Realizing Improvement through Team Empowerment (RITE): A Team-based, Project-based Multidisciplinary Improvement Program.

PubMed

Larson, David B; Mickelsen, L Jake; Garcia, Kandice

2016-01-01

Performance improvement in a complex health care environment depends on the cooperation of diverse individuals and groups, allocation of time and resources, and use of effective improvement methods. To address this challenge, we developed an 18-week multidisciplinary training program that would also provide a vehicle for effecting needed improvements, by using a team- and project-based model. The program began in the radiology department and subsequently expanded to include projects from throughout the medical center. Participants were taught a specific method for team-based problem solving, which included (a) articulating the problem, (b) observing the process, (c) analyzing possible causes of problems, (d) identifying key drivers, (e) testing and refining interventions, and (f) providing for sustainment of results. Progress was formally reviewed on a weekly basis. A total of 14 teams consisting of 78 participants completed the course in two cohorts; one project was discontinued. All completed projects resulted in at least modest improvement. Mean skill scores increased from 2.5/6 to 4.5/6 (P < .01), and the mean satisfaction score was 4.7/5. Identified keys to success include (a) engagement of frontline staff, (b) teams given authority to make process changes, (c) capable improvement coaches, (d) a physician-director with improvement expertise and organizational authority, (e) capable administrative direction, (f) supportive organizational leaders, (g) weekly progress reviews, (h) timely educational material, (i) structured problem-solving methods, and ( j ) multiple projects working simultaneously. The purpose of this article is to review the program, including the methods and results, and discuss perceived keys to program success. © RSNA, 2016.

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

Derivation of persistent time for anisotropic migration of cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yan-Ping; Zhang, Xiao-Cui; Wu, Yu-Ling; Liu, Wen; Li, Xiang; Liu, Ru-Chuan; Liu, Li-Yu; Shuai, Jian-Wei

2017-12-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31370830, 11675134, 11474345, and 11604030), the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2013CB837200), the 111 Project, China (Grant No. B16029), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M602071).

Explanation of Change Cost and Schedule Growth Study Interim Status Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Croonce, Thomas; Bitten, Bob; Emmons, Debra

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the study to understand the changes in cost and schedule growth for NASA projects. A second goal was to determine the percentage of growth that was outside the control of the project. The study examined project documentation, conducted interviews with key project personnel, and allocated growth events to an Explanation of Change (EoC) tree to quantify the reasons for growth in the scheduled time. This briefing reviews the results of the study of the first 20 missions.

Urban Infrastructure Development Works in India: Delay and Difficulties in Implementation with Reference to a Water Supply Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aditya, A. K.; Douglass, David Allen; Bhattacharya, Mahua

2017-09-01

A handsome project is undertaken by the Govt. of India with funding under either foreign investments or from their own resources. Though the projects are targeted to be implemented within a certain time frame these are never achieved because of the frequent delay in implementation. This has caused time and cost overruns as well as delay in delivering the benefits to the commuters. An insight into the critical problems and affairs by the experts who are engaged in the process of execution/implementation through various consultants has brought to light some key recurring issues with remedial measures requiring action from the different stakeholders for such projects.

Therapeutic Targeting of Lipid Droplets as Disease Markers in Ovarian Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f...CONTENTS Page # INTRODUCTION 2 KEYWORDS 2 PROJECT SUMMARY 2-9 KEY RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS 10 CONCLUSION AND FUTIRE PLANS 10 PUBLICATION/ABSTRACTS...Time to Recurrence, PFS- Progression Free Survival, OS-Overall Survival 3. OVERALL PROJECT SUMMARY: Milestone 1: Animal Use Approval-Prepare IACUC

CATE: A Case Study of an Interdisciplinary Student-Led Microgravity Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colwell, J. E.; Dove, A.; Lane, S. S.; Tiller, C.; Whitaker, A.; Lai, K.; Hoover, B.; Benjamin, S.

2015-12-01

The Collisional Accretion Experiment (CATE) was designed, built, and flown on NASA's C-9 parabolic flight airplane in less than a year by an interdisciplinary team of 6 undergraduate students under the supervision of two faculty. CATE was selected in the initial NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) solicitation in the Fall of 2013, and the experiment flight campaign was in July 2014. The experiment studied collisions between different particle populations at low velocities (sub-m/s) in a vacuum and microgravity to gain insight into processes in the protoplanetary disk and planetary ring systems. Faculty provided the experiment concept and key experiment design parameters, and the student team developed the detailed hardware design for all components, manufactured and tested hardware, operated the experiment in flight, and analyzed data post-flight. Students also developed and led an active social media campaign and education and public outreach campaign to engage local high school students in the project. The ability to follow an experiment through from conception to flight was a key benefit for undergraduate students whose available time for projects such as this is frequently limited to their junior and senior years. Key factors for success of the program included having an existing laboratory infrastructure and experience in developing flight payloads and an intrinsically simple experiment concept. Students were highly motivated, in part, by their sense of technical and scientific ownership of the project, and this engagement was key to the project's success.

Tracking and data systems support for the Helios project. Volume 3: DSN support of Project Helios May 1976 - June 1977

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodwin, P. S.; Jensen, W. N.; Flanagan, F. M.

1979-01-01

Spacecraft extended mission coverage does not generally carry a high priority, but Helios was fortunate in that a combination of separated viewperiods and unique utilization of the STDN Goldstone antenna have provided a considerable amount of additional science data return, particularly at key times such a perihelion and/or solar occultation.

Sustainable chronic disease management in remote Australia.

PubMed

Wakerman, John; Chalmers, Elizabeth M; Humphreys, John S; Clarence, Christine L; Bell, Andrew I; Larson, Ann; Lyle, David; Pashen, Dennis R

2005-11-21

The Sharing Health Care Initiative (SHCI) demonstration project, which aimed to improve management of chronic diseases, was implemented in four small remote communities in the Katherine region which are serviced by the Katherine West Health Board, a remote Aboriginal-community-controlled health organisation in the Northern Territory. We reviewed the project proposal, final report, evaluation reports and transitional funding proposal, and supplemented these with in-depth interviews with key individuals. We determined factors critical to the sustainability of the SHCI project in relation to context, community engagement, systems flexibility and adaptability, the availability and effect of information systems, and the human nature of health care and policy. The project had a significant impact on community awareness of chronic disease and an improvement in clinic processes. We found that a number of interrelated factors promoted sustainability, including: An implementation strategy sufficiently flexible to take account of local conditions; A high level of community engagement; Appropriate timeframes, timing and congruence between national policy and local readiness to implement a chronic disease project; Effective communication between participating organisations; Project champions (key individuals) in participating organisations; Effective use of monitoring and evaluation data; and Adequate and ongoing funding. The absence of a number of these factors, such as poor communication, inhibited sustainability. Other factors could both promote and inhibit. For example, the impact of key individuals was important, but could be idiosyncratic and have negative effects.

