Programmable Thermostat Module Upgrade for the Multipurpose Logistics Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, D. W.; Glasgow, S. d.; Reagan, S. E.; Presson, K. H.; Howard, D. E.; Smith, D. A.

2007-01-01

The STS-121/ULF 1.1 mission was the maiden flight of the programmable thermostat module (PTM) system used to control the 28 V shell heaters on the multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM). These PTMs, in conjunction with a data recorder module (DRM), provide continuous closed loop temperature control and data recording of MPLM on-orbit heater operations. This Technical Memorandum discusses the hardware design, development, test, and verification (DDT&V) activities performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center as well as the operational implementation and mission performance.

COST-ENLIGHT strategic workshop on hadron (particle) therapy, CERN, Geneva, 3-4 May 2007.

PubMed

Taylor, R E

2008-03-01

This meeting was convened by COST (Co-operation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research) and ENLIGHT (European Network for Research in Light-Ion Hadron Therapy) to review the current status of hadron therapy in Europe. The aims were to increase awareness of hadron therapy within the scientific community, to produce a document outlining the present and future prospects for this treatment modality and to bring together hadron therapy scientists and clinicians. Proton therapy offers the potential for therapeutic gain from dose distribution advantages when compared with photon therapy. Carbon ion therapy, by nature of its higher linear energy transfer (LET) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE), may further improve local control. A further potential benefit of carbon ion therapy is the ability to deliver hypofractionated radiotherapy. A further aim of this meeting was to commence preparation of a programme of work packages with a view to submitting an application for European Union funding within the FP7 programme. This comprises a series of seven work packages, which will be a focus for European collaboration.

Imagining Powerful Co-Operative Schools: Theorising Dynamic Co-Operation with Spinoza

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Joanna

2018-01-01

The recent expansion of the English academies programme has initiated a period of significant change within the state education system. As established administration has been disrupted, new providers from business and philanthropy have entered the sector with a range of approaches to transform schools. This paper examines the development of…

Family co-operation programme description.

PubMed

Peine, H A; Terry, T

1990-01-01

Current parenting practices indicate a continuing trend towards less family interaction. Institutional attempts to intervene with parents often fail. The 'Family Co-operation Programme' provides a tangible method for families and schools to work together in preventing alcohol and drug abuse, by utilising the positive influence of the home and strengthening family relationships. The Board of Education for the State of Utah has tested and is currently implementing a unique, low-cost, alternative to impact on the home. Utilising a K-12 alcohol/drug abuse school-based curriculum, the child, based on his/her inclass training, becomes the resource for family co-operation activities. These include training in coping skills, decision-making, resistance to peer persuasion, increased self-esteem and alcohol/drug information. Grade level materials go home with the child, who returns a requested parent evaluation. Data for over one thousand families show the positive impact of the activities.

South African CSP projects under the REIPPP programme - Requirements, challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Relancio, Javier; Cuellar, Alberto; Walker, Gregg; Ettmayr, Chris

2016-05-01

Thus far seven Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects have been awarded under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), totalling 600MW: one project is in operation, four under construction and two on their way to financial close. This provides an excellent opportunity for analysis of key features of the projects that have contributed to or detracted from the programme's success. The paper draws from Mott MacDonald's involvement as Technical Advisor on the seven CSP projects that have been successful under the REIPPPP to date as well as other global CSP developments. It presents how various programme requirements have affected the implementation of projects, such as the technical requirements, time of day tariff structure, economic development requirements and the renewable energy grid code. The increasingly competitive tariffs offered have encouraged developers to investigate efficiency maximising project configurations and cost saving mechanisms, as well as featuring state of the art technology in their proposals. The paper assesses the role of the project participants (developers, lenders and government) with regards to these innovative technologies and solutions. In our paper we discuss the status of projects and the SA market, analysing the main challenges and opportunities that in turn have influenced various aspects such as technology choice, operational regimes and supply chain arrangements.

Exploring types of play in an adapted robotics program for children with disabilities.

PubMed

Lindsay, Sally; Lam, Ashley

2018-04-01

Play is an important occupation in a child's development. Children with disabilities often have fewer opportunities to engage in meaningful play than typically developing children. The purpose of this study was to explore the types of play (i.e., solitary, parallel and co-operative) within an adapted robotics program for children with disabilities aged 6-8 years. This study draws on detailed observations of each of the six robotics workshops and interviews with 53 participants (21 children, 21 parents and 11 programme staff). Our findings showed that four children engaged in solitary play, where all but one showed signs of moving towards parallel play. Six children demonstrated parallel play during all workshops. The remainder of the children had mixed play types play (solitary, parallel and/or co-operative) throughout the robotics workshops. We observed more parallel and co-operative, and less solitary play as the programme progressed. Ten different children displayed co-operative behaviours throughout the workshops. The interviews highlighted how staff supported children's engagement in the programme. Meanwhile, parents reported on their child's development of play skills. An adapted LEGO ® robotics program has potential to develop the play skills of children with disabilities in moving from solitary towards more parallel and co-operative play. Implications for rehabilitation Educators and clinicians working with children who have disabilities should consider the potential of LEGO ® robotics programs for developing their play skills. Clinicians should consider how the extent of their involvement in prompting and facilitating children's engagement and play within a robotics program may influence their ability to interact with their peers. Educators and clinicians should incorporate both structured and unstructured free-play elements within a robotics program to facilitate children's social development.

Strategy-Based Development of Teacher Educators' ICT Competence through a Co-operative Staff Development Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavonen, Jari; Lattu, Matti; Juuti, Kalle; Meisalo, Veijo

2006-01-01

An ICT strategy and an implementation plan for teacher education were created in a co-operative process. Visions and expectations of staff members and students were registered by questionnaires and by making notes during sessions in which the strategy was created. Thereafter, an implementation document, where the staff development programme and…

The effects of placing an operational research fellow within the Viet Nam National Tuberculosis Programme.

PubMed

Hoa, N B; Nhung, N V; Kumar, A M V; Harries, A D

2016-12-21

In April 2009, an operational research fellow was placed within the Viet Nam National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP). Over the 6 years from 2010 to 2015, the OR fellow co-authored 21 tuberculosis research papers (as principal author in 15 [71%]). This constituted 23% of the 91 tuberculosis papers published in Viet Nam during this period. Of the 21 published papers, 16 (76%) contributed to changes in policy ( n = 8) and practice ( n = 8), and these in turn improved programme performance. Many papers also contributed important evidence for better programme planning. Highly motivated OR fellows embedded within NTPs can facilitate high-quality research and research uptake.

Progress in Norwegian-Russian Regulatory Cooperation in Management of the Nuclear Legacy

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

Sneve, M.K.; Shandala, N.K.; Smith, G.M.

2008-07-01

The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) and the Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) of the Russian Federation have a collaboration programme which forms part of the Norwegian government's Plan of Action to improve radiation and nuclear safety in northwest Russia. The background to the NRPA-FMBA collaboration programme has been described in previous WM presentations. This paper presents the substantial progress made within that programme, describes ongoing progress within specific projects and sets out the value arising from wider involvement in the programme of other organisations such as NATO and the technical support derived from other national agencies such as the IAEA,more » and regulatory authorities from the USA, the UK and France. The main activities of the cooperation projects are concerned with the management of the nuclear legacy in northwest Russia, in particular the remediation of facilities, and related spent fuel and radioactive waste management, at the former Shore Technical Bases at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha Village. New regulatory guidance documents have been developed, necessary because of the special abnormal situation at these sites, now designated as Sites of Temporary Storage (STS), but also because of the transition from military to civilian regulatory supervision and the evolving regulatory system in the Russian Federation. The work has involved major technical inputs from the Russian Federation Institute of Biophysics, as well as review and advice on international recommendations and good practice in other countries provided by other technical support organisations. Projects on-going in 2007 are described which involve regulatory guidance on very Low-Level Waste management, specifically for the licensing and operation of new VLLW disposal facilities; optimisation of operational radiation protection, particularly in areas of high ambient radiation dose rate as are found in some parts of the STSs; determination of factors which can be used to identify when to apply emergency procedures before the full emergency is obvious; and development of the radio-ecological basis for identifying radiation supervision area boundaries. (authors)« less

Commentary on the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froese-Germain, Bernie

2013-01-01

Every three years the focus of the international education community shifts to the release of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). No other international study of education commands as much attention as PISA. In an age of intense global…

Supporting Students in C++ Programming Courses with Automatic Program Style Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ala-Mutka, Kirsti; Uimonen, Toni; Jarvinen, Hannu-Matti

2004-01-01

Professional programmers need common coding conventions to assure co-operation and a degree of quality of the software. Novice programmers, however, easily forget issues of programming style in their programming coursework. In particular with large classes, students may pass several courses without learning elements of programming style. This is…

Co-operative Learning for Students with Difficulties in Learning: A Description of Models and Guidelines for Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Ellen; Grey, Ian M.; Honan, Rita

2005-01-01

As part of a larger study regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classroom settings, Ellen Murphy, of the D Clin Psych programme at NUI Galway, with Ian Grey and Rita Honan, from Trinity College, Dublin, reviewed existing literature on co-operative learning in the classroom. In this article, they identify four models…

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

Deploying a culture change programme management approach in support of information and communication technology developments in Greater Glasgow NHS Board.

PubMed

Frame, Joanne; Watson, Janice; Thomson, Katie

2008-06-01

This article reports on the project management and Culture Change Programme adopted by the NHS Greater Glasgow Health Board to deliver an electronic patient record (EPR) to support cardiology and stroke clinical services. To achieve its vision for the EPR (;to "really make a difference" to patient care by providing to the right person, the right information, under the right safeguards') the Board recognized that attending to social and organizational issues is at least of equal importance to addressing strictly technical concerns. Consequently, an ICT Culture Change Programme (ICT CCP) was devised and implemented to assist in the management of change, and in particular to facilitate a visionary clinical and cultural environment operating in conjunction with the evolving technical environment. In this article we describe the key components of this approach, outline the benefits we believe have accrued, and describe the steps being taken to build upon lessons learned.

Spanish Earth Observation Satellite System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borges, A.; Cerezo, F.; Fernandez, M.; Lomba, J.; Lopez, M.; Moreno, J.; Neira, A.; Quintana, C.; Torres, J.; Trigo, R.; Urena, J.; Vega, E.; Vez, E.

2010-12-01

The Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade (MITyC) and the Ministry of Defense (MoD) signed an agreement in 2007 for the development of a "Spanish Earth Observation Satellite System" based, in first instance, on two satellites: a high resolution optical satellite, called SEOSAT/Ingenio, and a radar satellite based on SAR technology, called SEOSAR/Paz. SEOSAT/Ingenio is managed by MITyC through the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), with technical and contractual support from the European Space Agency (ESA). HISDESA T together with the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA, National Institute for Aerospace Technology) will be responsible for the in-orbit operation and the commercial operation of both satellites, and for the technical management of SEOSAR/Paz on behalf of the MoD. In both cases EADS CASA Espacio (ECE) is the prime contractor leading the industrial consortia. The ground segment development will be assigned to a Spanish consortium. This system is the most important contribution of Spain to the European Programme Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, GMES. This paper presents the Spanish Earth Observation Satellite System focusing on SEOSA T/Ingenio Programme and with special emphasis in the potential contribution to the ESA Third Party Missions Programme and to the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security initiative (GMES) Data Access.

Development and implementation of centralized simulation training: evaluation of feasibility, acceptability and construct validity.

PubMed

Shamim Khan, Mohammad; Ahmed, Kamran; Gavazzi, Andrea; Gohil, Rishma; Thomas, Libby; Poulsen, Johan; Ahmed, Munir; Jaye, Peter; Dasgupta, Prokar

2013-03-01

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: A competent urologist should not only have effective technical skills, but also other attributes that would make him/her a complete surgeon. These include team-working, communication and decision-making skills. Although evidence for effectiveness of simulation exists for individual simulators, there is a paucity of evidence for utility and effectiveness of these simulators in training programmes that aims to combine technical and non-technical skills training. This article explains the process of development and validation of a centrally coordinated simulation program (Participants - South-East Region Specialist Registrars) under the umbrella of the British Association for Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the London Deanery. This program incorporated training of both technical (synthetic, animal and virtual reality models) and non-technical skills (simulated operating theatres). To establish the feasibility and acceptability of a centralized, simulation-based training-programme. Simulation is increasingly establishing its role in urological training, with two areas that are relevant to urologists: (i) technical skills and (ii) non-technical skills. For this London Deanery supported pilot Simulation and Technology enhanced Learning Initiative (STeLI) project, we developed a structured multimodal simulation training programme. The programme incorporated: (i) technical skills training using virtual-reality simulators (Uro-mentor and Perc-mentor [Symbionix, Cleveland, OH, USA], Procedicus MIST-Nephrectomy [Mentice, Gothenburg, Sweden] and SEP Robotic simulator [Sim Surgery, Oslo, Norway]); bench-top models (synthetic models for cystocopy, transurethral resection of the prostate, transurethral resection of bladder tumour, ureteroscopy); and a European (Aalborg, Denmark) wet-lab training facility; as well as (ii) non-technical skills/crisis resource management (CRM), using SimMan (Laerdal Medical Ltd, Orpington, UK) to teach team-working, decision-making and communication skills. The feasibility, acceptability and construct validity of these training modules were assessed using validated questionnaires, as well as global and procedure/task-specific rating scales. In total 33, three specialist registrars of different grades and five urological nurses participated in the present study. Construct-validity between junior and senior trainees was significant. Of the participants, 90% rated the training models as being realistic and easy to use. In total 95% of the participants recommended the use of simulation during surgical training, 95% approved the format of the teaching by the faculty and 90% rated the sessions as well organized. A significant number of trainees (60%) would like to have easy access to a simulation facility to allow more practice and enhancement of their skills. A centralized simulation programme that provides training in both technical and non-technical skills is feasible. It is expected to improve the performance of future surgeons in a simulated environment and thus improve patient safety. © 2012 BJU International.

New Capabilities and Future Downhole and Coring Tools for IODP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, A.

2001-05-01

The extremely successful Ocean Drilling Programme (ODP) set the scene for innovative technical solutions to meet scientific challenges. This scenario is set to expand when the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP) comes on stream at the end of 2003. Firstly the programme will have access to two dedicated drilling vessels and additional `Fit to mission@ offshore drilling units. This will allow for a much wider base of scientific disciplinary objectives to be met by coring and geophysical logging. And in turn will require more and innovative techncial equipment to collect the data. Secondly there are a number of coring tool developments which can enhance and extend data collection and which are not currently being used within the ODP programme. This, coupled with the different operational capabilities within IODP poses a number of technical challenges to ensure that the new programme meets all of the anticipated scientific demands. Thridly, over the past few years and ongoing at an accelerated pace, there has been significant advances in remote geophysical logging of boreholes both during and after drilling. The full potential of this has yet to be released on the scientific community and is set to revolutionise the acquisition of data from scientific boreholes. All of these items are discussed in the context of meeting the scientific challenges of IODP by harnessing and developing present industry and (outwith ODP) scientific technologies for the new programme.

Non-technical skills of the operating theatre scrub nurse: literature review.

PubMed

Mitchell, Lucy; Flin, Rhona

2008-07-01

This paper is a report of a review to identify the non-technical (cognitive and social) skills used by scrub nurses. Recognition that failures in non-technical skills contributed to accidents in high-risk industries led to the development of research programmes to study the role of cognition and social interactions in operational safety. Recently, psychological research in operating theatres has revealed the importance of non-technical skills in safe and efficient performance. Most of the studies to date have focused on anaesthetists and surgeons. On-line sources and university library catalogues, publications of the Association for Perioperative Practice, National Association of Theatre Nurses and Association of Peri-Operative Registered Nurses were searched in 2007. Studies were included in the review if they presented data from scrub nurses on one or more of their non-technical skills. These findings were examined in relation to an existing medical non-technical skills framework with categories of communication, teamwork, leadership, situation awareness and decision-making. Of 424 publications retrieved, 13 were reviewed in detail. Ten concerned communication and eight of those also had data on teamwork. In 11 papers teamwork was examined, and one focused on nurses' situation awareness, teamwork and communication. None of the papers we reviewed examined leadership or decision-making by scrub nurses. Further work is needed to identify formally the non-technical skills which are important to the role of scrub nurse and then to design training in the identified non-technical skills during the education and development of scrub nurses.

The NASA/MSFC global reference atmospheric model: 1990 version (GRAM-90). Part 1: Technical/users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Alyea, F. N.; Cunnold, D. M.; Jeffries, W. R., III; Johnson, D. L.

1991-01-01

A technical description of the NASA/MSFC Global Reference Atmospheric Model 1990 version (GRAM-90) is presented with emphasis on the additions and new user's manual descriptions of the program operation aspects of the revised model. Some sample results for the new middle atmosphere section and comparisons with results from a three dimensional circulation model are provided. A programmer's manual with more details for those wishing to make their own GRAM program adaptations is also presented.

Co-Opetition Provides the Halifax with Tailor-Made Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education & Training, 2002

2002-01-01

Describes the co-operation between Cranfield University, Trans4mation management consultancy and ProActive outdoor activities provider, in a new leadership programme for UK bank Halifax plc. Shows that the three organizations, which might normally have been competing against each other, had to devise ways of tearing down barriers, communicating…

VizieR Online Data Catalog: ALLSMOG final data release. A new APEX CO survey (Cicone+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicone, C.; Bothwell, M.; Wagg, J.; Moller, P.; De Breuck, C.; Zhang, Z.; Martin, S.; Maiolino, R.; Severgnini, P.; Aravena, M.; Belfiore, F.; Espada, D.; Flutsch, A.; Impellizzeri, V.; Peng, Y.; Raj, M. A.; Ramirez-Olivencia, N.; Riechers, D.; Schawinski, K.

2017-10-01

ALLSMOG is an ESO Large Programme for the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX, project no.: E-192.A-0359, principal investigator (PI): J. Wagg) targeting the CO(2-1) emission line (rest frequency, νCO(2-1)=230.538GHz) in 88 local, low-M* star-forming galaxies. The project was initially allocated 300h of ESO observing time over the course of four semesters, corresponding to 75h per semester throughout periods P92-P95 (October 2013 - September 2015). However, during P94 and P95 there was a slowdown in ALLSMOG observations, mainly due the installation of the visiting instrument Supercam in combination with better-than-average weather conditions - causing other programmes requiring more stringent precipitable water vapour (PWV) constraints to be prioritised. Because of the resulting ~50% time loss for ALLSMOG during two semesters, the ESO observing programmes committee (OPC) granted a one-semester extension of the project, hence allowing us to complete the survey in P96 (March 2016). The final total APEX observing time dedicated to ALLSMOG amounts to 327h, including the overheads due to setup and calibration but not accounting for possible additional time lost because of technical issues. In 2014 a northern component of the ALLSMOG survey was approved at the IRAM 30m telescope (project code: 188-14, PI: S. Martin), aimed at observing the CO(1-0) (rest frequency, νCO(1-0)=115.271GHz) and CO(2-1) emission lines in a sample of nine additional galaxies characterised by stellar masses, M*<109Mȯ. A total of 22h of observations were obtained with the IRAM 30m during two observing runs in November 2014 and May 2015. (5 data files).

Marine Sciences in CMEA Countries: Programme and Results of Co-operation. Unesco Reports in Marine Science No. 38.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksionov, A. A.

In 1971, the 25th Session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) adopted a Programme for the Development of Socialist Economic Integration. Later, part of this program became a program of cooperation in the field of oceanography, particularly the chemical, physical, and biological processes of certain important areas of the ocean. To…

Identifying and training non-technical skills for teams in acute medicine

PubMed Central

Flin, R; Maran, N

2004-01-01

The aviation domain provides a better analogy for the "temporary" teams that are found in acute medical specialities than industrial or military teamwork research based on established teams. Crew resource management (CRM) training, which emphasises portable skills (for whatever crew a pilot is rostered to on a given flight), has been recognised to have potential application in medicine, especially for teams in the operating theatre, intensive care unit, and emergency room. Drawing on research from aviation psychology that produced the behavioural marker system NOTECHS for rating European pilots' non-technical skills for teamwork on the flightdeck, this paper outlines the Anaesthetists Non-Technical Skills behavioural rating system for anaesthetists working in operating theatre teams. This taxonomy was used as the design basis for a training course, Crisis Avoidance Resource Management for Anaesthetists used to develop these skills, based in an operating theatre simulator. Further developments of this training programme for teams in emergency medicine are outlined. PMID:15465960

Translating visions into realities.

PubMed

Nesje, Arne

2006-08-01

The overall vision and the building concept. The overall vision with individual buildings that have focal points for the related medical treatment may seem to increase both investment and operational cost, especially in the period until the total hospital is finished (2014). The slogan "Better services at lower cost" is probably a vision that will prove to be hard to fulfil. But the patients will probably be the long-term winners with single rooms with bathroom, high standards of service, good architecture and a pleasant environment. The challenge will be to get the necessary funding for running the hospital. The planning process and project management Many interviewees indicate how difficult it is to combine many functions and requirements in one building concept. Different architectural, technical, functional and economic interests will often cause conflict. The project organisation HBMN was organised outside the administration of both STOLAV and HMN. A closer connection and better co-operation with STOLAV may have resulted in more influence from the medical employees. It is probably fair to anticipate that the medical employees would have felt more ownership of the process and thus be more satisfied with the concept and the result. On the other hand the organisation of the project outside the hospital administration may have contributed to better control and more professional management of the construction project. The management for planning and building (technical programme, environmental programme, aesthetical The need for control on site was probably underestimated. For STOLAV technical department (TD) the building process has been time-consuming by giving support, making controls and preparing the take-over phase. But during this process they have become better trained to run and operate the new centres. The commissioning phase has been a challenging time. There were generally more changes, supplementation and claims than anticipated. The investment costs are nearly on budget, but the concept will have a negative effect on the running costs of the hospital. The budgets for running both the old and new hospital until phase 2 is finished have not been calculated properly and can reduce the level of ambition in the further process. The moving in phase was a little postponed for some of the centres. Only the laboratory centre has moved in on time. It was realised immediately that the buildings services had not been tested out and adjusted properly. In addition it was acknowledged that there should have been a better training programme for the new organisation before moving in. This situation was extremely challenging for the medical employees. With experience from building phase 1, HBMN decided to change the contract model for building phase 2 to a partnering process. That means higher involvement of suppliers and subcontractors with a goal to improve both quality and efficiency. A greater involvement of all participants is needed to share the risk but also reduce costs.

The ESA Initiatives towards European Technical Universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, P.

2002-01-01

Education is one of the ESA mandatory activities and a renewed commitment has been shown by the reinforcement of the ESA Education Office and by the launching new initiatives in addition to those already in place. The new structure of the Office includes, next to units dealing with primary and secondary schools and with other Educational projects, a service dedicated to, among other things, foster the relations with European Universities and their students. In line with the overall objectives and strategy of Education policy at ESA, the fostering of co- operation between ESA and European Universities is aimed at creating a coherent and effective framework for the two parties to mutually benefit from an enhanced collaboration. ESA has a long and successful tradition of working together Academia, especially in the field of research and development. This new initiative wants to leverage on the past and present collaboration and reinforce the links from an educational point of view. The paper will give on overview how these links are being created, the impact on the ESA offer in terms of traineeship and opportunities for young people and will draw the first conclusions from the initial experiences gathered. Also it will address the impact of the on-going europeanisation process of higher education on the relations with European Universities and on the ESA programmes offered to them. Examples of on-going co-operation will be given (e.g. Aurora Programme) with an analysis of the lesson learned. The wider European context and how ESA's efforts contribute to the creation of a European Research Area (ERA) and to the achievement of the objectives set forth by the Lisbon summit will also be touched upon. The conclusions will address the next steps in this initiative and the feedback from the various partners and how this is being taken into account to steer the it to respond to the real needs of higher education.

Impact of senior design project for the development of leadership and management skills in construction management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Tamara

2013-08-01

Senior design courses are a core part of curricula across engineering and technology disciplines. Such courses offer Construction Management (CMG) students the opportunity to bring together, assimilate and apply the knowledge they have acquired over their entire undergraduate academic programme to an applied technical project. Senior or Capstone design course engages students in a real-world project, enhance leadership development, and prepare to manage and lead project teams. The CMG programme's multidisciplinary approach at Alabama A&M University, combines essential components of construction techniques with concepts of business management to develop technically qualified individuals for responsible management roles in the design, construction and operation of major construction projects. This paper analyses the performance of the students and improvement due to the interaction with the faculty advisors and industrial panel during the two semester Capstone project. The results of this Capstone sequence have shown a continuous improvement of student performance.

A technical writing programme implemented in a first-year engineering course at KU Leuven

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heylen, Christel; Vander Sloten, Jos

2013-12-01

Technical communication and technical writing are important skills for the daily work-life of every engineer. In the first-year engineering programme at KU Leuven, a technical writing programme is implemented within the project-based course 'Problem Solving and Engineering Design'. This paper describes a case study for implementing a writing programme based on active learning methods and situated learning in large classes. The programme consists of subsequent cycles of instructions, learning by doing and reflection on received feedback. In addition, a peer-review assignment, together with an interactive lecture using clicking devices, is incorporated within the assignments of the second semester. A checklist of desired writing abilities makes it easier to grade the large number of papers. Furthermore, this ensures that all staff involved in the evaluation process uses the same criteria to grade and for providing feedback.

Introduction to the special issue on the technical status of materials for a fusion reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stork, D.; Zinkle, S. J.

2017-09-01

Materials determine in a fundamental way the performance and environmental attractiveness of a fusion reactor: through the size (power fluxes to the divertor, neutron fluxes to the first wall); economics (replacement lifetime of critical in-vessel components, thermodynamic efficiency through operating temperature etc); plasma performance (erosion by plasma fluxes to the divertor surfaces); robustness against off-normal accidents (safety); and the effects of post-operation radioactivity on waste disposal and maintenance. The major philosophies and methodologies used to formulate programmes for the development of fusion materials are outlined, as the basis for other articles in this special issue, which deal with the fundamental understanding of the issues regarding these materials and their technical status and prospects for development.

Rotorcraft System Identification (Identification des Systemes de Voilures Tournantes)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

the NATO community; - Providing scientific and technical advice and assistance to the Military Committee in the field of aerospace research and...common defence posture, - Improving the co-operation among member nations in aerospace research and development. - Exchange of scientific and...technical information; - Prcviding assistance to member nations for the purpose of increasing their scientific and technical potential, - Rendenng scientific

[Life support of the Mars exploration crew. Control of a zeolite system for carbon dioxide removal from space cabin air within a closed air regeneration cycle].

PubMed

Chekov, Iu F

2009-01-01

The author describes a zeolite system for carbon dioxide removal integrated into a closed air regeneration cycle aboard spacecraft. The continuous operation of a double-adsorbent regeneration system with pCO2-dependable productivity is maintained through programmable setting of adsorption (desorption) semicycle time. The optimal system regulation curve is presented within the space of statistical performance family obtained in quasi-steady operating modes with controlled parameters of the recurrent adsorption-desorption cycle. The automatically changing system productivity ensures continuous intake of concentrated CO2. Control of the adsorption-desorption process is based on calculation of the differential adsorption (desorption) heat from gradient of adsorbent and test inert substance temperatures. The adaptive algorithm of digital control is implemented through the standard spacecraft interface with the board computer system and programmable microprocessor-based controllers.

Integrating natural and social sciences to inspire public confidence in radioactive waste policy case study - Committee on radioactive waste management

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

Usher, Sam

2007-07-01

Integrating Natural and Social Sciences to Inspire Public Confidence in Radioactive Waste Policy Case Study: Committee on Radioactive Waste Management Implementing effective long-term radioactive waste management policy is challenging, and both UK and international experience is littered with policy and programme failures. Policy must not only be underpinned by sound science and technical rationale, it must also inspire the confidence of the public and other stakeholders. However, in today's modern society, communities will not simply accept the word of scientists for setting policy based purely on technical grounds. This is particularly so in areas where there are significant social andmore » ethical issues, such as radioactive waste disposal. To develop and implement effective policy, governments, waste owners and implementing bodies must develop processes which effectively integrate both complex technical and scientific issues, with equally challenging social and ethical concerns. These integrating processes must marry often intricate technical issues with broad public and stakeholder engagement programmes, in programmes which can expect the highest levels of public scrutiny, and must invariably be delivered within challenging time and budget constraints. This paper considers a model for how such integrating processes can be delivered. The paper reviews, as a case study, how such challenges were overcome by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), which, in July 2006, made recommendations to the UK government for the establishment of a long-term radioactive waste policy. Its recommendations were underpinned by sound science, but also engendered public confidence through undertaking the largest and most significant deliberative public and stakeholder engagement programme on a complex policy issue in the UK. Effective decision-making was enabled through the integration of both proven and bespoke methodologies, including Multi-criteria Decision Analysis and Holistic assessments, coupled with an overarching deliberative approach. How this was managed and delivered to programme demonstrates how important effective integration of different issues, interests and world views can be achieved, and the paper looks forward to how the continued integration of both natural and social sciences is essential if public confidence is to be maintained through implementation stages. This paper will be particularly relevant to governments, waste owners and implementing bodies who are responsible for developing and implementing policy. (author)« less

Crossing the Chasm--Introducing Flexible Learning into the Botswana Technical Education Programme: From Policy to Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Alison Mead

2009-01-01

This paper reports on a longitudinal, ethnomethodological case study of the development towards flexible delivery of the Botswana Technical Education Programme (BTEP), offered by Francistown College of Technical & Vocational Education (FCTVE). Data collection methods included documentary analysis, naturalistic participant observation, and…

Educating for action: Aligning skills with policies for sustainable development in the Danube river basin.

PubMed

Irvine, Kenneth; Weigelhofer, Gabriele; Popescu, Ioana; Pfeiffer, Ellen; Păun, Andrei; Drobot, Radu; Gettel, Gretchen; Staska, Bernadette; Stanica, Adrian; Hein, Thomas; Habersack, Helmut

2016-02-01

Sustainable river basin management depends on knowledge, skills and education. The DANCERS project set out to identify feasible options for achieving education for sustainable water management across the Danube river basin, and its integration with broader education and economic development. The study traced the historic, regulatory and educational landscape of water management in the basin, contrasting it with the complex political decision-making, data-heavy decision support, learning-centred collaboration, and information-based participation that are all inherent components of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). While there is a wide range of educational opportunities and mobility schemes available to individuals, there is no coherent network related to training in water management and sustainable development in the study region. Progress in addressing the multi-layered environmental challenges within the basin requires further aligning of economic, environmental and educational policies, advancing the EU Bologna Process across the region, and the development of dedicated training programmes that combine technical and relational skills. The DANCERS project identified key short and medium term needs for education and research to support progressive adoption of sustainable development, and the necessary dialogue across the public and private sectors to align policies. These include the development of new education networks for masters and PhD programmes, including joint programmes; improved access to technical training and life-long learning programmes for skills development; developing formalized and certified competency structures and associated accreditation of institutions where such skilled individuals work; and developing a co-ordinated research infrastructure and pan-basin programme for research for water management and sustainable development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IAEA international studies on irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels

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

Brumovsky, M.; Steele, L.E.

1997-02-01

In last 25 years, three phases a Co-operative Research Programme on Irradiation Embrittlement of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels has been organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This programme started with eight countries in 1971 and finally 16 countries took part in phase III of the Programme in 1983. Several main efforts were put into preparation of the programme, but the principal task was concentrated on an international comparison of radiation damage characterization by different laboratories for steels of {open_quotes}old{close_quotes} (with high impurity contents) and {open_quotes}advanced{close_quotes} (with low impurity contents) types as well as on development of small scale fracturemore » mechanics procedures applicable to reactor pressure vessel surveillance programmes. This year, a new programme has been opened, concentrated mostly on small scale fracture mechanics testing.« less

National Manpower Inventory. Volume 3. Technical Documentation for Software for the Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

Technician APS-96 Search Radar IMA Technician USM-449 (V) & AAI 5500 Series ATE Int Maintenance Level Tech. CO CP-413/ASA-27A SACE TesI Bench IMA...MATE) Test Console IMA Technician ALQ-91/108 DECM IMA Technician ALQ-99 ECM Jammer/Tmilter & ALM-107 TesI Console IMA Technician ALQ-99 ECM Track...Receivers & ALM-109 TesI Console IMA Technician ECM Systems Intermediate Maintenance Technician ASM-347 (GT-1) SACE Programmer/Mainlenanca IMA

An innovative approach for modeling and simulation of an automated industrial robotic arm operated electro-pneumatically

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popa, L.; Popa, V.

2017-08-01

The article is focused on modeling an automated industrial robotic arm operated electro-pneumatically and to simulate the robotic arm operation. It is used the graphic language FBD (Function Block Diagram) to program the robotic arm on Zelio Logic automation. The innovative modeling and simulation procedures are considered specific problems regarding the development of a new type of technical products in the field of robotics. Thus, were identified new applications of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) as a specialized computer performing control functions with a variety of high levels of complexit.

TB control: challenges and opportunities for India.

PubMed

Pai, Madhukar; Daftary, Amrita; Satyanarayana, Srinath

2016-03-01

India's TB control programme has treated over 19 million patients, but the incidence of TB continues to be high. TB is a major killer and drug-resistant TB is a growing threat. There are several likely reasons, including social conditions and co-morbidities that fuel the TB epidemic: under-investment by the government, weak programme implementation and management, suboptimal quality of care in the private sector, and insufficient advocacy around TB. Fortunately, India possesses the technical know-how, competence and resources to address these challenges. The End TB Strategy by WHO offers India an excellent blueprint to advance the agenda of TB control. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Medical technologies in developing countries: a feasibility study on the maintenance of medical equipment in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Bracale, M; Pepino, A

1994-03-01

The authors report the results of a feasibility study, sponsored by the Italian Foreign Ministry, of setting up a Regional Centre for the Management and Maintenance of Medical Technologies in Ethiopia. After some general considerations regarding the problems of co-operation in this field, the authors draft some concrete proposals for an operative programme.

Training for single port video assisted thoracoscopic surgery lung resections.

PubMed

McElnay, Philip J; Lim, Eric

2015-11-01

With many surgical training programmes providing less time for training it can be challenging for trainees to acquire the necessary surgical skills to perform complex video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lung resections. Indeed as the utilization of single port operations increases the need to approach the operating theatre with already-existing excellent hand-eye coordination skills increases. We suggest that there are a number of ways that trainees can begin to develop these necessary skills. Firstly, using computer games that involve changing horizons and orientations. Secondly, utilizing box-trainers to practice using the thoracoscopic instruments. Thirdly, learning how essential tools such as the stapler work. Trainees will then be able to progress to meaningfully assisting in theatre and indeed learning how to perform the operation themselves. At this stage is useful to observe expert surgeons whilst they operate-to watch both their technical and non-technical skills. Ultimately, surgery is a learned skill and requires implementation of these techniques over a sustained period of time.

Like a bridge over troubled water--Opening pathways for integrating social sciences and humanities into nuclear research.

PubMed

Turcanu, Catrinel; Schröder, Jantine; Meskens, Gaston; Perko, Tanja; Rossignol, Nicolas; Carlé, Benny; Hardeman, Frank

2016-03-01

Research on nuclear technologies has been largely driven by a detachment of the 'technical content' from the 'social context'. However, social studies of science and technology--also for the nuclear domain--emphasize that 'the social' and 'the technical' dimensions of technology development are inter-related and co-produced. In an effort to create links between nuclear research and innovation and society in mutually beneficial ways, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre started fifteen years ago a 'Programme of Integration of Social Aspects into nuclear research' (PISA). In line with broader science-policy agendas (responsible research and innovation and technology assessment), this paper argues that the importance of such programmes is threefold. First, their multi-disciplinary basis and participatory character contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between science, technology and society, in general, and the complexity of nuclear technology assessment in particular. Second, their functioning as (self -)critical policy supportive research with outreach to society is an essential prerequisite for policies aiming at generating societal trust in the context of controversial issues related to nuclear technologies and exposure to ionising radiation. Third, such programmes create an enriching dynamic in the organisation itself, stimulating collective learning and transdisciplinarity. The paper illustrates with concrete examples these claims and concludes by discussing some key challenges that researchers face while engaging in work of this kind. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Harm reduction programmes in the Asia--Pacific Region.

PubMed

Reid, Gary; Devaney, Madonna L; Baldwin, Simon

2008-01-01

This paper reports on the public health intervention of harm reduction to address drug use issues in the Asia-Pacific region. It is based on the report 'Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in Asia and the Pacific', commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs Asia Pacific Drug Issues Committee. A comprehensive desk-based review based on published and unpublished literature and key informant data. Drug use in the Asia--Pacific region is widespread, resulting in serious adverse health consequences. Needle and syringe programmes are found in some parts of Asia, but not in the six Pacific Island countries reviewed. Outreach and peer education programmes are implemented, but overall appear minor in size and scope. Substitution therapy programmes appear to be entering a new era of acceptance in some parts of Asia. Primary health care specifically for drug users overall is limited. Harm reduction programmes in the Asia--Pacific region are either small in scale or do not exist. Most programmes lack the technical capacity, human resources and a limited scope of operations to respond effectively to the needs of drug users. Governments in this region should be encouraged to endorse evidence-based harm reduction programmes.

Integrating Nuclear Energy to Oilfield Operations – Two Case Studies

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

Eric P. Robertson; Lee O. Nelson; Michael G. McKellar

2011-11-01

Fossil fuel resources that require large energy inputs for extraction, such as the Canadian oil sands and the Green River oil shale resource in the western USA, could benefit from the use of nuclear power instead of power generated by natural gas combustion. This paper discusses the technical and economic aspects of integrating nuclear energy with oil sands operations and the development of oil shale resources. A high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) that produces heat in the form of high pressure steam (no electricity production) was selected as the nuclear power source for both fossil fuel resources. Both cases weremore » based on 50,000 bbl/day output. The oil sands case was a steam-assisted, gravity-drainage (SAGD) operation located in the Canadian oil sands belt. The oil shale development was an in-situ oil shale retorting operation located in western Colorado, USA. The technical feasibility of the integrating nuclear power was assessed. The economic feasibility of each case was evaluated using a discounted cash flow, rate of return analysis. Integrating an HTGR to both the SAGD oil sands operation and the oil shale development was found to be technically feasible for both cases. In the oil sands case, integrating an HTGR eliminated natural gas combustion and associated CO2 emissions, although there were still some emissions associated with imported electrical power. In the in situ oil shale case, integrating an HTGR reduced CO2 emissions by 88% and increased natural gas production by 100%. Economic viabilities of both nuclear integrated cases were poorer than the non-nuclear-integrated cases when CO2 emissions were not taxed. However, taxing the CO2 emissions had a significant effect on the economics of the non-nuclear base cases, bringing them in line with the economics of the nuclear-integrated cases. As we move toward limiting CO2 emissions, integrating non-CO2-emitting energy sources to the development of energy-intense fossil fuel resources is becoming increasingly important. This paper attempts to reduce the barriers that have traditionally separated fossil fuel development and application of nuclear power and to promote serious discussion of ideas about hybrid energy systems.« less

Development of an assessment methodology for hydrocarbon recovery potential using carbon dioxide and associated carbon sequestration-Workshop findings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verma, Mahendra K.; Warwick, Peter D.

2011-01-01

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140) authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2) and requested that the USGS estimate the "potential volumes of oil and gas recoverable by injection and sequestration of industrial carbon dioxide in potential sequestration formations" (121 Stat. 1711). The USGS developed a noneconomic, probability-based methodology to assess the Nation's technically assessable geologic storage resources available for sequestration of CO2 (Brennan and others, 2010) and is currently using the methodology to assess the Nation's CO2 geologic storage resources. Because the USGS has not developed a methodology to assess the potential volumes of technically recoverable hydrocarbons that could be produced by injection and sequestration of CO2, the Geologic Carbon Sequestration project initiated an effort in 2010 to develop a methodology for the assessment of the technically recoverable hydrocarbon potential in the sedimentary basins of the United States using enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques with CO2 (CO2-EOR). In collaboration with Stanford University, the USGS hosted a 2-day CO2-EOR workshop in May 2011, attended by 28 experts from academia, natural resource agencies and laboratories of the Federal Government, State and international geologic surveys, and representatives from the oil and gas industry. The geologic and the reservoir engineering and operations working groups formed during the workshop discussed various aspects of geology, reservoir engineering, and operations to make recommendations for the methodology.

Educational Buildings and the Environment: Report of an International Seminar Organised by the OECD Programme on Educational Building (PEB) in Co-operation with the Austrian Ministry of Education and Art and the Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facilities. Decentralised Programme on Educational Building.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ottel, Rupprecht

Educational buildings relate to their environment in many ways that affect the surrounding community such as overall appearance, energy consumption, and waste production. This report examines these issues and identifies how educational buildings can contribute to the conservation and protection of the environment. It explores these issues in three…

Tissue banking in Asia Pacific region: past, present and future.

PubMed

Nather, Aziz; Mandy, Foong Shi Yun; Ning, Tan; Kaiying, Wang

2018-04-25

Tissue banking in the Asia Pacific regions is driven by two main forces-firstly the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) via Regional Co-operative Agreement projects and secondly by the Asia Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banking (APASTB). This overview is written in three sections: (1) History of tissue banking in individual country in the region. (2) History of APASTB. (3) History of IAEA programme in Asia Pacific region. The current status and future of the tissue banking programme in the region will be discussed.

Process Operations Program is the First of Its Kind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elements of Technology, 1973

1973-01-01

The goal of the program is to produce a graduate with the technical background and expertise necessary for direct entry into a process operator training program in a petro-chemical plant. It is a unique program offered through Lambton College, Canada, in co-operation with the process industries in Sarnia's "Chemical Valley". (Author/DS)

Academic Performance of Students during Transition Period before Choice of Disciplines in Nigeria Certificate in Education (Technical) Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amasuomo, Japo Oweikeye

2015-01-01

The study examined the academic performance of students in the compulsory courses in technical education during the transition period of first and second years of three years Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) Technical programme before choosing their disciplines in the third year. The study comprised of 237 students that consisted of…

List of Participating Institutions: Associated Schools Project in Education for International Co-operation and Peace = Liste des establissements participants: Systeme des ecoles associees appliquant un programme d'education pour la cooperation internationale et la paix = Lista de Instituciones Participantes: Plan de Escuelas Asociadas en la Educacion para la Cooperacion Internacional y la Paz.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

A list of participating institutions at the Associated Schools Project in Education for International Co-Operation and Peace, December 31, 1985 is presented. A total of 1,970 institutions in 94 countries participated, including 47 nursery schools, 556 primary schools, 1,123 secondary schools, and 248 teacher training institutions. Addresses of…

Bench-Scale Process for Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture Using a Phase-Changing Absorbent

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

Westendorf, Tiffany; Caraher, Joel; Chen, Wei

2015-03-31

The objective of this project is to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing aminosilicone-based CO2-capture solvent. The project will establish scalability and technical and economic feasibility of using a phase-changing CO2-capture absorbent for post-combustion capture of CO2 from coal-fired power plants with 90% capture efficiency and 95% CO2 purity at a cost of $40/tonne of CO2 captured by 2025 and a cost of <$10/tonne of CO2 captured by 2035. In the first budget period of this project, the bench-scale phase-changing CO2 capture process was designed using data and operating experience generated under a previous project (ARPA-emore » project DE-AR0000084). Sizing and specification of all major unit operations was completed, including detailed process and instrumentation diagrams. The system was designed to operate over a wide range of operating conditions to allow for exploration of the effect of process variables on CO2 capture performance.« less

Bench Scale Process for Low Cost CO 2 Capture Using a Phase-Changing Absorbent: Final Scientific/Technical Report

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

Westendorf, Tiffany; Buddle, Stanlee; Caraher, Joel

The objective of this project is to design and build a bench-scale process for a novel phase-changing aminosilicone-based CO 2-capture solvent. The project will establish scalability and technical and economic feasibility of using a phase-changing CO 2-capture absorbent for post-combustion capture of CO 2 from coal-fired power plants. The U.S. Department of Energy’s goal for Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies is the development of technologies available for demonstration by 2025 that can capture 90% of emitted CO 2 with at least 95% CO 2 purity for less than $40/tonne of CO 2 captured. In the first budget period of the project,more » the bench-scale phase-changing CO2 capture process was designed using data and operating experience generated under a previous project (ARPA-e project DE-AR0000084). Sizing and specification of all major unit operations was completed, including detailed process and instrumentation diagrams. The system was designed to operate over a wide range of operating conditions to allow for exploration of the effect of process variables on CO 2 capture performance. In the second budget period of the project, individual bench-scale unit operations were tested to determine the performance of each of each unit. Solids production was demonstrated in dry simulated flue gas across a wide range of absorber operating conditions, with single stage CO 2 conversion rates up to 75mol%. Desorber operation was demonstrated in batch mode, resulting in desorption performance consistent with the equilibrium isotherms for GAP-0/CO 2 reaction. Important risks associated with gas humidity impact on solids consistency and desorber temperature impact on thermal degradation were explored, and adjustments to the bench-scale process were made to address those effects. Corrosion experiments were conducted to support selection of suitable materials of construction for the major unit operations in the process. The bench scale unit operations were assembled into a continuous system to support steady state system testing. In the third budget period of the project, continuous system testing was conducted, including closed-loop operation of the absorber and desober systems. Slurries of GAP-0/GAP-0 carbamate/water mixtures produced in the absorber were pumped successfully to the desorber unit, and regenerated solvent was returned to the absorber. A techno-economic analysis, EH&S risk assessment, and solvent manufacturability study were completed.« less

The Impact of Gender on Interest in Science Topics and the Choice of Scientific and Technical Vocations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buccheri, Grazia; Gurber, Nadja Abt; Bruhwiler, Christian

2011-01-01

Many countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) note a shortage of highly qualified scientific-technical personnel, whereas demand for such employees is growing. Therefore, how to motivate (female) high performers in science or mathematics to pursue scientific careers is of special interest. The sample…

B-Plant Canyon Ventilation Control System Description

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

MCDANIEL, K.S.

1999-08-31

Project W-059 installed a new B Plant Canyon Ventilation System. Monitoring and control of the system is implemented by the Canyon Ventilation Control System (CVCS). This document describes the CVCS system components which include a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) coupled with an Operator Interface Unit (OIU) and application software. This document also includes an Alarm Index specifying the setpoints and technical basis for system analog and digital alarms.

Development of a Customizable Programme for Improving Interprofessional Team Meetings: An Action Research Approach

PubMed Central

van Bokhoven, Marloes Amantia; Goossens, Wilhelmus Nicolaas Marie; Daniëls, Ramon; van der Weijden, Trudy; Beurskens, Anna

2018-01-01

Introduction: Interprofessional teamwork is increasingly necessary in primary care to meet the needs of people with complex care demands. Needs assessment shows that this requires efficient interprofessional team meetings, focusing on patients’ personal goals. The aim of this study was to develop a programme to improve the efficiency and patient-centredness of such meetings. Methods: Action research approach: a first draft of the programme was developed, and iteratively used and evaluated by three primary care teams. Data were collected using observations, interviews and a focus group, and analysed using directed content analysis. Results: The final programme comprises a framework to reflect on team functioning, and training activities supplemented by a toolbox. Training is intended for the chairperson and a co-chair, and aims at organizing and structuring meetings, and enhancing patient-centredness. Our findings emphasize the essential role of the team’s chairperson, who, in addition to technically structuring meetings, should act as a change agent guiding team development. Conclusion: Findings show that the programme should be customizable to each individual team’s context and participants’ learning objectives. Becoming acquainted with new structures can be considered a growth process, in which teams have to find their way, with the chairperson as change agent. PMID:29632457

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.

Policy as Assemblage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorur, Radhika

2011-01-01

In this article, the author tells the story of her search for appropriate tools to conceptualise policy work. She had set out to explore the relationship between the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Australia's education policy, but early interview data…

Contribution of medical colleges to tuberculosis control in India under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP): Lessons learnt & challenges ahead

PubMed Central

Sharma, Surendra K.; Mohan, Alladi; Chauhan, L.S.; Narain, J.P.; Kumar, P.; Behera, D.; Sachdeva, K.S.; Kumar, Ashok

2013-01-01

Medical college faculty, who are academicians are seldom directly involved in the implementation of national public health programmes. More than a decade ago for the first time in the global history of tuberculosis (TB) control, medical colleges of India were involved in the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) of Government of India (GOI). This report documents the unique and extraordinary course of events that led to the involvement of medical colleges in the RNTCP of GOI. It also reports the contributions made by the medical colleges to TB control in India. For more than a decade, medical colleges have been providing diagnostic services (Designated Microscopy Centres), treatment [Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) Centres] referral for treatment, recording and reporting data, carrying out advocacy for RNTCP and conducting operational research relevant to RNTCP. Medical colleges are contributing to diagnosis and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-TB co-infection and development of laboratory infrastructure for early diagnosis of multidrug-resistant and/or extensively drug-resistant TB (M/XDR-TB) and DOTS-Plus sites for treatment of MDR-TB cases. Overall, at a national level, medical colleges have contributed to 25 per cent of TB suspects referred for diagnosis; 23 per cent of ‘new smear-positives’ diagnosed; 7 per cent of DOT provision within medical college; and 86 per cent treatment success rate among new smear-positive patients. As the Programme widens its scope, future challenges include sustenance of this contribution and facilitating universal access to quality TB care; greater involvement in operational research relevant to the Programme needs; and better co-ordination mechanisms between district, state, zonal and national level to encourage their involvement. PMID:23563371

The role of satellite remote sensing in REDD/MRV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, Inge; Sandoval, Alberto

2010-05-01

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. 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.

Creating global networks through an online engineering graduate programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, M. H.

2011-03-01

Internationally, the railway industry is facing a severe shortage of engineers with high-level, relevant, professional and technical knowledge and abilities, in particular amongst engineers involved in the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure. A unique graduate level programme has been created to meet that global need via a fully online, distance education format. The development and operation of this Master of Engineering degree is proposed as a model of the process needed for industry-relevance, flexible delivery, international networking and professional development required for a successful graduate engineering programme in the twenty-first century. In particular, this paper demonstrates how a mix of new and more familiar technologies are utilised through a variety of tasks to overcome the huge distances and multiple time zones that separate the participants across a growing number of countries, successfully achieving close and sustained interaction amongst the participants and railway experts.

Decarbonizing the international shipping industry: Solutions and policy recommendations.

PubMed

Wan, Zheng; El Makhloufi, Abdel; Chen, Yang; Tang, Jiayuan

2018-01-01

Ship-source greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could increase by up to 250% by 2050 from their 2012 levels, owing to increasing global freight volumes. Binding international legal agreements to regulate GHGs, however, are lacking as technical solutions remain expensive, and crucial industrial support is absent. In 2003, the International Maritime Organization adopted Resolution A.963 (23) to regulate shipping CO 2 emissions via technical, operational, and market-based routes. However, progress has been slow and uncertain; there is no concrete emission reduction target or definitive action plan. Yet, a full-fledged roadmap may not even emerge until 2023. In this policy analysis, we revisit the progress of technical, operational, and market-based routes and the associated controversies. We argue that 1) a performance-based index, though good-intentioned, has loopholes affecting meaningful CO 2 emission reductions driven by technical advancements; 2) using slow steaming to cut energy consumption stands out among all operational solutions thanks to its immediate and obvious results, but with the already slow speed in practice, this single source has limited emission reduction potential; 3) without a technology-savvy shipping industry, a market-based approach is essentially needed to address the environmental impact. To give shipping a 50:50 chance for contributing fairly and proportionately to keep global warming below 2°C, deep emission reductions should occur soon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why do health and social care providers co-operate?

PubMed

van Raak, Arno; Paulus, Aggie; Mur-Veeman, Ingrid

2005-09-28

Within Europe, although there are numerous examples of poor co-ordination in the delivery of integrated care, many providers do co-operate. We wanted to know why providers are moved to co-operate. In terms of systematic research, this is a new field; researchers have only begun to theorise about the rationales for co-operation. Practically, the issue of achieving co-operation attracts much attention from policymakers. Understanding the reasons for co-operation is a prerequisite for developing effective policy in support of integrated care. Our aim is to explore the comparative validity of different theoretical perspectives on the reasons for co-operation, to indicate directions for further study and for policy making. We used data from three successive studies to perform pattern matching with six established theoretical perspectives: transaction costs economics, strategic choice theory, resource dependence theory, learning theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory. Insights from the studies were compared for validating purposes (triangulation). The first study concerned the evaluation of the Dutch 'National Home Health Care Programme' according to the case study methodology. The second and third studies were surveys among project directors: questionnaires were based on the concepts derived from the first study. Researchers should combine normative institutional theory, resource dependence theory and stakeholder theory into one perspective, in order to study relationship formation in health and social care. The concept of institutions (rules) is the linchpin between the theories. Policy makers must map the institutions of stakeholders and enable integrated care policy to correspond with these institutions as much as possible.

Enhancing Co-operation between Mainstream and Special Education. Thematic Group 9. Helios II Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Middelfart (Denmark).

This booklet discusses mainstream and special education interaction through the experiences and conclusions of a working group of persons with disabilities, parents, administrators, mainstream teachers, teachers in special education, therapists, and professionals in special needs from 10 European countries. It focuses upon the special needs…

International Comparisons of Innovation and Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tienken, Christopher H.

2013-01-01

The release of the 2012 results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on December 3, 2012, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ([OECD], 2013) brought about another round of public education fear mongering on the part of bureaucrats and policymakers. However, weaknesses with the PISA test design,…

The Professional Educator: Lessons from Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahlberg, Pasi

2011-01-01

Since Finland emerged in 2000 as the top-scoring Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nation on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), researchers have been pouring into the country to study the so-called "Finnish miracle." How did a country with an undistinguished education system in the…

Nordic road map : programme for the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2009

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

Notes that the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen will take place December 2009. The prime ministers Punkaharju Declaration of summer 2007 set a new tone in Nordic co-operation, presenting a vision of the future in which the Nordic Regions res...

The Rasch Model for Evaluating Italian Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camminatiello, Ida; Gallo, Michele; Menini, Tullio

2010-01-01

In 1997 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for collecting information about 15-year-old students in participating countries. Our study analyses the PISA 2006 cognitive test for evaluating the Italian student performance in mathematics, reading…

Teacher Salary and National Achievement: A Cross-National Analysis of 30 Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akiba, Motoko; Chiu, Yu-Lun; Shimizu, Kazuhiko; Liang, Guodong

2012-01-01

Using national teacher salary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and student achievement data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this study compared secondary school teacher salary in 30 countries and examined the relationship between average teacher salary and national…

PISA 2009 Assessment Framework: Key Competencies in Reading, Mathematics and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schleicher, Andreas; Zimmer, Karin; Evans, Juliet; Clements, Niccolina

2009-01-01

In response to the need for cross-nationally comparable evidence on student performance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 1997. PISA represents a commitment by governments to monitor the outcomes of education systems through measuring…

An Analysis of Singaporean versus Indonesian Textbooks Based on Trigonometry Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Der-Ching; Sianturi, Iwan Andi

2017-01-01

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2016) released the results of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 and reported that the students' performance in mathematics of Singapore and Indonesia had significant differences. There is a strong relationship between textbooks used and mathematics performance…

Science Notes: Interdisciplinary Teaching of Biology and Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegner, Claas; Spintzyk, Katharina; Strehlke, Friederike; Minnaert, Lea; Gröben, Bernd

2014-01-01

In 2000, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study was conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is a worldwide study of 15-year-old students' performance in mathematics, science and reading skills. The study showed relatively poor results for German students' scientific literacy…

Institutional evolution of a community-based programme for malaria control through larval source management in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.

PubMed

Chaki, Prosper P; Kannady, Khadija; Mtasiwa, Deo; Tanner, Marcel; Mshinda, Hassan; Kelly, Ann H; Killeen, Gerry F

2014-06-25

Community-based service delivery is vital to the effectiveness, affordability and sustainability of vector control generally, and to labour-intensive larval source management (LSM) programmes in particular. The institutional evolution of a city-level, community-based LSM programme over 14 years in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, illustrates how operational research projects can contribute to public health governance and to the establishment of sustainable service delivery programmes. Implementation, management and governance of this LSM programme is framed within a nested set of spatially-defined relationships between mosquitoes, residents, government and research institutions that build upward from neighbourhood to city and national scales. The clear hierarchical structure associated with vertical, centralized management of decentralized, community-based service delivery, as well as increasingly clear differentiation of partner roles and responsibilities across several spatial scales, contributed to the evolution and subsequent growth of the programme. The UMCP was based on the principle of an integrated operational research project that evolved over time as the City Council gradually took more responsibility for management. The central role of Dar es Salaam's City Council in coordinating LSM implementation enabled that flexibility; the institutionalization of management and planning in local administrative structures enhanced community-mobilization and funding possibilities at national and international levels. Ultimately, the high degree of program ownership by the City Council and three municipalities, coupled with catalytic donor funding and technical support from expert overseas partners have enabled establishment of a sustainable, internally-funded programme implemented by the National Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and supported by national research and training institutes.

Institutional evolution of a community-based programme for malaria control through larval source management in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Community-based service delivery is vital to the effectiveness, affordability and sustainability of vector control generally, and to labour-intensive larval source management (LSM) programmes in particular. Case description The institutional evolution of a city-level, community-based LSM programme over 14 years in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, illustrates how operational research projects can contribute to public health governance and to the establishment of sustainable service delivery programmes. Implementation, management and governance of this LSM programme is framed within a nested set of spatially-defined relationships between mosquitoes, residents, government and research institutions that build upward from neighbourhood to city and national scales. Discussion and evaluation The clear hierarchical structure associated with vertical, centralized management of decentralized, community-based service delivery, as well as increasingly clear differentiation of partner roles and responsibilities across several spatial scales, contributed to the evolution and subsequent growth of the programme. Conclusions The UMCP was based on the principle of an integrated operational research project that evolved over time as the City Council gradually took more responsibility for management. The central role of Dar es Salaam’s City Council in coordinating LSM implementation enabled that flexibility; the institutionalization of management and planning in local administrative structures enhanced community-mobilization and funding possibilities at national and international levels. Ultimately, the high degree of program ownership by the City Council and three municipalities, coupled with catalytic donor funding and technical support from expert overseas partners have enabled establishment of a sustainable, internally-funded programme implemented by the National Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and supported by national research and training institutes. PMID:24964790

UTM Technical Capabilities Level 2 (TLC2) Test at Reno-Stead Airport.

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-06

Test of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) technical capability Level 2 (TCL2) at Reno-Stead Airport, Nevada. During the test, five drones simultaneously crossed paths, separated by altitude. Two drones flew beyond visual line-of-sight and three flew within line-of-sight of their operators. Drone Co-habitation Services operates a Phantom 3 commercial multi-rotor unmanned aircraft, one of 11 vehicles in the UTM TCL2 demonstration that will fly beyond line of sight of the pilot in command in Nevada test.

