COLLABORATIVE HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH IN THE CLARKSBURG SPECIAL PROTECTION AREA

EPA Science Inventory

This research project is focused on the Clarksburg Special Protection Area (CSPA) in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CSPA subwatersheds are on the outer edge of the urban development shockwave expanding outward from the Washington DC metropolitan area. This is an area of rapid d...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

The Lightweight Materials research and development (R&D) area within the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge automotive technologies under development. Research focuses on addressing critical barriers to commercializing lightweight materials for passenger and commercial vehicles. This report describes the progress made on the research and development projects funded by the Lightweight Materials area.

78 FR 3429 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-16

... Disease Educational Messages and Materials for the Division of Blood Disorders (0920-0915, Expiration 01... sickle cell disease. To develop valuable messages and materials, CDC will conduct formative focus groups... remote, rural areas. Based on the findings from the formative focus groups, CDC will develop and test...

The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Control: Charted Territory and New Frontiers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botvinick, Matthew M.; Cohen, Jonathan D.

2014-01-01

Cognitive control has long been one of the most active areas of computational modeling work in cognitive science. The focus on computational models as a medium for specifying and developing theory predates the PDP books, and cognitive control was not one of the areas on which they focused. However, the framework they provided has injected work on…

Nuclear Materials Focus Area Fiscal Year 2002 Mid Year Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thiel, Elizabeth Chilcote

2002-05-01

The Nuclear Materials Focus Area (NMFA) held its annual mid-year review on February 12 and 14, 2002, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The purpose of this review was to examine both the technical aspects and the programmatic aspects of its technology development program. The focus area activities were reviewed by a panel consisting of personnel representing the end users of the technologies, and technical experts in nuclear materials. This year's review was somewhat different than in the past, as the stress was on how well the various projects being managed through the NMFA aligned with the two thrust areas andmore » nine key goals and priorities recently issued by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM).« less

Nuclear Materials Focus Area Fiscal Year 2002 Mid Year Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thiel, E.C.; Fuhrman, P.W.

2002-05-30

The Nuclear Materials Focus Area (NMFA) held its annual mid-year review on February 12 and 14, 2002, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The purpose of this review was to examine both the technical aspects and the programmatic aspects of its technology development program. The focus area activities were reviewed by a panel consisting of personnel representing the end users of the technologies, and technical experts in nuclear materials. This year's review was somewhat different than in the past, as the stress was on how well the various projects being managed through the NMFA aligned with the two thrust areas andmore » nine key goals and priorities recently issued by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM).« less

Focus II: New Directions for Extension Home Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Opal H.; Fleming Betty

1975-01-01

The article discusses how the various areas of national concern in Focus Two program development have been undertaken by educators, the States of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona, and Walworth County, Wisconsin. (Author/BP)

The development of a physiotherapy continence promotion program using a customer focus.

PubMed

Chiarelli, Pauline; Cockburn, Jill

1999-01-01

Health promotion programs provide information, education for health and opportunity for the development of the skills that people need to make healthy choices. The current climate of health care practice also directs its focus to the needs and wants of the health care consumers. This entails active input from the target group. The present study used focus groups in an attempt to ensure input from women in early postpartum into the development of a postpartum continence promotion program. The focus groups revealed anomalies in women's perceived susceptibility to, and knowledge about, urinary incontinence and pelvic floor exercises, while highlighting other areas of need. Focus groups proved an invaluable tool in the development of a more effective physiotherapy continence promotion program.

COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS: COLLABORATIVE HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH IN THE CLARKSBURG SPECIAL PROTECTION AREA

EPA Science Inventory

This research project is focused on the Clarksburg Special Protection Area (CSPA) in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CSPA subwatersheds are on the outer edge of the exurban development shockwave expanding outward from the Washington DC metropolitan area. The CSPA is an area of...

The Contributions of Infant Temperament and Child Care to Infant Social Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nathans, Laura L.; Meece, Darrell; Kossek, Ellen; Barratt, Marguerite

2004-01-01

Previous research has documented associations between young children's social development and both temperament and child care quality. The preponderance of research in this area has focused on preschool-age and older children, resulting in few studies focusing on these variables during infancy. In the current investigation, temperament and child…

Environmental Education as a Compensatory Device: A Review of BEE in the First Ten Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coplestone, Hilary

1982-01-01

Reviews the Bulletin of Environmental Education's (BEE) contributions to the development of environmental education during the first 10 years of its publication. Focuses on main areas of interest referred to in BEE's articles and suggests possible areas for future development. (Author/JN)

The Creative Organization: Tomorrow's Survivor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hitt, Michael A.

1975-01-01

This paper focuses on the need for organizational creativity in all areas of its functioning. The premise being that, not only can organizations be creative in different spheres of their functioning, but they must be creative in areas other than product development in order to survive, grow, and develop. (Author/RK)

Curriculum Guide for the Educable Mentally Handicapped.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Div. of Instruction.

Focusing on the general objectives of emotional, social, and academic development, and economic and physical growth, five areas of curriculum are described. The area of language arts includes motor, oral sensory development in readiness, habits and attitudes, reading, writing, spelling, and language. Arithmetic instruction is divided into primary,…

Basic Investigations for Remote Sensing of Coastal Areas.

DTIC Science & Technology

for the delineation and analysis of bottom features in coastal areas. The focus is on the development of remote sensing techniques for delineating and classifying bottom features in the nearshore zone.

Evolution in Clinical Knowledge Management Strategy at Intermountain Healthcare

PubMed Central

Hulse, Nathan C.; Galland, Joel; Borsato, Emerson P.

2012-01-01

In this manuscript, we present an overview of the clinical knowledge management strategy at Intermountain Healthcare in support of our electronic medical record systems. Intermountain first initiated efforts in developing a centralized enterprise knowledge repository in 2001. Applications developed, areas of emphasis served, and key areas of focus are presented. We also detail historical and current areas of emphasis, in response to business needs. PMID:23304309

Concept Area Four and Five Objectives, Hierarchy Charts, and Test Items. Economic Analysis Course. Segments 85-96.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterling Inst., Washington, DC. Educational Technology Center.

A multimedia course in economic analysis was developed and used in conjunction with the United States Naval Academy. (See ED 043 790 and ED 043 791 for final reports of the project evaluation and development model.) This report deals with concept areas four and five, which focus on international trade and enrichment areas. The behavioral…

Computational Nanotechnology of Materials, Electronics and Machines: Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak

2001-01-01

This report presents the goals and research of the Integrated Product Team (IPT) on Devices and Nanotechnology. NASA's needs for this technology are discussed and then related to the research focus of the team. The two areas of focus for technique development are: 1) large scale classical molecular dynamics on a shared memory architecture machine; and 2) quantum molecular dynamics methodology. The areas of focus for research are: 1) nanomechanics/materials; 2) carbon based electronics; 3) BxCyNz composite nanotubes and junctions; 4) nano mechano-electronics; and 5) nano mechano-chemistry.

Rural Area Revitalization Act of 1987; and the Rural Development Reorganization Act of 1987. Hearing on H.R. 1800 and H.R. 2026 before the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, and Rural Development of the Committee on Agriculture. House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, First Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Agriculture.

Testimony of H.R. 1800, the Rural Area Revitalization Act, and H.R. 2026, the Rural Development Reorganization Act focuses on the need for federal attention to rural problems other than agriculture. The Rural Area Revitalization Act authorizes expansion of capital available for lending in rural areas, a grant program of $25 million per year for…

Developing Student's Notion of Measurement Unit for Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuberta, Kurnia Rahmi; Zulkardi; Hartono, Yusuf; van Galen, Frans

2011-01-01

Many researchers found that students have difficulties in understanding area measurement. Students mostly focus on applying formula to find the area of certain shapes without knowing what the area is and why the formula works. It is important for the students to know what attribute being measured and to construct the unit for area measurement.…

FY2016 Lightweight Materials Annual Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

The Lightweight Materials research and development (R&D) area within the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge automotive technologies under development. Research focuses on addressing critical barriers to commercializing lightweight materials for passenger and commercial vehicles. This report describes the progress made on the research and development projects funded by the Lightweight Materials area.

Coupled Thermo-Mechanical and Photo-Chemical Degradation Mechanisms that determine the Reliability and Operational Lifetimes for CPV Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dauskardt, Reinhold H.

This project sought to identify and characterize the coupled intrinsic photo-chemo-mechanical degradation mechanisms that determine the reliability and operational lifetimes for CPV technologies. Over a three year period, we have completed a highly successful program which has developed quantitative metrologies and detailed physics-based degradation models, providing new insight into the fundamental reliability physics necessary for improving materials, creating accelerated testing protocols, and producing more accurate lifetime predictions. The tasks for the program were separated into two focus areas shown in the figure below. Focus Area 1, led by Reinhold Dauskardt and Warren Cai with a primary collaboration with David Millermore » of NREL, studied the degradation mechanisms present in encapsulant materials. Focus Area 2, led by Reinhold Dauskardt and Ryan Brock with a primary collaboration with James Ermer and Peter Hebert of Spectrolab, studied stress development and degradation within internal CPV device interfaces. Each focus area was productive, leading to several publications, including findings on the degradation of silicone encapsulant under terrestrial UV, a model for photodegradation of silicone encapsulant adhesion, quantification and process tuning of antireflective layers on CPV, and discovery of a thermal cycling degradation mechanism present in metal gridline structures.« less

The Effects of Professional Development on Universal Design for Instruction on Faculty Perception and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hye Jin; Roberts, Kelly; Delise, Danielle

2017-01-01

The authors conducted professional development (PD) for university personnel, focused on Universal Design for Instruction (UDI), over three days during a summer institute. The UDI-focused PD provided 20 hours of training across six content areas: (a) UDI, (b) accessible distance education and assistive technology, (c) student and faculty rights…

The impact of new trends in POCTs for companion diagnostics, non-invasive testing and molecular diagnostics.

PubMed

Huckle, David

2015-06-01

Point-of-care diagnostics have been slowly developing over several decades and have taken on a new importance in current healthcare delivery for both diagnostics and development of new drugs. Molecular diagnostics have become a key driver of technology change and opened up new areas in companion diagnostics for use alongside pharmaceuticals and in new clinical approaches such as non-invasive testing. Future areas involving smartphone and other information technology advances, together with new developments in molecular biology, microfluidics and surface chemistry are adding to advances in the market. The focus for point-of-care tests with molecular diagnostic technologies is focused on advancing effective applications.

Governing Portable Conservation and Development Landscapes: Reconsidering Evidence in the Context of the Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elgert, Laureen

2014-01-01

Conservation-with-development landscapes, such as UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Reserves, differentiate between areas of "nature" and "society". In Paraguay's Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, as elsewhere, this model has been used to support governance that focuses on conservation in the "core area" and sustainable…

Designing Online Courses To Discourage Dishonesty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christe, Barbara

2003-01-01

Presents techniques used within one university's Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology department to develop online courses that discourage student dishonesty, focusing on: academic dishonesty; course design focus area (syllabus design, content presentation, student-teacher relationship, assessment design, and monitoring tools); and…

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FOR THE WATER CATCHMENT PROTECTION AREA IN NTISAW, CAMEROON

EPA Science Inventory

We expect that the catchment area will increase food output for the community in addition to preserving the water source. Increased food output will benefit needy residents and allow them to focus more on education and economic development. Additionally, an area of sustainable...

Beyond imperviousness: A statistical approach to identifying functional differences between development morphologies on variable source area-type response in urbanized watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, T. C.

2016-12-01

Empirical evidence has shown linkages between urbanization, hydrological regime change, and degradation of water quality and aquatic habitat. Percent imperviousness, has long been suggested as the dominant source of these negative changes. However, recent research identifying alternative pathways of runoff production at the watershed scale have called into question percent impervious surface area's primacy in urban runoff production compared to other aspects of urbanization including change in vegetative cover, imported water and water leakages, and the presence of drainage infrastructure. In this research I show how a robust statistical methodology can detect evidence of variable source area (VSA)-type hydrologic response associated with incremental hydraulic connectivity in watersheds. I then use logistic regression to explore how evidence of VSA-type response relates to the physical and meterological characteristics of the watershed. I find that impervious surface area is highly correlated with development, but does not add significant explanatory power beyond percent developed in predicting VSA-type response. Other aspects of development morphology, including percent developed open space and type of drainage infrastructure also do not add to the explanatory power of undeveloped land in predicting VSA-type response. Within only developed areas, the effect of developed open space was found to be more similar to that of total impervious area than to undeveloped land. These findings were consistent when tested across a national cross-section of urbanized watersheds, a higher resolution dataset of Baltimore Metropolitan Area watersheds, and a subsample of watersheds confirmed not to be served by combined sewer systems. These findings suggest that land development policies that focus on lot coverage should be revisited, and more focus should be placed on preserving native vegetation and soil conditions alongside development.

Friction Stir Welding and Processing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hovanski, Yuri; Carsley, John; Clarke, Kester D.

2015-05-01

With nearly twenty years of international research and collaboration in friction stir welding (FSW) and processing industrial applications have spread into nearly every feasible market. Currently applications exist in aerospace, railway, automotive, personal computers, technology, marine, cutlery, construction, as well as several other markets. Implementation of FSW has demonstrated diverse opportunities ranging from enabling new materials to reducing the production costs of current welding technologies by enabling condensed packaging solutions for traditional fabrication and assembly. TMS has sponsored focused instruction and communication in this technology area for more than fifteen years, with leadership from the Shaping and Forming Committee, whichmore » organizes a biannual symposium each odd year at the annual meeting. A focused publication produced from each of these symposia now comprises eight volumes detailing the primary research and development activities in this area over the last two decades. The articles assembled herein focus on both recent developments and technology reviews of several key markets from international experts in this area.« less

Military research needs in biomedical informatics.

PubMed

Reifman, Jaques; Gilbert, Gary R; Fagan, Lawrence; Satava, Richard

2002-01-01

The 2001 U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) Biomedical Informatics Roadmap Meeting was devoted to developing a strategic plan in four focus areas: Hospital and Clinical Informatics, E-Health, Combat Health Informatics, and Bioinformatics and Biomedical Computation. The driving force of this Roadmap Meeting was the recent accelerated pace of change in biomedical informatics in which emerging technologies have the potential to affect significantly the Army research portfolio and investment strategy in these focus areas. The meeting was structured so that the first two days were devoted to presentations from experts in the field, including representatives from the three services, other government agencies, academia, and the private sector, and the morning of the last day was devoted to capturing specific biomedical informatics research needs in the four focus areas. This white paper summarizes the key findings and recommendations and should be a powerful tool for the crafting of future requests for proposals to help align USAMRMC new strategic research investments with new developments and emerging technologies.

Energy efficiency system development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leman, A. M.; Rahman, K. A.; Chong, Haw Jie; Salleh, Mohd Najib Mohd; Yusof, M. Z. M.

2017-09-01

By subjecting to the massive usage of electrical energy in Malaysia, energy efficiency is now one of the key areas of focus in climate change mitigation. This paper focuses on the development of an energy efficiency system of household electrical appliances for residential areas. Distribution of Questionnaires and pay a visit to few selected residential areas are conducted during the fulfilment of the project as well as some advice on how to save energy are shared with the participants. Based on the collected data, the system developed by the UTHM Energy Team is then evaluated from the aspect of the consumers' behaviour in using electrical appliances and the potential reduction targeted by the team. By the end of the project, 60% of the participants had successfully reduced the electrical power consumption set by the UTHM Energy Team. The reasons for whether the success and the failure is further analysed in this project.

Focus of NASA's Spaceliner 100 Investment Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hueter, Uwe; Lyles, Garry (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This presentation discuss the goals and objectives of the SL100 Technology Focus. Some of the Technology objectives were to: increase system performance margin; drive down operations costs; drive down manufacturing and production costs; and drive down development test and evaluation costs.

Engineering the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finniston, Monty

1985-01-01

Describes several key characteristics of professionalism and an engineering education curriculum which focuses on developing professionalism. The entrance course, teaching design, structured training, and continuing development are among the curricular areas addressed. (JN)

Inquiring into Pre-Service Content Area Teachers' Development of Literacy Practices and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitton Kukner, Jennifer; Murray Orr, Anne

2015-01-01

The focus of this qualitative multi-year case study is on preservice teachers' experiences related to the development of their literacy practices in teaching high school science, math, social studies and other content area courses during their final field placement in a teacher education program. Results indicate tangible indicators of overall…

Teaching-and-Learning Language-and-Culture. Multilingual Matters: 100.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byram, Michael; And Others

A discussion of the cultural dimension in foreign/second language learning focuses on the need for research and theory development in this area. The first chapter addresses the role of culture in language learning and proposes areas in which theory may be developed. The second chapter looks at methodologies for teaching language and culture in…

America's Youth Are at Risk: Developing Models for Action in the Nation's Public Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flum, Judith G.; Weisner, Stan

1993-01-01

Discussion of public library support systems for at-risk teens focuses on the Bay Area Library and Information System (BALIS) that was developed to improve library services to at-risk teenagers in the San Francisco Bay area. Highlights include needs assessment; staff training; intervention models; and project evaluation. (10 references) (LRW)

Language and Disadvantage: A Comparison of the Language Abilities of Adolescents from Two Different Socioeconomic Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Sarah; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy

2012-01-01

Background: It is recognized that children from areas associated with socioeconomic disadvantage are at an increased risk of delayed language development. However, so far research has focused mainly on young children and there has been little investigation into language development in adolescence. Aims: To investigate the language abilities of…

NASA Applied Sciences' DEVELOP National Program: Training the Next Generation of Remote Sensing Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, Lauren; Brozen, Madeline; Hillyer, Nelson

2010-01-01

Since its inception over a decade ago, the DEVELOP National Program has provided students with experience in utilizing and integrating satellite remote sensing data into real world-applications. In 1998, DEVELOP began with three students and has evolved into a nationwide internship program with over 200 students participating each year. DEVELOP is a NASA Applied Sciences training and development program extending NASA Earth science research and technology to society. Part of the NASA Science Mission Directorate s Earth Science Division, the Applied Sciences Program focuses on bridging the gap between NASA technology and the public by conducting projects that innovatively use NASA Earth science resources to research environmental issues. Project outcomes focus on assisting communities to better understand environmental change over time. This is accomplished through research with global, national, and regional partners to identify the widest array of practical uses of NASA data. DEVELOP students conduct research in areas that examine how NASA science can better serve society. Projects focus on practical applications of NASA s Earth science research results. Each project is designed to address at least one of the Applied Sciences focus areas, use NASA s Earth observation sources and meet partners needs. DEVELOP research teams partner with end-users and organizations who use project results for policy analysis and decision support, thereby extending the benefits of NASA science and technology to the public.

Developments in Impact Assessment in North America

EPA Science Inventory

Beginning with a background of recent global developments in this area, this presentation will focus on how global research has impacted North America and how North America is providing additional developments to address the issues of the global economy. Recent developments inc...

Center for Advanced Space Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The Center for Advanced Space Propulsion (CASP) is part of the University of Tennessee-Calspan Center for Aerospace Research (CAR). It was formed in 1985 to take advantage of the extensive research faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee and Calspan Corporation. It is also one of sixteen NASA sponsored Centers established to facilitate the Commercial Development of Space. Based on investigators' qualifications in propulsion system development, and matching industries' strong intent, the Center focused its efforts in the following technical areas: advanced chemical propulsion, electric propulsion, AI/Expert systems, fluids management in microgravity, and propulsion materials processing. This annual report focuses its discussion in these technical areas.

The Center for Aerospace Research: A NASA Center of Excellence at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lai, Steven H.-Y.

1992-01-01

This report documents the efforts and outcomes of our research and educational programs at NASA-CORE in NCA&TSU. The goal of the center was to establish a quality aerospace research base and to develop an educational program to increase the participation of minority faculty and students in the areas of aerospace engineering. The major accomplishments of this center in the first year are summarized in terms of three different areas, namely, the center's research programs area, the center's educational programs area, and the center's management area. In the center's research programs area, we focus on developing capabilities needed to support the development of the aerospace plane and high speed civil transportation system technologies. In the educational programs area, we developed an aerospace engineering option program ready for university approval.

Developing Basic and Higher Level Reading Processing Skills: Exploring an Instructional Framework with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deasy, Michael Joseph

2012-01-01

Concern over worldwide literacy rates prompted the United Nations to establish the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012) with one area of focus being to provide support to schools to develop effective literacy programs (UNESCO, 2005). This study addressed the area of providing support to schools to develop effective literacy programs by exploring the…

75 FR 75187 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development Meeting Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-02

... ``six focus areas'': (1) Access to capital (loans, surety bonding and franchising); (2) Ensure...) Reducing paperwork and administrative burdens in accessing business development and entrepreneurship...

Infant Caregiving: A Design for Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Honig, Alice S.; Lally, J. Ronald

This training manual outlines the skill areas and theoretical framework needed for a successful infant caregiver training program. The manual focuses on the child development aspects of training, particularly personality development, sensory development, language development, and the development of large-muscle skills. Throughout the book, an…

Measuring the benefits of protected areas: a critical perspective on the IUCN guidelines

Treesearch

Dick Stanley; Luc Perron

1998-01-01

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has drafted guidelines to help managers of protected natural areas to develop economic arguments in defense of those areas. The guidelines identify a series of benefits which protected areas might produce and which all have real markets in the outside world, and recommend that managers focus their arguments on...

Supporting research and technology for automotive Stirling engine development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomazic, W. A.

1980-01-01

The technology advancement topics described are a part of the supporting research and technology (SRT) program conducted to support the major Stirling engine development program. This support focuses on developing alternatives or backups to the engine development in critical areas. These areas are materials, seals control, combustors and system analysis. Specific objectives and planned milestone schedules for future activities as now envisioned are described. These planned SRT activities are related to the timeline of the engine development program that they must support.

Yeast Surface Display Approaches for Engineering Stabilized Viral Fusion Protein Subunit Vaccines

DTIC Science & Technology

This research proposal focuses on the development of a novel library screening approach to engineering highly stabilized subunit vaccine candidates...for major pathogens within the paramyxovirus family. The research addresses the PRMRP topic areas related to vaccine development for infectious...proposal focuses on four viruses that fall into two subclasses within the broader family, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV

PREFACE: Focus section on superconducting power systems Focus section on superconducting power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardwell, D. A.; Amemiya, N.; Fair, R.

2012-01-01

This focus section of Superconductor Science and Technology looks at the properties, technology and applications of (RE)BCO and MgB2 based superconductors for power engineering systems. Both bulk and conductor forms of material are addressed, including elements of materials fabrication and processing, and the measurement of their applied properties for various levels of system application. The areas of research include ac losses in type II materials in power devices, cables and coated conductors, the development of high current dc cables and the application of superconductors in levitation devices, motors and fault current limiters. This focus section presents a broad cross-section of contemporary issues, that represent state-of-the-art for power applications of superconductors, and highlights the areas that require further development if commercial applications of these rapidly emerging materials are to be realised. It contains papers from some of the major groups in the field, including contributions from Europe, the USA and Japan, and describes devices that are relatively close to market.

Austin area-wide IVHS plan and IH-35 corridor deployment plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-02-01

This report describes efforts towards developing an intelligent transportation systems (ITS) deployment plan for the Austin metropolitan area in Texas. ITS issues, strategies, and technologies are discussed. The focus of the study is to support the f...

Pilot interaction with automated airborne decision making systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouse, W. B.; Hammer, J. M.; Mitchell, C. M.; Morris, N. M.; Lewis, C. M.; Yoon, W. C.

1985-01-01

Progress was made in the three following areas. In the rule-based modeling area, two papers related to identification and significane testing of rule-based models were presented. In the area of operator aiding, research focused on aiding operators in novel failure situations; a discrete control modeling approach to aiding PLANT operators was developed; and a set of guidelines were developed for implementing automation. In the area of flight simulator hardware and software, the hardware will be completed within two months and initial simulation software will then be integrated and tested.

Distribution of temperature elevation caused by moving high-intensity focused ultrasound transducer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jungsoon; Jung, Jihee; Kim, Moojoon; Ha, Kanglyeol; Lee, Eunghwa; Lee, Ilkwon

2015-07-01

Ultrasonic thermal treatment for dermatology has been developed using a small high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) transducer. The transducer moves horizontally at a constant while it emits focused ultrasound because the treatment needs a high-temperature area in skin tissue over a wide range of depths. In this paper, a tissue-mimicking phantom made of carrageenan and a thermochromic film were adopted to examine the temperature distribution in the phantom noninvasively when the focused ultrasound was irradiated from the moving transducer. The dependence of the high-temperature area on the irradiated acoustic energy and on the movement interval of the HIFU was analyzed experimentally. The results will be useful in ensuring safety and estimating the remedial value of the treatment.

The role, use and benefits of natural recreation areas within and near residential subdivisions

Treesearch

Christine A. Vogt; Robert W. Marans

2002-01-01

This paper presents results from a recent study about the role of natural resources in residential development. Data were collected using focus groups and a home owner questionnaire in selected subdivisions in two rapidly growing counties located at the urban/rural fringe of the Detroit Metropolitan area. Developers of the selected subdivisions planned for and created...

Bridging Community Development and Environmental Education: Rural Water Conservation in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Lexine Tallis

2010-01-01

International community development is a fertile area of research for environmental education scholars and practitioners. Although the community development field is well established, there is relatively little focus on education and learning in community development literature, especially in developing country settings. Particularly,…

A Measurement Framework for Team Level Assessment of Innovation Capability in Early Requirements Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regnell, Björn; Höst, Martin; Nilsson, Fredrik; Bengtsson, Henrik

When developing software-intensive products for a market-place it is important for a development organisation to create innovative features for coming releases in order to achieve advantage over competitors. This paper focuses on assessment of innovation capability at team level in relation to the requirements engineering that is taking place before the actual product development projects are decided, when new business models, technology opportunities and intellectual property rights are created and investigated through e.g. prototyping and concept development. The result is a measurement framework focusing on four areas: innovation elicitation, selection, impact and ways-of-working. For each area, candidate measurements were derived from interviews to be used as inspiration in the development of a tailored measurement program. The framework is based on interviews with participants of a software team with specific innovation responsibilities and validated through cross-case analysis and feedback from practitioners.

A spaceborne optical interferometer: The JPL CSI mission focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, R. A.

1989-08-01

The JPL Control Structure Interaction (CSI) program is part of the larger NASA-wide CSI program. Within this larger context, the JPL CSI program will emphasize technology for systems that demand micron or sub-micron level control, so-called Micro-Precision Controlled Structures (u-PCS). The development of such technology will make it practical to fly missions with large optical or large precision antenna systems. In keeping with the focused nature of the desired technology, the JPL approach is to identify a focus mission, develop the focus mission CSI system design to a preliminary level, and then use this design to drive out requirements for CSI technology development in the design and analysis, ground test bed, and flight experiment areas.

77 FR 45944 - Final Priorities and Definitions; State Personnel Development Grants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... designed broadly to focus on the effective and efficient delivery of professional development using... development. For example, some commenters recommended including references to universal design for learning... culturally competent, provided the project is designed to improve professional development in this area...

Citizen science and air quality research at the U.S. EPA

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation summarizes some of the broad areas of effort at EPA related to citizen science and then focuses in specifically on recent developments in air quality. The air quality focus includes briefly summarizing emerging air sensor technology and a variety of projects th...

Targeting Resources for Local Growth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casto, James E.

2001-01-01

Focusing state and federal dollars on targeted areas, the Kentucky Appalachian Community Development Initiative helps communities in eastern Kentucky fund their own strategies for economic growth. In Hindman, the project focuses on creating the Kentucky School of Crafts, to train master artisans; supporting the Kentucky Appalachian Artisan Center;…

Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Bay area : developing regional objectives and performance measures to improve system operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) uses an objectives-driven, performance-based approach in its transportation planning for the San Francisco Bay Area. This approach focuses attention on transportation investments of highest priority. T...

Faculty development projects for international health professions educators: Vehicles for institutional change?

PubMed

Burdick, William P; Friedman, Stacey R; Diserens, Deborah

2012-01-01

Projects are an important tool in faculty development, and project emphasis may offer insights into perceived education priorities. Impact of projects has been focused on individuals, not institutions or health. Education innovation projects of Fellows in an international faculty development program were examined to better understand perceived needs in health professions education and institutional impact of projects. Four hundred and thirty-five projects were analyzed to identify focus areas. Fellows were asked to identify changes in their schools and communities resulting from their projects. New education methods and curriculum change were common project focus areas. Regional differences were evident with a higher percentage of education methods projects by Fellows residing in India (52%), compared with South Africa (25%) and Brazil (24%). Fifty-six percent of projects were incorporated into the curriculum and/or incorporated as institutional policy. One-third to two-thirds of respondents noted improved teaching quality, collaboration, education research interest, assessment, student performance, and curriculum alignment with community health needs. National differences in project focus may offer insight into local conditions and needs. High rates of diffusion of projects and impact on faculty, students, and curriculum suggest that faculty development projects may be a strategy for institutional change in resource limited environments.

Tenure Track Investigator | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

This position, which is supported with stable financial resources, is the equivalent of Assistant Professor/Associate Professor in an academic department. The Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch (TGIB) is looking for a candidate who will complement our current group of principal investigators focused on thoracic and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The candidate is expected to develop a translational research program focused on GI cancers. As such, the candidate will conduct both laboratory-based investigations, as well as develop a clinical program related to work being conducted in his or her laboratory. We encourage outstanding physician scientists investigating any area of GI research to apply. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, hepatobiliary and colon rectal cancer, and development of novel therapeutics. Candidates may be eligible to join the NCI Liver Cancer Program.

The NASA Constellation University Institutes Project: Thrust Chamber Assembly Virtual Institute

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, P. Kevin; Rybak, Jeffry A.; Hulka, James R.; Jones, Gregg W.; Nesman, Tomas; West, Jeffrey S.

2006-01-01

This paper documents key aspects of the Constellation University Institutes Project (CUIP) Thrust Chamber Assembly (TCA) Virtual Institute (VI). Specifically, the paper details the TCA VI organizational and functional aspects relative to providing support for Constellation Systems. The TCA VI vision is put forth and discussed in detail. The vision provides the objective and approach for improving thrust chamber assembly design methodologies by replacing the current empirical tools with verified and validated CFD codes. The vision also sets out ignition, performance, thermal environments and combustion stability as focus areas where application of these improved tools is required. Flow physics and a study of the Space Shuttle Main Engine development program are used to conclude that the injector is the key to robust TCA design. Requirements are set out in terms of fidelity, robustness and demonstrated accuracy of the design tool. Lack of demonstrated accuracy is noted as the most significant obstacle to realizing the potential of CFD to be widely used as an injector design tool. A hierarchical decomposition process is outlined to facilitate the validation process. A simulation readiness level tool used to gauge progress toward the goal is described. Finally, there is a description of the current efforts in each focus area. The background of each focus area is discussed. The state of the art in each focus area is noted along with the TCA VI research focus in the area. Brief highlights of work in the area are also included.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The Lightweight Materials research and development (R&D) area within the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge automotive technologies under development. Research focuses on addressing critical barriers to commercializing lightweight materials for passenger and commercial vehicles.

Are you ready to invest in business development?

PubMed

Mack, Ken E

2002-10-01

A hospital's strategy to increase market share should focus on physicians and the hospital's community. Organization managers should actively seek to enhance relations with physicians. The hospital should seek opportunities to collaborate with physicians. Promotional budgets should focus on informing consumers about service areas that interest them most, such as emergency and obstetrics services. A sales strategy should focus on acquainting community physicians with the hospital's specialists.

Aligning USGS senior leadership structure with the USGS science strategy

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is realigning its management and budget structure to further enhance the work of its science programs and their interdisciplinary focus areas related to the USGS Science Strategy as outlined in 'Facing Tomorrow's Challenges-U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017' (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). In 2007, the USGS developed this science strategy outlining major natural-science issues facing the Nation and focusing on areas where natural science can make a substantial contribution to the well being of the Nation and the world. These areas include global climate change, water resources, natural hazards, energy and minerals, ecosystems, and data integration.

Kindergarten Impacts of a Preschool Language-Focused Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanson, Megan; Justice, Laura M.; Logan, Jessica

2016-01-01

Many preschool language-focused interventions attempt to boost language and literacy skills in young children at risk in these areas of development, though the long-term effects of such interventions are not well-established. This study investigated kindergarten language and reading skills, specifically the subcomponents of vocabulary, decoding,…

Kindergarten Impacts of a Preschool Language Focused-Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanson, Megan; Justice, Laura M.; Logan, Jessica

2016-01-01

Many preschool language-focused interventions attempt to boost language and literacy skills in young children at risk in these areas of development, though the long-term effects of such interventions are not well-established. This study investigated kindergarten language and reading skills, specifically the subcomponents of vocabulary, decoding,…

ESIF: Bring Us Your Challenges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

2016-08-01

This brochure highlights the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) -- the United States' premier lab focused on energy systems research, development, and demonstration (RD&D). Topics covered include an overview of Energy Systems Integration, research focus areas, RD&D tools unique to the ESIF, and information on how to partner with NREL at the ESIF.

Concept Area Three Objectives and Test Items (Rev.). Part One and Part Two. Economic Analysis Course. Segments 50 - 84.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterling Inst., Washington, DC. Educational Technology Center.

A multimedia course in economic analysis was developed and used in conjunction with the United States Naval Academy. (See ED 043 790 and ED 043 791 for final reports of the project evaluation and development model.) This report deals with concept area three of the course, which focuses on microeconomics. The behavioral objectives, hierarchy…

African urbanization in metropolitan South Africa--differential urbanization perspectives.

PubMed

Geyer, H S

1993-07-01

"As a potentially important urban development policy consideration, attention is focused in this paper on differential urbanization trends in South Africa at the metropolitan level. Recent informal urban settlement patterns of the African population within the major metropolitan areas are contrasted against these differential urbanization trends to determine the implications of both for residential development in the metropolitan areas during the post-apartheid era." excerpt

7 CFR 3406.11 - Scope of a teaching proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... Proposals may focus on any subject matter area(s) in the food and agricultural sciences unless limited by... development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in animal science; faculty enhancement in food science and agribusiness management; or instruction delivery systems and student experiential...

7 CFR 3406.11 - Scope of a teaching proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... Proposals may focus on any subject matter area(s) in the food and agricultural sciences unless limited by... development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in animal science; faculty enhancement in food science and agribusiness management; or instruction delivery systems and student experiential...

7 CFR 3406.11 - Scope of a teaching proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... Proposals may focus on any subject matter area(s) in the food and agricultural sciences unless limited by... development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in animal science; faculty enhancement in food science and agribusiness management; or instruction delivery systems and student experiential...

Enviro-HIRLAM/ HARMONIE Studies in ECMWF HPC EnviroAerosols Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen Sass, Bent; Mahura, Alexander; Nuterman, Roman; Baklanov, Alexander; Palamarchuk, Julia; Ivanov, Serguei; Pagh Nielsen, Kristian; Penenko, Alexey; Edvardsson, Nellie; Stysiak, Aleksander Andrzej; Bostanbekov, Kairat; Amstrup, Bjarne; Yang, Xiaohua; Ruban, Igor; Bergen Jensen, Marina; Penenko, Vladimir; Nurseitov, Daniyar; Zakarin, Edige

2017-04-01

The EnviroAerosols on ECMWF HPC project (2015-2017) "Enviro-HIRLAM/ HARMONIE model research and development for online integrated meteorology-chemistry-aerosols feedbacks and interactions in weather and atmospheric composition forecasting" is aimed at analysis of importance of the meteorology-chemistry/aerosols interactions and to provide a way for development of efficient techniques for on-line coupling of numerical weather prediction and atmospheric chemical transport via process-oriented parameterizations and feedback algorithms, which will improve both the numerical weather prediction and atmospheric composition forecasts. Two main application areas of the on-line integrated modelling are considered: (i) improved numerical weather prediction with short-term feedbacks of aerosols and chemistry on formation and development of meteorological variables, and (ii) improved atmospheric composition forecasting with on-line integrated meteorological forecast and two-way feedbacks between aerosols/chemistry and meteorology. During 2015-2016 several research projects were realized. At first, the study on "On-line Meteorology-Chemistry/Aerosols Modelling and Integration for Risk Assessment: Case Studies" focused on assessment of scenarios with accidental and continuous emissions of sulphur dioxide for case studies for Atyrau (Kazakhstan) near the northern part of the Caspian Sea and metallurgical enterprises on the Kola Peninsula (Russia), with GIS integration of modelling results into the RANDOM (Risk Assessment of Nature Detriment due to Oil spill Migration) system. At second, the studies on "The sensitivity of precipitation simulations to the soot aerosol presence" & "The precipitation forecast sensitivity to data assimilation on a very high resolution domain" focused on sensitivity and changes in precipitation life-cycle under black carbon polluted conditions over Scandinavia. At third, studies on "Aerosol effects over China investigated with a high resolution convection permitting weather model" & "Meteorological and chemical urban scale modelling for Shanghai metropolitan area" with focus on aerosol effects and influence of urban areas in China at regional-subregional-urban scales. At fourth, study on "Direct variational data assimilation algorithm for atmospheric chemistry data with transport and transformation model" with focus on testing chemical data assimilation algorithm of in situ concentration measurements on real data scenario. At firth, study on "Aerosol influence on High Resolution NWP HARMONIE Operational Forecasts" with focus on impact of sea salt aerosols on numerical weather prediction during low precipitation events. And finally, study on "Impact of regional afforestation on climatic conditions in metropolitan areas: case study of Copenhagen" with focus on impact of forest and land-cover change on formation and development of temperature regimes in the Copenhagen metropolitan area of Denmark. Selected results and findings will be presented and discussed.

EMSL Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry and Subsurface Science-Science Theme Advisory Panel Meeting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Gordon E.; Chaka, Anne; Shuh, David K.

2011-08-01

This report covers the topics of discussion and the recommendations of the panel members. On December 8 and 9, 2010, the Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry, and Subsurface Science (GBSS) Science Theme Advisory Panel (STAP) convened for a more in-depth exploration of the five Science Theme focus areas developed at a similar meeting held in 2009. The goal for the fiscal year (FY) 2011 meeting was to identify potential topical areas for science campaigns, necessary experimental development needs, and scientific members for potential research teams. After a review of the current science in each of the five focus areas, the 2010 STAP discussionsmore » successfully led to the identification of one well focused campaign idea in pore-scale modeling and five longer-term potential research campaign ideas that would likely require additional workshops to identify specific research thrusts. These five campaign areas can be grouped into two categories: (1) the application of advanced high-resolution, high mass accuracy experimental techniques to elucidate the interplay between geochemistry and microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems and (2) coupled computation/experimental investigations of the electron transfer reactions either between mineral surfaces and outer membranes of microbial cells or between the outer and inner membranes of microbial cells.« less

Alabama Bridges: A Comprehensive Model for a Program of Care and Supervision of Older Children and Young Adolescents in Out-of-School Time. Program Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowles, Laura; Piggott, Gail B.

The Employers' Child Care Alliance, a group of major employers in Lee County, Alabama, developed the "Bridges" program, an innovative program for children ages 10-14 during out-of-school time. The program focuses on the growth of the whole child, specifically in areas not traditionally focused on in school, such as creative development, cultural…

Meta-Theory and Curriculum Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartoonian, H. Michael

Curriculum development in any area should be imbued with a meaning that focuses on the cultural values of motivation, logic, and human relationships. The term "meaning" implies seeing relationships (linguistic, economic, political, moral), understanding logic, and being sensitive to the enduring values of the culture. Curriculum developers and…

7 CFR 3406.11 - Scope of a teaching proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... new ideas and techniques. (v) Expand competence with new methods of information delivery, such as.... Proposals may focus on any subject matter area(s) in the food and agricultural sciences unless limited by... development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in animal science; faculty enhancement in...

War on Hunger: A Report from the Agency for International Development, December 1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhoad, David L., Ed.

Produced by the Agency for International Development, this magazine presents articles and speeches on international development. Published monthly, the articles focus on developing nations and problems and areas of development. Typical issues offer articles on food and nutrition, education, disaster and humanitarian relief, U.S. government policy,…

Options: A Career Development Curriculum for Rural High School Students. Unit I, Understanding People in Our Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunne, Faith; And Others

Unit I of a 4-unit (9-12 week) career development and life planning program for rural high school students focuses on life in rural localities. Designed to last approximately 13 days, the unit uses student experience and supplementary data as a basis for discussion of the local area, its people and their roles, the advantages and disadvantages of…

Learning in the zone: toward workforce development of evidence-based public policy communication.