Interfacial nanobubbles produced by long-time preserved cold water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Li-Min; Wang, Shuo; Qiu, Jie; Wang, Lei; Wang, Xing-Ya; Li, Bin; Zhang, Li-Juan; Hu, Jun

2017-09-01

Not Available Project supported by the Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Open Research Project of the Large Scientific Facility of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11079050, 11290165, 11305252, 11575281, and U1532260), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2012CB825705 and 2013CB932801), the National Natural Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scientists, China (Grant No. 11225527), the Shanghai Academic Leadership Program, China (Grant No. 13XD1404400), and the Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. KJCX2-EW-W09 and QYZDJ-SSW-SLH019)

Application fuzzy multi-attribute decision analysis method to prioritize project success criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phong, Nguyen Thanh; Quyen, Nguyen Le Hoang Thuy To

2017-11-01

Project success is a foundation for project owner to manage and control not only for the current project but also for future potential projects in construction companies. However, identifying the key success criteria for evaluating a particular project in real practice is a challenging task. Normally, it depends on a lot of factors, such as the expectation of the project owner and stakeholders, triple constraints of the project (cost, time, quality), and company's mission, vision, and objectives. Traditional decision-making methods for measuring the project success are usually based on subjective opinions of panel experts, resulting in irrational and inappropriate decisions. Therefore, this paper introduces a multi-attribute decision analysis method (MADAM) for weighting project success criteria by using fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process approach. It is found that this method is useful when dealing with imprecise and uncertain human judgments in evaluating project success criteria. Moreover, this research also suggests that although cost, time, and quality are three project success criteria projects, the satisfaction of project owner and acceptance of project stakeholders with the completed project criteria is the most important criteria for project success evaluation in Vietnam.

Project oriented klystron developments in Japan, China and India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Shigeki

2017-12-01

Modern accelerators are based on the rf technology and the klystron is the one of key components. Some special accelerator projects require their specified klystrons i.e., project-oriented klystrons. In this paper, project-oriented klystron developments for a decade in Japan are described. Related projects are ILC, cERL and SKEKB. Usually klystron is very expensive but has a finite life and needs to procure again. Trial to introduce the compatible tubes and have a competitive tender to reduce the cost is described. At the same time, since an efficiency improvement is one of the recent trend, such an attempt is also presented. International klystron collaboration among the Asian countries has been performed for a long time. In this paper, collaboration with China and India is introduced. Since topics are covered mainly author's experience, related counties described are limited.

Environmental regulation of plant gene expression: an RT-qPCR laboratory project for an upper-level undergraduate biochemistry or molecular biology course.

PubMed

Eickelberg, Garrett J; Fisher, Alison J

2013-01-01

We present a novel laboratory project employing "real-time" RT-qPCR to measure the effect of environment on the expression of the FLOWERING LOCUS C gene, a key regulator of floral timing in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The project requires four 3-hr laboratory sessions and is aimed at upper-level undergraduate students in biochemistry or molecular biology courses. The project provides students with hands-on experience with RT-qPCR, the current "gold standard" for gene expression analysis, including detailed data analysis using the common 2-ΔΔCT method. Moreover, it provides a convenient starting point for many inquiry-driven projects addressing diverse questions concerning ecological biochemistry, naturally occurring genetic variation, developmental biology, and the regulation of gene expression in nature. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Real-time "x-ray vision" for healthcare simulation: an interactive projective overlay system to enhance intubation training and other procedural training.

PubMed

Samosky, Joseph T; Baillargeon, Emma; Bregman, Russell; Brown, Andrew; Chaya, Amy; Enders, Leah; Nelson, Douglas A; Robinson, Evan; Sukits, Alison L; Weaver, Robert A

2011-01-01

We have developed a prototype of a real-time, interactive projective overlay (IPO) system that creates augmented reality display of a medical procedure directly on the surface of a full-body mannequin human simulator. These images approximate the appearance of both anatomic structures and instrument activity occurring within the body. The key innovation of the current work is sensing the position and motion of an actual device (such as an endotracheal tube) inserted into the mannequin and using the sensed position to control projected video images portraying the internal appearance of the same devices and relevant anatomic structures. The images are projected in correct registration onto the surface of the simulated body. As an initial practical prototype to test this technique we have developed a system permitting real-time visualization of the intra-airway position of an endotracheal tube during simulated intubation training.

Implementing Brief Interventions in Health Care: Lessons Learned from the Swedish Risk Drinking Project

PubMed Central

Nilsen, Per; Wåhlin, Sven; Heather, Nick

2011-01-01

The Risk Drinking Project was a national implementation endeavour in Sweden, carried out from 2004 to 2010, based on a government initiative to give alcohol issues a more prominent place in routine primary, child, maternity and occupational health care. The article describes and analyses the project. Critical factors that were important for the results are identified. The magnitude of the project contributed to its reach and impact in terms of providers’ awareness of the project goals and key messages. The timing of the project was appropriate. The increase in alcohol consumption in Sweden and diminished opportunities for primary prevention strategies since entry to the European Union in 1995 have led to increased expectations for health care providers to become more actively involved in alcohol prevention. This awareness provided favourable conditions for this project. A multifaceted approach was used in the project. Most educational courses were held in workshops and seminars to encourage learning-by-doing. Motivational interviewing was an integral aspect. The concept of risk drinking was promoted in all the activities. Subprojects were tailored to the specific conditions of each respective setting, building on the skills the providers already had to modify existing work practices. Nurses were afforded a key role in the project. PMID:22016706

Implementing brief interventions in health care: lessons learned from the Swedish Risk Drinking Project.

PubMed

Nilsen, Per; Wåhlin, Sven; Heather, Nick

2011-09-01

The Risk Drinking Project was a national implementation endeavour in Sweden, carried out from 2004 to 2010, based on a government initiative to give alcohol issues a more prominent place in routine primary, child, maternity and occupational health care. The article describes and analyses the project. Critical factors that were important for the results are identified. The magnitude of the project contributed to its reach and impact in terms of providers' awareness of the project goals and key messages. The timing of the project was appropriate. The increase in alcohol consumption in Sweden and diminished opportunities for primary prevention strategies since entry to the European Union in 1995 have led to increased expectations for health care providers to become more actively involved in alcohol prevention. This awareness provided favourable conditions for this project. A multifaceted approach was used in the project. Most educational courses were held in workshops and seminars to encourage learning-by-doing. Motivational interviewing was an integral aspect. The concept of risk drinking was promoted in all the activities. Subprojects were tailored to the specific conditions of each respective setting, building on the skills the providers already had to modify existing work practices. Nurses were afforded a key role in the project.