Estimating the size of key populations at higher risk of HIV infection: a summary of experiences and lessons presented during a technical meeting on size estimation among key populations in Asian countries

PubMed Central

Calleja, Jesus Maria Garcia; Zhao, Jinkou; Reddy, Amala; Seguy, Nicole

2014-01-01

Problem Size estimates of key populations at higher risk of HIV exposure are recognized as critical for understanding the trajectory of the HIV epidemic and planning and monitoring an effective response, especially for countries with concentrated and low epidemics such as those in Asia. Context To help countries estimate population sizes of key populations, global guidelines were updated in 2011 to reflect new technical developments and recent field experiences in applying these methods. Action In September 2013, a meeting of programme managers and experts experienced with population size estimates (PSE) for key populations was held for 13 Asian countries. This article summarizes the key results presented, shares practical lessons learnt and reviews the methodological approaches from implementing PSE in 13 countries. Lessons learnt It is important to build capacity to collect, analyse and use PSE data; establish a technical review group; and implement a transparent, well documented process. Countries should adapt global PSE guidelines and maintain operational definitions that are more relevant and useable for country programmes. Development of methods for non-venue-based key populations requires more investment and collaborative efforts between countries and among partners. PMID:25320676

Computer program for calculation of oxygen uptake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castle, B. L.; Castle, G.; Greenleaf, J. E.

1979-01-01

A description and operational precedures are presented for a computer program, written in Super Basic, that calculates oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, and related ventilation parameters. Program features include: (1) the option of entering slope and intercept values of calibration curves for the O2 and CO2 and analyzers; (2) calculation of expired water vapor pressure; and (3) the option of entering inspured O2 and CO2 concentrations. The program is easily adaptable for programmable laboratory calculators.

Future Marine Polar Research Capacities - Science Planning and Research Services for a Multi-National Research Icebreaker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biebow, N.; Lembke-Jene, L.; Wolff-Boenisch, B.; Bergamasco, A.; De Santis, L.; Eldholm, O.; Mevel, C.; Willmott, V.; Thiede, J.

2011-12-01

Despite significant advances in Arctic and Antarctic marine science over the past years, the polar Southern Ocean remains a formidable frontier due to challenging technical and operational requirements. Thus, key data and observations from this important region are still missing or lack adequate lateral and temporal coverage, especially from time slots outside optimal weather seasons and ice conditions. These barriers combined with the obligation to efficiently use financial resources and funding for expeditions call for new approaches to create optimally equipped, but cost-effective infrastructures. These must serve the international science community in a dedicated long-term mode and enable participation in multi-disciplinary expeditions, with secured access to optimally equipped marine platforms for world-class research in a wide range of Antarctic science topics. The high operational and technical performance capacity of a future joint European Research Icebreaker and Deep-sea Drilling Vessel (the AURORA BOREALIS concept) aims at integrating still separately operating national science programmes with different strategic priorities into joint development of long-term research missions with international cooperation both in Arctic and Antarctica. The icebreaker is planned to enable, as a worldwide first, autonomous year-round operations in the central Arctic and polar Southern Ocean, including severest ice conditions in winter, and serving all polar marine disciplines. It will facilitate the implementation of atmospheric, oceanographic, cryospheric or geophysical observatories for long-term monitoring of the polar environment. Access to the biosphere and hydrosphere e.g. beneath ice shelves or in remote regions is made possible by acting as advanced deployment platform for instruments, robotic and autonomous vehicles and ship-based air operations. In addition to a report on the long-term strategic science and operational planning objectives, we describe foreseen on- and offshore science support infrastructure, recommended operational and scientific support structures and the relevance of AURORA BOREALIS for other present and future Antarctic science programmes and initiatives.

Integration of leprosy services into the General Health Service in Sri Lanka: overcoming challenges to implementation in a remote district.

PubMed

Wijesinghe, Thushanthi S; Wijesinghe, Pushpa Ranjan

2013-01-01

Sri Lanka took a policy decision to integrate leprosy services into the general health services (GHS) in 1999. This paper aims to summarize the emergence of new, specific challenges and how they were overcome during the integration of leprosy services to the GHS in a remote, leprosy endemic district in Sri Lanka. In this article, the regional epidemiologist as the team leader describes the principles used for transition to an effective integrated model of leprosy services from a centralized leprosy control model in the district. In addition, rationale for integration is viewed from the epidemiological and operational perspectives. National and district leprosy epidemiological data from secondary sources are also reviewed for corroborating the effectiveness of integration. Challenges surfaced were mainly related to the transfer of ownership of the programme, selection of appropriate service providing institutions easily accessible to clients, sustainability of leprosy services at the GHS, ensuring participation of all stakeholders in capacity building programmes and co-ordination of patient care in the absence of a dermatologist in the district. An empowered district team leader with specified roles and responsibilities, his sound technical and managerial know how and ability to translate 'team work' concept to practice were found to be essential for successful implementation of integration. Decision-making powers at the district level and flexibility to introduce new, area-specific changes to the centrally prepared core activities of integration were also vital to overcome locally surfaced challenges.

Implementation of ergonomics in a service unit: challenges and advances.

PubMed

Penteado, Eliane Villas Bôas de Freitas; de França, Maria Goretti; Ramalhoto, Ana Maria de Brito; de Oliveira, Ana Maria; Machado, Bruno Rangel Cortoppassi; Genipapeiro, Joana Angélica Matos

2012-01-01

This article discusses the implementation of ergonomics in a service unit of a major company in the energy sector. From the perspective of management, it analyses the process of implementation of ergonomics programmes in four operational areas. The objective was to diagnose the level of implementation of ergonomics. The study is descriptive, undertaken through the interaction with the technical staff of the operational areas involved, incorporating the perception of these role players concerning their work routines. The results indicated significant differences in the level of implementation of the programmes, especially those concerning structural conditions. Important conquests were registered, such as the investment in the training of specialists, the establishment of a facilitator network and the improvement of the standard for the directioning and alignment of the execution of initiatives. The linking in of the programmes with those of occupational health management emphasises its contribution to the safety and well-being of the workforce through interventions aimed mainly at eliminating and reducing ergonomic biomechanical risks. However, the need to broaden and deepen the ergonomic approach regarding organizational and cognitive aspects, as well as the insertion of ergonomics in project design of new work spaces and processes were also identified.

A draft of guidance from the scientific Research Programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN to underpin the implementation of the CCS Directive in Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streibel, Martin; Schoebel, Birgit

2015-04-01

In 2004 the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany launched the programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN with one key aspect being the development of technologies for sustainable storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations. Within this research field more than 30 projects in three consecutive programme phases have been funded up to the end of 2014. In order to benefit from the gathered knowledge and use the experiences for the policy/law making process the umbrella project AUGE has been launched in October 2012 with a life time of three years. The aim of the project is to review and compile all results of projects funded during the three phases to underpin the appendices of the German transposition of the EC Directive 2009/31/EC the "Carbon Dioxide Storage Law" (KSpG). The results of the projects have been structured along the lines of the two appendices of the KSpG which are similar to the ones of the EC Directive. The detailed structure follows the CSA Z741, Canada's first CCS standard for the geological storage of carbon emissions deep underground. This document also serves as the draft version for the ISO Technical Committee 265 "Carbon dioxide capture, transportation, and geological storage". From the risk management perspective, according to ISO 31000, most of the research performed in the above mentioned scientific programme dealt with contextual background of geological CO2 storage asking the question which physical, chemical and biological interactions of CO2 are most important to understand to evaluate if CO2 storage in general is feasible. This lead to risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation. Major topics of the scientific programme were • site characterisation with development and optimisation of laboratory procedures and implementation amongst other activities at the pilot site at Ketzin; • optimization of seismic procedures for site characterisation and the detection of injected CO2; • physical, chemical and microbiological interaction of CO2 with the reservoir and the impact of pressure elevation in saline reservoirs; • cap rock and well integrity; • development and test of monitoring methods from the atmosphere down to the reservoir; • development and improvement of numerical methods to simulate injection and spreading of the CO2 plume. During all three phases the knowledge has been incorporated in the risk assessment approach has been further developed. Within this paper we will present a draft of the guidance document which is based on the compilation of results of the early projects and input provided by project partners of the final funding phase of GEOTECHNOLOGIEN.

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.

An Opportunity to Better Understand Schooling: The Growing Presence of PISA in the Americas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milford, Todd; Ross, Shelley P.; Anderson, John O.

2010-01-01

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has been developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to provide participating nations with internationally comparative mean literacy scores in reading, mathematics, and science for students nearing the end of compulsory schooling. The number of nations from the…

The OECD PISA Study as a Soft Power in Education? Lessons from Switzerland and the US

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bieber, Tonia; Martens, Kerstin

2011-01-01

Although originally created for economic purposes, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has increasingly gained weight in education policy in recent years and is now regarded as an international authority in the field, particularly through its "Programme for International Student Assessment" (PISA), which was…

Co-Operation is Not Enough: Teacher Educators as Curriculum Developers in Times of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoydalsvik, Torhild Erika Lillemark

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory two site case study is to examine how teacher educators, student teachers and programme leaders experience their 'curriculum developer role' in times of change, against the background of a new national guideline for preschool teacher education being implemented in Norway. The multidisciplinary team approach…

Tracing the Reflective Practices of Student Teachers in Online Modes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farr, Fiona; Riordan, Elaine

2015-01-01

During the course of pre-and in-service teacher education programmes, reflection can happen in a number of ways, for example: reflective journals, personal stories and pair/group co-operative discussions, professional development portfolios, and blogs and electronic portfolios. The aim of this paper is to examine various technologies such as…

Survey of Basic Education in Eastern Africa. UNESCO/UNICEF Co-Operation Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Nairobi (Kenya). Regional Office of Science and Technology for Africa.

A survey of basic education in 13 Eastern African countries (Madagascar, Burundi, Comores, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Somalia) covers basic education programs and UNICEF's supporting role. Basic education is seen as a concept evolved in the region, involving formal school systems and…

Inquiry, Engagement, and Literacy in Science: A Retrospective, Cross-National Analysis Using PISA 2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConney, Andrew; Oliver, Mary C.; Woods-McConney, Amanda; Schibeci, Renato; Maor, Dorit

2014-01-01

In this study, we examine patterns of students' literacy and engagement in science associated with different levels of "inquiry-oriented" learning reported by students in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. To achieve this, we analyzed data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's 2006 Programme for International…

Erasmus Student Mobility and the Construction of European Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llurda, Enric; Gallego-Balsà, Lídia; Barahona, Clàudia; Martin-Rubió, Xavier

2016-01-01

The Erasmus student mobility programme allocates three explicit objectives to the experience of spending a few months studying in another European country: (1) to benefit students educationally, linguistically and culturally; (2) to promote co-operation between institutions and (3) to contribute to the development of a pool of well-qualified,…

Recent operating experiences with steam generators in Japanese NPPs

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

Yashima, Seiji

1997-02-01

In 1994, the Genkai-3 of Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. and the Ikata-3 of Shikoku Electric Power Co., Inc. started commercial operation, and now 22 PWR plants are being operated in Japan. Since the first PWR plant now 22 PWR plants are being operated in was started to operate, Japanese PWR plants have had an operating experience of approx. 280 reactor-years. During that period, many tube degradations have been experienced in steam generators (SGs). And, in 1991, the steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) occurred in the Mihama-2 of Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. However, the occurrence of tube degradation ofmore » SGs has been decreased by the instructions of the MITI as regulatory authorities, efforts of Electric Utilities, and technical support from the SG manufacturers. Here the author describes the recent SGs in Japan about the following points. (1) Recent Operating Experiences (2) Lessons learned from Mihama-2 SGTR (3) SG replacement (4) Safety Regulations on SG (5) Research and development on SG.« less

Organising, Providing and Evaluating Technical Training for Early Career Researchers: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Besouw, Rachel M.; Rogers, Katrine S.; Powles, Christopher J.; Papadopoulos, Timos; Ku, Emery M.

2013-01-01

This paper considers the importance of providing technical training opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) worldwide through the case study of a MATLAB training programme, which was proposed, organised, managed and evaluated by a team of five ECRs at the University of Southampton. The effectiveness of the programme in terms of the…

A Comparison of the Act and Frequency of Plagiarism between Technical and Non-Technical Programme Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BavaHarji, Madhubala; Chetty, Thiba Naraina; Ismail, Zalina Bt; Letchumanan, Krishnaveni

2016-01-01

Concerned with intellectual theft, we decided to examine intellectual theft among undergraduates at a private higher education institution. The aim of this study was to compare the act and frequency of plagiarism, particularly between programmes, gender, year of study and academic performance. This study adopted the quantitative approach, using a…

EU Funded Research Activities on NPPS Operational Safety

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

Manolatos, P.; Van Goethem, G.

2002-07-01

The 5. framework programme (FP-5), the pluri-annual research programme of the European Union (EU), covers the period 1998-2002. Research on nuclear energy, fusion and fission, is covered by the EURATOM part of the FP-5. An overview of the Euratom's research on Nuclear Reactor Safety, managed by the DG-RTD of the European Commission (EC), is presented. This concerns 70 multi-partner projects of approximately euro 82.5 million total contract value that have been selected and co-financed during the period 1999-2001. They form the three clusters of projects dealing with the 'Operational Safety of Existing Installations'. 'Plant Life Extension and Management' (PLEM), 'Severemore » Accident Management' (SAM) and 'Evolutionary concepts' (EVOL). Emphasis is given here to the projects of the PLEM cluster. (authors)« less

Integrating multiple programme and policy approaches to hepatitis C prevention and care for injection drug users: a comprehensive approach.

PubMed

Birkhead, Guthrie S; Klein, Susan J; Candelas, Alma R; O'Connell, Daniel A; Rothman, Jeffrey R; Feldman, Ira S; Tsui, Dennis S; Cotroneo, Richard A; Flanigan, Colleen A

2007-10-01

New York State is home to an estimated 230,000 individuals chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and roughly 171,500 active injection drug users (IDUs). HCV/HIV co-infection is common and models of service delivery that effectively meet IDUs' needs are required. A HCV strategic plan has stressed integration. HCV prevention and care are integrated within health and human service settings, including HIV/AIDS organisations and drug treatment programmes. Other measures that support comprehensive HCV services for IDUs include reimbursement, clinical guidelines, training and HCV prevention education. Community and provider collaborations inform programme and policy development. IDUs access 5 million syringes annually through harm reduction/syringe exchange programmes (SEPs) and a statewide syringe access programme. Declines in HCV prevalence amongst IDUs in New York City coincided with improved syringe availability. New models of care successfully link IDUs at SEPs and in drug treatment to health care. Over 7000 Medicaid recipients with HCV/HIV co-infection had health care encounters related to their HCV in a 12-month period and 10,547 claims for HCV-related medications were paid. The success rate of transitional case management referrals to drug treatment is over 90%. Training and clinical guidelines promote provider knowledge about HCV and contribute to quality HCV care for IDUs. Chart reviews of 2570 patients with HIV in 2004 documented HCV status 97.4% of the time, overall, in various settings. New HCV surveillance systems are operational. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain. A comprehensive, public health approach, using multiple strategies across systems and mobilizing multiple sectors, can enhance IDUs access to HCV prevention and care. A holisitic approach with integrated services, including for HCV-HIV co-infected IDUs is needed. Leadership, collaboration and resources are essential.

Radiation-Hardened Circuitry Using Mask-Programmable Analog Arrays. Final Report

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

Britton, Jr., Charles L.; Ericson, Milton Nance; Bobrek, Miljko

As the recent accident at Fukushima Daiichi so vividly demonstrated, telerobotic technologies capable of withstanding high radiation environments need to be readily available to enable operations, repair, and recovery under severe accident scenarios where human entry is extremely dangerous or not possible. Telerobotic technologies that enable remote operation in high dose rate environments have undergone revolutionary improvement over the past few decades. However, much of this technology cannot be employed in nuclear power environments due the radiation sensitivity of the electronics and the organic insulator materials currently in use. This is the final report of the activities involving the NEETmore » 2 project Radiation Hardened Circuitry Using Mask-Programmable Analog Arrays. We present a detailed functional block diagram of the proposed data acquisition system, the thought process leading to technical decisions, the implemented system, and the tested results from the systems. This system will be capable of monitoring at least three parameters of importance to nuclear reactor monitoring: temperature, radiation level, and pressure.« less

International cooperation in water resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, J.R.; Beall, R.M.; Giusti, E.V.

1979-01-01

Advancements in hydrology proceeded slowly until the late 1800's when new ventures created a surge of interest and accomplishment. Progress waned again until the middle 20th century when an International Hydrological Decade was conceived, eventually receiving wide multinational support from governmental agencies and nongovernmental institutions. Organized by UNESCO, the Decade program was launched January 1, 1965. Participation included 107 nations, six United Nations agencies, and more than a dozen international scientific organizations. The initial program emphasized scientific research, and international cooperation; the second half of the Decade, emphasized technical assistance and technology transfer, largerly through education, training and demonstration. The success of the Decade led to the establishment of the International Hydrological Program, again under the aegis of UNESCO, to continue the work of the Decade indefinitely. The five major program activities, now involving about 90 countries and several international organizations, include: the scientific program, the promotion of education and training, the enhancement of information exchange, support of technical assistance, and the enlargement of regional cooperation. A significant amount of activity related to hydrological data networks and forecasting is carried on in an Operational Hydrology Programme by the WMO, chiefly through its Commission for Hydrology. Other international governmental organizations with a strong interest in water include the UN, the UN Development Programme, the FAO, the WHO, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN Environment Programme, the International Standardization Organization, and developmental institutions such as the World Bank. The specialized interests of researchers outside of the governmental structure, are met through association in various scientific and technical organizations which are world wide in scope and membership. Notwithstanding a sometimes bewildering variety of organizations, there certainly exists, for any nation, group, or individual, a demonstrated mechanism for almost any conceivable form of international cooperation in hydrology and water resources. ?? 1979 Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft.

[Disease management programs from a health insurer's point of view].

PubMed

Szymkowiak, Christof; Walkenhorst, Karen; Straub, Christoph

2003-06-01

Disease Management Programmes represent a great challenge to the German statutory health insurance system. According to politicians, disease management programmes are an appropriate tool for increasing the level of care for chronically ill patients significantly, while at the same time they can slow down the cost explosion in health care. The statutory health insurers' point of view yields a more refined picture of the chances and risks involved. The chances are that a medical guideline-based, evidence-based, co-operative care of the chronically ill could be established. But also, there are the risks of misuse of disease management programmes and of misallocation of funds due to the ill-advised linkage with the so-called risk compensation scheme (RSA) balancing the sickness funds' structural deficits through redistribution. The nation-wide introduction of disease management programmes appears to be a gigantic experiment whose aim is to change the care of chronically ill patients and whose outcome is unpredictable.

A Full-Featured User Friendly CO 2-EOR and Sequestration Planning Software

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

Savage, Bill

A Full-Featured, User Friendly CO 2-EOR and Sequestration Planning Software This project addressed the development of an integrated software solution that includes a graphical user interface, numerical simulation, visualization tools and optimization processes for reservoir simulation modeling of CO 2-EOR. The objective was to assist the industry in the development of domestic energy resources by expanding the application of CO 2-EOR technologies, and ultimately to maximize the CO 2} sequestration capacity of the U.S. The software resulted in a field-ready application for the industry to address the current CO 2-EOR technologies. The software has been made available to the publicmore » without restrictions and with user friendly operating documentation and tutorials. The software (executable only) can be downloaded from NITEC’s website at www.nitecllc.com. This integrated solution enables the design, optimization and operation of CO 2-EOR processes for small and mid-sized operators, who currently cannot afford the expensive, time intensive solutions that the major oil companies enjoy. Based on one estimate, small oil fields comprise 30% of the of total economic resource potential for the application of CO 2-EOR processes in the U.S. This corresponds to 21.7 billion barrels of incremental, technically recoverable oil using the current “best practices”, and 31.9 billion barrels using “next-generation” CO 2-EOR techniques. The project included a Case Study of a prospective CO 2-EOR candidate field in Wyoming by a small independent, Linc Energy Petroleum Wyoming, Inc. NITEC LLC has an established track record of developing innovative and user friendly software. The Principle Investigator is an experienced manager and engineer with expertise in software development, numerical techniques, and GUI applications. Unique, presently-proprietary NITEC technologies have been integrated into this application to further its ease of use and technical functionality.« less

Information management in an integrated space telerobot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dipippo, S.; Pasquariello, G.; Labini, G. Sylos

1989-01-01

The in-orbit operations, like space structures inspection, servicing and repairing, is expected to be one of the most significant technological area for application and development of Robotics and Automation in Space Station environment. The Italian National Space Plan (PSN) has started up its strategic programme SPIDER (Space Inspection Device for Extravehicular Repairs), which is scheduled in three phases, with the final goal of performing docking and precision repairing in the Space Station environment. SPIDER system is an autonomous integrated space robot, using mature Artificial Intelligence tools and technics for its operational control. The preliminary results of a study on the information architecture of the spacecraft are described.

Training programmes can change behaviour and encourage the cultivation of over-harvested plant species.

PubMed

Williams, Sophie J; Jones, Julia P G; Clubbe, Colin; Gibbons, James M

2012-01-01

Cultivation of wild-harvested plant species has been proposed as a way of reducing over-exploitation of wild populations but lack of technical knowledge is thought to be a barrier preventing people from cultivating a new species. Training programmes are therefore used to increase technical knowledge to encourage people to adopt cultivation. We assessed the impact of a training programme aiming to encourage cultivation of xaté (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti), an over-harvested palm from Central America. Five years after the training programme ended, we surveyed untrained and trained individuals focusing on four potential predictors of behaviour: technical knowledge, attitudes (what individuals think about a behaviour), subjective norms (what individuals perceive others to think of a behaviour) and perceived behavioural control (self assessment of whether individuals can enact the behaviour successfully). Whilst accounting for socioeconomic variables, we investigate the influence of training upon these behavioural predictors and examine the factors that determine whether people adopt cultivation of a novel species. Those who had been trained had higher levels of technical knowledge about xaté cultivation and higher belief in their ability to cultivate it while training was not associated with differences in attitudes or subjective norms. Technical knowledge and perceived behavioural control (along with socio-economic variables such as forest ownership and age) were predictors of whether individuals cultivate xaté. We suggest that training programmes can have a long lasting effect on individuals and can change behaviour. However, in many situations other barriers to cultivation, such as access to seeds or appropriate markets, will need to be addressed.

Training Programmes Can Change Behaviour and Encourage the Cultivation of Over-Harvested Plant Species

PubMed Central

Williams, Sophie J.; Jones, Julia P. G.; Clubbe, Colin; Gibbons, James M.

2012-01-01

Cultivation of wild-harvested plant species has been proposed as a way of reducing over-exploitation of wild populations but lack of technical knowledge is thought to be a barrier preventing people from cultivating a new species. Training programmes are therefore used to increase technical knowledge to encourage people to adopt cultivation. We assessed the impact of a training programme aiming to encourage cultivation of xaté (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti), an over-harvested palm from Central America. Five years after the training programme ended, we surveyed untrained and trained individuals focusing on four potential predictors of behaviour: technical knowledge, attitudes (what individuals think about a behaviour), subjective norms (what individuals perceive others to think of a behaviour) and perceived behavioural control (self assessment of whether individuals can enact the behaviour successfully). Whilst accounting for socioeconomic variables, we investigate the influence of training upon these behavioural predictors and examine the factors that determine whether people adopt cultivation of a novel species. Those who had been trained had higher levels of technical knowledge about xaté cultivation and higher belief in their ability to cultivate it while training was not associated with differences in attitudes or subjective norms. Technical knowledge and perceived behavioural control (along with socio-economic variables such as forest ownership and age) were predictors of whether individuals cultivate xaté. We suggest that training programmes can have a long lasting effect on individuals and can change behaviour. However, in many situations other barriers to cultivation, such as access to seeds or appropriate markets, will need to be addressed. PMID:22431993

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. VIII. CoRoT-7b: the first super-Earth with measured radius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Léger, A.; Rouan, D.; Schneider, J.; Barge, P.; Fridlund, M.; Samuel, B.; Ollivier, M.; Guenther, E.; Deleuil, M.; Deeg, H. J.; Auvergne, M.; Alonso, R.; Aigrain, S.; Alapini, A.; Almenara, J. M.; Baglin, A.; Barbieri, M.; Bruntt, H.; Bordé, P.; Bouchy, F.; Cabrera, J.; Catala, C.; Carone, L.; Carpano, S.; Csizmadia, Sz.; Dvorak, R.; Erikson, A.; Ferraz-Mello, S.; Foing, B.; Fressin, F.; Gandolfi, D.; Gillon, M.; Gondoin, Ph.; Grasset, O.; Guillot, T.; Hatzes, A.; Hébrard, G.; Jorda, L.; Lammer, H.; Llebaria, A.; Loeillet, B.; Mayor, M.; Mazeh, T.; Moutou, C.; Pätzold, M.; Pont, F.; Queloz, D.; Rauer, H.; Renner, S.; Samadi, R.; Shporer, A.; Sotin, Ch.; Tingley, B.; Wuchterl, G.; Adda, M.; Agogu, P.; Appourchaux, T.; Ballans, H.; Baron, P.; Beaufort, T.; Bellenger, R.; Berlin, R.; Bernardi, P.; Blouin, D.; Baudin, F.; Bodin, P.; Boisnard, L.; Boit, L.; Bonneau, F.; Borzeix, S.; Briet, R.; Buey, J.-T.; Butler, B.; Cailleau, D.; Cautain, R.; Chabaud, P.-Y.; Chaintreuil, S.; Chiavassa, F.; Costes, V.; Cuna Parrho, V.; de Oliveira Fialho, F.; Decaudin, M.; Defise, J.-M.; Djalal, S.; Epstein, G.; Exil, G.-E.; Fauré, C.; Fenouillet, T.; Gaboriaud, A.; Gallic, A.; Gamet, P.; Gavalda, P.; Grolleau, E.; Gruneisen, R.; Gueguen, L.; Guis, V.; Guivarc'h, V.; Guterman, P.; Hallouard, D.; Hasiba, J.; Heuripeau, F.; Huntzinger, G.; Hustaix, H.; Imad, C.; Imbert, C.; Johlander, B.; Jouret, M.; Journoud, P.; Karioty, F.; Kerjean, L.; Lafaille, V.; Lafond, L.; Lam-Trong, T.; Landiech, P.; Lapeyrere, V.; Larqué, T.; Laudet, P.; Lautier, N.; Lecann, H.; Lefevre, L.; Leruyet, B.; Levacher, P.; Magnan, A.; Mazy, E.; Mertens, F.; Mesnager, J.-M.; Meunier, J.-C.; Michel, J.-P.; Monjoin, W.; Naudet, D.; Nguyen-Kim, K.; Orcesi, J.-L.; Ottacher, H.; Perez, R.; Peter, G.; Plasson, P.; Plesseria, J.-Y.; Pontet, B.; Pradines, A.; Quentin, C.; Reynaud, J.-L.; Rolland, G.; Rollenhagen, F.; Romagnan, R.; Russ, N.; Schmidt, R.; Schwartz, N.; Sebbag, I.; Sedes, G.; Smit, H.; Steller, M. B.; Sunter, W.; Surace, C.; Tello, M.; Tiphène, D.; Toulouse, P.; Ulmer, B.; Vandermarcq, O.; Vergnault, E.; Vuillemin, A.; Zanatta, P.

2009-10-01

Aims: We report the discovery of very shallow (Δ F/F ≈ 3.4× 10-4), periodic dips in the light curve of an active V = 11.7 G9V star observed by the CoRoT satellite, which we interpret as caused by a transiting companion. We describe the 3-colour CoRoT data and complementary ground-based observations that support the planetary nature of the companion. Methods: We used CoRoT colours information, good angular resolution ground-based photometric observations in- and out- of transit, adaptive optics imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, and preliminary results from radial velocity measurements, to test the diluted eclipsing binary scenarios. The parameters of the host star were derived from optical spectra, which were then combined with the CoRoT light curve to derive parameters of the companion. Results: We examined all conceivable cases of false positives carefully, and all the tests support the planetary hypothesis. Blends with separation >0.40´´or triple systems are almost excluded with a 8 × 10-4 risk left. We conclude that, inasmuch we have been exhaustive, we have discovered a planetary companion, named CoRoT-7b, for which we derive a period of 0.853 59 ± 3 × 10-5 day and a radius of Rp = 1.68 ± 0.09 R_Earth. Analysis of preliminary radial velocity data yields an upper limit of 21 M_Earth for the companion mass, supporting the finding. Conclusions: CoRoT-7b is very likely the first Super-Earth with a measured radius. This object illustrates what will probably become a common situation with missions such as Kepler, namely the need to establish the planetary origin of transits in the absence of a firm radial velocity detection and mass measurement. The composition of CoRoT-7b remains loosely constrained without a precise mass. A very high surface temperature on its irradiated face, ≈1800-2600 K at the substellar point, and a very low one, ≈50 K, on its dark face assuming no atmosphere, have been derived. The CoRoT space mission, launched on 27 December 2006, has been developed and is operated by CNES, with the contribution of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, ESA, Germany, and Spain. First CoRoT data are available to the public from the CoRoT archive: http://idoc-corot.ias.u-psud.fr. The complementary observations were obtained with MegaPrime/MegaCam, a joint project of CFHT and CEA/DAPNIA, at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by NRC in Canada, INSU-CNRS in France, and the University of Hawaii; ESO Telescopes at the La Silla and Paranal Observatories under programme ID 081.C-0413(C), DDT 282.C-5015; the IAC80 telescope operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Tenerife at the Observatorio del Teide; the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT), operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias; and at the Anglo-Australian Telescope that have been funded by the Optical Infrared Coordination network (OPTICON), a major international collaboration supported by the Research Infrastructures Programme of the European Commissions Sixth Framework Programme; Radial-velocity observations were obtained with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the 1.93m telescope of Observatoire de Haute Provence, France.

Towards Quality Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Programmes in Nigeria: Challenges and Improvement Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayonmike, Chinyere Shirley; Okwelle, P. Chijioke; Okeke, Benjamin Chukwumaijem

2015-01-01

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is widely recognized as a vital driving force for the socio-economic growth and technological development of nations. In achieving the goals and objectives of TVET in Nigeria, the quality of the programme needs to be improved and sustained. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the challenges…

Implications of Incessant Strike Actions on the Implementation of Technical Education Programme in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adavbiele, J. A.

2015-01-01

This paper was designed to x-ray the implications of incessant strike actions on the implementation of Technical education programme in Nigeria. The paper took an exploratory view on the concept of strike actions in Nigeria with particular references on notable strike actions that have occurred in Nigeria. The types of strike were explained and…

Rebuilding Schools after the Wenchuan Earthquake: China Visits OECD, Italy and Turkey. CELE Exchange 2009/7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing (NJ1), 2009

2009-01-01

As the reconstruction efforts continue in China in the wake of the Great Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, the China Development Research Foundation, with the support of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Centre for Effective Learning Environments, organised an International Training Programme on the Post-Earthquake…

PISA 2015: Findings and Some Implications for UK Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jonathan; Millar, Robin

2017-01-01

This article provides an overview of the main findings for the countries of the UK from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015, where science was the major focus. The nature of the tests, the key findings and how they might be interpreted are discussed--in…

Extending Basic Learning Opportunities: Challenge and Response. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prakasha, Veda; And Others

This digest focuses on problems encountered in the expansion of facilities for universal primary education and responses being developed to overcome these problems. The central message of the document is that nonformal structures of learning and community involvement play a key role in the expansion of basic learning opportunities in the…

The Position of Turkey among OECD Member and Candidate Countries According to PISA 2009 Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acar, Tulin

2012-01-01

The aim of the study is to determine the status of Turkey among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) members and candidate countries through cluster and discriminant analyses according to PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2009 results. The study includes 475460 fifteen year-old students from 65…

Quality Assurance in an International Higher Education Area: A Summary of a Case-Study Approach and Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhard, Andrea

2012-01-01

Transparency and comparability of higher education institutions especially in terms of their academic programmes and research activities are important issues for today's working environment. This paper is an overview of a recently completed PhD thesis which outlines examples of selected Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development…

Education and Primary Health Care. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jabre, Bushra

This digest concentrates on UNICEF's program priorities and summarizes the contents of the first 17 issues of its series on education and primary health care (PHC). Chapter I offers an introduction to PHC. Chapter II describes UNICEF's child health revolution, focusing on the direct and immediate interventions of growth monitoring, oral…

Some Recent Ideas on School Feeding. UNESCO-UNICEF-WFP Co-operative Programme Digest No. 21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicot, Claude; And Others

This digest for national and international officials, educational administrators, teacher trainers, and teachers addresses the purposes and goals of school feeding projects. Projects that both do and do not receive donated food from abroad are considered. The digest is introduced with a discussion of background information. This discussion raises…

Student Perceptions of New Differentiation Policies in Swedish Post-16 Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arreeman, Inger Erixon

2014-01-01

In Sweden, and in most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, post-16 education is a general requirement to succeed in adult life. By the late 2000s, after about two decades of policies for student choice and publicly funded free schools, students' results in the Programme for International Student…

The Higher Education Academic Readiness of Students in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Ronald; McChesney, Christopher

2016-01-01

The authors examined the state of United States student academic readiness for higher education from a global perspective utilizing data from the Organization of Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests over a half a million 15 year old student's skills and knowledge.…

The TOTEM Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

TOTEM Collaboration; Anelli, G.; Antchev, G.; Aspell, P.; Avati, V.; Bagliesi, M. G.; Berardi, V.; Berretti, M.; Boccone, V.; Bottigli, U.; Bozzo, M.; Brücken, E.; Buzzo, A.; Cafagna, F.; Calicchio, M.; Capurro, F.; Catanesi, M. G.; Catastini, P. L.; Cecchi, R.; Cerchi, S.; Cereseto, R.; Ciocci, M. A.; Cuneo, S.; Da Vià, C.; David, E.; Deile, M.; Dimovasili, E.; Doubrava, M.; Eggert, K.; Eremin, V.; Ferro, F.; Foussat, A.; Galuška, M.; Garcia, F.; Gherarducci, F.; Giani, S.; Greco, V.; Hasi, J.; Haug, F.; Heino, J.; Hilden, T.; Jarron, P.; Joram, C.; Kalliopuska, J.; Kaplon, J.; Kašpar, J.; Kundrát, V.; Kurvinen, K.; Lacroix, J. M.; Lami, S.; Latino, G.; Lauhakangas, R.; Lippmaa, E.; Lokajíček, M.; Lo Vetere, M.; Rodriguez, F. Lucas; Macina, D.; Macrí, M.; Magazzù, C.; Magazzù, G.; Magri, A.; Maire, G.; Manco, A.; Meucci, M.; Minutoli, S.; Morelli, A.; Musico, P.; Negri, M.; Niewiadomski, H.; Noschis, E.; Notarnicola, G.; Oliveri, E.; Oljemark, F.; Orava, R.; Oriunno, M.; Perrot, A.-L.; Österberg, K.; Paoletti, R.; Pedreschi, E.; Petäjäjärvi, J.; Pollovio, P.; Quinto, M.; Radermacher, E.; Radicioni, E.; Rangod, S.; Ravotti, F.; Rella, G.; Robutti, E.; Ropelewski, L.; Ruggiero, G.; Rummel, A.; Saarikko, H.; Sanguinetti, G.; Santroni, A.; Scribano, A.; Sette, G.; Snoeys, W.; Spinella, F.; Squillacioti, P.; Ster, A.; Taylor, C.; Tazzioli, A.; Torazza, D.; Trovato, A.; Trummal, A.; Turini, N.; Vacek, V.; Van Remortel, N.; Vinš, V.; Watts, S.; Whitmore, J.; Wu, J.

2008-08-01

The TOTEM Experiment will measure the total pp cross-section with the luminosity-independent method and study elastic and diffractive scattering at the LHC. To achieve optimum forward coverage for charged particles emitted by the pp collisions in the interaction point IP5, two tracking telescopes, T1 and T2, will be installed on each side in the pseudorapidity region 3.1 <= |η| <= 6.5, and Roman Pot stations will be placed at distances of ±147 m and ±220 m from IP5. Being an independent experiment but technically integrated into CMS, TOTEM will first operate in standalone mode to pursue its own physics programme and at a later stage together with CMS for a common physics programme. This article gives a description of the TOTEM apparatus and its performance.

Bibliography of Technical Publications and Papers July 1976 - September 1977

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-10-01

Lightweight Body Armor Medical Technical Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO, 18 August 1977. 67. BENSEL, C. Human factors consideration in the use of CW...HEISELMAN. Human factors in food service operations. Activities Report, 29(2): 54-60 (1977). 110. TAUB, I. A., P. ANGELINI, and C. MERRITT, JR...rat: Electrophysiological and behavioral studies. Amer. J. Physiol., 231(4): 1043-1049 (1976). 205. ANDERSON, W. G., C. Y. BYON, H. GUT , and F. H

TECHNICAL DESIGN NOTE: Picosecond resolution programmable delay line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchenek, Mariusz

2009-11-01

The note presents implementation of a programmable delay line for digital signals. The tested circuit has a subnanosecond delay range programmable with a resolution of picoseconds. Implementation of the circuit was based on low-cost components, easily available on the market.

The impact of age on the art of mammography and how to adapt accordingly.

PubMed

Lake, B; Cielecki, L; Williams, S; Worrall, C; Metelko, M

2017-11-01

Breast cancer is increasingly a disease of the elderly, and combined with the NHS Breast Screening Extension means that more elderly patients are having mammography. Increasing age can make mammography more technically difficult. This is a technical note detailing the results of a local audit which may be of interest due to potential service implications. A retrospective audit of the first year of screening extension of The Shropshire Breast Screening Programme. Aims to collect data on patient demographics and describe the technical adaptations developed in Shropshire. Breast screening extension has increased by 2.5 times the number of women aged 70-74 screened, and doubled the overall numbers of women over 70 screened. Significantly more older patients are being screened to present technical challenges to a screening programme. Data was obtained from a month of screening showed that 29% of patients over 70 needed extra time for positioning. Reasons included 22% difficulty in obtaining adequate positioning and 15% needed a relative to aid with consent. In the Shropshire screening programme different technical adaptations have been developed and are key to ensuring adequate images. These include double appointments, two radiographers, thorough assessment, steeper angles, seated examinations, from-below imaging and pre-planning for subsequent screen. Significantly more older women are having breast screening due to the increasing incidence of breast cancer and the Breast Screening Programme extension. Increasing age can significantly increase time taken for adequate imaging and present technical challenges. Development of technical adaptations to art of mammography is key to achieve adequate images. Copyright © 2017 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of Postcombustion CO2 Capture Plants: Modeling, Validation, and Case Study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The capture of CO2 from power plant flue gases provides an opportunity to mitigate emissions that are harmful to the global climate. While the process of CO2 capture using an aqueous amine solution is well-known from experience in other technical sectors (e.g., acid gas removal in the gas processing industry), its operation combined with a power plant still needs investigation because in this case, the interaction with power plants that are increasingly operated dynamically poses control challenges. This article presents the dynamic modeling of CO2 capture plants followed by a detailed validation using transient measurements recorded from the pilot plant operated at the Maasvlakte power station in the Netherlands. The model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data related to the transient changes of the main process variables such as flow rate, CO2 concentrations, temperatures, and solvent loading. The validated model was used to study the effects of fast power plant transients on the capture plant operation. A relevant result of this work is that an integrated CO2 capture plant might enable more dynamic operation of retrofitted fossil fuel power plants because the large amount of steam needed by the capture process can be diverted rapidly to and from the power plant. PMID:28413256

Cost-benefit analysis of hyperphenylalaninemia due to 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) deficiency: for consideration of expanded newborn screening in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Lee, Hencher Han-Chih; Mak, Chloe Miu; Poon, Grace Wing-Kit; Wong, Kar-Yin; Lam, Ching-Wan

2014-06-01

To evaluate the cost-benefit of implementing an expanded newborn screening programme for hyperphenylalaninemias due to 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) deficiency in Hong Kong. Regional public hospitals in Hong Kong providing care for cases of inborn errors of metabolism. Implementational and operational costs of a new expanded mass spectrometry-based newborn screening programme were estimated. Data on various medical expenditures for the mild and severe phenotypic subtypes were gathered from a case cohort diagnosed with PTPS deficiency from 2001 to 2009. Local incidence from a previously published study was used. Implementation and operational costs of an expanded newborn screening programme in Hong Kong were estimated at HKD 10,473,848 (USD 1,342,801) annually. Assuming a birthrate of 50,000 per year and an incidence of 1 in 29,542 live births, the medical costs and adjusted loss of workforce per year would be HKD 20,773,207 (USD 2,663,232). Overall the annual savings from implementing the programme would be HKD 9,632,750 (USD 1,234,968). Our estimates show that implementation of an expanded newborn screening programme in Hong Kong is cost-effective, with a significant annual saving for public expenditure. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

DMDs for multi-object near-infrared spectrographs in astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smee, Stephen A.; Barkhouser, Robert; Hope, Stephen; Conley, Devin; Gray, Aidan; Hope, Gavin; Robberto, Massimo

2018-02-01

The Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), typically used in projection screen technology, has utility in instrumentation for astronomy as a digitally programmable slit in a spectrograph. When placed at an imaging focal plane the device can be used to selectively direct light from astronomical targets into the optical path of a spectrograph, while at the same time directing the remaining light into an imaging camera, which can be used for slit alignment, science imaging, or both. To date the use of DMDs in astronomy has been limited, especially for instruments that operate in the near infrared (1 - 2.5 μm). This limitation is due in part to a host of technical challenges with respect to DMDs that, to date, have not been thoroughly explored. Those challenges include operation at cryogenic temperature, control electronics that facilitate DMD use at these temperatures, window coatings properly coated for the near infrared bandpass, and scattered light. This paper discusses these technical challenges and presents progress towards understanding and mitigating them.

School feeding, moving from practice to policy: reflections on building sustainable monitoring and evaluation systems.

PubMed

Gelli, Aulo; Espejo, Francisco

2013-06-01

To provide an overview of the status of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of school feeding across sub-Saharan Africa and to reflect on the experience on strengthening M&E systems to influence policy making in low-income countries. Literature review on the M&E of school feeding programmes as well as data from World Food Programme surveys. Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries implementing school feeding. Only two randomized controlled impact evaluations have been implemented in sub-Saharan Africa. Where M&E data collection is underway, the focus is on process and service delivery and not on child outcomes. M&E systems generally operate under the Ministry of Education, with other Ministries represented within technical steering groups supporting implementation. There is no internationally accepted standardized framework for the M&E of school feeding. There have been examples where evidence of programme performance has influenced policy: considering the popularity of school feeding these cases though are anecdotal, highlighting the opportunity for systemic changes. There is strong buy-in on school feeding from governments in sub-Saharan Africa. In response to this demand, development partners have been harmonizing their support to strengthen national programmes, with a focus on M&E. However, policy processes are complex and can be influenced by a number of factors. A comprehensive but simple approach is needed where the first step is to ensure a valid mandate to intervene, legitimizing the interaction with key stakeholders, involving them in the problem definition and problem solving. This process has been facilitated through the provision of technical assistance and exposure to successful experiences through South–South cooperation and knowledge exchange.

The EUTELSAT II satellites: Europe's seeds in communication and TV distribution game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgio, C.; Soula, J. L.; Dumesnil, J. J.

1989-08-01

The state-of-the-art satellite EUTELSAT II, developed by Aerospatiale and its industrial partners, is designed to provide Ku-band communication and television distribution services with 16 active channels accessible simultaneously to all users over the whole of Europe. Reconfigurable antenna-feed networks permits zoom operation on all 16 channels offering enhanced EIRP over the central part of Europe for TV distribution purposes. The satellite is designed to be fully operational during eclipse and to be compatible with Ariane IV. High satellite reliability and availability are achieved by the use of 8/12 amplifier ring redundancy during and beyond the 7 year life. The payload design makes use of only two antennas for all communications transmit and receive functions. This resulted in a great simplification of the repeater configuration and provides operational flexibility. The platform is directly derived from the Aerospatiale-MBB Spacebus 100 family (Arabsat heritage). Aerospatiale Telecommunications Programme Office, located in Cannes (France) is the prime contractor of the industrial team, Aeritalia, ATES, CASA, Contraves, Crouzet, ERA, ETCA, MBB, MSS, SEP. First flight model delivery in November 1989 has been a key factor in shaping both technical and management approaches to the programme.

Social Disparity of Family Involvement in Hong Kong: Effect of Family Resources and Family Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Esther Sui-Chu

2006-01-01

Using data from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this study examines the social disparity of family involvement. A total of 4,405 students from 140 Hong Kong secondary schools participated in the first cycle of PISA study identifying four types of…

Key Insights from PISA 2015 for the UK Nations. NFER Education Briefings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Foundation for Educational Research, 2016

2016-01-01

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide research project involving schools and students in over 70 countries. It is run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), takes place every three years, and is designed to examine how 15-year-olds can apply what they have learned in school to real…

Toward One of the Leading Education-Based Economies? Investigating Aims, Strategies, and Practices of Finland's Education Export Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schatz, Monika

2015-01-01

Since the first publication of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results in 2000, the Finnish education system has received much praise both in Finland and abroad. In recent years, Finland started to build up its own education export sector with the aim of…

Lessons from Finland: Where the Country's Education System Rose to the Top in Just a Couple Decades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahlberg, Pasi

2011-01-01

Since Finland emerged in 2000 as the top-scoring Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nation on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), researchers have been pouring into the country to study the so-called "Finnish miracle." How did a country with an undistinguished education system in the…

Education for Child Survival and Development in Africa. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 20.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagia, Ruth; And Others

Collected in this digest are nine articles concerning education for child survival and development in Africa. Topics include: (1) the role of basic education in the promotion of child survival and development; (2) child health in Eastern and Southern Africa, including discussions of problems, interventions, and the role of education for health;…

Preparing To Help the Young Child Learn and Grow: Training ECCE Personnel. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratnaike, Jayananda

The training of preschool facilitators is considered in the context of the new emphases on preschool education in developing countries. The term "facilitator" refers to anyone who contributes to a young child's learning in any situation. Components of the contextual framework include: (1) emerging concepts of early childhood education;…

A Comparative Analysis of National Media Responses to the OECD Survey of Adult Skills: Policy Making from the Global to the Local?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yasukawa, Keiko; Hamilton, Mary; Evans, Jeff

2017-01-01

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme of International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is put forward as a landmark development in the lifelong monitoring and international comparison of education. The first round of PIAAC's Survey of Adult Skills compared performance in literacy, numeracy and…

Issues with PISA's Use of Its Data in the Context of International Education Policy Convergence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Dan

2014-01-01

In its analysis of data it collected in 2006, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) used a variety of statistical methods to arrive at the 'key findings' that school autonomy, school competition and the public posting of student achievement data were…

Preparing Engineering Students to Work in a Global Environment to Co-Operate, to Communicate and to Compete

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Arvid

2004-01-01

Since the inception in 1987 of European funding programmes the number of students and the range of countries annually involved in international exchange have increased dramatically. In order to comply with this international development, the European Project Semester (EPS) was started in 1995. Since then, more and more students, also from…

A Lithography-Free and Field-Programmable Photonic Metacanvas.

PubMed

Dong, Kaichen; Hong, Sukjoon; Deng, Yang; Ma, He; Li, Jiachen; Wang, Xi; Yeo, Junyeob; Wang, Letian; Lou, Shuai; Tom, Kyle B; Liu, Kai; You, Zheng; Wei, Yang; Grigoropoulos, Costas P; Yao, Jie; Wu, Junqiao

2018-02-01

The unique correspondence between mathematical operators and photonic elements in wave optics enables quantitative analysis of light manipulation with individual optical devices. Phase-transition materials are able to provide real-time reconfigurability of these devices, which would create new optical functionalities via (re)compilation of photonic operators, as those achieved in other fields such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA). Here, by exploiting the hysteretic phase transition of vanadium dioxide, an all-solid, rewritable metacanvas on which nearly arbitrary photonic devices can be rapidly and repeatedly written and erased is presented. The writing is performed with a low-power laser and the entire process stays below 90 °C. Using the metacanvas, dynamic manipulation of optical waves is demonstrated for light propagation, polarization, and reconstruction. The metacanvas supports physical (re)compilation of photonic operators akin to that of FPGA, opening up possibilities where photonic elements can be field programmed to deliver complex, system-level functionalities. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Voices of decision makers on evidence-based policy: A case of evolving TB/HIV co-infection policy in India.

PubMed

Reddy, K Srikanth; Sahay, Seema

2016-01-01

This study explores decision makers' perspectives on evidence-based policy (EBP) development using the case of TB/HIV co-infection in India. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected key national and international policy decision makers in India. Verbatim transcripts were processed and analysed thematically using QSR (NUD*IST 6). The decision makers were unequivocal in recognizing the TB/HIV co-infection as an important public health issue in India and stated the problem to be different than Africa. The need of having a "third programme" for co-infection was not felt. According to them, the public health management of this co-infection must be within the realm of these two programmes. The study also emphasized on decision makers' perspectives on evidence and the process of utilization of evidence for decision-making for co-infection. Study findings showed global evidence was not always accepted by the decision makers and study shows several examples of decision makers demanding local evidence for policy decisions. Decision makers did make interim policies based on global evidence but most of the time their mandate was to get local evidence. Thus, operations research/implementation science especially multi-centric studies emerge as important strategy for EBP development. Researcher-policy maker interface was a gap where role of researcher as aggressive communicator of research findings was expected.

Students' Perception of Industrial Internship Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renganathan, Sumathi; Karim, Zainal Ambri Bin Abdul; Li, Chong Su

2012-01-01

Purpose: An important aspect of an academic curriculum in higher learning institutions for technical disciplines is the industrial internship programme for students. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' perception of the effectiveness of an industrial internship programme offered by a private technological university in Malaysia.…

[Training of pharmacy personnel in the management of a centralized unit: the Oncolor network experience].

PubMed

Henn-Ménétré, Sophie; Noirez, Véronique; Husson, Julien; Vallance, Catherine; Lestreit, Jean-Michel; Llorens, Anne-Marie; May, Isabelle; Grandhaye, Jean-Pierre; Bey, Pierre

2003-10-01

The network of cancer care units in Lorraine area (Oncolor) developed management training for people working in chemotherapy units, and cytotoxic drug preparation. The programme was framed both for staff of executives (pharmacists), and technicians. Firstly, comparison between practices and theoretical recommendations lead to the elaboration of standardized operating procedures. Secondly, we elaborated a specific handbook for this education programme. A series of four-days independent sessions were organized for pharmacists and technicians. Each session combined theoretical and technical teaching for preparing antineoplastic drugs. Participants passing a successful final examination received a certificate from the Oncolor's network attesting their capacity to manage a chemotherapy unit. Four sessions were performed, with 35 participants. Only 31 passed at final examination. This preliminary experience will be enlarged to all members of the network and regularly brought up to date.

Proceedings of the scientific visit on crystalline rock repository development.

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

Mariner, Paul E.; Hardin, Ernest L.; Miksova, Jitka

2013-02-01

A scientific visit on Crystalline Rock Repository Development was held in the Czech Republic on September 24-27, 2012. The visit was hosted by the Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA), co-hosted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of the visit was to promote technical information exchange between participants from countries engaged in the investigation and exploration of crystalline rock for the eventual construction of nuclear waste repositories. The visit was designed especially for participants of countries that have recently commenced (or recommenced) national repository programmes in crystalline host rock formations.more » Discussion topics included repository programme development, site screening and selection, site characterization, disposal concepts in crystalline host rock, regulatory frameworks, and safety assessment methodology. Interest was surveyed in establishing a %E2%80%9Cclub,%E2%80%9D the mission of which would be to identify and address the various technical challenges that confront the disposal of radioactive waste in crystalline rock environments. The idea of a second scientific visit to be held one year later in another host country received popular support. The visit concluded with a trip to the countryside south of Prague where participants were treated to a tour of the laboratory and underground facilities of the Josef Regional Underground Research Centre.« less

Concepts and data model for a co-operative neurovascular database.

PubMed

Mansmann, U; Taylor, W; Porter, P; Bernarding, J; Jäger, H R; Lasjaunias, P; Terbrugge, K; Meisel, J

2001-08-01

Problems of clinical management of neurovascular diseases are very complex. This is caused by the chronic character of the diseases, a long history of symptoms and diverse treatments. If patients are to benefit from treatment, then treatment decisions have to rely on reliable and accurate knowledge of the natural history of the disease and the various treatments. Recent developments in statistical methodology and experience from electronic patient records are used to establish an information infrastructure based on a centralized register. A protocol to collect data on neurovascular diseases with technical as well as logistical aspects of implementing a database for neurovascular diseases are described. The database is designed as a co-operative tool of audit and research available to co-operating centres. When a database is linked to a systematic patient follow-up, it can be used to study prognosis. Careful analysis of patient outcome is valuable for decision-making.

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-15

Zimbabwe Tourist Development Corporation and its Mozambican counterpart, Empresa Nacional de Turismo , will co-operate in training programmes for...31 Afrikaners Urged To Cooperate With Moderates of Other Races (Hannes de Wet; THE STAR, 13 Aug 86) 33 - b - Official Supports Joint...Illegal Workers Targeted 54 De Klerk on Groups’ Survival 55 Minister Says Apartheid Alive 55 Police Cash Reward 55 ’Illegal Aliens’ Hiring Opposed 56

The First Three Years: A Sourcebook on Early Childhood Care and Education. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 31.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swaminathan, Mina

Providing guidelines on day care for children under 3 years of age in developing countries, this digest has been written out of a firm conviction that it is entirely possible for developing countries to provide a system of early childhood care and education that is affordable, humane, culturally appropriate, and supportive of child development.…

Progress in preliminary studies at Ottana Solar Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demontis, V.; Camerada, M.; Cau, G.; Cocco, D.; Damiano, A.; Melis, T.; Musio, M.

2016-05-01

The fast increasing share of distributed generation from non-programmable renewable energy sources, such as the strong penetration of photovoltaic technology in the distribution networks, has generated several problems for the management and security of the whole power grid. In order to meet the challenge of a significant share of solar energy in the electricity mix, several actions aimed at increasing the grid flexibility and its hosting capacity, as well as at improving the generation programmability, need to be investigated. This paper focuses on the ongoing preliminary studies at the Ottana Solar Facility, a new experimental power plant located in Sardinia (Italy) currently under construction, which will offer the possibility to progress in the study of solar plants integration in the power grid. The facility integrates a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant, including a thermal energy storage system and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit, with a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) plant and an electrical energy storage system. The facility has the main goal to assess in real operating conditions the small scale concentrating solar power technology and to study the integration of the two technologies and the storage systems to produce programmable and controllable power profiles. A model for the CSP plant yield was developed to assess different operational strategies that significantly influence the plant yearly yield and its global economic effectiveness. In particular, precise assumptions for the ORC module start-up operation behavior, based on discussions with the manufacturers and technical datasheets, will be described. Finally, the results of the analysis of the: "solar driven", "weather forecasts" and "combined storage state of charge (SOC)/ weather forecasts" operational strategies will be presented.

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.

PIAAC Technical Standards and Guidelines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2014

2014-01-01

The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

Enhancing Environmental Higher Education in Eastern Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmisano, E.; Caporali, E.; Valdiserri, J.

2010-12-01

Higher Education plays a central role in the development of both human beings and modern societies as it enhances social, cultural and economic development, active citizenship, ethical values and expertises for a sustainable growth. Different initiatives are taking place at world level to guarantee accessibility and right to higher education. The sustainability of human development has, as relevant key factors, environment protection and natural resources enhancement. Environment is therefore becoming more and more important at global level. The Environmental policy is object of discussions, in different prime minister summits and conferences, and constitutes a priority of policy in an increasing number of countries. The European Higher Education institutions, to achieve the objectives above, and to encourage cooperation between countries, may take part in a wide range of European Commission funded programmes, such as TEMPUS, which supports the modernisation of higher education and creates an area of co-operation in countries surrounding the EU. Some important projects run by the University of Florence are the TEMPUS DEREC-Development of Environmental and Resources Engineering Curriculum (2005-2008) and its spin-off called DEREL-Development of Environment and Resources Engineering Learning (2010-2013), recently recommended for funding by the European Commission. Through the co-operation of all project consortium members (Universities in Austria, Germany, Greece, FYR Macedonia, Albania and Serbia) they are aimed at the development and introduction of first and second level curricula in “Environmental and Resources Engineering” at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (FYR Macedonia). In the DEREC Project the conditions for offering a joint degree title in the field of Environmental Engineering between the University of Florence and the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje were fulfilled and a shared educational programme leading to the mutual recognition of degree titles was defined. The DEREL Project, as logical continuation of DEREC, is aimed to introduce a new, up-to-date, postgraduate two-year curriculum in Environment and Resources Engineering at some Universities in FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Albania following the criteria and conditions for setting up a Joint Postgraduate Degree. The modernisation of higher education implies new educational requirements that, stimulated by the innovative telecommunication technologies together with novel educational materials and methodologies, lead to the development of distance learning environments. In order to provide the basis for the development of a distance learning environment based on video conferencing systems and develop a blended learning courses methodology, the TEMPUS Project VICES Videoconferencing Educational Services (2009-2012) was launched in 2009. The project is being carried out by the University of Florence and the Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje with the co-operation and expertise of consortium members in Europe and Western Balkans and it foresees the implementation of videoconferencing educational modules in the frame of the DEREC Curriculum. In all above projects, the technical and methodological aspects related to environment protection and natural resources enhancement is highlighted.

Evaluation of recycling programmes in household waste collection systems.

PubMed

Dahlén, Lisa; Lagerkvist, Anders

2010-07-01

A case study and a literature review have been carried out to address the two questions: how can waste flow data from collection systems be interpreted and compared? and which factors are decisive in the results of recycling programmes in household waste collection systems? The aim is to contribute to the understanding of how recycling programmes affect the quantity of waste and sorting activities. It is shown how the results from various waste sorting systems can be interpreted and made comparable. A set of waste flow indicators is proposed, which together with generic system descriptions can facilitate comparisons of different collections systems. The evaluation of collection systems depends on the system boundaries and will always be site-specific to some degree. Various factors are relevant, e.g. environmental objectives, technical function, operating costs, types of recyclable materials collected separately, property-close collection or drop-off systems, economic incentives, information strategies, residential structure, social codes, etc. Kerbside collection of recyclables and weight-based billing led to increased waste sorting activities in the case study. Forty-three decisive factors are listed and discussed.