PubMed

Meyerson, Beth E; Haderxhanaj, Laura T; Comer, Karen; Zimet, Gregory D

2018-06-05

Evidence-based policy communication (EBPC) is an important, emerging focus in public health research. However, we have yet to understand public health workforce ability to develop and/or use it. The study objective was to characterize capacity to develop and use EBPC and identify cooperative learning and development opportunities using the case of Human papillomavirus (HPV). Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) informed guided interviews with 27 advocates in Indiana from government, industry, research, state associations and individuals. Participants focused on HPV, cancer, women's health, school health and minority health. Capacity to develop and use EBPC was reported to develop through cooperative learning opportunities on the job or in advocacy focused coalitions. Coalition learning appeared to translate across health topics. Notably, policy experience did not assure understanding or use of EBPC. The ZPD framework can inform workforce EBPC interventions by focusing on actual development, potential development and factors for learning and development in the ZPD. Future studies should further clarify and evaluate emerging indicators in additional public health policy areas with a larger sample.

Affordable Housing in transit-oriented developments : impacts on driving and policy approaches.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

This paper studies the intersection of policies promoting affordable housing, transit-oriented developments (TODs), and the reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in metropolitan areas. In particular, this paper focuses on the following questions:...

Missouri River freight corridor assessment & development plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

The purpose of the Missouri River Freight Corridor Development effort is to redevelop the river as a freight corridor with logical market nodes and reliable service that supports a sustainable market and logistics system. Four focus areas have been i...

Affordable housing in transit-oriented developments : impacts on driving and policy approaches.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

This paper studies the intersection of policies promoting affordable housing, transit-oriented : developments (TODs), and the reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in metropolitan areas. : In particular, this paper focuses on the following questi...

Intelligent Information Retrieval and Web Mining Architecture Using SOA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Bathy, Naser Ibrahim

2010-01-01

The study of this dissertation provides a solution to a very specific problem instance in the area of data mining, data warehousing, and service-oriented architecture in publishing and newspaper industries. The research question focuses on the integration of data mining and data warehousing. The research problem focuses on the development of…

Handling Office Politics. [Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Paul

This book is designed to help people develop an action plan to enhance their situation at work. Part 1 focuses on political behavior at work as a key to advancement. It discusses assessing career setbacks and recovery from them. Subsequent sections focus on the following areas of self-study that are necessary to enable the individual to manage…

77 FR 40380 - Outer Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales, Western Planning Area Lease...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-09

... Deepwater Horizon event. The WPA/CPA Supplemental EIS analysis will focus on updating the baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and... Supplemental EIS analysis will focus on the potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing...

NREL Joins Initiative to Boost Power Electronics Energy Efficiency and Job

Science.gov Websites

Electronics and Electric Machines team, which focuses on vehicle component research and development (R&D current silicon-based components in the next five years. The institute will bring partners together to power electronics thermal management and reliability R&D, NREL's research in this area focuses on

Supporting ward staff in acute care areas: the past, the present and the future?

PubMed

Coad, Sharon; Haines, Susan; Lawrence, Barbara

2002-01-01

Clinical education for acute ward staff caring for critically ill patients has continued to be a strong focus for practice development. Adopting a work-based learning approach to empower ward staff has led to the development of a five-day competency-based high dependency skills course. Developing leadership potential and enhancing networking opportunities for nurses from within critical care and ward areas is essential for the realisation of the aims of Comprehensive Critical Care.

Reading Assessment: Looking Ahead

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afflerbach, Peter

2016-01-01

In this article, I focus on three areas of reading assessment that I believe to be crucial for students' reading development: developing comprehensive formative assessments, assessing the wide array of factors that contribute to students' reading development, and fostering student independence by helping students learn to use reading assessment on…

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macdonald, R. B.

1976-01-01

A Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) was undertaken to prove out an economically important application of remote sensing from space. The experiment focused upon determination of wheat acreages in the U.S. Great Plains and upon the development and testing of yield models. The results and conclusions are presented.

Cultivating Bilingual Learners' Language Arts Knowledge: A Framework for Successful Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almaguer, Isela; Esquierdo, J. Joy

2013-01-01

It is essential to support bilingual learners' language and academic development; however, teaching second language learners English has taken precedence over teaching content area knowledge and vocabulary, specifically for language arts. The focus has shifted from content area instruction to primarily second language instruction due to an…

Sharing the Literacy Load

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orechovsky, Patricia

2010-01-01

The literacy team at Brentwood (NY) High School, a large urban high school, focused its efforts on building content-area teachers' literacy instruction skills. The team is made up of teachers from the various content areas, including physical education and art, as well as supportive administrators. The team developed a pacing guide, a monthly…

Developing an Undergraduate Information Systems Security Track

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Aditya; Murphy, Marianne C.; Rosso, Mark A.; Grant, Donna

2013-01-01

Information Systems Security as a specialized area of study has mostly been taught at the graduate level. This paper highlights the efforts of establishing an Information Systems (IS) Security track at the undergraduate level. As there were many unanswered questions and concerns regarding the Security curriculum, focus areas, the benefit of…

Ranking of sabotage/tampering avoidance technology alternatives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andrews, W.B.; Tabatabai, A.S.; Powers, T.B.

1986-01-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted a study to evaluate alternatives to the design and operation of nuclear power plants, emphasizing a reduction of their vulnerability to sabotage. Estimates of core melt accident frequency during normal operations and from sabotage/tampering events were used to rank the alternatives. Core melt frequency for normal operations was estimated using sensitivity analysis of results of probabilistic risk assessments. Core melt frequency for sabotage/tampering was estimated by developing a model based on probabilistic risk analyses, historic data, engineering judgment, and safeguards analyses of plant locations where core melt events could be initiated. Results indicate the most effectivemore » alternatives focus on large areas of the plant, increase safety system redundancy, and reduce reliance on single locations for mitigation of transients. Less effective options focus on specific areas of the plant, reduce reliance on some plant areas for safe shutdown, and focus on less vulnerable targets.« less

Towards understanding the presence/absence of Human African Trypanosomosis in a focus of Côte d'Ivoire: a spatial analysis of the pathogenic system

PubMed Central

Courtin, Fabrice; Jamonneau, Vincent; Oké, Emmanuel; Coulibaly, Bamoro; Oswald, Yohan; Dupont, Sophie; Cuny, Gérard; Doumenge, Jean-Pierre; Solano, Philippe

2005-01-01

Background This study aimed at identifying factors influencing the development of Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT, or sleeping sickness) in the focus of Bonon, located in the mesophile forest of Côte d'Ivoire. A previous study mapping the main daytime activity sites of 96 patients revealed an important disparity between the area south of the town- where all the patients lived- and the area north of the town, apparently free of disease. In order to explain this disparity, we carried out a spatial analysis of the key components of the pathogenic system, i.e. the human host, the tsetse vector and the trypanosomes in their environment using a geographic information system (GIS). Results This approach at the scale of a HAT focus enabled us to identify spatial patterns which linked to the transmission and the dissemination of this disease. The history of human settlement (with the rural northern area exploited much earlier than the southern one) appears to be a major factor which determines the land use pattern, which itself may account for differences found in vector densities (tsetse were found six times more abundant in the southern rural area than in the northern). Vector density, according to the human and environmental context in which it is found (here an intense mobility between the town of Bonon and the rural areas), may explain the observed spatial differences in HAT prevalence. Conclusion This work demonstrates the role of GIS analyses of key components of the pathogenic system in providing a better understanding of transmission and dissemination of HAT. Moreover, following the identification of the most active transmission areas, and of an area unfavourable to HAT transmission, this study more precisely delineates the boundaries of the Bonon focus. As a follow-up, targeted tsetse control activities starting north of Bonon (with few chances of reinvasion due to very low densities) going south, and additional medical surveys in the south will be proposed to the Ivoirian HAT control program to enhance the control of the disease in this focus. This work also shows the evolution of HAT regarding time and environment, and the methodology used may be able to predict possible sleeping sickness development/extinction in areas with similar history and space organization. PMID:16269078

Learning to Lead: Developing Young Adolescents' Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiscus, Lyn

2006-01-01

The middle level years are a crucial time for student development, a time when the path for school success is set for many students. Educators who focus on character and leadership development realize that training in these areas can play a significant role in developing students who will become effective leaders and active citizens in middle…

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Leasing Areas for the BOEM New Jersey Wind Energy Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musial, W.; Elliott, D.; Fields, J.

2013-10-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is providing technical assistance to identify and delineate leasing areas for offshore wind energy development within the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) established by BOEM. This report focuses on NREL's development and evaluation of the delineations for the New Jersey (NJ) WEA. The overarching objective of this study is to develop a logical process by which the New Jersey WEA can be subdivided into non-overlapping leasing areas for BOEM's use in developing an auction process inmore » a renewable energy lease sale. NREL identified a selection of leasing areas and proposed delineation boundaries within the established NJ WEA. The primary output of the interagency agreement is this report, which documents the methodology, including key variables and assumptions, by which the leasing areas were identified and delineated.« less

Development of the Methodology Needed to Quantify Risks to Groundwater at CO2 Storage Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C. F.; Birkholzer, J. T.; Carroll, S.; Hakala, A.; Keating, E. H.; Lopano, C. L.; Newell, D. L.; Spycher, N.

2011-12-01

The National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) is an effort that harnesses capabilities across five U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories into a mission-focused platform to develop a defensible, science-based quantitative methodology for determining risk profiles at CO2 storage sites. NRAP is conducting risk and uncertainty analysis in the areas of reservoir performance, natural leakage pathways, wellbore integrity, groundwater protection, monitoring, and systems level modeling. The mission of NRAP is "to provide the scientific underpinning for risk assessment with respect to the long-term storage of CO2, including assessment of residual risk associated with a site post-closure." Additionally, NRAP will develop a strategic, risk-based monitoring protocol, such that monitoring at all stages of a project effectively minimizes uncertainty in the predicted behavior of the site, thereby increasing confidence in storage integrity. NRAP's research focus in the area of groundwater protection is divided into three main tasks: 1) development of quantitative risk profiles for potential groundwater impacts; 2) filling key science gaps in developing those risk profiles; and 3) field-based confirmation. Within these three tasks, researchers are engaged in collaborative studies to determine metrics to identify system perturbation and their associated risk factors. Reservoir simulations are being performed to understand/predict consequences of hypothetical leakage scenarios, from which reduced order models are being developed to feed risk profile development. Both laboratory-based experiments and reactive transport modeling studies provide estimates of geochemical impacts over a broad range of leakage scenarios. This presentation will provide an overview of the research objectives within NRAP's groundwater protection focus area, as well as select accomplishments achieved to date.

Helping Percussionists Play Musically.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mixon, Kevin A.

2002-01-01

Discusses how to develop musicality in young percussion students. Focuses on training students in versatility, developing their skills in technical areas, teaching them about entrance, sustaining and release, and selecting the appropriate equipment. Includes a list of "Suggestions for Fostering Musicality in Student Percussionists." (CMK)

The Role of Urban Green Areas in the Education for Sustainable Development: Focus on Krakow, Poland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Aleksandra; Orlewicz-Musial, Malgorzata

2015-01-01

Four selected green areas in Krakow (Poland) were compared, including: (1) the historical centre of Krakow with the green belt of Planty; (2) Blonia--grassland situated near the city centre; (3) the Park of Aviators, situated between the old part of Krakow and the industrial district of Nowa Huta and (4) the Nowa Huta Meadows. All these areas have…

Tanks focus area multiyear program plan FY97-FY99

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-08-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) continues to face a major tank remediation problem with approximately 332 tanks storing over 378,000 ml of high-level waste (HLW) and transuranic (TRU) waste across the DOE complex. Most of the tanks have significantly exceeded their life spans. Approximately 90 tanks across the DOE complex are known or assumed to have leaked. Some of the tank contents are potentially explosive. These tanks must be remediated and made safe. How- ever, regulatory drivers are more ambitious than baseline technologies and budgets will support. Therefore, the Tanks Focus Area (TFA) began operation in October 1994. Themore » focus area manages, coordinates, and leverages technology development to provide integrated solutions to remediate problems that will accelerate safe and cost-effective cleanup and closure of DOE`s national tank system. The TFA is responsible for technology development to support DOE`s four major tank sites: Hanford Site (Washington), INEL (Idaho), Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) (Tennessee), and Savannah River Site (SRS) (South Carolina). Its technical scope covers the major functions that comprise a complete tank remediation system: safety, characterization, retrieval, pretreatment, immobilization, and closure.« less

Professional Task-Based Curriculum Development for Distance Education Practitioners at Master's Level: A Design-Based Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Xiaoying; Lu, Guangxin; Yao, Zhihong

2015-01-01

Curriculum development for distance education (DE) practitioners is more and more focusing on practical requirements and competence development. Delphi and DACUM methods have been used at some universities. However, in the competency-based development area, these methods have been taken over by professional-task-based development in the last…

Assessment Literacy for Teachers: Faddish or Fundamental?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popham, W. James

2009-01-01

In recent years, increasing numbers of professional development programs have dealt with assessment literacy for teachers and/or administrators. Is assessment literacy merely a fashionable focus for today's professional developers or, in contrast, should it be regarded as a significant area of professional development interest for many years to…

Developing Sociopolitical Consciousness at Freedom Schools: Implications for Culturally Responsive Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Tambra O.

2011-01-01

This article describes the programmatic ways in which the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools[R] program develops culturally responsive teaching practices amongst its summer interns, particularly in the area of developing sociopolitical consciousness. This paper places specific focus on the role that historical knowledge, the acknowledgement…

Economics and Human Resource Development: A Rejoinder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Greg G.; Swanson, Richard A.

2008-01-01

This article focuses on the areas agreement between two recent and seemingly disparate Human Resource Development Review articles by Wang and Swanson (2008) and McLean, Lynham, Azevedo, Lawrence, and Nafukho (2008). The foundational roles of economics in human resource development theory and practice are highlighted as well as the need for…

Reforming Professional Development: Focusing on Teachers' Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leach, Laura M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this position paper was to study professional development, specifically looking at teachers' practices. After problems with a recent charter renewal for a small charter school and conversations with teachers and administration, professional development arose as an area that needed improvement. A model for professional…

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Leasing Areas for the BOEM Massachusetts Wind Energy Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musial, W.; Parker, Z.; Fields, M.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under an interagency agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is providing technical assistance to identify and delineate leasing areas for offshore wind energy development within the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) established by BOEM. This report focuses on NREL's development of three delineated leasing area options for the Massachusetts (MA) WEA and the technical evaluation of these leasing areas. The overarching objective of this study is to develop a logical process by which the MA WEA can be subdivided into non-overlapping leasing areas for BOEM'smore » use in developing an auction process in a renewable energy lease sale. NREL worked with BOEM to identify an appropriate number of leasing areas and proposed three delineation alternatives within the MA WEA based on the boundaries announced in May 2012. A primary output of the interagency agreement is this report, which documents the methodology, including key variables and assumptions, by which the leasing areas were identified and delineated.« less

Strategic Business Plan for Economic Development Contract Services, July 1995-June 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox Valley Technical Coll., Appleton, WI.

This plan describes the contract training and technical assistance services provided by Wisconsin's Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) to area employers, focusing on the status of the services and ways to improve delivery for the July 1995 to June 1997 period. Following an executive summary, the second section focuses on contract services…

Robust Deep Semantics for Language Understanding

DTIC Science & Technology

focus on five areas: deep learning, textual inferential relations, relation and event extraction by distant supervision , semantic parsing and...ontology expansion, and coreference resolution. As time went by, the program focus converged towards emphasizing technologies for knowledge base...natural logic methods for text understanding, improved mention coreference algorithms, and the further development of multilingual tools in CoreNLP.

Quality Assessment by Science Teachers: Five Focus Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Frances

2013-01-01

In order to teach science well, science teachers need to know what to focus on in order to ensure their assessment of student learning is meaningful and useful for the students' on going learning and development. The diversity and range of content and skills within the subject of science mean that the assessment capabilities required by…

Focus on Higher Education in Europe 2010: The Impact of the Bologna Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosier, David; Dalferth, Simon; Parveva, Teodora

2010-01-01

This 2010 edition of the "Focus" report has been prepared for the European Ministerial Conference in Budapest/Vienna, 11-12 March 2010, that officially launches the European Higher Education Area. The report has been developed as a fully collaborative exercise between the Eurydice Network and the Bologna Follow-up Group (BFUG), with the…

The Spanish biology/disease initiative within the human proteome project: Application to rheumatic diseases.

PubMed

Ruiz-Romero, Cristina; Calamia, Valentina; Albar, Juan Pablo; Casal, José Ignacio; Corrales, Fernando J; Fernández-Puente, Patricia; Gil, Concha; Mateos, Jesús; Vivanco, Fernando; Blanco, Francisco J

2015-09-08

The Spanish Chromosome 16 consortium is integrated in the global initiative Human Proteome Project, which aims to develop an entire map of the proteins encoded following a gene-centric strategy (C-HPP) in order to make progress in the understanding of human biology in health and disease (B/D-HPP). Chromosome 16 contains many genes encoding proteins involved in the development of a broad range of diseases, which have a significant impact on the health care system. The Spanish HPP consortium has developed a B/D platform with five programs focused on selected medical areas: cancer, obesity, cardiovascular, infectious and rheumatic diseases. Each of these areas has a clinical leader associated to a proteomic investigator with the responsibility to get a comprehensive understanding of the proteins encoded by Chromosome 16 genes. Proteomics strategies have enabled great advances in the area of rheumatic diseases, particularly in osteoarthritis, with studies performed on joint cells, tissues and fluids. In this manuscript we describe how the Spanish HPP-16 consortium has developed a B/D platform with five programs focused on selected medical areas: cancer, obesity, cardiovascular, infectious and rheumatic diseases. Each of these areas has a clinical leader associated to a proteomic investigator with the responsibility to get a comprehensive understanding of the proteins encoded by Chromosome 16 genes. We show how the Proteomic strategy has enabled great advances in the area of rheumatic diseases, particularly in osteoarthritis, with studies performed on joint cells, tissues and fluids. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: HUPO 2014. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Service Quality Assessment of Hospitals in Asian Context: An Empirical Evidence From Pakistan

PubMed Central

Shafiq, Muhammad; Naeem, Muhammad Azhar; Munawar, Zartasha; Fatima, Iram

2017-01-01

Hospitals vary from one another in terms of their specialty, services offered, and resource availability. Their services are widely measured with scales that gauge patients’ perspective. Therefore, there is a need for research to develop a scale that measures hospital service quality in Asian hospitals, regardless of their nature or ownership. To address this research need, this study adapted the SERVQUAL instrument to develop a service quality measurement scale. Data were collected from inpatients and outpatients at 9 different hospitals, and the scale was developed using structural equation modeling. The developed scale was then validated by identifying service quality gaps and ranking the areas that require managerial effort. The findings indicated that all 5 dimensions of SERVQUAL are valid in Asian countries such as Pakistan, with 13 items retained. Reliability, tangibility, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance were ranked first, second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in terms of the size of the quality gap. The gaps were statistically significant, with values ≤.05; therefore, hospital administrators must focus on each of these areas. By focusing on the identified areas of improvement, health care authorities, managers, practitioners, and decision makers can bring substantial change within hospitals. PMID:28660771

Service Quality Assessment of Hospitals in Asian Context: An Empirical Evidence From Pakistan.

PubMed

Shafiq, Muhammad; Naeem, Muhammad Azhar; Munawar, Zartasha; Fatima, Iram

2017-01-01

Hospitals vary from one another in terms of their specialty, services offered, and resource availability. Their services are widely measured with scales that gauge patients' perspective. Therefore, there is a need for research to develop a scale that measures hospital service quality in Asian hospitals, regardless of their nature or ownership. To address this research need, this study adapted the SERVQUAL instrument to develop a service quality measurement scale. Data were collected from inpatients and outpatients at 9 different hospitals, and the scale was developed using structural equation modeling. The developed scale was then validated by identifying service quality gaps and ranking the areas that require managerial effort. The findings indicated that all 5 dimensions of SERVQUAL are valid in Asian countries such as Pakistan, with 13 items retained. Reliability, tangibility, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance were ranked first, second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in terms of the size of the quality gap. The gaps were statistically significant, with values ≤.05; therefore, hospital administrators must focus on each of these areas. By focusing on the identified areas of improvement, health care authorities, managers, practitioners, and decision makers can bring substantial change within hospitals.

A National Effort to Integrate Math and Science with CTE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyslop, Alisha

2008-01-01

National activities focus on priority areas and are often designed to develop, improve and identify the most successful methods and techniques for providing career and technical education (CTE) programs under Perkins. One of these priority areas under the 2006 Perkins Act is the integration of academic and technical education. Since the early…

Students' Physical Growth: Developmental Framework, Physical Dimension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Donna; And Others

Alberta Education's position on the physical growth of students is presented in this paper, which focuses on children's physical growth in the areas of perceptual, structural, and motor development. Each area is first discussed in terms of three age groups: the child from infancy to preschool, the elementary child, and the adolescent. Concluding…

Patterns of Oral Choice and Evaluation across Secondary Content Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleason, Jesse; Berg, Margaret; Huang, Jingzi

2018-01-01

Our study focuses on Choice and Evaluation, two of Mohan's knowledge structures to uncover how teachers and students across content areas developed disciplinary knowledge through classroom talk. Participants included in-service teachers and their students in rural and urban secondary schools in the Eastern and Western US. Through Choice and…

Industrially-Situated Project-Based Learning: A Study of Feedback and Diffusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbuena, Debra M.

2013-01-01

The Virtual Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Process Development Project provides the context for the two areas of the research presented in this dissertation. The first area, generally referred to as feedback in this dissertation, focuses on student learning and the interactions of students and instructors that take place in the project,…

78 FR 21613 - Prescription Drug User Fee Act Patient-Focused Drug Development; Announcement of Disease Areas...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-11

... syndrome; narcolepsy; neurological manifestations of inborn errors of metabolism; Parkinson's disease and... available therapies. Patients who live with a disease have a direct stake in the outcome of FDA's decisions... of applications for new drugs in certain disease areas. For FDA's review divisions, this kind of...

Organizational Application of Social Networking Information Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reppert, Jeffrey R.

2012-01-01

The focus of this qualitative research study using the Delphi method is to provide a framework for leaders to develop their own social networks. By exploring concerns in four areas, leaders may be able to better plan, implement, and manage social networking systems in organizations. The areas addressed are: (a) social networking using…

Waterworks Book. An Activity Book about Mississippi's Coastal Resources for Primary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Kevin M.

Coastal resources are highlighted in this activity book for primary school children. Special focus is given to Mississippi's coastal areas, but applications to other geographic areas can be made. Wetland concepts and conditions are developed through a variety of games, puzzles, matching exercises and pictorial explanations. Activities addressing…

Evolution of Emergent Technologies for Producing Nonwoven Fabrics for Air Filtration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ou, Yingjie

2016-01-01

Nonwovens is a fast growing industry driven by technological research and development (R&D), and one of the major application areas for nonwovens is air filtration. Research on nonwovens technologies has mainly focused on the science and technology areas, but there is very little published research on technology management issues within the…

Hypnosis in Educational Programs: Its Implications As an Educational Aid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Joseph

Although hypnosis has not been extensively used in education, a review of past research reveals five areas which might benefit from hypnotherapy: (1) motivation, (2) study habits, (3) concentration, (4) remedial reading, and (5) test anxiety. A questionnaire focusing on these areas was developed to determine the attitude of professional personnel…

Agriculture and Biology Teaching. Biology and Human Welfare.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, A. N.; Pritchard, Alan J.

This six-chapter document (part of a series on biology and human welfare) focuses on agriculture and the teaching of this subject area. Major topic areas considered in the first five chapters are: (1) the development of agriculture; (2) agricosystems (considering agriculture as an ecosystem, land utilization and soils, soils and food production,…

The Greater Southern Area Health Service Tobacco Control Plan 2006-2009.

PubMed

Gow, Andrew J; Weir, Kylie M; Marich, Andrew J N

2008-01-01

In response to the NSW Tobacco Action Plan 2005-2009, Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) has developed a local plan. This short report describes how activities promoted in the state plan were prioritised and six outcomes identified as the focus for the GSAHS Tobacco Control Plan 2006-2009.

Preparing for High Technology: 30 Steps to Implementation. Research & Development Series No. 232.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abram, Robert; And Others

This planning guide is one of three that addresses the concerns of postsecondary college administrators and planners regarding the planning and implementation of technician training programs in high technology areas. It specifically focuses on a 30-step planning process that is generalizable to various high technology areas. (The other two…

Keeping Fit--In Body and Mind!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivkin, Mary S.

2007-01-01

This article describes how a school can model a "healthy lifestyle" through focusing on four areas: (1) deliberate stress reduction; (2) abundant exercise; (3) good food in school; and (4) communication with parents to share and extend their plans and activities. It discusses each of these areas and develops some strategies for promoting body/mind…

Imino Transfer Hydrogenation Reductions.

PubMed

Wills, Martin

2016-04-01

This review contains a summary of recent developments in the transfer hydrogenation of C=N bonds, with a particularly focus on reports from within the last 10 years and asymmetric transformations. However, earlier work in the area is also discussed in order to provide context for the more recent results described. I focus strongly on the Ru/TsDPEN class of asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions originally reported by Noyori et al., together with examples of their applications, particularly to medically valuable target molecules. The recent developments in the area of highly active imine-reduction catalysts, notably those based on iridium, are also described in some detail. I discuss diastereoselective reduction methods as a route to the synthesis of chiral amines using transfer hydrogenation. The recent development of a methodology for positioning reduction complexes within chiral proteins, permitting the generation of asymmetric reduction products through a directed modification of the protein environment in a controlled manner, is also discussed.

Methodology, status and plans for development and assessment of TUF and CATHENA codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luxat, J.C.; Liu, W.S.; Leung, R.K.

1997-07-01

An overview is presented of the Canadian two-fluid computer codes TUF and CATHENA with specific focus on the constraints imposed during development of these codes and the areas of application for which they are intended. Additionally a process for systematic assessment of these codes is described which is part of a broader, industry based initiative for validation of computer codes used in all major disciplines of safety analysis. This is intended to provide both the licensee and the regulator in Canada with an objective basis for assessing the adequacy of codes for use in specific applications. Although focused specifically onmore » CANDU reactors, Canadian experience in developing advanced two-fluid codes to meet wide-ranging application needs while maintaining past investment in plant modelling provides a useful contribution to international efforts in this area.« less

Structural Biology and Molecular Applications Research

Cancer.gov

Part of NCI's Division of Cancer Biology's research portfolio, research and development in this area focuses on enabling technologies, models, and methodologies to support basic and applied cancer research.

Development of an interface-focused educational complex intervention.

PubMed

Sampson, Rod; MacVicar, Ronald; Wilson, Philip

2017-09-01

In many countries, the medical primary-secondary care interface is central to the delivery of quality patient care. There is prevailing interest in developing initiatives to improve interface working for the benefit of health care professionals and their patients. To describe the development of an educational intervention designed to improve working at the primary-secondary care interface in NHS Scotland (United Kingdom) within the context of the Medical Research Council framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. A primary-secondary care interface focused Practice-based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) module was developed building upon qualitative synthesis and original research. A 'meeting of experts' shaped the module, which was subsequently piloted with a group of interface clinicians. Reflections on the module were sought from clinicians across NHS Scotland to provide contextual information from other areas. The PBSGL approach can be usefully applied to the development of a primary-secondary care interface-focused medical educational intervention.

NASA Glenn Research Center Electrochemistry Branch Battery and Fuel Cell Development Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, Michelle A.

2011-01-01

This presentation covers an overview of NASA Glenn s history and heritage in the development of electrochemical systems for aerospace applications. Current developments related to batteries and fuel cells are addressed. Specific areas of focus are Li-ion batteries and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel cells systems and their development for future Exploration missions.

Collaborative Professional Development for Statistics Teaching: A Case Study of Two Middle-School Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Oliveira Souza, Leandro; Lopes, Celi Espasandin; Pfannkuch, Maxine

2015-01-01

The recent introduction of statistics into the Brazilian curriculum has presented a multi-problematic situation for teacher professional development. Drawing on research in the areas of teacher development and statistical inquiry, we propose a Teacher Professional Development Cycle (TPDC) model. This paper focuses on two teachers who planned a…

The costs of housing developments on sites with elevated landslide risk in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barclay, K.; Heath, A.

2015-09-01

New housing targets are being set for local planning authorities resulting in more areas being zoned for development. There is currently no requirement for a landslide assessment prior to this zoning, and sites at elevated risk of landslides are being put forward for development without consideration of the additional costs and other impacts of building on these higher risk sites. This study aimed to reveal the increased financial, economic, social and environmental costs associated with these decisions. Case studies were focused on the city of Bath, an area of increasing population and “one of the most intensely landslipped areas in Britain’’. The case studies found the financial costs associated with building in a landslide risk area to be significantly higher than the equivalent construction in areas of greater geological stability. Furthermore, it was found that uncertainty in cost when developing in unstable areas exacerbates this problem as the final cost cannot be accurately predicted before construction.

Forecasting land-cover growth using remotely sensed data: a case study of the Igneada protection area in Turkey.

PubMed

Bozkaya, A Gonca; Balcik, Filiz Bektas; Goksel, Cigdem; Esbah, Hayriye

2015-03-01

Human activities in many parts of the world have greatly affected natural areas. Therefore, monitoring and forecasting of land-cover changes are important components for sustainable utilization, conservation, and development of these areas. This research has been conducted on Igneada, a legally protected area on the northwest coast of Turkey, which is famous for its unique, mangrove forests. The main focus of this study was to apply a land use and cover model that could quantitatively and graphically present the changes and its impacts on Igneada landscapes in the future. In this study, a Markov chain-based, stochastic Markov model and cellular automata Markov model were used. These models were calibrated using a time series of developed areas derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery between 1990 and 2010 that also projected future growth to 2030. The results showed that CA Markov yielded reliable information better than St. Markov model. The findings displayed constant but overall slight increase of settlement and forest cover, and slight decrease of agricultural lands. However, even the slightest unsustainable change can put a significant pressure on the sensitive ecosystems of Igneada. Therefore, the management of the protected area should not only focus on the landscape composition but also pay attention to landscape configuration.

Research Areas: Prevention

Cancer.gov

NCI’s prevention research has a broad focus, from identifying environmental and lifestyle factors that influence cancer risk to studying the biology of how cancer develops and studying ways to disseminate prevention interventions.

ERLN Biological Focus Area

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Environmental Response Laboratory Network supports the goal to increase national capacity for biological analysis of environmental samples. This includes methods development and verification, technology transfer, and collaboration with USDA, FERN, CDC.

The role of quantitative safety evaluation in regulatory decision making of drugs.

PubMed

Chakravarty, Aloka G; Izem, Rima; Keeton, Stephine; Kim, Clara Y; Levenson, Mark S; Soukup, Mat

2016-01-01

Evaluation of safety is a critical component of drug review at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Statisticians are playing an increasingly visible role in quantitative safety evaluation and regulatory decision-making. This article reviews the history and the recent events relating to quantitative drug safety evaluation at the FDA. The article then focuses on five active areas of quantitative drug safety evaluation and the role Division of Biometrics VII (DBVII) plays in these areas, namely meta-analysis for safety evaluation, large safety outcome trials, post-marketing requirements (PMRs), the Sentinel Initiative, and the evaluation of risk from extended/long-acting opioids. This article will focus chiefly on developments related to quantitative drug safety evaluation and not on the many additional developments in drug safety in general.

Requirements for Designing Life Support System Architectures for Crewed Exploration Missions Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, David; Perry,Jay; Sargusingh, Miriam; Toomarian, Nikzad

2016-01-01

NASA's technology development roadmaps provide guidance to focus technological development on areas that enable crewed exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit. Specifically, the technology area roadmap on human health, life support and habitation systems describes the need for life support system (LSS) technologies that can improve reliability and in-situ maintainability within a minimally-sized package while enabling a high degree of mission autonomy. To address the needs outlined by the guiding technology area roadmap, NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program has commissioned the Life Support Systems (LSS) Project to lead technology development in the areas of water recovery and management, atmosphere revitalization, and environmental monitoring. A notional exploration LSS architecture derived from the International Space has been developed and serves as the developmental basis for these efforts. Functional requirements and key performance parameters that guide the exploration LSS technology development efforts are presented and discussed. Areas where LSS flight operations aboard the ISS afford lessons learned that are relevant to exploration missions are highlighted.

Developing Energy Technology Course for Undergraduate Engineering Management Study Program in Lake Toba Area with Particular Focus to Sustainable Energy Systems in Development Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manik, Yosef; Sinaga, Rizal; Saragi, Hadi

2018-02-01

Undergraduate Engineering Management Study Program of Institut Teknologi Del is one of the pioneers for its field in Indonesia. Located in Lake Toba Area, this study program has a mission to provide high quality Engineering Management education that produces globally competitive graduates who in turn will contribute to local development. Framing the Energy Technology course—one of the core subjects in Engineering Management Body of Knowledge—in the context of sustainable development of Lake Toba Area is very essential. Thus, one particular focus in this course is sustainable energy systems in local development context that incorporates identification and analysis of locally available energy resources. In this paper we present our experience in designing such course. In this work, we introduce the domains that shape the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge. Then, we explain the results of our evaluation on the key considerations to meet the rapidly changing needs of society in local context. Later, we present the framework of the learning outcomes and the syllabus as a result of mapping the road map with the requirement. At the end, the summary from the first two semesters of delivering this course in academic year 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 are reported.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Early Childhood Teachers in Korea about Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Eunhye; Kim, Heejin; Yu, Sunyoung

2016-01-01

This study investigates the perceptions and attitudes of Korean early childhood teachers about education for sustainable development (ESD). A total of 301 Korean early childhood teachers participated in a survey which was purposefully developed for this research. The survey focused on three areas of interest: understanding of concepts about…

Mississippi Choctaw Parent Child Development Program: Impact Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Reva

The Mississippi Choctaw Parent Child Development Program (PCDP), initially funded by the BIA in 1973 as a pilot project, has had a reservation-wide impact in each of its four main areas of focus: health and nutrition; education; social services; and staff and parent development. There has been a measurable decrease in early childhood infectious…

An Evidence-Based Practitioner's Model for Adolescent Leadership Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehm, Christopher J.

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a model for youth leadership education based on adolescent development and leadership research in an effort to provide practitioners with a practical blueprint to aid their creation and implementation of high school leadership programs. By focusing on student leader development areas which school level educators can affect,…

Efficiency in Reaching the Millennium Development Goals. World Bank Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayasuriya, Ruwan, Ed.; Wodon, Quentin, Ed.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide clear targets and areas of focus for international organizations such as the World Bank. At a conceptual level, to reduce poverty and hunger, to improve education and health indicators, and to promote gender equality and sustainable development, countries can either increase the resources they…

The Development of Solution Focused Multi-Agency Meetings in a Psychological Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Shiona; Sked, Heather

2010-01-01

This article outlines the successful development of multi-agency meetings as part of a staged approach aimed at supporting families and children within the Scottish Highland Council Area. Drawing on the research evidence for the factors which help to make meetings effective, a distinctive meeting structure was developed. This structure is…

School Leadership: A Blueprint for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Scott D., Ed.

The new age of education shows an increasing focus on human development through family involvement, community learning resources, community social service, staff development, involvement, technology, learning climate, and motivation/reward systems. Integration of these areas calls for skills that are not traditionally taught to school leaders.…

Influences on Adolescents' Vocational Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortimer, Jeylan T.; And Others

A study charted family, school, workplace, and community experiences that are relevant to the vocational development of high school students, focusing on five areas of influence: allowance practices within the family, economic status, paid work experience, volunteerism, and gender differences. The data were from the "Youth Development…

Annual Report of the CDDS for 1998 Adopted by the Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) at its 22nd Meeting (Strasbourg, France, March 3-4, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

This 1998 annual report introduces areas where the Council of Europe's Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) needs to work, focusing on identifying areas and activities where sport can best contribute to an Action Plan adopted in 1997 and discussing the problem of drug use by athletes. The report begins by looking at the CDDS and its…

Recent developments in refractive concentrators for space photovoltaic power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piszczor, Michael F.; Oneill, Mark J.

1993-01-01

Since SPRAT 11, significant progress has been made in the development of refractive concentrator elements and components designed specifically for space applications. The status of the mini-dome Fresnel lens concentrator array is discussed and then the results of work recently completed in the area of prismatic cell covers for concentrator systems are summarized. This is followed by a brief discussion of some work just starting in the area of line-focus refractive concentrators for space.

Development of Nanosatellite Technology with APRS Module for Disaster Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prahyang, S. Y.; Dhiya’Ulhaq, M. Z.; Golim, O. P.; Gunawan, R.; Suhandinata; Jahja, E.; Nelwan, E. R. G.; Ananta, C.; Chow, I. M.; Mali, N. D. F.

2018-05-01

Development of nanosatellite technology has enabled satellites to be developed with multiple capabilities for a specific mission in a short time with a low cost. Satellite communications are proved to be more effective in delivering information due to its large coverage area. Surya Satellite-1 will become the first Indonesian nanosatellite developed by undergraduate students. It is designed with low-cost commercial payloads, including an APRS module for communication and operated on VHF and UHF amateur radio frequencies. The mission of the satellites focused on disaster mitigation through APRS communication network with remote stations located on disaster-prone areas.

Milan Army Ammunition Plant focused feasibility study for the northern industrial area soil. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Locandro, R.R.; Okusu, N.M.; Case, J.

1995-04-01

ICF Kaiser Engineers (ICF) and Environmental Resources Management (ERM) have been contracted by the US Army Environmental Center (USAEC) to perform a Focused Feasibility Study (FS) for contaminated soil within the northern industrial areas of Milan Army Ammunition Plant (MAAP), Tennessee. The purpose of the Focused FS is to develop and evaluate remedial alternatives such that an appropriate remedy can be selected for the site. The MAAP Remedial Investigation (RI) performed in 1989--1991 confirmed that the O-Line Ponds area, facility drainage ditches that received industrial wastewater, and manufacturing and disposal areas have been sources of groundwater contamination. One finding ofmore » the RI Report was that sufficient information was available concerning the O-Line Ponds area to proceed with a Focused FS. The O-Line Ponds area was further divided into two operable units (OUs): OU1 is the groundwater immediately downgradient of the O-Line Ponds area, and OU2 is the soil, surface water, and sediment at the O-Line Ponds area. A Proposed Plan and Record of Decision (ROD) for OU1 were finalized in 1992, which called for groundwater extraction, treatment, and reinjection of the treated water upgradient of the O-Line Ponds. The design of this system was completed in 1993, and construction of the system is currently underway. For OU2, the Proposed Plan and ROD (finalized in 1993) called for the extension of the existing multi-layered cap to cover the contaminated soil around the perimeter of the existing cap. The design of the cap extension was completed in 1994, and construction will begin in late 1994.« less

Integrating emerging areas of nursing science into PhD programs.

PubMed

Henly, Susan J; McCarthy, Donna O; Wyman, Jean F; Stone, Patricia W; Redeker, Nancy S; McCarthy, Ann Marie; Alt-White, Anna C; Dunbar-Jacob, Jacqueline; Titler, Marita G; Moore, Shirley M; Heitkemper, Margaret M; Conley, Yvette P

2015-01-01

The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science aims to "facilitate and recognize life-long nursing science career development" as an important part of its mission. In light of fast-paced advances in science and technology that are inspiring new questions and methods of investigation in the health sciences, the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science convened the Idea Festival for Nursing Science Education and appointed the Idea Festival Advisory Committee to stimulate dialogue about linking PhD education with a renewed vision for preparation of the next generation of nursing scientists. Building on the 2010 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Position Statement "The Research-Focused Doctoral Program in Nursing: Pathways to Excellence," Idea Festival Advisory Committee members focused on emerging areas of science and technology that impact the ability of research-focused doctoral programs to prepare graduates for competitive and sustained programs of nursing research using scientific advances in emerging areas of science and technology. The purpose of this article is to describe the educational and scientific contexts for the Idea Festival, which will serve as the foundation for recommendations for incorporating emerging areas of science and technology into research-focused doctoral programs in nursing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flood risks in urbanized areas - multi-sensoral approaches using remotely sensed data for risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taubenböck, H.; Wurm, M.; Netzband, M.; Zwenzner, H.; Roth, A.; Rahman, A.; Dech, S.

2011-02-01

Estimating flood risks and managing disasters combines knowledge in climatology, meteorology, hydrology, hydraulic engineering, statistics, planning and geography - thus a complex multi-faceted problem. This study focuses on the capabilities of multi-source remote sensing data to support decision-making before, during and after a flood event. With our focus on urbanized areas, sample methods and applications show multi-scale products from the hazard and vulnerability perspective of the risk framework. From the hazard side, we present capabilities with which to assess flood-prone areas before an expected disaster. Then we map the spatial impact during or after a flood and finally, we analyze damage grades after a flood disaster. From the vulnerability side, we monitor urbanization over time on an urban footprint level, classify urban structures on an individual building level, assess building stability and quantify probably affected people. The results show a large database for sustainable development and for developing mitigation strategies, ad-hoc coordination of relief measures and organizing rehabilitation.

Future HIV Mentoring Programs to Enhance Diversity.