Participation in the ISO Key Project - IPAC Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lo, Kwok-Yung

2001-01-01

This program used guaranteed ISO time to observe the interstellar medium in nearby galaxies. The goals of the program are to determine the origin of the infrared emission, to quantify the physical conditions of the interstellar medium, and to study the heating and physical properties of interstellar dust. This program has been carried out successfully, and produced a number of publications reporting the results.

The ASSERT Virtual Machine Kernel: Support for Preservation of Temporal Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamorano, J.; de la Puente, J. A.; Pulido, J. A.; Urueña

2008-08-01

A new approach to building embedded real-time software has been developed in the ASSERT project. One of its key elements is the concept of a virtual machine preserving the non-functional properties of the system, and especially real-time properties, all the way down from high- level design models down to executable code. The paper describes one instance of the virtual machine concept that provides support for the preservation of temporal properties both at the source code level —by accept- ing only "legal" entities, i.e. software components with statically analysable real-tim behaviour— and at run-time —by monitoring the temporal behaviour of the system. The virtual machine has been validated on several pilot projects carried out by aerospace companies in the framework of the ASSERT project.

Assessment Approach for Identifying Compatibility of Restoration Projects with Geomorphic and Flooding Processes in Gravel Bed Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVries, Paul; Aldrich, Robert

2015-08-01

A critical requirement for a successful river restoration project in a dynamic gravel bed river is that it be compatible with natural hydraulic and sediment transport processes operating at the reach scale. The potential for failure is greater at locations where the influence of natural processes is inconsistent with intended project function and performance. We present an approach using practical GIS, hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport analyses to identify locations where specific restoration project types have the greatest likelihood of working as intended because their function and design are matched with flooding and morphologic processes. The key premise is to identify whether a specific river analysis segment (length ~1-10 bankfull widths) within a longer reach is geomorphically active or inactive in the context of vertical and lateral stabilities, and hydrologically active for floodplain connectivity. Analyses involve empirical channel geometry relations, aerial photographic time series, LiDAR data, HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling, and a time-integrated sediment transport budget to evaluate trapping efficiency within each segment. The analysis segments are defined by HEC-RAS model cross sections. The results have been used effectively to identify feasible projects in a variety of alluvial gravel bed river reaches with lengths between 11 and 80 km and 2-year flood magnitudes between ~350 and 1330 m3/s. Projects constructed based on the results have all performed as planned. In addition, the results provide key criteria for formulating erosion and flood management plans.

Assessment Approach for Identifying Compatibility of Restoration Projects with Geomorphic and Flooding Processes in Gravel Bed Rivers.

PubMed

DeVries, Paul; Aldrich, Robert

2015-08-01

A critical requirement for a successful river restoration project in a dynamic gravel bed river is that it be compatible with natural hydraulic and sediment transport processes operating at the reach scale. The potential for failure is greater at locations where the influence of natural processes is inconsistent with intended project function and performance. We present an approach using practical GIS, hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport analyses to identify locations where specific restoration project types have the greatest likelihood of working as intended because their function and design are matched with flooding and morphologic processes. The key premise is to identify whether a specific river analysis segment (length ~1-10 bankfull widths) within a longer reach is geomorphically active or inactive in the context of vertical and lateral stabilities, and hydrologically active for floodplain connectivity. Analyses involve empirical channel geometry relations, aerial photographic time series, LiDAR data, HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling, and a time-integrated sediment transport budget to evaluate trapping efficiency within each segment. The analysis segments are defined by HEC-RAS model cross sections. The results have been used effectively to identify feasible projects in a variety of alluvial gravel bed river reaches with lengths between 11 and 80 km and 2-year flood magnitudes between ~350 and 1330 m(3)/s. Projects constructed based on the results have all performed as planned. In addition, the results provide key criteria for formulating erosion and flood management plans.

The UK Earth System Model project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yongming

2016-04-01

In this talk we will describe the development and current status of the UK Earth System Model (UKESM). This project is a NERC/Met Office collaboration and has two objectives; to develop and apply a world-leading Earth System Model, and to grow a community of UK Earth System Model scientists. We are building numerical models that include all the key components of the global climate system, and contain the important process interactions between global biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry and the physical climate system. UKESM will be used to make key CMIP6 simulations as well as long-time (e.g. millennium) simulations, large ensemble experiments and investigating a range of future carbon emission scenarios.

SWEIS Yearbook-2012 Comparison of 2012 Data to Projections of the 2008 Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory

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

Mahowald, Hallie B.; Wright, Marjorie Alys

2014-01-16

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) operations data for Calendar Year (CY) 2012 mostly fell within the 2008 Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) projections. Operation levels for one LANL facility exceeded the 2008 SWEIS capability projections—Radiochemistry Facility; however, none of the capability increases caused exceedances in radioactive air emissions, waste generation, or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge. Several facilities exceeded the2008 SWEIS levels for waste generation quantities; however, all were one-time, non-routine events that do not reflect the day-to-day operations of the Laboratory. In addition, total site-wide waste generation quantities were below SWEIS projections for allmore » waste types, reflecting the overall levels of operations at both the Key and Non-Key Facilities. Although gas and electricity consumption have remained within the 2008 SWEIS limits for utilities, water consumption exceeded the 2008 SWEIS projections by 27 million gallons in CY 2012.« less

Evidence-based development and evaluation of mobile cognitive support apps for people on the autism spectrum: methodological conclusions from two R+D projects.

PubMed

Gyori, Miklos; Stefanik, Krisztina; Kanizsai-Nagy, Ildikó

2015-01-01

A growing body of evidence confirms that mobile digital devices have key potentials as assistive/educational tools for people with autism spectrum disorders. The aim of this paper is to outline key aspects of development and evaluation methodologies that build on, and provide systematic evidence on effects of using such apps. We rely on the results of two R+D projects, both using quantitative and qualitative methods to support development and to evaluate developed apps (n=54 and n=22). Analyzing methodological conclusions from these studies we outline some guidelines for an 'ideal' R+D methodology but we also point to important trade-offs between the need for best systematic evidence and the limitations on development time and costs. We see these trade-offs as a key issue to be resolved in this field.

EOS: A project to investigate the design and construction of real-time distributed embedded operating systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, R. H.; Essick, R. B.; Grass, J.; Johnston, G.; Kenny, K.; Russo, V.