FutureGen 2.0 Oxy-combustion Large Scale Test – Final Report

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

Kenison, LaVesta; Flanigan, Thomas; Hagerty, Gregg

The primary objectives of the FutureGen 2.0 CO 2 Oxy-Combustion Large Scale Test Project were to site, permit, design, construct, and commission, an oxy-combustion boiler, gas quality control system, air separation unit, and CO 2 compression and purification unit, together with the necessary supporting and interconnection utilities. The project was to demonstrate at commercial scale (168MWe gross) the capability to cleanly produce electricity through coal combustion at a retrofitted, existing coal-fired power plant; thereby, resulting in near-zeroemissions of all commonly regulated air emissions, as well as 90% CO 2 capture in steady-state operations. The project was to be fully integratedmore » in terms of project management, capacity, capabilities, technical scope, cost, and schedule with the companion FutureGen 2.0 CO 2 Pipeline and Storage Project, a separate but complementary project whose objective was to safely transport, permanently store and monitor the CO 2 captured by the Oxy-combustion Power Plant Project. The FutureGen 2.0 Oxy-Combustion Large Scale Test Project successfully achieved all technical objectives inclusive of front-end-engineering and design, and advanced design required to accurately estimate and contract for the construction, commissioning, and start-up of a commercial-scale "ready to build" power plant using oxy-combustion technology, including full integration with the companion CO 2 Pipeline and Storage project. Ultimately the project did not proceed to construction due to insufficient time to complete necessary EPC contract negotiations and commercial financing prior to expiration of federal co-funding, which triggered a DOE decision to closeout its participation in the project. Through the work that was completed, valuable technical, commercial, and programmatic lessons were learned. This project has significantly advanced the development of near-zero emission technology and will be helpful to plotting the course of, and successfully executing future large demonstration projects. This Final Scientific and Technical Report describes the technology and engineering basis of the project, inclusive of process systems, performance, effluents and emissions, and controls. Further, the project cost estimate, schedule, and permitting requirements are presented, along with a project risk and opportunity assessment. Lessons-learned related to these elements are summarized in this report. Companion reports Oxy-combustion further document the accomplishments and learnings of the project, including: A.01 Project Management Report which describes what was done to coordinate the various participants, and to track their performance with regard to schedule and budget B.02 Lessons Learned - Technology Integration, Value Improvements, and Program Management, which describes the innovations and conclusions that we arrived upon during the development of the project, and makes recommendations for improvement of future projects of a similar nature . B.03 Project Economics, which details the capital and operation costs and their basis, and also illustrates the cost of power produced by the plant with certain sensitivities. B.04 Power Plant, Pipeline, and Injection Site Interfaces, which details the interfaces between the two FutureGen projects B.05 Contractual Mechanisms for Design, Construction, and Operation, which describes the major EPC, and Operations Contracts required to execute the project.« less

Consensus-based training and assessment model for general surgery.

PubMed

Szasz, P; Louridas, M; de Montbrun, S; Harris, K A; Grantcharov, T P

2016-05-01

Surgical education is becoming competency-based with the implementation of in-training milestones. Training guidelines should reflect these changes and determine the specific procedures for such milestone assessments. This study aimed to develop a consensus view regarding operative procedures and tasks considered appropriate for junior and senior trainees, and the procedures that can be used as technical milestone assessments for trainee progression in general surgery. A Delphi process was followed where questionnaires were distributed to all 17 Canadian general surgery programme directors. Items were ranked on a 5-point Likert scale, with consensus defined as Cronbach's α of at least 0·70. Items rated 4 or above on the 5-point Likert scale by 80 per cent of the programme directors were included in the models. Two Delphi rounds were completed, with 14 programme directors taking part in round one and 11 in round two. The overall consensus was high (Cronbach's α = 0·98). The training model included 101 unique procedures and tasks, 24 specific to junior trainees, 68 specific to senior trainees, and nine appropriate to all. The assessment model included four procedures. A system of operative procedures and tasks for junior- and senior-level trainees has been developed along with an assessment model for trainee progression. These can be used as milestones in competency-based assessments. © 2016 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Association between Literacy and Self-Rated Poor Health in 33 High- and Upper-Middle-Income Countries. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 165

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kakarmath, Sujay; Denis, Vanessa; Encinas-Martin, Marta; Borgonovi, Francesca; Subramanian, S. V.

2018-01-01

We assess the relationship between general literacy skills and health status by analysing data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international survey of about 250,000 adults aged 16-65 years conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2011-15 in 33…

Child Labour and Education: Issues Emerging from the Experiences of Some Developing Countries of Asia. UNESCO-UNICEF Co-operative Programme Digest No. 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Children's Fund, Paris (France).

This digest examines the problem of child labor and education in India and other Southeast Asian countries. It offers novel insights into the extent of child labor and the shortcomings and inertia of educational systems in adapting to the needs of working children. Also, the digest describes a series of promising educational innovations meant to…

NATO initial common operational picture capability project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanti, Laura; Beach, David

2002-08-01

The Common Operational Picture (COP) capability can be defined as the ability to display on a single screen integrated views of the Recognized Maritime, Air and Ground Pictures, enriched by other tactical data, such as theater plans, assets, intelligence and logistics information. The purpose of the COP capability is to provide military forces a comprehensive view of the battle space, thereby enhancing situational awareness and the decision-making process across the military command and control spectrum. The availability of a COP capability throughout the command structure is a high priority operational requirement in NATO. A COP capability for NATO is being procured and implemented in an incremental way within the NATO Automated Information System (Bi-SC AIS) Functional Services programme under the coordination of the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) Integrated Programme Team 5 (IPT5). The NATO Initial COP (iCOP) capability project, first step of this evolutionary procurement, will provide an initial COP capability to NATO in a highly pragmatic and low-risk fashion, by using existing operational communications infrastructure and NATO systems, i.e. the NATO-Wide Integrated Command and Control Software for Air Operations (ICC), the Maritime Command and Control Information System (MCCIS), and the Joint Operations and Intelligence Information System (JOIIS), which will provide respectively the Recognized Air, Maritime and Ground Pictures. This paper gives an overview of the NATO Initial COP capability project, including its evolutionary implementation approach, and describes the technical solution selected to satisfy the urgent operational requirement in a timely and cost effective manner.

Advanced earth observation spacecraft computer-aided design software: Technical, user and programmer guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, C. E.; Krauze, L. D.

1983-01-01

The IDEAS computer of NASA is a tool for interactive preliminary design and analysis of LSS (Large Space System). Nine analysis modules were either modified or created. These modules include the capabilities of automatic model generation, model mass properties calculation, model area calculation, nonkinematic deployment modeling, rigid-body controls analysis, RF performance prediction, subsystem properties definition, and EOS science sensor selection. For each module, a section is provided that contains technical information, user instructions, and programmer documentation.

A measurable impact of a self-practice/self-reflection programme on the therapeutic skills of experienced cognitive-behavioural therapists.

PubMed

Davis, Melanie L; Thwaites, Richard; Freeston, Mark H; Bennett-Levy, James

2015-01-01

The need for effective training methods for enhancing cognitive-behavioural therapist competency is not only relevant to new therapists but also to experienced therapists looking to retain and further enhance their skills. Self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) is a self-experiential cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) training programme, which combines the experience of practicing CBT methods on oneself with structured reflection on the implications of the experience for clinical practice. In order to build on previous qualitative studies of SP/SR, which have mainly focused on trainee CBT therapists, the aim of the current study was to quantify the impact of SP/SR on the therapeutic skills of an experienced cohort of CBT therapists. Fourteen CBT therapists were recruited to participate in an SP/SR programme specifically adapted for experienced therapists. In the context of a quasi-experimental design including multiple baselines within a single-case methodology, therapists provided self-ratings of technical cognitive therapy skill and interpersonal empathic skill at four critical time points: baseline, pre-SP/SR and post-SP/SR and follow-up. Analysis of programme completers (n = 7) indicated that SP/SR enhances both technical skill and interpersonal therapeutic skill. Further intention-to-treat group (n = 14) analyses including both those who left the programme early (n = 3) and those who partially completed the programme (n = 4) added to the robustness of findings with respect to technical cognitive therapy skills but not interpersonal empathic skills. It was concluded that SP/SR, as a training and development programme, could offer an avenue to further therapeutic skill enhancement in already experienced CBT therapists. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Further development of the EUMETNET Composite Observing System (EUCOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klink, S.; Dibbern, J.

2009-09-01

EUCOS, which stands for EUMETNET Composite Observing System, is a EUMETNET programme whose main objective is a central management of surface based operational observations on a European-wide scale serving the needs of regional scale NWP. EUMETNET is a consortium of currently 26 national meteorological services in Europe that provides a framework for different operational and developmental co-operative programmes between the services. The work content of the EUCOS Programme includes the management of the operational observing networks, through the E-AMDAR, E-ASAP, E-SURFMAR and E-WINPROF programmes. The coordination of NMSs owned territorial networks (e.g. radiosonde stations and synoptic stations), data quality monitoring, fault reporting and recovery, a studies programme for the evolution of the observing networks and liaison with other organisations like WMO are among the tasks of the programme. The current period of the EUCOS programme has a five year duration (2007-2011) and a two stage approach was proposed in the programme definition. During the transition phase 2007-2008 no new programmatic objectives had been set because amongst others the Space-Terrestrial (S-T) study which investigated the relative contributions of selected space based and ground based observing systems to the forecast skill of global and regional NWP models had to be finalised first. Based on the findings of this study EUCOS currently prepares a redesign of its upper-air network. The original EUCOS upper-air network design was prepared in 2000 in order to define a set of stations serving the common general NWP requirement. Additional considerations were to make it possible to supply a common set of performance standards across the territory of EUMETNET Members and to ensure that the radiosonde network interleaved with AMDAR airports. The EUCOS upper-air network now requires a redesign because of several reasons. There is a need to take into account the significant evolution of the AMDAR network. Member states were not able to install the proposed EUCOS radiosonde network design with 4 ascents per day at most of the sites. The results from the S-T study are available with recommendations for the network design. Data assimilation of NWP models has improved significantly with advanced capability to make use of high time resolution data. The guidelines for the redesign of the EUCOS upper-air network will be derived from a study which is currently organised by EUCOS and conducted by ECMWF and several national Met. services. They contribute by running OSEs for different observation network setups with their model suites. The S-T study has shown that despite of all the additional new satellite observations, the degrading of the current terrestrial observing system to a basic (GUAN+GSN) network would have a significant negative impact on the forecast skill. The expected result from the envisaged OSEs is to find an optimum setting of upper-air measurements in space and time which maintains forecast skill. Throughout the second phase of the programme (2009-2011) the revised EUCOS design will be implemented. In the field of observation targeting EUCOS supported the PREVIEW Data Targeting (DTS) project. The main goal of this project was to develop and to assess the feasibility of an operational adaptive control of the operational observing system. The DTS project was lead by Met Office and co-funded by EUCOS and the European Commission (within the PREVIEW project). The main software, an interactive web-based tool, was developed by ECMWF and ran on their computer system during the trial phase which lasted from February until December 2008. During the trial the focus was on improving short range (1-3 days) forecasts of potentially high-impact and/or high-uncertainty weather events in Europe. Forecasters from all EUMETNET members had had the chance to submit sensitive area prediction requests on a daily basis. Afterwards the DTS displayed the sensitive areas calculated by ECMWF, Météo-France and Met Office and the lead user (an experienced forecaster) could then use the system to issue requests for additional, unscheduled observations. The trial has shown that a data targeting system can be routinely used. Targeted observations were successfully deployed from E-ASAP units, by the E-AMDAR programme and in 21 countries. 88% of the additionally requested radiosondes from land stations have been launched. Furthermore, the DTS was used to support research field campaigns like THORPEX-IPY, THORPEX-PARC and MEDEX. During the envisaged MEDEX Phase 2 campaign in autumn 2009, the DTS will be used as an operational tool to aid research. Further tasks for EUCOS will be the proposal and implementation of a new E-programme responsible for running a central data hub and centralised monitoring, setting of new objectives for the programme components E-ASAP, E-AMDAR, E-SURFMAR and E-WINPROF, and an extension of quality monitoring activities. An example for new programme objectives is the introduction of a humidity sensor on commercial aircraft within the E-AMDAR programme.

An Assessment of a Technology in Music Programme. Technical Report 91-2, Revised Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, Austin E.; Pegley, Karen

An innovative intermediate music programme was instituted at an elementary school in a middle class suburban area in Canada. The music teacher at the school designed a unique curriculum, the Technology in Music Programme (TIMP), for a classroom equipped with microcomputers, sequencers, drum machines, music instrument digital interface (MIDI)…

Core trainee boot camp-A method for improving technical and non-technical skills of novice surgical trainees. A before and after study.

PubMed

Bamford, R; Langdon, L; Rodd, C A; Eastaugh-Waring, S; Coulston, J E

2018-04-10

The transition to surgical training can be a stressful time for trainees and is most evident during national handover periods where new graduates start and senior trainees rotate to new programmes. During this time, patient mortality can increase and Hospital efficiency reduces. This influence is compounded by the impact of working time directives. Intensive, simulation rich training programmes or "Boot Camps" have been postulated as a solution. This article highlights the development of a surgical boot camp for novice surgical trainees and the impact this can have on training. A novel surgical boot camp was developed for all trainees within a surgical training region including nine acute NHS trusts. Participating cohort of trainees completed pre and post course questionnaires to assess technical and non-technical skills. 25 trainees attended and completed the pre and post boot camp questionnaire. Significant improvements were seen with technical skills (p = 0.0429), overall non-technical skills (p < 0.001) including leadership (p = 0.022), communication (p = 0.010), situational awareness (p = 0.022), patient handover (p = 0.003), ward round skills (p = 0.005) and outpatient skill (p = 0.002). Trainees reported significantly increased ability to assess and manage a critically unwell patient (p = 0.001) and a trauma patient (p = 0.001). 96% of trainees have utilised the skills they learnt on Boot Camp and all trainees would recommend it as an induction programme. Surgical Boot Camps offer a timely chance to develop technical and non-technical skills whilst enhancing a trainee's confidence and knowledge and reduce the patient safety impact of the handover period. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Co-operation, participation and conflicts faced in public health--lessons learned from a long-term prevention programme in Sweden.

PubMed

Brännström, I; Emmelin, M; Dahlgren, L; Johansson, M; Wall, S

1994-09-01

A comprehensive community-based programme for prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes was established in 1985 in a small municipality in northern Sweden. A cross-sectional survey to the general public was performed and semi-structured open-ended interviews were taken of actors at different levels. Notes from official records were also included in the study. The aim was to describe and discuss some factors that promote or constrain community participation in health programmes. The results generally confirmed that the right of definition concerning the health programme mainly remained with the health professionals. Community participation was mainly defined by the actors based on the medical and health planning approach and, thereby, as a means to transform health policy plans into reality by transmitting health knowledge and increasing consciousness among the citizens of the need for changing lifestyles. However, participation as a means of identifying problems and demonstrating power relationships and as elements in promoting local democracy was hardly represented among the actors at all. Overall, the CVD health programme was characterized by consensus between the actors. Despite this, debates and arguments about interpretations, social interests, personal conflicts and ideological constraints were observed. However, a majority of the public wanted the CVD preventive programme to continue.

Technical Writing Tips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Patrick M.

2004-01-01

The main reason engineers, technicians, and programmers write poor technical documents is because they have had little training or experience in that area. This article addresses some of the basics that students can use to master technical writing tasks. The article covers the most common problems writers make and offers suggestions for improving…

A strategy for low cost development of incremental oil in legacy reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Attanasi, E.D.

2016-01-01

The precipitous decline in oil prices during 2015 has forced operators to search for ways to develop low-cost and low-risk oil reserves. This study examines strategies to low cost development of legacy reservoirs, particularly those which have already implemented a carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR) program. Initially the study examines the occurrence and nature of the distribution of the oil resources that are targets for miscible and near-miscible CO2 EOR programs. The analysis then examines determinants of technical recovery through the analysis of representative clastic and carbonate reservoirs. The economic analysis focusses on delineating the dominant components of investment and operational costs. The concluding sections describe options to maximize the value of assets that the operator of such a legacy reservoir may have that include incremental expansion within the same producing zone and to producing zones that are laterally or stratigraphically near main producing zones. The analysis identified the CO2 recycle plant as the dominant investment cost item and purchased CO2 and liquids management as a dominant operational cost items. Strategies to utilize recycle plants for processing CO2 from multiple producing zones and multiple reservoir units can significantly reduce costs. Industrial sources for CO2 should be investigated as a possibly less costly way of meeting EOR requirements. Implementation of tapered water alternating gas injection schemes can partially mitigate increases in fluid lifting costs.

Operations and Maintenance Costs for New Major U.S. Coast Guard Platforms: Projected Versus Actual Costs

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

It-r S 55 t--- -~( i i t- VDO mooC 0 r . SUSD C)o"~ S0 0 81Cs!,t 0 0 0( hi V .( . ( . ,C ) . ( C) 4WN 07 4 (UC -0) mm ) ODC4U W I- m 0 0NO8:8 W0T...Publishing Co., 1987. 174 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 1. Defense Technical Information Center 2 Cameron Station Alexandria, Virginia 22304-6145 2. Library , Code

Quality indicators for in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes: a systematic literature review and international Delphi study

PubMed Central

Van Grootven, Bastiaan; McNicoll, Lynn; Mendelson, Daniel A; Friedman, Susan M; Fagard, Katleen; Milisen, Koen; Flamaing, Johan; Deschodt, Mieke

2018-01-01

Objective To find consensus on appropriate and feasible structure, process and outcome indicators for the evaluation of in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes. Design An international two-round Delphi study based on a systematic literature review (searching databases, reference lists, prospective citations and trial registers). Setting Western Europe and the USA. Participants Thirty-three people with at least 2 years of clinical experience in geriatric co-management were recruited. Twenty-eight experts (16 from the USA and 12 from Europe) participated in both Delphi rounds (85% response rate). Measures Participants rated the indicators on a nine-point scale for their (1) appropriateness and (2) feasibility to use the indicator for the evaluation of geriatric co-management programmes. Indicators were considered appropriate and feasible based on a median score of seven or higher. Consensus was based on the level of agreement using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. Results In the first round containing 37 indicators, there was consensus on 14 indicators. In the second round containing 44 indicators, there was consensus on 31 indicators (structure=8, process=7, outcome=16). Experts indicated that co-management should start within 24 hours of hospital admission using defined criteria for selecting appropriate patients. Programmes should focus on the prevention and management of geriatric syndromes and complications. Key areas for comprehensive geriatric assessment included cognition/delirium, functionality/mobility, falls, pain, medication and pressure ulcers. Key outcomes for evaluating the programme included length of stay, time to surgery and the incidence of complications. Conclusion The indicators can be used to assess the performance of geriatric co-management programmes and identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the indicators can be used to monitor the implementation and effect of these programmes. PMID:29549210

Operational Copernicus services - state of programme and the role of EO research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breger, Peter; Rohn, Michael; Pinty, Bernhard

2014-05-01

Year 2014 is a major milestone for the EU Copernicus programme (formerly GMES), for funding Europe's operational system of satellites and geo-information services. Copernicus services shall provide accurate, up-to-date and globally-available information related to the state of land, sea/ocean, atmosphere and climate change, as well as emergency response and security in support of European policies. 2014 sees the transition of services to fully operational state, looking back on some 10 years of development, evolving through research and making "laboratory" prototypes operational for the marine and atmosphere services. First integration of capabilities in dedicated GMES service projects started in early 2004 leading to operational maturity around 2011-2013. Several scientific and research challenges have been identified along the way, addressing very different stages of evolution, which need to be tackled collaborating with different partners and in different environments. The geoscience community and their funding programmes are faced with a range of opportunities arising from the presence of an operational space data and information programme such as Copernicus, a demand which also the EU research and innovation programme is striving to meet in Horizon 2020. The last ten years have shown how the step from research prototypes to operational service chains requires specific and dedicated attention to this innovation step, shaping validated and proven products to users' demands. Special efforts are required in order for users to accept the innovative potential which new laboratory products promise. Specific attention needs to be given to processes in the users' workflows which incorporate the EO information - a step which often is underestimated in the formulation of R&D plans. Service activities in a real-life environment, and the ever advancing new sensors set new research problems for researchers. The arrival of the Sentinel satellites will challenge running services with unprecedented streams of satellite data. Despite preparation through simulated data, a stable and predictable ability to access these large space data volumes will have to be demonstrated still. R&D dedicated to development of improved retrieval algorithms, advanced data assimilation techniques, better tools, as well as new visualisation and processing techniques will be needed. The outcomes of such R&D activities will have to be integrated into the overall frame of the Copernicus operational services. Equally, the upcoming space sensors open up opportunities for new exploitation of space data hitherto unrecognised, let alone exploited for operational services, leading to exciting new opportunities for R&D in the EO domain. This contribution will look back at the vision of a comprehensive Earth System description, see how GMES contributed to the puzzle by various research and pilot activities, and emphasize how Copernicus will continue in this spirit. Many remaining challenges both scientific and technical remain. Solutions strategies have been designed in the past which are still valid and indicate ample entry points into challenging research activities which will be crucial for continuously evolving and hence living operational services.

Lake Charles CCS Project

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

Leib, Thomas; Cole, Dan

In late September 2014 development of the Lake Charles Clean Energy (LCCE) Plant was abandoned resulting in termination of Lake Charles Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Project which was a subset the LCCE Plant. As a result, the project was only funded through Phase 2A (Design) and did not enter Phase 2B (Construction) or Phase 2C (Operations). This report was prepared relying on information prepared and provided by engineering companies which were engaged by Leucadia Energy, LLC to prepare or review Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for the Lake Charles Clean Energy Project, which includes the Carbon Capture andmore » Sequestration (CCS) Project in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Lake Charles Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Project was to be a large-scale industrial CCS project intended to demonstrate advanced technologies that capture and sequester carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions from industrial sources into underground formations. The Scope of work was divided into two discrete sections; 1) Capture and Compression prepared by the Recipient Leucadia Energy, LLC, and 2) Transport and Sequestration prepared by sub-Recipient Denbury Onshore, LLC. Capture and Compression-The Lake Charles CCS Project Final Technical Report describes the systems and equipment that would be necessary to capture CO 2 generated in a large industrial gasification process and sequester the CO 2 into underground formations. The purpose of each system is defined along with a description of its equipment and operation. Criteria for selection of major equipment are provided and ancillary utilities necessary for safe and reliable operation in compliance with environmental regulations are described. Construction considerations are described including a general arrangement of the CCS process units within the overall gasification project. A cost estimate is provided, delineated by system area with cost breakdown showing equipment, piping and materials, construction labor, engineering, and other costs. The CCS Project Final Technical Report is based on a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study prepared by SK E&C, completed in [June] 2014. Subsequently, Fluor Enterprises completed a FEED validation study in mid-September 2014. The design analyses indicated that the FEED package was sufficient and as expected. However, Fluor considered the construction risk based on a stick-build approach to be unacceptable, but construction risk would be substantially mitigated through utilization of modular construction where site labor and schedule uncertainty is minimized. Fluor’s estimate of the overall EPC project cost utilizing the revised construction plan was comparable to SKE&C’s value after reflecting Fluor’s assessment of project scope and risk characteristic. Development was halted upon conclusion of Phase 2A FEED and the project was not constructed.Transport and Sequestration – The overall objective of the pipeline project was to construct a pipeline to transport captured CO 2 from the Lake Charles Clean Energy project to the existing Denbury Green Line and then to the Hastings Field in Southeast Texas to demonstrate effective geologic sequestration of captured CO 2 through commercial EOR operations. The overall objective of the MVA portion of the project was to demonstrate effective geologic sequestration of captured CO 2 through commercial Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations in order to evaluate costs, operational processes and technical performance. The DOE target for the project was to capture and implement a research MVA program to demonstrate the sequestration through EOR of approximately one million tons of CO 2 per year as an integral component of commercial operations.« less

Rebounding droplet-droplet collisions on superhydrophobic surfaces: from the phenomenon to droplet logic.

PubMed

Mertaniemi, Henrikki; Forchheimer, Robert; Ikkala, Olli; Ras, Robin H A

2012-11-08

When water droplets impact each other while traveling on a superhydrophobic surface, we demonstrate that they are able to rebound like billiard balls. We present elementary Boolean logic operations and a flip-flop memory based on these rebounding water droplet collisions. Furthermore, bouncing or coalescence can be easily controlled by process parameters. Thus by the controlled coalescence of reactive droplets, here using the quenching of fluorescent metal nanoclusters as a model reaction, we also demonstrate an elementary operation for programmable chemistry. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Employer-Supported Training in Australia: Participation, Demand and Supply. NCVER Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Chandra

2017-01-01

This report provides an analysis of employer-supported training in Australia. Employer-supported training is the largest share of adult education and training in all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. It has benefits for individuals, firms, and society. Cross-country studies have shown a positive association…

1970-1995: An IMHE Perspective on Higher Education in Transition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeVasseur, Paul M.

1996-01-01

An address made to a conference of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Program on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) reviews IMHE's origins and progress over its 25-year history. Evolution of a number of technical issues, substantive issues, and structures of university governance is analyzed, and major…

Problems of Manpower in Agriculture. OECD Documentation in Food and Agriculture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

Problems related to rapid reduction of the agricultural labor force were examined in the 21 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. The size and changes of the agricultural labor force, economic forces tending towards change, technical requirements for labor in agriculture, and obstacles hindering economic adjustment of…

From Rodeo to Reality

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

Deuel, Jamieson K.; Mullaney, Christopher

The Western National Robot Rodeo & CAPEX (Capability Exercise) is a technical competition for military and civilian bomb squads and emergency responders that puts teams through ten to twelve challenging scenarios ranging from operator skill to full mission planning, execution, and TTPs (Tactics, Training, and Procedures). “The goal of the event is to make good robot operators into great robot operators,” Jake Deuel says. Jake Deuel of Sandia National Laboratories co-hosts the event each year with Chris Ory of Los Alamos National Laboratories. This year’s competition was held at Sandia Labs in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A case-study of landfill minimization and material recovery via waste co-gasification in a new waste management scheme.

PubMed

Tanigaki, Nobuhiro; Ishida, Yoshihiro; Osada, Morihiro

2015-03-01

This study evaluates municipal solid waste co-gasification technology and a new solid waste management scheme, which can minimize final landfill amounts and maximize material recycled from waste. This new scheme is considered for a region where bottom ash and incombustibles are landfilled or not allowed to be recycled due to their toxic heavy metal concentration. Waste is processed with incombustible residues and an incineration bottom ash discharged from existent conventional incinerators, using a gasification and melting technology (the Direct Melting System). The inert materials, contained in municipal solid waste, incombustibles and bottom ash, are recycled as slag and metal in this process as well as energy recovery. Based on this new waste management scheme with a co-gasification system, a case study of municipal solid waste co-gasification was evaluated and compared with other technical solutions, such as conventional incineration, incineration with an ash melting facility under certain boundary conditions. From a technical point of view, co-gasification produced high quality slag with few harmful heavy metals, which was recycled completely without requiring any further post-treatment such as aging. As a consequence, the co-gasification system had an economical advantage over other systems because of its material recovery and minimization of the final landfill amount. Sensitivity analyses of landfill cost, power price and inert materials in waste were also conducted. The higher the landfill costs, the greater the advantage of the co-gasification system has. The co-gasification was beneficial for landfill cost in the range of 80 Euro per ton or more. Higher power prices led to lower operation cost in each case. The inert contents in processed waste had a significant influence on the operating cost. These results indicate that co-gasification of bottom ash and incombustibles with municipal solid waste contributes to minimizing the final landfill amount and has great possibilities maximizing material recovery and energy recovery from waste. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carbon dioxide capture from atmospheric air using sodium hydroxide spray.

PubMed

Stolaroff, Joshuah K; Keith, David W; Lowry, Gregory V

2008-04-15

In contrast to conventional carbon capture systems for power plants and other large point sources, the system described in this paper captures CO2 directly from ambient air. This has the advantages that emissions from diffuse sources and past emissions may be captured. The objective of this research is to determine the feasibility of a NaOH spray-based contactor for use in an air capture system by estimating the cost and energy requirements per unit CO2 captured. A prototype system is constructed and tested to measure CO2 absorption, energy use, and evaporative water loss and compared with theoretical predictions. A numerical model of drop collision and coalescence is used to estimate operating parameters for a full-scale system, and the cost of operating the system per unit CO2 captured is estimated. The analysis indicates that CO2 capture from air for climate change mitigation is technically feasible using off-the-shelf technology. Drop coalescence significantly decreases the CO2 absorption efficiency; however, fan and pump energy requirements are manageable. Water loss is significant (20 mol H2O/mol CO2 at 15 degrees C and 65% RH) but can be lowered by appropriately designing and operating the system. The cost of CO2 capture using NaOH spray (excluding solution recovery and CO2 sequestration, which may be comparable) in the full-scale system is 96 $/ton-CO2 in the base case, and ranges from 53 to 127 $/ton-CO2 under alternate operating parameters and assumptions regarding capital costs and mass transfer rate. The low end of the cost range is reached by a spray with 50 microm mean drop diameter, which is achievable with commercially available spray nozzles.

Applying lessons learned from the USAID family planning graduation experience to the GAVI graduation process.

PubMed

Shen, Angela K; Farrell, Marguerite M; Vandenbroucke, Mary F; Fox, Elizabeth; Pablos-Mendez, Ariel

2015-07-01

As low income countries experience economic transition, characterized by rapid economic growth and increased government spending potential in health, they have increased fiscal space to support and sustain more of their own health programmes, decreasing need for donor development assistance. Phase out of external funds should be systematic and efforts towards this end should concentrate on government commitments towards country ownership and self-sustainability. The 2006 US Agency for International Development (USAID) family planning (FP) graduation strategy is one such example of a systematic phase-out approach. Triggers for graduation were based on pre-determined criteria and programme indicators. In 2011 the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations) which primarily supports financing of new vaccines, established a graduation policy process. Countries whose gross national income per capita exceeds $1570 incrementally increase their co-financing of new vaccines over a 5-year period until they are no longer eligible to apply for new GAVI funding, although previously awarded support will continue. This article compares and contrasts the USAID and GAVI processes to apply lessons learned from the USAID FP graduation experience to the GAVI process. The findings of the review are 3-fold: (1) FP graduation plans served an important purpose by focusing on strategic needs across six graduation plan foci, facilitating graduation with pre-determined financial and technical benchmarks, (2) USAID sought to assure contraceptive security prior to graduation, phasing out of contraceptive donations first before phasing out from technical assistance in other programme areas and (3) USAID sought to sustain political support to assure financing of products and programmes continue after graduation. Improving sustainability more broadly beyond vaccine financing provides a more comprehensive approach to graduation. The USAID FP experience provides a window into understanding one approach to graduation from donor assistance. The process itself-involving transparent country-level partners well in advance of graduation-appears a valuable lesson towards success. Published by Oxford University Press 2014. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Influence of non-preferred foot technical training in reducing lower limbs functional asymmetry among young football players.

PubMed

Guilherme, José; Garganta, Júlio; Graça, Amândio; Seabra, André

2015-01-01

The functional asymmetry of the lower limbs has been regarded as a relevant factor of the performance of football players. We purposed to ascertain whether a specific technical training programme for the non-preferred foot has implications in the increasing utilisation rate of the respective member during the game. Young football players (n = 71) were randomly divided into experimental group (N = 35; 14.37 ± 1.94 years) and control group (N = 36; 14.50 ± 1.81 years). The study was developed into three stages: first, assessment of the index utilisation of both limbs during the game; second, application of a technical training programme that includes the drilling of specific motor skills exclusively directed to the non-preferred foot; and third, assessment of the new rate of both limbs' utilisation after the predefined six months. The main findings were: (1) the use of the non-preferred foot increased significantly with the technical training programme in the experimental group and remained constant in the control group; (2) the use of the preferred foot decreased significantly in the experimental group and remained similar in control group. We concluded that a systematic and specific technical training for the non-preferred foot increases its use and reduces functional asymmetry in game situation, consequently improving the player's performance.

Framework for incorporating simulation into urology training.

PubMed

Arora, Sonal; Lamb, Benjamin; Undre, Shabnam; Kneebone, Roger; Darzi, Ara; Sevdalis, Nick

2011-03-01

• Changes to working hours, new technologies and increased accountability have rendered the need for alternative training environments for urologists. • Simulation offers a promising arena for learning to take place in a safe, realistic setting. • Despite its benefits, the incorporation of simulation into urological training programmes remains minimal. • The current status and future directions of simulation for training in technical and non-technical skills are reviewed as they pertain to urology. • A framework is presented for how simulation-based training could be incorporated into the entire urological curriculum. • The literature on simulation in technical and non-technical skills training is reviewed, with a specific focus upon urology. • To fully integrate simulation into a training curriculum, its possibilities for addressing all the competencies required by a urologist must be realized. • At an early stage of training, simulation has been used to develop basic technical skills and cognitive skills, such as decision-making and communication. • At an intermediate stage, the studies focus upon more advanced technical skills learnt with virtual reality simulators. • Non-technical skills training would include leadership and could be delivered with in situ models. • At the final stage, experienced trainees can practise technical and non-technical skills in full crisis simulations situated within a fully-simulated operating rooms. • Simulation can provide training in the technical and non-technical skills required to be a competent urologist. • The framework presented may guide how best to incorporate simulation into training curricula. • Future work should determine whether acquired skills transfer to clinical practice and improve patient care. © 2010 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2010 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

Relaunch of the official community health worker programme in Mozambique: is there a sustainable basis for iCCM policy?

PubMed

Chilundo, Baltazar Gm; Cliff, Julie L; Mariano, Alda Re; Rodríguez, Daniela C; George, Asha

2015-12-01

In Mozambique, integrated community case management (iCCM) of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia is embedded in the national community health worker (CHW) programme, mainstreaming it into government policy and service delivery. Since its inception in 1978, the CHW programme has functioned unevenly, was suspended in 1989, but relaunched in 2010. To assess the long-term success of iCCM in Mozambique, this article addresses whether the current CHW programme exhibits characteristics that facilitate or impede its sustainability. We undertook a qualitative case study based on document review (n = 54) and key informant interviews (n = 21) with respondents from the Ministry of Health (MOH), multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Maputo in 2012. Interviews were mostly undertaken in Portuguese and all were coded using NVivo. A sustainability framework guided thematic analysis according to nine domains: strategic planning, organizational capacity, programme adaptation, programme monitoring and evaluation, communications, funding stability, political support, partnerships and public health impact. Government commitment was high, with the MOH leading a consultative process in Maputo and facilitating successful technical coordination. The MOH made strategic decisions to pay CHWs, authorize their prescribing abilities, foster guidance development, support operational planning and incorporate previously excluded 'old' CHWs. Nonetheless, policy negotiations excluded certain key actors and uncertainty remains about CHW integration into the civil service and their long-term retention. In addition, reliance on NGOs and donor funding has led to geographic distortions in scaling up, alongside challenges in harmonization. Finally, dependence on external funding, when both external and government funding are declining, may hamper sustainability. Our analysis represents a nuanced assessment of the various domains that influence CHW programme sustainability, highlighting strategic areas such as CHW payment and programme financing. These organizational and contextual determinants of sustainability are central to CHW programme strengthening and iCCM policy support. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Relaunch of the official community health worker programme in Mozambique: is there a sustainable basis for iCCM policy?

PubMed Central

Chilundo, Baltazar GM; Cliff, Julie L; Mariano, Alda RE; Rodríguez, Daniela C; George, Asha

2015-01-01

Background: In Mozambique, integrated community case management (iCCM) of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia is embedded in the national community health worker (CHW) programme, mainstreaming it into government policy and service delivery. Since its inception in 1978, the CHW programme has functioned unevenly, was suspended in 1989, but relaunched in 2010. To assess the long-term success of iCCM in Mozambique, this article addresses whether the current CHW programme exhibits characteristics that facilitate or impede its sustainability. Methodology: We undertook a qualitative case study based on document review (n = 54) and key informant interviews (n = 21) with respondents from the Ministry of Health (MOH), multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Maputo in 2012. Interviews were mostly undertaken in Portuguese and all were coded using NVivo. A sustainability framework guided thematic analysis according to nine domains: strategic planning, organizational capacity, programme adaptation, programme monitoring and evaluation, communications, funding stability, political support, partnerships and public health impact. Results: Government commitment was high, with the MOH leading a consultative process in Maputo and facilitating successful technical coordination. The MOH made strategic decisions to pay CHWs, authorize their prescribing abilities, foster guidance development, support operational planning and incorporate previously excluded ‘old’ CHWs. Nonetheless, policy negotiations excluded certain key actors and uncertainty remains about CHW integration into the civil service and their long-term retention. In addition, reliance on NGOs and donor funding has led to geographic distortions in scaling up, alongside challenges in harmonization. Finally, dependence on external funding, when both external and government funding are declining, may hamper sustainability. Conclusions: Our analysis represents a nuanced assessment of the various domains that influence CHW programme sustainability, highlighting strategic areas such as CHW payment and programme financing. These organizational and contextual determinants of sustainability are central to CHW programme strengthening and iCCM policy support. PMID:26516151

Methods and Models of the Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program, PNNL-MA-860

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

Carbaugh, Eugene H.; Bihl, Donald E.; Maclellan, Jay A.

2009-09-30

The Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program (HIDP) provides internal dosimetry support services for operations at the Hanford Site. The HIDP is staffed and managed by the Radiation and Health Technology group, within the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Operations supported by the HIDP include research and development, the decontamination and decommissioning of facilities formerly used to produce and purify plutonium, and waste management activities. Radioelements of particular interest are plutonium, uranium, americium, tritium, and the fission and activation product radionuclides 137Cs, 90Sr, and 60Co. This manual describes the technical basis for the design of the routine bioassay monitoring program and formore » assessment of internal dose. The purposes of the manual are as follows: • Provide assurance that the HIDP derives from a sound technical base. • Promote the consistency and continuity of routine program activities. • Provide a historical record. • Serve as a technical reference for radiation protection personnel. • Aid in identifying and planning for future needs.« less

75 FR 77229 - Federal Requirements Under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program for Carbon Dioxide (CO2

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-10

...This action finalizes minimum Federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the purpose of geologic sequestration (GS). GS is one of a portfolio of options that could be deployed to reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and help to mitigate climate change. This final rule applies to owners or operators of wells that will be used to inject CO2 into the subsurface for the purpose of long-term storage. It establishes a new class of well, Class VI, and sets minimum technical criteria for the permitting, geologic site characterization, area of review (AoR) and corrective action, financial responsibility, well construction, operation, mechanical integrity testing (MIT), monitoring, well plugging, post-injection site care (PISC), and site closure of Class VI wells for the purposes of protecting underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). The elements of this rulemaking are based on the existing Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulatory framework, with modifications to address the unique nature of CO2 injection for GS. This rule will help ensure consistency in permitting underground injection of CO2 at GS operations across the United States and provide requirements to prevent endangerment of USDWs in anticipation of the eventual use of GS to reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and to mitigate climate change.

Short-term effects of a peer co-led educational programme delivered before mental health treatment: A randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Lara-Cabrera, M L; Gjerden, M; Gråwe, R W; Linaker, O M; Steinsbekk, A

2016-07-01

To investigate the 1-month effects of an educational programme co-led by peers delivered before treatment on treatment preferences, self-management knowledge and motivation in comparison to usual care. Adults referred to a community mental health centre were randomised to either a control group (n=48) or a peer co-led educational programme (intervention group, n=45). The programme consisted of an 8-hour group education session followed by an individual pretreatment planning session. The main topics of the educational programme were treatment options, patients' rights, self-management, the importance of patient activation and participation. At 1-month follow-up, a significantly larger proportion of the patients in the intervention group knew which type of treatment they preferred (76.7% vs. 32.5%, p<0.001). The intervention group had significantly higher self-management knowledge (p<0.001). There was no effect on treatment motivation (p=0.543). At 1-month following the delivery of a pretreatment educational programme, we found that participants' knowledge of treatment preferences and self-management had improved. Educational interventions co-led by peers can optimise the process of informing and educating outpatients, thereby helping patients to clarify their treatment preferences. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Operational research in malawi: making a difference with cotrimoxazole preventive therapy in patients with tuberculosis and HIV

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In Malawi, high case fatality rates in patients with tuberculosis, who were also co-infected with HIV, and high early death rates in people living with HIV during the initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) adversely impacted on treatment outcomes for the national tuberculosis and ART programmes respectively. This article i) discusses the operational research that was conducted in the country on cotrimoxazole preventive therapy, ii) outlines the steps that were taken to translate these findings into national policy and practice, iii) shows how the implementation of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy for both TB patients and HIV-infected patients starting ART was associated with reduced death rates, and iv) highlights lessons that can be learnt for other settings and interventions. Discussion District and facility-based operational research was undertaken between 1999 and 2005 to assess the effectiveness of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy in reducing death rates in TB patients and subsequently in patients starting ART under routine programme conditions. Studies demonstrated significant reductions in case fatality in HIV-infected TB patients receiving cotrimoxazole and in HIV-infected patients about to start ART. Following the completion of research, the findings were rapidly disseminated nationally at stakeholder meetings convened by the Ministry of Health and internationally through conferences and peer-reviewed scientific publications. The Ministry of Health made policy changes based on the available evidence, following which there was countrywide distribution of the updated policy and guidelines. Policy was rapidly moved to practice with the development of monitoring tools, drug procurement and training packages. National programme performance improved which showed a significant decrease in case fatality rates in TB patients as well as a reduction in early death in people with HIV starting ART. Summary Key lessons for moving this research endeavour through to policy and practice were the importance of placing operational research within the programme, defining relevant questions, obtaining "buy-in" from national programme staff at the beginning of projects and having key actors or "policy entrepreneurs" to push forward the policy-making process. Ultimately, any change in policy and practice has to benefit patients, and the ultimate judge of success is whether treatment outcomes improve or not. PMID:21794154

Assessing Induced Seismicity Risk at CO 2 Storage Projects: Recent Progress and Remaining Challenges

DOE PAGES

White, Joshua A.; Foxall, William

2016-04-13

It is well established that fluid injection has the potential to induce earthquakes—from microseismicity to magnitude 5+ events—by altering state-of-stress conditions in the subsurface. This paper reviews recent lessons learned regarding induced seismicity at carbon storage sites. While similar to other subsurface injection practices, CO 2 injection has distinctive features that should be included in a discussion of its seismic hazard. Induced events have been observed at CO 2 injection projects, though to date it has not been a major operational issue. Nevertheless, the hazard exists and experience with this issue will likely grow as new storage operations come online.more » This review paper focuses on specific technical difficulties that can limit the effectiveness of current risk assessment and risk management approaches, and highlights recent research aimed at overcoming them. Finally, these challenges form the heart of the induced seismicity problem, and novel solutions to them will advance our ability to responsibly deploy large-scale CO 2 storage.« less

Adult Literacy in OECD Countries: Technical Report on the First International Adult Literacy Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, T. Scott; Kirsch, Irwin S.; Jenkins, Lynn B.

In December 1995, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Statistics Canada jointly published the results of the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). For this survey, representative samples of adults aged 16 to 65 were interviewed and tested in their homes in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands,…

Educating Educators in a Volatile Climate--The Challenge of Modernising Higher Business Schools in Serbia and Montenegro

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollinshead, Graham

2006-01-01

This study is set in the rapidly changing higher educational environment that has ensued in Serbia and Montenegro in the post Milosevic era. Its primary focus is a "Training Trainers" initiative, mounted by the GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit/Society for Technical Co-operation), designed to upgrade the teaching…

Towards ESP Programmes in Technical and Vocational Institutions in Malaysia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukor, Haji; And Others

This paper examines the nature of vocational, technical, and polytechnic education in Malaysia, the extent to which English for special purposes (ESP) programs are incorporated into such education, and the need for ESP program reform. In 1992, Malaysia possessed 70 vocational and 9 technical secondary schools, all of which offered some form of ESP…

Ground-based photometric support for the CoRoT mission by the CoRoT-Hungarian Asteroseismology Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bognár, Zs.; Paparó, M.

2012-12-01

The CoRoT-Hungarian Asteroseismology Group was established in 2005 and joined the preparatory work of the CoRoT Mission via an ESA PECS project. After the successful launch of the telescope, we have continued our work of ground-based multi-colour photometric observations and contributed to the analyses of CoRoT data. Our observations were focused on δ Scuti, γ Doradus, and RR Lyrae stars. The follow-up of some selected targets' pulsations in different wavelengths has provided valuable information for mode identification. We provided additional support by the confirmation of relatively faint variables' spectral types. We proved that our ground-based observations can help in the interpretation of a target with a contaminated CoRoT light curve. In this paper, we summarize our most important results of the photometric support for the CoRoT Mission. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Spain.

Community-based livestock breeding programmes: essentials and examples.

PubMed

Mueller, J P; Rischkowsky, B; Haile, A; Philipsson, J; Mwai, O; Besbes, B; Valle Zárate, A; Tibbo, M; Mirkena, T; Duguma, G; Sölkner, J; Wurzinger, M

2015-04-01

Breeding programmes described as community-based (CBBP) typically relate to low-input systems with farmers having a common interest to improve and share their genetic resources. CBBPs are more frequent with keepers of small ruminants, in particular smallholders of local breeds, than with cattle, pigs or chickens with which farmers may have easier access to alternative programmes. Constraints that limit the adoption of conventional breeding technologies in low-input systems cover a range of organizational and technical aspects. The analysis of 8 CBBPs located in countries of Latin-America, Africa and Asia highlights the importance of bottom-up approaches and involvement of local institutions in the planning and implementation stages. The analysis also reveals a high dependence of these programmes on organizational, technical and financial support. Completely self-sustained CBBPs seem to be difficult to realize. There is a need to implement and document formal socio-economic evaluations of CBBPs to provide governments and other development agencies with the information necessary for creating sustainable CBBPs at larger scales. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Neopositivism and the DSM psychiatric classification. An epistemological history. Part 2: Historical pathways, epistemological developments and present-day needs.

PubMed

Aragona, Massimiliano

2013-12-01

Little is known about the concrete historical sources for the use of neopositivist operational criteria by the DSM-III. This paper suggests that distinct sources operated implicitly. The current usefulness of the operational approach is questioned. It is shown that: (a) in epistemology, neopositivism has been replaced by more adequate accounts; (b) psychologists rejected operational definitions because these were unable to define the majority of mental phenomena; (c) mental symptoms cannot be directly described as such, because they already make part of the psychiatric diagnosis to which they belong. In conclusion, diagnosing is based on the hermeneutical co-construction of mental symptoms. The failure of the neopositivist programme suggests that it is time to reconcile scientific formalization and semiotic activity.

"Measuring up" to ethical standards in service delivery to college students on the Autism Spectrum: A practical application of Powell's model for ethical practices in clinical phonetics and linguistics.

PubMed

Weiss, Amy L; Rohland, Pamela

2014-01-01

This paper examined an interdisciplinary college-based support programme, the Communication Coaching Program (CCP), designed for students diagnosed on the autism spectrum in light of six ethical constructs described by Powell. Collecting data to monitor the successes and ongoing needs of individual participants in the programme is of vital importance, of course, but only addresses a portion of the efficacy question. In addition, the authors, who co-direct the programme and represent different professional expertise and perspectives, recognize the importance of determining whether their evolving intervention model has also been successful in meeting the ethical standards of their respective professions. Careful review of the 4 years of the CCP's operation in terms of ethical constructs has yielded evidence that the CCP, although based on sound principles of theory and scholarship, should be further individualized to meet the particular needs of participants diagnosed with deficits in social communication and executive functioning skills.

IAEA programme in the field of radiation technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmielewski, Andrzej G.; Haji-Saeid, Mohammad

2005-07-01

Radiation technologies applying gamma sources and electron accelerators for material modification are well-established processes. There are over 160 gamma industrial irradiators and 1300 electron industrial accelerators in operation worldwide. A new advancement in the field of radiation sources engineering is the development of high power direct e-/X conversion sources based on electron accelerators. Technologies to be developed beside environmental applications could be nanomaterials, structure engineered materials (sorbents, composites, ordered polymers, etc.) and natural polymers' processing. New products based on radiation-processed polysaccharides have already been commercialised in many countries of the East Asia and Pacific Region, especially in those being rich in natural polymers. Very important and promising applications concern environmental protection-radiation technology, being a clean and environment friendly process, helps to curb pollutants' emission as well. Industrial plants for flue gas treatment have been constructed in Poland and China. The pilot plant in Bulgaria using this technology has just started its operation. The Polish plant is equipped with accelerators of over 1 MW power, a breakthrough in radiation technology application. The industrial plant for wastewater treatment is under development in Korea and a pilot plant for sewage sludge irradiation has been in operation in India for many years. Due to recent developments, the Agency has restructured its programme and organized a Technical Meeting (TM) on "Emerging Applications of Radiation Technology for the 21st Century" at its Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, in April 2003, to review the present situation and possible developments of radiation technology to contribute to a sustainable development. This meeting provided the basic input to launch others in the most important fields of radiation technology applications: "Advances in Radiation Chemistry of Polymers" (Notre Dame, USA, September 2003), "Status of Industrial Scale Radiation Treatment of Wastewater" (Taejon, Republic of Korea, October 2003), "Radiation Processing of Polysaccharides" (Takasaki, Japan, November 2003), "Emerging Applications of Radiation in Nanotechnology" (Bologna, Italy, March 2004) and "Radiation Processing of Gaseous and Liquid Effluents" (Sofia, Bulgaria, September 2004). The Agency is presently supervising three Coordinated Research Projects on radiation wastewater treatment, radiation synthesis stimuli-responsive hydrogels for separation purposes and degradation effects of polymers. The role of this technology for a sustainable development is well illustrated by the fact that over 30 technical cooperation projects (including three regional ones) were accomplished in the years 2003-2004 and several new projects are being expected for the new cycle 2005-2006. Detailed analyses of the results of both, regular and TC programmes, laid the foundation for formulation of the new programme for the years 2006-2007. The emphasis will be put on nanotechnology, natural polymers, environment and health protection, including combat with hazardous bioagents.

Transfer of radiation technology to developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markovic, Vitomir; Ridwan, Mohammad

1993-10-01

Transfer of technology is a complex process with many facets, options and constraints. While the concept is an important step in bringing industrialization process to agricultural based countries, it is clear, however, that a country will only benefit from a new technology if it addresses a real need, and if it can be absorbed and adapted to suit the existing cultural and technological base. International Atomic Energy Agency, as UN body, has a mandate to promote nuclear applicationsand assist Member States in transfer of technology for peaceful applications. This mandate has been pursued by many different mechanisms developed in the past years: technical assistance, coordinated research programmes, scientific and technical meetings, publications, etc. In all these activities the Agency is the organizer and initiator, but main contributions come from expert services from developed countries and, increasingly, from developing countries themselves. The technical cooperation among developing coutries more and more becomes part of different programmes. In particular, regional cooperation has been demonstrated as an effective instrument for transfer of technology from developed and among developing countries. Some examples of actual programmes are given.

Quality indicators for in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes: a systematic literature review and international Delphi study.

PubMed

Van Grootven, Bastiaan; McNicoll, Lynn; Mendelson, Daniel A; Friedman, Susan M; Fagard, Katleen; Milisen, Koen; Flamaing, Johan; Deschodt, Mieke

2018-03-16

To find consensus on appropriate and feasible structure, process and outcome indicators for the evaluation of in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes. An international two-round Delphi study based on a systematic literature review (searching databases, reference lists, prospective citations and trial registers). Western Europe and the USA. Thirty-three people with at least 2 years of clinical experience in geriatric co-management were recruited. Twenty-eight experts (16 from the USA and 12 from Europe) participated in both Delphi rounds (85% response rate). Participants rated the indicators on a nine-point scale for their (1) appropriateness and (2) feasibility to use the indicator for the evaluation of geriatric co-management programmes. Indicators were considered appropriate and feasible based on a median score of seven or higher. Consensus was based on the level of agreement using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. In the first round containing 37 indicators, there was consensus on 14 indicators. In the second round containing 44 indicators, there was consensus on 31 indicators (structure=8, process=7, outcome=16). Experts indicated that co-management should start within 24 hours of hospital admission using defined criteria for selecting appropriate patients. Programmes should focus on the prevention and management of geriatric syndromes and complications. Key areas for comprehensive geriatric assessment included cognition/delirium, functionality/mobility, falls, pain, medication and pressure ulcers. Key outcomes for evaluating the programme included length of stay, time to surgery and the incidence of complications. The indicators can be used to assess the performance of geriatric co-management programmes and identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the indicators can be used to monitor the implementation and effect of these programmes. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Scientific and technical challenges on the road towards fusion electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donné, A. J. H.; Federici, G.; Litaudon, X.; McDonald, D. C.

2017-10-01

The goal of the European Fusion Roadmap is to deliver fusion electricity to the grid early in the second half of this century. It breaks the quest for fusion energy into eight missions, and for each of them it describes a research and development programme to address all the open technical gaps in physics and technology and estimates the required resources. It points out the needs to intensify industrial involvement and to seek all opportunities for collaboration outside Europe. The roadmap covers three periods: the short term, which runs parallel to the European Research Framework Programme Horizon 2020, the medium term and the long term. ITER is the key facility of the roadmap as it is expected to achieve most of the important milestones on the path to fusion power. Thus, the vast majority of present resources are dedicated to ITER and its accompanying experiments. The medium term is focussed on taking ITER into operation and bringing it to full power, as well as on preparing the construction of a demonstration power plant DEMO, which will for the first time demonstrate fusion electricity to the grid around the middle of this century. Building and operating DEMO is the subject of the last roadmap phase: the long term. Clearly, the Fusion Roadmap is tightly connected to the ITER schedule. Three key milestones are the first operation of ITER, the start of the DT operation in ITER and reaching the full performance at which the thermal fusion power is 10 times the power put in to the plasma. The Engineering Design Activity of DEMO needs to start a few years after the first ITER plasma, while the start of the construction phase will be a few years after ITER reaches full performance. In this way ITER can give viable input to the design and development of DEMO. Because the neutron fluence in DEMO will be much higher than in ITER, it is important to develop and validate materials that can handle these very high neutron loads. For the testing of the materials, a dedicated 14 MeV neutron source is needed. This DEMO Oriented Neutron Source (DONES) is therefore an important facility to support the fusion roadmap.

COBALT 60 KILOCURIE TELETHERAPY ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS--TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

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

Patricio, M.B.

1961-12-01

The advantages of Co/sup 60/ therapy over conventional x-ray therapy, stemming from the fact that in the lst instance energy absorption within the tissues is by the Compton effect and in the 2nd case by the photoelectric effect, are: (1) increased skin tolerance, (2) reduced bone absorption, (3) increase in depth dose, (4) diminished radiation sickness, and (5) simplicity of operation. As a disadvantage, possibility of injury to adjacent organs is greater with Co/ sup 60/ therapy, since skin reactions, indicative of overdosage with x-ray therapy, may be absent. Some tumors at limited skin depth, such as in the larynx,more » are not amenable to Co/sup 60/ therapy because of the high exit dose. Various technical problems of Co/sup 60/ therapy are discussed, including precise localization of the tumor, calculation of dosage, use of filters to evenly distribute radiation and prevent hot spots, immobilization and positioning of the patient, and direct dosimetry for affirmation of calculated dosage. Favorable results are described in patients with urinary bladder tumors administered l50- to 200-rad daily doses, for a total of 6000 to 8000 rads over 6 to 8 weeks. (H.H.D.)« less

Final Technical Report

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

Howe, Gary; Albritton, John; Denton, David

In September 2010, RTI and the DOE/NETL signed a cooperative agreement (DE-FE000489) to design, build, and operate a pre-commercial syngas cleaning system that would capture up to 90% of the CO 2 in the syngas slipstream, and demonstrate the ability to reduce syngas contaminants to meet DOE’s specifications for chemical production application. This pre-commercial syngas cleaning system is operated at Tampa Electric Company’s (TEC) 250-MWe integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant at Polk Power Station (PPS), located near Tampa, Florida. The syngas cleaning system consists of the following units: Warm Gas Desulfurization Process (WDP) - this unit processes a syngasmore » flow equivalent of 50 MWe of power (50 MWe equivalent corresponds to about 2.0 MM scfh of syngas on dry basis) to produce a desulfurized syngas with a total sulfur (H 2S+COS) concentration ~ 10 ppmv. Water Gas Shift (WGS) Reactor - this unit converts sufficient CO into CO 2 to enable 90% capture of the CO 2 in the syngas slipstream. This reactor uses conventional commercial shift catalyst technologies. Low Temperature Gas Cooling (LTGC) - this unit cools the syngas for the low temperature activated MDEA process and separates any condensed water. Activated MDEA Process (aMDEA) - this unit employs a non-selective separation for the CO 2 and H 2S present in the raw syngas stream. Because of the selective sulfur removal by the upstream WDP unit, the CO 2 capture target of 90% CO 2 can be achieved with the added benefit that total sulfur concentration in the CO 2 product is < 100 ppmv. An additional advantage of the activated MDEA process is that the non-selective sulfur removal from the treated syngas reduces sulfur in the treated gas to very low sub-ppmv concentrations, which are required for chemical production applications. Testing to date of this pre-commercial syngas cleaning system has shown that the technology has great potential to provide clean syngas from coal and petcoke-based gasification at increased efficiency and at significantly lower capital and operating costs than conventional syngas cleanup technologies. However, before the technology can be deemed ready for scale-up to a full commercial-scale demonstration, additional R&D testing is needed at the site to address the following critical technical risks: WDP sorbent stability and performance; Impact of WDP on downstream cleanup and conversion steps; Metallurgy and refractory; Syngas cleanup performance and controllability; Carbon capture performance and additional syngas cleanup The proposed plan to acquire this additional R&D data involves: Operation of the units to achieve an additional 3,000 hours of operation of the system within the performance period, with a target of achieving 1,000 hours of those hours via continuous operation of the entire integrated pre-commercial demonstration system; Rapid turnaround of repairs and/or modifications required as necessary to return any specific unit to operating status with documentation and lessons learned to support technology maturation, and; Proactive performance of maintenance activities during any unplanned outages and if possible while operating.« less

UXO clearance operation in Laos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Motoyuki; Kadoya, Yoshihiko

2018-04-01

Laos is one of the most seriously contaminated countries by UXO. Most of the UXO are cluster bombs, used in 1960- 70's. There is historical political background about the UXO problems in Laos. Currently, The clearance of UXO is significantly important for future economic development for Laos. It affects not only local inhabitants, but it will affects national economy. For example, UXO clearance in mountainous area can promote construction of roads, and Laos has a good possibility to be the center of transportation in Indo-Chia region. We have started a research project for evaluation of impact of UXO clearance in Laos, "The economic impact and the technological development for the elimination of unexploded ordnance (UXO) elimination in Laos". Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) is working in the nine most impacted provinces nationwide and it clears land for agriculture and community purposes. We recently visited Laos and observed the UXO clearance procedure conducted by UXOLAO. The technical survey for UXO clearance site to determine for operation, UXO detection by using metal detectors are organized by UXO Lao. In this paper, we will report the technical aspects of the UXO clearance in Laos.