PubMed

Stoff, David M; Cargill, Victoria A

2016-09-01

This paper proposes a general template to guide future mentoring program development addressing: (i) considerations to ensure an adequate research workforce; (ii) key guidelines and principles of mentoring; and (iii) use of a logic model to develop program milestones, outcomes and evaluation. We focus on these areas to guide and inform the most effective mentoring program components, which we find to be more helpful than identifying specific features and ingredients. Although the focus is on the development of a new generation of investigators from diverse backgrounds, this template may also apply to mentoring programs for other investigators and for disciplines beyond HIV.

A method to assess the allocation suitability of recreational activities: An economic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hsiao-Lin

1996-03-01

Most existing methods of planning focus on development of a recreational area; less consideration is placed on the allocation of recreational activities within a recreational area. Most existing research emphasizes the economic benefits of developing a recreational area; few authors assessed the allocation suitability of recreational activities from an economic point of view. The purpose of this work was to develop a model to assess the allocation suitability of recreational activities according to the application of a concept of analysis of cost and benefit under a premise of ecological concern. The model was verified with a case study of Taiwan. We suggest that the proposed model should form a critical part of recreational planning.

The Gateway Paper--context and configuration of the proposed health reforms in Pakistan.

PubMed

Nishtar, Sania

2006-12-01

As an opening of a dialogue on health reforms in Pakistan, the Gateway Paper presents a viewpoint on its proposed directions making a strong case for systems reforms, which need to scope beyond the healthcare system. Positioning the reform process to strengthen Pakistan's health policy cycle, the paper articulates a roadmap for a paradigm shift to achieve health outcomes in Pakistan with major structural reorganization within the health system. The proposed reform points in the four areas namely, reforms within the health sector, overarching measures, reconfiguration of health within an inter-sectoral scope and generating evidence for reforms. Reforms within the health sector focus on developing new models of service delivery and health financing which can enable the state to leverage the private sector outreach to deliver health-related public goods on the one hand and maximize the outreach of the State's health care delivery mechanisms through mainstreaming the role of the private sector on the other, albeit with safeguards. In addition, these call for strengthening the stewardship role to regulate these arrangements. The second area of reform focuses on overarching measures; these include developing frameworks for public-private partnerships which will enable the bringing together of organizations with the mandate to offer public goods and those that could facilitate this goal through the provision of resources, technical expertise or outreach; mainstreaming health into the country's social protection strategy in order to address issues of access and affordability for the poor and introducing civil service and public service reform focused on good governance, accountability, breakdown of institutional corruption which are critical to improving health outcomes. The third area of reform involves broadening health to its inter-sectoral scope, redefinition of objectives and targets within the health sector and garnering support from across the sectors to forester inter-sectoral action particularly with reference to the social determinant of health. The fourth area of reform focuses on generation of evidence around which several priority areas for health systems and policy research have been flagged. The Gateway Paper also underscores the need to develop norms and standards and points to institution mechanisms which need to be created to support the reform process.

Analytical Concept: Development of a Multinational Information Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-31

16 1.4.3 Training and Mentoring/ Coaching ............................................................. 16 1.5 Analysis Requirements...America. These priority focus areas will become subject to experimentation in a number of consecutive phases of the 2008 Major Integrating Event ( MIE ...factor in general, in the MNE 5 CD&E program, focused on supporting concept validation in the 2008 MIE . The Analytical Concept outlines processes and

Mobile information and communication in the hospital outpatient service.

PubMed

Jen, Wen-Yuan; Chao, Chia-Chen; Hung, Ming-Chien; Li, Yu-Chuan; Chi, Y P

2007-08-01

Most healthcare providers provide mobile service for their medical staff; however, few healthcare providers provide mobile service as part of their outpatient service. The mobile outpatient service system (MOSS) focuses on illness treatment, illness prevention and patient relation management for outpatient service users. Initiated in a local hospital in Taiwan, the MOSS pilot project was developed to improve outpatient service quality and pursue higher patient safety. This study focuses on the development of the MOSS. The workflow, architecture and target users of the MOSS are delineated. In addition, there were two surveys conducted as part of this study. After a focus group of medical staff identified areas in which outpatient services might be improved by the MOSS, the first survey was administered to outpatients to confirm the focus group's intuitions. The second administration of the survey explored outpatient satisfaction after they used the MOSS service. With regard to outpatient attitudes, about 93% of participants agreed that the mobile outpatient service improved outpatient service quality. In the area of outpatient satisfaction, about 89% of participants indicated they were satisfied with the mobile outpatient service. Supported by our study finding, we propose that more diverse mobile outpatient services can be provided in the future.

A Case Study Investigating Secondary Science Teachers' Perceptions of Science Literacy Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackmon, Phyllis Ann

This project study addressed the lack of inclusion of discipline literacy pedagogy in secondary classrooms in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina. Discipline literacy practices are recommended in the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The district had implemented content area reading strategies across content areas, yet no significant progress in secondary students' reading abilities had been demonstrated in statewide or national assessments. The conceptual framework that drove this study was disciplinary literacy, founded by the literacy research of Shanahan, Shanahan, and Zygouris-Coe. Within a qualitative case study method, this investigation of 8 secondary science teachers' experiences teaching literacy during content instruction focused on practices of embedding science-specific reading strategies into lessons and factors that influence teachers' decisions to participate in professional development to advance their learning of discipline-specific literacy methods. Data were collected and triangulated using a focus group and 8 individual interviews. Data from both methods were analyzed into codes and categories that developed into emergent themes. Findings from the focus group and individual interviews revealed that the science teachers possessed limited knowledge of science-specific reading strategies; used random, general literacy practices; and had completed inadequate professional development on science-related topics. Positive change may occur if district leaders support teachers in expanding their knowledge and application of discipline literacy strategies through participation in discipline literacy-focused professional development. The study may provide educators and researchers a deeper understanding of disciplinary literacy and increase research on the topic.

Elk viewing in Pennsylvania: an evolving eco-tourism system

Treesearch

Bruce E. Lord; Charles H. Strauss; Michael J. Powell

2002-01-01

In 1997, the Pennsylvania Game Commission established an Elk Viewing Area within Pennsylvania's elk range. The viewing area has become the focus for a developing eco-tourism system. During the four years of operation, a research team from Penn State has measured the number of visitors, their expenditure patterns, and other parameters of their visit. The trends...

Some Thoughts about Molecular-Level Representations in Conceptual Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakhleh, Mary B.

One of the more interesting areas of problem solving in chemistry attempts to answer the question, "What do students understand about the molecular level of chemistry?" This question is also implicit in the more traditional area of mathematical problem solving but in this paper, more focus is placed on devising ways to help students develop a…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Post, Brian K.; Roschli, Alex C.

The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate the enabling technologies for Wide and High Additive Manufacturing (WHAM). WHAM will open up new areas of U.S. manufacturing for very large tooling in support of the transportation and energy industries, significantly reducing cost and lead time. As with Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM), the initial focus is on the deposition of composite materials.

Elementary Acid Rain Kit, Interdisciplinary, Grades 4-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stubbs, Harriett S.; And Others

An interdisciplinary approach for teaching about acid rain is offered in this curriculum guide for teachers of grades 4-8. Skill and concept areas of science, math, social studies, art, and the language arts are developed in 12 activities which focus on the acid rain problems. A matrix of the activities and subject areas indicates the coverage…

Keeping Pace with New Technology: An Introduction to Robotics, FORTH, and Artificial Intelligence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reck, Gene

A course was developed to introduce students at a community college to four major areas of emphasis in emerging technologies: FORTH programming language, elementary electronic theory, robotics, and artificial intelligence. After a needs assessment indicated the importance of such a course, a pretest focusing on the four areas was given to students…

Mapping Pedagogic Frailty in Geography Education: A Framed Autoethnographic Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinchin, Ian M.; Francis, Robert A.

2017-01-01

Pedagogic frailty has been proposed as a unifying concept that may help to integrate institutional efforts to enhance teaching within universities by helping to maintain a simultaneous focus on key areas that are thought to impede the development of pedagogy. These areas and the links that have been proposed to connect them are interrogated here…

Self-compensating design for reduction of timing and leakage sensitivity to systematic pattern dependent variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Puneet; Kahng, Andrew B.; Kim, Youngmin; Sylvester, Dennis

2006-03-01

Focus is one of the major sources of linewidth variation. CD variation caused by defocus is largely systematic after the layout is finished. In particular, dense lines "smile" through focus while isolated lines "frown" in typical Bossung plots. This well-defined systematic behavior of focus-dependent CD variation allows us to develop a self-compensating design methodology. In this work, we propose a novel design methodology that allows explicit compensation of focus-dependent CD variation, either within a cell (self-compensated cells) or across cells in a critical path (self-compensated design). By creating iso and dense variants for each library cell, we can achieve designs that are more robust to focus variation. Optimization with a mixture of iso and dense cell variants is possible both for area and leakage power, with the latter providing an interesting complement to existing leakage reduction techniques such as dual-Vth. We implement both heuristic and Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) solution methods to address this optimization, and experimentally compare their results. Our results indicate that designing with a self-compensated cell library incurs ~12% area penalty and ~6% leakage increase over original layouts while compensating for focus-dependent CD variation (i.e., the design meets timing constraints across a large range of focus variation). We observe ~27% area penalty and ~7% leakage increase at the worst-case defocus condition using only single-pitch cells. The area penalty of circuits after using either the heuristic or MILP optimization approach is reduced to ~3% while maintaining timing. We also apply our optimizations to leakage, which traditionally shows very large variability due to its exponential relationship with gate CD. We conclude that a mixed iso/dense library combined with a sensitivity-based optimization approach yields much better area/timing/leakage tradeoffs than using a self-compensated cell library alone. Self-compensated design shows an average of 25% leakage reduction at the worst defocus condition for the benchmark designs that we have studied.

Developing Cultural Competence: Student and Alumni Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrovich, Anne; Lowe, Mitzi

2005-01-01

One of the areas of increased importance to social work pedagogy is the development of culturally competent practice skills. In focus groups, first and second year students, and recent alumni reflected on their growing awareness and competence concerning cultural diversity. Meaningful patterns emerged emphasizing the importance of psychologically…

Potential development of an intercity passenger transit system in Texas : final project report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

This report describes the findings of a research study of the potential for development of an intercity rail and : express bus system in the state of Texas. Rather than focus on regional commuter or light rail systems : radiating from urban areas, th...

Spacecraft 2000

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The objective of the Workshop was to focus on the key technology area for 21st century spacecraft and the programs needed to facilitate technology development and validation. Topics addressed include: spacecraft systems; system development; structures and materials; thermal control; electrical power; telemetry, tracking, and control; data management; propulsion; and attitude control.

Virtual Reality: Directions in Research and Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Rory

1992-01-01

Discussion of virtual reality (VR) focuses on research and development being carried out at NYNEX to solve business problems. Component technologies are described; design decisions are considered, including interactivity, connectivity, and locus of control; potential perils of VR are discussed, including user dissociation; and areas of promise are…

Profitable Partnerships: Public-Private Partners in Economic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edge, Barbara; MacDonald, William J.

Four case studies are presented to demonstrate the economic development potential of partnerships between community colleges and public and private sectors, focusing on programs that targeted a specific area of need in Oregon's economic base and raised significant funds for program implementation. Introductory comments provide background…

Earth, Sea, & Sky. Environmental Activities for Preschool Through First Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulnick, Andrea; And Others

Environmental education activities for young children are provided. Focusing on trees/plants, food/harvesting, energy, recycling, and animals, the simple activities have been designed to foster development in the following areas: social, self-awareness, behavior, language, motor development, and problem-solving. Recommended age range, recommended…

Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy

2014-01-01

Oral language development facilitates print literacy. In this article, we focus on the ways in which teachers can ensure students' speaking and listening skills are developed. We provide a review of some time-tests classroom routines as well as some that can be enhanced with technology.

Walk around the Block Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Understanding the Built Environment, Prairie Village, KS.

This curriculum packet contains two teacher-developed lesson plans for upper elementary students focusing on the built environment. The first lesson plan, "The Built Environment--An Integrating Theme" (Liesa Schroeder), offers suggestions for developing a walking tour around the school neighborhood, a historic area, or a city square. It…

Personal Development Resource Guide. A Resource for Teaching the Personal Development Core Course Area of Ohio's Work and Family Life Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kister, Joanna; And Others

This Personal Development Resource Guide is intended to help teachers implement Ohio's Work and Family Life Program. Course content focuses on the practical problems faced by adolescents at the critical stage of their development. These practical problems are posed through case studies and shared experiences and examined using critical questions…

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Annual Report 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Research and Development Center (FFRDC) and a DoD Research and Development Laboratory. The Laboratory conducts research and development pertinent to...year, the Laboratory restruc- tured three divisions to focus research and development in areas that are increasingly important to the nation...the Director 3 Collaborations with MIT campus continue to grow, leveraging the strengths of researchers at both the Laboratory and campus. The

Professional Development Programmes for Teachers in the Northern Territory of Australia: Enablers and Inhibiters for Success in Two Aspirant Leadership Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speering, Glen

2016-01-01

Professional development programmes for teachers have become an increasing focus in the quest to improve teacher quality. In regional and remote areas of Australia the delivery of professional development programmes can become problematic. This study compares and contrasts the two separate professional development programmes evaluated (Programme A…

Computer-aided auditing of prescription drug claims.

PubMed

Iyengar, Vijay S; Hermiz, Keith B; Natarajan, Ramesh

2014-09-01

We describe a methodology for identifying and ranking candidate audit targets from a database of prescription drug claims. The relevant audit targets may include various entities such as prescribers, patients and pharmacies, who exhibit certain statistical behavior indicative of potential fraud and abuse over the prescription claims during a specified period of interest. Our overall approach is consistent with related work in statistical methods for detection of fraud and abuse, but has a relative emphasis on three specific aspects: first, based on the assessment of domain experts, certain focus areas are selected and data elements pertinent to the audit analysis in each focus area are identified; second, specialized statistical models are developed to characterize the normalized baseline behavior in each focus area; and third, statistical hypothesis testing is used to identify entities that diverge significantly from their expected behavior according to the relevant baseline model. The application of this overall methodology to a prescription claims database from a large health plan is considered in detail.

Predicting Nitrogen Transport From Individual Sewage Disposal Systems for a Proposed Development in Adams County, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heatwole, K. K.; McCray, J.; Lowe, K.

2005-12-01

Individual sewage disposal systems (ISDS) have demonstrated the capability to be an effective method of treatment for domestic wastewater. They also are advantageous from a water resources standpoint because there is little water leaving the local hydrologic system. However, if unfavorable settings exist, ISDS can have a detrimental effect on local water-quality. This presentation will focus on assessing the potential impacts of a large housing development to area water quality. The residential development plans to utilize ISDS to accommodate all domestic wastewater generated within the development. The area of interest is located just west of Brighton, Colorado, on the northwestern margin of the Denver Basin. Efforts of this research will focus on impacts of ISDS to local groundwater and surface water systems. The Arapahoe Aquifer, which exists at relatively shallow depths in the area of proposed development, is suspected to be vulnerable to contamination from ISDS. Additionally, the local water quality of the Arapahoe Aquifer was not well known at the start of the study. As a result, nitrate was selected as a fo-cus water quality parameter because it is easily produced through nitrification of septic tank effluent and because of the previous agricultural practices that could be another potential source of nitrate. Several different predictive tools were used to attempt to predict the potential impacts of ISDS to water quality in the Arapahoe Aquifer. The objectives of these tools were to 1) assess the vulnerability of the Arapahoe Aquifer to ni-trate contamination, 2) predict the nitrate load to the aquifer, and 3) determine the sensitivity of different parameter inputs and the overall prediction uncertainty. These predictive tools began with very simple mass-loading calcula-tions and progressed to more complex, vadose-zone numerical contaminant transport modeling.

Microgravity methods for characterization of groundwater-storage changes and aquifer properties in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 2009-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koth, Karl R.; Long, Andrew J.

2012-01-01

A study of groundwater storage in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota using microgravity methods was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with West Dakota Water Development District, South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Lawrence County. Microgravity measurements from 2009 to 2012 were used to investigate groundwater-storage changes and effective porosity in unconfined areas of the Madison aquifer. Time-lapse microgravity surveys that use portable high-sensitivity absolute and relative gravimeters indicated temporal-gravity changes as a result of changing groundwater mass. These extremely precise measurements of gravity required characterization and removal of internal instrumental and external environmental effects on gravity from the raw data. The corrected data allowed groundwater-storage volume to be quantified with an accuracy of about plus or minus 0.5 foot of water per unit area of aquifer. Quantification of groundwater-storage change, coupled with water-level data from observation wells located near the focus areas, also was used to calculate the effective porosity at specific altitudes directly beneath gravity stations. Gravity stations were established on bedrock outcrops in three separate focus areas for this study. The first area, the Spring Canyon focus area, is located to the south of Rapid City with one gravity station on the rim of Spring Canyon near the area where Spring Creek sinks into the Madison aquifer. The second area, the Doty focus area, is located on outcrops of the Madison Limestone and Minnelusa Formation to the northwest of Rapid City, and consists of nine gravity stations. The third area, the Limestone Plateau focus area, consists of a single gravity station in the northwestern Black Hills located on an outcrop of the Madison Limestone. An absolute-gravity station, used to tie relative-gravity survey data together, was established on a relatively impermeable bedrock outcrop to minimize groundwater-storage change at the reference location. Data from the three focus areas allow for interpretation of groundwater-storage characteristics using microgravity measurements. Gravity measurements, together with water-level data from an observation well located 2 miles from the Spring Canyon focus area and measured streamflow in Spring Creek, provided evidence that rapid groundwater-storage change, responding to changes in sinking streamflow over the recharge area of the aquifer, occurred in the Madison aquifer directly beneath the gravity station at Spring Canyon. This phenomenon likely was a result of groundwater movement through caverns, conduits, and fractures, which are common in karst aquifers. Spatially and temporally separated microgravity data for the Doty focus area indicated horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of effective porosity for the Madison aquifer. One such example of this was indicated by water-level measurements at an observation well and gravity measurements at four gravity stations in the southeastern part of the Doty area, which were used to estimate effective porosity values ranging from greater than 0 to 0.18. A decrease in groundwater storage determined by microgravity measurements during the spring recharge period for five upgradient stations in the Doty focus area indicated the possibility of rapid release and downgradient cascading of perched groundwater. Evidence for similar phenomena was documented for Wind Cave and Brooks Cave in the Black Hills. Absolute-gravity measurements at the Limestone Plateau focus area confirmed the relation between water levels in an observation well and changes in groundwater storage. Comparison of these gravity measurements with water levels in a nearby observation well resulted in an effective porosity estimate of 0.02 for the Madison aquifer beneath the gravity station.

75 FR 55791 - National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notice of Charter Renewal

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-14

... activities. Particular areas of focus may include community engagement, science, regulatory development, and enforcement and compliance. Inquiries may be directed to Victoria Robinson, NEJAC Designated Federal Officer...

A Systems Approach to Evaluating Ionizing Radiation: Six Focus Areas to Improve Quality, Efficiency, and Patient Safety

PubMed Central

Mower, Laura; Bushe, Chris

2015-01-01

Abstract: Ionizing radiation is an essential component of the care process. However, providers and patients may not be fully aware of the risks involved, the level of ionizing radiation delivered with various procedures, or the potential for harm through incidental overexposure or cumulative dose. Recent high-profile incidents demonstrating the devastating short-term consequences of radiation overexposure have drawn attention to these risks, but applicable solutions are lacking. Although various recommendations and guidelines have been proposed, organizational variability challenges providers to identify their own practical solutions. To identify potential failure modes and develop solutions to preserve patient safety within a large, national healthcare system, we assembled a multidisciplinary team to conduct a comprehensive analysis of practices surrounding the delivery of ionizing radiation. Workgroups were developed to analyze existing culture, processes, and technology to identify deficiencies and propose solutions. Six focus areas were identified: competency and certification; equipment; monitoring and auditing; education; clinical pathways; and communication and marketing. This manuscript summarizes this comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and systemic analysis of risk and provides examples to illustrate how these focus areas can be used to improve the use of ionizing radiation. The proposed solutions, once fully implemented, may advance patient safety and care. PMID:26042626

Innovative empirical approaches for inferring climate-warming impacts on plants in remote areas.

PubMed

De Frenne, Pieter

2015-02-01

The prediction of the effects of climate warming on plant communities across the globe has become a major focus of ecology, evolution and biodiversity conservation. However, many of the frequently used empirical approaches for inferring how warming affects vegetation have been criticized for decades. In addition, methods that require no electricity may be preferred because of constraints of active warming, e.g. in remote areas. Efforts to overcome the limitations of earlier methods are currently under development, but these approaches have yet to be systematically evaluated side by side. Here, an overview of the benefits and limitations of a selection of innovative empirical techniques to study temperature effects on plants is presented, with a focus on practicality in relatively remote areas without an electric power supply. I focus on methods for: ecosystem aboveground and belowground warming; a fuller exploitation of spatial temperature variation; and long-term monitoring of plant ecological and microevolutionary changes in response to warming. An evaluation of the described methodological set-ups in a synthetic framework along six axes (associated with the consistency of temperature differences, disturbance, costs, confounding factors, spatial scale and versatility) highlights their potential usefulness and power. Hence, further developments of new approaches to empirically assess warming effects on plants can critically stimulate progress in climate-change biology.

Positively essential: traditional birth attendants in Malawi.

PubMed

Stronge, Shirley

2011-06-01

One of the biggest challenges for healthcare professionals working in developing countries is the lack of trained personnel to carry out much needed health care provision. Shirley Stronge worked as a nurse/midwife tutor in a rural area in the north of Malawi. Millennium Development Goals four and five have focused our attention on the care required by mothers and newborns. Shirley has chosen to reflect on the role of Traditional Birth Attendants in the north of Malawi and their positive impact on maternity services in this area.

Terminal-area STOL operating systems experiments program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, D. W.; Watson, D.; Christensen, J. V.

1972-01-01

A system study to determine the application of short takeoff aircraft for a high speed, short haul air transportation service was conducted. The study focused on developing information which will aid in choosing system concepts, design criteria, operating procedures, landing guidance systems, air traffic control systems, and airborne avionics and flight control systems. A terminal area STOL operating system experiments program was developed. The objectives, program approach, program schedule, typical experiments, research facilities to be used, and program status are discussed.

Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development.

PubMed

Kirol, Christopher P; Sutphin, Andrew L; Bond, Laura; Fuller, Mark R; Maechtle, Thomas L

Sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.) habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species-including the greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ; sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, there is a great need for effective on-site mitigation to reduce impacts to co-occurring wildlife such as sage-grouse. Nesting success is a primary factor in avian productivity and declines in nesting success are also thought to be an important contributor to population declines in sage-grouse. From 2008 to 2011 we monitored 296 nests of radio-marked female sage-grouse in a natural gas (NG) field in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA and compared nest survival in mitigated and non-mitigated development areas and relatively unaltered areas to determine if specific mitigation practices were enhancing nest survival. Nest survival was highest in relatively unaltered habitats followed by mitigated, and then non-mitigated NG areas. Reservoirs used for holding NG discharge water had the greatest support as having a direct relationship to nest survival. Within a 5 km 2 area surrounding a nest, the probability of nest failure increased by about 15% for every 1.5 km increase in reservoir water edge. Reducing reservoirs was a mitigation focus and sage-grouse nesting in mitigated areas were exposed to almost half of the amount of water edge compared to those in non-mitigated areas. Further, we found that an increase in sagebrush cover was positively related to nest survival. Consequently, mitigation efforts focused on reducing reservoir construction and reducing surface disturbance, especially when the surface disturbance results in sagebrush removal, are important to enhancing sage-grouse nesting success.

Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development

PubMed Central

Kirol, Christopher P.; Sutphin, Andrew L.; Bond, Laura; Fuller, Mark R.; Maechtle, Thomas L.

2015-01-01

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species—including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, there is a great need for effective on-site mitigation to reduce impacts to co-occurring wildlife such as sage-grouse. Nesting success is a primary factor in avian productivity and declines in nesting success are also thought to be an important contributor to population declines in sage-grouse. From 2008 to 2011 we monitored 296 nests of radio-marked female sage-grouse in a natural gas (NG) field in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA and compared nest survival in mitigated and non-mitigated development areas and relatively unaltered areas to determine if specific mitigation practices were enhancing nest survival. Nest survival was highest in relatively unaltered habitats followed by mitigated, and then non-mitigated NG areas. Reservoirs used for holding NG discharge water had the greatest support as having a direct relationship to nest survival. Within a 5 km2 area surrounding a nest, the probability of nest failure increased by about 15% for every 1.5 km increase in reservoir water edge. Reducing reservoirs was a mitigation focus and sage-grouse nesting in mitigated areas were exposed to almost half of the amount of water edge compared to those in non-mitigated areas. Further, we found that an increase in sagebrush cover was positively related to nest survival. Consequently, mitigation efforts focused on reducing reservoir construction and reducing surface disturbance, especially when the surface disturbance results in sagebrush removal, are important to enhancing sage-grouse nesting success. PMID:26366042

Development assistance for health: past trends, associations, and the future of international financial flows for health.

PubMed

Dieleman, Joseph L; Schneider, Matthew T; Haakenstad, Annie; Singh, Lavanya; Sadat, Nafis; Birger, Maxwell; Reynolds, Alex; Templin, Tara; Hamavid, Hannah; Chapin, Abigail; Murray, Christopher J L

2016-06-18

Disbursements of development assistance for health (DAH) have risen substantially during the past several decades. More recently, the international community's attention has turned to other international challenges, introducing uncertainty about the future of disbursements for DAH. We collected audited budget statements, annual reports, and project-level records from the main international agencies that disbursed DAH from 1990 to the end of 2015. We standardised and combined records to provide a comprehensive set of annual disbursements. We tracked each dollar of DAH back to the source and forward to the recipient. We removed transfers between agencies to avoid double-counting and adjusted for inflation. We classified assistance into nine primary health focus areas: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal health, newborn and child health, other infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, Ebola, and sector-wide approaches and health system strengthening. For our statistical analysis, we grouped these health focus areas into two categories: MDG-related focus areas (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, child and newborn health, and maternal health) and non-MDG-related focus areas (other infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, sector-wide approaches, and other). We used linear regression to test for structural shifts in disbursement patterns at the onset of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs; ie, from 2000) and the global financial crisis (impact estimated to occur in 2010). We built on past trends and associations with an ensemble model to estimate DAH through the end of 2040. In 2015, US$36·4 billion of DAH was disbursed, marking the fifth consecutive year of little change in the amount of resources provided by global health development partners. Between 2000 and 2009, DAH increased at 11·3% per year, whereas between 2010 and 2015, annual growth was just 1·2%. In 2015, 29·7% of DAH was for HIV/AIDS, 17·9% was for child and newborn health, and 9·8% was for maternal health. Linear regression identifies three distinct periods of growth in DAH. Between 2000 and 2009, MDG-related DAH increased by $290·4 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 174·3 million to 406·5 million) per year. These increases were significantly greater than were increases in non-MDG DAH during the same period (p=0·009), and were also significantly greater than increases in the previous period (p<0·0001). Between 2000 and 2009, growth in DAH was highest for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Since 2010, DAH for maternal health and newborn and child health has continued to climb, although DAH for HIV/AIDS and most other health focus areas has remained flat or decreased. Our estimates of future DAH based on past trends and associations present a wide range of potential futures, although our mean estimate of $64·1 billion (95% UI $30·4 billion to $161·8 billion) shows an increase between now and 2040, although with a large uncertainty interval. Our results provide evidence of two substantial shifts in DAH growth during the past 26 years. DAH disbursements increased faster in the first decade of the 2000s than in the 1990s, but DAH associated with the MDGs increased the most out of all focus areas. Since 2010, limited growth has characterised DAH and we expect this pattern to persist. Despite the fact that DAH is still growing, albeit minimally, DAH is shifting among the major health focus areas, with relatively little growth for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. These changes in the growth and focus of DAH will have critical effects on health services in some low-income countries. Coordination and collaboration between donors and domestic governments is more important than ever because they have a great opportunity and responsibility to ensure robust health systems and service provision for those most in need. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A NATURAL PLAGUE FOCUS. IN GORNYI ALTAI: FORMATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND FUNCTIONING].

PubMed

Korzun, V M; Balakhoiov, S V; Chpanin, E V; Denisov, A V; Mikhailov, E P; Mischenko, A J; Yarygina, M B; Rozhdestvensky, E N; Fomina, L A

2016-01-01

The paper gives the results of analyzing the data of long-term studies of the natural focal pattern of plague in the Gornyi Altai natural focus. It describes a wide range of biological processes occurring in the focus and shows the most important patterns of its functioning as a complex multilevel ecological system. The key features of the formation of the focus have been revealed. The plague focus in South-Western Altai has formed relatively, recently, about half a century ago, then it has intensively developed and its enzootic area and the activity of epizootic manifestations have considerably increased. This process is due to the space-time transformations of the basic ecological and population characteristics of Pallas' pika (Ochotoma pallasi), the principal vector of the pathogen of plague and fleas parasitizing the mammal, which is in turn related to the aridization of mountain steppes in South-Western Altai.

A framework for recognition of prior learning within a Postgraduate Diploma of Nursing Management in South Africa.

PubMed

Jooste, Karien; Jasper, Melanie

2010-09-01

The present study focuses on the development of an initial framework to guide educators in nursing management in designing a portfolio for the recognition of prior learning for accreditation of competencies within a postgraduate diploma in South Africa. In South Africa, there is a unique educational need, arising from the legacy of apartheid and previous political regimes, to facilitate educational development in groups previously unable to access higher education. Awareness of the need for continuous professional development in nursing management practice and recognition of prior learning in the educational environment has presented the possibility of using one means to accomplish both aims. Although the content of the present study is pertinent to staff development of nurse managers, it is primarily written for nurse educators in the field of nursing management. The findings identify focus areas to be addressed in a recognition of prior learning portfolio to comply with the programme specific outcomes of Nursing Service Management. Further work to refine these focus areas to criteria that specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement is needed. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSE MANAGERS: Managers need to facilitate continuous professional development through portfolio compilation which acknowledges the learning opportunities within the workplace and can be used as recognition of prior learning. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Exploring the Multimedia Landscape from a Training and Professional Development Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fankhauser, Rae; Lopaczuk, Helmut

The move by training and educational institutions in Australia toward the use of multimedia to facilitate effective and cost effective training and professional development has grown at a substantial pace. This paper focuses on the impact of multimedia on the areas of training and professional development. Benefits of the technology are described,…

E.E.C. 2000: A Study of Environmental Education Centers. Part I and Parts II & III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Natural Resources, St. Paul.

This report of Environmental Education Centers (EECs) presents recommendations development of long range plans for the development and program coordination of EECs in Minnesota. The plan focuses on identifying programming needs, geographic areas to locate facilities, and capital costs for development and creation of a phased-in implementation…

NASA's Aeronautics Vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tenney, Darrel R.

2004-01-01

Six long-term technology focus areas are: 1. Environmentally Friendly, Clean Burning Engines. Focus: Develop innovative technologies to enable intelligent turbine engines that significantly reduce harmful emissions while maintaining high performance and increasing reliability. 2. New Aircraft Energy Sources and Management. Focus: Discover new energy sources and intelligent management techniques directed towards zero emissions and enable new vehicle concepts for public mobility and new science missions. 3. Quiet Aircraft for Community Friendly Service. Focus: Develop and integrate noise reduction technology to enable unrestricted air transportation service to all communities. 4. Aerodynamic Performance for Fuel Efficiency. Focus: Improve aerodynamic efficiency,structures and materials technologies, and design tools and methodologies to reduce fuel burn and minimize environmental impact and enable new vehicle concepts and capabilities for public mobility and new science missions. 5. Aircraft Weight Reduction and Community Access. Focus: Develop ultralight smart materials and structures, aerodynamic concepts, and lightweight subsystems to increase vehicle efficiency, leading to high altitude long endurance vehicles, planetary aircraft, advanced vertical and short takeoff and landing vehicles and beyond. 6. Smart Aircraft and Autonomous Control. Focus: Enable aircraft to fly with reduced or no human intervention, to optimize flight over multiple regimes, and to provide maintenance on demand towards the goal of a feeling, seeing, sensing, sentient air vehicle.

Global Education and Education for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheunpflug, Annette; Asbrand, Barbara

2006-01-01

This article focuses on the relationship between development education/global education and education for sustainability. A short introduction describes the current use of the term "global education" and the different groups working and competing within this area in the development field. In the first part, the history of the concept of "global…

The Challenges in Developing VET Competencies in E-Commerce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, John

A formative evaluation was begun of an innovative project funded by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) to develop competencies and qualifications in e-commerce. The formative evaluation was designed to focus on inputs, processes, and interim outputs, identifying both good practice and areas for improvement. Findings to date…

Communicative Competence in English: Teaching about Functions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitao, S. Kathleen

1993-01-01

A discussion of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) focuses on principles and techniques for the development of one form of communicative competence, i.e., sociolinguistic competence. First, the concept of sociolinguistic competence is explained, drawing on research in this area. Sources of problems in development of second language…

Oaks and Environmental Education

Treesearch

Kay Antunez de Mayolo

1991-01-01

A number of educational projects which focus on youth awareness and involvement with California oaks have been developed during the last five years. Primarily used in urban areas where oak populations have declined, many of these programs promote seedling propagation, tree planting and help to develop student understanding of environmental issues involving oaks while...

A Response to Factory Closings: A Career Development Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deady, John; White, Winifred Parker

This report describes the Career Planning Center, formerly the Institute for Vocational Readiness program, run by the Student Services Division of the Milwaukee Area Technical College. It briefly describes services offered by the center which are focused around a comprehensive diagnostic approach, offering students help in developing a positive…

Developing and Evaluating Animations for Teaching Quantum Mechanics Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohnle, Antje; Douglass, Margaret; Edwards, Tom J.; Gillies, Alastair D.; Hooley, Christopher A.; Sinclair, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we describe animations and animated visualizations for introductory and intermediate-level quantum mechanics instruction developed at the University of St Andrews. The animations aim to help students build mental representations of quantum mechanics concepts. They focus on known areas of student difficulty and misconceptions by…

Developing a News Media Literacy Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashley, Seth; Maksl, Adam; Craft, Stephanie

2013-01-01

Using a framework previously applied to other areas of media literacy, this study developed and assessed a measurement scale focused specifically on critical news media literacy. Our scale appears to successfully measure news media literacy as we have conceptualized it based on previous research, demonstrated through assessments of content,…

Education in Urban Areas. Cross-National Dimensions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stromquist, Nelly P., Ed.

This book provides a collection of articles that covers urban education from both developed and developing countries. It presents five studies focused on the United States and other industrialized countries, two studies on Asia, two on Africa, and one on Latin American. Major sections discuss concepts and trends in urban education, the…

A Conceptual Model for Leadership Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manderscheid, Steven V.; Ardichvili, Alexandre

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a model of leadership transition based on an integrative review of literature. The article establishes a compelling case for focusing on leadership transitions as an area for study and leadership development practitioner intervention. The proposed model in this study identifies important success factors…

Historic streetcar systems in Georgia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-31

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration : (FHWA) have funded the development of a context for resources associated with Georgias : historic streetcar systems, with a focus on the metro Atlanta area, t...

United States Agency for International Development

MedlinePlus

... We Do Areas of Focus What We Do Agriculture and Food Security Democracy, Human Rights and Governance ... Resource Portal What We Do What We Do Agriculture and Food Security Democracy, Human Rights and Governance ...

Michael Lawson | NREL

Science.gov Websites

NREL's Ocean Energy team, Dr. Michael Lawson focuses on the areas of wave and water current energy goal of developing an open source design and analysis tool for wave energy conversion (WEC) devices

Research Problems in Developing Giftedness: A Worldwide Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passow, A. Harry; Schiff, Jacob H.

1991-01-01

This paper describes world perspectives on gifted education, focusing on definitions, identification procedures, and attitudes. It then examines key areas in gifted education that require further clarification and rigorous examination. (Author/JDD)

Status Report on the Development of Research Campaigns

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baer, Donald R.; Baker, Scott E.; Washton, Nancy M.

2013-06-30

Research campaigns were conceived as a means to focus EMSL research on specific scientific questions. Campaign will help fulfill the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) strategic vision to develop and integrate, for use by the scientific community, world leading capabilities that transform understanding in the environmental molecular sciences and accelerate discoveries relevant to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) missions. Campaigns are multi-institutional multi-disciplinary projects with scope beyond those of normal EMSL user projects. The goal of research campaigns is to have EMSL scientists and users team on the projects in the effort to accelerate progress and increase impact in specificmore » scientific areas by focusing user research, EMSL resources, and expertise in those areas. This report will give a history and update on the progress of those campaigns.« less

When West meets East: a short-term immersion experience in South Korea.

PubMed

Wallace, Linda S

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore American student perceptions of caring for Korean patients during a 2 week exchange program. Perceptions of Korea/Koreans focused on five areas: respect, hospitality and gift giving, ability to speak English, hierarchical relationships, and being protective. Their perceptions of personal change focused in four areas: valuing personal cultural experiences, increasing cultural awareness and compassion, seeing people from other ethnic groups as individuals and developing interest in oriental medicine. Four areas of importance identified when caring for Korean patients included showing respect, importance of family, food, and care for post-partum mothers. Differences were experienced between an individualistic, low-context society (United States) and a collectivist, high context society (Korea) where the influence of Confucianism is pervasive.

Human Resource Development and Training Strategies: The Experience and Results of the Eurotecnet Programme. Four Priority Fields of Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education, Training, and Youth.

The EUROTECNET program has been refocused to concentrate more on continuing vocational education as the area of greatest need across the European Community. Four priority fields or domains of innovative activity have been defined for the final 2 years of EUROTECNET. Priority domain 1 is innovative training needs analysis with a special focus on…

Status of Sample Return Propulsion Technology Development Under NASA's ISPT Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Glaab, Louis J.; Munk, Michelle M.; Pencil, Eric; Dankanich, John; Peterson, Todd T.

2012-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) program was tasked in 2009 to start development of propulsion technologies that would enable future sample return missions. ISPT s sample return technology development areas are diverse. Sample Return Propulsion (SRP) addresses electric propulsion for sample return and low cost Discovery-class missions, propulsion systems for Earth Return Vehicles (ERV) including transfer stages to the destination, and low technology readiness level (TRL) advanced propulsion technologies. The SRP effort continues work on HIVHAC thruster development to transition into developing a Hall-effect propulsion system for sample return (ERV and transfer stages) and low-cost missions. Previous work on the lightweight propellant-tanks continues for sample return with direct applicability to a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission with general applicability to all future planetary spacecraft. The Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV) work focuses on building a fundamental base of multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV). The main focus of the Planetary Ascent Vehicles (PAV) area is technology development for the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which builds upon and leverages the past MAV analysis and technology developments from the Mars Technology Program (MTP) and previous MSR studies

Development of a practical tool to measure the impact of publications on the society based on focus group discussions with scientists.

PubMed

Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas; Dorner, Thomas E; Maier, Manfred

2011-07-25

A 'societal impact factor' that complements the scientific impact factor would contribute to a more comprehensive evaluation of scientific research. In order to develop a practical tool for its assessment, it is important to learn about perceptions of scientists on how to measure a societal impact factor. This qualitative study presents the development of a practical tool to measure the societal impact of publications based on 8 focus group discussions with 24 biomedical scientists at the Medical University Vienna between May 2008 and May 2009. Topics focused on (1) features of an ideal tool, (2) criteria that should be considered in the assessment, and (3) the identification of practical pitfalls. In an iterative exercise involving the repeated application of the drafted tool to scientific papers, criteria for the assessment were refined. A small-scale exercise to evaluate the tool in terms of its comprehensibility, relevance and practicability was conducted using questionnaires for 6 external experts in leading positions of public health, and yielded acceptable results. The tool developed consists of three quantitative dimensions, that is (1) the aim of a publication, (2) the efforts of the authors to translate their research results, and, if translation was accomplished, (3) (a) the size of the area where translation was accomplished (regional, national or international), (b) its status (preliminary versus permanent) and (c) the target group of the translation (individuals, subgroup of population, total population). Focus group discussions with scientists suggested that the societal impact factor of a publication should consider the effect of the publication in a wide set of non-scientific areas, but also the motivation behind the publication, and efforts by the authors to translate their findings. The proposed tool provides some valuable insights for further research and practical applications in the topic area.