1986-01-01

The EOS project is investigating the design and construction of a family of real-time distributed embedded operating systems for reliable, distributed aerospace applications. Using the real-time programming techniques developed in co-operation with NASA in earlier research, the project staff is building a kernel for a multiple processor networked system. The first six months of the grant included a study of scheduling in an object-oriented system, the design philosophy of the kernel, and the architectural overview of the operating system. In this report, the operating system and kernel concepts are described. An environment for the experiments has been built and several of the key concepts of the system have been prototyped. The kernel and operating system is intended to support future experimental studies in multiprocessing, load-balancing, routing, software fault-tolerance, distributed data base design, and real-time processing.

Successful strategies to engage research partners for translating evidence into action in community health: a critical review.

PubMed

Salsberg, Jon; Parry, David; Pluye, Pierre; Macridis, Soultana; Herbert, Carol P; Macaulay, Ann C

2015-01-01

To undertake a critical review describing key strategies supporting development of participatory research (PR) teams to engage partners for creation and translation of action-oriented knowledge. Sources are four leading PR practitioners identified via bibliometric analysis. Authors' publications were identified in January 1995-October 2009 in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science and CAB databases, and books. Works were limited to those with a process description describing a research project and practitioners were first, second, third, or last author. Adapting and applying the "Reliability Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects" to retained records identified five key strategies: developing advisory committees of researchers and intended research users; developing research agreements; using formal and informal group facilitation techniques; hiring co-researchers/partners from community; and ensuring frequent communication. Other less frequently mentioned strategies were also identified. This review is the first time these guidelines were used to identify key strategies supporting PR projects. They proved effective at identifying and evaluating engagement strategies as reported by completed research projects. Adapting these guidelines identified gaps where the tool was unable to assess fundamental PR elements of power dynamics, equity of resources, and member turnover. Our resulting template serves as a new tool to measure partnerships.

Automatic transfer function design for medical visualization using visibility distributions and projective color mapping.

PubMed

Cai, Lile; Tay, Wei-Liang; Nguyen, Binh P; Chui, Chee-Kong; Ong, Sim-Heng

2013-01-01

Transfer functions play a key role in volume rendering of medical data, but transfer function manipulation is unintuitive and can be time-consuming; achieving an optimal visualization of patient anatomy or pathology is difficult. To overcome this problem, we present a system for automatic transfer function design based on visibility distribution and projective color mapping. Instead of assigning opacity directly based on voxel intensity and gradient magnitude, the opacity transfer function is automatically derived by matching the observed visibility distribution to a target visibility distribution. An automatic color assignment scheme based on projective mapping is proposed to assign colors that allow for the visual discrimination of different structures, while also reflecting the degree of similarity between them. When our method was tested on several medical volumetric datasets, the key structures within the volume were clearly visualized with minimal user intervention. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Providing Effective Learner Support for Part-Time Learners. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Philip; Crawley, Jim

2005-01-01

Learner support, defined as the strategies which empower learners to establish and fulfill their learning, career and personal potential, continues to be a key issue in current thinking in the post-16 education sector. An earlier project report from the West Country Learning and Skills Research Network (WCLSRN) showed that part-time learners were…

Effort Drivers Estimation for Brazilian Geographically Distributed Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Ana Carina M.; Souza, Renata; Aquino, Gibeon; Meira, Silvio

To meet the requirements of today’s fast paced markets, it is important to develop projects on time and with the minimum use of resources. A good estimate is the key to achieve this goal. Several companies have started to work with geographically distributed teams due to cost reduction and time-to-market. Some researchers indicate that this approach introduces new challenges, because the teams work in different time zones and have possible differences in culture and language. It is already known that the multisite development increases the software cycle time. Data from 15 DSD projects from 10 distinct companies were collected. The analysis shows drivers that impact significantly the total effort planned to develop systems using DSD approach in Brazil.

Smart Water: Energy-Water Optimization in Drinking Water Systems

EPA Science Inventory

This project aims to develop and commercialize a Smart Water Platform – Sensor-based Data-driven Energy-Water Optimization technology in drinking water systems. The key technological advances rely on cross-platform data acquisition and management system, model-based real-time sys...

Ares Knowledge Capture: Summary and Key Themes Presentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coates, Ralph H.

2011-01-01

This report has been developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Risk Management team in close coordination with the MSFC Chief Engineers Office. This document provides a point-in-time, cumulative, summary of actionable key lessons learned derived from the design project. Lessons learned invariably address challenges and risks and the way in which these areas have been addressed. Accordingly the risk management thread is woven throughout the document.

Key Learning Competencies across Place and Time: Kimihia Te Ara Totika, Hei Oranga Mo To Ao

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Margaret; Peters, Sally; Davis, Keryn; Bartlett, Claire; Bashford, Nadine; Berry, Paula; Greenslade, Susie; Molloy, Sue; O'Connor, Nikki; Simpson, Mere; Smith, Yvonne; Williams, Tina; Wilson-Tukaki, Andrea

2008-01-01

The overarching aim of this research in the proposal was the following: In a number of early childhood centres and early years school classrooms that have already begun to explore in this area, to investigate effective pedagogy designed to develop five learning competencies over time. This project was developed in response to curriculum reform in…

Project Hyreus: Mars Sample Return Mission Utilizing in Situ Propellant Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruckner, A. P.; Thill, Brian; Abrego, Anita; Koch, Amber; Kruse, Ross; Nicholson, Heather; Nill, Laurie; Schubert, Heidi; Schug, Eric; Smith, Brian

1993-01-01

Project Hyreus is an unmanned Mars sample return mission that utilizes propellants manufactured in situ from the Martian atmosphere for the return voyage. A key goal of the mission is to demonstrate the considerable benefits of using indigenous resources and to test the viability of this approach as a precursor to manned Mars missions. The techniques, materials, and equipment used in Project Hyreus represent those that are currently available or that could be developed and readied in time for the proposed launch date in 2003. Project Hyreus includes such features as a Mars-orbiting satellite equipped with ground-penetrating radar, a large rover capable of sample gathering and detailed surface investigations, and a planetary science array to perform on-site research before samples are returned to Earth. Project Hyreus calls for the Mars Landing Vehicle to land in the Mangala Valles region of Mars, where it will remain for approximately 1.5 years. Methane and oxygen propellant for the Earth return voyage will be produced using carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and a small supply of hydrogen brought from Earth. This process is key to returning a large Martian sample to Earth with a single Earth launch.

