Are two systemic fish assemblage sampling programmes on the upper Mississippi River telling us the same thing?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dukerschein, J.T.; Bartels, A.D.; Ickes, B.S.; Pearson, M.S.

2013-01-01

We applied an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) used on Wisconsin/Minnesota waters of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) to compare data from two systemic sampling programmes. Ability to use data from multiple sampling programmes could extend spatial and temporal coverage of river assessment and monitoring efforts. We normalized for effort and tested fish community data collected by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program-Great Rivers Ecosystems (EMAP-GRE) 2004–2006 and the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) 1993–2006. Each programme used daytime electrofishing along main channel borders but with some methodological and design differences. EMAP-GRE, designed for baseline and, eventually, compliance monitoring, used a probabilistic, continuous design. LTRMP, designed primarily for baseline and trend monitoring, used a stratified random design in five discrete study reaches. Analysis of similarity indicated no significant difference between EMAP-GRE and LTRMP IBI scores (n=238; Global R= 0.052; significance level=0.972). Both datasets distinguished clear differences only between 'Fair' and 'Poor' condition categories, potentially supporting a 'pass–fail' assessment strategy. Thirteen years of LTRMP data demonstrated stable IBI scores through time in four of five reaches sampled. LTRMP and EMAPGRE IBI scores correlated along the UMR's upstream to downstream gradient (df [3, 25]; F=1.61; p=0.22). A decline in IBI scores from upstream to downstream was consistent with UMR fish community studies and a previous, empirically modelled human disturbance gradient. Comparability between EMAP-GRE (best upstream to downstream coverage) and LTRMP data (best coverage over time and across the floodplain) supports a next step of developing and testing a systemic, multi-metric fish index on the UMR that both approaches could inform.

The United Nations programme on space applications: priority thematic areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubold, H.

The Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) was held in 1999 with efforts to identify world wide benefits of developing space science and technology, particularly in the developing nations. One of the main vehicles to implement recommendations of UNISPACE III is the United Nations Programme on Space Applications of the Office for Outer Space Affairs at UN Headquarters in Vienna. Following a process of prioritization by Member States, the Programme focus its activities on (i) knowledge-based themes as space law and basic space science, (ii) application-based themes as disaster management, natural resources management, environmental monitoring, tele-health, and (iii) enabling technologies such as remote sensing satellites, communications satellites, global navigation satellite systems, and small satellites. Current activities of the Programme will be reviewed. Further information available at http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/sapidx.html

A conceptual approach to a citizens' observatory--supporting community-based environmental governance.

PubMed

Liu, Hai-Ying; Kobernus, Mike; Broday, David; Bartonova, Alena

2014-12-12

In recent years there has been a trend to view the Citizens' Observatory as an increasingly essential tool that provides an approach for better observing, understanding, protecting and enhancing our environment. However, there is no consensus on how to develop such a system, nor is there any agreement on what a Citizens' Observatory is and what results it could produce. The increase in the prevalence of Citizens' Observatories globally has been mirrored by an increase in the number of variables that are monitored, the number of monitoring locations and the types of participating citizens. This calls for a more integrated approach to handle the emerging complexities involved in this field, but before this can be achieved, it is essential to establish a common foundation for Citizens' Observatories and their usage. There are many aspects to a Citizens' Observatory. One view is that its essence is a process that involves environmental monitoring, information gathering, data management and analysis, assessment and reporting systems. Hence, it requires the development of novel monitoring technologies and of advanced data management strategies to capture, analyse and survey the data, thus facilitating their exploitation for policy and society. Practically, there are many challenges in implementing the Citizens' Observatory approach, such as ensuring effective citizens' participation, dealing with data privacy, accounting for ethical and security requirements, and taking into account data standards, quality and reliability. These concerns all need to be addressed in a concerted way to provide a stable, reliable and scalable Citizens' Observatory programme. On the other hand, the Citizens' Observatory approach carries the promise of increasing the public's awareness to risks in their environment, which has a corollary economic value, and enhancing data acquisition at low or no cost. In this paper, we first propose a conceptual framework for a Citizens' Observatory programme as a system that supports and promotes community-based environmental governance. Next, we discuss some of the challenges involved in developing this approach. This work seeks to initiate a debate and help defining what is the Citizens' Observatory, its potential role in environmental governance, and its validity as a tool for environmental research.

COPERNICUS - The European Union Earth Observation Programme - State of play and way ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Astrid-Christina

2015-04-01

Copernicus is the new name of the European Earth Observation Programme, GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security). Copernicus or rather its predecessor was established as an EU programme. It covers all the activities for ensuring an uninterrupted provision of accurate and reliable data and information on environmental issues and security matters to users in charge of policy making, implementation and monitoring, in the EU and its Member States. Copernicus aims at providing Europe with a continuous, independent and reliable access to observation data and information. The EU investment aims at filling the observation gaps, providing access to existing assets and developing operational services. The data policy of the Copernicus programme supports an open, full and free of charge data access that is in line with the data sharing principles of the Group for Earth Observation (GEO). Copernicus is structured in six Services: Marine, Atmosphere, Land and Climate change monitoring as well as support to Emergency and Security. Copernicus uses data from satellites and in-situ sensors such as buoys, balloons or air sensors to provide timely and reliable added-value information and forecasting to support for example, agriculture and fisheries, land use and urban planning, the fight against forest fires, disaster response, maritime transport or air pollution monitoring. The need for continuing such observations is becoming critical, considering the increasing political pressure on public authorities to take informed decisions in the field of environment, security and climate change and the need to respect international agreements. Copernicus also contributes to economic stability and growth by boosting commercial applications (the so-called downstream services) in many different sectors through a full and open access to Copernicus observation data and information products. KEY WORDS: Sentinels, big data, data access, Emergency, Marine, Atmosphere.

The SENTINEL-3 Mission: Overview and Status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benveniste, J.; Mecklenburg, S.

2015-12-01

The Copernicus Programme, being Europe's Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme led by the European Union, aims to provide, on a sustainable basis, reliable and timely services related to environmental and security issues. The Sentinel-3 mission forms part of the Copernicus Space Component. Its main objectives, building on the heritage and experience of the European Space Agency's (ESA) ERS and ENVISAT missions, are to measure sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature and ocean- and land-surface colour in support of ocean forecasting systems, and for environmental and climate monitoring. The series of Sentinel-3 satellites will ensure global, frequent and near-real time ocean, ice and land monitoring, with the provision of observation data in routine, long term (up to 20 years of operations) and continuous fashion, with a consistent quality and a high level of reliability and availability. The Sentinel-3 missions will be jointly operated by ESA and EUMETSAT. ESA will be responsible for the operations, maintenance and evolution of the Sentinel-3 ground segment on land related products and EUMETSAT for the marine products. The Sentinel-3 ground segment systematically acquires, processes and distributes a set of pre-defined core data products. Sentinel-3A is foreseen to be launched at the beginning of November 2015. The paper will give an overview on the mission, its instruments and objectives, the data products provided, the mechanisms to access the mission's data, and if available first results.

A retrospective view of the quality of the fauna component of the Olympic Dam Project Environmental Impact Statement

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

Read, J.L.

1994-06-01

The merits of the fauna section of the Olympic Dam Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are discussed. The values of different survey methods and monitoring organisms used in this document are evaluated following 10 years of fauna monitoring and research subsequent to the preparation of the EIS. The pilot fauna reconnaissance was found to be of little value, although the associated literature review formed an integral part of the EIS. Over 95% of all amphibian, reptile and bird species recorded at Olympic Dam were confirmed or predicted to occur in the EIS. Mammal predictions were less accurate because of themore » sparse populations and irruptive nature of several arid-zone species. Prediction and monitoring of rare species were demonstrably difficult. The Olympic Dam Project EIS was found in general to be an accurate and useful document. However, it is suggested that more emphasis be placed on establishing monitoring programmes for future EISs, particularly for invertebrates. 35 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

Influence of a Non-Formal Environmental Education Programme on Junior High-School Students; Environmental Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Daphne; Assaraf, Orit Ben Zvi; Shaharabani, Dina

2013-01-01

One of the solutions implemented by schools for conducting value-based environmental education (EE) is outsourcing: allocating external environmental organizations that develop and conduct EE programmes. This study addressed such a programme--the Green Council Programme (GCP)--developed and implemented in schools by the Israeli Society for…

Liver histopathology in Baltic eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) - A baseline study for use in marine environmental monitoring.

PubMed

Fricke, Nicolai F; Stentiford, Grant D; Feist, Stephen W; Lang, Thomas

2012-12-01

The use of liver histopathology in various fish species as a biomarker in marine monitoring programmes to assess the biological effect of exposure to anthropogenic contaminants is well established. However, although the eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) has repeatedly been recommended as an appropriate bioindicator for monitoring purposes in the Baltic Sea, information on histopathological liver alterations of this species is scarce. In order to obtain an overview, a total of 1070 eelpout, collected in the period between spring 2001 and winter 2010 from 34 sampling sites distributed over large parts of the Baltic Sea, were histologically analyzed. Liver lesions were recorded and classified according to established liver lesion categories. A high prevalence of non-specific and early toxicopathic non-neoplastic hepatic lesions was recorded. In contrast, pre-neoplastic lesions were observed only in rare cases and neoplastic changes were absent. A comparison with published data on other fish species revealed that the observed alterations may indicate effects of environmental stressors including contaminants. The results of the present study, thus, support the application of eelpout liver histopathology in environmental monitoring. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Water Quality Monitoring Programme for Schools and Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spellerberg, Ian; Ward, Jonet; Smith, Fiona

2004-01-01

A water quality monitoring programme for schools is described. The purpose of the programme is to introduce school children to the concept of reporting on the "state of the environment" by raising the awareness of water quality issues and providing skills to monitor water quality. The programme is assessed and its relevance in the…

Monitoring for the management of disease risk in animal translocation programmes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, James D.; Hollmen, Tuula E.; Grand, James B.

2017-01-01

Monitoring is best viewed as a component of some larger programme focused on science or conservation. The value of monitoring is determined by the extent to which it informs the parent process. Animal translocation programmes are typically designed to augment or establish viable animal populations without changing the local community in any detrimental way. Such programmes seek to minimize disease risk to local wild animals, to translocated animals, and in some cases to humans. Disease monitoring can inform translocation decisions by (1) providing information for state-dependent decisions, (2) assessing progress towards programme objectives, and (3) permitting learning in order to make better decisions in the future. Here we discuss specific decisions that can be informed by both pre-release and post-release disease monitoring programmes. We specify state variables and vital rates needed to inform these decisions. We then discuss monitoring data and analytic methods that can be used to estimate these state variables and vital rates. Our discussion is necessarily general, but hopefully provides a basis for tailoring disease monitoring approaches to specific translocation programmes.

Strengthening environmental and educational nutrition programmes in worksite cafeterias and supermarkets in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Steenhuis, I H; Van Assema, P; Glanz, K

2001-03-01

The purpose of this study was to assess conditions for the adoption and continued implementation of different healthy nutrition programmes in worksite cafeterias and supermarkets, i.e. an educational programme and two environmental programmes (a food labelling programme and a food supply programme). Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of worksite cafeterias and supermarkets. Concepts of theories of diffusion were used as a framework for the study. Questions were formulated about the attributes of the innovation, and organizational and personal characteristics that might influence programme adoption and implementation. Results indicated that educational and environmental programmes in both worksite cafeterias and supermarkets should meet specific requirements regarding programme design, methods and materials in order to be adopted and implemented. Besides, some important implementation strategies of the educational and environmental programmes were identified. It is concluded that it seems feasible to conduct educational and environmental intervention programmes in worksite cafeterias and supermarkets, but that certain conditions for adoption and continued implementation have to be met. Based on the implications of this study, the development of an educational programme, a labelling programme and a food supply programme was completed.

Tributyltin--critical pollutant in whole water samples--development of traceable measurement methods for monitoring under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC.

PubMed

Richter, Janine; Fettig, Ina; Philipp, Rosemarie; Jakubowski, Norbert

2015-07-01

Tributyltin is listed as one of the priority substances in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Despite its decreasing input in the environment, it is still present and has to be monitored. In the European Metrology Research Programme project ENV08, a sensitive and reliable analytical method according to the WFD was developed to quantify this environmental pollutant at a very low limit of quantification. With the development of such a primary reference method for tributyltin, the project helped to improve the quality and comparability of monitoring data. An overview of project aims and potential analytical tools is given.

Research monitoring by US medical institutions to protect human subjects: compliance or quality improvement?

PubMed

de Jong, Jean Philippe; van Zwieten, Myra C B; Willems, Dick L

2013-04-01

In recent years, to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects, institutions in the USA have begun to set up programmes to monitor ongoing medical research. These programmes provide routine, onsite oversight, and thus go beyond existing oversight such as investigating suspected misconduct or reviewing paperwork provided by investigators. However, because of a lack of guidelines and evidence, institutions have had little guidance in setting up their programmes. To help institutions make the right choices, we used interviews and document analysis to study how and why 11 US institutions have set up their monitoring programmes. Although these programmes varied considerably, we were able to distinguish two general types. 'Compliance' programmes on the one hand were part of the institutional review board office and set up to ensure compliance with regulations. Investigators' participation was mandatory. Monitors focused on documentation. Investigators could be disciplined, and could be obliged to take corrective actions. 'Quality-improvement' programmes on the other hand were part of a separate office. Investigators requested to be monitored. Monitors focused more on actual research conduct. Investigators and other parties received feedback on how to improve the research process. Although both types of programmes have their drawbacks and advantages, we argue that if institutions want to set up monitoring programmes, quality improvement is the better choice: it can help foster an atmosphere of trust between investigators and the institutional review board, and can help raise the standards for the protection of human subjects.

Atmospheric, Non-Tidal Oceanic and Hydrological Loading Effects Observed with GPS Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boy, J. P.; Memin, A.; Watson, C.; Tregoning, P.

2014-12-01

The Copernicus Programme, being Europe's Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme led by the European Union, aims to provide, on a sustainable basis, reliable and timely services related to environmental and security issues. The Sentinel-3 mission forms part of the Copernicus Space Component. Its main objectives, building on the heritage and experience of the European Space Agency's (ESA) ERS and ENVISAT missions, are to measure sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature and ocean- and land-surface colour in support of ocean forecasting systems, and for environmental and climate monitoring. The series of Sentinel-3 satellites will ensure global, frequent and near-real time ocean, ice and land monitoring, with the provision of observation data in routine, long term (up to 20 years of operations) and continuous fashion, with a consistent quality and a high level of reliability and availability. The Sentinel-3 missions will be jointly operated by ESA and EUMETSAT. ESA will be responsible for the operations, maintenance and evolution of the Sentinel-3 ground segment on land related products and EUMETSAT for the marine products. The Sentinel-3 ground segment systematically acquires, processes and distributes a set of pre-defined core data products. Sentinel-3A is foreseen to be launched at the beginning of November 2015. The paper will give an overview on the mission, its instruments and objectives, the data products provided, the mechanisms to access the mission's data, and if available first results.

Geo-Chip analysis reveals reduced functional diversity of the bacterial community at a dumping site for dredged Elbe sediment.

PubMed

Störmer, Rebecca; Wichels, Antje; Gerdts, Gunnar

2013-12-15

The dumping of dredged sediments represents a major stressor for coastal ecosystems. The impact on the ecosystem function is determined by its complexity not easy to assess. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of bacterial community analyses to act as ecological indicators in environmental monitoring programmes. We investigated the functional structure of bacterial communities, applying functional gene arrays (GeoChip4.2). The relationship between functional genes and environmental factors was analysed using distance-based multivariate multiple regression. Apparently, both the function and structure of the bacterial communities are impacted by dumping activities. The bacterial community at the dumping centre displayed a significant reduction of its entire functional diversity compared with that found at a reference site. DDX compounds separated bacterial communities of the dumping site from those of un-impacted sites. Thus, bacterial community analyses show great potential as ecological indicators in environmental monitoring. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of a Non-formal Environmental Education Programme on Junior High-School Students' Environmental Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, Daphne; Ben Zvi Assaraf, Orit; Shaharabani, Dina

2013-02-01

One of the solutions implemented by schools for conducting value-based environmental education (EE) is outsourcing: allocating external environmental organizations that develop and conduct EE programmes. This study addressed such a programme-the Green Council Programme (GCP)-developed and implemented in schools by the Israeli Society for Protection of Nature. A pre-test/post-test design was used to investigate the influence of participation in the GCP on components of junior high-school students' environmental literacy. Conceptualizations of 'environment', environmental attitudes and sense of ability to act on environmental issues were studied employing quantitative and qualitative tools. Contribution of the programme to the cognitive domain, in developing a systemic understanding of the environment, was limited. On the other hand, participating in this programme heightened students' sensitivity to human-environment interrelationships and developed a more ecological worldview. After the programme, students demonstrated greater perception of humans as part of the environment, an increased sensitivity to human impact on the environment and their value for non-human nature moved from an anthropocentric to a more ecocentric orientation. While students' internal locus-of-control increased, when environmental protection entailed personal economic trade-offs, their support was limited and remained unchanged. The article concludes with recommendations, based on the findings, regarding supplementing the school (science) curriculum with external EE enrichment programmes.

Optimizing study design for multi-species avian monitoring programmes

Treesearch

Jamie S. Sanderlin; William M. Block; Joseph L. Ganey

2014-01-01

Many monitoring programmes are successful at monitoring common species, whereas rare species, which are often of highest conservation concern, may be detected infrequently. Study designs that increase the probability of detecting rare species at least once over the study period, while collecting adequate data on common species, strengthen programme ability to address...

The Ocean State Report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Schuckmann, Karina

2017-04-01

COPERNICUS is the European Earth observation and monitoring programme, which aims to give the European Union autonomous and operational capability in space-based observation facilities (see the Sentinel missions) and in situ (measurements in the atmosphere, in the ocean and on the ground), and to operate six interlinked environmental monitoring services for the oceans, the atmosphere, territorial development, emergency situations, security and climate change. In this context, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service provides an open and free access to regular and systematic information about the physical state and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and six European regional seas. Mercator Ocean, the French center of global ocean analysis and forecast has been entrusted by the EU to implement and operate the Copernicus Marine Service. The first Ocean State Report Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service has been prepared, and is planned to appear at an annual basis (fall each year) as a unique reference for ocean state reporting. This report contains a state-of-the-art value-added synthesis of the ocean state for the global ocean and the European regional seas from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service data products and expert analysis. This activity is aiming to reach a wide audience -from the scientific community, over climate and environmental service and agencies, environmental reporting and bodies to the general public. We will give here an overview on the report, highlight main outcomes, and introduce future plans and developments.

The Ocean State Report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Schuckmann, K.

2016-12-01

COPERNICUS is the European Earth observation and monitoring programme, which aims to give the European Union autonomous and operational capability in space-based observation facilities (see the Sentinel missions) and in situ (measurements in the atmosphere, in the ocean and on the ground), and to operate six interlinked environmental monitoring services for the oceans, the atmosphere, territorial development, emergency situations, security and climate change. In this context, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service provides an open and free access to regular and systematic information about the physical state and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and six European regional seas. Mercator Ocean, the French center of global ocean analysis and forecast has been entrusted by the EU to implement and operate the Copernicus Marine Service. In fall 2016, the first Ocean State Report Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service will be published, and is planned to appear at an annual basis (June each year) as a unique reference for ocean state reporting. This report contains a state-of-the-art value-added synthesis of the ocean state for the global ocean and the European regional seas from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service data products and expert analysis. This activity is aiming to reach a wide audience -from the scientific community, over climate and environmental service and agencies, environmental reporting and bodies to the general public. We will give here an overview on the report, highlight main outcomes, and introduce future plans and developments.

Prediction of stream fish assemblages from land use characteristics: implications for cost-effective design of monitoring programmes.

PubMed

Kristensen, Esben Astrup; Baattrup-Pedersen, Annette; Andersen, Hans Estrup

2012-03-01

Increasing human impact on stream ecosystems has resulted in a growing need for tools helping managers to develop conservations strategies, and environmental monitoring is crucial for this development. This paper describes the development of models predicting the presence of fish assemblages in lowland streams using solely cost-effective GIS-derived land use variables. Three hundred thirty-five stream sites were separated into two groups based on size. Within each group, fish abundance data and cluster analysis were used to determine the composition of fish assemblages. The occurrence of assemblages was predicted using a dataset containing land use variables at three spatial scales (50 m riparian corridor, 500 m riparian corridor and the entire catchment) supplemented by a dataset on in-stream variables. The overall classification success varied between 66.1-81.1% and was only marginally better when using in-stream variables than when applying only GIS variables. Also, the prediction power of a model combining GIS and in-stream variables was only slightly better than prediction based solely on GIS variables. The possibility of obtaining precise predictions without using costly in-stream variables offers great potential in the design of monitoring programmes as the distribution of monitoring sites along a gradient in ecological quality can be done at a low cost.

High-throughput metabarcoding of eukaryotic diversity for environmental monitoring of offshore oil-drilling activities.

PubMed

Lanzén, Anders; Lekang, Katrine; Jonassen, Inge; Thompson, Eric M; Troedsson, Christofer

2016-09-01

As global exploitation of available resources increases, operations extend towards sensitive and previously protected ecosystems. It is important to monitor such areas in order to detect, understand and remediate environmental responses to stressors. The natural heterogeneity and complexity of communities means that accurate monitoring requires high resolution, both temporally and spatially, as well as more complete assessments of taxa. Increased resolution and taxonomic coverage is economically challenging using current microscopy-based monitoring practices. Alternatively, DNA sequencing-based methods have been suggested for cost-efficient monitoring, offering additional insights into ecosystem function and disturbance. Here, we applied DNA metabarcoding of eukaryotic communities in marine sediments, in areas of offshore drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf. Forty-five samples, collected from seven drilling sites in the Troll/Oseberg region, were assessed, using the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene as a taxonomic marker. In agreement with results based on classical morphology-based monitoring, we were able to identify changes in sediment communities surrounding oil platforms. In addition to overall changes in community structure, we identified several potential indicator taxa, responding to pollutants associated with drilling fluids. These included the metazoan orders Macrodasyida, Macrostomida and Ceriantharia, as well as several ciliates and other protist taxa, typically not targeted by environmental monitoring programmes. Analysis of a co-occurrence network to study the distribution of taxa across samples provided a framework for better understanding the impact of anthropogenic activities on the benthic food web, generating novel, testable hypotheses of trophic interactions structuring benthic communities. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Détente from the Air: Monitoring Air Pollution during the Cold War.

PubMed

Rothschild, Rachel

During the period of détente in the 1970s, a Norwegian proposal to construct an air pollution monitoring network for the European continent resulted in the first concrete collaboration between the communist and capitalist blocs after the 1975 Helsinki Accords. Known as the "European-wide monitoring programme" or EMEP, the network earned considerable praise from diplomats for facilitating cooperation across the Iron Curtain. Yet as this article argues, EMEP was strongly influenced by the politics of détente and the constraints of the Cold War even as it helped to decrease tensions. Concerns about national security and sharing data with the enemy shaped both the construction of the monitoring network and the modeling of pollution transport. The article also proposes that environmental monitoring systems like EMEP reveal the ways in which observational technologies can affect conceptions of the natural world and the role of science in public policy.

A preliminary study to evaluate a patient-centred asthma education programme on parental control of home environment and asthma signs and symptoms in children with moderate-to-severe asthma.

PubMed

Tzeng, Li-Fen; Chiang, Li-Chi; Hsueh, Kai-Chung; Ma, Wei-Fen; Fu, Lin-Shien

2010-05-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led patient-centred asthma education programme on home environmental control behaviours of parents of children with moderate or severe asthma. Reducing allergic triggers is important self-management behaviour for preventing asthma attacks and patient-centred asthma education has been shown to effectively manage chronic disease. A preliminary quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used. Dyads (n = 75) of parents and their children with moderate or severe asthma (ages 6-14 years) were purposively recruited from the asthma clinics of two hospitals in central Taiwan. The experimental group of 38 children/parents from one hospital received patient-centred asthma education. The comparison group of 37 children/parents from the other hospital received routine individual education. At pretest and at the end of the three-month patient-centred asthma education programme, we measured parents' control of home environmental triggers, children's asthma signs/symptoms and children's pulmonary function. Data were analysed by the general linear model for repeat measures. The level of improvement in dust and cleaning methods was significantly greater among parents in the experimental group than among those in the comparison group (p < 0.05). Children with moderate or severe asthma in the experimental group had fewer signs/symptoms of asthma and better lung function than children in the comparison group. Our patient-centred asthma education programme improved parents' home environmental control and children's asthma sign/symptoms and lung function. Nurses can play primary roles as patient educators in asthma clinics. Well-trained patient educators can continuously monitor self-management behaviours to improve patients' compliance with home environmental control, thus leading to better physical outcomes in children with asthma than routine individual asthma education alone.

Agricultural land use and N losses to water: the case study of a fluvial park in northern Italy.

PubMed

Morari, F; Lugato, E; Borin, M

2003-01-01

An integrated water resource management programme has been under way since 1999 to reduce agricultural water pollution in the River Mincio fluvial park. The experimental part of the programme consisted of: a) a monitoring phase to evaluate the impact of conventional and environmentally sound techniques (Best Management Practices, BMPs) on water quality; this was done on four representative landscape units, where twelve fields were instrumented to monitor the soil, surface and subsurface water quality; b) a modelling phase to extend the results obtained at field scale to the whole territory of the Mincio watershed. For this purpose a GIS developed in the Arc/Info environment was integrated into the CropSyst model. The model had previously been calibrated to test its ability to describe the complexity of the agricultural systems. The first results showed a variable efficiency of the BMPs depending on the interaction between management and pedo-climatic conditions. In general though, the BMPs had positive effects in improving the surface and subsurface water quality. The CropSyst model was able to describe the agricultural systems monitored and its linking with the GIS represented a valuable tool for identifying the vulnerable areas within the watershed.

Physical soil quality indicators for monitoring British soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corstanje, Ron; Mercer, Theresa G.; Rickson, Jane R.; Deeks, Lynda K.; Newell-Price, Paul; Holman, Ian; Kechavarsi, Cedric; Waine, Toby W.

2017-09-01

Soil condition or quality determines its ability to deliver a range of functions that support ecosystem services, human health and wellbeing. The increasing policy imperative to implement successful soil monitoring programmes has resulted in the demand for reliable soil quality indicators (SQIs) for physical, biological and chemical soil properties. The selection of these indicators needs to ensure that they are sensitive and responsive to pressure and change, e.g. they change across space and time in relation to natural perturbations and land management practices. Using a logical sieve approach based on key policy-related soil functions, this research assessed whether physical soil properties can be used to indicate the quality of British soils in terms of their capacity to deliver ecosystem goods and services. The resultant prioritised list of physical SQIs was tested for robustness, spatial and temporal variability, and expected rate of change using statistical analysis and modelling. Seven SQIs were prioritised: soil packing density, soil water retention characteristics, aggregate stability, rate of soil erosion, depth of soil, soil structure (assessed by visual soil evaluation) and soil sealing. These all have direct relevance to current and likely future soil and environmental policy and are appropriate for implementation in soil monitoring programmes.

A rapid review of key strategies to improve the cognitive and social development of children in Scotland.

PubMed

Geddes, Rosemary; Frank, John; Haw, Sally

2011-06-01

Inequalities in health and educational outcomes in Scotland show a strong and persistent socioeconomic status gradient. Our aims were to provide policy-makers with a synthesis of international research evidence that assesses the effectiveness of early childhood interventions aimed at equitably promoting cognitive and social development and suggest potential areas for action in Scotland. A rapid review was conducted of review level studies of early childhood interventions with outcome measures relating to child cognitive-language or social-emotional development, subsequent academic and life achievement. Websites were searched and interviews were conducted to identify relevant interventions, policies and programmes delivered in Scotland. : Early childhood intervention programmes can reduce disadvantage due to social and environmental factors. Scottish health policy demonstrates a clear commitment to early childhood development but much work remains in terms of detail of policy implementation, identification of high risk children and families, and early childhood monitoring systems. Programmes should provide a universal seamless continuum of care and support from pregnancy through to school entry with the intensity of support graded according to need. The current information systems in Scotland would be inadequate for monitoring the effects of early childhood interventions especially in relation to cognitive-language and social-emotional development. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sentinel-3 For Land Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goryl, Philippe; Gobron, Nadine; Mecklenburg, Susanne; Donlon, Craig; Bouvet, Marc; Buongiorno, Alessandra; Wilson, Hilary

2016-07-01

The Copernicus Programme, being Europe's Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme led by the European Union, aims to provide, on a sustainable basis, reliable and timely services related to environmental and security issues. The Sentinel-3 mission forms part of the Copernicus Space Component. Its main objectives, building on the heritage and experience of the European Space Agency's (ESA) ERS and ENVISAT missions, are to measure sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature and ocean- and land-surface colour in support of ocean forecasting systems, and for environmental and climate monitoring. The series of Sentinel-3 satellites will ensure global, frequent and near-real time ocean, ice and land monitoring, with the provision of observation data in a routine, long-term (up to 20 years of operations) and continuous fashion, with a consistent quality and a high level of reliability and availability. The launch of Sentinel-3 was successful last February 2016. The Sentinel-3 missions are jointly operated by ESA and EUMETSAT. ESA will be responsible for the operations, maintenance and evolution of the Sentinel-3 ground segment on land related products and EUMETSAT on the marine products and the satellite monitoring and control. All facilities supporting the Sentinel-3 operations are in place. The Sentinel-3 ground segment systematically acquires, processes and distributes a set of pre-defined core data products to the users. For a detailed description of the core data products please see https://earth.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-3/data-products. On request from the European Commission, ESA and EUMETSAT are presently assessing the possibility to include further core data products, in particular on aerosol optical depth, fire monitoring and synergistic products over land. This paper will provide an update on the status of the mission operations after the initial months in orbit and provide in particular an overview on the status of the Sentinel-3 core land products and their provision in the mission's ramp-up phase.

Key Programme Science lessons from an HIV prevention 'Learning Site' for sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya.

PubMed

McClarty, Leigh M; Bhattacharjee, Parinita; Isac, Shajy; Emmanuel, Faran; Kioko, Japheth; Njiraini, Margaret; Gichangi, Peter; Okoth, Clifford Duncan; Musimbi-Mbole, Janet; Blanchard, James F; Moses, Stephen; Muysyoki, Helgar; Becker, Marissa L

2017-12-14

In 2013, Kenya's National AIDS and STI Control Programme established a Learning Site (LS) in Mombasa County to support and strengthen capacity for HIV prevention programming within organisations working with sex workers. A defining feature of LS was the use of a Programme Science approach throughout its development and implementation. We provide an overview of the key components of LS, present findings from 23 months of programme monitoring data, and highlight key Programme Science lessons from its implementation and monitoring. Routine monitoring data collected from September 2013 through July 2015 are presented. Individual-level service utilisation data were collected monthly and indicators of interest were analysed over time to illustrate trends in enrolment, programme coverage and service utilisation among sex workers in Mombasa County. Over the monitoring period, outreach programme enrolment occurred rapidly; condom distribution targets were met consistently; rates of STI screening remained high and diagnoses declined; and reporting of and response to violent incidents increased. At the same time, enrolment in LS clinics was relatively low among female sex workers, and HIV testing at LS was low among both female and male sex workers. Lessons learnt from operationalising the Programme Science framework through the Mombasa LS can inform the development and implementation of similar LS in different geographical and epidemiological contexts. Importantly, meaningful involvement of sex workers in the design, implementation and monitoring processes ensures that overall programme performance is optimised in the context of local, 'on-the-ground' realities. Additionally, learnings from LS highlight the importance of introducing enhanced monitoring and evaluations systems into complex programmes to better understand and explain programme dynamics over time. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Environmental monitoring of secondhand smoke exposure

PubMed Central

Apelberg, Benjamin J; Hepp, Lisa M; Avila-Tang, Erika; Gundel, Lara; Hammond, S Katharine; Hovell, Melbourne F; Hyland, Andrew; Klepeis, Neil E; Madsen, Camille C; Navas-Acien, Ana; Repace, James; Samet, Jonathan M

2013-01-01

The complex composition of secondhand smoke (SHS) provides a range of constituents that can be measured in environmental samples (air, dust and on surfaces) and therefore used to assess non-smokers' exposure to tobacco smoke. Monitoring SHS exposure (SHSe) in indoor environments provides useful information on the extent and consequences of SHSe, implementing and evaluating tobacco control programmes and behavioural interventions, and estimating overall burden of disease caused by SHSe. The most widely used markers have been vapour-phase nicotine and respirable particulate matter (PM). Numerous other environmental analytes of SHS have been measured in the air including carbon monoxide, 3-ethenylpyridine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, nitrogen oxides, aldehydes and volatile organic compounds, as well as nicotine in dust and on surfaces. The measurement of nicotine in the air has the advantage of reflecting the presence of tobacco smoke. While PM measurements are not as specific, they can be taken continuously, allowing for assessment of exposure and its variation over time. In general, when nicotine and PM are measured in the same setting using a common sampling period, an increase in nicotine concentration of 1 μg/m3 corresponds to an average increase of 10 μg/m3 of PM. This topic assessment presents a comprehensive summary of SHSe monitoring approaches using environmental markers and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these methods and approaches. PMID:22949497

Community Environmental Education as a Model for Effective Environmental Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair, Morag

2008-01-01

The benefits of community environmental education outlined in environmental education literature are supported by the findings and implications of a research study undertaken in New Zealand. Evidence from a two-case case study suggests that environmental programmes guided by the key principles and practices of community environmental education,…

Accidental spills at sea--risk, impact, mitigation and the need for co-ordinated post-incident monitoring.

PubMed

Kirby, Mark F; Law, Robin J

2010-06-01

A fully integrated and effective response to an oil or chemical spill at sea must include a well planned and executed post-incident assessment of environmental contamination and damage. While salvage, rescue and clean-up operations are generally well considered, including reviews and exercises, the expertise, resources, networks and logistical planning required to achieve prompt and effective post-spill impact assessment and monitoring are not generally well established. The arrangement and co-ordination of post-incident monitoring and impact assessment need to consider sampling design, biological effects, chemical analysis and collection/interpretation of expert local knowledge. This paper discusses the risks, impacts and mitigation options associated with accidental spills and considers the importance of pre-considered impact assessment and monitoring programmes in the wider response cycle. The PREMIAM (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring; www.premiam.org) project is considered as an example of an improved approach to the planning, co-ordination and conduct of post-incident monitoring.

An innovative statistical approach for analysing non-continuous variables in environmental monitoring: assessing temporal trends of TBT pollution.

PubMed

Santos, José António; Galante-Oliveira, Susana; Barroso, Carlos

2011-03-01

The current work presents an innovative statistical approach to model ordinal variables in environmental monitoring studies. An ordinal variable has values that can only be compared as "less", "equal" or "greater" and it is not possible to have information about the size of the difference between two particular values. The example of ordinal variable under this study is the vas deferens sequence (VDS) used in imposex (superimposition of male sexual characters onto prosobranch females) field assessment programmes for monitoring tributyltin (TBT) pollution. The statistical methodology presented here is the ordered logit regression model. It assumes that the VDS is an ordinal variable whose values match up a process of imposex development that can be considered continuous in both biological and statistical senses and can be described by a latent non-observable continuous variable. This model was applied to the case study of Nucella lapillus imposex monitoring surveys conducted in the Portuguese coast between 2003 and 2008 to evaluate the temporal evolution of TBT pollution in this country. In order to produce more reliable conclusions, the proposed model includes covariates that may influence the imposex response besides TBT (e.g. the shell size). The model also provides an analysis of the environmental risk associated to TBT pollution by estimating the probability of the occurrence of females with VDS ≥ 2 in each year, according to OSPAR criteria. We consider that the proposed application of this statistical methodology has a great potential in environmental monitoring whenever there is the need to model variables that can only be assessed through an ordinal scale of values.

Unsettling Environmental Management: Reflections from Two Environmental Studies Graduates in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Ezra; Ang, Nicholas

2018-01-01

Environmental and sustainability programmes in higher education have gained traction over the last several decades. More-than-disciplinary epistemologies and innovative pedagogies promise transformational learning to grapple with contemporary environmental challenges. Environmental programmes thus have implicit messages of social change.…

An assessment of the effect of an experimental environmental education programme (Man and Nutrition) on Kuwaiti primary school pupils (Grade Four)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmaeel, Yaqoub Y. R.

The educational system in Kuwait is undergoing some fundamental changes, and the need for reform of environmental education has become urgent as a result of the concerns of both the government and the public over environmental issues. It is in such a context that this research was conducted. The research was intended to develop, implement, and evaluate an experimental programme Man and Nutrition for Kuwaiti primary school pupils, aimed at developing a positive environmental achievement, Information about the present status of environmental concepts and environmental education in Kuwait was obtained from preliminary study such as interviews and curriculum analysis. Interviews were conducted in ten different primary schools in four districts in Kuwait, which involved 31 pupils in total, hi addition, information was obtained by analysis of the science curriculum for fourth grade primary schools. The preliminary study was carried out during the period April to October 1998. The results of the preliminary study served to aid the development of an experimental teaching programme. The experimental programme Man and Nutrition consisted of eight lessons printed in two booklets, a teacher's guide and pupil's textbook. The research included a review of the relevant literature examining the development of environmental programmes and activities in a number of countries, which were selected because of their environmental education approaches, and the variety of their environmental conditions. Pilot testing of the teaching programmes was carried out to ascertain the appropriateness of the materials and the data collecting instruments used for the evaluation of the main experimental study. The main study group included 115 pupils in four primary schools and four teachers selected in Kuwait. Data collecting included pre and post-tests and the course evaluation by teachers using semi-structured interviews. Statistical analysis of data obtained was carried out using the SPSS/PC+ computer programme. The major results of this study indicated that: (1) The present science programme of the fourth grade does not sufficiently cover the concepts identified as environmental concepts. (2) The experimental programme was significantly effective in increasing the pupils' knowledge regarding the environmental programme Man and Nutrition. (3) A significant difference in the mean scores was found between boys and girls in the post-achievement test. (4) There was a significant difference in the pupils' mean scores between the educational districts in the post-achievement test. (5) The experimental programme had similar influences on pupils' overall achievement by parents' education. Based upon the above major research results, the study puts forward some practical recommendations regarding the development of a school environmental education programme. Since the study is one of the first of its kind in Kuwait, it also suggests a few possible areas for future research. It is hoped that the research will lead to a worthwhile primary school environmental education.

Towards answering the "so what" question in marine renewables environmental impact assessment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degraer, Steven; Birchenough, Silvana N. R.; Braeckman, Ulrike; Coolen, Joop W. P.; Dannheim, Jennifer; De Mesel, Ilse; Grégoire, Marilaure; Kerckhof, Francis; Lacroix, Geneviève; Lindeboom, Han; Moens, Tom; Soetaert, Karline; Vanaverbeke, Jan; Van Hoey, Gert

2016-04-01

Marine renewable energy (MRE) projects are increasingly occupying the European North-Atlantic coasts and this is clearly observed in the North Sea. Given the expected impacts on the marine environment, each individual project is accompanied by a legally mandatory, environmental monitoring programme. These programmes are focused on the resultant effects on ecosystem component structure (e.g. species composition, numbers and densities) of single industrial projects. To date, there is a tendency to further narrow down to only a selection of ecosystem components (e.g. marine mammals and birds). While a wide knowledge-based understanding of structural impacts on (a selection of) ecosystem components exists, this evidence is largely lacking when undertaking impact assessments at the ecosystem functioning level (e.g. trophic interactions, dispersal and nutrient cycling). This critical knowledge gap compromises a scientifically-underpinned answer to the "so what" question of environmental impacts, i.e. whether the observed impacts are considered to be good or bad, or acceptable or unacceptable. The importance of ecosystem functioning is further acknowledged in the descriptors 4 and 6 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU MSFD) and is at the heart of a sustainable use and management of our marine resources. There hence is a fundamental need to focus on ecosystem functioning at the spatial scales at which marine ecosystems function when assessing MRE impacts. Here, we make a plea for an increased investment in a large (spatial) scale impact assessment of MRE projects focused on ecosystem functioning. This presentation will cover a selection of examples from North Sea MRE monitoring programmes, where the current knowledge has limited conclusions on the "so what" question. We will demonstrate how an ecosystem functioning-focused approach at an appropriate spatial scale could advance our current understanding, whilst assessing these issues. These examples will cover biogeochemical cycling, food webs and connectivity in a cumulative MRE impact assessment context. This presentation will highlight both the available knowledge base and further elaborate on the knowledge gaps. We will offer guidance on how these knowledge gaps could be further investigated, based on examples taken from the recently started projects FaCE-It, Functional biodiversity in a changing sedimentary environment: implications for biogeochemistry and food webs in a managerial setting (financed by the Belgian Science Policy) and UNDINE, Understanding the influence of man-made structures on the ecosystem functions of the North Sea (financed by INSITE). This presentation will set the scene and offer further thinking on the current issues associated to MRE monitoring, particularly beyond the level of ecological structure and individual industrial projects. The overall message will aid advancing and strengthening a collaborative MRE monitoring, helping scientists, managers and regulators to answer the much needed "so what" question to support environmental assessments. Keywords: offshore wind farms, cumulative effects, spatial upscaling, ecosystem functioning, biogeochemical cycling, food webs Contact author: Steven Degraer, steven.degraer@naturalsciences.be

Exploring the Links Between Visual Arts and Environmental Education: Experiences of Teachers Participating in an In-Service Training Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savva, Andri; Trimis, Eli; Zachariou, Aravella

2004-01-01

An in-service teachers' training programme was designed aiming to encourage art teachers to learn through theoretical and artistic experiential activities in a specific environmental setting (Lemithou environmental education centre, Cyprus). The programme was based on the use of the environment as an educational resource, and sought to develop…

Analysis of the impact of recreational trail usage for prioritising management decisions: a regression tree approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomczyk, Aleksandra; Ewertowski, Marek; White, Piran; Kasprzak, Leszek

2016-04-01

The dual role of many Protected Natural Areas in providing benefits for both conservation and recreation poses challenges for management. Although recreation-based damage to ecosystems can occur very quickly, restoration can take many years. The protection of conservation interests at the same as providing for recreation requires decisions to be made about how to prioritise and direct management actions. Trails are commonly used to divert visitors from the most important areas of a site, but high visitor pressure can lead to increases in trail width and a concomitant increase in soil erosion. Here we use detailed field data on condition of recreational trails in Gorce National Park, Poland, as the basis for a regression tree analysis to determine the factors influencing trail deterioration, and link specific trail impacts with environmental, use related and managerial factors. We distinguished 12 types of trails, characterised by four levels of degradation: (1) trails with an acceptable level of degradation; (2) threatened trails; (3) damaged trails; and (4) heavily damaged trails. Damaged trails were the most vulnerable of all trails and should be prioritised for appropriate conservation and restoration. We also proposed five types of monitoring of recreational trail conditions: (1) rapid inventory of negative impacts; (2) monitoring visitor numbers and variation in type of use; (3) change-oriented monitoring focusing on sections of trail which were subjected to changes in type or level of use or subjected to extreme weather events; (4) monitoring of dynamics of trail conditions; and (5) full assessment of trail conditions, to be carried out every 10-15 years. The application of the proposed framework can enhance the ability of Park managers to prioritise their trail management activities, enhancing trail conditions and visitor safety, while minimising adverse impacts on the conservation value of the ecosystem. A.M.T. was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education under Grant 927/MOB/2012/0 ("Mobility Plus" program). P.C.L. White received funding under a UK Natural Environment Research Council grant (NE/K001620/1), with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change. (LWEC) programme.

Environmental risk perception, environmental concern and propensity to participate in organic farming programmes.

PubMed

Toma, Luiza; Mathijs, Erik

2007-04-01

This paper aims to identify the factors underlying farmers' propensity to participate in organic farming programmes in a Romanian rural region that confronts non-point source pollution. For this, we employ structural equation modelling with latent variables using a specific data set collected through an agri-environmental farm survey in 2001. The model includes one 'behavioural intention' latent variable ('propensity to participate in organic farming programmes') and five 'attitude' and 'socio-economic' latent variables ('socio-demographic characteristics', 'economic characteristics', 'agri-environmental information access', 'environmental risk perception' and 'general environmental concern'). The results indicate that, overall, the model has an adequate fit to the data. All loadings are statistically significant, supporting the theoretical basis for assignment of indicators for each latent variable. The significance tests for the structural model parameters show 'environmental risk perception' as the strongest determinant of farmers' propensity to participate in organic farming programmes.

Learning Programmes for Environmental Sustainability: A Different Approach to Curriculum Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zietsman, S.; Pretorius, R. W.

2006-01-01

Environmental management in South Africa is constrained by a lack of capacity for effective stakeholder engagement and environmental decision-making. The country's excellent environmental legislation demands that environmental professionals be appropriately trained at the higher education level. To this end, a Bachelors level learning programme in…

Predicting nutrient responses to mitigation at catchment to national scale: the UK research platform (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnes, P.

2013-12-01

Nutrient enrichment of waters from land-based and atmospheric sources presents a significant management challenge, requiring effective stakeholder engagement and policy development, properly underpinned by robust scientific evidence. The challenge is complex, raising significant questions about the specific sources, apportionment and pathways that determine nutrient enrichment and the key priorities for effective management and policy intervention. This paper presents outputs from 4 major UK research programmes: the Defra Demonstration Test Catchments programme (DTC), the Environment Agency's Catchment Sensitive Farming monitoring and evaluation programme (CSF), Natural Resources Wales Welsh Catchment Initiative (WCI) and the NERC Environmental Virtual Observatory programme (EVOp). Funded to meet this challenge, they are delivering new understanding of the rates and sources of pollutant fluxes from land to water, their impacts on ecosystem goods and services, and likely trends under future climate and land use change from field to national scale. DTC, a 12m investment by the UK Government, has set up long-term, high resolution research platforms equipped with novel telemetered sensor networks to monitor stream ecosystem responses to on-farm mitigation measures at a representative scale for catchment management. Ecosystem structural and functional responses and bulk hydrochemistry are also being monitored using standard protocols. CSF has set up long-term, enhanced monitoring in 8 priority catchments, with monthly monitoring in a further 72 English catchments and 6 Welsh priority catchments, to identify shifts in pollutant flux to waters resulting from mitigation measures in priority areas and farming sectors. CSF and WCI have contributed to >50 million of targeted farm improvements to date, representing a significant shift in farming practice. Each programme has generated detailed evidence on stream ecosystem responses to targeted mitigation. However, to provide effective underpinning for policy the major challenge has been to upscale this knowledge beyond these data-rich systems and identify the dominant contributing areas and priorities for management intervention to control nutrient flux and ecological impacts in data-poor systems which are located downstream from existing monitoring infrastructure or are in unmonitored catchments in remote locations. EVOp has directly addressed this challenge, developing a cloud computing enabled National Biogeochemical Modelling Framework to support ensemble modelling, knowledge capture and transfer from DTC, CSF, WCI and data-rich research catchments. This platform provides opportunities for further development of national biogeochemical modelling capability, allowing upscaled predictions from plot to catchment and national scale, enabling knowledge transfer from data-rich to data-poor areas. This paper presents initial findings from these research platforms, identifying the key priorities for action emerging from our national scale scenario analysis, and future research directions to further improve understanding, prediction and management capability in nutrient enriched waters and their catchments under changing climate and land use.

The implications of the precautionary principle for biological monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macgarvin, M.

1995-03-01

Marine biological monitoring programmes frequently attempt to determine “safe” levels of contamination, based on assumptions about the assimilative capacity of the environment. This paper argues that such assumptions lack scientific rigour, and do not form the basis upon which a precautionary policy can be built. It notes the problems associated with assessing toxicological effects, but centres its attention on the crucial (yet far less discussed) weaknesses in theoretical ecology that make it extremely unlikely that biological monitoring can determine safe levels of contamination that leave ecosystems unaffected. It is argued that many marine biologists, if pressed, would concede these shortcomings but believe that, in the face of the technical difficulties and high costs of pollution prevention, we have no choice but to use such methods. This paper argues, with examples, that pollution prevention, often with considerable economic savings, is becoming a reality for even the most problematic substances. The difficulty is that the development of “clean production” methods lie outside the sphere of interest of those carrying out monitoring, so that measures that attempt to determine safe levels of contamination continue to be advocated. This gulf needs to be bridged so that the continuation of monitoring programmes that are part of dilute and disperse policies become regarded as inappropriate, indeed unethical. The paper concludes that this does not mean the end of marine monitoring. Instead, reliable methods for assessing physical levels of contamination will be required to determine whether the reduction targets set—as part of the introduction of clean production—are being met. Formidable difficulties will remain, requiring a precautious approach. Nevertheless, monitoring will no longer carry the burden of attempting to demonstrate that a particular level of environmental contamination is safe, which is currently destroying its scientific credibility.

The environmental monitoring of Cultural Heritage through Low Cost strategies: The frescoes of the crypt of St. Francesco d'Assisi's, Irsina (Basilicata, Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sileo, Maria; Gizzi, Fabrizio; Masini, Nicola

2015-04-01

One of the main tools of assessment and diagnosis used to define appropriate strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage is the environmental monitoring. To achieve an environmental monitoring are needed high costs of purchase and maintenance, high costs of instrumental and for the management of the plants and processing of results. These costs imply that the technologies for environmental monitoring are not as common but their use is limited to the study very famous monuments or sites. To extend the use and dissemination of such technologies to a greater number of monuments, through the project Pro_Cult (Advanced methodological approaches and technologies for Protection and Security of Cultural Heritage) a research aimed at testing low cost technologies has been performed. The aim of the research is to develop low cost monitoring systems, assessing their effectiveness in a comparative way with commercial high cost ones. To this aim an environmental monitoring system using the Arduino system was designed and developed. It is an electronics prototyping platform based on open-source hardware and software flexible and user friendly. This system is connected to sensors for the detection of environmental parameters of non high purchase cost but with respect to the medium potential detection sensors accurately. This low cost system was tested in the framework of a microclimate monitoring project of the crypt of St. Francis of Assisi in Irsina (Southern Italy) enriched by a precious cycle of medieval frescoes. The aim of this research was to compare two monitoring systems, the first, at low cost, using Arduino system, and the second, a standard commercial product for a full yearly cycle and assess the reliability and the results obtained by the two systems. This paper shows the results of the comparative analysis of an entire monitoring yearly cycle in relation to the problems of degradation affecting the paintings of medieval crypt [1]. The obtained results proved the capability and reliability of the designed low cost monitoring system for investigating the indoor microclimate in relation with decay pathologies. Acknowledgements The authors thank Basilicata Region for supporting this activity in the framework of the Project "PRO_CULT" (Advanced methodological approaches and technologies for Protection and Security of Cultural Heritage) financed by Regional Operational Programme ERDF 2007/2013 [1] M. Sileo, M. Biscione, F.T. Gizzi, N. Masini & M.I. Martinez-Garrido, 2014 - Low cost strategies for the environmental monitoring of Cultural Heritage: Preliminary data from the crypt of St. Francesco d'Assisi, Irsina (Basilicata, Southern Italy). Science, Technology and Cultural Heritage, Edited by Miguel Angel Rogerio-Candelera, 27-34. ISBN: 978-1-138-02744-2.

The Significance of Forest Monitoring Programmes: the Finnish Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merila, P.; Derome, J.; Lindgren, M.

2007-12-01

Finland has been participating in the ICP Forests programme (the International Co-operative Programme on the Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests) based on international agreements on the long- range transportation of air pollutants (LRTAP) and other associated monitoring programmes (e.g. Forest Focus, ICP Integrated Monitoring, ICP Vegetation) since 1985. The knowledge gained during the years has greatly increased our understanding of the overall condition of our forests and the factors affecting forest condition, the processes underlying forest ecosystem functioning, and the potential threats to our forests posed by human activities, both at home and abroad. The success of the monitoring activities in Finland is largely based on the experience gained during the early 1980's with our own national acidification project and, during the late 1980's and early 1990"s, in a number of regional monitoring projects. Finland's membership of the European Union (entry in 1996) has enabled us to further develop the infrastructure and coverage of both our extensive and intensive level networks. This broadening of our ecological understanding and development of international collaboration are now providing us with an invaluable basis for addressing the new monitoring challenges (biodiversity, climate change). The results gained in our monitoring activities clearly demonstrate the value of long-term monitoring programmes. The main results have been regularly reported both at the European (e.g. http://www.icp- forests.org/Reports.htm) and national level (e.g. http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/workingpapers/2007/mwp045- en.htm). However, the datasets have not been intensively explored and exploited, and few of the important methodological and ecological findings have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. This has, understandably, not been the first priority of the international monitoring programmes. A number of the intensive forest monitoring plots in Finland have recently been included in LTER platforms, thus potentially increasing scientific collaboration between researchers across different governmental institutes and education bodies.

Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: Phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Matthew P.; McKnight, Diane M.

2015-01-01

Background: Surface waters are the lowest points in the landscape, and therefore serve as excellent integrators and indicators of changes taking place in the surrounding terrestrial and atmospheric environment.Aims: Here we synthesise the findings of limnological studies conducted during the past 15 years in streams and lakes in the Green Lakes Valley, which is part of the Niwot Ridge Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Site.Methods: The importance of these studies is discussed in the context of aquatic ecosystems as indicators, integrators, and regulators of environmental change. Specifically, investigations into climatic, hydrologic, and nutrient controls on present-day phytoplankton, and historical diatom, community composition in the alpine lake, Green Lake 4, are reviewed. In addition, studies of spatial and temporal patterns in dissolved organic matter (DOM) biogeochemistry and reactive transport modelling that have taken place in the Green Lakes Valley are highlighted.Results and conclusions: The findings of these studies identify specific shifts in algal community composition and DOM biogeochemistry that are indicative of changing environmental conditions and provide a framework for detecting future environmental change in the Green Lakes Valley and in other alpine watersheds. Moreover, the studies summarised here demonstrate the importance of long-term monitoring programmes such as the LTER programme.

Predicting volunteer commitment in environmental stewardship programmes

Treesearch

Robert L. Ryan; Rachel Kaplan; Robert E. Grese

2001-01-01

The natural environment benefits greatly from the work of volunteers in environmental stewardship programmes. However, little is known about volunteers' motivations for continued participation in these programmes. This study looked at the relationship between volunteer commitment and motivation, as well as the effect that volunteering has on participants'...

Introducing a new monitoring manual for home fortification and strengthening capacity to monitor nutrition interventions.

PubMed

Jefferds, Maria Elena D; Flores-Ayala, Rafael

2015-12-01

Lack of monitoring capacity is a key barrier for nutrition interventions and limits programme management, decision making and programme effectiveness in many low-income and middle-income countries. A 2011 global assessment reported lack of monitoring capacity was the top barrier for home fortification interventions, such as micronutrient powders or lipid-based nutrient supplements. A Manual for Developing and Implementing Monitoring Systems for Home Fortification Interventions was recently disseminated. It is comprehensive and describes monitoring concepts and frameworks and includes monitoring tools and worksheets. The monitoring manual describes the steps of developing and implementing a monitoring system for home fortification interventions, including identifying and engaging stakeholders; developing a programme description including logic model and logical framework; refining the purpose of the monitoring system, identifying users and their monitoring needs; describing the design of the monitoring system; developing indicators; describing the core components of a comprehensive monitoring plan; and considering factors related to stage of programme development, sustainability and scale up. A fictional home fortification example is used throughout the monitoring manual to illustrate these steps. The monitoring manual is a useful tool to support the development and implementation of home fortification intervention monitoring systems. In the context of systematic capacity gaps to design, implement and monitor nutrition interventions in many low-income and middle-income countries, the dissemination of new tools, such as monitoring manuals may have limited impact without additional attention to strengthening other individual, organisational and systems levels capacities. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Monitoring and surveillance for multiple micronutrient supplements in pregnancy.

PubMed

Mei, Zuguo; Jefferds, Maria Elena; Namaste, Sorrel; Suchdev, Parminder S; Flores-Ayala, Rafael C

2017-12-22

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation during pregnancy to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation in pregnancy has been implemented in select countries and emerging evidence suggests that MMN supplementation in pregnancy may provide additional benefits compared to IFA alone. In 2015, WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Micronutrient Initiative held a "Technical Consultation on MMN supplements in pregnancy: implementation considerations for successful incorporation into existing programmemes," which included a call for indicators needed for monitoring, evaluation, and surveillance of MMN supplementation programmes. Currently, global surveillance and monitoring data show that overall IFA supplementation programmes suffer from low coverage and intake adherence, despite inclusion in national policies. Common barriers that limit the effectiveness of IFA-which also apply to MMN programmes-include weak supply chains, low access to antenatal care services, low-quality behaviour change interventions to support and motivate women, and weak or non-existent monitoring systems used for programme improvement. The causes of these barriers in a given country need careful review to resolve them. As countries heighten their focus on supplementation during pregnancy, or if they decide to initiate or transition into MMN supplementation, a priority is to identify key monitoring indicators to address these issues and support effective programmes. National and global monitoring and surveillance data on IFA supplementation during pregnancy are primarily derived from cross-sectional surveys and, on a more routine basis, through health and logistics management information systems. Indicators for IFA supplementation exist; however, the new indicators for MMN supplementation need to be incorporated. We reviewed practice-based evidence, guided by the WHO/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logic model for vitamin and mineral interventions in public health programmes, and used existing manuals, published literature, country reports, and the opinion of experts, to identify monitoring, evaluation, and surveillance indicators for MMN supplementation programmes. We also considered cross-cutting indicators that could be used across programme settings, as well as those specific to common delivery models, such as antenatal care services. We then described mechanisms for collecting these data, including integration within existing government monitoring systems, as well as other existing or proposed systems. Monitoring data needs at all stages of the programme lifecycle were considered, as well as the feasibility and cost of data collection. We also propose revisions to global-, national-, and subnational-surveillance indicators based on these reviews. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluating predictors of local dabbling duck abundance during migration: Managing the spectrum of conditions faced by migrants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aagaard, Kevin; Crimmins, Shawn M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Tavernia, Brian G.; Lyons, James E.

2015-01-01

The development of robust modelling techniques to derive inferences from large-scale migratory bird monitoring data at appropriate scales has direct relevance to their management. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring programme (IWMM) represents one of the few attempts to monitor migrating waterbirds across entire flyways using targeted local surveys. This dataset included 13,208,785 waterfowl (eight Anas species) counted during 28,000 surveys at nearly 1,000 locations across the eastern United States between autumn 2010 and spring 2013 and was used to evaluate potential predictors of waterfowl abundance at the wetland scale. Mixed-effects, log-linear models of local abundance were built for the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways during spring and autumn migration to identify factors relating to habitat structure, forage availability, and migration timing that influence target dabbling duck species abundance. Results indicated that migrating dabbling ducks responded differently to environmental factors. While the factors identified demonstrated a high degree of importance, they were inconsistent across species, flyways and seasons. Furthermore, the direction and magnitude of the importance of each covariate group considered here varied across species. Given our results, actionable policy recommendations are likely to be most effective if they consider species-level variation within targeted taxonomic units and across management areas. The methods implemented here can easily be applied to other contexts, and serve as a novel investigation into local-level population patterns using data from broad-scale monitoring programmes.

Correlates of Environmental Conservation Habit of Members of a School-Based Environmental Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adepoju, Oluwasanumi A.

2007-01-01

The focus of the study was on empirically providing a composite picture of the relationship of some representatives of school, student and teacher factors on students' environmental conservation habit of a school-based Environmental Education programme. The study sample comprised 584 members of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) School…

Much ado about SEA/SA monitoring: The performance of English Regional Spatial Strategies, and some German comparisons

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

Hanusch, Marie; Glasson, John

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) seeks to better integrate environmental considerations into the preparation and decision-making process of plans and programmes with a view to promoting sustainable development. Further to application of the European Directive 2001/42/EC (SEA Directive) in 2004, the body of practical SEA experience, and parallel research, has increased steadily. Yet there is a crucial element of SEA which cannot build on much experience but whose importance will grow over time - namely that of SEA monitoring. The paper explores the application of SEA monitoring for English Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs). It briefly introduces the role of SEA monitoringmore » and its legal requirements, the English approach of integrating SEA into Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and the nature of the current English Regional Planning context. The main part presents the research findings and discusses how practitioners cope with the challenges of SEA/SA monitoring - with guiding questions: why, what, who, how, when, and with what outcomes? Reflecting that monitoring is just about to start, the paper draws on measures envisaged for monitoring in the SA reports prepared for RSS, and on expert interviews. It identifies monitoring trends and highlights workable approaches as well as shortcomings. For a critical reflection the findings are mirrored briefly with SEA monitoring approaches of German Regional Plans. Although it is still early days for such monitoring, the findings indicate that there is a danger that some of the specific requirements and objectives of SEA/SA monitoring are not fully met, mainly due to insufficient databases, inappropriate institutional conditions and limited personnel and financial resources. Some recommendations are offered in conclusion.« less

The use of monitoring data in EU chemicals management--experiences and considerations from the German environmental specimen bank.

PubMed

Koschorreck, Jan; Heiss, Christiane; Wellmitz, Jörg; Fliedner, Annette; Rüdel, Heinz

2015-02-01

Since the 1970s, environmental specimen banks (ESB) have emerged in many countries. Their highly standardised sampling and archiving strategies make them a valuable tool in tracing time trends and spatial distributions of chemicals in ecosystem compartments. The present article intends to highlight the potential of ESBs for regulatory agencies in the European Union (EU). The arguments are supported by examples of retrospective monitoring studies conducted under the programme of the German ESB. These studies have evaluated the success of regulatory and industry provisions for substances of concern (i.e. PCB, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, perfluorinated compounds, alkylphenol compounds, organotin compounds, triclosan/methyl-triclosan, musk fragrances). Time trend studies revealed for example that levels of organotin compounds in marine biota from German coastal waters decreased significantly after the EU had decided on a total ban of organotin-based antifoulings in 2003. Similarly, concentrations of commercially relevant congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers decreased in herring gull eggs from the North Sea only after an EU-wide ban in 2004. The data presented demonstrate the usefulness of ESB samples for (retrospective) time trend monitoring and underline the benefit of a more intensive cooperation between chemicals management and specimen banking.

Control of Aedes aegypti larvae in household water containers by Chinese cat fish.

PubMed

Wu, N; Wang, S S; Han, G X; Xu, R M; Tang, G K; Qian, C

1987-01-01

In 1980-81 an outbreak of dengue fever occurred in Guangdong province and in Guangxi-Zhuang autonomous region in the central-southern part of China. Subsequently, a nationwide survey indicated that the vector of the disease, Aedes aegypti, was confined to the coastal strip of Guangdong and Guangxi-Zhuang. Since the first case in the outbreak occurred in Guangxi-Zhuang, a community-based programme to control A. aegypti was set up in eight fishing villages of this region where the mosquito was breeding in household water containers. The principal method of control was use of the indigenous edible fish Clarias fuscus (Chinese cat fish), which is highly larvivorous and tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. Each container was stocked with a young fish, which could survive there for periods of up to a year. A team of primary medical personnel (barefoot doctors) made sure that the programme was correctly implemented. The programme was monitored from 1981 to 1985 in three of the villages, and the results indicated that the Breteau index remained at a low level throughout this period.

Control of Aedes aegypti larvae in household water containers by Chinese cat fish

PubMed Central

Neng, Wu; Shusen, Wang; Guangxin, Han; Rongman, Xu; Guangkun, Tang; Chen, Qian

1987-01-01

In 1980-81 an outbreak of dengue fever occurred in Guangdong province and in Guangxi-Zhuang autonomous region in the central-southern part of China. Subsequently, a nationwide survey indicated that the vector of the disease, Aedes aegypti, was confined to the coastal strip of Guangdong and Guangxi-Zhuang. Since the first case in the outbreak occurred in Guangxi-Zhuang, a community-based programme to control A. aegypti was set up in eight fishing villages of this region where the mosquito was breeding in household water containers. The principal method of control was use of the indigenous edible fish Clarias fuscus (Chinese cat fish), which is highly larvivorous and tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. Each container was stocked with a young fish, which could survive there for periods of up to a year. A team of primary medical personnel (barefoot doctors) made sure that the programme was correctly implemented. The programme was monitored from 1981 to 1985 in three of the villages, and the results indicated that the Breteau index remained at a low level throughout this period. PMID:3500803

An Integrated Approach to Environmental Education: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Preez, Nicolaas P.; Mohr-Swart, Maryna

2004-01-01

In 1994, the Executive Management Committee (EMC) of Technikon Pretoria took a strategic decision to develop educational programmes in environmental management and sustainable development. The EMC also decided to integrate these programmes with the development and implementation of an environmental management policy for Technikon Pretoria. This…

Accreditation and training on internal dosimetry in a laboratory network in Brazil: an increasing demand.

PubMed

Dantas, B M; Dantas, A L A; Acar, M E D; Cardoso, J C S; Julião, L M Q C; Lima, M F; Taddei, M H T; Arine, D R; Alonso, T; Ramos, M A P; Fajgelj, A

2011-03-01

In recent years, Brazilian Nuclear Programme has been reviewed and updated by government authorities in face of the demand for energy supply and its associated environmental constraints. The immediate impact of new national programmes and projects in nuclear field is the increase in the number of exposed personnel and the consequent need for reliable dosimetry services in the country. Several Technical Documents related to internal dosimetry have been released by the International Atomic Energy Agency and International Commission on Radiological Protection. However, standard bioassay procedures and methodologies for bioassay data interpretation are still under discussion and, in some cases, both in routine and emergency internal monitoring, procedures can vary from one laboratory to another and responses may differ markedly among Dosimetry Laboratories. Thus, it may be difficult to interpret and use bioassay data generated from different laboratories of a network. The main goal of this work is to implement a National Network of Laboratories aimed to provide reliable internal monitoring services in Brazil. The establishment of harmonised in vivo and in vitro radioanalytical techniques, dose assessment methods and the implementation of the ISO/IEC 17025 requirements will result in the recognition of technical competence of the network.