Development of a practical tool to measure the impact of publications on the society based on focus group discussions with scientists

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A 'societal impact factor' that complements the scientific impact factor would contribute to a more comprehensive evaluation of scientific research. In order to develop a practical tool for its assessment, it is important to learn about perceptions of scientists on how to measure a societal impact factor. Methods This qualitative study presents the development of a practical tool to measure the societal impact of publications based on 8 focus group discussions with 24 biomedical scientists at the Medical University Vienna between May 2008 and May 2009. Topics focused on (1) features of an ideal tool, (2) criteria that should be considered in the assessment, and (3) the identification of practical pitfalls. In an iterative exercise involving the repeated application of the drafted tool to scientific papers, criteria for the assessment were refined. A small-scale exercise to evaluate the tool in terms of its comprehensibility, relevance and practicability was conducted using questionnaires for 6 external experts in leading positions of public health, and yielded acceptable results. Results The tool developed consists of three quantitative dimensions, that is (1) the aim of a publication, (2) the efforts of the authors to translate their research results, and, if translation was accomplished, (3) (a) the size of the area where translation was accomplished (regional, national or international), (b) its status (preliminary versus permanent) and (c) the target group of the translation (individuals, subgroup of population, total population). Conclusions Focus group discussions with scientists suggested that the societal impact factor of a publication should consider the effect of the publication in a wide set of non-scientific areas, but also the motivation behind the publication, and efforts by the authors to translate their findings. The proposed tool provides some valuable insights for further research and practical applications in the topic area. PMID:21787432

Selection of area-level variables from administrative data: an intersectional approach to the study of place and child development.

PubMed

Kershaw, Paul; Forer, Barry

2010-05-01

Given data limitations, neighborhood effects scholarship relies heavily on administrative data to measure area-level constructs. We provide new evidence to guide the selection of indicators from routinely collected sources, focusing on effects on early child development. Informed by an analytic paradigm attuned to the intersection of race, class, and sex, along with population-level data in British Columbia, Canada, our findings signal the need for greater precision when choosing variables in place of the now dominant approaches for measuring constructs like income/wealth, employment, family structure and race/ethnicity. We also provide new evidence about which area-level variables associate with the different domains of child development, as well as how area-level associations vary across urban and rural contexts. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A community-engaged approach to select geographic areas for interventions to reduce health disparities.

PubMed

Cromley, Ellen; Kleinman, Lawrence C; Ramos, Michelle A; Arniella, Guedy; Viswanathan, Nalini; Garel, Mischka; Horowitz, Carol R

2011-01-01

While neighborhood-based approaches to eliminate health disparities are on the rise, there is little guidance on how researchers may engage with community partners to select geographic areas for interventions to reduce health disparities. We aimed to identify a small geographic area to target interventions to improve diabetes-related outcomes. We describe lessons learned from a community-engaged approach to specify the geographic area of focus. A community-academic partnership of more than 20 organizations collaborated to develop and employ a 5-stage process to specify a target area for diabetes preventions and control activities. A coalition with local knowledge and ties to the community can develop criteria and direct a process leading to selection of a geographic area, increased research capacity, and strengthened relationships among partners. A participatory approach can be effective in defining a geographic area for targeting interventions to reduce health disparities.

Use of models in large-area forest surveys: comparing model-assisted, model-based and hybrid estimation

Treesearch

Goran Stahl; Svetlana Saarela; Sebastian Schnell; Soren Holm; Johannes Breidenbach; Sean P. Healey; Paul L. Patterson; Steen Magnussen; Erik Naesset; Ronald E. McRoberts; Timothy G. Gregoire

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the use of models for increasing the precision of estimators in large-area forest surveys. It is motivated by the increasing availability of remotely sensed data, which facilitates the development of models predicting the variables of interest in forest surveys. We present, review and compare three different estimation frameworks where...

Washington State Birth to 3 Plan: Building on Existing Efforts to Improve Services and Achieve Measurable Outcomes for Children and Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Department of Early Learning, 2010

2010-01-01

Washington State Department of Early Learning (DEL) contracted with Thrive by Five Washington to facilitate and write this report. A collaborative group of key stakeholders helped develop this plan, which consists of actionable policy recommendations in seven high-level focus areas. Within each area are specific "next steps" that build…

Working on the Bologna Declaration: Promoting Integrated Curriculum Development and Fostering Conceptual Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colet, Nicole Rege; Durand, Natacha

2004-01-01

This article analyses ongoing work at the University of Geneva to reform programs to fit the principles of the Bologna Declaration. Analysis of the national context addresses how Swiss universities are currently building a Swiss area of higher education along similar lines to the European Area of Higher Education. Focus is put on the role of the…

[Final Resolutions Adopted by the Conference on Planning of Rural Areas in Europe, 7 October 1978].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

Two final resolutions were adopted by the Council of Europe at the October 1978 European Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning. Resolution 1 focused on guidelines for the planning of rural areas in Europe. Strategies and policies called for: a more balanced development which makes the living conditions of different regions as…

Leading the development of nursing within a Nursing Development Unit: the perspectives of leadership by the team leader and a professor of nursing.

PubMed

Graham, Iain

2003-08-01

Leadership within nursing is receiving unprecedented focus and development. This reflective narrative explores the nature of leadership, termed scholarly leadership, by an academic and a clinical leader of a Nursing Development Unit. The narrative explores the characteristics of such leadership and highlights how it empowered a nursing team to further reach its potential. Two areas, patient-centered care and the characteristics of practice, are focused upon to highlight the leadership style that the clinical leader adopted. The paper concludes by suggesting what structural and systems changes need to be put in place in order to bring about change.

Active Control Technology at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antcliff, Richard R.; McGowan, Anna-Marie R.

2000-01-01

NASA Langley has a long history of attacking important technical opportunities from a broad base of supporting disciplines. The research and development at Langley in this subject area range from the test tube to the test flight. The information covered here will range from the development of innovative new materials, sensors and actuators, to the incorporation of smart sensors and actuators in practical devices, to the optimization of the location of these devices, to, finally, a wide variety of applications of these devices utilizing Langley's facilities and expertise. Advanced materials are being developed for sensors and actuators, as well as polymers for integrating smart devices into composite structures. Contributions reside in three key areas: computational materials; advanced piezoelectric materials; and integrated composite structures. The computational materials effort is focused on developing predictive tools for the efficient design of new materials with the appropriate combination of properties for next generation smart airframe systems. Research in the area of advanced piezoelectrics includes optimizing the efficiency, force output, use temperature, and energy transfer between the structure and device for both ceramic and polymeric materials. For structural health monitoring, advanced non-destructive techniques including fiber optics are being developed for detection of delaminations, cracks and environmental deterioration in aircraft structures. The computational materials effort is focused on developing predictive tools for the efficient design of new materials with the appropriate combination of properties for next generation smart airframe system. Innovative fabrication techniques processing structural composites with sensor and actuator integration are being developed.

Leading Change: A Case Study of Leadership Practices from the Development of the Niagara County Community College Culinary Institute

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Jazmin; Mistriner, Mark

2016-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the lessons learned from the development of a project that set out to revitalize an economically depressed area with an innovative approach to workforce development through partnerships. The focus was to utilize the development of the Niagara County Community College Culinary Institute as an example…

Rapid Change Detection Algorithm for Disaster Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, U.; Thunig, H.; Ehlers, M.; Reinartz, P.

2012-07-01

This paper focuses on change detection applications in areas where catastrophic events took place which resulted in rapid destruction especially of manmade objects. Standard methods for automated change detection prove not to be sufficient; therefore a new method was developed and tested. The presented method allows a fast detection and visualization of change in areas of crisis or catastrophes. While often new methods of remote sensing are developed without user oriented aspects, organizations and authorities are not able to use these methods because of absence of remote sensing know how. Therefore a semi-automated procedure was developed. Within a transferable framework, the developed algorithm can be implemented for a set of remote sensing data among different investigation areas. Several case studies are the base for the retrieved results. Within a coarse dividing into statistical parts and the segmentation in meaningful objects, the framework is able to deal with different types of change. By means of an elaborated Temporal Change Index (TCI) only panchromatic datasets are used to extract areas which are destroyed, areas which were not affected and in addition areas where rebuilding has already started.

The Life Science Exchange: a case study of a sectoral and sub-sectoral knowledge exchange programme.

PubMed

Perkins, Brian Lee; Garlick, Rob; Wren, Jodie; Smart, Jon; Kennedy, Julie; Stephens, Phil; Tudor, Gwyn; Bisson, Jonathan; Ford, David V

2016-04-27

Local and national governments have implemented sector-specific policies to support economic development through innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge exchange. Supported by the Welsh Government through the European Regional Development Fund, The Life Science Exchange® project was created with the aim to increase interaction between stakeholders, to develop more effective knowledge exchange mechanisms, and to stimulate the formation and maintenance of long-term collaborative relationships within the Welsh life sciences ecosystem. The Life Science Exchange allowed participants to interact with other stakeholder communities (clinical, academic, business, governmental), exchange perspectives and discover new opportunities. Six sub-sector focus groups comprising over 200 senior stakeholders from academia, industry, the Welsh Government and National Health Service were established. Over 18 months, each focus group provided input to inform healthcare innovation policy and knowledge mapping exercises of their respective sub-sectors. Collaborative projects identified during the focus groups and stakeholder engagement were further developed through sandpit events and bespoke support. Each sub-sector focus group produced a report outlining the significant strengths and opportunities in their respective areas of focus, made recommendations to overcome any 'system failures', and identified the stakeholder groups which needed to take action. A second outcome was a stakeholder-driven knowledge mapping exercise for each area of focus. Finally, the sandpit events and bespoke support resulted in participants generating more than £1.66 million in grant funding and inward investment. This article outlines four separate outcomes from the Life Science Exchange programme. The Life Science Exchange process has resulted in a multitude of collaborations, projects, inward investment opportunities and special interest group formations, in addition to securing over ten times its own costs in funding for Wales. The Life Science Exchange model is a simple and straightforward mechanism for a regional or national government to adapt and implement in order to improve innovation, skills, networks and knowledge exchange.

View from the center: Supercities conference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knox, J. B.

The Supercities Conference (26-30 October 1992) was the initial activity planned and executed by the Pacific Basin Study Center (PBSC), a research center founded by San Francisco State University and the University of California, Davis. The Conference focused on issues of environmental quality and the quest for sustainable development in the great urban centers—Supercities—of the Pacific. The Conference, with its working group process, highlighted the long-term commitment of the PBSC to education, training, and research in regard to environmental, energy, and resource utilization issues that challenge society now and the coming century. We define a "Supercity" as a large metropolitan area of about eight million population currently undergoing rapid growth in population and urbanization. Some of the cities considered at the conference are emerging "Supercities"—large urban complexes destined to soon be "Supercities". Supercities in both the developing and developed nations are at critical stages of development, with the size and number of Supercities appearing to be unstoppable. These urban centers and their surrounding areas are large users of resources and energy. In many cases, the national demand for energy and materials will be largely patterned by the strategies, management, and actions taken within the Supercities. It is for this reason that our focus is on these dynamic, urban entities of the Pacific. Appropriate technology transfer, sharing of common concerns and knowledge, and the seeking of workable conservation and remediation efforts within Supercities could improve living conditions within these centers, and address regional and global environmental issues in parallel. The Conference focused on urban air quality conditions in 14 metropolitan areas, common health impacts, and projected emissions; a working group process defined needed areas for research and development of key information. Through the medium of panels, the progress of several major cities in addressing urban air quality issues was reported, as well as the rationale for the documented successes of environmental improvement. The Conference played a key role in the definition of the early research directions of the PBSC, and in the establishment of a Pacific Basin network of researchers and planners committed to the pursuit of sustainable development.

Current challenges in autonomous vehicle development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connelly, J.; Hong, W. S.; Mahoney, R. B., Jr.; Sparrow, D. A.

2006-05-01

The field of autonomous vehicles is a rapidly growing one, with significant interest from both government and industry sectors. Autonomous vehicles represent the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, combining decision-making with real-time control. Autonomous vehicles are desired for use in search and rescue, urban reconnaissance, mine detonation, supply convoys, and more. The general adage is to use robots for anything dull, dirty, dangerous or dumb. While a great deal of research has been done on autonomous systems, there are only a handful of fielded examples incorporating machine autonomy beyond the level of teleoperation, especially in outdoor/complex environments. In an attempt to assess and understand the current state of the art in autonomous vehicle development, a few areas where unsolved problems remain became clear. This paper outlines those areas and provides suggestions for the focus of science and technology research. The first step in evaluating the current state of autonomous vehicle development was to develop a definition of autonomy. A number of autonomy level classification systems were reviewed. The resulting working definitions and classification schemes used by the authors are summarized in the opening sections of the paper. The remainder of the report discusses current approaches and challenges in decision-making and real-time control for autonomous vehicles. Suggested research focus areas for near-, mid-, and long-term development are also presented.

76 FR 57714 - The Manufacturing Council: Meeting of the Manufacturing Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-16

..., workforce development issues, energy policy, trade agreements and other issues affecting the U.S. manufacturing sector and to determine future areas of focus for Council work. DATES: September 29, 2011. Time: 9...

Guiding Requirements for Designing Life Support System Architectures for Crewed Exploration Missions Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jay L.; Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Toomarian, Nikzad

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) technology development roadmaps provide guidance to focus technological development in areas that enable crewed exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit. Specifically, the technology area roadmap on human health, life support and habitation systems describes the need for life support system (LSS) technologies that can improve reliability and in-flight maintainability within a minimally-sized package while enabling a high degree of mission autonomy. To address the needs outlined by the guiding technology area roadmap, NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program has commissioned the Life Support Systems (LSS) Project to lead technology development in the areas of water recovery and management, atmosphere revitalization, and environmental monitoring. A notional exploration LSS architecture derived from the International Space has been developed and serves as the developmental basis for these efforts. Functional requirements and key performance parameters that guide the exploration LSS technology development efforts are presented and discussed. Areas where LSS flight operations aboard the ISS afford lessons learned that are relevant to exploration missions are highlighted.

Accelerating Technology Development through Integrated Computation and Experimentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shekhawat, Dushyant; Srivastava, Rameshwar D.; Ciferno, Jared

2013-08-15

This special section of Energy & Fuels comprises a selection of papers presented at the topical conference “Accelerating Technology Development through Integrated Computation and Experimentation”, sponsored and organized by the United States Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) as part of the 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting held in Pittsburgh, PA, Oct 28-Nov 2, 2012. That topical conference focused on the latest research and development efforts in five main areas related to fossil energy, with each area focusing on the utilization of both experimental and computational approaches: (1) gas separations (membranes, sorbents, and solventsmore » for CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}, and O{sub 2} production), (2) CO{sub 2} utilization (enhanced oil recovery, chemical production, mineralization, etc.), (3) carbon sequestration (flow in natural systems), (4) advanced power cycles (oxy-combustion, chemical looping, gasification, etc.), and (5) fuel processing (H{sub 2} production for fuel cells).« less

The operating room of the future: white paper summation.

PubMed

Moses, Gerald R; Farr, James O

2003-01-01

On November 8 and 9, 2001, leading experts in patient safety, medical informatics, advanced surgical devices, telesurgery, and surgical facilities met to formulate strategic directions for the "OR of the Future" in both military and civilian healthcare. The meeting was co-hosted by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, and the University of Maryland Medical Center. Researchers, surgeons, and experts in the field of operating room (OR) technology addressed the current state of research and technological developments. Experts in (1) patient safety, (2) medical informatics, (3) advanced surgical devices, (4) telesurgery, and (5) surgical facilities met in focused work groups to develop a proposed research agenda for each content area. Afterwards, each focused group agreed to develop a 'White Paper' on each specific area, addressing the current and future prospectus. In addition, they attempted to provide a recommended research roadmap for the 'OR of the Future.'

Use of ceramics in point-focus solar receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smoak, R. H.; Kudirka, A. A.

1981-01-01

One of the research and development efforts in the Solar Thermal Energy Systems Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been focused on application of ceramic components for advanced point-focus solar receivers. The impetus for this effort is a need for high efficiency, low cost solar receivers which operate in a temperature regime where use of metal components is impractical. The current status of the work on evaluation of ceramic components at JPL and elsewhere is outlined and areas where lack of knowledge is currently slowing application of ceramics are discussed. Future developments of ceramic processing technology and reliability assurance methodology should open up applications for the point-focus solar concentrator system in fuels and chemicals production, in thermochemical energy transport and storage, in detoxification of hazardous materials and in high temperature process heat as well as for electric power generation.

Barriers to the Preclinical Development of Therapeutics that Target Aging Mechanisms

PubMed Central

Burd, Christin E.; Gill, Matthew S.; Niedernhofer, Laura J.; Robbins, Paul D.; Austad, Steven N.; Barzilai, Nir

2016-01-01

Through the progress of basic science research, fundamental mechanisms that contribute to age-related decline are being described with increasing depth and detail. Although these efforts have identified new drug targets and compounds that extend life span in model organisms, clinical trials of therapeutics that target aging processes remain scarce. Progress in aging research is hindered by barriers associated with the translation of basic science discoveries into the clinic. This report summarizes discussions held at a 2014 Geroscience Network retreat focused on identifying hurdles that currently impede the preclinical development of drugs targeting fundamental aging processes. From these discussions, it was evident that aging researchers have varied perceptions of the ideal preclinical pipeline. To forge a clear and cohesive path forward, several areas of controversy must first be resolved and new tools developed. Here, we focus on five key issues in preclinical drug development (drug discovery, lead compound development, translational preclinical biomarkers, funding, and integration between researchers and clinicians), expanding upon discussions held at the Geroscience Retreat and suggesting areas for further research. By bringing these findings to the attention of the aging research community, we hope to lay the foundation for a concerted preclinical drug development pipeline. PMID:27535964

Supersonics Project - Airport Noise Tech Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, James

2010-01-01

The Airport Noise Tech Challenge research effort under the Supersonics Project is reviewed. While the goal of "Improved supersonic jet noise models validated on innovative nozzle concepts" remains the same, the success of the research effort has caused the thrust of the research to be modified going forward in time. The main activities from FY06-10 focused on development and validation of jet noise prediction codes. This required innovative diagnostic techniques to be developed and deployed, extensive jet noise and flow databases to be created, and computational tools to be developed and validated. Furthermore, in FY09-10 systems studies commissioned by the Supersonics Project showed that viable supersonic aircraft were within reach using variable cycle engine architectures if exhaust nozzle technology could provide 3-5dB of suppression. The Project then began to focus on integrating the technologies being developed in its Tech Challenge areas to bring about successful system designs. Consequently, the Airport Noise Tech Challenge area has shifted efforts from developing jet noise prediction codes to using them to develop low-noise nozzle concepts for integration into supersonic aircraft. The new plan of research is briefly presented by technology and timelines.

Bridging the gap between interviewer and interviewee: developing an interview guide for individual interviews by means of a focus group.

PubMed

Pedersen, Birgith; Delmar, Charlotte; Falkmer, Ursula; Grønkjaer, Mette

2016-09-01

In developing an interview guide, pre-existing knowledge about the research topic is essential. In a recent study, we were interested in exploring the experiences of weight changes among women treated for breast cancer using individual interviews. However, to develop an interview guide for the individual interviews that covered relevant thematic and dynamic dimensions, we found existing literature insufficient. Thus, we turned our attention to the benefit of the focus group method. This study aims to discuss how a focus group prior to individual interviews may contribute in developing the thematic dimension and translating the dynamic dimension of an interview guide into everyday language. We conducted one focus group interview of five women treated for breast cancer with experiences in weight changes. Data were analysed using content and conversation analysis and discussed with relevant literature on interview guide development. The study is approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (2008-58-0028) and follows the ethical guidelines for qualitative research. Data generation and analysis resulted in themes for the thematic dimension, as well as three dynamic areas to consider in the individual interviews to bridge the gap between the interviewer and the interviewee. The dynamic areas are as follows: The use of words, images and metaphors - a shield and self-protection, Multiple meanings to explore and Staying close to the everyday language. The analysis made us more familiar with the content and meaning of weight changes among breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, it provided images and metaphors, multiple meanings and a sense of the women's everyday language that calls for an open interview frame to be used in subsequent individual interviews. © 2015 Nordic College of Caring Science.

The Distributed Space Exploration Simulation (DSES)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crues, Edwin Z.; Chung, Victoria I.; Blum, Mike G.; Bowman, James D.

2007-01-01

The paper describes the Distributed Space Exploration Simulation (DSES) Project, a research and development collaboration between NASA centers which focuses on the investigation and development of technologies, processes and integrated simulations related to the collaborative distributed simulation of complex space systems in support of NASA's Exploration Initiative. This paper describes the three major components of DSES: network infrastructure, software infrastructure and simulation development. In the network work area, DSES is developing a Distributed Simulation Network that will provide agency wide support for distributed simulation between all NASA centers. In the software work area, DSES is developing a collection of software models, tool and procedures that ease the burden of developing distributed simulations and provides a consistent interoperability infrastructure for agency wide participation in integrated simulation. Finally, for simulation development, DSES is developing an integrated end-to-end simulation capability to support NASA development of new exploration spacecraft and missions. This paper will present current status and plans for each of these work areas with specific examples of simulations that support NASA's exploration initiatives.

A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Science. Resource Monograph No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Lucy, Ed.

The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school science teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying science texts and science content area reading materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word…

Birth Pains: Emerging School Leadership Policies in Eight School Systems of Latin America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinstein, José; Hernández, Macarena

2016-01-01

School leadership has a core position within education policy worldwide. Comparative research in this area has been mainly focused on developed countries and has tended to neglect the situation of developing nations, including Latin American countries. Considering the above, this article presents the current status of school leadership policies in…

Contemporary Development of Marxist Philosophy in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Ouyang

2002-01-01

There are many points of interest pertaining to the development of Marxist philosophy in contemporary China. This paper will focus on the following areas and problems: (1) the debate about the criterion of truth; (2) Marxist philosophical textbook reform; (3) the inquiry into the human agent and subjectivity; (4) Marxism and Confucianism; (5) Deng…

Faculty College. Final Project Report, July 1, 1976 through June 30, 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Oshkosh.

The final report of a faculty development project, sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, is presented. Project objectives were to: augment the existing Faculty College programming with special focus sessions, featuring national leaders who would treat issues in one of the developing areas of the institution; bring…

The Research-Action Context: An Intervention Strategy in Educational Management Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrilleaux, Louis E.; And Others

The purpose of the Middle-Management Center (M-MC) is to engage educational organizations, individuals, and groups in the metropolitan New Orleans area in simultaneous research and action to facilitate the development of more productive and responsive schooling while focusing on the problemsolving processes and practices of management. The center…

Health Coaching: A Developing Field within Health Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Stephen

2004-01-01

The health promotion and health education literature has references to health counselling. Yet, beyond the field of health, coaching has become a popular method to enhance and facilitate individual and group performance in business, sports, and personal areas of life. This paper focuses on the recent development of health coaching by practitioners…

Developing Graduate Students' Knowledge of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dotger, Sharon; Barry, Deborah; Wiles, Jason; Benevento, Elizabeth; Brzozowski, Frances; Hurtado-Gonzales, Jorge; Jacobs, Nicole; Royse, Ellen; Sen, Debjeet; Snyder, Julia; Stokes, Robert; Wisner, Ellen

2012-01-01

Existing research on the development of graduate students' teaching competency focuses on the need for their learning opportunities to be contextualized to their specific content area and course structure. A group of graduate teaching assistants collaborated with a biology professor and a science educator in a Japanese Lesson Study to directly…

Wilderness and backcountry site restoration guide

Treesearch

Lisa Therrell; David Cole; Victor Claassen; Chris Ryan; Mary Ann Davies

2006-01-01

This comprehensive guide focuses on restoration of small-scale impact caused by human actions in wilderness and backcountry areas. The guide's goals are to: 1) Help practitioners develop plans that thoroughly address the question of whether site restoration is the best management action and, if so, develop a site-specific restoration plan that incorporates...

Creating Fugitive Knowledge through Disorienting Dilemmas: The Issue of Bottom Identity Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGill, Craig M.; Collins, Joshua C.

2015-01-01

Despite sexuality being a powerful source of emotional and physical experiences and learning, it remains underexplored as an area of interest and investigation in adult education and human resource development (HRD). Most work on sexuality in adult education and HRD has focused on learning, work experiences, discrimination, acceptance, and health…

Grand Challenges and Chemical Engineering Curriculum--Developments at TU Dortmund University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kockmann, Norbert; Lutze, Philip; Gorak, Andrzej

2016-01-01

Chemical processing industry is progressively focusing their research activities and product placements in the areas of Grand Challenges (or Global Megatrends) such as mobility, energy, communication, or health care and food. Innovation in all these fields requires solving high complex problems, rapid product development as well as dealing with…

Decentralization of Education: Community Financing. Directions in Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bray, Mark

This book focuses on the financing of formal primary and secondary education in developing nations. The study does not consider the areas of pre-primary, post-secondary, or nonformal education. Financing includes not only monetary inputs to education, but also material, labor, expertise, and land. The study examines the volume, nature, and…

Development and Validation of the Star Properties Concept Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Janelle M.; Johnson, Bruce; Prather, Edward E.; Slater, Timothy F.

2012-01-01

Concept inventories (CIs)--typically multiple-choice instruments that focus on a single or small subset of closely related topics--have been used in science education for more than a decade. This paper describes the development and validation of a new CI for astronomy, the "Star Properties Concept Inventory" (SPCI). Questions cover the areas of…

The Call for Department Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gmelch, Walter H.

This paper discusses development of the department chair, focusing on the need to build leadership capacity in colleges and universities. It suggests that it takes many years to become an expert, noting that one of the most glaring shortcomings in the leadership area is the scarcity of sound research on leadership training and development.…

Family Strategies to Support and Develop Resilience in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taket, A. R.; Nolan, A.; Stagnitti, K.

2014-01-01

Early childhood is an important time for the development of resilience. A recently completed study has followed three cohorts of resilient children and young people living in disadvantaged areas in Victoria, Australia, through different transitions in their educational careers. This paper focuses on the early childhood cohort, where we have…

Early Development of Low-Income Rural Appalachian Children. Rural Health Monograph Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fish, Margaret; Jacquet, Ellen; Frye, Hadassah

The Rural Appalachian Infant Temperament Project followed a group of 80 low-income rural Appalachian children from birth to kindergarten, focusing on two areas of child development: social/emotional functioning and cognitive skills. Subjects were recruited at a Lincoln County, West Virginia, clinic; all were white; and 73 percent had family…

Implementing Concepts of Pharmaceutical Engineering into High School Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmel, Howard; Hirsch, Linda S.; Simon, Laurent; Burr-Alexander, Levelle; Dave, Rajesh

2009-01-01

The Research Experience for Teachers was designed to help high school science teachers develop skills and knowledge in research, science and engineering with a focus on the area of pharmaceutical particulate and composite systems. The experience included time for the development of instructional modules for classroom teaching. Results of the…

From Preschool to Prosperity: The Economic Payoff to Early Childhood Education. WE Focus Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartik, Timothy J.

2014-01-01

This book is the author's second book on preschool. His first book, "Investing in Kids: Early Childhood Programs and Local Economic Development" (2011), explored the connection between early childhood programs and the economic development of American states and metro areas, and compared early childhood programs with business tax…

[Theoretical and methodological research on the comprehensive development of agricultural model zone in waterlogged area].

PubMed

Tian, Xiaohai; Huang, Yongping; Huang, Zhimin; Lei, Weici; Higata, Shugo

2003-10-01

The searching for a proper land reclamation and utilization method adapted to the regional natural conditions and economical level is a prime subject in the waterlogged area of Southern China. Choosing a dish-like micro-zone, one of the typical waterlogged areas deprived from a reclaimed lake as the studying region, its biophysical characteristics and developmental models was investigated, aiming at making a comprehensive development plan to this area. The results showed that with the successive change in altitude across the sector of the land, the soil type, soil profile structure, underground water level, and soil temperature were characterized by five step divergence steps. The analysis on the site and area of the individual divergences showed that the low land was unsuitable for rice planting, and the land between upland and paddy should be increased for rotation and needed to be reclaimed better. After an engineering consolidation to the land, the original five divergence steps were rehabilitated into four steps, and a utilization model of "development in a step way" focused on comprehensively agricultural development and improvement in farming systems was developed, which leaded to a great advance in economic profit of this area.

Development of an ESL curriculum to educate Chinese immigrants about physical activity.

PubMed

Taylor, Victoria M; Cripe, Swee May; Acorda, Elizabeth; Teh, Chong; Coronado, Gloria; Do, Hoai; Woodall, Erica; Hislop, T Gregory

2008-08-01

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many chronic conditions. Multiple studies have shown that Asians in North America engage in less physical activity than the general population. One area for strategic development in the area of health education is the design and evaluation of English as a second language (ESL) curricula. The PRECEDE model and findings from focus groups were used to develop a physical activity ESL curriculum for Chinese immigrants. In general, focus group participants recognized that physical activity contributes to physical and mental wellbeing. However, the benefits of physical activity were most commonly described in terms of improved blood circulation, immune responses, digestion, and reflexes. The importance of peer pressure and the encouragement of friends in adhering to regular physical activity regimens were mentioned frequently. Reported barriers to regular physical activity included lack of time, weather conditions, and financial costs. The ESL curriculum aims to both promote physical activity and improve knowledge, and includes seven different ESL exercises. Our curriculum development methods could be replicated for other health education topics and in other limited English-speaking populations.

Factors affecting retention of allied health professionals working with people with disability in rural New South Wales, Australia: discrete choice experiment questionnaire development.

PubMed

Gallego, Gisselle; Dew, Angela; Bulkeley, Kim; Veitch, Craig; Lincoln, Michelle; Bundy, Anita; Brentnall, Jennie

2015-04-21

This paper describes the development of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire to identify the factors (attributes) that allied health professionals (AHPs) working with people with disability identify as important to encouraging them to remain practising in rural areas. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 97 purposively selected service providers working with people with disability in rural New South Wales, Australia. Focus groups and interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a modified grounded theory approach involving thematic analysis and constant comparison. Six attributes that may influence AHPs working with people with disability in rural areas to continue to do so were inductively identified: travel arrangements, work flexibility, professional support, professional development, remuneration, and autonomy of practice. The qualitative research information was combined with a policy review to define these retention factors and ensure that they are amenable to policy changes. The use of various qualitative research methods allowed the development of a policy-relevant DCE questionnaire that was grounded in the experience of the target population (AHPs).

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ESL CURRICULUM TO EDUCATE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS ABOUT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

PubMed Central

Taylor, Victoria M.; Cripe, Swee May; Acorda, Elizabeth; Teh, Chong; Coronado, Gloria; Do, Hoai; Woodall, Erica; Hislop, T. Gregory

2009-01-01

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many chronic conditions. Multiple studies have shown that Asians in North America engage in less physical activity than the general population. One area for strategic development in the area of health education is the design and evaluation of English as a second language (ESL) curricula. The PRECEDE model and findings from focus groups were used to develop a physical activity ESL curriculum for Chinese immigrants. In general, focus group participants recognized that physical activity contributes to physical and mental wellbeing. However, the benefits of physical activity were most commonly described in terms of improved blood circulation, immune responses, digestion, and reflexes. The importance of peer pressure and the encouragement of friends in adhering to regular physical activity regimens were mentioned frequently. Reported barriers to regular physical activity included lack of time, weather conditions, and financial costs. The ESL curriculum aims to both promote physical activity and improve knowledge, and includes seven different ESL exercises. Our curriculum development methods could be replicated for other health education topics and in other limited English-speaking populations. PMID:17943444

A Comparative Study of the Trends in Career and Technical Education Among European Countries, the United States, and the Republic of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Robert T. Y.

Theories influencing the development of trends in career and technical education (CTE) in Europe, the United States, and the Republic of China (Taiwan)were examined. The analysis established that, when determining the goals of CTE and areas of focus of efforts to improve CTE curricula and delivery, European countries focus on theories related to…

Quercetin as an Emerging Anti-Melanoma Agent: A Four-Focus Area Therapeutic Development Strategy.

PubMed

Harris, Zoey; Donovan, Micah G; Branco, Gisele Morais; Limesand, Kirsten H; Burd, Randy

2016-01-01

Replacing current refractory treatments for melanoma with new prevention and therapeutic approaches is crucial in order to successfully treat this aggressive cancer form. Melanoma develops from neural crest cells, which express tyrosinase - a key enzyme in the pigmentation pathway. The tyrosinase enzyme is highly active in melanoma cells and metabolizes polyphenolic compounds; tyrosinase expression thus makes feasible a target for polyphenol-based therapies. For example, quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) is a highly ubiquitous and well-classified dietary polyphenol found in various fruits, vegetables, and other plant products including onions, broccoli, kale, oranges, blueberries, apples, and tea. Quercetin has demonstrated antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity in various cancer cell types. Quercetin is readily metabolized by tyrosinase into various compounds that promote anticancer activity; additionally, given that tyrosinase expression increases during tumorigenesis, and its activity is associated with pigmentation changes in both early- and late-stage melanocytic lesions, it suggests that quercetin can be used to target melanoma. In this review, we explore the potential of quercetin as an anti-melanoma agent utilizing and extrapolating on evidence from previous in vitro studies in various human malignant cell lines and propose a "four-focus area strategy" to develop quercetin as a targeted anti-melanoma compound for use as either a preventative or therapeutic agent. The four areas of focus include utilizing quercetin to (i) modulate cellular bioreduction potential and associated signaling cascades, (ii) affect transcription of relevant genes, (iii) regulate epigenetic processes, and (iv) develop effective combination therapies and delivery modalities/protocols. In general, quercetin could be used to exploit tyrosinase activity to prevent, and/or treat, melanoma with minimal additional side effects.

Culture, economic development, social-network type, and mortality: Evidence from Chinese older adults.

PubMed

Li, Ting; Yang, Yang Claire; Zhang, Yanlong

2018-05-01

This study examined the patterns of social-network types and their relative survival benefits among Chinese older adults. We examined how macro-level social factors such as cultural norms and unbalanced regional economic development shaped older people's network behaviors, and whether these factors could moderate the association between network types and mortality. Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2008-2014), we identified four network types-diverse, friend-focused, family-focused, and restricted-based on individuals' social network measures. Multinomial logistic analyses revealed that older people situated in an area with a deeply rooted family culture or a more advanced economy tend to be less likely to enroll in a diverse network than a family-focused one. This prevents them from achieving the best adaptive survival, as Cox regression analyses showed that the family-focused network type was less beneficial than the diverse one for the survival of older adults. Furthermore, while the survival advantage of the diverse-network type over the family-focused type did not change with cultural contexts, economic development attenuated the deleterious effects of the friend-focused network type. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brownfields vs greenfields -- Considerations for facility siting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hale, D.W.; Kaiding, D.C.; DeMaria, M.J.

Since the promulgation of the ``Superfund`` component of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980, the sale and acquisition of industrial properties (brownfields) have been sluggish at best or non-existent where significant environmental contamination has been detected. As a result, many urban areas contain numerous brownfield sites that lie vacant due to the presence or the potential existence of contaminants. Wary of the potential remedial costs associated with brownfield sites, industry has focused its development on greenfield areas -- undeveloped areas where the potential for previous environmental contamination is remote. This paper evaluates the impact ofmore » the development of these brownfield areas from both an environmental and economic perspective. Critical to this evaluation is the impact of brownfield development as it relates to urban areas. Mature, heavily developed urban areas are usually unable to offer substantial greenfield areas, and as a result, have suffered a declining tax base, as employment opportunities are shifted beyond city limits. This paper also explores the advantages and disadvantages of developing brownfield versus greenfield areas, including issues such as: infrastructure, proximity to public transportation, public acceptance, and zoning and permitting. Furthermore, this paper provides an overview of current and pending legislation from both the federal government and various state agencies with regard to incentives being offered for the development of brownfield sites.« less

Sustainable and ICT-Enabled Development in Developing Areas: An E-Heritage E-Commerce Service for Handicraft Marketing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhammad, Tufail; Kim, Kwan Myung

2018-04-01

Human-induced threats serve as potential hazards to cultural heritage assets, especially in developing areas where the local community, in general, is a deprived class. Sustainable tourism development is acknowledged as an economic activity to ensure careful management of assets along with local community empowerment and participation. As such, ICT-enabled development is applied in rural development projects to promote sustainable rural livelihood, but success is still limited due to a lack of community involvement and sharing in the economic gains of tourism. With this perspective in mind, the present study focuses on emerging marketing models (e-commerce) that can provide new business ventures for local communities by identifying critical online marketing elements driven by local residents.

The U.S. Geological Survey Strategic Plan 1999-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1999-01-01

This new version of the USGS Strategic Plan builds on our first strategic plan, which was developed in 1996, and focuses specifically on strategic goals in four areas: customers, programs, people, and operations of the USGS.

Mobility match study in Prince George's County, Maryland

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-11-01

The primary focus of this study was to develop non-traditional transit : alternatives to better serve the residents of Prince George's County. The study : identified the transportation needs of the area, evaluated the applicabilty of : traditional an...

Environmental Assessment Addressing the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC), and the Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA) Area Development Plan at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Heat island” refers to built up areas that have hotter surface and air temperatures than nearby rural areas. Heat island effect occurs when...Summary of Environmental Effects The public and regulatory agency scoping process focused the analysis on the following environmental resources... effects of implementing the DLIELC and IAAFA ADP are not significant, that preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is unnecessary, and that a

Internal dosimetry monitoring equipment: Present and future

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Selby, J.; Carbaugh, E.H.; Lynch, T.P.

1993-09-01

We have attempted to characterize the current and future status of in vivo and in vitro measurement programs coupled with the associated radioanalytical methods and workplace monitoring. Developments in these areas must be carefully integrated by internal dosimetrists, radiochemists and field health physicists. Their goal should be uniform improvement rather than to focus on one specific area (e.g., dose modeling) to the neglect of other areas where the measurement capabilities are substantially less sophisticated and, therefore, the potential source of error is greatest.

Developing a framework for assessing responsible conduct of research education programs.

PubMed

Olson, Lynne E

2010-03-01

Education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) in the United States has evolved over the past decade from targeting trainees to including educational efforts aimed at faculty and staff. In addition RCR education has become more focused as federal agencies have moved to recommend specific content and to mandate education in certain areas. RCR education has therefore become a research-compliance issue necessitating the development of policies and the commitment of resources to develop or expand systems for educating faculty and staff and for assuring compliance. These changes implied the need to develop a program evaluation model that could be applied to institutional RCR education programs, which were expected to differ from traditional academic credit-bearing courses targeting trainees. Information gleaned from the examination of corporate compliance models was analyzed in order to create a program evaluation module that could be used to document and assess educational programs focused on teaching RCR. A programmed series of questions for each of the nine RCR content areas identified by the United States Office of Research Integrity was created based on a performance-monitoring evaluation model. The questions focus on educational goals, resources provided to support the educational efforts, educational content, content delivery, educational outcomes, compliance requirements and feedback. Answers collected in response to the questions could be used to both document and continually improve the quality of RCR educational programs through on-going formative assessment and feedback.

Status of the Combustion Devices Injector Technology Program at the NASA MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Gregg; Protz, Christopher; Trinh, Huu; Tucker, Kevin; Nesman, Tomas; Hulka, James

2005-01-01

To support the NASA Space Exploration Mission, an in-house program called Combustion Devices Injector Technology (CDIT) is being conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the fiscal year 2005. CDIT is focused on developing combustor technology and analysis tools to improve reliability and durability of upper-stage and in-space liquid propellant rocket engines. The three areas of focus include injector/chamber thermal compatibility, ignition, and combustion stability. In the compatibility and ignition areas, small-scale single- and multi-element hardware experiments will be conducted to demonstrate advanced technological concepts as well as to provide experimental data for validation of computational analysis tools. In addition, advanced analysis tools will be developed to eventually include 3-dimensional and multi- element effects and improve capability and validity to analyze heat transfer and ignition in large, multi-element injectors.

Developments in the photonics program at OSC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peyghambarian, N.

2014-10-01

The photonics program at the College of Optical Sciences started nearly 30 years ago. In 1984, the program was focused on development of femtosecond laser sources and their use in investigating semiconductor carrier dynamics. The program grew into polymer and organic optics in late 1989 and was strengthened by the winning of the CAMP MURI from ONR in 1995 that was focused on multifunctional polymers including photorefractive polymers, organic light emitting diodes and 3D direct laser writing. Also in 1995, the areas of glass waveguide and fiber optic materials and devices were added to the program. In 2008, the optical communication and future internet research was started through winning the CIAN NSF ERC. Expertise in thin films, optical storage and the fundamental aspects of light are elements of the overall research program. Holographic 3D display, autofocus lenses, bio-medical imaging and devices for vision have also been ongoing research areas.

Nanotechnology in food processing sector-An assessment of emerging trends.

PubMed

Kalpana Sastry, R; Anshul, Shrivastava; Rao, N H

2013-10-01

Use of nanoscience based technology in the food industry is fast emerging as new area for research and development. Several research groups including private companies in the industry have initiated research programmes for exploring the wide scope of nanotechnology into the value chain of food processing and manufacturing. This paper discusses the current focus of research in this area and assesses its potential impacts. Using the developed relational database framework with R&D indicators like literature and patent documents for assessment of the potential of nanotechnology in food sector, a model to organize and map nanoresearch areas to the food processing sector was developed. The study indicates that the about five basic categories of nanotechnology applications and functionalities currently in the development of food sector, include food processing, packaging, nutraceuticals delivery, food safety and functional foods.