Project Hyreus: Mars sample return mission utilizing in situ propellant production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrego, Anita; Bair, Chris; Hink, Anthony; Kim, Jae; Koch, Amber; Kruse, Ross; Ngo, Dung; Nicholson, Heather; Nill, Laurie; Perras, Craig

1993-01-01

Project Hyreus is an unmanned Mars sample return mission that utilizes propellants manufactured in situ from the Martian atmosphere for the return voyage. A key goal of the mission is to demonstrate the considerable benefits of using indigenous resources and to test the viability of this approach as a precursor to manned Mars missions. The techniques, materials, and equipment used in Project Hyreus represent those that are currently available or that could be developed and readied in time for the proposed launch date in 2003. Project Hyreus includes such features as a Mars-orbiting satellite equipped with ground-penetrating radar, a large rover capable of sample gathering and detailed surface investigations, and a planetary science array to perform on-site research before samples are returned to Earth. Project Hyreus calls for the Mars Landing Vehicle to land in the Mangala Valles region of Mars, where it will remain for approximately 1.5 years. Methane and oxygen propellant for the Earth return voyage will be produced using carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and a small supply of hydrogen brought from Earth. This process is key to returning a large Martian sample to Earth with a single Earth launch.

78 FR 39290 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-01

... project, known as the ``National Mortgage Database,'' which is a joint effort of FHFA and the Consumer... a database of timely and otherwise unavailable residential mortgage market information to be made... Mortgage Database. The key purpose of the National Mortgage Database is to make accessible accurate...

The Use of Climate Projections in the Modelling of Bud Burst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, Bridget F.; Caffara, Amelia; Gleeson, Emily; Semmler, Tido; McGrath, Ray; Donnelly, Alison

2010-05-01

Recent changes in global climate, such as increasing temperature, have had notable effects on the phenology (timing of biological events) of plants. The effects are variable across habitats and between species, but increasing temperatures have been shown to advance certain key phenophases of trees, such as bud burst (beginning of leaf unfolding). This project considered climate change impacts on phenology of plants at a local scale in Ireland. The output from the ENSEMBLES climate simulations were down-scaled to Ireland and utilised by a phenological model to project changes over the next 50-100 years. This project helps to showcase the potential use of climate simulations in phenological research.

Understanding a successful obesity prevention initiative in children under 5 from a systems perspective.

PubMed

Owen, Brynle; Brown, Andrew D; Kuhlberg, Jill; Millar, Lynne; Nichols, Melanie; Economos, Christina; Allender, Steven

2018-01-01

Systems thinking represents an innovative and logical approach to understanding complexity in community-based obesity prevention interventions. We report on an approach to apply systems thinking to understand the complexity of a successful obesity prevention intervention in early childhood (children aged up to 5 years) conducted in a regional city in Victoria, Australia. A causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to represent system elements related to a successful childhood obesity prevention intervention in early childhood. Key stakeholder interviews (n = 16) were examined retrospectively to generate purposive text data, create microstructures, and form a CLD. A CLD representing key stakeholder perceptions of a successful intervention comprised six key feedback loops explaining changes in project implementation over time. The loops described the dynamics of collaboration, network formation, community awareness, human resources, project clarity, and innovation. The CLD developed provides a replicable means to capture, evaluate and disseminate a description of the dynamic elements of a successful obesity prevention intervention in early childhood.

YouthAccess to Alcohol: early findings from a community action project to reduce the supply of alcohol to teens.

PubMed

Clark, Sam

2007-01-01

The Youth Access to Alcohol (YATA) project was implemented in 2002 by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) in thirty communities in New Zealand, with the aim of reducing the harm experienced by young people as a result of alcohol misuse in New Zealand through reducing the supply of alcohol by adults to young people. The communities include a mix of rural and urban from both Islands in New Zealand. The project uses a community action approach, which has included setting up collaborative partnerships of key agencies, the delivery of key strategies, and multimedia awareness raising campaigns. The communities are encouraged to identify unique issues in their community regarding alcohol abuse and young people and to develop action plans incorporating a range of strategies that include tested strategies as well as innovative ideas. Communities are trained to implement several tools to monitor changes in their community over time. The study's limitations are noted and future needed research is suggested.

ARTEMIS: a collaborative framework for health care.

PubMed

Reddy, R; Jagannathan, V; Srinivas, K; Karinthi, R; Reddy, S M; Gollapudy, C; Friedman, S

1993-01-01

Patient centered healthcare delivery is an inherently collaborative process. This involves a wide range of individuals and organizations with diverse perspectives: primary care physicians, hospital administrators, labs, clinics, and insurance. The key to cost reduction and quality improvement in health care is effective management of this collaborative process. The use of multi-media collaboration technology can facilitate timely delivery of patient care and reduce cost at the same time. During the last five years, the Concurrent Engineering Research Center (CERC), under the sponsorship of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, recently renamed ARPA) developed a number of generic key subsystems of a comprehensive collaboration environment. These subsystems are intended to overcome the barriers that inhibit the collaborative process. Three subsystems developed under this program include: MONET (Meeting On the Net)--to provide consultation over a computer network, ISS (Information Sharing Server)--to provide access to multi-media information, and PCB (Project Coordination Board)--to better coordinate focussed activities. These systems have been integrated into an open environment to enable collaborative processes. This environment is being used to create a wide-area (geographically distributed) research testbed under DARPA sponsorship, ARTEMIS (Advance Research Testbed for Medical Informatics) to explore the collaborative health care processes. We believe this technology will play a key role in the current national thrust to reengineer the present health-care delivery system.

Two Paradigmatic Waves of Public Discourse on Nuclear Waste in the United States, 1945-2009: Understanding a Magnitudinal and Longitudinal Phenomenon in Anthropological Terms.

PubMed

Pajo, Judi

2016-01-01

This project set out to illuminate the discursive existence of nuclear waste in American culture. Given the significant temporal dimension of the phenomenon as well as the challenging size of the United States setting, the project adapted key methodological elements of the sociocultural anthropology tradition and produced proxies for ethnographic fieldnotes and key informant interviews through sampling the digital archives of the New York Times over a 64-year period that starts with the first recorded occurrence of the notion of nuclear waste and ends with the conclusion of the presidency of George W. Bush. Two paradigmatic waves of American public discourse on nuclear waste come to light when subjecting this empirical data to quantitative inventorying and interpretive analysis: between 1945 and 1969 nuclear waste was generally framed in light of the beneficial utilizations of nuclear reactions and with optimistic expectations for a scientific/technological solution; by contrast, between 1969 and 2009 nuclear waste was conceptualized as inherited harm that could not be undone and contestation that required political/legal management. Besides this key finding and the empirical timing of the two paradigms, the study's value lies also with its detailed empirical documentation of nuclear waste in its sociocultural existence.

