nuclear parity with the United States, this dilemma became more intensely perceived. Now the credibility, viability, acceptability, sensibility and morality of nuclear weapons for deterrence and defence are increasingly at issue. As a result, an increasing variety of non-nuclear (conventional) alternatives are being advanced to replace or supplement nuclear deterrence for the Alliance. The thrust of the author of this paper remarks is to attempt to apply the definitions, requirements, and other key conceptual distinctions of nuclear deterrence found in the body of western strategic literature to three categories of non-nuclear alternatives currently in vogue: strengthened conventional forces; deployment of new, high-technology non-nuclear weapons; and adoption of an offensive manoeuvre strategy. Let me, therefore, begin by listing the basic definitions, concepts and apparent requirements of deterrence which the deterrence theory literature offers

Quantifying the Qualitative: Measuring the Insight Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Jarman, Matthew S.

2014-01-01

No scales currently exist that measure variability in the insight experience. Two scales were created to measure two factors hypothesized to be key drivers of the insight experience: insight radicality (i.e., perceived deviation between previous and new problem representations) and restructuring experience (i.e., the subjective experience of the…

Workplace-Based Assessment: A Review of User Perceptions and Strategies to Address the Identified Shortcomings

Science.gov (United States)

Massie, Jonathan; Ali, Jason M.

2016-01-01

Workplace based assessments (WBAs) are now commonplace in postgraduate medical training. User acceptability and engagement is essential to the success of any medical education innovation. To this end, possessing an insight into trainee and trainer perceptions towards WBAs will help identify the major problems, permitting strategies to be…

Problem solving strategies used by RN-to-BSN students in an online problem-based learning course.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldenburg, Nancy L; Hung, Wei-Chen

2010-04-01

It is essential that nursing students develop the problem solving and critical thinking skills required in the current health care environment. Problem-based learning has been promoted as a way to help students acquire those skills; however, gaps exist in the knowledge base of the strategies used by learners. The purpose of this case study was to gain insight into the problem solving experience of a group of six RN-to-BSN students in an online problem-based learning course. Data, including discussion transcripts, reflective papers, and interview transcripts, were analyzed using a qualitative approach. Students expanded their use of resources and resolved the cases, identifying relevant facts and clinical applications. They had difficulty communicating their findings, establishing the credibility of sources, and offering challenging feedback. Increased support and direction are needed to facilitate the development of problem solving abilities of students in the problem-based learning environment.

INSIGHT AND SELF-STIGMA IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidović, Domagoj; Brecić, Petrana; Vilibić, Maja; Jukić, Vlado

2016-03-01

Poor insight and high level of self-stigma are often present among patients with schizophrenia and are related to poorer treatment adherence, poorer social function and rehabilitation, aggressive behavior, higher level of depression, social anxiety, lower quality of life and self-esteem. Reports on a relationship between insight and stigma are controversial. We examined the relationship of the level of insight and self-stigma in a sample of 149 patients with schizophrenia. Insight was measured with the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and self-stigma with the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness. Results showed 88.6% of the patients to have high or moderate insight, with a mean value of 2.73. General insight showed the highest level (2.58) and insight in positive symptoms the lowest level (2.9). The self-stigma score in general was 2.13, with stereotype endorsement being lowest (1.98). According to study results, 77.1% of patients felt minimal or low self-stigma across all subscales, except for stigma resistance subscale. Statistically significant correlation was found between insight and four subscales of self-stigma, while no correlation was found for the stigma resistance subscale only. These results imply the need of individually tailored antistigma and insight promoting programs for patients with schizophrenia.

Fusion technology status and requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassen, K.I.

1982-01-01

This paper summarizes the status of fusion technology and discusses the requirements to be met in order to build a demonstration fusion plant. Strategies and programmatic considerations in pursuing engineering feasibility are also outlined

Enhancing social media competitiveness of small businesses: insights from small pizzerias

Science.gov (United States)

He, Wu; Wang, Feng-Kwei; Zha, Shenghua

2014-07-01

Social media provide an online platform for enterprises to engage existing customers and attract new customers. Although social media can be easily set up at no cost, however, due to limited human and financial resources, many small businesses find it challenging to compete against large enterprises in social media use. While more and more small businesses have jumped on the bandwagon of social media in recent years, few studies investigated the social media strategies that can help small businesses to survive and even thrive against large competitors in the social media arena. Therefore, we studied 32 small pizzerias in a mid-size U.S. city in terms of their social media use for business. Our study found that small pizzerias emphasizing social media use on community relations and social responsibility tend to be more successful in attracting and engaging local customers. This study also sheds light on both effective strategies and successful practices of social media use by small pizzerias. The insights and recommendations identified from this study can help small businesses to enhance their social media competitiveness against large enterprises.

Insights of School Head About Marketing Education Services Through Digital Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samer Iqbal

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study mainly focuses on the insights of a private school’s head pertaining to the use of digital media in educational marketing. The qualitative research paradigm was chosen for this study and in depth phenomenological interview was conducted from a head of a private school. Two themes were extracted from the data: Marketing educational services through digital media and its challenges, and digital media tool for marketing education services. The study revealed that the school head perceived the digital media to be cost-effective marketing strategy that was multidimensional and value-driven, but due to lack of awareness, skills, attitude, and sense of maturity among stakeholders, digital media was ignored and was not much used as a cost-effective marketing tool. Nevertheless, it is proposed that by hiring marketing personnel to promote services professionally, by aligning their strategies according to the demands of their customers, and by inviting customers’ voice on digital platforms, digital media can become a cost-effective and a valuable tool for mercerization of education.

Insight in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: relationship with behavior, mood and perceived quality of life, underlying causes and emerging treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lysaker, Paul H; Pattison, Michelle L; Leonhardt, Bethany L; Phelps, Scott; Vohs, Jenifer L

2018-02-01

Poor insight in schizophrenia is prevalent across cultures and phases of illness. In this review, we examine the recent research on the relationship of insight with behavior, mood and perceived quality of life, on its complex roots, and on the effects of existing and emerging treatments. This research indicates that poor insight predicts poorer treatment adherence and therapeutic alliance, higher symptom severity and more impaired community function, while good insight predicts a higher frequency of depression and demoralization, especially when coupled with stigma and social disadvantage. This research also suggests that poor insight may arise in response to biological, experiential, neuropsychological, social-cognitive, metacognitive and socio-political factors. Studies of the effects of existing and developing treatments indicate that they may influence insight. In the context of earlier research and historical models, these findings support an integrative model of poor insight. This model suggests that insight requires the integration of information about changes in internal states, external circumstances, others' perspectives and life trajectory as well as the multifaceted consequences and causes of each of those changes. One implication is that treatments should, beyond providing education, seek to assist persons with schizophrenia to integrate the broad range of complex and potentially deeply painful experiences which are associated with mental illness into their own personally meaningful, coherent and adaptive picture. © 2018 World Psychiatric Association.

Penerapan Strategi Bauran Pemasaran Pada PT. Asuransi Jiwasraya Medan

OpenAIRE

Derby

2016-01-01

In marketing it's products PT. Asuransi Jiwasraya Medan require particular marketing strategy marketing mix strategy that Product strategy, price, promotion, place, people, processes, physical evidence. problems faced is the income PT. Asuransi Jiwasraya Medan has increased every year PT. Asuransi Jiwasraya Medan field should maximize it's strategy of increasing the number of sales in order to compete with other insurance companies therefore need a good marketing strategy to increase sales in...

40 CFR 52.2236 - Control strategy; lead.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control strategy; lead. 52.2236 Section...) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Tennessee § 52.2236 Control strategy; lead... on October 6, 1994. These revisions address the requirements necessary to change a lead nonattainment...

Suppressing traffic-driven epidemic spreading by adaptive routing strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Han-Xin; Wang, Zhen

2016-01-01

The design of routing strategies for traffic-driven epidemic spreading has received increasing attention in recent years. In this paper, we propose an adaptive routing strategy that incorporates topological distance with local epidemic information through a tunable parameter h. In the case where the traffic is free of congestion, there exists an optimal value of routing parameter h, leading to the maximal epidemic threshold. This means that epidemic spreading can be more effectively controlled by adaptive routing, compared to that of the static shortest path routing scheme. Besides, we find that the optimal value of h can greatly relieve the traffic congestion in the case of finite node-delivering capacity. We expect our work to provide new insights into the effects of dynamic routings on traffic-driven epidemic spreading.

Peer Support and Psychosocial Pain Management Strategies for Children with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Nabors

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews information on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE in children. Children with this chronic illness often experience pain related to their condition. They also can experience social isolation. This paper reviews psychosocial information on peer support and cognitive behavioral pain management strategies. The information presented in this paper provides new insights for health professionals assisting children and families in coping with psychological facets of this disease. Research focusing on ways by which peers and friends can support the child’s use of psychological pain management strategies will provide new information for the literature.

A speed guidance strategy for multiple signalized intersections based on car-following model

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Tie-Qiao; Yi, Zhi-Yan; Zhang, Jian; Wang, Tao; Leng, Jun-Qiang

2018-04-01

Signalized intersection has great roles in urban traffic system. The signal infrastructure and the driving behavior near the intersection are paramount factors that have significant impacts on traffic flow and energy consumption. In this paper, a speed guidance strategy is introduced into a car-following model to study the driving behavior and the fuel consumption in a single-lane road with multiple signalized intersections. The numerical results indicate that the proposed model can reduce the fuel consumption and the average stop times. The findings provide insightful guidance for the eco-driving strategies near the signalized intersections.

New Insights about Enzyme Evolution from Large Scale Studies of Sequence and Structure Relationships*

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Shoshana D.; Babbitt, Patricia C.

2014-01-01

Understanding how enzymes have evolved offers clues about their structure-function relationships and mechanisms. Here, we describe evolution of functionally diverse enzyme superfamilies, each representing a large set of sequences that evolved from a common ancestor and that retain conserved features of their structures and active sites. Using several examples, we describe the different structural strategies nature has used to evolve new reaction and substrate specificities in each unique superfamily. The results provide insight about enzyme evolution that is not easily obtained from studies of one or only a few enzymes. PMID:25210038

Genome-health nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics: nutritional requirements or 'nutriomes' for chromosomal stability and telomere maintenance at the individual level.

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Caroline; Fenech, Michael

2008-05-01

It is becoming increasingly evident that (a) risk for developmental and degenerative disease increases with more DNA damage, which in turn is dependent on nutritional status, and (b) the optimal concentration of micronutrients for prevention of genome damage is also dependent on genetic polymorphisms that alter the function of genes involved directly or indirectly in the uptake and metabolism of micronutrients required for DNA repair and DNA replication. The development of dietary patterns, functional foods and supplements that are designed to improve genome-health maintenance in individuals with specific genetic backgrounds may provide an important contribution to an optimum health strategy based on the diagnosis and individualised nutritional prevention of genome damage, i.e. genome health clinics. The present review summarises some of the recent knowledge relating to micronutrients that are associated with chromosomal stability and provides some initial insights into the likely nutritional factors that may be expected to have an impact on the maintenance of telomeres. It is evident that developing effective strategies for defining nutrient doses and combinations or 'nutriomes' for genome-health maintenance at the individual level is essential for further progress in this research field.

Sharing the cost of river basin adaptation portfolios to climate change: Insights from social justice and cooperative game theory

Science.gov (United States)

Girard, Corentin; Rinaudo, Jean-Daniel; Pulido-Velazquez, Manuel

2016-10-01

The adaptation of water resource systems to the potential impacts of climate change requires mixed portfolios of supply and demand adaptation measures. The issue is not only to select efficient, robust, and flexible adaptation portfolios but also to find equitable strategies of cost allocation among the stakeholders. Our work addresses such cost allocation problems by applying two different theoretical approaches: social justice and cooperative game theory in a real case study. First of all, a cost-effective portfolio of adaptation measures at the basin scale is selected using a least-cost optimization model. Cost allocation solutions are then defined based on economic rationality concepts from cooperative game theory (the Core). Second, interviews are conducted to characterize stakeholders' perceptions of social justice principles associated with the definition of alternatives cost allocation rules. The comparison of the cost allocation scenarios leads to contrasted insights in order to inform the decision-making process at the river basin scale and potentially reap the efficiency gains from cooperation in the design of river basin adaptation portfolios.

Strategies for clinical approach to neurodegeneration in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlesi, Cecilia; Pasquali, Livia; Piazza, Selina; Lo Gerfo, Annalisa; Caldarazzo Ienco, Elena; Alessi, Rosaria; Fornai, Francesco; Siciliano, Gabriele

2011-03-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder of unknown aetiology that involves the loss of upper and lower motor neurons in the cerebral cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Significant progress in understanding the cellular mechanisms of motor neuron degeneration in ALS has not been matched with the development of therapeutic strategies to prevent disease progression, and riluzole remains the only available therapy, with only marginal effects on disease survival. More recently alterations of mRNA processing in genetically defined forms of ALS, as those related to TDP-43 and FUS-TLS gene mutations have provided important insights into the molecular networks implicated in the disease pathogenesis. Here we review some of the recent progress in promoting therapeutic strategies for neurodegeneration.

The association of lifetime insight and cognition in psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Torres, Ana M; Zarzuela, Amalia; Peralta, Victor; Cuesta, Manuel J

2015-03-01

Poor insight has been related to poor course in psychosis. However, the role of cognition in insight remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of cognition and lifetime psychopathological dimensions on insight in psychosis. We followed up 42 patients with psychotic disorders over 10years. Lifetime psychopathological dimensions and cognitive performance were assessed. Patients were divided into two groups by lifetime patterns of insight and compared with 42 healthy volunteers. Lower IQ and poorer social cognition were associated with higher risks of poorer lifetime insight of feeling ill and global insight respectively. Lifetime negative symptoms were associated with a higher risk of poorer lifetime insight into symptoms. Lifetime lack of insight is independent of cognitive impairment in specific domains, except for social cognition. Higher IQ may contribute to better lifetime awareness of illness, while better ability to manage emotions is involved in lifetime global insight. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Waste package for Yucca Mountain repository: Strategy for regulatory compliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cloninger, M.; Short, D.; Stahl, D.