Evaluating the Impact of an Environmental Education Programme: An Empirical Study in Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruiz-Mallen, Isabel; Barraza, Laura; Bodenhorn, Barbara; Reyes-Garcia, Victoria

2009-01-01

This study draws on information from 11 in-depth interviews, two focus groups and 72 written questionnaires to evaluate an extra-curricular environmental education programme on forestry designed for preparatory school students from a small rural community in Mexico. Specifically, the study assessed the impact of the programme on the ecological…

Supporting smarter, healthier and greener societies: the dawn of operational environmental information services Some examples from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) programme in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peuch, V. H.

2016-12-01

Operational environmental services are a reality today, as exemplified by the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service in Europe. Air quality forecasts, information on the long-range transport of dust or of fire plumes or on greenhouse gas fluxes have become reliable enough to be considered by decision makers and to be communicated broadly -making our societies more informed about the changing environment and about the direct link between human activities, atmospheric composition, weather and climate. Many aspects of the value-adding information chains that have been built over the years share commonalities with Numerical Weather Prediction: global and regional numerical models, reflecting both the level of understanding of physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere and the contemporary computing capabilities, are used to blend observations from different in situ and, increasingly, Earth Observation sources. Significantly, the World Meteorological Organisation has recently added a new component to the Global Atmospheric Watch programme in the form of a Science Advisory Group on "Applications". The main objectives of this group are to develop a portfolio of products and services related to atmospheric composition and to demonstrate particularly the usefulness of exchanging chemical observational data in Near-Real-Time. Exchanging best practices worldwide and facilitating the set-up of new applications are also among the activities. Having operational applications does not imply that research efforts to improve environmental monitoring and forecasting services have become obsolete. Quite the contrary: feedbacks and increasingly demanding requirements from users are stimulating steady progress. The last part of the talk will support the idea that atmospheric compositions services are not only an application or an extension of weather services but contribute now also to the core of them. Atmospheric composition information has become indeed of high interest for modelling physical processes and assimilation of meteorological information. There are also exciting developments regarding the medium- to extended range prediction skill, with potential sources of predictability yet to be fully understood and harnessed.

Enhancement of seismic monitoring in hydrocarbon reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffagni, Enrico; Bokelmann, Götz

2017-04-01

Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) is widely considered as one of the most significant enablers of the successful exploitation of hydrocarbons in North America. Massive usage of HF is currently adopted to increase the permeability in shale and tight-sand deep reservoirs, despite the economical downturn. The exploitation success is less due to the subsurface geology, but in technology that improves exploration, production, and decision-making. This includes monitoring of the reservoir, which is vital. Indeed, the general mindset in the industry is to keep enhancing seismic monitoring. It allows understanding and tracking processes in hydrocarbon reservoirs, which serves two purposes, a) to optimize recovery, and b) to help minimize environmental impact. This raises the question of how monitoring, and especially seismic techniques could be more efficient. There is a pressing demand from seismic service industry to evolve quickly and to meet the oil-gas industry's changing needs. Nonetheless, the innovative monitoring techniques, to achieve the purpose, must enhance the characterization or the visualization of a superior-quality images of the reservoir. We discuss recent applications of seismic monitoring in hydrocarbon reservoirs, detailing potential enhancement and eventual limitations. The aim is to test the validity of these seismic monitoring techniques, qualitatively discuss their potential application to energy fields that are not only limited to HF. Outcomes from our investigation may benefit operators and regulators in case of future massive HF applications in Europe, as well. This work is part of the FracRisk consortium (www.fracrisk.eu), funded by the Horizon2020 research programme, whose aims is to help minimize the environmental footprint of the shale-gas exploration and exploitation.

LiST modelling with monitoring data to estimate impact on child mortality of an ORS and zinc programme with public sector providers in Bihar, India.

PubMed

Ayyanat, Jayachandran A; Harbour, Catherine; Kumar, Sanjeev; Singh, Manjula

2018-01-05

Many interventions have attempted to increase vulnerable and remote populations' access to ORS and zinc to reduce child mortality from diarrhoea. However, the impact of these interventions is difficult to measure. From 2010 to 15, Micronutrient Initiative (MI), worked with the public sector in Bihar, India to enable community health workers to treat and report uncomplicated child diarrhoea with ORS and zinc. We describe how we estimated programme's impact on child mortality with Lives Saved Tool (LiST) modelling and data from MI's management information system (MIS). This study demonstrates that using LiST modelling and MIS data are viable options for evaluating programmes to reduce child mortality. We used MI's programme monitoring data to estimate coverage rates and LiST modelling software to estimate programme impact on child mortality. Four scenarios estimated the effects of different rates of programme scale-up and programme coverage on estimated child mortality by measuring children's lives saved. The programme saved an estimated 806-975 children under-5 who had diarrhoea during five-year project phase. Increasing ORS and zinc coverage rates to 19.8% & 18.3% respectively under public sector coverage with effective treatment would have increased the programme's impact on child mortality and could have achieved the project goal of saving 4200 children's lives during the five-year programme. Programme monitoring data can be used with LiST modelling software to estimate coverage rates and programme impact on child mortality. This modelling approach may cost less and yield estimates sooner than directly measuring programme impact with population-based surveys. However, users must be cautious about relying on modelled estimates of impact and ensure that the programme monitoring data used is complete and precise about the programme aspects that are modelled. Otherwise, LiST may mis-estimate impact on child mortality. Further, LiST software may require modifications to its built-in assumptions to capture programmatic inputs. LiST assumes that mortality rates and cause of death structure change only in response to changes in programme coverage. In Bihar, overall child mortality has decreased and diarrhoea seems to be less lethal than previously, but at present LiST does not adjust its estimates for these sorts of changes.

Pan-European resistance monitoring programmes encompassing food-borne bacteria and target pathogens of food-producing and companion animals.

PubMed

de Jong, A; Thomas, V; Klein, U; Marion, H; Moyaert, H; Simjee, S; Vallé, M

2013-05-01

Antimicrobial resistance is a concern both for animal and human health. Veterinary programmes monitoring resistance of animal and zoonotic pathogens are therefore essential. Various European countries have implemented national surveillance programmes, particularly for zoonotic and commensal bacteria, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is compiling the data. However, harmonisation is identified as a weakness and an essential need in order to compare data across countries. Comparisons of resistance monitoring data among national programmes are hampered by differences between programmes, such as sampling and testing methodology, and different epidemiological cut-off values or clinical breakpoints. Moreover, only very few valid data are available regarding target pathogens both of farm and companion animals. The European Animal Health Study Centre (CEESA) attempts to fill these gaps. The resistance monitoring programmes of CEESA have been a collaboration of veterinary pharmaceutical companies for over a decade and include two different projects: the European Antimicrobial Susceptibility Surveillance in Animals (EASSA) programme, which collects food-borne bacteria at slaughter from healthy animals, and the pathogen programmes that collect first-intention target pathogens from acutely diseased animals. The latter comprises three subprogrammes: VetPath; MycoPath; and ComPath. All CEESA projects include uniform sample collection and bacterial identification to species level in various European Union (EU) member states. A central laboratory conducts quantitative susceptibility testing to antimicrobial agents either important in human medicine or commonly used in veterinary medicine. This 'methodology harmonisation' allows easy comparisons among EU member states and makes the CEESA programmes invaluable to address food safety and antibiotic efficacy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Programmable autonomous synthesis of single-stranded DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishi, Jocelyn Y.; Schaus, Thomas E.; Gopalkrishnan, Nikhil; Xuan, Feng; Yin, Peng

2018-02-01

DNA performs diverse functional roles in biology, nanotechnology and biotechnology, but current methods for autonomously synthesizing arbitrary single-stranded DNA are limited. Here, we introduce the concept of primer exchange reaction (PER) cascades, which grow nascent single-stranded DNA with user-specified sequences following prescribed reaction pathways. PER synthesis happens in a programmable, autonomous, in situ and environmentally responsive fashion, providing a platform for engineering molecular circuits and devices with a wide range of sensing, monitoring, recording, signal-processing and actuation capabilities. We experimentally demonstrate a nanodevice that transduces the detection of a trigger RNA into the production of a DNAzyme that degrades an independent RNA substrate, a signal amplifier that conditionally synthesizes long fluorescent strands only in the presence of a particular RNA signal, molecular computing circuits that evaluate logic (AND, OR, NOT) combinations of RNA inputs, and a temporal molecular event recorder that records in the PER transcript the order in which distinct RNA inputs are sequentially detected.

Programmable autonomous synthesis of single-stranded DNA.

PubMed

Kishi, Jocelyn Y; Schaus, Thomas E; Gopalkrishnan, Nikhil; Xuan, Feng; Yin, Peng

2018-02-01

DNA performs diverse functional roles in biology, nanotechnology and biotechnology, but current methods for autonomously synthesizing arbitrary single-stranded DNA are limited. Here, we introduce the concept of primer exchange reaction (PER) cascades, which grow nascent single-stranded DNA with user-specified sequences following prescribed reaction pathways. PER synthesis happens in a programmable, autonomous, in situ and environmentally responsive fashion, providing a platform for engineering molecular circuits and devices with a wide range of sensing, monitoring, recording, signal-processing and actuation capabilities. We experimentally demonstrate a nanodevice that transduces the detection of a trigger RNA into the production of a DNAzyme that degrades an independent RNA substrate, a signal amplifier that conditionally synthesizes long fluorescent strands only in the presence of a particular RNA signal, molecular computing circuits that evaluate logic (AND, OR, NOT) combinations of RNA inputs, and a temporal molecular event recorder that records in the PER transcript the order in which distinct RNA inputs are sequentially detected.

Real-time Web GIS to monitor marine water quality using wave glider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maneesa Amiruddin, Siti

2016-06-01

In the past decade, Malaysia has experienced unprecedented economic development and associated socioeconomic changes. As environmentalists anticipate these changes could have negative impacts on the marine and coastal environment, a comprehensive, continuous and long term marine water quality monitoring programme needs to be strengthened to reflect the government's aggressive mind-set of enhancing its authority in protection, preservation, management and enrichment of vast resources of the ocean. Wave Glider, an autonomous, unmanned marine vehicle provides continuous ocean monitoring at all times and is durable in any weather condition. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is ideally suited as a tool for the presentation of data derived from continuous monitoring of locations, and used to support and deliver information to environmental managers and the public. Combined with GeoEvent Processor, an extension from ArcGIS for Server, it extends the Web GIS capabilities in providing real-time data from the monitoring activities. Therefore, there is a growing need of Web GIS for easy and fast dissemination, sharing, displaying and processing of spatial information which in turn helps in decision making for various natural resources based applications.

Requirements for developing a regional monitoring capacity for aerosols in Europe within EMEP.

PubMed

Kahnert, Michael; Lazaridis, Mihalis; Tsyro, Svetlana; Torseth, Kjetil

2004-07-01

The European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) has been established to provide information to Parties to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution on deposition and concentration of air pollutants, as well as on the quantity and significance of long-range transmission of pollutants and transboundary fluxes. To achieve its objectives with the required scientific credibility and technical underpinning, a close integration of the programme's main elements is performed. These elements are emission inventories, chemical transport modelling, and the monitoring of atmospheric chemistry and deposition fluxes, which further are integrated towards abatement policy development. A critical element is the air pollution monitoring that is performed across Europe with a focus not only on health effect aspects and compliance monitoring, but also on process studies and source receptor relationships. Without a strong observational basis a predictive modelling capacity cannot be developed and validated. Thus the modelling success strongly depends on the quality and quantity of available observations. Particulate matter (PM) is a relatively recent addition to the EMEP monitoring programme, and the network for PM mass observations is still evolving. This article presents the current status of EMEP aerosol observations, followed by a critical evaluation in view of EMEP's main objectives and its model development requirements. Specific recommendations are given for improving the PM monitoring programme within EMEP.

Combination of beehive matrices analysis and ant biodiversity to study heavy metal pollution impact in a post-mining area (Sardinia, Italy).

PubMed

Satta, Alberto; Verdinelli, Marcello; Ruiu, Luca; Buffa, Franco; Salis, Severyn; Sassu, Antonio; Floris, Ignazio

2012-11-01

Mining activities represent a major source of environment contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of bees and ants as bioindicators to detect the heavy metal impact in post-mining areas. A biomonitoring programme involving a combination of honeybee hive matrices analysis and ant biodiversity survey was conducted over a 3-year period. The experimental design involved three monitoring stations where repeated sampling activities focused on chemical detection of cadmium (Cd), chrome (Cr) and lead (Pb) from different matrices, both from hosted beehives (foraging bees, honey and pollen) and from the surrounding environment (stream water and soil). At the same time, ant biodiversity (number and abundance of species) was determined through a monitoring programme based on the use of pitfall traps placed in different habitats inside each mining site. The heavy metal content detected in stream water from the control station was always below the analytical limit of quantification. In the case of soil, the content of Cd and Pb from the control was lower than that of mining sites. The mean heavy metal concentrations in beehive matrices from mining sites were mainly higher than the control, and as a result of regression and discriminant analysis, forager bee sampling was an efficient environmental pollution bioindicator. Ant collection and identification highlighted a wide species variety with differences among habitats mostly associated with vegetation features. A lower variability was observed in the polluted landfill characterised by lack of vegetation. Combined biomonitoring with forager bees and ants represents a reliable tool for heavy metal environmental impact studies.

Environmental monitoring programme in the cell therapy facility of a research centre: preliminary investigation.

PubMed

Ottria, G; Dallera, M; Aresu, O; Manniello, M A; Parodi, B; Spagnolo, A M; Cristina, M L

2010-12-01

Recent discoveries in cell therapy research present new opportunities for cellular products to be used to treat severe, and as yet incurable, diseases. It is therefore essential to implement a quality control programme in order to ensure that safe cells and tissues are provided. In a preliminary phase of the setting up of a the cellfactory, monitoring was carried out monthly over a 6-month period in one out of three cell therapy laboratories and filter rooms in order to evaluate the microbial contamination of air and surfaces and the presence of airborne particulates. The mean total bacterial and fungal loads measured in the air in the centre of the filter room were 20.7 +/1 28.9 colony-forming units (cfu)/m3 and 9.2 +/- 15.4 cfu/m3, respectively, and 5.2 +/- 4.1 cfu/m3 and 6.8 +/- 13.4 cfu/m3, respectively, in the laboratory. The mean fungal load values recorded on the surfaces sampled in the laboratory were in 6 out of 18 cases higher than the reference values (5 cfu/plate). As to the results of particulate monitoring, with regard to the 0.5 microm particles, about 83% of the samples revealed values below the limit of 350.000 particles per cubic metre. In this set-up phase, monitoring was able to pick out structural and organisational flaws acceptable in a laboratory compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices class C (Annex 1), but not in a class B facility. Thanks to this preliminary monitoring phase, and by correcting these flaws, the clean room facility could achieve compliance to class B.

Determining the cost of implementing and operating a remote patient monitoring programme for the elderly with chronic conditions: A systematic review of economic evaluations.

PubMed

Peretz, Daniel; Arnaert, Antonia; Ponzoni, Norma N

2018-01-01

Introduction Remote patient monitoring (RPM) in conjunction with home nursing visits is becoming increasingly popular for the follow-up of patients with chronic conditions and evidence exists that it improves patients' health outcomes. Current cost data is reported inconsistently and often gathered from studies of poor methodological quality, making it difficult for decision-makers who consider implementing this service in their organizations. This study reviewed the cost of RPM programmes targeting elderly patients with chronic conditions. Methods After evaluation against the inclusion and exclusion criteria and appraisal against two criteria which are important for economic evaluations, data from selected studies were extracted and grouped into meaningful cost categories, then adjusted to reflect November 2015 US dollars. Results In the 13 selected studies, the newly-created cost category 'Combined intervention cost' (reflecting equipment purchasing, servicing and monitoring cost) for the various RPM programmes ranged from US$275-US$7963 per patient per year. The three main findings are: (a) RPM programme costs have decreased since 2004 due to cheaper technology; (b) monitoring a single vital sign is likely to be less costly than monitoring multiple vital signs; and (c) programmes targeting hypertension or congestive heart failure are less costly than those targeting respiratory diseases or multiple conditions. Conclusions This review recommends that future studies present their cost data with more granularity, that grouping of costs should be minimized and that any assumptions, such as amortization, should be made explicit. In addition, studies should compare programmes with similar characteristics in terms of type of conditions, number of vital signs monitored, etc. for more generalizable results.

Environmental radionuclide monitoring of Canadian harbours: a decade of analyses in support of due diligence activities by the Royal Canadian Navy.

PubMed

Kelly, David G; Mattson, Kristine M; McDonald, Curtis; Nielsen, Kathy S; Weir, Ron D

2014-12-01

The Royal Canadian Navy has conducted a comprehensive programme of safety, security and environmental monitoring since the first visits of nuclear powered and nuclear capable vessels (NPV/NCVs) to Canadian harbours in the late 1960s. The outcomes of baseline monitoring and vessel visit sampling for the period 2003-2012 are described for vessel visits to Halifax (NS), Esquimalt (BC) and Nanoose (BC). Data were obtained by gamma-ray spectroscopy using high purity germanium detectors. No evidence was found for the release of radioactive fission or activation products by NCV/NPVs during the study period, although anthropogenically produced radionuclides were observed as part of the study's baseline monitoring. Background activities of Cs-137 can be observed in sediments from all three locations which are derived from well-documented radioactivity releases. The detection of I-131 in aquatic plants is consistently observed in Halifax at activities as high as 15,000 Bq kg(-1) dry weight. These data are tentatively assigned to the release of medical I-131, followed by bioaccumulation from seawater. I-131 was also observed in aquatic plants samples from Esquimalt (33 Bq kg(-1)) and Nanoose (20 Bq kg(-1)) for a single sampling following the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated monitoring and evaluation and environmental risk factors for urogenital schistosomiasis and active trachoma in Burkina Faso before preventative chemotherapy using sentinel sites

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Over 1 billion of the world's poorest inhabitants are afflicted by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Integrated control programmes aimed at tackling these debilitating NTDs have been recently initiated, mainly using preventative chemotherapy. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of these integrated programs presents particular challenges over and above those required for single disease vertical programmes. We used baseline data from the National NTD Control Programme in Burkina Faso in order to assess the feasibility of an integrated survey design, as well as to elucidate the contribution of environmental variables to the risk of either Schistosoma haematobium, trachoma, or both among school-aged children. Methods S. haematobium infection was diagnosed by detecting eggs in urine. A trachoma case was defined by the presence of Trachomatous inflammation-Follicular (TF) and/or Trachomatous inflammation-Intense (TI) in either eye. Baseline data collected from 3,324 children aged 7-11 years in 21 sentinel sites across 11 regions of Burkina Faso were analyzed using simple and multivariable hierarchical binomial logistic regression models fitted by Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimation methods. Probabilities of the risk of belonging to each infection/disease category were estimated as a function of age, gender (individual level), and environmental variables (at sentinel site level, interpolated from national meteorological stations). Results Overall prevalence at the sentinel sites was 11.79% (95% CI: 10.70-12.89) for S. haematobium; 13.30% (12.14-14.45) for trachoma and 0.84% (0.53-1.15) for co-infections. The only significant predictor of S. haematobium infection was altitude. There were significant negative associations between the prevalence of active trachoma signs and minimum temperature, and air pressure. Conditional upon these predictors, these data are consistent with the two pathogens being independent. Conclusions Urogenital schistosomiasis and trachoma constitute public health problems in Burkina Faso. Sentinel site (at school level) surveys for these two NTDs can be implemented simultaneously. However, to support MDA treatment decisions in Burkina Faso, the protocol used in this study would only be applicable to hypoendemic trachoma areas. More research is needed to confirm if these findings can be generalized to West Africa and beyond. PMID:21749703

Interdisciplinary approach in international schools network of The Park Škocjan Caves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debevec Gerjevic, V.

2009-04-01

As UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ramsar Site and Biosphere Reserve the Park Škocjan Caves strongly believes in development of quality educational programme in order to fulfill the guidelines of international conventions and also provide for awareness and development in the future. Our efforts have been devoted to a special approach to environmental education. With an aim to achieve long-term goals, special attention is being paid to the young. The most important issues here are nature-oriented education; encouraging participation in politics and economy; stimulating tolerance and respect, responsible behavior and capacity to make best use out of one's knowledge In 2008 we will celebrate fifth anniversary of establishment of our schools network, where we join in research education programmes five elementary schools form Slovenia and two from Italy. They are all located beside the surface and underground flow of the Reka River. With teachers help we promote science studies but also encourage children to do social projects in order to keep intergeneration connections and gain knowledge of past experience and life from our grandparents. These activities provide us with useful optional indicators that include also social elements in performing Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring programme. The changing man - nature relationship influences the values that people have with regard to nature. The goals that foresee nature control and the presumed nature improvement seem less important than the goals of reunification and co-operation with nature. The concept of nature and the environment expresses the cultural identities of the world. This concept must provide people with an adequate explanation of the natural phenomena in order to help people to understand, foresee and change typical environmental environment. In five years work we developed a special model of training the teachers and educating the children. Together we have accomplished two international projects, two national project and several research projects dealing with The Reka river and karst phenomena. Fifteen teachers and more than hundred children are involved in educational programme every year. Our work in the schools network enables us to bring science to society in a comprehensive way. Presented projects in the paper will bring forward the complexity of sustainable development and underline the importance of pedagogic knowledge that should act as key factor in forming the proper concept of society development and monitoring the impacts in presenting the solutions for proper adaptations in modern society.

Temporal trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in arctic air: 20 years of monitoring under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).

PubMed

Hung, Hayley; Katsoyiannis, Athanasios A; Brorström-Lundén, Eva; Olafsdottir, Kristin; Aas, Wenche; Breivik, Knut; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Sigurdsson, Arni; Hakola, Hannele; Bossi, Rossana; Skov, Henrik; Sverko, Ed; Barresi, Enzo; Fellin, Phil; Wilson, Simon

2016-10-01

Temporal trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) measured in Arctic air are essential in understanding long-range transport to remote regions and to evaluate the effectiveness of national and international chemical control initiatives, such as the Stockholm Convention (SC) on POPs. Long-term air monitoring of POPs is conducted under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) at four Arctic stations: Alert, Canada; Stórhöfði, Iceland; Zeppelin, Svalbard; and Pallas, Finland, since the 1990s using high volume air samplers. Temporal trends observed for POPs in Arctic air are summarized in this study. Most POPs listed for control under the SC, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and chlordanes, are declining slowly in Arctic air, reflecting the reduction of primary emissions during the last two decades and increasing importance of secondary emissions. Slow declining trends also signifies their persistence and slow degradation under the Arctic environment, such that they are still detectable after being banned for decades in many countries. Some POPs, e.g. hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and lighter PCBs, showed increasing trends at specific locations, which may be attributable to warming in the region and continued primary emissions at source. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) do not decline in air at Canada's Alert station but are declining in European Arctic air, which may be due to influence of local sources at Alert and the much higher historical usage of PBDEs in North America. Arctic air samples are screened for chemicals of emerging concern to provide information regarding their environmental persistence (P) and long-range transport potential (LRTP), which are important criteria for classification as a POP under SC. The AMAP network provides consistent and comparable air monitoring data of POPs for trend development and acts as a bridge between national monitoring programs and SC's Global Monitoring Plan (GMP). Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Spatio-Temporal Algorithmic Procedure for Environmental Policymaking in the Municipality of Arkalochori in the Greek Island of Crete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batzias, F. A.; Sidiras, D. K.; Giannopoulos, Ch.; Spetsidis, I.

2009-08-01

This work deals with a methodological framework designed/developed under the form of a spatio-temporal algorithmic procedure for environmental policymaking at local level. The procedure includes 25 activity stages and 9 decision nodes, putting emphasis on (i) mapping on GIS layers water supply/demand and modeling of aquatic pollution coming from point and non-point sources, (ii) environmental monitoring by periodically measuring the main pollutants in situ and in the laboratory, (iii) design of environmental projects, decomposition of them into sub-projects and combination of the latter to form attainable alternatives, (iv) multicriteria ranking of alternatives, according to a modified Delphi method, by using as criteria the expected environmental benefit, the attitude of inhabitants, the priority within the programme of regional development, the capital required for the investment and the operating cost, and (v) knowledge Base (KB) operation/enrichment, functioning in combination with a data mining mechanism to extract knowledge/information/data from external Bases. An implementation is presented referring to the Municipality of Arkalochori in the Greek island of Crete.

Hydra, a model system for environmental studies.

PubMed

Quinn, Brian; Gagné, François; Blaise, Christian

2012-01-01

Hydra have been extensively used for studying the teratogenic and toxic potential of numerous toxins throughout the years and are more recently growing in popularity to assess the impacts of environmental pollutants. Hydra are an appropriate bioindicator species for use in environmental assessment owing to their easily measurable physical (morphology), biochemical (xenobiotic biotransformation; oxidative stress), behavioural (feeding) and reproductive (sexual and asexual) endpoints. Hydra also possess an unparalleled ability to regenerate, allowing the assessment of teratogenic compounds and the impact of contaminants on stem cells. Importantly, Hydra are ubiquitous throughout freshwater environments and relatively easy to culture making them appropriate for use in small scale bioassay systems. Hydra have been used to assess the environmental impacts of numerous environmental pollutants including metals, organic toxicants (including pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds), nanomaterials and industrial and municipal effluents. They have been found to be among the most sensitive animals tested for metals and certain effluents, comparing favourably with more standardised toxicity tests. Despite their lack of use in formalised monitoring programmes, Hydra have been extensively used and are regarded as a model organism in aquatic toxicology.

Era-Planet the European Network for Observing Our Changing Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirrone, N.; Cinnirella, S.; Nativi, S.; Sprovieri, F.; Hedgecock, I. M.

2016-06-01

In the last decade a significant number of projects and programmes in different domains of Earth Observation and environmental monitoring have generated a substantial amount of data and knowledge on different aspects related to environmental quality and sustainability. Big data generated by in-situ or satellite platforms are being collected and archived with a plethora of systems and instruments making difficult the sharing of data and transfer of knowledge to stakeholders and policy makers to support key economic and societal sectors. The overarching goal of ERAPLANET is to strengthen the European Research Area in the domain of Earth Observation in coherence with the European participation in the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and Copernicus. The expected impact is to strengthen European leadership within the forthcoming GEO 2015-2025 Work Plan. ERA-PLANET is designed to reinforce the interface with user communities, whose needs the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) intends to address. It will provide more accurate, comprehensive and authoritative information to policy and decision-makers in key societal benefit areas, such as Smart Cities and Resilient Societies; Resource efficiency and Environmental management; Global changes and Environmental treaties; Polar areas and Natural resources. ERA-PLANET will provide advanced decision-support tools and technologies aimed to better monitor our global environment and share the information and knowledge available in the different domains of Earth Observation.

Subsidence monitoring network: an Italian example aimed at a sustainable hydrocarbon E&P activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dacome, M. C.; Miandro, R.; Vettorel, M.; Roncari, G.

2015-11-01

According to the Italian law in order to start-up any new hydrocarbon exploitation activity, an Environmental Impact Assessment study has to be presented, including a monitoring plan, addressed to foresee, measure and analyze in real time any possible impact of the project on the coastal areas and on those ones in the close inland located. The occurrence of subsidence, that could partly be related to hydrocarbon production, both on-shore and off-shore, can generate great concern in those areas where its occurrence may have impacts on the local environment. ENI, following the international scientific community recommendations on the matter, since the beginning of 90's years, implemented a cutting-edge monitoring network, with the aim to prevent, mitigate and control geodynamics phenomena generated in the activity areas, with a particular attention to conservation and protection of environmental and territorial equilibrium, taking care of what is known as "sustainable development". The current ENI implemented monitoring surveys can be divided as: - Shallow monitoring: spirit levelling surveys, continuous GPS surveys in permanent stations, SAR surveys, assestimeter subsurface compaction monitoring, ground water level monitoring, LiDAR surveys, bathymetrical surveys. - Deep monitoring: reservoir deep compaction trough radioactive markers, reservoir static (bottom hole) pressure monitoring. All the information, gathered through the monitoring network, allow: 1. to verify if the produced subsidence is evolving accordingly with the simulated forecast. 2. to provide data to revise and adjust the prediction compaction models 3. to put in place the remedial actions if the impact exceeds the threshold magnitude originally agreed among the involved parties. ENI monitoring plan to measure and monitor the subsidence process, during field production and also after the field closure, is therefore intended to support a sustainable field development and an acceptable exploitation programme in which the actual risk connected with the field production is evaluated in advance, shared and agreed among all the involved subjects: oil company, stakeholders and local community (with interests in the affected area).

The CMS tracker control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dierlamm, A.; Dirkes, G. H.; Fahrer, M.; Frey, M.; Hartmann, F.; Masetti, L.; Militaru, O.; Shah, S. Y.; Stringer, R.; Tsirou, A.

2008-07-01

The Tracker Control System (TCS) is a distributed control software to operate about 2000 power supplies for the silicon modules of the CMS Tracker and monitor its environmental sensors. TCS must thus be able to handle about 104 power supply parameters, about 103 environmental probes from the Programmable Logic Controllers of the Tracker Safety System (TSS), about 105 parameters read via DAQ from the DCUs in all front end hybrids and from CCUs in all control groups. TCS is built on top of an industrial SCADA program (PVSS) extended with a framework developed at CERN (JCOP) and used by all LHC experiments. The logical partitioning of the detector is reflected in the hierarchical structure of the TCS, where commands move down to the individual hardware devices, while states are reported up to the root which is interfaced to the broader CMS control system. The system computes and continuously monitors the mean and maximum values of critical parameters and updates the percentage of currently operating hardware. Automatic procedures switch off selected parts of the detector using detailed granularity and avoiding widespread TSS intervention.

Growth of Candida albicans hyphae.

PubMed

Sudbery, Peter E

2011-08-16

The fungus Candida albicans is often a benign member of the mucosal flora; however, it commonly causes mucosal disease with substantial morbidity and in vulnerable patients it causes life-threatening bloodstream infections. A striking feature of its biology is its ability to grow in yeast, pseudohyphal and hyphal forms. The hyphal form has an important role in causing disease by invading epithelial cells and causing tissue damage. This Review describes our current understanding of the network of signal transduction pathways that monitors environmental cues to activate a programme of hypha-specific gene transcription, and the molecular processes that drive the highly polarized growth of hyphae.

Grape and environmental mycoflora monitoring in old, traditionally cultivated vineyards on Mount Etna, southern Italy.

PubMed

Oliveri, Cinzia; Bella, Patrizia; Tessitori, Matilde; Catara, Vittoria; La Rosa, Rosa

2017-01-01

Grape contamination by several fungal species occurs during a vineyard's preharvest and harvest. Agronomic management and microclimatic conditions can affect fungi occurrence and epidemiology, thus explaining qualitative differences in mycoflora composition, including the presence of phytopathogenic or mycotoxigenic fungi. In this study a two-year grape, air and soil mycoflora monitoring programme was undertaken in vineyards on Mount Etna (eastern Sicily, Italy). The mycoflora composition was investigated at pea berry and veraison phenological phases from air and soil and at ripening from sample grapes. Mycoflora in air and soil varied according to the phenological stage. In the air samples, penicillia were dominant over aspergilli at the pea berry phase, but their ratio was inverted at early veraison. Black aspergilli (BA) were isolated from the vine environment and grape samples, where BA were represented mainly by Aspergillus niger aggregate, which showed no or low ochratoxin A (OTA) production. Aspergillus carbonarius was either not identified or identified at low frequency, although most of the isolates produced OTA. Monitoring focused on the environmental mycoflora composition and highlighted the good health profile of various Sicilian autochthonous grape cultivars. In addition, data suggest that the lower relative humidity occurring at the highest altitudes reduces BA incidence. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

A modelling framework to predict bat activity patterns on wind farms: An outline of possible applications on mountain ridges of North Portugal.

PubMed

Silva, Carmen; Cabral, João Alexandre; Hughes, Samantha Jane; Santos, Mário

2017-03-01

Worldwide ecological impact assessments of wind farms have gathered relevant information on bat activity patterns. Since conventional bat study methods require intensive field work, the prediction of bat activity might prove useful by anticipating activity patterns and estimating attractiveness concomitant with the wind farm location. A novel framework was developed, based on the stochastic dynamic methodology (StDM) principles, to predict bat activity on mountain ridges with wind farms. We illustrate the framework application using regional data from North Portugal by merging information from several environmental monitoring programmes associated with diverse wind energy facilities that enable integrating the multifactorial influences of meteorological conditions, land cover and geographical variables on bat activity patterns. Output from this innovative methodology can anticipate episodes of exceptional bat activity, which, if correlated with collision probability, can be used to guide wind farm management strategy such as halting wind turbines during hazardous periods. If properly calibrated with regional gradients of environmental variables from mountain ridges with windfarms, the proposed methodology can be used as a complementary tool in environmental impact assessments and ecological monitoring, using predicted bat activity to assist decision making concerning the future location of wind farms and the implementation of effective mitigation measures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Haemonchus contortus in Small Ruminants.

PubMed

Besier, R B; Kahn, L P; Sargison, N D; Van Wyk, J A

2016-01-01

Haemonchus contortus is a highly pathogenic, blood-feeding nematode of small ruminants, and a significant cause of mortalities worldwide. Haemonchosis is a particularly significant threat in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions, where warm and moist conditions favour the free-living stages, but periodic outbreaks occur more widely during periods of transient environmental favourability. The clinical diagnosis of haemonchosis is based mostly on the detection of anaemia in association with a characteristic epidemiological picture, and confirmed at postmortem by the finding of large numbers of H. contortus in the abomasum. The detection of impending haemonchosis relies chiefly on periodic monitoring for anaemia, including through the 'FAMACHA' conjunctival-colour index, or through faecal worm egg counts and other laboratory procedures. A range of anthelmintics for use against H. contortus is available, but in most endemic situations anthelmintic resistance significantly limits the available treatment options. Effective preventative programmes vary depending on environments and enterprise types, and according to the scale of the haemonchosis risk and the local epidemiology of infections, but should aim to prevent disease outbreaks while maintaining anthelmintic efficacy. Appropriate strategies include animal management programmes to avoid excessive H. contortus challenge, genetic and nutritional approaches to enhance resistance and resilience to infection, and the monitoring of H. contortus infection on an individual animal or flock basis. Specific strategies to manage anthelmintic resistance centre on the appropriate use of effective anthelmintics, and refugia-based treatment schedules. Alternative approaches, such as biological control, may also prove useful, and vaccination against H. contortus appears to have significant potential in control programmes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Anyone Know What Species This Is?" - Twitter Conversations as Embryonic Citizen Science Communities.

PubMed

Daume, Stefan; Galaz, Victor

2016-01-01

Social media like blogs, micro-blogs or social networks are increasingly being investigated and employed to detect and predict trends for not only social and physical phenomena, but also to capture environmental information. Here we argue that opportunistic biodiversity observations published through Twitter represent one promising and until now unexplored example of such data mining. As we elaborate, it can contribute to real-time information to traditional ecological monitoring programmes including those sourced via citizen science activities. Using Twitter data collected for a generic assessment of social media data in ecological monitoring we investigated a sample of what we denote biodiversity observations with species determination requests (N = 191). These entail images posted as messages on the micro-blog service Twitter. As we show, these frequently trigger conversations leading to taxonomic determinations of those observations. All analysed Tweets were posted with species determination requests, which generated replies for 64% of Tweets, 86% of those contained at least one suggested determination, of which 76% were assessed as correct. All posted observations included or linked to images with the overall image quality categorised as satisfactory or better for 81% of the sample and leading to taxonomic determinations at the species level in 71% of provided determinations. We claim that the original message authors and conversation participants can be viewed as implicit or embryonic citizen science communities which have to offer valuable contributions both as an opportunistic data source in ecological monitoring as well as potential active contributors to citizen science programmes.

Immunisation Information Systems – useful tools for monitoring vaccination programmes in EU/EEA countries, 2016

PubMed Central

Derrough, Tarik; Olsson, Kate; Gianfredi, Vincenza; Simondon, Francois; Heijbel, Harald; Danielsson, Niklas; Kramarz, Piotr; Pastore-Celentano, Lucia

2017-01-01

Immunisation Information Systems (IIS) are computerised confidential population based-systems containing individual-level information on vaccines received in a given area. They benefit individuals directly by ensuring vaccination according to the schedule and they provide information to vaccine providers and public health authorities responsible for the delivery and monitoring of an immunisation programme. In 2016, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) conducted a survey on the level of implementation and functionalities of IIS in 30 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. It explored the governance and financial support for the systems, IIS software, system characteristics in terms of population, identification of immunisation recipients, vaccinations received, and integration with other health record systems, the use of the systems for surveillance and programme management as well as the challenges involved with implementation. The survey was answered by 27 of the 30 EU/EEA countries having either a system in production at national or subnational levels (n = 16), or being piloted (n = 5) or with plans for setting up a system in the future (n = 6). The results demonstrate the added-value of IIS in a number of areas of vaccination programme monitoring such as monitoring vaccine coverage at local geographical levels, linking individual immunisation history with health outcome data for safety investigations, monitoring vaccine effectiveness and failures and as an educational tool for both vaccine providers and vaccine recipients. IIS represent a significant way forward for life-long vaccination programme monitoring. PMID:28488999

Immunisation Information Systems - useful tools for monitoring vaccination programmes in EU/EEA countries, 2016.

PubMed

Derrough, Tarik; Olsson, Kate; Gianfredi, Vincenza; Simondon, Francois; Heijbel, Harald; Danielsson, Niklas; Kramarz, Piotr; Pastore-Celentano, Lucia

2017-04-27

Immunisation Information Systems (IIS) are computerised confidential population based-systems containing individual-level information on vaccines received in a given area. They benefit individuals directly by ensuring vaccination according to the schedule and they provide information to vaccine providers and public health authorities responsible for the delivery and monitoring of an immunisation programme. In 2016, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) conducted a survey on the level of implementation and functionalities of IIS in 30 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. It explored the governance and financial support for the systems, IIS software, system characteristics in terms of population, identification of immunisation recipients, vaccinations received, and integration with other health record systems, the use of the systems for surveillance and programme management as well as the challenges involved with implementation. The survey was answered by 27 of the 30 EU/EEA countries having either a system in production at national or subnational levels (n = 16), or being piloted (n = 5) or with plans for setting up a system in the future (n = 6). The results demonstrate the added-value of IIS in a number of areas of vaccination programme monitoring such as monitoring vaccine coverage at local geographical levels, linking individual immunisation history with health outcome data for safety investigations, monitoring vaccine effectiveness and failures and as an educational tool for both vaccine providers and vaccine recipients. IIS represent a significant way forward for life-long vaccination programme monitoring. This article is copyright of The Authors, 2017.

The concept of hydropower certification in Italy and Slovenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolar-Zvanut, Natasa; Goltara, Andrea; Conte, Gulio

2010-05-01

River regulation by building a hydropower plants (HPPs) is one of the most stressful factor influencing the aquatic and riparian ecosystem. In many countries a development of HPPs is often opposed by public bodies and NGOs, worried about the risk of adverse effects on the "good status" of water bodies, that, according to the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC, WFD), has to be reached by year 2015. The paper describes a technically and economically feasible certification procedure for existing hydro power generation facilities of higher environmental standard, being explicitly coherent with the requirements of the WFD, to be implemented in "green labelled" electricity products, and being integrated, as much as possible, with existing EU tools, such as Ecolabel, EMAS, EIA and SEA. The methodology was developed for Italy and Slovenia and it will be tested in different types of HPPs in both countries. In order to be certified, a given HPP has to commit to carry out appropriate measures in order to mitigate its impacts on specified environmental objectives, in such a way to fulfil predefined environmental targets and prescriptions. These measures have to be described through a specific management programme, based upon a dedicated environmental study, supported mainly by existing data, but complemented by ad-hoc assessment/monitoring when necessary. The realization of both the environmental study and the management programme must be supported by public consultation; both documents must be approved through an auditing process. For some types of HPPs, operating in totally artificial networks and not entailing direct or indirect impact on water related ecosystems, a simplified procedure is foreseen, where detailed environmental analysis, related management programme and stakeholders involvement are not requested, but just a description of the system and proof of fulfilment of the conditions and of specific prescriptions. HPPs impacting water bodies defined as Artificial or Heavily Modified (following the definitions of the WFD) in most cases have to fulfil more limited environmental targets. The involvement of local stakeholders must be ensured along the whole certification procedure and, when completed, during the lifespan of the label. The methodology includes a predefined framework where pressure factors due to hydropower production are related to potentially impacted environmental quality elements. For each of these cause-effect relationships possible mitigation measures are suggested. In the long run, it is expected that the certification will have a positive impact on hydro power generation in Europe, will help focusing the conception of new HPPs towards more sustainable solutions and making easier authorization procedure.

Monitoring grasshopper and locust habitats in Sahelian Africa using GIS and remote sensing technology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tappan, G. Gray; Moore, Donald G.; Knauseberger, Walter I.

1991-01-01

Development programmes in Sahelian Africa are beginning to use geographic information system (GIS) technology. One of the GIS and remote sensing programmes introduced to the region in the late 1980s was the use of seasonal vegetation maps made from satellite data to support grasshopper and locust control. Following serious outbreaks of these pests in 1987, the programme addressed a critical need, by national and international crop protection organizations, to monitor site-specific dynamic vegetation conditions associated with grasshopper and locust breeding. The primary products used in assessing vegetation conditions were vegetation index (greenness) image maps derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite imagery. Vegetation index data were integrated in a GIS with digital cartographic data of individual Sahelian countries. These near-real-time image maps were used regularly in 10 countries for locating potential grasshopper and locust habitats. The programme to monitor vegetation conditions is currently being institutionalized in the Sahel.

Advanced situation awareness with localised environmental community observatories in the Future Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabeur, Z. A.; Denis, H.; Nativi, S.

2012-04-01

The phenomenal advances in information and communication technologies over the last decade have led to offering unprecedented connectivity with real potentials for "Smart living" between large segments of human populations around the world. In particular, Voluntary Groups(VGs) and individuals with interest in monitoring the state of their local environment can be connected through the internet and collaboratively generate important localised environmental observations. These could be considered as the Community Observatories(CO) of the Future Internet(FI). However, a set of FI enablers are needed to be deployed for these communities to become effective COs in the Future Internet. For example, these communities will require access to services for the intelligent processing of heterogeneous data and capture of advancend situation awarness about the environment. This important enablement will really unlock the communities true potential for participating in localised monitoring of the environment in addition to their contribution in the creation of business entreprise. Among the eight Usage Areas(UA) projects of the FP7 FI-PPP programme, the ENVIROFI Integrated Project focuses on the specifications of the Future Internet enablers of the Environment UA. The specifications are developed under multiple environmental domains in context of users needs for the development of mash-up applications in the Future Internet. It will enable users access to real-time, on-demand fused information with advanced situation awareness about the environment at localised scales. The mash-up applications shall get access to rich spatio-temporal information from structured fusion services which aggregate COs information with existing environmental monitoring stations data, established by research organisations and private entreprise. These applications are being developed in ENVIROFI for the atmospheric, marine and biodiversity domains, together with a potential to be extended to other domains and scenarios concerning smart and safe living in the Future Internet.

Monitoring and evaluation of strategic change programme implementation-Lessons from a case analysis.

PubMed

Neumann, Jan; Robson, Andrew; Sloan, Diane

2018-02-01

This study considered the monitoring and evaluation of a large-scale and domestic and global strategic change programme implementation. It considers the necessary prerequisites to overcome challenges and barriers that prevent systematic and effective monitoring and evaluation to take place alongside its operationalisation. The work involves a case study based on a major industrial company from the energy sector. The change programme makes particular reference to changes in business models, business processes, organisation structures as well as Enterprise Resource Planning infrastructure. The case study focussed on the summative evaluation of the programme post-implementation. This assessment involved 25 semi-structured interviews with employees across a range of managerial strata capturing more than 65 roles within the change programme at both local and global levels. Data relating to their perception of evaluation effectiveness and shortcomings were analysed by means of template analysis. The study identifies responsibilities for executing an evaluation alongside various methods and tools that are appropriate, thereby focussing on the "Who" (roles, responsibility for particular activities) and "How" (methods and tools) rather than "What" to monitor and evaluate. The findings are presented generically so they offer new insights and transferability for practitioners involved in managing strategic change and its associated evaluation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality Assurance in Environmental Technology Verification (ETV): Analysis and Impact on the EU ETV Pilot Programme Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molenda, Michał; Ratman-Kłosińska, Izabela

2018-03-01

Many innovative environmental technologies never reach the market because they are new and cannot demonstrate a successful track record of previous applications. This fact is a serious obstacle on their way to the market. Lack of credible data on the performance of a technology causes mistrust of investors in innovations, especially from public sector, who seek effective solutions however without compromising the technical and financial risks associated with their implementation. Environmental technology verification (ETV) offers a credible, robust and transparent process that results in a third party confirmation of the claims made by the providers about the performance of the novel environmental technologies. Verifications of performance are supported by high quality, independent test data. In that way ETV as a tool helps establish vendor credibility and buyer confidence. Several countries across the world have implemented ETV in the form of national or regional programmes. ETV in the European Union was implemented as a voluntary scheme if a form of a pilot programme. The European Commission launched the Environmental Technology Pilot Programme of the European Union (EU ETV) in 2011. The paper describes the European model of ETV set up and put to operation under the Pilot Programme of Environmental Technologies Verification of the European Union. The goal, objectives, technological scope, involved entities are presented. An attempt has been made to summarise the results of the EU ETV scheme performance available for the period of 2012 when the programme has become fully operational until the first half of 2016. The study was aimed at analysing the overall organisation and efficiency of the EU ETV Pilot Programme. The study was based on the analysis of the documents the operation of the EU ETV system. For this purpose, a relevant statistical analysis of the data on the performance of the EU ETV system provided by the European Commission was carried out.

Occupational health programme for lead workers in battery plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Byung-Kook

The realization of problems resulting from the exposure to undue high lead levels of workers in lead-using industries, particularly in storage battery plants, has given rise to a new occupational health service, the so-called type specific (harmful agent specific) group occupational health. In 1988, the Korean Ministry of Labor designated the Institute of Industrial Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, as an authorized organization to take care of lead workers in lead industries. The following occupational health services are provided by the Institute: (i) physical health examination; (ii) biological monitoring with zinc protoporphyrin, urine δ-aminolevulinic acid and blood lead; (iii) respiratory protection with maintenance-free respirators; (iv) measurement of the environmental condition of workplaces; (v) health education. A three-year occupational health programme for lead workers has contributed to improvements in the working conditions of lead industries, particularly in large-scale battery plants, and has decreased the unnecessary high lead burden of workers through on-going medical surveillance with biological monitoring and health education schemes. The strong commitment of both employers and the government to improve the working conditions of lead industries, together with the full cooperation of lead workers, has served to reduce the high lead burdens of lead workers. This decreases the number of lead-poisoning cases and provides more comfortable workplaces, particularly in battery plants.

Monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes: Strengthening outcome indicators

PubMed Central

Maleka, Elma Nelisiwe

2017-01-01

Abstract There are number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in South Africa that use sport as a tool to respond to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), however, little is reported about the outcomes and impact of these programmes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a generic monitoring and evaluation framework by improving the options for the use of outcome indicators of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of selected NGOs in South Africa. A qualitative method study was carried out with seven employees of five selected NGOs that integrate sport to deliver HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa. The study further involved six specialists/experts involved in the field of HIV/AIDS and an official from Sport Recreation South Africa (SRSA). Multiple data collection instruments including desktop review, narrative systematic review, document analysis, one-on-one interviews and focus group interview were used to collect information on outcomes and indicators for sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. The information was classified according to the determinants of HIV/AIDS. The overall findings revealed that the sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of five selected NGOs examined in this study focus on similar HIV prevention messages within the key priorities highlighted in the current National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB of South Africa. However, monitoring and evaluating outcomes of sport-based HIV/AIDS programmes of the selected NGOs remains a challenge. A need exists for the improvement of the outcome statements and indicators for their sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. This study proposed a total of 51 generic outcome indicators focusing on measuring change in the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and change in attitude and intention towards HIV risk behaviours. In addition, this study further proposed a total of eight generic outcome indicators to measure predictors of HIV risk behaviour. The selected NGOs can adapt the proposed generic outcomes and indicators based on the settings of their programmes. A collaborative approach by all stakeholders is required, from international organisations, funders, governments, NGOs and communities to strengthening monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes including other development programmes. This will assist the NGOs that use sport for development to be able to reflect accurately the information about their HIV/AIDS activities and also be able to contribute to on-going monitoring activities at a national and global level as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals. PMID:27997309

Monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes: Strengthening outcome indicators.

PubMed

Maleka, Elma Nelisiwe

2017-12-01

There are number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in South Africa that use sport as a tool to respond to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), however, little is reported about the outcomes and impact of these programmes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a generic monitoring and evaluation framework by improving the options for the use of outcome indicators of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of selected NGOs in South Africa. A qualitative method study was carried out with seven employees of five selected NGOs that integrate sport to deliver HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa. The study further involved six specialists/experts involved in the field of HIV/AIDS and an official from Sport Recreation South Africa (SRSA). Multiple data collection instruments including desktop review, narrative systematic review, document analysis, one-on-one interviews and focus group interview were used to collect information on outcomes and indicators for sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. The information was classified according to the determinants of HIV/AIDS. The overall findings revealed that the sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of five selected NGOs examined in this study focus on similar HIV prevention messages within the key priorities highlighted in the current National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB of South Africa. However, monitoring and evaluating outcomes of sport-based HIV/AIDS programmes of the selected NGOs remains a challenge. A need exists for the improvement of the outcome statements and indicators for their sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. This study proposed a total of 51 generic outcome indicators focusing on measuring change in the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and change in attitude and intention towards HIV risk behaviours. In addition, this study further proposed a total of eight generic outcome indicators to measure predictors of HIV risk behaviour. The selected NGOs can adapt the proposed generic outcomes and indicators based on the settings of their programmes. A collaborative approach by all stakeholders is required, from international organisations, funders, governments, NGOs and communities to strengthening monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes including other development programmes. This will assist the NGOs that use sport for development to be able to reflect accurately the information about their HIV/AIDS activities and also be able to contribute to on-going monitoring activities at a national and global level as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Quest for harmonisation: differences and similarities in national programmes for GLP monitoring. A senior inspector's viewpoint.

PubMed

Helder, Theo

2008-01-01

The conditions under which safety data may be accepted by regulatory authorities (RAs) in OECD Countries do not only include the obligation to apply the principles of good laboratory practice (GLP) while producing these data, but also must countries, partaking in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) system for mutual acceptance of data (MAD), establish a monitoring programme to ensure proper application of the GLP principles. Detailed guidance to this end is given in the OECD GLP documents No. 2 and 3. Nevertheless, this guidance permits countries quite some freedom where it concerns the organisation of their programmes. Monitoring programmes may be embedded in governmental as well as private structures. It appears that GLP compliance monitoring is increasingly charged to accreditation bodies. Inspectors may be full-time or part-time workers, and there are differences in scheduling and performing inspections and study audits. Also the financing of the monitoring programmes is diverging: in some countries the programme is fully or partly paid by the inspected test facilities (TFs), while in other countries the financing comes from the national treasury. Is there a need for harmonisation in this area, as there is and was in the interpretation of the GLP principles themselves? Over the years more than ten consensus and advisory documents have been published by the OECD working group on GLP. The very existence of these documents is however no guarantee that the interpretation of the GLP principles by inspectors is similar, let alone identical. The most important criterion is, in fact, that there be no harm for human health and the environment.

Economic comparison of the monitoring programmes for bluetongue vectors in Austria and Switzerland.

PubMed

Pinior, B; Brugger, K; Köfer, J; Schwermer, H; Stockreiter, S; Loitsch, A; Rubel, F

2015-05-02

With the bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) outbreak in 2006, vector monitoring programmes (according to EU regulation 1266/2007) were implemented by European countries to obtain information on the spatial distribution of vectors and the vector-free period. This study investigates the vector monitoring programmes in Austria and Switzerland by performing a retrospective cost analysis for the period 2006-2010. Two types of costs were distinguished: costs financed directly via the national bluetongue programmes and costs contributed in-kind by the responsible institutions and agricultural holdings. The total net costs of the monitoring programme in Austria amounted to €1,415,000, whereby in Switzerland the costs were valued at €94,000. Both countries followed the legislation complying with requirements, but differed in regard to sampling frequency, number of trap sites and sampling strategy. Furthermore, the surface area of Austria is twice the area of Switzerland although the number of ruminants is almost the same in both countries. Thus, for comparison, the costs were normalised with regard to the sampling frequency and the number of trap sites. Resulting costs per trap sample comprised €164 for Austria and €48 for Switzerland. In both countries, around 50 per cent of the total costs can be attributed to payments in-kind. The benefit of this study is twofold: first, veterinary authorities may use the results to improve the economic efficiency of future vector monitoring programmes. Second, the analysis of the payment in-kind contribution is of great importance to public authorities as it makes the available resources visible and demonstrates how they have been used. British Veterinary Association.

Economic comparison of the monitoring programmes for bluetongue vectors in Austria and Switzerland

PubMed Central

Pinior, B.; Brugger, K.; Köfer, J.; Schwermer, H.; Stockreiter, S.; Loitsch, A.; Rubel, F.

2015-01-01

With the bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) outbreak in 2006, vector monitoring programmes (according to EU regulation 1266/2007) were implemented by European countries to obtain information on the spatial distribution of vectors and the vector-free period. This study investigates the vector monitoring programmes in Austria and Switzerland by performing a retrospective cost analysis for the period 2006–2010. Two types of costs were distinguished: costs financed directly via the national bluetongue programmes and costs contributed in-kind by the responsible institutions and agricultural holdings. The total net costs of the monitoring programme in Austria amounted to €1,415,000, whereby in Switzerland the costs were valued at €94,000. Both countries followed the legislation complying with requirements, but differed in regard to sampling frequency, number of trap sites and sampling strategy. Furthermore, the surface area of Austria is twice the area of Switzerland although the number of ruminants is almost the same in both countries. Thus, for comparison, the costs were normalised with regard to the sampling frequency and the number of trap sites. Resulting costs per trap sample comprised €164 for Austria and €48 for Switzerland. In both countries, around 50 per cent of the total costs can be attributed to payments in-kind. The benefit of this study is twofold: first, veterinary authorities may use the results to improve the economic efficiency of future vector monitoring programmes. Second, the analysis of the payment in-kind contribution is of great importance to public authorities as it makes the available resources visible and demonstrates how they have been used. PMID:25841165

Monitoring and Stimulating Development of Integrated Professional Skills in University Study Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahlgren, Marie; Ahlberg, Anders

2013-01-01

In Swedish higher education, quality assurance mainly focuses on course module outcomes. With this in mind we developed a qualitative method to monitor and stimulate progression of learning in two modularized engineering study programmes. A set of core professional values and skills were triangulated through interviews with students, teachers,…

Monitoring and Evaluation of Literacy and Continuing Education Programmes. Practitioners' Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This manual, which is intended for practitioners involved in the Asia and the Pacific Programme of Education for All, explains the basic concepts and procedures involved in monitoring and evaluating literacy and continuing education programs. The following are among the topics discussed in the manual's eight chapters: (1) understanding monitoring…

Privacy issues and the monitoring of sumatriptan in the New Zealand Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme.

PubMed

Coulter, D M

2001-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the New Zealand (NZ) Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme (IMMP) functions in relation to NZ privacy laws and to describe the attitudes of patients to drug safety monitoring and the privacy of their personal and health information. The IMMP undertakes prospective observational event monitoring cohort studies on new drugs. The cohorts are established from prescription data and the events are obtained using prescription event monitoring and spontaneous reporting. Personal details, prescribing history of the monitored drugs and adverse events data are stored in databases long term. The NZ Health Information Privacy Code is outlined and the monitoring of sumatriptan is used to illustrate how the IMMP functions in relation to the Code. Patient responses to the programme are described. Sumatriptan was monitored in 14,964 patients and 107,646 prescriptions were recorded. There were 2344 reports received describing 3987 adverse events. A majority of the patients were involved in the recording of events data either personally or by telephone interview. There were no objections to the monitoring process on privacy grounds. Given the fact that all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure privacy, patients perceive drug safety to have greater priority than any slight risk of breach of confidentiality concerning their personal details and health information.

Distribution of radionuclides in the environment in northern Italy after the Chernobyl accident.

PubMed

Berzero, A; Borroni, P A; Oddone, M; Crespi, V C; Genova, N; Meloni, S

1992-03-01

Soon after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the air-pumping stations in Pavia (northern Italy) were alerted. In a few days, a rapid increase in radionuclide concentration in air particulates was observed. Consequently, an environmental radioactivity monitoring programme was started in which several matrices such as soil, grass, vegetables and cows' milk were subjected to direct gamma-ray spectrometry. The radioactivity distribution and its variation with time is presented, discussed and compared with other available data. Detection limits, precision and accuracy are also reported, and depth profiles in soils for 137Cs are presented and correlated with soil quality parameters. A survey of environmental radioactivity in soil, in a search for residual Chernobyl fallout, was carried out and a map of the 137Cs distribution over a large area in northern Italy is presented and discussed.

Evolution of the Copernicus Space Component: preparing for tomorrow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschbacher, Josef

2016-04-01

Copernicus, the ambitious and unique worldwide Earth Observation programme led by the EU, ensures the regular observation and monitoring of Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and continental surfaces, and provides reliable, timely and accurate information to support a broad range of environmental and security policies. The space component of Copernicus is composed of a fleet of satellite missions specifically developed to satisfy Copernicus user needs (the Sentinel families) and also of satellites from other space agencies or organisations, not designed originally for Copernicus, but contributing to the programme (Contributing Missions). The data from the Copernicus satellites, along with some in-situ data, feeds a range of information services in six thematic domains: ocean, land, atmosphere, emergency response, climate change and security. The first two Sentinel satellites (an imaging all-weather night-and-day radar mission, called Sentinel-1, and a high resolution multi-spectral optical mission, Sentinel-2) have already been launched in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The third one (a multi-instrument global sea/land monitoring mission, called Sentinel-3) will be launched in the next weeks. The remaining families will join in the following years and will cover all environmental domains: Sentinel-4, Sentinel-5 precursor and Sentinel-5 will be aimed at monitoring the air quality, stratospheric ozone and solar radiation at high temporal and spatial resolution, while Sentinel-6 will provide high precision ocean altimetry measurements. With two spacecraft of each Sentinel type flying simultaneously and two additional identical spacecraft in the making to replace the first couples at the end of their lifetimes, the provision of environmental information of our planet will be guaranteed until at least 2035. In the meantime, new priorities have been introduced in the EU policies arising from recent events in Europe and new societal needs; migration issue, better management of EU external borders, natural resources handling and climate change among others. Copernicus has therefore to respond to the dynamics of the EU policies' priorities with the required rapidity and flexibility, bringing concrete results in terms of information and growth (Sentinels' evolution) and, at the same time, taking account of the continuity of existing Sentinels data and Services (Second Generation). The Sentinels' evolution, more time stringent than the Second Generation, is a joint EU-ESA endeavour just started concerning a CO2 monitoring mission. Other domains/techniques under investigation for future missions are: polar ice/ocean interferometric altimetry, thermal Infrared, soil moisture or hyper-spectral land imaging. This presentation will therefore give an overview of the current status and future perspectives of the Copernicus space component.

Hyperspectral imaging—An advanced instrument concept for the EnMAP mission (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuffler, Timo; Förster, Klaus; Hofer, Stefan; Leipold, Manfred; Sang, Bernhard; Kaufmann, Hermann; Penné, Boris; Mueller, Andreas; Chlebek, Christian

2009-10-01

In the upcoming generation of satellite sensors, hyperspectral instruments will play a significant role. This payload type is considered world-wide within different future planning. Our team has now successfully finalized the Phase B study for the advanced hyperspectral mission EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme), Germans next optical satellite being scheduled for launch in 2012. GFZ in Potsdam has the scientific lead on EnMAP, Kayser-Threde in Munich is the industrial prime. The EnMAP instrument provides over 240 continuous spectral bands in the wavelength range between 420 and 2450 nm with a ground resolution of 30 m×30 m. Thus, the broad science and application community can draw from an extensive and highly resolved pool of information supporting the modeling and optimization process on their results. The performance of the hyperspectral instrument allows for a detailed monitoring, characterization and parameter extraction of rock/soil targets, vegetation, and inland and coastal waters on a global scale supporting a wide variety of applications in agriculture, forestry, water management and geology. The operation of an airborne system (ARES) as an element in the HGF hyperspectral network and the ongoing evolution concerning data handling and extraction procedures, will support the later inclusion process of EnMAP into the growing scientist and user communities.

Uptake of Space Technologies - An Educational Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bacai, Hina; Zolotikova, Svetlana; Young, Mandy; Cowsill, Rhys; Wells, Alan; Monks, Paul; Archibald, Alexandra; Smith, Teresa

2013-04-01

Earth Observation data and remote sensing technologies have been maturing into useful tools that can be utilised by local authorities and businesses to aid in activates such as monitoring climate change trends and managing agricultural land and water uses. The European Earth observation programme Copernicus, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), provides the means to collect and process multi-source EO and environmental data that supports policy developments at the European level. At the regional and local level, the Copernicus programme has been initiated through Regional Contact Office (RCO), which provide knowledge, training, and access to expertise both locally and at a European level through the network of RCOs established across Europe in the DORIS_Net (Downstream Observatory organised by Regions active In Space - Network) project (Grant Agreement No. 262789 Coordination and support action (Coordinating) FP7 SPA.2010.1.1-07 "Fostering downstream activities and links with regions"). In the East Midlands UK RCO, educational and training workshops and modules have been organised to highlight the wider range of tools and application available to businesses and local authorities in the region. Engagement with businesses and LRA highlighted the need to have a tiered system of training to build awareness prior to investigating innovative solutions and space technology uses for societal benefits. In this paper we outline education and training programmes which have been developed at G-STEP (GMES - Science and Technology Education Partnership), University of Leicester, UK to open up the Copernicus programme through the Regional Contact Office to downstream users such as local businesses and LRAs. Innovative methods to introduce the operational uses of Space technologies in real cases through e-learning modules and web-based tools will be described and examples of good practice for educational training in these sectors will be demonstrated. The results from these workshops and awareness building campaigns will show the end-user 'pull' in the uptake of remote sensing and Earth Observation data to implement successful Local Authority action plans and projects developing innovative solutions to critical Local Authority issues.

Antimicrobial resistance monitoring projects for zoonotic and indicator bacteria of animal origin: common aspects and differences between EASSA and EFSA.

PubMed

Moyaert, Hilde; de Jong, Anno; Simjee, Shabbir; Thomas, Valérie

2014-07-16

Resistance monitoring programmes are essential to generate data for inclusion in the scientific risk assessment of the potential for transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or their resistance determinants from food-producing animals to humans. This review compares the technical specifications on monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic Salmonella, Campylobacter and indicator Escherichia coli and Enterococcus as performed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with veterinary pharmaceutical industry's European Antimicrobial Susceptibility Surveillance in Animals (EASSA) programme. The authors conclude that most of EFSA's recent monitoring recommendations have been covered by EASSA since the start of the latter programme in 1998. The major difference between the two programmes is the classification into 'susceptible' versus 'resistant'. While EFSA categorises all isolates with an MIC value above the epidemiological cut-off value as 'resistant', EASSA differentiates between 'percentage decreased susceptible' and 'percentage clinical resistant' strains by applying both epidemiological cut-off values and clinical breakpoints. Because there is still a need to further improve harmonisation among individual EU Member State activities, Animal Health Industry welcomes EFSA's initiative to further improve the quality of resistance monitoring as it is of utmost importance to apply standardised collection procedures and harmonised susceptibility testing, when monitoring antimicrobial resistance across Europe. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contextualising Learning through the Participatory Construction of an Environmental Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruiz-Mallen, Isabel; Barraza, Laura; Bodenhorn, Barbara; Ceja-Adame, Maria de la Paz; Reyes-Garcia, Victoria

2010-01-01

Strengthening links between school and community is critical for improving people's participation in environmental issues. However, Mexican education programmes are generally unrelated to rural students' life experience and are planned without considering either teachers' or students' opinions. This article describes the participatory construction…

Data access systems in the real world: How distributed environmental and socio-economic data from the Dutch Wadden Sea are being integrated and made accessible through one portal, using the SeaDataNet infrastructure as a basis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Bruin, T.; Thijsse, P.