Two Paradigmatic Waves of Public Discourse on Nuclear Waste in the United States, 1945-2009: Understanding a Magnitudinal and Longitudinal Phenomenon in Anthropological Terms

PubMed Central

Pajo, Judi

2016-01-01

This project set out to illuminate the discursive existence of nuclear waste in American culture. Given the significant temporal dimension of the phenomenon as well as the challenging size of the United States setting, the project adapted key methodological elements of the sociocultural anthropology tradition and produced proxies for ethnographic fieldnotes and key informant interviews through sampling the digital archives of the New York Times over a 64-year period that starts with the first recorded occurrence of the notion of nuclear waste and ends with the conclusion of the presidency of George W. Bush. Two paradigmatic waves of American public discourse on nuclear waste come to light when subjecting this empirical data to quantitative inventorying and interpretive analysis: between 1945 and 1969 nuclear waste was generally framed in light of the beneficial utilizations of nuclear reactions and with optimistic expectations for a scientific/technological solution; by contrast, between 1969 and 2009 nuclear waste was conceptualized as inherited harm that could not be undone and contestation that required political/legal management. Besides this key finding and the empirical timing of the two paradigms, the study’s value lies also with its detailed empirical documentation of nuclear waste in its sociocultural existence. PMID:27310719

Development of a Total Energy, Environment and Asset Management (TE2AM tm) Curriculum

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

O'Leary, Phillip R.

2012-12-31

The University of Wisconsin Department of Engineering Professional Development (EPD) has completed the sponsored project entitled, Development of a Total Energy, Environment and Asset Management (TE2AM) Curriculum. The project involved the development of a structured professional development program to improve the knowledge, skills, capabilities, and competencies of engineers and operators of commercial buildings. TE2AM advances a radically different approach to commercial building design, operation, maintenance, and end of life disposition. By employing asset management principles to the lifecycle of a commercial building, owners and occupants will realize improved building performance, reduced energy consumption and positive environmental impacts. Through our commercializationmore » plan, we intend to offer TE2AM courses and certificates to the professional community and continuously improve TE2AM course materials. The TE2AM project supports the DOE Strategic Theme 1 Energy Security; and will further advance the DOE Strategic Goal 1.4 Energy Productivity. Through participation in the TE2AM curriculum, engineers and operators of commercial buildings will be eligible for a professional certificate; denoting the completion of a prescribed series of learning activities. The project involved a comprehensive, rigorous approach to curriculum development, and accomplished the following goals: 1. Identify, analyze and prioritize key learning needs of engineers, architects and technical professionals as operators of commercial buildings. 2. Design and develop TE2AM curricula and instructional strategies to meet learning needs of the target learning community. 3. Establish partnerships with the sponsor and key stakeholders to enhance the development and delivery of learning programs. 4. Successfully commercialize and sustain the training and certificate programs for a substantial time following the term of the award. The project team was successful in achieving the goals and deliverables set forth in the original proposal. Though attempts were made to adhere to the original project timeline, the team requested, and was granted a 6 month project extension, during which time the project was completed.« less

Managing intellectual property to develop medicines for the world's poorest.

PubMed

Fonteilles-Drabek, Sylvie; Reddy, David; Wells, Timothy N C

2017-04-01

It has been argued that patents impede the development and access of medicines for tropical diseases such as malaria. However, we believe that intellectual property can be a key tool to enable timely progression of drug development projects involving multiple partners and to ensure equitable access to successful products.

2011 Science Accomplishments Report of the Pacific Northwest Research Station

Treesearch

Rhonda Mazza

2012-01-01

Expertise, dedication, and partnership: these are key elements to success within the Pacific Northwest Research Station. Fostering these elements enables the station to generate timely scientific information for land managers and policymakers to use for decisions about managing natural resources. In 2011, several projects examined ecosystem processes across...

THE AGING SOCIETY, NATURAL RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. is undergoing a dramatic demographic transformation toward older adults, spearheaded by the aging Baby Boomers, but projected to last beyond the Boomer generation. In August 2004, EPA held a workshop on (1) the change in aging demographics over time, (2) key issues (i.e...

Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, James F.

2009-01-01

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation projects are unique to each institution and yet are expensive, time consuming, and result in change across the institution. Five Midwest public and private 4-year higher education institutions were studied to determine the impact of five specific key factors on the overall success of the ERP…

The TRAINS project: A case study in building a conversational planning agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, James F.; Schubert, Lenhart K.; Ferguson, George; Heeman, Peter; Hwang, Chung Hee; Kato, Tsuneaki; Light, Marc; Martin, Nathaniel G.; Miller, Bradford W.; Poesio, Massimo

1994-09-01

The TRAINS project is an effort to build a conversationally proficient planning assistant. A key part of the project is the construction of the TRAINS system, which provides the research platform for a wide range of issues in natural language understanding, mixed-initiative planning systems, and representing and reasoning about time, actions and events. Four years have not passed since the beginning of the project. Each year, we produced a demonstration system that focused on a dialog that illustrated particular aspects of our research. The commitment to building complete integrated systems is a significant overhead on the research, but we feel it is essential to guarantee that the results constitute real progress in the field. This paper describes the goals of the project, and our experience with the effort so far.

Puerto Rico`s EcoElectrica LNG/power project marks a project financing first

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

Lammers, R.; Taylor, S.

1998-02-23

On Dec. 15, 1997, Enron International and Kenetech Energy Services achieved financial close on the $670 million EcoElectrica liquefied natural gas terminal and cogeneration project proposed for Puerto Rico. The project involves construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal, cogeneration plant, and desalination unit on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the Penuelas/Guayanilla area. EcoElectrica will include a 500-mw, combined-cycle cogeneration power plant fueled mainly by LNG imported from the 400 MMcfd Atlantic LNG project on the island of Trinidad. Achieving financial close on a project of this size is always a time-consuming matter and one with a numbermore » of challenges. These challenges were increased by the unique nature of both the project and its financing--no project financing had ever before been completed that combined an LNG terminal and power plant. The paper discusses the project, financing details and challenges, key investment considerations, and integrated project prospects.« less

Reducing waste and errors: piloting lean principles at Intermountain Healthcare.