1989-02-01

This document summarizes the strategy given in the Site Characterization Plan (1) for demonstrating compliance with the post closure performance objectives for the waste package and the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) contained in the Code of Federal Regulations. The strategy consists of the development of a conservative waste package design that will meet the regulatory requirements with sufficient margin for uncertainty using a multi-barrier approach that takes advantage of the unsaturated nature of the Yucca Mountain site. This strategy involves an iterative process designed to achieve compliance with the requirements for substantially complete containment and EBS release. The strategy will be implemented in such a manner that sufficient evidence will be provided for presentation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) so that it may make a finding that there is ''reasonable assurance'' that these performance requirements will indeed be met. In implementing the strategy, DOE recognizes four fundamental goals: (1) protect public health and safety; (2) minimize financial and other resource commitments; (3) comply with applicable laws and regulations; and (4) maintain an aggressive schedule. The strategy is intended to be a reasonable balance of these competing goals. 7 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Evolution of ITER tritium confinement strategy and adaptation to Cadrache site conditions and French regulatory requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murdoch, D.

2007-01-01

The ITER Nuclear Buildings include the Tokamak, Tritium and Diagnostic Buildings (Tokamak Complex) and the Hot Cell and Low Level Radioactive Waste Buildings. The Tritium Confinement Strategy of the Nuclear Buildings comprises key features of the Atmosphere and Vent Detritiation Systems (ADS/VDS) and the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems. The designs developed during the ITER EDA (Engineering Design Activities) for these systems need to be adapted to the specific conditions of the Cadarache site and modified to conform with the regulatory requirements applicable to Installations Nucleaires de Base (INB) - Basic Nuclear Installations - in France. The highest priority for such adaptation has been identified as the Tritium Confinement of the Tokamak Complex and the progress in development of a robust, coherent design concept compliant with French practice is described in the paper. The Tokamak Complex HVAC concept for generic conditions was developed for operational cost minimisation under more extreme climatic conditions (primarily temperature) than those valid for Cadarache, and incorporated recirculation of a large fraction of the air flow through the HVAC systems to achieve this objective. Due to the impracticality of precluding the spread of contamination from areas of higher activity to less contaminated areas, this concept has been abandoned in favour of a once-through configuration, which requires a complete redesign, with revised air change rates, module sizes, layout, redundancy provisions and other features. The ADS/VDS concept developed for the generic design of the ITER Tokamak Complex is undergoing a radical revision in which the system architecture, module sizing and basic process are being optimised for the Cadarache conditions. Investigation is being launched into the implementation of a wet stripper concept to replace the molecular sieve (MS) beds incorporated in the generic design, where concerns have been raised over low

Blindness and Insight in King Lear

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

岳元玉

2008-01-01

This paper intends to explore how William Shakespeare illustrates the theme of blindness and insight in his great tragedy "King Lear".Four characters’ deeds and their fate are used as a case study to examine what blindness is,what insight is,and the relationship between the two.The writer finds that by depicting the characters’ deeds and their fate in a double plot,Shakespeare renders the folly of blindness,the transition from blindness to insight,and the use of reason and thought to understand the truth.

Human taeniasis: current insights into prevention and management strategies in endemic countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okello A

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Anna L Okello,1 Lian Francesca Thomas2 1Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, Edinburgh Medical School, Biomedical Sciences College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; 2Independent Consultant, Lusaka, Zambia Abstract: Human taeniasis is a zoonotic condition resulting from infection with the adult stages of Taenia saginata (“beef tapeworm”, Taenia solium (“pork tapeworm” or Taenia asiatica (“Asian tapeworm”. Although these parasites have a worldwide distribution, the overwhelming burden is felt by communities in low- and middle-income countries. This is particularly true for T. solium, whereby infection of the central nervous system with the larval stage of the parasite (neurocysticercosis is a major cause of acquired epilepsy in low-resource settings. With a focus on endemic countries, this review provides an insight into the prevention and management of human taeniasis, concluding with some recent case studies describing their implementation. Discussion of the opportunities and challenges regarding current fecal and serological diagnostic assays for detecting Taenia spp. highlights the importance of accurate and accessible diagnostic options for the field situation. The lack of long-term impact on the parasites’ lifecycle from human anthelmintic treatment, coupled with the propensity for adverse reactions, highlights the importance of a “two-pronged” approach that considers the relevant animal hosts, particularly in the case of T. solium. Aside from the therapeutic options, this review reiterates the importance of adequate assessment and consideration of the associated behavioral and policy aspects around sanitation, hygiene and meat inspection that have been shown to support parasite control, and potential elimination, in endemic regions. Keywords: Taenia solium, Taenia saginata, cysticercosis, zoonotic disease, neglected tropical diseases

Teacher-employed Communication Strategies: Investigating Function Type Occurrence in Iranian EFL Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massoud Yaghoubi Notash

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Communication strategies, as goal-oriented lines of action to obviate breakdowns in the flow of communication, have been the subject of extensive studies in SLA. While student-employed strategies have been duly investigated in the literature, those employed by teachers in the classroom context continue to be inadequately addressed. Moreover, characterizing functions of communication strategies (CSs rather than their types as a research interest can offer new insights for research. Accordingly, the present study concentrated on the function of CSs employed by 16 teachers across elementary (8 and advanced levels (8 teaching spoken English in private institutes in Tabriz, Iran. A modified version of Jamshidnejad’s (2011 functions of communication strategies was employed as the framework for defining functions. T-test results indicated a significant difference regarding ‘maintaining the flow of conversation’ between elementary and advanced level teachers. As with other function types, no significant differences could be revealed.

Developing IEC strategies for population programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, S I

1993-01-01

The thrust of this article is to define terms of IEC, IEC strategies, the stepwise planning process for IEC, data requirements, the ideational change process, and the need for situational and institutional analysis. A chart provided an at-a-glance perspective on the 11 steps in IEC strategic planning for as many specific target groups as needed. The steps are to state the goals, select and prioritize the target audience, describe the target audience,, determine the IEC activities, outline appropriate messages, identify communication channels, identify managerial and organizational strategies, calculate the amount of resources required, identify a realistic time frame, and evaluate critical factors and obstacles. IEC goals are to contribute to solving a problem or supporting an issue, which involved attitudinal and/or behavioral changes. Many strategies are possible. The common weaknesses are the lack of priorities, the view of targets as a mass audience, a lack in support for population strategies, a lack of integration with family planning or specific population sectors, a lack of integration of up-to-data research findings on population programs, vague or difficult-to-measure objectives, reliance on printed media, and sporadic assessment of personnel needs. THe levels of strategy are identified as follows: 1) national and multisectoral, 2) national and sectoral specific, and 3) project specific. Traditional sociocultural research and KAP surveys are not sufficient to provide an understanding of the target audience. There must be an understanding of the stages of individual change: unaware, aware, concerned, information seeking, learning, motivated to change, initial behavior change, sustained behavior change, and adoption or refusal of behavior change. Beliefs must be distinguished from attitudes in measurement. Changes in beliefs may involve correction of misinformation; attitude change requires a motivational approach. Behavior may be determined by other

Trends in Corporate Communication Strategies

OpenAIRE

Constantin Milosteanu; Ionel Scaunasu; Alina Cornescu; Nicolae Popovic

2011-01-01

When business strategy is correlated with corporate communication strategy, this is reflected in the position and image of the organization on the market, leading to higher sales and increased profitability. The major changes caused by globalization, coupled with the new dynamic of the markets where consumers have access to more information in less time, require new forms of corporate communication. The new corporate communication concept involves major challenges for managers and can help de...

Craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic injury: latest insights into consequent eating disorders and obesity

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Hermann L.

2016-01-01

Purpose of review Hypothalamic alterations, pathological or treatment induced, have major impact on prognosis in craniopharyngioma patients mainly because of consequent hypothalamic obesity. Recent insight in molecular genetics, treatment strategies, risk factors and outcomes associated with hypothalamic obesity provide novel therapeutic perspectives. This review includes relevant publications since 2013. Recent findings Recent findings confirm that alterations in posterior hypothalamic areas because of tumour location and/or treatment-related injuries are associated with severe hypothalamic obesity, reduced overall survival and impaired quality of life in long-term survivors of childhood-onset craniopharyngioma. However, eating disorders are observed because of hypothalamic obesity without clear disease-specific patterns. Treatment options for hypothalamic obesity are very limited. Treatment with invasive, nonreversible bariatric methods such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is most efficient in weight reduction, but controversial in the paediatric population because of medical, ethical, and legal considerations. Accordingly, treatment in craniopharyngioma should focus on prevention of (further) hypothalamic injury. Presurgical imaging for grading of hypothalamic involvement should be the basis for hypothalamus-sparing strategies conducted by experienced multidisciplinary teams. Summary Until a nonsurgical therapeutic option for hypothalamic obesity for paediatric patients is found, prevention of hypothalamic injury should be the preferred treatment strategy, conducted exclusively by experienced multidisciplinary teams. PMID:26574645

Fault Management Design Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Day, John C.; Johnson, Stephen B.

2014-01-01

Development of dependable systems relies on the ability of the system to determine and respond to off-nominal system behavior. Specification and development of these fault management capabilities must be done in a structured and principled manner to improve our understanding of these systems, and to make significant gains in dependability (safety, reliability and availability). Prior work has described a fundamental taxonomy and theory of System Health Management (SHM), and of its operational subset, Fault Management (FM). This conceptual foundation provides a basis to develop framework to design and implement FM design strategies that protect mission objectives and account for system design limitations. Selection of an SHM strategy has implications for the functions required to perform the strategy, and it places constraints on the set of possible design solutions. The framework developed in this paper provides a rigorous and principled approach to classifying SHM strategies, as well as methods for determination and implementation of SHM strategies. An illustrative example is used to describe the application of the framework and the resulting benefits to system and FM design and dependability.

Hyperons: Insights into baryon structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lach, J.

1991-08-01

The baryon octet is composed mainly of hyperons. Modern high energy hyperon beams provide a tool for the study of hyperon static properties and interactions. Experiments with these beams have provided new insights into hyperon rare decays, magnetic moments, and interactions. These experiments provide us with insights into the strong, weak, and electromagnetic structure of the baryons. 65 refs., 45 figs., 5 tabs

Decentralized event-triggered consensus control strategy for leader-follower networked systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shouxu; Xie, Duosi; Yan, Weisheng

2017-08-01

In this paper, the consensus problem of leader-follower networked systems is addressed. At first, a centralized and a decentralized event-triggered control strategy are proposed, which make the control actuators of followers update at aperiodic invent interval. In particular, the latter one makes each follower requires the local information only. After that, an improved triggering function that only uses the follower's own information and the neighbors' states at their latest event instants is developed to relax the requirement of the continuous state of the neighbors. In addition, the strategy does not require the information of the topology, nor the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix. And if the follower does not have direct connection to the leader, the leader's information is not required either. It is analytically shown that by using the proposed strategy the leader-follower networked system is able to reach consensus without continuous communication among followers. Simulation examples are given to show effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Program strategies for maintenance management, organization and planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czegeny, J.I.

2003-01-01

In this paper we look respectively at three specific examples showing program strategies for maintenance management, organization and planning. Starting with preventive maintenance optimization, we will look at one Bruce B Predefined task on the Reactor Regulating System to illustrate reduced maintenance requirement, a maintenance management strategy. Next discussed is the organizational strategy at Darlington to have an engineering program meet the jurisdictional requirements for maintaining certification for TSSA registered pressure vessels. The last look-see will show the earned value of the planning for the first Pickering A unit to be returned to service. Finally all the above is tied together in a compare and contrast of what works and what could be improved upon. (author)

LINKING HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY WITH KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO DRIVE MEASURABLE RESULTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Otilia‐Maria\tBORDEIANU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Today the human resources are seen as a very valuable asset to achieve long-term performance. Today we understand that every employee is required to learn throughout life, so to acquire new knowledge, to process such knowledge and possibly disseminate expertise with other members of the organization. The theory on human resources in various organizations has changed over time; recommendations have become more numerous, but there is no consensus on the subject. In other words, the permanent change which defines the competitive environment of business remains a type of constant when analysing the efficiency of human resources within companies; inter-individual relations (formal and informal and the values to which each employee relates remains crucial for any theoretical construction in this area. Principles and strategies applied by organizations yesterday could prove their inefficiency today; human resource strategies in organizations today should include a separate subcomponent, we believe, i.e. knowledge management (KM strategy. This is because the competitive advantage obtained or maintained by the company depends today, in large proportion, on the type, quality and value of knowledge possessed by the organization. Therefore, organizational strategy and thus the strategy of acquisition, developing and rewarding of human resources (HR should take into account this reality from the global environment. Moreover, in the current knowledge-driven economy, organizations must know how to develop and implement knowledge-based strategies to drive measurable business results. The goal of this paper is to describe a potential relation between the overall company strategy, HR strategy and KM strategy.