Methodologies for optimal resource allocation to the national space program and new space utilizations. Volume 2: Resource allocation and smoothing model, programmer's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Appendixes are presented that provide model input requirements, a sample case, flow charts, and a program listing. At the beginning of each appendix, descriptive details and technical comments are provided to indicate any special instructions applicable to the use of that appendix. In addition, the program listing includes comment cards that state the purpose of each subroutine in the complete program and describe operations performed within that subroutine. The input requirements includes details on the many options that adapt the program to the specific needs of the analyst for a particular problem.

Molecular Shocks Associated with Massive Young Stars: CO Line Images with a New Far-Infrared Spectroscopic Camera on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Dan M.

1997-01-01

Under the terms of our contract with NASA Ames Research Center, the University of Rochester (UR) offers the following final technical report on grant NAG 2-958, Molecular shocks associated with massive young stars: CO line images with a new far-infrared spectroscopic camera, given for implementation of the UR Far-Infrared Spectroscopic Camera (FISC) on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and use of this camera for observations of star-formation regions 1. Two KAO flights in FY 1995, the final year of KAO operations, were awarded to this program, conditional upon a technical readiness confirmation which was given in January 1995. The funding period covered in this report is 1 October 1994 - 30 September 1996. The project was supported with $30,000, and no funds remained at the conclusion of the project.

Adaptive array antenna for satellite cellular and direct broadcast communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, Charles R.; Abend, Kenneth

1993-01-01

Adaptive phased-array antennas provide cost-effective implementation of large, light weight apertures with high directivity and precise beamshape control. Adaptive self-calibration allows for relaxation of all mechanical tolerances across the aperture and electrical component tolerances, providing high performance with a low-cost, lightweight array, even in the presence of large physical distortions. Beam-shape is programmable and adaptable to changes in technical and operational requirements. Adaptive digital beam-forming eliminates uplink contention by allowing a single electronically steerable antenna to service a large number of receivers with beams which adaptively focus on one source while eliminating interference from others. A large, adaptively calibrated and fully programmable aperture can also provide precise beam shape control for power-efficient direct broadcast from space. Advanced adaptive digital beamforming technologies are described for: (1) electronic compensation of aperture distortion, (2) multiple receiver adaptive space-time processing, and (3) downlink beam-shape control. Cost considerations for space-based array applications are also discussed.

CO2 evaporative cooling: The future for tracking detector thermal management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tropea, P.; Daguin, J.; Petagna, P.; Postema, H.; Verlaat, B.; Zwalinski, L.

2016-07-01

In the last few years, CO2 evaporative cooling has been one of the favourite technologies chosen for the thermal management of tracking detectors at LHC. ATLAS Insertable B-Layer and CMS Pixel phase 1 upgrade have adopted it and their systems are now operational or under commissioning. The CERN PH-DT team is now merging the lessons learnt on these two systems in order to prepare the design and construction of the cooling systems for the new Upstream Tracker and the Velo upgrade in LHCb, due by 2018. Meanwhile, the preliminary design of the ATLAS and CMS full tracker upgrades is started, and both concepts heavily rely on CO2 evaporative cooling. This paper highlights the performances of the systems now in operation and the challenges to overcome in order to scale them up to the requirements of the future generations of trackers. In particular, it focuses on the conceptual design of a new cooling system suited for the large phase 2 upgrade programmes, which will be validated with the construction of a common prototype in the next years.

Military Curricula for Vocational & Technical Education. Programmer/Analyst 4-4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of the Army, Washington, DC.

This program of instruction and various instructional materials for a secondary-postsecondary level course for programmer/analysts is one of a number of military-developed curriculum packages selected for adaptation to vocational instruction and curriculum development in a civilian setting. The eight-week, three-section course is designed to…

Evaluation of the 1981 Vocational Preparation Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hailstone, D. L.; Grosvenor, J. S.

An evaluation project investigated the Vocational Preparation Programme conducted in 1981 by the South Australian Department of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). The vocational preparation program was designed to increase the employability of young unemployed people aged 15 to 19 by providing them with an understanding of a family of related…

Creating Global Networks through an Online Engineering Graduate Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, M. H.

2011-01-01

Internationally, the railway industry is facing a severe shortage of engineers with high-level, relevant, professional and technical knowledge and abilities, in particular amongst engineers involved in the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure. A unique graduate level programme has been created to meet that global need via…

Military Curricula for Vocational & Technical Education. Communications Computer Programmer, 4-2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

These student materials--study guides, handouts (some are manuals), a workbook, and programmed texts--for a secondary-postsecondary-level course for communications computer programmer are one of a number of military-developed curriculum packages selected for adaptation to vocational instruction and curriculum development in a civilian setting. A…

A Preliminary Report on the CO2 Laser for Lumbar Fusion: Safety, Efficacy and Technical Considerations.

PubMed

Villavicencio, Alan T; Burneikiene, Sigita; Babuska, Jason M; Nelson, Ewell L; Mason, Alexander; Rajpal, Sharad

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential technical advantages of the CO2 laser technology in mini-open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgeries and report our preliminary clinical data on the safety and clinical outcomes. There is currently no literature discussing the recently redeveloped CO2 laser technology application for lumbar fusion. Safety and clinical outcomes were compared between two groups: 24 patients that underwent CO2 laser-assisted one-level TLIF surgeries and 30 patients that underwent standard one-level TLIF surgeries without the laser. There were no neural thermal injuries or other intraoperative laser-related complications encountered in this cohort of patients. At a mean follow-up of 17.4 months, significantly reduced lower back pain scores (P=0.013) were reported in the laser-assisted patient group compared to a standard fusion patient group. Lower extremity radicular pain intensity scores were similar in both groups. Laser-assisted TLIF surgeries showed a tendency (P = 0.07) of shorter operative times that was not statistically significant. Based on this preliminary clinical report, the safety of the CO2 laser device for lumbar fusion surgeries was assessed. There were no neural thermal injuries or other intraoperative laser-related complications encountered in this cohort of patients. Further investigation of CO2 laser-assisted lumbar fusion procedures is warranted in order to evaluate its effect on clinical outcomes.

Do Joint Fighter Programs Save Money? Technical Appendixes on Methodology

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Bookstore Make a charitable contribution Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by...research clients and sponsors. Support RAND—make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute.html R® is a registered...Evidence, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Economics Department Working Paper 317, January 17, 2002. Anderson, Fred, Northrop

Technical challenges and opportunities in cogasification of coal and biomass

Treesearch

Jagpinder Singh Brar; Kaushlendra Singh; John Zondlo

2013-01-01

Biomass gasification manufacturers are beginning to market 5 to 100 kW capacity gasifiers (e.g., Community Power Corporation (CPC), Littleton, CO and gasifier experimenters kit (GEK), AllPower Labs, Berkeley, CA) for producing electricity and synthetic gas (syngas). These gasifiers operate at 900 to 1000 °C, consuming 1.3 kg of biomass per hour for every kW...

Simulation-based ureteroscopy skills training curriculum with integration of technical and non-technical skills: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Shahid, Shahab; Aydin, Abdullatif; McIlhenny, Craig; Khan, Shahid; Raza, Syed Johar; Sahai, Arun; Brewin, James; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Khan, Muhammad Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2015-09-01

Current training modalities within ureteroscopy have been extensively validated and must now be integrated within a comprehensive curriculum. Additionally, non-technical skills often cause surgical error and little research has been conducted to combine this with technical skills teaching. This study therefore aimed to develop and validate a curriculum for semi-rigid ureteroscopy, integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching within the programme. Delphi methodology was utilised for curriculum development and content validation, with a randomised trial then conducted (n = 32) for curriculum evaluation. The developed curriculum consisted of four modules; initially developing basic technical skills and subsequently integrating non-technical skills teaching. Sixteen participants underwent the simulation-based curriculum and were subsequently assessed, together with the control cohort (n = 16) within a full immersion environment. Both technical (Time to completion, OSATS and a task specific checklist) and non-technical (NOTSS) outcome measures were recorded with parametric and non-parametric analyses used depending on the distribution of our data as evaluated by a Shapiro-Wilk test. Improvements within the intervention cohort demonstrated educational value across all technical and non-technical parameters recorded, including time to completion (p < 0.01), OSATS scores (p < 0.001), task specific checklist scores (p = 0.011) and NOTSS scores (p < 0.001). Content validity, feasibility and acceptability were all demonstrated through curriculum development and post-study questionnaire results. The current developed curriculum demonstrates that integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching is both educationally valuable and feasible. Additionally, the curriculum offers a validated simulation-based training modality within ureteroscopy and a framework for the development of other simulation-based programmes.

Are family-centred principles, functional goal setting and transition planning evident in therapy services for children with cerebral palsy?

PubMed

Darrah, J; Wiart, L; Magill-Evans, J; Ray, L; Andersen, J

2012-01-01

Family-centred service, functional goal setting and co-ordination of a child's move between programmes are important concepts of rehabilitation services for children with cerebral palsy identified in the literature. We examined whether these three concepts could be objectively identified in programmes providing services to children with cerebral palsy in Alberta, Canada. Programme managers (n= 37) and occupational and physical therapists (n= 54) representing 59 programmes participated in individual 1-h semi-structured interviews. Thirty-nine parents participated in eleven focus groups or two individual interviews. Evidence of family-centred values in mission statements and advisory boards was evaluated. Therapists were asked to identify three concepts of family-centred service and to complete the Measures of Process of Care for Service Providers. Therapists also identified therapy goals for children based on clinical case scenarios. The goals were coded using the components of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health. Programme managers and therapists discussed the processes in their programmes for goal setting and for preparing children and their families for their transition to other programmes. Parents reflected on their experiences with their child's rehabilitation related to family-centredness, goal setting and co-ordination between programmes. All respondents expressed commitment to the three concepts, but objective indicators of family-centred processes were lacking in many programmes. In most programmes, the processes to implement the three concepts were informal rather than standardized. Both families and therapists reported limited access to general information regarding community supports. Lack of formal processes for delivery of family-centred service, goal-setting and co-ordination between children's programmes may result in inequitable opportunities for families to participate in their children's rehabilitation despite attending the same programme. Standardized programme processes and policies may provide a starting point to ensure that all families have equitable opportunities to participate in their child's rehabilitation programme. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

L'Hostis, Valérie; Foct, François; Féron, Damien

2006-11-01

The reinforced concrete is widely used in the construction of nuclear power plants, of nuclear facilities and structures for long-term storage and the disposal of radioactive waste. Indeed this kind of material is used for many purposes, including support, containment, and environmental protection for different types of facilities: e.g. surface structures, shallow subsurface vaults and deep underground repositories. These structures are required to besafe and reliable in challenging and varying environments for periods of time that can potentially range up to several hundred years. During their operational life, these structures will in all likelihood be subjected to a number of environmental stresses or ageing factors that may adversely affect their performance and result in shortened service lives. The detection and assessment of the magnitude as well as the rate of occurrence of any environmental factor-related degradation are key factors in maintaining the capability of these structures to meet their operational requirements. As the knowledge base for modern concretes, such as would be used in fuel cycle-related facilities, is relatively new (i.e. about, 100 years versus the required 200 to 500 or more years), additional inputs are required in several areas to ensure that these structures will continue to meet their design requirements throughout their operational life. Within this context, the international Workshop entitled "NUCPERF 2006, Corrosion and Long Term Performance of Concrete in NPP and Waste Facilities" (EFC Event 284) was held at Cadarache (France), on 27-30 March 2006. Its purpose was to bring together scientists and engineers from various countries that are developing nuclear power generation and/or waste disposal programmes. A special focus has been made on the discussion on R& D progress with regard to concrete degradation and corrosion of steel reinforcements in order to reach a consensus on R& D needs to further develop cooperative programmes. The sessions of the workshop covered the following areas, from fundamental aspects to technically relevant industrial applications: - Present and Future Expectations on regulations, design codes and R& D programmes; - Experimental Studies mainly focused on corrosion of embedded steels and its mechanical consequences, reactive agents transport and chemical degradation of concrete; - Phenomenological Modelling of the different mechanisms involved in reinforced concrete degradation (corrosion, transport, mechanics, etc.); - Service Life Models focused on the assessment of reinforced concrete structures and life cycle analysis; - Feedback Experience use of field experiences and archaeological artefacts for the phenomenological understanding and modelling; - Monitoring and Repair on-site corrosion evaluation, repairing techniques performance... The organisation and the success of this Workshop have been made possible thanks to CEA (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique) and EDF (Électricité de France) which co-organised this event. It was co-sponsored by EFC/WP4 (European Federation of Corrosion, Nuclear corrosion working party) and OECD/NEA (Nuclear Energy Agency) which the editors want to warmly thank for their active scientific and practical contributions. The editors would also like to thank the authors who presented papers of outstanding scientific content and who responded enthusiastically to the discussions and questions raised during the Workshop, the programme committee, who had to make the tricky selection of the presented papers, and finally the reviewers of the papers presented in this special issue. This Workshop was a forum to exchange state-of-the-art knowledge on corrosion and long-term performance of concrete in nuclear power plants and waste facilities. The editors hope that the scientific results gathered in these proceedings will be useful to scientists and engineers in the field of reinforced concrete materials for nuclear applications. Valérie L'Hostis, François Foct and Damien Féron Editors of this Special Issue

Malaria resurgence: a systematic review and assessment of its causes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Considerable declines in malaria have accompanied increased funding for control since the year 2000, but historical failures to maintain gains against the disease underscore the fragility of these successes. Although malaria transmission can be suppressed by effective control measures, in the absence of active intervention malaria will return to an intrinsic equilibrium determined by factors related to ecology, efficiency of mosquito vectors, and socioeconomic characteristics. Understanding where and why resurgence has occurred historically can help current and future malaria control programmes avoid the mistakes of the past. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify historical malaria resurgence events. All suggested causes of these events were categorized according to whether they were related to weakened malaria control programmes, increased potential for malaria transmission, or technical obstacles like resistance. Results The review identified 75 resurgence events in 61 countries, occurring from the 1930s through the 2000s. Almost all resurgence events (68/75 = 91%) were attributed at least in part to the weakening of malaria control programmes for a variety of reasons, of which resource constraints were the most common (39/68 = 57%). Over half of the events (44/75 = 59%) were attributed in part to increases in the intrinsic potential for malaria transmission, while only 24/75 (32%) were attributed to vector or drug resistance. Conclusions Given that most malaria resurgences have been linked to weakening of control programmes, there is an urgent need to develop practical solutions to the financial and operational threats to effectively sustaining today’s successful malaria control programmes. PMID:22531245

Design and simulation of programmable relational optoelectronic time-pulse coded processors as base elements for sorting neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasilenko, Vladimir G.; Nikolsky, Alexander I.; Lazarev, Alexander A.; Lazareva, Maria V.

2010-05-01

In the paper we show that the biologically motivated conception of time-pulse encoding usage gives a set of advantages (single methodological basis, universality, tuning simplicity, learning and programming et al) at creation and design of sensor systems with parallel input-output and processing for 2D structures hybrid and next generations neuro-fuzzy neurocomputers. We show design principles of programmable relational optoelectronic time-pulse encoded processors on the base of continuous logic, order logic and temporal waves processes. We consider a structure that execute analog signal extraction, analog and time-pulse coded variables sorting. We offer optoelectronic realization of such base relational order logic element, that consists of time-pulse coded photoconverters (pulse-width and pulse-phase modulators) with direct and complementary outputs, sorting network on logical elements and programmable commutation blocks. We make technical parameters estimations of devices and processors on such base elements by simulation and experimental research: optical input signals power 0.2 - 20 uW, processing time 1 - 10 us, supply voltage 1 - 3 V, consumption power 10 - 100 uW, extended functional possibilities, learning possibilities. We discuss some aspects of possible rules and principles of learning and programmable tuning on required function, relational operation and realization of hardware blocks for modifications of such processors. We show that it is possible to create sorting machines, neural networks and hybrid data-processing systems with untraditional numerical systems and pictures operands on the basis of such quasiuniversal hardware simple blocks with flexible programmable tuning.

Role of inspectors in external review mechanisms: criteria for selection, training and appraisal.

PubMed

Plebani, M

2001-07-20

There is a wide consensus that an external review mechanism, both in the form of a peer review, accreditation and certification according to the ISO 9000 series, is more than its standards. The survey process, the role of inspectors and standard interpretation contribute to the essence of the programme itself. Above all, the criteria used for the selection, training and appraisal of inspectors are of paramount importance. While the ISO norms do not require certification bodies to employ "peer reviewers" for the healthcare sector, experience in this sector is the main criterion for recruiting inspectors in accreditation and peer review programmes. However, the ISO/IEC Guide 58, for the setting up and operation of a laboratory accreditation body, specifies that inspectors should have appropriate technical knowledge of the specific calibrations, tests or types of calibration or tests for which accreditation is sought. Training, updating and assessment of inspectors are clearly defined under ISO, but are also systematic under accreditation programmes. Part-time inspectors who are professionals currently practising in a healthcare facility and are in touch with the day-to-day work reality are preferred for accreditation programmes which have self-regulation, education and quality improvement as their main concerns, while full-time and external inspectors are used in external review mechanisms with registration and certification as their main concerns. As well as harmonising the standards for accreditation, it is important to obtain consensus on the criteria to use for the selection, training and assessment of inspectors in order to ensure that different national or international programmes gain mutual recognition.

Do parental co-viewing and discussions mitigate TV-induced fears in young children?

PubMed

Paavonen, E J; Roine, M; Pennonen, M; Lahikainen, A R

2009-11-01

While excessive television viewing has been associated with negative outcomes in children's welfare, parental co-viewing has been suggested as an effective way to prevent these negative effects. The objective of the present study is to specify some social contexts of co-viewing and to assess whether co-viewing modifies the effects of media on children's TV-related fears. The study is based on a representative random sample of 331 children aged 5-6 years. It is based on parental reports of children's TV-related fears and family television viewing practices. Parental co-viewing and discussion of television programmes with the child were found to be associated with higher rates of children's TV-related fears, high television exposure in general and watching adults' television programmes. The association between TV-related fears and co-viewing remained significant even after controlling for gender, maternal education, family income and the quantity and quality of television viewing. Co-viewing and TV-related discussions increased the risk for TV-related fears nearly fourfold (adjusted odds ratio 3.92, 95% confidence interval 1.37-11.17 and adjusted odds ratio 3.31, 95% confidence interval 1.33-8.20, respectively). The findings suggest that co-viewing and discussing television programmes are more common in families where television exposure is high. Because both co-viewing and discussing television programmes were associated with higher fear scores regardless of the quantity and quality of television exposure, the research shows that in everyday life co-viewing may not be done in such a way that it leads to a reduction of children's fears. More studies are needed to explore the co-viewing practices of families in more detail.

The quarantine bay 4RC CO/sub 2/ WAG pilot project: A postflood evaluation

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

Hsie, J.C.; Moore, J.S.

1988-08-01

This paper reviews the design, implementation, and performance of a miscible CO/sub 2/ water-alternating-gas (WAG) project in a U.S. gulf coast reservoir. The field-test obtained since the inception of the project in Oct. 1981 are presented, and solutions to such operational problems as downhole corrosion are discussed. Remarkable project response and recovery demonstrated that the CO/sub 2/ WAG process is technically viable for mobilizing considerable amounts of residual oil from watered-out Miocene reservoirs. A 16.9% recovery or original oil in place (OOIP) was obtained with a CO/sub 2/ slug size of 18.9% original HCPV. The CO/sub 2/ requirement was 2.57more » Mcf/bbl (458 m/sup 3//m/sup 3/) of oil recovered.« less

The Quarantine Bay 4RC CO/sub 2/-WAG pilot project: A post-flood evaluation

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

Hsie, J.C.; Moore, J.S.

1986-01-01

This paper reviews the design, implementation, and performance of a miscible CO/sub 2/ - WAG (water-alternating-gas) project in a Gulf Coast reservoir. The field test data obtained since the inception of the project in October 1981 are presented, and solutions to operational problems such as downhole corrosion are discussed. Remarkable project response and recovery demonstrated that the CO/sub 2/-WAG process is technically viable for mobilizing considerable amounts of residual oil from watered-out Miocene reservoirs. A 14.7% recovery of original-oil-in-place (OOIP) was obtained using a CO/sub 2/ slug size of 18.9% original hydrocarbon pore volume (HCPV). The CO/sub 2/ requirement wasmore » 2.95 Mcf/bbl (531 m/sup 3//m/sup 3/) of oil recovered.« less

Feasibility of geothermal space/water heating for Mammoth Lakes Village, California. Final report, September 1976--September 1977

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

Sims, A.V.; Racine, W.C.

1977-12-01

Results of a study to determine the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of geothermal district heating for Mammoth Lakes Village, California are reported. The geothermal district heating system selected is technically feasible and will use existing technology in its design and operation. District heating can provide space and water heating energy for typical customers at lower cost than alternative sources of energy. If the district heating system is investor owned, lower costs are realized after five to six years of operation, and if owned by a nonprofit organization, after zero to three years. District heating offers lower costs than alternativesmore » much sooner in time if co-generation and/or DOE participation in system construction are included in the analysis. During a preliminary environmental assessment, no potential adverse environmental impacts could be identified of sufficient consequence to preclude the construction and operation of the proposed district heating system. A follow-on program aimed at implementing district heating in Mammoth is outlined.« less

Efficient electrochemical CO2 conversion powered by renewable energy.

PubMed

Kauffman, Douglas R; Thakkar, Jay; Siva, Rajan; Matranga, Christopher; Ohodnicki, Paul R; Zeng, Chenjie; Jin, Rongchao

2015-07-22

The catalytic conversion of CO2 into industrially relevant chemicals is one strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Along these lines, electrochemical CO2 conversion technologies are attractive because they can operate with high reaction rates at ambient conditions. However, electrochemical systems require electricity, and CO2 conversion processes must integrate with carbon-free, renewable-energy sources to be viable on larger scales. We utilize Au25 nanoclusters as renewably powered CO2 conversion electrocatalysts with CO2 → CO reaction rates between 400 and 800 L of CO2 per gram of catalytic metal per hour and product selectivities between 80 and 95%. These performance metrics correspond to conversion rates approaching 0.8-1.6 kg of CO2 per gram of catalytic metal per hour. We also present data showing CO2 conversion rates and product selectivity strongly depend on catalyst loading. Optimized systems demonstrate stable operation and reaction turnover numbers (TONs) approaching 6 × 10(6) molCO2 molcatalyst(-1) during a multiday (36 h total hours) CO2 electrolysis experiment containing multiple start/stop cycles. TONs between 1 × 10(6) and 4 × 10(6) molCO2 molcatalyst(-1) were obtained when our system was powered by consumer-grade renewable-energy sources. Daytime photovoltaic-powered CO2 conversion was demonstrated for 12 h and we mimicked low-light or nighttime operation for 24 h with a solar-rechargeable battery. This proof-of-principle study provides some of the initial performance data necessary for assessing the scalability and technical viability of electrochemical CO2 conversion technologies. Specifically, we show the following: (1) all electrochemical CO2 conversion systems will produce a net increase in CO2 emissions if they do not integrate with renewable-energy sources, (2) catalyst loading vs activity trends can be used to tune process rates and product distributions, and (3) state-of-the-art renewable-energy technologies are sufficient to power larger-scale, tonne per day CO2 conversion systems.

Simulation of Martian EVA at the Mars Society Arctic Research Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pletser, V.; Zubrin, R.; Quinn, K.

The Mars Society has established a Mars Arctic Research Station (M.A.R.S.) on Devon Island, North of Canada, in the middle of the Haughton crater formed by the impact of a large meteorite several million years ago. The site was selected for its similarities with the surface of the Mars planet. During the Summer 2001, the MARS Flashline Research Station supported an extended international simulation campaign of human Mars exploration operations. Six rotations of six person crews spent up to ten days each at the MARS Flashline Research Station. International crews, of mixed gender and professional qualifications, conducted various tasks as a Martian crew would do and performed scientific experiments in several fields (Geophysics, Biology, Psychology). One of the goals of this simulation campaign was to assess the operational and technical feasibility of sustaining a crew in an autonomous habitat, conducting a field scientific research program. Operations were conducted as they would be during a Martian mission, including Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) with specially designed unpressurized suits. The second rotation crew conducted seven simulated EVAs for a total of 17 hours, including motorized EVAs with All Terrain Vehicles, to perform field scientific experiments in Biology and Geophysics. Some EVAs were highly successful. For some others, several problems were encountered related to hardware technical failures and to bad weather conditions. The paper will present the experiment programme conducted at the Mars Flashline Research Station, the problems encountered and the lessons learned from an EVA operational point of view. Suggestions to improve foreseen Martian EVA operations will be discussed.

The urgent need for clinical, diagnostic, and operational research for management of Buruli ulcer in Africa.

PubMed

O'Brien, Daniel P; Comte, Eric; Serafini, Micaela; Ehounou, Geneviève; Antierens, Annick; Vuagnat, Hubert; Christinet, Vanessa; Hamani, Mitima D; du Cros, Philipp

2014-05-01

Despite great advances in the diagnosis and treatment of Buruli ulcer, it is one of the least studied major neglected tropical diseases. In Africa, major constraints in the management of Buruli ulcer relate to diagnosis and treatment, and accessibility, feasibility, and delivery of services. In this Personal View, we outline key areas for clinical, diagnostic, and operational research on this disease in Africa and propose a research agenda that aims to advance the management of Buruli ulcer in Africa. A model of care is needed to increase early case detection, to diagnose the disease accurately, to simplify and improve treatment, to reduce side-effects of treatment, to deal with populations with HIV and tuberculosis appropriately, to decentralise care, and to scale up coverage in populations at risk. This approach will require commitment and support to strategically implement research by national Buruli ulcer programmes and international technical and donor organisations, combined with adaptations in programme design and advocacy. A critical next step is to build consensus for a research agenda with WHO and relevant groups experienced in Buruli ulcer care or related diseases, and we call on on them to help to turn this agenda into reality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

sCO2 Power Cycles Summit Summary November 2017.

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

Mendez Cruz, Carmen Margarita; Rochau, Gary E.; Lance, Blake

Over the past ten years, the Department of Energy (DOE) has helped to develop components and technologies for the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) power cycle capable of efficient operation at high temperatures and high efficiency. The DOE Offices of Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy collaborated in the planning and execution of the sCO2 Power Cycle Summit conducted in Albuquerque, NM in November 2017. The summit brought together participants from government, national laboratories, research, and industry to engage in discussions regarding the future of sCO 2 Power Cycles Technology. This report summarizes the work involved inmore » summit planning and execution, before, during, and after the event, including the coordination between three DOE offices and technical content presented at the event.« less

Fast track in hip arthroplasty

PubMed Central

Hansen, Torben Bæk

2017-01-01

‘Fast-track’ surgery was introduced more than 20 years ago and may be defined as a co-ordinated peri-operative approach aimed at reducing surgical stress and facilitating post-operative recovery.The fast-track programmes have now been introduced into total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgery with reduction in post-operative length of stay, shorter convalescence and rapid functional recovery without increased morbidity and mortality. This has been achieved by focusing on a multidisciplinary collaboration and establishing ‘fast-track’ units, with a well-defined organisational set-up tailored to deliver an accelerated peri-operative course of fast-track surgical THA procedures.Fast-track THA surgery now works extremely well in the standard THA patient. However, all patients are different and fine-tuning of the multiple areas in fast-track pathways to get patients with special needs or high co-morbidity burden through a safe and effective fast-track THA pathway is important.In this narrative review, the principles of fast-track THA surgery are presented together with the present status of implementation and perspectives for further improvements. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2017;2. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.2.160060. Originally published online at www.efortopenreviews.org PMID:28630756

IAEA activities related to radiation biology and health effects of radiation.

PubMed

Wondergem, Jan; Rosenblatt, Eduardo

2012-03-01

The IAEA is involved in capacity building with regard to the radiobiological sciences in its member states through its technical cooperation programme. Research projects/programmes are normally carried out within the framework of coordinated research projects (CRPs). Under this programme, two CRPs have been approved which are relevant to nuclear/radiation accidents: (1) stem cell therapeutics to modify radiation-induced damage to normal tissue, and (2) strengthening biological dosimetry in IAEA member states.

Integration of Behaviour-Based Safety Programme into Engineering Laboratories and Workshops Conceptually

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koo, Kean Eng; Zain, Ahmad Nurulazam Md; Zainal, Siti Rohaida Mohamed

2012-01-01

The purpose of this conceptual research framework is to develop and integrate a safety training model using a behaviour-based safety training programme into laboratories for young adults, during their tertiary education, particularly in technical and vocational education. Hence, this research will be investigating the outcome of basic safety…

Matching Learning Style Preferences with Suitable Delivery Methods on Textile Design Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayer, Kate; Studd, Rachel

2006-01-01

Textile design is a subject that encompasses both design and technology; aesthetically pleasing patterns and forms must be set within technical parameters to create successful fabrics. When considering education methods in design programmes, identifying the most relevant learning approach is key to creating future successes. Yet are the most…

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk - A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, T.

2016-12-01

Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, generally known as IRDR, is a decade-long research programme co-sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). It is a global, multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with the challenges brought by natural disasters, mitigating their impacts, and improving related policy-making mechanisms. The home page is at: http://www.irdrinternational.org/The research programme was named Integrated Research on Disaster Risk to indicate that it is addressing the challenge of natural and human-induced environmental hazards. In November 2008 and May 2009 respectively, both the ISSC and the UNISDR agreed to join the ICSU in co-sponsoring the IRDR programme. Although the approaches in the sciences vary, the IRDR programme approaches the issues of natural and human-induced hazards and disasters from several perspectives: from the hazards to the disasters, and from the human exposures and vulnerabilities back to the hazards. This coordinated and multi-dimensional approach takes the IRDR programme beyond approaches that have traditionally been undertaken To meet its research objectives the IRDR established four core projects, comprising working groups of experts from diverse disciplines, to formulate new methods in addressing the shortcomings of current disaster risk research. Assessment of Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (AIRDR) Disaster Loss Data (DATA) Forensic Investigations of Disasters (FORIN) Risk Interpretation and Action (RIA) Dr Tom Beer was a member of both the scoping and planning groups and was a member of the committee to undertake a mid-term review of IRDR with the terms of reference being to examine and to report by November 2016. 1. Strategic planning and implementation 2. Governance 3. Secretariat, funding and operations 4. Stakeholders and partnerships 5. Communication, visibility and influence 6. Future development His talk will give an overview of the history and science of IRDR and some of the outcomes of the mid-term review.

Versatile logic devices based on programmable DNA-regulated silver-nanocluster signal transducers.

PubMed

Huang, Zhenzhen; Tao, Yu; Pu, Fang; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

2012-05-21

A DNA-encoding strategy is reported for the programmable regulation of the fluorescence properties of silver nanoclusters (AgNCs). By taking advantage of the DNA-encoding strategy, aqueous AgNCs were used as signal transducers to convert DNA inputs into fluorescence outputs for the construction of various DNA-based logic gates (AND, OR, INHIBIT, XOR, NOR, XNOR, NAND, and a sequential logic gate). Moreover, a biomolecular keypad that was capable of constructing crossword puzzles was also fabricated. These AgNC-based logic systems showed several advantages, including a simple transducer-introduction strategy, universal design, and biocompatible operation. In addition, this proof of concept opens the door to a new generation of signal transducer materials and provides a general route to versatile biomolecular logic devices for practical applications. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

ExoMars Raman laser spectrometer breadboard overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, E.; Moral, A. G.; Canora, C. P.; Ramos, G.; Barcos, O.; Prieto, J. A. R.; Hutchinson, I. B.; Ingley, R.; Colombo, M.; Canchal, R.; Dávila, B.; Manfredi, J. A. R.; Jiménez, A.; Gallego, P.; Pla, J.; Margoillés, R.; Rull, F.; Sansano, A.; López, G.; Catalá, A.; Tato, C.

2011-10-01

The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is one of the Pasteur Payload instruments, within the ESA's Aurora Exploration Programme, ExoMars mission. The RLS Instrument will perform Raman spectroscopy on crushed powdered samples deposited on a small container after crushing the cores obtained by the Rover's drill system. In response to ESA requirements for delta-PDR to be held in mid 2012, an instrument BB programme has been developed, by RLS Assembly Integration and Verification (AIV) Team to achieve the Technology Readiness level 5 (TRL5), during last 2010 and whole 2011. Currently RLS instrument is being developed pending its CoDR (Conceptual Design Revision) with ESA, in October 2011. It is planned to have a fully operative breadboard, conformed from different unit and sub-units breadboards that would demonstrate the end-to-end performance of the flight representative units by 2011 Q4.

National Satellite Forest Monitoring systems for REDD+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, I. G.

2012-12-01

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 assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification, FAO supports the countries to develop national 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. 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 support to UN-REDD pilot countries in this capacity building effort is the training of technical forest people and IT persons from 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 support with the National Forest Monitoring System 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 the system for DRC and PNG has been launched in Durban, South Africa during COP 17 and in 2012 Paraguay, Viet Nam and Zambia will be launched in Doha, Qatar at COP 18. The access to high-quality satellite data for these countries is crucial for the set-up.

New Technologies in the 1990s: A Socio-economic Strategy. Report of a Group of Experts on the Social Aspects of New Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

The world needs a socioeconomic strategy--a set of interrelated policies that recognize that social and institutional changes at all levels of society are necessary to realize fully the technical and economic potential of new technologies. An assessment and dissemination of how different countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and…

Methodology and results of a space station education pilot programme in the primary school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirra, G.; Mirra, C.

Potential users of the Space Station Freedom are now still in the Primary School. Subject studies 1 have shown that a robust familiarization programme has to be developed in order to increase public awareness on the microgravity environment and its capabilities to perform unique science. At the same time, several surveys 2 have demonstrated that elementary school students are showing the greatest interest and enthusiasm in space related activities among all school students. With these boundary conditions, a pilot programme, aimed at verifying the capabilities of young primary school pupils (aged between 10 and 12) in understanding why one performs research in space, has been conceived. In order to overcome the lack of space training of school teachers, an expert in space operations joined a group of elementary teachers to activate this program: merging the necessary didactic and technical capabilities. Consequently, the aim of the program becomes two folded: •generate critical thinking and problem solving capacities as well as inventiveness in children making them aware on the use of space to improve life on Earth. •identify the key issues for the definition of a robust space utilization educational programme. The programme has been managed by MARS Center. the Italian User Support Center for the Space Station utilization, and the institute "Speranzas" in the nearby of Naples, Italy. MARS Center, in particular, is responsible towards the national agency ASI, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, of the execution of the promotional activity towards all the possible target groups: young students are among these groups. This programme started in late 1992 and is currently ongoing. The objective of this paper is to provide a description of the methodology and the reasons of such a programme with a snapshot on the preliminary results and future trends. Means used as supporting tools, such as films, posters and role plays are herein depicted as well as statistics on the pupils apprehension level.

An Integrated Delivery and Assessment Process to Address the Graduate Attribute Spectrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Symes, Mark; Ranmuthugala, Dev; Chin, Christopher; Carew, Anna

2011-01-01

In the past, engineering programmes were developed with separate technical learning outcomes supplemented by generic attributes. The latter were in most cases a standalone set of attributes developed by academic institutions or professional societies overseeing engineering accreditation processes. Although the technical learning outcomes were well…

UMIST, IDN, NTUA, TUM, ULB: A Successful European Exchange Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borne, Pierre; Singh, Madan G.

1989-01-01

Describes the exchange programs that existed for a decade in the fields of automatic control and computer science including the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, the "Institut Industriel du Nord," the National Technical University of Athens, the Technical University of Munich, and the Free University of…

Directly observed treatment, short-course strategy and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: are any modifications required?

PubMed Central

Bastian, I.; Rigouts, L.; Van Deun, A.; Portaels, F.

2000-01-01

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) should be defined as tuberculosis with resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampicin because these drugs are the cornerstone of short-course chemotherapy, and combined isoniazid and rifampicin resistance requires prolonged treatment with second-line agents. Short-course chemotherapy is a key ingredient in the tuberculosis control strategy known as directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS). For populations in which multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is endemic, the outcome of the standard short-course chemotherapy regimen remains uncertain. Unacceptable failure rates have been reported and resistance to additional agents may be induced. As a consequence there have been calls for well-functioning DOTS programmes to provide additional services in areas with high rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. These "DOTS-plus for MDRTB programmes" may need to modify all five elements of the DOTS strategy: the treatment may need to be individualized rather than standardized; laboratory services may need to provide facilities for on-site culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing; reliable supplies of a wide range of expensive second-line agents would have to be supplied; operational studies would be required to determine the indications for and format of the expanded programmes; financial and technical support from international organizations and Western governments would be needed in addition to that obtained from local governments. PMID:10743297

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

Gorton, Ian

As the sun slowly sets of this first decade of the new millenium, it seems appropriate to update the sojourn of the real programmers as they adapt to their ever changing technical and business environment. Real Programmers were perfectly characterized and differentiated from their quiche-eating, Pascal programming brethren in Ed Post’s seminal “Real Programmers Don’t Use Pascal” (Datamation, 1983). My follow-up ("Real programmers do use Delphi," Software, IEEE , vol.12, no.6, pp.8, 10, 12-, Nov 1995) charted their evolution from FORTRAN-only programmers to embracing a wider range of mainstream languages and tools that still afforded ample opportunity for creativity, game-playing,more » irregular work hours, and importantly, long-term job security.« less

Introduction of Core Based Subjects in the Curriculum of Technical and Vocational Institutions in Ghana: Assessment of Its Effect on Practical Training Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

William, Otu

2015-01-01

Technical education among other things focuses on training the skill manpower needs of the youth in most countries of which Ghana is no exception. This study looks at Ghana Education Service technical and vocational sector reform programme introduced in 2010 with emphasis on the introduction of compulsory core based subjects and its effect on…

[The SGO Health Research Promotion Program. XIII. Evaluation of the section 'Addiction Research'].

PubMed

van Rees-Wortelboer, M M

1999-01-02

As a part of the SGO Health Research Promotion Programme a research programme on addiction research was realized. Aim of the programme was to strengthen and concentrate the Dutch research into addiction. Within the Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research (AIAR), a structural collaboration between the Jellinek Treatment Centre for Addiction, the University of Amsterdam and the Academic Hospital of the University of Amsterdam, strategic research programmes were developed on the borderland of addiction and psychiatry, notably 'Clinical epidemiology addiction' and 'Developmental disorders, addiction and psychotraumas'. The institution of a co-ordinating platform of research groups conducting socio-epidemiological addiction research improved the co-ordination of research lines in this field.

Programmable, secondary frequency standard based infrared synthesizer using tunable lead-salt diode lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freed, C.; Bielinski, J. W.; Lo, W.

1983-01-01

Quantum phase noise limited Lorentzian power spectral densities were achieved with tunable lead-salt diode lasers. Linewidths as narrow as 22 kHz were observed. A truly programmable infrared synthesizer was produced by frequency-offset-locking the tunable diode lasers to the combination of a stable CO2 (or CO) reference laser and a programmable microwave frequency synthesizer. Absolute frequency accuracy and reproducibility of about + or - 30 kHz (0.000001 kaysers) relative to the primary Cs frequency standard may now be obtained with this technique.

The Day-to-Day Co-Production of Ageing in Place.

PubMed

Procter, Rob; Greenhalgh, Trisha; Wherton, Joe; Sugarhood, Paul; Rouncefield, Mark; Hinder, Sue

We report findings from a study that set out to explore the experience of older people living with assisted living technologies and care services. We find that successful 'ageing in place' is socially and collaboratively accomplished - 'co-produced' - day-to-day by the efforts of older people, and their formal and informal networks of carers (e.g. family, friends, neighbours). First, we reveal how 'bricolage' allows care recipients and family members to customise assisted living technologies to individual needs. We argue that making customisation easier through better design must be part of making assisted living technologies 'work'. Second, we draw attention to the importance of formal and informal carers establishing and maintaining mutual awareness of the older person's circumstances day-to-day so they can act in a concerted and coordinated way when problems arise. Unfortunately, neither the design of most current assisted living technologies, nor the ways care services are typically configured, acknowledges these realities of ageing in place. We conclude that rather than more 'advanced' technologies, the success of ageing in place programmes will depend on effortful alignments in the technical, organisational and social configuration of support.

Development of an Internal Real-Time Wireless Diagnostic Tool for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

PubMed Central

Lee, Chi-Yuan; Chen, Chia-Hung; Tsai, Chao-Hsuan; Wang, Yu-Syuan

2018-01-01

To prolong the operating time of unmanned aerial vehicles which use proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), the performance of PEMFC is the key. However, a long-term operation can make the Pt particles of the catalyst layer and the pollutants in the feedstock gas bond together (e.g., CO), so that the catalyst loses reaction activity. The performance decay and aging of PEMFC will be influenced by operating conditions, temperature, flow and CO concentration. Therefore, this study proposes the development of an internal real-time wireless diagnostic tool for PEMFC, and uses micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology to develop a wireless and thin (<50 μm) flexible integrated (temperature, flow and CO) microsensor. The technical advantages are (1) compactness and three wireless measurement functions; (2) elastic measurement position and accurate embedding; (3) high accuracy and sensitivity and quick response; (4) real-time wireless monitoring of dynamic performance of PEMFC; (5) customized design and development. The flexible integrated microsensor is embedded in the PEMFC, three important physical quantities in the PEMFC, which are the temperature, flow and CO, can be measured simultaneously and instantly, so as to obtain the authentic and complete reaction in the PEMFC to enhance the performance of PEMFC and to prolong the service life. PMID:29342832

Development of an Internal Real-Time Wireless Diagnostic Tool for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell.

PubMed

Lee, Chi-Yuan; Chen, Chia-Hung; Tsai, Chao-Hsuan; Wang, Yu-Syuan

2018-01-13

To prolong the operating time of unmanned aerial vehicles which use proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), the performance of PEMFC is the key. However, a long-term operation can make the Pt particles of the catalyst layer and the pollutants in the feedstock gas bond together (e.g., CO), so that the catalyst loses reaction activity. The performance decay and aging of PEMFC will be influenced by operating conditions, temperature, flow and CO concentration. Therefore, this study proposes the development of an internal real-time wireless diagnostic tool for PEMFC, and uses micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology to develop a wireless and thin (<50 μm) flexible integrated (temperature, flow and CO) microsensor. The technical advantages are (1) compactness and three wireless measurement functions; (2) elastic measurement position and accurate embedding; (3) high accuracy and sensitivity and quick response; (4) real-time wireless monitoring of dynamic performance of PEMFC; (5) customized design and development. The flexible integrated microsensor is embedded in the PEMFC, three important physical quantities in the PEMFC, which are the temperature, flow and CO, can be measured simultaneously and instantly, so as to obtain the authentic and complete reaction in the PEMFC to enhance the performance of PEMFC and to prolong the service life.

Performance Demonstration of Mcmb-LiNiCoO2 Cells Containing Electrolytes Designed for Wide Operating Temperature Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smart, M. C.; Ratnakumar, B. V.; Whicanack, L. D.; Smith, K. A.; Santee, S.; Puglia, F. J.; Gitzendanner, R.

2009-01-01

With the intent of improving the performance of Li-ion cells over a wide operating temperature range, we have investigated the use of co-solvents to improve the properties of electrolyte formulations. In the current study, we have focused upon evaluating promising electrolytes which have been incorporated into large capacity (7 Ah) prototype Li-ion cells, fabricated by Yardney Technical Products, Inc. The electrolytes selected for performance evaluation include the use of a number of esters as co-solvents, including methyl propionate (MP), ethyl propionate (EP), ethyl butyrate (EB), propyl butyrate (PB), and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl butyrate (TFEB). The performance of the prototype cells containing the ester-based electrolytes was compared with an extensive data base generated on cells containing previously developed all carbonate-based electrolytes. A number of performance tests were performed, including determining (i) the discharge rate capacity over a wide range of temperatures, (ii) the charge characteristics, (iii) the cycle life characteristics under various conditions, and (iv) the impedance characteristics.

Biogas production generated through continuous digestion of natural and cultivated seaweeds with dairy slurry.

PubMed

Tabassum, Muhammad Rizwan; Wall, David M; Murphy, Jerry D

2016-11-01

The technical feasibility of long term anaerobic mono-digestion of two brown seaweeds, and co-digestion of both seaweeds with dairy slurry was investigated whilst increasing the organic loading rate (OLR). One seaweed was natural (L. digitata); the second seaweed (S. Latissima) was cultivated. Higher proportions of L. digitata in co-digestion (66.6%) allowed the digester to operate more efficiently (OLR of 5kgVSm(-3)d(-1) achieving a specific methane yield (SMY) of 232LCH4kg(-1)VS) as compared to lower proportions (33.3%). Co-digestion of 66.6% cultivated S. latissima, with dairy slurry allowed a higher SMY of 252LCH4kg(-1)VS but at a lower OLR of 4kgVSm(-3)d(-1). Optimum conditions for mono-digestion of both seaweeds were effected at 4kgVSm(-3)d(-1). Chloride concentrations increased to high levels in the digestion of both seaweeds but were not detrimental to operation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accreditation system for technical education programmes in India: A critical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, G.; Bhar, C.

2010-05-01

This paper gives an overview of the Indian technical education system with regard to both its quantitative and qualitative scenario and upholds the value of accreditation in quality improvement and quality assurance of educational programmes. The paper presents a comparison of accreditation systems being followed in some important countries, including India, that are signatories or provisional members of Washington Accord. It also looks into the reasons of the sparse level of accreditation work completed by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) since its inception. While mentioning strengths of the NBA accreditation system, the paper points out some shortcomings in the policy, self-assessment questionnaire, criteria, weightage assigned to criteria and rating scheme followed by NBA. Some important recommendations have also been made to render the accreditation system more effective and acceptable to various stakeholders of the technical education sector in India.

Assessment of Student Learning: The Experience of Two European Institutions where Outcomes-Based Assessment Has Been Implemented

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodridge, Melvyn; Kassinopoulos, Marios

2003-01-01

The programmes offered by both institutions are geared to the application of current technology. All the University of Derby programmes, including the BSc(Hons) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Higher Technical Institute Diploma in Electrical Engineering, are accredited in the UK at Incorporated Engineer level by the…

Experiences of Educational Content in Swedish Technical Vocational Education: Examples from the Energy and Industry Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilbrink, Nina; Bjurulf, Veronica; Olin-Scheller, Christina; Tengberg, Michael

2014-01-01

In this study, teachers and workplace supervisors in two vocational programmes at a Swedish upper secondary school were interviewed about their experiences of what is important to teach and learn during vocational education. The interviews were analysed thematically by the qualitative method analysis of narratives concerning what the informants…

Practical Skills in Laptop Computer Repairs for Curriculum Innovation in Technical Education Programmes in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chukwuedo, Samson O.; Omofonmwan, Godwin O.

2015-01-01

The increase in the use of laptop computer in Nigeria with their corresponding incessant breakdown calls for the preparation of competent technicians/technologists to carry out such repairs at the downtime of the appliance. This is one of the responsibilities of technology education programmes. This study therefore determined the practical skills…

Reducing Risk in CO2 Sequestration: A Framework for Integrated Monitoring of Basin Scale Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seto, C. J.; Haidari, A. S.; McRae, G. J.

2009-12-01

Geological sequestration of CO2 is an option for stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Technical ability to safely store CO2 in the subsurface has been demonstrated through pilot projects and a long history of enhanced oil recovery and acid gas disposal operations. To address climate change, current injection operations must be scaled up by a factor of 100, raising issues of safety and security. Monitoring and verification is an essential component in ensuring safe operations and managing risk. Monitoring provides assurance that CO2 is securely stored in the subsurface, and the mechanisms governing transport and storage are well understood. It also provides an early warning mechanism for identification of anomalies in performance, and a means for intervention and remediation through the ability to locate the CO2. Through theoretical studies, bench scale experiments and pilot tests, a number of technologies have demonstrated their ability to monitor CO2 in the surface and subsurface. Because the focus of these studies has been to demonstrate feasibility, individual techniques have not been integrated to provide a more robust method for monitoring. Considering the large volumes required for injection, size of the potential footprint, length of time a project must be monitored and uncertainty, operational considerations of cost and risk must balance safety and security. Integration of multiple monitoring techniques will reduce uncertainty in monitoring injected CO2, thereby reducing risk. We present a framework for risk management of large scale injection through model based monitoring network design. This framework is applied to monitoring CO2 in a synthetic reservoir where there is uncertainty in the underlying permeability field controlling fluid migration. Deformation and seismic data are used to track plume migration. A modified Ensemble Kalman filter approach is used to estimate flow properties by jointly assimilating flow and geomechanical observations. Issues of risk, cost and uncertainty are considered.

Management of large bowel obstruction with self-expanding metal stents. A multicentre retrospective study of factors determining outcome.

PubMed

Geraghty, J; Sarkar, S; Cox, T; Lal, S; Willert, R; Ramesh, J; Bodger, K; Carlson, G L

2014-06-01

UK cancer guidelines recommend patients with colonic obstruction due to suspected malignancy be considered for stenting with a self-expanding metal stent (SEMS). Considerable variation in practice exists due to a lack of expertise, technical difficulties and other, as yet ill-defined features. This retrospective multi-centre study aims to determine the outcome following colonic stenting for large bowel obstruction and identify factors associated with successful intervention. A regional programme of colonic stenting for large bowel obstruction, in five UK centres from 2005 to 2010 was evaluated for outcome including technical and clinical success, survival, complications and reoperation. A SEMS was inserted in 334 patients, including 264 (79.0%) for palliation and 52 (15.6%) as a bridge to surgery. Technical success was achieved in 292 (87.4%) patients, with 46 (13.8%) experiencing a complication or technical failure. Reoperation was required in 39 (14.8%) patients stented for palliation of colorectal cancer of whom 16 (6.1%) subsequently required a colostomy. A one-stage primary anastomosis was achieved in 35 (67.3%) of the 52 patients undergoing stenting as a bridge to resection. Technical success did not vary by indication or site of obstruction (P = 0.60) but was higher for operators who had performed more than 10 procedures (OR 3.34, P = 0.001). ASA grade ≥3 predicted a worse clinical outcome (OR 0.43, P = 0.04). The through-the-scope (TTS) endoscopy technique was more successful than radiological placement alone (90.3% vs 74.8%, P < 0.001). Experienced operators using a TTS technique achieved a better outcome for the emergency management of large bowel obstruction. Older, sicker patients and those with extracolonic and benign strictures fared less well. Colorectal Disease © 2014 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Behind the scenes of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: the making of a health care co-op.

PubMed

Giaimo, Susan

2013-06-01

A primary goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is to reduce the number of uninsured by making health insurance more affordable for small businesses and individuals. Toward that end, the PPACA encourages the creation of nonprofit, member-owned health insurance cooperatives to operate inside each state exchange. Co-ops face significant challenges in entering mature insurance markets, but they also possess unique characteristics that may help them survive and thrive. Using Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative in Wisconsin as a case study, this article traces the origins of co-ops in health care reform at national and state levels and analyzes the political and technical challenges and opportunities facing these organizations.

CO 2 Sequestration and Enhanced Oil Recovery at Depleted Oil/Gas Reservoirs

DOE PAGES

Dai, Zhenxue; Viswanathan, Hari; Xiao, Ting; ...

2017-08-18

This study presents a quantitative evaluation of the operational and technical risks of an active CO 2-EOR project. A set of risk factor metrics is defined to post-process the Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for statistical analysis. The risk factors are expressed as measurable quantities that can be used to gain insight into project risk (e.g. environmental and economic risks) without the need to generate a rigorous consequence structure, which include (a) CO 2 injection rate, (b) net CO 2 injection rate, (c) cumulative CO 2 storage, (d) cumulative water injection, (e) oil production rate, (f) cumulative oil production, (g) cumulativemore » CH 4 production, and (h) CO 2 breakthrough time. The Morrow reservoir at the Farnsworth Unit (FWU) site, Texas, is used as an example for studying the multi-scale statistical approach for CO 2 accounting and risk analysis. A set of geostatistical-based MC simulations of CO 2-oil/gas-water flow and transport in the Morrow formation are conducted for evaluating the risk metrics. A response-surface-based economic model has been derived to calculate the CO 2-EOR profitability for the FWU site with a current oil price, which suggests that approximately 31% of the 1000 realizations can be profitable. If government carbon-tax credits are available, or the oil price goes up or CO 2 capture and operating expenses reduce, more realizations would be profitable.« less

CO 2 Sequestration and Enhanced Oil Recovery at Depleted Oil/Gas Reservoirs

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

Dai, Zhenxue; Viswanathan, Hari; Xiao, Ting

This study presents a quantitative evaluation of the operational and technical risks of an active CO 2-EOR project. A set of risk factor metrics is defined to post-process the Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for statistical analysis. The risk factors are expressed as measurable quantities that can be used to gain insight into project risk (e.g. environmental and economic risks) without the need to generate a rigorous consequence structure, which include (a) CO 2 injection rate, (b) net CO 2 injection rate, (c) cumulative CO 2 storage, (d) cumulative water injection, (e) oil production rate, (f) cumulative oil production, (g) cumulativemore » CH 4 production, and (h) CO 2 breakthrough time. The Morrow reservoir at the Farnsworth Unit (FWU) site, Texas, is used as an example for studying the multi-scale statistical approach for CO 2 accounting and risk analysis. A set of geostatistical-based MC simulations of CO 2-oil/gas-water flow and transport in the Morrow formation are conducted for evaluating the risk metrics. A response-surface-based economic model has been derived to calculate the CO 2-EOR profitability for the FWU site with a current oil price, which suggests that approximately 31% of the 1000 realizations can be profitable. If government carbon-tax credits are available, or the oil price goes up or CO 2 capture and operating expenses reduce, more realizations would be profitable.« less

SUBTASK 2.19 – OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY OF CO2 TRANSPORT AND STORAGE

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

Jensen, Melanie; Schlasner, Steven; Sorensen, James

2014-12-31

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced in large quantities during electricity generation and by industrial processes. These CO2 streams vary in terms of both composition and mass flow rate, sometimes substantially. The impact of a varying CO2 stream on pipeline and storage operation is not fully understood in terms of either operability or infrastructure robustness. This study was performed to summarize basic background from the literature on the topic of operational flexibility of CO2 transport and storage, but the primary focus was on compiling real-world lessons learned about flexible operation of CO2 pipelines and storage from both large-scale field demonstrations andmore » commercial operating experience. Modeling and pilot-scale results of research in this area were included to illustrate some of the questions that exist relative to operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects with variable CO2 streams. It is hoped that this report’s real-world findings provide readers with useful information on the topic of transport and storage of variable CO2 streams. The real-world results were obtained from two sources. The first source consisted of five full-scale, commercial transport–storage projects: Sleipner, Snøhvit, In Salah, Weyburn, and Illinois Basin–Decatur. These scenarios were reviewed to determine the information that is available about CO2 stream variability/intermittency on these demonstration-scale projects. The five projects all experienced mass flow variability or an interruption in flow. In each case, pipeline and/or injection engineers were able to accommodate any issues that arose. Significant variability in composition has not been an issue at these five sites. The second source of real- world results was telephone interviews conducted with experts in CO2 pipeline transport, injection, and storage during which commercial anecdotal information was acquired to augment that found during the literature search of the five full-scale projects. The experts represented a range of disciplines and hailed from North America and Europe. Major findings of the study are that compression and transport of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) purposes in the United States has shown that impurities are not likely to cause transport problems if CO2 stream composition standards are maintained and pressures are kept at 10.3 MPa or higher. Cyclic, or otherwise intermittent, CO2 supplies historically have not impacted in-field distribution pipeline networks, wellbore integrity, or reservoir conditions. The U.S. EOR industry has demonstrated that it is possible to adapt to variability and intermittency in CO2 supply through flexible operation of the pipeline and geologic storage facility. This CO2 transport and injection experience represents knowledge that can be applied in future CCS projects. A number of gaps in knowledge were identified that may benefit from future research and development, further enhancing the possibility for widespread application of CCS. This project was funded through the Energy & Environmental Research Center–U.S. Department of Energy Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-08NT43291. Nonfederal funding was provided by the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme.« less

REXUS/BEXUS: launching student experiments -a step towards a stronger space science community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fittock, Mark; Stamminger, Andreas; Maria, Roth; Dannenberg, Kristine; Page, Helen

The REXUS/BEXUS (Rocket/Balloon Experiments for University Students) programme pro-vides opportunities to teams of European student scientists and engineers to fly experiments on sounding rockets and high altitude balloons. This is an opportunity for students and the scientific community to benefit from encouragement and support for experiments. An important feature of the programme is that the students experience a full project life-cycle which is typically not a part of their university education and which helps to prepare them for further scientific work. They have to plan, organize, and control their project in order to develop and build up an experiment but must also work on the scientic aspects. Many of the students continue to work in the field on which they focused in the programme and can often build upon both the experience and the results from flight. Within the REXUS/BEXUS project cycle, they are encouraged to write and present papers about their experiments and results; increasing amounts of scientific output are seen from the students who participate. Not only do the students learn and develop from REXUS/BEXUS but the scientific community also reaps significant benefits. Another major benefit of the programme is the promotion that the students are able to bring to the whole space community. Not only are the public made more aware of advanced science and technical concepts but an advantage is present in the contact that the students who participate have to other university level students. Students are less restricted in their publicity and attract large public followings online as well as presenting themselves in more traditional media outlets. Many teams' creative approach to outreach is astonishing. The benefits are not only for the space science community as a whole; institutes, universities and departments can see increased interest following the support of participating students in the programme. The programme is realized under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European countries through collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). EuroLaunch, a cooperation between the Esrange Space Center of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and the Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of DLR, is responsible for the campaign management and operations of the launch vehicles. Project coordination is carried out at DLR's Institute of Space Systems and SSC's Esrange. Experts from DLR, SSC and ESA provide technical support to the student teams throughout their project cycles. The REXUS/BEXUS programme has been carried out in its current format since 2007. In that time, it has developed significantly, building upon strengths to provide a richer experience and increasing the educational, scientific, and promotional outputs. The programme is now showing the potential for students to reach out to a truly broad audience and promote the space science community with youthful enthusiasm and an accessible image.

Improved Management of the Technical Interfaces Between the Hanford Tank Farm Operator and the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant - 13383

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

Duncan, Garth M.; Saunders, Scott A.