PubMed

Jimmerson, Cindy; Weber, Dorothy; Sobek, Durward K

2005-05-01

The Toyota Production System (TPS), based on industrial engineering principles and operational innovations, is used to achieve waste reduction and efficiency while increasing product quality. Several key tools and principles, adapted to health care, have proved effective in improving hospital operations. Value Stream Maps (VSMs), which represent the key people, material, and information flows required to deliver a product or service, distinguish between value-adding and non-value-adding steps. The one-page Problem-Solving A3 Report guides staff through a rigorous and systematic problem-solving process. PILOT PROJECT at INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE: In a pilot project, participants made many improvements, ranging from simple changes implemented immediately (for example, heart monitor paper not available when a patient presented with a dysrythmia) to larger projects involving patient or information flow issues across multiple departments. Most of the improvements required little or no investment and reduced significant amounts of wasted time for front-line workers. In one unit, turnaround time for pathologist reports from an anatomical pathology lab was reduced from five to two days. TPS principles and tools are applicable to an endless variety of processes and work settings in health care and can be used to address critical challenges such as medical errors, escalating costs, and staffing shortages.

Successful Strategies to Engage Research Partners for Translating Evidence into Action in Community Health: A Critical Review

PubMed Central

Salsberg, Jon; Parry, David; Pluye, Pierre; Macridis, Soultana; Herbert, Carol P.; Macaulay, Ann C.

2015-01-01

Objectives. To undertake a critical review describing key strategies supporting development of participatory research (PR) teams to engage partners for creation and translation of action-oriented knowledge. Methods. Sources are four leading PR practitioners identified via bibliometric analysis. Authors' publications were identified in January 1995–October 2009 in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science and CAB databases, and books. Works were limited to those with a process description describing a research project and practitioners were first, second, third, or last author. Results. Adapting and applying the “Reliability Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects” to retained records identified five key strategies: developing advisory committees of researchers and intended research users; developing research agreements; using formal and informal group facilitation techniques; hiring co-researchers/partners from community; and ensuring frequent communication. Other less frequently mentioned strategies were also identified. Conclusion. This review is the first time these guidelines were used to identify key strategies supporting PR projects. They proved effective at identifying and evaluating engagement strategies as reported by completed research projects. Adapting these guidelines identified gaps where the tool was unable to assess fundamental PR elements of power dynamics, equity of resources, and member turnover. Our resulting template serves as a new tool to measure partnerships. PMID:25815016

34 CFR 75.517 - Changes in key staff members.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Changes in key staff members. 75.517 Section 75.517... by a Grantee? Project Staff § 75.517 Changes in key staff members. A grantee shall comply with 34 CFR 74.25(c)(2) concerning replacement or lesser involvement of any key project staff, whether or not the...

34 CFR 75.517 - Changes in key staff members.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Changes in key staff members. 75.517 Section 75.517... by a Grantee? Project Staff § 75.517 Changes in key staff members. A grantee shall comply with 34 CFR 74.25(c)(2) concerning replacement or lesser involvement of any key project staff, whether or not the...

34 CFR 75.517 - Changes in key staff members.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Changes in key staff members. 75.517 Section 75.517... by a Grantee? Project Staff § 75.517 Changes in key staff members. A grantee shall comply with 34 CFR 74.25(c)(2) concerning replacement or lesser involvement of any key project staff, whether or not the...

34 CFR 75.517 - Changes in key staff members.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Changes in key staff members. 75.517 Section 75.517... by a Grantee? Project Staff § 75.517 Changes in key staff members. A grantee shall comply with 34 CFR 74.25(c)(2) concerning replacement or lesser involvement of any key project staff, whether or not the...

34 CFR 75.517 - Changes in key staff members.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Changes in key staff members. 75.517 Section 75.517... by a Grantee? Project Staff § 75.517 Changes in key staff members. A grantee shall comply with 34 CFR 74.25(c)(2) concerning replacement or lesser involvement of any key project staff, whether or not the...

An improved design for AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiodes with enhanced avalanche ionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yin; Cai, Qing; Yang, Lian-Hong; Dong, Ke-Xiu; Chen, Dun-Jun; Lu, Hai; Zhang, Rong; Zheng, You-Dou

2017-03-01

Not Available Project supported by the State Key Project of Research and Development Plan, China (Grant No. 2016YFB0400903), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61634002, 61274075, and 61474060), the Key Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BE2016174), the Anhui University Natural Science Research Project, China (Grant No. KJ2015A153), the Open Fund (KFS) of State Key Lab of Optical Technologieson Nanofabrication and Microengineering, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Science.

Modeling and projection of dengue fever cases in Guangzhou based on variation of weather factors.

PubMed

Li, Chenlu; Wang, Xiaofeng; Wu, Xiaoxu; Liu, Jianing; Ji, Duoying; Du, Juan

2017-12-15

Dengue fever is one of the most serious vector-borne infectious diseases, especially in Guangzhou, China. Dengue viruses and their vectors Aedes albopictus are sensitive to climate change primarily in relation to weather factors. Previous research has mainly focused on identifying the relationship between climate factors and dengue cases, or developing dengue case models with some non-climate factors. However, there has been little research addressing the modeling and projection of dengue cases only from the perspective of climate change. This study considered this topic using long time series data (1998-2014). First, sensitive weather factors were identified through meta-analysis that included literature review screening, lagged analysis, and collinear analysis. Then, key factors that included monthly average temperature at a lag of two months, and monthly average relative humidity and monthly average precipitation at lags of three months were determined. Second, time series Poisson analysis was used with the generalized additive model approach to develop a dengue model based on key weather factors for January 1998 to December 2012. Data from January 2013 to July 2014 were used to validate that the model was reliable and reasonable. Finally, future weather data (January 2020 to December 2070) were input into the model to project the occurrence of dengue cases under different climate scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5). Longer time series analysis and scientifically selected weather variables were used to develop a dengue model to ensure reliability. The projections suggested that seasonal disease control (especially in summer and fall) and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions could help reduce the incidence of dengue fever. The results of this study hope to provide a scientifically theoretical basis for the prevention and control of dengue fever in Guangzhou. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Building capacity for health promotion--a case study from China.