Strategies and Perceptions of Students' Field Note-Taking Skills: Insights from a Geothermal Field Lesson

Science.gov (United States)

Dohaney, Jacqueline; Brogt, Erik; Kennedy, Ben

2015-01-01

Field note-taking skills are fundamental in the geosciences but are rarely explicitly taught. In a mixed-method study of an introductory geothermal field lesson, we characterize the content and perceptions of students' note-taking skills to derive the strategies that students use in the field. We collected several data sets: observations of the…

Waste Management Strategy in The Netherlands. Part 2. Strategy Principles and Influencing Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haverkate, B.R.W.

2002-01-01

This report reflects the Dutch input prepared in the framework of work package 2 of the EU thematic network COMPAS, which deals with the identification of alternative waste management strategies and issues influencing strategy selection in EU member states and their applicant countries. All elements that could have an effect in identifying alternative policies to manage (long-lived) radioactive wastes are addressed in this report. After a short introduction, in chapter 1, about some general issues influencing decision-making such as public acceptance, involvement, perception and (European) legislation, the considered disposal methods and disposal requirements are given in chapter 2. Chapter 3 of this report deals with the background topics of the current waste management strategy in The Netherlands. A detailed overview of (basic) strategy principles and their influencing issues is the subject of chapter 4. Issues considered include: safety and environmental impact; technical limitations; nuclear materials safeguards; monitoring and retrievability; ethical issues; public acceptance; (timing of) strategy development and implementation; and economical considerations. Relevant additional issues that could have an effect in identifying alternative waste management strategy are provided in appendices, including signed treaties (appendix B) and nuclear statutory regulations (appendix C)

Old treatments for new insights and strategies: proposed management in adults and children with alkaptonuria.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnoux, Jean-Baptiste; Le Quan Sang, Kim-Hanh; Brassier, Anais; Grisel, Coraline; Servais, Aude; Wippf, Julien; Dubois, Sandrine; Sireau, Nicolas; Job-Deslandre, Chantal; Ranganath, Lakshminarayan; de Lonlay, Pascale

2015-09-01

Alkaptonuria (AKU) is caused by deficiency of the enzyme homogentisate 1,2 dioxygenase. It results in an accumulation of homogentisate which oxidizes spontaneously to benzoquinone acetate, a highly oxidant compound, which polymerises to a melanin-like structure, in a process called ochronosis. Asymptomatic during childhood, this accumulation will lead from the second decade of life to a progressive and severe spondylo-arthopathy, associated with multisystem involvement: osteoporosis/fractures, stones (renal, prostatic, gall bladder, salivary glands), ruptures of tendons/muscle/ligaments, renal failure and aortic valve disease. The pathophysiological mechanisms of AKU remain poorly understood, but recent advances lead us to reconsider the treatment strategy in AKU patients. Besides the supporting therapies (pain killers, anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, joints replacements and others), specific therapies have been considered (anti-oxidant, low protein diet, nitisinone), but clinical studies have failed to prove efficiency on the rheumatological lesions of the disease. Here we propose a treatment strategy for children and adults with AKU, based on a review of the latest findings on AKU and lessons from other aminoacipathies, especially tyrosinemias.

Vocabulary comprehension and strategies in name construction among children using aided communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Deliberato, Débora; Jennische, Margareta; Oxley, Judith; Nunes, Leila Regina d'Oliveira de Paula; Walter, Cátia Crivelenti de Figueiredo; Massaro, Munique; Almeida, Maria Amélia; Stadskleiv, Kristine; Basil, Carmen; Coronas, Marc; Smith, Martine; von Tetzchner, Stephen

2018-03-01

Vocabulary learning reflects the language experiences of the child, both in typical and atypical development, although the vocabulary development of children who use aided communication may differ from children who use natural speech. This study compared the performance of children using aided communication with that of peers using natural speech on two measures of vocabulary knowledge: comprehension of graphic symbols and labeling of common objects. There were 92 participants not considered intellectually disabled in the aided group. The reference group consisted of 60 participants without known disorders. The comprehension task consisted of 63 items presented individually in each participant's graphic system, together with four colored line drawings. Participants were required to indicate which drawing corresponded to the symbol. In the expressive labelling task, 20 common objects presented in drawings had to be named. Both groups indicated the correct drawing for most of the items in the comprehension tasks, with a small advantage for the reference group. The reference group named most objects quickly and accurately, demonstrating that the objects were common and easily named. The aided language group named the majority correctly and in addition used a variety of naming strategies; they required more time than the reference group. The results give insights into lexical processing in aided communication and may have implications for aided language intervention.

Neurobiological Basis of Insight in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Xavier, Rose Mary; Vorderstrasse, Allison

2016-01-01

Insight in schizophrenia is defined as awareness into illness, symptoms, and need for treatment and has long been associated with cognition, other psychopathological symptoms, and several adverse clinical and functional outcomes. However, the biological basis of insight is not clearly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate and summarize advances in the study of the biological basis of insight in schizophrenia and to identify gaps in this knowledge. A literature search of PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases was conducted using search terms to identify articles relevant to the biology of insight in schizophrenia published in the last 6 years. Articles that focused on etiology of insight in schizophrenia and those that examined the neurobiology of insight in schizophrenia or psychoses were chosen for analysis. Articles on insight in conditions other than schizophrenia or psychoses and which did not investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of insight were excluded from the review. Twenty-six articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Of the 26 articles, 3 focused on cellular abnormalities and 23 were neuroimaging studies. Preliminary data identify the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and regions of the temporal and parietal lobe (precuneus, inferior parietal lobule) and hippocampus as the neural correlates of insight. A growing body of literature attests to the neurobiological basis of insight in schizophrenia. Current evidence supports the neurobiological basis of insight in schizophrenia and identifies specific neural correlates for insight types and its dimensions. Further studies that examine the precise biological mechanisms of insight are needed to apply this knowledge to effective clinical intervention development.

Insights into the sequence parameters for halophilic adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nath, Abhigyan

2016-03-01

The sequence parameters for halophilic adaptation are still not fully understood. To understand the molecular basis of protein hypersaline adaptation, a detailed analysis is carried out, and investigated the likely association of protein sequence attributes to halophilic adaptation. A two-stage strategy is implemented, where in the first stage a supervised machine learning classifier is build, giving an overall accuracy of 86 % on stratified tenfold cross validation and 90 % on blind testing set, which are better than the previously reported results. The second stage consists of statistical analysis of sequence features and possible extraction of halophilic molecular signatures. The results of this study showed that, halophilic proteins are characterized by lower average charge, lower K content, and lower S content. A statistically significant preference/avoidance list of sequence parameters is also reported giving insights into the molecular basis of halophilic adaptation. D, Q, E, H, P, T, V are significantly preferred while N, C, I, K, M, F, S are significantly avoided. Among amino acid physicochemical groups, small, polar, charged, acidic and hydrophilic groups are preferred over other groups. The halophilic proteins also showed a preference for higher average flexibility, higher average polarity and avoidance for higher average positive charge, average bulkiness and average hydrophobicity. Some interesting trends observed in dipeptide counts are also reported. Further a systematic statistical comparison is undertaken for gaining insights into the sequence feature distribution in different residue structural states. The current analysis may facilitate the understanding of the mechanism of halophilic adaptation clearer, which can be further used for rational design of halophilic proteins.

A Knowledge Management Strategy To Achieve Organisation Competitiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. St. Sukmawati.

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to study the influence of organizational environment on the selection of knowledge management strategies. The research focuses particularly on the relationship between business and knowledge management strategy and the success of the knowledge management initiatives. This research is a case study researching 2 South Sulawesi banking companies. The knowledge management initiatives were categorized by six criteria objectives processes problems content strategy knowledge type and their fit with the respective business strategy of the organizational unit was evaluated. The findings in this research suggest a relationship between the success of knowledge management and the alignment of knowledge management and business strategy. The research also shows that an organization whose business strategy requires process efficiency should rely primarily on a codification strategy. An organization whose business strategy requires productprocess innovation should rely primarily on a personalization strategy. The most successful knowledge management projects were driven by a strong business need and with the goal to add value to the organizational unit operations. The research shows there are limitations due to the qualitative nature of the research logical rather than statistical conclusions small sample size and subjectivity of interpretations. The research sees that a manager should be aware of the objectives and business processes of the organizational unit and chooses the knowledge management strategy and objective in accordance to the business strategy and objective. Originalityvalue. The research enhances understanding about the influence of organizational environment factors on the success of knowledge management initiatives.

Challenges and Strategies for Breeding Resistance in Capsicum annuum to the Multifarious Pathogen, Phytophthora capsici

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek W. Barchenger

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Phytophthora capsici is the most devastating pathogen for chile pepper production worldwide and current management strategies are not effective. The population structure of the pathogen is highly variable and few sources of widely applicable host resistance have been identified. Recent genomic advancements in the host and the pathogen provide important insights into the difficulties reported by epidemiological and physiological studies published over the past century. This review highlights important challenges unique to this complex pathosystem and suggests strategies for resistance breeding to help limit losses associated with P. capsici.

Social-ethical issues concerning the control strategy of animal diseases in the European Union: a survey

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cohen, N.E.; Asseldonk, van M.A.P.M.; Stassen, E.N.

2007-01-01

In 2004 a survey was conducted in the member states of the European Union designed to gain greater insight into the views on control strategies for foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, and avian influenza with respect to the epidemiological, economic and social-ethical consequences of each

Balancing Venturi and Laissez-Faire Management Styles: Insights from Fluid Mechanical Analogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruud Weijermars

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Mobilizing distributed Organizational Intelligence involves managerial efforts whereby the generation of new tacit knowledge requires dissemination of newly codified externalized knowledge. The managerial role in the early stage of knowledge creation is to support and stimulate the process of knowledge generation and to aid the diffusion of knowledge across organizational boundaries. In contrast, the subsequent 'harvesting' and goal-oriented application of knowledge requires convergence of human actors (H as carriers of distributed intelligence (DI. Optimization of the organizational performance and improved workflow efficiency is best effectuated by applying insights from fluid mechanical analogs. Several such analogs are introduced here and these provide insight that helps to funnel tacit and explicit knowledge into tangible asset value. Three sets of managerial lessons are inferred from the analogs: (1 Social bonding between professionals needs to be stimulated because professionals with strong social bonds (S can sustain effective workflows under relatively high pressures, while weak social bonds lead to turbulence and disruption; (2 Effective vision sharing is essential for goal-oriented and accelerated knowledge development in DI systems, and; (3 Managerial pressure may not overheat the critical limit that can be handled by resilient and strongly bonded DI networks, as this would result in disruptive turbulence even in experienced neural networks.

Roundtable. Strategies to discourage brain drain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kupfer, Linda; Hofman, Karen; Jarawan, Raya; McDermott, Jeanne; Bridbord, Ken

2004-08-01

Building health research expertise in developing countries often requires personnel to receive training beyond national borders. For research funding agencies that sponsor this type of training, a major goal is to ensure that trainees return to their country of origin: attaining this objective requires the use of proactive strategies. The strategies described were developed under the extramural acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) International Training and Research Program (AITRP) funded by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institutes of Health, United States. This programme supports universities in the United States that provide research training to scientists from developing countries to enable them to address the global epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS and the related tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. This paper describes the strategies employed to discourage brain drain by the principle investigators (PIs) of five of the longest-funded AITRPs (funded for 15 years). Long-term trainees in these programmes spent from 11 to 96 months (an average of 26 months) studying. Using scientific, political and economic strategies that address brain drain issues, PIs working in AITRPs have attained an average rate of return home for their trainees of 80%.

Neurocognition, insight and medication nonadherence in schizophrenia: a structural equation modeling approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurent Boyer

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the complex relationships among neurocognition, insight and nonadherence in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. DATA COLLECTION: Neurocognition was assessed using a global approach that addressed memory, attention, and executive functions; insight was analyzed using the multidimensional 'Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder;' and nonadherence was measured using the multidimensional 'Medication Adherence Rating Scale.' ANALYSIS: Structural equation modeling (SEM was applied to examine the non-straightforward relationships among the following latent variables: neurocognition, 'awareness of positive symptoms' and 'negative symptoms', 'awareness of mental disorder' and nonadherence. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-nine patients were enrolled. The final testing model showed good fit, with normed χ(2 = 1.67, RMSEA = 0.063, CFI = 0.94, and SRMR = 0.092. The SEM revealed significant associations between (1 neurocognition and 'awareness of symptoms,' (2 'awareness of symptoms' and 'awareness of mental disorder' and (3 'awareness of mental disorder' and nonadherence, mainly in the 'attitude toward taking medication' dimension. In contrast, there were no significant links between neurocognition and nonadherence, neurocognition and 'awareness of mental disorder,' and 'awareness of symptoms' and nonadherence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that neurocognition influences 'awareness of symptoms,' which must be integrated into a higher level of insight (i.e., the 'awareness of mental disorder' to have an impact on nonadherence. These findings have important implications for the development of effective strategies to enhance medication adherence.

Connecting Classroom, Clinic, and Context: Clinical Reasoning Strategies for Clinical Instructors and Academic Faculty.

Science.gov (United States)

Furze, Jennifer; Kenyon, Lisa K; Jensen, Gail M

2015-01-01

Clinical reasoning is an essential skill in pediatric physical therapist (PT) practice. As such, explicit instruction in clinical reasoning should be emphasized in PT education. This article provides academic faculty and clinical instructors with an overview of strategies to develop and expand the clinical reasoning capacity of PT students within the scope of pediatric PT practice. Achieving a balance between deductive reasoning strategies that provide a framework for thinking and inductive reasoning strategies that emphasize patient factors and the context of the clinical situation is an important variable in educational pedagogy. Consideration should be given to implementing various teaching and learning approaches across the curriculum that reflect the developmental level of the student(s). Deductive strategies may be helpful early in the curriculum, whereas inductive strategies are often advantageous after patient interactions; however, exposure to both is necessary to fully develop the learner's clinical reasoning abilities. For more insights from the authors, see Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at http://links.lww.com/PPT/A87.