2013-07-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) is constructing the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Hanford site in Washington to treat and immobilize approximately 114 million gallons of high level radioactive waste (after all retrievals are accomplished). In order for the WTP to be designed and operated successfully, close coordination between the WTP engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, Bechtel National, Inc. and the tank farms operating contractor (TOC), Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, is necessary. To develop optimal solutions for DOE and for the treatment of the waste, it is important to deal with the fact that two differentmore » prime contractors, with somewhat differing contracts, are tasked with retrieving and delivering the waste and for treating and immobilizing that waste. The WTP and the TOC have over the years cooperated to manage the technical interface. To manage what is becoming a much more complicated interface as the WTP design progresses and new technical issues have been identified, an organizational change was made by WTP and TOC in November of 2011. This organizational change created a co-located integrated project team (IPT) to deal with mutual and interface issues. The Technical Organization within the One System IPT includes employees from both TOC and WTP. This team has worked on a variety of technical issues of mutual interest and concern. Technical issues currently being addressed include: - The waste acceptance criteria; - Waste feed delivery and the associated data quality objectives (DQO); - Evaluation of the effects of performing a riser cut on a single shell tank on WTP operations; - The disposition of secondary waste from both TOC and WTP; - The close coordination of the TOC double shell tank mixing and sampling program and the Large Scale Integrated Test (LSIT) program for pulse jet mixers at WTP along with the associated responses to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2010-2; - Development of a set of alternatives to the current baseline that involve aspects of direct feed, feed conditioning, and design changes. The One System Technical Organization has served WTP, TOC, and DOE well in managing and resolving issues at the interface. This paper describes the organizational structure used to improve the interface and several examples of technical interface issues that have been successfully addressed by the new organization. (authors)« less

Farmers' Knowledge Attributes Contribute to Attaining Higher Farm Technical Efficiency: A Transition Economy Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manevska-Tasevska, Gordana

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study sought to explore how farmers' knowledge attributes influence the technical efficiency of their farms. In addition, farm efficiency was compared to the actual Macedonian Rural Development Programme (RDP) (2007-2013) and instruments considered to improve Macedonian education potential were evaluated. Design/methodology/approach:…

Information Competencies and Their Implementation in the Educational Process of Polish Universities Exploratory Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tonakiewicz-Kolosowska, Anna; Socik, Iwona; Gajewska, Monika

2016-01-01

The authors present the development and perspectives of improving the quality of Information Literacy programmes in Polish technical universities, considering the Bologna Process and the general conditions of the Polish higher education system. The survey conducted in selected technical and medical universities provided an overview of changes…

Measuring Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Efficiency: Developing a Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Guimei; Clayton, John

2016-01-01

The growing demand for an increasingly skilled competitive workforce and the associated demand for change and responsiveness in the provision of technical vocational education and training (TVET) has led to the development of stronger links between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China. A collaborative model programme project aims to…

An Australian Study of Generic Competencies Required by Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Male, S. A.; Bush, M. B.; Chapman, E. S.

2011-01-01

Engineering curricula have expanded in recent decades. In addition to science and technical engineering, they now include several non-technical competencies. This is a trend reinforced by programme accreditation. The authors take the viewpoint that it is important to ensure that graduates have the competencies they will require for their work. The…

Teacher Collaborative Curriculum Design in Technical Vocational Colleges: A Strategy for Maintaining Curriculum Consistency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albashiry, Nabeel M.; Voogt, Joke M.; Pieters, Jules M.

2015-01-01

The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum requires continuous renewal and constant involvement of stakeholders in the redesign process. Due to a lack of curriculum design expertise, TVET institutions in developing contexts encounter challenges maintaining and advancing the quality and relevance of their programmes to the…

Appeal Resource and Training Consortium (ARTC) 2005-2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Online Submission, 2006

2006-01-01

APPEAL (Asia Pacific Programme of Education for All) Resource and Training Consortium (ARTC) was initiated in May 1997 at the Technical Working Group Meeting organized by APPEAL in cooperation with the Indian Institute of Education (IIE) to provide technical support and assistance to the work of APPEAL among the Member States. This booklet is a…

Technical and Non-Technical Programme Students' Attitudes and Reasons for Plagiarism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harji, Madhubala Bava; Ismail, Zalina; Chetty, Thiba Naraina; Letchumanan, Krishnaveni

2017-01-01

To date, plagiarism continues to be a widespread problem in higher education. Deemed to be endemic, researchers continue to examine various aspects of plagiarism, including students' perception, practices, attitudes and reasons for plagiarism, in addressing this growing concern. Most studies, however, tend to examine these aspects independently.…

Analysis and Prospects of European Co-Operation in the Field of Regional Planning. Activity Report of the Committee of Senior Officials 1976-1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

To guide future work, to provide an overall view of the program of technical cooperation in regional planning, and to form a basis for a Conference Ministerial Resolution, the report outlines the activities of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Council of Europe's Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning during…

Institutional factors in resource recovery co-disposal demonstration project, Middlesex County, New Jersey, Spring 1980 - Summer 1981

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, R. M.

1982-02-01

A proposal to provide 1200 tons per day of solid waste disposal combined with 200 tons per day of sludge disposal was presented. The prospects for codisposal in Middlesex County were analyzed. Technically, codisposal was possible, however, it lacked a proven track record. Proposal for a resource recovery plant to be designed, built, and operated was acknowledged as consistent with County planning.

Institute of Navigation Satellite Division, International Technical Meeting, 2nd, Colorado Springs, CO, Sept. 27-29, 1989, Proceedings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Various papers on navigation satellites are presented. The general topics considered include: overview and status of GPS, kinematic positioning, international developments and perspective on satellite positioning, test range applications, civil applications, and receiver developments and equipment. Consideration is given to multisensor integration, military applications, differential operation, integrity, propagation phenomena and measurement networks, and precise time and time transfer.

Advanced European Network of E-Infrastructures for Astronomy with the SKA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massardi, Marcella

2017-11-01

Here, I present the AENEAS (Advanced European Network of E-infrastructures for Astronomy with the SKA) project has been funded in the Horizon 2020 Work Programme call "Research and Innovation Actions for International Co-operation on high-end e-infrastructure requirements" supporting the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). INAF is contributing to all the AENEAS working packages and leading the WP5 - Access and Knowledge Creation (WP leader M. Massardi IRA-ARC), participants from IRA (Brand, Nanni, Venturi) ,OACT(Becciani, Costa, Umana), OATS (Smareglia, Knapic, Taffoni)

Proposed concept and preliminary design for the sentinel-5 UVNs spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windpassinger, R.; Schubert, J.; Kampf, D.

2017-11-01

Sentinel-5 is an atmospheric monitoring mission within the European Copernicus programme, formerly GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security). Its main objective is trace-gas and aerosol optical depth measurements for air quality and climate monitoring and forecast with daily global coverage. Constituents of interest are O3, SO2, HCHO (formaldehyde), BrO, NO2, CHCHO (glyoxal), O2, CH4 (methane), and CO. Sentinel-5 will complement the Sentinel-4 GEO data over Europe. Both Sentinel-4 and -5 are intended to start operation in 2020.

Mid-term outcomes of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with carbon dioxide-guided angiography.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Yuriko; Morikage, Noriyasu; Matsuno, Yutaro; Nakamura, Tamami; Samura, Makoto; Ueda, Koshiro; Harada, Takasuke; Ikeda, Yoshitaka; Suehiro, Kotaro; Ito, Hiroshi; Sakata, Kensuke; Hamano, Kimikazu

2018-05-14

Although iodinated contrast (IC) agents are commonly used in endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), perioperative use in patients with renal dysfunction or IC allergies is avoided. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-guided angiography is a promising alternative. We aimed to evaluate short-term and mid-term outcomes of EVAR using CO 2 -guided angiography. Three hundred and eighty-one patients who underwent EVAR from January 2012 to September 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and divided into an IC-EVAR group (n=351) and CO 2 -EVAR group (n=30). Subjects in the CO 2 -EVAR group had severe renal dysfunction (n=27) and IC allergy (n=4). Intraoperative, postoperative, and follow-up variables were compared. Compared to the IC-EVAR group, preoperative serum creatinine level was significantly higher (2.0 vs. 0.92 mg/dL, P < .0001) and mean IC dose significantly lower (18 vs. 55 mL P < .0001) in the CO 2 -EVAR group. The fluoroscopy time, operative time, number of stent grafts placed, and technical success rates of the groups were similar; no type I and/or type III endoleaks were detected on completion angiography. There was no acute kidney injury and one case of intestinal necrosis in the CO 2 -EVAR group, potentially due to cholesterol embolism. Postoperative endoleak, enlargement of aneurysms, survival, freedom from secondary intervention, and renal function change up to 3 months postoperatively were similar between groups. CO 2 -EVAR is technically feasible and exhibits prominent renal protection. However, consideration of the aortic lumen status remains an important challenge. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The safety of magnetic resonance imaging in patients with programmable implanted intrathecal drug delivery systems: a 3-year prospective study.

PubMed

De Andres, Jose; Villanueva, Vicente; Palmisani, Stefano; Cerda-Olmedo, German; Lopez-Alarcon, Maria Dolores; Monsalve, Vicente; Minguez, Ana; Martinez-Sanjuan, Vicente

2011-05-01

It is common clinical practice to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with indwelling programmable intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) systems, although the safety of the procedure has never been documented. We performed a single-center, 3-year, prospective evaluation in patients with a programmable implanted IDD to assess patient discomfort, IDD technical failures, and adverse effects during and after exposure to MRI. Forty-three consecutive patients with an implanted programmable IDD system (SynchroMed® EL Implantable Infusion Pump, Model 8626L-18, and SynchroMed® II Model 8637-20, 8637-40; Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN) requiring a scheduled MRI evaluation were studied during a 3-year period. All MRI scans were performed with a 1.5-tesla clinical use magnet and a specific absorption rate of no more than 0.9 W/kg. Radiograph control was used to confirm postexposure pump rotor movement and detect system dislocations. IDD system failures, patient satisfaction, and discomfort were recorded. None of the patients experienced signs of drug overinfusion that could lead to hemodynamic, respiratory, or neurologic alterations. Radiologic evaluation after MRI revealed no spatial displacements of the intrathecal catheter tip or body pump, and programmer telemetry confirmed the infusion recovery. Patients' satisfaction after the procedure was high. Performing an MRI scan with the proposed protocol in patients with an implanted Medtronic programmable IDD system resulted in virtually no technical or medical complications. © 2011 International Anesthesia Research Society

A synthetic multifunctional mammalian pH sensor and CO2 transgene-control device.

PubMed

Ausländer, David; Ausländer, Simon; Charpin-El Hamri, Ghislaine; Sedlmayer, Ferdinand; Müller, Marius; Frey, Olivier; Hierlemann, Andreas; Stelling, Jörg; Fussenegger, Martin

2014-08-07

All metabolic activities operate within a narrow pH range that is controlled by the CO2-bicarbonate buffering system. We hypothesized that pH could serve as surrogate signal to monitor and respond to the physiological state. By functionally rewiring the human proton-activated cell-surface receptor TDAG8 to chimeric promoters, we created a synthetic signaling cascade that precisely monitors extracellular pH within the physiological range. The synthetic pH sensor could be adjusted by organic acids as well as gaseous CO2 that shifts the CO2-bicarbonate balance toward hydrogen ions. This enabled the design of gas-programmable logic gates, provided remote control of cellular behavior inside microfluidic devices, and allowed for CO2-triggered production of biopharmaceuticals in standard bioreactors. When implanting cells containing the synthetic pH sensor linked to production of insulin into type 1 diabetic mice developing diabetic ketoacidosis, the prosthetic network automatically scored acidic pH and coordinated an insulin expression response that corrected ketoacidosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental risk management and preparations for the first deep water well in Nigeria

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

Berger, F.

Statoil is among the leaders in protecting health, environment and safety in all aspects of the business. The evaluations of business opportunities and development of blocks opened by authorities for petroleum exploration, are assessed in accordance with the goals for environmental protection. Progressive improvement of environmental performance is secured through proper environmental risk management. In 1995, Statoil, the technical operator on Block 210 off the Nigerian coast, was the first company to drill in deep waters in this area. An exploration well was drilled in a water depth of about 320 meters. The drilling preparations included environmental assessment, drillers Hazop,more » oil spill drift calculations, oil spill response plans and environmental risk analysis. In the environmental preparations for the well, Statoil adhered to local and national government legislation, as well as to international guidelines and company standards. Special attention was paid to the environmental sensitivity of potentially affected areas. Statoil co-operated with experienced local companies, with the authorities and other international and national oil companies. This being the first deep water well offshore Nigeria, it was a challenge to co-operate with other operators in the area. The preparations that were carried out, will set the standard for future environmental work in the area. Co-operation difficulties in the beginning were turned positively into a attitude to the environmental challenge.« less

KSC-03pd0270

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Members of the Recovery Management Team at KSC are at work in the Operations Support Building. They are part of the investigation into the accident that claimed orbiter Columbia and her crew of seven on Feb. 1, 2003, over East Texas as they returned to Earth after a 16-day research mission. Seated around the table (clockwise from far left) are Chris Hasselbring, Landing Operations, USA (co-chair of the Response Management Team); Don Maxwell, Safety, United Space Alliance (USA); Russ DeLoach, chief, Shuttle Mission Assurance Branch, NASA; George Jacobs, Shuttle Engineering; Jeff Campbell, Shuttle Engineering; Denny Gagen, Landing Recovery Manager (second co-chair of the team); and Dave Rainer, Launch and Landing Operations. The team is coordinating KSC technical support and assets to the Mishap Investigation Team in Barksdale, La., and providing support for the Recovery teams in Los Angeles, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. In addition, the team is following up on local leads pertaining to potential debris in the KSC area. .

Fluidized bed gasification of industrial solid recovered fuels.

PubMed

Arena, Umberto; Di Gregorio, Fabrizio

2016-04-01

The study evaluates the technical feasibility of the fluidized bed gasification of three solid recovered fuels (SRFs), obtained as co-products of a recycling process. The SRFs were pelletized and fed to a pilot scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor, operated in gasification and co-gasification mode. The tests were carried out under conditions of thermal and chemical steady state, with a bed of olivine particles and at different values of equivalence ratio. The results provide a complete syngas characterization, in terms of its heating value and composition (including tars, particulates, and acid/basic pollutants) and of the chemical and physical characterization of bed material and entrained fines collected at the cyclone outlet. The feasibility of the fluidized bed gasification process of the different SRFs was evaluated with the support of a material and substance flow analysis, and a feedstock energy analysis. The results confirm the flexibility of fluidized bed reactor, which makes it one of the preferable technologies for the gasification of different kind of wastes, even in co-gasification mode. The fluidized bed gasification process of the tested SRFs appears technically feasible, yielding a syngas of valuable quality for energy applications in an appropriate plant configuration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A report on syphilis control in Turkey

PubMed Central

Christiansen, Sven

1954-01-01

This report presents the results of a six-month survey of the nature and extent of venereal diseases in Turkey which was undertaken by the author, on behalf of WHO, at the request of the Turkish Government. The first part of the report outlines the present venereal-disease-control system and includes descriptions of the work undertaken by public authorities, hospitals and dispensaries, mobile venereal-disease-control teams, and laboratories; in the second part, the author enumerates certain recommendations for the intensification of the current control programme. These recommendations are particularly concerned with the control of syphilis (since the incidence of other venereal diseases in Turkey is of very secondary importance), and with the expansion, standardization, and co-ordination of serodiagnostic facilities and services. It is suggested that there might be a gradual intensification and reorientation of the present programme. A proposed plan of operations for an eight-year period is described. PMID:13182590

A rapid assessment of a community health worker pilot programme to improve the management of hypertension and diabetes in Emfuleni sub-district of Gauteng Province, South Africa.

PubMed

Ndou, Tshipfuralo; van Zyl, Greer; Hlahane, Salamina; Goudge, Jane

2013-01-24

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) and infectious chronic illnesses are recognised as significant contributing factors to the burden of disease globally, specifically in South Africa, yet clinical management is often poor. The involvement of community health workers (CHWs) in TB and HIV care in South Africa, and other low- and middle-income settings, suggests that they could make an important contribution in the management of NCDs. Using a rapid assessment, this study examines the outcomes of a pilot CHW programme to improve the management of hypertension and diabetes in Gauteng province, South Africa. A record review compared outcomes of patients receiving home visits (n56) with a control group (n168) attending the clinic, matched, as far as possible, on age, gender, and condition. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with CHWs, patients, district, clinic, and NGO staff were used to obtain descriptions of the functioning of the programme and patient experiences. Despite the greater age and co-morbidity among those in the pilot programme, the findings suggest that control of hypertension was improved by CHW home visits in comparison to usual clinic care. However, too few doctor visits, insufficient monitoring of patient outcomes by clinic staff, and a poor procurement process for supplies required by the CHWs hampered the programme's activities. The role of CHWs in the management of hypertension should be given greater consideration, with larger studies being conducted to provide more robust evidence. Adequate training, supervision, and operational support will be required to ensure success of any CHW programme.

Towards an Online Bachelor of Information Science Degree Programme in a Nigerian University: Part 1--Lessons from the Literature and Existing Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajiferuke, Isola; Tiamiyu, Mutawakilu; Longe, Folake; Nwagwu, Williams; Ogunsola, Kemi; Opesade, Adeola; Olatokun, Wole

2012-01-01

Training programmes for the information professions worldwide have been shifting and diversifying the scope of their claimed domains and curricula in order to empower their graduates with diverse knowledge and versatile technical skills required to compete successfully in the highly competitive job markets in the information industries. In line…

Training Social Competence in Engineering Education: Necessary, Possible or Not Even Desirable? An Explorative Study from a Surveying Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emilsson, U. Melin; Lilje, B.

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to discuss whether "social competence" is necessary for engineers to contribute to sustainable development and if it is, how to teach communication, group-processes and leadership in technical environments like engineering education programmes. The article reflects on a pedagogical project carried out in the…

An Integrated Textbook, Video, and Software Environment for Novice and Expert Prolog Programmers. Technical Report No. 23.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenstadt, Marc; Brayshaw, Mike

This paper describes a Prolog execution model which serves as the uniform basis of textbook material, video-based teaching material, and an advanced graphical user interface for Prolog programmers. The model, based upon an augmented AND/OR tree representation of Prolog programs, uses an enriched "status box" in place of the traditional…

A case-study of landfill minimization and material recovery via waste co-gasification in a new waste management scheme

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

Tanigaki, Nobuhiro, E-mail: tanigaki.nobuhiro@eng.nssmc.com; Ishida, Yoshihiro; Osada, Morihiro

Highlights: • A new waste management scheme and the effects of co-gasification of MSW were assessed. • A co-gasification system was compared with other conventional systems. • The co-gasification system can produce slag and metal with high-quality. • The co-gasification system showed an economic advantage when bottom ash is landfilled. • The sensitive analyses indicate an economic advantage when the landfill cost is high. - Abstract: This study evaluates municipal solid waste co-gasification technology and a new solid waste management scheme, which can minimize final landfill amounts and maximize material recycled from waste. This new scheme is considered for amore » region where bottom ash and incombustibles are landfilled or not allowed to be recycled due to their toxic heavy metal concentration. Waste is processed with incombustible residues and an incineration bottom ash discharged from existent conventional incinerators, using a gasification and melting technology (the Direct Melting System). The inert materials, contained in municipal solid waste, incombustibles and bottom ash, are recycled as slag and metal in this process as well as energy recovery. Based on this new waste management scheme with a co-gasification system, a case study of municipal solid waste co-gasification was evaluated and compared with other technical solutions, such as conventional incineration, incineration with an ash melting facility under certain boundary conditions. From a technical point of view, co-gasification produced high quality slag with few harmful heavy metals, which was recycled completely without requiring any further post-treatment such as aging. As a consequence, the co-gasification system had an economical advantage over other systems because of its material recovery and minimization of the final landfill amount. Sensitivity analyses of landfill cost, power price and inert materials in waste were also conducted. The higher the landfill costs, the greater the advantage of the co-gasification system has. The co-gasification was beneficial for landfill cost in the range of 80 Euro per ton or more. Higher power prices led to lower operation cost in each case. The inert contents in processed waste had a significant influence on the operating cost. These results indicate that co-gasification of bottom ash and incombustibles with municipal solid waste contributes to minimizing the final landfill amount and has great possibilities maximizing material recovery and energy recovery from waste.« less

Visible spectral imager for occultation and nightglow (VISION) for the PICASSO Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saari, Heikki; Näsilä, Antti; Holmlund, Christer; Mannila, Rami; Näkki, Ismo; Ojanen, Harri J.; Fussen, Didier; Pieroux, Didier; Demoulin, Philippe; Dekemper, Emmanuel; Vanhellemont, Filip

2015-10-01

PICASSO - A PICo-satellite for Atmospheric and Space Science Observations is an ESA project led by the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, in collaboration with VTT, Clyde Space Ltd. (UK), and the Centre Spatial de Liège (BE). VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. will deliver the Visible Spectral Imager for Occultation and Nightglow (VISION) for the PICASSO mission. The VISION targets primarily the observation of the Earth's atmospheric limb during orbital Sun occultation. By assessing the radiation absorption in the Chappuis band for different tangent altitudes, the vertical profile of the ozone is retrieved. A secondary objective is to measure the deformation of the solar disk so that stratospheric and mesospheric temperature profiles are retrieved by inversion of the refractive raytracing problem. Finally, occasional full spectral observations of polar auroras are also foreseen. The VISION design realized with commercial of the shelf (CoTS) parts is described. The VISION instrument is small, lightweight (~500 g), Piezo-actuated Fabry-Perot Interferometer (PFPI) tunable spectral imager operating in the visible and near-infrared (430 - 800 nm). The spectral resolution over the whole wavelength range will be better than 10 nm @ FWHM. VISION has is 2.5° x 2.5° total field of view and it delivers maximum 2048 x 2048 pixel spectral images. The sun image size is around 0.5° i.e. ~500 pixels. To enable fast spectral data image acquisition VISION can be operated with programmable image sizes. VTT has previously developed PFPI tunable filter based AaSI Spectral Imager for the Aalto-1 Finnish CubeSat. In VISION the requirements of the spectral resolution and stability are tighter than in AaSI. Therefore the optimization of the of the PFPI gap control loop for the operating temperature range and vacuum conditions has to be improved. VISION optical, mechanical and electrical design is described.

Efficient electrochemical CO 2 conversion powered by renewable energy

DOE PAGES

Kauffman, Douglas R.; Thakkar, Jay; Siva, Rajan; ...

2015-06-29

Here, the catalytic conversion of CO 2 into industrially relevant chemicals is one strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Along these lines, electrochemical CO 2 conversion technologies are attractive because they can operate with high reaction rates at ambient conditions. However, electrochemical systems require electricity, and CO 2 conversion processes must integrate with carbon-free, renewable-energy sources to be viable on larger scales. We utilize Au 25 nanoclusters as renewably powered CO 2 conversion electrocatalysts with CO 2 → CO reaction rates between 400 and 800 L of CO 2 per gram of catalytic metal per hour and product selectivities betweenmore » 80 and 95%. These performance metrics correspond to conversion rates approaching 0.8–1.6 kg of CO 2 per gram of catalytic metal per hour. We also present data showing CO 2 conversion rates and product selectivity strongly depend on catalyst loading. Optimized systems demonstrate stable operation and reaction turnover numbers (TONs) approaching 6 × 10 6 mol CO 2 molcatalyst–1 during a multiday (36 hours total hours) CO 2electrolysis experiment containing multiple start/stop cycles. TONs between 1 × 10 6 and 4 × 10 6 molCO 2 molcatalyst–1 were obtained when our system was powered by consumer-grade renewable-energy sources. Daytime photovoltaic-powered CO 2 conversion was demonstrated for 12 h and we mimicked low-light or nighttime operation for 24 h with a solar-rechargeable battery. This proof-of-principle study provides some of the initial performance data necessary for assessing the scalability and technical viability of electrochemical CO 2 conversion technologies. Specifically, we show the following: (1) all electrochemical CO 2 conversion systems will produce a net increase in CO 2 emissions if they do not integrate with renewable-energy sources, (2) catalyst loading vs activity trends can be used to tune process rates and product distributions, and (3) state-of-the-art renewable-energy technologies are sufficient to power larger-scale, tonne per day CO 2 conversion systems.« less

Relay Protection and Automation Systems Based on Programmable Logic Integrated Circuits

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

Lashin, A. V., E-mail: LashinAV@lhp.ru; Kozyrev, A. V.

One of the most promising forms of developing the apparatus part of relay protection and automation devices is considered. The advantages of choosing programmable logic integrated circuits to obtain adaptive technological algorithms in power system protection and control systems are pointed out. The technical difficulties in the problems which today stand in the way of using relay protection and automation systems are indicated and a new technology for solving these problems is presented. Particular attention is devoted to the possibility of reconfiguring the logic of these devices, using programmable logic integrated circuits.

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...

Clean fuels for resource-poor settings: A systematic review of barriers and enablers to adoption and sustained use.

PubMed

Puzzolo, Elisa; Pope, Daniel; Stanistreet, Debbi; Rehfuess, Eva A; Bruce, Nigel G

2016-04-01

Access to, and sustained adoption of, clean household fuels at scale remains an aspirational goal to achieve sufficient reductions in household air pollution (HAP) in order to impact on the substantial global health burden caused by reliance on solid fuels. To systematically appraise the current evidence base to identify: (i) which factors enable or limit adoption and sustained use of clean fuels (namely liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, solar cooking and alcohol fuels) in low- and middle-income countries; (ii) lessons learnt concerning equitable scaling-up of programmes of cleaner cooking fuels in relation to poverty, urban-rural settings and gender. A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted using established review methodology and extensive searches of published and grey literature sources. Data extraction and quality appraisal of quantitative, qualitative and case studies meeting inclusion criteria were conducted using standardised methods with reliability checking. Forty-four studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America met the inclusion criteria (17 on biogas, 12 on LPG, 9 on solar, 6 on alcohol fuels). A broad range of inter-related enabling and limiting factors were identified for all four types of intervention, operating across seven pre-specified domains (i.e. fuel and technology characteristics, household and setting characteristics, knowledge and perceptions, financial, tax and subsidy aspects, market development, regulation, legislation and standards, and programme and policy mechanisms) and multiple levels (i.e. household, community, national). All domains matter and the majority of factors are common to all clean fuels interventions reviewed although some are fuel and technology-specific. All factors should therefore be taken into account and carefully assessed during planning and implementation of any small- and large-scale initiative aiming at promoting clean fuels for household cooking. Despite limitations in quantity and quality of the evidence this systematic review provides a useful starting point for the design, delivery and evaluation of programmes to ensure more effective adoption and use of LPG, biogas, alcohol fuels and solar cooking. This review was funded by the Department for International Development (DfID) of the United Kingdom. The authors would also like to thank the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) for their technical support. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Completion of the decommissioning of a former active handling building at UKAEA Winfrith

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

Brown, N.; Parkinson, S.J.; Cornell, R.M.

2007-07-01

Since July 2000, NUKEM Limited has been carrying out the full decommissioning of a former Active Handling Building A59 at Winfrith in Dorset under contract from the nuclear site licence holder, UKAEA. Work has generally centred upon clearance and decontamination of the two heavily shielded suites of caves originally used to carry out remote examination of irradiated nuclear fuel elements although a number of other supporting facilities are also involved. This work has proceeded successfully to completion following extensive decontamination of the caves and associated facilities and has been followed by the recent demolition of the main containment building structure.more » This has permitted a start to be made on the demolition of the two heavily shielded suites of caves which is to be followed by removal of the building slab and restoration of the site. This paper reviews some of the significant tasks undertaken during the past year in preparation for the building and cave line demolition operations. It also reviews the building structure removal and recent progress made with the demolition of the two heavily reinforced concrete cave lines. The procedure used for monitoring the concrete debris from the cave lines has had to be revised during these operations and the reasons for this and a temporary delay in the cave line demolition will be discussed in the context of the remaining sections of the programme. This decommissioning programme has been achieved throughout by the employment of a non-adversarial team working approach between client and contractor. This has been instrumental in developing cost-effective and safe solutions to a range of problems during the programme, demonstrating the worth of adopting this co-operative approach for mutual benefit. (authors)« less

Technical Vocational Education and Training for Micro-Enterprise Development in Ethiopia: A Solution or Part of the Problem?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gondo, Tendayi; Dafuleya, Gift

2010-01-01

Technical vocational education and training (TVET) programmes have recently received increased attention as an area of priority for stimulating growth in developed and developing countries. This paper considers the situation in Ethiopia where the promotion of micro and small-sized enterprises (MSEs) has been central to the development and…

UNESCO's Programme on Technical and Vocational Education for the First Decade of the New Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Colin N.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) believes provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to prepare qualified technicians and skilled and semi-skilled workers should be an essential component of the development agenda of all countries. It is about to draft a plan of action for the…

77 FR 33243 - Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses Involving...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-05

... Operations Management Tricon Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Version 10, and the CS Innovations, LLC... process protection system that is based on the Invensys Operations Management Tricon Programmable Logic...

Project support of practical training in biophysics.

PubMed

Mornstein, V; Vlk, D; Forytkova, L

2006-01-01

The Department of Biophysics ensures practical training in biophysics and related subjects for students of medical and health study programmes. Demonstrations of medical technology are an important part of this training. Teaching for Faculty of Sciences in biophysical study programmes becomes also very important. Some lectures and demonstrations of technology are involved, but the practical trainig is missing. About 1 mil. CZK for additional laboratory equipment was obtained from the HEIDF project No. 1866/ 2005 "The demonstration and measuring technology for education in medical biophysics and radiological physics" for measuring system DEWETRON for high frequency signal analysis, Fluke Ti30 IR camera, PM 9000B patient monitor, ARSENAL AF 1 fluorescence microscope, and Nikon Coolpix 4500 digital camera with accessories for microphotography. At the present time, further financial resources are being provided by a development project of Ministry of Education "Inter-university co-operation in biomedical technology and engineering using top technologies" in total amount of almost 5 mil CZK, whereas over 2 mil CZK from this project are reserved for student laboratory equipment. The main goal of this project is to ensure the participation of Medical Faculty in educational co-operation in the biomedical technology and engineering, namely with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC), Brno University of Technology. There will be taught those areas of biophysics which are not covered by FEEC, thus forming a separate subject "General Biophysics". The following instruments will be installed: UV-VIS spectrophotometers, rotation viscometers, tensiometers, microscopes with digital image processing, cooled centrifuge, optical benches, and some smaller instruments for practical measurements.

The national vocational education plan for unqualified young people (16?18 years old): The French experience (1982?1984)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colardyn, Danielle; Malglaive, Gerard

1986-12-01

In 1982, the French Government instituted a new National Vocational Education Plan (NVEP) to combat the nationwide problem of students leaving the school system prior to receiving adequate vocational preparation. This plan affects 100,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 18 years. The NVEP gave to each Regional Government the opportunity to create its own programmes and curricula; it renewed counselling and individual assessment facilities; it established new tracks within the education system; it also established co-operative education (linking education to the world of work). Concurrently, an Assessment and Observation System was created. During the first assessment year (1982-1983), information was gathered about existing local educational resources, counselling facilities, characteristics of the 16 to 18 year-old population, functioning of the educational tracks and co-operative education system. During the second year (1983-1984), the assessment provided quantitative statistical results. The most striking result concerns the configurations of educational and employment experiences which seemed to determine the ability of students to find employment. Students with a background of `job intensive experiences' were more successful in finding subsequent employment than those without. Students with `education intensive experiences' entered an educational programme because they were unable to find a first job. While the benefits of the NVEP were not immediately apparent, it nevertheless became evident that at this level of training, education was not necessarily the royal road to employment. However, employment criteria cannot be the only way to assess a vocational education system.

Snapshot of flexible funding outcomes in four countries.

PubMed

Laragy, Carmel

2010-03-01

This article reviews social participation outcomes identified in discrete studies of flexible funding programmes across four countries. The outcomes of an Australian flexible funding support programme were studied in 2007; a study tour of independent living programmes was conducted in England and Scotland during 2005; Swedish co-operatives and government administrators providing personal assistance to live independently were visited in 2006 and Australian independent living support groups operating for over 20 years were visited in 2008. Fifty-six interviews were conducted with people with a disability, families, support services, government administrators and researchers. A structured interview schedule was used in the 2007 Australian study and a semi-structured format was used in all other studies. Notes from the interviews were reviewed for themes related to social participation and their contributing factors. Ecological systems theory was used to identify what factors from the micro to the macro system level facilitated or hindered social participation. The key finding is that flexible funding did result in a range of social participation activities in each setting studied. The studies also indicate that social participation increases when people have access to information and support services; can choose their individual workers and move to a new agency if need be; and have adequate resources to meet their needs. The cultural and political context plays a large part in determining these factors. The implications of this study are that adequate resources are needed and the complex systems impacting on flexible funding need to be understood to achieve the intended outcomes.

Quarterly Performance/Technical Report of the National Marrow Donor Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-05

care. IIBA. Task 1: Period 8 Activity: Expand Network Co=unications Extended the Business to Business ( B2B ) Services to support the new alleles...exterior glass. • Site visit was conducted at the NMDP operated donor center in Philadelphia (August 12,2010) 0 At these site visits the Business ...Continuity Planner reviews the Business Continuity Action Guide with staff to better prepare each location for responding to incidents that interrupt

Alta Scuola Politecnica: An Ongoing Experiment in the Multidisciplinary Education of Top Students towards Innovation in Engineering, Architecture and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedetto, S.; Bernelli Zazzera, F.; Bertola, P.; Cantamessa, M.; Ceri, S.; Ranci, C.; Spaziante, A.; Zanino, R.

2010-01-01

Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, the top technical universities in Italy, united their efforts in 2004 by launching a unique excellence programme called Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP). The ASP programme is devoted to 150 students, selected each year from among the top 5-10% of those enrolled in the Engineering, Architecture and…

Relevance for Work in the Western Cape Tourism Industry of the National Certificate Vocational in Tourism Education at TVET Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelbrecht, Mardine; Spencer, John; van der Bijl, Andre

2017-01-01

This article investigates the relevance of the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) tourism programme for the South African tourism industry in terms of skills needed by tourism students to work in the tourism industry after graduating. The NCV programmes were introduced in 2007 at public Further Education and Training Colleges (now Technical,…

32 CFR 286.29 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 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 interpreted in their broadest... support, operator, programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time...

[Report of the Ninth meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group of Leprosy Control].

PubMed

Ishii, Norihisa; Mori, Shuichi; Nagaoka, Yuzuru; Suzuki, Koichi

2009-02-01

The Ninth meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Leprosy Control was held in Cairo, Egypt on 6th and 7th March 2008. The meeting was chaired by Professor W.C.S. Smith and attended by national leprosy programme managers from Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Egypt, Iran, India, Nigeria and Thailand. In addition, several experts and members of the Technical Commission of the International Federation ofAnti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) also attended the meeting.

Strategic establishment of an International Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory in a resource-limited setting.

PubMed

Mtisi, Takudzwa J; Maponga, Charles; Monera-Penduka, Tsitsi G; Mudzviti, Tinashe; Chagwena, Dexter; Makita-Chingombe, Faithful; DiFranchesco, Robin; Morse, Gene D

2018-01-01

A growing number of drug development studies that include pharmacokinetic evaluations are conducted in regions lacking a specialised pharmacology laboratory. This necessitated the development of an International Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory (IPSL) in Zimbabwe. The aim of this article is to describe the development of an IPSL in Zimbabwe. The IPSL was developed collaboratively by the University of Zimbabwe and the University at Buffalo Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences. Key stages included infrastructure development, establishment of quality management systems and collaborative mentorship in clinical pharmacology study design and chromatographic assay development and validation. Two high performance liquid chromatography instruments were donated by an instrument manufacturer and a contract research organisation. Laboratory space was acquired through association with the Zimbabwe national drug regulatory authority. Operational policies, standard operating procedures and a document control system were established. Scientists and technicians were trained in aspects relevant to IPSL operations. A high-performance liquid chromatography method for nevirapine was developed with the guidance of the Clinical Pharmacology Quality Assurance programme and approved by the assay method review programme. The University of Zimbabwe IPSL is engaged with the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of AIDS research networks and is poised to begin drug assays and pharmacokinetic analyses. An IPSL has been successfully established in a resource-limited setting through the efforts of an external partnership providing technical guidance and motivated internal faculty and staff. Strategic partnerships were beneficial in navigating challenges leading to laboratory development and training new investigators. The IPSL is now engaged in clinical pharmacology research.

The impact of improving teamwork on patient outcomes in surgery: A systematic review.

PubMed

Sun, Rosa; Marshall, Dominic C; Sykes, Mark C; Maruthappu, Mahiben; Shalhoub, Joseph

2018-05-01

The aviation industry pioneered formalised crew training in order to improve safety and reduce consequences of non-technical error. This formalised training has been successfully adapted and used to in the field of surgery to improve post-operative patient outcomes. The need to implement teamwork training as an integral part of a surgical programme is increasingly being recognised. We aim to systematically review the impact of surgical teamwork training on post-operative outcomes. Two independent researchers systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Studies were screened and subjected to inclusion/exclusion criteria. Study characteristics and outcomes were reported and analysed. Our initial search identified 2720 articles. Following duplicate removal, title and abstract screening, 107 full text articles were analysed. Eight articles met our inclusion criteria. Overall, three articles supported a positive effect of good teamwork on post-operative patient outcomes. We identified key areas in study methodology that can be improved upon, including small cohort size, lack of unified training programme, and short training duration, should future studies be designed and implemented in this field. At present, there is insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that teamwork training interventions improve patient outcomes. We believe that non-significant and conflicting results can be attributed to flaws in methodology and non-uniform training methods. With increasing amounts of evidence in this field, we predict a positive association between teamwork training and patient outcomes will come to light. Copyright © 2018 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of Metabolic Heat Regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paul, Heather; Iacomini, Christine; Powers, Aaron; Dunham, Jonah; Straub-Lopez, Katie; Anerson, Grant; MacCallum, Taber

2007-01-01

Patent-pending Metabolic heat regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption (MTSA) technology is currently being investigated for removal and rejection of CO2 and heat from a Portable Life Support System (PLSS) to a Martian environment. The metabolically-produced CO2 present in the vent loop gas is collected using a CO2 selective adsorbent that has been cooled via a heat exchanger to near CO2 sublimation temperatures (approx.195K) with liquid CO2 obtained from Martian resources. Once the adsorbent is fully loaded, fresh warm, moist vent loop (approx.300K) is used to heat the adsorbent via another heat exchanger. The adsorbent will then reject the collected CO2 to the Martian ambient. Two beds are used to achieve continuous CO2 removal by cycling between the cold and warm conditions for adsorbent loading and regeneration, respectively. Small experiments have already been completed to show that an adsorbent can be cycled between these PLSS operating conditions to provide adequate conditions for CO2 removal from a simulated vent loop. One of the remaining technical challenges is extracting enough heat from the vent loop to warm the adsorbent in an appreciable time frame to meet the required adsorb/desorb cycle. The other key technical aspect of the technology is employing liquid CO2 to achieve the appropriate cooling. A technology demonstrator has been designed, built and tested to investigate the feasibility of 1) warming the adsorbent using the moist vent loop, 2) cooling the adsorbent using liquid CO2, and 3) using these two methods in conjunction to successfully remove CO2 from a vent loop and reject it to Mars ambient. Both analytical and numerical methods were used to perform design calculations and trades. The demonstrator was built and tested. The design analysis and testing results are presented along with recommendations for future development required to increase the maturity of the technology.

The FAIR-INNOVATION dissemination project.

PubMed

Gormley, R

2001-08-01

The goal of the FAIR-INNOVATION dissemination project (FLAIR-FLOW 3) (1997-2000) was to disseminate R&D results from the EU FAIR programme to small and medium-sized food enterprises (SMEs), health professionals (HPs) and consumer groups (CGs) in 19 European countries. The dissemination routes were: (i) one-page technical documents on research results; (ii) their reproduction on the internet; (iii) their reproduction in journals Europe-wide; (iv) workshops on results from EU-supported food research programmes; and (v) lectures and poster presentations by FLAIR-FLOW network personnel. Of the 135 one-pagers produced, 62% were targeted at SMEs, 18% at HPs and 5% at CGs. The remaining 15% were on food safety and were common to the three target groups. There were 1047 publications arising from one-pages in trade journals, and over 8000 requests (paper route) were received for follow-up information. These were in addition to 240 k downloads from the FLAIR-FLOW 3 web site (www.flair-flow.com). Initiatives for HPs included specially collated versions of the one-pagers for major conferences, 20 focused workshops, and interaction with the European Federation of Associations of Dieticians. Currently, dissemination is continuing through FLAIR-FLOW 4 (2001-2003) in 24 countries. FLAIR-FLOW 4 is co-ordinated by M. Jean François Quillien from INRA-CRIAA (FR) at criaa@rennes.inra.fr.

Optimised anaerobic treatment of house-sorted biodegradable waste and slaughterhouse waste in a high loaded half technical scale digester.

PubMed

Resch, C; Grasmug, M; Smeets, W; Braun, R; Kirchmayr, R

2006-01-01

Anaerobic co-digestion of organic wastes from households, slaughterhouses and meat processing industries was optimised in a half technical scale plant. The plant was operated for 130 days using two different substrates under organic loading rates of 10 and 12 kgCOD.m(-3).d(-1). Since the substrates were rich in fat and protein components (TKN: 12 g.kg(-1) the treatment was challenging. The process was monitored on-line and in the laboratory. It was demonstrated that an intensive and stable co-digestion of partly hydrolysed organic waste and protein rich slaughterhouse waste can be achieved in the balance of inconsistent pH and buffering NH4-N. In the first experimental period the reduction of the substrate COD was almost complete in an overall stable process (COD reduction >82%). In the second period methane productivity increased, but certain intermediate products accumulated constantly. Process design options for a second digestion phase for advanced degradation were investigated. Potential causes for slow and reduced propionic and valeric acid degradation were assessed. Recommendations for full-scale process implementation can be made from the experimental results reported. The highly loaded and stable codigestion of these substrates may be a good technical and economic treatment alternative.

Emerging Applications of Liquid Crystals Based on Nanotechnology

PubMed Central

Sohn, Jung Inn; Hong, Woong-Ki; Choi, Su Seok; Coles, Harry J.; Welland, Mark E.; Cha, Seung Nam; Kim, Jong Min

2014-01-01

Diverse functionalities of liquid crystals (LCs) offer enormous opportunities for their potential use in advanced mobile and smart displays, as well as novel non-display applications. Here, we present snapshots of the research carried out on emerging applications of LCs ranging from electronics to holography and self-powered systems. In addition, we will show our recent results focused on the development of new LC applications, such as programmable transistors, a transparent and active-type two-dimensional optical array and self-powered display systems based on LCs, and will briefly discuss their novel concepts and basic operating principles. Our research will give insights not only into comprehensively understanding technical and scientific applications of LCs, but also developing new discoveries of other LC-based devices. PMID:28788555

Programmable pH buffers

DOEpatents

Gough, Dara Van; Huber, Dale L.; Bunker, Bruce C.; Roberts, Mark E.

2017-01-24

A programmable pH buffer comprises a copolymer that changes pK.sub.a at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water. The copolymer comprises a thermally programmable polymer that undergoes a hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic phase change at the LCST and an electrolytic polymer that exhibits acid-base properties that are responsive to the phase change. The programmable pH buffer can be used to sequester CO.sub.2 into water.

Ceria-based model catalysts: fundamental studies on the importance of the metal–ceria interface in CO oxidation, the water–gas shift, CO 2 hydrogenation, and methane and alcohol reforming

DOE PAGES

Rodriguez, José A.; Grinter, David C.; Liu, Zongyuan; ...

2017-02-17

Model metal/ceria and ceria/metal catalysts have been shown to be excellent systems for studying fundamental phenomena linked to the operation of technical catalysts. In the last fifteen years, many combinations of well-defined systems involving different kinds of metals and ceria have been prepared and characterized using the modern techniques of surface science. So far most of the catalytic studies have been centered on a few reactions: CO oxidation, the hydrogenation of CO 2, and the production of hydrogen through the water–gas shift reaction and the reforming of methane or alcohols. By using model catalysts it is been possible to examinemore » in detail correlations between the structural, electronic and catalytic properties of ceria–metal interfaces. In situ techniques (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy) have been combined to study the morphological changes under reaction conditions and investigate the evolution of active phases involved in the cleavage of C–O, C–H and C–C bonds. Several studies with model ceria catalysts have shown the importance of strong metal–support interactions. Generally, a substantial body of knowledge has been acquired and concepts have been developed for a more rational approach to the design of novel technical catalysts containing ceria.« less

The Role of Satellite Data for the National Forest Monitoring Systems in the Context of REDD+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, Inge

2012-04-01

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 assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), FAO supports the countries to develop national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) based on satellite data that allow for credible MRV of REDD+ activities through time. 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. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a multi-user basis, allows countries to adapt it to country needs. With the technical assistance of FAO, INPE and other stakeholders, the countries will set up an autonomous operational satellite forest monitoring systems. A beta version and the methodologies of the system for DRC and PNG are launched in Durban (SA) during COP 17, while Paraguay, Zambia and Viet Nam are in development in 2012.

Laser technology developments in support of ESA's earth observation missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durand, Y.; Bézy, J.-L.; Meynart, R.

2008-02-01

Within the context of ESA's Living Planet Programme, the European Space Agency has selected three missions embarking lidar instruments: ADM-Aeolus (Atmospheric Dynamics Mission) planed for launch in 2009 with a Doppler Wind Lidar, ALADIN, as unique payload; EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer) planed for launch in 2013 including an ATmospheric backscatter LIDar (ATLID); at last, A-SCOPE (Advanced Space Carbon and Climate Observation of Planet Earth), candidate for the 7 th Earth Explorer, relying on a CO II Total Column Differential Absorption Lidar. To mitigate the technical risks for selected missions associated with the different sorts of lidar, ESA has undertaken critical technology developments, from the transmitter to the receiver and covering both components and sub-systems development and characterization. The purpose of this paper is to present the latest results obtained in the area of laser technology that are currently ongoing in support to EarthCARE, A-SCOPE and ADM-Aeolus.

Validity of GRE General Test Scores and TOEFL Scores for Graduate Admission to a Technical University in Western Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Judith; von Davier, Alina A.; Buhmann, Joachim M.; Heinimann, Hans R.

2018-01-01

Graduate admission has become a critical process in tertiary education, whereby selecting valid admissions instruments is key. This study assessed the validity of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores for admission to Master's programmes at a technical university in Europe. We investigated the indicative value of GRE scores for the…

Revised Programme Proposal for the Swedish-Portuguese Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Information and Documentation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hjerppe, Roland; And Others

Due to complications that arose after the change of government in Portugal, staffing problems at the Portuguese Centro de Documentacao Cientifica e Tecnica (CDCT) were not resolved until March 1977. As a result, the cooperative program between Portugal and Sweden for scientific and technical information and documentation fell behind its original…

ASC ATDM Level 2 Milestone #5325: Asynchronous Many-Task Runtime System Analysis and Assessment for Next Generation Platforms.

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

Baker, Gavin Matthew; Bettencourt, Matthew Tyler; Bova, Steven W.

2015-09-01

This report provides in-depth information and analysis to help create a technical road map for developing next- generation Orogramming mocleN and runtime systemsl that support Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) work- load requirements. The focus herein is on 4synchronous many-task (AMT) model and runtime systems, which are of great interest in the context of "Oriascale7 computing, as they hold the promise to address key issues associated with future extreme-scale computer architectures. This report includes a thorough qualitative and quantitative examination of three best-of-class AIM] runtime systemsHCharm-HE, Legion, and Uintah, all of which are in use as part of the Centers.more » The studies focus on each of the runtimes' programmability, performance, and mutability. Through the experiments and analysis presented, several overarching Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program II (PSAAP-II) Ascl findings emerge. From a performance perspective, AIVT11runtimes show tremendous potential for addressing extreme- scale challenges. Empirical studies show an AM11 runtime can mitigate performance heterogeneity inherent to the machine itself and that Message Passing Interface (MP1) and AM11runtimes perform comparably under balanced con- ditions. From a programmability and mutability perspective however, none of the runtimes in this study are currently ready for use in developing production-ready Sandia ASCIapplications. The report concludes by recommending a co- design path forward, wherein application, programming model, and runtime system developers work together to define requirements and solutions. Such a requirements-driven co-design approach benefits the community as a whole, with widespread community engagement mitigating risk for both application developers developers. and high-performance computing inntime systein« less

Operation Windshield and the simplification of emergency management.

PubMed

Andrews, Michael

2016-01-01

Large, complex, multi-stakeholder exercises are the culmination of years of gradual progression through a comprehensive training and exercise programme. Exercises intended to validate training, refine procedures and test processes initially tested in isolation are combined to ensure seamless response and coordination during actual crises. The challenges of integrating timely and accurate situational awareness from an array of sources, including response agencies, municipal departments, partner agencies and the public, on an ever-growing range of media platforms, increase information management complexity in emergencies. Considering that many municipal emergency operations centre roles are filled by staff whose day jobs have little to do with crisis management, there is a need to simplify emergency management and make it more intuitive. North Shore Emergency Management has accepted the challenge of making emergency management less onerous to occasional practitioners through a series of initiatives aimed to build competence and confidence by making processes easier to use as well as by introducing technical tools that can simplify processes and enhance efficiencies. These efforts culminated in the full-scale earthquake exercise, Operation Windshield, which preceded the 2015 Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

‘11 for Health’, a football-based health education programme for children: a two-cohort study in Mauritius and Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Fuller, Colin W; Junge, Astrid; Dorasami, Cadrivel; DeCelles, Jeff; Dvorak, Jiri

2011-01-01

Objectives To implement and assess Fédération Internationale de Football Association Medical Assessment and Research Centre's ‘11 for Health’ football-based health education programme for children. Design Prospective, 2-cohort study. Setting In-school groups (Mauritius); out-of-school groups (Zimbabwe). Participants Mauritius: 389 children, aged 12–15 years; Zimbabwe: 395 children, aged 10–14 years. Intervention Eleven 90-min sessions, each divided into two 45-min halves of Play Football (focusing on one football skill) and Play Fair (focusing on one health issue). Main outcome measures 30-item questionnaire implemented pre and postintervention to assess children's health knowledge; six-item questionnaire implemented postintervention to assess children's views about the ‘11 for Health’ programme. Results Mean pre and postintervention health knowledge scores were greater in Mauritius (pre: 69.3%; post: 87.1%) than Zimbabwe (pre: 57.8%; post: 76.2%) but the mean gain in health knowledge was greater in Zimbabwe (18.4%) than Mauritius (17.8%). There were few significant differences in the outcomes for boys and girls in both countries. The ‘11 for Health’ programme was received positively by the children in both countries and there were no significant differences in the views of boys and girls in either country. Conclusions The study demonstrated that it was possible to achieve significant increases in children's knowledge for all health messages by implementing the ‘11 for Health’ programme in a school-based setting in collaboration with a national Football Association and in an out-of-school setting in collaboration with a non-government organisation. Based on these positive results, the authors recommend that the programme be widely implemented in Africa in co-operation with government and non-government organisations. PMID:21504962

'11 for Health', a football-based health education programme for children: a two-cohort study in Mauritius and Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Fuller, Colin W; Junge, Astrid; Dorasami, Cadrivel; DeCelles, Jeff; Dvorak, Jiri

2011-06-01

To implement and assess Fédération Internationale de Football Association Medical Assessment and Research Centre's '11 for Health' football-based health education programme for children. Prospective, 2-cohort study. In-school groups (Mauritius); out-of-school groups (Zimbabwe). Mauritius: 389 children, aged 12-15 years; Zimbabwe: 395 children, aged 10-14 years. Eleven 90-min sessions, each divided into two 45-min halves of Play Football (focusing on one football skill) and Play Fair (focusing on one health issue). 30-item questionnaire implemented pre and postintervention to assess children's health knowledge; six-item questionnaire implemented postintervention to assess children's views about the '11 for Health' programme. Mean pre and postintervention health knowledge scores were greater in Mauritius (pre: 69.3%; post: 87.1%) than Zimbabwe (pre: 57.8%; post: 76.2%) but the mean gain in health knowledge was greater in Zimbabwe (18.4%) than Mauritius (17.8%). There were few significant differences in the outcomes for boys and girls in both countries. The '11 for Health' programme was received positively by the children in both countries and there were no significant differences in the views of boys and girls in either country. The study demonstrated that it was possible to achieve significant increases in children's knowledge for all health messages by implementing the '11 for Health' programme in a school-based setting in collaboration with a national Football Association and in an out-of-school setting in collaboration with a non-government organisation. Based on these positive results, the authors recommend that the programme be widely implemented in Africa in co-operation with government and non-government organisations.

English Language Proficiency Tests and Academic Achievement: A Study on the Malaysian University English Test as a Predictor of Technical Programme Undergraduates Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahmat, Nurhazlini; Min, Lau Sing; Sungif, Nur Atiqah Md.; Yusup, Farah Nabillah Mior

2015-01-01

In the Malaysian education system, English has always played an important role. In acknowledging its importance, Malaysian University English Test (MUET) has been introduced to enable continued emphasis on this role. MUET has been made compulsory for those who wish to pursue a first degree programme in local universities. This study aims to…

Nourish and Nurture: World Food Programme Assistance for Early Childhood Education in India's Integrated Child Development Services. Education Sector Monograph No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siraj-Blatchford, Iram

Part of UNESCO's Action Research in Family and Early Childhood series, this monograph is based upon a technical report on the Early Childhood Education (ECE) component of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program in India. This document overviews the ICDS and how better use could be made of World Food Programme (WFP) food aid along…

Universalization of Primary Education in Colombia: The New School Programme. Notes, Comments... No. 191 = Colombie: L'enseignement primaire pour tous le programme "Ecole nouvelle."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colbert, Vicky; Arboleda, Jairo

For the first time, Colombia is in a position to comply with the article of her constitution which guarantees a primary education to all citizens. The country now has the technical, political and financial conditions necessary to universalize primary education, particularly in rural areas where low coverage and inefficiency of the system have…

Coupled optical/thermal/fluid analysis and design requirements for operation and testing of a supercritical CO 2 solar receiver.

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

Khivsara, Sagar

Recent studies have evaluated closed-loop supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO 2) Brayton cycles to be a higher energy-density system in comparison to conventional superheated steam Rankine systems. At turbine inlet conditions of 923K and 25 MPa, high thermal efficiency (~50%) can be achieved. Achieving these high efficiencies will make concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies a competitive alternative to current power generation methods. To incorporate a s-CO 2 Brayton power cycle in a solar power tower system, the development of a solar receiver capable of providing an outlet temperature of 923 K (at 25 MPa) is necessary. To satisfy the temperature requirementsmore » of a s-CO 2 Brayton cycle with recuperation and recompression, it is required to heat s-CO 2 by a temperature of ~200 K as it passes through the solar receiver. Our objective was to develop an optical-thermal-fluid model to design and evaluate a tubular receiver that will receive a heat input ~1 MWth from a heliostat field. We also undertook the documentation of design requirements for the development, testing and safe operation of a direct s-CO 2 solar receiver. The main purpose of this document is to serve as a reference and guideline for design and testing requirements, as well as to address the technical challenges and provide initial parameters for the computational models that will be employed for the development of s-CO 2 receivers.« less

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.

A Reflection upon the "Getting Practical" Programme: Rethinking How We Teach Practical Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Nikki

2010-01-01

In this article, the author provides an overview of the "Getting Practical" training programme of professional development for all those involved with teaching practical science at primary, secondary, and post-16 levels. The programme is being led by the ASE, working with its co-ordinating partners: the Centre for Science Education,…

Literature research of the Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education Students in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Fan; Hu, Xiaoqi; Tian, Zuyin; Zhang, Qian; Ma, Guansheng

2015-04-01

To describe the Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) in China and to share the experiences of developing and implementing nationwide school meal programmes with other countries. The article is based on a literature review of technical documents and reports of NIPRCES and relevant national legislation, technical reports and studies on school nutrition, minutes of meetings and national conferences, and official documents of the National Office of Student Nutrition and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. People's Republic of China. Published papers, national policies, legislation and unpublished official documents. A total of 23 million rural compulsory education students were covered by NIPRCES. In the development and implementation process of NIPRCES, fifteen ministries and national committees were involved and an efficient collaborative mechanism was established. All NIPRCES-covered schools were required to serve meals on a daily basis. By the end of June 2012, the proportions of students choosing 'school feeding', 'food package' and 'family feeding' modes were respectively 64.0 %, 32.0 % and 4.0 %. The central government subsidized school meals annually by more than $US 2.5 billion and invested $US 4.8 billion on school kitchens to support this programme. The NIPRCES is a significant movement of governmental nutritional intervention in China. Food safety, financial security, decentralization and other potential concerns should be considered and lessons can be learned from other countries. Further relevant research and a nationwide monitoring and evaluation programme are needed.

Technical and Scientific Aspects of the JET Trace-Tritium Experimental Campaign

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

Jones, T.T.C.; Brennan, D; Pearce, R.J.H.

The JET Trace Tritium (TTE) programme marked the first use of tritium in experiments under the managerial control of UKAEA, which operates the JET Facility on behalf of EFDA. The introduction of tritium into the plasma by gas fuelling and neutral beam injection, even in trace quantities, required the mobilisation of gram-quantities of tritium gas from the Active Gas Handling System (AGHS) product storage units into the supply lines connected to the torus gas valve and the neutral beam injectors. All systems for DT gas handling, recovery and reprocessing were therefore recommissioned and operating procedures re-established, involving extensive operations staffmore » training. The validation of Key Safety Related Equipment (KSRE) is described with reference to specific examples. The differences between requirements for TTE and full DT operations are shown to be relatively small. The scientific motivation for TTE, such as the possibility to obtain high-quality measurements in key areas such as fuel-ion transport and fast ion dynamics, is described, and the re-establishment and development of JET's 14MeV neutron diagnostic capability for TTE and future DT campaigns are outlined. Some scientific highlights from the TTE campaign are presented.« less

Sustainable hydropower in Lower Mekong Countries: Technical assessment and training travel report

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

Hadjerioua, Boualem; Witt, Adam M.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through their partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), requested the support of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide specialized technical assistance as part of the Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong (SIM) Program in Thailand. Introduced in July 2013 by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, SIM is a U.S. Government Inter-Agency program that provides Lower Mekong partner countries with targeted, demand-driven technical and scientific assistance to support environmentally sound, climate conscious and socially equitable infrastructure, clean energy development, and water resources optimization. The U.S. Government is committed to supportingmore » sustainable economic development within the region by providing tools, best practices, technical assistance, and lessons learned for the benefit of partner countries. In response to a request from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), a SIM project was developed with two main activities: 1) to promote hydropower sustainability and efficiency through technical assessment training at two existing hydropower assets in Thailand, and 2) the design and implementation of one national and two or three regional science and policy workshops, to be co-hosted with EGAT, to build common understanding of and commitment to environmental and social safeguards for Mekong Basin hydropower projects. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is leading the technical assessment (Activity 1), and has contracted ORNL to provide expert technical assistance focused on increasing efficiency at existing projects, with the goal of increasing renewable energy generation at little to no capital cost. ORNL is the leading national laboratory in hydropower analysis, with a nationally recognized and highly qualified team of scientists addressing small to large-scale systems (basin-, regional-, and national-scale) energy generation optimization analysis for DOE. The mission of the ORNL Water Power Program is to develop technologies, decision-support tools, and methods of analysis that enable holistic management of water-dependent energy infrastructure and natural resources in support of the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (DOE-EERE), Federal hydropower agencies, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), energy producers, and other entities. In support of SIM, ORNL completed technical assessments of two hydropower plants owned and operated by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT): Vajiralongkorn (VRK), with an installed capacity of 300 MW, and Rajjaprabha (RPB), with an installed capacity of 240MW. Technical assessment is defined as the assessment of hydropower operation and performance, and the identification of potential opportunities for performance improvement through plant optimization. At each plant, the assessment included an initial analysis of hydropower operating and performance metrics, provided by dam owners. After this analysis, ORNL engaged with the plant management team in a skills exchange, where best practices, operational methods, and technical challenges were discussed. The technical assessment process was outlined to plant management followed by a presentation of preliminary results and analysis based on 50 days of operational data. EGAT has agreed to provide a full year of operational data so a complete and detailed assessment that captures seasonal variability can be completed. The results of these assessments and discussions will be used to develop a set of best practices, training, and procedure recommendations to improve the efficiency of the two assessed plants« less

Asteroseismology of OB stars with CoRoT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degroote, P.; Aerts, C.; Samadi, R.; Miglio, A.; Briquet, M.; Auvergne, M.; Baglin, A.; Baudin, F.; Catala, C.; Michel, E.