Conservation and re-development of sade traditional kampong at Rambitan village with local approach and cultural landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harapan Siregar, Andi

2018-03-01

Sade Kampong is one of the traditional kampongs in Indonesia, which located at Rambitan Village, Lombok. Lombok has been developed for tourism activity since years ago. The Lombok Province Government has identified Tourism as one of the key drives for the economic development. Hotel resort and others hospitalities buildings have been developed to all of the areas. Nowadays, the development of Sade Cultural Kampong will therefore open up new and demand oriented products (only focus on traditional woven of Sasak). Sade Kampong should be developed as a tourism destination with appreciated and developed its heritage and traditions with sustainability concepts (with the focus on social, economic, and environmental). This paper will elaborate some local potential Sade Kampong, such as architecture, culture, and landscape as a local potential for developing a new tourism destination.

Improving the quality of healthcare for children: implementing the results of the AHSR research agenda conference.

PubMed Central

Halfon, N; Schuster, M; Valentine, W; McGlynn, E

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To describe the rationale, development, content, and results of the AHSR-sponsored conference on developing a research agenda focused on improving the quality of care for children. DATA SOURCES AND METHODS: Planning documents, background papers, and conference proceedings. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The conference developed the research agenda focused on (1) monitoring the health of children; (2) evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of health services for children; (3) assessing the quality of healthcare provided to children; (4) improving the quality of healthcare within health systems; (5) assessing the performance of community systems for children; (6) exploring the impact of different financial incentives on the provision of pediatric healthcare; and (7) developing and disseminating clinical practice guidelines and other information to physicians, families, and consumers. Specific issues and research questions in each area are also presented. Strategies for implementing the research agenda are presented and include: (1) expanding the child health services research workforce; (2) developing child healthcare quality improvement research centers; (3) conducting research in specific high-priority areas; (4) focusing research on improving the health of vulnerable populations; (5) improving child health data and collection systems at the national level; (6) developing better community health monitoring for children; (7) building and supporting research networks and a consortium of research users; and (8) developing a coordinated interagency federal effort to advance this agenda and to provide accountability for its completion. CONCLUSION: The proposed research agenda should be a national priority so that all Americans can be assured that children are receiving the best quality of care that the United States can provide. PMID:9776945

Priorities for Investments in Children and Families in Caddo and Bossier Parishes: Application of a Unique Framework for Identifying Priorities. Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilburn, M. Rebecca; Maloney, Shannon I.

2010-01-01

After an initial inventory of community indicators in its 2008 Shreveport-Bossier City "Community Counts" annual report, the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier decided to focus existing funding related to children and families on the areas of education, health, and poverty, as well as develop new funds in these areas. These focal…

Visitors' experience and lack of knowledge of minimum impact techniques in the highlands of Brazil's Itatiaia National Park

Treesearch

Maria Isabel Amando de Barros; Teresa Cristina Magro

2007-01-01

This work focuses on the issue of public use management in protected natural areas, based on shared responsibility between management and visitors and the potential for development of environmental ethics to inspire respect for those areas, help protect them, and reduce the need for restrictive control interventions. Based on the premise that responsible, well-informed...

Public parks and wellbeing in urban areas of the United States

Treesearch

Lincoln R. Larson; Viniece Jennings; Scott A. Cloutier

2016-01-01

Sustainable development efforts in urban areas often focus on understanding and managing factors that influence all aspects of health and wellbeing. Research has shown that public parks and green space provide a variety of physical, psychological, and social benefits to urban residents, but few studies have examined the influence of parks on comprehensive measures of...

Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Learning in Rural India: The Case of Fishing Families on the Chilika Lagoon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pilz, Matthias; Wilmshöfer, Simon

2015-01-01

The vast majority--70%--of the Indian population lives in rural areas. They are far removed from India's image as a society with an emerging middle class and well-regarded schools. This research focuses on education and opportunities for skill development for this rural population. The researchers investigated the area around the Chilika Lagoon, a…

Acquiring Science and Social Studies Knowledge in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade: Conceptualization, Design, Implementation, and Efficacy Testing of Content-Area Literacy Instruction (CALI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connor, Carol McDonald; Dombek, Jennifer; Crowe, Elizabeth C.; Spencer, Mercedes; Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Coffinger, Sean; Zargar, Elham; Wood, Taffeta; Petscher, Yaacov

2017-01-01

With national focus on reading and math achievement, science and social studies have received less instructional time. Yet, accumulating evidence suggests that content knowledge is an important predictor of proficient reading. Starting with a design study, we developed content-area literacy instruction (CALI) as an individualized (or personalized)…

The Influence of Family on Educational and Occupational Achievement of Adolescents in Rural Low-Income Areas: An Ecological Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiamberg, Lawrence B.; Chin, Chong-Hee

Focusing on the family as a context for the development of life plans by youth, this report summarizes findings of a 14-year longitudinal study on the educational and occupational life plans and achievement of youth in rural low-income areas in six southeastern states. Specific attention is given to (1) how parental educational and occupational…

Developing Teacher-Researcher Partnerships to Investigate Best Practices: Literacy Learning and Teaching in Content Areas of the Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Trevor; Thornley, Christina; Fitzpatrick, Rosi; Elia, Angie; Stevens, Saria; Teulilo, Gloria; Johnston, Sue; Woock, Sandy; Selbie, Paul; McDonald, Lyn; Pullar, Ken; Pullar, Maree; Low, Helen

2008-01-01

This project aimed to identify a variety of literacy-teaching approaches that could be used in secondary content-area classrooms to improve the achievement of a wide range of students. Specifically, the project aimed to investigate: (1) literacy and the extent to which a focus on improved teacher knowledge and practice would lead to increases in…

Urban remote sensing applications: TIMS observations of the City of Scottsdale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christensen, Philip R.; Melendrez, David E.; Anderson, Donald L.; Hamilton, Victoria E.; Wenrich, Melissa L.; Howard, Douglas

1995-01-01

A research program has been initiated between Arizona State University and the City of Scottsdale, Arizona to study the potential applications of TIMS (Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner) data for urban scene classification, desert environmental assessment, and change detection. This program is part of a long-term effort to integrate remote sensing observations into state and local planning activities to improve decision making and future planning. Specific test sites include a section of the downtown Scottsdale region that has been mapped in very high detail as part of a pilot program to develop an extensive GIS database. This area thus provides excellent time history of the evolution of the city infrastructure, such as the timing and composition of street repavement. A second area of study includes the McDowell intensive study by state and local agencies to assess potential sites for urban development as well as preservation. These activities are of particular relevance as the Phoenix metropolitan area undergoes major expansion into the surrounding desert areas. The objectives of this study in urban areas are aimed at determining potential applications of TIMS data for classifying and assessing land use and surface temperatures. Land use centers on surface impermeability studies for storm runoff assessment and pollution control. These studies focus on determining the areal abundance of urban vegetation and undeveloped soil. Highly experimental applications include assessment and monitoring of pavement condition. Temperature studies focus on determining swimming pool area and temperature for use in monitoring evaporating and urban water consumption. These activities are of particular relevance as the Phoenix metropolitan area undergoes major expansion into the surrounding desert area.

Women and Literacy Development in the Third World. Papers Presented at an International Seminar on Women and Literacy Development--Constraints and Prospects (Linkoping, Sweden, August 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malmquist, Eve, Ed.

Organized to focus world-wide public attention on the massive gender inequalities in many areas of the world, a seminar entitled "Women and Literacy Development--Constraints and Prospects" was held in Sweden during August 1991. This book presents conference papers by female literacy experts from 12 developing nations (three in Latin…

The Application of Artificial Intelligence to Human Resource Development. A Case Study in the Development of a Rule-Based Expert System for Performance Analysis and Development Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummel, Thomas J.; Robinson, Judith A.

In 1984, the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Wilson Learning Corporation created the Alliance for Learning to support a variety of research projects focused on developing new areas of knowledge about adult learning and new technologies for delivering training and education. This paper describes an Alliance project exploring the…

Critical Thinking through Writing: Expressing Scientific Thought and Process in a Deaf Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manjarrez, Leslie

Within Deaf classrooms there is often a disconnect between academic areas and writing curriculums that develop in both common and academic language, where often classrooms focus solely on writing as a skill rather than as a method for producing language through an academic area. This work focuses on the development of academic language in ASL and English print of science. The curriculum is written to be implemented as a bilingual academic curriculum to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in various self contained classroom settings. Lessons are conducted in three Units, A B and C. Unit A focuses on research, thought and writing of preparatory materials in small groups. Unit B is comprised of procedural lessons on conducting x experiments and the evaluation of those experiments through mathematics. Unit C is a group of lessons that ties together Units A and B through writing and peer teaching as a method of concluding the work and presenting information in an effective manner. The success of the project was evaluated on the basis of student work, rubrics, and final works from the students. The results showed promise in aspects of Critical Thinking, writing development, and expression of new concepts in both ASL and English.

Sustainable transportation according to certification systems: A viability analysis based on neighborhood size and context relevance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gouda, Amr Ah., E-mail: amr.gouda@eng.asu.edu.eg; Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, 1 Sarayat St., Abassia, Cairo; Masoumi, Houshmand E.

Urban sustainability certification (USC) systems comprehensively assess and benchmark the sustainability of neighborhoods, communities, etc. However, it is important to understand what USCs mean by neighborhoods and communities in terms of definition and their certified developments' size. This study focuses on sustainable transportation and its measures in USCs in order to discern: how relevant are these measures to the varied local conditions, especially in developing countries? And whether they can generate palpable benefits vis-à-vis the certified developments' site areas. Taking descriptive analysis methods, this study focuses on four prominent USCs, namely, LEED for Neighborhood Development, BREEAM Communities, CASBEE for Urbanmore » Development, and The Pearl Community Rating System. The four USCs prescribed multiple measures for sustainable transportation, particularly in favor of active transportation and public transportation. However, the relatively small size of their citified developments and the varying transportation conditions among different contexts attenuate the viability and relevance of the advocated measures for both modes. In order to yield more benefits, USCs should underscore the integrative nature of neighborhoods and communities, and transportation within their prescribed criteria and measures. Moreover, sustainable transportation as a theme should be tailored to the local conditions rather than being adopted or adapted from global USCs. - Highlights: • Transportation measures in four prominent certification systems were investigated. • Most certified neighborhoods, communities and developments have small site areas. • Certifications are insensitive to realities of transport in developing countries. • Benefits from advocating active transport only within certified areas are minimal. • Certifications devalue the integrative nature of neighborhoods and transportation.« less

Shark recreational fisheries: Status, challenges, and research needs.

PubMed

Gallagher, Austin J; Hammerschlag, Neil; Danylchuk, Andy J; Cooke, Steven J

2017-05-01

For centuries, the primary manner in which humans have interacted with sharks has been fishing. A combination of their slow-growing nature and high use-values have resulted in population declines for many species around the world, and to date the vast majority of fisheries-related work on sharks has focused on the commercial sector. Shark recreational fishing remains an overlooked area of research despite the fact that these practices are popular globally and could present challenges to their populations. Here we provide a topical overview of shark recreational fisheries, highlighting their history and current status. While recreational fishing can provide conservation benefits under certain circumstances, we focus our discourse on the relatively understudied, potentially detrimental impacts these activities may have on shark physiology, behavior, and fitness. We took this angle given the realized but potentially underestimated significance of recreational fishing for shark conservation management plans and stock assessments, in hopes of creating a dialogue around sustainability. We also present a series of broad and focused research questions and underpin areas of future research need to assist with the development of this emergent area of research.

Efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for orthopedic conditions: a systematic review on studies listed in the PEDro database

PubMed Central

Schmitz, Christoph; Császár, Nikolaus B. M.; Milz, Stefan; Schieker, Matthias; Maffulli, Nicola; Rompe, Jan-Dirk; Furia, John P.

2015-01-01

Background Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an effective and safe non-invasive treatment option for tendon and other pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Sources of data This systematic review used data derived from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro; www.pedro.org.au, 23 October 2015, date last accessed). Areas of agreement ESWT is effective and safe. An optimum treatment protocol for ESWT appears to be three treatment sessions at 1-week intervals, with 2000 impulses per session and the highest energy flux density the patient can tolerate. Areas of controversy The distinction between radial ESWT as ‘low-energy ESWT’ and focused ESWT as ‘high-energy ESWT’ is not correct and should be abandoned. Growing points There is no scientific evidence in favour of either radial ESWT or focused ESWT with respect to treatment outcome. Areas timely for developing research Future randomized controlled trials should primarily address systematic tests of the aforementioned optimum treatment protocol and direct comparisons between radial and focused ESWT. PMID:26585999

Technology Estimating 2: A Process to Determine the Cost and Schedule of Space Technology Research and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, Stuart K.; Wallace, Jon; Schaffer, Mark; May, M. Scott; Greenberg, Marc W.

2014-01-01

As a leader in space technology research and development, NASA is continuing in the development of the Technology Estimating process, initiated in 2012, for estimating the cost and schedule of low maturity technology research and development, where the Technology Readiness Level is less than TRL 6. NASA' s Technology Roadmap areas consist of 14 technology areas. The focus of this continuing Technology Estimating effort included four Technology Areas (TA): TA3 Space Power and Energy Storage, TA4 Robotics, TA8 Instruments, and TA12 Materials, to confine the research to the most abundant data pool. This research report continues the development of technology estimating efforts completed during 2013-2014, and addresses the refinement of parameters selected and recommended for use in the estimating process, where the parameters developed are applicable to Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) used in the parametric cost estimating analysis. This research addresses the architecture for administration of the Technology Cost and Scheduling Estimating tool, the parameters suggested for computer software adjunct to any technology area, and the identification of gaps in the Technology Estimating process.

IS0 9000 Implementation and Assessment: A Guide to Developing and Evaluating Quality Management Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navarro, Robert J.; Grimm, Barry

1996-01-01

The agency has developed this reference publication to aid NASA organizations and their suppliers in the transition to IS0 9000. This guide focuses on the standard s intent, clarifies its requirements, offers implementation examples and highlights interrelated areas. It can assist anyone developing or evaluating NASA or supplier quality management systems. The IS0 9000 standards contain the basic elements for managing those processes that affect an organization's ability to consistently meet customer requirements. IS0 9000 was developed through the International Organization for Standardization and has been adopted as the US. national standard. These standards define a flexible foundation for customer focused process measurement, management and improvement that is the hallmark of world class enterprises.

Tanks Focus Area annual report FY2000

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2000-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) continues to face a major radioactive waste tank remediation effort with tanks containing hazardous and radioactive waste resulting from the production of nuclear materials. With some 90 million gallons of waste in the form of solid, sludge, liquid, and gas stored in 287 tanks across the DOE complex, containing approximately 650 million curies, radioactive waste storage tank remediation is the nation's highest cleanup priority. Differing waste types and unique technical issues require specialized science and technology to achieve tank cleanup in an environmentally acceptable manner. Some of the waste has been stored for overmore » 50 years in tanks that have exceeded their design lives. The challenge is to characterize and maintain these contents in a safe condition and continue to remediate and close each tank to minimize the risks of waste migration and exposure to workers, the public, and the environment. In 1994, the DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) created a group of integrated, multiorganizational teams focusing on specific areas of the EM cleanup mission. These teams have evolved into five focus areas managed within EM's Office of Science and Technology (OST): Tanks Focus Area (TFA); Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area; Nuclear Materials Focus Area; Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area; and Transuranic and Mixed Waste Focus Area.« less

Status and Mission Applicability of NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Munk, Michelle M.; Dankanich, John; Pencil, Eric; Liou, Larry

2009-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project develops propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. Since 2001, the ISPT project developed and delivered products to assist technology infusion and quantify mission applicability and benefits through mission analysis and tools. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for flagship destinations currently under evaluation, as well as having broad applicability to future Discovery and New Frontiers mission solicitations. This paper provides status of the technology development, near-term mission benefits, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of advanced chemical thrusters, electric propulsion, aerocapture, and systems analysis tools. The current chemical propulsion investment is on the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost. Investments in electric propulsion technologies focused on completing NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system, and the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC) thruster, which is a mid-term product specifically designed for a low-cost electric propulsion option. Aerocapture investments developed a family of thermal protections system materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus; and models for aerothermal effects. In 2009 ISPT started the development of propulsion technologies that would enable future sample return missions. The paper describes the ISPT project's future focus on propulsion for sample return missions. The future technology development areas for ISPT is: Planetary Ascent Vehicles (PAV), with a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) being the initial development focus; multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV) needed for sample return missions from many different destinations; propulsion for Earth Return Vehicles (ERV), transfer stages to the destination, and Electric Propulsion for sample return and low cost missions; and Systems/Mission Analysis focused on sample return propulsion. The ISPT project is funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD).

Women in Development: We as Agents of Social Change. Proceedings of the International Forum on Intercultural Exchange (3rd, Saitama [Japan], December 17-19, 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Women's Education Centre, Saitama (Japan).

The third International Forum on Intercultural Exchange focused on four important issues for developing nations: literacy education, environmental protection, economic activities, and violence against women. In all of these areas, women are striving for social change as agents and beneficiaries of development. Following the conference agenda, the…

A Potential Psychological Mechanism Linking Disaster-Related Prenatal Maternal Stress with Child Cognitive and Motor Development at 16 Months: The QF2011 Queensland Flood Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Katrina M.; Simcock, Gabrielle; Cobham, Vanessa; Kildea, Sue; Elgbeili, Guillaume; Laplante, David P.; King, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Fetal exposure to prenatal maternal stress can have lifelong consequences, with different types of maternal stress associated with different areas of child development. Fewer studies have focused on motor skills, even though they are strongly predictive of later development across a range of domains. Research on mechanisms of transmission has…

Plan for Your Professional Development. Module LT-E-3 of Category E--Professional and Staff Development. Competency-Based Vocational Education Administrator Module Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puleo, Nancy F.; And Others

This module, one in a series of competency-based administrator instructional packages, focuses on a specific competency that vocational education administrators need to be successful in the area of professional and staff development. The purpose of the module is to help administrators to analyze their professional needs and to devise and implement…

Sustainable development and public health: a national perspective.

PubMed

Adshead, Fiona; Thorpe, Allison; Rutter, Jill

2006-12-01

The increasing policy focus on sustainable development offers new opportunities to align the public health narrative with that of sustainable development to promote both sustainable health for the population, and a sustainable health care system for England. This paper provides some insights into ways in which potential linkages between the two areas can be made meaningful across a wide range of policies at a national level.

The Development of the Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor (MCTMA): Traffic Flow Management Research in a Multi-Facility Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Katharine K.; Davis, Thomas J.; Levin, Kerry M.; Rowe, Dennis W.

2001-01-01

The Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) is a decision-support tool for traffic managers and air traffic controllers that provides traffic flow visualization and other flow management tools. TMA creates an efficiently sequenced and safely spaced schedule for arrival traffic that meets but does not exceed specified airspace system constraints. TMA is being deployed at selected facilities throughout the National Airspace System in the US as part of the FAA's Free Flight Phase 1 program. TMA development and testing, and its current deployment, focuses on managing the arrival capacity for single major airports within single terminal areas and single en route centers. The next phase of development for this technology is the expansion of the TMA capability to complex facilities in which a terminal area or airport is fed by multiple en route centers, thus creating a multicenter TMA functionality. The focus of the multi-center TMA (McTMA) development is on the busy facilities in the Northeast comdor of the US. This paper describes the planning and development of McTMA and the challenges associated with adapting a successful traffic flow management tool for a very complex airspace.

Representation in incremental learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Work focused on two areas in machine learning: representation for inductive learning and how to apply concept learning techniques to learning state preferences, which can represent search control knowledge for problem solving. Specifically, in the first area the issues of the effect of representation on learning, on how learning formalisms are biased, and how concept learning can benefit from the use of a hybrid formalism are addressed. In the second area, the issues of developing an agent to learn search control knowledge from the relative values of states, of the source of that qualitative information, and of the ability to use both quantitative and qualitative information in order to develop an effective problem-solving policy are examined.

Update LADOTD policy on pile driving vibration management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-02-01

The main objective of this project was to update the current Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) policy on pile driving vibration risk management with a focus on how to determine an appropriate vibration monitoring area. T...

Scientific Data Management (SDM) Center for Enabling Technologies. Final Report, 2007-2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ludascher, Bertram; Altintas, Ilkay

Our contributions to advancing the State of the Art in scientific workflows have focused on the following areas: Workflow development; Generic workflow components and templates; Provenance collection and analysis; and, Workflow reliability and fault tolerance.

Operational benefits from the terminal configured vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, J. P.; Schmitz, R. A.; Clark, L. V.

1979-01-01

The NASA Terminal Configured Vehicle is a flying laboratory used to conduct research and development on improved airborne systems (including avionics) and operational flight procedures, with particular emphasis on utilization in the terminal area environment. The objectives of this technology development activity, focused on conventional transport aircraft, are to develop and demonstrate improvements which can lead to increased airport and runway capacity, increased air traffic controller productivity, energy efficient terminal area operations, reduced weather minima with safety, and reduced community noise by use of appropriate procedures. This paper discusses some early results of this activity in addition to defining present efforts and future research plans.

Summaries of FY16 LANL experimental campaigns at the OMEGA and EP Laser Facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loomis, Eric Nicholas; Merritt, Elizabeth Catherine; Montgomery, David

In FY16, Los Alamos National Laboratory carried out 22 shot days on the OMEGA and OMEGA- EP laser facilities in the areas of High Energy Density (HED) Science and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). In HED our focus areas were on radiation flow, hydrodynamic turbulent mix and burn, warm dense matter equations of state, and coupled Kelvin-­Helmholtz (KH)/Richtmyer-­ Meshkov (RM) instability growth. For ICF our campaigns focused on the Priority Research Directions (PRD) of implosion phase mix and stagnation and burn, specifically as they pertain to Laser Direct Drive (LDD). We also had several focused shot days on transport properties inmore » the kinetic regime. We continue to develop advanced diagnostics such as Neutron Imaging, Gamma Reaction History, and Gas Cherenkov Detectors. Below are a summary of our campaigns, their motivation, and main results from this year.« less

Children's understanding of area concepts: development, curriculum and educational achievement.

PubMed

Bond, Trevor G; Parkinson, Kellie

2010-01-01

As one part of a series of studies undertaken to investigate the contribution of developmental attributes of learners to school learning, a representative sample of forty-two students (age from 5 years and 3 months to 13 years and 1 month) was randomly selected from a total student population of 142 students at a small private primary school in northern Australia. Those children's understandings of area concepts taught during the primary school years were assessed by their performance in two testing situations. The first consisted of a written classroom test of ability to solve area problems with items drawn directly from school texts, school examinations and other relevant curriculum documents. The second, which focused more directly on each child's cognitive development, was an individual interview for each child in which four "area" tasks such as the Meadows and Farmhouse Experiment taken from Chapter 11 of The Child's Conception of Geometry (Piaget, Inhelder and Szeminska, 1960, pp. 261-301) were administered. Analysis using the Rasch Partial Credit Model provided a finely detailed quantitative description of the developmental and learning progressions revealed in the data. It is evident that the school mathematics curriculum does not satisfactorily match the learner's developmental sequence at some key points. Moreover, the children's ability to conserve area on the Piagetian tasks, rather than other learner characteristics, such as age and school grade seems to be a precursor for complete success on the mathematical test of area. The discussion focuses on the assessment of developmental (and other) characteristics of school-aged learners and suggests how curriculum and school organization might better capitalize on such information in the design and sequencing of learning experiences for school children. Some features unique to the Rasch family of measurement models are held to have special significance in elucidating the development/attainment nexus.

Impact and User Satisfaction of a Clinical Information Portal Embedded in an Electronic Health Record

PubMed Central

Tannery, Nancy H; Epstein, Barbara A; Wessel, Charles B; Yarger, Frances; LaDue, John; Klem, Mary Lou

2011-01-01

In 2008, a clinical information tool was developed and embedded in the electronic health record system of an academic medical center. In 2009, the initial information tool, Clinical-e, was superseded by a portal called Clinical Focus, with a single search box enabling a federated search of selected online information resources. To measure the usefulness and impact of Clinical Focus, a survey was used to gather feedback about users' experience with this clinical resource. The survey determined what type of clinicians were using this tool and assessed user satisfaction and perceived impact on patient care decision making. Initial survey results suggest the majority of respondents found Clinical Focus easy to navigate, the content easy to read, and the retrieved information relevant and complete. The majority would recommend Clinical Focus to their colleagues. Results indicate that this tool is a promising area for future development. PMID:22016670

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016 accomplishments and primary areas of focus for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Environmental Management and EM sites are presented. For DOE EM, these include Focusing on the Field, Teaming with Cleanup Partners, Developing New Technology, and Maximizing Cleanup Dollars. Major 2016 achievements are highlighted for EM, Richland Operations Office, Office of River Protection, Savannah River Site, Oak Ridge, Idaho, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Los Alamos, Portsmouth, Paducah, West Valley Demonstration Project, and the Nevada National Security Site,

Geodiversity and Geoheritage of the Danakil and Afar region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wyk de Vries, Benjamin; Hagos, Miruts

2017-04-01

The Danakil Depression is well known for its spectacular and wild desert scenery, with volcanoes, faults and salt plains. It' northern part is thought to be a the very last stage of continental rifting, before opening into an ocean. Such an area is a unique and fully representative example of the birth of an ocean, through hot-spot related rifting that should have World Heritage status. The area is however, a remote extreme environment with cultural and political issues, and a highly active geological setting, where rifting and volcanic events have the potential to change the landscape rapidly. The area is also the focus of increasing economic activity with interest in hydrothermal and resource's such as Potash being mined. In order to best sustainably develop the area, and to take into account all aspects of its environment, the geological environment needs to be fully mapped, characterised and monitored. The geodiversity and geohertiage needs to be assessed, and geosites inventoried. We present some of the first mapping, done to this purpose, by an international team focussed around Mekel'le University. We show a first order assessment of the geoheritage value of the main identified sites. We focus on the Dallol - Erta Ale segment, as a more detailed example of this work. This can be used by the local stakeholders to discuss the various options open for the future development of the area.

Future Research Directions in the Positive Valence Systems: Measurement, Development, and Implications for Youth Unipolar Depression.

PubMed

Olino, Thomas M

2016-01-01

The Positive Valence Systems (PVS) have been introduced by the National Institute of Mental Health as a domain to help organize multiple constructs focusing on reward-seeking behaviors. However, the initial working model for this domain is strongly influenced by adult constructs and measures. Thus, the present review focuses on extending the PVS into a developmental context. Specifically, the review provides some hypotheses about the structure of the PVS, how PVS components may change throughout development, how family history of depression may influence PVS development, and potential means of intervening on PVS function to reduce onsets of depression. Future research needs in each of these areas are highlighted.

Wolter Optics for Neutron Focusing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mildner, D. F. R.; Gubarev, M. V.

2010-01-01

Focusing optics based on Wolter optical geometries developed for x-ray grazing incidence beams can be designed for neutron beams. Wolter optics are formed by grazing incidence reflections from two concentric conic sections (for example, a paraboloid and a hyperboloid). This has transformed observational X-ray astronomy by increasing the sensitivity by many orders of magnitude for research in astrophysics and cosmology. To increase the collection area, many reflecting mirrors of different diameters are nested with a common focal plane. These mirrors are fabricated using nickel-electroformed replication techniques. We apply these ideas to neutron focusing using nickel mirrors. We show an initial test of a conical mirror using a beam of cold neutrons. key words: electroformed nickel replication, focusing optics, grazing angle incidence, mirror reflection, neutron focusing, Wolter optics

Teaching Materials "Surface Area of Geometric Figures," Created Using the Software Package "GeoGebra"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radovic, Slaviša

2013-01-01

Social development, the progress of technology, and changing economic forces certainly affect the development of the current educational system. One of the main problems of today's school system is how to maintain focus, concentration, and interest among students with regards to the learning that takes place during classes. An important feature of…

Developing Integrated Rural Tourism: Actor Practices in the English/Welsh Border

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saxena, Gunjan; Ilbery, Brian

2010-01-01

This paper examines community attitudes and distinctive practices that shape local responses to integrated rural tourism (IRT) development in the lagging rural region of the English/Welsh border area. The focus is on how actors acquire attributes as a result of their relations with others and how these assumed identities are performed in, by and…

A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Social Studies. Revised Edition. Resource Monograph No. 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guttinger, Hellen I., Ed.

The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school social studies teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying social studies texts and content area reading materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word…

Design & Technology Teaching: A Journal of New Approaches, 1994-95.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Design and Technology Teaching, 1995

1995-01-01

This document consists of the three issues of the journal "Design & Technology Teaching" for the 1994-95 publishing year. This journal focuses on developments in design and technology across all phases of education. It provides a forum for sharing and developing expertise in all the contributing areas of design and technology: art and design,…

Raising and Educating Healthy Boys: A Report on the Growing Crisis in Boys' Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froschl, Merle, Comp.; Sprung, Barbara, Comp.

2005-01-01

Raising and educating healthy boys is an area of increasing concern among educators, child development experts, and parents nationwide. It was the focus of an invitational meeting convened by the Educational Equity Center at the Academy for Educational Development (EEC/AED) in November 2004. The meeting brought together a national group of…

Renewing Our Cities: A Case Study on School Choice's Role in Urban Renewal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danielsen, Bartley R.; Harrison, David M.; Zhao, Jing

2017-01-01

Urban economic development resources are often focused on bringing jobs and affordable housing to downtown areas. In contrast, there has been very little consideration given to how public charter schools and other school choice programs might act as economic development catalysts. This study examines relocation decisions made by families whose…

Med-Tech Program. Tech Prep Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago Public Schools, IL.

Staff from DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois, collaborated with Malcolm X College and three area hospitals to develop a medical technician training program focusing on career awareness and development of the basic reading and math skills needed for any career. A 3-year Med Tech curriculum for grades 9, 10, and 11 and a career awareness…

The Role of Mental Representation in Social Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dweck, Carol S.; London, Bonita

2004-01-01

In this article we focus on a major advance of the past few decades: the introduction of mental representation as a tool for understanding social development. We argue that despite the considerable contributions made by this approach, it is underrepresented in social developmental research, except in the area of attachment. We go on to show that…

Productivity Indicators for the Rural Poor in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Jeffrey

2007-01-01

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals will necessarily require a heavy focus on rural areas, where most of the world's poor are to be found. More specifically, policy will need to raise the productivity of this group, which includes farmers, wage labourers and those suffering from disease and malnutrition. Yet, at present, no index exists which…

Learning to Teach Argumentation: Research and Development in the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Shirley; Erduran, Sibel; Osborne, Jonathan

2006-01-01

The research reported in this study focuses on an investigation into the teaching of argumentation in secondary science classrooms. Over a 1-year period, a group of 12 teachers from schools in the greater London area attended a series of workshops to develop materials and strategies to support the teaching of argumentation in scientific contexts.…

Can an International Field Experience Assist Health and Physical Education Pre-Service Teachers to Develop Cultural Competency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winslade, Matthew

2016-01-01

An emerging focus of teacher education courses within countries such as Australia centres on the development of cultural competency. An international practicum experience or student mobility programme embedded within pre-service teacher education programmes is one way to provide such an opportunity. In subject areas such as Health and Physical…

Family Life and Human Development (Sex Education): The Prince George's County Public Schools Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Michael J.

1981-01-01

The Prince George's County schools' sex education program for grades K-12 was developed and implemented in the late 1960s and has three focus areas: family life and interpersonal relationships; the physiological and personality changes during puberty; and advanced physiology and psychology of human sexual behavior. The program augments what the…

From Isolation to Interaction? Network-Based Professional Development and Teacher Professional Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Teresa A.

The Mathematics Learning Forums, a collaborative effort of Bank Street College and the Center for Children and Technology, Education Development Center, Inc., provided the primary research setting for this study. Each 8-week forum focuses on specific elements of a mathematics content area and is designed to address both student learning and…

A System for Providing Relevant Metrics Education for Vocational Teachers in Kentucky. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosby, Richard K.

A project conducted in four vocational regions of Kentucky developed a system for providing vocational teachers with relevant metrics education and developed and identified materials to support and enhance the system. Ten occupational training areas selected as a focus of the project were air conditioning, auto body, auto mechanics, diesel…

University Research and Economic Development in Arizona Today: A Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Marvin

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this study focuses on Arizona's university research and economic development. There is concern that America is losing its competitive edge in the crucial areas of science and technology as fewer students study…

Secondary-Postsecondary Curriculum Development in Automotive Mechanics. Automotive Electrical Competencies. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoepner, Ronald

Developed as part of a competency-based curriculum in automotive mechanics which is usable by students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, this learning package focuses on automotive electrical systems. It is the first unit to be published in a series of eight which will cover the eight subject areas on the national certification…

Teaching Tennessee History: Lesson Plans for the Classroom. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakley, Lisa, Ed.

These teacher developed lessons focus on the Civil War's impact on east Tennessee. The forum for develop ling the lessons includes a series of inservice lectures by experts in the areas of Civil War scholarship and interpretation, tours, and hands-on experiences at historic sites in the region. During the week-long program, teachers traveled…

Friendship with Old Order Mennonite Teachers Develops Cultural Responsiveness in Preservice Special Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knotts, J. Dusteen; Keesey, Susan

2016-01-01

Developing preservice teachers with a strong understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy should be a priority for all teacher education programs. Although much focus is placed on diversity in urban areas, diverse classrooms are found in all education settings. This paper demonstrates how a rural opportunity expanded the cultural awareness and…

a Novel Methodology for Developing Inundation Maps Under Climate Change Scenarios Using One-Dimensional Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, M. T.; Liong, S. Y.; Raghavan, V. S.; Liew, S. C.

2011-07-01

Climate change is expected to cause increases in extreme climatic events such as heavy rainstorms and rising tidal level. Heavy rainstorms are known to be serious causes of flooding problems in big cities. Thus, high density residential and commercial areas along the rivers are facing risks of being flooded. For that reason, inundated area determination is now being considered as one of the most important areas of research focus in flood forecasting. In such a context, this paper presents the development of a floodmap in determining flood-prone areas and its volumes. The areas and volumes of flood are computed by the inundated level using the existing digital elevation model (DEM) of a hypothetical catchment chosen for study. The study focuses on the application of Flood Early Warning System (Delft — FEWS, Deltares), which is designated to work with the SOBEK (Delft) to simulate the extent of stormwater on the ground surface. The results from FEWS consist of time-series of inundation maps in Image file format (PNG) and ASCII format, which are subsequently imported to ArcGIS for further calculations. In addition, FEWS results provide options to export the video clip of water spreading out over the catchment. Consequently, inundated area and volume will be determined by the water level on the ground. Final floodmap is displayed in colors created by ArcGIS. Various flood map results corresponding to climate change scenarios will be displayed in the main part of the paper.

A path forward in the debate over health impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals.

PubMed

Zoeller, R Thomas; Bergman, Åke; Becher, Georg; Bjerregaard, Poul; Bornman, Riana; Brandt, Ingvar; Iguchi, Taisen; Jobling, Susan; Kidd, Karen A; Kortenkamp, Andreas; Skakkebaek, Niels E; Toppari, Jorma; Vandenberg, Laura N

2014-12-22

Several recent publications reflect debate on the issue of "endocrine disrupting chemicals" (EDCs), indicating that two seemingly mutually exclusive perspectives are being articulated separately and independently. Considering this, a group of scientists with expertise in basic science, medicine and risk assessment reviewed the various aspects of the debate to identify the most significant areas of dispute and to propose a path forward. We identified four areas of debate. The first is about the definitions for terms such as "endocrine disrupting chemical", "adverse effects", and "endocrine system". The second is focused on elements of hormone action including "potency", "endpoints", "timing", "dose" and "thresholds". The third addresses the information needed to establish sufficient evidence of harm. Finally, the fourth focuses on the need to develop and the characteristics of transparent, systematic methods to review the EDC literature. Herein we identify areas of general consensus and propose resolutions for these four areas that would allow the field to move beyond the current and, in our opinion, ineffective debate.

Engineering research, development and technology report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langland, R T

1999-02-01

Nineteen ninety-eight has been a transition year for Engineering, as we have moved from our traditional focus on thrust areas to a more focused approach with research centers. These five new centers of excellence collectively comprise Engineering's Science and Technology program. This publication summarizes our formative year under this new structure. Let me start by talking about the differences between a thrust area and a research center. The thrust area is more informal, combining an important technology with programmatic priorities. In contrast, a research center is directly linked to an Engineering core technology. It is the purer model, for itmore » is more enduring yet has the scope to be able to adapt quickly to evolving programmatic priorities. To put it another way, the mission of a thrust area was often to grow the programs in conjunction with a technology, whereas the task of a research center is to vigorously grow our core technologies. By cultivating each core technology, we in turn enable long-term growth of new programs.« less

New Technology-Large-Area Three- Dimensional Surface Profiling Using Only Focused Air-Coupled Ultrasound-Given 1999 R&D 100 Award

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Don J.; Kautz, Harold E.; Abel, Phillip B.; Whalen, Mike F.; Hendricks, J. Lynne; Bodis, James R.

2000-01-01

Surface topography, which significantly affects the performance of many industrial components, is normally measured with diamond-tip profilometry over small areas or with optical scattering methods over larger areas. To develop air-coupled surface profilometry, the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field initiated a Space Act Agreement with Sonix, Inc., through two Glenn programs, the Advanced High Temperature Engine Materials Program (HITEMP) and COMMTECH. The work resulted in quantitative surface topography profiles obtained using only high-frequency, focused ultrasonic pulses in air. The method is nondestructive, noninvasive, and noncontact, and it does not require light-reflective surfaces. Air surface profiling may be desirable when diamond-tip or laserbased methods are impractical, such as over large areas, when a significant depth range is required, or for curved surfaces. When the configuration is optimized, the method is reasonably rapid and all the quantitative analysis facilities are online, including two- and three-dimensional visualization, extreme value filtering (for faulty data), and leveling.

Adverse Outcome Pathways can drive non-animal approaches for safety assessment

PubMed Central

Burden, Natalie; Sewell, Fiona; Andersen, Melvin E; Boobis, Alan; Chipman, J Kevin; Cronin, Mark T D; Hutchinson, Thomas H; Kimber, Ian; Whelan, Maurice

2015-01-01

Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) provide an opportunity to develop new and more accurate safety assessment processes for drugs and other chemicals, and may ultimately play an important role in regulatory decision making. Not only can the development and application of AOPs pave the way for the development of improved evidence-based approaches for hazard and risk assessment, there is also the promise of a significant impact on animal welfare, with a reduced reliance on animal-based methods. The establishment of a useable and coherent knowledge framework under which AOPs will be developed and applied has been a first critical step towards realizing this opportunity. This article explores how the development of AOPs under this framework, and their application in practice, could benefit the science and practice of safety assessment, while in parallel stimulating a move away from traditional methods towards an increased acceptance of non-animal approaches. We discuss here the key areas where current, and future initiatives should be focused to enable the translation of AOPs into routine chemical safety assessment, and lasting 3Rs benefits. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Applied Toxicology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article explores how the development and application of Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) could benefit the science and practice of chemical safety assessment, with a particular focus on how their use in practice could reduce reliance on traditional animal toxicity tests. This includes discussion of the key areas where current and future initiatives should be focused to enable the translation of AOPs into routine chemical safety assessment, and lasting 3Rs benefits. PMID:25943792

Use of Adult Patient Focus Groups to Develop the Initial Item Bank for a Cochlear Implant Quality-of-Life Instrument.

PubMed

McRackan, Theodore R; Velozo, Craig A; Holcomb, Meredith A; Camposeo, Elizabeth L; Hatch, Jonathan L; Meyer, Ted A; Lambert, Paul R; Melvin, Cathy L; Dubno, Judy R

2017-10-01

No instrument exists to assess quality of life (QOL) in adult cochlear implant (CI) users that has been developed and validated using accepted scientific standards. To develop a CI-specific QOL instrument for adults in accordance with the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) guidelines. As required in the PROMIS guidelines, patient focus groups participated in creation of the initial item bank. Twenty-three adult CI users were divided into 1 of 3 focus groups stratified by word recognition ability. Three moderator-led focus groups were conducted based on grounded theory on December 3, 2016. Two reviewers independently analyzed focus group recordings and transcripts, with a third reviewer available to resolve discrepancies. All data were reviewed and reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. The setting was a tertiary referral center. Coded focus group data. The 23 focus group participants (10 [43%] female; mean [range] age, 68.1 [46.2-84.2] years) represented a wide range of income levels, education levels, listening modalities, CI device manufacturers, duration of CI use, and age at implantation. Data saturation was determined to be reached before the conclusion of each of the focus groups. After analysis of the transcripts, the central themes identified were communication, emotion, environmental sounds, independence and work function, listening effort, social isolation and ability to socialize, and sound clarity. Cognitive interviews were carried out on 20 adult CI patients who did not participate in the focus groups to ensure item clarity. Based on these results, the initial QOL item bank and prototype were developed. Patient focus groups drawn from the target population are the preferred method of identifying content areas and domains for developing the item bank for a CI-specific QOL instrument. Compared with previously used methods, the use of patient-centered item development for a CI-specific QOL instrument will more accurately reflect patient experience and increase our understanding of how CI use affects QOL.