WFIRST: Update on the Coronagraph Science Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Ewan S.; Cahoy, Kerri; Carlton, Ashley; Macintosh, Bruce; Turnbull, Margaret; Kasdin, Jeremy; WFIRST Coronagraph Science Investigation Teams

2018-01-01

The WFIRST Coronagraph instrument (CGI) will enable direct imaging and low resolution spectroscopy of exoplanets in reflected light and imaging polarimetry of circumstellar disks. The CGI science investigation teams were tasked with developing a set of science requirements which advance our knowledge of exoplanet occurrence and atmospheric composition, as well as the composition and morphology of exozodiacal debris disks, cold Kuiper Belt analogs, and protoplanetary systems. We present the initial content, rationales, validation, and verification plans for the WFIRST CGI, informed by detailed and still-evolving instrument and observatory performance models. We also discuss our approach to the requirements development and management process, including the collection and organization of science inputs, open source approach to managing the requirements database, and the range of models used for requirements validation. These tools can be applied to requirements development processes for other astrophysical space missions, and may ease their management and maintenance. These WFIRST CGI science requirements allow the community to learn about and provide insights and feedback on the expected instrument performance and science return.

Forgetting constrains the emergence of cooperative decision strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey R. Stevens

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Theoretical studies of cooperative behavior have focused on decision strategies that depend on a partner's last choices. The findings from this work assume that players accurately remember past actions. The kind of memory that these strategies employ, however, does not reflect what we know about memory. Here, we show that human memory may not meet the requirements needed to use these strategies. When asked to recall the previous behavior of simulated partners in a cooperative memory task, participants performed poorly, making errors in 10-24% of the trials. Participants made more errors when required to track more partners. We conducted agent-based simulations to evaluate how well cooperative strategies cope with error. These simulations suggest that, even with few errors, cooperation could not be maintained at the error rates demonstrated by our participants. Our results indicate that the strategies typically used in the study of cooperation likely do not reflect the underlying cognitive capacities used by humans and other animals in social interactions. By including unrealistic assumptions about cognition, theoretical models may have overestimated the robustness of the existing cooperative strategies. To remedy this, future models should incorporate what we know about cognition.

Do behavioural insights matter for competition policy?

OpenAIRE

CIRIOLO Emanuele

2016-01-01

Behavioural insights make use of behavioural economics and psychology to analyse how humans behave when adopting economic decisions. The use of behavioural insights to improve policy-making is becoming increasing popular all over the world. Pensions, taxes, unemployment, energy efficiency, adult education, charitable giving and, of course, competition policy have benefitted from the application of behavioural insights. Emanuele Ciriolo, from the European Commission Joint Research Centre, expl...

A Survey of the Relation Between Capital Structure and Corporate Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. La Rocca

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This paper responds to the general call for integration between finance and strategy researchby examining how financial decisions are related to corporate strategy. In particular, the paperfocuses on the link between capital structure and strategy. Corporate strategies complementtraditional finance paradigms and extend our insight into a firm’s decisions regarding capitalstructure. Equity and debt must be considered as financial instruments as well as strategicinstruments of corporate governance (Williamson 1988. Debt subordinates governanceactivities to stricter management, while equity allows for greater flexibility and decisionmakingpower.The literature on finance and strategy analyzes how the strategic actions of key players(managers, shareholders, debtholders, competitors, workers, suppliers, etc affect firm valueand the allocation of value between claimholders. Specifically, financing decisions canconcern value creation process (1 influencing efficient investments decisions according to theexistence of conflict of interest between managers and firm’s financial stakeholders(shareholders and debtholders and (2 affecting the relationship with non-financialstakeholders, as suppliers, competitors, customers.To summarize, the potential interaction between managers, financial stakeholders, and nonfinancialstakeholders influences capital structure, corporate governance activities, and valuecreation processes. These in turn, may give rise to inefficient managerial decisions or theymay shape the industry’s competitive dynamics to achieve a competitive advantage. A goodintegration between strategy and finance dimensions can be tantamount to a competitiveweapon.

University Transformation: New Demands and Coping Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Chidindi, Joseph

2012-01-01

University education system is undergoing transformation requirements particularly in the developing world. The demands require adaptation to the prevailing circumstances hence the need for relevant strategies for universities. Issues such as institutional profiles, organizational structure and work integration, research activities, and funding…

Strategi Public Relations Pariwisata Bali

OpenAIRE

Cahaya Putra, Kadek Dwi

2008-01-01

Abstract: Bali has to maintain its image and reputation as the world leading class tourist destination. Tourism in fact is a vulnerable industry easily ruined by related issues and crises. Therefore, Public Relations (PR) with its communication strategy is highly required to maintain good relationships with related parties. This study is aimed at identifying Bali’s Public Relations positioning and setting up its PR strategies. Data and information are gained by means of questionnaire distri...

Military Strategy vs. Military Doctrine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barfoed, Jacob

2015-01-01

The article argues that while doctrine represents the more scientific side of warfare, strategy represents the artistic side. Existing doctrine will almost never meet the requirements for winning the next war; it is through the artistic application of generic peacetime doctrine to the specific st...... strategic and operational context, using doctrine as building blocks for a context specific military strategy, that the military commander outwits and defeats or coerces the adversary and achieves the military objectives....

Strategies and criteria for risk-based configuration control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1991-01-01

A configuration, as used here, is a set of component operability or statuses that define the state of a nuclear power plant. Risk-based configuration control is the management of component configurations using a risk perspective to control risk and assure safety. If the component configurations that have high risk implications do not occur then the risk from the operation of nuclear power plants would be minimal. The control of component configurations, i.e., the management of component statuses, so that the risk from components being unavailable is minimized, becomes difficult because the status of a standby safety system component is often not apparent unless it is tested. In this paper, we discuss the strategies and criteria for risk-based configuration control in nuclear power plants. In developing these strategies and criteria, the primary objective is to obtain more direct risk control but the added benefit is the effective use of plant resources. Implementation of such approaches can result in replacement/modification of parts of Technical Specifications. Specifically, the risk impact or safety impact of a configuration depends upon four factors: (1) The configuration components which are simultaneously down (i.e., inoperable); (2) the backup components which are known to be up (i.e., operable); (3) the duration of time the configuration exists (the outage time); and (4) the frequency at which the configuration occurs. Risk-based configuration control involves managing these factors using risk analyses and risk insights. In this paper, we discuss each of the factors and illustrate how they can be controlled. The information and the tools needed in implementing configuration control are also discussed. The risk-based calculation requirements in achieving the control are also delineated. 4 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Regulations and Strategy for a Loss of Large Area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Heok-soon [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued 10 CFR 50.54(hh) that requires licensees to develop guidance and strategies for addressing the loss of large areas of the plant due to explosions or fires from a beyond-design basis event through the use of readily available resources and by identifying potential practicable areas for the use of beyond-readily-available resources. These strategies would address licensee response to events that are beyond the design basis of the facility. This paper illustrates overview of Regulations and some important Strategy for a Loss of Large Area of an advanced nuclear power plant. Regulations and Strategy for Loss of Large Area Analysis could be overlooked during the development stage of Physical Protection System. KHNP was done the project of Physical Protection System design including LOLA to meet the criteria of U.S. NRC and IAEA requirements in INFCIRC/225/Rev.5. The New Reactor should meet the regulatory requirements for LOLA. In the future, the results of project will expect to apply new NPPs.

The Strategy Project: Promoting Self-Regulated Learning through an Authentic Assignment

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner, Hillary H.

2016-01-01

Success in college requires the development of self-regulated learning strategies that move beyond high school skills. First-year students of all ability levels benefit when given instruction in how to use these strategies in an authentic context. This paper presents an instructional method that requires deliberate practice of self-regulated…

Novel deadbeat power control strategy for grid connected systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yousry Atia

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a novel approach for power control of three phase voltage source inverter (VSI in grid connected distribution generation system. In this approach, the control of active and reactive power is based on deadbeat control strategy. First, the difference between the reference and actual currents are introduced in different approach. Then current to power substitutions are carried out to obtain direct relationship between the required inverter voltage and instantaneous power errors. There is no need for coordinate transformation or PLL, where the required inverter voltage vector calculations carried out in α–β stationary reference frame. The proposed technique introduces two cross coupling components in the control function. Including these two components, the controller can achieve nearly zero steady-state tracking error of the controlled variables. To obtain fixed switching frequency operations, space vector modulation (SVM is used to synthesize the required inverter voltage vector and to generate the switching pulses for the VSI. The proposed strategy has the simplicity of the direct power control (DPC technique and doesn’t require any current control loops. The proposed strategy is experimentally implemented using fixed-point microcontroller. Simulation and experimental results are presented to confirm the superiority of the proposed strategy.

Foreign Language Learning: Strategies in the Context of STEM Education (Estrategias de Aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras en el Contexto de la Educación STEM)

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Turgay

2015-01-01

This study aims at providing an insightful evaluation of the EFL strategies used by first-year STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students, and their perceptions of their own use of strategies. The 147 participants were undergraduate level, first-year engineering students at a state university in Turkey. Their ages ranged…

An analysis of alternative New Technical Strategy flowsheets for tank waste remediation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booker, C.P.

1994-01-01

The Hanford Tank remediation plans have gone through a few revisions for the best waste processing system. Some designs have been complex while others have been fairly simple. One of the key means in understanding and selecting among the various proposed systems is a discrete events modeling of the system. This modeling provides insight into (1) The total required size of the system; (2) The amount of material, such as reagents and other added materials that must be supplied; (3) The final mass of waste that must be stored; and (4) Areas within the system where a small change can greatly effect the total system. Discrete events modeling also provides the means by which various proposed systems may be compared. It is the framework in which variations within a particular system may be explored and compared to other instantiations. This study examines the current New Technical Strategy flowsheet system with discrete event modeling. Some of the possible variations within that system are examined and compared. Further, an previously proposed, more complex system is examined

Africa Insight

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa Insight is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of the Africa Institute of South Africa. It is accredited by the South African National Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and is indexed in the International Bibliography of Social Science (IBSS). It is a multi-disciplinary journal primarily focusing on African ...

Effective Strategy-Making in Multinational Subsidiaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben Juul; Andersson, Ulf; Palmié, Maximilian

for global efficiencies and autonomy for effective local responses. Strategic guidance from headquarters frames subsidiary decisions in line with corporate priorities and distributed decision power coupled with informal exchange of information facilitates strategic responses in tune with local market......We outline commonalities between studies of subsidiary decentralization and autonomous strategy-making in the international business and strategic management fields. This suggests that corporate headquarters should engage in strategy-making processes that provide a combination of formal direction...... requirements. We identify some important nuances in the integration-responsiveness conundrum supported by an empirical study of 351 multinational subsidiaries. We discuss the implications for multinational strategy practice and suggest future research venues to investigate strategy-making in multinational...

Awareness tool for safe and responsible driving (OSCAR): a potential educational intervention for increasing interest, openness and knowledge about the abilities required and compensatory strategies among older drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Levasseur, Mélanie; Audet, Thérèse; Gélinas, Isabelle; Bédard, Michel; Langlais, Marie-Ève; Therrien, France-Hélène; Renaud, Judith; Coallier, Jean-Claude; D'Amours, Monia

2015-01-01

This pilot study aimed to verify the impact of the awareness tool for safe and responsible driving (OSCAR) on older adults' (1) interest, openness, and knowledge about the abilities and compensatory strategies required for safe driving; (2) awareness of changes that have occurred in their own driving abilities; and (3) actual utilization of compensatory strategies. A preexperimental design, including a pretest (T0) and posttest (T1) 8 to 10 weeks after exposure to the intervention, was used with 48 drivers aged between 67 and 84. The participants had a valid driving license and drove at least once a week. Overall, the results demonstrate that OSCAR increased interest, openness, and knowledge about the abilities and compensatory strategies of older drivers (P driving, OSCAR also improved awareness of the changes that could negatively impact safe driving and enhanced utilization of compensatory strategies. While promoting safe driving and the prevention of crashes and injuries, this intervention could ultimately help older adults maintain or increase their transportation mobility. More studies are needed to further evaluate OSCAR and identify ways to improve its effectiveness.