2010-12-01

The CoRoT satellite is revolutionizing the photometric study of massive O-type and B-type stars. During its long runs, CoRoT observed the entire main sequence B star domain, from typical hot β Cep stars, via cooler hybrid p- and g-mode pulsators to the SPB stars near the edge of the instability strip. CoRoT lowers the sensitivity barrier from the typical mmag-precision reached from the ground, to the μmag-level reached from space. Within the wealth of detected and identified pulsation modes, relations have been found in the form of multiplets, combination of frequencies, and frequency- and period spacings. This wealth of observational evidence is finally providing strong constraints to test current models of the internal structure and pulsations of hot stars. Aside from the expected opacity driven modes with infinite lifetime, other unexpected types of variability are detected in massive stars, such as modes of stochastic nature. The simultaneous observation of all these light curve characteristics implies a challenge for both observational asteroseismology and stellar modelling. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Spain.

Capacity building in Developing Countries: a challenge ahead for the European Space Agency to continue its successful experience to date

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fea, M.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has built a long tradition and a large experience in the domain of education, training and capacity building throughout its space programmes. As an example, the ESA Science Programme dedicates 1% of its budget to these activities. One of the key reasons for it is the need of closing the loop along the chain from the provider to the user, that is to say between the space and the users elements. In fact, besides the obvious need for technology development, there is actually not very much justification in the long term for a space programme if the user communities are not able to make good use of programme outputs and provide feedback and proper requirements to space agencies. The case of ESA Earth Observation programmes is described to illustrate these considerations, as a way to also implement the European Space Policy and UNISPACE III recommendations. Since its foundation in 1975 and the implementation of its EO programme with the launch of Meteosat-1 in 1977 and the birth of the Earthnet Programme Office in 1978, the European Space Agency is very active in the field of capacity building in developing countries. That is performed through both ESA's specific projects and international co-operation activities. In the latter domain, ESA enjoys a long-standing collaboration with many entities, such as the Committee of Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), and organisations, such as WMO, UN and its specialised agencies (FAO, UNESCO, UNEP, and so on). In that respect, the Agency is an active member of the CEOS Working Group on Education (WGEdu) and of the World Summit for Sustainable Development Follow-Up (WSSD) Module 1 group dedicated to education, training and capacity building. The overall ESA strategy targets various citizen communities and takes into account the fact that today's young generations will become tomorrow's professionals and decision makers. ESA's activities in this domain are in particular based on an end-to-end concept that includes a) the "train the trainer" approach, b) the prerequisite of a project proposal prepared by the trainee of a target institution on an issue of, possibly, national interest and focused towards establishing an operational autonomy and a routine practice in the integration and use of EO satellite data, c) the firm commitment of the institution to support the project and the trainee, d) the involvement of final users since the very beginning, and e) the exposure of trainees to public for presenting their results. In order to demonstrate how the Agency implements all the above, besides the typical training of external satellite ground station operators, and the way ahead strategy considered within the CEOS WGEdu and WSSD Mod.1 framework, three ESA endeavours are presented, namely the multi-language EDUSPACE web portal (www.eduspace.esa.int), the hosting of UN trainees, and the UN/ESA Course Follow-up Programme.

Cross-Cutting issues in Regulatory Supervision of Spent Fuel Radioactive Waste and Radioactively Contaminated Land in North-West Russia

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

Sneve, M. K.; Smith, G. M.

2006-07-01

The Norwegian Government is promoting improvements in radiation protection and nuclear safety in North-West Russia. Among priority areas there is the improvement of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management, as well as remediation operations at the Shore Technical Bases operated by Federal Enterprise SevRAO at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha on the Kola Peninsula. The extreme radiological conditions at these sites present novel difficulties for regulatory supervision of operations. The situation at these sites is such that the existing regulations are applicable, and actions to remedy the situation are not permitted under the current regulatory regime. An improved regulatory process,more » including development of special norms and rules, is required to take account of this unusual situation. The Norwegian strategy includes not only support to industrial projects, but also support to Russian Federation regulatory bodies, to ensure that work is carried out in compliance with Russian Federation law, taking account of international recommendations and other national good practice as relevant in the RF. Accordingly, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority has set up a programme of cooperation with the Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA), which is the primary radiation protection authority in the RF. The work is carried out with technical input from the Russian Institute of Biophysics and with inputs from western technical support organisations. The overall objective of the work is to promote effective and efficient regulatory supervision of SevRAO activities at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha within the scope of responsibilities of FMBA. This paper describes the results of an initial threat assessment which allows consideration of the cross-cutting issues associated with developing an overall effective site management plan which deals with short- and long-term issues, and protection of workers as well as of the public and the environment, while achieving a timely and effective use of resources in order to solve the problems. (authors)« less

An Empirical Comparative Investigation of Operations Management Programmes: Demand, Content and Entrance Criteria within the Context of Internationalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chengbo; Chen, Xuezhong; Edgar, David; Zhao, Yang

2013-01-01

In higher education institutes (HEIs), Operations Management programmes (OMPs) are among those programmes attracting a substantial amount of international student enrollment. With the current situation that the government is reducing its funding input, the UK HEIs' financial balance relies more than before on the international students who pay…

Extending lactational amenorrhoea in Manila: a successful breast-feeding education programme.

PubMed

Benitez, I; de la Cruz, J; Suplido, A; Oblepias, V; Kennedy, K; Visness, C

1992-04-01

An experimental breast-feeding education programme conducted at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila demonstrated that women could be motivated to improve their breast-feeding practices and lengthen their period of lactational amenorrhoea in comparison to a control group. Mothers who participated in the programme breast-fed their babies more frequently, delayed the introduction of regular supplements, used fewer bottles and pacifiers and maintained night feeding longer than mothers who were not exposed to the positive breast-feeding messages. The programme was successful in lengthening the period of amenorrhoea among women with elementary, high school, or technical school education, but not among college-educated women. Different educational approaches may be necessary for women of different education levels.

TB/HIV Co-Infection Care in Conflict-Affected Settings: A Mapping of Health Facilities in the Goma Area, Democratic Republic of Congo

PubMed Central

Kaboru, Berthollet Bwira; Ogwang, Brenda. A.; Namegabe, Edmond Ntabe; Mbasa, Ndemo; Kabunga, Deka Kambale; Karafuli, Kambale

2013-01-01

Background: HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) are major contributors to the burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The two diseases have been described as a harmful synergy as they are biologically and epidemiologically linked. Control of TB/HIV co-infection is an integral and most challenging part of both national TB and national HIV control programmes, especially in contexts of instability where health systems are suffering from political and social strife. This study aimed at assessing the provision of HIV/TB co-infection services in health facilities in the conflict-ridden region of Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of health facilities that provide either HIV or TB services or both was carried out. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data which was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Eighty facilities were identified, of which 64 facilities were publicly owned. TB care was more available than HIV care (in 61% vs. 9% of facilities). Twenty-three facilities (29%) offered services to co-infected patients. TB/HIV co-infection rates among patients were unknown in 82% of the facilities. Only 19 facilities (24%) reported some coordination with and support from concerned diseases’ control programmes. HIV and TB services are largely fragmented, indicating imbalances and poor coordination by disease control programmes. Conclusion: HIV and TB control appear not to be the focus of health interventions in this crisis affected region, despite the high risks of TB and HIV infection in the setting. Comprehensive public health response to this setting calls for reforms that promote joint TB/HIV co-infection control, including improved leadership by the HIV programmes that accuse weaknesses in this conflict-ridden region. PMID:24596866

TB/HIV Co-Infection Care in Conflict-Affected Settings: A Mapping of Health Facilities in the Goma Area, Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Kaboru, Berthollet Bwira; Ogwang, Brenda A; Namegabe, Edmond Ntabe; Mbasa, Ndemo; Kabunga, Deka Kambale; Karafuli, Kambale

2013-09-01

HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) are major contributors to the burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The two diseases have been described as a harmful synergy as they are biologically and epidemiologically linked. Control of TB/HIV co-infection is an integral and most challenging part of both national TB and national HIV control programmes, especially in contexts of instability where health systems are suffering from political and social strife. This study aimed at assessing the provision of HIV/TB co-infection services in health facilities in the conflict-ridden region of Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo. A cross-sectional survey of health facilities that provide either HIV or TB services or both was carried out. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data which was analysed using descriptive statistics. Eighty facilities were identified, of which 64 facilities were publicly owned. TB care was more available than HIV care (in 61% vs. 9% of facilities). Twenty-three facilities (29%) offered services to co-infected patients. TB/HIV co-infection rates among patients were unknown in 82% of the facilities. Only 19 facilities (24%) reported some coordination with and support from concerned diseases' control programmes. HIV and TB services are largely fragmented, indicating imbalances and poor coordination by disease control programmes. HIV and TB control appear not to be the focus of health interventions in this crisis affected region, despite the high risks of TB and HIV infection in the setting. Comprehensive public health response to this setting calls for reforms that promote joint TB/HIV co-infection control, including improved leadership by the HIV programmes that accuse weaknesses in this conflict-ridden region.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. XVII. The hot Jupiter CoRoT-17b: a very old planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csizmadia, Sz.; Moutou, C.; Deleuil, M.; Cabrera, J.; Fridlund, M.; Gandolfi, D.; Aigrain, S.; Alonso, R.; Almenara, J.-M.; Auvergne, M.; Baglin, A.; Barge, P.; Bonomo, A. S.; Bordé, P.; Bouchy, F.; Bruntt, H.; Carone, L.; Carpano, S.; Cavarroc, C.; Cochran, W.; Deeg, H. J.; Díaz, R. F.; Dvorak, R.; Endl, M.; Erikson, A.; Ferraz-Mello, S.; Fruth, Th.; Gazzano, J.-C.; Gillon, M.; Guenther, E. W.; Guillot, T.; Hatzes, A.; Havel, M.; Hébrard, G.; Jehin, E.; Jorda, L.; Léger, A.; Llebaria, A.; Lammer, H.; Lovis, C.; MacQueen, P. J.; Mazeh, T.; Ollivier, M.; Pätzold, M.; Queloz, D.; Rauer, H.; Rouan, D.; Santerne, A.; Schneider, J.; Tingley, B.; Titz-Weider, R.; Wuchterl, G.

2011-07-01

We report on the discovery of a hot Jupiter-type exoplanet, CoRoT-17b, detected by the CoRoT satellite. It has a mass of 2.43 ± 0.30 MJup and a radius of 1.02 ± 0.07 RJup, while its mean density is 2.82 ± 0.38 g/cm3. CoRoT-17b is in a circular orbit with a period of 3.7681 ± 0.0003 days. The host star is an old (10.7 ± 1.0 Gyr) main-sequence star, which makes it an intriguing object for planetary evolution studies. The planet's internal composition is not well constrained and can range from pure H/He to one that can contain ~380 earth masses of heavier elements. The CoRoT space mission, launched on December 27th 2006, has been developed and is operated by CNES, with the contribution of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, ESA (RSSD and Science Programme), Germany and Spain. Part of the observations were obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France, and the University of Hawaii. Based on observations made with HARPS spectrograph on the 3.6-m European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere telescope at La Silla Observatory, Chile (ESO program 184.C-0639). Based on observations made with the IAC80 telescope operated on the island of Tenerife by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in the Spanish Observatorio del Teide. Part of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Visuospatial and Technical Ability in the Selection and Assessment of Higher Surgical Trainees in the London Deanery

PubMed Central

Tansley, P; Kakar, S; Withey, S; Butler, P

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION Despite awareness of the limitations of current selection and competency assessments, there is little consensus and alternatives have not been readily accepted. Essential surgical skills include visuospatial and technical ability. The aim of this study was to survey current methods of higher surgical trainee selection and assessment. We suggest ways to improve the process. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine surgical training programmes in the London deanery were surveyed through questionnaires to programme directors, existing trainees and examination of deanery publications. RESULTS Testing of visuospatial and technical ability was piloted at selection only in a single general surgical department. Practical skills were assessed in 3/9 (33%) specialties (ENT, plastic and general surgery). Once selected, no specialty tested visuospatial and technical ability. Practical skills were tested in only 1/9 (11%) specialties (plastic surgery). The remaining 8/9 (89%) were ‘assessed’ by interview. CONCLUSIONS Lack of visuospatial and technical ability assessment was identified at selection and during higher surgical training. Airlines have long recognised early identification of these qualities as critical for efficient training. There is a need for more objective methods in this area prior to selection as time to assess surgical trainees during long apprenticeships is no longer available. We advocate a suitably validated competency-based model during and at completion of training. PMID:18201473

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission. XXVII. CoRoT-28b, a planet orbiting an evolved star, and CoRoT-29b, a planet showing an asymmetric transit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabrera, J.; Csizmadia, Sz.; Montagnier, G.; Fridlund, M.; Ammler-von Eiff, M.; Chaintreuil, S.; Damiani, C.; Deleuil, M.; Ferraz-Mello, S.; Ferrigno, A.; Gandolfi, D.; Guillot, T.; Guenther, E. W.; Hatzes, A.; Hébrard, G.; Klagyivik, P.; Parviainen, H.; Pasternacki, Th.; Pätzold, M.; Sebastian, D.; Tadeu dos Santos, M.; Wuchterl, G.; Aigrain, S.; Alonso, R.; Almenara, J.-M.; Armstrong, J. D.; Auvergne, M.; Baglin, A.; Barge, P.; Barros, S. C. C.; Bonomo, A. S.; Bordé, P.; Bouchy, F.; Carpano, S.; Chaffey, C.; Deeg, H. J.; Díaz, R. F.; Dvorak, R.; Erikson, A.; Grziwa, S.; Korth, J.; Lammer, H.; Lindsay, C.; Mazeh, T.; Moutou, C.; Ofir, A.; Ollivier, M.; Pallé, E.; Rauer, H.; Rouan, D.; Samuel, B.; Santerne, A.; Schneider, J.

2015-07-01

Context. We present the discovery of two transiting extrasolar planets by the satellite CoRoT. Aims: We aim at a characterization of the planetary bulk parameters, which allow us to further investigate the formation and evolution of the planetary systems and the main properties of the host stars. Methods: We used the transit light curve to characterize the planetary parameters relative to the stellar parameters. The analysis of HARPS spectra established the planetary nature of the detections, providing their masses. Further photometric and spectroscopic ground-based observations provided stellar parameters (log g, Teff, v sin i) to characterize the host stars. Our model takes the geometry of the transit to constrain the stellar density into account, which when linked to stellar evolutionary models, determines the bulk parameters of the star. Because of the asymmetric shape of the light curve of one of the planets, we had to include the possibility in our model that the stellar surface was not strictly spherical. Results: We present the planetary parameters of CoRoT-28b, a Jupiter-sized planet (mass 0.484 ± 0.087 MJup; radius 0.955 ± 0.066 RJup) orbiting an evolved star with an orbital period of 5.208 51 ± 0.000 38 days, and CoRoT-29b, another Jupiter-sized planet (mass 0.85 ± 0.20 MJup; radius 0.90 ± 0.16 RJup) orbiting an oblate star with an orbital period of 2.850 570 ± 0.000 006 days. The reason behind the asymmetry of the transit shape is not understood at this point. Conclusions: These two new planetary systems have very interesting properties and deserve further study, particularly in the case of the star CoRoT-29. The CoRoT space mission, launched on December 27th 2006, was developed and is operated by CNES, with the contribution of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, ESA (RSSD and Science Programme), Germany, and Spain. Based on observations obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, in time allocated by OPTICON and the Spanish Time Allocation Committee (CAT). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement number RG226604 (OPTICON). This work makes use of observations from the LCOGT network.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Procedural Influence on Internal and External Assessment Scores of Undergraduate Vocational and Technical Education Research Projects in Nigerian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

A. C., John; Manabete, S. S.

2015-01-01

This study sought to determine the procedural influence on internal and external assessment scores of undergraduate research projects in vocational and technical education programmes in the university under study. A survey research design was used for the conduct of this study. The population consisted of 130 lecturers and 1,847 students in the…

77 FR 24301 - Revision of the Commission's Program Access Rules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-23

... programmers had the incentive and ability to favor their affiliated cable operators over other, unaffiliated... at the time, cable-affiliated programmers retained the incentive and ability to withhold programming... ability and incentive to favor affiliated cable operators over nonaffiliated cable operators and...

Program For A Pushbutton Display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Busquets, Anthony M.; Luck, William S., Jr.

1989-01-01

Programmable Display Pushbutton (PDP) is pushbutton device available from Micro Switch having programmable 16X35 matrix of light-emitting diodes on pushbutton surface. Any desired legends display on PDP's, producing user-friendly applications reducing need for dedicated manual controls. Interacts with operator, calls for correct response before transmitting next message. Both simple manual control and sophisticated programmable link between operator and host system. Programmable Display Pushbutton Legend Editor (PDPE) computer program used to create light-emitting-diode (LED) displays for pushbuttons. Written in FORTRAN.

Operation of large RF sources for H-: Lessons learned at ELISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fantz, U.; Wünderlich, D.; Heinemann, B.; Kraus, W.; Riedl, R.

2017-08-01

The goal of the ELISE test facility is to demonstrate that large RF-driven negative ion sources (1 × 1 m2 source area with 360 kW installed RF power) can achieve the parameters required for the ITER beam sources in terms of current densities and beam homogeneity at a filling pressure of 0.3 Pa for pulse lengths of up to one hour. With the experience in operation of the test facility, the beam source inspection and maintenance as well as with the results of the achieved source performance so far, conclusions are drawn for commissioning and operation of the ITER beam sources. Addressed are critical technical RF issues, extrapolations to the required RF power, Cs consumption and Cs ovens, the need of adjusting the magnetic filter field strength as well as the temporal dynamic and spatial asymmetry of the co-extracted electron current. It is proposed to relax the low pressure limit to 0.4 Pa and to replace the fixed electron-to-ion ratio by a power density limit for the extraction grid. This would be highly beneficial for controlling the co-extracted electrons.

[Overall design and proof-test of an integrated environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) for demonstration and verification].

PubMed

Rui, Jia-bai; Zheng, Chuan-xian; Zeng, Qing-tang

2002-12-01

Objective. To test and demonstrate embryonic form of our future space station ECLSS, which will also form an advanced research and test ground facility. Method. The following functions of the system were tested and demonstrated: integrated solid amine CO2 collection and concentration, Sabatier CO2 reduction, urine processing thermoelectric integrated membrane evaporation, solid polymer water electrolysis O2 generation, concentrated ventilation, temperature and humidity control, the measurement and control system, and other non-regenerative techniques. All of these were demonstrated in a sealed adiabatic module, and passed the proof-tests. Result. The principal technical requirements of the system and each regenerative subsystem were met. The integration of system general and each subsystem was successful, and the partial closed loop of the system's integration has been realized basically. Conclusion. The reasonableness of the project design was verified, and the major system technical requirements were satisfied. The suitability and harmonization among system general and each subsystem were good, the system operated normally, and the parameters measured were correct.

Shaping the future: a primary care research and development strategy for Scotland.

PubMed

Hannaford, P; Hunt, J; Sullivan, F; Wyke, S

1999-09-01

Primary care is at the centre of the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland; however, its R & D capacity is insufficiently developed. R&D is a potentially powerful way of improving the health and well-being of the population, and of securing high quality care for those who need it. In order to achieve this, any Scottish strategy for primary care R&D should aim to develop both a knowledge-based service and a research culture in primary care. In this way, decisions will be made based upon best available evidence, whatever the context. Building on existing practice and resources within primary care research, this strategy for achieving a thriving research culture in Scottish primary care has three key components: A Scottish School of Primary Care which will stimulate and co-ordinate a cohesive programme of research and training. A comprehensive system of funding for training and career development which will ensure access to a range of research training which will ensure that Scotland secures effective leadership for its primary care R&D. Designated research and development practices (DRDPs) which will build on the work of existing research practices, in the context of Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCCs) and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), to create a co-operative environment in which a range of primary care professionals can work together to improve their personal and teams' research skills, and to support research development in their areas. A modest investment will create substantial increases in both the quality and quantity of research being undertaken in primary care. This investment should be targeted at both existing primary care professionals working in service settings in primary care, LHCCs and PCTs, and at centres of excellence (including University departments). A dual approach will foster collaboration and will allow existing centres of excellence both to undertake more primary care research and to support the development of service based primary care professionals in their research. Resources should be distributed equitably, taking into account demography, geography and the health needs of patients in Scotland. The strategy and its components must be seen as a whole. The Scottish School of Primary Care will stimulate and co-ordinate both research and training programmes. DRDPs will become research active and will participate in School-led training and research, and will contribute to research programmes. Comprehensive funding for training and career development will ensure that staff have the skills to participate in both DRDPs and in the School's activities. Thus, inadequate commitment to any one component of the strategy will mean that other components will be less successful. Commitment to all three components will maximise the chances of success.

Usage of CO2 microbubbles as flow-tracing contrast media in X-ray dynamic imaging of blood flows.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Joon; Park, Han Wook; Jung, Sung Yong

2014-09-01

X-ray imaging techniques have been employed to visualize various biofluid flow phenomena in a non-destructive manner. X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) was developed to measure velocity fields of blood flows to obtain hemodynamic information. A time-resolved X-ray PIV technique that is capable of measuring the velocity fields of blood flows under real physiological conditions was recently developed. However, technical limitations still remained in the measurement of blood flows with high image contrast and sufficient biocapability. In this study, CO2 microbubbles as flow-tracing contrast media for X-ray PIV measurements of biofluid flows was developed. Human serum albumin and CO2 gas were mechanically agitated to fabricate CO2 microbubbles. The optimal fabricating conditions of CO2 microbubbles were found by comparing the size and amount of microbubbles fabricated under various operating conditions. The average size and quantity of CO2 microbubbles were measured by using a synchrotron X-ray imaging technique with a high spatial resolution. The quantity and size of the fabricated microbubbles decrease with increasing speed and operation time of the mechanical agitation. The feasibility of CO2 microbubbles as a flow-tracing contrast media was checked for a 40% hematocrit blood flow. Particle images of the blood flow were consecutively captured by the time-resolved X-ray PIV system to obtain velocity field information of the flow. The experimental results were compared with a theoretically amassed velocity profile. Results show that the CO2 microbubbles can be used as effective flow-tracing contrast media in X-ray PIV experiments.

75 FR 28656 - Amphenol Printed Circuits, Inc., a Subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation, Including On-Site Leased...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-21

..., MicoTech, and CoWorx, Nashua, NH; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker... commercial products. The company reports that workers leased from Technical Needs, MicoTech, and CoWorx were... amending this certification to include workers leased from Technical Needs, MicoTech, and CoWorx working on...

Towards tailored teaching: using participatory action research to enhance the learning experience of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship students in a South African rural district hospital.

PubMed

von Pressentin, Klaus B; Waggie, Firdouza; Conradie, Hoffie

2016-03-08

The introduction of Stellenbosch University's Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) model as part of the undergraduate medical curriculum offers a unique and exciting training model to develop generalist doctors for the changing South African health landscape. At one of these LIC sites, the need for an improvement of the local learning experience became evident. This paper explores how to identify and implement a tailored teaching and learning intervention to improve workplace-based learning for LIC students. A participatory action research approach was used in a co-operative inquiry group (ten participants), consisting of the students, clinician educators and researchers, who met over a period of 5 months. Through a cyclical process of action and reflection this group identified a teaching intervention. The results demonstrate the gaps and challenges identified when implementing a LIC model of medical education. A structured learning programme for the final 6 weeks of the students' placement at the district hospital was designed by the co-operative inquiry group as an agreed intervention. The post-intervention group reflection highlighted a need to create a structured programme in the spirit of local collaboration and learning across disciplines. The results also enhance our understanding of both students and clinician educators' perceptions of this new model of workplace-based training. This paper provides practical strategies to enhance teaching and learning in a new educational context. These strategies illuminate three paradigm shifts: (1) from the traditional medical education approach towards a transformative learning approach advocated for the 21(st) century health professional; (2) from the teaching hospital context to the district hospital context; and (3) from block-based teaching towards a longitudinal integrated learning model. A programme based on balancing structured and tailored learning activities is recommended in order to address the local learning needs of students in the LIC model. We recommend that action learning sets should be developed at these LIC sites, where the relevant aspects of work-place based learning are negotiated.

Moving on the Continuum between Teaching and Learning: Communities of Practice in a Student Support Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naude, Luzelle; Bezuidenhout, Hannemarie

2015-01-01

The focus of this article is on the experiences of staff members involved in a student support programme. The experiential, social, and student-centred approaches incorporated in this programme provided not only students, but also academics with pathways to lifelong learning. Functioning in a community of practice (CoP) (with students and also…

Shared decision-making for psychiatric medication: A mixed-methods evaluation of a UK training programme for service users and clinicians.

PubMed

Ramon, Shulamit; Morant, Nicola; Stead, Ute; Perry, Ben

2017-12-01

Shared decision making (SDM) is recognised as a promising strategy to enhance good collaboration between clinicians and service users, yet it is not practised regularly in mental health. Develop and evaluate a novel training programme to enhance SDM in psychiatric medication management for service users, psychiatrists and care co-ordinators. The training programme design was informed by existing literature and local stakeholders consultations. Parallel group-based training programmes on SDM process were delivered to community mental health service users and providers. Evaluation consisted of quantitative measures at baseline and 12-month follow-up, post-programme participant feedback and qualitative interviews. Training was provided to 47 service users, 35 care-coordinators and 12 psychiatrists. Participant feedback was generally positive. Statistically significant changes in service users' decisional conflict and perceptions of practitioners' interactional style in promoting SDM occurred at the follow-up. Qualitative data suggested positive impacts on service users' and care co-ordinators confidence to explore medication experience, and group-based training was valued. The programme was generally acceptable to service users and practitioners. This indicates the value of conducting a larger study and exploring application for non-medical decisions.

Theorising big IT programmes in healthcare: strong structuration theory meets actor-network theory.

PubMed

Greenhalgh, Trisha; Stones, Rob

2010-05-01

The UK National Health Service is grappling with various large and controversial IT programmes. We sought to develop a sharper theoretical perspective on the question "What happens - at macro-, meso- and micro-level - when government tries to modernise a health service with the help of big IT?" Using examples from data fragments at the micro-level of clinical work, we considered how structuration theory and actor-network theory (ANT) might be combined to inform empirical investigation. Giddens (1984) argued that social structures and human agency are recursively linked and co-evolve. ANT studies the relationships that link people and technologies in dynamic networks. It considers how discourses become inscribed in data structures and decision models of software, making certain network relations irreversible. Stones' (2005) strong structuration theory (SST) is a refinement of Giddens' work, systematically concerned with empirical research. It views human agents as linked in dynamic networks of position-practices. A quadripartite approcach considers [a] external social structures (conditions for action); [b] internal social structures (agents' capabilities and what they 'know' about the social world); [c] active agency and actions and [d] outcomes as they feed back on the position-practice network. In contrast to early structuration theory and ANT, SST insists on disciplined conceptual methodology and linking this with empirical evidence. In this paper, we adapt SST for the study of technology programmes, integrating elements from material interactionism and ANT. We argue, for example, that the position-practice network can be a socio-technical one in which technologies in conjunction with humans can be studied as 'actants'. Human agents, with their complex socio-cultural frames, are required to instantiate technology in social practices. Structurally relevant properties inscribed and embedded in technological artefacts constrain and enable human agency. The fortunes of healthcare IT programmes might be studied in terms of the interplay between these factors. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metallurgical Evaluations of Depainting Processes on Aluminum Substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGill, Preston

1999-01-01

In December 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emission Standards Division and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) signed an Interagency Agreement (IA) initiating a task force for the technical assessment of alternative technologies for aerospace depainting operations. The United States Air Force (USAF) joined the task force in 1994. The mandates of the task force were: (1) To identify available alternative depainting systems that do not rely on methylene chloride or other ozone-depleting, chlorinated, and volatile organic carbon solvents. (2) To determine the viability, applicability, and pollution prevention potential of each identified alternative. (3) To address issues of safety, environmental impact, reliability, and maintainability. Through a Technical Implementation Committee (TIC), the task force selected and evaluated eight alternative paint stripping technologies: chemical stripping, carbon dioxide (CO2) blasting, xenon flashlamp and CO2 coatings removal (FLASHJET(R)), CO2 laser stripping, plastic media blasting (PMB), sodium bicarbonate wet stripping, high-pressure water blasting (WaterJet), and wheat starch abrasive blasting (Enviro-Strip(R)). (The CO2 blasting study was discontinued after the first depainting sequence.) This final report presents the results of the Joint EPA/NASA/USAF Interagency Depainting Study. Significant topics include: (1) Final depainting sequence data for the chemical stripping, PMB, sodium bicarbonate wet stripping, and WaterJet processes. (2) Strip rates for all eight technologies. (3) Sequential comparisons of surface roughness measurements for the seven viable depainting technologies. (4) Chronological reviews of and lessons learned in the conduct of all eight technologies. (5) An analysis of the surface roughness trends for each of the seven technologies. (6) Metallurgic evaluations of panels Summaries of corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement evaluations of chemical stripping panels, detailed descriptions of which appear in previous reports. Because the requirements for alternative systems are diverse, as are initial setup, training, and on-going operational considerations, this study does not recommend a particular product or process. Users of this study will draw their own conclusions from the data presented herein.

Analysing the operative experience of basic surgical trainees in Ireland using a web-based logbook

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background There is concern about the adequacy of operative exposure in surgical training programmes, in the context of changing work practices. We aimed to quantify the operative exposure of all trainees on the National Basic Surgical Training (BST) programme in Ireland and compare the results with arbitrary training targets. Methods Retrospective analysis of data obtained from a web-based logbook (http://www.elogbook.org) for all general surgery and orthopaedic training posts between July 2007 and June 2009. Results 104 trainees recorded 23,918 operations between two 6-month general surgery posts. The most common general surgery operation performed was simple skin excision with trainees performing an average of 19.7 (± 9.9) over the 2-year training programme. Trainees most frequently assisted with cholecystectomy with an average of 16.0 (± 11.0) per trainee. Comparison of trainee operative experience to arbitrary training targets found that 2-38% of trainees achieved the targets for 9 emergency index operations and 24-90% of trainees achieved the targets for 8 index elective operations. 72 trainees also completed a 6-month post in orthopaedics and recorded 7,551 operations. The most common orthopaedic operation that trainees performed was removal of metal, with an average of 2.90 (± 3.27) per trainee. The most common orthopaedic operation that trainees assisted with was total hip replacement, with an average of 10.46 (± 6.21) per trainee. Conclusions A centralised web-based logbook provides valuable data to analyse training programme performance. Analysis of logbooks raises concerns about operative experience at junior trainee level. The provision of adequate operative exposure for trainees should be a key performance indicator for training programmes. PMID:21943313

Pre-departure preparation and co-curricular activities for Students' intercultural exchange: A mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Chan, E Angela; Liu, Justina Yat Wa; Fung, Keith Hin Kee; Tsang, Pak Lik; Yuen, John

2018-04-01

Nurses are required to be culturally competent to provide quality care to an increasingly diverse and ageing population. International exchange programmes were developed to support the traditional nursing curriculum. These programmes have often overlooked the importance of pre-departure preparation and co-curricular activities to the development of intercultural competency. To explore the influence of pre-departure and co-curricular activities on the intercultural learning experiences of both exchange and host students in a short-term international summer programme. A mixed-methods study. Students were recruited from international and mainland exchange partners, with host students as ambassadors. The international summer programme involved a week of online pre-departure activities and two weeks of face-to-face meetings. A convenience sample of 62 students from diverse cultural backgrounds was recruited on a voluntary basis. The participants were aged between 19 and 27. Data were collected from students' pre- and post-visit questionnaires, discussions within the workshops, their online discussion threads, and focus group discussions. The quantitative findings suggested that students' cultural intelligence improved significantly after the exchange programme. Qualitatively, three themes emerged as: 1) Students' motivation to engage in intercultural learning; 2) Barriers to intercultural communication; 3) Enablers of intercultural communication. Pre-departure preparation enabled students to discuss their common goals and expectations, while exploring differences, asked for practical living information, and used the basic intercultural concepts in their discussion on the care of elderly. This virtual encounter has lay the foundation for students' subsequent discussions about the why and how the differences that inform their own practices and about global ageing and poverty issues during their co-curricular activities. While the pre-departure preparation could serve as a stimulus, the value of this programme for intercultural learning also rests with the importance of debriefing to further students' reflective and experiential learning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Educational interventions to enhance competencies for interprofessional collaboration among nurse and physician managers: An integrative review.

PubMed

Clausen, Christina; Cummins, Kelly; Dionne, Kelley

2017-11-01

Collaborative leadership and management structures are critical to transforming care delivery. Both nurse and physician managers are uniquely positioned to co-lead. However, little is known on how to prepare and support individuals for these co-leader arrangements. The re-design of healthcare professional education focuses on interprofessional collaboration, mutual learning, and a competency-based approach. While competencies for interprofessional collaboration have been delineated, competencies for collaborative management practice have yet to be addressed. An integrative review of empirical studies on existing educational interventions was conducted to critically appraise and synthesise the results regarding collaborative competence among nurse and physician leaders. We reviewed how these interventions have been designed, implemented, and evaluated within workplace settings in order to inform our understanding of what components are effective or ineffective for the future development of an educational programme. This review reports on key characteristics of nine empirical studies and emphasises that: a uniprofessional approach to leadership development is predominant within educational programmes and that the assessment of shared learning experiences are not addressed; there are inconsistency in terms used to describe competencies by individual researchers and limitations within the competency frameworks used in the studies reviewed; and there is a lack of suitable instruments available to assess whether competencies have been achieved through the educational programmes. None of the studies discussed the process of how individuals learned specific competencies or whether learning outcome were achieved. Educational programmes were developed based on a perceived lack of leadership preparation and orientation programmes for leaders in formal management positions and used multiple interventions. Only two of the programmes involved organisational or systems level competencies. Interprofessional co-leading requires enhanced capabilities and capacity for managers. There is a need for developing an in-action education intervention that addresses the unique learning needs of co-leader arrangements particularly among nurses and physicians who are new to their role.

A unique research partnership investigating the fundamental principles of subsurface carbon dioxide behaviour and carbonate reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macdonald, I.; Blunt, M. J.; Maitland, G. C.

2017-12-01

Carbonate reservoirs hold the majority of CO2 sequestration potential, however, they are also more complicated than sandstone reservoirs in terms of heterogeneity and potential reactivity impact on operations. There are both significant carbonate reservoir CO2 sinks and CO2 point sources around Qatar making carbon capture and storage a potential decarbonisation pathway. The Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC) was formed in 2009 to address the gaps in our current knowledge of both local carbonate reservoir platforms and how CO2 would behave post sequestration. Our work spans 35 graduated PhD students, 10 still studying, 29 post-doctoral researchers, 18 faculty members all aided by 5 support staff and more than 100 MSc and summer students from 30 different countries, the centre has published over 150 papers in over 40 different journals. Our research is based within the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Earth Science and Engineering. Our team annually attends over 20 conferences world-wide to disseminate our findings and activity engage in outreach events (UNFCCC, science festivals, social media, science bars, school visits, etc.). QCCSRC is a research framework agreement over 10 years and valued at $70 million between Qatar Petroleum, Shell, the Qatar Science and Technology Park and Imperial College London bringing together each organisation's unique capabilities. This novel quadruple helix management structure is responsible for the largest single industrially funded research programme conducted at Imperial College London. Our research has focused on data to create and/or improve predictive models for CO2 storage in carbonate reservoirs. Our three broad thematic areas include: Rocks : Rock-fluid interactions : Fluid-fluid interactions and are supported by 5 laboratories. Overall this unique programme is an example of how to approach grand challenges in the energy-carbon dilemma through long-term and multidisciplinary cooperative research.

The Impact of Lymphatic Filariasis Mass Drug Administration Scaling Down on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Control in School-Age Children. Present Situation and Expected Impact from 2016 to 2020.

PubMed

Mupfasoni, Denise; Montresor, Antonio; Mikhailov, Alexei; King, Jonathan

2016-12-01

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and soil-transmitted-helminths (STH) are co-endemic in 58 countries which are mostly in Africa and Asia. Worldwide, 486 million school-age children are considered at risk of both diseases. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the global programme to eliminate LF by 2020. Since then, the LF elimination programme has distributed ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) in combination with albendazole, thereby also treating STH. Consequently, many school-age children have been treated for STH through the LF programme. As treatment targets towards the 2020 LF elimination goal are achieved, many countries are implementing the transmission assessment survey (TAS) and, if the LF prevalence is estimated to be less than 1%, scaling down mass drug administration (MDA). We analysed the 2014 data on preventive chemotherapy (PC) reported from LF STH co-endemic countries and projected the year and location of TAS expected to be conducted between 2016 and 2020 to assess the impact of this scaling down on STH PC. Eighty percent of all co-endemic countries that have already stopped LF MDA nationally were able to establish STH PC through schools. It is estimated that 14% of the total number of children presently covered by the LF programme is at risk of not continuing to receive PC for STH. In order to achieve and maintain the WHO 2020 goal for STH control, there is an urgent need to establish and reinforce school-based deworming programmes in countries scaling-down national LF elimination programmes.

'Desa SIAGA', the 'Alert Village': the evolution of an iconic brand in Indonesian public health strategies.

PubMed

Hill, Peter S; Goeman, Lieve; Sofiarini, Rahmi; Djara, Maddi M

2014-07-01

In 1999, the Ministry of Women's Empowerment in Indonesia worked with advertisers in Jakarta and international technical advisors to develop the concept of 'Suami SIAGA', the 'Alert Husband', confronting Indonesian males with their responsibilities to be aware of their wives' needs and ensure early access if needed to trained obstetrics care. The model was rapidly expanded to apply to the 'Desa SIAGA', the 'Alert Village', with communities assuming the responsibility for awareness of the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and supporting registered pregnant mothers with funding and transportation for emergency obstetric assistance, and identified blood donors. Based on the participant observation, interviews and documentary analysis, this article uses a systems perspective to trace the evolution of that iconic 'brand' as new national and international actors further developed the concept and its application in provincial and national programmes. In 2010, it underwent a further transformation to become 'Desa Siaga Aktif', a national programme with responsibilities expanded to include the provision of basic health services at village level, and the surveillance of communicable disease, monitoring of lifestyle activities and disaster preparedness, in addition to the management of obstetric emergencies. By tracking the use of this single 'brand', the study provides insights into the complex adaptive system of policy and programme development with its rich interactions between multiple international, national, provincial and sectoral stakeholders, the unpredictable responses to feedback from these actors and their activities and the resultant emergence of new policy elements, new programmes and new levels of operation within the system. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Programmed optoelectronic time-pulse coded relational processor as base element for sorting neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasilenko, Vladimir G.; Bardachenko, Vitaliy F.; Nikolsky, Alexander I.; Lazarev, Alexander A.

2007-04-01

In the paper we show that the biologically motivated conception of the use of time-pulse encoding gives the row of advantages (single methodological basis, universality, simplicity of tuning, training and programming et al) at creation and designing of sensor systems with parallel input-output and processing, 2D-structures of hybrid and neuro-fuzzy neurocomputers of next generations. We show principles of construction of programmable relational optoelectronic time-pulse coded processors, continuous logic, order logic and temporal waves processes, that lie in basis of the creation. We consider structure that executes extraction of analog signal of the set grade (order), sorting of analog and time-pulse coded variables. We offer optoelectronic realization of such base relational elements of order logic, which consists of time-pulse coded phototransformers (pulse-width and pulse-phase modulators) with direct and complementary outputs, sorting network on logical elements and programmable commutations blocks. We make estimations of basic technical parameters of such base devices and processors on their basis by simulation and experimental research: power of optical input signals - 0.200-20 μW, processing time - microseconds, supply voltage - 1.5-10 V, consumption power - hundreds of microwatts per element, extended functional possibilities, training possibilities. We discuss some aspects of possible rules and principles of training and programmable tuning on the required function, relational operation and realization of hardware blocks for modifications of such processors. We show as on the basis of such quasiuniversal hardware simple block and flexible programmable tuning it is possible to create sorting machines, neural networks and hybrid data-processing systems with the untraditional numerical systems and pictures operands.

A memory structure adapted simulated annealing algorithm for a green vehicle routing problem.

PubMed

Küçükoğlu, İlker; Ene, Seval; Aksoy, Aslı; Öztürk, Nursel

2015-03-01

Currently, reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption has become a critical environmental problem and has attracted the attention of both academia and the industrial sector. Government regulations and customer demands are making environmental responsibility an increasingly important factor in overall supply chain operations. Within these operations, transportation has the most hazardous effects on the environment, i.e., CO2 emissions, fuel consumption, noise and toxic effects on the ecosystem. This study aims to construct vehicle routes with time windows that minimize the total fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The green vehicle routing problem with time windows (G-VRPTW) is formulated using a mixed integer linear programming model. A memory structure adapted simulated annealing (MSA-SA) meta-heuristic algorithm is constructed due to the high complexity of the proposed problem and long solution times for practical applications. The proposed models are integrated with a fuel consumption and CO2 emissions calculation algorithm that considers the vehicle technical specifications, vehicle load, and transportation distance in a green supply chain environment. The proposed models are validated using well-known instances with different numbers of customers. The computational results indicate that the MSA-SA heuristic is capable of obtaining good G-VRPTW solutions within a reasonable amount of time by providing reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

[Tobacco smoking prevalence among students from Euro region Eastern Carpathians].

PubMed

Zadarko, Emilian; Penar-Zadarko, Beata; Barabasz, Zbigniew

2010-01-01

Publisher in February 2008 WHO M-POWER report indicates that every year on the world tobacco epidemics kills 5.4 million of people and the analysis of tobacco smoking prevalence change shows great differences between European countries. It is estimated that in Poland 29% of adult people smokes, and 24% in Slovakia. However tobacco smoking among academic youth is still a big problem. The aim of the study was an attempt to estimate tobacco smoking prevalence among students from Poland and Slovakia. The study was conducted with the framework of science project: "Physical activity for the whole life". The aim of the project are multidirectional activities addressed to Polish-Slovakian students to create a system of taking care about health based on health education among students, selected modifying cardiovascular risk factors monitoring, as well as creating Internet portal to serve those goals. Project was co-fund by European Union from European Regional Development Fund - ERDF, as well as from the government budget by Euro Region Carpathians with the framework of Cross-border Co-operation Programme Republic of Poland - Slovakia Republic 2007-2013. Analysis considered 4584 group of students from University of Rzeszow and University of Presov, Technical University in Rzeszow and State Higher Vocational School in Krosno. The study was conducted from November 2009 to June 2010. The participation in the study was voluntary. The study was conducted using a diagnostics survey method with questionnaire. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Based on results it was claimed that the majority of the studied group of students have never smoked and do not smoke cigarettes. Place of residence was a factor influencing the fact of tobacco smoking. Slovakian students were characterized by more frequent tobacco smoking. Far more often smoke man, both in Polish and Slovakian group. Among Polish students there was a relation between subjective health state assessment and tobacco smoking. The higher self-evaluation, the smaller tobacco smoking prevalence.

Topology Optimized Architectures with Programmable Poisson's Ratio over Large Deformations.

PubMed

Clausen, Anders; Wang, Fengwen; Jensen, Jakob S; Sigmund, Ole; Lewis, Jennifer A

2015-10-07

Topology optimized architectures are designed and printed with programmable Poisson's ratios ranging from -0.8 to 0.8 over large deformations of 20% or more. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Destroyer Engineered Operating Cycle (DDEOC), System Maintenance Analysis DDG-37 Class, Salt Water Circulating System SMA 37-106-256, Review of Experience

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-01

horizontally mounted, single-end suction, single- stage centrifugal pumps. The rotating elements are mounted on the shaft of the driving motor, and the pump...annual open-and-inspect requirement for MIP E-17/296-21, MRC 21 A14V A. Industrial Facility Improvements -- None IMA Improvements -- None Intergrated ...Circulating Pump, Warren Pumps, Inc., NAVSHIPS 347-3146, January 1959. 4. Technical Manual - Horizontal Close-Co!;pled Pumps Sea (Salt) Water

Energy Conversion Efficiency Potential for Forward-Deployed Generation Using Direct Carbon Fuel Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

fuel cells vs. DCFCs. PEMFC PAFC MCFC SOFC DCFC Electrolyte Polymer Phosphoric acid Molten car- bonate salt Ceramic Fused KNO3 Operating...air O2/air CO2/O2/air O2/air Humidified air Efficiency (Higher Heating Value [HHV]) 30–35% 40–50% 50–60% 45–55% 80% PEMFC : Proton Exchange... PEMFC proton-exchange membrane fuel cell SOFC solid oxide fuel cell SRI Statistical Research, Inc. TR technical report TRL technology readiness level

Future Outlook: Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Yoichiro

2008-11-01

The personal view for the next to the next neutrino detector, the ultimate experiment, is discussed. Considering the size, cost and head winds against the basic science, the ultimate experiment will be the only experiment in the world. Here two such experiments one for the neutrino oscillation and the other for the double beta decay were discussed. The ultimate experiment needs to include a bread and butter science and to have a discovery potential for an unexpected phenomenon. There are many technical challenges and international co-operations are absolutely necessary.

Optical network democratization.

PubMed

Nejabati, Reza; Peng, Shuping; Simeonidou, Dimitra

2016-03-06

The current Internet infrastructure is not able to support independent evolution and innovation at physical and network layer functionalities, protocols and services, while at same time supporting the increasing bandwidth demands of evolving and heterogeneous applications. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a completely democratized optical network infrastructure. It introduces the novel concepts of the optical white box and bare metal optical switch as key technology enablers for democratizing optical networks. These are programmable optical switches whose hardware is loosely connected internally and is completely separated from their control software. To alleviate their complexity, a multi-dimensional abstraction mechanism using software-defined network technology is proposed. It creates a universal model of the proposed switches without exposing their technological details. It also enables a conventional network programmer to develop network applications for control of the optical network without specific technical knowledge of the physical layer. Furthermore, a novel optical network virtualization mechanism is proposed, enabling the composition and operation of multiple coexisting and application-specific virtual optical networks sharing the same physical infrastructure. Finally, the optical white box and the abstraction mechanism are experimentally evaluated, while the virtualization mechanism is evaluated with simulation. © 2016 The Author(s).

Competent statistical programmer: Need of business process outsourcing industry

PubMed Central

Khan, Imran

2014-01-01

Over the last two decades Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has evolved as much mature practice. India is looked as preferred destination for pharmaceutical outsourcing over a cost arbitrage. Among the biometrics outsourcing, statistical programming and analysis required very niche skill for service delivery. The demand and supply ratios are imbalance due to high churn out rate and less supply of competent programmer. Industry is moving from task delivery to ownership and accountability. The paradigm shift from an outsourcing to consulting is triggering the need for competent statistical programmer. Programmers should be trained in technical, analytical, problem solving, decision making and soft skill as the expectations from the customer are changing from task delivery to accountability of the project. This paper will highlight the common issue SAS programming service industry is facing and skills the programmers need to develop to cope up with these changes. PMID:24987578

Competent statistical programmer: Need of business process outsourcing industry.

PubMed

Khan, Imran

2014-07-01

Over the last two decades Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has evolved as much mature practice. India is looked as preferred destination for pharmaceutical outsourcing over a cost arbitrage. Among the biometrics outsourcing, statistical programming and analysis required very niche skill for service delivery. The demand and supply ratios are imbalance due to high churn out rate and less supply of competent programmer. Industry is moving from task delivery to ownership and accountability. The paradigm shift from an outsourcing to consulting is triggering the need for competent statistical programmer. Programmers should be trained in technical, analytical, problem solving, decision making and soft skill as the expectations from the customer are changing from task delivery to accountability of the project. This paper will highlight the common issue SAS programming service industry is facing and skills the programmers need to develop to cope up with these changes.

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.

Technical and environmental performance of 10 kW understocker boiler during combustion of biomass and conventional fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junga, Robert; Wzorek, Małgorzata; Kaszubska, Mirosława

2017-10-01

This paper treats about the impact fuels from biomass wastes and coal combustion on a small boiler operation and the emission of pollutants in this process. Tests were performed in laboratory conditions on a water boiler with retort furnace and the capacity of 10 kW. Fuels from sewage sludge and agriculture wastes (PBZ fuel) and a blend of coal with laying hens mature (CLHM) were taken into account. The results in emission changes of NOx, CO2, CO and SO2 and operating parameters of the tested boiler during combustion were investigated. The obtained results were compared with corresponding results of flame coal (GFC). Combustion of the PBZ fuel turned out to be a stable process in the tested boiler but the thermal output has decreased in about 30% compared to coal combustion, while CO and NOx emission has increased. Similar effect was observed when 15% of the poultry litter was added to the coal. In this case thermal output has also decreased (in about 20%) and increase of CO and NOx emission was observed. As a conclusion, it can be stated that more effective control system with an adaptive air regulation and a modified heat exchanger could be useful in order to achieve the nominal power of the tested boiler.

Thailand mental health country profile.

PubMed

Siriwanarangsan, Porntep; Liknapichitkul, Dusit; Khandelwal, Sudhir K

2004-01-01

Thailand, a constitutional monarchy, has undergone a rapid shift in its demography and economy in last two decades. This has put a great burden on the health services, including mental health care of the country. The current emphasis of the Ministry of Public Health is to change its role from health care provider to policymaker and regulator of standards, and to provide technical support to health facilities under its jurisdiction as well as in the private sector. The Department of Mental Health, established in 1994, has laid down a mental health policy that aims to promote mental health care within the community with the help of people's participation in health programmes. Focus has been placed on developing suitable and efficient technology by seeking cooperation both within and outside the Ministry of Public Health. Consequently, the Department of Mental Health has been receiving increasing budgetary allocations. Since there is a paucity of trained manpower, the emphasis is being laid on the utilization of general health care for mental health care. Some of the specific interventions are community services, prison services, psychiatric rehabilitation, and use of media in mental health operations. There have been active efforts towards international cooperation for developing technologies for specific programmes. Private and non-governmental organizations are supported and encouraged to provide mental health care to the marginalized sections of society. Efforts have also been made by the Department of Mental Health to inspect and raise the efficiency of its operations to result in quality service.

The jABC Approach to Rigorous Collaborative Development of SCM Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hörmann, Martina; Margaria, Tiziana; Mender, Thomas; Nagel, Ralf; Steffen, Bernhard; Trinh, Hong

Our approach to the model-driven collaborative design of IKEA's P3 Delivery Management Process uses the jABC [9] for model driven mediation and choreography to complement a RUP-based (Rational Unified Process) development process. jABC is a framework for service development based on Lightweight Process Coordination. Users (product developers and system/software designers) easily develop services and applications by composing reusable building-blocks into (flow-) graph structures that can be animated, analyzed, simulated, verified, executed, and compiled. This way of handling the collaborative design of complex embedded systems has proven to be effective and adequate for the cooperation of non-programmers and non-technical people, which is the focus of this contribution, and it is now being rolled out in the operative practice.

TECHNICAL DESIGN NOTE: Digital proportional-integral-derivative velocity controller of a Mössbauer spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pechousek, J.; Prochazka, R.; Mashlan, M.; Jancik, D.; Frydrych, J.

2009-01-01

The digital proportional-integral-derivative (PID) velocity controller used in the Mössbauer spectrometer implemented in field programmable gate array (FPGA) is based on the National Instruments CompactRIO embedded system and LabVIEW graphical programming tools. The system works as a remote system accessible via the Ethernet. The digital controller operates in real-time conditions, and the maximum sampling frequency is approximately 227 kS s-1. The system was tested with standard sample measurements of α-Fe and α-57Fe2O3 on two different electromechanical velocity transducers. The nonlinearities of the velocity scales in the relative form are better than 0.2%. The replacement of the standard analog PID controller by the new system brings the possibility of optimizing the control process more precisely.

Microprocessors: Laboratory Simulation of Industrial Control Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gedeon, David V.

1981-01-01

Describes a course to make technical managers more aware of computer technology and how data loggers, programmable controllers, and larger computer systems interact in a hierarchical configuration of manufacturing process control. (SK)

A new architecture for enterprise information systems.

PubMed

Covvey, H D; Stumpf, J J

1999-01-01

Irresistible economic and technical forces are forcing healthcare institutions to develop regionalized services such as consolidated or virtual laboratories. Technical realities, such as the lack of an enabling enterprise-level information technology (IT) integration infrastructure, the existence of legacy systems, and non-existent or embryonic enterprise-level IT services organizations, are delaying or frustrating the achievement of the desired configuration of shared services. On attempting to address this matter, we discover that the state-of-the-art in integration technology is not wholly adequate, and itself becomes a barrier to the full realization of shared healthcare services. In this paper we report new work from the field of Co-operative Information Systems that proposes a new architecture of systems that are intrinsically cooperation-enabled, and we extend this architecture to both the regional and national scales.

Link practical-oriented research and education: New training tools for a sustainable use of plant protection products.

PubMed

Sacchettini, G; Calliera, M

2017-02-01

In the Horizon 2020 work programme 2016-17 it is stated that in 2010, 71% of European farm managers were operating on the basis of practical experience only. Education levels greatly vary depending on country, farm managers' age and gender, or farm structures, and this can hamper innovation. Transition towards a more sustainable agriculture requires a renewal and strengthening of the technical skills of all the actors involved and - as a consequence - of the educational system. The EU Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (EU, 128/2009/EC) requires European Member States to develop training activities targeting occupational exposure to pesticides. The objective of this study is to develop new training tools for operators, addressing the new legal requirements and taking into account what is already available. For this reason, the outcomes of different European and national research projects developed by the Opera Research Centre were used, involving stakeholders in the decision making process, but also considering the real behaviours and perceptions of the final users. As a result, an e-learning tool able to build personalized training programmes, by collecting and integrating existing training material on Plant Protection Products use was developed, together with an e-learning course, with the aim to help operators, advisors and distributors to get prepared for their national certificate test. This work highlights the opportunity to create long-term added value through enhanced collaboration between educators and researchers, and identifies a common set of priorities that has to be taken into account in order to nudge the changes required to achieve a more sustainable use of pesticide and, more in general, sustainable development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory: INTEGRAL Highlights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubertini, Pietro; Bazzano, Angela

2014-04-01

The INTEGRAL Space Observatory was selected as the second Medium size mission (M2) of the ESAs Horizon 2000 vision programme. INTEGRAL is the first high angular and spectral resolution hard X-ray and soft γ-ray observatory with a wide band spectral response ranging from 3 keV up to 10 MeV energy band. This capability is supplemented by an unprecedented sensitivity enhanced by the 3 days orbit allowing long and uninterrupted observations over very wide field of view (up to ~ 1000 squared degrees to zero response) and sub-ms time resolution. Part of the observatory success is due to its capability to link the high energy sky with the lower energy band. The complementarity and synergy with pointing soft X-ray missions such as XMM-Newton and CHANDRA and more recently with NuSTAR is a strategic feature to link the "thermal" and the "non-thermal" Universe observed at higher energies by space missions such as Fermi and AGILE and ground based TeV observatories sensitive to extremely high energies. INTEGRAL was launched on 17 October 2002 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakistan) aboard a Proton rocket as part of the Russian contribution to the mission, and has successfully spent almost 11 years in orbit. In view of its successful science outcome the ESA Space Programme Committee haw recently approved its scientific operation till the end of 2016. To date the spacecraft, ground segment and scientific payload are in excellent state-of-health, and INTEGRAL is continuing its scientific operations, originally planned for a 5-year technical design and scientific nominal operation plan. This paper summarizes the current INTEGRAL scientific achievements and future prospects, with particular regard to the high energy domain.

Initial assessment of strategic plans for improving the performance of veterinary services in developing countries: a review of OIE PVS gap analysis reports.

PubMed

Weaver, J; Leon, E; Edan, M; D'Alessio, F

2012-08-01

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) carries out Gap Analysis missions (if a country so wishes) as part of its programme to assess and improve the Performance of Veterinary Services (the 'PVS Pathway') in Member Countries. These Gap Analysis missions have found that many national Veterinary Services comply to only a limited extent with the international standards established by the OIE and that their competence is compromised by poor governance. This failure threatens animal and public health not only nationally but also internationally. The OIE PVS Gap Analysis reports reviewed found that all the Veterinary Services have a strong vision and commitmentto improvement but are held back by a weak chain of command, inadequate and outdated legislation, insufficient funding, weak technical competencies, compromised technical independence, poor communications and limited joint programmes. There are weaknesses across all the core technical areas of trade, animal health, veterinary public health and veterinary laboratories and also in the overall management of the Veterinary Services. The OIE PVS Gap Analysis missions recommend significant increases in budget in all countries.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration from a Hydrogen Production Facility in an Oil Refinery

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

Engels, Cheryl; Williams, Bryan, Valluri, Kiranmal; Watwe, Ramchandra

2010-06-21

The project proposed a commercial demonstration of advanced technologies that would capture and sequester CO2 emissions from an existing hydrogen production facility in an oil refinery into underground formations in combination with Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The project is led by Praxair, Inc., with other project participants: BP Products North America Inc., Denbury Onshore, LLC (Denbury), and Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) at the Bureau of Economic Geology of The University of Texas at Austin. The project is located at the BP Refinery at Texas City, Texas. Praxair owns and operates a large hydrogen production facility within the refinery. Asmore » part of the project, Praxair would construct a CO2 capture and compression facility. The project aimed at demonstrating a novel vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) based technology to remove CO2 from the Steam Methane Reformers (SMR) process gas. The captured CO2 would be purified using refrigerated partial condensation separation (i.e., cold box). Denbury would purchase the CO2 from the project and inject the CO2 as part of its independent commercial EOR projects. The Gulf Coast Carbon Center at the Bureau of Economic Geology, a unit of University of Texas at Austin, would manage the research monitoring, verification and accounting (MVA) project for the sequestered CO2, in conjunction with Denbury. The sequestration and associated MVA activities would be carried out in the Hastings field at Brazoria County, TX. The project would exceed DOE?s target of capturing one million tons of CO2 per year (MTPY) by 2015. Phase 1 of the project (Project Definition) is being completed. The key objective of Phase 1 is to define the project in sufficient detail to enable an economic decision with regard to proceeding with Phase 2. This topical report summarizes the administrative, programmatic and technical accomplishments completed in Phase 1 of the project. It describes the work relative to project technical and design activities (associated with CO2 capture technologies and geologic sequestration MVA), and Environmental Information Volume. Specific accomplishments of this Phase include: 1. Finalization of the Project Management Plan 2. Development of engineering designs in sufficient detail for defining project performance and costs 3. Preparation of Environmental Information Volume 4. Completion of Hazard Identification Studies 5. Completion of control cost estimates and preparation of business plan During the Phase 1 detailed cost estimate, project costs increased substantially from the previous estimate. Furthermore, the detailed risk assessment identified integration risks associated with potentially impacting the steam methane reformer operation. While the Phase 1 work identified ways to mitigate these integration risks satisfactorily from an operational perspective, the associated costs and potential schedule impacts contributed to the decision not to proceed to Phase 2. We have concluded that the project costs and integration risks at Texas City are not commensurate with the potential benefits of the project at this time.« less

Malaria vector control at a crossroads: public health entomology and the drive to elimination.