2013-12-01

The Wadden Sea, an UNESCO World Heritage Site along the Northern coasts of The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, is a very valuable, yet also highly vulnerable tidal flats area. It is noted for its ecological diversity and value, being a stopover for large numbers of migrating birds. The Wadden Sea is also used intensively for economic activities by inhabitants of the surrounding coasts and islands, as well as by the many tourists visiting the area every year. A whole series of monitoring programmes of both ecological and socio-economic parameters is carried out by a range of governmental bodies and institutes, to study the natural processes occuring in the Wadden Sea ecosystems as well as the influence of human activities on those ecosystems. Yet, the monitoring programmes are scattered and it is difficult to get an overview of those monitoring activities or to get access to the data resulting from those monitoring programmes. The Wadden Sea Long Term Ecosystem Research (WaLTER) project aims to: 1. Provide access through one data portal to a base set of consistent, standardized, long-term data on changes in the Wadden Sea ecological and socio-economic systems, in order to model and understand interrelationships with human use, climate variation and possible other drivers. 2. Provide a research infrastructure, open access to commonly shared databases, educational facilities and one or more field sites in which experimental, innovative and process-driven research can be carried out. This presentation will, after a short introduction of the WaLTER-project (2011-2015), focus on the distributed data access infrastructure which is being developed and used for WaLTER. This is based on and makes use of the existing data access infrastructure of the Netherlands National Oceanographic Data Committee (NL-NODC), which has been operational since early 2009. The NL-NODC system is identical to and in fact developed by the European SeaDataNet project, furthering standardisation on a pan-European scale. The WaLTER data portal will provide a centralized overview of all relevant Wadden Sea data, both from environmental as well as socio-economic disciplines and it will provide access to a system of distributed data sources. Much emphasis is given to address the different needs of various groups of users, such as policy makers, scientists and the general public. Benefits and pitfalls (and ways to circumvent the latter) of using this infrastructure with data from widely different disciplines will be addressed.

Lichen elements as pollution indicators: evaluation of methods for large monitoring programmes

Treesearch

Susan Will-Wolf; Sarah Jovan; Michael C. Amacher

2017-01-01

Lichen element content is a reliable indicator for relative air pollution load in research and monitoring programmes requiring both efficiency and representation of many sites. We tested the value of costly rigorous field and handling protocols for sample element analysis using five lichen species. No relaxation of rigour was supported; four relaxed protocols generated...

Learning about the Effects of Development Education Programmes: Strengthening Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PME) through Reflective Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Ongevalle, Jan; Huyse, Huib; Van Petegem, Peter

2013-01-01

This article reports on the results of an action research project (2010-13) in which ten Belgian organizations who implement development education programmes explored different planning, monitoring, and evaluation (PME) approaches with the aim of learning more effectively about their results. PME approaches piloted included outcome mapping, most…

Monitoring and Evaluation of an Early Childhood Development Programme: Implications for Leadership and Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgson, Sarah; Papatheodorou, Theodora; James, Mary

2014-01-01

The article aims to discuss preliminary findings from a participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, used in a community-based early childhood development (ECD) programme in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, and their implications for leadership and management. The purposes of the M&E were for LETCEE, the implementing organization,…

Impacts of air pollution and climate on materials in Athens, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christodoulakis, John; Tzanis, Chris G.; Varotsos, Costas A.; Ferm, Martin; Tidblad, Johan

2017-01-01

For more than 10 years now the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, has contributed to the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) ICP Materials (International Co-operative Programme on Effects on Materials including Historic and Cultural Monuments) programme for monitoring the corrosion/soiling levels of different kinds of materials due to environmental air-quality parameters. In this paper we present the results obtained from the analysis of observational data that were collected in Athens during the period 2003-2012. According to these results, the corrosion/soiling of the particular exposed materials tends to decrease over the years, except for the case of copper. Based on this long experimental database that is applicable to the multi-pollutant situation in the Athens basin, we present dose-response functions (DRFs) considering that dose stands for the air pollutant concentration, response for the material mass loss (normally per annum) and function, the relationship derived by the best statistical fit to the data.

HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan--a regional programme of measures for the marine environment based on the Ecosystem Approach.

PubMed

Backer, Hermanni; Leppänen, Juha-Markku; Brusendorff, Anne Christine; Forsius, Kaj; Stankiewicz, Monika; Mehtonen, Jukka; Pyhälä, Minna; Laamanen, Maria; Paulomäki, Hanna; Vlasov, Nikolay; Haaranen, Tarja

2010-05-01

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Baltic Sea Action Plan, adopted by the coastal countries of the Baltic Sea and the European Community in November 2007, is a regional intergovernmental programme of measures for the protection and management of the marine environment explicitly based on the Ecosystem Approach. The Action Plan is structured around a set of Ecological Objectives used to define indicators and targets, including effect-based nutrient input ceilings, and to monitor implementation. The Action Plan strongly links Baltic marine environmental concerns to important socio-economic fields such as agriculture and fisheries and promotes cross-sectoral tools including marine spatial planning. Due to complementarities with the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Action Plan is in essence a pilot for this process without neglecting the important role of the Russian Federation - the only Baltic coastal country not a member of the EU. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The State of the World Environment, 1987. United Nations Environment Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi (Kenya).

One of the main activities assigned to the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is to review the world environmental situation to insure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments. Accordingly, UNEP has assessed the state of…

Evaluating Environmental Knowledge Dimension Convergence to Assess Educational Programme Effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liefländer, Anne K.; Bogner, Franz X.; Kibbe, Alexandra; Kaiser, Florian G.

2015-03-01

One aim of environmental education is fostering sustainable environmental action. Some environmental behaviour models suggest that this can be accomplished in part by improving people's knowledge. Recent studies have identified a distinct, psychometrically supported environmental knowledge structure consisting of system, action-related and effectiveness knowledge. Besides system knowledge, which is most often the focus of such studies, incorporating the other knowledge dimensions into these dimensions was suggested to enhance effectiveness. Our study is among the first to implement these dimensions together in an educational campaign and to use these dimensions to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme on water issues. We designed a four-day environmental education programme on water issues for students at an educational field centre. We applied a newly developed multiple-choice instrument using a pre-, post-, retention test design. The knowledge scales were calibrated with the Rasch model. In addition to the commonly assessed individual change in knowledge level, we also measured the change in knowledge convergence, the extent to which the knowledge dimensions merge as a person's environmental knowledge increases, as an innovative indicator of educational success. Following programme participation, students significantly improved in terms of amount learned in each knowledge dimension and in terms of integration of the knowledge dimensions. The effectiveness knowledge shows the least gain, persistence and convergence, which we explain by considering the dependence of the knowledge dimensions on each other. Finally, we discuss emerging challenges for educational researchers and practical implications for environmental educators.

Children's environmental knowing: A case study of children's experiences during an environmental education programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Sandra Anne

This study explores children's experiences during WaterWorlds (pseudonym) a field-based environmental education programme at a marine science centre. The study objectives were to investigate how children understand and interpret their experiences, and how these experiences foster their environmental knowing. To address these objectives, I carried out a case study at a marine science centre in British Columbia. I examined children's WaterWorlds experiences and explored their environmental understandings and commitment to environmental action. I analysed the experiences of children in four separate classes and carried out an in-depth examination of four individual children. Data were collected using informal semi-structured interviews, observations, conversations, researcher journal logs, and student documents including their writing and illustrations. My findings indicate that the WaterWorlds programme experience fosters children's environmental knowing. Participation in WaterWorlds activities led to connection, caring, and concern for other species and in some cases, for the marine environment as a whole. During the programme, children chose the ways they interpreted and expressed their environmental knowledge, ethic of care, advocacy, and commitment to action. This development of each child's self-expression resulted in motivational and powerful learning experiences that inspired and nurtured their connections to the earth. This research provides evidence and examples of how educators can foster children's environmental knowing through multi-disciplinary environmental education experiences. It illustrates that activities such as observing and documenting the lives of other animal species, collecting data and conducting research on those species, and working and learning alongside experts in the field of environmental education are powerful experiences that motivate concern and care for the earth among children.

32 CFR 701.53 - FOIA fee schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... monitoring by a human, that human time may be also assessed as computer search. The terms “programmer/operator” shall not be limited to the traditional programmers or operators. Rather, the terms shall be.... technician, administrative support, operator, programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (2...

An Intensive Programme on Education for Sustainable Development: The Participants' Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biasutti, Michele

2015-01-01

This paper presents the framework of an intensive programme (IP) organised by UNESCO and addressed to young graduate professionals to prepare them for a career in fields related to sustainability. The aims of the IP were to address participants' environmental awareness and to develop attitudes and skills related to environmental planning and…

A Model for Developing and Assessing Youth-Based Environmental Engagement Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riemer, Manuel; Lynes, Jennifer; Hickman, Gina

2014-01-01

In this paper, we argue that a fundamental cultural shift is needed to effectively address anthropogenic causes of climate change. Evidence suggests that youth are well positioned to create such transformation. While various studies have contributed empirical evidence to numerous youth-based non-formal environmental engagement programmes, what is…

A preliminary assessment of the spatial sources of contemporary suspended sediment in the Ohio River basin, United States, using water quality data from the NASQAN programme in a source tracing procedure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhang, Y.-S.; Collins, A.L.; Horowitz, A.J.

2012-01-01

Reliable information on catchment scale suspended sediment sources is required to inform the design of management strategies for helping abate the numerous environmental issues associated with enhanced sediment mobilization and off-site loadings. Since sediment fingerprinting techniques avoid many of the logistical constraints associated with using more traditional indirect measurement methods at catchment scale, such approaches have been increasingly reported in the international literature and typically use data sets collected specifically for sediment source apportionment purposes. There remains scope for investigating the potential for using geochemical data sets assembled by routine monitoring programmes to fingerprint sediment provenance. In the United States, routine water quality samples are collected as part of the US Geological Survey's revised National Stream Quality Accounting Network programme. Accordingly, the geochemistry data generated from these samples over a 10-year period (1996-2006) were used as the basis for a fingerprinting exercise to assess the key tributary sub-catchment spatial sources of contemporary suspended sediment transported by the Ohio River. Uncertainty associated with the spatial source estimates was quantified using a Monte Carlo approach in conjunction with mass balance modelling. Relative frequency weighted means were used as an alternative way of summarizing the spatial source contributions, thereby avoiding the need to use confidence limits. The results should be interpreted in the context of the routine, but infrequent nature, of the suspended sediment samples used to assemble geochemistry as a basis for the sourcing exercise. Nonetheless, the study demonstrates how routine monitoring samples can be used to provide some preliminary information on sediment provenance in large drainage basins. ?? 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A synopsis of the Joint Environment and Human Health Programme in the UK.

PubMed

Moore, Michael N; Kempton, Pamela D

2009-12-21

The Joint Environment and Human Health (E&HH) Programme has explored how both man-made and natural changes to the environment can influence human health. Scientists have tackled the complicated mix of environmental, social and economic factors that influence health, particularly focusing on naturally occurring toxins, man-made pollutants, nanoparticles and pathogens to see:* how they spread within the environment* how their properties change as they interact with other substances or organisms* how we become exposed to them, and* their impact on human health.The Programme has not only succeeded in bringing together scientists from a broad range of environmental, social and biomedical backgrounds, but also fostered new relationships with end users and policy makers. This new community is helping to provide the multidisciplinary capacity able to respond in an interdisciplinary way to resolve problems that are intrinsically interfacial in character. Many of these questions relate to complex issues such as the environmental biology and geochemistry of soils and how these influence the transport, accessibility and bioavailability of chemical pollutants and infectivity of pathogens. The dispersion of harmful particles in the atmosphere is another area of major concern where the E&HH Programme has broken new ground by showing how the chemical and physical properties of such particles influence their environmental behaviour and may govern their toxicity and resultant pathological reactions induced following inhalation. Working groups and networks have identified potential health problems concerning the transport and emergence of human pathogens associated with food, soil, air and water. The consequence(s) of global and regional climate change for the environmental behaviours of pollutants and pathogens have been considered by a number of the projects supported by the E&HH programme.The selection of articles in this supplement reflect the broad scope of the E&HH programme. By effectively identifying and interconnecting these interdisciplinary elements, the E&HH programme has fostered the emergence of new ways of solving problems in areas of research that have, until recently, had little connection with one another. This has not only helped build new research groupings, but has also led to exciting new scientific developments as described in this issue of Environmental Health.

Equivalency Programmes (EPs) for Promoting Lifelong Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haddad, Caroline, Ed.

2006-01-01

Equivalency programmes (EPs) refers to alternative education programmes that are equivalent to the formal education system in terms of curriculum and certification, policy support mechanisms, mode of delivery, staff training, and other support activities such as monitoring, evaluation and assessment. The development of EPs is potentially an…

“Anyone Know What Species This Is?” – Twitter Conversations as Embryonic Citizen Science Communities

PubMed Central

Daume, Stefan; Galaz, Victor

2016-01-01

Social media like blogs, micro-blogs or social networks are increasingly being investigated and employed to detect and predict trends for not only social and physical phenomena, but also to capture environmental information. Here we argue that opportunistic biodiversity observations published through Twitter represent one promising and until now unexplored example of such data mining. As we elaborate, it can contribute to real-time information to traditional ecological monitoring programmes including those sourced via citizen science activities. Using Twitter data collected for a generic assessment of social media data in ecological monitoring we investigated a sample of what we denote biodiversity observations with species determination requests (N = 191). These entail images posted as messages on the micro-blog service Twitter. As we show, these frequently trigger conversations leading to taxonomic determinations of those observations. All analysed Tweets were posted with species determination requests, which generated replies for 64% of Tweets, 86% of those contained at least one suggested determination, of which 76% were assessed as correct. All posted observations included or linked to images with the overall image quality categorised as satisfactory or better for 81% of the sample and leading to taxonomic determinations at the species level in 71% of provided determinations. We claim that the original message authors and conversation participants can be viewed as implicit or embryonic citizen science communities which have to offer valuable contributions both as an opportunistic data source in ecological monitoring as well as potential active contributors to citizen science programmes. PMID:26967526

Risk assessment and risk management at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA): a perspective on the monitoring of foods for chemical residues.

PubMed

Bietlot, Henri P; Kolakowski, Beata

2012-08-01

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) uses 'Ranked Risk Assessment' (RRA) to prioritize chemical hazards for inclusion in monitoring programmes or method development projects based on their relative risk. The relative risk is calculated for a chemical by scoring toxicity and exposure in the 'risk model scoring system' of the Risk Priority Compound List (RPCL). The relative ranking and the risk management options are maintained and updated in the RPCL. The ranking may be refined by the data generated by the sampling and testing programs. The two principal sampling and testing programmes are the National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program (NCRMP) and the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP). The NCRMP sampling plans focus on the analysis of federally registered products (dairy, eggs, honey, meat and poultry, fresh and processed fruit and vegetable commodities, and maple syrup) for residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides, environmental contaminants, mycotoxins, and metals. The NCRMP is complemented by the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP) targeted surveys. These surveys focus on emerging chemical hazards associated with specific foods or geographical regions for which applicable maximum residue limits (MRLs) are not set. The data from the NCRMP and FSAP also influence the risk management (follow-up) options. Follow-up actions vary according to the magnitude of the health risk, all with the objective of preventing any repeat occurrence to minimize consumer exposure to a product representing a potential risk to human health. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2012. Drug Testing and Analysis © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

GIONET (GMES Initial Operations Network for Earth Observation Research Training)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicolas, V.; Balzter, H.

2013-12-01

GMES Initial Operations - Network for Earth Observation Research Training (GIONET) is a Marie Curie funded project that aims to establish the first of a kind European Centre of Excellence for Earth Observation Research Training. Copernicus (previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a joint undertaking of the European Space Agency and the European Commission. It develops fully operational Earth Observation monitoring services for a community of end users from the public and private sector. The first services that are considered fully operational are the land monitoring and emergency monitoring core services. In GIONET, 14 early stage researchers are being trained at PhD level in understanding the complex physical processes that determine how electromagnetic radiation interacts with the atmosphere and the land surface ultimately form the signal received by a satellite. In order to achieve this, the researchers are based in industry and universities across Europe, as well as receiving the best technical training and scientific education. The training programme through supervised research focuses on 14 research topics. Each topic is carried out by an Early Stage Researcher based in one of the partner organisations and is expected to lead to a PhD degree. The 14 topics are grouped in 5 research themes: Forest monitoring Land cover and change Coastal zone and freshwater monitoring Geohazards and emergency response Climate adaptation and emergency response The methods developed and used in GIONET are as diverse as its research topics. GIONET has already held two summer schools; one at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany), on 'New operational radar satellite applications: Introduction to SAR, Interferometry and Polarimetry for Land Surface Mapping'. The 2nd summer school took place last September at the University of Leicester (UK )on 'Remote sensing of land cover and forest in GMES'. The next Summer School in September 2013 will take place at the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography in Warsaw (Poland), on 'Remote Sensing Applications for environmental modelling and classification' and the final event, in Ispra (Italy) in 2014 will focus on 'Monitoring the Earth for Environmental Policy and Decision Making'. A selected sample of preliminary results from GIONET will be presented: Reed die-back mapping from hyperspectral imagery, and Active and passive sensor water quality mapping of Lake Balaton aim to improve knowledge of the water quality dynamics. SAR mapping of the Congo basin and a concept for a Global Biomass Information System aim to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation under REDD+. The use of TerraSAR-X for rapid land cover change mapping in Darfur supports humanitarian crisis management. The range of research topics and initial results show the large potential of operational remote sensing applications for environmental policies and emergency management. The ESA Sentinel satellite missions provide the first fully operational European space component in history apart from meteorological satellites. A parallel research and development programme such as that provided by GIONET provides methodological advances, demonstrates new applications and validates pre-operational products, as well as informing future mission designs.

Sex-specific ecophysiological responses to environmental fluctuations of free-ranging Hermann's tortoises: implication for conservation.

PubMed

Sibeaux, Adélaïde; Michel, Catherine Louise; Bonnet, Xavier; Caron, Sébastien; Fournière, Kévin; Gagno, Stephane; Ballouard, Jean-Marie

2016-01-01

Physiological parameters provide indicators to evaluate how organisms respond to conservation actions. For example, individuals translocated during reinforcement programmes may not adapt to their novel host environment and may exhibit elevated chronic levels of stress hormones and/or decreasing body condition. Conversely, successful conservation actions should be associated with a lack of detrimental physiological perturbation. However, physiological references fluctuate over time and are influenced by various factors (e.g. sex, age, reproductive status). It is therefore necessary to determine the range of natural variations of the selected physiological metrics to establish useful baselines. This study focuses on endangered free-ranging Hermann's tortoises ( Testudo hermanni hermanni ), where conservation actions have been preconized to prevent extinction of French mainland populations. The influence of sex and of environmental factors (site, year and season) on eight physiological parameters (e.g. body condition, corticosterone concentrations) was assessed in 82 individuals from two populations living in different habitats. Daily displacements were monitored by radio-tracking. Most parameters varied between years and seasons and exhibited contrasting sex patterns but with no or limited effect of site. By combining behavioural and physiological traits, this study provides sex-specific seasonal baselines that can be used to monitor the health status of Hermann's tortoises facing environmental threats (e.g. habitat changes) or during conservation actions (e.g. translocation). These results might also assist in selection of the appropriate season for translocation.

Power games: The political use of solar technology in northern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Donna Lisa

This dissertation politicises and historically situates the transfer of an environmental technology to a less developed country, a transfer that has occurred under the rubric of sustainable development. The case study explores the social and political context of two solar battery charging station programmes selected to provide electrification in rural Northern Thailand beginning in the 1980s. It places these rural electrification programmes in the context of previous rural electrification policies in northern Thailand in the 1960s and 1970s which were driven by an explicitly state-serving agenda: an agenda that aimed to expand the centralised state's ability to pacify and control remote areas of the country. However, it is clear that the technology and implementation strategies selected for the new electrification programmes could not fulfil their community-serving objectives; furthermore, these systems could not meet the actual energy needs of the programmes' intended beneficiaries. I argue that we need to consider whether the objectives that motivated previous rural electrification programmes may be continuing to play a role in the promotion of these new rural electrification programmes, a motivation that would contradict the philosophy behind the choice of the solar battery charging stations. Specifically, I show how the new rural electrification strategy has been de-politicised through its framing within the sustainable development discourses. This thesis highlights how the rush to promote environmental technologies through the rubric of sustainable development may limit a proper consideration of the social and political dynamics that motivated these decisions, resulting in the uncritical justification of technology selection. Scholars have critiqued the social ramifications of, and the political motivations behind, earlier technocentric rural development strategies, showing how they can exacerbate social inequalities. I argue that in this situation, the alleged environmental benefits of using an environmental technology in a sustainable development programme may have served to shelter it from similar critique. The assessment reveals and emphasises the need to query the validity of the objectives motivating other technocentric rural development programmes that transfer environmental technologies as part of the practice of sustainable development.

Environmental contamination due to shale gas development.

PubMed

Annevelink, M P J A; Meesters, J A J; Hendriks, A J

2016-04-15

Shale gas development potentially contaminates both air and water compartments. To assist in governmental decision-making on future explorations, we reviewed scattered information on activities, emissions and concentrations related to shale gas development. We compared concentrations from monitoring programmes to quality standards as a first indication of environmental risks. Emissions could not be estimated accurately because of incomparable and insufficient data. Air and water concentrations range widely. Poor wastewater treatment posed the highest risk with concentrations exceeding both Natural Background Values (NBVs) by a factor 1000-10,000 and Lowest Quality Standards (LQSs) by a factor 10-100. Concentrations of salts, metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrocarbons exceeded aquatic ecotoxicological water standards. Future research must focus on measuring aerial and aquatic emissions of toxic chemicals, generalisation of experimental setups and measurement technics and further human and ecological risk assessment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of nuclear medicine practices in Portugal from an internal dosimetry perspective.

PubMed

Bento, J; Teles, P; Neves, M; Santos, A I; Cardoso, G; Barreto, A; Alves, F; Guerreiro, C; Rodrigues, A; Santos, J A M; Capelo, C; Parafita, R; Martins, B

2012-05-01

Nuclear medicine practices involve the handling of a wide range of pharmaceuticals labelled with different radionuclides, for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This work intends to evaluate the potential risks of internal contamination of nuclear medicine staff in several Portuguese nuclear medicine services and to conclude about the requirement of a routine internal monitoring. A methodology proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), providing a set of criteria to determine the need, or not, for an internal monitoring programme, was applied. The evaluation of the risk of internal contaminations in a given set of working conditions is based on the type and amount of radionuclides being handled, as well as the safety conditions with which they are manipulated. The application of the IAEA criteria showed that 73.1% of all the workers included in this study should be integrated in a routine monitoring programme for internal contaminations; more specifically, 100% of workers performing radioimmunoassay techniques should be monitored. This study suggests that a routine monitoring programme for internal exposures should be implemented in Portugal for most nuclear medicine workers.

A programmable point-of-care device for external CSF drainage and monitoring.

PubMed

Simkins, Jeffrey R; Subbian, Vignesh; Beyette, Fred R

2014-01-01

This paper presents a prototype of a programmable cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) external drainage system that can accurately measure the dispensed fluid volume. It is based on using a miniature spectrophotometer to collect color data to inform drain rate and pressure monitoring. The prototype was machined with 1 μm dimensional accuracy. The current device can reliably monitor the total accumulated fluid volume, the drain rate, the programmed pressure, and the pressure read from the sensor. Device requirements, fabrication processes, and preliminary results with an experimental set-up are also presented.

Malaria community health workers in Myanmar: a cost analysis.

PubMed

Kyaw, Shwe Sin; Drake, Tom; Thi, Aung; Kyaw, Myat Phone; Hlaing, Thaung; Smithuis, Frank M; White, Lisa J; Lubell, Yoel

2016-01-25

Myanmar has the highest malaria incidence and attributed mortality in South East Asia with limited healthcare infrastructure to manage this burden. Establishing malaria Community Health Worker (CHW) programmes is one possible strategy to improve access to malaria diagnosis and treatment, particularly in remote areas. Despite considerable donor support for implementing CHW programmes in Myanmar, the cost implications are not well understood. An ingredients based micro-costing approach was used to develop a model of the annual implementation cost of malaria CHWs in Myanmar. A cost model was constructed based on activity centres comprising of training, patient malaria services, monitoring and supervision, programme management, overheads and incentives. The model takes a provider perspective. Financial data on CHWs programmes were obtained from the 2013 financial reports of the Three Millennium Development Goal fund implementing partners that have been working on malaria control and elimination in Myanmar. Sensitivity and scenario analyses were undertaken to outline parameter uncertainty and explore changes to programme cost for key assumptions. The range of total annual costs for the support of one CHW was US$ 966-2486. The largest driver of CHW cost was monitoring and supervision (31-60% of annual CHW cost). Other important determinants of cost included programme management (15-28% of annual CHW cost) and patient services (6-12% of annual CHW cost). Within patient services, malaria rapid diagnostic tests are the major contributor to cost (64% of patient service costs). The annual cost of a malaria CHW in Myanmar varies considerably depending on the context and the design of the programme, in particular remoteness and the approach to monitoring and evaluation. The estimates provide information to policy makers and CHW programme planners in Myanmar as well as supporting economic evaluations of their cost-effectiveness.

[Implementation of performance indicators in the Czech Breast Cancer Screening Programme -  results of the regular monitoring].

PubMed

Májek, O; Bartoňková, H; Daneš, J; Skovajsová, M; Dušek, L

2014-01-01

The Czech organised breast cancer screening programme was initiated in 2002. Collection of data on screening mammography examinations, subsequent diagnostic procedures, and final dia-gnosis is an indispensable part of the programme. Data collection is obligatory for all accredited centres, in accordance with regulations issued by the Czech Ministry of Health. This contribution aims to demonstrate the recent results of quality monitoring of the accredited centres. Quality indicators, whose definition complies with international standards, involve the women's participation, the volume of performed examinations, the accuracy of screening mammography, the use of preoperative diagnostics, and the proportion of early detected tumours. Our evaluation documents a continuous improvement in quality of the Czech mammography screening programme, which is thereby in full agreement with international recommendations on quality assurance.

Hybrid data capture for monitoring patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in urban Botswana.

PubMed

Bussmann, Hermann; Wester, C William; Ndwapi, Ndwapi; Vanderwarker, Chris; Gaolathe, Tendani; Tirelo, Geoffrey; Avalos, Ava; Moffat, Howard; Marlink, Richard G

2006-02-01

Individual patient care and programme evaluation are pivotal for the success of antiretroviral treatment programmes in resource-limited countries. While computer-aided documentation and data storage are indispensable for any large programme, several important issues need to be addressed including which data are to be collected, who collects it and how it is entered into an electronic database. We describe a patient-monitoring approach, which uses patient encounter forms (in hybrid paper + electronic format) based on optical character recognition, piloted at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana's first public highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) outpatient clinic. Our novel data capture approach collects "key" data for tracking patient and programme outcomes. It saves physician time and does not detract from clinical care.

Hybrid data capture for monitoring patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in urban Botswana.

PubMed Central

Bussmann, Hermann; Wester, C. William; Ndwapi, Ndwapi; Vanderwarker, Chris; Gaolathe, Tendani; Tirelo, Geoffrey; Avalos, Ava; Moffat, Howard; Marlink, Richard G.

2006-01-01

Individual patient care and programme evaluation are pivotal for the success of antiretroviral treatment programmes in resource-limited countries. While computer-aided documentation and data storage are indispensable for any large programme, several important issues need to be addressed including which data are to be collected, who collects it and how it is entered into an electronic database. We describe a patient-monitoring approach, which uses patient encounter forms (in hybrid paper + electronic format) based on optical character recognition, piloted at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana's first public highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) outpatient clinic. Our novel data capture approach collects "key" data for tracking patient and programme outcomes. It saves physician time and does not detract from clinical care. PMID:16501730

Action Monitoring for Equity and Gender in Health

PubMed Central

Bhuiya, Abbas; Hanifi, S.M.A.; Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila

2008-01-01

Equity and gender, despite being universal concerns for all health programmes in Bangladesh, are often missing in many of the health agenda. The health programmes fail to address these important dimensions unless these are specifically included in the planning stage of a programme and are continually monitored for progress. This paper presents the situation of equity in health in Bangladesh, innovations in monitoring equity in the use of health services in general and by the poor in particular, and impact of targeted non-health interventions on health outcomes of the poor. It was argued that an equitable use of health services might also result in enhanced overall coverage of the services. The findings show that government services at the upazila level are used by the poor proportionately more than they are in the community, while at the private facilities, the situation is reverse. Commonly-used monitoring tools, at times, are not very useful for the programme managers to know how well they are doing in reaching the poor. Use of benefit-incidence ratio may provide a quick feedback to the health facility managers about their extent of serving the poor. Similarly, Lot Quality Assurance Sampling can be an easy-to-use tool for monitoring coverage at the community level requiring a very small sample size. Although health problems are biomedical phenomena, their solutions may include actions beyond the biomedical framework. Studies have shown that non-health interventions targeted towards the poor improve the use of health services and reduce mortality among children in poor households. The study on equity and health deals with various interlocking issues, and the examples and views presented in this paper intend to introduce their importance in designing and managing health and development programmes. PMID:18831232

Action monitoring for equity and gender in health.

PubMed

Bhuiya, Abbas; Hanifi, S M A; Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila

2008-09-01

Equity and gender, despite being universal concerns for all health programmes in Bangladesh, are often missing in many of the health agenda. The health programmes fail to address these important dimensions unless these are specifically included in the planning stage of a programme and are continually monitored for progress. This paper presents the situation of equity in health in Bangladesh, innovations in monitoring equity in the use of health services in general and by the poor in particular, and impact of targeted non-health interventions on health outcomes of the poor. It was argued that an equitable use of health services might also result in enhanced overall coverage of the services. The findings show that government services at the upazila level are used by the poor proportionately more than they are in the community, while at the private facilities, the situation is reverse. Commonly-used monitoring tools, at times, are not very useful for the programme managers to know how well they are doing in reaching the poor. Use of benefit-incidence ratio may provide a quick feedback to the health facility managers about their extent of serving the poor. Similarly, Lot Quality Assurance Sampling can be an easy-to-use tool for monitoring coverage at the community level requiring a very small sample size. Although health problems are biomedical phenomena, their solutions may include actions beyond the biomedical framework. Studies have shown that non-health interventions targeted towards the poor improve the use of health services and reduce mortality among children in poor households. The study on equity and health deals with various interlocking issues, and the examples and views presented in this paper intend to introduce their importance in designing and managing health and development programmes.

Safety of herbal products in Thailand: an analysis of reports in the thai health product vigilance center database from 2000 to 2008.

PubMed

Saokaew, Surasak; Suwankesawong, Wimon; Permsuwan, Unchalee; Chaiyakunapruk, Nathorn

2011-04-01

The use of herbal products continues to expand rapidly across the world and concerns regarding the safety of these products have been raised. In Thailand, Thai Vigibase, developed by the Health Product Vigilance Center (HPVC) under the Thai Food and Drug Administration, is the national database that collates reports from health product surveillance systems and programmes. Thai Vigibase can be used to identify signals of adverse events in patients receiving herbal products. The purpose of the study was to describe the characteristics of reported adverse events in patients receiving herbal products in Thailand. Thai Vigibase data from February 2000 to December 2008 involving adverse events reported in association with herbal products were used. This database includes case reports submitted through the spontaneous reporting system and intensive monitoring programmes. Under the spontaneous reporting system, adverse event reports are collected nationwide via a national network of 22 regional centres covering more than 800 public and private hospitals, and health service centres. An intensive monitoring programme was also conducted to monitor the five single herbal products listed in the Thai National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), while another intensive monitoring programme was developed to monitor the four single herbal products that were under consideration for inclusion in the NLEM. The database contained patient demographics, adverse events associated with herbal products, and details on seriousness, causality and quality of reports. Descriptive statistics were used for data analyses. A total of 593 reports with 1868 adverse events involving 24 different products were made during the study period. The age range of individuals was 1-86 years (mean 47 years). Most case reports were obtained from the intensive monitoring programme. Of the reports, 72% involved females. The herbal products for which adverse events were frequently reported were products containing turmeric (44%), followed by andrographis (10%), veld grape (10%), pennywort (7%), plai (6%), jewel vine (6%), bitter melon (5%) and snake plant (5%). Gastrointestinal problems were the most common adverse effect reported. Serious adverse events included Stevens-Johnson syndrome, anaphylactic shock and exfoliative dermatitis. Adverse event reports on herbals products were diverse, with most of them being reported through intensive monitoring programmes. Thai Vigibase is a potentially effective data source for signal detection of adverse events associated with herbal products.

Requirements for authorisation of internal dosimetry services.

PubMed

Melo, D R; Cunha, P G; Torres, M M C; Lourenço, M C

2003-01-01

In order to ensure that a facility is in compliance with the occupational exposure requirements established by regulatory authorities, the measurements and dose assessments specified in the individual monitoring programme need to be reliable. There are two important questions that shall be addressed here: one is how the licensed facilities can demonstrate to their workers and regulatory bodies compliance with the regulatory limits and the reliability of the results of the individual monitoring programmes; the other concerns the mechanisms used to demonstrate to a facility in another country the reliability of the measurement results of an individual monitoring bioassay programme. The accreditation of the bioassay laboratory, according to ISO/IEC 17025, shall be the basic requirement for obtaining the authorisation granted by the national regulatory authority. For the second question, such confidence can be achieved through International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

Tracking pan-continental trends in environmental contamination using sentinel raptors-what types of samples should we use?

PubMed

Espín, S; García-Fernández, A J; Herzke, D; Shore, R F; van Hattum, B; Martínez-López, E; Coeurdassier, M; Eulaers, I; Fritsch, C; Gómez-Ramírez, P; Jaspers, V L B; Krone, O; Duke, G; Helander, B; Mateo, R; Movalli, P; Sonne, C; van den Brink, N W

2016-05-01

Biomonitoring using birds of prey as sentinel species has been mooted as a way to evaluate the success of European Union directives that are designed to protect people and the environment across Europe from industrial contaminants and pesticides. No such pan-European evaluation currently exists. Coordination of such large scale monitoring would require harmonisation across multiple countries of the types of samples collected and analysed-matrices vary in the ease with which they can be collected and the information they provide. We report the first ever pan-European assessment of which raptor samples are collected across Europe and review their suitability for biomonitoring. Currently, some 182 monitoring programmes across 33 European countries collect a variety of raptor samples, and we discuss the relative merits of each for monitoring current priority and emerging compounds. Of the matrices collected, blood and liver are used most extensively for quantifying trends in recent and longer-term contaminant exposure, respectively. These matrices are potentially the most effective for pan-European biomonitoring but are not so widely and frequently collected as others. We found that failed eggs and feathers are the most widely collected samples. Because of this ubiquity, they may provide the best opportunities for widescale biomonitoring, although neither is suitable for all compounds. We advocate piloting pan-European monitoring of selected priority compounds using these matrices and developing read-across approaches to accommodate any effects that trophic pathway and species differences in accumulation may have on our ability to track environmental trends in contaminants.

Dounreay hot particles: the story so far.

PubMed

Dennis, Frank; Morgan, Graeme; Henderson, Fiona

2007-09-01

The first Dounreay hot particle (hereafter 'Particle') to be formally identified was recovered from the Dounreay foreshore in 1983. A further single Particle was recovered from Sandside beach the following year. Particles have been detected and removed from the Dounreay foreshore regularly since 1984 and from the offshore sediments since 1997. Since 1997, an extensive research and development programme has been undertaken to identify the source of Particles, their movement and lifetimes in the marine environment, and their potential effects on human and environmental health. It is now known that Particles were released to the North Atlantic Ocean in the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s. There is no evidence of an on-going source of Particles from the Dounreay site today. The source of Particles recovered from the Dounreay foreshore and from local beaches is the cache currently residing in marine sediments adjacent to Dounreay. Monitoring and sediment modelling studies indicate that the Dounreay Particles are transported approximately parallel to the coast in a north-easterly direction. Studies to define contact frequencies and risks to human health suggest that the health risks associated with Particles are very low There is, however, a significant perception of risk. UKAEA will define a long-term Particle management programme via the development of a best practical environmental option (BPEO) facilitated through consultation with all stakeholders.

The influence of health system organizational structure and culture on integration of health services: the example of HIV service monitoring in South Africa.

PubMed

Kawonga, Mary; Blaauw, Duane; Fonn, Sharon

2016-11-01

Administrative integration of disease control programmes (DCPs) within the district health system has been a health sector reform priority in South Africa for two decades. The reforms entail district managers assuming authority for the planning and monitoring of DCPs in districts, with DCP managers providing specialist support. There has been little progress in achieving this, and a dearth of research exploring why. Using a case study of HIV programme monitoring and evaluation (M&E), this article explores whether South Africa's health system is configured to support administrative integration. The article draws on data from document reviews and interviews with 54 programme and district managers in two of nine provinces, exploring their respective roles in decision-making regarding HIV M&E system design and in using HIV data for monitoring uptake of HIV interventions in districts. Using Mintzberg's configurations framework, we describe three organizational parameters: (a) extent of centralization (whether district managers play a role in decisions regarding the design of the HIV M&E system); (b) key part of the organization (extent to which sub-national programme managers vs district managers play the central role in HIV monitoring in districts); and (c) coordination mechanisms used (whether highly formalized and rules-based or more output-based to promote agency). We find that the health system can be characterized as Mintzberg's machine bureaucracy. It is centralized and highly formalized with structures, management styles and practices that promote programme managers as lead role players in the monitoring of HIV interventions within districts. This undermines policy objectives of district managers assuming this leadership role. Our study enhances the understanding of organizational factors that may limit the success of administrative integration reforms and suggests interventions that may mitigate this. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Environmental justice as an approach to tackle environmental health inequalities].

PubMed

Bolte, Gabriele; Bunge, Christiane; Hornberg, Claudia; Köckler, Heike

2018-06-01

Current international studies show that environment-related diseases disproportionately affect vulnerable people. This is a case of environmental injustice. Environmental justice goes beyond the mere description of environment- and health-related social inequalities by comprising two dimensions of justice as a normative approach: distributional and procedural justice. Attempts to explain the link between social circumstances, the environment and health deal with both the socially unequal distribution of environmental hazards and environmental resources (exposure variation) and social differences in vulnerability to the health effects of environmental exposures (effect modification). Integrated monitoring approaches provide the basis for deriving interventions under various aspects of environmental justice. Parting from public health research and embedded in the Health in All Policies (HiAP) concept, environmental justice has now been taken up in a number of fields, including politics, administration and practice. There are strategic considerations and attempts to anchor it in politics at the federal, state and the communal level, both by government and non-government groups. Health-promoting urban development is a core field for intervention. The Soziale Stadt (Social City) programme for promoting urban planning and construction as well as place oriented sectoral planning make an important contribution by helping to focus on urban spaces with multiple health hazards and to implement target group-oriented participation processes. There continues to be a need to develop methods and systematically implemented evaluations of political strategies and corresponding interventions regarding their effects on inequalities in health and environmental justice.

Societal constraints related to environmental remediation and decommissioning programmes.

PubMed

Perko, Tanja; Monken-Fernandes, Horst; Martell, Meritxell; Zeleznik, Nadja; O'Sullivan, Patrick

2017-06-20

The decisions related to decommissioning or environmental remediation projects (D/ER) cannot be isolated from the socio-political and cultural environment. Experiences of the IAEA Member States point out the importance of giving due attention to the societal aspects in project planning and implementation. The purpose of this paper is threefold: i) to systematically review societal constraints that some organisations in different IAEA Member States encounter when implementing D/ER programmes, ii) to identify different approaches to overcome these constraints and iii) to collect examples of existing practices related to the integration of societal aspects in D/ER programmes worldwide. The research was conducted in the context of the IAEA project Constraints to Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation (CIDER). The research results show that societal constraints arise mostly as a result of the different perceptions, attitudes, opinions and concerns of stakeholders towards the risks and benefits of D/ER programmes and due to the lack of stakeholder involvement in planning. There are different approaches to address these constraints, however all approaches have common points: early involvement, respect for different views, mutual understanding and learning. These results are relevant for all on-going and planned D/ER programmes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Bogner and Wiseman's Model of Ecological Values to Measure the Impact of an Earth Education Programme on Children's Environmental Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Bruce; Manoli, Constantinos C.

2008-01-01

Investigating the effects of educational programmes on children's environmental perceptions has been hampered by the lack of good theoretical models and valid instruments. In the present study, Bogner and Wiseman's Model of Ecological Values provided a well-developed theoretical model. A validated instrument based on Bogner's Environmental…

Effects of Multimedia on Knowledge, Understanding, Skills, Practice and Confidence in Environmental Sustainability: A Non-Equivalent Pre-Test-Post-Test, Quasi Experimental Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jena, Ananta Kumar; Bhattacharjee, Satarupa; Langthasa, Pimily

2015-01-01

The study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the local community members, secondary school students, and the university students participated in the multimedia programme with reference to knowledge, understanding, skills, practice, and confidence in environmental sustainability. About two hundred students participated in this multimedia programme.…

Scientific activities of Euro Chlor in monitoring and assessing naturally and man-made organohalogens.

PubMed

Lecloux, A J

2003-07-01

In this paper a review of the scientific activities and research programmes carried out by Euro Chlor, the European Federation of chlor-alkali producers is presented according to two main axes: marine risk assessments with statistical analysis of monitoring data, temporal trends of emission levels and environmental concentrations. The methodology applied in each field is briefly presented and then illustrated by several practical examples. As a large part of the uncertainties in assessing the risk of a chemical to a given species or ecosystem often comes from the difficulty in evaluating the exposure level, Euro Chlor has chosen to use a monitoring approach, the exposure level being estimated from a statistical analysis of measured concentrations levels in water and sediment from rivers, estuaries and coastal areas. As the modelling approach often used by the authorities to estimate the predicted environmental concentration value is starting from roughly estimated emission levels, Euro Chlor collated emissions data from about 80 production plants in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with the default values introduced in the modelling approach.A brief review of the European emission levels for chlorinated organic substances is given as well as the temporal trends of both emission and environmental levels. A methodology to quantify the trends in measured concentrations at local and regional scales is briefly described. The observed decreasing trends demonstrate the continuous progress made by the Euro Chlor member companies in protecting the environment.Finally, the problems linked to the simultaneous presence in the environment of naturally and man-made chlorinated substances are briefly reviewed. To stimulate further research in the field, two key questions are raised which have not yet found a satisfactory answer: how to quantify natural background levels and how to quantify global persistence in the environment?

Twenty years of biological monitoring of element concentrations in permanent forest and grassland plots in Baden-Württemberg (SW Germany).

PubMed

Franzaring, Jürgen; Holz, Ingo; Zipperle, Jürgen; Fangmeier, Andreas

2010-01-01

Environmental monitoring of pollutants in international or local programmes has enabled authorities to evaluate the success of political measures over time. Strict environmental legislation and the introduction of cleaner technologies have already led to significant improvements of the air and water quality in many countries. Still, the discharge and deposition of anthropogenic long-range transported pollutants often remain above the critical thresholds and long-term targets defined for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems even in EU countries. In order to determine the spatial and temporal variation of pollutant and nutrient loads in different environmental media a unique ecological response cadastre (Okologisches Wirkungskataster, OKWI) was set up in the Land of Baden-Württemberg (SW Germany) in the mid 1980s. As a part of the program a state-wide bioindicator network was established in 64 forest and 18 permanent grassland ecosystems, in which selected chemical elements were measured over time. Here, we report on the results of these analyses and discuss the general spatio-temporal trends in pollution loads. Sixty-four forest and 18 permanent grassland plots were established in state-owned forest and nature conservation areas of SW Germany representing different landscapes and geologies of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Apart from performing vegetation relevées in marked plots of either the grassland or forest sites, plant samples were collected in intervals of 2 to 3 years following a standardised protocol. To be able to compare the different monitoring sites, four common species were chosen as indicator species in the grasslands. Later on, also bulk grassland samples were taken regardless of the species. In the forests, foliage of the dominant tree species (Fagus sylvatica, Abiea alba or Fraxinus excelsior) was sampled in the crown of marked trees and from the same species in the herb layer. The elements analysed in the plant material were the essential plant nutrients C, N, S, P, Ca, K and Mg and the metals Mn, Cd, Pb, Al, Cu, Ni and Hg. Data were analysed using descriptive and multivariate statistics and maps were produced to identify regional differences in pollutant deposition. Out of the elements analysed, lead and sulphur concentrations showed the most pronounced downward trends over time in tree foliage and grassland samples with the largest decreases observed in the early 1990 s. Both the reduced lead and sulphur levels in the biomonitors reflect the successful implementation of clean air policies, i.e. the introduction of unleaded gasoline, the availability of desulphurisation technologies and the economic transition of Eastern European heavy industries. However, the decrease in sulphur concentrations was lower in beech foliage from SW Germany as compared to beech leaves from six German national parks suggesting regional differences in sulphur deposition and trends thereof. At the same time, sulphur concentrations declined more strongly in the grassland samples indicating that much of the deposited sulphur remains in the forest ecosystems while in the grassland ecosystems it is gradually removed by the frequent cutting and grazing. During the time series, the decrease in sulphur deposition coincided with a marked increase in rain pH. At the same time, the increasing nitrogen concentrations observed over time in beech leaves suggest that emissions of oxidised and reduced nitrogen are still adding to the large-scale eutrophication of SW German forests. However, N concentrations in both the tree foliage and in the bulk grassland samples were unrelated to the modelled N deposition. When also considering macronutrient concentrations and N:P and N:K ratios, the results point to serious nutrient imbalances in many beech forests, which may reduce plant vitality and tree growth in the long run. Biological monitoring using plants is an effective tool to address changes in the environmental quality over time and space. The success of European clean air policies and the introduction of emission reduction technologies could be mirrored by the declining sulphur and lead concentrations in the present and in other monitoring programmes. However, the changed deposition patterns, i.e. lower deposition of acids and higher deposition of reactive nitrogen, are coupled to changes in the soil chemistry and will continue to affect plant nutrition and the uptake of elements in the future. Although it could be shown that deposition of sulphur and lead has declined markedly in the past 20 years, biomonitoring is still necessary to reveal changes in element concentrations and nutrient imbalances. The use of plants as bioindicators should be continued as an integral part of environmental monitoring programmes. Besides the chemical analyses, also biometric parameters, e.g. thousand needle or leaf weights, biomass production in grassland plots and stem increments in forest plots, should be included to monitor the long-term responses of European ecosystems to environmental and climatic changes.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Mali.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Coulibaly, Mouctar

2011-04-01

Progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children <5 years of age has been less than needed to achieve related Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, several international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel', starting with a situational analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The main objectives of the situational analysis are to compile, analyse and interpret available information on infant and young child feeding, and the nutrition situation of children <2 years of age in Mali, as one of the six targeted countries. Between June and September 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Mali were interviewed, and 117 documents were examined on the following themes: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, screening and management of acute malnutrition, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, food security, and hygienic practices. Most of the key IYCN topics were addressed in national policies, training materials, and programme documents. Information on the national coverage and impact of these programmes is generally not available. Exclusive breastfeeding (<6 months) has increased in Mali, but no studies identified the contributors to this increase. Despite improvements in breastfeeding practices, optimal infant, and young child feeding is still practiced among too few young children in Mali. Several research articles were identified, but few of these were linked to programme development. Some programme monitoring and evaluation reports were available, but few of these were rigorous enough to identify whether IYCN-specific programme components were implemented as designed or were achieving desired outcomes. Therefore, we could not confirm which programmes contributed to reported improvements. Monitoring of programmes managing malnutrition identified gaps in human and institutional capacities to fully carry out intended interventions and the government has recognized the overall lack of adequate numbers of health care providers to carry out necessary programmes in Mali, of which nutrition programmes are a part. The policy and programme framework is well established for support of optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) conduct necessary research to adapt training materials and programme protocols to programmatic needs; (ii) implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation that identify effective programme components; and (iii) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Japan's Eco-School Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mori, Masayuki

2007-01-01

Since 1997, several ministries in Japan have collaborated on an eco-school programme, which applies to both newly constructed and renovated school buildings, in an effort to make its schools more environmentally friendly. The programme equips school buildings with ecological features such as photovoltaic cells, solar thermal collectors, other new…

Coverage of Community-Based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition Programmes in Twenty-One Countries, 2012-2013

PubMed Central

Rogers, Eleanor; Myatt, Mark; Woodhead, Sophie; Guerrero, Saul; Alvarez, Jose Luis

2015-01-01

Objective This paper reviews coverage data from programmes treating severe acute malnutrition (SAM) collected between July 2012 and June 2013. Design This is a descriptive study of coverage levels and barriers to coverage collected by coverage assessments of community-based SAM treatment programmes in 21 countries that were supported by the Coverage Monitoring Network. Data from 44 coverage assessments are reviewed. Setting These assessments analyse malnourished populations from 6 to 59 months old to understand the accessibility and coverage of services for treatment of acute malnutrition. The majority of assessments are from sub-Saharan Africa. Results Most of the programmes (33 of 44) failed to meet context-specific internationally agreed minimum standards for coverage. The mean level of estimated coverage achieved by the programmes in this analysis was 38.3%. The most frequently reported barriers to access were lack of awareness of malnutrition, lack of awareness of the programme, high opportunity costs, inter-programme interface problems, and previous rejection. Conclusions This study shows that coverage of CMAM is lower than previous analyses of early CTC programmes; therefore reducing programme impact. Barriers to access need to be addressed in order to start improving coverage by paying greater attention to certain activities such as community sensitisation. As barriers are interconnected focusing on specific activities, such as decentralising services to satellite sites, is likely to increase significantly utilisation of nutrition services. Programmes need to ensure that barriers are continuously monitored to ensure timely removal and increased coverage. PMID:26042827

NATUREYES: Development of surveillance monitoring system for open spaces based on the analysis of different optical sensors data and environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Jimenez, Teresa; Caballero-Aroca, Jose; Simón-Martín, Santiago; Hervás-Juan, Juan; García-Martínez, Jose-David; Pérez-Picazo, Emilio; Dolz-García, Ramón; Pons-Vila, Alejandro; Quintana-Rumbau, Salvador; Valiente Pardo, Jose Antonio; Estrela, Maria José; Pastor-Guzmán, Francisco

2005-09-01

We present results of a R&D project aimed to produce an environmental surveillance system that, working in wild areas, allows for a real-time observation and control of some ambient factors that could produce a natural disaster. The main objective of the project is the development of an open platform capable to work with several kinds of sensors, in order to adapt itself to the needs of each situation. The detection of environmental risks and management of this data to give a real-time response is the overall objective of the project. The main parts of the system are: 1.- Detection system: capable to perform real-time data and image communication, fully autonomous and designed to consider the environmental conditions. 2.- Alarm management headquaters: reception on real-time of data from the detector network. All the data is analysed to enable a decision about whether there is or not an alarm situation. 3.- Mobile alarm-reception system: portable system for reception of the alarm signal from the headquaters. The project was financed by the Science and Technology Ministry, National Research and Development Programme (TIC2000-0366-P4, 2001-2004).

Practical assessment of the SWMM programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hlustik, P.

2017-10-01

The article describes the advantages and disadvantages of the SWMM programme user environment when working with it. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is a programme developed by the U.S. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). The SWMM programme is used worldwide to plan, analyse and design rainfall-runoff, combined and separate sanitary sewage systems and other drainage systems in urban areas [1]. The programme is freely available to download from the U.S. EPA website [2].

[National health resources for highly specialised medicine].

PubMed

Bratlid, Dag; Rasmussen, Knut

2005-11-03

In order to monitor quality and efficiency in the use of health resources for highly specialised medicine, a National Professional Council has since 1990 advised the Norwegian health authorities on the establishing and localisation of such services. A comprehensive review of both the quality, economy and the geographical distribution of patients in each specialised service has been carried out. 33 defined national programmes were centralised to one hospital only and distributed among seven university hospitals. Eight multiregional programmes were centralised to two hospitals only and included four university hospitals. In 2001, a total of 2711 new patients were treated in these programmes. The system seems to have secured a sufficient patient flow to each programme so as to maintain quality. However, a geographically skewed distribution of patients was noted, particularly in some of the national programmes. In a small country like Norway, with 4.5 million inhabitants, a centralised monitoring of highly specialised medicine seems both rational and successful. By the same logic, however, international cooperation should probably be sought for the smallest patient groups.

Proposals for the mitigation of the environmental impact of clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Lopez, Joseph B; Badrick, Tony

2012-03-24

Laboratories should be aware of the carbon footprint resulting from their activities and take steps to mitigate it as part of their societal responsibilities. Once committed to a mitigation programme, they should announce an environmental policy, secure the support of senior management, initiate documentation, institute a staff training programme, schedule environmental audits and appoint an environmental manager. Laboratories may aspire to be accredited to one of the standards for environmental management, such as the ISO 14000. As environmental and quality issues are linked, the improvement in the environmental management of an organisation will ultimately lead to improved quality system performance. Indeed, environmental management could conceivably come under overall quality management. Although there will be initial costs, good environmental practices can bring savings. Environmental improvement should be based on the 3R concept to reduce, reuse and recycle. Several policy initiatives may be introduced. These include a green purchasing policy for equipment, laboratory furniture and reagents as well as the management of packaging wastes. There are several ways to reduce energy, water usage and wastage. A reduction of test numbers and collection tubes should be attempted. Paper management involves all aspects of 3R. The recycling of solvents and general wastes should be practised where feasible. The construction new laboratories or renovations to existing ones are opportunities to make them more environmentally-friendly. The advocacy of policies to associates and the inclusion of environmentally-friendly conditions on contractors are integral parts of the programme.

Cervical cancer screening in Europe: Quality assurance and organisation of programmes.

PubMed

Elfström, K Miriam; Arnheim-Dahlström, Lisen; von Karsa, Lawrence; Dillner, Joakim

2015-05-01

Cervical screening programmes have reduced cervical cancer incidence and mortality but the level of success is highly variable between countries. Organisation of programmes is essential for equity and cost-effectiveness. However, there are differences in effectiveness, also among organised programmes. In order to identify the key organisational components that determine effectiveness, we performed a Europe-wide survey on the current status of organisation and organised quality assurance (QA) measures in cervical cancer prevention programmes, as well as organisation-associated costs. A comprehensive questionnaire was developed through systematic review of literature and existing guidelines. The survey was sent to programme organisers, Ministries of Health and experts in 34 European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries. Detailed aspects of programme organisation, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation and corresponding line-item costs were recorded. Documentation of programme guidelines, protocols and publications was requested. Twenty-nine of 34 countries responded. The results showed that organised efforts for QA, monitoring and evaluation were carried out to a differing extent and were not standardised, making it difficult to compare the cost-effectiveness of organisation and QA strategies. Most countries found it hard to estimate the costs associated with launching and operating the organised programme. To our knowledge, this is the first questionnaire to request detailed information on the actual organisation and QA of programmes. The results of this survey can be used as a basis for further development of standardised guidelines on organisation and QA of cervical cancer screening programmes in Europe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plants Have a Chance: Outdoor Educational Programmes Alter Students' Knowledge and Attitudes towards Plants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fancovicova, Jana; Prokop, Pavol

2011-01-01

Outdoor educational programmes are generally believed to be a suitable alternative to conventional biology settings that improve participants' environmental attitudes and knowledge. Here we examine whether outdoor educational programmes focused solely on practical work with plants influence participants' knowledge of and attitudes towards plants.…

Look@NanoSIMS--a tool for the analysis of nanoSIMS data in environmental microbiology.

PubMed

Polerecky, Lubos; Adam, Birgit; Milucka, Jana; Musat, Niculina; Vagner, Tomas; Kuypers, Marcel M M

2012-04-01

We describe an open-source freeware programme for high throughput analysis of nanoSIMS (nanometre-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry) data. The programme implements basic data processing and analytical functions, including display and drift-corrected accumulation of scanned planes, interactive and semi-automated definition of regions of interest (ROIs), and export of the ROIs' elemental and isotopic composition in graphical and text-based formats. Additionally, the programme offers new functions that were custom-designed to address the needs of environmental microbiologists. Specifically, it allows manual and automated classification of ROIs based on the information that is derived either from the nanoSIMS dataset itself (e.g. from labelling achieved by halogen in situ hybridization) or is provided externally (e.g. as a fluorescence in situ hybridization image). Moreover, by implementing post-processing routines coupled to built-in statistical tools, the programme allows rapid synthesis and comparative analysis of results from many different datasets. After validation of the programme, we illustrate how these new processing and analytical functions increase flexibility, efficiency and depth of the nanoSIMS data analysis. Through its custom-made and open-source design, the programme provides an efficient, reliable and easily expandable tool that can help a growing community of environmental microbiologists and researchers from other disciplines process and analyse their nanoSIMS data. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

MINERVA: An INSAR Monitoring Service for Volcanic Hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tampellini, M. L.; Sansosti, E.; Usai, S.; Lanari, R.; Borgstrom, S.; van Persie, M.; Ricciardi, G. P.; Maddalena, V.; Cicero, L.; Pepe, A.

2004-06-01

MINERVA (Monitoring by Interferometric SAR of Environmental Risk in Volcanic Areas) is a small scale service demonstration project financed by ESA in the Data User Programme framework. The objective of the project is the design, development and assessment of a demonstrative information service based on the interferometric processing of images acquired from either the ASAR instrument on board ENVISAT-I or SAR instruments on board ERS1/2. The system is based on a new approach for the processing of INSAR data, which allows to optimize the quality of interferograms spanning from 35 days up to several years, and to merge them to generate a single solution describing the temporal evolution of the ground deformations in the examined risk area. The system allows to update this solution each time a new SAR image is available, and constitutes therefore an innovative tool for monitoring of the ground displacements in risk areas. The system has been implemented and demonstrated at Osservatorio Vesuviano (Naples, Italy), which is the institution responsible for monitoring the volcanic phenomena in the Neapolitan volcanic district, and for alerting the Italian civil authorities (''Protezione Civile'') in case such monitoring activity reveals signals of imminent eruptions. In particular, the MINERVA system has been used to monitor the ground deformations at the Phlegrean Fields, a densely populated, high-hazard zone which is subject to alternate phases of uplift and subsidence, accompanied often by seismic activity.

Learning to Teach in Higher Education: How to Link Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Bos, Paul; Brouwer, Joyce

2014-01-01

In this study the learning process of 12 Dutch novice university teachers was monitored during a five-month induction programme. The teachers were interviewed before and after the programme and were asked to fill in several email logbooks during the programme. A change process was identified, in which experiencing and experimentation played a…

Wellbeing: the challenge of 'operationalising' an holistic concept within a reductionist public health programme.

PubMed

Dooris, Mark; Farrier, Alan; Froggett, Lynn

2018-03-01

Wellbeing is a concept that, while contested, recognises individual and wider social, economic, political and environmental contextual influences - and is of growing interest and relevance locally and globally. In this article, we report on one aspect of an evaluative research study conducted on a public health programme in North West England. Within the context of a process evaluation that explored the delivery of a public health programme and sought to increase understanding of how and why different approaches worked well or not so well, this article focuses specifically on the concept of wellbeing, examining perceptions of multiple stakeholders. Interviews and focus groups were undertaken with 52 stakeholders involved in managing and facilitating the programme and its composite projects and with 90 community members involved as project participants. Data were subjected to thematic analysis, cross-check and refining. Results highlight stakeholders' diverse understandings of wellbeing, the complex relationship between health and wellbeing, and the perceived dissonance between the holistic concept of wellbeing and the reductionist design of the programme. Wellbeing was understood to be 'more than health' and 'more than happiness', concerned with effective functioning, sense of purpose and flourishing. Essentially holistic, wellbeing offers opportunities to transcend clinical/pathogenic conceptions of 'health' and resonate with individuals, communities and local authorities. This raises concerns about how wellbeing can be meaningfully realised without compromising the concept, particularly when programmes are structured in reductionist ways requiring monitoring against discrete outcomes. Implications for practice include the following: utilising wellbeing as a driver for cross-cutting public health in challenging economic and organisational contexts, acknowledging that wellbeing is essentially social as well as individual, appreciating that wellbeing is experienced in relation to contexts and surroundings, and recognising that wellbeing defined in terms of individual happiness risks compromising the future wellbeing of societies and the planet.

Filling the observational void: Scientific value and quantitative validation of hydrometeorological data from a community-based monitoring programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, David; Forsythe, Nathan; Parkin, Geoff; Gowing, John

2016-07-01

This study shows how community-based hydrometeorological monitoring programmes can provide reliable high-quality measurements comparable to formal observations. Time series of daily rainfall, river stage and groundwater levels obtained by a local community in Dangila woreda, northwest Ethiopia, have passed accepted quality control standards and have been statistically validated against formal sources. In a region of low-density and declining formal hydrometeorological monitoring networks, a situation shared by much of the developing world, community-based monitoring can fill the observational void providing improved spatial and temporal characterisation of rainfall, river flow and groundwater levels. Such time series data are invaluable in water resource assessment and management, particularly where, as shown here, gridded rainfall datasets provide gross under or over estimations of rainfall and where groundwater level data are non-existent. Discussions with the local community during workshops held at the setup of the monitoring programme and since have demonstrated that the community have become engaged in the project and have benefited from a greater hydrological knowledge and sense of ownership of their resources. This increased understanding and empowerment is at the relevant scale required for effective community-based participatory management of shallow groundwater and river catchments.

Environmental Learning Using a Problem-Based Approach in the Field: A Case Study of a Hong Kong School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwan, Tammy; So, Max

2008-01-01

This study investigated the environmental learning of a group of senior geography students through a problem-based learning (PBL) field programme to see if the goals of education "for" the environment could be accomplished. In the PBL field programme, the students were given a problem statement concerning a real-life scenario of an old…

A Train-the-Trainer Design for Green Ambassadors in an Environmental Education Programme on Plastic Waste Recycling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Yannes Tsz-Yan; Chow, Cheuk-Fai; So, Winnie Wing-Mui

2018-01-01

To educate a sustainable future, a train-the-trainer (TTT) approach was adopted to train student teachers (STs) from a teacher education institute to be green ambassadors (GAs) in an environmental education (EE) programme with the aim of promoting plastic waste recycling among primary school pupils. The design of the TTT course for the GAs not…

'It's like a personal motivator that you carried around wi' you': utilising self-determination theory to understand men's experiences of using pedometers to increase physical activity in a weight management programme.

PubMed

Donnachie, Craig; Wyke, Sally; Mutrie, Nanette; Hunt, Kate

2017-05-05

Self-monitoring using pedometers is an effective behaviour change technique to support increased physical activity (PA). However, the ways in which pedometers operate as motivational tools in adoption and maintenance of PA is not well understood. This paper investigates men's experiences of pedometers as motivational tools both during and after their participation in a 12-week group-based, weight management programme for overweight/obese men, Football Fans in Training (FFIT). Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 28 men, purposively sampled to include men who did and did not achieve 5% weight loss during the programme. Data were analysed thematically utilising the framework approach, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) - namely concepts of behavioural regulation and the basic needs of relatedness, competence and autonomy - as an analytical lens. During the programme, FFIT's context and fellow participants supported relatedness and encouraged use of the pedometer. The pedometer was seen to provide tangible proof of progress, thus increasing competence for change, whilst the ability to monitor one's own progress and take remedial action supported autonomy; these men portrayed the pedometer as an 'ally'. However, a minority found the pedometer 'dispiriting' or controlling when it evidenced their inability to meet their PA targets. After the programme, some men no longer used the device as they had fully internalised their motivations for increased PA. In contrast, others continued to use pedometers or progressed to other self-monitoring technologies because it was enjoyable and facilitated maintenance of their increased PA. However, the minority of men who experienced the pedometer as controlling no longer used it. They were less successful in achieving 5% weight loss and appeared reliant on external factors, including support from coach and group members, to maintain motivation. These findings show how self-monitoring using pedometers and associated goal setting supported the development of autonomous motivation for PA, during and after participation in a group-based programme. They also suggest that programmes could focus on early identification of participants who remain motivated by extrinsic factors or express negative experiences of self-monitoring tools, to offer greater support to identify the benefits of PA based on a person's own values.

The work programme of EURADOS on internal and external dosimetry.

PubMed

Rühm, W; Bottollier-Depois, J F; Gilvin, P; Harrison, R; Knežević, Ž; Lopez, M A; Tanner, R; Vargas, A; Woda, C

2018-01-01

Since the early 1980s, the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has been maintaining a network of institutions interested in the dosimetry of ionising radiation. As of 2017, this network includes more than 70 institutions (research centres, dosimetry services, university institutes, etc.), and the EURADOS database lists more than 500 scientists who contribute to the EURADOS mission, which is to promote research and technical development in dosimetry and its implementation into practice, and to contribute to harmonisation of dosimetry in Europe and its conformance with international practices. The EURADOS working programme is organised into eight working groups dealing with environmental, computational, internal, and retrospective dosimetry; dosimetry in medical imaging; dosimetry in radiotherapy; dosimetry in high-energy radiation fields; and harmonisation of individual monitoring. Results are published as freely available EURADOS reports and in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Moreover, EURADOS organises winter schools and training courses on various aspects relevant for radiation dosimetry, and formulates the strategic research needs in dosimetry important for Europe. This paper gives an overview on the most important EURADOS activities. More details can be found at www.eurados.org .