Using Networks For Changing Innovation Strategy: The Case of IBM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K. Dittrich (Koen); G.M. Duysters (Geert); A-P. de Man (Ard-Pieter)

2004-01-01

textabstractLarge-scale strategic change projects in companies may be supported by using alliance networks. This paper shows that IBM’s change from an exploitation strategy towards an exploration strategy required a radically different network strategy as well. By entering into more non-equity

Grade-related differences in strategy use in multidigit division in two instructional settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Hickendorff, Marian; Torbeyns, Joke; Verschaffel, Lieven

2017-11-23

We aimed to investigate upper elementary children's strategy use in the domain of multidigit division in two instructional settings: the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). A cross-sectional sample of 119 Dutch and 122 Flemish fourth to sixth graders solved a varied set of multidigit division problems. With latent class analysis, three distinct strategy profiles were identified: children consistently using number-based strategies, children combining the use of column-based and number-based strategies, and children combining the use of digit-based and number-based strategies. The relation between children's strategy profiles and their instructional setting (country) and grade were generally in line with instructional differences, but large individual differences remained. Furthermore, Dutch children more frequently made adaptive strategy choices and realistic solutions than their Flemish peers. These results complement and refine previous findings on children's strategy use in relation to mathematics instruction. Statement of contribution What is already known? Mathematics education reform emphasizes variety, adaptivity, and insight in arithmetic strategies. Countries have different instructional trajectories for multidigit division. Mixed results on the impact of instruction on children's strategy use in multidigit division. What does this study add? Latent class analysis identified three meaningful strategy profiles in children from grades 4-6. These strategy profiles substantially differed between children. Dutch and Flemish children's strategy use is related to their instructional trajectory. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Technical insight on the requirements for CO2-saturated growth of microalgae in photobioreactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuvraj; Padmanabhan, Padmini

2017-06-01

Microalgal cultures are usually sparged with CO 2 -enriched air to preclude CO 2 limitation during photoautotrophic growth. However, the CO 2 vol% specifically required at operating conditions to meet the carbon requirement of algal cells in photobioreactor is never determined and 1-10% v/v CO 2 -enriched air is arbitrarily used. A scheme is proposed and experimentally validated for Chlorella vulgaris that allows computing CO 2 -saturated growth feasible at given CO 2 vol% and volumetric O 2 mass-transfer coefficient (k L a) O . CO 2 sufficiency in an experiment can be theoretically established to adjust conditions for CO 2 -saturated growth. The methodology completely eliminates the requirement of CO 2 electrode for online estimation of dissolved CO 2 to determine critical CO 2 concentration (C crit ), specific CO 2 uptake rate (SCUR), and volumetric CO 2 mass-transfer coefficient (k L a) C required for the governing CO 2 mass-transfer equation. C crit was estimated from specific O 2 production rate (SOPR) measurements at different dissolved CO 2 concentrations. SCUR was calculated from SOPR and photosynthetic quotient (PQ) determined from the balanced stoichiometric equation of growth. Effect of light attenuation and nutrient depletion on biomass estimate is also discussed. Furthermore, a simple design of photosynthetic activity measurement system was used, which minimizes light attenuation by hanging a low depth (ca. 10 mm) culture over the light source.

An Inquiry into Conflict Management Strategies: Study of Higher Education Institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Din, Siraj ud; Khan, Bakhtiar; Bibi, Zainab

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to gain an insight into the conflict management strategies (CMS) of faculty in the higher education institutions (HEIs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. To achieve the above mentioned purpose, survey method was used with the help of questionnaire. In this research, impact of CMS was assessed on the negative…

Determining disease intervention strategies using spatially resolved simulations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Read

Full Text Available Predicting efficacy and optimal drug delivery strategies for small molecule and biological therapeutics is challenging due to the complex interactions between diverse cell types in different tissues that determine disease outcome. Here we present a new methodology to simulate inflammatory disease manifestation and test potential intervention strategies in silico using agent-based computational models. Simulations created using this methodology have explicit spatial and temporal representations, and capture the heterogeneous and stochastic cellular behaviours that lead to emergence of pathology or disease resolution. To demonstrate this methodology we have simulated the prototypic murine T cell-mediated autoimmune disease experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. In the simulation immune cell dynamics, neuronal damage and tissue specific pathology emerge, closely resembling behaviour found in the murine model. Using the calibrated simulation we have analysed how changes in the timing and efficacy of T cell receptor signalling inhibition leads to either disease exacerbation or resolution. The technology described is a powerful new method to understand cellular behaviours in complex inflammatory disease, permits rational design of drug interventional strategies and has provided new insights into the role of TCR signalling in autoimmune disease progression.

Web Services as Product Experience Augmenters and the Implications for Requirements Engineering: A Position Paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Eck, Pascal; Nijholt, Antinus; Wieringa, Roelf J.

There is currently little insight into what requirement engineering for web services is and in which context it will be carried out. In this position paper, we investigate requirements engineering for a special kind of web services, namely web services that are used to augment the perceived value of

Towards effective learning strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergstra, Anouk Simone

2015-01-01

To become self-regulative in learning, students should be able to deploy various learning strategies in a flexible way. For this, they require specific knowledge and skills, referred to as metacognition. Metacognition is a complex concept that is difficult for teachers to teach to their students.

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF MANUFACTURING STRATEGY OF PACKAGING PRODUCT-MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN INDIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pradip P. Patil

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents finding of a survey on manufacturing strategy implementation (MSI adopted by the Indian packaging product manufacturing companies (IPPMC. Though the companies differ in terms of prod uct types (shape, method, content and material of packaging, conversion system, sales volume and sophistication of machinery used, they share common purpose that are used for packaging the product s . With growth in demand for consumer products, packaging f orms basis of differentiating products from competitors. The survey shows emphasis on implementation of manufacturing strategy, key decision areas, identifies competitive priorities, order winners. To get insight, three companies are selected for detailed case studies.

International Pricing Strategies for Born-Global Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Neubert

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to understand how born global firms develop their international pricing strategies, practices, and models. It aims to expand the study of international entrepreneurship and born global firms by including a broader and deeper range of pricing aspects than is normally found in the international entrepreneurship and pricing literature. The paper opted for a multiple case-study research design using different sources of evidence, including four in-depth interviews with CEOs of born global firms. The case-study firms were selected using a purposive selection method. The theoretical framework of Ingenbleek, Frambach & Verhallen is used. The results suggest that successful leaders act as ‘integrating forces’ on two levels: by applying a structured and disciplined price-setting process with regular reviews and by mediating between corporate financial goals and the local market reality. The results support the claim that policy makers should offer insights, training and financial support to give promising born global firms the possibility to select the most efficient international pricing models and strategies. The results are relevant for entrepreneurs to understand the importance of efficient price-modelling processes and the influence of the different price strategies and price models on financial results and sales revenues.

Applying Synectics Strategy in teaching Arabic Rhetoric

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atta Abu Jabeen

2015-09-01

Full Text Available   This research aimed at knowing the ability of applying Synectics strategy in teaching rhetoric in Arabic language at secondary schools and universities   Synectics is identifying as a process of joining elements that has no obvious relationship using the rhetoric arts, especially “metaphor” in addition to logical arts especially “analogy,” within a methodology aims to reach creative solutions to problems. This definition is completely similar to Arabic rhetoric such as analogy and metaphor.   When metaphor in language contains aesthetic and rhetorical values in expression, it carries explanatory connotations in philosophy and science which is the using of a specific experience to shed the light on another one. It also helps us to comprehend, insight and clarifying and explaining the concepts. And what we mean with analogy in Arabic language is nearer to simile which is one of the rhetoric arts.   This research will review the Synectics strategy, how the western scientists applied it to develop creativity, and to what extent it is suitable to teach Arabic rhetoric subject in the university and secondary stage. In addition, It will provide application forms about applying Synectics strategy which will at the same time increase creativity of the students in all fields.

A Requirements-Based Exploration of Open-Source Software Development Projects--Towards a Natural Language Processing Software Analysis Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Vlas, Radu Eduard

2012-01-01

Open source projects do have requirements; they are, however, mostly informal, text descriptions found in requests, forums, and other correspondence. Understanding such requirements provides insight into the nature of open source projects. Unfortunately, manual analysis of natural language requirements is time-consuming, and for large projects,…

Assessing information security strategies, tactics, logic and framewortk

CERN Document Server

Vladimirov, Andrew; Gavrilenko, Konstantin

2015-01-01

Build a strategic response to cyber attacks The activities of the cyber criminal are both deliberate and hostile, and they can be compared to military operations. Many people in business understand that the insights from the classics of military strategy are as relevant to modern commerce as they are to war. It is clear that organisations need to develop a view of cybersecurity that goes beyond technology: all staff in the organisation have a role to play, and it is the senior managers who must ensure, like generals marshalling their forces, that all staff know the cyber security policies that

PROMOTION STRATEGIES IN WINE MARKETING

OpenAIRE

Ştefan MATEI

2014-01-01

Marketing has proven to be very useful instrument in the wine industry, in fostering comprehensive, cohesive and effective strategies which wineries require to effectively compete in today’s almost saturated wine market. But within wine marketing, the promotion strategy, from our point of view, is the most important component of the winery that can ensure the success in the market or can shorten the life cycle of the product. This being said, the aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, to deter...

Mode shift strategies in intercity transportation and their effect on energy consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolsky, S.

1975-01-01

Policies are examined which, if implemented, could lead to significant energy savings in intercity travel in the northeast corridor arena, without restricting the traveler's freedom of mode choice. The effects on arena energy consumption of introducing new, more energy-efficient aircraft are investigated; and several strategies unrelated to the implementation of new aircraft are introduced to yield reductions in overall intercity energy use. In both parts of this analysis, resulting changes in patronage (modal share) and energy use are demonstrated, leading to new insights into the effectiveness of different potential policies for achieving energy conservation. Some observations on induced demand trends that could be associated with certain strategies and the resultant potential effect on energy conservation are provided.

Evaluating the combined effectiveness of influenza control strategies and human preventive behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Mao

Full Text Available Control strategies enforced by health agencies are a major type of practice to contain influenza outbreaks. Another type of practice is the voluntary preventive behavior of individuals, such as receiving vaccination, taking antiviral drugs, and wearing face masks. These two types of practices take effects concurrently in influenza containment, but little attention has been paid to their combined effectiveness. This article estimates this combined effectiveness using established simulation models in the urbanized area of Buffalo, NY, USA. Three control strategies are investigated, including: Targeted Antiviral Prophylaxis (TAP, workplace/school closure, community travel restriction, as well as the combination of the three. All control strategies are simulated with and without regard to individual preventive behavior, and the resulting effectiveness are compared. The simulation outcomes suggest that weaker control strategies could suffice to contain influenza epidemics, because individuals voluntarily adopt preventive behavior, rendering these weaker strategies more effective than would otherwise have been expected. The preventive behavior of individuals could save medical resources for control strategies and avoid unnecessary socio-economic interruptions. This research adds a human behavioral dimension into the simulation of control strategies and offers new insights into disease containment. Health policy makers are recommended to review current control strategies and comprehend preventive behavior patterns of local populations before making decisions on influenza containment.

Insight and its relationship with stigma in psychiatric patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepak K Mishra

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The literature on insight has paid insufficient attention to the social experiences that are associated with receiving and endorsing a diagnosis of mental illness. The psychological and behavioral commitments associated with insight extend beyond agreeing with a diagnosis and accepting treatment to include taking on the identity of an individual diagnosed with mental illness. This study sought to examine the relationship between insight and stigma in psychiatric patients. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional assessment of insight and stigma was done using the system adopted by Kaplan and Sadock in their comprehensive textbook of psychiatry and Felt Stigma Scale in 100 psychiatric patients (40 patients suffering from Bipolar affective disorder, 30 Schizophrenics, 20 Substance dependents and 10 with Obsessive Compulsive disorder. Results: It was found that the level of stigma felt by patients with insight was significantly higher than that felt by patients without insight. Conclusion: Though there is a certain extent of stigma present in patients without insight, as is expected, the level of stigma increases as the patients develop insight.

New insights about enzyme evolution from large scale studies of sequence and structure relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Shoshana D; Babbitt, Patricia C

2014-10-31

Understanding how enzymes have evolved offers clues about their structure-function relationships and mechanisms. Here, we describe evolution of functionally diverse enzyme superfamilies, each representing a large set of sequences that evolved from a common ancestor and that retain conserved features of their structures and active sites. Using several examples, we describe the different structural strategies nature has used to evolve new reaction and substrate specificities in each unique superfamily. The results provide insight about enzyme evolution that is not easily obtained from studies of one or only a few enzymes. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Food safety management systems performance in African food processing companies: a review of deficiencies and possible improvement strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kussaga, J.B.; Jacxsens, L.; Tiisekwa, B.P.M.; Luning, P.A.

2014-01-01

This study seeks to provide insight into current deficiencies in food safety management systems (FSMS) in African food-processing companies and to identify possible strategies for improvement so as to contribute to African countries’ efforts to provide safe food to both local and international

Integrating non-animal test information into an adaptive testing strategy - skin sensitization proof of concept case.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworska, Joanna; Harol, Artsiom; Kern, Petra S; Gerberick, G Frank

2011-01-01

There is an urgent need to develop data integration and testing strategy frameworks allowing interpretation of results from animal alternative test batteries. To this end, we developed a Bayesian Network Integrated Testing Strategy (BN ITS) with the goal to estimate skin sensitization hazard as a test case of previously developed concepts (Jaworska et al., 2010). The BN ITS combines in silico, in chemico, and in vitro data related to skin penetration, peptide reactivity, and dendritic cell activation, and guides testing strategy by Value of Information (VoI). The approach offers novel insights into testing strategies: there is no one best testing strategy, but the optimal sequence of tests depends on information at hand, and is chemical-specific. Thus, a single generic set of tests as a replacement strategy is unlikely to be most effective. BN ITS offers the possibility of evaluating the impact of generating additional data on the target information uncertainty reduction before testing is commenced.

Biostability in distribution systems in one city in southern China: characteristics, modeling and control strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Pinpin; Zhang, Xiaojian; Zhang, Chiqian; Niu, Zhangbin; Xie, Shuguang; Chen, Chao

2014-02-01

This study investigated the bacterial regrowth in drinking water distribution systems receiving finished water from an advanced drinking water treatment plant in one city in southern China. Thirteen nodes in two water supply zones with different aged pipelines were selected to monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), chloramine residual, assimilable organic carbon (AOC), and heterotrophic plate counts (HPC). Regression and principal component analyses indicated that HPC had a strong correlation with chloramine residual. Based on Chick-Watson's Law and the Monod equation, biostability curves under different conditions were developed to achieve the goal of HPC < or = 100 CFU/mL. The biostability curves could interpret the scenario under various AOC concentrations and predict the required chloramine residual concentration under the condition of high AOC level. The simulation was also carried out to predict the scenario with a stricter HPC goal (< or = 50 CFU/mL) and determine the required chloramine residual. The biological regrowth control strategy was assessed using biostability curve analysis. The results indicated that maintaining high chloramine residual concentration was the most practical way to achieve the goal of HPC < or = 100 CFU/mL. Biostability curves could be a very useful tool for biostability control in distribution systems. This work could provide some new insights towards biostability control in real distribution systems.