PubMed

Mnzava, Abraham P; Macdonald, Michael B; Knox, Tessa B; Temu, Emmanuel A; Shiff, Clive J

2014-09-01

Vector control has been at the core of successful malaria control. However, a dearth of field-oriented vector biologists threatens to undermine global reductions in malaria burden. Skilled cadres are needed to manage insecticide resistance, to maintain coverage with current interventions, to develop new paradigms for tackling 'residual' transmission and to target interventions as transmission becomes increasingly heterogeneous. Recognising this human resource crisis, in September 2013, WHO Global Malaria Programme issued guidance for capacity building in entomology and vector control, including recommendations for countries and implementing partners. Ministries were urged to develop long-range strategic plans for building human resources for public health entomology and vector control (including skills in epidemiology, geographic information systems, operational research and programme management) and to set in place the requisite professional posts and career opportunities. Capacity building and national ownership in all partner projects and a clear exit strategy to sustain human and technical resources after project completion were emphasised. Implementing partners were urged to support global and regional efforts to enhance public health entomology capacity. While the challenges inherent in such capacity building are great, so too are the opportunities to establish the next generation of public health entomologists that will enable programmes to continue on the path to malaria elimination. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Occupational health and the environment in an urban slum in India.

PubMed

Shukla, A; Kumar, S; Ory, F G

1991-01-01

The Indo-Dutch Environmental & Sanitary Engineering Project under the Ganga action Plan in Kanpur and Mirzapur is being executed within the Indo-Dutch bilateral development cooperation framework. The project aims to integrate physical, social and health related improvements. It is expected that the development approach and methodology can be replicated in other urban settlements in India. The project is being supplemented by a training and institutional strengthening programme to facilitate the transfer of new technologies and improvement of operation and maintenance of the new facilities. The project is also aimed at the improvement of the living conditions of the population, by installing drinking water and drainage systems. A socio-economic unit in the project supports the technical interventions by enhancing the community to participate in project activities. The Occupational Health Programme in Jajmau, an industrial slum of Kanpur, aims to improve the working conditions of tannery workers. Four hundred and ninety-seven tannery workers and 80 employees not engaged in leather work, from 20 tanneries, were interviewed and underwent physical examination. The mean age of tannery workers was 32 years, about half of them recently migrated to Kanpur. The majority of the workers are illiterate, have temporary jobs and 85% have a monthly income between 300 and 600 Rs. Occupational morbidity was 28.2%. Regular meetings with tannery owners, the training of tannery workers in first aid, and support for the installation of safety and health councils in tanneries are the main programme activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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.

A status update on EUMETSAT programmes and plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaes, K. Dieter

2017-09-01

The mandate of EUMETSAT is providing space observations for operational meteorology and climate monitoring. EUMETSAT operates geostationary and sun-synchronous polar orbiting satellites through mandatory programmes. Optional programmes provide further observations for altimetry and oceanography. EUMETSAT makes available data from partner agencies' satellites to the user community through third party programmes. The current fleet of operational geostationary spacecraft comprises Meteosat-7, which is the last satellite of the first generation and the four satellites of the Second Generation of Meteosat (MSG), Meteosat-8, Meteosat-9, Meteosat-10 and Meteosat-11. The EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) provides data from sun-synchronous polar orbit with currently two satellites: Metop-B, the second of a series of three satellites, launched in September 2012 and currently the prime satellite, and Metop-A, the first of the series, in orbit since October 2006. These satellites are part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) together with the US. EUMETSAT's first optional programme continues to provide data from the Jason-2 satellite since summer 2008. The follow on satellite Jason-3 was successfully launched and commissioned in 2016 and is now providing the reference altimetry mission. To assure continuity in the mandatory missions the development of Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) is ongoing. The EPS-SG EPS Second generation) programme is now under full development. In the frame of the Copernicus Programme EUMETSAT operates the Sentinel-3A satellite, which was launched in February 2016. EUMETSAT is providing operational marine products from the Sentinel-3A satellite. Sentinel-3B, is scheduled to be launched early 2018.

Do previous sports experiences influence the effect of an enrichment programme in basketball skills?

PubMed

Santos, Sara; Mateus, Nuno; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an enrichment programme in motor, technical and tactical basketball skills, when accounting for the age of youth sport specialisation. Seventy-six college students (age: M = 20.4, SD = 1.9) were allocated according to three different paths: (i) non-structured (n = 14), (ii) early specialisation (n = 34), and (iii) late specialisation (n = 28), according to information previously provided by the participants about the quantity and type of sporting activities performed throughout their sporting careers. Then, the participants of each path were randomly distributed across control and experimental groups. Variables under study included agility, technical skills circuit, as well as tactical actions performed in a 4-on-4 full-court basketball game. The results indicated improvements in the early and late specialisation paths namely in the experimental training groups. However, the late specialisation path revealed larger benefits, in contrast with the non-structured path, which showed less sensitivity to the enrichment programme, mostly sustained in physical literacy and differential learning. Higher improvements were observed in agility, and also in reducing the number of unsuccessful actions performed during the game. Overall, this study provided evidence of how early sports experiences affect basketball skill acquisition and contribute to adapt to new contexts with motor and technical-tactical challenges. In addition, a path supported by late specialisation might present several advantages in sport performance achievement.

Secure Sensor Platform Software Utilities v.2.0

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

Hymel, Ross

The SSP Software package allows a user to connect to a CoCIM via a Personality Programmer and: Reset the firmware of the CoCIM using the SSP Personality Programmer. The changes that can be made include things such as: Recovering from a tamper event; Resetting the initialization date and message counter; Change configuration values of the CoCIM using the SSP Seal Configuration or the RMSA Configuration File Editor programs. Configuration values that can be set will depend on what version of the CoCIM firmware is being used, but can include: The IP address of the translator with which this CoCIM (ormore » RMSA) communicates; The number of attempts the CoCIM (or RMSA) will attempt to contact the translator; The primary CoCIM (or RMSA) channel; The secondary CoCIM (or RMSA) channel; Locations of files containing CoCIM (or RMSA) encryption keys SSPSerialDataDumper downloads a CoCIM’s stored messages to a computer connected to the CoCIM via a serial cable; SSPLogAnalyzer decrypts and authenticates messages that have been downloaded using the Serial Data Dumper program and then displays the messages values.« less

Capacity building for global nursing leaders: challenges and experiences.

PubMed

Shin, S; Han, J; Cha, C

2016-12-01

The aim of this article is to describe our experience in operating a capacity-building programme, the Korea International Cooperation Project, for global nursing leaders from developing countries, held during the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Conference in 2015 in Seoul, Korea. Globalization points to the importance of global leadership among nursing leaders. In accordance with the theme of 'Global Citizen, Global Nursing' at the ICN conference in 2015, a capacity-building programme for nursing leaders of developing countries was implemented. The global nursing leadership programme shared experiences during the preparation and operation of the conference. To prepare the programme, this paper describes selecting participants, working with invitation lists from 30 countries, and recruiting and training volunteers. The operation of the programme, orientation, organizing tailored programmes for participant groups, addressing unexpected issues and evaluating the programme are described. ICN could implement capacity-building programmes for nursing leaders of developing countries during its ICN conference for the nursing society. A programme tailored for each continent with similar sociocultural backgrounds and health issues would provide chances for collaboration and networking. A policy to compile global nursing indicators should be developed. This would allow nursing leaders to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of global nursing and provide evidence for collaboration. The programme was successful in introducing and broadening global perspectives of participants on health and education as well as building a network among leaders and next-generation leaders in participating countries for future cooperation and collaboration. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

Advanced space system analysis software. Technical, user, and programmer guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, C. E.; Zimbelman, H. F.

1981-01-01

The LASS computer program provides a tool for interactive preliminary and conceptual design of LSS. Eight program modules were developed, including four automated model geometry generators, an associated mass properties module, an appendage synthesizer module, an rf analysis module, and an orbital transfer analysis module. The existing rigid body controls analysis module was modified to permit analysis of effects of solar pressure on orbital performance. A description of each module, user instructions, and programmer information are included.

The health sector reforms and the efficiency of public hospitals in Turkey: provincial markets.

PubMed

Sulku, Seher Nur

2012-10-01

Turkey initiated the 'Health Transformation Programme' (HTP) in 2003 to align its health care system with the European Union and OECD countries. This study investigates the impact of these reforms on the efficiency of public hospitals. Our study would contribute to the existing literature with a comprehensive analysis of the health system in a developing country. We employ the data envelopment approach and the Malmquist index to comparatively examine before and after the reform years. Our analyses compare the performances of public hospitals served in provincial markets. Inputs of number of beds, number of primary care physician, and number of specialists, and how they are used to produce outputs of inpatient discharges, outpatient visits and surgical operations are investigated. Indeed, as the performance indicators dead rate, hospital bed occupation rate and average length of stay are considered. The HTP was generally successful in boosting productivity due to advancements in technology and technical efficiency but in the socio-economically disadvantaged provinces productivity gains have not been achieved. The average technical efficiency gains took place because of the significantly improved scale efficiencies, as the average pure technical efficiency slightly improved. Lastly, the hospital performance indicators have not improved in the short run. It appears that the expected benefits from the health reforms in Turkey have been partially achieved in the short run.

Co-digestion of solid waste: Towards a simple model to predict methane production.

PubMed

Kouas, Mokhles; Torrijos, Michel; Schmitz, Sabine; Sousbie, Philippe; Sayadi, Sami; Harmand, Jérôme

2018-04-01

Modeling methane production is a key issue for solid waste co-digestion. Here, the effect of a step-wise increase in the organic loading rate (OLR) on reactor performance was investigated, and four new models were evaluated to predict methane yields using data acquired in batch mode. Four co-digestion experiments of mixtures of 2 solid substrates were conducted in semi-continuous mode. Experimental methane yields were always higher than the BMP values of mixtures calculated from the BMP of each substrate, highlighting the importance of endogenous production (methane produced from auto-degradation of microbial community and generated solids). The experimental methane productions under increasing OLRs corresponded well to the modeled data using the model with constant endogenous production and kinetics identified at 80% from total batch time. This model provides a simple and useful tool for technical design consultancies and plant operators to optimize the co-digestion and the choice of the OLRs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental engineering education: examples of accreditation and quality assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caporali, E.; Catelani, M.; Manfrida, G.; Valdiserri, J.

2013-12-01

Environmental engineers respond to the challenges posed by a growing population, intensifying land-use pressures, natural resources exploitation as well as rapidly evolving technology. The environmental engineer must develop technically sound solutions within the framework of maintaining or improving environmental quality, complying with public policy, and optimizing the utilization of resources. The engineer provides system and component design, serves as a technical advisor in policy making and legal deliberations, develops management schemes for resources, and provides technical evaluations of systems. Through the current work of environmental engineers, individuals and businesses are able to understand how to coordinate society's interaction with the environment. There will always be a need for engineers who are able to integrate the latest technologies into systems to respond to the needs for food and energy while protecting natural resources. In general, the environment-related challenges and problems need to be faced at global level, leading to the globalization of the engineering profession which requires not only the capacity to communicate in a common technical language, but also the assurance of an adequate and common level of technical competences, knowledge and understanding. In this framework, the Europe-based EUR ACE (European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes) system, currently operated by ENAEE - European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education can represent the proper framework and accreditation system in order to provide a set of measures to assess the quality of engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. The application of the accreditation model EUR-ACE, and of the National Italian Degree Courses Accreditation System, promoted by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), to the Environmental Engineering Degree Courses at the University of Firenze is presented. In particular, the accreditation models of the multidisciplinary first cycle degree in Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering and the more specific second cycle degree in Environmental Engineering are discussed. The critical issues to assure the quality and the status of environmental engineering graduates, in terms of applying knowledge capacities and technical innovative competences, according to the more engineering focused EUR-ACE skill descriptors as well as with respect to the Dublin descriptors, at local and global scale are also compared. The involvement of the professional working world in the definition of goals in skills, of typical expectations of achievements and abilities is also described. The system for educating engineers in communicating knowledge and understanding, making informed judgments and choices, capacities to lifelong learning is in addition assessed. The promotion of innovative aspects related with the environmental engineering education, and of the role that science and technology could play in environmental engineering education is also taken into consideration.

DAG telescope site studies and infrastructure for possible international co-operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yerli, Sinan K.; Yeşilyaprak, Cahit; Keskin, Onur; Alis, Sinan

2016-07-01

The selected site for the 4 m DAG (Eastern Anatolian Observatory in Turkish) telescope is at "Karakaya Ridge", at 3170 m altitude (3150 m after summit management). The telescope's optical design is performed by the DAG technical team to allow infrared observation at high angular resolution, with its adaptive optics system to be built in Turkey. In this paper; a brief introduction about DAG telescope design; planned instrumentation; the meteorological data collected from 2008, clear night counts, short-term DIMM observations; current infrastructure to hold auxiliary telescopes; auxiliary buildings to assist operations; the observatory design; and coating unit plans will be presented along with possible collaboration possibilities in terms of instrumentation and science programs.

Investigation of Desiccants and CO2 Sorbents for Exploration Systems 2016-2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, James C.; Watson, David W.; Giesy, Timothy J.; Cmarik, Gregory E.; Miller, Lee A.

2017-01-01

NASA has embarked on the mission to enable humans to explore deep space, including the goal of sending humans to Mars. This journey will require significant developments in a wide range of technical areas as resupply and early return are not possible. Additionally, mass, power, and volume must be minimized for all phases to maximize propulsion availability. Among the critical areas identified for development are life support systems, which will require increases in reliability as well as reduce resource usage. Two primary points for reliability are the mechanical stability of sorbent pellets and recovery of CO2 sorbent productivity after off-nominal events. In this paper, we discuss the present efforts towards screening and characterizing commercially-available sorbents for extended operation in desiccant and CO2 removal beds. With minimized dusting as the primary criteria, a commercial 13X zeolite was selected and tested for performance and risk.

Large Pilot-Scale Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture Project Using Aminosilicone Solvent.Final Scientific/Technical Report

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

Hancu, Dan

GE Global Research has developed, over the last 8 years, a platform of cost effective CO2 capture technologies based on a non-aqueous aminosilicone solvent (GAP-1m). As demonstrated in previous funded DOE projects (DE-FE0007502 and DEFE0013755), the GAP-1m solvent has increased CO2 working capacity, lower volatility and corrosivity than the benchmark aqueous amine technology. Performance of the GAP-1m solvent was recently demonstrated in a 0.5 MWe pilot at National Carbon Capture Center, AL with real flue gas for over 500 hours of operation using a Steam Stripper Column (SSC). The pilot-scale PSTU engineering data were used to (i) update the techno-economicmore » analysis, and EH&S assessment, (ii) perform technology gap analysis, and (iii) conduct the solvent manufacturability and scale-up study.« less

Assessment of Air Vehicle Design Evolution over Mach Number and Altitude Operating Envelope With and Without S&C Considerations as Part of the Design Synthesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-29

present programme in a more integrated sense. This then initiates the main body of work. Final stages will lead to firming up on the inferences and...shown in Fig.9.4.1. The (outer) wing planform is 45o delta with swept TE and extensive fuselage strakes. A Body Flap, spanning the width of the...lateral derivatives are shown in Fig.9.4.2. Fig.9.4.3 shows CoP variation with M and also the variation with M of Cm due to α, elevators and Body Flap

An improved scan laser with a VO2 programmable mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chivian, J. S.; Scott, M. W.; Case, W. E.; Krasutsky, N. J.

1985-04-01

A 10.6-microns scan laser has been constructed and operated with an off-axis cathode ray tube, high reflectance multilayer thin-film structures, and a tapered plasma discharge tube. Equations are given for the switching time of a high-reflectance spot on the VO2 and for the relation of scan laser output power to cavity geometry, cavity losses, and the gain of the active CO2 medium. A scan capability of 2100 easily resolvable directions was demonstrated, and sequential and randomly addressed spot rates of 100,000/sec were achieved. The equations relating output power and cavity mode size were experimentally verified using a nonscanned beam.

Peptide Logic Circuits Based on Chemoenzymatic Ligation for Programmable Cell Apoptosis.

PubMed

Li, Yong; Sun, Sujuan; Fan, Lin; Hu, Shanfang; Huang, Yan; Zhang, Ke; Nie, Zhou; Yao, Shouzhou

2017-11-20

A novel and versatile peptide-based bio-logic system capable of regulating cell function is developed using sortase A (SrtA), a peptide ligation enzyme, as a generic processor. By modular peptide design, we demonstrate that mammalian cells apoptosis can be programmed by peptide-based logic operations, including binary and combination gates (AND, INHIBIT, OR, and AND-INHIBIT), and a complex sequential logic circuit (multi-input keypad lock). Moreover, a proof-of-concept peptide regulatory circuit was developed to analyze the expression profile of cell-secreted protein biomarkers and trigger cancer-cell-specific apoptosis. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Proceedings of the DRG Seminar on The Defence of Small Ships against Missile Attacks (30th) Held in Ottawa, Canada on 12-14 September 1990. Volume 1 (Actes de 30ieme Seminaire sur la Defense de Petits Navires Contre les Attaques de Missiles)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-12

LONG TERM 14. Abstract: The paper gives an overview of US Navy programme and objectives of anti-ship missile defence. Both evolutionary near term ...Integration of ESM with radar and IR sensors has Impli- cations with respect to ESM performance in terms of bearing accuracy, sensitivity and robustness in...defence budgets. The Terms of Reference of the Defence Research Group call for exchange of information, and the development of co-operative research

ACHP | Historic Preservation in Technical or Scientific Facilities

Science.gov Websites

with the Operation of Highly Technical or Scientific Facilities Balancing Historic Preservation Needs with the Operation of Highly Technical or Scientific Facilities 1991; 79 pages; excerpt available Needs with the Operation of Highly Technical or Scientific Facilities considers the appropriate role of

76 FR 72885 - FM Asymmetric Sideband Operation and Associated Technical Studies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-28

... Sideband Operation and Associated Technical Studies AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION... Asymmetric Sideband Operation and Associated Technical Studies, MM Docket No. 99-325, Public Notice, DA 11-1832 (MB rel. Nov. 1, 2011). The iBiquity and NPR request and the iBiquity and NPR technical studies...

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.

Groundwater temperature transients on the Armutlu peninsula, eastern Marmara region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woith, Heiko; Caka, Deniz; Seyis, Cemil; Italiano, Francesco; Celik, Cengiz; Wang, Rongjiang; Baris, Serif

2016-04-01

Since many years MAM and GFZ in co-operation with Kocaeli University (KU) operate fluid monitoring stations around the Sea of Marmara. In the frame of MARsite (MARsite has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 308417) these networks were jointly evaluated for the first time. The on-land fluid monitoring networks continuously monitor the following parameters: soil radon (21 sites), temperature and conductivity of thermal springs (9 sites) operated by MAM covering the whole Marmara region; fluid pressure and water level/temperature (8 sites) within ARNET operated by GFZ/KU. ARNET is a combined seismological/hydrogeological monitoring network covering the Armutlu peninsula located SE of Istanbul. Additional to the geothermal wells and springs - our main target to detect transients of potentially seismo-tectonic origin - three shallow groundwater wells (tenth of meters deep) are being operated to identify and quantify seasonal variations, and meteorological influences like rainfall and snowmelt. But it turned out that these shallow aquifer systems showed very stable conditions with very small annual temperature amplitudes (0.2 - 0.3°C). One of these shallow monitoring wells is located just south of Lake Iznik (in the village of Sölöz) very close to the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. Water level showed a steady decreasing trend since June 2012. This trend resulted in a data gap starting in January 2014, when the water level dropped below the sensor position. After adjusting the sensor position, positive spikes in the borehole temperature were recorded in June and August 2014, and again in 2015. The spikes are characterised by a sharp temperature increase followed by a decay lasting several days until the pre-event temperature was reached again. Since the spikes occurred on two independent logger systems, and since they lasted several days, a technical origin is not likely. During the station visit in 2015 a physical explanation for these positive temperature spikes emerged. We noticed the release of pressured gas while opening the wellhead. Thus, tentatively we propose that the rise of a giant gas bubble was responsible for the temperature spikes. We present a preliminary model to explain the observations.

77 FR 58473 - Minimum Technical Standards for Class II Gaming Systems and Equipment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-21

... as printed advertising material that cannot be validated directly by a voucher system. Critical... on that component. EPROM. Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory--a non-volatile storage chip or...

INFOMAR - Ireland's National Seabed Mapping Programme: A Tool For Marine Spatial Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furey, T. M.

2016-02-01

INFOMAR is Ireland's national seabed mapping programme and is a key action in the national integrated marine plan, Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth. It comprises a multi-platform approach to delivering marine integrated mapping in 2 phases, over a projected 20 year timeline (2006-2026). The programme has three work strands; Data Acquisition, Data Exchange and Integration, and Value Added Exploitation. The Data Acquisition strand includes collection of hydrographic, oceanographic, geological, habitat and heritage datasets that will underpin future sustainable development and management of Ireland's marine resource. INFOMAR outputs are delivered through the Data Exchange and Integration strand. Uses of these outputs are wide ranging and multipurpose, from management plans for fisheries, aquaculture and coastal protection works, to environmental impact assessments, ocean renewable development and integrated coastal zone management. In order to address the evolution and diversification of maritime user requirements, the programme has realigned and developed outputs and new products, in part, through an innovative research funding initiative. Development is also fostered through the Value Added Exploitation strand. INFOMAR outputs and products serve to underpin delivery of Ireland's statutory obligations and enhance compliance with EU and national legislation. This is achieved through co-operation with the agencies responsible for supporting Ireland's international obligations and for the implementation of marine spatial planning. A strategic national seabed mapping programme such as INFOMAR, provides a critical baseline dataset which underpins development of the marine economy, and improves our understanding of the response of marine systems to pressures, and the effect of cumulative impacts. This paper will focus on the evolution and scope of INFOMAR, and look at examples of outputs being harnessed to serve approaches to the management of activities having an impact on the marine environment.

Management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension with a programmable lumboperitoneal shunt: Early experience.

PubMed

Alkherayf, Fahad; Abou Al-Shaar, Hussam; Awad, Michael

2015-09-01

To evaluate the clinical outcomes and complications rate among idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) patients who underwent lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt insertion with a programmable Strata valve. We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent LP shunt with a programmable Strata valve insertion at the University of Ottawa Civic Hospital from November 2012 to June 2013. The demographic data, clinical symptoms, opening pressure, pre-operative and post-operative visual fields, neuroimaging, visual acuity, disc status, and complications were recorded and analyzed. Seven female patients with IIH underwent insertion of an LP shunt with a programmable Strata valve. The mean opening pressure was 35.8 cm H2O. The initial valve setting was 1.5, and four patients required post-operative valve pressure adjustment. All patients showed significant improvement in objective visual testing at follow-up as well as less frequent headaches. None of the patients developed intra- or post-operative complications. LP shunts with programmable Strata valve systems are a potential alternative to conventional LP and programmable ventriculoperitoneal shunt systems as well as optic nerve sheath fenestration, due to their potential in avoiding brain injury, lower failure and complication rates, lower intracranial hypotension incidence, and flexibility in adjusting valve pressure settings post-operatively evading under- and overdrainage complications. They should be considered for the management of IIH instead of early design LP systems and VP shunts. A randomized multi-center trial should be conducted to compare the efficacy of these surgical techniques. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leveraging Safety Programs to Improve and Support Security Programs

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

Leach, Janice; Snell, Mark K.; Pratt, R.

2015-10-01

There has been a long history of considering Safety, Security, and Safeguards (3S) as three functions of nuclear security design and operations that need to be properly and collectively integrated with operations. This paper specifically considers how safety programmes can be extended directly to benefit security as part of an integrated facility management programme. The discussion will draw on experiences implementing such a programme at Sandia National Laboratories’ Annular Research Reactor Facility. While the paper focuses on nuclear facilities, similar ideas could be used to support security programmes at other types of high-consequence facilities and transportation activities.

Industrial Control System Process-Oriented Intrusion Detection (iPoid) Algorithm

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

inspection rules using an intrusion-detection system (IDS) sensor, a simulated Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), and a Modbus client operating...operating system PLC Programmable Logic Controller SCADA supervisory control and data acquisition SIGHUP signal hangup SPAN Switched Port Analyzer

Advances in participatory occupational health aimed at good practices in small enterprises and the informal sector.

PubMed

Kogi, Kazutaka

2006-01-01

Participatory programmes for occupational risk reduction are gaining importance particularly in small workplaces in both industrially developing and developed countries. To discuss the types of effective support, participatory steps commonly seen in our "work improvement-Asia" network are reviewed. The review covered training programmes for small enterprises, farmers, home workers and trade union members. Participatory steps commonly focusing on low-cost good practices locally achieved have led to concrete improvements in multiple technical areas including materials handling, workstation ergonomics, physical environment and work organization. These steps take advantage of positive features of small workplaces in two distinct ways. First, local key persons are ready to accept local good practices conveyed through personal, informal approaches. Second, workers and farmers are capable of understanding technical problems affecting routine work and taking flexible actions leading to solving them. This process is facilitated by the use of locally adjusted training tools such as local good examples, action checklists and group work methods. It is suggested that participatory occupational health programmes can work in small workplaces when they utilize low-cost good practices in a flexible manner. Networking of these positive experiences is essential.

Policy over Procedure: A Look at the School Completion Programme in Ireland. Is This State Led Educational Intervention for Disadvantaged Children Merely Philanthropic and Can Current Global and National Neo Liberal Policy Trends in Education Be Overcome?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenna, Declan

2015-01-01

"An overview of contemporary curriculum discourse shows a worrying drift to the technical; in current curriculum debates, technique is winning out over substance, procedure over principles" (Looney 2001, p.149). As a project worker in the School Completion Programme in Ireland I ask what and who education is for and look at to whom and…

Key factors of low carbon development strategy for sustainable transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thaveewatanaseth, K.; Limjirakan, S.

2018-02-01

Cities become more vulnerable to climate change impacts causing by urbanization, economic growth, increasing of energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. People who live in the cities have already been affected from the impacts in terms of socioeconomic and environmental aspects. Sustainable transport plays the key role in CO2 mitigation and contributes positive impacts on sustainable development for the cities. Several studies in megacities both in developed and developing countries support that mass transit system is an important transportation mode in CO2 mitigation and sustainable transport development. This paper aims to study key factors of low carbon development strategy for sustainable transport. The Bangkok Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) located in Bangkok was the study area. Data collection was using semi-structured in-depth interview protocol with thirty respondents consisting of six groups i.e. governmental agencies, the MRT operators, consulting companies, international organizations, non-profit organizations, and experts. The research findings highlighted the major factors and supplemental elements composing of institution and technical capacity, institutional framework, policy setting and process, and plan of implementation that would support more effective strategic process for low carbon development strategy (LCDS) for sustainable transport. The study would highly recommend on readiness of institution and technical capacities, stakeholder mapping, high-level decision- makers participation, and a clear direction of the governmental policies that are strongly needed in achieving the sustainable transport.

Operational and implementation research within Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grants: a situation analysis in six countries.

PubMed

Kiefer, Sabine; Knoblauch, Astrid M; Steinmann, Peter; Barth-Jaeggi, Tanja; Vahedi, Mahnaz; Maher, Dermot; Utzinger, Jürg; Wyss, Kaspar

2017-03-24

Operational/implementation research (OR/IR) is a key activity to improve disease control programme performance. We assessed the extent to which malaria and tuberculosis (TB) grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ("Global Fund") include support for OR/IR, and discuss the implications of the current Global Fund operating mechanisms for OR/IR support. The situation analysis focussed on malaria and TB, while HIV was excluded. Stakeholder interviews were conducted at the Global Fund secretariat and in six purposefully selected high disease burden countries, namely the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe. Interviewed in-country stakeholders included the relevant disease control programme managers, project implementation partners, representatives from international organisations with a stake in global health, academic and governmental research institutions, and other relevant individuals such as members of the country coordination mechanism. Additionally, documentation of grants and OR/IR obtained from the Global Fund was reviewed. The Global Fund provides substantial resources for malaria and TB surveys, and supports OR/IR if such support is requested and the application is well justified. We observed considerable variations from one country to another and between programmes with regards to need, demand, absorption capacity and funding for OR/IR related to malaria and TB. Important determinants for the extent of such funding are the involvement of national research coordination bodies, established research agendas and priorities, human and technical research capacity, and involvement of relevant stakeholders in concept note development. Efforts to disseminate OR/IR findings were generally weak, and the Global Fund does not maintain a central OR/IR database. When faced with a need to choose between procurement of commodities for disease control and supporting research, countries tend to seek research funding from other donors. The Global Fund is expected to issue more specific guidance on the conditions under which it supports OR/IR, and to adapt administrative procedures to facilitate research. The importance of OR/IR for optimising disease control programmes is generally accepted but countries vary in their capacity to demand and implement studies. Countries expect guidance on OR/IR from the Global Fund. Administrative procedures specifically related to the budget planning should be modified to facilitate ad-hoc OR/IR funding. More generally, several countries expressed a need to strengthen capacity for planning, negotiating and implementing research.

Large-scale CO2 storage — Is it feasible?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansen, H.

2013-06-01

CCS is generally estimated to have to account for about 20% of the reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of CO2 storage, even if the CCS challenge is equally dependent upon finding viable international solutions to a wide range of economic, political and cultural issues. It has already been demonstrated that it is technically possible to store adequate amounts of CO2 in the subsurface (Sleipner, InSalah, Snøhvit). The large-scale storage challenge (several Gigatons of CO2 per year) is more an issue of minimizing cost without compromising safety, and of making international regulations.The storage challenge may be split into 4 main parts: 1) finding reservoirs with adequate storage capacity, 2) make sure that the sealing capacity above the reservoir is sufficient, 3) build the infrastructure for transport, drilling and injection, and 4) set up and perform the necessary monitoring activities. More than 150 years of worldwide experience from the production of oil and gas is an important source of competence for CO2 storage. The storage challenge is however different in three important aspects: 1) the storage activity results in pressure increase in the subsurface, 2) there is no production of fluids that give important feedback on reservoir performance, and 3) the monitoring requirement will have to extend for a much longer time into the future than what is needed during oil and gas production. An important property of CO2 is that its behaviour in the subsurface is significantly different from that of oil and gas. CO2 in contact with water is reactive and corrosive, and may impose great damage on both man-made and natural materials, if proper precautions are not executed. On the other hand, the long-term effect of most of these reactions is that a large amount of CO2 will become immobilized and permanently stored as solid carbonate minerals. The reduced opportunity for direct monitoring of fluid samples close to the reservoir, the general pressure build up, and the reactive nature of CO2, have created a need for new research and knowledge, to be used in conjunction with operating competence from the oil and gas industry. Experimental work on fluid flow, deformation and reaction, as well as simulations to predict the future performance of the injected CO2, are much more important in connection with CO2 storage, as compared with conventional oil and gas production. To conclude this overview of the CO2 storage challenge, the technical feasibility of large-scale CO2 storage has been demonstrated. The cost is however going to be significant, especially in the initial phase. The public acceptance of CCS, and the willingness to pay the bill, will depend on several important factors: a serious acceptance of the climate problem, economic and political regulations that are globally fair, and the willingness of each and one of us to accept a higher price for energy.

The CoRoT B-type binary HD 50230: a prototypical hybrid pulsator with g-mode period and p-mode frequency spacings⋆

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degroote, P.; Aerts, C.; Michel, E.; Briquet, M.; Pápics, P. I.; Amado, P.; Mathias, P.; Poretti, E.; Rainer, M.; Lombaert, R.; Hillen, M.; Morel, T.; Auvergne, M.; Baglin, A.; Baudin, F.; Catala, C.; Samadi, R.

2012-06-01

Context. B-type stars are promising targets for asteroseismic modelling, since their frequency spectrum is relatively simple. Aims: We deduce and summarise observational constraints for the hybrid pulsator, HD 50230, earlier reported to have deviations from a uniform period spacing of its gravity modes. The combination of spectra and a high-quality light curve measured by the CoRoT satellite allow a combined approach to fix the position of HD 50230 in the HR diagram. Methods: To describe the observed pulsations, classical Fourier analysis was combined with short-time Fourier transformations and frequency spacing analysis techniques. Visual spectra were used to constrain the projected rotation rate of the star and the fundamental parameters of the target. In a first approximation, the combined information was used to interpret multiplets and spacings to infer the true surface rotation rate and a rough estimate of the inclination angle. Results: We identify HD 50230 as a spectroscopic binary and characterise the two components. We detect the simultaneous presence of high-order g modes and low-order p and g-modes in the CoRoT light curve, but were unable to link them to line profile variations in the spectroscopic time series. We extract the relevant information from the frequency spectrum, which can be used for seismic modelling, and explore possible interpretations of the pressure mode spectrum. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Spain. Based on observations made with the ESO telescopes at La Silla Observatory under the ESO Large Programme LP182.D-0356, and on observations made with the Mercator Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma by the Flemish Community, at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and on observations obtained with the HERMES spectrograph, which is supported by the Fund for Scientific Research of Flanders (FWO), Belgium, the Research Council of K.U. Leuven, Belgium, the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), Belgium, the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the Observatoire de Genève, Switzerland and the Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Germany.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Salt fluoridation--an alternative in automatic prevention of dental caries.

PubMed

Marthaler, T M; Petersen, P E

2005-12-01

Despite great improvements in terms of reduced prevalence and amount of dental caries in populations worldwide, problems still persist particularly among the underprivileged groups of both developed and developing countries. Research and practical experience gained in several countries have demonstrated however, that dental caries can be prevented effectively through establishment of fluoride programmes. Water fluoridation, salt fluoridation, milk fluoridation and use of affordable fluoridated toothpastes play the major roles in public health. The present paper outlines the relevance and some practical aspects in relation to implementation of salt fluoridation programmes. The World Health Organisation Oral Health Programme provides technical assistance to countries in the process of planning, implementing and evaluating salt fluoridation projects.

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

PubMed

Yuvraj; Padmanabhan, Padmini

2017-06-01

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

The Power of Continuity in Graduate Teacher Education Master's Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molseed, Timothy R.

2009-01-01

The intentional development of continuity as it applies to programme structure, themes and outcomes is examined for their power in providing a coherent circular connection between the philosophy, operation, assessment and outcomes of a graduate teacher education programme. It is argued that the intentional development of programme continuity will…

The Problem with Numbers: An Examination of the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkins, Andrew P.

2015-01-01

This article examines a federally funded pre-apprenticeship training programme designed to transition aboriginal northerners living in the Canadian Arctic into trades-related employment. Drawing from interviews involving programme partners and stakeholders, the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership programme that operated in the Beaufort…

A pre-operative group rehabilitation programme provided limited benefit for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Wallis, Jason A; Webster, Kate E; Levinger, Pazit; Fong, Cynthia; Taylor, Nicholas F

2014-01-01

To determine if a pre-operative group rehabilitation programme can improve arthritis self-efficacy for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis. Single group, repeated measures design: 4-week baseline phase followed by a 6-week intervention phase of water exercise, and education with self-management strategies. The primary outcome was arthritis self-efficacy. The secondary outcomes were measures of pain (WOMAC), activity limitation (WOMAC), activity performance (30 s chair stand test, 10 m walk test) and health-related quality of life (EuroQol). Twenty participants (10 knee osteoarthritis and 10 hip osteoarthritis) with a mean age of 71 years (SD 7) attended 92% (SD 10%) of the scheduled sessions. All measures demonstrated baseline stability between two time points for measurements at week 1 and measurements at week 4. After the 6-week intervention programme there were no significant improvements for arthritis self-efficacy. There was a 12% increase for fast walking speed (mean increase of 0.14 m/s, 95% CI 0.07, 0.22). There were no significant improvements for other secondary outcomes. A pre-operative water-based exercise and educational programme did not improve arthritis self-efficacy, self-reported pain and activity limitation, and health-related quality of life for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis who were candidates for joint replacement. While there was a significant increase in one measure of activity performance (walking speed), these findings suggest the current programme may be of little value. Implications for Rehabilitation This pre-operative group rehabilitation programme for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis did not change arthritis self-efficacy, pain, activity limitation and health-related quality of life. This programme may have little value in preparing people for joint replacement surgery. The optimal pre-operative programme requires further design and investigation.

The effect of early berthing prospects on the energy efficiency operational index in oil tanker vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acomi, N.; Acomi, O. C.

2016-08-01

Marine pollution is one of the main concerns of our society. In order to reduce air pollution produced by ships, the International Maritime Organization has developed technical, operational and management measures. Part of the operational measures refers to CO2 emissions that contribute to the energy efficiency of the vessel. The difficulty in assessing the energy efficiency of the vessel rests with the diversity of voyage parameters, including quantity of cargo, distance and type of fuel in use. Assessing the energy efficiency of the vessel is thus not a matter of determining the absolute value of the CO2, but of providing a meaningful construct to enable tracking performance trends over time, for the same ship, a fleet of ships or across the industry. This concept is the Energy Efficiency Operational Index, EEOI. The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of a well predicted voyage on the EEOI value. The method used consists in a comparative analysis of two situations regarding berthing prospects: the real passage plan and an early prediction that supposes the vessel to arrive on time as required. The results of the study represent a monitoring tool for the ship owners to assess the EEOI from the early stage of designing the berthing prospects.

Simulation For Task Practice in Technical Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mallory, W. J.

1981-01-01

Describes two programs used by the Ford Motor Company to train manufacturing skilled trades personnel. Programmable Controller Maintenance Training Program for Industrial Technicians and Troubleshooting Strategy Program use simulation and provide improved task performance after training. (JOW)

Technical data on new engineering products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1985-02-01

New grades of permanently magnetic materials; automatic digital radiolocator; bench winder; analog induction gauge; programmable pulse generator; portable defibrillators; pipe welders; two-component electromagnetic log; sulphur content analyzer; peristaltic pumps; function generators; welding manipulator; and tonsiometer are described.

JPL Space Telecommunications Radio System Operating Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lux, James P.; Lang, Minh; Peters, Kenneth J.; Taylor, Gregory H.; Duncan, Courtney B.; Orozco, David S.; Stern, Ryan A.; Ahten, Earl R.; Girard, Mike

2013-01-01

A flight-qualified implementation of a Software Defined Radio (SDR) Operating Environment for the JPL-SDR built for the CoNNeCT Project has been developed. It is compliant with the NASA Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture Standard, and provides the software infrastructure for STRS compliant waveform applications. This software provides a standards-compliant abstracted view of the JPL-SDR hardware platform. It uses industry standard POSIX interfaces for most functions, as well as exposing the STRS API (Application Programming In terface) required by the standard. This software includes a standardized interface for IP components instantiated within a Xilinx FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The software provides a standardized abstracted interface to platform resources such as data converters, file system, etc., which can be used by STRS standards conformant waveform applications. It provides a generic SDR operating environment with a much smaller resource footprint than similar products such as SCA (Software Communications Architecture) compliant implementations, or the DoD Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS).

Coal-fired Power Plants with Flexible Amine-based CCS and Co-located Wind Power: Environmental, Economic and Reliability Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandyopadhyay, Rubenka

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies provide a means to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the existing fleet of fossil-fired plants, and hence can facilitate a gradual transition from conventional to more sustainable sources of electric power. This is especially relevant for coal plants that have a CO2 emission rate that is roughly two times higher than that of natural gas plants. Of the different kinds of CCS technology available, post-combustion amine based CCS is the best developed and hence more suitable for retrofitting an existing coal plant. The high costs from operating CCS could be reduced by enabling flexible operation through amine storage or allowing partial capture of CO2 during high electricity prices. This flexibility is also found to improve the power plant's ramp capability, enabling it to offset the intermittency of renewable power sources. This thesis proposes a solution to problems associated with two promising technologies for decarbonizing the electric power system: the high costs of the energy penalty of CCS, and the intermittency and non-dispatchability of wind power. It explores the economic and technical feasibility of a hybrid system consisting of a coal plant retrofitted with a post-combustion-amine based CCS system equipped with the option to perform partial capture or amine storage, and a co-located wind farm. A techno-economic assessment of the performance of the hybrid system is carried out both from the perspective of the stakeholders (utility owners, investors, etc.) as well as that of the power system operator. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

A new architecture for enterprise information systems.

PubMed Central

Covvey, H. D.; Stumpf, J. J.

1999-01-01

Irresistible economic and technical forces are forcing healthcare institutions to develop regionalized services such as consolidated or virtual laboratories. Technical realities, such as the lack of an enabling enterprise-level information technology (IT) integration infrastructure, the existence of legacy systems, and non-existent or embryonic enterprise-level IT services organizations, are delaying or frustrating the achievement of the desired configuration of shared services. On attempting to address this matter, we discover that the state-of-the-art in integration technology is not wholly adequate, and itself becomes a barrier to the full realization of shared healthcare services. In this paper we report new work from the field of Co-operative Information Systems that proposes a new architecture of systems that are intrinsically cooperation-enabled, and we extend this architecture to both the regional and national scales. PMID:10566455

Description and student self-evaluation of a pilot integrated small group learning and simulation programme for medical students in the first clinical year.

PubMed

Levinson, Michele; Kelly, Diane; Zahariou, Krisoula; Johnson, Matthew; Jackman, Christine; Mackenzie, Sara

2017-02-01

Contemporary education for medical students should be student-centred, integrated and contextualised. Small group learning promotes clinical reasoning and skills for lifelong learning. Simulation can provide experiential learning in a safe and controlled environment. We developed a weekly integrated problem-based learning and simulation programme (IPS) over two semesters in the first clinical year to augment clinical placement experience and contextualise theory into work-relevant practice. To evaluate the new programme at Kirkpatrick level 1. An anonymous survey of participating students. The programme was well liked. Students found the programme relevant and that they had a better understanding of patient safety and the assessment of the deteriorating patient. They felt it contributed to integration of theory and practice, clinical reasoning and the acquisition of non-technical skills, particularly affective and communication elements. This IPS programme in the first clinical year can deliver a student-centred curriculum to complement clinical placement that delivers the important requirements of contemporary medical student education. © 2016 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Security in Full-Force

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

When fully developed for NASA, Vanguard Enforcer(TM) software-which emulates the activities of highly technical security system programmers, auditors, and administrators-was among the first intrusion detection programs to restrict human errors from affecting security, and to ensure the integrity of a computer's operating systems, as well as the protection of mission critical resources. Vanguard Enforcer was delivered in 1991 to Johnson Space Center and has been protecting systems and critical data there ever since. In August of 1999, NASA granted Vanguard exclusive rights to commercialize the Enforcer system for the private sector. In return, Vanguard continues to supply NASA with ongoing research, development, and support of Enforcer. The Vanguard Enforcer 4.2 is one of several surveillance technologies that make up the Vanguard Security Solutions line of products. Using a mainframe environment, Enforcer 4.2 achieves previously unattainable levels of automated security management.

Polymorphic Contracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belo, João Filipe; Greenberg, Michael; Igarashi, Atsushi; Pierce, Benjamin C.

Manifest contracts track precise properties by refining types with predicates - e.g., {x : Int |x > 0 } denotes the positive integers. Contracts and polymorphism make a natural combination: programmers can give strong contracts to abstract types, precisely stating pre- and post-conditions while hiding implementation details - for example, an abstract type of stacks might specify that the pop operation has input type {x :α Stack |not ( empty x )} . We formalize this combination by defining FH, a polymorphic calculus with manifest contracts, and establishing fundamental properties including type soundness and relational parametricity. Our development relies on a significant technical improvement over earlier presentations of contracts: instead of introducing a denotational model to break a problematic circularity between typing, subtyping, and evaluation, we develop the metatheory of contracts in a completely syntactic fashion, omitting subtyping from the core system and recovering it post facto as a derived property.

An in-depth study of HD 174966 with CoRoT photometry and HARPS spectroscopy. Large separation as a new observable for δ Scuti stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Hernández, A.; Moya, A.; Michel, E.; Suárez, J. C.; Poretti, E.; Martín-Ruíz, S.; Amado, P. J.; Garrido, R.; Rodríguez, E.; Rainer, M.; Uytterhoeven, K.; Rodrigo, C.; Solano, E.; Rodón, J. R.; Mathias, P.; Rolland, A.; Auvergne, M.; Baglin, A.; Baudin, F.; Catala, C.; Samadi, R.

2013-11-01

Aims: The aim of this work was to use a multi-approach technique to derive the most accurate values possible of the physical parameters of the δ Sct star HD 174966, which was observed with the CoRoT satellite. In addition, we searched for a periodic pattern in the frequency spectra with the goal of using it to determine the mean density of the star. Methods: First, we extracted the frequency content from the CoRoT light curve. Then, we derived the physical parameters of HD 174966 and carried a mode identification out from the spectroscopic and photometric observations. We used this information to look for the models fulfilling all the conditions and discussed the inaccuracies of the method because of the rotation effects. In a final step, we searched for patterns in the frequency set using a Fourier transform, discussed its origin, and studied the possibility of using the periodicity to obtain information about the physical parameters of the star. Results: A total of 185 peaks were obtained from the Fourier analysis of the CoRoT light curve, all of which were reliable pulsating frequencies. From the spectroscopic observations, 18 oscillation modes were detected and identified, and the inclination angle (62.5°-17.5+7.5) and the rotational velocity of the star (142 km s-1) were estimated. From the multi-colour photometric observations, only three frequencies were detected that correspond to the main ones in the CoRoT light curve. We looked for periodicities within the 185 frequencies and found a quasiperiodic pattern Δν ~ 64 μHz. Using the inclination angle, the rotational velocity, and an Echelle diagram (showing a double comb outside the asymptotic regime), we concluded that the periodicity corresponds to a large separation structure. The quasiperiodic pattern allowed us to discriminate models from a grid. As a result, the value of the mean density is achieved with a 6% uncertainty. So, the Δν pattern could be used as a new observable for A-F type stars. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with participation of ESA's RSSD and Science Programmes, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Spain.This work is based on ground-based observations made with the ESO 3.6 m telescope at La Silla Observatory under the ESO Large Programme LP182.D-0356, and on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), and on observations made at Observatoire de Haute Provence (CNRS), France, and at Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (OSN), Spain, operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). This research has made use of both the Simbad database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France, and the Astrophysics Data System, provided by NASA, USA.Table 6 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/559/A63

Otolaryngology residency education: a scoping review on the shift towards competency-based medical education.

PubMed

Wagner, N; Fahim, C; Dunn, K; Reid, D; Sonnadara, R R

2017-06-01

Residency training programmes worldwide are experiencing a shift from the traditional time-based curriculum to competency-based medical education (CBME), due to changes in the healthcare system that have impacted clinical learning opportunities. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OTL-HNS) programmes are one of the first North American surgical specialties to adopt the new CBME curriculum. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the literature pertaining to CBME in OTL-HNS programmes worldwide, to identify the tools that have been developed and identify potential barriers to the implementation of CBME. Four online databases, OVID MEDLINE (R) from 1946 to 5 August 2015, EMBASE 1974 to 5 August 2015, Cochrane and CINAHL databases up to 5 August 2015, were searched using key words related to OTL-HNS and CBME. Two researchers independently reviewed the literature in a systematic manner and met to discuss and address any discrepancies at each step of the review process. Of the 207 publications identified in the initial search, 31 were included in this scoping review. Two key themes emerged from the literature: first, OTL-HNS programmes reported a need for new assessment tools that assess competency and also provide the learner with formative feedback. Second, although varieties of tools assessing both technical and non-technical skills have been developed, implementation of such tools has been met with some challenges. These challenges include a lack of faculty support, inadequate administrative support and a lack of knowledge on how to start the transition to CBME. This scoping review suggests that task-specific checklists, entrustment scales, evaluation portfolios from multiple assessments and faculty training sessions are key aspects to incorporate as OTL-HNS training programmes shift towards a CBME curriculum. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

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.

Future Secretariat: an innovation research coordination and governance structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ojima, D. S.; Johan, R.; Cramer, W.; Fukushi, K.; Allard, S.

2014-12-01

Future Earth, an emerging global sustainability research program, will be managed by a novel, internationally distributed secretariat spanning the globe and providing a platform for co-design, co-production, and co-delivery of knowledge to support research on the earth system, global development and transformation toward sustainability. The Future Earth secretariat has an innovative structure consisting of five global hubs functioning as a single entity; these hubs are located in Canada, Japan, France, Sweden, and the United States. The secretariat's reach is extended through a set of regional hubs covering Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, with the potential to expand to additional areas. This secretariat will operate under the auspices of the Future Earth Governing Council The Future Earth Secretariat will support and enable the implementation of knowledge-sharing between research and stakeholder communities to enable society to cope with and to alter global environmental trends, and to transition society toward sustainability. The secretariat will provide coordination support to over 25 global environmental core projects and committees; coordinate scientific work across the whole Future Earth agenda; develop and implement innovative mechanisms for bottom-up inputs, synthesis and integration. Future Earth, as a research program, aims to support global transformations toward sustainability through partnerships among scientific and stakeholder communities worldwide. It brings together existing international environmental research core projects associated with DIVERSITAS, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme, and the World Climate Research Programme—to support coordinated, interdisciplinary research that can be used by decision makers seeking to reduce their impact and provide more sustainable products and services. USGCRP partners with Future Earth through scientific participation in and annual funding for its constituent programs.

The French Space Operation Act: Technical Regulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trinchero, J. P.; Lazare, B.

2010-09-01

The French Space Operation Act(FSOA) stipulates that a prime objective of the National technical regulations is to protect people, property, public health and the environment. Compliance with these technical regulations is mandatory as of 10 December 2010 for space operations by French space operators and for space operations from French territory. The space safety requirements and regulations governing procedures are based on national and international best practices and experience. A critical design review of the space system and procedures shall be carried out by the applicant, in order to verify compliance with the Technical Regulations. An independent technical assessment of the operation is delegated to CNES. The principles applied when drafting technical regulations are as follows: requirements must as far as possible establish the rules according to the objective to be obtained, rather than how it is to be achieved; requirements must give preference to international standards recognised as being the state of the art; requirements must take previous experience into account. Technical regulations are divided into three sections covering common requirements for the launch, control and return of a space object. A dedicated section will cover specific rules to be applied at the Guiana Space Centre. The main topics addressed by the technical regulations are: operator safety management system; study of risks to people, property, public health and the Earth’s environment; impact study on the outer space environment: space debris generated by the operation; planetary protection.

IMPLEMENTING A NOVEL CYCLIC CO2 FLOOD IN PALEOZOIC REEFS

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

James R. Wood; W. Quinlan; A. Wylie

2004-01-01

Recycled CO2 will be used in this demonstration project to produce bypassed oil from the Silurian Dover 35 pinnacle reef (Otsego County) in the Michigan Basin. Contract negotiations by our industry partner to gain access to the CO2 supply have been completed and the State of Michigan has issued an order to allow operation of the project. Injection of CO2 is scheduled to begin in February, 2004. Subsurface characterization is being completed using well log tomography animations and 3D visualizations to map facies distributions and reservoir properties in two reefs, the Belle River Mills and Chester 18 Fields. The Bellemore » River Mills and Chester18 fields are being used as type-fields because they have excellent log and/or core data coverage. Amplitude slicing of the normalized gamma ray and core permeability and core porosity curves is showing trends that indicate significant heterogeneity and compartmentalization in these reservoirs associated with the original depositional fabric of the rocks. Digital and hard copy data continues to be compiled for the Niagaran reefs in the Michigan Basin. Technology transfer took place through technical presentations regarding visualization of the heterogeneity of the Niagaran reefs. An oral presentation was given at the AAPG Eastern Section Meeting and a booth at the same meeting was used to meet one-on-one with operators.« less

Technical Aspects Regarding the Management of Radioactive Waste from Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

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

Dragolici, F.; Turcanu, C. N.; Rotarescu, G.

2003-02-25

The proper application of the nuclear techniques and technologies in Romania started in 1957, once with the commissioning of the Research Reactor VVR-S from IFIN-HH-Magurele. During the last 45 years, appear thousands of nuclear application units with extremely diverse profiles (research, biology, medicine, education, agriculture, transport, all types of industry) which used different nuclear facilities containing radioactive sources and generating a great variety of radioactive waste during the decommissioning after the operation lifetime is accomplished. A new aspect appears by the planning of VVR-S Research Reactor decommissioning which will be a new source of radioactive waste generated by decontamination, disassemblingmore » and demolition activities. By construction and exploitation of the Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant (STDR)--Magurele and the National Repository for Low and Intermediate Radioactive Waste (DNDR)--Baita, Bihor county, in Romania was solved the management of radioactive wastes arising from operation and decommissioning of small nuclear facilities, being assured the protection of the people and environment. The present paper makes a review of the present technical status of the Romanian waste management facilities, especially raising on treatment capabilities of ''problem'' wastes such as Ra-266, Pu-238, Am-241 Co-60, Co-57, Sr-90, Cs-137 sealed sources from industrial, research and medical applications. Also, contain a preliminary estimation of quantities and types of wastes, which would result during the decommissioning project of the VVR-S Research Reactor from IFIN-HH giving attention to some special category of wastes like aluminum, graphite and equipment, components and structures that became radioactive through neutron activation. After analyzing the technical and scientific potential of STDR and DNDR to handle big amounts of wastes resulting from the decommissioning of VVR-S Research Reactor and small nuclear facilities, the necessity of up-gradation of these nuclear objectives before starting the decommissioning plan is revealed. A short presentation of the up-grading needs is also presented.« less

Embedding operational research into national disease control programme: lessons from 10 years of experience in Indonesia

PubMed Central

Mahendradhata, Yodi; Probandari, Ari; Widjanarko, Bagoes; Riono, Pandu; Mustikawati, Dyah; Tiemersma, Edine W.; Alisjahbana, Bachti

2014-01-01

There is growing recognition that operational research (OR) should be embedded into national disease control programmes. However, much of the current OR capacity building schemes are still predominantly driven by international agencies with limited integration into national disease control programmes. We demonstrated that it is possible to achieve a more sustainable capacity building effort across the country by establishing an OR group within the national tuberculosis (TB) control programme in Indonesia. Key challenges identified include long-term financial support, limited number of scientific publications, and difficulties in documenting impact on programmatic performance. External evaluation has expressed concerns in regard to utilisation of OR in policy making. Efforts to address this concern have been introduced recently and led to indications of increased utilisation of research evidence in policy making by the national TB control programme. Embedding OR in national disease control programmes is key in establishing an evidence-based disease control programme. PMID:25361728

A spectroscopic transfer standard for accurate atmospheric CO measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nwaboh, Javis A.; Li, Gang; Serdyukov, Anton; Werhahn, Olav; Ebert, Volker

2016-04-01

Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) is a precursor of essential climate variables and has an indirect effect for enhancing global warming. Accurate and reliable measurements of atmospheric CO concentration are becoming indispensable. WMO-GAW reports states a compatibility goal of ±2 ppb for atmospheric CO concentration measurements. Therefore, the EMRP-HIGHGAS (European metrology research program - high-impact greenhouse gases) project aims at developing spectroscopic transfer standards for CO concentration measurements to meet this goal. A spectroscopic transfer standard would provide results that are directly traceable to the SI, can be very useful for calibration of devices operating in the field, and could complement classical gas standards in the field where calibration gas mixtures in bottles often are not accurate, available or stable enough [1][2]. Here, we present our new direct tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (dTDLAS) sensor capable of performing absolute ("calibration free") CO concentration measurements, and being operated as a spectroscopic transfer standard. To achieve the compatibility goal stated by WMO for CO concentration measurements and ensure the traceability of the final concentration results, traceable spectral line data especially line intensities with appropriate uncertainties are needed. Therefore, we utilize our new high-resolution Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy CO line data for the 2-0 band, with significantly reduced uncertainties, for the dTDLAS data evaluation. Further, we demonstrate the capability of our sensor for atmospheric CO measurements, discuss uncertainty calculation following the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) principles and show that CO concentrations derived using the sensor, based on the TILSAM (traceable infrared laser spectroscopic amount fraction measurement) method, are in excellent agreement with gravimetric values. Acknowledgement Parts of this work have been carried out within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) ENV52 project-HIGHGAS (Metrology for high-impact greenhouse gases). The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union. References [1] EMRP project ENV52-HIGHGAS (Metrology for high-impact greenhouse gases), available at: http://www.euramet.org/. [2] J. Nwaboh, A. Manninen, J. Mohn, J. C. Petersen, O. Werhahn, and V.Ebert, European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2015, EGU2015-13542, 2015, Vienna Austria

Steps towards equal gender representation: TANDEMplusIDEA - an international mentoring and personal development scheme for female scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefli, Bettina; Breuer, Elke

2010-05-01

TANDEMplusIDEA was a European mentoring programme conducted by the technical universities RWTH Aachen, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich and TU Delft between 2007 and 2010 to achieve more gender equality in science. Given the continuing underrepresentation of women in science and technology and the well-known structural and systematic disadvantages in male-dominated scientific cultures, the main goal of this programme was to promote excellent female scientists through a high-level professional and personal development programme. Based on the mentoring concept of the RWTH Aachen, TANDEMplusIDEA was the first mentoring programme for female scientists realized in international cooperation. As a pilot scheme funded by the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission, the scientific evaluation was an essential part of the programme, in particular in view of the development of a best practice model for international mentoring. The participants of this programme were female scientists at an early stage of their academic career (postdoc or assistant professor) covering a wide range of science disciplines, including geosciences. This transdisciplinarity as well as the international dimension of the programme have been identified by the participants as one of the keys of success of the programme. In particular, the peer-mentoring across discipline boarders proved to have been an invaluable component of the development programme. This presentation will highlight some of the main findings of the scientific evaluation of the programme and focus on some additional personal insights from the participants.