Natural hazards education in global environment leaders education programme for designing a low-carbon society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Han Soo; Yamashita, Takao; Fujiwara, Akimasa

2010-05-01

Global environmental leader (GEL) education programme at graduate school for international development and cooperation (IDEC) in Hiroshima University is an education and training programme for graduate students especially from developing countries in Asian region to build and enhance their ability to become international environmental leaders. Through this programme, they will participate in regular course works and other activities to learn how to cope with the various environment and resource management issues from global to regional scales toward a low-carbon society via multi-disciplinary approaches considering sustainable development and climate change. Under this GEL programme, there are five different research sub-groups as follows assuming a cause-effect relationship among interacting components of social, economic, and environmental systems; 1) urban system design to prevent global warming, 2) wise use of biomass resources, 3) environmental impact assessment, 4) policy and institutional design, and 5) development of environmental education programs. Candidate students of GEL programme belong to one of the five research sub-groups, perform their researches and participate in many activities under the cross-supervisions from faculty members of different sub-groups. Under the third research group for environmental impact assessment, we use numerical models named as regional environment simulator (RES) as a tool for research and education for assessing the environmental impacts due to natural hazards. Developed at IDEC, Hiroshima University, RES is a meso-scale numerical model system that can be used for regional simulation of natural disasters and environmental problems caused by water and heat circulation in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. RES has three components: i) atmosphere-surface waves-ocean part, ii) atmosphere-land surface process-hydrologic part, and iii) coastal and estuarine part. Each part is constructed with state-of-the-art public domain numerical models that are combined synchronously by an own-developed model coupler. Therefore, RES can provide detailed insights from various aspects of interaction processes between each component in the earth system. For instance, RES has been used for the study of storm surges and the abnormally high ocean waves caused by typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, and winter monsoon winds in Asian region; dam lake circulation; air-sea interaction of momentum, heat, and tracer material exchange; heavy rainfall and runoff simulation; estuarine circulation with cohesive sediment transport; and wave overtopping in coastal regions. Most recently, a project on the impact of reduced discharge of freshwater and sediment from the Yangtze River basin on the adjacent East China Sea has been initiated by using the RES. Under the GEL programme, we found the RES can be an important and useful tool for graduate students not only from science and engineering background but also from social science so as to evaluate their policy and institutional design.

Environmental Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandhu, Desh, Ed.

The Indian Environmental Society, in association with the International Programme on Environmental Management Education, organized two seminars on World Environment Day and Environmental Impact Assessment during June 1980. A large number of papers on various aspects of environmental management were presented during the seminars. The papers…

FAO UN-REDD- INPE Joint Programme on Forest Monitoring Systems based on RS and GIS techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, I. G.; FAO UN-REDD MRV Team

2010-12-01

Capacity Development and Training for National Forest Monitoring Systems for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) REDD+, which stands for ’Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries’ - is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. The UN-REDD Programme, a collaborative partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP launched in September 2008, supports countries to develop capacity to REDD+ and to implement a future REDD+ mechanism in a post-2012 climate regime. The programme works at both the national and global scale, through support mechanisms for country-driven REDD strategies and international consensus-building on REDD+ processes. The UN-REDD Programme gathers technical teams from around the world to develop common approaches, analyses and guidelines on issues such as measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of carbon emissions and flows, remote sensing, and greenhouse gas inventories. Within the partnership, FAO supports countries on technical issues related to forestry and the development of cost effective and credible MRV processes for emission reductions. While at the international level, it fosters improved guidance on MRV approaches, including consensus on principles and guidelines for MRV and training programmes. It provides guidance on how best to design and implement REDD+, to ensure that forests continue to provide multiple benefits for livelihoods and biodiversity to societies while storing carbon at the same time. Other areas of work include national forest assessments and monitoring of in-country policy and institutional change. FAO and INPE (Brazilian Space Agency) have joint forces through a MoU signed last year in Copenhagen. A major joint programme has been agreed upon to set up national forest satellite monitoring systems in the developing countries and to train them in order to get them ready for REDD+. The outcomes about the role of satellite remote sensing technologies as a tool for monitoring, assessment, reporting and verification of carbon credits and co-benefits under the REDD+ mechanism are here presented.

Evaluation of 25 y of environmental monitoring data around Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam, India.

PubMed

Rajaram, S; Brindha, J Thulasi; Sreedevi, K R; Manu, Anitha; Thilakavathi, A; Ramkumar, S; Santhanakrishnan, V; Balagurunathan, M R; Jesan, T; Kannan, V; Hegde, A G

2010-12-01

The Environmental Survey Laboratory at Kalpakkam, India carries out elaborate monitoring programme involving atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic samples for radioactivity to evaluate the impact of operating two pressurised heavy water reactors. This paper presents the evaluation of 25 y (1983-2008) data. Statistical analysis of the environmental data for different radionuclides showed that the data best fits log-normal distribution. The data analysed showed that fission products such as (137)Cs, (90)Sr and (131)I were due to global fallout only. A ratio of 0.2 was obtained for (90)Sr to (137)Cs in air filter samples, only during Chernobyl accident period. The transfer factor of (137)Cs and (90)Sr for rice was computed to be 0.23 and 0.03 and vegetables 0.25 and 0.10, respectively. Activation products (3)H and (41)Ar are the only radionuclides that are related to MAPS operation. A strong correlation (r = 0.9) was observed between (3)H activity in air and (3)H discharged to the atmosphere. A similar correlation (r = 0.8) was observed in (3)H concentration in seawater and (3)H discharged in the liquid waste. The annual internal dose due to (3)H and annual external dose due to (41)Ar evaluated in the last 25 y show that the members of the public received less than 2 % of the dose limit (1 mSv y(-1)) set by ICRP 72.

Sustainable Cities Programme: a joint UN-HABITAT-UNEP facility on the urban environment with participation of the Dutch government.

PubMed

Gebre-Egziabher, Axumite

2004-06-01

The fundamental objective of the Sustainable Cities Programme is to promote environmentally sustainable local development to more fully realize the vital contributions that urban areas make to over-all social and economic development by: (1) enhancing efficiency in the use of local environmental resources, reducing environmental risks, and strengthening application of environmental conventions and agreements with growing regard to the Climate Change Protocol; (2) reducing poverty by promoting more equitable access to resources and environmental services; (3) mobilizing and strengthening local capacities to plan, co-ordinate, and manage sustainable local development in partnership; and (4) combining the complementary strengths of UN-HABITAT, UNEP, and other partners in support of Agenda 21, and the Habitat Agenda sustainable development commitments including improved local environmental governance.

Evaluation of Eco Schools Scotland. SCRE Research Report No. 124

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pirrie, Anne; Elliot, Dely; McConnell, Fraser; Wilkinson, J. Eric

2006-01-01

In October 2005, Keep Scotland Beautiful commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to undertake an evaluation of the Eco Schools Programme in Scotland. Eco Schools is a programme for environmental management, certification and sustainable development education. It is an international programme that was developed in 1994 in response…

Demonstration of a Rocket-Borne Fiber-Optic Measurement System: The FOVS Experiment of REXUS 15

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossner, M. R.; Benes, N.; Grubler, T.; Plamauer, S.; Koch, A. W.

2015-09-01

As an in-flight experiment in the REXUS 15 programme, the “Fiber-Optic Vibration Sensing Experiment (FOVS)” aimed at the application of so-called fiber Bragg grating sensors. Fiber Bragg gratings are optical gratings inscribed into the core of an optical fiber. They allow for entirely optical measurements of temperatures, mechanical strain and of deduced quantities, such as vibration. Due to their properties - mechanical robustness, high dynamic range etc. - fiber Bragg gratings are particularly suited for withstanding the harsh environmental conditions in a rocket vehicle (very high and very low temperatures, intense vibrations, presence of flammable propellants, etc.). Measurement systems based on fiber Bragg gratings have the potential to contribute to emerging technologies in the commercial launcher segment. Particularly, large sets of measurement data can be acquired with minor mass contribution. This can be applied to techniques such as structural health monitoring, active vibration damping, and actuator monitoring, enabling lighter structures without compromising on reliability. The FOVS experiment demonstrated a fiber-optic vibration and temperature measurement system in an actual flight, and evaluated its benefits compared to conventional electrical sensing in the challenging launcher environment. As a side product, measurements regarding the environmental conditions on the REXUS platform have been acquired.

Report: transboundary hazardous waste management. part II: performance auditing of treatment facilities in importing countries.

PubMed

Chang, Tien-Chin; Ni, Shih-Piao; Fan, Kuo-Shuh; Lee, Ching-Hwa

2006-06-01

Before implementing the self-monitoring model programme of the Basel Convention in the Asia, Taiwan has conducted a comprehensive 4-year follow-up project to visit the governmental authorities and waste-disposal facilities in the countries that import waste from Taiwan. A total of nine treatment facilities, six of which are reported in this paper, and the five countries where the plants are located were visited in 2001-2002. France, Belgium and Finland primarily handled polychlorinated biphenyl capacitors, steel mill dust and metal waste. The United States accepted metal sludge, mainly electroplating sludge, from Taiwan. Waste printed circuit boards, waste wires and cables, and a mixture of waste metals and electronics were the major items exported to China. Relatively speaking, most treatment plants for hazardous waste paid close attention to environmental management, such as pollution control and monitoring, site zoning, system management regarding occupational safety and hygiene, data management, permits application, and image promotion. Under the tight restrictions formulated by the central environment agency, waste treatment plants in China managed the environmental issues seriously. For example, one of the treatment plants had ISO 14001 certification. It is believed that with continuous implementation of regulations, more improvement is foreseeable. Meanwhile, Taiwan and China should also continuously enhance their collaboration regarding the transboundary management of hazardous waste.

Ten years of stroke programmes in Poland: where did we start? Where did we get to?

PubMed

Członkowska, Anna; Niewada, Maciej; Sarzyñska-Długosz, Iwona; Kobayashi, Adam; Skowroñska, Marta

2010-10-01

Risk factors and a high stroke mortality rate are a heavy stroke burden on Central and Eastern European countries. The 1995 Helsingborg Declaration outlined the aim of the coming decade was to improve patient care. In Poland it led to the foundation of the National Stroke Prevention and Treatment Programme, (1998-2008) which later became part of the National Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment Programme. • Improve acute and postacute management • Implement innovative therapies • Develop poststroke rehabilitation, and • Monitor epidemiology. Establishing and equipping stroke units has raised their number from three to 111. Thrombolysis for stroke and carotid angioplasty and stenting procedures were supported and supervised. The needs in poststroke rehabilitation were assessed and services have improved due to the support of the programme. Continuous monitoring of patient care proved that the mortality and disability rates have decreased and the quality of treatment has improved.

Oak Ridge Reservation annual site environmental report for 1995

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

Koncinski, W.S.

1996-09-01

This report presents the details of the environmental monitoring and management program for the Oak Ridge Reservation. Topics discussed include: site background, climate, and operations; environmental compliance strategies; effluent monitoring; environmental management program including environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, technology development, and public involvement; effluent monitoring of airborne discharges, liquid discharges, toxicity control and monitoring, biological monitoring and abatement; environmental surveillance which encompasses meteorological monitoring, ambient air monitoring, surface water monitoring, soils monitoring, sediment monitoring, and contamination of food stuffs monitoring; radiation doses; chemical exposures; ground water monitoring; and quality assurance.

Linked symptom monitoring and depression treatment programmes for specialist cancer services: protocol for a mixed-methods implementation study

PubMed Central

Walker, Jane; Burke, Katy; Sevdalis, Nick; Richardson, Alison; Mulick, Amy; Frost, Chris; Sharpe, Michael

2017-01-01

Introduction There is growing awareness that cancer services need to address patients’ well-being as well as treating their cancer. We developed systematic approaches to (1) monitoring patients’ symptoms including depression using a ‘Symptom Monitoring Service’ and (2) providing treatment for those with major depression using a programme called ‘Depression Care for People with Cancer’. Used together, these two programmes were found to be highly effective and cost-effective in clinical trials. The overall aims of this project are to: (1) study the process of introducing these programmes into routine clinical care in a large cancer service, (2) identify the challenges associated with implementation and how these are overcome, (3) determine their effectiveness in a routine non-research setting and (4) describe patients’ and clinicians’ experience of the programmes. Methods and analysis This is a mixed-methods longitudinal implementation study. We will study the process of implementation in three phases (April 2016–December 2018): ‘Pre-implementation’ (setting up of the new programmes), ‘Early Implementation’ (implementation of the programmes in a small number of clinics) and ‘Implementation and Maintenance’ (implementation in the majority of clinics). We will use the following methods of data collection: (1) contemporaneous logs of the implementation process, (2) interviews with healthcare professionals and managers, (3) interviews with patients and (4) routinely collected clinical data. Ethics and dissemination The study has been reviewed by a joint committee of Oxford University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust Research and Development Department and the University of Oxford’s Clinical Trials and Research Governance Department and judged to be service evaluation, not requiring ethics committee approval. The findings of this study will guide the scaling up implementation of the programmes across the UK and will enable us to construct an implementation toolkit. We will disseminate our findings in publications and at relevant national and international conferences. PMID:28674143

Exploring the use of social network analysis to measure communication between disease programme and district managers at sub-national level in South Africa.

PubMed

Kawonga, Mary; Blaauw, Duane; Fonn, Sharon

2015-06-01

With increasing interest in maximising synergies between disease control programmes (DCP) and general health services (GHS), methods are needed to measure interactions between DCP and GHS actors. In South Africa, administrative integration reforms make GHS managers at decentralised level (district managers) responsible for the oversight of DCP operations within districts, with DCP managers (programme managers) providing specialist support. The reforms necessitate interdependence, but these actors work together ineffectively. Communication is crucial for joint working, but no research to assess communication between these actors has been done. This study explores the use of social network analysis (SNA) to measure the extent to which programme and district managers in South Africa communicate, using HIV monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as an exemplar. Data were collected from fifty one managers in two provinces during 2010-2011, to measure: a) one-on-one task-related communication - talking about the collation (verification, reporting) and use of HIV data for monitoring HIV interventions; and b) group communication through co-participating in management committees where HIV data are used for monitoring HIV interventions in districts. SNA measures were computed to describe actor centrality, network density (cohesion), and communication within and between respective manager groups. Block modelling was applied to identify management committees that connect respective manager groups. Results show HIV programme managers located at higher level communicated largely amongst themselves as a group (homophily), seldom talked to the district managers to whom they are supposed to provide specialist HIV M&E support, and rarely participated with them in management committees. This research demonstrates the utility of SNA as a tool for measuring the extent of communication between DCP and GHS actors at sub-national level. Actions are needed to bridge observed communication gaps in order to promote collaborative monitoring of HIV programme interventions within districts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rotating Desk for Collaboration by Two Computer Programmers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riley, John Thomas

2005-01-01

A special-purpose desk has been designed to facilitate collaboration by two computer programmers sharing one desktop computer or computer terminal. The impetus for the design is a trend toward what is known in the software industry as extreme programming an approach intended to ensure high quality without sacrificing the quantity of computer code produced. Programmers working in pairs is a major feature of extreme programming. The present desk design minimizes the stress of the collaborative work environment. It supports both quality and work flow by making it unnecessary for programmers to get in each other s way. The desk (see figure) includes a rotating platform that supports a computer video monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The desk enables one programmer to work on the keyboard for any amount of time and then the other programmer to take over without breaking the train of thought. The rotating platform is supported by a turntable bearing that, in turn, is supported by a weighted base. The platform contains weights to improve its balance. The base includes a stand for a computer, and is shaped and dimensioned to provide adequate foot clearance for both users. The platform includes an adjustable stand for the monitor, a surface for the keyboard and mouse, and spaces for work papers, drinks, and snacks. The heights of the monitor, keyboard, and mouse are set to minimize stress. The platform can be rotated through an angle of 40 to give either user a straight-on view of the monitor and full access to the keyboard and mouse. Magnetic latches keep the platform preferentially at either of the two extremes of rotation. To switch between users, one simply grabs the edge of the platform and pulls it around. The magnetic latch is easily released, allowing the platform to rotate freely to the position of the other user

Long-term stability measurements of low concentration Volatile Organic Compound gas mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Nick; Amico di Meane, Elena; Brewer, Paul; Ferracci, Valerio; Corbel, Marivon; Worton, David

2017-04-01

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are a class of compounds with significant influence on the atmosphere due to their large anthropogenic and biogenic emission sources. VOC emissions have a significant impact on the atmospheric hydroxyl budget and nitrogen reservoir species, while also contributing indirectly to the production of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol. However, the global budget of many of these species are poorly constrained. Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) have set challenging data quality objectives for atmospheric monitoring programmes for these classes of traceable VOCs, despite the lack of available stable gas standards. The Key-VOCs Joint Research Project is an ongoing three-year collaboration with the aim of improving the measurement infrastructure of important atmospheric VOCs by providing traceable and comparable reference gas standards and by validating new measurement systems in support of the air monitoring networks. It focuses on VOC compounds that are regulated by European legislation, that are relevant for indoor air monitoring and for air quality and climate monitoring programmes like the VOC programme established by the WMO GAW and the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). These VOCs include formaldehyde, oxy[genated]-VOCs (acetone, ethanol and methanol) and terpenes (a-pinene, 1,8-cineole, δ-3-carene and R-limonene). Here we present the results of a novel long term stability study for low concentration formaldehyde, oxy-VOC and terpenes gas mixtures produced by the Key-VOCs consortium with discussion regarding the implementation of improved preparation techniques and the use of novel cylinder passivation chemistries to guarantee mixture stability.

Empty rituals? A qualitative study of users' experience of monitoring & evaluation systems in HIV interventions in western India.

PubMed

Shukla, Anuprita; Teedon, Paul; Cornish, Flora

2016-11-01

In global health initiatives, particularly in the context of private philanthropy and its 'business minded' approach, detailed programme data plays an increasing role in informing assessments, improvements, evaluations, and ultimately continuation or discontinuation of funds for individual programmes. The HIV/AIDS literature predominantly treats monitoring as unproblematic. However, the social science of audit and indicators emphasises the constitutive power of indicators, noting that their effects at a grassroots level are often at odds with the goals specified in policy. This paper investigates users' experiences of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems in the context of HIV interventions in western India. Six focus groups (totalling 51 participants) were held with employees of 6 different NGOs working for government or philanthropy-funded HIV interventions for sex workers in western India. Ten donor employees were interviewed. Thematic analysis was conducted. NGO employees described a major gap between what they considered their "real work" and the indicators used to monitor it. They could explain the official purposes of M&E systems in terms of programme improvement and financial accountability. More cynically, they valued M&E experience on their CVs and the rhetorical role of data in demonstrating their achievements. They believed that inappropriate and unethical means were being used to meet targets, including incentives and coercion, and criticised indicators for being misleading and inflexible. Donor employees valued the role of M&E in programme improvement, financial accountability, and professionalising NGO-donor relationships. However, they were suspicious that NGOs might be falsifying data, criticised the insensitivity of indicators, and complained that data were under-used. For its users, M& E appears an 'empty ritual', enacted because donors require it, but not put to local use. In this context, monitoring is constituted as an instrument of performance management rather than as a means of rational programme improvement. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Marine radioecology and waste management in the Adriatic.

PubMed

Franić, Zdenko; Petrinec, Branko

2006-09-01

This paper gives a review of marine radioecology research in the Adriatic area carried out by the Radiation Protection Unit of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health. Measurements of radioactivity in the Adriatic started in 1963 as a part of an extended monitoring programme of radioactivity in Croatian environment. The main sources of radioactive contamination of the Adriatic Sea are the fallout from past nuclear weapon testing conducted in the atmosphere and the Chernobyl accident. In 2005, the activity concentrations of fission radionuclides were detectable at very low levels in all environmental samples collected on the Adriatic. The 90Sr data obtained from long-term monitoring were used to estimate the upper limit of the Adriatic seawater turnover time, which turned out to be (3.4 +/- 0.4) years. Detailed knowledge about seawater circulation, including the turnover time is essential for planning an overall communal and other wastewater management on the Adriatic coast. The paper concludes with the prospects for future marine radioecological investigations.

Eutrophication assessment of the Baltic Sea Protected Areas by available data and GIS technologies.

PubMed

Ranft, Susanne; Pesch, Roland; Schröder, Winfried; Boedeker, Dieter; Paulomäki, Hanna; Fagerli, Hilde

2011-01-01

Concerning increased degradation of marine ecosystems, there is a great political and institutional demand for an array of different tools to restore a good environmental status. Thereby, eutrophication is acknowledged as one of the major human induced stressors which has to be monitored and reduced. The present study concentrates on an assessment of the eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea Protected Areas by use of available data and GIS technologies. Two geodata layers were used for analysis: (1) a map on the eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea generated by the Helsinki Commission applying the HELCOM Eutrophication Assessment Tool (HEAT), and (2) modelled data on atmospheric nitrogen deposition made available by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). The results yielded comprehensive and conclusive data indicating that most of the BSPAs may be classified as being 'affected by eutrophication' and underlining the need to decrease the overall emissions of nutrients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anthropocentric and Ecocentric: An Application of Environmental Philosophy to Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cocks, Samuel; Simpson, Steven

2015-01-01

Sometimes environmental philosophers write only for other environmental philosophers, and their insights on the nature-human relationship do not reach environmental educators and adventure programmers. This article investigates one aspect of environmental philosophy and the differences between anthropocentric and ecocentric thinking, and applies…

A moni-modelling approach to manage groundwater risk to pesticide leaching at regional scale.

PubMed

Di Guardo, Andrea; Finizio, Antonio

2016-03-01

Historically, the approach used to manage risk of chemical contamination of water bodies is based on the use of monitoring programmes, which provide a snapshot of the presence/absence of chemicals in water bodies. Monitoring is required in the current EU regulations, such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD), as a tool to record temporal variation in the chemical status of water bodies. More recently, a number of models have been developed and used to forecast chemical contamination of water bodies. These models combine information of chemical properties, their use, and environmental scenarios. Both approaches are useful for risk assessors in decision processes. However, in our opinion, both show flaws and strengths when taken alone. This paper proposes an integrated approach (moni-modelling approach) where monitoring data and modelling simulations work together in order to provide a common decision framework for the risk assessor. This approach would be very useful, particularly for the risk management of pesticides at a territorial level. It fulfils the requirement of the recent Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive. In fact, the moni-modelling approach could be used to identify sensible areas where implement mitigation measures or limitation of use of pesticides, but even to effectively re-design future monitoring networks or to better calibrate the pedo-climatic input data for the environmental fate models. A case study is presented, where the moni-modelling approach is applied in Lombardy region (North of Italy) to identify groundwater vulnerable areas to pesticides. The approach has been applied to six active substances with different leaching behaviour, in order to highlight the advantages in using the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Environmental Knowledge Dimension Convergence to Assess Educational Programme Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liefländer, Anne K.; Bogner, Franz X.; Kibbe, Alexandra; Kaiser, Florian G.

2015-01-01

One aim of environmental education is fostering sustainable environmental action. Some environmental behaviour models suggest that this can be accomplished in part by improving people's knowledge. Recent studies have identified a distinct, psychometrically supported environmental knowledge structure consisting of system, action-related and…

Uncertainty in biological monitoring: a framework for data collection and analysis to account for multiple sources of sampling bias

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruiz-Gutierrez, Viviana; Hooten, Melvin B.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.

2016-01-01

Biological monitoring programmes are increasingly relying upon large volumes of citizen-science data to improve the scope and spatial coverage of information, challenging the scientific community to develop design and model-based approaches to improve inference.Recent statistical models in ecology have been developed to accommodate false-negative errors, although current work points to false-positive errors as equally important sources of bias. This is of particular concern for the success of any monitoring programme given that rates as small as 3% could lead to the overestimation of the occurrence of rare events by as much as 50%, and even small false-positive rates can severely bias estimates of occurrence dynamics.We present an integrated, computationally efficient Bayesian hierarchical model to correct for false-positive and false-negative errors in detection/non-detection data. Our model combines independent, auxiliary data sources with field observations to improve the estimation of false-positive rates, when a subset of field observations cannot be validated a posteriori or assumed as perfect. We evaluated the performance of the model across a range of occurrence rates, false-positive and false-negative errors, and quantity of auxiliary data.The model performed well under all simulated scenarios, and we were able to identify critical auxiliary data characteristics which resulted in improved inference. We applied our false-positive model to a large-scale, citizen-science monitoring programme for anurans in the north-eastern United States, using auxiliary data from an experiment designed to estimate false-positive error rates. Not correcting for false-positive rates resulted in biased estimates of occupancy in 4 of the 10 anuran species we analysed, leading to an overestimation of the average number of occupied survey routes by as much as 70%.The framework we present for data collection and analysis is able to efficiently provide reliable inference for occurrence patterns using data from a citizen-science monitoring programme. However, our approach is applicable to data generated by any type of research and monitoring programme, independent of skill level or scale, when effort is placed on obtaining auxiliary information on false-positive rates.

Safety measures associated with the use of organophosphate insecticides in the Haitian malaria control programme*

PubMed Central

Warren, McWilson; Ruebush, Trenton K.; Hobbs, Jesse H.; Hippolyte, Robert; Miller, Steve

1985-01-01

A programme emphasizing intensive training, use of protective equipment and uniforms, daily supervision of safety measures at work, and weekly monitoring of blood cholinesterase levels by the tintometric method was instituted to prevent toxicity in Haitian malaria workers during spraying with the organophosphate insecticides fenitrothion and malathion. The programme functioned well, depressed cholinesterase activity (≤ 50% of normal) being detected rapidly prior to the development of serious symptoms. Evidence of fenitrothion overexposure appeared in spraymen early in the first spray cycle, and was associated with faulty protective clothing and a failure to observe strictly the recommended safety measures at work. After these deficiencies were corrected, insecticide application continued without serious incidents or interruption of the programme. No serious reduction of cholinesterase activity was seen in a more limited study of spraymen using malathion. It is strongly recommended that similar training and monitoring programmes should be instituted whenever organophosphate pesticides are used as residual sprays for malaria control. This is particularly important in areas where the more toxic compound, fenitrothion, is to be used. PMID:3874715

Unifying the functional diversity in natural and cultivated soils using the overall body-mass distribution of nematodes.

PubMed

Mulder, Christian; Maas, Rob

2017-11-28

Sustainable use of our soils is a key goal for environmental protection. As many ecosystem services are supported belowground at different trophic levels by nematodes, soil nematodes are expected to provide objective metrics for biological quality to integrate physical and chemical soil variables. Trait measurements of body mass carried out at the individual level can in this way be correlated with environmental properties that influence the performance of soil biota. Soil samples were collected across 200 sites (4 soil types and 5 land-use types resulting in 9 combinations) during a long-term monitoring programme in the Netherlands and the functional diversity of nematode communities was investigated. Using three commonly used functional diversity indices applicable to single traits (Divergence, Evenness and Richness), a unified index of overall body-mass distribution is proposed to better illustrate the application of functional metrics as a descriptor of land use. Effects of land use and soil chemistry on the functional diversity of nematodes were demonstrated and a combination of environmental factors accounts for the low functional value of Scots Pine forest soils in comparison to the high functional value of heathland soils, whereas human factors account for the low functional and chemical values of arable fields. These findings show an unexpected high functional vulnerability of nematodes inhabiting clay-rich soils in comparison to sandy soils and support the notion that soil C:N ratio is a major driver of biodiversity. The higher the C:N ratio, the higher the overall diversity, as soil nematodes cope better with nutrient-poor agroecosystems under less intense fertilization. A trait-based way focusing on size distribution of nematodes is proposed to maintain environmental health by monitoring the overall diversity in soil biota, keeping agriculture and forestry sustainable.

ESF EUROCORES Programmes In Geosciences And Environmental Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, I. G.

2007-12-01

In close cooperation with its Member Organisations, the European Science Foundation (ESF) has launched since late 2003 a series of European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) Programmes. Their aim is to enable researchers in different European countries to develop cooperation and scientific synergy in areas where European scale and scope are required in a global context. The EUROCORES Scheme provides an open, flexible and transparent framework that allows national science funding and science performing agencies to join forces to support excellent European-led research, following a selection among many science-driven suggestions for new Programmes themes submitted by the scientific community. The EUROCORES instrument represents the first large scale attempt of national research (funding) agencies to act together against fragmentation, asynchronicity and duplication of research (funding) within Europe. There are presently 7 EUROCORES Programmes specifically dealing with cutting edge science in the fields of Earth, Climate and Environmental Sciences. The EUROCORES Programmes consist of a number of international, multidisciplinary collaborative research projects running for 3-4 years, selected through independent peer review. Under the overall responsibility of the participating funding agencies, those projects are coordinated and networked together through the scientific guidance of a Scientific Committee, with the support of a Programme Coordinator, responsible at ESF for providing planning, logistics, and the integration and dissemination of science. Strong links are aimed for with other major international programmes and initiatives worldwide. In this framework, linkage to IYPE would be of major interest for the scientific communities involved. Each Programme mobilises 5 to 13 million Euros in direct science funding from 9 to 27 national agencies from 8 to 20 countries. Additional funding for coordination, networking and dissemination is allocated by the ESF through these distinctive research initiatives, to build on the national research efforts and contribute to the capacity building, in relation with typically about 15-20 post-doc positions and/or PhD studentships supported nationally within each Programme. Typical networking activities are topical workshops, open sessions in a larger conference, Programme conference, (summer / winter) schools, exchange visits across projects or programmes. Overall, EUROCORES Programmes are supported by more than 60 national agencies from 30 countries and by the European Science Foundation (ESF) with support by the European Commission, DG Research (Sixth Framework Programme, contract ERAS-CT-2003-980409). In the framework of AGU, a series of present EUROCORES Programmes in the field of Geosciences and Environmental Sciences are presented (e.g., EuroDIVERSITY, EuroDEEP, EUROMARGINS, EuroCLIMATE, and EuroMinScI).

innoFSPEC: fiber optical spectroscopy and sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Martin M.; Löhmannsröben, Hans-Gerd; Kelz, Andreas; Kumke, Michael

2008-07-01

innoFSPEC Potsdam is presently being established as in interdisciplinary innovation center for fiber-optical spectroscopy and sensing, hosted by Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam and the Physical Chemistry group of Potsdam University, Germany. The center focuses on fundamental research in the two fields of fiber-coupled multi-channel spectroscopy and optical fiber-based sensing. Thanks to its interdisciplinary approach, the complementary methodologies of astrophysics on the one hand, and physical chemistry on the other hand, are expected to spawn synergies that otherwise would not normally become available in more standard research programmes. innoFSPEC targets future innovations for next generation astrophysical instrumentation, environmental analysis, manufacturing control and process monitoring, medical diagnostics, non-invasive imaging spectroscopy, biopsy, genomics/proteomics, high-throughput screening, and related applications.

Governance in community based health programmes in I.R of Iran.

PubMed

Falahat, Katayoun; Eftekhari, Monir Baradaran; Malekafzali, Hossein; Forouzan, Ameneh Setareh; Dejman, Masoumeh

2013-02-01

To assess the nature of community-based health programme experience in Iran, and use the results in order to advocate more friendly policies in community, academy and funding organisations. The qualitative study was done in 2010-11 at various locations in Iran using semi structural in-depth interviews with the principals and managers of programmes, and focus group discussions with volunteers and service users of 13 Community Based Health Programmes which were active for at least five years. A total of 21 in-depth interviews and 20 focus group discussions were conducted. Data analysis was based on deductive-inductive content analysis approach considering the pre-determined structure in accordance with the study questions. The participants' views were analysed within the main category of governance, including the three sub-categories of leadership, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilisation. According to the participants, governmental programmes have centralised decision-making and management processes and local volunteers have no role in selecting managers at different levels of a programme. Such programmes are funded by the governmental core resources. In non-government organisations, resources available for such purposes mainly come through charitable individuals, service delivery fees and profitable economical activities, financial participation of volunteers and by using other organisations' facilities. In most programmes, there were no systematic process for monitoring and evaluation. Community-based Health programmes in Iran need to be revised in line with the positive input.There is a need to have community-based units within the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and other relevant organisations.

Factors Conditioning Community Utilization of Environmental Education in Tanzania: The Case of Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro Municipality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manase, Joseph

2016-01-01

In order for the community to bring meaningful and sustainable environmental conservation and change, it must take action in implementing environmental education values acquired from environmental learning programmes and organizations. This study therefore aimed at assessing factors conditioning community implementation of environmental education…

International institutions, global health initiatives and the challenge of sustainability: lessons from the Brazilian AIDS programme.

PubMed

Le Loup, G; Fleury, S; Camargo, K; Larouzé, B

2010-01-01

The sustainability of successful public health programmes remains a challenge in low and middle income settings. These programmes are often subjected to mobilization-demobilization cycle. Indeed, political and organizational factors are of major importance to ensure this sustainability. The cooperation between the World Bank and the Brazilian AIDS programme highlights the role of international institutions and global health initiatives (GHI), not only to scale up programmes but also to guarantee their stability and sustainability, at a time when advocacy is diminishing and vertical programmes are integrated within health systems. This role is critical at the local level, particularly when economic crisis may hamper the future of public health programmes. Political and organizational evolution should be monitored and warnings should trigger interventions of GHI before the decline of these programmes.

Towards Real-time, On-board, Hardware-Supported Sensor and Software Health Management for Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schumann, Johann; Rozier, Kristin Y.; Reinbacher, Thomas; Mengshoel, Ole J.; Mbaya, Timmy; Ippolito, Corey

2013-01-01

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) can only be deployed if they can effectively complete their missions and respond to failures and uncertain environmental conditions while maintaining safety with respect to other aircraft as well as humans and property on the ground. In this paper, we design a real-time, on-board system health management (SHM) capability to continuously monitor sensors, software, and hardware components for detection and diagnosis of failures and violations of safety or performance rules during the flight of a UAS. Our approach to SHM is three-pronged, providing: (1) real-time monitoring of sensor and/or software signals; (2) signal analysis, preprocessing, and advanced on the- fly temporal and Bayesian probabilistic fault diagnosis; (3) an unobtrusive, lightweight, read-only, low-power realization using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that avoids overburdening limited computing resources or costly re-certification of flight software due to instrumentation. Our implementation provides a novel approach of combining modular building blocks, integrating responsive runtime monitoring of temporal logic system safety requirements with model-based diagnosis and Bayesian network-based probabilistic analysis. We demonstrate this approach using actual data from the NASA Swift UAS, an experimental all-electric aircraft.

Lot quality assurance sampling techniques in health surveys in developing countries: advantages and current constraints.

PubMed

Lanata, C F; Black, R E

1991-01-01

Traditional survey methods, which are generally costly and time-consuming, usually provide information at the regional or national level only. The utilization of lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methodology, developed in industry for quality control, makes it possible to use small sample sizes when conducting surveys in small geographical or population-based areas (lots). This article describes the practical use of LQAS for conducting health surveys to monitor health programmes in developing countries. Following a brief description of the method, the article explains how to build a sample frame and conduct the sampling to apply LQAS under field conditions. A detailed description of the procedure for selecting a sampling unit to monitor the health programme and a sample size is given. The sampling schemes utilizing LQAS applicable to health surveys, such as simple- and double-sampling schemes, are discussed. The interpretation of the survey results and the planning of subsequent rounds of LQAS surveys are also discussed. When describing the applicability of LQAS in health surveys in developing countries, the article considers current limitations for its use by health planners in charge of health programmes, and suggests ways to overcome these limitations through future research. It is hoped that with increasing attention being given to industrial sampling plans in general, and LQAS in particular, their utilization to monitor health programmes will provide health planners in developing countries with powerful techniques to help them achieve their health programme targets.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Ouedraogo, Albertine Wendpagnagdé

2011-04-01

Progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children < 5 years of age has been less than needed to achieve related Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, several international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel', starting with an analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The objectives of the present paper are to compare relevant national policies, training materials, programmes, and monitoring and evaluation activities with internationally accepted IYCN recommendations. These findings are available to assist countries in identifying inconsistencies and filling gaps in current programming. Between August and November 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Burkina Faso were interviewed, and 153 documents were examined on the following themes: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, screening and treatment of acute malnutrition, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, food security and hygienic practices. National policy documents addressed nearly all of the key IYCN topics, specifically or generally. Formative research has identified some local barriers and beliefs related to general breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, and other formative research addressed about half of the IYCN topics included in this review. However, there was little evidence that this formative research was being utilized in developing training materials and designing programme interventions. Nevertheless, the training materials that were reviewed do provide specific guidance for nearly all of the key IYCN topics. Although many of the IYCN programmes are intended for national coverage, we could only confirm with available reports that programme coverage extended to certain regions. Some programme monitoring and evaluation were conducted, but few of these provided information on whether the specific IYCN programme components were implemented as designed. Most surveys that were identified reported on general nutrition status indicators, but did not provide the detail necessary for programme impact evaluations. The policy framework is well established for optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) conduct necessary research and adapt training materials and programme protocols to local needs; (ii) improve, carry out, and document monitoring and evaluation that highlight effective and ineffective programme components; and (iii) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Two ways of acquiring environmental knowledge: by encountering living animals at a beehive and by observing bees via digital tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schönfelder, Mona L.; Bogner, Franz X.

2017-04-01

Pollinating animals are profoundly affected by the current loss of biodiversity, a problem that is of concern to science, policy-makers and the public. One possibility to raise awareness for pollinator conservation is education. Unfortunately, insects such as bees are often perceived as frightening creatures; a negative emotion that may hinder successful learning processes. Thus, any educational initiative must conquer this obstacle and promote conservational knowledge. Using a quasi-experimental design, we evaluated the effectiveness of an educational programme using two student-centred learning approaches: One by encountering living honeybees (Apis mellifera) at a beehive (N = 162), the other by using an eLearning tool connected to a remote beehive (N = 192). We monitored secondary school students' environmentally relevant knowledge of bees, their environmental attitudes and their perception of bees in regard to conservation and dangerousness. The results indicate that both approaches lead to the acquisition of conservational knowledge in the short and medium term. Direct experiences with nature are regarded as crucial, but using an eLearning tool in environmental education constitutes an outstanding alternative to acquire knowledge. Adolescents with low 'green' attitudes responded positively to the online beehive, and the perceived danger of bees played no role in the learning process.

Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats

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

Sachs, O.; Tiefenbeck, V.; Duvier, C.

2012-12-01

Prior research suggests that poor programmable thermostats usability may prevent their effective use to save energy. The Fraunhofer team hypothesized that home occupants with high-usability thermostats would be more likely to use them to save energy than people with a basic thermostats. In this report, the team discusses results of a project in which the team monitored and compared programmable thermostats with basic thermostats in an affordable housing apartment complex.

Quality of care in reproductive health programmes: monitoring and evaluation of quality improvement.

PubMed

Kwast, B E

1998-12-01

As 200 million women become pregnant every year, at least 30 million will develop life-threatening complications requiring emergency treatment at any level of society where they live. But it is a basic human right that pregnancy be made safe for all women as complications are mostly unpredictable. This requires reproductive health programmes which are responsive to women's and their families' needs and expectations on the one hand and enhancement of community participation, high quality obstetric services, and both provider collaboration and satisfaction on the other. Monitoring and evaluation of these facets need to be an integral part of any safe motherhood programme, not only to assess progress, but also to use this information for subsequent planning and implementation cycles of national programmes. Lessons learned from ten years' implementation of Safe Motherhood programmes indicate that process and outcome indicators are more feasible for short-term evaluation purposes than impact indicators, such as maternal mortality reduction. The former are described in this paper with relevant country examples. This is the third, and last, article in a series on quality of care in reproductive health programmes. The first (Kwast 1998a) contains an overview of concepts, assessments, barriers and improvements of quality of care. The second (Kwast 1998b) addresses education issues for quality improvement.

Measurements of particulate matter within the framework of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) I. First results.

PubMed

Lazaridis, Mihalis; Semb, Arne; Larssen, Steinar; Hjellbrekke, Anne-Gunn; Hov, Oystein; Hanssen, Jan Erik; Schaug, Jan; Tørseth, Kjetil

2002-02-21

Particulate matter (PM) monitoring presents a new challenge to the transboundary air pollution strategies in Europe. Evidence for the role of long-range transport of particulate matter and its significant association with a wide range of adverse health effects has urged for the inclusion of particulate matter within the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) framework. Here we review available data on PM physico-chemical characteristics within the EMEP framework. In addition we identify future research needs for the characterisation of the background PM in Europe that include detailed harmonised measurements of mass, size and chemical composition (mass closure) of the ambient aerosol.

Guidance on individual monitoring programmes for radioisotopic techniques in molecular and cellular biology.

PubMed

Macías, M T; Navarro, T; Lavara, A; Robredo, L M; Sierra, I; Lopez, M A

2003-01-01

The radioisotope techniques used in molecular and cellular biology involve external and internal irradiation risk. The personal dosemeter may be a reasonable indicator for external irradiation. However, it is necessary to control the possible internal contamination associated with the development of these techniques. The aim of this project is to analyse the most usual techniques and to establish programmes of internal monitoring for specific radionuclides (32P, 35S, 14C, 3H, 125I and 131I). To elaborate these programmes it was necessary to analyse the radioisotope techniques. Two models have been applied (NRPB and IAEA) to the more significant techniques, according to the physical and chemical nature of the radionuclides, their potential importance in occupational exposure and the possible injury to the genetic material of the cell. The results allowed the identification of the techniques with possible risk of internal contamination. It was necessary to identify groups of workers that require individual monitoring. The risk groups have been established among the professionals exposed, according to different parameters: the general characteristics of receptor, the radionuclides used (the same user can work with one, two or three radionuclides at the same time) and the results of the models applied. Also a control group was established. The study of possible intakes in these groups has been made by urinalysis and whole-body counter. The theoretical results are coherent with the experimental results. They have allowed guidance to individual monitoring to be proposed. Basically, the document shows: (1) the analysis of the radiosotopic techniques, taking into account the special containment equipment; (2) the establishment of the need of individual monitoring; and (3) the required frequency of measurements in a routine programme.

Developments in veterinary herd health programmes on dairy farms: a review.

PubMed

Noordhuizen, J P; Wentink, G H

2001-11-01

This review article addresses some major developments in herd health programmes for dairy farms over the last decades. It focuses particularly on herd health and production management programmes that use protocols and monitoring activities. The article further emphasizes the need for merging herd health programmes with quantitative epidemiological principles and methods. Subsequently, this article points to the latest developments regarding quality assurance in the dairy sector and some quality management methods. Quality should be regarded in its broadest sense. The importance of integrating veterinary herd health programmes and quality (risk) management support at a dairy farm level is stressed. Examples are provided.

GENASIS national and international monitoring networks for persistent organic pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brabec, Karel; Dušek, Ladislav; Holoubek, Ivan; Hřebíček, Jiří; Kubásek, Miroslav; Urbánek, Jaroslav

2010-05-01

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remain in the centre of scientific attention due to their slow rates of degradation, their toxicity, and potential for both long-range transport and bioaccumulation in living organisms. This group of compounds covers large number of various chemicals from industrial products, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, etc. The GENASIS (Global Environmental Assessment and Information System) information system utilizes data from national and international monitoring networks to obtain as-complete-as-possible set of information and a representative picture of environmental contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There are data from two main datasets on POPs monitoring: 1.Integrated monitoring of POPs in Košetice Observatory (Czech Republic) which is a long term background site of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) for the Central Europe; the data reveals long term trends of POPs in all environmental matrices. The Observatory is the only one in Europe where POPs have been monitored not only in ambient air, but also in wet atmospheric deposition, surface waters, sediments, soil, mosses and needles (integrated monitoring). Consistent data since the year 1996 are available, earlier data (up to 1998) are burdened by high variability and high detection limits. 2.MONET network is ambient air monitoring activities in the Central and Eastern European region (CEEC), Central Asia, Africa and Pacific Islands driven by RECETOX as the Regional Centre of the Stockholm Convention for the region of Central and Eastern Europe under the common name of the MONET networks (MONitoring NETwork). For many of the participating countries these activities generated first data on the atmospheric levels of POPs. The MONET network uses new technologies of air passive sampling, which was developed, tested, and calibrated by RECETOX in cooperation with Environment Canada and Lancaster University, and was originally launched as a model monitoring network providing public administration, private subject, and general public information about air pollution by POPs that had not been previously regularly monitored and whose measurement is further required by global monitoring plan of the Stockholm Convention. The MONET network is international project with many participants. Monitoring in the MONET-CZ network started in 2004 with the pilot project and continues to the current days, MONET CEEC started in 2006 and continues nowadays, MONET Africa started in 2008. The database of the GENASIS systems currently covers MONET-CZ data until the year 2008. The MONET network currently covers 37 countries in the Europe, Asia and Africa with more than 350 sampling sites. The paper will discuss about following topics * Data Fusion in GENASIS: how can GENASIS maximize the value and accuracy of the information gathered from heterogeneous data sources? * Sensor types in GENASIS: which POPs can be measured; what are the physical limitations to achievable accuracy, reliability, and long-term stability of miniaturized sensors; which applications can (not) be realized within these limitations?

Industrial Restructuring Training Programme. Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Social Fund, Dublin (Ireland).

Ireland's Industrial Restructuring Training Programme (IRTP) was evaluated to determine its effectiveness as a vehicle for improving the managerial and supervisory skill levels of employees in existing enterprises. Data were collected from the following sources: review of all program-monitoring documents submitted since the IRTP's inception;…

An expanded mammal mitogenome dataset from Southeast Asia

PubMed Central

Ramos-Madrigal, Jazmín; Peñaloza, Fernando; Liu, Shanlin; Mikkel-Holger, S. Sinding; Riddhi, P. Patel; Martins, Renata; Lenz, Dorina; Fickel, Jörns; Roos, Christian; Shamsir, Mohd Shahir; Azman, Mohammad Shahfiz; Burton, K. Lim; Stephen, J. Rossiter; Wilting, Andreas

2017-01-01

Abstract Southeast (SE) Asia is 1 of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and it holds approximately 20% of all mammal species. Despite this, the majority of SE Asia's genetic diversity is still poorly characterized. The growing interest in using environmental DNA to assess and monitor SE Asian species, in particular threatened mammals—has created the urgent need to expand the available reference database of mitochondrial barcode and complete mitogenome sequences. We have partially addressed this need by generating 72 new mitogenome sequences reconstructed from DNA isolated from a range of historical and modern tissue samples. Approximately 55 gigabases of raw sequence were generated. From this data, we assembled 72 complete mitogenome sequences, with an average depth of coverage of ×102.9 and ×55.2 for modern samples and historical samples, respectively. This dataset represents 52 species, of which 30 species had no previous mitogenome data available. The mitogenomes were geotagged to their sampling location, where known, to display a detailed geographical distribution of the species. Our new database of 52 taxa will strongly enhance the utility of environmental DNA approaches for monitoring mammals in SE Asia as it greatly increases the likelihoods that identification of metabarcoding sequencing reads can be assigned to reference sequences. This magnifies the confidence in species detections and thus allows more robust surveys and monitoring programmes of SE Asia's threatened mammal biodiversity. The extensive collections of historical samples from SE Asia in western and SE Asian museums should serve as additional valuable material to further enrich this reference database. PMID:28873965

An expanded mammal mitogenome dataset from Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Mohd Salleh, Faezah; Ramos-Madrigal, Jazmín; Peñaloza, Fernando; Liu, Shanlin; Mikkel-Holger, S Sinding; Riddhi, P Patel; Martins, Renata; Lenz, Dorina; Fickel, Jörns; Roos, Christian; Shamsir, Mohd Shahir; Azman, Mohammad Shahfiz; Burton, K Lim; Stephen, J Rossiter; Wilting, Andreas; Gilbert, M Thomas P

2017-08-01

Southeast (SE) Asia is 1 of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and it holds approximately 20% of all mammal species. Despite this, the majority of SE Asia's genetic diversity is still poorly characterized. The growing interest in using environmental DNA to assess and monitor SE Asian species, in particular threatened mammals-has created the urgent need to expand the available reference database of mitochondrial barcode and complete mitogenome sequences. We have partially addressed this need by generating 72 new mitogenome sequences reconstructed from DNA isolated from a range of historical and modern tissue samples. Approximately 55 gigabases of raw sequence were generated. From this data, we assembled 72 complete mitogenome sequences, with an average depth of coverage of ×102.9 and ×55.2 for modern samples and historical samples, respectively. This dataset represents 52 species, of which 30 species had no previous mitogenome data available. The mitogenomes were geotagged to their sampling location, where known, to display a detailed geographical distribution of the species. Our new database of 52 taxa will strongly enhance the utility of environmental DNA approaches for monitoring mammals in SE Asia as it greatly increases the likelihoods that identification of metabarcoding sequencing reads can be assigned to reference sequences. This magnifies the confidence in species detections and thus allows more robust surveys and monitoring programmes of SE Asia's threatened mammal biodiversity. The extensive collections of historical samples from SE Asia in western and SE Asian museums should serve as additional valuable material to further enrich this reference database. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Evaluating fundamentals of care: The development of a unit-level quality measurement and improvement programme.

PubMed

Parr, Jenny M; Bell, Jeanette; Koziol-McLain, Jane

2018-06-01

The project aimed to develop a unit-level quality measurement and improvement programme using evidence-based fundamentals of care. Feedback from patients, families, whānau, staff and audit data in 2014 indicated variability in the delivery of fundamental aspects of care such as monitoring, nutrition, pain management and environmental cleanliness at a New Zealand District Health Board. A general inductive approach was used to explore the fundamentals of care and design a measurement and improvement programme, the Patient and Whānau Centred Care Standards (PWCCS), focused on fundamental care. Five phases were used to explore the evidence, and design and test a measurement and improvement framework. Nine identified fundamental elements of care were used to define expected standards of care and develop and test a measurement and improvement framework. Four six-monthly peer reviews have been undertaken since June 2015. Charge Nurse Managers used results to identify quality improvements. Significant improvement was demonstrated overall, in six of the 27 units, in seven of the nine standards and three of the four measures. In all, 89% (n = 24) of units improved their overall result. The PWCCS measurement and improvement framework make visible nursing fundamentals of care in line with continuous quality improvement to increase quality of care. Delivering fundamentals of care is described by nurses as getting ?back to basics'. Patient and family feedback supports the centrality of fundamentals of care to their hospital experience. Implementing a unit-level fundamentals of care quality measurement and improvement programme clarifies expected standards of care, highlights the contribution of fundamentals of care to quality and provides a mechanism for ongoing improvements. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Procedures, Requirements and Challenges Associated with Analysis of Environmental Samples for Chemical Warfare Material (CWM)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-29

DOD Environmental Monitoring Data Quality (EMDQ) Workshop John Schwarz, Laboratory Manager; Environmental Monitoring Laboratory ( EML ) March 29, 2012...Center (ECBC),Environmental Monitoring Laboratory ( EML ),5183 Blackhawk RD,Aberdeen Proving Ground,MD,21010-5424 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT...Biological Applications and Risk Reduction (CBARR) Environmental Monitoring Laboratory ( EML ) Approved for Public Release Environmental Monitoring

21 CFR 1271.195 - Environmental control and monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... of, environmental control and monitoring activities. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Environmental control and monitoring. 1271.195... control and monitoring. (a) Environmental control. Where environmental conditions could reasonably be...

21 CFR 1271.195 - Environmental control and monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... of, environmental control and monitoring activities. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Environmental control and monitoring. 1271.195... control and monitoring. (a) Environmental control. Where environmental conditions could reasonably be...

21 CFR 1271.195 - Environmental control and monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... of, environmental control and monitoring activities. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Environmental control and monitoring. 1271.195... control and monitoring. (a) Environmental control. Where environmental conditions could reasonably be...

21 CFR 1271.195 - Environmental control and monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... of, environmental control and monitoring activities. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Environmental control and monitoring. 1271.195... control and monitoring. (a) Environmental control. Where environmental conditions could reasonably be...

Developing a sustainable satellite-based environmental monitoring system In Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinyede, J. O.; Adepoju, K. A.; Akinluyi, F. O.; Anifowose, A. Y. B.

2015-10-01

Increased anthropogenic activities over the year have remained a major factor of the Earth changing environment. This phenomenon has given rise to a number of environmental degraded sites that characterize the Nigeria's landscape. The human-induced elements include gully erosion, mangrove ecosystems degradation, desertification and deforestation, particularly in the south east, Niger Delta, north east and south west of Nigeria respectively, as well as river flooding/flood plain inundation and land degradation around Kainji lake area. Because of little or no effective management measures, the attendant environmental hazards have been extremely damaging to the infrastructures and socio-economic development of the affected area. Hence, a concerted effort, through integrated and space-based research, is being intensified to manage and monitor the environment in order to restore the stability, goods and services of the environment. This has justified Nigeria's investment in its space programme, especially the launch of NigeriaSat-1, an Earth observation micro-satellite in constellation with five (5) other similar satellites, Alsat-1, China DMC, Bilsat-1, DEMOS and UK DMC belonging to Algeria, China, Turkey, Spain and United Kingdom respectively. The use of data from these satellites, particularly NigeriaSat-1, in conjunction with associated technologies has proved to be very useful in understanding the influence of both natural and human activities on the Nigeria's ecosystems and environment. The results of some researches on specific applications of Nigerian satellites are presented in this paper. Appropriate sustainable land and water resources management in the affected areas, based on Nigeria's satellite data capture and integration, are also discussed.

Easy Green: A Handbook of Earth-Smart Activities and Operating Procedures for Youth Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westerman, Marty

This book aims to help camp directors and programmers evaluate the environmental impact of camp practices, make informed environmental choices, and make environmental awareness a habit in all operations and activities. Section 1 discusses developing a personal environmental philosophy, and considering possibilities for camp environmental action in…

A Comparative Survey of the Incorporation of Environmental Education into School Curricula. Environmental Educational Series 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Science, Technical and Vocational Education.

The UNESCO International Environmental Education Programme has undertaken a comparative study of the incorporation of environmental education into elementary and secondary school curricula. A survey was designed to investigate how environmental education has been introduced into school curricula in different educational systems in various…

Reconfigurable Sensor Monitoring System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alhorn, Dean C. (Inventor); Dutton, Kenneth R. (Inventor); Howard, David E. (Inventor); Smith, Dennis A. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A reconfigurable sensor monitoring system includes software tunable filters, each of which is programmable to condition one type of analog signal. A processor coupled to the software tunable filters receives each type of analog signal so-conditioned.

Improving community development by linking agriculture, nutrition and education: design of a randomised trial of "home-grown" school feeding in Mali.

PubMed

Masset, Edoardo; Gelli, Aulo

2013-02-21

Providing food through schools has well documented effects in terms of the education, health and nutrition of school children. However, there is limited evidence in terms of the benefits of providing a reliable market for small-holder farmers through "home-grown" school feeding approaches. This study aims to evaluate the impact of school feeding programmes sourced from small-holder farmers on small-holder food security, as well as on school children's education, health and nutrition in Mali. In addition, this study will examine the links between social accountability and programme performance. This is a field experiment planned around the scale-up of the national school feeding programme, involving 116 primary schools in 58 communities in food insecure areas of Mali. The randomly assigned interventions are: 1) a school feeding programme group, including schools and villages where the standard government programme is implemented; 2) a "home-grown" school feeding and social accountability group, including schools and villages where the programme is implemented in addition to training of community based organisations and local government; and 3) the control group, including schools and household from villages where the intervention will be delayed by at least two years, preferably without informing schools and households. Primary outcomes include small-holder farmer income, school participation and learning, and community involvement in the programme. Other outcomes include nutritional status and diet-diversity. The evaluation will follow a mixed method approach, including household, school and village level surveys as well as focus group discussions with small-holder farmers, school children, parents and community members. The impact evaluation will be incorporated within the national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system strengthening activities that are currently underway in Mali. Baselines surveys are planned for 2012. A monthly process monitoring visits, spot checks and quarterly reporting will be undertaken as part of the regular programme monitoring activities. Evaluation surveys are planned for 2014. National governments in sub-Saharan Africa have demonstrated strong leadership in the response to the recent food and financial crises by scaling-up school feeding programmes. "Home-grown" school feeding programmes have the potential to link the increased demand for school feeding goods and services to community-based stakeholders, including small-holder farmers and women's groups. Alongside assessing the more traditional benefits to school children, this evaluation will be the first to examine the impact of linking school food service provision to small-holder farmer income, as well as the link between community level engagement and programme performance. ISRCTN76705891.

Shale Gas Exploration and Exploitation Induced Risks - SHEER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capuano, Paolo; Orlecka-Sikora, Beata; Lasocki, Stanislaw; Cesca, Simone; Gunning, Andrew; jaroslawsky, Janusz; Garcia-Aristizabal, Alexander; Westwood, Rachel; Gasparini, Paolo

2017-04-01

Shale gas operations may affect the quality of air, water and landscapes; furthermore, it can induce seismic activity, with the possible impacts on the surrounding infrastructure. The SHEER project aims at setting up a probabilistic methodology to assess and mitigate the short and the long term environmental risks connected to the exploration and exploitation of shale gas. In particular we are investigating risks associated with groundwater contamination, air pollution and induced seismicity. A shale gas test site located in Poland (Wysin) has been monitored before, during and after the fracking operations with the aim of assessing environmental risks connected with groundwater contamination, air pollution and earthquakes induced by fracking and injection of waste water. The severity of each of these hazards depends strongly on the unexpected enhanced permeability pattern, which may develop as an unwanted by-product of the fracking processes and may become pathway for gas and fluid migration towards underground water reservoirs or the surface. The project is devoted to monitor and understand how far this enhanced permeability pattern develops both in space and time. The considered hazards may be at least partially inter-related as they all depend on this enhanced permeability pattern. Therefore they are being approached from a multi-hazard, multi parameter perspective. We expect to develop methodologies and procedures to track and model fracture evolution around shale gas exploitation sites and a robust statistically based, multi-parameter methodology to assess environmental impacts and risks across the operational lifecycle of shale gas. The developed methodologies are going to be applied and tested on a comprehensive database consisting of seismicity, changes of the quality of ground-waters and air, ground deformations, and operational data collected from the ongoing monitoring episode (Wysin) and past episodes: Lubocino (Poland), Preese Hall (UK), Oklahoma (USA), Groningen Field (Netherlands), Gross Schönebeck (Germany), The Geysers (USA), Cooper Basin(Australia). Best practices to be applied in Europe to monitor and minimize any environmental impacts will be worked out with the involvement of governmental decisional bodies, private industries and experts This work was supported under SHEER: "Shale Gas Exploration and Exploitation Induced Risks" project n.640896, funded from Horizon 2020 - R&I Framework Programme, call H2020-LCE-2014-1

Linked symptom monitoring and depression treatment programmes for specialist cancer services: protocol for a mixed-methods implementation study.

PubMed

Wanat, Marta; Walker, Jane; Burke, Katy; Sevdalis, Nick; Richardson, Alison; Mulick, Amy; Frost, Chris; Sharpe, Michael

2017-07-02

There is growing awareness that cancer services need to address patients' well-being as well as treating their cancer. We developed systematic approaches to (1) monitoring patients' symptoms including depression using a 'Symptom Monitoring Service' and (2) providing treatment for those with major depression using a programme called 'Depression Care for People with Cancer'. Used together, these two programmes were found to be highly effective and cost-effective in clinical trials. The overall aims of this project are to: (1) study the process of introducing these programmes into routine clinical care in a large cancer service, (2) identify the challenges associated with implementation and how these are overcome, (3) determine their effectiveness in a routine non-research setting and (4) describe patients' and clinicians' experience of the programmes. This is a mixed-methods longitudinal implementation study. We will study the process of implementation in three phases (April 2016-December 2018): 'Pre-implementation' (setting up of the new programmes), 'Early Implementation' (implementation of the programmes in a small number of clinics) and 'Implementation and Maintenance' (implementation in the majority of clinics). We will use the following methods of data collection: (1) contemporaneous logs of the implementation process, (2) interviews with healthcare professionals and managers, (3) interviews with patients and (4) routinely collected clinical data. The study has been reviewed by a joint committee of Oxford University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust Research and Development Department and the University of Oxford's Clinical Trials and Research Governance Department and judged to be service evaluation, not requiring ethics committee approval. The findings of this study will guide the scaling up implementation of the programmes across the UK and will enable us to construct an implementation toolkit. We will disseminate our findings in publications and at relevant national and international conferences. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

1996 LMITCO environmental monitoring program report for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

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

NONE

1997-09-01

This report describes the calendar year 1996 environmental surveillance and compliance monitoring activities of the Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company Environmental Monitoring Program performed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Results of sampling performed by the Radiological Environmental Surveillance, Site Environmental Surveillance, Drinking Water, Effluent Monitoring, Storm Water Monitoring, Groundwater Monitoring, and Special Request Monitoring Programs are included in this report. The primary purposes of the surveillance and monitoring activities are to evaluate environmental conditions, to provide and interpret data, to verify compliance with applicable regulations or standards, and to ensure protection of human health and themore » environment. This report compares 1996 data with program-specific regulatory guidelines and past data to evaluate trends.« less

Factors influencing implementation of the Ministry of Health-led private medicine retailer programmes on malaria in Kenya

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Kenya has experienced a number of retail sector initiatives aimed at improving access to antimalarial medicines. This study explored stakeholders' perceptions of the role of private medicine retailers (PMRs), the value and feasibility of programme goals, perceived programme impact, factors influencing implementation and recommendations in three districts of Kenya. Methods This study was part of a larger evaluation of PMR programmes, including quantitative and qualitative components. The qualitative research was conducted to assess implementation processes and actors' experiences in the programmes, through focus group discussions with trained PMRs and mothers of children under five years, and in-depth interviews with programme managers, trainers and co-trainers. Results PMRs were perceived to provide rapid cheap treatment for non-serious conditions and used as a deliberate and continuously evaluated choice between different treatment sources. All stakeholders supported programme goals and most PMRs described increased customer satisfaction, more rational purchasing of medicine stock and increased medicine sales after participation. Factors undermining programme implementation included a lack of MoH resources to train and monitor large numbers of PMRs, the relative instability of outlets, medicines stocked and retail personnel, the large number of proprietary brands and financial challenges to retailers in stocking antimalarial medicines, and their customers in buying them. Unambiguous national support and a broad range of strategies are important to strengthen the feasibility of change in OTC antimalarial use. Conclusions Understanding the context and implementation processes of PMR programmes and the perspectives of key actors are critical to identifying measures to support their effective implementation. Financial barriers underlie many described challenges, with important implications for policies on subsidies in this sector. In spite of barriers to implementation, increased exposure to programme activities promoted trust and improved relationships between PMRs and their clients and trainers, strengthening feasibility of such interventions. Public information can strengthen PMR training programmes by engaging local communities and may facilitate performance monitoring of PMRs by their clients. PMID:20181234

Factors influencing implementation of the Ministry of Health-led private medicine retailer programmes on malaria in Kenya.

PubMed

Rowa, Yvonne; Abuya, Timothy O; Mutemi, Wilfred K; Ochola, Sam; Molyneux, Sassy; Marsh, Vicki

2010-02-24

Kenya has experienced a number of retail sector initiatives aimed at improving access to antimalarial medicines. This study explored stakeholders' perceptions of the role of private medicine retailers (PMRs), the value and feasibility of programme goals, perceived programme impact, factors influencing implementation and recommendations in three districts of Kenya. This study was part of a larger evaluation of PMR programmes, including quantitative and qualitative components. The qualitative research was conducted to assess implementation processes and actors' experiences in the programmes, through focus group discussions with trained PMRs and mothers of children under five years, and in-depth interviews with programme managers, trainers and co-trainers. PMRs were perceived to provide rapid cheap treatment for non-serious conditions and used as a deliberate and continuously evaluated choice between different treatment sources. All stakeholders supported programme goals and most PMRs described increased customer satisfaction, more rational purchasing of medicine stock and increased medicine sales after participation. Factors undermining programme implementation included a lack of MoH resources to train and monitor large numbers of PMRs, the relative instability of outlets, medicines stocked and retail personnel, the large number of proprietary brands and financial challenges to retailers in stocking antimalarial medicines, and their customers in buying them. Unambiguous national support and a broad range of strategies are important to strengthen the feasibility of change in OTC antimalarial use. Understanding the context and implementation processes of PMR programmes and the perspectives of key actors are critical to identifying measures to support their effective implementation. Financial barriers underlie many described challenges, with important implications for policies on subsidies in this sector. In spite of barriers to implementation, increased exposure to programme activities promoted trust and improved relationships between PMRs and their clients and trainers, strengthening feasibility of such interventions. Public information can strengthen PMR training programmes by engaging local communities and may facilitate performance monitoring of PMRs by their clients.