Applying behavioral insights to delay school start times.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl Malone, Susan; Ziporyn, Terra; Buttenheim, Alison M

2017-12-01

Healthy People 2020 established a national objective to increase the proportion of 9th-to-12th-grade students reporting sufficient sleep. A salient approach for achieving this objective is to delay middle and high school start times. Despite decades of research supporting the benefits of delayed school start times on adolescent sleep, health, and well-being, progress has been slow. Accelerating progress will require new approaches incorporating strategies that influence how school policy decisions are made. In this commentary, we introduce four strategies that influence decision-making processes and demonstrate how they can be applied to efforts aimed at changing school start time policies. Copyright © 2017 National Sleep Foundation. All rights reserved.

Overview on spent fuel management strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyck, P.

2002-01-01

This paper presents an overview on spent fuel management strategies which range from reprocessing to interim storage in a centralised facility followed by final disposal in a repository. In either case, more spent fuel storage capacity (wet or dry, at-reactor or away-from-reactor, national or regional) is required as spent fuel is continuously accumulated while most countries prefer to defer their decision to choose between these two strategies. (author)

Strategy making and power in environmental assessments. Lessons from the establishment of an out-of-town shopping centre in Västerås, Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaksson, Karolina; Storbjörk, Sofie

2012-01-01

This paper seeks to provide deeper insights into how EA ineffectiveness is produced in land use planning practice. This is explored in a study of local development planning in the city of Västerås, Sweden. The case in question is the development of a large out-of-town shopping centre, propelled by the establishment of a new IKEA furniture store. The Healey (2007) framework of planning as strategy making is applied as an analytical framework, together with a focus on power-knowledge relations. In the analysis, we identify a range of mechanisms that produced ineffectiveness by limiting the role of environmental knowledge throughout the planning process. The specific mechanisms we identified were related to the overall consensus perspective in local development strategies and plans, a lack of concretisation and integration of various policies and strategies, a range of exclusion mechanisms and an overall focus on mitigation and benefits of the process in question. In practice, these mechanisms were closely intertwined. Our main conclusion is, consequently, that increased effectiveness of EA would require fundamental transformation of the norms, frameworks and routines that implicitly and explicitly guide land use planning in practice. - Highlights: ► We analyse how EA-ineffectiveness is produced in land use planning practice. ► Several mechanisms produce EA-ineffectiveness throughout the whole planning process. ► These mechanisms are often closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing each other. ► Enhancing EA-effectiveness requires a fundamental shift of the norms, frameworks and routines shaping planning practice.

Thermal reactor strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This statement sets down briefly the CEGB's views on the requirement for nuclear power and outlines current progress in the implementation of the CEGB's thermal reactor strategy. The programme is traced historically, together with statements of Government policy. The place of Magnox, AGR, SGHWR, PWR and fast breeder reactors is discussed. Advantages and problems associated with the various types are outlined. (U.K.)

Atomistic insight into the catalytic mechanism of glycosyltransferases by combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Tvaroška, Igor

2015-02-11

Glycosyltransferases catalyze the formation of glycosidic bonds by assisting the transfer of a sugar residue from donors to specific acceptor molecules. Although structural and kinetic data have provided insight into mechanistic strategies employed by these enzymes, molecular modeling studies are essential for the understanding of glycosyltransferase catalyzed reactions at the atomistic level. For such modeling, combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods have emerged as crucial. These methods allow the modeling of enzymatic reactions by using quantum mechanical methods for the calculation of the electronic structure of the active site models and treating the remaining enzyme environment by faster molecular mechanics methods. Herein, the application of QM/MM methods to glycosyltransferase catalyzed reactions is reviewed, and the insight from modeling of glycosyl transfer into the mechanisms and transition states structures of both inverting and retaining glycosyltransferases are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring Business Strategy in Health Information Exchange Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Langabeer, James R; Champagne, Tiffany

2016-01-01

isomorphic (or similar). Further insight into successful business strategies could help ensure the long-term survival of HIEs.

Design and validation of an ontology-driven animal-free testing strategy for developmental neurotoxicity testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hessel, Ellen V S; Staal, Yvonne C M; Piersma, Aldert H

2018-03-13

Developmental neurotoxicity entails one of the most complex areas in toxicology. Animal studies provide only limited information as to human relevance. A multitude of alternative models have been developed over the years, providing insights into mechanisms of action. We give an overview of fundamental processes in neural tube formation, brain development and neural specification, aiming at illustrating complexity rather than comprehensiveness. We also give a flavor of the wealth of alternative methods in this area. Given the impressive progress in mechanistic knowledge of human biology and toxicology, the time is right for a conceptual approach for designing testing strategies that cover the integral mechanistic landscape of developmental neurotoxicity. The ontology approach provides a framework for defining this landscape, upon which an integral in silico model for predicting toxicity can be built. It subsequently directs the selection of in vitro assays for rate-limiting events in the biological network, to feed parameter tuning in the model, leading to prediction of the toxicological outcome. Validation of such models requires primary attention to coverage of the biological domain, rather than classical predictive value of individual tests. Proofs of concept for such an approach are already available. The challenge is in mining modern biology, toxicology and chemical information to feed intelligent designs, which will define testing strategies for neurodevelopmental toxicity testing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intellectual property and financing strategies for technology startups

CERN Document Server

Halt, Jr , Gerald B; Stiles, Amber R; Fesnak, Robert

2017-01-01

This book offers a comprehensive, easy to understand guide for startup entities and developing companies, providing insight on the various sources of funding that are available, how these funding sources are useful at each stage of a company’s development, and offers a comprehensive intellectual property strategy that parallels each stage of development. The IP strategies offered in this book take into consideration the goals that most startups and companies have at each stage of development, as well as the limitations that exist at each stage (i.e., limited available resources earmarked for intellectual property asset development), and provides solutions that startups and companies can implement to maximize their return on intellectual property investments. This book also includes a number of descriptive examples, case studies and scenarios to illustrate the topics discussed, and is intended for use by startups and companies across all industries. Readers will garner an appreciation for the value that inte...

R and D investment strategy for climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanford, Geoffrey J.

2009-01-01

The economic costs of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations over the coming century depend critically on the development of new technologies in the energy sector. Our research and development (R and D) investment strategy is the control variable for technology availability. This paper proposes an analytic framework for determining optimal R and D investment allocation and presents some numerical results to demonstrate the implementation of the methodology. The value of technological advance in three targeted areas-fossil-based generation, renewables, and carbon capture and storage-is represented by the increase in expected welfare in the presence of an emissions policy constraint of initially uncertain stringency. R and D expenditure increases the probability of advance. Optimal investment is determined by its relationship with success probability, which is assumed to exhibit decreasing returns to scale, relative to the value of success. While the numerical results are speculative, the paper offers insights into the nature of an optimal technology strategy for addressing climate change. (author)

Pest Management Strategies Against the Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

Science.gov (United States)

Infante, Francisco

2018-03-22

Coffee ( Coffea arabica and C. canephora) is one of the most widely traded agricultural commodities and the main cash crop in ∼80 tropical countries. Among the factors that limit coffee production, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) has been considered the main insect pest, causing losses of over U.S. $500 million dollars annually. Control of this pest has been hindered by two main factors: the cryptic nature of the insect (i.e., protected inside the coffee berry) and the availability of coffee berries in the field allowing the survival of the pest from one generation to the next. Coffee berry borer control has primarily been based on the use of synthetic insecticides. Management strategies have focused on the use of African parasitoids ( Cephalonomia stephanoderis, Prorops nasuta, and Phymastichus coffea), fungal entomopathogens ( Beauveria bassiana), and insect traps. These approaches have had mixed results. Recent work on the basic biology of the insect has provided novel insights that might be useful in developing novel pest management strategies. For example, the discovery of symbiotic bacteria responsible for caffeine breakdown as part of the coffee berry borer microbiome opens new possibilities for pest management via the disruption of these bacteria. Some chemicals with repellent propieties have been identified, and these have a high potential for field implementation. Finally, the publication of the CBB genome has provided insights on the biology of the insect that will help us to understand why it has been so successful at exploiting the coffee plant. Here I discuss the tools we now have against the CBB and likely control strategies that may be useful in the near future.

Nuclear fuel requirements in Egypt up to the year 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammad, F.H.; Ghoneim, M.M.; Abou-Zahra, A.A.

1976-01-01

The nuclear fuel demands (as U 3 O 8 ) in Egypt for the nuclear power and nuclear desalination programmes up to the year 2000 were calculated. The recent nuclear power forecasts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the General Egyptian Electricity Coroporation (GEEC) were used as bases for calculation. The requirements were calculated for light and heavy water reactor (LWR and HWR) strategies. The cumulative uranium requirements for power and desalination programmes were found to be in the range of 19000-25000 tons in case of HWR strategy and 30000-400000 tons in case of LWR strategy. In the year 2000 alone the demands are expected to be 2000-2500 tons in case of HWR strategy and 3200-4000 tons in case of LWR strategy. Intensive uranium exploration coupled with a suitable reactor policy is essential to ensure the availability of these demands and for developing a local nuclear fuel technology

Insights on ornithine decarboxylase silencing as a potential strategy for targeting retinoblastoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Muthukumaran, Sivashanmugam; Bhuvanasundar, Renganathan; Umashankar, Vetrivel; Sulochana, K N

2018-02-01

Ornithine Decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme involved in polyamine synthesis and is reported to be up regulated in several cancers. However, the effect of ODC gene silencing in retinoblastoma is to be understood for utilization in therapeutic applications. Hence, in this study, a novel siRNA (small interference RNA) targeting ODC was designed and validated in Human Y79 retinoblastoma cells for its effects on intracellular polyamine levels, Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 & 9 activity and Cell cycle. The designed siRNA showed efficient silencing of ODC mRNA expression and protein levels in Y79 cells. It also showed significant reduction of intracellular polyamine levels and altered levels of oncogenic LIN28b expression. By this study, a regulatory loop is proposed, wherein, ODC silencing in Y79 cells to result in decreased polyamine levels, thereby, leading to altered protein levels of Lin28b, MMP-2 and MMP-9, which falls in line with earlier studies in neuroblastoma. Thus, by this study, we propose ODC silencing as a prospective strategy for targeting retinoblastoma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

BLENDED LEARNING STRATEGY IN TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian F. Byrka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article examines the implementation of blended learning strategy in teacher training programs as an innovation in online learning. The blended learning idea comes from blending elements which use online technology with more traditional face-to-face teaching in the same course. The article analyses teacher training programs offered by Chernivtsi Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education. Additional data were gathered through a questionnaire administered to teachers who attended training courses. The characteristics of blended learning strategy, its benefits and limitations for teacher training are supported by a review of literature. The article closes with the comparison of curriculum components (content delivery, learner activities, materials, and required competences between traditional and blended learning teacher training programs. Having obvious benefits in teacher training programs, the implementation of blended learning strategy sets some additional requirements to a learner, as well as to course instructors and lectors.

Poverty Alleviation: Insights and Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Motilal

The development theory for progress in the countries of the Third World must be based on the aspirations of the common people; the majority poor. The poor cannot simply be provided with resources; they must also be psychologically, socially, and economically empowered. The most important conflict in poor countries is between urban and rural…

The Lisbon Strategy's Empowerment of Core Executives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borrás, Susana; Peters, B. Guy

2011-01-01

This paper studies the effects of the Lisbon Strategy on the way in which national executives co-ordinate EU policy at the domestic level. Comparing seven countries (Denmark, the United Kingdom [UK], Austria, Slovenia, Spain, France and Poland) it finds evidence that the Lisbon Strategy has been...... advancing (further) centralization and politicization in national patterns of EU policy co-ordination, empowering core executives. The Lisbon Strategy's ideational elements (‘grand’ goals and politically visible targets) as well as organizational requirements (Spring Council, national programming and annual...

Dispositional Insight Scale: Development and Validation of a Tool That Measures Propensity toward Insight in Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Ovington, Linda A.; Saliba, Anthony J.; Goldring, Jeremy

2016-01-01

This article reports the development of a brief self-report measure of dispositional insight problem solving, the Dispositional Insight Scale (DIS). From a representative Australian database, 1,069 adults (536 women and 533 men) completed an online questionnaire. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 5-item scale, with all…

Insights from using influence diagrams to analyze precursor events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borgonovo, E.; Smith, C.L.; Apostolakis, G.E.; Deriot, S.; Dewailly, J.

2000-01-01

An approach for evaluating the decision-making process during precursor incidents was made in this study. This approach is the first step in the construction of a methodology, which is based on the incorporation of the insights and quantification of Probability Safety Assessment (PSA) analysis into decision-analysis tools such as influence diagrams. The methodology aims at enabling an on-line formal evaluation of the decisions that are to be taken during an off-normal event. It has been shown that PSA is well suited for determining decision alternatives and indicating where, in a sequence of unfavorable events, critical decisions are to be made. Moreover, it was found possible to account for the evolution of the risk during the incident through re-evaluation of the PSA model for relevant configurations. CCDP becomes an essential element in the evaluation of the best strategy and the bridge to the use of formal decision-analysis tools. These tools, in their turn, provide the formal framework for a strategy evaluation that is not solely based on engineering judgment. It is planned to further this research by looking at potential operational events, thus turning the analysis to a predictive mode. The final goal of the research is the construction of a prototype software tool for on-line decision making for the management of operational incidents. (M.N.)