The new hospice compliance plan: defining and addressing risk areas. Part 3.

PubMed

Jones, D H; Woods, K

2000-07-01

The recently released OIG guidelines to ensure compliance with federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations, and private-payor health care program requirements provide a blueprint for developing such programs. This is the last of three installments that focus specifically on the 28 risk areas identified in the guidance and offer strategies for incorporating them in a hospice compliance program. The authors have organized the 28 risk areas under 9 topic domains to simplify the task of tackling the guidance. This article covers the areas of nursing home care, marketing, and Conditions of Participation.

Chlamydia vaccine candidates and tools for chlamydial antigen discovery.

PubMed

Rockey, Daniel D; Wang, Jie; Lei, Lei; Zhong, Guangming

2009-10-01

The failure of the inactivated Chlamydia-based vaccine trials in the 1960s has led researchers studying Chlamydia to take cautious and rational approaches to develop safe and effective chlamydial vaccines. Subsequent research efforts focused on three areas. The first is the analysis of the immunobiology of chlamydial infection in animal models, with supporting clinical studies, to identify the immune correlates of both protective immunity and pathological responses. Second, recent radical improvements in genomics, proteomics and associated technologies have assisted in the implementation of creative approaches to search for suitable vaccine candidates. Third, progress in the analysis of host response and adjuvanticity regulating both innate and adaptive immunity at the mucosal site of infection has led to progress in the design of optimal delivery and adjuvant systems for enhancing protective immunity. Considerable progress has been made in the first two areas but research efforts to better define the factors that regulate immunity at mucosal sites of infection and to develop strategies to boost protective immunity via immunomodulation, effective delivery systems and potent adjuvants, have remained elusive. In this article, we will summarize progress in these areas with a focus on chlamydial vaccine antigen discovery, and discuss future directions towards the development of a safe and effective chlamydial vaccine.

Nevada National Security Site: Site-Directed Research and Development (SDRD) Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bender, Howard A.

This report presents results of multiple research projects, new and ongoing, funded under the Site-Directed Research and Development Program for the Nevada National Security Site during federal fiscal year 2015. The Site's legacy capabilities in remote sensing combined with new paradigms for emergency response and consequence management help drive the need to develop advanced aerial sensor platforms. Likewise, dynamic materials science is a critical area of scientific research for which basic physics issues are still unresolved. New methods of characterizing materials in extreme states are vitally needed, and these efforts are paving the way with new knowledge. Projects selected inmore » FY 2015 for the Exploratory Research portfolio exhibit a strong balance of NNSS mission relevance. Geoscience, seismology, and techniques for detecting underground nuclear events are still essential focus areas. Many of the project reports in the second major section of this annual report are ongoing continuations in multi-year lifecycles. Diagnostic techniques for stockpile and nuclear security science figured prominently as well, with a few key efforts coming to fruition, such as phase transition detection. In other areas, modeling efforts toward better understanding plasma focus physics has also started to pay dividends for major program needs.« less

Sea Ice Monitoring from Space with Synthetic Aperture Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eltoft, T.; Dierking, W.; Doulgeris, A.; Kasapoglu, G.; Kraemer, T.

2013-03-01

This paper summarizes the knowledge status in some areas of SAR monitoring of sea ice. It starts with a brief summary of the whitepaper by Breivik et al. from OceanObs’09 [3], and then focuses on segmentation and classification, drift estimation, and assimilation strategies, which are considered as key areas in the development of more mature sea ice products from SAR and polarimetric SAR (PoLSAR) data.

HIV Risk Behavior among Youth in the Dominican Republic: The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs.

PubMed

Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent; Jaccard, James; Lushin, Viktor; Martinez, Roberto; Gonzalez, Bernardo; McCarthy, Katharine

2011-01-01

Existing literature related to HIV in the Dominican Republic has tended to neglect the unique role of tourism areas as distinct ecologies facilitative of sexual risk behavior, particularly HIV vulnerability and transmission. Furthermore, limited attention has focused on Dominican adolescents living in close proximity to tourism areas who have become increasingly exposed to alcohol due to the expanding tourism industry in the Dominican Republic. While most previous analyses of the effects of alcohol on adolescent sexual risk behavior have focused on the transient effects of alcohol on judgment and decision making, the effects of chronic alcohol use on sexual behavior has been a neglected area of research. Our study explores the relationship between chronic alcohol use, the parent-adolescent relationship, affective factors such as self-esteem, and intentions to engage in sex. We examine the above factors within the context of tourism areas which represent a unique ecology of alcohol availability and consumption and HIV risk. We discuss implications for developing applied family-based programs to target Dominican adolescent alcohol use and sexual risk behavior in tourism areas of high alcohol exposure.

PAX genes in development and disease: the role of PAX2 in urogenital tract development.

PubMed

Eccles, Michael R; He, Shujie; Legge, Michael; Kumar, Rajiv; Fox, Jody; Zhou, Chaoming; French, Michelle; Tsai, Robert W S

2002-01-01

PAX genes play an important role in fetal development. Moreover, heterozygous mutations in several PAX genes cause human disease. Here we review the role of PAX2 in kidney development, focusing on the morphological effects of PAX2 mutations. We discuss the role of PAX2 in the context of an inhibitory field model of kidney branching morphogenesis and summarize recent progress in this area.

International Space Station Research for the Next Decade: International Coordination and Research Accomplishments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thumm, Tracy L.; Robinson, Julie A.; Johnson-Green, Perry; Buckley, Nicole; Karabadzhak, George; Nakamura, Tai; Sorokin, Igor V.; Zell, Martin; Sabbagh, Jean

2011-01-01

During 2011, the International Space Station reached an important milestone in the completion of assembly and the shift to the focus on a full and continuous utilization mission in space. The ISS partnership itself has also met a milestone in the coordination and cooperation of utilization activities including research, technology development and education. We plan and track all ISS utilization activities jointly and have structures in place to cooperate on common goals by sharing ISS assets and resources, and extend the impacts and efficiency of utilization activities. The basic utilization areas on the ISS include research, technology development and testing, and education/outreach. Research can be categorized as applied research for future exploration, basic research taking advantage of the microgravity and open space environment, and Industrial R&D / commercial research focused at industrial product development and improvement. Technology development activities range from testing of new spacecraft systems and materials to the use of ISS as an analogue for future exploration missions to destinations beyond Earth orbit. This presentation, made jointly by all ISS international partners, will highlight the ways that international cooperation in all of these areas is achieved, and the overall accomplishments that have come as well as future perspectives from the cooperation. Recently, the partnership has made special efforts to increase the coordination and impact of ISS utilization that has humanitarian benefits. In this context the paper will highlight tentative ISS utilization developments in the areas of Earth remote sensing, medical technology transfer, and education/outreach.

The development of rural area residence based on participatory planning case study: A rural residential area of Pucungrejo village, Magelang through "neighborhood development" program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KP, R. M. Bambang Setyohadi; Wicaksono, Dimas

2018-03-01

The poverty is one of the prevailing problems in Indonesia until now. Even a change of the era of governance has not succeeded in eradicating the problem of poverty. The program of poverty alleviation program has always been a focus in the budget allocation in all era of leadership in Indonesia. Those programs were strategic because it prepared the foundation of community self-reliance in the form of representative, entrenched and conducive community leadership institutions to develop of social capital of society in the future. Developing an area of the village requires an integrated planning (Grand Design) to figure out the potential and the problems existing in the rural area as well as the integration of the rural area surrounding. In addition, the grand design needs to be synchronized to the more comprehensive spatial plan with a hierarchical structure such as RTBL, RDTRK / RRTRK, RTRK, and RTRW. This rural area management plan can be oriented or refer to the pattern developed from neighborhood Development program which is part of the PNPM Mandiri program. The neighborhood development program is known as residential area development plan whose process involves of the entire community. Therefore, the regional development up to the scale of the environment requires the planning phase. Particularly, spatial planning which emphasizes the efforts to optimize sectorial development targets to be integrated into an integrated development process must be conducted, in addition to taking into consideration the opportunities, potentials and limitations of the resources, the level of interconnection with the central government within the district and between sub-districts and rural areas.

American Society of Clinical Oncology Obesity Initiative: Rationale, Progress, and Future Directions.

PubMed

Ligibel, Jennifer A; Wollins, Dana

2016-12-10

Obesity is increasingly being linked to the risk of developing and dying from cancer. In recognition of the growing contribution of obesity to cancer risk and outcomes, ASCO made obesity and cancer one of its core initiatives in 2014. The goals of this initiative included raising awareness of the relationship between obesity and cancer, providing tools and resources to oncology providers and patients to help encourage conversations regarding weight management in cancer survivors, fostering a robust research agenda, and advocating for access to evidence-based weight management programs for cancer survivors. Efforts to date have included developing patient and provider toolkits focused on weight management and physical activity, publishing a policy statement outlining ASCO's initiatives in this area, and hosting a summit focused on obesity research in cancer populations. As ASCO has defined its priorities in the area of obesity and cancer, it has become increasingly clear that obesity is a problem that extends far beyond its impact on cancer risk and outcomes. Many groups, including those focused on heart disease, diabetes, and endocrinology, have been developing, testing, and implementing obesity prevention and treatment strategies for years. As ASCO moves forward with its obesity initiative, the next steps will focus on forging collaboration with groups working on obesity-related initiatives both within and outside of the field of cancer to learn from their efforts and to partner with them on efforts to increase the education of medical professionals; raising awareness in lay populations regarding the negative health consequences of obesity and effective strategies to foster weight loss; developing collaborative research initiatives; and working together to advocate for the societal changes that will be needed to combat the obesity epidemic in the United States and beyond.

Vocational Psychology: An Analysis and Directions for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Joyce E. A.

2001-01-01

Key areas of future research in vocational psychology include changing organizational structures, changing career attitudes, diversity of career development opportunities, international focus, increasing diversity, changing nature of technology, evolving educational systems, increased entrepreneurship, work and family issues, and career-leisure…

Sorption of Radionuclides to Building Materials and its ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Journal article Urban contamination via a number of radiological release scenarios may require simple decontamination methods that can be deployed for wide-area decontamination. This paper investigates a number of factors of importance for developing such decontamination methods, focusing on cesium.

Eight Cs and a G.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Dorothy F.

1988-01-01

A discussion of vocabulary development for intermediate and advanced students preparing for the Australian certification test for Teaching English as a Foreign Language focuses on nine areas: collocations, clines, clusters, cloze procedures, context, consultation or checking, cards, creativity, and guessing. (seven references) (LB)

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's Air Pollution Control Cost Manual provides guidance for the development of accurate and consistent costs for air pollution control devices. A long-standing document prepared by EPA, the Control Cost Manual focuses on point source and stationary area source air pollution con...

Libraries on the MOVE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgar, Jim; And Others

1986-01-01

Presents papers from Illinois State Library and Shawnee Library System's "Libraries on the MOVE" conference focusing on how libraries can impact economic/cultural climate of an area. Topics addressed included information services of rural libraries; marketing; rural library development; library law; information access; interagency…

Performance Support on the Shop Floor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasvi, Jyrki J. J.; Vartiainen, Matti

2000-01-01

Discussion of performance support on the shop floor highlights four support systems for assembly lines that incorporate personal computer workstations in local area networks and use multimedia documents. Considers new customer-focused production paradigms; organizational learning; knowledge development; and electronic performance support systems…

Application of phase matching autofocus in airborne long-range oblique photography camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrushevsky, Vladimir; Guberman, Asaf

2014-06-01

The Condor2 long-range oblique photography (LOROP) camera is mounted in an aerodynamically shaped pod carried by a fast jet aircraft. Large aperture, dual-band (EO/MWIR) camera is equipped with TDI focal plane arrays and provides high-resolution imagery of extended areas at long stand-off ranges, at day and night. Front Ritchey-Chretien optics is made of highly stable materials. However, the camera temperature varies considerably in flight conditions. Moreover, a composite-material structure of the reflective objective undergoes gradual dehumidification in dry nitrogen atmosphere inside the pod, causing some small decrease of the structure length. The temperature and humidity effects change a distance between the mirrors by just a few microns. The distance change is small but nevertheless it alters the camera's infinity focus setpoint significantly, especially in the EO band. To realize the optics' resolution potential, the optimal focus shall be constantly maintained. In-flight best focus calibration and temperature-based open-loop focus control give mostly satisfactory performance. To get even better focusing precision, a closed-loop phase-matching autofocus method was developed for the camera. The method makes use of an existing beamsharer prism FPA arrangement where aperture partition exists inherently in an area of overlap between the adjacent detectors. The defocus is proportional to an image phase shift in the area of overlap. Low-pass filtering of raw defocus estimate reduces random errors related to variable scene content. Closed-loop control converges robustly to precise focus position. The algorithm uses the temperature- and range-based focus prediction as an initial guess for the closed-loop phase-matching control. The autofocus algorithm achieves excellent results and works robustly in various conditions of scene illumination and contrast.

Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirol, Christopher P.; Sutphin, Andrew L.; Bond, Laura S.; Fuller, Mark R.; Maechtle, Thomas L.

2015-01-01

Sagebrush Artemisia spp. habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species — including the greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, there is a great need for effective on-site mitigation to reduce impacts to co-occurring wildlife such as sage-grouse. Nesting success is a primary factor in avian productivity and declines in nesting success are also thought to be an important contributor to population declines in sage-grouse. From 2008 to 2011 we monitored 296 nests of radio-marked female sage-grouse in a natural gas (NG) field in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA, and compared nest survival in mitigated and non-mitigated development areas and relatively unaltered areas to determine if specific mitigation practices were enhancing nest survival. Nest survival was highest in relatively unaltered habitats followed by mitigated, and then non-mitigated NG areas. Reservoirs used for holding NG discharge water had the greatest support as having a direct relationship to nest survival. Within a 5-km2 area surrounding a nest, the probability of nest failure increased by about 15% for every 1.5 km increase in reservoir water edge. Reducing reservoirs was a mitigation focus and sage-grouse nesting in mitigated areas were exposed to almost half of the amount of water edge compared to those in non-mitigated areas. Further, we found that an increase in sagebrush cover was positively related to nest survival. Consequently, mitigation efforts focused on reducing reservoir construction and reducing surface disturbance, especially when the surface disturbance results in sagebrush removal, are important to enhancing sage-grouse nesting success.

Inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water supplies in urban areas: the case of Lilongwe, Malawi.

PubMed

Boakye-Ansah, Akosua Sarpong; Ferrero, Giuliana; Rusca, Maria; van der Zaag, Pieter

2016-10-01

Over past decades strategies for improving access to drinking water in cities of the Global South have mainly focused on increasing coverage, while water quality has often been overlooked. This paper focuses on drinking water quality in the centralized water supply network of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It shows how microbial contamination of drinking water is unequally distributed to consumers in low-income (unplanned areas) and higher-income neighbourhoods (planned areas). Microbial contamination and residual disinfectant concentration were measured in 170 water samples collected from in-house taps in high-income areas and from kiosks and water storage facilities in low-income areas between November 2014 and January 2015. Faecal contamination (Escherichia coli) was detected in 10% of the 40 samples collected from planned areas, in 59% of the 64 samples collected from kiosks in the unplanned areas and in 75% of the 32 samples of water stored at household level. Differences in water quality in planned and unplanned areas were found to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. Finally, the paper shows how the inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water are produced by decisions both on the development of the water supply infrastructure and on how this is operated and maintained.

The development of an educational video to motivate teens with asthma to be more involved during medical visits and to improve medication adherence.

PubMed

Sleath, Betsy; Carpenter, Delesha M; Lee, Charles; Loughlin, Ceila E; Etheridge, Dana; Rivera-Duchesne, Laura; Reuland, Daniel S; Batey, Karolyne; Duchesne, Cristina I; Garcia, Nacire; Tudor, Gail

2016-09-01

Our objective was to develop a series of short educational videos for teens and parents to watch before pediatric visits to motivate teens to be more actively involved during their visits. The development of the short educational videos was theoretically guided by Social Cognitive Theory. First we conducted four focus groups with teens (ages 11 to 17) with asthma, four focus groups with the teens' parents, and seven focus groups with pediatric providers from four clinics. The research team, which included two teens with asthma and their parents, analyzed the focus group transcripts for themes and then developed the initial video script. Next, a visual storyboard was reviewed by focus groups with parents and four with teens to identify areas of the script for improvement. The English videos were then produced. Focus groups with Hispanic parents and teens were then conducted for advice on how to modify the videos to make a more culturally appropriate Spanish version. Based on focus group results, teen newscasters narrate six one- to two-minute videos with different themes: (a) how to get mom off your back, (b) asthma triggers, (c) staying active with asthma, (d) tracking asthma symptoms, (e) how to talk to your doctor and (f) having confidence with asthma. Each video clip has three key messages and emphasizes how teens should discuss these messages with their providers. Teens, parents, and providers gave us excellent insight into developing videos to increase teen involvement during medical visits.

NASA In-Space Propulsion Technologies and Their Infusion Potential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil,Eric J.; Peterson, Todd; Vento, Daniel; Munk, Michelle M.; Glaab, Louis J.; Dankanich, John W.

2012-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) program has been developing in-space propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. The ISPT program is currently developing technology in four areas that include Propulsion System Technologies (Electric and Chemical), Entry Vehicle Technologies (Aerocapture and Earth entry vehicles), Spacecraft Bus and Sample Return Propulsion Technologies (components and ascent vehicles), and Systems/Mission Analysis. Three technologies are ready for flight infusion: 1) the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance; 2) NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system; and 3) Aerocapture technology development with investments in a family of thermal protection system (TPS) materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; and aerothermal effect models. Two component technologies that will be ready for flight infusion in the near future will be Advanced Xenon Flow Control System, and ultra-lightweight propellant tank technologies. Future focuses for ISPT are sample return missions and other spacecraft bus technologies like: 1) Mars Ascent Vehicles (MAV); 2) multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV) for sample return missions; and 3) electric propulsion for sample return and low cost missions. These technologies are more vehicle-focused, and present a different set of technology infusion challenges. While the Systems/Mission Analysis area is focused on developing tools and assessing the application of propulsion technologies to a wide variety of mission concepts. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for future NASA Discovery, New Frontiers, and sample return missions currently under consideration, as well as having broad applicability to potential Flagship missions. This paper provides a brief overview of the ISPT program, describing the development status and technology infusion readiness of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of electric propulsion, aerocapture, Earth entry vehicles, propulsion components, Mars ascent vehicle, and mission/systems analysis.

Evaluation of a peer-reviewed career development and compensation program for physicians at an academic health science center.

PubMed

O'Brodovich, Hugh; Pleinys, Ramune; Laxer, Ronald; Tallett, Susan; Rosenblum, Norman; Sass-Kortsak, Christina

2003-01-01

The Department of Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children, which is funded by an alternative payment plan, has implemented a novel career development and compensation program (CDCP). Job activity profiles were used to more clearly define job expectations, benchmarks guided career development, and peer review was used to assess performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the departmental pediatricians' satisfaction with the CDCP. Pediatricians, all of whom had undergone CDCP annual reviews, could participate if they had undergone the in-depth triennial CDCP review. Each received a 5-point Likert scale-based questionnaire that asked how well the CDCP had conformed to the principles identified by the department during the development of the CDCP. Anonymous, confidential responses were collated and used to guide focus groups that discussed areas of greatest concern and attempted to identify solutions. Focus groups were led by external facilitators who were experienced in qualitative research. They audiotaped the sessions, transcribed the comments, and analyzed the data with the assistance of a qualitative analysis application. Sixty of the eligible 88 pediatricians participated, and 74% of their responses were that the CDCP had addressed the original principles "somewhat," "to a great extent," or "extremely well." The remainder indicated that some of the principles were either "not addressed" or "only to a small extent" by the CDCP. Results from the 11 focus groups (46 participants) indicated that the CDCP was an improvement over the previous method of career development and determination of the rate of remuneration. Most were also still in agreement with the purpose and design principles. Although they did not want the CDCP to undergo a major redesign, they identified areas that need improvement. Short-, medium-, and long-term action plans to address these areas are under way. Pediatricians at the health science center of the Hospital for Sick Children remain supportive of the CDCP.

Shifting the focus from quantitative to qualitative exercise characteristics in exercise and cognition research.

PubMed

Pesce, Caterina

2012-12-01

In exercise and cognition research, few studies have investigated whether and how the qualitative aspects of physical exercise may impact cognitive performance in the short or long term. This commentary, after recalling the evidence on the "dose-response" relationship, shifts the focus to intersections between different research areas that are proposed to shed light on how qualitative exercise characteristics can be used to obtain cognitive benefits. As concerns the acute exercise area, this commentary highlights the applied relevance of developmental and aging studies investigating the effects of exercise bouts differing in movement task complexity and cognitive demands. As regards the chronic exercise area, potential links to research on cognitive expertise in sport, functional ability in aging, and life skills training during development are discussed. "Gross-motor cognitive training" is proposed as a key concept with relevant implications for intervention strategies in childhood and older adulthood.

Focus on advances in surface and interface science 2010 Focus on advances in surface and interface science 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aeschlimann, Martin; Berndt, Richard

2013-02-01

While surface science has traditionally focused on catalytic processes at surfaces, more recent developments have seen it evolve into a broad research area encompassing issues as diverse as single-molecule experiments, preparation and analysis of nanostructures, studies of novel and exotic materials, and elementary excitations in solids to name but a few. The aim of this small, but very select, focus issue of New Journal of Physics is to present a snapshot of just some of the latest cutting-edge research now being carried out on these topics. As editors, we hope that you find the contributions of interest to you and your future research.

Education for Sustainable Development to Nurture Sensibility and Creativity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Based on Collaboration between "Kateika" (Japanese Home Economics), Art, and Music Departments in a Japanese Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Yoko; Nakayama, Setsuko

2014-01-01

The objectives of the research reported in this article were to develop and evaluate an interdisciplinary primary school Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curriculum as a collaboration among the subject areas of "kateika" (Japanese home economics), art, and music. In our curriculum, which focused on the improvement of…

Barriers to the Preclinical Development of Therapeutics that Target Aging Mechanisms.

PubMed

Burd, Christin E; Gill, Matthew S; Niedernhofer, Laura J; Robbins, Paul D; Austad, Steven N; Barzilai, Nir; Kirkland, James L

2016-11-01

Through the progress of basic science research, fundamental mechanisms that contribute to age-related decline are being described with increasing depth and detail. Although these efforts have identified new drug targets and compounds that extend life span in model organisms, clinical trials of therapeutics that target aging processes remain scarce. Progress in aging research is hindered by barriers associated with the translation of basic science discoveries into the clinic. This report summarizes discussions held at a 2014 Geroscience Network retreat focused on identifying hurdles that currently impede the preclinical development of drugs targeting fundamental aging processes. From these discussions, it was evident that aging researchers have varied perceptions of the ideal preclinical pipeline. To forge a clear and cohesive path forward, several areas of controversy must first be resolved and new tools developed. Here, we focus on five key issues in preclinical drug development (drug discovery, lead compound development, translational preclinical biomarkers, funding, and integration between researchers and clinicians), expanding upon discussions held at the Geroscience Retreat and suggesting areas for further research. By bringing these findings to the attention of the aging research community, we hope to lay the foundation for a concerted preclinical drug development pipeline. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

A Novel Model for Predicting Rehospitalization Risk Incorporating Physical Function, Cognitive Status, and Psychosocial Support Using Natural Language Processing.

PubMed

Greenwald, Jeffrey L; Cronin, Patrick R; Carballo, Victoria; Danaei, Goodarz; Choy, Garry

2017-03-01

With the increasing focus on reducing hospital readmissions in the United States, numerous readmissions risk prediction models have been proposed, mostly developed through analyses of structured data fields in electronic medical records and administrative databases. Three areas that may have an impact on readmission but are poorly captured using structured data sources are patients' physical function, cognitive status, and psychosocial environment and support. The objective of the study was to build a discriminative model using information germane to these 3 areas to identify hospitalized patients' risk for 30-day all cause readmissions. We conducted clinician focus groups to identify language used in the clinical record regarding these 3 areas. We then created a dataset including 30,000 inpatients, 10,000 from each of 3 hospitals, and searched those records for the focus group-derived language using natural language processing. A 30-day readmission prediction model was developed on 75% of the dataset and validated on the other 25% and also on hospital specific subsets. Focus group language was aggregated into 35 variables. The final model had 16 variables, a validated C-statistic of 0.74, and was well calibrated. Subset validation of the model by hospital yielded C-statistics of 0.70-0.75. Deriving a 30-day readmission risk prediction model through identification of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial issues using natural language processing yielded a model that performs similarly to the better performing models previously published with the added advantage of being based on clinically relevant factors and also automated and scalable. Because of the clinical relevance of the variables in the model, future research may be able to test if targeting interventions to identified risks results in reductions in readmissions.

A scanned focused ultrasound device for hyperthermia: numerical simulation and prototype implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meaney, Paul M.; Raynolds, Timothy; Geimer, Shireen D.; Potwin, Lincoln; Paulsen, Keith D.

2004-07-01

We are developing a scanned focused ultrasound system for hyperthermia treatment of breast cancer. Focused ultrasound has significant potential as a therapy delivery device because it can focus sufficient heating energy below the skin surface with minimal damage to intervening tissue. However, as a practical therapy system, the focal zone is generally quite small and requires either electronic (in the case of a phased array system) or mechanical steering (for a fixed bowl transducer) to cover a therapeutically useful area. We have devised a simple automated steering system consisting of a focused bowl transducer supported by three vertically movable rods which are connected to computer controlled linear actuators. This scheme is particularly attractive for breast cancer hyperthermia where the support rods can be fed through the base of a liquid coupling tank to treat tumors within the breast while coupled to our noninvasive microwave thermal imaging system. A MATLAB routine has been developed for controlling the rod motion such that the beam focal point scans a horizontal spiral and the subsequent heating zone is cylindrical. In coordination with this effort, a 3D finite element thermal model has been developed to evaluate the temperature distributions from the scanned focused heating. In this way, scanning protocols can be optimized to deliver the most uniform temperature rise to the desired location.

Algorithmic Enhancements for Unsteady Aerodynamics and Combustion Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkateswaran, Sankaran; Olsen, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Research in the FY01 focused on the analysis and development of enhanced algorithms for unsteady aerodynamics and chemically reacting flowfields. The research was performed in support of NASA Ames' efforts to improve the capabilities of the in-house computational fluid dynamics code, OVERFLOW. Specifically, the research was focused on the four areas: (1) investigation of stagnation region effects; (2) unsteady preconditioning dual-time procedures; (3) dissipation formulation for combustion; and (4) time-stepping methods for combustion.

Automated Array Assembly, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carbajal, B. G.

1979-01-01

The Automated Array Assembly Task, Phase 2 of the Low Cost Silicon Solar Array Project is a process development task. The contract provides for the fabrication of modules from large area tandem junction cells (TJC). During this quarter, effort was focused on the design of a large area, approximately 36 sq cm, TJC and process verification runs. The large area TJC design was optimized for minimum I squared R power losses. In the TJM activity, the cell-module interfaces were defined, module substrates were formed and heat treated and clad metal interconnect strips were fabricated.

Engaging adolescents in tuberculosis and clinical trial research through drama.

PubMed

Schmidt, Bey-Marrié; Abrams, Amber; Tameris, Michele

2016-04-06

The South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative is based in Worcester where tuberculosis (TB) is endemic, and incidence rates are amongst the highest nationally. In high TB burden settings after an early childhood peak, incidence rates start to rise again in adolescents, therefore they are an important target group for tuberculosis vaccine research. In 2012, learners from a local school developed a one-off theatrical production out of an educational comic book Carina's Choice, developed by the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative in 2010. A Wellcome Trust International Engagement grant allowed for this one-off production to be further developed, with input from university students and staff, and rolled out to schools in the Worcester area as an engagement and education intervention. Focus group feedback was used to identify key messages and to develop the play's script. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyse relevant data. Interviews were conducted with learner-actors, pre- and post-focus group feedback was obtained from a sample of school-going adolescents, and pre- and post-questionnaires were administered to adolescent audience members. From the pre-drama focus group discussions, topics such as TB symptoms, stigma and transmission were identified as areas that needed attention. After the performances, adolescents showed improved knowledge on the identified topics and they discussed TB prevention measures. They highlighted transmission of TB during pregnancy as a further topic to be addressed in future iterations of the drama. Although stigma is a difficult phenomenon to interpret, post-drama participants understood that TB transmission could occur in all individuals. Learner-actors agreed with focus group participants that the play could impact the wider community if it were rolled out. Feedback from the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative staff verified that recruitment for an upcoming trial was facilitated by the preparedness that the play provided in recruitment areas. The study showed that before and after evaluations provide data on the usefulness of the play as an education tool. Theatre, presented and motivated by adolescent peers, can raise awareness of TB, and assist clinical trial preparedness and further engagement between trial staff and their trial community.

Printable Electrochemical Biosensors: A Focus on Screen-Printed Electrodes and Their Application

PubMed Central

Yamanaka, Keiichiro; Vestergaard, Mun’delanji C.; Tamiya, Eiichi

2016-01-01

In this review we present electrochemical biosensor developments, focusing on screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) and their applications. In particular, we discuss how SPEs enable simple integration, and the portability needed for on-field applications. First, we briefly discuss the general concept of biosensors and quickly move on to electrochemical biosensors. Drawing from research undertaken in this area, we cover the development of electrochemical DNA biosensors in great detail. Through specific examples, we describe the fabrication and surface modification of printed electrodes for sensitive and selective detection of targeted DNA sequences, as well as integration with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). For a more rounded approach, we also touch on electrochemical immunosensors and enzyme-based biosensors. Last, we present some electrochemical devices specifically developed for use with SPEs, including USB-powered compact mini potentiostat. The coupling demonstrates the practical use of printable electrode technologies for application at point-of-use. Although tremendous advances have indeed been made in this area, a few challenges remain. One of the main challenges is application of these technologies for on-field analysis, which involves complicated sample matrices. PMID:27775661

The Nuclear Energy Knowledge and Validation Center Summary of Activities Conducted in FY16

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gougar, Hans David

The Nuclear Energy Knowledge and Validation Center (NEKVaC) is a new initiative by the Department of Energy (DOE) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to coordinate and focus the resources and expertise that exist with the DOE toward solving issues in modern nuclear code validation and knowledge management. In time, code owners, users, and developers will view the NEKVaC as a partner and essential resource for acquiring the best practices and latest techniques for validating codes, providing guidance in planning and executing experiments, facilitating access to and maximizing the usefulness of existing data, and preserving knowledge for continual use by nuclearmore » professionals and organizations for their own validation needs. The scope of the NEKVaC covers many interrelated activities that will need to be cultivated carefully in the near term and managed properly once the NEKVaC is fully functional. Three areas comprise the principal mission: (1) identify and prioritize projects that extend the field of validation science and its application to modern codes, (2) develop and disseminate best practices and guidelines for high-fidelity multiphysics/multiscale analysis code development and associated experiment design, and (3) define protocols for data acquisition and knowledge preservation and provide a portal for access to databases currently scattered among numerous organizations. These mission areas, while each having a unique focus, are interdependent and complementary. Likewise, all activities supported by the NEKVaC, both near term and long term, must possess elements supporting all three areas. This cross cutting nature is essential to ensuring that activities and supporting personnel do not become “stove piped” (i.e., focused a specific function that the activity itself becomes the objective rather than achieving the larger vision). This report begins with a description of the mission areas; specifically, the role played by each major committee and the types of activities for which they are responsible. It then lists and describes the proposed near term tasks upon which future efforts can build.« less

High Resolution Mapping of Soils and Landforms for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, Christopher S.; Li, Shuang

2014-01-01

The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), a major component of California's renewable energy planning efforts, is intended to provide effective protection and conservation of desert ecosystems, while allowing for the sensible development of renewable energy projects. This NASA mapping report was developed to support the DRECP and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We outline in this document remote sensing image processing methods to deliver new maps of biological soils crusts, sand dune movements, desert pavements, and sub-surface water sources across the DRECP area. We focused data processing first on the largely unmapped areas most likely to be used for energy developments, such as those within Renewable Energy Study Areas (RESA) and Solar Energy Zones (SEZs). We used imagery (multispectral and radar) mainly from the years 2009-2011.

Computer-Based Access to Patient Care Guidelines

PubMed Central

Oliver, Diane E.; Estey, Greg; Ford, Penny; Burke, Sheila M.; Teplick, Richard S.; Zielstorff, Rita D.; Barnett, G. Octo

1990-01-01

As health care becomes more complex and expensive, interest in the potential benefits of developing and implementing patient care guidelines has emerged. We propose that a hypertext-based system designed to deal with patient-specific problems can provide a valuable method of access to such guidelines. Because intensive care medicine is one area which has become extraordinarily complex in recent years, we have chosen this as an area in which the need exists for readily accessible expertise. More specifically, in this project we are focusing on the development and implementation of guidelines for troubleshooting problems associated with the of a pulmonary artery catheter.

NASA Subsonic Rotary Wing Project - Structures and Materials Discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halbig, Michael C.; Johnson, Susan M.

2008-01-01

The Structures & Materials Discipline within the NASA Subsonic Rotary Wing Project is focused on developing rotorcraft technologies. The technologies being developed are within the task areas of: 5.1.1 Life Prediction Methods for Engine Structures & Components 5.1.2 Erosion Resistant Coatings for Improved Turbine Blade Life 5.2.1 Crashworthiness 5.2.2 Methods for Prediction of Fatigue Damage & Self Healing 5.3.1 Propulsion High Temperature Materials 5.3.2 Lightweight Structures and Noise Integration The presentation will discuss rotorcraft specific technical challenges and needs as well as details of the work being conducted in the six task areas.

Chronological evaluation of urban growth and area expansion in Aguascalientes, Mexico using remotely sensed and ancillary mapped data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Falquier, Leticia G.; Quattrochi, Dale A.; Pelletier, Ramona E.

1990-01-01

The study describes some efforts to assist the mapping procedure of Mexican towns and cities by focusing on the analysis of urban changes that have occurred in the city of Aguascalientes. To evaluate urban growth trends in Aguascalientes, historic maps of land cover, aerial photography, and SPOT data were reviewed between the period of 1857 and 1988 to determine urban boundaries. Additional analyses focused on identifying the extent and pattern of growth in reference to urban development plans initiated in 1978, and on assessing the impact of relocating people and industry after the Mexico City earthquake. Results from the study indicate a steady growth in areal expansion and population in the Aguascalientes area between 1978 and 1988.

She Got Game! Women in Sports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffle, Kathy

2002-01-01

Focuses on library collection development in the area of women in sports. Discusses Title IX, selecting titles, and prominent publishers in the field; and includes an annotated bibliography that includes encyclopedias, history, athletes, how-to books, coaching, general sports, magazines, and Web sites. (LRW)

Information Power: Student Achievement is the Bottom Line.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harada, Violet; Donham, Jean

1998-01-01

Focuses on the student-centered "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning" mission for school library media programs, and the corresponding information literacy standards. Discusses examples of content-area standards; instructional roles; and three strategies for developing an integrated library media program--collaborating with…

Challenges and Considerations When Conducting an Online Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leh, Amy Sheng Chieh; Som, Yahya Mat

This paper reports challenges of and suggestions for conducting online courses, focusing on the following areas: (1) instructional format, including transferring classroom activities to online activities without affecting students' concentration, motivation, thought, mastery, and comprehension; (2) methods of instruction, including developing an…

Key Performance Indicators for Primary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strand, Steve

Focusing mostly on their application for primary schools, this document describes the educational key performance indicators (KPI) employed by the Wendsworth, England, Local Educational Authority (LEA). Indicators are divided into 3 areas, educational context, resource development, and outcomes. Contextual indicators include pupil mobility, home…

Applied research on glucansucrases

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although glycansucrases have been known for over 70 years, they remain relatively unknown except to a small group of researchers. Practical, applied research on glycansucrases has been focused on certain key areas. The earliest of these was the development of blood plasma extenders from dextran, d...

Probabilistic Simulation of Territorial Seismic Scenarios

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baratta, Alessandro; Corbi, Ileana

2008-07-08

The paper is focused on a stochastic process for the prevision of seismic scenarios on the territory and developed by means of some basic assumptions in the procedure and by elaborating the fundamental parameters recorded during some ground motions occurred in a seismic area.

Pilot testing of SHRP 2 reliability data and analytical products: Minnesota.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

The Minnesota pilot site has undertaken an effort to test data and analytical tools developed through the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) 2 Reliability focus area. The purpose of these tools is to facilitate the improvement of travel time r...

The Philosophy of Personal Epistemology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holma, Katariina; Hyytinen, Heidi

2015-01-01

In higher education, "personal epistemology" is today a significant research area. Personal epistemology has been seen as promising particularly because it focuses on one of the general learning aims of many contemporary universities, namely, the development of students' creative and critical thinking. The article identifies serious…

Integrating meso- and micro-simulation models to evaluate traffic management strategies - year 1 : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

In this project the researchers developed a hierarchical multi-resolution traffic simulation system for metropolitan areas, referred to as MetroSim. Categorically, the focus is on integrating two types of simulation: microscopic simulation in which i...

Transcultural Nursing Education: A Worldwide Imperative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leininger, Madeleine

1994-01-01

The nursing profession must make changes in all aspects of nursing as it shifts from a largely unicultural to multicultural focus to prepare thousands of nurses in the growing and imperative area of transcultural nursing in curriculum development, research, teaching, clinical practice, and consultation. (JOW)

High accuracy-nationwide differential global positioning system test and analysis : phase II report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-07-01

The High Accuracy-Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (HA-NDGPS) program focused on the development of compression and broadcast techniques to provide users over a large area wit very accurate radio navigation solutions. The goal was ac...

Preparing Mainstream Classroom Teachers of English Learner Students: Grounding Practice-Based Designs for Teacher Learning in Theories of Adaptive Expertise Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Von Esch, Kerry Soo; Kavanagh, Sarah Schneider

2018-01-01

Preparing classroom teachers to teach English Learner (EL) students continues to challenge teacher educators. This article argues for EL teaching work to be situated within theories of professional learning that focus on developing teachers who can flexibly and innovatively integrate EL instructional practice into content area teaching. We propose…

America COMPETES Act: Programs, Funding, and Selected Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-17

semiconductor industry, was created.7 Additional congressional actions also focused on increasing corporate spending on research and development in...Federal Policy, and Legislative Action , by Jeffrey J. Kuenzi. 44 Bureau of Economic Analysis/National Science Foundation, “2007 Research and Development...government consider a civilian technology corporation or a civilian technology agency, in limited areas, including energy research .80 A similar action

Characterization of Residues from the Detonation of Insensitive Munitions

DTIC Science & Technology

Unfortunately, many energetic compounds are toxic or harmful to the environment and human health. The US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering...Laboratory and Defence Research and Development Canada Valcartier have developed methods through SERDP and ESTCP programs that enable the reproducible...reproducible method for energetics residues characterization research . SERDP Project ER-2219 is focused on three areas: determining mass DEPOSITION and

Biopedagogies and Indigenous Knowledge: Examining Sport for Development and Peace for Urban Indigenous Young Women in Canada and Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayhurst, Lyndsay M. C.; Giles, Audrey R.; Wright, Jan

2016-01-01

This paper uses transnational postcolonial feminist participatory action research (TPFPAR) to examine two sport for development and peace (SDP) initiatives that focus on Indigenous young women residing in urban areas, one in Vancouver, Canada, and one in Perth, Australia. We examine how SDP programs that target urban Indigenous young women and…

Explicitly Targeting Pre-Service Teacher Scientific Reasoning Abilities and Understanding of Nature of Science through an Introductory Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koenig, Kathleen; Schen, Melissa; Bao, Lei

2012-01-01

Development of a scientifically literate citizenry has become a national focus and highlights the need for K-12 students to develop a solid foundation of scientific reasoning abilities and an understanding of nature of science, along with appropriate content knowledge. This implies that teachers must also be competent in these areas; but…

Discover the World of Independent Living: An Independent Living Skills Curriculum and a Guide to the Implementation of the Curriculum. October 1, 1981-December 31, 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leavitt, Karen J.; Terrell, Glenn J.

This independent living skills curriculum addresses the needs of developmentally handicapped students ages 13-19. Designed to supplement the existing curriculum, nine units focus on the following skill areas: social skills (self-esteem, self-identity, social communication and interaction, goal development, problem solving, developing sexual…

Ties That Bond: Youth Sport as a Vehicle for Social Identity and Positive Youth Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruner, Mark W.; Balish, Shea M.; Forrest, Christopher; Brown, Sarah; Webber, Kristine; Gray, Emily; McGuckin, Matthew; Keats, Melanie R.; Rehman, Laurene; Shields, Christopher A.