Seroepidemiology: an underused tool for designing and monitoring vaccination programmes in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Cutts, Felicity T; Hanson, Matt

2016-09-01

Seroepidemiology, the use of data on the prevalence of bio-markers of infection or vaccination, is a potentially powerful tool to understand the epidemiology of infection before vaccination and to monitor the effectiveness of vaccination programmes. Global and national burden of disease estimates for hepatitis B and rubella are based almost exclusively on serological data. Seroepidemiology has helped in the design of measles, poliomyelitis and rubella elimination programmes, by informing estimates of the required population immunity thresholds for elimination. It contributes to monitoring of these programmes by identifying population immunity gaps and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns. Seroepidemiological data have also helped to identify contributing factors to resurgences of diphtheria, Haemophilus Influenzae type B and pertussis. When there is no confounding by antibodies induced by natural infection (as is the case for tetanus and hepatitis B vaccines), seroprevalence data provide a composite picture of vaccination coverage and effectiveness, although they cannot reliably indicate the number of doses of vaccine received. Despite these potential uses, technological, time and cost constraints have limited the widespread application of this tool in low-income countries. The use of venous blood samples makes it difficult to obtain high participation rates in surveys, but the performance of assays based on less invasive samples such as dried blood spots or oral fluid has varied greatly. Waning antibody levels after vaccination may mean that seroprevalence underestimates immunity. This, together with variation in assay sensitivity and specificity and the common need to take account of antibody induced by natural infection, means that relatively sophisticated statistical analysis of data is required. Nonetheless, advances in assays on minimally invasive samples may enhance the feasibility of including serology in large survey programmes in low-income countries. In this paper, we review the potential uses of seroepidemiology to improve vaccination policymaking and programme monitoring and discuss what is needed to broaden the use of this tool in low- and middle-income countries. © 2016 The Authors. Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Marine Litter, Eutrophication and Noise Assessment Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palazov, Atanas; Velcheva, Maya; Milkova, Tanya; Slabakova, Violeta; Marinova, Veselka

2017-04-01

MARLEN - Marine Litter, Eutrophication and Noise Assessment Tools is a project under the Programme BG02.03: Increased capacity for assessing and predicting environmental status in marine and inland waters, managed by Bulgarian Ministry of environment and waters and co-financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM) 2009 - 2014. Project Beneficiary is the Institute of oceanology - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences with two partners: Burgas municipality and Bulgarian Black Sea Basin Directorate. Initial assessment of ecological state of Bulgarian marine waters showed lack of data for some descriptors of MSFD. The main goal of MARLEN is to build up tools for assessment of marine environment by implementing new technologies and best practices for addressing three main areas of interest with lack of marine data in particular: a) Marine litter detection and classification in coastal areas; b) Regular near real time surface water eutrophication monitoring on large aquatory; c) Underwater noise monitoring. Developed tools are an important source of real time, near real time and delay mode marine data for Bulgarian Black Sea waters. The partnership within the project increased capacity for environmental assessments and training of personnel and enhances collaboration between scientific institutes, regional and local authorities. Project results supported implementation of MSFD in Bulgarian marine waters for the benefit of coastal population, marine industry, tourism, marine research and marine spatial planning.

Influence of altitude concerning the contamination of humus soils in the German Alps: a data evaluation approach using PyHasse.

PubMed

Voigt, Kristina; Brüggemann, Rainer; Kirchner, Manfred; Schramm, Karl-Werner

2010-02-01

In an international project named MONARPOP (Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants), selected chemicals in different environmental media were analysed in the years 2004 and 2005. Seventeen pesticides were chosen and analysed in humus and mineral soil in the German Alps. The samples were taken at different altitudes. In such a rather complex environmental datasets, it is often necessary to compare different sets of criteria and their influence on rankings. In the similarity analysis which is part of the theory of the Hasse diagram technique, we intend to calculate the similarity of different rankings. Furthermore, we perform a so-called dominance-dominance/dominance-separability method, followed by a sensitivity analysis, both subroutines in the newly developed PyHasse programme in order to find out if the concentration of the chemicals can be related to the altitudes at which the samples were taken. It can be demonstrated that the altitude has a considerable influence on the concentration of some organic chemicals in humus: The concentrations of some chemicals increase with the altitude. This increase shows certain irregularities for which several explication attempts including possible effects of atmospheric stratification phenomena in valleys have been made. These results should be complemented in further studies with MONARPOP monitoring data from other Alpine countries, e.g. Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia.

Audit of the Bloodhound Education Programme, 2012-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straw, Suzanne; Jeffes, Jennifer; Dawson, Anneka; Lord, Pippa

2015-01-01

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the "Bloodhound Education Programme" (BEP) to conduct an audit of its activities throughout 2012 and early 2013. The audit included: telephone consultations with a range of stakeholders; analysis of monitoring and internal evaluation data; and attendance at two…

Learning French through Ethnolinguistic Activities and Individual Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lafond, Celia; Bovey, Nadia Spang

2013-01-01

For the last six years, the university has been offering a Tutorial Programme for learning French, combining intensive courses and highly individualised learning activities. The programme is based on an ethnolinguistic approach and it is continuously monitored. It aims at rapid progress through contact with the local population, real-life…

Cost and results of information systems for health and poverty indicators in the United Republic of Tanzania.

PubMed Central

Rommelmann, Vanessa; Setel, Philip W.; Hemed, Yusuf; Angeles, Gustavo; Mponezya, Hamisi; Whiting, David; Boerma, Ties

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine the costs of complementary information generation activities in a resource-constrained setting and compare the costs and outputs of information subsystems that generate the statistics on poverty, health and survival required for monitoring, evaluation and reporting on health programmes in the United Republic of Tanzania. METHODS: Nine systems used by four government agencies or ministries were assessed. Costs were calculated from budgets and expenditure data made available by information system managers. System coverage, quality assurance and information production were reviewed using questionnaires and interviews. Information production was characterized in terms of 38 key sociodemographic indicators required for national programme monitoring. FINDINGS: In 2002-03 approximately US$ 0.53 was spent per Tanzanian citizen on the nine information subsystems that generated information on 37 of the 38 selected indicators. The census and reporting system for routine health service statistics had the largest participating populations and highest total costs. Nationally representative household surveys and demographic surveillance systems (which are not based on nationally representative samples) produced more than half the indicators and used the most rigorous quality assurance. Five systems produced fewer than 13 indicators and had comparatively high costs per participant. CONCLUSION: Policy-makers and programme planners should be aware of the many trade-offs with respect to system costs, coverage, production, representativeness and quality control when making investment choices for monitoring and evaluation. In future, formal cost-effectiveness studies of complementary information systems would help guide investments in the monitoring, evaluation and planning needed to demonstrate the impact of poverty-reduction and health programmes. PMID:16184275

Industrial air pollution: British progress—a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nonhebel, G.

Recent Annual Reports on industrial air pollution issued by the U.K. Health and Safety Executive show that considerable progress has been made. Further "Presumptive Limits of Emission" and "Notes on Best Practicable Means" have been published by H.M. Alkali and Clean Air Inspectorate. The lists given in this journal [9, 709 (1975)] are extended in the Appendices. An abstract is given of BPM for oil refineries. Heavy smoke from blue brick manufacture and from shaft lime kilns has been eliminated by gas firing. Steps have been taken to reduce emissions of vinyl chloride, PCBs, compounds of fluorine and of toxic metals, As, Sb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn and radioactives. Reduction of low-level emissions is a continuing problem in improving local amenity. Considerable attention has been paid to continuous monitoring of massive emissions and of concentrations of pollutants outside factories, including odours. Arrestment equipment supplied to small firms has given trouble through poor design of components and monitors, inadequate help by suppliers during commissioning, and by lack of training and correct maintenance by management; tight specifications requiring quality engineering should be prepared by purchasers. Lectures to workers, backed by booklets, are assisting in making difficult works better neighbours. The Inspectorate has six sampling teams, mainly for dust, and nine task groups for special programmes. A computer programme for calculation of ground concentrations from multiple sources is assisting inspectors to assess complex situations. It is the author's opinion that research workers on environmental problems should examine these Reports to find more industrial subjects for study.

Environmental Education: Module for Pre-Service Training of Teachers and Supervisors for Primary Schools. Environmental Educational Series 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Science, Technical and Vocational Education.

A series of experimental modules for teachers has been developed under the direction of the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) of UNESCO. This particular module focuses on the pre-service training of elementary school teachers and supervisors in environmental education. Section 1, Content for Environmental Education, traces the…

Distributed solid state programmable thermostat/power controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Dennis A. (Inventor); Alexander, Jane C. (Inventor); Howard, David E. (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A self-contained power controller having a power driver switch, programmable controller, communication port, and environmental parameter measuring device coupled to a controllable device. The self-contained power controller needs only a single voltage source to power discrete devices, analog devices, and the controlled device. The programmable controller has a run mode which, when selected, upon the occurrence of a trigger event changes the state of a power driver switch and wherein the power driver switch is maintained by the programmable controller at the same state until the occurrence of a second event.

Reactive and multiphase modelling for the identification of monitoring parameters to detect CO2 intrusion into freshwater aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahrner, S.; Schaefer, D.; Wiegers, C.; Köber, R.; Dahmke, A.

2011-12-01

A monitoring at geological CO2 storage sites has to meet environmental, regulative, financial and public demands and thus has to enable the detection of CO2 leakages. Current monitoring concepts for the detection of CO2 intrusion into freshwater aquifers located above saline storage formations in course of leakage events lack the identification of monitoring parameters. Their response to CO2 intrusion still has to be enlightened. Scenario simulations of CO2 intrusion in virtual synthetic aquifers are performed using the simulators PhreeqC and TOUGH2 to reveal relevant CO2-water-mineral interactions and multiphase behaviour on potential monitoring parameters. The focus is set on pH, total dissolved inorganic carbon (TIC) and the hydroelectric conductivity (EC). The study aims at identifying at which conditions the parameters react rapidly, durable and in a measurable degree. The depth of the aquifer, the mineralogy, the intrusion rates, the sorption specification and capacities, and groundwater flow velocities are varied in the course of the scenario modelling. All three parameters have been found suited in most scenarios. However, in case of a lack of calcite combined with low saturation of the water with respect to CO2 and shallow conditions, changes are close to the measurement resolution. Predicted changes in EC result from the interplay between carbonic acid production and its dissociation, and pH buffering by mineral dissolution. The formation of a discrete gas phase in cases of full saturation of the groundwater in confined aquifers illustrates the potential bipartite resistivity response: An increased hydroelectric conductivity at locations with dissolved CO2, and a high resistivity where the gas phase dominates the pore volume occupation. Increased hydrostatic pressure with depth and enhanced groundwater flow velocities enforce gas dissolution and diminish the formation of a discrete gas phase. Based on the results, a monitoring strategy is proposed which combines electromagnetic surface and in-situ geochemical measurements: The changes in formation resistivity / hydroelectric conductivity could be used as "first-level" parameter to identify potential intrusion locations. Subsequent targeted drilling and probe measurements of pH and TIC could be used to reject or confirm an intrusion event. Further sampling and analysis can be performed at this stage for the impact assessment if required. Next to considering regulative, environmental and public aspects, the approach helps to reduce financial strains by significantly lowering the number of required monitoring wells. This study is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, E.ON Energie AG, E.ON Gas Storage AG, RWE Dea AG, Vattenfall Europe Technology Research GmbH, Wintershall Holding AG and Stadtwerke Kiel AG as part of the CO2-MoPa joint project in the framework of the Special Programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN. Further funding occurred via CLEAN, which is part of the geoscientific research and development programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

The inherent tensions arising from attempting to carry out strategic environmental assessments on all policies, plans and programmes

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

McLauchlan, Anna, E-mail: anna.mclauchlan@strath.ac.uk; Joao, Elsa, E-mail: elsa.joao@strath.ac.uk

2012-09-15

This paper evaluates the tensions that result from routinely applying SEA to all policies, plans and programmes within Scotland. The European Union SEA Directive, effective in many EU member states from 2004, introduced a requirement for environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes. Scotland, a devolved nation within the EU member state of the United Kingdom, aimed to be a 'world leader in SEA' by legislating for SEA to be undertaken of all public sector plans, programmes and strategies, with the word 'strategies' being equated with 'policies'. This paper presents detailed data regarding Scottish SEA activity between 2004 and 2007,more » including responses to consultations on SEA reports. This empirical research found that, reflecting a general difficulty in determining where and when SEA should be applied, engagement with the SEA process was not as widespread as intended (including the pre-screening and screening stages). Eight tensions evident from Scotland's application of SEA are identified, and their broader relevance is examined. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We examine detailed data regarding Scottish strategic environmental assessment (SEA) activity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There is a general difficulty in determining where SEA should be applied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Engagement with the SEA process was not as widespread as intended. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Eight 'tensions' that question the efficacy of applying SEA to all plans, programmes and policies were identified.« less

[Healthy Cities projects].

PubMed

Takano, Takehito

2002-05-01

This is a review article on "Healthy Cities". The Healthy Cities programme has been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle urban health and environmental issues in a broad way. It is a kind of comprehensive policy package to carry out individual projects and activities effectively and efficiently. Its key aspects include healthy public policy, vision sharing, high political commitment, establishment of structural organization, strategic health planning, intersectoral collaboration, community participation, setting approach, development of supportive environment for health, formation of city health profile, national and international networking, participatory research, periodic monitoring and evaluation, and mechanisms for sustainability of projects. The present paper covered the Healthy Cities concept and approaches, rapid urbanization in the world, developments of WHO Healthy Cities, Healthy Cities developments in the Western Pacific Region, the health promotion viewpoint, and roles of research.

Vaccine transport and storage: environmental challenges.

PubMed

Zaffran, M

1996-01-01

This paper describes the current status of the vaccine cold chain that was developed in the 1970s. It then describes the changes that are likely to take place in the next 5 to 10 years and their potential impact on the existing system. For more than 20 years, the cold chain system and vaccine handling rules have been set to the speed of the most fragile of the EPI vaccines namely: Oral Polio Vaccine. This has led to the establishment by WHO of stringent vaccine handling rules and Standard Performance Specifications for cold chain equipment. Major changes are occurring that will impact on immunization programmes: The introduction of Vaccine Vial Monitor (VVM), the prospect of an increase in the stability of OPV and the worldwide ban on refrigeration gases and insulation foaming agents.

Natural organic matter properties in Swedish agricultural streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bieroza, Magdalena; Kyllmar, Katarina; Bergström, Lars; Köhler, Stephan

2016-04-01

We have analysed natural organic matter (NOM) properties in 18 agricultural streams in Sweden covering a broad range of environmental (climate, soil type), land use and water quality (nutrient and concentrations, pH, alkalinity) characteristics. Stream water samples collected every two weeks within an ongoing Swedish Monitoring Programme for Agriculture have been analysed for total/dissolved organic carbon, absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. A number of quantitative and qualitative spectroscopic parameters was calculated to help to distinguish between terrestrially-derived, refractory organic material and autochthonous, labile material indicative of biogeochemical transformations of terrestrial NOM and recent biological production. The study provides insights into organic matter properties and carbon budgets in agricultural streams and improves understanding of how agricultural catchments transform natural and anthropogenic fluxes of organic matter and nutrients to signals observed in receiving waters.

Recreational Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs and the Adoption of Environmentally Responsible Practices within the SCUBA Diving Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roche, Ronan C.; Harvey, Chloe V.; Harvey, James J.; Kavanagh, Alan P.; McDonald, Meaghan; Stein-Rostaing, Vivienne R.; Turner, John R.

2016-07-01

Recreational diving on coral reefs is an activity that has experienced rapidly growing levels of popularity and participation. Despite providing economic activity for many developing coastal communities, the potential role of dive impacts in contributing to coral reef damage is a concern at heavily dived locations. Management measures to address this issue increasingly include the introduction of programmes designed to encourage environmentally responsible practices within the dive industry. We examined diver behaviour at several important coral reef dive locations within the Philippines and assessed how diver characteristics and dive operator compliance with an environmentally responsible diving programme, known as the Green Fins approach, affected reef contacts. The role of dive supervision was assessed by recording dive guide interventions underwater, and how this was affected by dive group size. Of the 100 recreational divers followed, 88 % made contact with the reef at least once per dive, with a mean (±SE) contact rate of 0.12 ± 0.01 per min. We found evidence that the ability of dive guides to intervene and correct diver behaviour in the event of a reef contact decreases with larger diver group sizes. Divers from operators with high levels of compliance with the Green Fins programme exhibited significantly lower reef contact rates than those from dive operators with low levels of compliance. The successful implementation of environmentally responsible diving programmes, which focus on influencing dive industry operations, can contribute to the management of human impacts on coral reefs.

Geophysical monitoring in a hydrocarbon reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffagni, Enrico; Bokelmann, Goetz

2016-04-01

Extraction of hydrocarbons from reservoirs demands ever-increasing technological effort, and there is need for geophysical monitoring to better understand phenomena occurring within the reservoir. Significant deformation processes happen when man-made stimulation is performed, in combination with effects deriving from the existing natural conditions such as stress regime in situ or pre-existing fracturing. Keeping track of such changes in the reservoir is important, on one hand for improving recovery of hydrocarbons, and on the other hand to assure a safe and proper mode of operation. Monitoring becomes particularly important when hydraulic-fracturing (HF) is used, especially in the form of the much-discussed "fracking". HF is a sophisticated technique that is widely applied in low-porosity geological formations to enhance the production of natural hydrocarbons. In principle, similar HF techniques have been applied in Europe for a long time in conventional reservoirs, and they will probably be intensified in the near future; this suggests an increasing demand in technological development, also for updating and adapting the existing monitoring techniques in applied geophysics. We review currently available geophysical techniques for reservoir monitoring, which appear in the different fields of analysis in reservoirs. First, the properties of the hydrocarbon reservoir are identified; here we consider geophysical monitoring exclusively. The second step is to define the quantities that can be monitored, associated to the properties. We then describe the geophysical monitoring techniques including the oldest ones, namely those in practical usage from 40-50 years ago, and the most recent developments in technology, within distinct groups, according to the application field of analysis in reservoir. This work is performed as part of the FracRisk consortium (www.fracrisk.eu); this project, funded by the Horizon2020 research programme, aims at helping minimize the environmental footprint of the shale-gas exploration and exploitation.

Strategising for the future Indian EO programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Mukund; Jayaraman, V.; Kalyanraman, S.; Joseph, George; Navalgund, R. R.; Kasturirangan, K.

2002-07-01

The Indian Earth Observations Program, over the past three decades, has been mainly driven by the national need of natural resources management, infrastructure development, environment monitoring and disaster management support. With an array of seven Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS), national development support has been supported, through a well-knit institutional framework of a National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), a wide variety of applications developed as an inter-agency effort over the past 20 years. Now, the capacity of the programme has been extended into the global arena and IRS is providing operational data services to the global user community. The future Earth Observation Systems will have to take into consideration the aspects related to the commercialisation and standardisation of programmes world-over; transitioning into a business environment; data continuity and the need to monitor processes rather than events. Technological changes are also going to re-define many of the concepts of observation from space and issues like spatial resolution, spectral resolution and temporal resolution may no more be a concern for observation systems. ISRO is presently defining a strategy for the Indian EO Programme that will chart the progress with a vision for the next 25 years. Based on a thorough analysis, the observation needs of the future are planned and presently systems design and implementation are underway. The Need Analysis has been done keeping in mind the Global change applications; Mapping and Cartographic applications; Natural Resources and Environmental management applications etc. Issues related to defining the space and data acquisition as a national "public good", costing of data products and services and evolving a commercial remote sensing policy have been addressed for providing the overall thrust of the Indian Earth Observations program. The paper discusses the strategy adopted for assessing the future user requirements and also for defining the future Indian missions - which are applications specific solutions. The paper discusses the evolution of the strategy, in the early stages now, and its transition to support a two-pronged strategy of supporting national development and, at the same time, developing a commercial business enterprise. The need to generate newer user segments and develop newer services and products has been recognised from the utilisation point of view. The impact on utilisation accruing from these proposed missions has also been assessed and is discussed in the paper.

What are we monitoring and why? Using geomorphic principles to frame eco-hydrological assessments of river condition.

PubMed

Brierley, Gary; Reid, Helen; Fryirs, Kirstie; Trahan, Nadine

2010-04-01

Monitoring and assessment are integral components in adaptive management programmes that strive to improve the condition of river systems. Unfortunately, these procedures are generally applied with an emphasis upon biotic attributes and water quality, with limited regard for the geomorphic structure, function and evolutionary trajectory of a river system. Geomorphic principles convey an understanding of the landscape context within which ecohydrologic processes interact. Collectively, geo-eco-hydrologic understanding presents a coherent biophysical template that can be used to frame spatially and temporally rigorous approaches to monitoring that respect the inherent diversity, variability and complexity of any given river system. This understanding aids the development of management programmes that 'work with nature.' Unless an integrative perspective is used to monitor river condition, conservation and rehabilitation plans are unlikely to reach their true potential. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of an attendance monitoring system for undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Doyle, Louise; O'Brien, Frances; Timmins, Fiona; Tobin, Gerard; O'Rourke, Frank; Doherty, Lena

2008-03-01

Internationally the preparation and ongoing education of nurses continues to evolve in response the changing nature of both nursing and health care. The move into third level structures that has taken place in countries such as the UK and the Republic of Ireland, results in new challenges to the historical fabric of nurse education. One such challenge is monitoring of nursing students' attendance. Viewed by students as a patriarchal and draconian measure, the nursing profession historically value their ability to ensure the public and professional bodies that nursing students fully engage with educational programmes. University class sizes and the increased perception of student autonomy can negate against formalised monitoring systems. This paper reports on an evaluation of one such monitoring system. The findings revealed that attendance was recognised implicitly by nurse educators as an important learning activity within these programmes results and that current methods employed were less than reliable and so did little to appropriately control the phenomenon. Subsequent to the evaluation; a standardised approach to the measurement of absenteeism was employed. Deliberate short-term absence was a feature of this group. Reasons cited included travelling long distances, dissatisfaction with programme timetables and personal reasons. Preventative measures employed included improvement in student timetable delivery.

The Sense-City equipment project: insight into the prototyping and validation of environmental micro- and nanosensors for a sustainable urbanization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebental, Bérengère; Angelescu, Dan; Bourouina, Tarik; Bourquin, Frédéric; Cojocaru, Costel-Sorin; Derkx, François; Dumoulin, Jean; Ha, Thi-Lan; Robine, Enric; Van Damme, Henri

2013-04-01

While today's galloping urbanization weighs heavily on both People and Environment, the massive instrumentation of urban spaces appears a landmark toward sustainability. Collecting massively distributed information requires the use of high-performance communication systems as well as sensors with very small ecological footprint. Because of their high sensitivity, the wide range of their observables, their energetic self-sufficiency and their low cost, micro- and nano- sensors are particularly well suited to urban metrology. A 8 years, 9 M€ equipment project funded by the French "Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir" starting in 2012, the Sense-City project will offer a suite of high-quality facilities for the design, prototyping and performance assessment of micro- and nanosensors devoted to sustainable urbanization. The scientific program of Sense-City is built around four programs, environmental monitoring, structural health monitoring, energy performances monitoring and people health and exposure monitoring. We present the activities of the consortium partners, IFSTTAR, ESIEE-Paris, CSTB, LPICM, and the prospects brought by Sense-City equipment in terms of sensor prototyping, benchmarking and operation validation. We discuss how the various sensors developed by LPICM and ESIEE (for instance conformable chemical and gas microsensors using nanomaterials at LPICM, miniaturized gas chromatographs or microfluidic lab-on-chip for particles analysis at ESIEE-Paris) can be integrated by IFSTTAR into sensors networks tested by IFSTTAR and CSTB in both lab and urban settings. The massively distributed data are interpreted using advanced physical models and inverse methods in order to monitor water, air or soil quality, infrastructure and network safety, building energy performances as well as people health and exposure. We discuss the shortcomings of evaluating the performances of sensors only in lab conditions or directly in real, urban conditions. As a solution, Sense-City will provide an environment of intermediate complexity for the testing of environmental sensors, a realistic urban test space in climatic conditions, both far more complex than clean rooms and far more controllable than actual cities. References: [1] Joblin Y et al., International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 2010, 64, 210-217 [2] Lee C S et al., Nanotechnology 2012, accepted [3] Nachef K et al., IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 2102, 21

Computational diffraction tomographic microscopy with transport of intensity equation using a light-emitting diode array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiaji; Chen, Qian; Zhang, Jialin; Zuo, Chao

2017-10-01

Optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is an effective label-free technique for quantitatively refractive index imaging, which enables long-term monitoring of the internal three-dimensional (3D) structures and molecular composition of biological cells with minimal perturbation. However, existing optical tomographic methods generally rely on interferometric configuration for phase measurement and sophisticated mechanical systems for sample rotation or beam scanning. Thereby, the measurement is suspect to phase error coming from the coherent speckle, environmental vibrations, and mechanical error during data acquisition process. To overcome these limitations, we present a new ODT technique based on non-interferometric phase retrieval and programmable illumination emitting from a light-emitting diode (LED) array. The experimental system is built based on a traditional bright field microscope, with the light source replaced by a programmable LED array, which provides angle-variable quasi-monochromatic illumination with an angular coverage of +/-37 degrees in both x and y directions (corresponding to an illumination numerical aperture of ˜ 0.6). Transport of intensity equation (TIE) is utilized to recover the phase at different illumination angles, and the refractive index distribution is reconstructed based on the ODT framework under first Rytov approximation. The missing-cone problem in ODT is addressed by using the iterative non-negative constraint algorithm, and the misalignment of the LED array is further numerically corrected to improve the accuracy of refractive index quantification. Experiments on polystyrene beads and thick biological specimens show that the proposed approach allows accurate refractive index reconstruction while greatly reduced the system complexity and environmental sensitivity compared to conventional interferometric ODT approaches.

Optical diffraction tomography microscopy with transport of intensity equation using a light-emitting diode array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiaji; Chen, Qian; Zhang, Jialin; Zhang, Zhao; Zhang, Yan; Zuo, Chao

2017-08-01

Optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is an effective label-free technique for quantitatively refractive index imaging, which enables long-term monitoring of the internal three-dimensional (3D) structures and molecular composition of biological cells with minimal perturbation. However, existing optical tomographic methods generally rely on interferometric configuration for phase measurement and sophisticated mechanical systems for sample rotation or beam scanning. Thereby, the measurement is suspect to phase error coming from the coherent speckle, environmental vibrations, and mechanical error during data acquisition process. To overcome these limitations, we present a new ODT technique based on non-interferometric phase retrieval and programmable illumination emitting from a light-emitting diode (LED) array. The experimental system is built based on a traditional bright field microscope, with the light source replaced by a programmable LED array, which provides angle-variable quasi-monochromatic illumination with an angular coverage of ±37 degrees in both x and y directions (corresponding to an illumination numerical aperture of ∼0.6). Transport of intensity equation (TIE) is utilized to recover the phase at different illumination angles, and the refractive index distribution is reconstructed based on the ODT framework under first Rytov approximation. The missing-cone problem in ODT is addressed by using the iterative non-negative constraint algorithm, and the misalignment of the LED array is further numerically corrected to improve the accuracy of refractive index quantification. Experiments on polystyrene beads and thick biological specimens show that the proposed approach allows accurate refractive index reconstruction while greatly reduced the system complexity and environmental sensitivity compared to conventional interferometric ODT approaches.

"Care and feeding": the Asian environmental tobacco smoke consultants programme.

PubMed

Assunta, M; Fields, N; Knight, J; Chapman, S

2004-12-01

To review the tobacco industry's Asian environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) consultants programme, focusing on three key nations: China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Systematic keyword and opportunistic website searches of formerly private internal industry documents. The release of the 1986 US Surgeon General's report on second hand smoke provoked tobacco companies to prepare for a major threat to their industry. Asian programme activities included conducting national/international symposiums, consultant "road shows" and extensive lobbying and media activities. The industry exploited confounding factors said to be unique to Asian societies such as diet, culture and urban pollution to downplay the health risks of ETS. The industry consultants were said to be "..prepared to do the kinds of things they were recruited to do". The programme was successful in blurring the science on ETS and keeping the controversy alive both nationally and internationally. For the duration of the project, it also successfully dissuaded national policy makers from instituting comprehensive bans on smoking in public places.

"Care and feeding": the Asian environmental tobacco smoke consultants programme

PubMed Central

Assunta, M; Fields, N; Knight, J; Chapman, S

2004-01-01

Study objective: To review the tobacco industry's Asian environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) consultants programme, focusing on three key nations: China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Methods: Systematic keyword and opportunistic website searches of formerly private internal industry documents. Main results: The release of the 1986 US Surgeon General's report on second hand smoke provoked tobacco companies to prepare for a major threat to their industry. Asian programme activities included conducting national/international symposiums, consultant "road shows" and extensive lobbying and media activities. The industry exploited confounding factors said to be unique to Asian societies such as diet, culture and urban pollution to downplay the health risks of ETS. The industry consultants were said to be "...prepared to do the kinds of things they were recruited to do". Conclusions: The programme was successful in blurring the science on ETS and keeping the controversy alive both nationally and internationally. For the duration of the project, it also successfully dissuaded national policy makers from instituting comprehensive bans on smoking in public places. PMID:15564219

Depleted Uranium—Experience of the United Nations Environmental Programme Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Åkerblom, Gustav

2008-08-01

Depleted Uranium (DU) is used in ammunition designed for armour-piercing. DU was used in the Gulf war 1991, wars in Bosnia 1994-1995, Kosovo 1999 and Iraq 2003. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Post-Conflict Branch investigated sites where DU was used and evaluated health and environmental risks during missions to Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia. During a mission to Lebanon in 2006, UNEP also sampled areas where DU was supposed to have been used but did not find any DU. Due to the grave risks to the lives of UN personnel, no UNEP mission was carried out in Iraq. UNEP has provided training for personnel engaged in decontamination of DU in Bosnia and Iraq.

Educational Module on Environmental Problems in Cities. Environmental Educational Series 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Science, Technical and Vocational Education.

The International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) of UNESCO has determined that the enhancement of the quality of the built environment is a basic priority for future environmental action, particularly in Europe and North America. This experimental teaching module applies specifically to those two continents, and is intended for use by…

Effects of a 1-Day Environmental Education Intervention on Environmental Attitudes and Connectedness with Nature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellmann, Daniela; Bogner, Franz X.

2013-01-01

Besides cognitive learning effects, short-term environmental education (EE) is often regarded as ineffective in intervening with participants' environmental attitudes and behaviour. However, in Germany, school classes often participate in such 1-day EE programmes because they better match the school curriculum in contrast to longer (residential)…

Educative Experience of the Use of Concept Mapping in Science and Environmental Teacher Training Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pontes-Pedrajas, Alfonso; Varo-Martínez, Marta

2014-01-01

Environmental education in the 21st century requires well-instructed teachers with teaching and communication abilities. This paper presents an educational experience developed in several biology and environmental teacher training courses and focused on the treatment of environmental education as a transversal educational topic. For that aim, text…

An evaluation of cold chain system for vaccines in Bangalore.

PubMed

Sudarshan, M K; Sundar, M; Girish, N; Narendra, S; Patel, N G

1994-01-01

The cold chain plays a major role in the universal immunization programme which helps in preventing against six major killer diseases in children. We collected 144 study samples randomly from different parts of Bangalore to know the training status of personnel, refrigeration facilities, storage, monitoring and potency of vaccines. It was observed that 6.6% of general practitioners were trained under Universal Immunization Programme, monitoring was not satisfactory, and two of the OPV samples from medical practitioners had an unsatisfactory titre dose. Comprehensive orientation/training on cold chain is essential for medical practitioners and other professionals.

GMES Space Component: Programme overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschbacher, J.; Milagro-Perez, M. P.

2012-04-01

The European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have developed the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme as Europe's answer to the vital need for joined-up data about our climate, environment and security. Through a unique combination of satellite, atmospheric and Earth-based monitoring systems, the initiative will provide new insight into the state of the land, sea and air, providing policymakers, scientists, businesses and the public with accurate and timely information. GMES capabilities include monitoring and forecasting of climatic change, flood risks, soil and coastal erosion, crop and fish resources, air pollution, greenhouse gases, iceberg distribution and snow cover, among others. To accomplish this, GMES has been divided into three main components: Space, In-situ and Services. The Space Component, led by ESA, comprises five types of new satellites called Sentinels that are being developed by ESA specifically to meet the needs of GMES, the first of which to be launched in 2013. These missions carry a range of technologies, such as radar and multi-spectral imaging instruments for land, ocean and atmospheric monitoring. In addition, access to data from the so-called Contributing Missions guarantees that European space infrastructure is fully used for GMES. An integrated Ground Segment ensures access to Sentinels and Contributing Missions data. The in-situ component, under the coordination of the European Environment Agency (EEA), is composed of atmospheric and Earth based monitoring systems, and based on established networks and programmes at European and international levels. The European Commission is in charge of implementing the services component of GMES and of leading GMES overall. GMES services, fed with data from the Space and In-situ components, will provide essential information in five main domains, atmosphere, ocean and land monitoring as well as emergency response and security. Climate change has been added as a new GMES service and cross-cuts all these domains. Even if GMES is built to primarily serve operational services, there is a large benefit for science users as well. In addition, science will be crucial to advance services and provide critical input to the definition of new observation systems. Access to Sentinel data is governed by the Sentinel data policy, which is part of a wider GMES data and information access policy. The Sentinel data policy envisages free and open access, subject to restrictions only if security or other European interests need to be preserved. The programme will enter the operational phase in 2014, when the first dedicated spacecraft, the Sentinel missions, will be in orbit. The main programmatic challenge is to ensure the programme's long-term sustainability. This session aims at informing users about the current programme's overall status and its potential for users in the services and scientific fields.

An intergenerational reminiscence programme for older adults with early dementia and youth volunteers: values and challenges.

PubMed

Chung, Jenny C C

2009-06-01

To examine the values of a reminiscence programme, adopting an intergenerational approach, on older persons with early dementia and youth volunteers. A pre- and post- one group design was adopted. Forty-nine elderly participants with early dementia and 117 youth volunteers participated in the study. Each elderly participant was assigned to two youth participants. This dyad group participated in a 12-session reminiscence programme. The youth participants acted as facilitators to prompt the elderly participants to share and discuss past events and experiences, and to support them to fabricate a personalized life-story book. An occupational therapist provided ongoing support and monitoring. The elderly participants were evaluated by the Chinese version of Mini-mental State Examination, Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD), and Chinese version of Geriatric Depression Scale (CGDS) before and after the programme. Dementia Quiz (DQ), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a 20-item feedback questionnaire on the programme were used to evaluate the youth participants. Significant pre- and postprogramme differences were found for QoL-AD (mean change = -1.91; 95% CI = -3.18, -0.64) and CGDS (mean change = 1.86; 95% CI = 0.92, 2.80) among the elderly participants, and for DQ (mean change = -1.14; 95% CI = -2.11, -0.17) among the youth participants. Volunteers also showed positive appreciation of older persons and opined that this community service provided them an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with elderly relatives. Some volunteers, however, commented the heavy workload of the reminiscence programme. The intergenerational reminiscence programme suggests mutually beneficial values for both groups of participants. Whilst it is feasible to involve trained volunteers in the implementation of dementia-related programmes, it is essential that they are adequately trained and that ongoing support and monitoring are provided.

Development and use of the generic WHO/CDC logic model for vitamin and mineral interventions in public health programmes

PubMed Central

De-Regil, Luz Maria; Peña-Rosas, Juan Pablo; Flores-Ayala, Rafael; del Socorro Jefferds, Maria Elena

2015-01-01

Objective Nutrition interventions are critical to achieve the Millennium Development Goals; among them, micronutrient interventions are considered cost-effective and programmatically feasible to scale up, but there are limited tools to communicate the programme components and their relationships. The WHO/CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) logic model for micronutrient interventions in public health programmes is a useful resource for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these interventions, which depicts the programme theory and expected relationships between inputs and expected Millennium Development Goals. Design The model was developed by applying principles of programme evaluation, public health nutrition theory and programmatic expertise. The multifaceted and iterative structure validation included feedback from potential users and adaptation by national stakeholders involved in public health programmes' design and implementation. Results In addition to the inputs, main activity domains identified as essential for programme development, implementation and performance include: (i) policy; (ii) products and supply; (iii) delivery systems; (iv) quality control; and (v) behaviour change communication. Outputs encompass the access to and coverage of interventions. Outcomes include knowledge and appropriate use of the intervention, as well as effects on micronutrient intake, nutritional status and health of target populations, for ultimate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Conclusions The WHO/CDC logic model simplifies the process of developing a logic model by providing a tool that has identified high-priority areas and concepts that apply to virtually all public health micronutrient interventions. Countries can adapt it to their context in order to support programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for the successful scale-up of nutrition interventions in public health. PMID:23507463

Monitoring the efficacy of drugs for neglected tropical diseases controlled by preventive chemotherapy

PubMed Central

Albonico, M.; Levecke, B.; LoVerde, P.T.; Montresor, A.; Prichard, R.; Vercruysse, J.; Webster, J.P.

2017-01-01

In the last decade, pharmaceutical companies, governments and global health organisations under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) have pledged large-scale donations of anthelmintic drugs, including ivermectin (IVM), praziquantel (PZQ), albendazole (ALB) and mebendazole (MEB). This worldwide scale-up in drug donations calls for strong monitoring systems to detect any changes in anthelmintic drug efficacy. This review reports on the outcome of the WHO Global Working Group on Monitoring of Neglected Tropical Diseases Drug Efficacy, which consists of three subgroups: (i) soil-transmitted helminthiases (ALB and MEB); (ii) onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (IVM); and (iii) schistosomiasis (PZQ). Progress of ongoing work, challenges and research needs for each of the four main drugs used in helminthic preventive chemotherapy (PC) are reported, laying the ground for appropriate implementation of drug efficacy monitoring programmes under the co-ordination and guidelines of the WHO. Best practices for monitoring drug efficacy should be made available and capacity built as an integral part of neglected tropical disease (NTD) programme monitoring. Development of a disease-specific model to predict the impact of PC programmes, to detect outliers and to solicit responses is essential. Research studies on genetic polymorphisms in relation to low-efficacy phenotypes should be carried out to identify markers of putative resistance against all NTD drugs and ultimately to develop diagnostic assays. Development of combination and co-administration of NTD drugs as well as of new drug entities to boost the armamentarium of the few drugs available for NTD control and elimination should be pursued in parallel. PMID:27842865

Phosphorus and nitrogen fluxes carried by 21 Finnish agricultural rivers in 1985-2006.

PubMed

Ekholm, Petri; Rankinen, Katri; Rita, Hannu; Räike, Antti; Sjöblom, Heidi; Raateland, Arjen; Vesikko, Ljudmila; Cano Bernal, José Enrique; Taskinen, Antti

2015-04-01

The Finnish Agri-Environmental Programme aims to reduce nutrient load to waters. Using national monitoring data, we estimated the agricultural load (incl. natural background) of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) transported by 21 Finnish rivers to the northern Baltic Sea and analysed the flow-adjusted trends in the loads and concentrations from 1985 to 2006. We also related the loads to spatial and temporal patterns in catchment and agricultural characteristics. Agricultural load of TN increased, especially in the rivers discharging into the Bothnian Bay, while the load of TP decreased in most of the rivers, except those discharging into the Archipelago Sea. The trends may partly be related to a decrease in grassed area (TP, TN) and increased mineralisation (TN), but the available data on catchment and agricultural characteristics did not fully explain the observed pattern. Our study showed that data arising from relatively infrequent monitoring may prove useful for analysing long-term trend. The mutual correlation among the explaining variables hampered the analysis of the load generating factors.

Embedded Implementation of VHR Satellite Image Segmentation

PubMed Central

Li, Chao; Balla-Arabé, Souleymane; Ginhac, Dominique; Yang, Fan

2016-01-01

Processing and analysis of Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images provide a mass of crucial information, which can be used for urban planning, security issues or environmental monitoring. However, they are computationally expensive and, thus, time consuming, while some of the applications, such as natural disaster monitoring and prevention, require high efficiency performance. Fortunately, parallel computing techniques and embedded systems have made great progress in recent years, and a series of massively parallel image processing devices, such as digital signal processors or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), have been made available to engineers at a very convenient price and demonstrate significant advantages in terms of running-cost, embeddability, power consumption flexibility, etc. In this work, we designed a texture region segmentation method for very high resolution satellite images by using the level set algorithm and the multi-kernel theory in a high-abstraction C environment and realize its register-transfer level implementation with the help of a new proposed high-level synthesis-based design flow. The evaluation experiments demonstrate that the proposed design can produce high quality image segmentation with a significant running-cost advantage. PMID:27240370

Adoption of Soil Health Improvement Strategies by Australian Farmers: I. Attitudes, Management and Extension Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, J. McL.; Cattle, S. R.

2013-01-01

Purpose: There is inconsistency in the design, understanding, implementation and monitoring of soil health programmes. Despite mounting scientific evidence for the credibility of certain soil health indicators, an increase in the reporting of programme benefits, and progress in communicating these benefits, many farmers remain hesitant to…

Planning and Administration of National Literacy Programmes: The Indian Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bordia, Anil

In reporting the history and status of the National Adult Education Programme of India (NAEP), a five-year literacy campaign (1979-84) that was designed to educate approximately 100 million persons, this study emphasizes the program's preparatory phase and its monitoring/evaluation systems. After a survey of the literacy needs and past literacy…

Rational Emotive Behavior Based on Academic Procrastination Prevention: Training Programme of Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Düsmez, Ihsan; Barut, Yasar

2016-01-01

The research is an experimental study which has experimental and control groups, and based on pre-test, post-test, monitoring test model. Research group consists of second and third grade students of Primary School Education and Psychological Counseling undergraduate programmes in Giresun University Faculty of Educational Sciences. The research…

"Inclusion in Practice": Programme Practices in Mainstream Preschool Classrooms and Associations with Context and Teacher Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlachou, Anastasia; Fyssa, Aristea

2016-01-01

This study observed the extent to which teachers supported the inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms and involved monitoring 52 mainstream preschool settings in Greece. The association between programme quality, context and teacher characteristics was also tested. Findings showed that the quality of inclusion ranged…

Strong Foundations: Early Childhood Care and Education. EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2006

2006-01-01

Early childhood is a time of remarkable transformation and extreme vulnerability. Programmes that support young children during the years before they go to primary school provide strong foundations for subsequent learning and development. Such programmes also compensate for disadvantage and exclusion, offering a way out of poverty. This Report…

A flight cylinder bioassay as a simple, effective quality control test for Cydia pomonella

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Assessment of quality of the sterile male insects that are being mass-reared for release in area-wide integrated pest management programmes that include a sterile insect technique component is crucial for the success of these programmes. Routine monitoring of sterile male quality needs to be carried...

Monitoring Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in traditional free-range 'Label Rouge' broiler production: a 23-year survey programme.

PubMed

Salvat, G; Guyot, M; Protino, J

2017-01-01

'Label Rouge' broiler free-range carcasses have been monitored since 1991, and broiler flocks since 2010, for contamination by the main foodborne zoonotic bacteria. Initially, the monitoring plan mainly focused on the surveillance of Salmonella, and on indicators of the overall microbiological quality of free-range broiler carcasses such as Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms, but was extended in 2007 to include Campylobacter enumeration on carcasses and in 2010, to Salmonella in the environment of live birds. Salmonella contamination of free-range broiler carcasses rose to a peak of 16% in 1994 but less than 1% of carcasses are now regularly found to be positive. Indicators of the overall microbiological quality of carcasses are also improving. These results correlate with the low prevalence of Salmonella in free-range broiler breeding and production flocks, and with the continuous improvement of hazard analysis and critical control points in slaughterhouses, the implementation of a good manufacturing practice guide since 1997 and the application of EU regulations on Salmonella since 1998 in France. Regarding Campylobacter counts on carcasses, the situation has been improving continuously over the last few years, even if 2·5% of the carcasses are still contaminated by more than 1000 Campylobacter per g of skin. Although the current control system focusing on Salmonella is based on firm epidemiologic data and offers effective means of control (e.g. slaughtering of positive breeder flocks), existing information on Campylobacter makes it more difficult to formulate an effective control plan for free-range broilers, due to their particular exposure to environmental contamination. This long-term surveillance programme provided an extended view of the evolution of the contamination of free-range broilers and a direct measurement of the impact of mandatory and profession-driven interventions on the microbiological quality of carcasses. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Long-Term Water Quality Studies in a Eutrophic Lake Catchment: Slapton Ley, SW England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burt, T. P.; Worrall, F.; Howden, N. J. K.

2014-12-01

Monitoring is the process by which we keep the behaviour of the environment in view, an essential way of discovering whether there are significant undesirable changes taking place. Long-term datasets reveal important patterns for scientists to explain and are essential for testing hypotheses undreamt of at the time monitoring scheme was set up. Many environmental processes take place over relatively long periods of time; very often, subtle processes are embedded within highly variable systems so that their weak signal cannot be extracted without a long record. Slapton Ley is a freshwater coastal lagoon in SW England. The Ley is part of a National Nature Reserve, wetland 116 ha in area which is divided into two basins: the Higher Ley (39 ha) is mainly reed swamp; the Lower Ley (77 ha) is open water. In the 1960s it became apparent that the Ley was becoming increasingly eutrophic. In order to gauge water, sediment and nutrient inputs into the lake, measurements began on the main catchments in late 1969. Continuous monitoring of discharge and a weekly water-sampling programme have been maintained by the Slapton Ley Field Centre ever since. The monitoring programme has been supplemented by a number of research projects which have sought to identify the salient hydrological processes operating within the Slapton catchments and to relate these to the delivery of sediment and solute to the stream system. The nitrate issue has been of particular interest at Slapton; although many longer series exist for large rivers like the Thames, the long record of nitrate data for the Slapton catchments is unique in Britain for small rural basins. Other issues to be explored will be the phosphorus legacy in lake sediments and a long-term decline in lake pH. The Slapton water quality record has confirmed that undesirable changes are taking place, revealed evidence of important patterns to be explained, allowed testing of new hypotheses (e.g. links with land-use change) and helped provide strategies for more successful management of the catchment area.

Improved Marine Waters Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palazov, Atanas; Yakushev, Evgeniy; Milkova, Tanya; Slabakova, Violeta; Hristova, Ognyana

2017-04-01

IMAMO - Improved Marine Waters Monitoring is a project under the Programme BG02: Improved monitoring of marine waters, managed by Bulgarian Ministry of environment and waters and co-financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM) 2009 - 2014. Project Beneficiary is the Institute of oceanology - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences with two partners: Norwegian Institute for Water Research and Bulgarian Black Sea Basin Directorate. The Project aims to improve the monitoring capacity and expertise of the organizations responsible for marine waters monitoring in Bulgaria to meet the requirements of EU and national legislation. The main outcomes are to fill the gaps in information from the Initial assessment of the marine environment and to collect data to assess the current ecological status of marine waters including information as a base for revision of ecological targets established by the monitoring programme prepared in 2014 under Art. 11 of MSFD. Project activities are targeted to ensure data for Descriptors 5, 8 and 9. IMAMO aims to increase the institutional capacity of the Bulgarian partners related to the monitoring and assessment of the Black Sea environment. The main outputs are: establishment of real time monitoring and set up of accredited laboratory facilities for marine waters and sediments chemical analysis to ensure the ability of Bulgarian partners to monitor progress of subsequent measures undertaken.

PATHway: Decision Support in Exercise Programmes for Cardiac Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Filos, Dimitris; Triantafyllidis, Andreas; Chouvarda, Ioanna; Buys, Roselien; Cornelissen, Véronique; Budts, Werner; Walsh, Deirdre; Woods, Catherine; Moran, Kieran; Maglaveras, Nicos

2016-01-01

Rehabilitation is important for patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) to improve health outcomes and quality of life. However, adherence to current exercise programmes in cardiac rehabilitation is limited. We present the design and development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for telerehabilitation, aiming to enhance exercise programmes for CVD patients through ensuring their safety, personalising the programme according to their needs and performance, and motivating them toward meeting their physical activity goals. The DSS processes data originated from a Microsoft Kinect camera, a blood pressure monitor, a heart rate sensor and questionnaires, in order to generate a highly individualised exercise programme and improve patient adherence. Initial results within the EU-funded PATHway project show the potential of our approach.

An update on EUMETSAT programmes and plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaes, K. Dieter; Holmlund, Kenneth

2016-09-01

EUMETSAT is providing space based observations for operational meteorology and climate monitoring. The observations are measured by geostationary and sun-synchronous polar orbiting satellites in the frame of mandatory programmes. In the frame of optional programmes further observations for altimetry and oceanography are collected and disseminated. In the frame of third party programmes, EUMETSAT makes available data from other agencies' satellites to the user community. Since summer 2015 MSG-4 complements the current operational fleet of operational geostationary spacecraft, Meteosat-7, which is the last satellite of the first generation and the three satellites of the Second Generation of Meteosat, Meteosat-8, Meteosat-9 and Meteosat-10. MSG-4 became Meteosat-11 and was stored in orbit after successful commissioning. Two satellites of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) provide data from sunsynchronous polar orbit. Metop-B, the second of a series of three satellites, launched in September 2012 and Metop-A, the first of the series, in orbit since October 2006 provide operational services. The satellites belong to the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) with the US. EUMETSAT's first optional programme continues to provide data from the Jason-2 satellite since summer 2008. As follow on the Jason-3 satellite was launched in January 2016 and is currently in commissioning. To assure continuity development of Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) is ongoing. The EPS-SG programme was fully approved in summer 2015. In the frame of the Copernicus Programme (formerly GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security)) EUMETSAT will operate the marine part of the Sentinel-3 satellite. It was launched in February 2016 and is currently under commissioning.

Improving community development by linking agriculture, nutrition and education: design of a randomised trial of “home-grown” school feeding in Mali

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Providing food through schools has well documented effects in terms of the education, health and nutrition of school children. However, there is limited evidence in terms of the benefits of providing a reliable market for small-holder farmers through “home-grown” school feeding approaches. This study aims to evaluate the impact of school feeding programmes sourced from small-holder farmers on small-holder food security, as well as on school children’s education, health and nutrition in Mali. In addition, this study will examine the links between social accountability and programme performance. Design This is a field experiment planned around the scale-up of the national school feeding programme, involving 116 primary schools in 58 communities in food insecure areas of Mali. The randomly assigned interventions are: 1) a school feeding programme group, including schools and villages where the standard government programme is implemented; 2) a “home-grown” school feeding and social accountability group, including schools and villages where the programme is implemented in addition to training of community based organisations and local government; and 3) the control group, including schools and household from villages where the intervention will be delayed by at least two years, preferably without informing schools and households. Primary outcomes include small-holder farmer income, school participation and learning, and community involvement in the programme. Other outcomes include nutritional status and diet-diversity. The evaluation will follow a mixed method approach, including household, school and village level surveys as well as focus group discussions with small-holder farmers, school children, parents and community members. The impact evaluation will be incorporated within the national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system strengthening activities that are currently underway in Mali. Baselines surveys are planned for 2012. A monthly process monitoring visits, spot checks and quarterly reporting will be undertaken as part of the regular programme monitoring activities. Evaluation surveys are planned for 2014. Discussion National governments in sub-Saharan Africa have demonstrated strong leadership in the response to the recent food and financial crises by scaling-up school feeding programmes. “Home-grown” school feeding programmes have the potential to link the increased demand for school feeding goods and services to community-based stakeholders, including small-holder farmers and women’s groups. Alongside assessing the more traditional benefits to school children, this evaluation will be the first to examine the impact of linking school food service provision to small-holder farmer income, as well as the link between community level engagement and programme performance. Trial registration ISRCTN76705891 PMID:23433395

Tools to improve planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of complementary feeding programmes.

PubMed

Untoro, Juliawati; Childs, Rachel; Bose, Indira; Winichagoon, Pattanee; Rudert, Christiane; Hall, Andrew; de Pee, Saskia

2017-10-01

Adequate nutrient intake is a prerequisite for achieving good nutrition status. Suboptimal complementary feeding practices are a main risk factor for stunting. The need for systematic and user-friendly tools to guide the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of dietary interventions for children aged 6-23 months has been recognized. This paper describes five tools, namely, ProPAN, Optifood, Cost of the Diet, Fill the Nutrient Gap, and Monitoring Results for Equity System that can be used in different combinations to improve situation analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring, or evaluation approaches for complementary feeding in a particular context. ProPAN helps with development of strategies and activities designed to change the behaviours of the target population. Optifood provides guidance for developing food-based recommendations. The Cost of the Diet can provide insight on economic barriers to accessing a nutritious and balanced diet. The Fill the Nutrient Gap facilitates formulation of context-specific policies and programmatic approaches to improve nutrient intake, through a multistakeholder process that uses insights from linear programming and secondary data. The Monitoring Results for Equity System helps with analysis of gaps, constraints, and determinants of complementary feeding interventions and adoption of recommended practices especially in the most vulnerable and deprived populations. These tools, and support for their use, are readily available and can be used either alone and/or complementarily throughout the programme cycle to improve infant and young child-feeding programmes at subnational and national levels. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[The biomonitoring of toxic substances in biological samples of general population].

PubMed

Ibarluzea, Jesús; Aurrekoetxea, Juan José; Porta, Miquel; Sunyer, Jordi; Ballester, Ferran

2016-11-01

Many of the world's most developed countries have adopted biomonitoring of toxic substances in order to ascertain their levels in biological samples. These substances get into the body through different environmental exposures. Monitoring toxic substances in biological samples should allow us to ascertain their levels in vulnerable groups, assess their evolution over time, make comparisons with levels observed in other countries, identify groups at risk or with high toxic levels and promote research. The main objective of biomonitoring is to act as a policy design tool to facilitate the implementation of particular measures in various sectors: health, environmental, agricultural and livestock or food industry sectors. In Spain, information on levels of toxic substances of environmental origin is provided by specific studies on health effects from environmental sources, such as the INMA project (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [childhood and environment]). In addition, biomonitoring projects have been implemented in Catalonia and the Canary Islands, together with a national biomonitoring programme in the adult working population. However, further progress is needed to develop a system that covers the general population as well as subgroups at risk, which relies on the collaboration of the involved authorities and the participation of professionals from different sectors and citizen organisations interested in the relationship between health and the environment. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Rapid and accurate identification by real-time PCR of biotoxin-producing dinoflagellates from the family gymnodiniaceae.

PubMed

Smith, Kirsty F; de Salas, Miguel; Adamson, Janet; Rhodes, Lesley L

2014-03-07

The identification of toxin-producing dinoflagellates for monitoring programmes and bio-compound discovery requires considerable taxonomic expertise. It can also be difficult to morphologically differentiate toxic and non-toxic species or strains. Various molecular methods have been used for dinoflagellate identification and detection, and this study describes the development of eight real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA) gene of species from the genera Gymnodinium, Karenia, Karlodinium, and Takayama. Assays proved to be highly specific and sensitive, and the assay for G. catenatum was further developed for quantification in response to a bloom in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. The assay estimated cell densities from environmental samples as low as 0.07 cells per PCR reaction, which equated to three cells per litre. This assay not only enabled conclusive species identification but also detected the presence of cells below the limit of detection for light microscopy. This study demonstrates the usefulness of real-time PCR as a sensitive and rapid molecular technique for the detection and quantification of micro-algae from environmental samples.

Elaboration of the Soil Degradation Subsystem of the National Environmental Information System in Hungary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabó, József; Pásztor, László; Dombos, Miklós; Bakacsi, Zsófia; Laborczi, Annamária; Pirkó, Béla; Szabóné Kele, Gabriella

2010-05-01

A successful proposal within the Environment and Energy Operational Programme for informatics development aimed at environmental protection in public administration (e-environmental protection) opened the feasibility of a program for the establishment of a national soil monitoring system for the follow up of the harmful changes in soil conditions and functioning. The aim of the project is to collect, manage, analyse and publish soil data related to the state of soils and the environmental stresses attributed to the pressures due to agriculture setting up an appropriate information system in order to fulfil the directives of the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Further objective is the web-based publication of soil data as well as information to support the related public service mission and to inform publicity. The developed information system will operate as the Soil Degradation Subsystem of the National Environmental Information System being compatible with its other elements. A suitable representative sampling method will be elaborated. The representativity is meant for soil associations, landuse, agricultural practices and typical degradation processes. Soil data will be collected on county levels led by regional representatives but altogether will be representative for the whole territory of Hungary. In our present paper the scheme and conceptual model of the system is presented in the hope of getting useful criticism and ideas from the session participants, which can be built into the system before the project starts in this summer.

Reduced Genetic Diversity and Increased Structure in American Mink on the Swedish Coast following Invasive Species Control.

PubMed

Zalewski, Andrzej; Zalewska, Hanna; Lunneryd, Sven-Gunnar; André, Carl; Mikusiński, Grzegorz

2016-01-01

Eradication and population reductions are often used to mitigate the negative impacts of non-native invasive species on native biodiversity. However, monitoring the effectiveness of non-native species control programmes is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these measures. Genetic monitoring could provide valuable insights into temporal changes in demographic, ecological, and evolutionary processes in invasive populations being subject to control programmes. Such programmes should cause a decrease in effective population size and/or in genetic diversity of the targeted non-native species and an increase in population genetic structuring over time. We used microsatellite DNA data from American mink (Neovison vison) to determine whether the removal of this predator on the Koster Islands archipelago and the nearby Swedish mainland affected genetic variation over six consecutive years of mink culling by trappers as part of a population control programme. We found that on Koster Islands allelic richness decreased (from on average 4.53 to 3.55), genetic structuring increased, and effective population size did not change. In contrast, the mink population from the Swedish coast showed no changes in genetic diversity or structure, suggesting the stability of this population over 6 years of culling. Effective population size did not change over time but was higher on the coast than on the islands across all years. Migration rates from the islands to the coast were almost two times higher than from the coast to the islands. Most migrants leaving the coast were localised on the southern edge of the archipelago, as expected from the direction of the sea current between the two sites. Genetic monitoring provided valuable information on temporal changes in the population of American mink suggesting that this approach can be used to evaluate and improve control programmes of invasive vertebrates.

Postgraduate Programmes on Environmental Water Resources Engineering and Management in Greek Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latinopoulos, Pericles; Angelidis, Panagiotis

2014-01-01

The management of complex water problems is nowadays being practised through new ways and approaches. Therefore, water engineers, planners and managers should be appropriately educated through modern undergraduate curricula and by well-designed postgraduate specialisation programmes. Within this framework, a study of the specific characteristics…

United Nations Environment Programme. Annual Review 1981.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi (Kenya).

This edition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) annual report is structured in three parts. Part 1 focuses on three contemporary problems (ground water, toxic chemicals and human food chains and environmental economics) and attempts to solve them. Also included is a modified extract of "The Annual State of the Environment…

Postgraduate Educational Practice in Australian Geography: Change and Stasis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fincher, Ruth

2012-01-01

Within Australia most Departments of Geography have been merged with programmes in Environmental Studies or Earth Sciences, and have been cast as multidisciplinary contributors to the increasingly vocational concerns of universities. One outcome is that named Geography programmes for postgraduates are not growing in institutional prominence in…

Teaching Science or Cultivating Values? Conservation NGOs and Environmental Education in Costa Rica

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blum, Nicole

2009-01-01

A key ongoing debate in environmental education practice and its research relates to the content and goals of environmental education programmes. Specifically, there is a long history of debate between advocates of educational perspectives that emphasise the teaching of science concepts and those that seek to more actively link environmental and…

Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beever, Erik A.; Woodward, Andrea

2011-01-01

Long-term monitoring of ecological systems can prove invaluable for resource management and conservation. Such monitoring can: (1) detect instances of long-term trend (either improvement or deterioration) in monitored resources, thus providing an early-warning indication of system change to resource managers; (2) inform management decisions and help assess the effects of management actions, as well as anthropogenic and natural disturbances; and (3) provide the grist for supplemental research on mechanisms of system dynamics and cause-effect relationships (Fancy et al., 2009). Such monitoring additionally provides a snapshot of the status of monitored resources during each sampling cycle, and helps assess whether legal standards and regulations are being met. Until the last 1-2 decades, tracking and understanding changes in condition of natural resources across broad spatial extents have been infrequently attempted. Several factors, however, are facilitating the achievement of such broad-scale investigation and monitoring. These include increasing awareness of the importance of landscape context, greater prevalence of regional and global environmental stressors, and the rise of landscape-scale programs designed to manage and monitor biological systems. Such programs include the US Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program (Moser et al., 2008), Canada's National Forest Inventory, the 3Q Programme for monitoring agricultural landscapes of Norway (Dramstad et al., 2002), and the emerging (US) Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (USDOI Secretarial Order 3289, 2009; Anonymous, 2011). This Special Section explores the underlying design considerations, as well as many pragmatic aspects associated with program implementation and interpretation of results from broad-scale monitoring systems, particularly within the constraints of high-latitude contexts (e.g., low road density, short field season, dramatic fluctuations in temperature). Although Alaska is the focus of most papers in this Special Section, we posit that many of the issues that characterize the remote, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of high northern latitudes are widespread and thus applicable to natural-resource management and conservation across northern portions of the Holarctic ecozone and indeed anywhere broad-scale monitoring is contemplated.

Environmental monitoring plan

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

Holland, R.C.

This Environmental Monitoring Plan was written to fulfill the requirements of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.1 and DOE Environmental Regulatory Guide DOE/EH 0173T. This Plan documents the background, organizational structure, and methods used for effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance at Sandia National Laboratories/California. The design, rationale, and historical results of the environmental monitoring system are discussed in detail. Throughout the Plan, recommendations for improvements to the monitoring system are made. 52 refs., 10 figs., 12 tabs.

National tuberculosis programme review: experience over the period 1990-95.

PubMed Central

Pio, A.; Luelmo, F.; Kumaresan, J.; Spinaci, S.

1997-01-01

Since 1990 the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB) has promoted the revision of national tuberculosis programmes to strengthen the focus on directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) and close monitoring of treatment outcomes. GTB has encouraged in-depth evaluation of activities through a comprehensive programme review. Over the period 1990-95, WHO supported 12 such programme reviews. The criteria for selection were as follows: large population (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Thailand); good prospects of developing a model programme for a region (Nepal, Zimbabwe); or at advanced stage of implementation of a model programme for a region (Guinea, Peru). The estimated combined incidence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was 82 per 100,000 population, about 43% of the global incidence. The prevalence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was variable, being very high in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, but negligible in Bangladesh, China, Nepal and Peru. The programme reviews were conducted by teams of 15-35 experts representing a wide range of national and external institutions. After a 2-3-month preparatory period, the conduct of the review usually lasted 2-3 weeks, including a first phase of meetings with authorities and review of documents, a second phase for field visits, and a third phase of discussion of findings and recommendations. The main lessons learned from the programme reviews were as follows: programme review is a useful tool to secure government commitment, reorient the tuberculosis control policies and replan the activities on solid grounds; the involvement of public health and academic institutions, cooperating agencies, and nongovernmental organizations secured a broad support to the new policies; programme success is linked to a centralized direction which supports a decentralized implementation through the primary health care services; monitoring and evaluation of case management functions well if it is based on the right classification of cases and quarterly reports on cohorts of patients; a comprehensive programme review should include teaching about tuberculosis in medical, nursing, and laboratory workers' schools; good quality diagnosis and treatment are the essential requirements for expanding a programme beyond the pilot testing; and control targets cannot be achieved if private and social security patients are left outside the programme scope. The methodology of comprehensive programme review should be recommended to all countries which require programme reorientation; it is also appropriate for carrying out evaluations at 4-5-year intervals in countries that are implementing the correct tuberculosis control policies. PMID:9509630

National tuberculosis programme review: experience over the period 1990-95.

PubMed

Pio, A; Luelmo, F; Kumaresan, J; Spinaci, S

1997-01-01

Since 1990 the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB) has promoted the revision of national tuberculosis programmes to strengthen the focus on directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) and close monitoring of treatment outcomes. GTB has encouraged in-depth evaluation of activities through a comprehensive programme review. Over the period 1990-95, WHO supported 12 such programme reviews. The criteria for selection were as follows: large population (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Thailand); good prospects of developing a model programme for a region (Nepal, Zimbabwe); or at advanced stage of implementation of a model programme for a region (Guinea, Peru). The estimated combined incidence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was 82 per 100,000 population, about 43% of the global incidence. The prevalence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was variable, being very high in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, but negligible in Bangladesh, China, Nepal and Peru. The programme reviews were conducted by teams of 15-35 experts representing a wide range of national and external institutions. After a 2-3-month preparatory period, the conduct of the review usually lasted 2-3 weeks, including a first phase of meetings with authorities and review of documents, a second phase for field visits, and a third phase of discussion of findings and recommendations. The main lessons learned from the programme reviews were as follows: programme review is a useful tool to secure government commitment, reorient the tuberculosis control policies and replan the activities on solid grounds; the involvement of public health and academic institutions, cooperating agencies, and nongovernmental organizations secured a broad support to the new policies; programme success is linked to a centralized direction which supports a decentralized implementation through the primary health care services; monitoring and evaluation of case management functions well if it is based on the right classification of cases and quarterly reports on cohorts of patients; a comprehensive programme review should include teaching about tuberculosis in medical, nursing, and laboratory workers' schools; good quality diagnosis and treatment are the essential requirements for expanding a programme beyond the pilot testing; and control targets cannot be achieved if private and social security patients are left outside the programme scope. The methodology of comprehensive programme review should be recommended to all countries which require programme reorientation; it is also appropriate for carrying out evaluations at 4-5-year intervals in countries that are implementing the correct tuberculosis control policies.

Monitoring and evaluation of soil bioengineering interventions for watershed management, disaster mitigation and environmental restoration in Latin America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrone, Alessandro; Preti, Federico

2013-04-01

In recent decades the institutions responsible for land management and civil protection have showed a great interest in relation to the use of more environmentally friendly techniques to mitigate the risk of landslides and floods. Soil bioengineering has responded to this need and several research groups are carrying out experimentations using the techniques of this discipline in the countries in the developing world. The Deistaf from University of Florence has concentrated its activities in this area over the past decade promoting the use of the techniques of Soil bioengineering in Latin America through the implementation of training and experimentation programmes. Numerous works have been completed both in riverbanks and on slopes in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia. It was decided to make a census of interventions in Latin America from different institutions that may be related to Soil bioengineering in order to obtain an overview of the state of the art in the specific context taking into account also environmental and socio-economic issues. Taking advantage of its network of contacts, DEISTAF has collected dozens of sheets that describe interventions. These sheets describe, among other fields focused on the environment in which the work has been carried out, the materials and techniques used, and the impact of the intervention. In the sheets we present also the monitoring that has been realized for some of these works in the months of October and November 2012; we include the identification of the current condition and functionality of the intervention and, in the case of the presence of some damages, the formulation of instructions to fix them as well as the economic quantification of the repairs to be carried out.