Franchise Business Model: Theoretical Insights

OpenAIRE

Levickaitė, Rasa; Reimeris, Ramojus

2010-01-01

The article is based on literature review, theoretical insights, and deals with the topic of franchise business model. The objective of the paper is to analyse peculiarities of franchise business model and its developing conditions in Lithuania. The aim of the paper is to make an overview on franchise business model and its environment in Lithuanian business context. The overview is based on international and local theoretical insights. In terms of practical meaning, this article should be re...

Neural activity when people solve verbal problems with insight.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Jung-Beeman

2004-04-01

Full Text Available People sometimes solve problems with a unique process called insight, accompanied by an "Aha!" experience. It has long been unclear whether different cognitive and neural processes lead to insight versus noninsight solutions, or if solutions differ only in subsequent subjective feeling. Recent behavioral studies indicate distinct patterns of performance and suggest differential hemispheric involvement for insight and noninsight solutions. Subjects solved verbal problems, and after each correct solution indicated whether they solved with or without insight. We observed two objective neural correlates of insight. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (Experiment 1 revealed increased activity in the right hemisphere anterior superior temporal gyrus for insight relative to noninsight solutions. The same region was active during initial solving efforts. Scalp electroencephalogram recordings (Experiment 2 revealed a sudden burst of high-frequency (gamma-band neural activity in the same area beginning 0.3 s prior to insight solutions. This right anterior temporal area is associated with making connections across distantly related information during comprehension. Although all problem solving relies on a largely shared cortical network, the sudden flash of insight occurs when solvers engage distinct neural and cognitive processes that allow them to see connections that previously eluded them.

Insight and suicidality in psychosis: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Massons, Carmen; Lopez-Morinigo, Javier-David; Pousa, Esther; Ruiz, Ada; Ochoa, Susana; Usall, Judith; Nieto, Lourdes; Cobo, Jesus; David, Anthony S; Dutta, Rina

2017-06-01

We aimed to test whether specific insight dimensions are associated with suicidality in patients with psychotic disorders. 143 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were recruited. Suicidality was assessed by item 8 of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). Insight was measured by the Scale of Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD) and the Markova and Berrios Insight Scale. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were conducted. Those subjects aware of having a mental illness and its social consequences had higher scores on suicidality than those with poor insight. Awareness of the need for treatment was not linked with suicidality. The Markova and Berrios Insight scale total score and two specific domains (awareness of "disturbed thinking and loss of control over the situation" and "having a vague feeling that something is wrong") were related to suicidality. However, no insight dimensions survived the multivariable regression model, which found depression and previous suicidal behaviour to predict suicidality. Suicidality in psychosis was linked with some insight dimensions: awareness of mental illness and awareness of social consequences, but not compliance. Depression and previous suicidal behaviour mediated the associations with insight; thus, predicting suicidality. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spent nuclear fuels project characterization data quality objectives strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, L.A.; Thornton, T.A.; Redus, K.S.

1994-12-01

A strategy is presented for implementation of the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process to the Spent Nuclear Fuels Project (SNFP) characterization activities. Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) are teaming in the characterization of the SNF on the Hanford Site and are committed to the DQO process outlined in this strategy. The SNFP characterization activities will collect and evaluate the required data to support project initiatives and decisions related to interim safe storage and the path forward for disposal. The DQO process is the basis for the activity specific SNF characterization requirements, termed the SNF Characterization DQO for that specific activity, which will be issued by the WHC or PNL organization responsible for the specific activity. The Characterization Plan prepared by PNL defines safety, remediation, and disposal issues. The ongoing Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board (DNFSB) requirement and plans and the fuel storage and disposition options studies provide the need and direction for the activity specific DQO process. The hierarchy of characterization and DQO related documentation requirements is presented in this strategy. The management of the DQO process and the means of documenting the DQO process are described as well as the tailoring of the DQO process to the specific need of the SNFP characterization activities. This strategy will assure stakeholder and project management that the proper data was collected and evaluated to support programmatic decisions

A Monte Carlo/response surface strategy for sensitivity analysis: application to a dynamic model of vegetative plant growth

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, J. T.; Gold, H. J.; Wilkerson, G. G.; Raper, C. D. Jr; Raper CD, J. r. (Principal Investigator)

1989-01-01

We describe the application of a strategy for conducting a sensitivity analysis for a complex dynamic model. The procedure involves preliminary screening of parameter sensitivities by numerical estimation of linear sensitivity coefficients, followed by generation of a response surface based on Monte Carlo simulation. Application is to a physiological model of the vegetative growth of soybean plants. The analysis provides insights as to the relative importance of certain physiological processes in controlling plant growth. Advantages and disadvantages of the strategy are discussed.

Provisional versus elective two-stent strategy for unprotected true left main bifurcation lesions: Insights from a FAILS-2 sub-study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamoto, Hiroyoshi; Chieffo, Alaide; D'Ascenzo, Fabrizio; Jabbour, Richard J; Naganuma, Toru; Cerrato, Enrico; Ugo, Fabrizio; Pavani, Marco; Varbella, Ferdinando; Boccuzzi, Giacomo; Pennone, Mauro; Garbo, Roberto; Conrotto, Federico; Biondi-Zoccai, Giuseppe; D'Amico, Maurizio; Moretti, Claudio; Escaned, Javier; Gaita, Fiorenzo; Nakamura, Sunao; Colombo, Antonio

2018-01-01

This study sought to investigate the optimal percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) strategy for true unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) bifurcations. The FAILS-2 was a retrospective multi-center study including patients with ULMCA disease treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents. Of these, we compared clinical outcomes of a provisional strategy (PS; n=216) versus an elective two-stent strategy (E2S; n=161) for true ULMCA bifurcations. The primary endpoint was the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) at 3-years. We further performed propensity-score adjustment for clinical outcomes. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of patient and lesion characteristics. 9.7% of patients in the PS group crossed over to a provisional two-stent strategy. MACEs were not significantly different between groups (MACE at 3-year; PS 28.1% vs. E2S 28.9%, adjusted p=0.99). The rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR) on the circumflex artery (LCX) were numerically high in the E2S group (LCX-TLR at 3-years; PS 11.8% vs. E2S 16.6%, adjusted p=0.51). E2S was associated with a comparable MACE rate to PS for true ULMCA bifurcations. The rates of LCX-TLR tended to be higher in the E2S group although there was no statistical significance. This study sought to compare the clinical outcomes of a provisional strategy (PS) with an elective two-stent strategy (E2S) for the treatment of true unprotected left main coronary artery bifurcations. 377 Patients (PS 216 vs. E2S 161 patients) were evaluated, and 9.7% in the PS group crossed over to a two-stent strategy. E2S was associated with a similar major adverse cardiac event rate at 3-years when compared to the PS strategy (PS 28.1% vs. E2S 28.9%, p=0.99). However, the left circumflex artery TLR rate at 3-year tended to be higher in the E2S group (PS 11.8% vs. E2S 16.6%, p=0.51). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World energy insight 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-11-15

The World Energy Insight 2011 is the official publication of the World Energy Council. It includes interviews, articles and case studies from a distinguished panel of World Energy Council Officers, CEOs, government ministers, academics and opinion formers from all areas of the energy sector and provides perspectives from around the globe. Government, industry and NGO's offer both policy and technology perspectives. The insights within this publication add to the work that WEC is doing to provide the forum for energy leaders, along with the on-going WEC studies and programmes on Energy Policies, 2050 Energy Scenarios, Energy Resources & Technologies, Energy for Urban Innovation, Rules Of Energy Trade and Global Energy Access.

Clothing for Elderly Persons: Management and Caring Strategies ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper examines the clothing requirements of the elderly across the globe and the management and caring strategies in supporting them. There is however, no specific requirement for the elderly in terms of what they wear or how they dress over and above the requirements of early adult life in many nations of the world.

Meeting the requirements for a DOE environmental restoration project. The Fernald strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanoss, R.L.; Risenhoover, G.M.

1994-01-01

Environmental Restoration (ER) of five Operable Units (OU) at Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) includes compliance with the requirements of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and DOE Orders. Each regulatory driver has differing procedural requirements for documenting calculations, decisions, and actions involved in site cleanup. Integration of documentation and avoidance of duplication can save time and money. Such savings are being achieved by OU specific application of supporting studies, revised procedures, and guidance documents. Each OU is seeking appropriate opportunities to produce single documents that simultaneously fulfill the important requirements of the other regulations and DOE orders. These opportunities are evaluated at all phases of decision making, remedial design, and remedial action. Three essential processes precede environmental restoration/remedial action at a DOE site/project: 1. Completion of decision-making documents required by governing or applicable statutes. 2. Completion of important scientific and engineering analyses of remedial alternatives, and design and implementation of the remedial solution established in the CERCLA Record of Decision (ROD). 3. Preparation of DOE-mandated documentation to record engineering evaluations and cost estimates required for budgeting, decision making, and project management. Methodology and requirements for each process have developed from long, successful practice, but independently of each other. FERMCO, as new DOE contractor at Fernald and first Environmental Restoration Management Contractor (ERMC), is committed to a process of Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI). A major reevaluation of documentation and processes for support of environmental decision-making and design of cleanup activities to remediate the five OUs at the FEMP is being undertaken

Flexible fault ride through strategy for wind farm clusters in power systems with high wind power penetration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Songyan; Chen, Ning; Yu, Daren; Foley, Aoife; Zhu, Lingzhi; Li, Kang; Yu, Jilai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A flexible fault ride through strategy is proposed. • The strategy comprises of grid code requirements and power restrictions. • Slight faults and moderate faults are the main defending objectives. • Temporary overloading capability of the doubly fed induction generator is considered. - Abstract: This paper investigates a flexible fault ride through strategy for power systems in China with high wind power penetration. The strategy comprises of adaptive fault ride through requirements and maximum power restrictions of the wind farms with weak fault ride through capabilities. The slight faults and moderate faults with high probability are the main defending objective of the strategy. The adaptive fault ride through requirement in the strategy consists of two sub fault ride through requirements, a temporary slight voltage ride through requirement corresponding to a slight fault incident, with a moderate voltage ride through requirement corresponding to a moderate fault. The temporary overloading capability of the wind farm is reflected in both requirements to enhance the capability to defend slight faults and to avoid tripping when the crowbar is disconnected after moderate faults are cleared. For those wind farms that cannot meet the adaptive fault ride through requirement, restrictions are put on the maximum power output. Simulation results show that the flexible fault ride through strategy increases the fault ride through capability of the wind farm clusters and reduces the wind power curtailment during faults

Cases to accompany contemporary strategy analysis

OpenAIRE

R. Grant

2007-01-01

This volume represents an ongoing committment to examining the concepts and techniques of business strategy analysis in the context of real business situations. The cases have been written to accompany Contemporary Strategy Analysis textbook. Each case presents issues that illuminate the ideas, concepts, and analytical techniques contained in one or more chapters of the textbook. Most important, the cases promote deep learning by students of strategic management by requiring the application o...

IPE data base structure and insights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, J.; Youngblood, R.

1993-01-01

A data base (the ''IPE Insights Data Base''), has been developed that stores data obtained from the Individual Plant Examinations (IPEs) which licensees of nuclear power plants are conducting in response to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Generic Letter GL88-20. The data base, which is a collection of linked dbase files, stores information about individual plant designs, core damage frequency, and containment performance in a uniform, structured way. This data base can be queried and used as a computational tool to derive insights regarding the plants for which data is stored. This paper sets out the objectives of the IPE Insights Data Base, describes its structure and contents, illustrates sample queries, and discusses possible future uses

Summary: analysis of alternative FBR development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnham, J.B.

1981-12-01

This report summarizes the comparative evaluation of alternative strategies for the development of the commercial fast breeder reactor (FBR) in the United States. For planning purposes, a range of possible FBR development paths called strategies were selected for evaluation. These strategies, designed to be technically and economically feasible, were expressed in terms of the timing and nature of facilities/research and development programs required to reach full power operation of the first commercial FBR. Four of the seven strategies resulted in a large (1457 MWe) FBR as an end point, the other three in a 1000-MWe plant. Probability distributions were calculated for total strategy costs and time to completion. For the seven strategies analyzed, the costs (discounted 1980 dollars) ranged from $1.8 billion to $4.9 billion; the completion times ranged from 24 to 55 years

Review insights on the probabilistic risk assessment for the Limerick Generating Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-08-01

In recognition of the high population density around the Limerick Generating Station site and the proposed power level, the Philadelphia Electric Company, in response to NRC staff requests, conducted and submitted between March 1981 and November 1983 a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) on internal event contributors and a severe accident risk assessment on external event contributors to assess risks posed by operation of the plant. The applicant has developed perspectives using PRA models on the safety profile of the Limerick plant and has altered the plant design to reduce accident vulnerabilities identified in these PRAs. The staff's review of the Limerick PRA has particularly emphasized the dominant accident sequences and the resulting insights into demonstration of compliance with regulatory requirments, unique design features and major plant vulnerabilities to assess the need for any additional measures to further improve the safety of the LGS. The staff's review insights and PRA safety review conclusions are presented in this report

Electric Water Heater Modeling and Control Strategies for Demand Response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diao, Ruisheng; Lu, Shuai; Elizondo, Marcelo A.; Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Zhang, Yu; Samaan, Nader A.