2017-01-01

An emerging area of research has focused on understanding how the group dynamics of a sport team influence positive youth development (PYD). The identities that youth form through their membership in sport teams (i.e., social identities) have been found to influence teammate behavior and team performance. Yet, minimal work exists on social…

Adapted Physical Education, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy in the Public School. Procedures and Recommended Guidelines (Revised 1997).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

This manual is designed to assist Colorado personnel in developing and providing adapted physical education, occupational therapy, and physical therapy to Colorado public school students who have needs in the motor area. Guidelines are presented that have been developed to focus on the problems encountered by students with needs in the physical…

Management Development Programs: The Effects of Management Level and Corporate Strategy. [and] Invited Reaction: Level and Strategy Should and Do Make a Difference!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blakely, Gerald L.; And Others

1994-01-01

Consensus of survey responses from 155 of 600 human resource managers was as follows: management development programs emphasized technical skills at lower levels, entrepreneurial skills at senior levels; organizations with corporate growth strategies focused on more areas than those with stability or retrenchment strategies. (Muschewske's reaction…

Interactive Textbook--A New Tool in Off-Line and On-Line Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solcova, Lucia

2016-01-01

Implementation of ICT in the educational process has allowed us especially in the last decade to fully develop cognitive and psychomotor skills of students. A typical example is the use of multimedia, through which the learner gradually formed and developed their skills in the area of sensory perception. The paper is focused on one of the modern…

Developing, Using, and Interacting in the Flipped Learning Movement: Gaps among Subject Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsin-liang; Summers, Kevin L.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current video collection of an open-access video website (TED-Ed). The research questions focus on its content as evidence of development, its viewership as evidence of use, and flipping as evidence of interaction in informal learning. In late September 2013, 686 video lessons were posted on the…

Planning Guide for Consumer Education...Grades K-12: A Pilot Program Developed in the Westborough Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Framingham State Coll., MA.

Suggested learning activities for teaching consumer education to K-12 students which can be integrated into the regular curriculum are provided in the guide. The guide is divided into four areas which focus on the different roles of the consumer: (1) the consumer's values and goals--self-development, health and safety, decision making, and…

A Self Rating Scale as a Pre and Post Assessment Tool for Use with Instructional Modules.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gotts, Sandra Harris

This article describes a self rating pre- and post-assessment instrument that has been developed at the Central Michigan University (CMU). Nine instructional modules have been developed and are being used in science methods courses at CMU. Each module focuses on an identified area of competency for elementary science teachers and contains a…

Vaccine and Drug Ontology Studies (VDOS 2014).

PubMed

Tao, Cui; He, Yongqun; Arabandi, Sivaram

2016-01-01

The "Vaccine and Drug Ontology Studies" (VDOS) international workshop series focuses on vaccine- and drug-related ontology modeling and applications. Drugs and vaccines have been critical to prevent and treat human and animal diseases. Work in both (drugs and vaccines) areas is closely related - from preclinical research and development to manufacturing, clinical trials, government approval and regulation, and post-licensure usage surveillance and monitoring. Over the last decade, tremendous efforts have been made in the biomedical ontology community to ontologically represent various areas associated with vaccines and drugs - extending existing clinical terminology systems such as SNOMED, RxNorm, NDF-RT, and MedDRA, developing new models such as the Vaccine Ontology (VO) and Ontology of Adverse Events (OAE), vernacular medical terminologies such as the Consumer Health Vocabulary (CHV). The VDOS workshop series provides a platform for discussing innovative solutions as well as the challenges in the development and applications of biomedical ontologies for representing and analyzing drugs and vaccines, their administration, host immune responses, adverse events, and other related topics. The five full-length papers included in this 2014 thematic issue focus on two main themes: (i) General vaccine/drug-related ontology development and exploration, and (ii) Interaction and network-related ontology studies.

The current status of biomarkers for predicting toxicity

PubMed Central

Campion, Sarah; Aubrecht, Jiri; Boekelheide, Kim; Brewster, David W; Vaidya, Vishal S; Anderson, Linnea; Burt, Deborah; Dere, Edward; Hwang, Kathleen; Pacheco, Sara; Saikumar, Janani; Schomaker, Shelli; Sigman, Mark; Goodsaid, Federico

2013-01-01

Introduction There are significant rates of attrition in drug development. A number of compounds fail to progress past preclinical development due to limited tools that accurately monitor toxicity in preclinical studies and in the clinic. Research has focused on improving tools for the detection of organ-specific toxicity through the identification and characterization of biomarkers of toxicity. Areas covered This article reviews what we know about emerging biomarkers in toxicology, with a focus on the 2012 Northeast Society of Toxicology meeting titled ‘Translational Biomarkers in Toxicology.’ The areas covered in this meeting are summarized and include biomarkers of testicular injury and dysfunction, emerging biomarkers of kidney injury and translation of emerging biomarkers from preclinical species to human populations. The authors also provide a discussion about the biomarker qualification process and possible improvements to this process. Expert opinion There is currently a gap between the scientific work in the development and qualification of novel biomarkers for nonclinical drug safety assessment and how these biomarkers are actually used in drug safety assessment. A clear and efficient path to regulatory acceptance is needed so that breakthroughs in the biomarker toolkit for nonclinical drug safety assessment can be utilized to aid in the drug development process. PMID:23961847

Midwifery: "at the edge of history".

PubMed

Dahlen, H

2006-03-01

The paper focuses on possible future pathways in maternity care for midwives and nations to consider. The paper blends personal and professional experiences to outline priority areas facing midwives in the future. It begins by examining maternal mortality and morbidity in the developing world and considering the potential of the ten high priority action messages (1997) in helping to improve the plight of women and children in the future. The paper then examines major issues facing midwives in the developed world including: the way birth is viewed; the medical-midwifery divide; marketing midwifery; and finally the challenge of dealing with fear around birth. The third part of the paper examines a part of society where the two worlds meet and there are issues from both the developed and developing world to consider. The paper focuses on women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women birthing in remote and rural areas. By looking at these three worlds separately the paper examines different concerns facing midwives in the future but also draws on common issues that face us all as citizens of this planet and particularly as predominantly women. The paper challenges midwives to be politically active and dare to change the world.

[Analysis on the trend of innovation and development in the field of ophthalmology].

PubMed

Shan, L H; An, X Y; Xu, M M; Fan, S P; Zhong, H; Ni, P; Chi, H

2018-06-11

Objective: To systematically analyze the innovation and development trend in the field of ophthalmology. Methods: The latest ophthalmology funding program from the National Eye Institute and National Natural Science Foundation of China, and funding project for 2012 to 2016 from the National Institutes of Health, National Natural Science Foundation of China and National key research and development plan of China was collected. Using the comparative analysis method, the major ophthalmology funding areas at home and abroad were analyzed. Papers published in 2012 to 2016 in the field of ophthalmology were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection, among which ESI highly cited papers and hot papers were particularly selected. Using bibliometric methods, the time trend of the number of papers and the citation frequency were analyzed. Using the co-occurrence cluster analysis method, the continued focuses and emerging concerns of ophthalmology papers was analyzed. Results: The funding plan of the National Eye Institute mainly covers nine major diseases in ophthalmology. NSFC focuses on retinal damage and repair mechanisms. The National Key Research and Development Program of China focuses on research on high-end ophthalmic implants. NIH continues to focus on the molecular mechanisms of blinding eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, corneal disease and cataracts, basic research in genetics, and advanced diagnostic techniques such as imaging. Latest areas of interest involve gene editing techniques and the application of stem cell technology in ophthalmology. In China, research and application of stem cells in ophthalmic diseases, intraocular sustained-release drug carrier, and precision medicine research in ophthalmology are emerging areas of funding. In 2012 to 2016, research topics of 168 papers collected by ESI focused on macular degeneration, retinal diseases, glaucoma and other eye diseases. How to quickly promote new drugs and new technological achievements to the clinical application is a problem in the field of ophthalmology. How to change the ophthalmology clinic model, so as to provide patients with convenient and quality service, has become a research topic that needs to be given attention to. Conclusions: Based on the multidimensional analysis of innovation and development in the field of ophthalmology, cross application and integration of ophthalmology and high - tech fields such as advanced imaging technology, stem cell technology, gene editing technology, molecular targeting, and artificial intelligence will provide a strong basis for the enhancement of China's ophthalmology research innovation and international competitiveness. Research efforts for ophthalmic transformation should be strengthened, in order to realize the clinical application of the achievements as soon as possible. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2018, 54: 452 - 463) .

New Energy Efficient Housing Has Reduced Carbon Footprints in Outer but Not in Inner Urban Areas.

PubMed

Ottelin, Juudit; Heinonen, Jukka; Junnila, Seppo

2015-08-18

Avoiding urban sprawl and increasing density are often considered as effective means to mitigate climate change through urban planning. However, there have been rapid technological changes in the fields of housing energy and private driving, and the development is continuing. In this study, we analyze the carbon footprints of the residents living in new housing in different urban forms in Finland. We compare the new housing to existing housing stock. In all areas, the emissions from housing energy were significantly lower in new buildings. However, in the inner urban areas the high level of consumption, mostly due to higher affluence, reverse the gains of energy efficient new housing. The smallest carbon footprints were found in newly built outer and peri-urban areas, also when income level differences were taken into account. Rather than strengthening the juxtaposition of urban and suburban areas, we suggest that it would be smarter to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both modes of living and develop a more systemic strategy that would result in greater sustainability in both areas. Since such strategy does not exist yet, it should be researched and practically developed. It would be beneficial to focus on area specific mitigation measures.

Advanced Life Support Research and Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kliss, Mark

2001-01-01

A videograph outlining life support research. The Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise's goals are to provide life support self-sufficiency for human beings to carry out research and exploration productively in space, to open the door for planetary exploration, and for benefits on Earth. Topics presented include the role of NASA Ames, funding, and technical monitoring. The focused research areas discussed include air regeneration, carbon dioxide removal, Mars Life Support, water recovery, Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal (VPCAR), solid waste treatment, and Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWC). Focus is placed on the utilization of Systems Integration, Modeling and Analysis (SIMA) and Dynamic Systems Modeling in this research.

Boost-phase discrimination research activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, David M.; Deiwert, George S.

1989-01-01

Theoretical research in two areas was performed. The aerothermodynamics research focused on the hard-body and rocket plume flows. Analytical real gas models to describe finite rate chemistry were developed and incorporated into the three-dimensional flow codes. New numerical algorithms capable of treating multi-species reacting gas equations and treating flows with large gradients were also developed. The computational chemistry research focused on the determination of spectral radiative intensity factors, transport properties and reaction rates. Ab initio solutions to the Schrodinger equation provided potential energy curves transition moments (radiative probabilities and strengths) and potential energy surfaces. These surfaces were then coupled with classical particle reactive trajectories to compute reaction cross-sections and rates.

Occupation and urbanization of Roraima State, Brazil.

PubMed

Diniz, A

1997-01-01

The author examines settlement patterns and urbanization of the remote area of Roraima State, Brazil. "A survey conducted in the capital city, Boa Vista, provides information on migration histories and migrants' characteristics.... Current views of urbanization of the Amazon [region] are focused on the displacement factor that development and state geopolitics have upon rural settlements...." The author also suggests that more attention needs to be paid to the characteristics of migrants in the urban areas. (EXCERPT)

Mangroves and Seawalls. "Increased Pressure for Land Fill Will Cause More and More Stress to Natural Areas." Grades 7 and 8. A Three Lesson Unit. Student Learning Activity Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, James

This module is an activity/discussion-centered unit focusing on the importance of shoreline surface area. The module is part of a series designed to be used by teachers, students, and community members to help them utilize community resources in developing and teaching environmental concepts and responsibility, and in seeking ways to solve…

Variation et heterogeneite de recits en francais de jeunes eleves tunisiens (Variation and Heterogeneity of the French Narrative Productions of Young Tunisian Students).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anane, Chiraz

2001-01-01

This study analyzes narrative productions in the French of 10 Tunisian pupils selected from 2 schools (1 in an urban area, 1 in a rural area) in Tunisia (Tunis). The purpose of the study was to observe the development of the French language in native Tunisian Arabic speakers. Particular attention is focused on the narrative structure and time…

NV PFA Regional Data

DOE Data Explorer

James Faulds

2015-10-28

This project focused on defining geothermal play fairways and development of a detailed geothermal potential map of a large transect across the Great Basin region (96,000 km2), with the primary objective of facilitating discovery of commercial-grade, blind geothermal fields (i.e. systems with no surface hot springs or fumaroles) and thereby accelerating geothermal development in this promising region. Data included in this submission consists of: structural settings (target areas, recency of faulting, slip and dilation potential, slip rates, quality), regional-scale strain rates, earthquake density and magnitude, gravity data, temperature at 3 km depth, permeability models, favorability models, degree of exploration and exploration opportunities, data from springs and wells, transmission lines and wilderness areas, and published maps and theses for the Nevada Play Fairway area.

Animal board invited review: precision livestock farming for dairy cows with a focus on oestrus detection.

PubMed

Mottram, T

2016-10-01

Dairy cows are high value farm animals requiring careful management to achieve the best results. Since the advent of robotic and high throughput milking, the traditional few minutes available for individual human attention daily has disappeared and new automated technologies have been applied to improve monitoring of dairy cow production, nutrition, fertility, health and welfare. Cows milked by robots must meet legal requirements to detect healthy milk. This review focuses on emerging technical approaches in those areas of high cost to the farmer (fertility, metabolic disorders, mastitis, lameness and calving). The availability of low cost tri-axial accelerometers and wireless telemetry has allowed accurate models of behaviour to be developed and sometimes combined with rumination activity detected by acoustic sensors to detect oestrus; other measures (milk and skin temperature, electronic noses, milk yield) have been abandoned. In-line biosensors have been developed to detect markers for ovulation, pregnancy, lactose, mastitis and metabolic changes. Wireless telemetry has been applied to develop boluses for monitoring the rumen pH and temperature to detect metabolic disorders. Udder health requires a multisensing approach due to the varying inflammatory responses collectively described as mastitis. Lameness can be detected by walk over weigh cells, but also by various types of video image analysis and speed measurement. Prediction and detection of calving time is an area of active research mostly focused on behavioural change.

Metrics for building performance assurance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koles, G.; Hitchcock, R.; Sherman, M.

This report documents part of the work performed in phase I of a Laboratory Directors Research and Development (LDRD) funded project entitled Building Performance Assurances (BPA). The focus of the BPA effort is to transform the way buildings are built and operated in order to improve building performance by facilitating or providing tools, infrastructure, and information. The efforts described herein focus on the development of metrics with which to evaluate building performance and for which information and optimization tools need to be developed. The classes of building performance metrics reviewed are (1) Building Services (2) First Costs, (3) Operating Costs,more » (4) Maintenance Costs, and (5) Energy and Environmental Factors. The first category defines the direct benefits associated with buildings; the next three are different kinds of costs associated with providing those benefits; the last category includes concerns that are broader than direct costs and benefits to the building owner and building occupants. The level of detail of the various issues reflect the current state of knowledge in those scientific areas and the ability of the to determine that state of knowledge, rather than directly reflecting the importance of these issues; it intentionally does not specifically focus on energy issues. The report describes work in progress and is intended as a resource and can be used to indicate the areas needing more investigation. Other reports on BPA activities are also available.« less

Space Environments and Effects Concept: Transitioning Research to Operations and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, David L.; Spann, James; Burns, Howard D.; Schumacher, Dan

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is embarking on a course to expand human presence beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) while expanding its mission to explore the solar system. Destinations such as Near Earth Asteroids (NEA), Mars and its moons, and the outer planets are but a few of the mission targets. NASA has established numerous offices specializing in specific space environments disciplines that will serve to enable these missions. To complement these existing discipline offices, a concept focusing on the development of space environment and effects application is presented. This includes space climate, space weather, and natural and induced space environments. This space environment and effects application is composed of 4 topic areas; characterization and modeling, engineering effects, prediction and operation, and mitigation and avoidance. These topic areas are briefly described below. Characterization and modeling of space environments will primarily focus on utilization during Program mission concept, planning, and design phases. Engineering effects includes materials testing and flight experiments producing data to be used in mission planning and design phases. Prediction and operation pulls data from existing sources into decision-making tools and empirical data sets to be used during the operational phase of a mission. Mitigation and avoidance will develop techniques and strategies used in the design and operations phases of the mission. The goal of this space environment and effects application is to develop decision-making tools and engineering products to support the mission phases of mission concept through operations by focusing on transitioning research to operations. Products generated by this space environments and effects application are suitable for use in anomaly investigations. This paper will outline the four topic areas, describe the need, and discuss an organizational structure for this space environments and effects application.

Green Infrastructure, Groundwater and the Sustainable City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Band, L. E.

2014-12-01

The management of water is among the most important attributes of urbanization. Provision of sufficient quantities and quality of freshwater, treatment and disposal of wastewater and flood protection are critical for urban sustainability. Over the last century, two major shifts in water management paradigms have occurred, the first to improve public health with the provision of infrastructure for centralized sanitary effluent collection and treatment, and the rapid drainage and routing of stormwater. A current shift in paradigm is now occurring in response to the unintended consequences of sanitary and stormwater management, which have degraded downstream water bodies and shifted flood hazard downstream. Current infrastructure is being designed and implemented to retain, rather than rapidly drain, stormwater, with a focus on infiltration based methods. In urban areas, this amounts to a shift in hydrologic behavior to depression focused recharge. While stormwater is defined as surface flow resulting from developed areas, an integrated hydrologic systems approach to urban water management requires treatment of the full critical zone. In urban areas this extends from the top of the vegetation and building canopy, to a subsurface depth including natural soils, fill, saprolite and bedrock. In addition to matric and network flow in fracture systems, an urban "karst" includes multiple generations of current and past infrastructure, which has developed extensive subsurface pipe networks for supply and drainage, enhancing surface/groundwater flows and exchange. In this presentation, Band will discuss the need to focus on the urban critical zone, and the development and adaptation of new modeling and analytical approaches to understand and plan green infrastructure based on surface/groundwater/ecosystem interactions, and implications for the restoration and new design of cities.

Missing focus on Human Factors – organizational and cognitive ergonomics – in the safety management for the petroleum industry

PubMed Central

Johnsen, Stig O; Kilskar, Stine Skaufel; Fossum, Knut Robert

2017-01-01

More attention has recently been given to Human Factors in petroleum accident investigations. The Human Factors areas examined in this article are organizational, cognitive and physical ergonomics. A key question to be explored is as follows: To what degree are the petroleum industry and safety authorities in Norway focusing on these Human Factors areas from the design phase? To investigate this, we conducted an innovative exploratory study of the development of four control centres in Norwegian oil and gas industry in collaboration between users, management and Human Factors experts. We also performed a literature survey and discussion with the professional Human Factors network in Norway. We investigated the Human Factors focus, reasons for not considering Human Factors and consequences of missing Human Factors in safety management. The results revealed an immature focus and organization of Human Factors. Expertise on organizational ergonomics and cognitive ergonomics are missing from companies and safety authorities and are poorly prioritized during the development. The easy observable part of Human Factors (i.e. physical ergonomics) is often in focus. Poor focus on Human Factors in the design process creates demanding conditions for human operators and impact safety and resilience. There is lack of non-technical skills such as communication and decision-making. New technical equipment such as Closed Circuit Television is implemented without appropriate use of Human Factors standards. Human Factors expertise should be involved as early as possible in the responsible organizations. Verification and validation of Human Factors should be improved and performed from the start, by certified Human Factors experts in collaboration with the workforce. The authorities should check-back that the regulatory framework of Human Factors is communicated, understood and followed. PMID:29278242

Robotics in cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Vassiliades, Thomas A

2006-03-01

The current status of surgical telemanipulators in the field of cardiac surgery is best described as a device in search of applications, as its role has not been clearly defined. Basic robotic technological research and development needs to focus on two key areas: (a) developing methods for modeling patient and surgical procedures with the ability to employ that customized information in the successful completion of a minimally invasive operation; and (b) developing novel human machine interactions that can overcome the barriers we currently face in performing surgical tasks using telemanipulators. Significant breakthroughs in these areas will then facilitate the construction and employment of enabling robotic systems, each with its specific clinical application. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessing the Sustainable Development of Coastal Reclamation: A Case of Makassar Using GIS Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurnita, A.; Trisutomo, S.; Ali, M.

2017-07-01

Reclamation has been made in many areas in Indonesia including Makassar, as a response to the present needs of land as the impact of human activity in urban area. This research aims to assess the sustainable development of coastal reclamation and focus on environmental dimension of sustainable urban development. Assessment will be done by reclamation sustainability index (RSI) and analysis by GIS as the tools. RSI was built from previous research that has simplified from many researches and analysis by Structure of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and expert choice. RSI uses 9 indices from three indicators of environment factor which are coastal resources, building and infrastructure.

Ecology and conservation: contributions to One Health.

PubMed

Cleaveland, S; Borner, M; Gislason, M

2014-08-01

Although One Health is widely promoted as a more effective approach towards human, animal and ecosystem health, the momentum is still driven largely by health professionals, predominantly from the veterinary sector. While few can doubt the merits of interdisciplinary One Health approaches to tackle complex health problems, operating across the disciplines still presents many challenges. This paper focuses on the contributions of partners from ecology and conservation to One Health approaches, and identifies four broad areas which could act as a focus for practical engagement and bring ecological and conservation objectives more to the forefront of the One Health agenda: i) developing initiatives with shared conservation and health objectives, particularly in and around protected areas and including programmes addressing human reproductive health and mental health; ii) broadening concepts of health to extend beyond indicators of disease to include the assessment of ecological impacts; iii) the integration of ecological and epidemiological monitoring systems within protected areas to support conservation management and wildlife disease surveillance; iv) building partnerships to bring conservation, health, development and animal welfare agencies together to combat threats to global biodiversity and health from the international trade in wildlife and wildlife products.

Biodesign process and culture to enable pediatric medical technology innovation.

PubMed

Wall, James; Wynne, Elizabeth; Krummel, Thomas

2015-06-01

Innovation is the process through which new scientific discoveries are developed and promoted from bench to bedside. In an effort to encourage young entrepreneurs in this area, Stanford Biodesign developed a medical device innovation training program focused on need-based innovation. The program focuses on teaching systematic evaluation of healthcare needs, invention, and concept development. This process can be applied to any field of medicine, including Pediatric Surgery. Similar training programs have gained traction throughout the United States and beyond. Equally important to process in the success of these programs is an institutional culture that supports transformative thinking. Key components of this culture include risk tolerance, patience, encouragement of creativity, management of conflict, and networking effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of shared decision-making resources to help inform difficult healthcare decisions: An example focused on dysvascular partial foot and transtibial amputations.

PubMed

Quigley, Matthew; Dillon, Michael P; Fatone, Stefania

2018-02-01

Shared decision making is a consultative process designed to encourage patient participation in decision making by providing accurate information about the treatment options and supporting deliberation with the clinicians about treatment options. The process can be supported by resources such as decision aids and discussion guides designed to inform and facilitate often difficult conversations. As this process increases in use, there is opportunity to raise awareness of shared decision making and the international standards used to guide the development of quality resources for use in areas of prosthetic/orthotic care. To describe the process used to develop shared decision-making resources, using an illustrative example focused on decisions about the level of dysvascular partial foot amputation or transtibial amputation. Development process: The International Patient Decision Aid Standards were used to guide the development of the decision aid and discussion guide focused on decisions about the level of dysvascular partial foot amputation or transtibial amputation. Examples from these shared decision-making resources help illuminate the stages of development including scoping and design, research synthesis, iterative development of a prototype, and preliminary testing with patients and clinicians not involved in the development process. Lessons learnt through the process, such as using the International Patient Decision Aid Standards checklist and development guidelines, may help inform others wanting to develop similar shared decision-making resources given the applicability of shared decision making to many areas of prosthetic-/orthotic-related practice. Clinical relevance Shared decision making is a process designed to guide conversations that help patients make an informed decision about their healthcare. Raising awareness of shared decision making and the international standards for development of high-quality decision aids and discussion guides is important as the approach is introduced in prosthetic-/orthotic-related practice.

An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holland-Bartels, Leslie; Pierce, Brenda

2011-01-01

On March 31, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a national strategy for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development. In that announcement, the Administration outlined a three-pronged approach (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010a): Development: "...expand development and production throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including resource-rich areas of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico..." Exploration: "...expand oil and gas exploration in frontier areas, such as the Arctic Ocean and areas in the Atlantic Ocean, to gather the information necessary to develop resources in the right places and the right ways." Conservation: "...calls for the protection of special areas like Bristol Bay in Alaska...national treasure[s] that we must protect for future generations." In a companion announcement (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010b), within the Administration's "Exploration" component, the Secretary asked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct an initial, independent evaluation of the science needs that would inform the Administration's consideration of the right places and the right ways in which to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic OCS, particularly focused on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (fig. 1).

Knowledge Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shariq, Syed Z.; Kutler, Paul (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The emergence of rapidly expanding technologies for distribution and dissemination of information and knowledge has brought to focus the opportunities for development of knowledge-based networks, knowledge dissemination and knowledge management technologies and their potential applications for enhancing productivity of knowledge work. The challenging and complex problems of the future can be best addressed by developing the knowledge management as a new discipline based on an integrative synthesis of hard and soft sciences. A knowledge management professional society can provide a framework for catalyzing the development of proposed synthesis as well as serve as a focal point for coordination of professional activities in the strategic areas of education, research and technology development. Preliminary concepts for the development of the knowledge management discipline and the professional society are explored. Within this context of knowledge management discipline and the professional society, potential opportunities for application of information technologies for more effectively delivering or transferring information and knowledge (i.e., resulting from the NASA's Mission to Planet Earth) for the development of policy options in critical areas of national and global importance (i.e., policy decisions in economic and environmental areas) can be explored, particularly for those policy areas where a global collaborative knowledge network is likely to be critical to the acceptance of the policies.

Farmers’s perception and strategies for the development of sustainable livelihoods in disaster prone areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anantanyu, S.; Suwarto; Suminah

2018-03-01

Empowerment is a strategy to develop and build economy and community in both physically and mentally. One effort is to help generate a plan for community development in disaster-prone areas. For that, this study aims to develop farmers profile, to describe farmer perception towards farming effort and to formulate the empowerment strategies in the development of sustainable livelihoods in disaster prone areas. This study uses mixed methods. Farmers population use in this study were live in two villages of landslides prone areas, that are Beruk and Wonorejo which belongs Jatiyoso Subdistrict Karanganyar regency (Central Java). In depth structured interview was conducted to 150 farmers under Focus Group Discussion (FGD) followed with. data analysis using SWOT analysis. The results showed level of farm management is in anxiety level, perception of farmers toward the availability of agricultural inputs is at a reasonable level and the agricultural information becomes the reduction factors. The result of QSPM matrix calculation through SWOT analysis on livelihood of agricultural, resulting some strategy according to the priority level that are development of conservation farming, strengthening the farmers capacity in agricultural products processing, strengthening farmer groups and improving the performance of agriculture extensionist.

Consolidation and development roadmap of the EMI middleware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kónya, B.; Aiftimiei, C.; Cecchi, M.; Field, L.; Fuhrmann, P.; Nilsen, J. K.; White, J.

2012-12-01

Scientific research communities have benefited recently from the increasing availability of computing and data infrastructures with unprecedented capabilities for large scale distributed initiatives. These infrastructures are largely defined and enabled by the middleware they deploy. One of the major issues in the current usage of research infrastructures is the need to use similar but often incompatible middleware solutions. The European Middleware Initiative (EMI) is a collaboration of the major European middleware providers ARC, dCache, gLite and UNICORE. EMI aims to: deliver a consolidated set of middleware components for deployment in EGI, PRACE and other Distributed Computing Infrastructures; extend the interoperability between grids and other computing infrastructures; strengthen the reliability of the services; establish a sustainable model to maintain and evolve the middleware; fulfil the requirements of the user communities. This paper presents the consolidation and development objectives of the EMI software stack covering the last two years. The EMI development roadmap is introduced along the four technical areas of compute, data, security and infrastructure. The compute area plan focuses on consolidation of standards and agreements through a unified interface for job submission and management, a common format for accounting, the wide adoption of GLUE schema version 2.0 and the provision of a common framework for the execution of parallel jobs. The security area is working towards a unified security model and lowering the barriers to Grid usage by allowing users to gain access with their own credentials. The data area is focusing on implementing standards to ensure interoperability with other grids and industry components and to reuse already existing clients in operating systems and open source distributions. One of the highlights of the infrastructure area is the consolidation of the information system services via the creation of a common information backbone.

DCCC Takes the TQM Plunge...And Tells How.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Entner, Donald

1993-01-01

Activities at Delaware County Community College (Pennsylvania) in implementing Total Quality Management are examined and compared with criteria used by the United States Chamber of Commerce for making quality awards to businesses. Assessed areas include management leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, employee development, teamwork,…

European Directions for Hypersonic Thermal Protection Systems and Hot Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, David E.

2007-01-01

This presentation will overview European Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and Hot Structures activities in Europe. The Europeans have a lot of very good work going on in the area. The presentation will discuss their emphasis on focused technology development for their flight vehicles.

WETLAND ASSESSMENT–THE QUESTIONS NOT BEING ASKED

EPA Science Inventory

Most work on wetland assessment has focused on the development of methods. The effective use of a method involves more than having a method. In a 2004 review of rapid assessment methods, Fennessey et al. recommended key areas for consideration when adopting existing methods or ...

Environmental Education Compendium for Water Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento.

Interdisciplinary by nature, environmental education is appropriate in any subject area and many educators often integrate environmental concepts into their lesson plans. This compendium of 109 collections of curriculum materials has been developed to assist educators in their selection of materials focusing on water resources. Curricula cover…

Biofuels and the bay: Characterizing health and ecosystem impacts in the Chesapeake

EPA Science Inventory

The global climate crisis has stimulated the search for alternative fuels. Biofuels have been the focus of a recent report by the Chesapeake Bay Commission that evaluated alternative fuel development efforts in the local area. Already under stress from anthropomorphic factors,...

Current issues in endoscope reprocessing and infection control during gastrointestinal endoscopy

PubMed Central

Nelson, Douglas B; Muscarella, Lawrence F

2006-01-01

The purpose of this article is to review the evidence regarding transmission of infection during gastrointestinal endoscopy, factors important in endoscope reprocessing and infection control, areas to focus on to improve compliance, and recent developments and advances in the field. PMID:16810740

Parasites, nutrition, immune responses, and biology of metabolic tissues

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nutritional immunology, immunometabolism, and identification of novel immunotherapeutic targets, are all areas of active investigation in the field of parasitology. This review is focused on the factors contributing to the ability of parasitic helminths to decrease the risk of developing type 1 dia...

23 CFR 924.9 - Planning.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... public roads; (E) Adopts a strategic safety goal; (F) Identifies key emphasis areas and describes a... infrastructure safety problems and opportunities on all public roads and all users, and focuses resources on... approved by the FHWA Division Administrator. (iii) Develop a High Risk Rural Roads program using safety...

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ALLERGIC ASPECTS OF ASTHMA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HIRT, MICHAEL L.

FOCUSED HISTORICALLY AND CHOSEN TO STIMULATE RESEARCH IN PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF ASTHMA, THE COLLECTION CONTAINS 18 PAPERS BY DIFFERENT AUTHORS. AREAS OF PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE COVERED ARE (1) PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH (ONE ARTICLE), (2) HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS, THEORETICAL MODELS, AND CORE PROBLEMS (THREE ARTICLES), AND (3) THE HYPOTHESIS,…

Science Guide for Secondary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia State Dept. of Education, Atlanta. Office of Instructional Services.

This six-chapter guide is designed to help Georgia teachers adopt or adapt various options into the local school's science curriculum. Major areas addressed in the chapters are: (1) secondary school curriculum development (focusing on performance objectives, sequencing the curriculum, evaluation, and scientific literacy); (2) teaching methods…

Developing a science teacher education course that supports student teachers' thinking and teaching about the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorensen, Pete; Newton, Len; McCarthy, Sue

2012-04-01

Background and purpose . This paper reports on part of an ongoing research project in England concerning the Nature of Science (NOS). The particular focus is on the initial thinking of the graduate scientists starting a one-year, Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course and the way the course approaches adopted influence their views and understanding of NOS and their teaching. The research is set against a wealth of literature indicating that teachers find it difficult to teach curricula that emphasise NOS. Thus a key impetus for research in this area has been to look for ways that beginning teachers might be better prepared to face such challenges. Sample The paper draws on data from three cohorts of secondary PGCE students in a university-schools partnership, involving a total of 169 students. Design and method The research lies within a design research tradition. It has used mixed methods, involving written tasks, interviews and focus groups, with an iterative approach where the outcomes from one cohort have been used to inform course developments in successive years. Results The results from these cohorts suggest that, while the students starting the course have a less restricted view of NOS than indicated by some other studies, in most cases there is a lack of breadth and depth to their understanding. There is some evidence that the use of specific tasks focusing on NOS in university-based sessions may be helping to develop and deepen understanding. However, the impact of current approaches remains fairly limited and attempts to develop teaching practices often face considerable barriers in the school-based practicum. Conclusions Graduate science students' understanding of NOS as they embark on the PGCE is not highly developed. Hence, the emphasis on aspects of NOS in the school curriculum presents a considerable challenge. This study suggests that there is a need to both further develop an explicit focus on NOS in university-based sessions and to develop closer relationships between schools and university faculty in seeking to support developments in classroom practice in this difficult area.

Application of the Sketch Match method in Sulina coastal study area within PEGASO project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marin, Eugenia; Nichersu, Iuliana; Mierla, Marian; Trifanov, Cristian; Nichersu, Iulian

2013-04-01

The Sketch Match approach for Sulina pilot case was carried out in the frame of the project "People for Ecosystem Based Governance in Assessing Sustainable Development of Ocean and Coast" - PEGASO, funded by the Seventh Framework Programme. The PEGASO project has been designed to identify common threats and solutions in relation to the long-term sustainable development and environmental protection of coastal zones bordering the Mediterranean and Black Seas in ways relevant to the implementation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol (ICZM) for the Mediterranean. PEGASO will use the model of the existing ICZM Protocol for the Mediterranean and adjust it to the needs of the Black Sea through innovative actions, one of them being Refine and develop efficient and easy to use tools for making sustainability assessments in the coastal zone tested through a number of relevant pilot sites. Thus, for the Romania case study, the Sketch Match approach was selected, being an interactive public participation planning method, developed by the Dutch Government, and applied for Sulina area in order to stimulate support and involvement from stakeholders regarding Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol by consulting and involving these people in the planning process and making use of a coherent package of interactive methods. Participants were representatives of a wide range of stakeholders, varying from local fisherman to representatives of the Local and County council and Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority. They participated in a two-day design session, focused on problems and potentials of the area, with the aim to work out possible solutions for an integrated coastal spatial planning, focusing on the parallel enhance of the various local functions in the spatial design (coastal area protection next to industry, tourism, nature, recreation, and other activities).

Globalisation and schooling: equity and access issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajda, Joseph

2011-03-01

This review essay focuses on the prominence given to globalisation and discourses of globalisation in education reforms and pedagogy, as well as the way conceptual thinking in this area has changed and developed, due to competing ideologies, forces of globalisation and political, economic and cultural transformations. It analyses and evaluates the shifts in methodological approaches to globalisation and its effects on education policy and pedagogy. It focuses on forces of globalisation, ideology, social inequality and implications for equity and access to quality education.

CELSS Program Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tremor, John W.; Macelroy, Robert D.

1987-01-01

A meeting on the potential contributions of plant science to the goals of Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) research produced discussions that helped to focus on a variety of topics. In the area of volatiles and soluble organics, microbial activity, disease, and productivity, participants emphasized the need to know more about the consequences of closure for the growth of plants. Under nutrient delivery systems, the problems focus on the need to maintain a stable, optimum nutrient system. Lighting systems discussions emphasized unique methods of direct lighting and development of improved irradiation sources. Flight experiment opportunities were outlined by one speaker. Documentation of the Plant Growth Module was discussed. The last day's discussion focused on the organization of the research group to be involved in the development and use of a two to three cubic meter sealed chamber and ancillary equipment.

Development of Public Rail Track Transport in Nord-Western Area of Bratislava

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koštial, Matej; Schlosser, Tibor; Schlosser, Peter

2017-10-01

The article deals with the development plans and possibilities of the Bratislava north-west expansion direction. Its focus is on the sites in the Lamačská Brána area - Bory and CENTROP - which with their size of approximately 817 hectares are owned by two major developers. The article describes variants of possible rail transport system extension, as it is classified as the cordial system of public transport by the Bratislava urban planning documentation. The traffic service proposal deals with the new traffic infrastructure on given future and realised locations and generates input for the traffic planning itself, which will define the build intensity restriction using the traffic model. Particular variants of the rail transport in given area are proposed to be the primary tool for future area development possibility. Along with the urban tram with narrow gauge of 1000 mm defined in urban planning documentation, the area service is considered by the introduced standard gauge (1435 mm) tram-train track connected to the international railway link. This track is intended to be a part of the integrated suburban public transport system aiming to access the satellite town Stupava inside the Bratislava city agglomeration.

Analysis of the methods for assessing socio-economic development level of urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popova, Olga; Bogacheva, Elena

2017-01-01

The present paper provides a targeted analysis of current approaches (ratings) in the assessment of socio-economic development of urban areas. The survey focuses on identifying standardized methodologies to area assessment techniques formation that will result in developing the system of intelligent monitoring, dispatching, building management, scheduling and effective management of an administrative-territorial unit. This system is characterized by complex hierarchical structure, including tangible and intangible properties (parameters, attributes). Investigating the abovementioned methods should increase the administrative-territorial unit's attractiveness for investors and residence. The research aims at studying methods for evaluating socio-economic development level of the Russian Federation territories. Experimental and theoretical territory estimating methods were revealed. Complex analysis of the characteristics of the areas was carried out and evaluation parameters were determined. Integral indicators (resulting rating criteria values) as well as the overall rankings (parameters, characteristics) were analyzed. The inventory of the most widely used partial indicators (parameters, characteristics) of urban areas was revealed. The resulting criteria of rating values homogeneity were verified and confirmed by determining the root mean square deviation, i.e. divergence of indices. The principal shortcomings of assessment methodologies were revealed. The assessment methods with enhanced effectiveness and homogeneity were proposed.

Use of inverse spatial conservation prioritization to avoid biological diversity loss outside protected areas.

PubMed

Kareksela, Santtu; Moilanen, Atte; Tuominen, Seppo; Kotiaho, Janne S

2013-12-01

Globally expanding human land use sets constantly increasing pressure for maintenance of biological diversity and functioning ecosystems. To fight the decline of biological diversity, conservation science has broken ground with methods such as the operational model of systematic conservation planning (SCP), which focuses on design and on-the-ground implementation of conservation areas. The most commonly used method in SCP is reserve selection that focuses on the spatial design of reserve networks and their expansion. We expanded these methods by introducing another form of spatial allocation of conservation effort relevant for land-use zoning at the landscape scale that avoids negative ecological effects of human land use outside protected areas. We call our method inverse spatial conservation prioritization. It can be used to identify areas suitable for economic development while simultaneously limiting total ecological and environmental effects of that development at the landscape level by identifying areas with highest economic but lowest ecological value. Our method is not based on a priori targets, and as such it is applicable to cases where the effects of land use on, for example, individual species or ecosystem types are relatively small and would not lead to violation of regional or national conservation targets. We applied our method to land-use allocation to peat mining. Our method identified a combination of profitable production areas that provides the needed area for peat production while retaining most of the landscape-level ecological value of the ecosystem. The results of this inverse spatial conservation prioritization are being used in land-use zoning in the province of Central Finland. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

The Cockcroft difference: an analysis of the impact of a nursing leadership development programme.

PubMed

Chappell, Kate K; Willis, Leah

2013-03-01

Identifying impact areas of nursing leadership development programmes is needed to determine if there are measureable effects on participants. These impact areas help to identify measures to substantiate the benefits of nursing leadership programmes for organization leaders making decisions about support and implementation of such opportunities for their emerging leaders. Using mixed qualitative/quantitative methods, the impact of a nursing leadership development programme, the Amy V. Cockcroft Fellowship, is examined to determine if there are measureable influences. Themes of four areas of impact: improved conflict resolution/negotiation skills, communication skills, personal development and career action or change were identified through content analysis. These themes provide the basis for creating measureable indicators for nursing organizations to use in determining the value of nursing leadership development programmes such as the Amy V. Cockcroft Fellowship. Based on the findings established in this research article, nurse managers can focus on developing themselves and their peer groups through nursing leadership development programmes to prepare for leading in the present and future healthcare environment. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Promoting health: media advocacy opportunities in English- and Spanish-language masthead editorials.