Virtual rehabilitation in a school setting: is it feasible for children with cerebral palsy?

PubMed

Rosie, Juliet A; Ruhen, Shelley; Hing, Wayne A; Lewis, Gwyn N

2015-01-01

To determine the feasibility of a school-based virtual rehabilitation intervention for children with cerebral palsy. A feasibility study was conducted using a mixed method approach. Participants were five children with cerebral palsy who were currently attending a rural school. Each child received an 8-week rehabilitation programme involving an Interactive Virtual Reality Exercise (IREX) system. The IREX was placed in the child's school for the duration of the intervention. Each child's programme was designed by a physiotherapist but supervised by a teacher aide at the school. Feasibility of the intervention was assessed through a questionnaire completed by the child and an interview conducted with the teacher supervisor. The children all rated the IREX intervention as fun, easy to use, and beneficial for their arm. Categories from the supervisor interviews centred on resolving technical issues, the enjoyment of taking part due to the child's progress, and the central role of interacting with the child. Input from the research physiotherapist was critical to the success of the intervention. The IREX is feasible to implement in a school-based setting supervised by teachers. This provides an option for delivering physiotherapy to children in isolated areas who do not receive on-going therapy. Implication for Rehabilitation Virtual rehabilitation programmes using the IREX are feasible in a school-based setting. The negative impact of technical difficulties is likely to be overcome by the user's enjoyment and rehabilitation benefits gained. Input from a therapist in designing and monitoring the programme is critical.

Are Rural Development Programmes Socially Inclusive? Social Inclusion, Civic Engagement, Participation, and Social Capital: Exploring the Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shortall, Sally

2008-01-01

Considerable importance is attached to social exclusion/inclusion in recent EU rural development programmes. At the national/regional operation of these programmes groups of people who are not participating are often identified as "socially excluded groups". This article contends that rural development programmes are misinterpreting the…

Co- and contra-directional vertical coupling between ferromagnetic layers with grating for short-wavelength spin wave generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graczyk, Piotr; Zelent, Mateusz; Krawczyk, Maciej

2018-05-01

The possibility to generate short spin waves (SWs) is of great interest in the field of magnonics nowadays. We present an effective and technically affordable way of conversion of long SWs, which may be generated by conventional microwave antenna, to the short, sub-micrometer waves. It is achieved by grating-assisted resonant dynamic dipolar interaction between two ferromagnetic layers separated by some distance. We analyze criteria for the optimal conversion giving a semi-analytical approach for the coupling coefficient. We show by the numerical calculations the efficient energy transfer between layers which may be either of co-directional or contra-directional type. Such a system may operate either as a short spin wave generator or a frequency filter, moving forward possible application of magnonics.

Relationship between intraoperative non-technical performance and technical events in bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Fecso, A B; Kuzulugil, S S; Babaoglu, C; Bener, A B; Grantcharov, T P

2018-03-30

The operating theatre is a unique environment with complex team interactions, where technical and non-technical performance affect patient outcomes. The correlation between technical and non-technical performance, however, remains underinvestigated. The purpose of this study was to explore these interactions in the operating theatre. A prospective single-centre observational study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical centre. One surgeon and three fellows participated as main operators. All patients who underwent a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and had the procedures captured using the Operating Room Black Box ® platform were included. Technical assessment was performed using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills and Generic Error Rating Tool instruments. For non-technical assessment, the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS) tools were used. Spearman rank-order correlation and N-gram statistics were conducted. Fifty-six patients were included in the study and 90 procedural steps (gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy) were analysed. There was a moderate to strong correlation between technical adverse events (r s  = 0·417-0·687), rectifications (r s  = 0·380-0·768) and non-technical performance of the surgical and nursing teams (NOTSS and SPLINTS). N-gram statistics showed that after technical errors, events and prior rectifications, the staff surgeon and the scrub nurse exhibited the most positive non-technical behaviours, irrespective of operator (staff surgeon or fellow). This study demonstrated that technical and non-technical performances are related, on both an individual and a team level. Valuable data can be obtained around intraoperative errors, events and rectifications. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Search and Rescue Operations of Aircraft in Africa: Some Compelling Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abeyratne, Ruwantissa I. R.

2002-01-01

The world aviation community has felt the compelling need for a well-coordinated global programme for search and rescue operations of aircraft ever since commercial aviation was regulated in 1944. Guidelines and plans of action for search and rescue have therefore been considered critical in the event of an aircraft accident. This fact is eminently brought to bear in the continental regions of Africa and South America in particular, where vast expanses of land are still uninhabited or sparsely populated and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT-where an aircraft may crash on land while still under the control of technical crew) is a common occurrence. There are numerous guidelines that have been adopted under the umbrella of the International Civil Aviation Organization which are already in place for the provision of search and rescue operations pertaining to aircraft. However, when an accident occurs in the territory of a State, there are sensitivities involving the State in which the aircraft concerned was registered and issues of sovereignty which have to be considered. Additionally. issues such as the voluntary nature of the search and rescue services offered. confidentiality, timeliness of such operations, fairness and uniformity all play a critical role. This article addresses the issue of search and rescue operations in Africa and examines in some detail where the world aviation community is right now and where it is headed in this important field of human endeavour.

Evolution and diversification of National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs).

PubMed

Van Berkel, Rene

2010-07-01

Since 1994 UNIDO and UNEP cooperate in a Programme to establish National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs) as a mechanism for delivery of Cleaner Production (CP) services to businesses, governments and other organisations. In 2007, 38 NCPCs were operational in 37 developing and transition countries. While initially set up in near-identical ways in each country, over time NCPCs evolved in response to both programme-internal and country-level factors. The resulting diversity among NCPCs is described and analysed here. Differentiation and specialisation had occurred in service areas or topics both within and between NCPCs, however without a clear strategy for integration and synergy. NCPCs were becoming part of expanding networks of business services providers nationally forcing some to focus on audit and training services (tier 1), and others on specialist services in CP technology and/or policy (tier 2) and/or networking services (tier 3). All NCPCs were on a trajectory from a project management organisation to a nationally-owned entity. The different management requirements were not proactively managed and technical aspects of CP service delivery overshadowed institutional and governance aspects of establishing and operating the NCPC institution. Differences in service delivery methods between NCPCs are most evident in three service areas: CP assessments; policy advice; and transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies. It is argued here that understanding root causes and benefits of this presently-observed differentiation, could lay the foundation for capturing and advancing best practice CP concepts, methods and policies. This in turn would enable strategic planning for customised interventions and support at the national level. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Off-shore enhanced oil recovery in the north sea: matching CO_2 demand and supply given uncertain market conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Compernolle, Tine; Welkenhuysen, Kris; Huisman, Kuno; Piessens, Kris; Kort, Peter

2015-04-01

Introduction CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) entails the injection of CO2 in mature oil fields in order to mobilize the oil. In particular, the injected CO2 reduces the oil's viscosity and acts as a propellant, resulting in an increased oil extraction rate (Leach et al., 2011). Given uncertainty in both oil price and CO2 price under the EU ETS system, aim of this study is to analyze under which economic conditions a CO2 exchange can be established between a CO2 supplier (an electricity producer for whom CO2 is a by-product) and a CO2 user (an offshore oil company that exploits oil fields in the North Sea and needs CO2 for enhanced oil recovery). Methodology A techno-economic simulation tool, PSS IV, was developed to provide investment decision support on integrated CO2-EOR projects (Welkenhuysen et al., 2014). Until now, a fixed onshore supply of CO2 was presumed. An economic optimization model is now developed for both the CO2 producer and the CO2 user. Because net present value and discounted cash flow methods are inadequate to deal with issues like uncertainty and the irreversibility of an investment decision, the real options theory is applied (Dixit and Pindyck, 1994). The way in which cooperation between the companies can take place, will be studied using game theoretical concepts (Lukas and Welling, 2014). Economic and technical data on CO2 capture are available from the PSS database (Piessens et al., 2012). Data on EOR performance, CO2 requirements and various costs are taken from literature (BERR, 2007; Klokk et al., 2010; Pershad et al., 2012). Results/Findings It will be shown what the impact of price uncertainty is on the investment decision of the electricity producer to capture and sell CO2, and on the decision of the oil producer to make the necessary investments to inject CO2 for enhanced oil recovery. Based on these results, it will be determined under which economic conditions a CO2 exchange and transport can take place. Furthermore, also the role of the ETS system will be discussed. In an initial stage, only the CO2-price and oil price market uncertainties are considered. In a further stage, uncertainties from the supply side (technology) and EOR (geological) will be added. References BERR. 2007. Development of a CO2 transport and storage network in the North Sea: report to the North Sea Basin Task Force. Dixit A, Pindyck R (1994). Investment under Uncertainty. In, Princeton University Press. Klokk Ø, Schreiner PF, Pagès-Bernaus A, Tomasgard A (2010). Optimizing a CO2 value chain for the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Energy Policy 38(11): 6604-6614 Leach A, Mason CF, Veld Kvt (2011). Co-optimization of enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration. Resource Energy Econ 33(4): 893-912 Lukas E, Welling A (2014). Timing and eco(nomic) efficiency of climate-friendly investments in supply chains. Eur J Oper Res 233(2): 448-457 Pershad, H., Durusut, E., Crerar, A., Black, D., Mackay, E. & Oldern, P., 2012. Economic Impacts of CO2-enhanced oil recovery for Scotland, Final report for Scottish Enterprise. Element energy, London. Piessens, K., Welkenhuysen K., Laenen, B., Ferket, H., Nijs, W., Duerinck, J., Cochez, E., Mathieu, Ph., Valentiny, D., Baele, J.-M., Dupont, N. & Hendriks, Ch., 2012. Policy Support System for Carbon Capture and Storage and Collaboration between Belgium-the Netherlands "PSS-CCS", Final report. Belgian Science Policy Office, Research Programme Science for a Sustainable Development contracts SD/CP/04a,b & SD/CP/803, 335p. Welkenhuysen, K., Compernolle, T., Piessens, K., Ramírez, A., Rupert, J. & Swennen, R., 2014. Geological uncertainty and investment risk in CO2-enhanced oil recovery. 12th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-12), Austin, Texas, 05-09/10/2014.

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

Not Available

This paper reports on an automated metering/proving system for custody transfer of crude oil at the Phillips 66 Co. tanker unloading terminal in Freeport, Texas. It is described as one of the most sophisticated systems developed. The menu-driven, one-button automation removes the proving sequence entirely from manual control. The system also is the to be cost-effective and versatile compared to a dedicated flow computer with API calculation capabilities. Developed by Puffer-Sweiven, systems integrators, the new technology additionally is thought to be the first custody transfer system to employ a programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC provides the automation, gathers andmore » stores all raw data, and prints alarms. Also the system uses a personal computer operator interface (OI) that runs on the Intel iRMX real time operating system. The OI is loaded with Puffer-Sweiven application software that performs API meter factor and volume correction calculations as well as present color graphics and generate reports.« less

Simultaneous G-Quadruplex DNA Logic.

PubMed

Bader, Antoine; Cockroft, Scott L

2018-04-03

A fundamental principle of digital computer operation is Boolean logic, where inputs and outputs are described by binary integer voltages. Similarly, inputs and outputs may be processed on the molecular level as exemplified by synthetic circuits that exploit the programmability of DNA base-pairing. Unlike modern computers, which execute large numbers of logic gates in parallel, most implementations of molecular logic have been limited to single computing tasks, or sensing applications. This work reports three G-quadruplex-based logic gates that operate simultaneously in a single reaction vessel. The gates respond to unique Boolean DNA inputs by undergoing topological conversion from duplex to G-quadruplex states that were resolved using a thioflavin T dye and gel electrophoresis. The modular, addressable, and label-free approach could be incorporated into DNA-based sensors, or used for resolving and debugging parallel processes in DNA computing applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Technical proficiency in cytopathology: assessment through external quality assurance.

PubMed

Cummings, M C; Greaves, J; Shukor, R A; Perkins, G; Ross, J

2017-04-01

To assess both the feasibility and value of conducting an external quality assurance programme concerning technical aspects of cytopathology laboratory practice, and the interest by laboratories in enrolling in such a programme. Six technical surveys, comprising staining exercises and questionnaires relating to laboratory practice, were distributed over a 4-year period to the approximately 220 laboratories enrolled in the RCPAQAP Cytopathology slide survey modules. Staining exercises using the Papanicolaou and Romanowsky techniques, the preparation of urine and body fluid specimens and immunocytochemistry on the cell block material were assessed. Accompanying relevant questionnaires were included, and one survey comprised a questionnaire alone concerning the collection of urinary tract and body fluid samples. Provision of an external cytopathology technical module was feasible for the RCPAQAP and participation rates (maximum of 87% per survey; average 68% for stained slides and 66% for questionnaires) were commendable, particularly considering these were optional undertakings with some exercises not applicable to all laboratories. The great majority of submitted slides were scored as satisfactory, and there was an especially high standard for the immunocytochemical staining exercise with 95% considered satisfactory, including 50.6% with a perfect score. Reasons for suboptimal scores were provided for potential quality improvement for interested laboratories. A wealth of information relating to laboratory practice was provided to the RCPAQAP which was collated and summarised for laboratory use. The provision of a technical module in cytopathology is both a feasible and valuable undertaking of interest to laboratories which should become standard practice for cytopathology external quality assurance providers. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fundamentals of carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR): a supporting document of the assessment methodology for hydrocarbon recovery using CO2-EOR associated with carbon sequestration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verma, Mahendra K.

2015-01-01

The objective of this report is to provide basic technical information regarding the CO2-EOR process, which is at the core of the assessment methodology, to estimate the technically recoverable oil within the fields of the identified sedimentary basins of the United States. Emphasis is on CO2-EOR because this is currently one technology being considered as an ultimate long-term geologic storage solution for CO2 owing to its economic profitability from incremental oil production offsetting the cost of carbon sequestration.

Rigorous Screening Technology for Identifying Suitable CO2 Storage Sites II

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

George J. Koperna Jr.; Vello A. Kuuskraa; David E. Riestenberg

2009-06-01

This report serves as the final technical report and users manual for the 'Rigorous Screening Technology for Identifying Suitable CO2 Storage Sites II SBIR project. Advanced Resources International has developed a screening tool by which users can technically screen, assess the storage capacity and quantify the costs of CO2 storage in four types of CO2 storage reservoirs. These include CO2-enhanced oil recovery reservoirs, depleted oil and gas fields (non-enhanced oil recovery candidates), deep coal seems that are amenable to CO2-enhanced methane recovery, and saline reservoirs. The screening function assessed whether the reservoir could likely serve as a safe, long-term CO2more » storage reservoir. The storage capacity assessment uses rigorous reservoir simulation models to determine the timing, ultimate storage capacity, and potential for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. Finally, the economic assessment function determines both the field-level and pipeline (transportation) costs for CO2 sequestration in a given reservoir. The screening tool has been peer reviewed at an Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) technical meeting in March 2009. A number of useful observations and recommendations emerged from the Workshop on the costs of CO2 transport and storage that could be readily incorporated into a commercial version of the Screening Tool in a Phase III SBIR.« less

Building clinical practice in the Palestine Red Crescent operation theatres in Lebanon: reflections from the perspective of an expatriate nurse.

PubMed

Tjoflåt, I; Karlsen, B

2013-12-01

This paper, based on the experience of the first author as an expatriate nurse, aims to describe and discuss some aspects of collaboration that contributed to the building of clinical practice when implementing an operating theatre programme in the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) hospitals in Lebanon. The operation theatre programme lasted for 8 months: 6 months in 2008 and 2 months in 2009. The programme was part of the partnership project 'Quality of care in the five PRCS hospitals in Lebanon' between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the PRCS Lebanon (PRCS-L) branch. The essential aspects that may have contributed to the building of clinical practice in the operation theatre programme included the expatriate nurse and the Palestine Red Crescent operating theatre nurses working together over time as colleagues, the socio-cultural pedagogic perspective selected for the implementation and the collaboration with the management of the hospitals and counterparts in the PRCS-L branch. One should also note the human and structural issues that seemed to influence the implementation of the programme in a more negative way. This experience may provide insight for other nurses into the importance of working as colleagues, selecting an appropriate pedagogic perspective and establishing productive collaboration with all partners when building clinical practice during a humanitarian mission. © 2013 International Council of Nurses.

Examining Co-Teaching through a Socio-Technical Systems Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isherwood, Robert S.; Barger-Anderson, Richard; Erickson, Matthew

2012-01-01

Qualitative research was conducted in a large suburban school district implementing co-teaching as a new service delivery model for special education. Researchers examined the changes that resulted from the new service delivery model using a socio-technical systems lens. This framework views schools as open systems that contain a structural, task,…

The impact of SLMTA in improving laboratory quality systems in the Caribbean Region.

PubMed

Guevara, Giselle; Gordon, Floris; Irving, Yvette; Whyms, Ismae; Parris, Keith; Beckles, Songee; Maruta, Talkmore; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Albalak, Rachel; Alemnji, George

Past efforts to improve laboratory quality systems and to achieve accreditation for better patient care in the Caribbean Region have been slow. To describe the impact of the Strengthening of Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) training programme and mentorship amongst five clinical laboratories in the Caribbean after 18 months. Five national reference laboratories from four countries participated in the SLMTA programme that incorporated classroom teaching and implementation of improvement projects. Mentors were assigned to the laboratories to guide trainees on their improvement projects and to assist in the development of Quality Management Systems (QMS). Audits were conducted at baseline, six months, exit (at 12 months) and post-SLMTA (at 18 months) using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist to measure changes in implementation of the QMS during the period. At the end of each audit, a comprehensive implementation plan was developed in order to address gaps. Baseline audit scores ranged from 19% to 52%, corresponding to 0 stars on the SLIPTA five-star scale. After 18 months, one laboratory reached four stars, two reached three stars and two reached two stars. There was a corresponding decrease in nonconformities and development of over 100 management and technical standard operating procedures in each of the five laboratories. The tremendous improvement in these five Caribbean laboratories shows that SLMTA coupled with mentorship is an effective, user-friendly, flexible and customisable approach to the implementation of laboratory QMS. It is recommended that other laboratories in the region consider using the SLMTA training programme as they engage in quality systems improvement and preparation for accreditation.

Capacity and readiness of civil society organisations to implement community case management of malaria in Kenya.

PubMed

Marita, Enock; Oule, Jared; Mungai, Margaret; Thiam, Sylla; Ilako, Festus

2016-01-01

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) contribute to achieving development goals through advocacy, social mobilisation and provision of health services. CSO programming is a key component of Global Fund (GF) grants; however, CSOs face technical and governance capacity challenges in grant utilisation leading to missed opportunities for improving health at community level. Amref Health Africa was appointed Principal Recipient of a GF grant aimed at scaling up community case management of malaria through CSOs as sub-recipients in western Kenya. To identify potential risks and strengthen grant management, Amref Health Africa and the Ministry of Health conducted a capacity needs assessment to determine the capacity of CSOs to effectively utilise grants. 26 selected CSOs participated in this study. Document reviews and on-site assessments and observations were conducted using structured tool. The five main assessment areas were: governance and risk management; strategic and operational planning; monitoring and evaluation; programme management; and financial management. Overall performance was grouped into four categories: 3.0-2.5 (excellent), 2.0-2.4 (good), 1.5-1.9 (fair), and 1.0-1.4 (poor). Data were collected and analysed using Excel software. Twenty five out of 26 CSOs were legally compliant. 14(54%) CSOs were categorized as good; 7(27%) as excellent; 3(12%) as poor and 2(8%) as fair. Most CSOs had good programme management capacity but monitoring and evaluation presented the most capacity gaps. More than 75% of the CSOs were rated as excellent or good. A capacity building plan, programme risk management plan and oversight mechanisms were important for successful grant implementation.

Analyse d'un programme d'electromecanique en ses concepts et principes physiques: Methode et application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnon, Richard; Besançon, Jacques; Jean, Pascale

1989-09-01

In many Western countries there is growing interest in the usefulness of scientific knowledge in vocational and technical training. Moreover, there is an increasing tendency in these countries to formulate objectives within teaching programmes, in order to come closer to the real tasks of the world of work. To determine what knowledge is required, a general method of analysing objective-based vocational training programmes was developed. This allows the identification of the minimum scientific and mathematical concepts and principles which are necessary to reach the learning objectives, and the establishment of their relative significance and the requisite level of detail. It has been used to determine the essential physical concepts of the industrial mechanics section (625 hours) of a programme on the electromechanics of automated systems. The results reveal the existence of 41 concepts needed for a total of 2,452.5 hours. A limited group of these is of particular importance.

Outreach programmes to attract girls into computing: how the best laid plans can sometimes fail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Catherine; Fisher, Julie; Craig, Annemieke; Forgasz, Helen

2015-07-01

This article presents a reflective analysis of an outreach programme called the Digital Divas Club. This curriculum-based programme was delivered in Australian schools with the aim of stimulating junior and middle school girls' interest in computing courses and careers. We believed that we had developed a strong intervention programme based on previous literature and our collective knowledge and experiences. While it was coordinated by university academics, the programme content was jointly created and modified by practicing school teachers. After four years, when the final data were compiled, it showed that our programme produced significant change to student confidence in computing, but the ability to influence a desire to pursue a career path in computing did not fully eventuate. To gain a deeper insight in to why this may be the case, data collected from two of the schools are interrogated in more detail as described in this article. These schools were at the end of the expected programme outcomes. We found that despite designing a programme that delivered a multi-layered positive computing experience, factors beyond our control such as school culture and teacher technical self-efficacy help account for the unanticipated results. Despite our best laid plans, the expectations that this semester long programme would influence students' longer term career outcomes may have been aspirational at best.

[ISO 15189 accreditation in clinical microbiology laboratory: general concepts and the status in our laboratory].

PubMed

Akyar, Işin

2009-10-01

One important trend in the laboratory profession and quality management is the global convergence of laboratory operations. The goal of an accredited medical laboratory is to continue "offering useful laboratory service for diagnosis and treatment of the patients and also aid to the health of the nation". An accredited clinical laboratory is managed by a quality control system, it is competent technically and the laboratory service meets the needs of all its patients and physicians by taking the responsibility of all the medical tests and therapies. For this purpose, ISO 15189 international standard has been prepared by 2003. ISO 15189 standard is originated from the arrangement of ISO 17025 and ISO 9001:2000 standards. Many countries such as England, Germany, France, Canada and Australia have preferred ISO 15189 as their own laboratory accreditation programme, meeting all the requirements of their medical laboratories. The accreditation performance of a clinical microbiology laboratory is mainly based on five essential points; preanalytical, analytical, postanalytical, quality control programmes (internal, external, interlaboratory) and audits (internal, external). In this review article, general concepts on ISO 15189 accreditation standards for the clinical microbiology laboratories have been summarized and the status of a private laboratory (Acibadem LabMed, Istanbul) in Turkey has been discussed.

Technical and Energy Performance of an Advanced, Aqueous Ammonia-Based CO2 Capture Technology for a 500 MW Coal-Fired Power Station.

PubMed

Li, Kangkang; Yu, Hai; Feron, Paul; Tade, Moses; Wardhaugh, Leigh

2015-08-18

Using a rate-based model, we assessed the technical feasibility and energy performance of an advanced aqueous-ammonia-based postcombustion capture process integrated with a coal-fired power station. The capture process consists of three identical process trains in parallel, each containing a CO2 capture unit, an NH3 recycling unit, a water separation unit, and a CO2 compressor. A sensitivity study of important parameters, such as NH3 concentration, lean CO2 loading, and stripper pressure, was performed to minimize the energy consumption involved in the CO2 capture process. Process modifications of the rich-split process and the interheating process were investigated to further reduce the solvent regeneration energy. The integrated capture system was then evaluated in terms of the mass balance and the energy consumption of each unit. The results show that our advanced ammonia process is technically feasible and energy-competitive, with a low net power-plant efficiency penalty of 7.7%.

An Airborne Programmable Digital to Video Converter Interface and Operation Manual.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-02-01

Identify by block number) SCAN CONVERTER VIDEO DISPLAY TELEVISION DISPLAY 20. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse oide If necessary and Identify by block...programmable cathode ray tube (CRT) controller which is accessed by the CPU to permit operation in a wide variety of modes. The Alphanumeric Generator

AUTOMATION OF EXPERIMENTS WITH A HAND-HELD PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATOR

EPA Science Inventory

Technological developments have dramatically reduced the cost of data collection, experimental control and computation. Products are now available which allow automation of experiments both in the laboratory and in the field at substantially lower cost and with less technical exp...

AGARD Bulletin. Technical Programme, 1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

ionospheric effect models and their associated codes. Physical, statistical , and nybrid models will be described in a comprehensive manner. Descriptions...will be to review: The various conventional modes of optical correction required either by ametropias or by normal or pathological drops in visual

The Impact of Programme Accreditation on Portuguese Higher Education Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sin, Cristina; Tavares, Orlanda; Amaral, Alberto

2017-01-01

The paper analyses the impact of programme accreditation in Portugal further to the operations of the Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, which were initiated in 2009. Tracking the evolution of study programmes, the paper found that, out of the initial 5262 programmes on offer in 2009/2010, 40% have been either…

A Research Agenda for Scientific and Technical Information Held in Lisbon, Portugal on 7-9 April 1992 (Un Programme de Recherche pour l’Information Scientifique et Technique).

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-01

field of inquiry. Good solid research advances fault library science and information science for not ask- the state of the art by contributing to the...further research and application. Ennis (1967) problems faced each day by practitioners. Robert Smith commented that library science research is...under ogy, and technical communications. Library science the title "On Information Science." Keren raises interest- and information science have been

Improving the quality of communication in organised cervical cancer screening programmes.

PubMed

Giordano, Livia; Webster, Premila; Anthony, Charles; Szarewski, Anne; Davies, Philip; Arbyn, Marc; Segnan, Nereo; Austoker, Joan

2008-07-01

To provide health professionals involved in cervical cancer screening with an insight into the complex issues relating to communication about screening and to provide a framework for a more effective communication strategy. This paper has been compiled by a multidisciplinary pan-European group of health professionals and cancer advocates from several European screening programmes. European surveys on screening communication, literature reviews and group discussion were used for this purpose. Information on cervical screening must be accessible, relevant, comprehensible, comprehensive, client-centred, phase-specific and multilevel. An effective communication strategy should consider health professionals' screening knowledge and their communication skills, consumers' health literacy skills and the communication needs of specific sub-groups in the target population. Co-operation between screening professionals, advocacy groups and journalists should be promoted. To communicate effectively and appropriately is a complex task which can be influenced by a number of factors. Screening workers need better information themselves and must take into account the needs and characteristics of the target population. This document should provide a useful tool to help screening professionals in designing and developing good quality and effective communication strategies.

An in-depth study of a teacher engaged in an innovative primary science trial professional development project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watters, James J.; Ginns, Ian S.

1997-03-01

The implementation of effective science programmes in primary schools is of continuing interest and concern for professional developers. As part of the Australian Academy of science's approach to creating an awareness of Primary Investigations, a project team trialed a series of satellite television broadcasts of lessons related to two units of the curriculum for Year 3 and 4 children in 48 participating schools. The professional development project entitled Simply Science, included a focused component for the respective classroom teachers, which was also conducted by satellite. This paper reports the involvement of a Year 4 teacher in the project and describes her professional growth. Already an experienced and confident teacher, no quantitative changes in science teaching self efficacy were detected. However, her pedagogical content knowledge and confidence to teach science in the concept areas of matter and energy were enhanced. Changes in the teacher's views about the co-operative learning strategies espoused by Primary Investigations were also evident. Implications for the design of professional development programmes for primary science teachers are discussed.

Perspectives of co-operation with the World Bank towards elimination of low emission sources in Krakow

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

Goerlich, K.

1995-12-31

I am not going to speak about or for the World Bank. More time and a different scope of the conference would be needed in order to more deeply assess the role of the World Bank and other international lenders and donors in the environmental and energy sectors in Poland. I am going to stay within the context of the Krakow Clean Fossil Fuels and Energy Efficiency Project financed by the US AID and managed by the US DOE (called here for simplicity the Krakow Programme). However, in order to assess a role of the World Bank and other internationalmore » lenders and donors in the pro-environment transformation of the energy systems of Krakow, one needs to briefly discuss: the possibilities and confinements related to the {open_quotes}technology{close_quotes} of disbursement of the financial resources by the multilateral development banks (MDB`s) in Poland, the type of results obtained within the {open_quotes}Krakow Programme{close_quotes} and a concept of involving American commercial companies to implement the clean-air policy for Krakow.« less

Prospective in-patient cohort study of moves between levels of therapeutic security: the DUNDRUM-1 triage security, DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales and the HCR-20.

PubMed

Davoren, Mary; O'Dwyer, Sarah; Abidin, Zareena; Naughton, Leena; Gibbons, Olivia; Doyle, Elaine; McDonnell, Kim; Monks, Stephen; Kennedy, Harry G

2012-07-13

We examined whether new structured professional judgment instruments for assessing need for therapeutic security, treatment completion and recovery in forensic settings were related to moves from higher to lower levels of therapeutic security and added anything to assessment of risk. This was a prospective naturalistic twelve month observational study of a cohort of patients in a forensic hospital placed according to their need for therapeutic security along a pathway of moves from high to progressively less secure units in preparation for discharge. Patients were assessed using the DUNDRUM-1 triage security scale, the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion scale and the DUNDRUM-4 recovery scale and assessments of risk of violence, self harm and suicide, symptom severity and global function. Patients were subsequently observed for positive moves to less secure units and negative moves to more secure units. There were 86 male patients at baseline with mean follow-up 0.9 years, 11 positive and 9 negative moves. For positive moves, logistic regression indicated that along with location at baseline, the DUNDRUM-1, HCR-20 dynamic and PANSS general symptom scores were associated with subsequent positive moves. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-1 while ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic score was significant for DUNDRUM-1. For negative moves, logistic regression showed DUNDRUM-1 and HCR-20 dynamic scores were associated with subsequent negative moves, along with DUNDRUM-3 and PANSS negative symptoms in some models. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-4 recovery and HCR-20 dynamic scores with DUNDRUM-1, DUNDRUM-3, PANSS general and GAF marginal. ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic scores showed only DUNDRUM-1 and PANSS negative symptoms associated with subsequent negative moves. Clinicians appear to decide moves based on combinations of current and imminent (dynamic) risk measured by HCR-20 dynamic score and historical seriousness of risk as measured by need for therapeutic security (DUNDRUM-1) in keeping with Scott's formulation of risk and seriousness. The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales have utility as dynamic measures that can off-set perceived 'dangerousness'.

Prospective in-patient cohort study of moves between levels of therapeutic security: the DUNDRUM-1 triage security, DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales and the HCR-20

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We examined whether new structured professional judgment instruments for assessing need for therapeutic security, treatment completion and recovery in forensic settings were related to moves from higher to lower levels of therapeutic security and added anything to assessment of risk. Methods This was a prospective naturalistic twelve month observational study of a cohort of patients in a forensic hospital placed according to their need for therapeutic security along a pathway of moves from high to progressively less secure units in preparation for discharge. Patients were assessed using the DUNDRUM-1 triage security scale, the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion scale and the DUNDRUM-4 recovery scale and assessments of risk of violence, self harm and suicide, symptom severity and global function. Patients were subsequently observed for positive moves to less secure units and negative moves to more secure units. Results There were 86 male patients at baseline with mean follow-up 0.9 years, 11 positive and 9 negative moves. For positive moves, logistic regression indicated that along with location at baseline, the DUNDRUM-1, HCR-20 dynamic and PANSS general symptom scores were associated with subsequent positive moves. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-1 while ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic score was significant for DUNDRUM-1. For negative moves, logistic regression showed DUNDRUM-1 and HCR-20 dynamic scores were associated with subsequent negative moves, along with DUNDRUM-3 and PANSS negative symptoms in some models. The receiver operating characteristic was significant for the DUNDRUM-4 recovery and HCR-20 dynamic scores with DUNDRUM-1, DUNDRUM-3, PANSS general and GAF marginal. ANOVA co-varying for both location at baseline and HCR-20 dynamic scores showed only DUNDRUM-1 and PANSS negative symptoms associated with subsequent negative moves. Conclusions Clinicians appear to decide moves based on combinations of current and imminent (dynamic) risk measured by HCR-20 dynamic score and historical seriousness of risk as measured by need for therapeutic security (DUNDRUM-1) in keeping with Scott's formulation of risk and seriousness. The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales have utility as dynamic measures that can off-set perceived 'dangerousness'. PMID:22794187

Potentiel des méthodes de séparation et stockage du CO2 dans la lutte contre l'effet de serreThe role of CO2 capture and sequestration in mitigation of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean-Baptiste, Philippe; Ducroux, René

2003-06-01

Increasing atmospheric level of greenhouse gases are causing global warming and putting at risk the global climate system. The main anthropogenic greenhouse gas is CO 2. Technical solutions exist to reduce CO 2 emission and stabilise atmospheric CO 2 concentration, including energy saving and energy efficiency, switch to lower carbon content fuels like natural gas and to energy sources that operate with zero CO 2 emissions such as renewable or nuclear energy, enhance the natural sinks for CO 2 (forests, soils, etc.), and last but not least, sequester CO 2 from fossil fuels combustion. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the technology and cost for capture and storage of CO 2. Some of the factors that will influence application, including environmental impact, cost and efficiency, are also discussed. Capturing CO 2 and storing it in underground geological reservoirs appears as the best environmentally acceptable option. It can be done with existing technology; however, substantial R&D is needed to improve available technology and to lower the cost. Applicable to large CO 2 emitting industrial facilities such as power plants, cement factories, steel industry, etc., which amount to more than 30% of the global anthropogenic CO 2 emission, it represents a valuable tool in the battle against global warming. To cite this article: P. Jean-Baptiste, R. Ducroux, C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).

Technical Update: Johnson Space Center system using a solid electrolytic cell in a remote location to measure oxygen fugacities in CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, A. J. G.; Williams, R. J.; Le, L.; Wagstaff, J.; Lofgren, G.; Lanier, A.; Carter, W.; Roshko, A.

1993-01-01

Details are given for the design and application of a (one atmosphere) redox-control system. This system differs from that given in NASA Technical Memorandum 58234 in that it uses a single solid-electrolytic cell in a remote location to measure the oxygen fugacities of multiple CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces. This remote measurement extends the range of sample-furnace conditions that can be measured using a solid-electrolytic cell, and cuts costs by extending the life of the sensors and by minimizing the number of sensors in use. The system consists of a reference furnace and an exhaust-gas manifold. The reference furnace is designed according to the redox control system of NASA Technical Memorandum 58234, and any number of CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces can be attached to the exhaust-gas manifold. Using the manifold, the exhaust gas from individual CO/CO2 controlled atmosphere furnaces can be diverted through the reference furnace, where a solid-electrolyte cell is used to read the ambient oxygen fugacity. The oxygen fugacity measured in the reference furnace can then be used to calculate the oxygen fugacity in the individual CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnace. A BASIC computer program was developed to expedite this calculation.

The Basic Surgical Skills Course in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Observational Study of Effectiveness.

PubMed

Fergusson, Stuart J; Sedgwick, David M; Ntakiyiruta, Georges; Ntirenganya, Faustin

2018-04-01

The Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) course is a common component of postgraduate surgical training programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, but was originally designed in a UK context, and its efficacy and relevance have not been formally assessed in Africa. An observational study was carried out during a BSS course delivered to early-stage surgical trainees from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Technical skill in a basic wound closure task was assessed in a formal Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSAT) before and after course completion. Participants completed a pre-course questionnaire documenting existing surgical experience and self-perceived confidence levels in surgical skills which were to be taught during the course. Participants repeated confidence ratings and completed course evaluation following course delivery. A cohort of 17 participants had completed a pre-course median of 150 Caesarean sections as primary operator. Performance on the OSAT improved from a mean of 10.5/17 pre-course to 14.2/17 post-course (mean of paired differences 3.7, p < 0.001). Improvements were seen in 15/17 components of wound closure. Pre-course, only 47% of candidates were forming hand-tied knots correctly and 38% were appropriately crossing hands with each throw, improving to 88 and 76%, respectively, following the course (p = 0.01 for both components). Confidence levels improved significantly in all technical skills taught, and the course was assessed as highly relevant by trainees. The Basic Surgical Skills course is effective in improving the basic surgical technique of surgical trainees from sub-Saharan Africa and their confidence in key technical skills.

"Reflective Co-Education" or Male-Oriented Physical Education? Teachers' Views about Activities in Co-Educational PE Classes at German Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kastrup, Valerie; Kleindienst-Cachay, Christa

2016-01-01

As much as the principle of co-education may appear to make sense in physical education (PE) lessons, trends in its development have emerged over the past years, especially in secondary schools, which were certainly not intended by the pedagogical programme of "reflective co-education", which stands for respect for equality…

Managing Vocational Education and Training in Central and Eastern European Countries. Report of a Programme on the Training of Researchers in the Management of Vocational Education and Training. IIEP Research and Studies Programme. The Development of Human Resources: New Trends in Technical and Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caillods, Francoise; And Others

This document provides materials prepared for and discussed at a workshop to analyze the problems facing Central and Eastern European countries in the management of the vocational education and training (VET) system. Part I gives an outline of the major research findings and reflects the discussions of the workshop. "Management of Vocational…

Improving the Skill Component of Clothing and Textiles among Students in Second Cycle Institutions in Ghana and Its Effect on the Polytechnic Fashion Student. A Case Study of OLA Girls, Mawuko Girls and Mawuli Senior High School in Ho, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joana, Amankwa; Selase, Gbadegbe Richard; Selorm, Gbetodeme; Emefa, Agra Florence

2015-01-01

For a nation like Ghana to develop, it is necessary to pay much attention to Vocational and Technical Education. This is so because school programmes that place emphasis on theory courses or humanities are no longer useful to the nation.Graduates who offer such programmes find it very difficult to secure employment in the Ghanaian job market…

EEE Links, Volume 9, No. 1, January 2003 Focus on Plastic Parts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The January 2003 issue of Electronic, Electromechanical, Electric (EEE) Links is presented. The Programmable Logic Application Notes column has been reinstated in this newsletter. Written by Rich Katz of NASA's Office of Logic Design (OLD), the application notes offer technical tips intended to prevent flight design errors and enhance research, development, and use of programmable logic and elements for space flight applications. An archive of these notes columns from previous issues of EEE Links is available at http://www.klabs.org/richcontent/eeelink s/EEE Links.htm.

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.

"Getting Practical" and the National Network of Science Learning Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Georgina; Langley, Mark; Skilling, Gus; Walker, John

2011-01-01

The national network of Science Learning Centres is a co-ordinating partner in the Getting Practical--Improving Practical Work in Science programme. The principle of training provision for the "Getting Practical" programme is a cascade model. Regional trainers employed by the national network of Science Learning Centres trained the cohort of local…

Small CO2 Sensors Operate at Lower Temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.; Xu, Jennifer C.

2009-01-01

Solid-electrolyte-based amperometric sensors for measuring concentrations of CO2 in air are being developed for use in detection of fires, environmental monitoring, and other applications where liquid-based electrochemical cells are problematic. These sensors are small (sizes of the order of a millimeter), are robust, are amenable to batch fabrication at relatively low cost, and exhibit short response times (seconds) and wide detection ranges. A sensor of this type at a previous stage of development included a solid electrolyte of Na3Zr2Si2PO12 deposited mainly between interdigitated Pt electrodes on an alumina substrate, all overcoated with an auxiliary solid electrolyte of (Na2CO3:BaCO3 in a molar ratio of 1:1.7). It was necessary to heat this device to a temperature as high as 600 C to obtain the desired sensitivity and rapid response. Heating sensors increases the power consumption of the sensor system and complicates the use of the sensor in some applications. Thus, decreasing a sensor s power consumption while maintaining its performance is a technical goal of ongoing development.

Electropolymerized carbonic anhydrase immobilization for carbon dioxide capture.

PubMed

Merle, Geraldine; Fradette, Sylvie; Madore, Eric; Barralet, Jake E

2014-06-17

Biomimetic carbonation carried out with carbonic anhydrase (CA) in CO2-absorbing solutions, such as methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), is one approach that has been developed to accelerate the capture of CO2. However, there are several practical issues, such as high cost and limited enzyme stability, that need to be overcome. In this study, the capacity of CA immobilization on a porous solid support was studied to improve the instability in the tertiary amine solvent. We have shown that a 63% porosity macroporous carbon foam support makes separation and reuse facile and allows for an efficient supply and presentation of CO2 to an aqueous solvent and the enzyme catalytic center. These enzymatic supports conserved 40% of their initial activity after 42 days at 70 °C in an amine solvent, whereas the free enzyme shows no activity after 1 h in the same conditions. In this work, we have overcome the technical barrier associated with the recovery of the biocatalyst after operation, and most of all, these electropolymerized enzymatic supports have shown a remarkable increase of thermal stability in an amine-based CO2 sequestration solvent.

BWR Servicing and Refueling Improvement Program: Phase I summary report

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

Perry, D.R.

1978-09-01

Under the U.S. Department of Energy sponsorship, General Electric Co. (GE) undertook a study of boiling water reactor (BWR) refueling outages for the purpose of recommending the development and demonstration of critical path time savings improvements. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) joined the study as a subcontractor, providing monitoring assistance and making the Browns Ferry Site available for improvement demonstrations. Agreement was also reached with Georgia Power Co., Power Authority of the State of New York, and Commonwealth Edison Co. for monitoring and data collection at Hatch 1, FitzPatrick, and Quad Cities 1 nuclear plants, respectively. The objective was tomore » identify, develop, and demonstrate improved refueling, maintenance, and inspection procedures and equipment. The improvements recommended in this study are applicable to BWR nuclear plants currently in operation as well as those in the design and construction phases. The recommendations and outage information can be used as a basis to plan and conduct the first outages of new plants and to improve the planning and facilities of currently operating plants. Many of the recommendations can readily be incorporated in plants currently in the design and construction phases as well as in the design of future plants. Many of these recommended improvements can be implemented immediately by utilities without further technical development.« less

CoNNeCT Baseband Processor Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamamoto, Clifford K; Jedrey, Thomas C.; Gutrich, Daniel G.; Goodpasture, Richard L.

2011-01-01

A document describes the CoNNeCT Baseband Processor Module (BPM) based on an updated processor, memory technology, and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The BPM was developed from a requirement to provide sufficient computing power and memory storage to conduct experiments for a Software Defined Radio (SDR) to be implemented. The flight SDR uses the AT697 SPARC processor with on-chip data and instruction cache. The non-volatile memory has been increased from a 20-Mbit EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory) to a 4-Gbit Flash, managed by the RTAX2000 Housekeeper, allowing more programs and FPGA bit-files to be stored. The volatile memory has been increased from a 20-Mbit SRAM (static random access memory) to a 1.25-Gbit SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory), providing additional memory space for more complex operating systems and programs to be executed on the SPARC. All memory is EDAC (error detection and correction) protected, while the SPARC processor implements fault protection via TMR (triple modular redundancy) architecture. Further capability over prior BPM designs includes the addition of a second FPGA to implement features beyond the resources of a single FPGA. Both FPGAs are implemented with Xilinx Virtex-II and are interconnected by a 96-bit bus to facilitate data exchange. Dedicated 1.25- Gbit SDRAMs are wired to each Xilinx FPGA to accommodate high rate data buffering for SDR applications as well as independent SpaceWire interfaces. The RTAX2000 manages scrub and configuration of each Xilinx.

Exploring the benefits of a stroke telemedicine programme: An organisational and societal perspective.

PubMed

Bagot, Kathleen L; Bladin, Christopher F; Vu, Michelle; Kim, Joosup; Hand, Peter J; Campbell, Bruce; Walker, Alison; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Dewey, Helen M; Cadilhac, Dominique A

2016-12-01

We undertook a qualitative analysis to identify the broader benefits of a state-wide acute stroke telemedicine service beyond the patient-clinician consultation. Since 2010, the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) programme has provided a clinical service for regional hospitals in Victoria, Australia. The benefits of the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine programme were identified through document analysis of governance activities, including communications logs and reports from hospital co-ordinators of the programme. Discussions with the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine management were undertaken and field notes were also reviewed. Several benefits of telemedicine were identified within and across participating hospitals, as well as for the state government and community. For hospitals, standardisation of clinical processes was reported, including improved stroke care co-ordination. Capacity building occurred through professional development and educational workshops. Enhanced networking, and resource sharing across hospitals was achieved between hospitals and organisations. Governments leveraged the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine programme infrastructure to provide immediate access to new treatments for acute stroke care in regional areas. Standardised data collection allowed routine quality of care monitoring. Community awareness of stroke symptoms occurred with media reports on the novel technology and improved patient outcomes. The value of telemedicine services extends beyond those involved in the clinical consultation to healthcare funders and the community. © The Author(s) 2016.

Going the extra mile - creating a co-operative model for supporting patient and public involvement in research.

PubMed

Horobin, Adele

2016-01-01

In 2014, the Chief Medical Officer and Director General of Research and Development commissioned a review of patient and public involvement in the National Institute for Health Research. The report on this review, entitled 'Going the Extra Mile' was published in March, 2015. It described the bold goal of expecting all people using health and social care, and increasing numbers of the public, to be aware of and choosing to be involved in research. This requires more effort to build public awareness of research and better support for the public and researchers to do patient and public involvement in research. The author has created a new way of providing support for patient and public involvement based on co-operation between organisations. Termed 'share-banking', this model pools limited resources across organisations to deliver a regional programme of support activities for patient and public involvement over the long term. This includes helping organisations to share and learn from each other to avoid 're-inventing wheels' (where separate organisations each develop the same thing from the beginning). The 'Going the Extra Mile' report recommends that local organisations should work together to deliver public involvement activities across a region. 'Share-banking' should help fulfil this recommendation. The 'Going the Extra Mile' final report opened with the ambition to increase the public's awareness, participation and involvement in research. It stated the need for public and researchers to be better supported to do public involvement. A new co-operative model, termed 'share-banking', has been developed whereby organisations pool limited resources to create and sustain support for patient and public involvement in research. This should fulfil the 'Going the Extra Mile' report's recommendation to take a collaborative, cross-organisational and regional approach to public involvement.

Electromechanical Componentry. High-Technology Training Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindemann, Don

This training module on electromechanical components contains 10 units for a two-year vocational program packaging system equipment control course at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. This module describes the functions of electromechanical devices essential for understanding input/output devices for Programmable Logic Control (PLC)…

Manpower Policy and Programmes in Canada. Reviews of Manpower and Social Policies No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This report describes the Canadian labor force and economic climate, and the employment and manpower policies which comprise Canada's active manpower policy. Expanded programs for vocational and technical training are recommended, especially for unemployed youth. (BH)

Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) Data Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joseph, Robert D.; Sanders, David B.; Stockton, Alan; Hu, Esther

1999-01-01

Joseph is an ISO Co-Investigator. His Guaranteed Time Observations include both a major programme for which he is the Principal Investigator, and a number of other prgrammes in collaboration with other ISPHOT Co-Investigators, David Sanders, Alan Stockton, and Esther Hu.

EUROANDRILL Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florindo, Fabio; Steering Committee, Euroandrill

2010-05-01

EuroANDRILL is a new initiative to create a European network with the goal to increase future involvement of European countries in the ANDRILL [ANtarctic geological DRILLing] Programme. Antarctica has been heavily glaciated for approximately 34 million years, but its ice sheets have fluctuated considerably and are one of the major driving forces for changes in climate throughout the Cenozoic Era. The spatial scale and temporal pattern of these fluctuations is subject to considerable debate. Understanding the response of large ice masses to climatic forcing is of vital importance because ice volume variations drive global sea level changes and also alter the capacity of ice sheets and sea-ice to act as major heat sinks/insulators. It is particularly important to assess the stability of the cryosphere in the face of rising CO2 levels, as modelling of the climate shift from a warm, vegetated Antarctica to a cold, ice-covered state 34 million years ago suggests a powerful greenhouse gas influence. As Antarctica is the major driver of Earth's climate and sea level, much effort has been expended in deriving models of its behaviour. Some of these models have been successfully validated against modern conditions. EuroANDRILL will provide a coherent, integrated platform for European leadership and involvement in the international ANDRILL programme. The coordination and networking provided by EuroANDRILL will seek to expand participation by European nations, institutions, and individual scientists in the study of the geologic history of the polar regions and their paleoclimatic significance. During the IPY, ANDRILL has been a highly visible and successful programme. This programme seeks to expand on this legacy beyond the IPY and make these contributions sustainable in the European Research Area through networking of research projects and future planning efforts, which establish Europe as a key player in future polar sediment and rock drilling. EuroANDRILL is set up under the auspices of the European Polar Board (EPB) as a subgroup (EuroANDRILL steering committee (SC)) representing the scientific disciplines and associated technical capacities associated with polar sediment and rock core science. http://www.euroandrill.com/ http://www.esf.org/research-areas/european-polar-board-epb/euroandrill.html http://www.andrill.org/

Core characterization of the new CABRI Water Loop Facility

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

Ritter, G.; Rodiac, F.; Beretz, D.

2011-07-01

The CABRI experimental reactor is located at the Cadarache nuclear research center, southern France. It is operated by the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and devoted to IRSN (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire) safety programmes. It has been successfully operated during the last 30 years, enlightening the knowledge of FBR and LWR fuel behaviour during Reactivity Insertion Accident (RIA) and Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) transients in the frame of IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) and now IRSN programmes devoted to reactor safety. This operation was interrupted in 2003 to allow for a whole facility renewalmore » programme for the need of the CABRI International Programme (CIP) carried out by IRSN under the OECD umbrella. The principle of operation of the facility is based on the control of {sup 3}He, a major gaseous neutron absorber, in the core geometry. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how several dosimetric devices have been set up to better characterize the core during the upcoming commissioning campaign. It presents the schemes and tools dedicated to core characterization. (authors)« less

Customer focus in breast cancer screening services.

PubMed

Buttimer, Andreas

2009-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate how a generic value chain and customer focused system as demonstrated by the Scottish and Irish breast screening programmes can be used to provide a high quality health service. Literature relevant to aligning the entire operating model--the companies' culture, business processes, management systems to serve one value discipline, i.e. customer intimacy, is reviewed and considered in the context of the NHS Scottish Breast Screening Programme in Edinburgh and BreastCheck--the National Breast Screening Programme in Ireland. This paper demonstrates how an emphasis on customer focus and operational excellence, as used in other service industries, can help to provide a better health service. It uses the Scottish and Irish breast screening programmes as illustrative examples. The paper applies the key requirements in the delivery of a quality service including an understanding of the characteristics of a service industry, the management of discontinuities involved in its delivery and the environment in which it operates. System failure is commonly the cause of quality failure in the health system. Breast screening programmes are designed to prevent such a failure. This paper promotes and describes the use of the generic value chain by using the knowledge gained in delivering a mammography-screening programme.

Low-Energy Solvents For Carbon Dioxide Capture Enabled By A Combination Of Enzymes And Vacuum Regeneration

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

Salmon, Sonja; House, Alan; Liu, Kun

An integrated bench-scale system combining the attributes of the bio-renewable enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) with low-enthalpy CO2 absorption solvents and vacuum regeneration was designed, built and operated for 500 hours using simulated flue gas. The objective was to develop a CO2 capture process with improved efficiency and sustainability when compared to NETL Case 10 monoethanolamine (MEA) scrubbing technology. The use of CA accelerates inter-conversion between dissolved CO2 and bicarbonate ion to enhance CO2 absorption, and the use of low enthalpy CO2 absorption solvents makes it possible to regenerate the solvent at lower temperatures relative to the reference MEA-based solvent. Themore » vacuum regeneration-based integrated bench-scale system operated successfully for an accumulated 500 hours using aqueous 23.5 wt% K2CO3-based solvent containing 2.5 g/L enzyme to deliver an average 84% CO2 capture when operated with a 20% enzyme replenishment rate per ~7 hour steady-state run period. The total inlet gas flow was 30 standard liters per minute with 15% CO2 and 85% N2. The absorber temperature was 40°C and the stripper operated under 35 kPa pressure with an approximate 77°C stripper bottom temperature. Tests with a 30°C absorber temperature delivered >90% capture. On- and off-line operational measurements provided a full process data set, with recirculating enzyme, that allowed for enzyme replenishment and absorption/desorption kinetic parameter calculations. Dissolved enzyme replenishment and conventional process controls were demonstrated as straightforward approaches to maintain system performance. Preliminary evaluation of a novel flow-through ultrasonically enhanced regeneration system was also conducted, yet resulted in CO2 release within the range of temperature-dependent release, and further work would be needed to validate the benefits of ultrasonic enhanced stripping. A full technology assessment was completed in which four techno-economic cases for enzyme-enhanced aqueous K2CO3 solvent with vacuum stripping were considered and a corresponding set of sensitivity studies were developed. The cases were evaluated using bench-scale and laboratory-based observations, AspenPlus® process simulation and modeling, AspenTech’s CCE® Parametric Software, current vendor quotations, and project partners’ know-how of unit operations. Overall, the DOE target of 90% CO2 capture could be met using the benign enzyme-enhanced aqueous K2CO3-based alternative to NETL Case 10. The model-predicted plant COE performance, scaled to 550 MWe net output, was 9% higher than NETL Case 10 for an enzyme-activated case with minimized technical risk and highest confidence in physical system performance utilizing commercially available equipment. A COE improvement of 2.8% versus NETL Case 10 was predicted when favorable features of improved enzyme longevity and additional power output from a very low pressure (VLP) turbine were combined, wherein corresponding high capital and operational costs limited the level of COE benefit. The environmental, health and safety (EH&S) profile of the system was found to be favorable and was compliant with the Federal EH&S legislation reviewed. Further work on a larger scale test unit is recommended to reduce the level of uncertainty inherent in extrapolating findings from a bench-scale unit to a full scale PCC plant, and to further investigate several identified opportunities for improvement. Production feasibility and suitability of carbonic anhydrases for scale-up testing was confirmed both through the current project and through parallel efforts.« less

Lessons for Research Policy and Practice: The Case of Co-Enquiry Research with Rural Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, Emily; Schunko, Christoph; Corbera, Esteve; Ruiz Mallén, Isabel; Vogl, Christian R.; Martin, Gary; Arrázola, Susana; Bandeira, Fábio Pedro; Calvo Boyero, Diana; Camacho Benavides, Claudia; Cardoso, Thiago Mota; Chan-Dzul, Albert; Conde, Esther; del Campo García, Carlos; Huanca, Tomás; Sampaio, José Augusto Laranjeiras; Oliveros Lopez, Sara; Porter-Bolland, Luciana; Ruiz Betancourt, Olga

2016-01-01

This article explores the relationship between institutional funding for research and community-based or co-enquiry research practice. It examines the implementation of co-enquiry research in the COMBIOSERVE project, which was funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme for research and innovation, between the years 2012 and…

Building leadership capacity and future leaders in operational research in low-income countries: why and how?

PubMed

Zachariah, R; Reid, T; Srinath, S; Chakaya, J; Legins, K; Karunakara, U; Harries, A D

2011-11-01

Very limited operational research (OR) emerges from programme settings in low-income countries where the greatest burden of disease lies. The price paid for this void includes a lack of understanding of how health systems are actually functioning, not knowing what works and what does not, and an inability to propose adapted and innovative solutions to programme problems. We use the National Tuberculosis Control Programme as an example to advocate for strong programme-level leadership to steer OR and build viable relationships between programme managers, researchers and policy makers. We highlight the need to create a stimulating environment for conducting OR and identify some of the main practical challenges and enabling factors at programme level. We focus on the important role of an OR focal point within programmes and practical approaches to training that can deliver timely and quantifiable outputs. Finally, we emphasise the need to measure successful OR leadership development at programme level and we propose parameters by which this can be assessed. This paper 1) provides reasons why programmes should take the lead in coordinating and directing OR, 2) identifies the practical challenges and enabling factors for implementing, managing and sustaining OR and 3) proposes parameters for measuring successful leadership capacity development in OR.

47 CFR 95.1209 - Permissible communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... to which the MedRadio implant or body-worn transmitter is used. (c) MedRadio programmer/control...Radio programmer/control transmitters may transmit only non-voice data containing operational... shall transmit except in response to a transmission from a MedRadio programmer/control transmitter or in...

Youth Media and Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauge, Chelsey

2014-01-01

This article addresses how capacity is conceived of and understood in youth media/civic education programming, and how beliefs about agency, development, relationality and youth manifests in the discourses, programmes, and practices of organizations operating youth media programmes. Through attention to a youth media and development programme in…

Improving skills and care standards in the support workforce for older people: a realist synthesis of workforce development interventions

PubMed Central

Williams, L; Rycroft-Malone, J; Burton, C R; Edwards, S; Fisher, D; Hall, B; McCormack, B; Nutley, S M; Seddon, D; Williams, R

2016-01-01

Objectives This evidence review was conducted to understand how and why workforce development interventions can improve the skills and care standards of support workers in older people's services. Design Following recognised realist synthesis principles, the review was completed by (1) development of an initial programme theory; (2) retrieval, review and synthesis of evidence relating to interventions designed to develop the support workforce; (3) ‘testing out’ the synthesis findings to refine the programme theories, and establish their practical relevance/potential for implementation through stakeholder interviews; and (4) forming actionable recommendations. Participants Stakeholders who represented services, commissioners and older people were involved in workshops in an advisory capacity, and 10 participants were interviewed during the theory refinement process. Results Eight context–mechanism–outcome (CMO) configurations were identified which cumulatively comprise a new programme theory about ‘what works’ to support workforce development in older people's services. The CMOs indicate that the design and delivery of workforce development includes how to make it real to the work of those delivering support to older people; the individual support worker's personal starting points and expectations of the role; how to tap into support workers' motivations; the use of incentivisation; joining things up around workforce development; getting the right mix of people engaged in the design and delivery of workforce development programmes/interventions; taking a planned approach to workforce development, and the ways in which components of interventions reinforce one another, increasing the potential for impacts to embed and spread across organisations. Conclusions It is important to take a tailored approach to the design and delivery of workforce development that is mindful of the needs of older people, support workers, health and social care services and the employing organisations within which workforce development operates. Workforce development interventions need to balance the technical, professional and emotional aspects of care. Trial registration number CRD42013006283. PMID:27566640

Feedforward, high density, programmable read only neural network based memory system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daud, Taher; Moopenn, Alex; Lamb, James; Thakoor, Anil; Khanna, Satish

1988-01-01

Neural network-inspired, nonvolatile, programmable associative memory using thin-film technology is demonstrated. The details of the architecture, which uses programmable resistive connection matrices in synaptic arrays and current summing and thresholding amplifiers as neurons, are described. Several synapse configurations for a high-density array of a binary connection matrix are also described. Test circuits are evaluated for operational feasibility and to demonstrate the speed of the read operation. The results are discussed to highlight the potential for a read data rate exceeding 10 megabits/sec.