2012-07-22

Abstract— Demand response (DR) has a great potential to provide balancing services at normal operating conditions and emergency support when a power system is subject to disturbances. Effective control strategies can significantly relieve the balancing burden of conventional generators and reduce investment on generation and transmission expansion. This paper is aimed at modeling electric water heaters (EWH) in households and tests their response to control strategies to implement DR. The open-loop response of EWH to a centralized signal is studied by adjusting temperature settings to provide regulation services; and two types of decentralized controllers are tested to provide frequency support following generator trips. EWH models are included in a simulation platform in DIgSILENT to perform electromechanical simulation, which contains 147 households in a distribution feeder. Simulation results show the dependence of EWH response on water heater usage . These results provide insight suggestions on the need of control strategies to achieve better performance for demand response implementation. Index Terms— Centralized control, decentralized control, demand response, electrical water heater, smart grid

Understanding Dieting and Previous Weight Loss Attempts among Overweight and Obese Participants: Insights into My Body Is Fit and Fabulous at Work Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Tengku Alina Tengku; Jalil, Rohana Abdul; Wan Ishak, Wan Rosli; Hamid, Noor Fadzlina; Wan Nik, Wan Suriati; Jan Mohamed, Hamid Jan; Mohd, Nor Haslina; Arifin, Wan Nor; Mohamed, Wan Mohd Izani Wan; Ibrahim, Mohd Ismail; Ismail, Rohaida; Hassim, Tengku Fatimatul Tengku; Aris, Tahir; Wan Muda, Wan Manan

2018-01-01

A qualitative study providing an in-depth exploration of people's view and the increasing burden of overweight and obesity is required. This study aimed to explore the understanding of dieting and previous experiences on weight loss attempts among overweight and obese government employees in Kelantan, Malaysia, prior to recruitment into the intervention program. Thirteen focus group discussions involving 129 participants from a weight-loss intervention program were conducted within the first 1 month of recruitment. These discussions were moderated by two trained researchers in the Malay language and assisted by an interview guide. They were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was performed, and codes and themes from each discussion were constructed. The participants understood dieting with various meanings, including skipping meals and removing rice from daily diets. They applied numerous methods to lose weight and achieved various outcomes. Health and appearance, social support, and compliance with current trends were the factors motivating these participants to lose weight. Their determination to lose weight was limited by lack of self-control and motivation, experiences of unpleasant effects, influence on weight, and environmental and health factors. Real-life weight loss experiences and perceptions provided relevant insights into current weight loss management strategies. Some of these issues and misunderstandings should be emphasized in weight loss strategies during health promotion.

Nanosizing and nanoconfinement: new strategies towards meeting hydrogen storage goals.

Science.gov (United States)

de Jongh, Petra E; Adelhelm, Philipp

2010-12-17

Hydrogen is expected to play an important role as an energy carrier in a future, more sustainable society. However, its compact, efficient, and safe storage is an unresolved issue. One of the main options is solid-state storage in hydrides. Unfortunately, no binary metal hydride satisfies all requirements regarding storage density and hydrogen release and uptake. Increasingly complex hydride systems are investigated, but high thermodynamic stabilities as well as slow kinetics and poor reversibility are important barriers for practical application. Nanostructuring by ball-milling is an established method to reduce crystallite sizes and increase reaction rates. Since five years attention has also turned to alternative preparation techniques that enable particle sizes below 10 nanometers and are often used in conjunction with porous supports or scaffolds. In this Review we discuss the large impact of nanosizing and -confinement on the hydrogen sorption properties of metal hydrides. We illustrate possible preparation strategies, provide insight into the reasons for changes in kinetics, reversibility and thermodynamics, and highlight important progress in this field. All in all we provide the reader with a clear view of how nanosizing and -confinement can beneficially affect the hydrogen sorption properties of the most prominent materials that are currently considered for solid-state hydrogen storage.

PFP requirements development planning guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SINCLAIR, J.C.

1999-01-01

The PFP Requirements Development Planning Guide presents the strategy and process used for the identification, allocation, and maintenance of requirements within the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) integrated project baseline. Future revisions to this document will be included as attachments (e.g., results of the PFP Requirements Analysis attributable to this approach). This document is intended be a Project-owned management tool. As such, this document will periodically require revisions resulting from improvements of the information, processes, and techniques as now described. Future updates may be made to this document by PFP management and final approval of the content will be accomplished in a Baseline Change Request as it impacts the Multi-Year Work Plan, or baseline information managed in the Hanford Site Systems Engineering Baseline

Behavioral Change Strategies for Improving Complementary Feeding and Breastfeeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Osendarp, Saskia J M; Roche, Marion L

2016-01-01

Improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, including breastfeeding and complementary feeding, has been identified as one of the most effective interventions to improve child survival, stunting and wasting. Evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that effective promotion of breastfeeding and complementary feeding, with or without food provision, has the potential to improve IYCF practices and child nutrition. However, in many countries, breastfeeding practices and complementary feeding practices are still far from optimal. The lack of implementation of available, effective, affordable interventions in scale-up programs is in part attributed to a lack of innovative, creative and effective behavioral change strategies that enable and encourage caregivers. Successful behavioral change strategies should be based on a rigorous situational analysis and formative research, and the findings and insights of formative research should be used to further design interventions that address the identified barriers and enablers, to select delivery channels, and to formulate appropriate and effective messages. In addition, successful behavioral change interventions should a priori define and investigate the program impact pathway to target behavioral change and should assess intermediary behavioral changes and indicators to learn why the expected outcome was achieved or not achieved by testing the program theory. The design of behavioral change communication must be flexible and responsive to shifts in societies and contexts. Performance of adequate IYCF also requires investments to generate community demand through social mobilization, relevant media and existing support systems. Applying these principles has been shown to be effective in improving IYCF practices in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Ethiopia and is recommended to be adopted by other programs and countries in order to accelerate progress in improving child nutrition. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Contractor firm strategies in delivering green project: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Powmya, Ayisha; Abidin, Nazirah Zainul; Azizi, Nurul Sakina Mokhtar

2017-10-01

Building green requires effort from various parties, from those who plan, design, manage and construct the building. Contractors are responsible for converting the design on paper into a real building and their role at the construction site support environmental sustainability by implementing responsible construction practices. Inefficient or inexperienced contractor in green construction project may find that delivering this type of project is not an easy task due to added requirement in design, stringent practices at site and the use of green technology and materials. Adopting suitable strategies at firm level will assist in preparatory process and readiness of delivering the green project. This paper reviews the strategies at firm level to deliver green construction project. From extensive literature review, it was discovered that there are six strategies to be adopted by the contractor. Understanding these strategies is expected to promote more contractors to be proactive in delivering green projects.

Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Exploring Prioritization of Functional Strategies in Auto Parts Manufacturing SMEs of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasir Ahmad

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This article uses analytical hierarchy process (AHP to find prioritization of functional strategies (manufacturing, marketing, human resource, and financial management by small and medium enterprises (SMEs operating in auto parts manufacturing sector of Pakistan. SMEs are major part of the industrial structure and have significant contribution toward generating jobs in Pakistan. These enterprises are generally family-owned businesses, and this study provides concrete insights into the mind-set of owners toward different functional strategies. The AHP implementation steps are performed using commercially available software “Expert Choice®.” Marketing strategy is considered to be the most important strategy, while manufacturing management strategy is the second most important strategy. There is little emphasis on the financial and human resource management which is a serious cause of concern. The study would help policy makers to understand the business behaviors of this sector and consequently formulate policies to enhance their performance.

Neonatal Vaccination: Challenges and Intervention Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Matthew C; Surendran, Naveen

2016-01-01

While vaccines have been tremendously successful in reducing the incidence of serious infectious diseases, newborns remain particularly vulnerable in the first few months of their life to life-threatening infections. A number of challenges exist to neonatal vaccination. However, recent advances in the understanding of neonatal immunology offer insights to overcome many of those challenges. This review will present an overview of the features of neonatal immunity which make vaccination difficult, survey the mechanisms of action of available vaccine adjuvants with respect to the unique features of neonatal immunity, and propose a possible mechanism contributing to the inability of neonates to generate protective immune responses to vaccines. We surveyed recent published findings on the challenges to neonatal vaccination and possible intervention strategies including the use of novel vaccine adjuvants to develop efficacious neonatal vaccines. Challenges in the vaccination of neonates include interference from maternal antibody and excessive skewing towards Th2 immunity, which can be counteracted by the use of proper adjuvants. Synergistic stimulation of multiple Toll-like receptors by incorporating well-defined agonist-adjuvant combinations to vaccines is a promising strategy to ensure a protective vaccine response in neonates. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Medical Requirements During a Natural Disaster: A Case Study on WhatsApp Chats Among Medical Personnel During the 2015 Nepal Earthquake.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Moumita; Ghosh, Saptarshi; Jana, Arnab; Bandyopadhyay, Somprakash; Singh, Ravikant

2017-12-01

The objective of this study was to explore a log of WhatsApp messages exchanged among members of the health care group Doctors For You (DFY) while they were providing medical relief in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake in April 2015. Our motivation was to identify medical resource requirements during a disaster in order to help government agencies and other responding organizations to be better prepared in any upcoming disaster. A large set of WhatsApp (WhatsApp Inc, Mountain View, CA) messages exchanged among DFY members during the Nepal earthquake was collected and analyzed to identify the medical resource requirements during different phases of relief operations. The study revealed detailed phase-wise requirements for various types of medical resources, including medicines, medical equipment, and medical personnel. The data also reflected some of the problems faced by the medical relief workers in the earthquake-affected region. The insights from this study may help not only the Nepalese government, but also authorities in other earthquake-prone regions of the world to better prepare for similar disasters in the future. Moreover, real-time analysis of such online data during a disaster would aid decision-makers in dynamically formulating resource-mapping strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:652-655).

The Digitisation of Welfare – a Strategy towards improving Citizens’ Self-care and Co-management of Welfare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thualagant, Nicole; From, Ditte-Marie

2018-01-01

(SKAD) analysis, this chapter scrutinizes central documents on the strategy of digital welfare. Our exploration provides a critical insight in the current digitisation of health care by illustrating how new virtues of citizenship are demanded in the digital era in relation to digital health......Government strategy of Digital Welfare 2016-2020 in regards to health and discusses how this strategy encourages self-measurement and self-improvement through discourses of improvement at both state and citizen levels. By illustrating how performativity is embedded in current conceptions of health, this chapter...... emphasize how strategies of digitisation lean on a bio-citizenship where individuals with poor health capacities become depended, not on a supporting welfare system, but paradoxically on own self-management skills in order to receive health services. Based on the sociology of knowledge approach to discourse...

Searching CLEF-IP by Strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

W. Alink (Wouter); R. Cornacchia (Roberto); A.P. de Vries (Arjen)

2010-01-01

htmlabstractTasks performed by intellectual property specialists are often ad hoc, and continuously require new approaches to search a collection of documents. We therefore investigate the benets of a visual `search strategy builder' to allow IP search experts to express their approach to

40 CFR 52.1576 - Control strategy: Nitrogen dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control strategy: Nitrogen dioxide. 52.1576 Section 52.1576 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... strategy: Nitrogen dioxide. (a) The requirements of § 52.14(c)(3) of this chapter as of May 8, 1974 (39 FR...

Next Generation Sequencing of Ancient DNA: Requirements, Strategies and Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Knapp

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The invention of next-generation-sequencing has revolutionized almost all fields of genetics, but few have profited from it as much as the field of ancient DNA research. From its beginnings as an interesting but rather marginal discipline, ancient DNA research is now on its way into the centre of evolutionary biology. In less than a year from its invention next-generation-sequencing had increased the amount of DNA sequence data available from extinct organisms by several orders of magnitude. Ancient DNA  research is now not only adding a temporal aspect to evolutionary studies and allowing for the observation of evolution in real time, it also provides important data to help understand the origins of our own species. Here we review progress that has been made in next-generation-sequencing of ancient DNA over the past five years and evaluate sequencing strategies and future directions.

Approved Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 gave FDA the authority to require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) from manufacturers to...

Courtyard as a Passive Cooling Strategy in Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Bulus

2017-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most significant current discussions in the built environment, architectural practice, theory, and procedures is “Passive Design”. It is becoming very difficult to ignore the issues of passive architectural design strategies in buildings. Recent studies emphasized the need for passive architectural design strategies and the application of the courtyard as a passive design strategy for cooling in buildings. Also, that the courtyard is very suitable in almost all building typologies in all the climatic zones due to its passive tendencies for cooling. Its cooling potentials can be achieved only when design requirements are not ignored. The courtyard has social, cultural, religious, and environmental benefits. Despite its abundant advantages, research effort towards courtyard design requirements is very scarce. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the design of central courtyard as a passive cooling strategy for improving indoor thermal comfort in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM Buildings. Courtyard design requirement such as the courtyard configurations, orientation, and natural features in courtyard buildings in UTM were investigated. Besides the design variants, courtyard usage in such buildings was also examined. The methodology of this study involved the developing of a checklist based on literature for the field survey. Forty-six (46 courtyards in thirty-two (32 buildings in UTM were surveyed, and the statistical description method was used to interpret and analyzed the data. The Results of this quantitative study shows that UTM central courtyards buildings were designed based on a cautious consideration to orientation and configurations to enhance their effective passive cooling potentials, however, only two courtyards had water pools. The study concluded that courtyards in UTM buildings are creatively designed but future experimental studies to appraise their thermal performances is required, and

Designing a fuzzy expert system for selecting knowledge management strategy

OpenAIRE

Ameneh Khadivar; Shohreh Nasri Nasr Abadi; Elham Fallah

2014-01-01

knowledge management strategy is mentioned as one of the most important success factors for implementing knowledge management. The KM strategy selection is a complex decision that requires consideration of several factors. For evaluation and selection of an appropriate knowledge management strategy in organizations, many factors must be considered. The identified factors and their impact on knowledge management strategy are inherently ambiguous. In this study, an overview of theoretical found...

Children and adolescents' self-reported coping strategies during the Southeast Asian Tsunami.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Tine K; Ellestad, Ane; Dyb, Grete