PubMed

Lingas, Elena O

2013-01-01

This study examines two newspapers' editorial coverage of issues related to the Healthy People 2010 focus areas and compares the two newspapers. A qualitative study. Two Los Angeles, California, newspapers. The masthead editorials of the Los Angeles Times and La Opinión in the year following the release of Healthy People 2010. A structured data abstraction instrument was used for descriptive coding. Correspondence to 1 of the 28 Healthy People 2010 focus areas determined whether domestic editorials were about health. An ethnographic content analysis. There were 1075 editorials from the Los Angeles Times and 361 from La Opinión; 17% were focused on domestic health issues. Three Healthy People 2010 focus areas dominated: Environmental Health, Injury and Violence Prevention, and Access to Quality Health Services. Ten focus areas did not receive a single mention in the Los Angeles Times, and 19 focus areas lacked editorials in La Opinión. Editorial writers regularly tackled issues related to a Healthy People 2010 focus area. Public health practitioners can meet with their local newspaper editorial board and discuss the nation's health objectives as manifested by Healthy People 2020 and the National Prevention Strategy, thereby promoting policies that support individual and population health.

Use of Stakeholder Focus Groups to Define the Mission and Scope of a new Department of Population Health.

PubMed

Tierney, William M

2018-04-09

The focus and funding of US healthcare is evolving from volume to value-based, and healthcare leaders, managers, payers, and researchers are increasingly focusing on managing populations of patients. Simultaneously, there is increasing interest in getting "upstream" from disease management to promote health and prevent disease. Hence, the term "population health" has both clinical and community-based connotations relevant to the tripartite mission of US medical schools. To seek broad input for the strategic development of the Department of Population Health in a new medical school at a tier 1 research university. Focus groups with facilitated consensus development. Eighty-one persons representing the Dell Medical School and other schools at the University of Texas at Austin, city/county government, community nonprofit organizations, and faculty from other local university schools along with selected national academic leaders. Focus groups with subsequent consensus development of emphases identified premeeting by participants by e-mail exchanges. The resulting departmental strategic plan included scope of work, desired characteristics of leaders, and early impact activities in seven areas of interest: community engagement and health equity, primary care and value-based health, occupational and environment medicine, medical education, health services and community-based research, health informatics and data analysis, and global health. Medical schools should have a primary focus in population, most effectively at the departmental level. Engaging relevant academic and community stakeholders is an effective model for developing this emerging discipline in US medical schools.

Semantic annotation in biomedicine: the current landscape.

PubMed

Jovanović, Jelena; Bagheri, Ebrahim

2017-09-22

The abundance and unstructured nature of biomedical texts, be it clinical or research content, impose significant challenges for the effective and efficient use of information and knowledge stored in such texts. Annotation of biomedical documents with machine intelligible semantics facilitates advanced, semantics-based text management, curation, indexing, and search. This paper focuses on annotation of biomedical entity mentions with concepts from relevant biomedical knowledge bases such as UMLS. As a result, the meaning of those mentions is unambiguously and explicitly defined, and thus made readily available for automated processing. This process is widely known as semantic annotation, and the tools that perform it are known as semantic annotators.Over the last dozen years, the biomedical research community has invested significant efforts in the development of biomedical semantic annotation technology. Aiming to establish grounds for further developments in this area, we review a selected set of state of the art biomedical semantic annotators, focusing particularly on general purpose annotators, that is, semantic annotation tools that can be customized to work with texts from any area of biomedicine. We also examine potential directions for further improvements of today's annotators which could make them even more capable of meeting the needs of real-world applications. To motivate and encourage further developments in this area, along the suggested and/or related directions, we review existing and potential practical applications and benefits of semantic annotators.

Developing Learning Analytics Design Knowledge in the "Middle Space": The Student Tuning Model and Align Design Framework for Learning Analytics Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Alyssa Friend; Vytasek, Jovita Maria; Hausknecht, Simone; Zhao, Yuting

2016-01-01

This paper addresses a relatively unexplored area in the field of learning analytics: how analytics are taken up and used as part of teaching and learning processes. Initial steps are taken towards developing design knowledge for this "middle space," with a focus on students as analytics users. First, a core set of challenges for…

North-South Collaborations: Learning from a Decade of Intercultural Experiences for Teachers and Faculty in One Mexican and US University Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas-Ruzic, Maria; Prudencio, Fatima Encinas

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on an ongoing international collaboration between two large public universities, one in the US and one in Mexico, through projects in program development, faculty exchange, graduate student/teacher field experiences, student mentoring and joint research in the area of a foreign/second language teaching and teacher development.…

Oral Rehydration Therapy and the Control of Diarrheal Diseases. Training for Development. Peace Corps Information Collection & Exchange Training Manual No. T-34.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Mari; And Others

This manual was developed to train Peace Corps volunteers and other community health workers in oral rehydration therapy (ORT) and the control of diarrheal diseases. Using a competency-based format, the manual contains six training modules (organized in 22 sessions) that focus on interrelated health education and technical content areas. Each…

Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 1: Challenge and Inspiration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basic Skills Agency, 2006

2006-01-01

The first in a series of five, module 1 provides everything one will need to run sharply focused, practical staff development training sessions for adult and Post 16 literacy, language and numeracy teachers. Each module addresses aspects of teaching and learning commonly identified as areas in need of improvement and can be used individually or as…

Montaje Experimental de Optica Adaptiva con Tecnología FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez Brizuela, F.; Verasay, J. P.; Recabarren, P.

An experimental platform based on FPGA devices, dedicated to implement active and adaptive optic software in HDL has been developed. The devel- oped assembly is the first of a series of works focused on this important area of instrumental astronomy. The exposed development is part of a Final Project of Electronic Engineering of the National University of Cordoba. FULL TEXT IN SPANISH

Using a Theory of Action to Develop Performance Indicators to Measure Progress toward a SIMR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiller, Ellen; Hayes, Susan; Nagle, Katherine

2015-01-01

This white paper offers an approach for using a theory of action as an outline to develop the SSIP [State Systemic Improvement Plan] Phase II evaluation questions and plan that will guide the SSIP work in Phase III and beyond. Key areas of focus include generating evaluation questions at each level of outcomes, identifying essential steps and…

UN Global Action Programme and Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Daniel; Aubrecht, Elisabeth Lena; Brück, Maria; Ditges, Laura; Gathen, Lea; Jahns, Maximilian; Petersmann, Moritz; Rau, Jörn; Wellmann, Christiane

2015-01-01

The United Nations (UN) proclaimed the years 2005 to 2014 the World Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). As a follow up on the World Decade, the UN launched a Global Action Programme (GAP) that is designed to set the framework for international activities on ESD. The GAP focuses on five priority areas that are of high relevance…

Landscapes of promise: An examination of students' journals written during a cross-cultural wilderness experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freund, Judith Ann

1997-12-01

This paper is an examination of nature journals written by ten American and ten Russian high school students during a cross-cultural exchange that provided experiences in selected national wilderness areas designated by the respective countries. The students participated in a backpacking excursion in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area of Montana in the summer of 1994, and a camping experience in the wilderness areas in the provincial region of Penza, Russia in the summer of 1995. The examination of the journals focuses on the following areas: aesthetic "peak" experiences; spiritual inspiration derived from experiences in nature; attitudes toward the preservation of wildlife; and environmental ethics. The students' attitudes toward the environment is compared using student-identified cultural values of both the Russian and the American students. Also discussed is the viability of the students' reflections as natural history journal-writing, with references to selected natural history authors, including Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and Anne Dillard. Because the experience focused on wilderness preservation students were invited to speculate about how to develop and reinforce essential attitudes that are respectful of ecology. Conclusions they reached included the necessity to economic security at some level and the notion that direct experience in the environment is essential to developing an attitude that will engender an ethics of caring within their--as well as other--cultural groups.

Approximation, abstraction and decomposition in search and optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellman, Thomas

1992-01-01

In this paper, I discuss four different areas of my research. One portion of my research has focused on automatic synthesis of search control heuristics for constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). I have developed techniques for automatically synthesizing two types of heuristics for CSPs: Filtering functions are used to remove portions of a search space from consideration. Another portion of my research is focused on automatic synthesis of hierarchic algorithms for solving constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). I have developed a technique for constructing hierarchic problem solvers based on numeric interval algebra. Another portion of my research is focused on automatic decomposition of design optimization problems. We are using the design of racing yacht hulls as a testbed domain for this research. Decomposition is especially important in the design of complex physical shapes such as yacht hulls. Another portion of my research is focused on intelligent model selection in design optimization. The model selection problem results from the difficulty of using exact models to analyze the performance of candidate designs.

A model of professional development for urban teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narasimhan, C.

Over the past five years, DePaul University has established a network of urban teachers who are focused on linking the learning of fundamental concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology to relevant and current discoveries in space science. One component of this effort has been a series of annual space science symposia for Chicago-area teachers. These symposia are mixtures of space science presentations by national and local scientists and discussions in areas such as curriculum and professional development, NASA resources, and communication. Since the first symposium, planning has been done in partnership with a small group of teachers who have moved into leadership positions in advancing space science in the Chicago area. This presentation will describe the evolution of the annual symposium as a professional development activity and give the results of a recent assessment project designed to measure the impact of these symposia on Chicago teachers and their classroom practices.

Acoustic Levitation Containerless Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whymark, R. R.; Rey, C. A.

1985-01-01

This research program consists of the development of acoustic containerless processing systems with applications in the areas of research in material sciences, as well as the production of new materials, solid forms with novel and unusual microstructures, fusion target spheres, and improved optical fibers. Efforts have been focused on the containerless processing at high temperatures for producing new kinds of glasses. Also, some development has occurred in the areas of containerlessly supporting liquids at room temperature, with applications in studies of fluid dynamics, potential undercooling of liquids, etc. The high temperature area holds the greatest promise for producing new kinds of glasses and ceramics, new alloys, and possibly unusual structural shapes, such as very uniform hollow glass shells for fusion target applications. High temperature acoustic levitation required for containerless processing has been demonstrated in low-g environments as well as in ground-based experiments. Future activities include continued development of the signals axis acoustic levitator.

Health economics in developing countries.

PubMed

Abel-Smith, B

1989-08-01

The interpretation of health economics chosen for this paper is broad. It includes the relation between economic and other factors in health development. This interpretation has been chosen lest the acceptance of a disciplinary approach in the commissioning of papers should have the unintended effect of excluding some key areas of research which require the consideration of crucial interrelationships between disciplines. The only justification for covering this area in a paper on economics rather than, for example, epidemiology is that increasingly there is and indeed has to be a heavy focus on costs in considering alternative paths to health development. The word 'research' is loosely interpreted and not restricted to the type of activity which could lead to the award of a PhD. The compilation of experience in many areas is, in the view of the author, a priority need, to plan where further research and experiment is needed.

Report of a workshop on research gaps in the treatment of cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Hirtz, Deborah; Damiano, Diane; Gross, Paul; Mink, Jonathan W.

2016-01-01

Cerebral palsy (CP) is heterogeneous in etiology and manifestations, making research into relevant therapies difficult and limiting the generalizability of the results. We report here on the NIH CP symposium, where stakeholders from academic, clinical, regulatory, and advocacy backgrounds discussed the major challenges and needs for moving forward with clinical research in CP, and outlined priorities and action items. New information is constantly generated through research into pathogenesis and etiology. Clinical research and new therapeutic approaches need to keep pace, through large data registry integration and new research designs. Development of standardized data collection, increasing academic focus on CP research, and iterative approaches to treatment throughout the patients' lives, have all been identified as areas of focus. The workshop identified critical gaps and areas of focus to increase the evidence base for therapeutic approaches to determine which treatments work best for which patients in the near future. These include consolidation and optimization of databases and registries, updates to the research methodology, and better integration of resources and stakeholders. PMID:27558377

Review of MRI positioning devices for guiding focused ultrasound systems.

PubMed

Yiallouras, C; Damianou, C

2015-06-01

This article contains a review of positioning devices that are currently used in the area of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS). The paper includes an extensive review of literature published since the first prototype system was invented in 1991. The technology has grown into a fast developing area with application to any organ accessible to ultrasound. The initial design operated using hydraulic principles, while the latest technology incorporates piezoelectric motors. Although, in the beginning there were fears regarding MRI safety, during recent years, the deployment of MR-safe positioning devices in FUS has become routine. Many of these positioning devices are now undergoing testing in clinical trials. Existing MRgFUS systems have been utilized mostly in oncology (fibroids, brain, liver, kidney, bone, pancreas, eye, thyroid, and prostate). It is anticipated that, in the near future, there will be a positioning device for every organ that is accessible by focused ultrasound. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF IONIC LIQUIDS IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MANNER

EPA Science Inventory

The collaborative research effort established between the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Kreido Laboratories has focused on the development of reaction strategies for the synthesis of chemicals and materials in a green and sustainable manner. One such area of ...

The 21st Century Information Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badger, Rod

This paper on the 21st century information environment begins with a section that discusses the impact of e-commerce over the next ten years. The second section addresses government focus areas, including ensuring a telecommunications infrastructure, developing the IT (information technology) industry, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship,…

The Accounting Undergraduate Capstone: Promoting Synthesis, Reflection, Transition, and Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Grace F.; Halabi, Abdel K.

2011-01-01

The authors review 24 midwestern institutions that have an undergraduate capstone course. Specifically they focus on accounting capstone courses, discovering that these are used to promote personal and functional skill development in 8 areas: research, problem solving, critical thinking, reflection, synthesis, teamwork, communication, and…

Executives "Plug in" to Electronic Commerce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education & Training, 2002

2002-01-01

Describes a programme, developed by FT Knowledge and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, to guide managers through the opportunities and threats presented by electronic commerce. Focuses on areas such as marketing, electronic retailing, pricing, product design, supply chain management and communication. Highlights how the…

Attachment Theory and Mindfulness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Rose; Shapiro, Shauna; Treleaven, David

2012-01-01

We initiate a dialog between two central areas in the field of psychology today: attachment theory/research and mindfulness studies. The impact of the early mother-infant relationship on child development has been well established in the literature, with attachment theorists having focused on the correlation between a mother's capacity for…

Oil and Gas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyerhoff, Arthur A.

1983-01-01

Highlights worldwide oil and gas developments during 1982, focusing on production, drilling, and other activities/projects in specific countries and regional areas. Indicates that the most political actions (other than the U.S. decision not to protest further the Siberian pipeline project) were the continued Afghanistan and Iraq-Iran wars.…

Entrepreneurial Leadership Competencies among Malaysian University Student Entrepreneurial Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagheri, Afsaneh; Lope Pihie, Zaidatol Akmaliah; Krauss, Steven Eric

2013-01-01

Developments in entrepreneurial leadership as a distinct area of both research and practice raised many questions about the personal competencies of entrepreneurial leaders that enable them to successfully lead entrepreneurial endeavours. Although identifying entrepreneurs' specific capabilities has been one of the main focuses of entrepreneurship…

News Focus: Presidential Candidates Give Views on Science and Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chemical and Engineering News, 1984

1984-01-01

Presents the views of Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale on various science issues. Major areas examined include: science policy goals; science education; adequate research and development funding; importance of research activities; role of science and technology in solving national problems; and other issues. (JN)

Regional concept for transportation operations fosters planning for operations in the Tucson metropolitan area : operation-focused planning for operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

The Tucson metropolitan region embarked on developing a regional concept for transportation operations (RCTO) in 2005 as part of a Federal Highway Administration demonstration initiative to advance regional collaboration for operations. The RCTO is a...

Enacting Classroom Inquiry: Theorizing Teachers' Conceptions of Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Scott; Songer, Nancy Butler

2008-01-01

Translating written curricular materials into rich, complex, learning environments is an undertheorized area in science education. This study examines two critical cases of teachers enacting a technology-rich curriculum focused on the development of complex reasoning around biodiversity for fifth graders. Two elements emerged that significantly…

Inter-comparison of multiple statistically downscaled climate datasets for the Pacific Northwest, USA

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yueyang; Kim, John B.; Still, Christopher J.; Kerns, Becky K.; Kline, Jeffrey D.; Cunningham, Patrick G.

2018-01-01

Statistically downscaled climate data have been widely used to explore possible impacts of climate change in various fields of study. Although many studies have focused on characterizing differences in the downscaling methods, few studies have evaluated actual downscaled datasets being distributed publicly. Spatially focusing on the Pacific Northwest, we compare five statistically downscaled climate datasets distributed publicly in the US: ClimateNA, NASA NEX-DCP30, MACAv2-METDATA, MACAv2-LIVNEH and WorldClim. We compare the downscaled projections of climate change, and the associated observational data used as training data for downscaling. We map and quantify the variability among the datasets and characterize the spatio-temporal patterns of agreement and disagreement among the datasets. Pair-wise comparisons of datasets identify the coast and high-elevation areas as areas of disagreement for temperature. For precipitation, high-elevation areas, rainshadows and the dry, eastern portion of the study area have high dissimilarity among the datasets. By spatially aggregating the variability measures into watersheds, we develop guidance for selecting datasets within the Pacific Northwest climate change impact studies. PMID:29461513

Inter-comparison of multiple statistically downscaled climate datasets for the Pacific Northwest, USA.

PubMed

Jiang, Yueyang; Kim, John B; Still, Christopher J; Kerns, Becky K; Kline, Jeffrey D; Cunningham, Patrick G

2018-02-20

Statistically downscaled climate data have been widely used to explore possible impacts of climate change in various fields of study. Although many studies have focused on characterizing differences in the downscaling methods, few studies have evaluated actual downscaled datasets being distributed publicly. Spatially focusing on the Pacific Northwest, we compare five statistically downscaled climate datasets distributed publicly in the US: ClimateNA, NASA NEX-DCP30, MACAv2-METDATA, MACAv2-LIVNEH and WorldClim. We compare the downscaled projections of climate change, and the associated observational data used as training data for downscaling. We map and quantify the variability among the datasets and characterize the spatio-temporal patterns of agreement and disagreement among the datasets. Pair-wise comparisons of datasets identify the coast and high-elevation areas as areas of disagreement for temperature. For precipitation, high-elevation areas, rainshadows and the dry, eastern portion of the study area have high dissimilarity among the datasets. By spatially aggregating the variability measures into watersheds, we develop guidance for selecting datasets within the Pacific Northwest climate change impact studies.

HIV Risk Behavior among Youth in the Dominican Republic: The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs

PubMed Central

Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent; Jaccard, James; Lushin, Vincent; Martinez, Roberto; Gonzalez, Bernardo; McCarthy, Katharine

2012-01-01

Existing literature related to HIV in the Dominican Republic has tended to neglect the unique role of tourism areas as distinct ecologies facilitative of sexual risk behavior, particularly HIV vulnerability and transmission. Furthermore, limited attention has focused on Dominican adolescents living in close proximity to tourism areas who have become increasingly exposed to alcohol due to the expanding tourism industry in the Dominican Republic. While most previous analyses of the effects of alcohol on adolescent sexual risk behavior have focused on the transient effects of alcohol on judgment and decision making, the effects of chronic alcohol use on sexual behavior has been a neglected area of research. Our study explores the relationship between chronic alcohol use, the parent–adolescent relationship, affective factors such as self-esteem, and intentions to engage in sex. We examine the above factors within the context of tourism areas which represent a unique ecology of alcohol availability and consumption and HIV risk. We discuss implications for developing applied family-based programs to target Dominican adolescent alcohol use and sexual risk behavior in tourism areas of high alcohol exposure. PMID:21911848

Avoiding Pitfalls and Realising Opportunities: Reflecting on Issues of Sampling and Recruitment for Online Focus Groups

PubMed Central

Boydell, Nicola; Fergie, Gillian; McDaid, Lisa; Hilton, Shona

2017-01-01

The increasing prominence of the Internet in everyday life has prompted methodological innovations in qualitative research, particularly the adaptation of established methods of data collection for use online. The alternative online context brings with it both opportunities and challenges. To date the literature on online focus groups has focused mainly on the suitability of the method for qualitative data collection, and the development of approaches to facilitation that maximise interaction. By reflecting on our experiences of designing and attempting to recruit participants to online focus groups for two exploratory research projects, we aim to contribute some novel reflections around the less articulated issues of sampling and recruitment for online focus groups. In particular, we highlight potentially problematic issues around offline recruitment for an online method of data collection; the potential of using social media for recruitment; and the uncertainties around offering incentives in online recruitment, issues which have received little attention in the growing literature around online focus groups. More broadly, we recommend continued examination of online social practices and the social media environment to develop appropriate and timely online recruitment strategies and suggest further areas for future research and innovation. PMID:28127272

Avoiding Pitfalls and Realising Opportunities: Reflecting on Issues of Sampling and Recruitment for Online Focus Groups.

PubMed

Boydell, Nicola; Fergie, Gillian; McDaid, Lisa; Hilton, Shona

2014-02-01

The increasing prominence of the Internet in everyday life has prompted methodological innovations in qualitative research, particularly the adaptation of established methods of data collection for use online. The alternative online context brings with it both opportunities and challenges. To date the literature on online focus groups has focused mainly on the suitability of the method for qualitative data collection, and the development of approaches to facilitation that maximise interaction. By reflecting on our experiences of designing and attempting to recruit participants to online focus groups for two exploratory research projects, we aim to contribute some novel reflections around the less articulated issues of sampling and recruitment for online focus groups. In particular, we highlight potentially problematic issues around offline recruitment for an online method of data collection; the potential of using social media for recruitment; and the uncertainties around offering incentives in online recruitment, issues which have received little attention in the growing literature around online focus groups. More broadly, we recommend continued examination of online social practices and the social media environment to develop appropriate and timely online recruitment strategies and suggest further areas for future research and innovation.

Sustainable development in agriculture, food and nutrition--a patent analysis.

PubMed

Vani, Kohila P; Doble, Mukesh

2011-05-01

The paper discusses the patents that have been filed in the areas of sustainable development in agriculture, food and nutrition and use of natural resources in achieving this goal. A large number of patents deal with the production of fertilizers from animal manure, plant sources and other organic wastes, which are more sustainable that the chemical fertilizers that are being currently used. Sustainability in agriculture is achieved in developing processes for the manufacture of biopesticides/insecticides and bioactive agricultural products. Development of novel sustainable agricultural processes has also been the focus of researchers and technologists. Plant derived nutritious food products are sustainable and can cater for the growing population burden. This has been the focus of several patents. Processes for enhancing the nutrition in food also serve the purpose of catering for the under nourished population.

Disaster Risk Reduction in Myanmar: A Need for Focus on Community Preparedness and Improved Evaluation of Initiatives.

PubMed

Smith, Andrew D; Chan, Emily Y Y

2017-11-20

Myanmar is a country in political and economic transition. Facing a wide-variety of natural hazards and ongoing conflict, the country's under-developed infrastructure has resulted in high disaster risk. Following the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and increased global focus on disaster management and risk reduction, Myanmar has begun development of national disaster policies. Myanmar's Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction addressed multiple stages of disaster development and has made progress towards national projects, however, has struggled to implement community-based preparedness and response initiatives. This article analyses Myanmar's disaster strategy, though the use of a disaster development framework and suggests areas for possible improvement. In particular, the article aims to generate discussion regarding methods of supporting objective evaluation of risk reduction initiatives in developing countries. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;page 1 of 5).

NASA's New Thermal Management Systems Roadmap; Whats in it, What it Means

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, Ted

2016-01-01

In July of 2015 NASA publically released a new set of Technology Area Roadmaps that will be used to help guide future NASA-funded technology development efforts. One of these was the Thermal Management Systems Roadmap, often identified as TA14. This Roadmap identifies the time sequencing and interdependencies of high priority, advanced thermal control technology for the next 5 to 20 years. Available funding limits the development of new technology. The Roadmaps are the first step in the process of prioritizing HQ-supported technology funding. The 2015 Roadmaps are focused on planned mission architectures and needs, as identified in the NRC-led science Decadals and HEOMD's Design Reference Missions. Additionally, the 2015 Roadmaps focus on "applied " R&D as opposed to more basic research. The NASA Mission Directorates were all closely involved in development of 2015 Roadmaps, and an extensive external review was also conducted. This talk will discuss the Technology Roadmaps in general, and then focus on the specific technologies identified for TA 14, Thermal Management Systems.

Developing the European Center of Competence on VVER-type nuclear power reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geraskin, Nikolay; Pironkov, Lyubomir; Kulikov, Evgeny; Glebov, Vasily

2017-09-01

This paper presents the results of the European educational projects CORONA and CORONA-II which are dedicated to preserving and further developing nuclear knowledge and competencies in the area of VVER-type nuclear power reactors technologies (Water-Water Energetic Reactor, WWER or VVER). The development of the European Center of Competence for VVER-technology is focused on master's degree programmes. The specifics of a systematic approach to training in the area of VVER-type nuclear power reactors technologies are analysed. This paper discusses enhancement of the training opportunities of the European Center that have arisen from advances in methodology and distance education. With a special attention paid to the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), the possibilities of further development of the international cooperation between European countries and educational institutions are examined.

Culture and Process Change as a Priority for Patient Engagement in Medicines Development

PubMed Central

Dewulf, Lode; Hoos, Anton; Geissler, Jan; Todaro, Veronica; Schneider, Roslyn F.; Garzya, Vincenzo; Garvey, Andrew; Robinson, Paul; Saffer, Tonya; Krug, Sarah; Sargeant, Ify

2016-01-01

Patient Focused Medicines Development (PFMD) is a not-for-profit independent multinational coalition of patients, patient stakeholders, and the pharmaceutical industry with interests across diverse disease areas and conditions. PFMD aims to facilitate an integrated approach to medicines development with all stakeholders involved early in the development process. A key strength of the coalition that differentiates it from other groups that involve patients or patient groups is that PFMD has patient organizations as founding members, ensuring that the patient perspective is the starting point when identifying priorities and developing solutions to meet patients’ needs. In addition, PFMD has from inception been formed as an equal collaboration among patient groups, patients, and pharmaceutical industry and has adopted a unique trans-Atlantic setup and scope that reflects its global intent. This parity extends to its governance model, which ensures at least equal or greater share of voice for patient group members. PFMD is actively inviting additional members and aims to expand the collaboration to include stakeholders from other sectors. The establishment of PFMD is particularly timely as patient engagement (PE) has become a priority for many health stakeholders and has led to a surge of mostly disconnected activities to deliver this. Given the current plethora of PE initiatives, an essential first step has been to determine, based on a comprehensive mapping, those strategic areas of most need requiring a focused initial effort from the perspective of all stakeholders. PFMD has identified four priority areas that will need to be addressed to facilitate implementation of PE. These are (1) culture and process change, (2) development of a global meta-framework for PE, (3) information exchange, and (4) training. This article discusses these priority themes and ongoing or planned PFMD activities within each. PMID:28232876

PEM Electrolyzer Incorporating an Advanced Low-Cost Membrane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hamdan, Monjid

The Department of Energy (DOE) has identified hydrogen production by electrolysis of water at forecourt stations as a critical technology for transition to the hydrogen economy; however, the cost of hydrogen produced by present commercially available electrolysis systems is considerably higher than the DOE 2015 and 2020 cost targets. Analyses of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer systems indicate that reductions in electricity consumption and electrolyzer stack and system capital cost are required to meet the DOE cost targets. The primary objective is to develop and demonstrate a cost-effective energy-based system for electrolytic generation of hydrogen. The goal is to increase PEMmore » electrolyzer efficiency and to reduce electrolyzer stack and system capital cost to meet the DOE cost targets for distributed electrolysis. To accomplish this objective, work was conducted by a team consisting of Giner, Inc. (Giner), Virginia Polytechnic Institute & University (VT), and domnick hunter group, a subsidiary of Parker Hannifin (Parker). The project focused on four (4) key areas: (1) development of a high-efficiency, high-strength membrane; (2) development of a long-life cell-separator; (3) scale-up of cell active area to 290 cm2 (from 160 cm²); and (4) development of a prototype commercial electrolyzer system. In each of the key stack development areas Giner and our team members conducted focused development in laboratory-scale hardware, with analytical support as necessary, followed by life-testing of the most promising candidate materials. Selected components were then scaled up and incorporated into low-cost scaled-up stack hardware. The project culminated in the fabrication and testing of a highly efficient electrolyzer system for production of 0.5 kg/hr hydrogen and validation of the stack and system in testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).« less

Culture and Process Change as a Priority for Patient Engagement in Medicines Development.

PubMed

Boutin, Marc; Dewulf, Lode; Hoos, Anton; Geissler, Jan; Todaro, Veronica; Schneider, Roslyn F; Garzya, Vincenzo; Garvey, Andrew; Robinson, Paul; Saffer, Tonya; Krug, Sarah; Sargeant, Ify

2017-01-01

Patient Focused Medicines Development (PFMD) is a not-for-profit independent multinational coalition of patients, patient stakeholders, and the pharmaceutical industry with interests across diverse disease areas and conditions. PFMD aims to facilitate an integrated approach to medicines development with all stakeholders involved early in the development process. A key strength of the coalition that differentiates it from other groups that involve patients or patient groups is that PFMD has patient organizations as founding members, ensuring that the patient perspective is the starting point when identifying priorities and developing solutions to meet patients' needs. In addition, PFMD has from inception been formed as an equal collaboration among patient groups, patients, and pharmaceutical industry and has adopted a unique trans-Atlantic setup and scope that reflects its global intent. This parity extends to its governance model, which ensures at least equal or greater share of voice for patient group members. PFMD is actively inviting additional members and aims to expand the collaboration to include stakeholders from other sectors. The establishment of PFMD is particularly timely as patient engagement (PE) has become a priority for many health stakeholders and has led to a surge of mostly disconnected activities to deliver this. Given the current plethora of PE initiatives, an essential first step has been to determine, based on a comprehensive mapping, those strategic areas of most need requiring a focused initial effort from the perspective of all stakeholders. PFMD has identified four priority areas that will need to be addressed to facilitate implementation of PE. These are (1) culture and process change, (2) development of a global meta-framework for PE, (3) information exchange, and (4) training. This article discusses these priority themes and ongoing or planned PFMD activities within each.

EPA Region 7 Aquatic Focus Areas (ECO_RES.R7_AQUATIC_FOCUS_AREAS)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This shapefile consists of 347 individual Aquatic Ecological System (AES) polygons that are the Aquatic Conservation Focus Areas for EPA Region 7. The focus areas are those areas within each aquatic ecological system types that, if preserved, would maintain the biological and ecological diversity extant within that ecological system type. The layer consists of those polygons from the R7_AES.shp shapefile that had the highest ranks. The AES polygons in the Missouri portion of the file were appended and are those that contain the 158 aquatic conservation opportunity areas identified in Missouri as part of another project (Missouri Department of Conservation Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment 2005). Note that the identifiers in the Missouri portion of this file will not match the ID's in any Missouri specific files.

Assessment of Geothermal Resource Potential at a High-Priority Area on the Utah Testing and Training Range–South (UTTR–S)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richard P. Smith, PhD., PG; Robert P. Breckenridge, PhD.; Thomas R. Wood, PhD.

2012-04-01

Field investigations conducted during 2011 support and expand the conclusion of the original Preliminary Report that discovery of a viable geothermal system is possible in the northwestern part of the Utah Testing and Training Range-South (UTTR-S), referred to henceforth as Focus Area 1. The investigations defined the southward extent of the Wendover graben into and near Focus Area 1, enhanced the understanding of subsurface conditions, and focused further geothermal exploration efforts towards the northwestern-most part of Focus Area 1. Specifically, the detailed gravity survey shows that the Wendover graben, first defined by Cook et al. (1964) for areas north ofmore » Interstate Highway 80, extends and deepens southwest-ward to the northwest corner of Focus Area 1. At its deepest point, the intersection with a northwest-trending graben there is favorable for enhanced permeability associated with intersecting faults. Processing and modeling of the gravity data collected during 2011 provide a good understanding of graben depth and distribution of faults bounding the graben and has focused the interest area of the study. Down-hole logging of temperatures in wells made available near the Intrepid, Inc., evaporation ponds, just north of Focus Area 1, provide a good understanding of the variability of thermal gradients in that area and corroborate the more extensive temperature data reported by Turk (1973) for the depth range of 300-500 m. Moderate temperature gradients in the northern part of the Intrepid area increase to much higher gradients and bottom-hole temperatures southeastward, towards graben-bounding faults, suggesting upwelling geothermal waters along those faults. Water sampling, analysis, and temperature measurements of Blue Lakes and Mosquito Willey's springs, on the western boundary of Focus Area 1, also show elevated temperatures along the graben-bounding fault system. In addition, water chemistry suggests origin of those waters in limestone rocks beneath the graben in areas with temperatures as high as 140 C (284 F). In conclusion, all of the field data collected during 2011 and documented in the Appendices of this report indicate that there is reasonable potential for a viable geothermal resource along faults that bound the Wendover graben. Prospects for a system capable of binary electrical generation are especially good, and the possibility of a flash steam system is also within reason. The next steps should focus on securing the necessary funding for detailed geophysical surveys and for drilling a set of temperature gradient wells to further evaluate the resource, and to focus deep exploration efforts in the most promising areas.« less

Proceedings of the third workshop on the energy development board of Mercer County, North Dakota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Two earlier workshops concerned with managing growth in Mercer County, North Dakota focused on the activities of the Energy Development Board (EDB) and were held in 1977 and 1978, respectively. This third workshop, Energy Development in Rural Areas - Local Implementation of National Priorities addresses the transferability of the EDB as an organization approach for managing energy-related rapid growth; the potential for developing integrated energy resource conservation/economic plans in rural energy development areas; and Federal policy and initiatives regarding energy-impact assistance. Panel discussions on these subjects were conducted and the comments are presented. The introductory address by Wayne Sanstead, Lt.more » Gov. of North Dakota and the keynote address by Edward Helminski, White House Management Task Force on Energy Shortages, are included.« less

A Review of Technology-Based Youth and Family-Focused Interventions

PubMed Central

Prinz, Ronald J.

2017-01-01

In the past 10 years, mental and behavioral health has seen a proliferation of technology-based interventions in the form of online and other computer-delivered programs. This paper focuses on technology-based treatment and preventive interventions aimed at benefitting children and adolescents via either involving the parents and families, or only the youth. The review considered only technology-based interventions that had at least one published study with a randomized controlled trial design. Questions being addressed included: (1) What are the technology-based interventions in the mental/behavioral health area that have been systematically evaluated in published studies? (2) What are the common and unique characteristics of these interventions and their application with respect to sample characteristics, target problems, and technology characteristics (platforms, structures, elements, and communication formats)? and (3) Which intervention approaches and strategies have accrued the greatest evidence? The review identified 30 technology-based psychosocial interventions for children and families, 19 of which were parent or family-focused (32 studies) and 11 of which were youth-focused (in 13 studies). For the parent/family-focused interventions, greatest promise was found in those that addressed either youth behavioral problems or depressive/anxious symptoms, as well as more general bolstering of parenting efficacy. The youth-focused interventions showed some promise in reducing depressive/ anxious symptoms. Advantages and disadvantages of the technology-based approaches were considered, and areas for future research and development were discussed. PMID:27787701

A Review of Technology-Based Youth and Family-Focused Interventions.

PubMed

MacDonell, Kathleen Watson; Prinz, Ronald J

2017-06-01

In the past 10 years, mental and behavioral health has seen a proliferation of technology-based interventions in the form of online and other computer-delivered programs. This paper focuses on technology-based treatment and preventive interventions aimed at benefitting children and adolescents via either involving the parents and families, or only the youth. The review considered only technology-based interventions that had at least one published study with a randomized controlled trial design. Questions being addressed included: (1) What are the technology-based interventions in the mental/behavioral health area that have been systematically evaluated in published studies? (2) What are the common and unique characteristics of these interventions and their application with respect to sample characteristics, target problems, and technology characteristics (platforms, structures, elements, and communication formats)? and (3) Which intervention approaches and strategies have accrued the greatest evidence? The review identified 30 technology-based psychosocial interventions for children and families, 19 of which were parent or family-focused (32 studies) and 11 of which were youth-focused (in 13 studies). For the parent/family-focused interventions, greatest promise was found in those that addressed either youth behavioral problems or depressive/anxious symptoms, as well as more general bolstering of parenting efficacy. The youth-focused interventions showed some promise in reducing depressive/anxious symptoms. Advantages and disadvantages of the technology-based approaches were considered, and areas for future research and development were discussed.

A review of research on ecosystem of arid area using RS-GIS in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Hongling

2007-06-01

Arid area is classical mountain-oasis-desert ecosystem in North-west China. As the ecosystem has its nature geography character obviously, it has superior to research with remote-sensing and geography information system. The study on arid ecosystem in RS-GIS' way is focused on that the landscape spatial pattern of complex MODS ecosystem, the dynamic development of Land use/land cover, the security of ecological environment of eco-tone and so on. At the same time, the research on the single system is more and more, which has provided more ways and deeper fields of arid area using RS-GIS. Through the use of RS-GIS, desertification, oasis' development, urbanization etc. can be known, which would provide precaution for human-being and suitable ways to adjust the problems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacAllister, D.J.; Day, R.; McCormack, M.D.

This paper gives an overview of a major integrated oil company`s experience with artificial intelligence (AI) over the last 5 years, with an emphasis on expert systems. The authors chronicle the development of an AI group, including details on development tool selection, project selection strategies, potential pitfalls, and descriptions of several completed expert systems. Small expert systems produced by teams of petroleum technology experts and experienced expert system developers that are focused in well-defined technical areas have produced substantial benefits and accelerated petroleum technology transfer.

Professional Master's degree in Nursing: knowledge production and challenges

PubMed Central

Munari, Denize Bouttelet; Parada, Cristina Maria Garcia de Lima; Gelbcke, Francine de Lima; Silvino, Zenith Rosa; Ribeiro, Luana Cássia Miranda; Scochi, Carmen Gracinda Silvan

2014-01-01

Objective to analyze the production of knowledge resulting from the professional master's degree programs in Nursing and to reflect about their perspectives for the area. Method descriptive and analytical study. Data collected from the dissertations of three educational institutions that graduated students in programs of professional master's degree in Nursing between 2006 and 2012 were included. Results most of the 127 course completion studies analyzed were developed within hospital contexts; there was a focus on the organizational and healthcare areas, in the research fields care process and management, and predominance of qualitative studies. There are various products resulting from the course completion studies: evaluation of services/healthcare programs and development of processes, care or educational protocols. Conclusion the programs of professional master's degree in Nursing, which are undergoing a consolidation stage, have recent production under development and there is a gap in the creation of hard technologies and innovation. They are essential for the development of innovative professional practices that articulate the healthcare and educational areas. PMID:26107826

Translational toxicology: a developmental focus for integrated research strategies.

PubMed

Hughes, Claude; Waters, Michael; Allen, David; Obasanjo, Iyabo

2013-09-30

Given that toxicology studies the potential adverse effects of environmental exposures on various forms of life and that clinical toxicology typically focuses on human health effects, what can and should the relatively new term of "translational toxicology" be taken to mean? Our assertion is that the core concept of translational toxicology must incorporate existing principles of toxicology and epidemiology, but be driven by the aim of developing safe and effective interventions beyond simple reduction or avoidance of exposure to prevent, mitigate or reverse adverse human health effects of exposures.The field of toxicology has now reached a point where advances in multiple areas of biomedical research and information technologies empower us to make fundamental transitions in directly impacting human health. Translational toxicology must encompass four action elements as follows: 1) Assessing human exposures in critical windows across the lifespan; 2) Defining modes of action and relevance of data from animal models; 3) Use of mathematical models to develop plausible predictions as the basis for: 4) Protective and restorative human health interventions. The discussion focuses on the critical window of in-utero development. Exposure assessment, basic toxicology and development of certain categories of mathematical models are not new areas of research; however overtly integrating these in order to conceive, assess and validate effective interventions to mitigate or reverse adverse effects of environmental exposures is our novel opportunity. This is what we should do in translational toxicology so that we have a portfolio of interventional options to improve human health that include both minimizing exposures and specific preventative/restorative/mitigative therapeutics.

Enhancing the development and approval of acute stroke therapies: Stroke Therapy Academic Industry roundtable.

PubMed

Fisher, Marc; Albers, Gregory W; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Furlan, Anthony J; Grotta, James C; Kidwell, Chelsea S; Sacco, Ralph L; Wechsler, Lawrence R

2005-08-01

Previous Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) meetings focused on preclinical evidence of drug efficacy and enhancing acute stroke trial design and performance. A fourth (STAIR-IV) was held to discuss relevant issues related to acute stroke drug development and regulatory approval. The STAIR-IV meeting had 3 main focus areas. The first topic was novel approaches to statistical design of acute stroke trials and appropriate outcome measures. The second focus was the need for better cooperation among participants in stroke therapy development that may be addressed through a national consortium of stroke trial centers in the United States and elsewhere. Lastly, regulatory issues related to the approval of novel mono and multiple acute stroke therapies were discussed. The development of additional acute stroke therapies represents a large unmet need with many remaining challenges and also opportunities to incorporate novel approaches to clinical trial design that will lead to regulatory approval. The STAIR-IV meeting explored new concepts of trial methodology and data analysis, initiatives for implementing a US clinical trialist consortium, and pertinent regulatory issues to expedite approval of novel therapies.