Recreational Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs and the Adoption of Environmentally Responsible Practices within the SCUBA Diving Industry.

PubMed

Roche, Ronan C; Harvey, Chloe V; Harvey, James J; Kavanagh, Alan P; McDonald, Meaghan; Stein-Rostaing, Vivienne R; Turner, John R

2016-07-01

Recreational diving on coral reefs is an activity that has experienced rapidly growing levels of popularity and participation. Despite providing economic activity for many developing coastal communities, the potential role of dive impacts in contributing to coral reef damage is a concern at heavily dived locations. Management measures to address this issue increasingly include the introduction of programmes designed to encourage environmentally responsible practices within the dive industry. We examined diver behaviour at several important coral reef dive locations within the Philippines and assessed how diver characteristics and dive operator compliance with an environmentally responsible diving programme, known as the Green Fins approach, affected reef contacts. The role of dive supervision was assessed by recording dive guide interventions underwater, and how this was affected by dive group size. Of the 100 recreational divers followed, 88 % made contact with the reef at least once per dive, with a mean (±SE) contact rate of 0.12 ± 0.01 per min. We found evidence that the ability of dive guides to intervene and correct diver behaviour in the event of a reef contact decreases with larger diver group sizes. Divers from operators with high levels of compliance with the Green Fins programme exhibited significantly lower reef contact rates than those from dive operators with low levels of compliance. The successful implementation of environmentally responsible diving programmes, which focus on influencing dive industry operations, can contribute to the management of human impacts on coral reefs.

30 CFR 250.252 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Development Operations Coordination Documents (docd) § 250.252 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany...

30 CFR 550.252 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Coordination Documents (docd) § 550.252 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your DPP or...

30 CFR 550.221 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Information Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 550.221 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your EP...

30 CFR 550.252 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Coordination Documents (docd) § 550.252 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your DPP or...

30 CFR 550.252 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Coordination Documents (docd) § 550.252 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your DPP or...

30 CFR 250.221 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 250.221 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your EP: (a...

30 CFR 250.252 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Documents (docd) § 250.252 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the DPP or DOCD? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your DPP or DOCD: (a...

30 CFR 550.221 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Information Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 550.221 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your EP...

30 CFR 550.221 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... Information Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 550.221 What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your EP...

Critical interactions between Global Fund-supported programmes and health systems: a case study in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

PubMed

Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Rudge, James W; Phetsouvanh, Rattanaxay; Chanthapadith, Chansouk; Coker, Richard

2010-11-01

In Lao PDR, investment by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has played an important role in scaling up the response to HIV and tuberculosis (TB). As part of a series of case studies on how Global Fund-supported programmes interact with national health systems, we assessed the nature and extent of integration of the Global Fund portfolios within the national HIV and TB programmes, the integration of the HIV and TB programmes within the general health system, and system-wide effects of Global Fund support in Lao PDR. The study relied on a literature review and 35 interviews with key stakeholders using the Systemic Rapid Assessment Toolkit and thematic analysis. In Lao PDR, the HIV and TB programmes remain vertical and mostly weakly integrated with the general health system. However, Global Fund investments have extended the network of facilities delivering care at local level, resulting in greater integration with primary care and improved access for patients, particularly for TB. For HIV, as the prevalence remains low, services primarily target high-risk groups in urban areas. Less integrated functions include procurement and drug supply, and monitoring and evaluation. HIV and TB programmes are only starting to coordinate with each other. Global Fund-supported activities are generally integrated within the national disease programmes, except for monitoring and evaluation. Synergies of Global Fund support with the health system include improved access to services, institutional strengthening and capacity building, improved family planning (with wider condom distribution through HIV/AIDS social marketing programmes), and the delivery of add-on interventions, such as vaccinations and health education, alongside Global Fund-supported interventions at community level. Unintended consequences concern the lack of alignment between national stated priorities (maternal and child health) and the strong focus of external partners, such as the Global Fund, on financing communicable disease programmes.

The Session of a Special Character of UNEP's Governing Council: Principal Resolutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uniterra, 1982

1982-01-01

Presents principal resolutions adopted by the Session of a Special Character (SSC) of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme. Resolutions focus on achievements of Action Plan for Human Environment, new perceptions of environmental issues, environmental trends, and planning/implementation of environmental activities.…

Weak Concordance between Fish and Macroinvertebrates in Mediterranean Streams

PubMed Central

Larsen, Stefano; Mancini, Laura; Pace, Giorgio; Scalici, Massimiliano; Tancioni, Lorenzo

2012-01-01

Although anthropogenic degradation of riverine systems stimulated a multi-taxon bioassessment of their ecological integrity in EU countries, specific responses of different taxonomic groups to human pressure are poorly investigated in Mediterranean rivers. Here, we assess if richness and composition of macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages show concordant variation along a gradient of anthropogenic pressure in 31 reaches across 13 wadeable streams in central Italy. Fish and invertebrate taxonomic richness was not correlated across sites. However, Mantel test showed that the two groups were significantly, albeit weakly, correlated even after statistically controlling for the effect of environmental variables and site proximity. Variance partitioning with partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that the assemblages of the two groups were influenced by different set of environmental drivers: invertebrates were influenced by water organic content, channel and substratum features, while fish were related to stream temperature (mirroring elevation) and local land-use. Variance partitioning revealed the importance of biotic interactions between the two groups as a possible mechanisms determining concordance. Although significant, the congruence between the groups was weak, indicating that they should not be used as surrogate of each other for environmental assessments in these Mediterranean catchments. Indeed, both richness and patterns in nestedness (i.e. where depauperate locations host only a subset of taxa found in richer locations) appeared influenced by different environmental drivers suggesting that the observed concordance did not result from a co-loss of taxa along similar environmental gradients. As fish and macroinvertebrates appeared sensitive to different environmental factors, we argue that monitoring programmes should consider a multi-assemblage assessment, as also required by the Water Framework Directive. PMID:23251432

SWOT analysis to evaluate the programme of a joint online/onsite master's degree in environmental education through the students' perceptions.

PubMed

Romero-Gutierrez, Miguel; Jimenez-Liso, M Rut; Martinez-Chico, Maria

2016-02-01

This study shows the use of SWOT to analyse students' perceptions of an environmental education joint master's programme in order to determine if it runs as originally planned. The open answers given by students highlight the inter-university nature of the master's, the technological innovation used as major points, and the weaknesses in the management coordination or the duplicate contents as minor points. The external analysis is closely linked with the students' future jobs, their labour opportunities available to them after graduation. The innovative treatment of the data is exportable to the evaluation of programmes of other degrees because it allows the description linked to its characteristics and its design through the students' point of view. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DETERMINATION OF PESTICIDES IN COMPOSITE DIETARY SAMPLES BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY IN THE SELECTED ION MONITORING MODE USING A TEMPERATURE PROGRAMMABLE LARGE VOLUME INJECTOR WITH PRE-SEPARATION COLUMN

EPA Science Inventory

Use of a temperature-programmable pre-separation column in the gas chromatographic injection port permits determination of a wide range of semi-volatile pesticides including organochlorines, organophosphates, triazines, and anilines in fatty composite dietary samples while reduci...

The Transfer of Content Knowledge in a Cascade Model of Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Fay; Brownhill, Simon; Wilson, Elaine

2017-01-01

A cascade model of professional development presents a particular risk that "knowledge" promoted in a programme will be diluted or distorted as it passes from originators of the programme to local trainers and then to the target teachers. Careful monitoring of trainers' and teachers' knowledge as it is transferred through the system is…

"Ehrr ... What's Up Doc?": Using Cartoon Tests To Evaluate Educational Drama Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Glenn

2003-01-01

Discusses how a projective technique known as "cartoon tests" can be used by drama educators for programme evaluation and for learning-needs analysis and monitoring. Provides findings in which cartoon tests were used as one of several methods to explore student perceptions of a drama-based marketing subject at an Australian university.…

Enlisting qualitative methods to improve environmental monitoring

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental monitoring tracks ecological changes in order to support environmental management decisions. Monitoring design is driven by natural scientists, usually lacking a formal social science basis. However, human perspectives drive environmental resource decisions, with ...

A Proposed Community Network For Monitoring Volcanic Emissions In Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, E. P.; Beckles, D. M.; Robertson, R. E.; Latchman, J. L.; Edwards, S.

2013-12-01

Systematic geochemical monitoring of volcanic systems in the English-speaking islands of the Lesser Antilles was initiated by the UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC) in 2000, as part of its volcanic surveillance programme for the English-speaking islands of the Lesser Antilles. This programme provided the first time-series observations used for the purpose of volcano monitoring in Dominica and Saint Lucia, permitted the characterization of the geothermal fluids associated with them, and established baseline studies for understanding of the hydrothermal systems during periods of quiescence (Joseph et al., 2011; Joseph et al., 2013). As part of efforts to improve and expand the capacity of SRC to provide volcanic surveillance through its geothermal monitoring programme, it is necessary to develop economically sustainable options for the monitoring of volcanic emissions/pollutants. Towards this effort we intend to work in collaboration with local authorities in Saint Lucia, to develop a monitoring network for quantifying the background exposure levels of ambient concentrations of volcanic pollutants, SO2 in air and As in waters (as health significant marker elements in the geothermal emissions) that would serve as a model for the emissions monitoring network for other volcanic islands. This programme would facilitate the building of local capacity and training to monitor the hazardous exposure, through the application and transfer of a regionally available low-cost and low-technology SO2 measurement/detection system in Saint Lucia. Existing monitoring technologies to inform evidence based health practices are too costly for small island Caribbean states, and no government policies or health services measures currently exist to address/mitigate these influences. Gases, aerosols and toxic elements from eruptive and non-eruptive volcanic activity are known to adversely affect human health and the environment (Baxter, 2000; Zhang et al., 2008). Investigations into the impact of volcanic emissions on health have been almost exclusively focused on acute responses, or the effects of one-off eruptions (Horwell and Baxter, 2006). However, little attention has been paid to any long-term impacts on human health in the population centers around volcanoes as a result of exposure to passive emissions from active geothermal systems. The role of volcano tourism is also recognized as an important contributor to the economy of volcanic islands in the Lesser Antilles. However, if it is to be promoted as a sustainable sector of the tourism industry tourists, tour guides, and vendors must be made aware of the potential health hazards facing them in volcanic environments.

A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans: Social Ecology, Environmental Determinants, and Health Systems

PubMed Central

Gazzinelli, Andrea; Correa-Oliveira, Rodrigo; Yang, Guo-Jing; Boatin, Boakye A.; Kloos, Helmut

2012-01-01

In this paper, the Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4), established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), with the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps, focuses on the environmental, social, behavioural, and political determinants of human helminth infections and outlines a research and development agenda for the socioeconomic and health systems research required for the development of sustainable control programmes. Using Stockols' social-ecological approach, we describe the role of various social (poverty, policy, stigma, culture, and migration) and environmental determinants (the home environment, water resources development, and climate change) in the perpetuation of helminthic diseases, as well as their impact as contextual factors on health promotion interventions through both the regular and community-based health systems. We examine these interactions in regard to community participation, intersectoral collaboration, gender, and possibilities for upscaling helminthic disease control and elimination programmes within the context of integrated and interdisciplinary approaches. The research agenda summarises major gaps that need to be addressed. PMID:22545168

Monitoring the vaccine cold chain.

PubMed

Cheriyan, E

1993-11-01

Maintaining the vaccine cold chain is an essential part of a successful immunisation programme. A continuous electronic temperature monitor helped to identify breaks in the cold chain in the community and the study led to the issue of proper guidelines and replacement of faulty equipment.

EC MoDeRn Project: In-situ Demonstration of Innovative Monitoring Technologies for Geological Disposal - 12053

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

Breen, B.J.; Garcia-Sineriz, J.L.; Maurer, H.

2012-07-01

Monitoring to provide information on the evolution of geological disposal presents several challenges. The 4-year, euros M 5, EC MoDeRn Project (http://www.modern-fp7.eu/), which commenced in 2009, addresses monitoring processes, state-of-the-art technology and innovative research and development of monitoring techniques. This paper discusses some of the key drivers for the development of innovative monitoring techniques and provides outlines of the demonstration programmes being conducted within MoDeRn. The aim is to develop these innovative monitoring techniques and to demonstrate them under realistic conditions present in underground laboratories. These demonstration projects, applying a range of different monitoring techniques, are being carried out atmore » underground research facilities in different geological environments at HADES URL in Belgium (plastic clay), Bure in France (indurated clay) and at Grimsel Test Site (granite) in Switzerland. These are either built upon existing infrastructure (EC ESDRED Low pH shotcrete and TEM experiments at Grimsel; and PRACLAY experiment and underground galleries in HADES) or will be attached to infrastructure that is being developed and financed by resources outside of this project (mock-up disposal cell in Bure). At Grimsel Test Site, cross-hole and hole-to-tunnel seismic methods are being employed as a means to monitor induced changes in an artificially saturated bentonite wall confined behind a shotcrete plug. Recognising the limitations for travel-time tomography for monitoring a disposal cell, full waveform inversion techniques are being employed to enhance the capacity to monitor remote from the excavation. At the same Grimsel location, an investigation will be conducted of the potential for using a high frequency wireless (HFW) sensor network embedded within the barrier system; this will include the possibility of providing energy remotely to isolated sensors. At the HADES URL, the monitoring programme will utilise the PRACLAY gallery equipped to simulate a disposal gallery for heat-generating high-level waste evaluating fibre-optic based sensing techniques, including distributed sensing for thermal distribution and long-term reliability in harsh conditions. It also includes the potential to improve the treatment of signals from micro-seismic monitoring to enable enhanced understanding of the evolution around the gallery following its excavation due to ventilation, saturation and heating, and to image a water-bearing concretion layer. HADES URL will also be used to test wireless techniques to transmit monitoring data from the underground to the surface. The main focus of this contribution is to evaluate magneto-inductive data transmission; and to optimise energy usage. At the Bure underground facility in France, monitoring systems have been developed and will be embedded into the steel liner for the mock-up high-level waste disposal tunnel. The aim of this programme is to establish the capacity to conduct integrated monitoring activities inside the disposal cell, on the cell liner and in the near-field and to assess the capability of the monitoring to withstand construction and liner emplacement procedures. These projects, which are supported by focused development and testing of the monitoring systems, will allow the testing of both the effectiveness of these techniques applied to disposal situations and to understand the limits of these monitoring technologies. This approach should also enhance the confidence of key stakeholders in the ability to understand/confirm the changes occurring within a disposal cell. In addition, remote or 'non-intrusive' monitoring technologies are evaluated to provide a means of enhancing understanding of what is occurring in an isolated disposal cell. The projects also test solutions for embedded monitoring systems in challenging (risk of damage) situations. The outputs from this work will lead to improved understanding of these state-of-the-art techniques and allow focused development of those techniques beneficial to future monitoring programmes. It is also planned, as part of the MoDeRn programme of stakeholder engagement to show some of these monitoring demonstrations to lay stakeholders in order to receive their feed-back on the approach taken and their views on the value of this work. This feedback will help improve our understanding of how this work and future work on monitoring can be more effectively communicated. (authors)« less

Perceived Effects of the Malaysian National Tobacco Control Programme on Adolescent Smoking Cessation: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Hizlinda, Tohid; Noriah, Mohd Ishak; Noor Azimah, Muhammad; Farah Naaz, Momtaz Ahmad; Anis Ezdiana, Abdul Aziz; Khairani, Omar

2012-01-01

Background: The prevalence of teenage smoking has decreased over the past decade following the implementation of the national tobacco control programme. However, the effect of the programme on smoking cessation in teenagers has not been determined. Methods: Twenty-eight participants (12 teenagers, 8 teachers, and 8 doctors) were interviewed using 5 in-depth interviews and 3 group discussions. Social cognitive theory (SCT) was applied as the theoretical framework. Semi-structured interview protocols were used, and thematic analysis and analytic generalisation utilising SCT were performed. Results: The current national tobacco control programme was found to be ineffective in promoting smoking cessation among teenagers. The participants attributed the ineffective campaign to the followings: inadequacy of message content, lack of exposure to the programme, and poor presentation and execution. In addition, the participants perceived the developed tobacco control policies to be a failure based on poor law enforcement, failure of retailers to comply with the law, social availability of cigarettes to teenagers, and easy availability of cheap, smuggled cigarettes. This study highlighted that the programme-related problems (environmental factors) were not the only factors contributing to its perceived ineffectiveness. The cunning behaviour of the teenagers (personal factor) and poor self-efficacy to overcome nicotine addiction (behavioural factor) were also found to hinder cessation. Conclusion: Tobacco control programmes should include strategies beyond educating teenagers about smoking and restricting their access to cigarettes. Strategies to manage the cunning behaviour of teenagers and strategies to improve their self-efficacy should also be implemented. These comprehensive programmes should have a foundation in SCT, as this theory demonstrates the complex interactions among the environmental, personal, and behavioural factors that influence teenage smoking. PMID:22973136

Perceived effects of the Malaysian National Tobacco Control Programme on adolescent smoking cessation: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Tohid, Hizlinda; Ishak, Noriah Mohd; Muhammad, Noor Azimah; Ahmad, Farah Naaz Momtaz; Aziz, Abdul Anis Ezdiana; Omar, Khairani

2012-04-01

The prevalence of teenage smoking has decreased over the past decade following the implementation of the national tobacco control programme. However, the effect of the programme on smoking cessation in teenagers has not been determined. Twenty-eight participants (12 teenagers, 8 teachers, and 8 doctors) were interviewed using 5 in-depth interviews and 3 group discussions. Social cognitive theory (SCT) was applied as the theoretical framework. Semi-structured interview protocols were used, and thematic analysis and analytic generalisation utilising SCT were performed. The current national tobacco control programme was found to be ineffective in promoting smoking cessation among teenagers. The participants attributed the ineffective campaign to the followings: inadequacy of message content, lack of exposure to the programme, and poor presentation and execution. In addition, the participants perceived the developed tobacco control policies to be a failure based on poor law enforcement, failure of retailers to comply with the law, social availability of cigarettes to teenagers, and easy availability of cheap, smuggled cigarettes. This study highlighted that the programme-related problems (environmental factors) were not the only factors contributing to its perceived ineffectiveness. The cunning behaviour of the teenagers (personal factor) and poor self-efficacy to overcome nicotine addiction (behavioural factor) were also found to hinder cessation. Tobacco control programmes should include strategies beyond educating teenagers about smoking and restricting their access to cigarettes. Strategies to manage the cunning behaviour of teenagers and strategies to improve their self-efficacy should also be implemented. These comprehensive programmes should have a foundation in SCT, as this theory demonstrates the complex interactions among the environmental, personal, and behavioural factors that influence teenage smoking.

A Scoping Review of Economic Evaluations Alongside Randomised Controlled Trials of Home Monitoring in Chronic Disease Management.

PubMed

Kidholm, Kristian; Kristensen, Mie Borch Dahl

2018-04-01

Many countries have considered telemedicine and home monitoring of patients as a solution to the demographic challenges that health-care systems face. However, reviews of economic evaluations of telemedicine have identified methodological problems in many studies as they do not comply with guidelines. The aim of this study was to examine economic evaluations alongside randomised controlled trials of home monitoring in chronic disease management and hereby to explore the resources included in the programme costs, the types of health-care utilisation that change as a result of home monitoring and discuss the value of economic evaluation alongside randomised controlled trials of home monitoring on the basis of the studies identified. A scoping review of economic evaluations of home monitoring of patients with chronic disease based on randomised controlled trials and including information on the programme costs and the costs of equipment was carried out based on a Medline (PubMed) search. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies include both costs of equipment and use of staff, but there is large variation in the types of equipment and types of tasks for the staff included in the costs. Equipment costs constituted 16-73% of the total programme costs. In six of the nine studies, home monitoring resulted in a reduction in primary care or emergency contacts. However, in total, home monitoring resulted in increased average costs per patient in six studies and reduced costs in three of the nine studies. The review is limited by the small number of studies found and the restriction to randomised controlled trials, which can be problematic in this area due to lack of blinding of patients and healthcare professionals and the difficulty of implementing organisational changes in hospital departments for the limited period of a trial. Furthermore, our results may be based on assessments of older telemedicine interventions.

30 CFR 250.221 - What environmental monitoring information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What environmental monitoring information must... monitoring information must accompany the EP? The following environmental monitoring information, as applicable, must accompany your EP: (a) Monitoring systems. A description of any existing and planned...

Environmental conditions synchronize waterbird mortality events in the Great Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prince, Karine; Chipault, Jennifer G.; White, C. LeAnn; Zuckerberg, Benjamin

2018-01-01

Since the 1960s, periodic outbreaks of avian botulism type E have contributed to large-scale die-offs of thousands of waterbirds throughout the Great Lakes of the United States. In recent years, these events have become more common and widespread. Occurring during the summer and autumn months, the prevalence of these die-offs varies across years and is often associated with years of warmer lake temperatures and lower water levels. Little information exists on how environmental conditions mediate the spatial and temporal characteristics of mortality events.In 2010, a citizen science programme, Avian Monitoring for Botulism Lakeshore Events (AMBLE), was launched to enhance surveillance efforts and detect the appearance of beached waterbird carcasses associated with avian botulism type E outbreaks in northern Lake Michigan. Using these data, our goal was to quantify the within-year characteristics of mortality events for multiple species, and to test whether the synchrony of these events corresponded to fluctuations in two environmental factors suspected to be important in the spread of avian botulism: water temperature and the prevalence of green macroalgae.During two separate events of mass waterbird mortality, we found that the detection of bird carcasses was spatially synchronized at scales of c. 40 km. Notably, the extent of this spatial synchrony in avian mortality matched that of fluctuations in lake surface water temperatures and the prevalence of green macroalgae.Synthesis and applications. Our findings are suggestive of a synchronizing effect where warmer lake temperatures and the appearance of macroalgae mediate the characteristics of avian mortality. In future years, rising lake temperatures and a higher propensity of algal masses could lead to increases in the magnitude and synchronization of avian mortality due to botulism. We advocate that citizen-based monitoring efforts are critical for identifying the potential environmental conditions associated with widespread mortality events and estimating future risk to waterbird populations.

Real-time monitoring of enzyme-free strand displacement cascades by colorimetric assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Ruixue; Wang, Boya; Hong, Fan; Zhang, Tianchi; Jia, Yongmei; Huang, Jiayu; Hakeem, Abdul; Liu, Nannan; Lou, Xiaoding; Xia, Fan

2015-03-01

The enzyme-free toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction has shown potential for building programmable DNA circuits, biosensors, molecular machines and chemical reaction networks. Here we report a simple colorimetric method using gold nanoparticles as signal generators for the real-time detection of the product of the strand displacement cascade. During the process the assembled gold nanoparticles can be separated, resulting in a color change of the solution. This assay can also be applied in complex mixtures, fetal bovine serum, and to detect single-base mismatches. These results suggest that this method could be of general utility to monitor more complex enzyme-free strand displacement reaction-based programmable systems or for further low-cost diagnostic applications.The enzyme-free toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction has shown potential for building programmable DNA circuits, biosensors, molecular machines and chemical reaction networks. Here we report a simple colorimetric method using gold nanoparticles as signal generators for the real-time detection of the product of the strand displacement cascade. During the process the assembled gold nanoparticles can be separated, resulting in a color change of the solution. This assay can also be applied in complex mixtures, fetal bovine serum, and to detect single-base mismatches. These results suggest that this method could be of general utility to monitor more complex enzyme-free strand displacement reaction-based programmable systems or for further low-cost diagnostic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental procedures and analytical data are provided. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00697j

Audit feedback on reading performance of screening mammograms: An international comparison.

PubMed

Hofvind, S; Bennett, R L; Brisson, J; Lee, W; Pelletier, E; Flugelman, A; Geller, B

2016-09-01

Providing feedback to mammography radiologists and facilities may improve interpretive performance. We conducted a web-based survey to investigate how and why such feedback is undertaken and used in mammographic screening programmes. The survey was sent to representatives in 30 International Cancer Screening Network member countries where mammographic screening is offered. Seventeen programmes in 14 countries responded to the survey. Audit feedback was aimed at readers in 14 programmes, and facilities in 12 programmes. Monitoring quality assurance was the most common purpose of audit feedback. Screening volume, recall rate, and rate of screen-detected cancers were typically reported performance measures. Audit reports were commonly provided annually, but more frequently when target guidelines were not reached. The purpose, target audience, performance measures included, form and frequency of the audit feedback varied amongst mammographic screening programmes. These variations may provide a basis for those developing and improving such programmes. © The Author(s) 2016.

Monitoring the efficacy of drugs for neglected tropical diseases controlled by preventive chemotherapy.

PubMed

Albonico, M; Levecke, B; LoVerde, P T; Montresor, A; Prichard, R; Vercruysse, J; Webster, J P

2015-12-01

In the last decade, pharmaceutical companies, governments and global health organisations under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) have pledged large-scale donations of anthelmintic drugs, including ivermectin (IVM), praziquantel (PZQ), albendazole (ALB) and mebendazole (MEB). This worldwide scale-up in drug donations calls for strong monitoring systems to detect any changes in anthelmintic drug efficacy. This review reports on the outcome of the WHO Global Working Group on Monitoring of Neglected Tropical Diseases Drug Efficacy, which consists of three subgroups: (i) soil-transmitted helminthiases (ALB and MEB); (ii) onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (IVM); and (iii) schistosomiasis (PZQ). Progress of ongoing work, challenges and research needs for each of the four main drugs used in helminthic preventive chemotherapy (PC) are reported, laying the ground for appropriate implementation of drug efficacy monitoring programmes under the co-ordination and guidelines of the WHO. Best practices for monitoring drug efficacy should be made available and capacity built as an integral part of neglected tropical disease (NTD) programme monitoring. Development of a disease-specific model to predict the impact of PC programmes, to detect outliers and to solicit responses is essential. Research studies on genetic polymorphisms in relation to low-efficacy phenotypes should be carried out to identify markers of putative resistance against all NTD drugs and ultimately to develop diagnostic assays. Development of combination and co-administration of NTD drugs as well as of new drug entities to boost the armamentarium of the few drugs available for NTD control and elimination should be pursued in parallel. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Chemotherapy of Infection and Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of a Coastal Environmental Monitoring Network Based on the Kriging Method: A Case Study of Quanzhou Bay, China

PubMed Central

Chen, Kai; Ni, Minjie; Wang, Jun; Huang, Dongren; Chen, Huorong; Wang, Xiao; Liu, Mengyang

2016-01-01

Environmental monitoring is fundamental in assessing environmental quality and to fulfill protection and management measures with permit conditions. However, coastal environmental monitoring work faces many problems and challenges, including the fact that monitoring information cannot be linked up with evaluation, monitoring data cannot well reflect the current coastal environmental condition, and monitoring activities are limited by cost constraints. For these reasons, protection and management measures cannot be developed and implemented well by policy makers who intend to solve this issue. In this paper, Quanzhou Bay in southeastern China was selected as a case study; and the Kriging method and a geographic information system were employed to evaluate and optimize the existing monitoring network in a semienclosed bay. This study used coastal environmental monitoring data from 15 sites (including COD, DIN, and PO4-P) to adequately analyze the water quality from 2009 to 2012 by applying the Trophic State Index. The monitoring network in Quanzhou Bay was evaluated and optimized, with the number of sites increased from 15 to 24, and the monitoring precision improved by 32.9%. The results demonstrated that the proposed advanced monitoring network optimization was appropriate for environmental monitoring in Quanzhou Bay. It might provide technical support for coastal management and pollutant reduction in similar areas. PMID:27777951

Optimization of a Coastal Environmental Monitoring Network Based on the Kriging Method: A Case Study of Quanzhou Bay, China.

PubMed

Chen, Kai; Ni, Minjie; Cai, Minggang; Wang, Jun; Huang, Dongren; Chen, Huorong; Wang, Xiao; Liu, Mengyang

2016-01-01

Environmental monitoring is fundamental in assessing environmental quality and to fulfill protection and management measures with permit conditions. However, coastal environmental monitoring work faces many problems and challenges, including the fact that monitoring information cannot be linked up with evaluation, monitoring data cannot well reflect the current coastal environmental condition, and monitoring activities are limited by cost constraints. For these reasons, protection and management measures cannot be developed and implemented well by policy makers who intend to solve this issue. In this paper, Quanzhou Bay in southeastern China was selected as a case study; and the Kriging method and a geographic information system were employed to evaluate and optimize the existing monitoring network in a semienclosed bay. This study used coastal environmental monitoring data from 15 sites (including COD, DIN, and PO 4 -P) to adequately analyze the water quality from 2009 to 2012 by applying the Trophic State Index. The monitoring network in Quanzhou Bay was evaluated and optimized, with the number of sites increased from 15 to 24, and the monitoring precision improved by 32.9%. The results demonstrated that the proposed advanced monitoring network optimization was appropriate for environmental monitoring in Quanzhou Bay. It might provide technical support for coastal management and pollutant reduction in similar areas.

Review of United Nations Environment Programme and Other Post-Conflict Environmental Analyses

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

creation Environmental planning Environmental impact assessment procedures Industry and trade Public participation, training, and environmental...conflict caused significant damage to Sudan’s wildlife and habitat. Throughout Sudan, farming, deforestation, subsistence hunting, and poaching are...contributing factors. In some areas, species such as elephant, rhino , buffalo, giraffe, eland, and zebra are all but eradicated despite laws seeking to

Programmable immersive peripheral environmental system (PIPES): a prototype control system for environmental feedback devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frend, Chauncey; Boyles, Michael

2015-03-01

This paper describes an environmental feedback device (EFD) control system aimed at simplifying the VR development cycle. Programmable Immersive Peripheral Environmental System (PIPES) affords VR developers a custom approach to programming and controlling EFD behaviors while relaxing the required knowledge and expertise of electronic systems. PIPES has been implemented for the Unity engine and features EFD control using the Arduino integrated development environment. PIPES was installed and tested on two VR systems, a large format CAVE system and an Oculus Rift HMD system. A photocell based end-to-end latency experiment was conducted to measure latency within the system. This work extends previously unpublished prototypes of a similar design. Development and experiments described in this paper are part of the VR community goal to understand and apply environment effects to VEs that ultimately add to users' perceived presence.

The inland water macro-invertebrate occurrences in Flanders, Belgium.

PubMed

Vannevel, Rudy; Brosens, Dimitri; Cooman, Ward De; Gabriels, Wim; Frank Lavens; Mertens, Joost; Vervaeke, Bart

2018-01-01

The Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) has been performing biological water quality assessments on inland waters in Flanders (Belgium) since 1989 and sediment quality assessments since 2000. The water quality monitoring network is a combined physico-chemical and biological network, the biological component focusing on macro-invertebrates. The sediment monitoring programme produces biological data to assess the sediment quality. Both monitoring programmes aim to provide index values, applying a similar conceptual methodology based on the presence of macro-invertebrates. The biological data obtained from both monitoring networks are consolidated in the VMM macro-invertebrates database and include identifications at family and genus level of the freshwater phyla Coelenterata, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, and Arthropoda. This paper discusses the content of this database, and the dataset published thereof: 282,309 records of 210 observed taxa from 4,140 monitoring sites located on 657 different water bodies, collected during 22,663 events. This paper provides some background information on the methodology, temporal and spatial coverage, and taxonomy, and describes the content of the dataset. The data are distributed as open data under the Creative Commons CC-BY license.

An integrated Diet Monitoring Solution for nutrigenomic research.

PubMed

Conti, Costanza; Rossi, Elena; Marceglia, Sara; Tauro, Vittorio; Rizzi, Federica; Lazzaroni, Monica; Barlassina, Cristina; Soldati, Laura; Cusi, Daniele

2015-01-01

The emergence of evidence pointing at diet as key risk factor for chronic diseases and at gene-diet interactions as key elements in the interplay between an individual genetic background and his/her lifestyle, pave the way for studies in nutrigenomics. Such studies need an integrated solution to collect, monitor and analyse a large set of data. In the frame of ATHENA, a European Commission FP7 project, we developed an integrated platform, called Dietary Monitoring Solution enabling the collection of phenotypic, genetic and lifestyle information, linked to a mHealth application tool. The data collection solution allows maintaining anonymized information and supports a number of features making it particularly suited for multicentre studies. The mHealth application was designed to translate the knowledge generated from research into a personalised prevention programme and to support the patient adherence to the programme.

Spatial analysis of trace elements in a moss bio-monitoring data over France by accounting for source, protocol and environmental parameters.

PubMed

Lequy, Emeline; Saby, Nicolas P A; Ilyin, Ilia; Bourin, Aude; Sauvage, Stéphane; Leblond, Sébastien

2017-07-15

Air pollution in trace elements (TE) remains a concern for public health in Europe. For this reasons, networks of air pollution concentrations or exposure are deployed, including a moss bio-monitoring programme in Europe. Spatial determinants of TE concentrations in mosses remain unclear. In this study, the French dataset of TE in mosses is analyzed by spatial autoregressive model to account for spatial structure of the data and several variables proven or suspected to affect TE concentrations in mosses. Such variables include source (atmospheric deposition and soil concentrations), protocol (sampling month, collector, and moss species), and environment (forest type and canopy density, distance to the coast or the highway, and elevation). Modeled atmospheric deposition was only available for Cd and Pb and was one of the main explanatory variables of the concentrations in mosses. Predicted soil content was also an important explanatory variable except for Cr, Ni, and Zn. However, the moss species was the main factor for all the studied TE. The other environmental variables affected differently the TE. In particular, the forest type and canopy density were important in most cases. These results stress the need for further research on the effect of the moss species on the capture and retention of TE, as well as for accounting for several variables and the spatial structure of the data in statistical analyses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of relationship between rainfall and Escherichia coli in clams (Chamelea gallina) using the Bayes Factor.

PubMed

Ciccarelli, Cesare; Semeraro, Angela Marisa; Leinoudi, Melina; Trani, Vittoria Di; Murru, Sandra; Capocasa, Piero; Ciccarelli, Elena; Sacchini, Luca

2017-08-16

Consumption of bivalve shellfish harvested from water contaminated with sewage pollution presents a risk of human infections and targeting control measures require a good understanding of environmental factors influencing the transport and the fate of faecal contaminants within the hydrological catchments. Although there has been extensive development of regression models, the point of this paper, focused on the relationship between rainfall events and concentrations of Escherichia coli monitored in clams, was the use of a Bayesian approach, by the Bayes Factor. The study was conducted on clams harvested from the south coast of Marche Region (Italy), a coastal area impacted by continuous treated effluents, intermittent rainfalldependent untreated sewage spillage - as a consequence of stormwater overflowing - and rivers with an ephemeral flow regime. The work compared the different interpretation criteria of Bayes Factor, confirmed that E. coli concentrations in clams from the studied area varied in correlation with rainfall events, and demonstrated the effectiveness of Bayes Factor in the assessment of shellfish quality in coastal marine waters. However, it suggested that further investigations would be warranted to determine which environmental factors provide the better basis for accurate and timely predictions. Furthermore the gathered data could be useful, to the local authorities of Marche Region, in the definition of flexible monitoring programmes, taking into account the atmospheric events that could affect the correct functioning of sewage managing systems and the flow of tributary rivers.

15 CFR 970.702 - Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Monitoring and mitigation of... Environmental Effects § 970.702 Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects. (a) Monitoring. If an... monitoring plan as part of the terms, conditions and restrictions developed for each license. The plan will...

15 CFR 970.702 - Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Monitoring and mitigation of... Environmental Effects § 970.702 Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects. (a) Monitoring. If an... monitoring plan as part of the terms, conditions and restrictions developed for each license. The plan will...

15 CFR 970.702 - Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Monitoring and mitigation of... Environmental Effects § 970.702 Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects. (a) Monitoring. If an... monitoring plan as part of the terms, conditions and restrictions developed for each license. The plan will...

15 CFR 970.702 - Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Monitoring and mitigation of... Environmental Effects § 970.702 Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects. (a) Monitoring. If an... monitoring plan as part of the terms, conditions and restrictions developed for each license. The plan will...

15 CFR 970.702 - Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Monitoring and mitigation of... Environmental Effects § 970.702 Monitoring and mitigation of environmental effects. (a) Monitoring. If an... monitoring plan as part of the terms, conditions and restrictions developed for each license. The plan will...

The EVER-EST portal as support for the Sea Monitoring Virtual Research Community, through the sharing of resources, enabling dynamic collaboration and promoting community engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foglini, Federica; Grande, Valentina; De Leo, Francesco; Mantovani, Simone; Ferraresi, Sergio

2017-04-01

EVER-EST offers a framework based on advanced services delivered both at the e-infrastructure and domain-specific level, with the objective of supporting each phase of the Earth Science Research and Information Lifecycle. It provides innovative e-research services to Earth Science user communities for communication, cross-validation and the sharing of knowledge and science outputs. The project follows a user-centric approach: real use cases taken from pre-selected Virtual Research Communities (VRC) covering different Earth Science research scenarios drive the implementation of the Virtual Research Environment (VRE) services and capabilities. The Sea Monitoring community is involved in the evaluation of the EVER-EST infrastructure. The community of potential users is wide and heterogeneous including both multi-disciplinary scientists and national/international agencies and authorities (e.g. MPAs directors, technicians from regional agencies like ARPA in Italy, the technicians working for the Ministry of the Environment) dealing with the adoption of a better way of measuring the quality of the environment. The scientific community has the main role of assessing the best criteria and indicators for defining the Good Environmental Status (GES) in their own sub regions, and implementing methods, protocols and tools for monitoring the GES descriptors. According to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the environmental status of marine waters is defined by 11 descriptors, and forms a proposed set of 29 associated criteria and 56 different indicators. The objective of the Sea Monitoring VRC is to provide useful and applicable contributions to the evaluation of the descriptors: D1.Biodiversity, D2.Non-indigenous species and D6.Seafloor Integrity (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/good-environmental-status/index_en.htm). The main challenges for the community members are: 1. discovery of existing data and products distributed among different infrastructures; 2. sharing methodologies about the GES evaluation and monitoring; 3. working on the same workflows and data; 4. adopting shared powerful tools for data processing (e.g. software and servers). The Sea Monitoring portal provides the VRC users with tools and services aimed at enhancing their ability to interoperate and share knowledge, experience and methods for GES assessment and monitoring, such as: •digital information services for data management, exploitation and preservation (accessibility of heterogeneous data sources including associated documentation); •e-collaboration services to communicate and share knowledge, ideas, protocols and workflows; •e-learning services to facilitate the use of common workflows for assessing GES indicators; •e-research services for workflow management, validation and verification, as well as visualization and interactive services. The current study is co-financed by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the EVER-EST project (Grant Agreement No. 674907).

Genotoxicity of soil from farmland irrigated with wastewater using three plant bioassays.

PubMed

Cabrera, G L; Rodriguez, D M

1999-05-19

Three well known plant bioassays, the Allium root chromosome aberration (AL-RAA) assay, the Tradescantia micronucleus (Trad-MCN) assay, and the Tradescantia stamen hair (Trad-SHM) mutation assay were validated in 1991 by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) under the auspices of the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). These plant bioassays have proven to be efficient tests for chemical screening and especially for in situ monitoring for genotoxicity of environmental pollutants. As a result of this validation study, standard protocols of these three plant bioassays were used by some of the 11 participating countries in the IPCS to carry on genotoxicity tests on air, water and soil as a follow up activity. In the city of Queretaro, Mexico, wastewater coming from both industrial and domestic sources and without any treatment is used to irrigate the farm crops, polluting the soil. Potentially the pollutants could reach the food chain. For the above reason, soil irrigated with wastewater was sampled and monitored for the presence of genotoxic agents using the above three bioassays. Extracts from soil samples were made using distilled water and organic solvents by shaking the sample for about 12 h under a relatively low temperature (15-20 degrees C). Plant cuttings of Tradescantia or the roots of Allium were treated by submerging them in the extracts. Three replicates of each sample were analyzed in each of the three bioassays. Extracts using DMSO, ethanol and distilled water tested positive in the three bioassays and there were no differences for the genotoxicity of the extracts with the different solvents. Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

Current best practice for the health surveillance of enzyme workers in the soap and detergent industry.

PubMed

Nicholson, P J; Newman Taylor, A J; Oliver, P; Cathcart, M

2001-03-01

This study defines current best practice for the health surveillance of workers who are potentially exposed to enzymes in the manufacture of enzymatic detergent products. It is recommended that health surveillance is performed 6-monthly for the first 2 years and annually thereafter. The health surveillance programme should include a respiratory questionnaire to detect symptoms, assessment of lung function to detect pre-symptomatic changes and an immunological test to detect specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to enzymes. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease respiratory questionnaire should be used since it has been validated extensively for detecting asthma. Operators should observe the American Thoracic Society performance criteria for spirometers and standardized procedures for conducting spirometry. Since current airborne monitoring techniques for enzymes do not detect short-duration peak exposures, the incidence of employee sensitizations remains the most reliable measure of the integrity of environmental control. The Pepys skin prick test has been validated as a sensitive, specific and practical test for detecting specific IgE to many inhalant allergens including enzymes. For newly sensitized workers, a multi-cause investigation should be conducted to identify potential sources of exposure. Group results of immunological test results assist in the evaluation of workplace control measures, and should be used to monitor the effectiveness of hygiene and engineering programmes and to help prioritize areas for improvement. Positive responses to a questionnaire or abnormal spirometry should be assessed further. Occupational asthma should be excluded in any case of adult-onset asthma that starts or deteriorates during working life. This is particularly important because an accurate diagnosis of occupational asthma with early avoidance of exposure to its cause can result in remission of symptoms and restoration of lung function.

Polymorphisms in voltage-gated sodium channel gene and susceptibility of Aedes albopictus to insecticides in three districts of northern West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Moytrey; Ballav, Sudeep; Maji, Ardhendu K; Basu, Nandita; Sarkar, Biplab Chandra; Saha, Pabitra

2018-01-01

The control and prevention of dengue largely depends on vector control measures, environmental management, and personal protection. Dengue control programmes are facing great challenges due to development of insecticide resistance among vector mosquitoes. Information on susceptibility status to different insecticides is important for national programmes to formulate vector control strategies. We have studied the larval susceptibility of Aedes albopictus to temephos and adult susceptibility to 4% DDT, 0.05% deltamethrin, and 5% malathion as per WHO protocols in the northern districts of West Bengal. Polymorphisms in the VGSC gene were studied by direct sequencing of PCR products. The Ae. albopictus larval population showed sensitive [Resistance Ratio (RR99)<3] to moderate levels of resistance (510) to temephos at different study sites. Adult bioassay results revealed that Ae. albopictus was highly resistant to DDT [Corrected Mortality (CM) < 90%] in all the study sites and susceptible to deltamethrin and malathion (CM > 98%), except in Dhupguri where a low level of resistance to deltamethrin (CM = 96.25%) was recorded. None of the six important kdr mutations (S953P, I975M/V, L978, V980G, F1474C, D1703Y) were found in the VGSC of studied mosquitoes, but we identified 11 synonymous and 1 non-synonymous mutation in the VGSC gene. The higher susceptibility level to deltamethrin and malathion, along with the absence of important kdr mutations indicates that these two insecticides are still effective against Ae. albopictus in the study areas. The susceptibility status of temephos should be monitored closely as low to moderate levels of resistance were observed in few sites. A similar study is recommended for monitoring and early detection of insecticide resistance in other parts of the country.

Evaluative Research in Population Education: Manual Arising out of a Regional Training Workshop (Manila, May 20-31, 1985). Population Education Programme Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This manual presents the very basics of monitoring, evaluation, and evaluative research as applied to population education. It is designed for beginners and is useful to project staff charged with the responsibility of monitoring, evaluation, and research. Chapter 1 discusses monitoring and evaluation. Chapter 2 examines evaluative research…

New insights into the near-IR spectroscopy of the young variable PV Cep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzetti, D.; Giannini, T.; Antoniucci, S.; Kopatskaya, E. N.; Larionov, V.; Arkharov, A. A.; Di Paola, A.; Nisini, B.

2015-08-01

During our EXor monitoring programme dubbed EXORCISM (EXOR OptiCal and Infrared Systematic Monitoring - Antoniucci et al. 2013 PPVI, Lorenzetti et al. 2007 ApJ 665, 1182), we have been observing the variable source PV Cep (ATel #1256; #1607).

Antimicrobial resistance: harmonisation of national antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance programmes in animals and in animal-derived food.

PubMed

Franklin, A; Acar, J; Anthony, F; Gupta, R; Nicholls, T; Tamura, Y; Thompson, S; Threlfall, E J; Vose, D; van Vuuren, M; White, D G; Wegener, H C; Costarrica, M L

2001-12-01

A guideline on the harmonisation of national antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance programmes in animals and animal-derived foods has been developed by the Ad hoc Group of experts on antimicrobial resistance of the Office International des Epizooties. The objective of the guideline is to allow the generation of comparable data from various national surveillance and monitoring systems in order to compare the situations in different regions or countries and to consolidate results at the national, regional and international level. Definitions of surveillance and monitoring are provided. National systems should be able to detect the emergence of resistance, and to determine the prevalence of resistant bacteria. The resulting data should be used in the assessment of risks to public health and should contribute to the establishment of a risk management policy. Specific factors identified for harmonisation include the animal species, food commodities, sampling plans, bacterial species, antimicrobials to be tested, laboratory methods, data reporting, database structure and the structure of reports.

Translating childhood tuberculosis case management research into operational policies.

PubMed

Safdar, N; Hinderaker, S G; Baloch, N A; Enarson, D A; Khan, M A; Morkve, O

2011-08-01

The control of childhood tuberculosis (TB) has been of low priority in TB programmes in high-burden settings. The objective of this paper was to describe the development and testing of tools for the management of childhood TB. The Pakistan National TB Control Programme embarked on a number of activities, including the establishment of policy guidelines for the management of childhood TB and later a guidance document, 'Case Management Desk Guide and Structured Monitoring', to demonstrate the implementation of childhood TB interventions in a programme context. Initial results showed improved case finding and treatment outcome in implementation sites compared with control districts. However, further programme attention is required to improve quality.

The Scottish Government's Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Strategic Research Progamme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Lorna; Bestwick, Charles

2013-04-01

The Strategic Research Programme focuses on the delivery of outputs and outcomes within the major policy agenda areas of climate change, land use and food security, and to impact on the 'Wealthier', 'Healthier' and 'Greener' strategic objectives of the Scottish Government. The research is delivered through two programmes: 'Environmental Change' and 'Food, Land and People'; the core strength of which is the collaboration between the Scottish Government's Main Research Providers-The James Hutton Institute, the Moredun Research Institute, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health University of Aberdeen, Scotland's Rural College, Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland and The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. The research actively seeks to inform and be informed by stakeholders from policy, farming, land use, water and energy supply, food production and manufacturing, non-governmental organisations, voluntary organisations, community groups and general public. This presentation will provide an overview of the programme's interdisciplinary research, through examples from across the programme's themes. Examples will exemplify impact within the Strategic Programme's priorities of supporting policy and practice, contributing to economic growth and innovation, enhancing collaborative and multidisciplinary research, growing scientific resilience and delivering scientific excellence. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/About/EBAR/StrategicResearch/future-research-strategy/Themes/ http://www.knowledgescotland.org/news.php?article_id=295

Cross-disciplinarity in the advance of Antarctic ecosystem research.

PubMed

Gutt, J; Isla, E; Bertler, A N; Bodeker, G E; Bracegirdle, T J; Cavanagh, R D; Comiso, J C; Convey, P; Cummings, V; De Conto, R; De Master, D; di Prisco, G; d'Ovidio, F; Griffiths, H J; Khan, A L; López-Martínez, J; Murray, A E; Nielsen, U N; Ott, S; Post, A; Ropert-Coudert, Y; Saucède, T; Scherer, R; Schiaparelli, S; Schloss, I R; Smith, C R; Stefels, J; Stevens, C; Strugnell, J M; Trimborn, S; Verde, C; Verleyen, E; Wall, D H; Wilson, N G; Xavier, J C

2018-02-01

The biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate variability of the Antarctic continent and the Southern Ocean are major components of the whole Earth system. Antarctic ecosystems are driven more strongly by the physical environment than many other marine and terrestrial ecosystems. As a consequence, to understand ecological functioning, cross-disciplinary studies are especially important in Antarctic research. The conceptual study presented here is based on a workshop initiated by the Research Programme Antarctic Thresholds - Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, which focussed on challenges in identifying and applying cross-disciplinary approaches in the Antarctic. Novel ideas and first steps in their implementation were clustered into eight themes. These ranged from scale problems, through risk maps, and organism/ecosystem responses to multiple environmental changes and evolutionary processes. Scaling models and data across different spatial and temporal scales were identified as an overarching challenge. Approaches to bridge gaps in Antarctic research programmes included multi-disciplinary monitoring, linking biomolecular findings and simulated physical environments, as well as integrative ecological modelling. The results of advanced cross-disciplinary approaches can contribute significantly to our knowledge of Antarctic and global ecosystem functioning, the consequences of climate change, and to global assessments that ultimately benefit humankind. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Roll-Out Neoliberalism and Hybrid Practices of Regulation in Australian Agri-Environmental Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockie, Stewart; Higgins, Vaughan

2007-01-01

In the last 15 years, agri-environmental programmes in Australia have been underpinned by a neoliberal regime of governing which seeks to foster participation and "bottom-up" change at the regional level at the same time as encouraging farmers to become entrepreneurial and improve their productivity and environmental performance without…

Relationship between Pre-School Preservice Teachers' Environmental Literacy and Science and Technology Literacy Self Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surmeli, Hikmet

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between preschool teachers' environmental literacy and their science and technology self efficacy beliefs. 120 preschool teachers from teacher education programme at one university participated in this study. Data were collected by using Environmental Literacy Scale and Science and Technology Literacy Self…

Accelerated Reader as a Literacy Catch-Up Intervention during Primary to Secondary School Transition Phase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddiqui, Nadia; Gorard, Stephen; See, Beng Huat

2016-01-01

This paper describes an evaluation of an internet-based reading programme called Accelerated Reader (AR), which is widely used in UK schools and worldwide. AR is a whole-group reading management and monitoring programme that aims to stimulate the habit of independent reading among primary and secondary age pupils. The evaluation involved 349…

Does Successful School-Based Prevention of Bullying Influence Substance Use among 13- To 16-Year-Olds?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amundsen, Ellen J.; Ravndal, Edle

2010-01-01

Aim: To test whether the school-based Olweus prevention programme against bullying may have lasting effects on substance use, a hypothesis based on the characteristics of bullies having misconduct behaviour associated with substance use. Methods: The Olweus programme was introduced from grades 7 through 9 in four schools and monitored up to grade…

Antibody-Mediated Small Molecule Detection Using Programmable DNA-Switches.

PubMed

Rossetti, Marianna; Ippodrino, Rudy; Marini, Bruna; Palleschi, Giuseppe; Porchetta, Alessandro

2018-06-13

The development of rapid, cost-effective, and single-step methods for the detection of small molecules is crucial for improving the quality and efficiency of many applications ranging from life science to environmental analysis. Unfortunately, current methodologies still require multiple complex, time-consuming washing and incubation steps, which limit their applicability. In this work we present a competitive DNA-based platform that makes use of both programmable DNA-switches and antibodies to detect small target molecules. The strategy exploits both the advantages of proximity-based methods and structure-switching DNA-probes. The platform is modular and versatile and it can potentially be applied for the detection of any small target molecule that can be conjugated to a nucleic acid sequence. Here the rational design of programmable DNA-switches is discussed, and the sensitive, rapid, and single-step detection of different environmentally relevant small target molecules is demonstrated.

Field application of smart SHM using field programmable gate array technology to monitor an RC bridge in New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azarbayejani, M.; Jalalpour, M.; El-Osery, A. I.; Reda Taha, M. M.

2011-08-01

In this paper, an innovative field application of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and wireless communication is presented. The new SHM system was installed to monitor a reinforced concrete (RC) bridge on Interstate 40 (I-40) in Tucumcari, New Mexico. This newly installed system allows continuous remote monitoring of this bridge using solar power. Details of the SHM component design and installation are discussed. The integration of FPGA and solar power technologies make it possible to remotely monitor infrastructure with limited access to power. Furthermore, the use of FPGA technology enables smart monitoring where data communication takes place on-need (when damage warning signs are met) and on-demand for periodic monitoring of the bridge. Such a system enables a significant cut in communication cost and power demands which are two challenges during SHM operation. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the bridge was developed and calibrated using a static loading field test. This model is then used for simulating damage occurrence on the bridge. Using the proposed automation process for SHM will reduce human intervention significantly and can save millions of dollars currently spent on prescheduled inspection of critical infrastructure worldwide.

An Ethical Justification for Expanding the Notion of Effectiveness in Vaccine Post-Market Monitoring: Insights from the HPV Vaccine in Canada.

PubMed

Komparic, Ana; Smith, Maxwell J; Thompson, Alison

2016-04-01

Health regulators must carefully monitor the real-world safety and effectiveness of marketed vaccines through post-market monitoring in order to protect the public's health and promote those vaccines that best achieve public health goals. Yet, despite the fact that vaccines used in collective immunization programmes should be assessed in the context of a public health response, post-market effectiveness monitoring is often limited to assessing immunogenicity or limited programmatic features, rather than assessing effectiveness across populations. We argue that post-market monitoring ought to be expanded in two ways to reflect a 'public health notion of post-market effectiveness', which incorporates normative public health considerations: (i) effectiveness monitoring should yield higher quality data and grant special attention to underrepresented and vulnerable populations; and (ii) the scope of effectiveness should be expanded to include a consideration of the various social factors that maximize (and minimize) a vaccine's effectiveness at the population level, paying particular attention to how immunization programmes impact related health gradients. We use the case of the human papillomavirus vaccine in Canada to elucidate how expanding post-market effectiveness monitoring is necessary to close the gap between clinical practice and public health, and to ensure that vaccines are effective in a morally relevant sense.

Getting the full picture: Assessing the complementarity of citizen science and agency monitoring data.

PubMed

Hadj-Hammou, Jeneen; Loiselle, Steven; Ophof, Daniel; Thornhill, Ian

2017-01-01

While the role of citizen science in engaging the public and providing large-scale datasets has been demonstrated, the nature of and potential for this science to supplement environmental monitoring efforts by government agencies has not yet been fully explored. To this end, the present study investigates the complementarity of a citizen science programme to agency monitoring of water quality. The Environment Agency (EA) is the governmental public body responsible for, among other duties, managing and monitoring water quality and water resources in England. FreshWater Watch (FWW) is a global citizen science project that supports community monitoring of freshwater quality. FWW and EA data were assessed for their spatio-temporal complementarity by comparing the geographical and seasonal coverage of nitrate (N-NO3) sampling across the River Thames catchment by the respective campaigns between spring 2013 and winter 2015. The analysis reveals that FWW citizen science-collected data complements EA data by filling in both gaps in the spatial and temporal coverage as well as gaps in waterbody type and size. In addition, partial spatio-temporal overlap in sampling efforts by the two actors is discovered, but EA sampling is found to be more consistent than FWW sampling. Statistical analyses indicate that regardless of broader geographical overlap in sampling effort, FWW sampling sites are associated with a lower stream order and water bodies of smaller surface areas than EA sampling sites. FWW also samples more still-water body sites than the EA. As a possible result of such differences in sampling tendencies, nitrate concentrations, a measure of water quality, are lower for FWW sites than EA sites. These findings strongly indicate that citizen science has clear potential to complement agency monitoring efforts by generating information on freshwater ecosystems that would otherwise be under reported.

Getting the full picture: Assessing the complementarity of citizen science and agency monitoring data

PubMed Central

Loiselle, Steven; Ophof, Daniel; Thornhill, Ian

2017-01-01

While the role of citizen science in engaging the public and providing large-scale datasets has been demonstrated, the nature of and potential for this science to supplement environmental monitoring efforts by government agencies has not yet been fully explored. To this end, the present study investigates the complementarity of a citizen science programme to agency monitoring of water quality. The Environment Agency (EA) is the governmental public body responsible for, among other duties, managing and monitoring water quality and water resources in England. FreshWater Watch (FWW) is a global citizen science project that supports community monitoring of freshwater quality. FWW and EA data were assessed for their spatio-temporal complementarity by comparing the geographical and seasonal coverage of nitrate (N-NO3) sampling across the River Thames catchment by the respective campaigns between spring 2013 and winter 2015. The analysis reveals that FWW citizen science-collected data complements EA data by filling in both gaps in the spatial and temporal coverage as well as gaps in waterbody type and size. In addition, partial spatio-temporal overlap in sampling efforts by the two actors is discovered, but EA sampling is found to be more consistent than FWW sampling. Statistical analyses indicate that regardless of broader geographical overlap in sampling effort, FWW sampling sites are associated with a lower stream order and water bodies of smaller surface areas than EA sampling sites. FWW also samples more still-water body sites than the EA. As a possible result of such differences in sampling tendencies, nitrate concentrations, a measure of water quality, are lower for FWW sites than EA sites. These findings strongly indicate that citizen science has clear potential to complement agency monitoring efforts by generating information on freshwater ecosystems that would otherwise be under reported. PMID:29211752

The start-up phase of the national satellite forest monitoring systems for DRC and PNG: a joint venture between FAO and INPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, I. G.; FAO UN-REDD Team Forestry Department

2011-12-01

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. "REDD+" goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In the framework of getting countries ready for REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme, a partnership between UNEP, FAO and UNDP, assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. Designed collaboratively by a broad range of stakeholders, national UN-REDD Programmes are informed by the technical expertise of FAO, UNDP and UNEP. For the monitoring, reporting and verification, FAO supports the countries to develop satellite forest monitoring systems that allow for credible measurement, reporting and verification (MRV)of REDD+ activities. These are among the most critical elements for the successful implementation of any REDD+ mechanism, also following the COP 16 decisions in Cancun last year. The UN-REDD Programme through a joint effort of FAO and Brazil's National Space Agency, INPE, is supporting countries to develop cost-effective, robust and compatible national monitoring and MRV systems, providing tools, methodologies, training and knowledge sharing that help countries to strengthen their technical and institutional capacity for effective MRV systems. To develop strong nationally-owned forest monitoring systems, technical and institutional capacity building is key. The UN-REDD Programme, through FAO, has taken on intensive training together with INPE, and has provided technical help and assistance for in-country training and implementation for national satellite forest monitoring. The goal of the start-up phase for DRC and Papua New Guinea (PNG) in this capacity building effort is the training of technical forest people and IT persons from these two interested REDD+ countries, and to set-up the national satellite forest monitoring systems. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a basis for this initiative, allows countries to adapt it to country needs and the training on the TerraAmazon system is a tool to enhance existing capacity on carbon monitoring systems. The start-up phase of the National Forest Monitoring System for DRC and PNG will allow these countries to follow all actions related to the implementation of its national REDD+ policies and measures. The monitoring system will work as a platform to obtain information on their REDD+ results and actions, related directly or indirectly to national REDD+ strategies and may also include actions unrelated to carbon assessment, such as forest law enforcement. With the technical assistance of FAO, INPE and other stakeholders, the countries will set up an autonomous operational forest monitoring system. An initial version and the methodologies of these syste,s will be launched in Durban, South Africa during COP 17 and is presented here.

Logistics engineering education from the point of view environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bányai, Ágota

2010-05-01

A new field of MSc programme offered by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics of the University of Miskolc is represented by the programme in logistics engineering. The Faculty has always laid great emphasis on assigning processes connected with environment protection and globalisation issues the appropriate weight in its programmes. This is based on the fact that the Faculty has initiated and been involved in a great number of research and development projects with a substantial emphasis on the fundamental principles of sustainable development. The objective of the programme of logistics engineering is to train engineers who, in possession of the science, engineering, economic, informatics and industrial, transportation technological knowledge related to the professional field of logistics, are able to analyse, design, organise, and control logistics processes and systems (freight transportation, materials handling, storage, commissioning, loading, purchasing, distribution and waste management) as well as to design and develop machinery and equipment as the elements of logistic systems and also to be involved in their manufacture and quality control and are able to control their operation. The programme prepares its students for performing the logistics management tasks in a company, for creative participation in solving research and development problems in logistics and for pursuing logistics studies in doctoral programmes. There are several laboratories available for practice-oriented training. The 'Integrated Logistics Laboratory' consists of various fixed and mobile, real industrial, i.e. not model-level equipment, the integration of which in one system facilitates not only the presentation, examination and development of the individual self-standing facilities, but the study of their interaction as well in terms of mechatronics, engineering, control engineering, informatics, identification technology and logistics. The state-of-the-art, reliable, automated mechatronics-material flow system with its single control engineering system provides the academic staff with up-to-date research facilities, and enables the students to study sophisticated equipment and systems that could also operate under industrial conditions, thus offering knowledge that can be efficiently utilised in the industry after graduation. The laboratory measurements of the programme in logistics engineering are performed in this laboratory, and they are supplemented by the theoretical and practical measurements in the ‘Robotic Technology Assembly Laboratory', the ‘Power Electronics Laboratory', the ‘Mechatronics Laboratory', the ‘CAD/CAM Laboratory' and the ‘Acoustics and Product Laboratory'. The bodies of knowledge connected with environment protection and sustainable development can be grouped around three large topic areas. In environmental economics the objective is to present the corporate-organisational aspects of environmental management. Putting environmental management in the focal point, the objective of the programme is to impart knowledge that can be utilised in practice which can be used to shift the relation between the organisation and its environment in the direction of sustainability. The tools include environmental controlling, environmental marketing and various solutions of environmental performance evaluation. The second large topic area is globalization and its logistic aspects. In the field of global logistics the following knowledge carries special weight: logistic challenges in a globalised world; the concept of global logistics, its conditions and effects; delayed manufacture, assembly, packaging; the economic investigation of delayed assembly; globalised purchase and distribution in logistics; the logistic features of the globalised production supply/distribution chain; meta-logistics systems; logistics-related EU harmonisation issues; the effect of e-commerce on the global logistic system; logistic centres, connecting virtual logistic companies in a network; the environmental harmonisation of international transportation. The third large area is recycling logistics. Here the bodies of knowledge are as follows: the concept of developing a ‘closed-loop economy'; stages in the progress of products after discarding, connections between the uses of waste collection, processing, selection, deposition or reuse processes; features of European recommendations (e.g. EMAS), harmonisation of national practices and global solutions; presenting the logistics part-processes of recycling; presenting process organisation procedures for the foundation of designing one-route, multi-route, replacement container waste collecting and distributing part systems; recycling strategies with consideration of logistically serving the separation and storage of waste to be deposited, the technological processing systems of recyclable materials; presenting dismantling and product and material identification technologies, presenting logistics part-tasks, analysis of technical solutions; IT solutions for identifying products and their elements to be distributed and withdrawn from distribution after use (e.g. RFID systems) and monitoring their material flow; methodology of using efficiency analyses and incentive systems in the decision making processes of recycling processes, risk analysis for evaluating typical part processes; the methodology of recycling-oriented product design for specific product groups. Graduates of the Master programmes are able to use and utilise the knowledge obtained in practice, use problem-solving techniques; process the information, new problems and new phenomena arising in the border areas of the professional experience gained the discipline; formulate substantial criticism and opinions as far as possible, make decisions and draw conclusions; comprehending and solving the problems arising, suggesting original ideas; plan and perform tasks independently at a high professional standard; improve themselves, develop their knowledge to higher levels; view the management of technical/engineering - economic - human resources in a complex way; design complex systems in a global way based on a system-oriented and process-oriented way of thinking; use integrated knowledge from the professional fields of transport, mobile machinery, process theory, industrial production processes, electronics and informatics; combine the part processes of logistics systems and the part units performing their physical realisation (materials handling equipment, sensors, actuators, control systems, and database systems, etc.); perform state evaluations depending on their specialisation, use them to elaborate evaluations and recommendations, develop complex logistic systems, design, organise and control them at the highest level. This work was implemented with support by the European Union and co-funding of the European Social Fund.

Patient education in Parkinson's disease: Formative evaluation of a standardized programme in seven European countries.

PubMed

Macht, Michael; Gerlich, Christian; Ellgring, Heiner; Schradi, Martina; Rusiñol, Angels Bayés; Crespo, Maricruz; Prats, Ana; Viemerö, Vappu; Lankinen, Anu; Bitti, Pio Enrico Ricci; Candini, Lorena; Spliethoff-Kamminga, Noëlle; de Vreugd, Janny; Simons, Gwenda; Pasqualini, Marcia Smith; Thompson, Simon B N; Taba, Pille; Krikmann, Ulle; Kanarik, Eve

2007-02-01

To evaluate a newly developed education programme for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The programme consisted of eight sessions and aimed at improving knowledge and skills related to self-monitoring, health promotion, stress management, depression, anxiety, social competence, and social support, all with special reference to PD. The programme was formatively evaluated in seven European countries (Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany) with 151 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD. The evaluation included patients' ratings of the comprehensibility and feasibility of the programme as well as mood ratings before and after each session. Patients also completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the programme to explore possible changes in disease-related psychosocial problems, quality of life, and depression. The programme was feasible to run, and patients were able to understand its elements. Patients reported mood elevations following individual sessions and reduced disease-related psychosocial problems after completing the programme. There were no substantial differences in results between cultures. Patient education appears to have potential as a useful and feasible intervention, complementing medical treatment in PD. The present programme will soon be available in seven European languages and can be tested in different health care systems.

Replacing Concrete with Natural and Social Engineering: Learning the Lessons of Stakeholder Engagement from South West Water's Upland Catchment Management Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, David; Grand-Clement, Emile; Brazier, Richard

2014-05-01

Replacing Concrete with Natural and Social Engineering: Learning the Lessons of Stakeholder Engagement from South West Water's Upland Catchment Management Programme Smith, D., Grand-Clement, E., Anderson, K., Luscombe, D., G, N., Bratis, Brazier, R.E Peatlands in the South West of the British Isles have been extensively drained for agricultural reclamation and peat cutting. The improvement in food production resulting from this management practice has never clearly been observed. Instead, we are now faced with several detrimental consequences on a whole suite of ecosystem services, such as the delivery of water, water quality, biodiversity and carbon storage. Alongside the direct environmental implications, poor water quality is increasing water treatment costs and will drive significant future investment. As a result, water companies now need to find appropriate solutions to varying water levels and decreasing water quality through catchment management. The Mires Project, the catchment management programme used by South West Water (SWW) is working with a wide range of stakeholders to restore the hydrological functioning of peatlands, and the ecosystem services they provide. This programme is driven by overarching legal requirements (i.e. the water framework directive, Natura 2000), future climate change predictions, corporate responsibility and commercial needs. Post-restoration scientific monitoring is at the heart of the project improving of our understanding of the eco-hydrological and chemical process driving changes in management practice. The challenges faced from the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders will be explored, focusing on the benefits from stakeholder involvement in catchment management and hydrological research, but also considering the difficulties to be overcome. SWW is working with private land-owners, government agencies, local and national park Authorities, community and single interest groups and research institutions to achieve its catchment management objectives. To achieve this it has replaced the traditional water company approach of hard engineering solutions with a mixture of softer natural and social engineering.

Community participation in disease control.

PubMed

Bermejo, A; Bekui, A

1993-05-01

The main determinants of community participation in disease control programmes are identified and a framework with eleven variables is developed. Attention is drawn to the political background, community characteristics, the managerial capacity of the provider and the epidemiology of the disease. The framework is designed to guide health professionals in the systematic assessment and monitoring of participation in disease control programmes. Analysis of the Ghanaian Guinea Worm Eradication Programme and the Nicaraguan Tuberculosis Control Programme are presented as case studies. They show that political support does not guarantee community participation in disease control programmes and stress the importance of other determinants such as commitment to PHC, intersectoral coordination, the project approach and human resources. The relevance of the epidemiology of the disease in determining what degree of community participation will be most effective is highlighted by the case studies.

Who needs environmental monitoring?

Treesearch

Gary M. Lovett; Douglas A. Burns; Charles T. Driscoll; Jennifer C. Jenkins; Myron J. Mitchell; Lindsey Rustad; James B. Shanley; Gene E. Likens; Richard Haeuber

2007-01-01

Environmental monitoring is often criticized as being unscientific, too expensive, and wasteful. While some monitoring studies do suffer from these problems, there are also many highly successful long-term monitoring programs that have provided important scientific advances and crucial information for environmental policy. Here, we discuss the characteristics of...

Environmental-Socio-Economic Monitoring as a Tool of Region’s Environmental-Economic System Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galanina, T. V.; Baumgarten, M. I.; Mikhailov, V. G.; Koroleva, T. G.; Mikhailov, G. S.

2017-01-01

The paper deals with the region’s environmental-economic system management through a tool such as the environmental-socio-economic monitoring. The purpose of research - is analysis and development of theoretical assumptions of environmental-socio-economic monitoring system for the effective management of geographically distributed environmental-economic system. The main elements of environmental-socio-economic monitoring are identified, taking into account the characteristics of the studied area. The main result of the research is the development of multi-functional integrated monitoring system for the evaluation of the indicators "gross domestic product" and "gross national product", taking into account the influence of environmental factors. The results of the study conducted may be recommended to the regional and federal governments to support the effective, environment-friendly management decision-making consistent with the overall development concept.

Student Motivation in Graduate Music Programmes: An Examination of Personal and Environmental Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez-Moreno, Patricia Adelaida

2012-01-01

Despite the increasing number of students in music education graduate programmes, attrition rates suggest a lack of success in retaining and assisting them to the completion of their degree. Based on the expectancy-value theory, the aim of this study was to examine students' motivations (values and competence beliefs) and their complex interaction…

Environmental Models as a Service: Enabling Interoperability through RESTful Endpoints and API Documentation

EPA Science Inventory

Achieving interoperability in environmental modeling has evolved as software technology has progressed. The recent rise of cloud computing and proliferation of web services initiated a new stage for creating interoperable systems. Scientific programmers increasingly take advantag...

Environmental Models as a Service: Enabling Interoperability through RESTful Endpoints and API Documentation.

EPA Science Inventory

Achieving interoperability in environmental modeling has evolved as software technology has progressed. The recent rise of cloud computing and proliferation of web services initiated a new stage for creating interoperable systems. Scientific programmers increasingly take advantag...

Lost in translation? Theory, policy and practice in systems-based environmental approaches to obesity prevention in the Healthy Towns programme in England.

PubMed

Sautkina, Elena; Goodwin, Denise; Jones, Andy; Ogilvie, David; Petticrew, Mark; White, Martin; Cummins, Steven

2014-09-01

This paper explores how system-wide approaches to obesity prevention were 'theorised' and translated into practice in the 'Healthy Towns' programme implemented in nine areas in England. Semi-structured interviews with 20 informants, purposively selected to represent national and local programme development, management and delivery were undertaken. Results suggest that informants articulated a theoretical understanding of a system-wide approach to obesity prevention, but simplifying this complex task in the context of uncertainty over programme aims and objectives, and absence of a clear direction from the central government, resulted in local programmes relying on traditional multi-component approaches to programme delivery. The development of clear, practical guidance on implementation should form a central part of future system-wide approaches to obesity prevention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rocky Flats Plant Site Environmental Report for 1992

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

Cirrincione, D.A.; Erdmann, N.L.

1992-12-31

The Rocky Rats Plant Site Environmental Report provides summary information on the plant`s environmental monitoring programs and the results recorded during 1992. The report contains a compliance summary, results of environmental monitoring and other related programs, a review of environmental remediation activities, information on external gamma radiation dose monitoring, and radiation dose estimates for the surrounding population.

Real-time monitoring of enzyme-free strand displacement cascades by colorimetric assays.

PubMed

Duan, Ruixue; Wang, Boya; Hong, Fan; Zhang, Tianchi; Jia, Yongmei; Huang, Jiayu; Hakeem, Abdul; Liu, Nannan; Lou, Xiaoding; Xia, Fan

2015-03-19

The enzyme-free toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction has shown potential for building programmable DNA circuits, biosensors, molecular machines and chemical reaction networks. Here we report a simple colorimetric method using gold nanoparticles as signal generators for the real-time detection of the product of the strand displacement cascade. During the process the assembled gold nanoparticles can be separated, resulting in a color change of the solution. This assay can also be applied in complex mixtures, fetal bovine serum, and to detect single-base mismatches. These results suggest that this method could be of general utility to monitor more complex enzyme-free strand displacement reaction-based programmable systems or for further low-cost diagnostic applications.

Ambient air quality programmes for health impact assessment in the WHO European region.

PubMed

Mücke, H G

2000-06-01

An important aim of air quality assessment is to provide information about population exposure and health impact assessment. Numerous epidemiological studies have already shown that exposure to excessive levels of ambient air pollutants are associated with either acute or chronic health effects. Until recently, the adequacy of monitoring population exposure in relation to quantitative assessment of health effects of air pollution was rarely considered in ambient air monitoring strategies. This made the formulation of health-related recommendations to risk management difficult and weakens preventive and other measures to reduce adverse health effects of air pollution. To improve local and national capacities for health impact assessment, the European Centre for Environment and Health of the World Health Organization has prepared methodology guidelines concerning selected aspects of air monitoring. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Air Quality Management and Air Pollution Control support efforts in line with international programmes on quality assurance and control for Europe.

A Programmable SDN+NFV Architecture for UAV Telemetry Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Kyle J. S.; Pezaros, Dimitrios P.; Denney, Ewen; Knudson, Matt D.

2017-01-01

With the explosive growth in UAV numbers forecast worldwide, a core concern is how to manage the ad-hoc network configuration required for mobility management. As UAVs migrate among ground control stations, associated network services, routing and operational control must also rapidly migrate to ensure a seamless transition. In this paper, we present a novel, lightweight and modular architecture which supports high mobility, resilience and flexibility through the application of SDN and NFV principles on top of the UAV infrastructure. By combining SDN programmability and Network Function Virtualization we can achieve resilient infrastructure migration of network services, such as network monitoring and anomaly detection, coupled with migrating UAVs to enable high mobility management. Our container-based monitoring and anomaly detection Network Functions (NFs) can be tuned to specific UAV models providing operators better insight during live, high-mobility deployments. We evaluate our architecture against telemetry from over 80flights from a scientific research UAV infrastructure.

Environmental management and monitoring for education building development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masri, R. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of research were (1) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for environmental management and monitoring for education building development, (2) standard operational procedure made for management and monitoring for education building development, (3) assessed physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components so that fulfilling sustainable development, (4) environmental management and monitoring program made for decreasing negative and increasing positive impact in education building development activities. Descriptive method is used for the research. Cibiru UPI Campus, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. The research was conducted on July 2016 to January 2017. Spatial and activities analysis were used to assess physic-chemical, biological, social-economic environmental components. Environmental management and monitoring for education building development could be decreasing water, air, soil pollution and environmental degradation in education building development activities.

Monitoring suspended sediment and associated trace element and nutrient fluxes in large river basins in the USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horowitz, A.J.

2004-01-01

In 1996, the US Geological Survey converted its occurrence and distribution-based National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) to a national, flux-based water-quality monitoring programme. The main objective of the revised programme is to characterize large USA river basins by measuring the fluxes of selected constituents at critical nodes in various basins. Each NASQAN site was instrumented to determine daily discharge, but water and suspended sediment samples are collected no more than 12-15 times per year. Due to the limited sampling programme, annual suspended sediment fluxes were determined from site-specific sediment rating (transport) curves. As no significant relationship could be found between either discharge or suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and suspended sediment chemistry, trace element and nutrient fluxes are estimated using site-specific mean or median chemical levels determined from a number of samples collected over a period of years, and under a variety of flow conditions.

The Effect of Out-of School Activities on Conceptual Change in Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirbas, Cagri Ozturk

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to determining the change in secondary school students' cognitive structure related to the concepts of environmental problems. There were 21th grades students of two middle schools in Kirsehir. In this research, the students participated in outdoor activities on environmental education programmes during 5 weekends…

Connect, UNESCO-UNEP Environmental Education Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 1. March 1984. Publications of the International Environmental Education Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connect, 1984

1984-01-01

This newsletter describes eight International Environmental Education Program publications and lists titles of five others to be published. The goal of these publications (including sourcebooks and learning modules) is to provide individuals and institutions with the educational content and pedagogical guidelines permitting effective promotion and…

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Niger.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Biga Hassoumi, Abdoulazize

2011-04-01

Due to limited progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children <5 years of age, an alliance of international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel,' starting with a situational analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The main objectives of this analysis are to compile, analyse, and interpret available information on infant and child feeding and the nutrition situation of children <2 years of age in Niger, as one of the six targeted countries. Between August and November 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Niger were interviewed, and 90 documents were examined on: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, management of acute malnutrition, food security, and hygienic practices. The results reported are limited by the availability of documents for review. Mortality rates are on track to reaching the Millennium Development Goal to reduce mortality among young children by two-thirds by 2015, but there has been no change in undernutrition, and total mortality rates are still high among young children. Nearly all of the key IYCN topics were addressed, specifically or generally, in national policy documents, training materials, and programmes. A national nutrition council meets regularly to coordinate programme activities nationally. Many of the IYCN-related programmes are intended for national coverage, but few reach this coverage. Monitoring and impact evaluations were conducted on some programmes, but few of these reported on whether the specific IYCN components of the programme were implemented as designed or compared outcomes with non-intervention sites. Human resources have been identified as inadequate to fully carry out nutrition programmes in Niger. Due to these limitations, we could not confirm whether the lack of progress in reducing malnutrition was due to ineffective or inadequately implemented programmes, though both of these were likely contributors. The policy framework is well established for the promotion of optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) increase human capacities to carry out nutrition programmes; (ii) expand and track the implementation of evidence-based programmes nationally; (iii) improve and carry out monitoring and evaluation that identify effective and ineffective programmes; and (iv) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

High altitude environmental monitoring: the SHARE project and CEOP-HE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tartari, G.

2009-04-01

Mountain areas above 2,500 m a.s.l. constitute about 25% of the Earth's surface and play a fundamental role in the global water balance, while influencing global climate and atmospheric circulation systems. Several millions, including lowlanders, are directly affected by the impacts of climate change on glaciers and water resource distribution. Mountains and high altitude plateaus are subject to the highest rate of temperature increase (e.g., Tibetan Plateau) and are recognized as particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In spite of this, the number of permanent monitoring sites in the major environmental networks decreases with altitude. On a sample of two hundred high altitude automatic weather stations located above 2,500 m a.s.l., less than 20% are over 4,000 m, while there are only 24 stations in the world that could be considered "complete" high altitude observatories. Furthermore, entire mountain areas are left uncovered, creating significant data gaps which make reliable modelling and forecasting nearly impossible. In response to these problems, Ev-K2-CNR has developed the project SHARE (Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment) with the support of the Italian government and in collaboration with UNEP. This integrated environmental monitoring and research project aims to improve knowledge on the local, regional and global consequences of climate change in mountain regions and on the influence of high elevations on climate, atmospheric circulation and hydrology. SHARE today boasts a network of 13 permanent monitoring stations between 2,165 m and 8,000 m. Affiliated researchers have produced over 150 scientific publications in atmospheric sciences, meteorology and climate, glaciology, limnology and paleolimnology and geophysics. SHARE network data is also contributed to international programs (UNEP-ABC, WMO-GAW, WCRP-GEWEX-CEOP, NASA-AERONET, ILTER, EU-EUSAAR, EU-ACCENT). Within this context, the CEOP-High Elevations (CEOP-HE) element of regional focus was developed under the GEWEX CEOP programme to study multi-scale variability in water and energy cycles in high elevation areas, and to help improve observations, modelling and data management. Future plans include expansion of the SHARE network, addition of other key research areas including hydrology, and creation of mechanisms to favour exchange of data amongst high altitude networks. In coordination with other global research and monitoring projects (CliC, etc.), SHARE and CEOP-HE could provide a more organic and well-distributed interdisciplinary network, thus allowing governments and international agencies to better face impacts of climate change effects on energy and water budgets and elaborate appropriate adaptation strategies.

Invitation strategies and coverage in the population-based cancer screening programmes in the European Union.

PubMed

Vale, Diama B; Anttila, Ahti; Ponti, Antonio; Senore, Carlo; Sankaranaryanan, Rengaswamy; Ronco, Guglielmo; Segnan, Nereo; Tomatis, Mariano; Žakelj, Maja P; Elfström, Klara M; Lönnberg, Stefan; Dillner, Joakim; Basu, Partha

2018-03-21

The aim of this study was to describe the compliance of the population-based cancer screening programmes in the European Union Member States to the invitation strategies enumerated in the European Guidelines and the impact of such strategies on the invitational coverage. Experts in screening programme monitoring from the respective countries provided data. Coverage by invitation was calculated as the proportion of individuals in the target age range receiving a screening invitation over the total number of annualized eligible population. The invitation strategies of 30 breasts, 25 cervical and 27 colorectal national or regional population-based screening programmes are described. Individual mail invitations are sent by 28 breasts, 20 cervical and 25 colorectal screening programmes. Faecal occult blood test kits are sent by post in 17 of the colorectal cancer screening programmes. The majority of programmes claimed to have a population registry, although some use health insurance data as the database for sending invitations. At least 95% invitation coverage was reached by 16 breast, six cervical and five colorectal screening programmes. Majority of the programmes comply with the invitation strategies enumerated in the European guidelines, although there is still scope for improvements. Coverage by invitation is below the desirable level in many population-based cancer screening programmes in European Union.

Risk management and lessons learned solutions for satellite product assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larrère, Jean-Luc

2004-08-01

The historic trend of the space industry towards lower cost programmes and more generally a better economic efficiency raises a difficult question to the quality assurance community: how to achieve the same—or better—mission success rate while drastically reducing the cost of programmes, hence the cost and level of quality assurance activities. EADS Astrium Earth Observation and Science (France) Business Unit have experimented Risk Management and Lessons Learned on their satellite programmes to achieve this goal. Risk analysis and management are deployed from the programme proposal phase through the development and operations phases. Results of the analysis and the corresponding risk mitigation actions are used to tailor the product assurance programme and activities. Lessons learned have been deployed as a systematic process to collect positive and negative experience from past and on-going programmes and feed them into new programmes. Monitoring and justification of their implementation in programmes is done under supervision from the BU quality assurance function. Control of the system is ensured by the company internal review system. Deployment of these methods has shown that the quality assurance function becomes more integrated in the programme team and development process and that its tasks gain focus and efficiency while minimising the risks associated with new space programmes.

Installation package for integrated programmable electronic controller and hydronic subsystem - solar heating and cooling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A description is given of the Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual and information on the power panel and programmable microprocessor, a hydronic solar pump system and a hydronic heating hot water pumping system. These systems are integrated into various configurations for usages in solar energy management, control and monitoring, lighting control, data logging and other solar related applications.

National Satellite Land Monitoring Systems for REDD+ : the UN-REDD support to countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, I. G. C.

2015-12-01

REDD+, which stands for 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries' - is a climate mitigation effort and aims to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. The UN-REDD Programme, a collaborative partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP launched in September 2008, supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the imeaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.The Programme supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in partner countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, in two ways: (i) direct support to the design and implementation of UN-REDD National Programmes; and (ii) complementary support to national REDD+ action through common approaches, analyses, methodologies, tools, data and best practices. The UN-REDD Programme currently supports 62 partner countries. The UN-REDD Programme gathers technical teams from around the world to develop common approaches, analyses and guidelines on issues such as measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of carbon emissions and flows, remote sensing, and greenhouse gas inventories. Within the partnership, FAO supports countries on technical issues related to forestry and the development of cost effective and credible MRV processes for emission reductions. While at the international level, it fosters improved guidance on MRV approaches, including consensus on principles and guidelines for MRV and training programmes. It provides guidance on how best to design and implement REDD, to ensure that forests continue to provide multiple benefits for livelihoods and biodiversity to societies while storing carbon at the same time. Other areas of work include national forest assessments and monitoring of in-country policy and institutional change. The outcomes about the role of satellite remote sensing technologies as a tool for national monitoring under the REDD+ mechanism are here presented. Some specific country examples will be shown and the current use(fulness) of radar and high resolution data is discussed.

Norovirus contamination of a drinking water supply at a hotel resort.

PubMed

Jack, Susan; Bell, Derek; Hewitt, Joanne

2013-12-13

To investigate a waterborne gastroenteritis outbreak and consider wider environmental contamination concerns. An acute gastroenteritis outbreak was investigated through interviews, analysis of faecal samples, drinking water and environmental water samples. A total of 53 cases reported an illness of acute gastroenteritis following stays and/or dining at a hotel or neighbouring resort in southern New Zealand over a 1-month period in early spring 2012. The consumption of table or tap water was strongly associated with the illness. Faecal samples were positive for norovirus (NoV) genogroup I and II (GI and GII). Drinking tap water samples were positive for NoV GI and GII but negative for Escherichia coli (E. coli). Wider environmental water testing at local drinking water sources, around the sewage disposal field and at the nearby river showed the presence of NoV GI and GII. Voluntary boil water notices were issued and implemented with no further cases following this action. Additional treatment of drinking water supplies has been implemented and sewerage disposal concerns referred to local government. Investigation of this gastroenteritis outbreak revealed contamination of both drinking water and the wider environment with NoV. Bacterial indicators do not adequately cover contamination by viruses but due to costs, frequent virus monitoring programmes are currently impractical. A strategy to decrease environmental contamination of drinking water supplies in this busy tourist location through improved management of sewage disposal and drinking water is urgently required.

Minimum detectable dose as a measure of bioassay programme capability.

PubMed

Carbaugh, E H

2003-01-01

This paper suggests that minimum detectable dose (MDD) be used to describe the capability of bioassay programmes for which intakes are expected to be rare. This allows expression of the capability in units that correspond directly to primary dose limits. The concept uses the well established analytical statistic minimum detectable amount (MDA) as the starting point, and assumes MDA detection at a prescribed time post-intake. The resulting dose can then be used as an indication of the adequacy or capability of the programme for demonstrating compliance with the performance criteria. MDDs can be readily tabulated or plotted to demonstrate the effectiveness of different types of monitoring programmes. The inclusion of cost factors for bioassay measurements can allow optimisation.

Student Summary of the U.S. Department of Energy Portsmouth Annual Site Environmental Report (ASER) for 2014

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

Alexander, Cameryn; Harris, Quincy; Pyle, Caitlin

The purpose of the full ASER document is to provide details of environmental activities, primarily environmental monitoring, for calendar year 2014. This summary report of the full 2014 ASER provides details in which DOE demonstrates compliance with local, state and federal regulations within environmental programs - both radiological and non-radiological monitoring and groundwater monitoring (DOE, 2016). This report is not intended to present all of the monitoring activities at PORTS and more information can be found at the PORTS Environmental Information Center and website, which is http://energy.gov/pppo/portsmouth-environmental-center.

2015 Site Environmental Report Fernald Preserve

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

Hertel, Bill; Hooten, Gwen

The Fernald Preserve 2015 Site Environmental Report provides stakeholders with the results from the Fernald, Ohio, Site’s environmental monitoring programs for 2015; a summary of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) activities conducted onsite; and a summary of the Fernald Preserve’s compliance with the various environmental regulations, compliance agreements, and DOE policies that govern site activities. This report has been prepared in accordance with the “Integrated Environmental Monitoring Plan,” which is Attachment D of the Comprehensive Legacy Management and Institutional Controls Plan (LMICP) (DOE 2016). Remediation of the Fernald Preserve has been successfully completed with the exception of the groundwater.more » During 2015, activities at the Fernald Preserve included: environmental monitoring activities related to direct radiation, groundwater, and surface water; ecological restoration monitoring and maintenance as well as inspections, care, and monitoring of the site and the OSDF to ensure that provisions of the LMICP are fully implemented; OSDF leak detection monitoring and collection, monitoring, and treatment of leachate from the OSDF; extraction, monitoring, and treatment of contaminated groundwater from the Great Miami Aquifer (Operable Unit 5); ongoing operation of the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center, associated outreach, and educational activities; and monitoring as specified in the site’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Environmental monitoring programs were developed to ensure that the remedy remains protective of the environment. The requirements of these programs are described in detail in the LMICP and reported in this Site Environmental Report.« less

Construction on Practical Talents Training Mode in Environmental Monitoring Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jing-Ping; Wang, Xin-Hong

2017-01-01

Environmental Monitoring is a basic and comprehensive course for students majoring in environmental sciences and engineering. Based on the characteristics of this course, a new teaching mode in application of practical talents training in Environmental Monitoring Curriculum teaching mode is proposed including the new scheme of training applied…

76 FR 11751 - Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-03

... Collection; Environmental Monitoring Form AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION... monitoring. DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 2, 2011. ADDRESSES: You may... information on environmental monitoring, contact Dr. Robert Baca, Team Leader, Environmental Compliance...

1998 Environmental Monitoring Program Report for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

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

L. V. Street

This report describes the calendar year 1998 compliance monitoring and environmental surveillance activities of the Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company Environmental Monitoring Program performed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. This report includes results of sampling performed by the Drinking Water, Effluent, Storm Water, Groundwater Monitoring, and Environmental Surveillance Programs. This report compares the 1998 results to program-specific regulatory guidelines and past data to evaluate trends. The primary purposes of the monitoring and surveillance activities are to evaluate environmental conditions, to provide and interpret data, to verify compliance with applicable regulations or standards, and to ensure protection ofmore » public health and the environment. Surveillance of environmental media did not identify any previously unknown environmental problems or trends, which would indicate a loss of control or unplanned releases from facility operations. The INEEL complied with permits and applicable regulations, with the exception of nitrogen samples in a disposal pond effluent stream and iron and total coliform bacteria in groundwater downgradient from one disposal pond. Data collected by the Environmental Monitoring Program demonstrate that the public health and environment were protected.« less

Environmental Models as a Service: Enabling Interoperability through RESTful Endpoints and API Documentation (presentation)

EPA Science Inventory

Achieving interoperability in environmental modeling has evolved as software technology has progressed. The recent rise of cloud computing and proliferation of web services initiated a new stage for creating interoperable systems. Scientific programmers increasingly take advantag...

Copernicus Earth observation programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žlebir, Silvo

European Earth observation program Copernicus is an EU-wide programme that integrates satellite data, in-situ data and modeling to provide user-focused information services to support policymakers, researchers, businesses and citizens. Land monitoring service and Emergency service are fully operational already, Atmosphere monitoring service and Marine environment monitoring service are preoperational and will become fully operational in the following year, while Climate change service and Security service are in an earlier development phase. New series of a number of dedicated satellite missions will be launched in the following years, operated by the European Space Agency and EUMETSAT, starting with Sentinel 1A satellite early this year. Ground based, air-borne and sea-borne in-situ data are provided by different international networks and organizations, EU member states networks etc. European Union is devoting a particular attention to secure a sustainable long-term operational provision of the services. Copernicus is also stated as a European Union’s most important contribution to Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The status and the recent development of the Copernicus programme will be presented, together with its future perspective. As Copernicus services have already demonstrated their usability and effectiveness, some interesting cases of their deployment will be presented. Copernicus free and open data policy, supported by a recently adopted EU legislative act, will also be presented.

Environmental Security in the Danube River Basin: Policy Implications for the United States

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

United Nations Environmental Programme and Centre for Human Settlements jointly formed a Balkans Task Force that has been conducting independent and...1199 V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the United States Air Force Institute for National Security Studies (TNSS) and the Army Environmental...regularly scheduled course on Responsibilities of Military Forces in Environmental Protection. Mr. Robert Jarrett of AEPI provided valuable review

Temporal evolution of the environmental performance of implementing selective collection in municipal waste management systems in developing countries: A Brazilian case study.

PubMed

Ibáñez-Forés, Valeria; Bovea, María D; Coutinho-Nóbrega, Claudia; de Medeiros-García, Hozana R; Barreto-Lins, Raissa

2018-02-01

The aim of this study is to analyse the evolution of the municipal solid waste management system of João Pessoa (Brazil), which was one of the Brazilian pioneers cities in implementing door-to-door selective collection programmes, in order to analyse the effect of policy decisions adopted in last decade with regard to selective collection. To do it, this study focuses on analysing the evolution, from 2005 to 2015, of the environmental performance of the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system implemented in different sorting units with selective collection programmes by applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and using as a starting point data collected directly from the different stakeholders involved in the MSWM system. This article presents the temporal evolution of environmental indicators measuring the environmental performance of the MSWM system implemented in João Pessoa by sorting unit, for each stage of the life cycle of the waste (collection, classification, intermediate transports, recycling and landfilling), for each waste fraction and for each collection method (selective collection or mixed collection), with the aim of identifying the key aspects with the greatest environmental impact and their causes. Results show on one hand, that environmental behaviour of waste management in a door-to-door selective collection programme significantly improves the behaviour of the overall waste management system. Consequently, the potential to reduce the existing environmental impact based on citizens' increased participation in selective collection is evidenced, so the implementation of awareness-raising campaigns should be one of the main issues of the next policies on solid waste. On the other hand, increasing the amount of recyclable wastes collected selectively, implementing alternative methods for valorising the organic fraction (compost/biomethanization) and improving the efficiency of the transportation stage by means of optimizing vehicles or routes, are essential actions to reduce the overall net environmental impact generated by the MSWM system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of reactive gases and aerosols in the MACC global analysis and forecast system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eskes, H.; Huijnen, V.; Arola, A.; Benedictow, A.; Blechschmidt, A.-M.; Botek, E.; Boucher, O.; Bouarar, I.; Chabrillat, S.; Cuevas, E.; Engelen, R.; Flentje, H.; Gaudel, A.; Griesfeller, J.; Jones, L.; Kapsomenakis, J.; Katragkou, E.; Kinne, S.; Langerock, B.; Razinger, M.; Richter, A.; Schultz, M.; Schulz, M.; Sudarchikova, N.; Thouret, V.; Vrekoussis, M.; Wagner, A.; Zerefos, C.

2015-02-01

The European MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) project is preparing the operational Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), one of the services of the European Copernicus Programme on Earth observation and environmental services. MACC uses data assimilation to combine in-situ and remote sensing observations with global and regional models of atmospheric reactive gases, aerosols and greenhouse gases, and is based on the Integrated Forecast System of the ECMWF. The global component of the MACC service has a dedicated validation activity to document the quality of the atmospheric composition products. In this paper we discuss the approach to validation that has been developed over the past three years. Topics discussed are the validation requirements, the operational aspects, the measurement data sets used, the structure of the validation reports, the models and assimilation systems validated, the procedure to introduce new upgrades, and the scoring methods. One specific target of the MACC system concerns forecasting special events with high pollution concentrations. Such events receive extra attention in the validation process. Finally, a summary is provided of the results from the validation of the latest set of daily global analysis and forecast products from the MACC system reported in November 2014.

Teenagers with diabetes: self-management education and training on a big schooner.

PubMed

Viklund, Gunnel E; Rudberg, Susanne; Wikblad, K F

2007-12-01

The aims of this study are to evaluate whether diabetic teenagers participating in a group educational programme, 'the schooner programme', differ from non-participants in attitudes towards diabetes and self-care, and to evaluate the impact on the attitudes, HbA1c and treatment of the programme. Ninety teenagers aged 14-18 years attended the programme. Attitudes towards diabetes and self-care were measured with a validated questionnaire. Medical data were collected from the medical records. The participants reported more positive attitudes towards diabetes and self-care and more frequent contacts with others with diabetes monitored blood glucose more often and felt less disturbed by diabetes than non-participants. The programme had positive impact on attitudes towards diabetes. There was no change in HbA1c, but the use of insulin pumps was more frequent among participants after the programme. To get teenagers attracted to group education, the diabetes care team needs to influence them towards more positive attitudes.

What is needed for taking emergency obstetric and neonatal programmes to scale?

PubMed

Bergh, Anne-Marie; Allanson, Emma; Pattinson, Robert C

2015-11-01

Scaling up an emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) programme entails reaching a larger number of people in a potentially broader geographical area. Multiple strategies requiring simultaneous attention should be deployed. This paper provides a framework for understanding the implementation, scale-up and sustainability of such programmes. We reviewed the existing literature and drew on our experience in scaling up the Essential Steps in the Management of Obstetric Emergencies (ESMOE) programme in South Africa. We explore the non-linear change process and conditions to be met for taking an existing EmONC programme to scale. Important concepts cutting across all components of a programme are equity, quality and leadership. Conditions to be met include appropriate awareness across the board and a policy environment that leads to the following: commitment, health systems-strengthening actions, allocation of resources (human, financial and capital/material), dissemination and training, supportive supervision and monitoring and evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-section analyses of attitudes towards science and nature from the International Social Survey Programme 1993, 2000, and 2010 surveys.

PubMed

Reyes, Joseph Anthony L

2015-04-01

This paper explores public attitudes towards science and nature in twelve countries using data from the International Social Survey Programme environment modules of 1993, 2000, and 2010. Analysis of attitude items indicates technocentric and pessimistic dimensions broadly related to the Dominant Social Paradigm and New Environmental Paradigm. A bi-axial dimension scale is utilized to classify respondents among four environmental knowledge orientations. Discernible and significant patterns are found among countries and their populations. Relationships with other substantial variables in the surveys are discussed and findings show that the majority of industrialized countries are clustered in the rational ecologist categorization with respondents possessing stronger ecological consciousness and optimism towards the role of modern institutions, science, and technology in solving environmental problems. © The Author(s) 2013.

Monitoring of timely and delayed vaccinations: a nation-wide registry-based study of Norwegian children aged < 2 years.

PubMed

Riise, Øystein Rolandsen; Laake, Ida; Bergsaker, Marianne Adeleide Riise; Nøkleby, Hanne; Haugen, Inger Lise; Storsæter, Jann

2015-11-13

Delayed vaccinations increase the risk for vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). Monitoring of delayed vaccinations by using a national immunisation registry has not been studied in countries recommending a two-dose (3 and 5 months of age) primary series of e.g., pertussis vaccine. Surveillance/monitoring of all vaccinations may improve vaccination programmes functioning. We obtained information from the Norwegian immunisation registry (SYSVAK) on all programme vaccinations received at age up to 730 days in children born in 2010 (n = 63,382). Timely vaccinations were received up to 7 days after the recommended age. Vaccinations were considered delayed if they were received more than one month after the recommended age in the schedule. In vaccinated children, timely administration of the subsequent three doses of pertussis and one dose of measles occurred in 73.8, 47.6, 53.6 and 43.5 % respectively. Delay for one or more programme vaccinations (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenza type B, invasive pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps or rubella) was present in 28,336 (44.7 %) children. Among those who were delayed the mean duration was 139 days. The proportion of children that had vaccinations delayed differed among counties (range 37.4 %-57.8 %). Immigrant children were more frequently delayed 52.3 % vs. 43.1 %, RR 1.21 (95 % CI 1.19, 1.24). Children scheduled for vaccines in the summer holiday month (July) were more frequently delayed than others (1(st) dose pertussis vaccine 6.5 % vs. 3.9 % RR 1.65 (95 % CI 1.48, 1.85). Priming against pertussis (2(nd) dose), pneumococcal (2(nd) dose) and measles (1(st) dose) was delayed in 16.8, 18.6 and 29.3 % respectively. Vaccinations were frequently delayed. Delayed vaccinations differed among counties and occurred more frequently during the summer vacation (July) and in the immigrant population. Monitoring improves programme surveillance and may be used on an annual basis.

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

Lukhanin, Gennadiy; Biery, Kurt; Foulkes, Stephen

In the NO A experiment, the Detector Controls System (DCS) provides a method for controlling and monitoring important detector hardware and environmental parameters. It is essential for operating the detector and is required to have access to roughly 370,000 independent programmable channels via more than 11,600 physical devices. In this paper, we demonstrate an application of Control System Studio (CSS), developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for the NO A experiment. The application of CSS for the DCS of the NO A experiment has been divided into three phases: (1) user requirements and concept prototype on a test-stand, (2) smallmore » scale deployment at the prototype Near Detector on the Surface, and (3) a larger scale deployment at the Far Detector. We also give an outline of the CSS integration with the NO A online software and the alarm handling logic for the Front-End electronics.« less

Next Generation UAS Based Spectral Systems for Environmental Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, P.; Townsend, P.; Mandl, D.; Kingdon, C.; Ly, V.; Sohlberg, R.; Corp, L.; Cappelaere, P.; Frye, S.; Handy, M.;

Experience real-time climate change: Environmental education at Jamtal glacier.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Andrea; Seiser, Bernd; Hartl, Lea; Bendler, Gebhard

2016-04-01

Kids hear about climate change in everyday news, but, unlike grown-ups, they find it much harder to imagine changes over decades, i.e. much longer than their own life span. So how to teach them the issues of climate change? Jamtalferner is an Alpine glacier with an ongoing mass balance monitoring programme started in 1988/89. Surveys of glacier length changes by the Austrian Alpine Club date back even longer, so that the glacier retreat after the Little Ice Age is well documented. As the glacier is easy to access, at just one hour's easy walk from the mountain hut, Jamtalferner was selected to compile materials on climate change for the use in schools and for preparing excursions for a hands-on confrontation with climate change and to give an impression of decadal changes. The materials will be available at www.umweltbildung-jamtal.info and include time series of photographs, maps, tables, background information and exercises.

An improved resource management model based on MDS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Man; Sun, Changying; Li, Pengfei; Sun, Yongdong; He, Rui

2005-11-01

GRID technology provides a kind of convenient method for managing GRID resources. This service is so-called monitoring, discovering service. This method is proposed by Globus Alliance, in this GRID environment, all kinds of resources, such as computational resources, storage resources and other resources can be organized by MDS specifications. However, this MDS is a theory framework, particularly, in a small world intranet, in the case of limit of resources, the MDS has its own limitation. Based on MDS, an improved light method for managing corporation computational resources and storage resources is proposed in intranet(IMDS). Firstly, in MDS, all kinds of resource description information is stored in LDAP, it is well known although LDAP is a light directory access protocol, in practice, programmers rarely master how to access and store resource information into LDAP store, in such way, it limits MDS to be used. So, in intranet, these resources' description information can be stored in RDBMS, programmers and users can access this information by standard SQL. Secondly, in MDS, how to monitor all kinds of resources in GRID is not transparent for programmers and users. In such way, it limits its application scope, in general, resource monitoring method base on SNMP is widely employed in intranet, therefore, a kind of resource monitoring method based on SNMP is integrated into MDS. Finally, all kinds of resources in the intranet can be described by XML, and all kinds of resources' description information is stored in RDBMS, such as MySql, and retrieved by standard SQL, dynamic information for all kinds of resources can be sent to resource storage by SNMP, A prototype resource description, monitoring is designed and implemented in intranet.

Toward the definition of specific protection goals for the environmental risk assessment of chemicals: A perspective on environmental regulation in Europe.

PubMed

Brown, A Ross; Whale, Graham; Jackson, Mathew; Marshall, Stuart; Hamer, Mick; Solga, Andreas; Kabouw, Patrick; Galay-Burgos, Malyka; Woods, Richard; Nadzialek, Stephanie; Maltby, Lorraine

2017-01-01

This critical review examines the definition and implementation of environmental protection goals for chemicals in current European Union (EU) legislation, guidelines, and international agreements to which EU countries are party. The European chemical industry is highly regulated, and prospective environmental risk assessments (ERAs) are tailored for different classes of chemical, according to their specific hazards, uses, and environmental exposure profiles. However, environmental protection goals are often highly generic, requiring the prevention of "unacceptable" or "adverse" impacts on "biodiversity" and "ecosystems" or the "environment as a whole." This review aims to highlight working examples, challenges, solutions, and best practices for defining specific protection goals (SPGs), which are seen to be essential for refining and improving ERA. Specific protection goals hinge on discerning acceptable versus unacceptable adverse effects on the key attributes of relevant, sensitive ecological entities (ranging from organisms to ecosystems). Some isolated examples of SPGs for terrestrial and aquatic biota can be found in prospective ERA guidance for plant protection products (PPPs). However, SPGs are generally limited to environmental or nature legislation that requires environmental monitoring and retrospective ERA. This limitation is due mainly to the availability of baselines, which define acceptable versus unacceptable environmental effects on the key attributes of sentinel species, populations and/or communities, such as reproductive status, abundance, or diversity. Nevertheless, very few regulatory case examples exist in which SPGs incorporate effect magnitude, spatial extent, and temporal duration. We conclude that more holistic approaches are needed for defining SPGs, particularly with respect to protecting population sustainability, ecosystem function, and integrity, which are implicit in generic protection goals and explicit in the International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS) definition of "adverse effect." A possible solution, which the chemical industry is currently assessing, is wider application of the ecosystem services approach proposed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the risk assessment of PPPs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:17-37. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Application of ISO standard 27048: dose assessment for the monitoring of workers for internal radiation exposure.

PubMed

Henrichs, K

2011-03-01

Besides ongoing developments in the dosimetry of incorporated radionuclides, there are various efforts to improve the monitoring of workers for potential or real intakes of radionuclides. The disillusioning experience with numerous intercomparison projects identified substantial differences between national regulations, concepts, applied programmes and methods, and dose assessment procedures. Measured activities were not directly comparable because of significant differences between measuring frequencies and methods, but also results of case studies for dose assessments revealed differences of orders of magnitude. Besides the general common interest in reliable monitoring results, at least the cross-border activities of workers (e.g. nuclear power plant services) require consistent approaches and comparable results. The International Standardization Organization therefore initiated projects to standardise programmes for the monitoring of workers, the requirements for measuring laboratories and the processes for the quantitative evaluation of monitoring results in terms of internal assessed doses. The strength of the concepts applied by the international working group consists in a unified approach defining the requirements, databases and processes. This paper is intended to give a short introduction into the standardization project followed by a more detailed description of the dose assessment standard, which will be published in the very near future.

The Delaware River Basin Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative: Foundation Document

Treesearch

Peter S. Murdoch; Jennifer C. Jenkins; Richard A. Birdsey

2008-01-01

The U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service formed the Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) to test strategies for integrated environmental monitoring among the agencies. The initiative combined monitoring and research efforts of the participating Federal programs to evaluate health and...

Listening to Teachers: Teacher and Student Roles in the New South Wales Sustainable Schools Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennelly, Julie; Taylor, Neil; Jenkins, Kathy

2008-01-01

This paper reports on an interview study of eight teachers engaged in the Sustainable Schools Programme (SSP) in New South Wales, Australia. Teacher views on key components of education for sustainability are compared with the underlying socially critical approach of the SSP and the NSW policy on environmental education. Their views on active…

Embedding Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Case Study Examining Common Challenges and Opportunities for Undergraduate Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Paula; Trier, Colin J.; Richards, Jonathan P.

2008-01-01

This paper explores the perceptions of academics and students towards embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into undergraduate degree programmes in the School for Earth, Ocean and Environmental Science (SEOES) at the University of Plymouth. The main purpose of the research was to identify current ESD related teaching and learning…

Effects of a Worksite Weight-Control Programme in Obese Male Workers: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iriyama, Yae; Murayama, Nobuko

2014-01-01

Objective: We conducted a randomized controlled crossover trial to evaluate the effects of a new worksite weight-control programme designed for men with or at risk of obesity using a combination of nutrition education and nutrition environmental interventions. Subjects and methods: Male workers with or at risk of obesity were recruited for this…

Greek Students Research the Effects of Fire on the Soil System through Project-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kioupi, Vasiliki; Arianoutsou, Margarita

2016-01-01

This study is focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of an environmental education programme for secondary education students. The programme was entitled "?he effects of fire on the soil system" and it was implemented during the school period of 2008. Twenty-four (24) students (aged from 15 to 20) coming from Lidoriki…

Distributed intelligent urban environment monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Jinsong; Wang, Wei; Gao, Jie; Cong, Rigang

2018-02-01

The current environmental pollution and destruction have developed into a world-wide major social problem that threatens human survival and development. Environmental monitoring is the prerequisite and basis of environmental governance, but overall, the current environmental monitoring system is facing a series of problems. Based on the electrochemical sensor, this paper designs a small, low-cost, easy to layout urban environmental quality monitoring terminal, and multi-terminal constitutes a distributed network. The system has been small-scale demonstration applications and has confirmed that the system is suitable for large-scale promotion

HIV-Stigma in Nigeria: Review of Research Studies, Policies, and Programmes

PubMed Central

Odimegwu, Clifford O.; Alabi, Olatunji O.

2017-01-01

Nigeria has about 3.8 million people living with HIV, the second largest globally. Stigma and discrimination are major barriers to testing, treatment uptake, and adherence. In this review, we synthesized information on research studies, policies, and programmes related to HIV-stigma in Nigeria. This was with a view to identify critical areas that research and programmes must address in order to accelerate the progress towards zero (new infections, discrimination, and death) target by year 2030. Existing studies were mostly devoted to stigma assessment using varieties of measures. Research, policies, and programmes in the past two decades have made very useful contributions to stigma reduction. We identified the need for a consistent, valid, and objective measure of stigma at different levels of the HIV response. Nigeria does not lack relevant policies; what needs to be strengthened are design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of context-specific stigma reduction programmes. PMID:29445545

A model to increase rehabilitation adherence to home exercise programmes in patients with varying levels of self-efficacy.

PubMed

Picha, Kelsey J; Howell, Dana M

2018-03-01

Patient adherence to rehabilitation programmes is frequently low - particularly adherence to home exercise programmes. Home exercise programmes have been identified as complementary to clinic-based physical therapy in an orthopaedic setting. Barriers to patient adherence have previously been identified within the literature. Low self-efficacy is a barrier to adherence that clinicians have the ability to have an impact on and improve. The theory of self-efficacy is defined as a person's confidence in their ability to perform a task. This theory examines the ability of a person to change through exerting control over inner processes of goal setting, self-monitoring, feedback, problem solving and self-evaluation. If clinicians are able to identify patients with low self-efficacy prior to the prescription of a home exercise programme, adjustments to individualized care can be implemented. Individualized care based on improving self-efficacy for home exercise programmes may improve patient adherence to these programmes. The purpose of this article was to use the theory of self-efficacy to direct clinicians in providing individualized programmes to patients with varying levels of self-efficacy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

24 CFR 50.22 - Environmental management and monitoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Environmental management and... and Urban Development PROTECTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY General Policy: Environmental Review Procedures § 50.22 Environmental management and monitoring. An Environmental Management and...

Mainstreaming environment and sustainability: an analysis of a master's in environmental science and a tree-planting project at Chancellor College, University of Malawi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiotha, Sosten S.

2010-06-01

In 2004, Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability in African Universities (MESA) was formally launched by UNEP, UNESCO and the Association of African Universities. This paper sets the stage for a critical analysis of ESD by reviewing historical perspectives of conservation in Africa as a means of appreciating the need for African universities to mainstream both environmental concerns and those relating to sustainability. Two case studies from Chancellor College, University of Malawi are discussed to illustrate that good practice in mainstreaming environment and sustainability requires challenges to be refined and knowledge to be extended on an ongoing basis. To analyse the reorientation of the curriculum for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the paper examines the introduction of an Environmental Science Master's programme at the college and notes how environmental issues are covered. The article also looks at the college's tree-planting programme in terms of the training, research and outreach involved.

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for wind energy planning: Lessons from the United Kingdom and Germany

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

Phylip-Jones, J., E-mail: jonesjp@liverpool.ac.uk; Fischer, T.B., E-mail: fischer@liv.ac.uk

This paper reports on SEA applied in the wind energy sector in the UK and Germany. Based on a review of 18 SEAs, it is found that the quality of SEA documentation is variable, with over a third of them being deemed unsatisfactory. Furthermore, SEA processes are conducted to varying degrees of effectiveness, with scoping a strength but impact prediction and mitigation weaknesses. Generally speaking, the influence of SEA on German wind energy plan making was found to be low and the influence of SEA on UK plans deemed to be moderate. The German plans had a low influence mainlymore » because of a perceived high environmental performance of the underlying plans in the first instance. Substantive outcomes of SEA are not always clear and the influence of SEA on decision making is said to be limited in many cases. Finally, a lack of effective tiering between SEA and project level EIA is also observed. In addition, our findings echo some of the weaknesses of SEA practice found in previous studies of SEA effectiveness, including poor impact prediction and significance sections and a lack of detailed monitoring programmes for post plan implementation.« less

Rabies outbreak in Greece during 2012-2014: use of Geographical Information System for analysis, risk assessment and control.

PubMed

Giannakopoulos, A; Valiakos, G; Papaspyropoulos, K; Dougas, G; Korou, L M; Tasioudi, K E; Fthenakis, G C; Hutchings, M R; Kaimaras, D; Tsokana, C N; Iliadou, P; Spyrou, V; Tzani, M; Birtsas, P; Kostoglou, P; Sokos, C; Doudounakis, S; Yon, L; Hannant, D; Artois, M; Tsiodras, S; Hadjichristodoulou, C; Billinis, C

2016-10-01

The objectives of this work were (i) geographical analysis of the 2012-2014 outbreak of rabies in Greece using GIS and (ii) comparative analysis of animal cases with data of potential human exposure to rabies together with environmental data, in order to provide information for risk assessment, effective monitoring and control. Most animal cases (40/48) involved red foxes, while domestic animals were also diagnosed with rabies. Overall, 80% of the cases were diagnosed in central northern Greece; 75% of the cases were diagnosed in low altitudes (<343·5 m), within a distance of 1 km from human settlements. Median distance from livestock farms was 201·25 m. Most people potentially exposed to rabies (889/1060) presented with dog bite injuries. Maximum entropy analysis revealed that distance from farms contributed the highest percentage in defining environmental niche profiles for rabid foxes. Oral vaccination programmes were implemented in 24 administrative units of the country during 2013 and 2014, covering a total surface area of ~60 000 km2. Rabies re-occurrence in Greece emphasizes the need for ongoing surveillance in cross-border areas and in areas with intense human activity.

Research and the problems of litter and medical wastes on the UK coastline.

PubMed

Philipp, R; Pond, K; Rees, G

1997-01-01

Recent research has shown that recreational water and bathing beach quality are associated with injury, infection and personal well-being. Continued surveillance is essential to audit the environmental and associated health trends. In the Coastwatch UK project and since 1989, annual surveys each autumn have been undertaken during a two-week study period, into the extent of littering of the UK coastline. The Public Health Laboratory Service also collects data on the use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin. In these studies it is now possible to examine time trends. The findings are not reassuring. They help to justify present concern about the health effects of discarded litter and medical waste and fears that environmental degradation could lead to loss of income from tourism. In response, some health and local authorities have started public education programmes, supplying litter bins on or near bathing beaches, emptying them regularly and undertaking beach cleansing during the summer months. The UK government is also introducing new legislation that will require 6 mm fine mesh wire screens on all shore-based sewage outlets around the UK coastline. Continued monitoring is needed to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. The need for greater personal responsibility is particularly identified.

Challenges in Achieving Food Security in India

PubMed Central

Upadhyay, R Prakash; Palanivel, C

2011-01-01

First Millennium Development Goal states the target of “Halving hunger by 2015”. Sadly, the recent statistics for India present a very gloomy picture. India currently has the largest number of undernourished people in the world and this is in spite of the fact that it has made substantial progress in health determinants over the past decades and ranks second worldwide in farm output. The causes of existing food insecurity can be better viewed under three concepts namely the: ‘traditional concept’ which includes factors such as unavailability of food and poor purchasing capacity; ‘socio-demographic concept’ which includes illiteracy, unemployment, overcrowding, poor environmental conditions and gender bias; ‘politico-developmental concept’ comprising of factors such as lack of intersectoral coordination and political will, poorly monitored nutritional programmes and inadequate public food distribution system. If the Millennium Development Goal is to be achieved by 2015, efforts to improve food and nutrition security have to increase considerably. Priority has to be assigned to agriculture and rural development along with promoting women empowerment, ensuring sustainable employment and improving environmental conditions (water, sanitation and hygiene). As the problem is multi-factorial, so the solution needs to be multi-sectoral. PMID:23113100

In vivo study of flow-rate accuracy of the MedStream Programmable Infusion System.

PubMed

Venugopalan, Ramakrishna; Ginggen, Alec; Bork, Toralf; Anderson, William; Buffen, Elaine

2011-01-01

  Flow-rate accuracy and precision are important parameters to optimizing the efficacy of programmable intrathecal (IT) infusion pump delivery systems. Current programmable IT pumps are accurate within ±14.5% of their programmed infusion rate when assessed under ideal environmental conditions and specific flow-rate settings in vitro. We assessed the flow-rate accuracy of a novel programmable pump system across its entire flow-rate range under typical conditions in sheep (in vivo) and nominal conditions in vitro.   The flow-rate accuracy of the MedStream Programmable Pump was assessed in both the in vivo and in vitro settings. In vivo flow-rate accuracy was assessed in 16 sheep at various flow-rates (producing 90 flow intervals) more than 90 ± 3 days. Pumps were then explanted, re-sterilized and in vitro flow-rate accuracy was assessed at 37°C and 1013 mBar (80 flow intervals).   In vivo (sheep body temperatures 38.1°C-39.8°C), mean ± SD flow-rate error was 9.32% ± 9.27% and mean ± SD leak-rate was 0.028 ± 0.08 mL/day. Following explantation, mean in vitro flow-rate error and leak-rate were -1.05% ± 2.55% and 0.003 ± 0.004 mL/day (37°C, 1013 mBar), respectively.   The MedStream Programmable Pump demonstrated high flow-rate accuracy when tested in vivo and in vitro at normal body temperature and environmental pressure as well as when tested in vivo at variable sheep body temperature. The flow-rate accuracy of the MedStream Programmable Pump across its flow-rate range, compares favorably to the accuracy of current clinically utilized programmable IT infusion pumps reported at specific flow-rate settings and conditions. © 2011 International Neuromodulation Society.

Educational Module on Conservation and Management of Natural Resources. Environmental Education Series 3. Unesco-UNEP International Environmental Education Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Science, Technical and Environmental Education.

Environmental education should lead children, as future citizens, to acquire a more objective view of the way human societies function. It should also encourage an individual to take an active part in the community and to arouse the desire to take a responsible attitude regarding natural resource management. This experimental teaching module…

Evaluating Three Dimensions of Environmental Knowledge and Their Impact on Behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, Tina; Dierkes, Paul

2017-09-01

This research evaluates the development of three environmental knowledge dimensions of secondary school students after participation in a singular 1-day outdoor education programme. Applying a cross-national approach, system, action-related and effectiveness knowledge levels of students educated in Germany and Singapore were assessed before and after intervention participation. Correlations between single knowledge dimensions and behaviour changes due to the environmental education intervention were examined. The authors applied a pre-, post- and retention test design and developed a unique multiple-choice instrument. Results indicate significant baseline differences in the prevalence of the different knowledge dimensions between subgroups. Both intervention subsamples showed a low presence of all baseline knowledge dimensions. Action-related knowledge levels were higher than those of system and effectiveness knowledge. Subsample-specific differences in performed pro-environmental behaviour were also significant. Both experimental groups showed significant immediate and sustained knowledge increases in the three dimensions after programme participation. Neither of the two control cohorts showed any significant increase in any knowledge dimension. Effectiveness knowledge improved most. The amount of demonstrated environmental actions increased significantly in both intervention groups. Both control cohorts did not show shifts in environmental behaviour. Yet, only weak correlations between any knowledge dimension and behaviour could be found.

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) supports the development and utilization of ecological monitoring as a critical component of environmental management and protection. Its authorization is provided under the Clean Water Act, as amended, Public L...

MONITORING, ASSESSMENT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

EPA Science Inventory

This overview chapter examines the roles that environmental monitoring and assessment can play in the development of environmental policy. It takes a case study approach, focusing on the key roles played by monitoring data in policy formulation in acid deposition, stratospheric...

Designing environmental research for impact.

PubMed

Campbell, C A; Lefroy, E C; Caddy-Retalic, S; Bax, N; Doherty, P J; Douglas, M M; Johnson, D; Possingham, H P; Specht, A; Tarte, D; West, J

2015-11-15

Transdisciplinary research, involving close collaboration between researchers and the users of research, has been a feature of environmental problem solving for several decades, often spurred by the need to find negotiated outcomes to intractable problems. In 2005, the Australian government allocated funding to its environment portfolio for public good research, which resulted in consecutive four-year programmes (Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities, National Environmental Research Program). In April 2014, representatives of the funders, researchers and research users associated with these programmes met to reflect on eight years of experience with these collaborative research models. This structured reflection concluded that successful multi-institutional transdisciplinary research is necessarily a joint enterprise between funding agencies, researchers and the end users of research. The design and governance of research programmes need to explicitly recognise shared accountabilities among the participants, while respecting the different perspectives of each group. Experience shows that traditional incentive systems for academic researchers, current trends in public sector management, and loose organisation of many end users, work against sustained transdisciplinary research on intractable problems, which require continuity and adaptive learning by all three parties. The likelihood of research influencing and improving environmental policy and management is maximised when researchers, funders and research users have shared goals; there is sufficient continuity of personnel to build trust and sustain dialogue throughout the research process from issue scoping to application of findings; and there is sufficient flexibility in the funding, structure and operation of transdisciplinary research initiatives to enable the enterprise to assimilate and respond to new knowledge and situations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The environmental audit. I. Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaeffer, David J.; Kerster, Harold W.; Perry, James A.; Cox, David K.

1985-05-01

Extensive criticism of water quality monitoring programs has developed as costs are compared with the benefits produced by monitoring efforts. Collecting water quality data while developing understanding of the functional character of the environment will improve water quality monitoring data utility in environmental management. The “environmental audit” characterizes the attributes of the natural environment (that is, attribute type, intensity, and variability), providing a theoretical as well as practical foundation for data interpretation. In the view proposed here, traditional monitoring means the very narrow activity of collecting samples and perhaps analyzing them and storing the analyses. In the environmental audit, these activities are a mechanism to systematically improve environmental monitoring and assessment by improving the design and implementation of environmental programs. Major reasons why existing programs fail to meet the needs of legislators, regulators, and conservationists are identified.

Techniques for Sea Ice Characteristics Extraction and Sea Ice Monitoring Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Data in the Bohai Sea-Dragon 3 Programme Final Report (2012-2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Zhang, Jie; Meng, Junmin

2016-08-01

The objectives of Dragon-3 programme (ID: 10501) are to develop methods for classification sea ice types and retrieving ice thickness based on multi-sensor data. In this final results paper, we give a briefly introduction for our research work and mainly results. Key words: the Bohai Sea ice, Sea ice, optical and

Management, Planning, and Monitoring Population Education Programmes. Abstract-Bibliography Series 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This document abstracts and reviews 32 publications that describe population education programs developed for Asia and the Pacific region. The documents are grouped under three sections: (1) management; (2) planning; and (3) monitoring/evaluation. Section 1 consists of 12 selected titles that deal with management of population education programs.…

Introducing a quality improvement programme to primary healthcare teams

PubMed Central

Hearnshaw, H.; Reddish, S.; Carlyle, D.; Baker, R.; Robertson, N.

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a programme in which quality improvement was facilitated, based on principles of total quality management, in primary healthcare teams, and to determine its feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and the duration of its effect. METHOD: Primary healthcare teams in Leicestershire (n = 147) were invited to take part in the facilitated programme. The programme comprised seven team meetings, led by a researcher, plus up to two facilitated meetings of quality improvement subgroups, appointed by each team to consider specific quality issues. OUTCOME MEASURES: To assess the effect and feasibility of the programme on improving the quality of care provided, the individual quality improvement projects undertaken by the teams were documented and opportunities for improvement were noted at each session by the facilitator. The programme's acceptability was assessed with questionnaires issued in the final session to each participant. To assess the long term impact on teams, interviews with team members were conducted 3 years after the programme ended. RESULTS: 10 of the 27 teams that initially expressed interest in the programme agreed to take part, and six started the programme. Of these, five completed their quality improvement projects and used several different quality tools, and three completed all seven sessions of the programme. The programme was assessed as appropriate and acceptable by the participants. Three years later, the changes made during the programme were still in place in three of the six teams. Four teams had decided to undertake the local quality monitoring programme, resourced and supported by the Health Authority. CONCLUSIONS: The facilitated programme was feasible, acceptable, and effective for a few primary healthcare teams. The outcomes of the programme can be sustained. Research is needed on the characteristics of teams likely to be successful in the introduction and maintenance of quality improvement programmes. PMID:10339022

Peer mentors, mobile phone and pills: collective monitoring and adherence in Kenyatta National Hospital's HIV treatment programme

PubMed Central

Moyer, Eileen

2014-01-01

In 2006, the Kenyan state joined the international commitment to make antiretroviral treatment free in public health institutions to people infected with HIV. Less than a decade later, treatment has reached over 60% of those who need it in Kenya. This paper, which is based on an in-depth ethnographic case study of the HIV treatment programme at Kenyatta National Hospital, conducted intermittently between 2008 and 2014, examines how HIV-positive peer mentors encourage and track adherence to treatment regimens within and beyond the clinic walls using mobile phones and computer technology. This research into the everyday practices of patient monitoring demonstrates that both surveillance and adherence are collective activities. Peer mentors provide counselling services, follow up people who stray from treatment regimens, and perform a range of other tasks related to patient management and treatment adherence. Despite peer mentors’ involvement in many tasks key to encouraging optimal adherence, their role is rarely acknowledged by co-workers, hospital administrators, or public health officials. Following a biomedical paradigm, adherence at Kenyatta and in Kenya is framed by programme administrators as something individual clients must do and for which they must be held accountable. This framing simultaneously conceals the sociality of adherence and undervalues the work of peer mentors in treatment programmes. PMID:25175291

Let’s move our health! The experience of 40 physical activity motivational workshops

PubMed

Bouté, Catherine; Cailliez, Elisabeth; D Hour, Alain; Goxe, Didier; Gusto, Gaëlle; Copin, Nane; Lantieri, Olivier

2016-10-19

Aims: To set up physical activity promotion workshops in health centres to help people with a sedentary lifestyle achieve an adequate level of physical activity. Methods: This health programme, called ‘Bougeons Notre Santé’ (Let’s move our health) has been implemented since 2006 by four health centres in the Pays de la Loire region, in France. This article describes implementation of the programme, its feasibility, how it can be integrated into a global preventive approach and its outcomes on promoting more physical activity. The “Let’s move our health!” programme comprises four group meetings with participants over a period of several months. At these meetings, participants discuss, exchange and monitor their qualitative and quantitative level of physical activity. Realistic and achievable goals are set in consultation with each participant in relation to their personal circumstances and are monitored with a pedometer and a follow-up diary. Support on healthy eating is also provided. This programme is an opportunity to promote health and refer participants to existing local resources. Results: Forty groups, comprising a total of 275 people, have participated in the programme since 2006. After the four meetings, participants had increased their physical activity level by an average of 723 steps per day and 85% reported that they had changed their eating habits. Conclusion: This health promotion programme is feasible and effective: an increase in the physical activity of participants was observed, together with a favourable impact on perceived health, well-being and social links. These workshops are integrated into a network of associations and institutional partners and could be implemented by similar social or health organisations.

Probing the central engine and environment of AGN using ARIES 1.3-m and 3.6-m telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chand, Hum; Rakshit, Suvendu; Jalan, Priyanka; Ojha, Vineet; Srianand, Raghunathan; Vivek, Mariappan; Mishra, Sapna; Omar, Amitesh; Kumar, Parveen; Joshi, Ravi; Gopal-Krishna; Kumar, Rathna

2018-04-01

We discuss three long term observational programmes to probe the central engine and environment of active galactic nuclei (AGN) using the recently installed ARIES 1.3-m and 3.6-m telescopes. The first programme is on the photometric reverberation mapping of low luminosity AGN by mainly using the ARIES 1.3-m telescope. The major impact of this programme other than to estimate the black hole mass will be to extend the broad line region (BLR) radius-luminosity (RBLR-LAGN) relation to the unexplored low luminosity regime, and to constrain the AGN broad line region geometry. The second programme is to use long slit spectroscopy on the ARIES 3.6-m telescope to discover new high redshift quasar pairs with angular separation less than 1-arcmin. Here, the background QSOs sight-line will be used to probe the environment of the foreground QSOs at kpc-Mpc scales. The major impact of this programme will be on the discovery of new pairs which have been missed in the SDSS survey due to fiber collision below 1-arcmin separation, and use them to understand about any excess overdensity around the QSO, any anisotropic emission of QSOs, and/or any episodic activity of QSOs. The third programme is related to spectral variability studies of the C IV broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs, based on low resolution spectroscopy using the ARIES 3.6-m telescope. Here, those most interesting cases will be monitored, where the BAL flow emerges afresh or disappears completely in the C IV trough of BAL QSOs sample as seen in SDSS multi-epoch observations. Continuous monitoring of such a sample will be important for our understanding of the nature and origin of the flow, along with their stability and dynamical evolution.

40 CFR 136.3 - Identification of test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Environment, Water, and Wastes. Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection... Water and Wastes,” Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory....3 Section 136.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...

40 CFR 136.3 - Identification of test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Environment, Water, and Wastes. Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection... Water and Wastes,” Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory....3 Section 136.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...

Computer controlled fluorometer device and method of operating same

DOEpatents

Kolber, Z.; Falkowski, P.

1990-07-17

A computer controlled fluorometer device and method of operating same, said device being made to include a pump flash source and a probe flash source and one or more sample chambers in combination with a light condenser lens system and associated filters and reflectors and collimators, as well as signal conditioning and monitoring means and a programmable computer means and a software programmable source of background irradiance that is operable according to the method of the invention to rapidly, efficiently and accurately measure photosynthetic activity by precisely monitoring and recording changes in fluorescence yield produced by a controlled series of predetermined cycles of probe and pump flashes from the respective probe and pump sources that are controlled by the computer means. 13 figs.

Computer controlled fluorometer device and method of operating same

DOEpatents

Kolber, Zbigniew; Falkowski, Paul

1990-01-01

A computer controlled fluorometer device and method of operating same, said device being made to include a pump flash source and a probe flash source and one or more sample chambers in combination with a light condenser lens system and associated filters and reflectors and collimators, as well as signal conditioning and monitoring means and a programmable computer means and a software programmable source of background irradiance that is operable according to the method of the invention to rapidly, efficiently and accurately measure photosynthetic activity by precisely monitoring and recording changes in fluorescence yield produced by a controlled series of predetermined cycles of probe and pump flashes from the respective probe and pump sources that are controlled by the computer means.

A Field Programmable Gate Array-Based Reconfigurable Smart-Sensor Network for Wireless Monitoring of New Generation Computer Numerically Controlled Machines

PubMed Central

Moreno-Tapia, Sandra Veronica; Vera-Salas, Luis Alberto; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Dominguez-Gonzalez, Aurelio; Stiharu, Ion; de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Rene

2010-01-01

Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines have evolved to adapt to increasing technological and industrial requirements. To cover these needs, new generation machines have to perform monitoring strategies by incorporating multiple sensors. Since in most of applications the online Processing of the variables is essential, the use of smart sensors is necessary. The contribution of this work is the development of a wireless network platform of reconfigurable smart sensors for CNC machine applications complying with the measurement requirements of new generation CNC machines. Four different smart sensors are put under test in the network and their corresponding signal processing techniques are implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based sensor node. PMID:22163602

A field programmable gate array-based reconfigurable smart-sensor network for wireless monitoring of new generation computer numerically controlled machines.

PubMed

Moreno-Tapia, Sandra Veronica; Vera-Salas, Luis Alberto; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Dominguez-Gonzalez, Aurelio; Stiharu, Ion; Romero-Troncoso, Rene de Jesus

2010-01-01

Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines have evolved to adapt to increasing technological and industrial requirements. To cover these needs, new generation machines have to perform monitoring strategies by incorporating multiple sensors. Since in most of applications the online Processing of the variables is essential, the use of smart sensors is necessary. The contribution of this work is the development of a wireless network platform of reconfigurable smart sensors for CNC machine applications complying with the measurement requirements of new generation CNC machines. Four different smart sensors are put under test in the network and their corresponding signal processing techniques are implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based sensor node.

An Assessment of Environmental Health Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macatangay, Ariel V.

2013-01-01

Environmental health fundamentally addresses the physical, chemical, and biological risks external to the human body that can impact the health of a person by assessing and controlling these risks in order to generate and maintain a health-supportive environment. In manned spacecraft, environmental health risks are mitigated by a multi-disciplinary effort, employing several measures including active and passive controls, by establishing environmental standards (SMACs, SWEGs, microbial and acoustics limits), and through environmental monitoring. Human Health and Performance (HHP) scientists and Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) engineers consider environmental monitoring a vital component to an environmental health management strategy for maintaining a healthy crew and achieving mission success. ECLS engineers use environmental monitoring data to monitor and confirm the health of ECLS systems, whereas HHP scientists use the data to manage the health of the human system. Because risks can vary between missions and change over time, environmental monitoring is critical. Crew health risks associated with the environment were reviewed by agency experts with the goal of determining risk-based environmental monitoring needs for future NASA manned missions. Once determined, gaps in environmental health knowledge and technology, required to address those risks, were identified for various types of exploration missions. This agency-wide assessment of environmental health needs will help guide the activities/hardware development efforts to close those gaps and advance the knowledge required to meet NASA manned space exploration objectives. Details of the roadmap development and findings are presented in this paper.

Characteristics and trends on global environmental monitoring research: a bibliometric analysis based on Science Citation Index Expanded.

PubMed

Zhang, Di; Fu, Hui-Zhen; Ho, Yuh-Shan

2017-11-01

A bibliometric analysis based on the Science Citation Index Expanded from Web of Science was carried out to provide insights into research activities and trends of the environmental monitoring from 1993 to 2012. Study emphases covered publication outputs, language, categories, journals, countries/territories, institutions, words, and hot issues. The results indicated that the annual output of environmental monitoring publications increased steadily. The environmental sciences and analytical chemistry were the two most common categories. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment published the most articles. The USA and the UK ranked in the top two in terms of all five indicators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took the leading position of the institutions in terms of publication output. The synthesized analysis by words in title, author keywords, and KeyWords Plus provided important clues for hot issues. Researchers paid more attention on water environment monitoring than other environmental factors. The contaminants including organic contaminants, heavy metal, and radiation were most common research focuses, and the organic contaminants and heavy metal of the degree of concern were gradually rising. Sensor and biosensor played an important role in the field of environmental monitoring devices. In addition to conventional device detection method, the remote sensing, GIS, and wireless sensor networks were the mainstream environmental monitoring methods. The international organization, social awareness, and the countries' positive and effective political and policies promoted the published articles.

Monitoring Mediterranean marine pollution using remote sensing and hydrodynamic modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Loggia, Goffredo; Capodici, Fulvio; Ciraolo, Giuseppe; Drago, Aldo; Maltese, Antonino

2011-11-01

Human activities contaminate both coastal areas and open seas, even though impacts are different in terms of pollutants, ecosystems and recovery time. In particular, Mediterranean offshore pollution is mainly related to maritime transport of oil, accounting for 25% of the global maritime traffic and, during the last 25 years, for nearly 7% of the world oil accidents, thus causing serious biological impacts on both open sea and coastal zone habitats. This paper provides a general review of maritime pollution monitoring using integrated approaches of remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling; focusing on the main results of the MAPRES (Marine pollution monitoring and detection by aerial surveillance and satellite images) research project on the synergistic use of remote sensing, forecasting, cleanup measures and environmental consequences. The paper also investigates techniques of oil spill detection using SAR images, presenting the first results of "Monitoring of marine pollution due to oil slick", a COSMO-SkyMed funded research project where X-band SAR constellation images provided by the Italian Space Agency are used. Finally, the prospect of using real time observations of marine surface conditions is presented through CALYPSO project (CALYPSO-HF Radar Monitoring System and Response against Marine Oil Spills in the Malta Channel), partly financed by the EU under the Operational Programme Italia-Malta 2007-2013. The project concerns the setting up of a permanent and fully operational HF radar observing system, capable of recording surface currents (in real-time with hourly updates) in the stretch of sea between Malta and Sicily. A combined use of collected data and numerical models, aims to optimize intervention and response in the case of marine oil spills.

The use of beached bird surveys for marine plastic litter monitoring in Ireland.

PubMed

Acampora, Heidi; Lyashevska, Olga; Van Franeker, Jan Andries; O'Connor, Ian

2016-09-01

Marine plastic litter has become a major threat to wildlife. Marine animals are highly susceptible to entanglement and ingestion of debris at sea. Governments all around the world are being urged to monitor litter sources and inputs, and to mitigate the impacts of marine litter, which is primarily composed of plastics. European policies, such as Oslo-Paris Convention (OSPAR) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) have adopted the monitoring of a seabird species, the Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), as an environmental quality indicator through the analysis of stomach contents of beached Fulmar specimens. The aims of this research were to: firstly set a baseline investigation of multispecies of seabirds in Ireland affected by the ingestion of litter and, secondly to investigate the feasibility of using Fulmar and/or other potential species of seabird as an indicator for marine debris in Ireland through beached bird surveys. Within 30 months, 121 birds comprising 16 different species were collected and examined for the presence of litter. Of these, 27.3% (n = 33) comprising 12 different species were found to ingest litter, mainly plastics. The average mass of ingested litter was 0.141 g. Among 14 sampled Northern Fulmars, 13 (93%) had ingested plastic litter, all of them over the 0.1 g threshold used in OSPAR and MSFD policy target definitions. Results show that seabirds in Ireland are ingesting marine litter, as in many other countries in the world. Monitoring seabird litter ingestion has the potential to form part of a wider marine litter monitoring programme that can help to inform mitigation and management measures for marine litter. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of chief executive officers in a quality improvement initiative: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Parand, Anam; Dopson, Sue; Vincent, Charles

2013-01-01

Objectives To identify the critical dimensions of hospital Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) involvement in a quality and safety initiative and to offer practical guidance to assist CEOs to fulfil their leadership role in quality improvement (QI). Design Qualitative interview study. Setting 20 organisations participating in the main phase of the Safer Patients Initiative (SPI) programme across the UK. Participants 17 CEOs overseeing 19 organisations participating in the main phase of the SPI programme and 36 staff (20 workstream leads, 10 coordinators and 6 managers) involved in SPI across all 20 participating organisations. Main outcome measure Self-reported perceptions of CEOs on their contribution and involvement within the SPI programme, supplemented by staff peer-reports. Results The CEOs recognised the importance of their part in the SPI programme and gave detailed accounts of the perceived value that their involvement had brought at all stages of the process. In exploring the parts played by the CEOs, five dimensions were identified: (1) resource provision; (2) staff motivation and engagement; (3) commitment and support; (4) monitoring progress and (5) embedding programme elements. Staff reports confirmed these dimensions; however, the weighting of the dimensions differed. The findings stress the importance of particular actions of support and monitoring such as constant communication through leadership walk rounds and reviewing programme progress and its related clinical outcomes at Board meetings. Conclusions This study addressed the call for more research-informed practical guidance on the role of senior management in QI initiatives. The findings show that the CEOs provided key participation considered to significantly contribute towards the SPI programme. CEOs and staff identified a number of clear and consistent themes essential to organisation safety improvement. Queries raised include the tangible benefits of executive involvement in changing structures and embedding for sustainability and the practical steps to creating the ‘right’ environment for QI. PMID:23293245

The role of 'Big Society' in monitoring the state of the natural environment.

PubMed

Mackechnie, Colin; Maskell, Lindsay; Norton, Lisa; Roy, David

2011-10-01

Environmental monitoring is essential for assessing the current state of the environment, measuring impacts of environmental pressures and providing evidence to government. Recent UK government announcements have indicated an increased role for 'Big Society' in monitoring. In this paper, we review available literature concerning the use of citizen science for monitoring, present examples of successful volunteer monitoring work and highlight important issues surrounding the use of volunteers. We argue that in order to ensure that environmental monitoring continues to be effective it is important to learn from examples where volunteers are currently used, acknowledging constraints and identifying potential approaches which will help to maximise both their engagement and data quality. Effective partnerships between environmental monitoring organisations and volunteers may thus aid the UK in developing robust coordinated monitoring systems that will be less vulnerable to funding variances.

Coordination and Data Management of the International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP)

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

estimate the mean surface wind, which can drive sea ice models , and for input into climate change studies. Recent research using the IABP databases includes...Coordination and Data Management of the International Arctic Buoy Programme ( IABP ) Ignatius G. Rigor Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory...the National Center for Environmental Projection underlayed. APPROACH Coordination of the IABP involves distribution of information, resource

Quality of life in children participating in a non-selective INR self-monitoring VKA-education programme.

PubMed

Amedro, Pascal; Bajolle, Fanny; Bertet, Helena; Cheurfi, Radhia; Lasne, Dominique; Nogue, Erika; Auquier, Pascal; Picot, Marie-Christine; Bonnet, Damien

2018-03-01

The quality of life (QoL) of children receiving vitamin K antagonist (VKA) treatment has been scarcely studied. To assess QoL of children, and its evolution, throughout our non-selective international normalized ratio (INR) self-monitoring education programme. Children and parents completed QoL questionnaires (Qualin, PedsQL) during education sessions. Scores were compared with those from controls. A total of 111 children (mean±standard deviation age 8.7±5.4 years) were included over a 3-year period. Indications for VKA treatment were congenital heart diseases (valve replacement [42.3%], total cavopulmonary connection [29.7%]), myocardiopathy (11.7%), coronary aneurysm (7.2%), venous/intracardiac thrombosis (4.5%), pulmonary artery hypertension (1.8%), arrhythmia (0.9%) and extra-cardiac disease (1.8%). Eighty children, 105 mothers and 74 fathers completed the QoL questionnaires. QoL was good among children aged 1-4 years and moderately impaired in those aged between 5 and 18 years. There was no significant relationship between self-reported QoL and patient's sex, type of VKA, number of group sessions attended, disease duration or time of diagnosis (prenatal or postnatal). QoL scores were significantly lower among children with congenital heart diseases compared with other diseases. There were few differences in QoL between children under transient VKA treatment and those treated for life. Parental proxy QoL scoring correlated well with but was significantly lower than child self-assessments. QoL reported by mothers increased throughout the education programme, independently of any improvement of the health condition. This QoL study provides original data from a large cohort of children and their parents participating in a formalized INR self-monitoring education programme for VKA treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Patterns and processes of nutrient transfers from land to water: a catchment approach to evaluate Good Agricultural Practice in Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellander, P.-E.; Melland, A. R.; Shortle, G.; Wall, D.; Mechan, S.; Buckley, C.; Fealy, R.; Jordan, P.

2009-04-01

Eutrophication of fresh, transitional and coastal waters by excessive nutrient inputs is one of the most widespread water quality problems in developed countries. Sources of nutrient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) can come from a multiplicity of sources and be dependent on numerous hydrological controls from catchments with both urban and agricultural landuses. Aquatic impacts are widely reported as a result of excessive nutrient transfers from land to water and include changes in ecological integrity and loss of amenity. In the European Union, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and associated Directives are the key structures with which member states must develop national and often trans-national polices to deal with issues of water resources management. The linked Nitrates Directive is particularly concerned with integrating sustainable agriculture and good water quality objectives and is written into national polices. In Ireland this policy is the Nitrates Directive National Action Programme (NAP), Statutory Instruction 378, Good Agricultural Practise regulation, and amongst other things, sets targets and limits on the use of organic and inorganic fertilisers, soil fertility and slurry/fertiliser spreading and cultivation times. To evaluate the effectiveness of this policy, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, is undertaking a catchment scale audit on sources, sinks, and changes in nutrient use and export over several years. The Agricultural Catchments Programme is based on a science-stakeholder-management partnership to generate knowledge and specifically to protect water quality from nitrogen and phosphorus transfers within the constraints of the requirements of modern Irish agricultural practises. Eight catchments of 5-12 km2 have been selected for the programme to represent a range of agricultural intensities and vulnerabilities to nitrogen and phosphorus loss including catchments that are situated on permeable and impermeable grassland soils; areas where arable production represents a significant landuse; and catchments on productive and unproductive aquifers. The catchments were identified using a GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis with objective criteria that included landuse data (including agricultural and settlement statistics) combined with soils and geology data to evaluate the risk of P and N loss. Shortlisted catchments were then finalised using practical criteria based on the potential for hydrometry and hydrochemistry research. In each catchment, a conceptual model approach is being used to hypothesize the sources, seasonal mobilisation and pathways of nutrients and water through the soil/subsoil system and transfer into surface and ground water systems to stratify each catchment experimental design. Knowledge of the nutrient management of each catchment farm and resulting soil fertility will be used to monitor the sources of agricultural N and P. Environmental soil nutrient tests will provide baselines and checks on the potential for mobilisation. Areas of high soil fertility that are coincident with high surface or sub-surface hydrological connectivity will be monitored for subsequent nutrient transfer. Other potential nutrient source loads within the catchments, such as rural waste-water treatment plants and domestic septic systems, will be factored in as non-agricultural sources. Similarly, the potential for farmyard transfers will also be assessed. The net balance of nutrient transfer at the catchment outlets will be monitored using a high resolution method that is coincident with hydrometric measurements to ensure that there is a full understanding of the inter-dependence between point and diffuse nutrient transfers and hydrodynamics. This source to transfer approach is highly appropriate and a move towards inductive understanding of nutrient use and export in river catchments - the scale at which policies for water resources management will be assessed under the WFD. The data are also highly conducive to constraining catchment scale, distributed models for predicting chemical transfers in runoff. As the Programme is aiming to integrate the often perceived contentious objectives of water quality management with those of sustainable agriculture, farm economics will also be monitored at the same time and an assessment made of farmer attitudes. An advisory programme is also a major component and dedicated farm advisors will ensure that farmers are fully appraised of obligations and opportunities in the National Action Programme.

BIOSENSORS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING: A REGULATORY PERSPECTIVE

EPA Science Inventory

Biosensors show the potential to complement laboratory-based analytical methods for environmental applications. Although biosensors for potential environmental-monitoring applications have been reported for a wide range of environmental pollutants, from a regulatory perspective, ...

Improving Ecological Response Monitoring of Environmental Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Alison J.; Gawne, Ben; Beesley, Leah; Koehn, John D.; Nielsen, Daryl L.; Price, Amina

2015-05-01

Environmental flows are now an important restoration technique in flow-degraded rivers, and with the increasing public scrutiny of their effectiveness and value, the importance of undertaking scientifically robust monitoring is now even more critical. Many existing environmental flow monitoring programs have poorly defined objectives, nonjustified indicator choices, weak experimental designs, poor statistical strength, and often focus on outcomes from a single event. These negative attributes make them difficult to learn from. We provide practical recommendations that aim to improve the performance, scientific robustness, and defensibility of environmental flow monitoring programs. We draw on the literature and knowledge gained from working with stakeholders and managers to design, implement, and monitor a range of environmental flow types. We recommend that (1) environmental flow monitoring programs should be implemented within an adaptive management framework; (2) objectives of environmental flow programs should be well defined, attainable, and based on an agreed conceptual understanding of the system; (3) program and intervention targets should be attainable, measurable, and inform program objectives; (4) intervention monitoring programs should improve our understanding of flow-ecological responses and related conceptual models; (5) indicator selection should be based on conceptual models, objectives, and prioritization approaches; (6) appropriate monitoring designs and statistical tools should be used to measure and determine ecological response; (7) responses should be measured within timeframes that are relevant to the indicator(s); (8) watering events should be treated as replicates of a larger experiment; (9) environmental flow outcomes should be reported using a standard suite of metadata. Incorporating these attributes into future monitoring programs should ensure their outcomes are transferable and measured with high scientific credibility.

Georeferenced model simulations efficiently support targeted monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berlekamp, Jürgen; Klasmeier, Jörg

2010-05-01

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands the good ecological and chemical status of surface waters. To meet the definition of good chemical status of the WFD surface water concentrations of priority pollutants must not exceed established environmental quality standards (EQS). Surveillance of the concentrations of numerous chemical pollutants in whole river basins by monitoring is laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, measured data do often not allow for immediate source apportionment which is a prerequisite for defining promising reduction strategies to be implemented within the programme of measures. In this context, spatially explicit model approaches are highly advantageous because they provide a direct link between local point emissions (e.g. treated wastewater) or diffuse non-point emissions (e.g. agricultural runoff) and resulting surface water concentrations. Scenario analyses with such models allow for a priori investigation of potential positive effects of reduction measures such as optimization of wastewater treatment. The geo-referenced model GREAT-ER (Geography-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) has been designed to calculate spatially resolved averaged concentrations for different flow conditions (e.g. mean or low flow) based on emission estimations for local point source emissions such as treated effluents from wastewater treatment plants. The methodology was applied to selected pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, sotalol, metoprolol, carbamazepin) in the Main river basin in Germany (approx. 27,290 km²). Average concentrations of the compounds were calculated for each river reach in the whole catchment. Simulation results were evaluated by comparison with available data from orienting monitoring and used to develop an optimal monitoring strategy for the assessment of water quality regarding micropollutants at the catchment scale.

Preliminary Development of Online Monitoring Acoustic Emission System for the Integrity of Research Reactor Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhri, S.; Sumarno, E.; Himawan, R.; Akbar, T. Y.; Subekti, M.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

Three research reactors owned by BATAN have been more than 25 years. Aging of (Structure, System and Component) SSC which is mainly related to mechanical causes become the most important issue for the sustainability and safety operation. Acoustic Emission (AE) is one of the appropriate and recommended methods by the IAEA for inspection as well as at the same time for the monitoring of mechanical SSC related. However, the advantages of AE method in detecting the acoustic emission both for the inspection and the online monitoring require a relatively complex measurement system including hardware software system for the signal detection and analysis purposes. Therefore, aim of this work was to develop an AE system based on an embedded system which capable for doing both the online monitoring and inspection of the research reactor’s integrity structure. An embedded system was selected due to the possibility to install the equipment on the field in extreme environmental condition with capability to store, analyses, and send the required information for further maintenance and operation. The research was done by designing the embedded system based on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform, because of their execution speed and system reconfigurable opportunities. The AE embedded system is then tested to identify the AE source location and AE characteristic under tensile material testing. The developed system successfully acquire the AE elastic waveform and determine the parameter-based analysis such as the amplitude, peak, duration, rise time, counts and the average frequency both for the source location test and the tensile test.

Environmental Science. An Experimental Programme for Primary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linke, R. D.

An experimental course covering some of the fundamental principles and terminology associated with environmental science and the application of these principles to various contemporary problems is summarized in this report. The course involved a series of lectures together with a program of specific seminar and discussion topics presented by the…

The Teaching Green School Building: A Framework for Linking Architecture and Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Laura B.

2014-01-01

The "Teaching Green School Building" is an emergent type of school building that attempts to engage building users with environmental issues in buildings. Architectural interventions in these buildings range from signage to interactive touch screens to gardens and demonstration kitchens that foster educational programmes about…

Environmental Interpretation in the Balearic Islands: An Experimental Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramon, Guillem; Sureda, Jaume

1992-01-01

Presents an outline of an environmental program designed for the protected coastal site in the Balearic Islands. Describes the criteria and steps used for the program planning, the characteristics of the resources and available funding. Discusses the educational potential offered by the ecological features of the islands. (four references)…

Applying a Resilience Systems Framework to Urban Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krasny, Marianne E.; Tidball, Keith G.

2009-01-01

A growing body of literature on community gardening, watershed restoration, and similar "civic ecology" practices suggests avenues for integrating social and ecological outcomes in urban natural resources management. In this paper, we argue that an environmental education programme in which learning is situated in civic ecology practices…

Environmental Education: A Priority for the Sustainable Development of Small Island States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Sir Kenneth

1994-01-01

This article emphasizes the importance of environmental education for small island states and examines some of the prerequisites for its successful development. Discusses the difficulties of developing cross-curricular interdisciplinary educational programmes with the environment as an integrating theme, and reviews of a number of responses to…

Microcontrollers for data logging in Environmental Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, R. Giles; Westbrook, Christopher. D.

2016-04-01

Methods for obtaining reliable environmental measurements are central in developing a quantitative understanding of the natural world [1]. In the environmental sciences, data is usually obtained through planned experimental work, by collaborators in large field experiments or merely from others downloaded through the internet. Careful appreciation of the provenance and reliability of measurements has traditionally been a central aspect of physics education, and a similar physics-centred approach to measurements has been embedded in the new Environmental Physics BSc programme at the University of Reading [2]. Through the use of practical classes, students are educated in using small programmable microcontroller devices to obtain environmental data. The classes are based around exploring the open source Arduino, to which a range of analogue and digital sensors are connected and evaluated. A simplified prototyping system has been developed to help emphasise the measurement aspects over the electronics considerations. The practical classes work towards deployment of a miniature data logger based on the Arduino's microcontroller but optimised for low power, from which the environmental measurements are compared with co-located standard data obtained at the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory. [1] R.G. Harrison, Meteorological Measurements and Instrumentation, Wiley, 2014. (http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118745809.html) [2] Environmental Physics BSc (https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/environment-ug/bsc-environmental-physics.aspx)

Programme Reporting Standards (PRS) for improving the reporting of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health programmes.

PubMed

Kågesten, Anna E; Tunçalp, Özge; Portela, Anayda; Ali, Moazzam; Tran, Nhan; Gülmezoglu, A Metin

2017-08-03

Information about design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation is central to understand the impact of programmes within the field of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH). Existing reporting guidelines do not orient on reporting of contextual and implementation issues in sufficient detail. We therefore developed Programme Reporting Standards (PRS) to be used by SRMNCAH programme implementers and researchers. Building on the first step of the PRS development (a systematic review to identify reporting items), we conducted a three-round online Delphi consensus survey with experts. Consensus was defined a-priori as 80% agreement of items as essential. This was followed by a technical consultation with a group of experts to refine the items, definitions and their structuring. The revised PRS was piloted to assess its relevance to current SRMNCAH programme reports and identify key issues regarding the use of the PRS. Of the 81 participants invited to the Delphi survey, 20 responded to all three rounds. In the final round, 27 items received consensus as essential; three items were ranked as "borderline" essential; 20 items as supplementary. The items were subsequently revised, followed by a technical consultation with 29 experts to further review and refine the PRS. The feedback resulted in substantial changes to the structure and content of the PRS into 24 items across five domains: Programme overview; Programme components and implementation; Monitoring of Implementation; Evaluation and Results; and Synthesis. This version was used in a piloting exercise, where questions regarding how much information to report and how to comment on the quality of the information reported were addressed. All items were kept in the PRS following the pilot although minor changes were made to the flow and description of items. The PRS 1.0 is the result of a structured, collaborative process, including methods to incorporate input from SRMNCAH stakeholders. The World Health Organization will develop a document that explains the items in greater detail, and will also apply the PRS to on-going initiatives. We welcome continuous input from the field, while it is being used, to improve its relevance and usefulness.

47 CFR 95.627 - MedRadio transmitters in the 401-406 MHz band.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... the MedRadio programmer/control transmitter monitoring system antenna gain relative to an isotropic... level must be increased or decreased by an amount equal to the monitoring system antenna gain above or below the gain of an isotropic antenna, respectively. (4) If no signal in a MedRadio channel above the...

47 CFR 95.627 - MedRadio transmitters in the 401-406 MHz band.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the MedRadio programmer/control transmitter monitoring system antenna gain relative to an isotropic... level must be increased or decreased by an amount equal to the monitoring system antenna gain above or below the gain of an isotropic antenna, respectively. (4) If no signal in a MedRadio channel above the...

47 CFR 95.627 - MedRadio transmitters in the 401-406 MHz band.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the MedRadio programmer/control transmitter monitoring system antenna gain relative to an isotropic... level must be increased or decreased by an amount equal to the monitoring system antenna gain above or below the gain of an isotropic antenna, respectively. (4) If no signal in a MedRadio channel above the...

Silicone rod extraction followed by liquid desorption-large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for trace analysis of priority organic pollutants in environmental water samples.

PubMed

Delgado, Alejandra; Posada-Ureta, Oscar; Olivares, Maitane; Vallejo, Asier; Etxebarria, Nestor

2013-12-15

In this study a priority organic pollutants usually found in environmental water samples were considered to accomplish two extraction and analysis approaches. Among those compounds organochlorine compounds, pesticides, phthalates, phenols and residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products were included. The extraction and analysis steps were based on silicone rod extraction (SR) followed by liquid desorption in combination with large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser (LVI-PTV) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Variables affecting the analytical response as a function of the programmable temperature vaporiser (PTV) parameters were firstly optimised following an experimental design approach. The SR extraction and desorption conditions were assessed afterwards, including matrix modification, time extraction, and stripping solvent composition. Subsequently, the possibility of performing membrane enclosed sorptive coating extraction (MESCO) as a modified extraction approach was also evaluated. The optimised method showed low method detection limits (3-35 ng L(-1)), acceptable accuracy (78-114%) and precision values (<13%) for most of the studied analytes regardless of the aqueous matrix. Finally, the developed approach was successfully applied to the determination of target analytes in aqueous environmental matrices including estuarine and wastewater samples. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

LESSONS-LEARNED AND SUCCESS STORIES FROM EPA'S REAL-TIME ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, DATA DELIVERY, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

TTSD has completed a series of technology transfer and risk communication handbooks, case studies, and summary reports for community-based environmental monitoring projects under EPA's Real-Time Environmental Monitoring, Data Delivery, and Public Outreach Program. The Program tak...

OFFSITE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING REPORT: RADIATION MONITORING AROUND UNITED STATES NUCLEAR TEST AREAS, CALENDAR YEAR 1980

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas continued its Offsite Radiological Safety Program for the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and other sites of past underground nuclear tests. For each test, the Laboratory provided airborne ...

Monitoring the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy programmes: methods to estimate coverage.

PubMed Central

Boerma, J. Ties; Stanecki, Karen A.; Newell, Marie-Louise; Luo, Chewe; Beusenberg, Michel; Garnett, Geoff P.; Little, Kirsty; Calleja, Jesus Garcia; Crowley, Siobhan; Kim, Jim Yong; Zaniewski, Elizabeth; Walker, Neff; Stover, John; Ghys, Peter D.

2006-01-01

This paper reviews the data sources and methods used to estimate the number of people on, and coverage of, antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in low- and middle-income countries and to monitor the progress towards the "3 by 5" target set by WHO and UNAIDS. We include a review of the data sources used to estimate the coverage of ART programmes as well as the efforts made to avoid double counting and over-reporting. The methods used to estimate the number of people in need of ART are described and expanded with estimates of treatment needs for children, both for ART and for cotrimoxazole prophylaxis. An estimated 6.5 million people were in need of treatment in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2004, including 660,000 children under age 15 years. The mid-2005 estimate of 970,000 people receiving ART in low- and middle-income countries (with an uncertainty range 840,000-1,100,000) corresponds to a coverage of 15% of people in need of treatment. PMID:16501733

Pressure ramp programmer; IMBLMS Phase B4 Additional Tasks: Task 3.0 pressure ramp programmer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fogal, G. L.; Reinhardt, C. G.

1972-01-01

A pressure ramp programmer model was designed, fabricated and tested. This model, in conjunction with an automatic blood pressure monitor, automatically controls the pressure in the blood pressure monitor arterial cuff. The cuff pressurization cycle is designed to maximize accuracy and repeatability of blood pressure measurements. The key feature of this automatic cycle is rapid blood pressure cuff bleed down from an initial setting until systolic (diastolic) pressure is encountered followed by a short repressurization and slow bleed, long enough to permit accurate systolic (diastolic) pressure determination. The system includes a pressure reservoir which bleeds the cuff through a precision needle valve; a solenoid valve which permits rapid pressurization from the reservoir; and a pressure sensor which provides information for bleed rate and set point controls. Korotkoff sound signals from a microphone in the blood pressure cuff (not part of the system) provide decision information to the digital control system. The system completed a series of engineering tests using simulated Korotkoff sound inputs. The system performed successfully in all cases and was stable over an extended period of time.

A Global Observatory of Lake Water Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyler, Andrew N.; Hunter, Peter D.; Spyrakos, Evangelos; Neil, Claire; Simis, Stephen; Groom, Steve; Merchant, Chris J.; Miller, Claire A.; O'Donnell, Ruth; Scott, E. Marian

2017-04-01

Our planet's surface waters are a fundamental resource encompassing a broad range of ecosystems that are core to global biogeochemical cycling, biodiversity and food and energy security. Despite this, these same waters are impacted by multiple natural and anthropogenic pressures and drivers of environmental change. The complex interaction between physical, chemical and biological processes in surface waters poses significant challenges for in situ monitoring and assessment and this often limits our ability to adequately capture the dynamics of aquatic systems and our understanding of their status, functioning and response to pressures. Recent developments in the availability of satellite platforms for Earth observation (including ESA's Copernicus Programme) offers an unprecedented opportunity to deliver measures of water quality at a global scale. The UK NERC-funded GloboLakes project is a five-year research programme investigating the state of lakes and their response to climatic and other environmental drivers of change through the realization of a near-real time satellite based observatory (Sentinel-3) and archive data processing (MERIS, SeaWiFS) to produce a 20-year time-series of observed ecological parameters and lake temperature for more than 1000 lakes globally. However, the diverse and complex optical properties of lakes mean that algorithm performance often varies markedly between different water types. The GloboLakes project is overcoming this challenge by developing a processing chain whereby algorithms are dynamically selected according to the optical properties of the lake under observation. The development and validation of the GloboLakes processing chain has been supported by access to extensive in situ data from more than thirty partners around the world that are now held in the LIMNADES community-owned data repository developed under the auspices of GloboLakes. This approach has resulted in a step-change in our ability to produce regional and global water quality products for optically-complex waters complete with greatly improved uncertainty estimates. The value of these data and the future scientific opportunities they provide will be illustrated with examples of how it can be used to improve our understanding of the impact of global environmental change on inland, transitional and near-shore coastal waters.

Significant reduction in vancomycin-resistant enterococcus colonization and bacteraemia after introduction of a bleach-based cleaning-disinfection programme.

PubMed

Grabsch, E A; Mahony, A A; Cameron, D R M; Martin, R D; Heland, M; Davey, P; Petty, M; Xie, S; Grayson, M L

2012-12-01

Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) colonization and infection have increased at our hospital, despite adherence to standard VRE control guidelines. We implemented a multi-modal, hospital-wide improvement programme including a bleach-based cleaning-disinfection programme ('Bleach-Clean'). VRE colonization, infection and environmental contamination were compared pre and post implementation. The programme included a new product (sodium hypochlorite 1000 ppm + detergent), standardized cleaning-disinfection practices, employment of cleaning supervisors, and modified protocols to rely on alcohol-based hand hygiene and sleeveless aprons instead of long-sleeved gowns and gloves. VRE was isolated using chromogenic agar and/or routine laboratory methods. Outcomes were assessed during the 6 months pre and 12 months post implementation, including proportions (per 100 patients screened) of VRE colonization in high-risk wards (HRWs: intensive care, liver transplant, renal, haematology/oncology); proportions of environmental contamination; and episodes of VRE bacteraemia throughout the entire hospital. Significant reductions in newly recognized VRE colonizations (208/1948 patients screened vs 324/4035, a 24.8% reduction, P = 0.001) and environmental contamination (66.4% reduction, P = 0.012) were observed, but the proportion of patients colonized on admission was stable. The total burden of inpatients with VRE in the HRWs also declined (median percentage of colonized inpatients per week, 19.4% vs 17.3%, P = 0.016). Hospital-wide VRE bacteraemia declined from 14/2935 patients investigated to 5/6194 (83.1% reduction; P < 0.001), but there was no change in vancomycin-susceptible enterococcal bacteraemia (P = 0.54). The Bleach-Clean programme was associated with marked reductions in new VRE colonizations in high-risk patients, and VRE bacteraemia across the entire hospital. These findings have important implications for VRE control in endemic healthcare settings. Copyright © 2012 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Post-release monitoring of Antillean manatees: an assessment of the Brazilian rehabilitation and release programme

USGS Publications Warehouse

Normande, Iran C.; Malhado, Ana C. M.; Reid, James P.; Viana Junior, P.C.; Savaget, P. V. S.; Correia, R. A.; Luna, F. O.; R. J. Ladle,

2016-01-01

Mammalian reintroduction programmes frequently aim to reconnect isolated sub-populations and restore population viability. However, these long-term objectives are rarely evaluated due to the inadequacy of post-release monitoring. Here, we report the results of a unique long term telemetry-based monitoring programme for rehabilitated Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) reintroduced into selected sites in northeast Brazil with the aim of reconnecting isolated relict populations. Twenty-one satellite-tagged rehabilitated manatees, 13 males and 8 females, were released into the wild from two sites between November 2008 and June 2013. Individual accumulation curves were plotted and home ranges were calculated through the fixed kernel method using 95% of the utilization distribution. The number and size of the Centres of Activity (COAs) were calculated using 50% of the utilization distribution. Manatees displayed a dichotomous pattern of movement, with individuals either characterized by sedentary habits or by much more extensive movements. Moreover, home range size was not significantly influenced by gender, age at release or release site. COAs were strongly associated with sheltered conditions within reefs and estuaries, and also by the presence of freshwater and feeding sites. Our data confirm that manatee reintroductions in Brazil have the potential to reconnect distant sub-populations. However, pre-release identification of potential long-distance migrants is currently unfeasible, and further analysis would be required to confirm genetic mixing of distant sub-populations.

Pharmacokinetics-on-a-Chip Using Label-Free SERS Technique for Programmable Dual-Drug Analysis.

PubMed

Fei, Jiayuan; Wu, Lei; Zhang, Yizhi; Zong, Shenfei; Wang, Zhuyuan; Cui, Yiping

2017-06-23

Synergistic effects of dual or multiple drugs have attracted great attention in medical fields, especially in cancer therapies. We provide a programmable microfluidic platform for pharmacokinetic detection of multiple drugs in multiple cells. The well-designed microfluidic platform includes two 2 × 3 microarrays of cell chambers, two gradient generators, and several pneumatic valves. Through the combined use of valves and gradient generators, each chamber can be controlled to infuse different kinds of living cells and drugs with specific concentrations as needed. In our experiments, 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and methimazole (MMI) were chosen as two drug models and their pharmacokinetic parameters in different living cells were monitored through intracellular SERS spectra, which reflected the molecular structure of these drugs. The dynamic change of SERS fingerprints from 6MP and MMI molecules were recorded during drug metabolism in living cells. The results indicated that both 6MP and MMI molecules were diffused into the cells within 4 min and excreted out after 36 h. Moreover, the intracellular distribution of these drugs was monitored through SERS mapping. Thus, our microfluidic platform simultaneously accomplishes the functions to monitor pharmacokinetic action, distribution, and fingerprint of multiple drugs in multiple cells. Owing to its real-time, rapid-speed, high-precision, and programmable capability of multiple-drug and multicell analysis, such a microfluidic platform has great potential in drug design and development.

Morphological and health-related changes associated with a 12-week self-guided exercise programme in overweight adults: a pilot study.

PubMed

Stewart, Arthur D; Rolland, Catherine; Gryka, Ania; Findlay, Sally; Smith, Sara; Jones, Jacklyn; Davidson, Isobel M

2014-01-01

Over 12 weeks, supervised physical activity (PA) interventions have demonstrated improvements in morphological and health parameters, whereas community walking programmes have not. The present study piloted a self-guided programme for promoting PA and reducing sedentary behaviour in overweight individuals and measured its effect on a range of health outcomes. Six male and 16 female sedentary adults aged 48.5 ± 5.5 years with body mass index (BMI) 33.4 ± 6.3 kg m(-2) were assessed for anthropometric variables, blood pressure, functional capacity, well-being and fatigue. After an exercise consultation, participants pursued their own activity and monitored PA points weekly. At baseline, mid-point and 12 weeks, eight participants wore activity monitors, and all participants undertook a 5-day food diary to monitor dietary intake. In 17 completers, mass, BMI, sit-to-stand, physical and general fatigue had improved by 6 weeks. By 12 weeks, waist, sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), diastolic blood pressure, well-being and most fatigue dimensions had also improved. Throughout the intervention, PA was stable, energy intake and lying time decreased and standing time increased; thus, changes in both energy intake and expenditure explain the health-related outcomes. Observed changes in function, fatigue and quality of life are consistent with visceral fat loss and can occur at levels of weight loss which may not be considered clinically significant.

Overview of Sensors and Needs for Environmental Monitoring

PubMed Central

Ho, Clifford K.; Robinson, Alex; Miller, David R.; Davis, Mary J.

2005-01-01

This paper surveys the needs associated with environmental monitoring and long-term environmental stewardship. Emerging sensor technologies are reviewed to identify compatible technologies for various environmental monitoring applications. The contaminants that are considered in this report are grouped into the following categories: (1) metals, (2) radioisotopes, (3) volatile organic compounds, and (4) biological contaminants. United States regulatory drivers are evaluated for different applications (e.g., drinking water, storm water, pretreatment, and air emissions), and sensor requirements are derived from these regulatory metrics. Sensor capabilities are then summarized according to contaminant type, and the applicability of the different sensors to various environmental monitoring applications is discussed.

Effects of a multicomponent workplace intervention programme with environmental changes on physical activity among Japanese white collar employees: a protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Watanabe, Kazuhiro; Kawakami, Norito

2017-10-24

Physical activity is one of the most important health behaviours as a determinant of physical and mental health. Although intervention strategies for promoting physical activity among workers are needed, evidence for the effectiveness of multilevel workplace interventions with environmental changes on the promotion of physical activity are still limited due to lack of cluster randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The aim of this study is to investigate effects of a 3-month workplace intervention programme with environmental changes on the improvement in physical activity among Japanese white collar employees. This study will be a two-arm and parallel-group cluster (worksite) RCT. Japanese worksites and employees who are employed by the worksites will be recruited through health insurance associations and chambers of commerce. Worksites that meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. The intervention worksites will be offered the original intervention programme that consists of 13 contents with environmental changes. The control worksites will be able to get three times feedback of the assessment of the amount of physical activity and basic occupational health service in each worksite. The primary outcome will be the total amount of physical activity measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Multilevel latent growth modelling will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of the intervention programme. This study was ethically approved by the research ethics committee of the Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan (No. 11230). Results will be submitted and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. UMIN000024069; Pre-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Birds in the playground: Evaluating the effectiveness of an urban environmental education project in enhancing school children's awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards local wildlife.

PubMed

White, Rachel L; Eberstein, Katie; Scott, Dawn M

2018-01-01

Children nowadays, particularly in urban areas, are more disconnected from nature than ever before, leading to a large-scale "extinction of experience" with the natural world. Yet there are many potential benefits from children interacting with nature first-hand, including via outdoor learning opportunities. Urban environmental education programmes typically aim to increase awareness and knowledge of local biodiversity and to promote positive attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. However, limited research has been conducted evaluating to what extent these interventions achieve their goals. Here, we explore and assess the influence of a six-week bird-feeding and monitoring project conducted within school grounds ("Bird Buddies") on individual awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards birds by primary school children. This initiative was conducted across eight (sub-)urban primary schools within Brighton and Hove (UK), with 220 participating children (aged 7 to 10). Via pre- and post-project questionnaires, we found evidence for enhanced awareness of local biodiversity, alongside significant gains in both bird identification knowledge and attitudes, which were greatest for children with little prior exposure to nature. Many children expressed a keenness to continue improving the environmental value of their school grounds and to apply elements of the project at home. Student project evaluation scores were consistently positive. Mirroring this, participating teachers endorsed the project as a positive learning experience for their students. One year after the project, several schools were continuing to feed and watch birds. Collectively, the findings from this study highlight the multiple benefits that can be derived from engagement with a relatively short outdoor environmental activity. We therefore believe that such interventions, if repeated locally/longer term, could enhance children's experience with nature in urban settings with combined positive environmental impact.

Five principles for the practice of knowledge exchange in environmental management.

PubMed

Reed, M S; Stringer, L C; Fazey, I; Evely, A C; Kruijsen, J H J

2014-12-15

This paper outlines five principles for effective practice of knowledge exchange, which when applied, have the potential to significantly enhance the impact of environmental management research, policy and practice. The paper is based on an empirical analysis of interviews with 32 researchers and stakeholders across 13 environmental management research projects, each of which included elements of knowledge co-creation and sharing in their design. The projects focused on a range of upland and catchment management issues across the UK, and included Research Council, Government and NGO funded projects. Preliminary findings were discussed with knowledge exchange professionals and academic experts to ensure the emerging principles were as broadly applicable as possible across multiple disciplines. The principles suggest that: knowledge exchange needs to be designed into research; the needs of likely research users and other stakeholders should be systematically represented in the research where possible; and long-term relationships must be built on trust and two-way dialogue between researchers and stakeholders in order to ensure effective co-generation of new knowledge. We found that the delivery of tangible benefits early on in the research process helps to ensure continued motivation and engagement of likely research users. Knowledge exchange is a flexible process that must be monitored, reflected on and continuously refined, and where possible, steps should be taken to ensure a legacy of ongoing knowledge exchange beyond initial research funding. The principles have been used to inform the design of knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement guidelines for two international research programmes. They are able to assist researchers, decision-makers and other stakeholders working in contrasting environmental management settings to work together to co-produce new knowledge, and more effectively share and apply existing knowledge to manage environmental change. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Three methods to monitor utilization of healthcare services by the poor

PubMed Central

Bhuiya, Abbas; Hanifi, SMA; Urni, Farhana; Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila

2009-01-01

Background Achieving equity by way of improving the condition of the economically poor or otherwise disadvantaged is among the core goals of contemporary development paradigm. This places importance on monitoring outcome indicators among the poor. National surveys allow disaggregation of outcomes by socioeconomic status at national level and do not have statistical adequacy to provide estimates for lower level administrative units. This limits the utility of these data for programme managers to know how well particular services are reaching the poor at the lowest level. Managers are thus left without a tool for monitoring results for the poor at lower levels. This paper demonstrates that with some extra efforts community and facility based data at the lower level can be used to monitor utilization of healthcare services by the poor. Methods Data used in this paper came from two sources- Chakaria Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) of ICDDR,B and from a special study conducted during 2006 among patients attending the public and private health facilities in Chakaria, Bangladesh. The outcome variables included use of skilled attendants for delivery and use of facilities. Rate-ratio, rate-difference, concentration index, benefit incidence ratio, sequential sampling, and Lot Quality Assurance Sampling were used to assess how pro-poor is the use of skilled attendants for delivery and healthcare facilities. Findings Poor are using skilled attendants for delivery far less than the better offs. Government health service facilities are used more than the private facilities by the poor. Benefit incidence analysis and sequential sampling techniques could assess the situation realistically which can be used for monitoring utilization of services by poor. The visual display of the findings makes both these methods attractive. LQAS, on the other hand, requires small fixed sample and always enables decision making. Conclusion With some extra efforts monitoring of the utilization of healthcare services by the poor at the facilities can be done reliably. If monitored, the findings can guide the programme and facility managers to act in a timely fashion to improve the effectiveness of the programme in reaching the poor. PMID:19650938

The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP)--a sentinel approach in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA).

PubMed

Spiteri, Gianfranco; Cole, Michelle; Unemo, Magnus; Hoffmann, Steen; Ison, Catherine; van de Laar, Marita

2013-12-01

Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is monitored in the European Union/European Economic Area through the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Euro-GASP includes a sentinel surveillance programme which aims to detect in a timely manner changes in resistance patterns and inform treatment guidelines. The programme aims to test a representative number of isolates from each European Union/European Economic Area member state per year for a range of therapeutically relevant antimicrobials through a biannual hybrid centralised/decentralised system. Testing is supported by an External Quality Assurance programme and a laboratory training programme. Participation in the programme has increased to 21 countries in 2012. Euro-GASP has been able to detect the rapid spread of isolates with decreased susceptibility to cefixime across Europe in 2010 and 2011. Results from the programme have informed changes in European treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea and led to the development of the 'Response plan to control and manage the threat of multidrug resistant gonorrhoea in Europe'. Future challenges for Euro-GASP include supporting countries to participate in Euro-GASP through decentralised testing, improving timeliness and epidemiological data quality, and increasing participation from Eastern Europe.

Data Quality Objectives Supporting the Environmental Soil Monitoring Program for the Idaho National Laboratory Site

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

Haney, Thomas Jay

This document describes the process used to develop data quality objectives for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Environmental Soil Monitoring Program in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance. This document also develops and presents the logic that was used to determine the specific number of soil monitoring locations at the INL Site, at locations bordering the INL Site, and at locations in the surrounding regional area. The monitoring location logic follows the guidance from the U.S. Department of Energy for environmental surveillance of its facilities.

EPA'S ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: AVAILABILITY OF BROAD-SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR USE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING APPLICATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) has collected a suite of environmental data over a four year period from estuarine system in the mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. ata are currently available for secondary users including environmental modelers. he data w...

Monitoring community mobilisation and organisational capacity among high-risk groups in a large-scale HIV prevention programme in India: selected findings using a Community Ownership and Preparedness Index.

PubMed

Narayanan, Pradeep; Moulasha, K; Wheeler, Tisha; Baer, James; Bharadwaj, Sowmyaa; Ramanathan, T V; Thomas, Tom

2012-10-01

In a participatory approach to health and development interventions, defining and measuring community mobilisation is important, but it is challenging to do this effectively, especially at scale. A cross-sectional, participatory monitoring tool was administered in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 across a representative sample of 25 community-based groups (CBGs) formed under the Avahan India AIDS Initiative, to assess their progress in mobilisation, and to inform efforts to strengthen the groups and make them sustainable. The survey used a weighted index to capture both qualitative and quantitative data in numeric form. The index permitted broad, as well as highly detailed, analysis of community mobilisation, relevant at the level of individual groups, as well as state-wide and across the whole programme. The survey demonstrated that leadership and programme management were the strongest areas among the CBGs, confirming the programme's investment in these areas. Discussion of the Round 1 results led to efforts to strengthen governance and democratic decision making in the groups, and progress was reflected in the Round 2 survey results. CBG engagement with state authorities to gain rights and entitlements and securing the long-term financial stability of groups remain a challenge. The survey has proven useful for informing the managers of programmes about what is happening on the ground, and it has opened spaces for discussion within community groups about the nature of leadership, decision making and their goals, which is leading to accelerated progress. The tool provided useful data to manage community mobilisation in Avahan.

Evaluation of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) fellowships: an international survey of programme directors

PubMed Central

Raptis, Dimitri A; Clavien, Pierre-Alain

2011-01-01

Objectives This report describes a survey undertaken with the aim of assessing the current status of available fellowships in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery in order to identify steps to be taken to ensure the provision of successful training in this specialty. Methods An online survey was conducted among members of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) targeting registered and non-registered HPB surgery fellowships. A total of 71 programmes are registered on the IHPBA website and 40 fellowship directors completed the survey. Only 18 completed surveys referred to programmes previously listed on the website. Results Responses showed great diversity among centres regarding their requirements for application, the duration of training and exposure to HPB cases during the fellowship. Factors associated with higher levels of training included the country of fellowship, a third year of training and the presence of a well-structured HPB curriculum. Over 90% of responders seek official accreditation from their regional association (i.e. the European, American and Asian-Pacific HPB Associations). Most programmes would welcome official IHPBA or regional association monitoring of their fellowship. Conclusions This survey discloses important information which will allow the IHPBA Education and Training Committee to move forward. The next steps should include close monitoring of the performance of fellows by creating a fellows' registry, as well as a blog or forum which can be used to further enhance communication among fellows. The availability of registration to both programme directors and fellows may eventually lead to an official fellowship accreditation process. PMID:21418134

Reducing the population's sodium intake: the UK Food Standards Agency's salt reduction programme.

PubMed

Wyness, Laura A; Butriss, Judith L; Stanner, Sara A

2012-02-01

To describe the UK Food Standards Agency's (FSA) salt reduction programme undertaken between 2003 and 2010 and to discuss its effectiveness. Relevant scientific papers, campaign materials and evaluations and consultation responses to the FSA's salt reduction programme were used. Adult salt intakes, monitored using urinary Na data collected from UK-wide surveys, indicate a statistically significant reduction in the population's average salt intake from 9·5 g/d in 2000-2001 to 8·6 g/d in 2008, which is likely to have health benefits. Reducing salt intake will have an impact on blood pressure; an estimated 6 % of deaths from CHD in the UK can be avoided if the number of people with high blood pressure is reduced by 50 %. Salt levels in food, monitored using commercial label data and information collected through an industry self-reporting framework, indicated that substantial reductions of up to 70 % in some foods had been achieved. The FSA's consumer campaign evaluation showed increased awareness of the benefits of reducing salt intake on health, with 43 % of adults in 2009 claiming to have made a special effort to reduce salt in their diet compared with 34 % of adults in 2004, before the campaign commenced. The UK's salt reduction programme successfully reduced the average salt intake of the population and increased consumers' awareness. Significant challenges remain in achieving the population average salt intake of 6 g/d recommended by the UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. However, the UK has demonstrated the success of its programme and this approach is now being implemented elsewhere in the world.

Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emission Tracking (RATCHET). Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

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

Ramsdell, J.V. Jr.; Simonen, C.A.; Burk, K.W.

1994-02-01

The purpose of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate radiation doses that individuals may have received from operations at the Hanford Site since 1944. This report deals specifically with the atmospheric transport model, Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emission Tracking (RATCHET). RATCHET is a major rework of the MESOILT2 model used in the first phase of the HEDR Project; only the bookkeeping framework escaped major changes. Changes to the code include (1) significant changes in the representation of atmospheric processes and (2) incorporation of Monte Carlo methods for representing uncertainty in input data, model parameters,more » and coefficients. To a large extent, the revisions to the model are based on recommendations of a peer working group that met in March 1991. Technical bases for other portions of the atmospheric transport model are addressed in two other documents. This report has three major sections: a description of the model, a user`s guide, and a programmer`s guide. These sections discuss RATCHET from three different perspectives. The first provides a technical description of the code with emphasis on details such as the representation of the model domain, the data required by the model, and the equations used to make the model calculations. The technical description is followed by a user`s guide to the model with emphasis on running the code. The user`s guide contains information about the model input and output. The third section is a programmer`s guide to the code. It discusses the hardware and software required to run the code. The programmer`s guide also discusses program structure and each of the program elements.« less

Combining accuracy assessment of land-cover maps with environmental monitoring programs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stehman, S.V.; Czaplewski, R.L.; Nusser, S.M.; Yang, L.; Zhu, Z.

2000-01-01

A scientifically valid accuracy assessment of a large-area, land-cover map is expensive. Environmental monitoring programs offer a potential source of data to partially defray the cost of accuracy assessment while still maintaining the statistical validity. In this article, three general strategies for combining accuracy assessment and environmental monitoring protocols are described. These strategies range from a fully integrated accuracy assessment and environmental monitoring protocol, to one in which the protocols operate nearly independently. For all three strategies, features critical to using monitoring data for accuracy assessment include compatibility of the land-cover classification schemes, precisely co-registered sample data, and spatial and temporal compatibility of the map and reference data. Two monitoring programs, the National Resources Inventory (NRI) and the Forest Inventory and Monitoring (FIM), are used to illustrate important features for implementing a combined protocol.

The New Aphrodite school on Disasters Food and Poverty organized by CIMA Research Foundation and University of Genova

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boni, G.

2009-04-01

CIMA is a Research Foundation which aim is to advance science and engineering in environmentally related fields, focusing on public health and safety, civil protection and the preservation of terrestrial and water-related ecosystems. This aim is accomplished through scientific research, technology transfer and high level training services. Here we present the "New Aphrodite school on Disasters Food and Poverty" jointly managed by CIMA Foundation, and the University of Genova. The school is organized to provide to international students, professionals and government officials, mainly from poor or developing countries, formation for the management, prediction and prevention of natural and man made disasters. The expertise of the teachers, mainly CIMA's researchers, comes from a long term support of CIMA Foundation to the Italian Civil Protection in developing the advanced national system for risk prediction, prevention and management. The school is organized in two levels. The first level includes an international master of science degree in "Environmental Engineering: Sustainable Development and Risk Management", which classes are given in English, and a master for professional and government officials in "Disasters, food and poverty". The second level includes an international Ph.D. programme in "Information sciences and technologies for system monitoring and environmental risk management". Short training courses for international government official are periodically organized. At present the school is organizing short courses for officials of Civil Protections of Venezuela, Barbados and Mozambique. The philosophy underlying the teaching activities is to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to disaster mitigation, prevention and prediction. Special focus is on the potential of high-tech low-cost technologies for rapid communication and disaster monitoring, such as satellite based technologies. Such technologies are seen as the best way to support the development of autonomous capacities in developing countries, with affordable investment costs, and to improve globally the understanding of the phenomena leading to disasters.

Information Extraction and Dependency on Open Government Data (ogd) for Environmental Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdulmuttalib, Hussein

2016-06-01

Environmental monitoring practices support decision makers of different government / private institutions, besides environmentalists and planners among others. This support helps them act towards the sustainability of our environment, and also take efficient measures for protecting human beings in general, but it is difficult to explore useful information from 'OGD' and assure its quality for the purpose. On the other hand, Monitoring itself comprises detecting changes as happens, or within the mitigation period range, which means that any source of data, that is to be used for monitoring, should replicate the information related to the period of environmental monitoring, or otherwise it's considered almost useless or history. In this paper the assessment of information extraction and structuring from Open Government Data 'OGD', that can be useful to environmental monitoring is performed, looking into availability, usefulness to environmental monitoring of a certain type, checking its repetition period and dependences. The particular assessment is being performed on a small sample selected from OGD, bearing in mind the type of the environmental change monitored, such as the increase and concentrations of built up areas, and reduction of green areas, or monitoring the change of temperature in a specific area. The World Bank mentioned in its blog that Data is open if it satisfies both conditions of, being technically open, and legally open. The use of Open Data thus, is regulated by published terms of use, or an agreement which implies some conditions without violating the above mentioned two conditions. Within the scope of the paper I wish to share the experience of using some OGD for supporting an environmental monitoring work, that is performed to mitigate the production of carbon dioxide, by regulating energy consumption, and by properly designing the test area's landscapes, thus using Geodesign tactics, meanwhile wish to add to the results achieved by many efforts to make OGD useful In General and specifically for Environmental Monitoring purposes.

OFF-SITE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING REPORT: RADIATION MONITORING AROUND UNITED STATES NUCLEAR TEST AREAS, CALENDAR YEAR 1984

EPA Science Inventory

This report covers the routine radiation monitoring activities conducted by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Las Vegas in areas which may be affected by nuclear testing programs of the Department of Energy. This monitoring is conducted to document compliance with s...

OFFSITE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING REPORT. RADIATION MONITORING AROUND UNITED STATES NUCLEAR TEST AREAS, CALENDAR YEAR 1983

EPA Science Inventory

This report covers the routine radiation monitoring activities conducted by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Las Vegas in areas which may be affected by nuclear testing programs of the Department of Energy. This monitoring is conducted to document compliance with s...

OFF-SITE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING REPORT: RADIATION MONITORING AROUND UNITED STATES NUCLEAR TEST AREAS, CALENDAR YEAR 1987

EPA Science Inventory

This report covers the routine radiation monitoring activities conducted by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Las Vegas in areas which may be affected by nuclear testing programs of the Department of Energy. This monitoring is conducted to document compliance with s...

Cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic in animal feed and feed materials - trend analysis of monitoring results.

PubMed

Adamse, Paulien; Van der Fels-Klerx, H J Ine; de Jong, Jacob

2017-08-01

This study aimed to obtain insights into the presence of cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic in feed materials and feed over time for the purpose of guiding national monitoring. Data from the Dutch feed monitoring programme and from representatives of the feed industry during the period 2007-13 were used. Data covered a variety of feed materials and compound feeds in the Netherlands. Trends in the percentage of samples that exceeded the maximum limit (ML) set by the European Commission, and trends in average, median and 90th percentile concentrations of each of these elements were investigated. Based on the results, monitoring should focus on feed material of mineral origin, feed material of marine origin, especially fish meal, seaweed and algae, as well as feed additives belonging to the functional groups of (1) trace elements (notably cupric sulphate, zinc oxide and manganese oxide for arsenic) and (2) binders and anti-caking agents. Mycotoxin binders are a new group of feed additives that also need attention. For complementary feed it is important to make a proper distinction between mineral and non-mineral feed (lower ML). Forage crops in general do not need high priority in monitoring programmes, although for arsenic grass meal still needs attention.

Continuous emission monitoring and accounting automated systems at an HPP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roslyakov, P. V.; Ionkin, I. L.; Kondrateva, O. E.; Borovkova, A. M.; Seregin, V. A.; Morozov, I. V.

2015-03-01

Environmental and industrial emission monitoring at HPP's is a very urgent task today. Industrial monitoring assumes monitoring of emissions of harmful pollutants and optimization of fuel combustion technological processes at HPP's. Environmental monitoring is a system to assess ambient air quality with respect to a number of separate sources of harmful substances in pollution of atmospheric air of the area. Works on creating an industrial monitoring system are carried out at the National Research University Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI) on the basis of the MPEI combined heat and power plant, and environmental monitoring stations are installed in Lefortovo raion, where the CHPP is located.

Teleglaucoma: ready to go?

PubMed Central

Strouthidis, N G; Chandrasekharan, G; Diamond, J P; Murdoch, I E

2014-01-01

Telemedicine technologies and services allow today's ophthalmic clinicians to remotely diagnose, manage and monitor several ophthalmic conditions from a distance. But is this the case for glaucomas? There has been a proliferation of telemedicine friendly devices in recent years that improves the capabilities of the clinician in managing glaucomas. The existing instruments still need to align themselves with accepted industry standards. There are successful programmes running in several areas of the world. The safety and efficacy of these programmes needs further exploration. The inability of a single device or test to diagnose glaucomas satisfactorily has also hampered progress in remotely diagnosing these conditions. There is, however, significant potential for telemedicine-friendly devices to remotely monitor the progress of glaucoma and, thereby, reduce some of the workload on an overstretched health service. PMID:24723617

Application of quality risk management to set viable environmental monitoring frequencies in biotechnology processing and support areas.

PubMed

Sandle, Tim

2012-01-01

Environmental monitoring programs are essential for pharmaceutical facilities in order to assess the level of environmental control. For biotechnology facilities there is little advice as to the frequency at which viable environmental monitoring should be conducted. This paper outlines an approach, based on the principles of quality risk management, for the development of a framework from which monitoring frequencies can be determined. This involved the identification of common hazards and the evaluation those hazards in terms of the severity of contamination and the probability of contamination occurring. These elements of risk were evaluated for different cleanrooms and the relative risks ranked. Once the risk scores were calculated, the methods for detecting risks within the cleanrooms were assessed. Risk filtering was then used to group different cleanrooms based on their relative risks and detection methods against predetermined monitoring frequencies. Through use of case study examples, the paper presents the model and describes how appropriate frequencies for the environmental monitoring of cleanrooms can be set. Cleanrooms in which biotechnology pharmaceutical processing takes place are subject to environmental monitoring. The frequency at which such monitoring should be performed can be difficult to determine. This paper uses quality risk assessment methods to construct a framework for determining monitoring frequencies and illustrates the suitability of the framework through a case study.

The immunization data quality audit: verifying the quality and consistency of immunization monitoring systems.

PubMed Central

Ronveaux, O.; Rickert, D.; Hadler, S.; Groom, H.; Lloyd, J.; Bchir, A.; Birmingham, M.

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the consistency and quality of immunization monitoring systems in 27 countries during 2002-03 using standardized data quality audits (DQAs) that had been launched within the framework of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. METHODS: The consistency of reporting systems was estimated by determining the proportion of third doses of diphtheria-tetanuspertussis (DTP-3) vaccine reported as being administered that could be verified by written documentation at health facilities and districts. The quality of monitoring systems was measured using quality indices for different components of the monitoring systems. These indices were applied to each level of the health service (health unit, district and national). FINDINGS: The proportion of verified DTP-3 doses was lower than 85% in 16 countries. Difficulties in verifying the doses administered often arose at the peripheral level of the health service, usually as the result of discrepancies in information between health units and their corresponding districts or because completed recording forms were not available from health units. All countries had weaknesses in their monitoring systems; these included the inconsistent use of monitoring charts; inadequate monitoring of vaccine stocks, injection supplies and adverse events; unsafe computer practices; and poor monitoring of completeness and timeliness of reporting. CONCLUSION: Inconsistencies in immunization data occur in many countries, hampering their ability to manage their immunization programmes. Countries should use these findings to strengthen monitoring systems so that data can reliably guide programme activities. The DQA is an innovative tool that provides a way to independently assess the quality of immunization monitoring systems at all levels of a health service and serves as a point of entry to make improvements. It provides a useful example for other global health initiatives. PMID:16175824

The impact of the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme, 2003-13: a multimethod evaluation.

PubMed

Guthrie, Susan; Bienkowska-Gibbs, Teresa; Manville, Catriona; Pollitt, Alexandra; Kirtley, Anne; Wooding, Steven

2015-08-01

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme supports research tailored to the needs of NHS decision-makers, patients and clinicians. This study reviewed the impact of the programme, from 2003 to 2013, on health, clinical practice, health policy, the economy and academia. It also considered how HTA could maintain and increase its impact. Interviews (n = 20): senior stakeholders from academia, policy-making organisations and the HTA programme. Bibliometric analysis: citation analysis of publications arising from HTA programme-funded research. Researchfish survey: electronic survey of all HTA grant holders. Payback case studies (n = 12): in-depth case studies of HTA programme-funded research. We make the following observations about the impact, and routes to impact, of the HTA programme: it has had an impact on patients, primarily through changes in guidelines, but also directly (e.g. changing clinical practice); it has had an impact on UK health policy, through providing high-quality scientific evidence - its close relationships with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the National Screening Committee (NSC) contributed to the observed impact on health policy, although in some instances other organisations may better facilitate impact; HTA research is used outside the UK by other HTA organisations and systematic reviewers - the programme has an impact on HTA practice internationally as a leader in HTA research methods and the funding of HTA research; the work of the programme is of high academic quality - the Health Technology Assessment journal ensures that the vast majority of HTA programme-funded research is published in full, while the HTA programme still encourages publication in other peer-reviewed journals; academics agree that the programme has played an important role in building and retaining HTA research capacity in the UK; the HTA programme has played a role in increasing the focus on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in medicine - it has also contributed to increasingly positive attitudes towards HTA research both within the research community and the NHS; and the HTA focuses resources on research that is of value to patients and the UK NHS, which would not otherwise be funded (e.g. where there is no commercial incentive to undertake research). The programme should consider the following to maintain and increase its impact: providing targeted support for dissemination, focusing resources when important results are unlikely to be implemented by other stakeholders, particularly when findings challenge vested interests; maintaining close relationships with NICE and the NSC, but also considering other potential users of HTA research; maintaining flexibility and good relationships with researchers, giving particular consideration to the Technology Assessment Report (TAR) programme and the potential for learning between TAR centres; maintaining the academic quality of the work and the focus on NHS need; considering funding research on the short-term costs of the implementation of new health technologies; improving the monitoring and evaluation of whether or not patient and public involvement influences research; improve the transparency of the priority-setting process; and continuing to monitor the impact and value of the programme to inform its future scientific and administrative development.

Implementing a Microcontroller Watchdog with a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Straka, Bartholomew

2013-01-01

Reliability is crucial to safety. Redundancy of important system components greatly enhances reliability and hence safety. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are useful for monitoring systems and handling the logic necessary to keep them running with minimal interruption when individual components fail. A complete microcontroller watchdog with logic for failure handling can be implemented in a hardware description language (HDL.). HDL-based designs are vendor-independent and can be used on many FPGAs with low overhead.

Combining accuracy assessment of land-cover maps with environmental monitoring programs

Treesearch

Stephen V. Stehman; Raymond L. Czaplewski; Sarah M. Nusser; Limin Yang; Zhiliang Zhu

2000-01-01

A scientifically valid accuracy assessment of a large-area, land-cover map is expensive. Environmental monitoring programs offer a potential source of data to partially defray the cost of accuracy assessment while still maintaining the statistical validity. In this article, three general strategies for combining accuracy assessment and environmental monitoring...