PubMed

Tang, Kwok-Cho; Nutbeam, Don; Kong, Lingzhi; Wang, Ruotao; Yan, Jun

2005-09-01

During the period 1997-2000 a technical assistance project to build capacity for community-based health promotion was implemented in seven cities and one province in China. The technical assistance project formed part of a much larger World Bank supported program to improve disease prevention capabilities in China, commonly known as Health VII. The technical assistance project was funded by the Australian Agency for International Development. It was designed to develop capacity within the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the cities and province in the management of community-based health promotion projects, as well as supporting institutional development and public health policy reform. There are some relatively unique features of this technical assistance which helped shape its implementation and impact. It sought to provide the Chinese MOH and the cities and province with an introduction to comprehensive health promotion strategies, in contrast to the more limited information, education and communication strategies. The project was provided on a continuing basis over 3 years through a single institution, rather than as a series of ad hoc consultancies by individuals. Teaching and learning processes were developmental, leading progressively to a greater degree of local Chinese input and management to ensure sustainability and maintenance of technical support for the project. Based on this experience, this paper presents a model for capacity building projects of this type. It describes the education, training and planning activities that were the key inputs to the project, as well as the limited available evidence on the impact of the project. It describes how the project evolved over time to meet the changing needs of the participants, specifically how the content of the project shifted from a risk-factor orientation to a settings-based focus, and the delivery of the project moved from an expert-led approach to a more participatory, problem based learning approach. In terms of impact, marked differences before and after the implementation of the training activities were identified in key areas for reform, in addition to the self reported positive change in knowledge, and a high level of participant satisfaction. Key lessons are summarized. Technical assistance projects of this kind benefit from continuity and a high level of coordination, the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate teaching, and a clear understanding of the need to match workforce development with organizational/institutional development.

Building a generalized distributed system model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.

1993-01-01

The key elements in the 1992-93 period of the project are the following: (1) extensive use of the simulator to implement and test - concurrency control algorithms, interactive user interface, and replica control algorithms; and (2) investigations into the applicability of data and process replication in real-time systems. In the 1993-94 period of the project, we intend to accomplish the following: (1) concentrate on efforts to investigate the effects of data and process replication on hard and soft real-time systems - especially we will concentrate on the impact of semantic-based consistency control schemes on a distributed real-time system in terms of improved reliability, improved availability, better resource utilization, and reduced missed task deadlines; and (2) use the prototype to verify the theoretically predicted performance of locking protocols, etc.

Rates of projected climate change dramatically exceed past rates of climatic niche evolution among vertebrate species.

PubMed

Quintero, Ignacio; Wiens, John J

2013-08-01

A key question in predicting responses to anthropogenic climate change is: how quickly can species adapt to different climatic conditions? Here, we take a phylogenetic approach to this question. We use 17 time-calibrated phylogenies representing the major tetrapod clades (amphibians, birds, crocodilians, mammals, squamates, turtles) and climatic data from distributions of > 500 extant species. We estimate rates of change based on differences in climatic variables between sister species and estimated times of their splitting. We compare these rates to predicted rates of climate change from 2000 to 2100. Our results are striking: matching projected changes for 2100 would require rates of niche evolution that are > 10,000 times faster than rates typically observed among species, for most variables and clades. Despite many caveats, our results suggest that adaptation to projected changes in the next 100 years would require rates that are largely unprecedented based on observed rates among vertebrate species. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Critical Spaces for Critical Times: Global Conversations in Literacy Research as an Open Professional Development and Practices Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albers, Peggy; Cho, A. Ram; Shin, Ji Hye; Pang, Myoung Eun; Angay-Crowder, Tuba; Jung, Jin Kyeong; Pace, Christi L.; Sena, Mandi; Turnbull, Sarah

2015-01-01

This paper reflects an OER (Open Educational Resources) critical literacy project, Global Conversations in Literacy Research (GCLR), (www.globalconversationsinliteracy.wordpress.com), now in its fourth year. GCLR annually hosts seven web seminars presented by internationally recognized literacy and education scholars. We outline key dimensions of…

Will phenotypic plasticity affecting flowering phenology keep pace with climate change?

Treesearch

Bryce A. Richardson; Linsay Chaney; Nancy L. Shaw; Shannon M. Still

2016-01-01

Rising temperatures have begun to shift flowering time, but it is unclear whether phenotypic plasticity can accommodate projected temperature change for this century. Evaluating clines in phenological traits and the extent and variation in plasticity can provide key information on assessing risk of maladaptation and developing strategies to mitigate climate change. In...

Social Inclusion: Universities and Regional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Bruce

2011-01-01

At a time when the OECD (2007) is advocating more local engagement for higher education institutions, this study looks at a number of community initiatives in Australia where local universities have played a key role. All were studied as part of the PASCAL Universities and Regional Engagement (PURE) project, which involves a total of 19 regions…

Enhancing Student Employability through Ethics-Based Outreach Activities and Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, David I.

2011-01-01

This paper reports on how science communication final year undergraduate research projects and educational internships can be utilised to provide opportunities for students to develop and utilise key employability skills. In the current difficult economic climate, the report "Working towards your future: Making the most of your time in higher…

Performance related issues in distributed database systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, Ravi

1991-01-01

The key elements of research performed during the year long effort of this project are: Investigate the effects of heterogeneity in distributed real time systems; Study the requirements to TRAC towards building a heterogeneous database system; Study the effects of performance modeling on distributed database performance; and Experiment with an ORACLE based heterogeneous system.

Meet your new president

Treesearch

M. E. Makie

1972-01-01

Utilization is a key word in Peter Koch's vocabulary-it's the first word in his soon-to-be-published book, Utilization of the Southern Pines; it's the motivation behind his striving to get the FPRS information retrieval project in working order; and it's the way he enjoys his free time activities (to the fullest). After the 26th...

Translating forestry knowledge into forestry action

Treesearch

John R. McGuire

1977-01-01

The non-Federal forest lands, which comprise three-fourths of the Nation's forest lands, are the key to meeting projected future needs for all forest products and uses. At the same time, the Federal role in State and Private forestry cooperative programs is being critically questioned. Public attitudes toward Federal expenditures, and the possibility of sunset...

Communicating Herschel Key Programs in Solar System Studies to the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rengel, M.; Hartogh, P.; Müller, T.

2011-10-01

The Herschel Space Observatory, one of the cornerstone missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) with participation from NASA, is delivering a wealth of far-infrared and sub-millimeter observations of the cold Universe. A considerable part of the observing time for the nominal three year mission lifetime has been awarded in the form of Key Programs. Between the 42 key programs (guaranteed and open times), only two key programs are dedicated to study the Solar System: "Water and Related Chemistry in the Solar System", also known as Herschel Solar System Observations (HssO) project [1], and "TNOs are Cool: A Survey of the Transneptunian Region" [2]. In the framework of these Programs, a serie of public outreach activities and efforts of its results are being carried out. We present some of the outreach strategies developed (e.g. press releases, web pages, logos, public lectures, exhibitions, interviews, reports, etc.) and some plans in this direction. Our activities introduce people to knowledge and beauty of solar system research and wider the opportunities for the public to become more involved in topics like solar system studies, specially in the times of frequent exo-planet discoveries.

Anomalous transport in fluid field with random waiting time depending on the preceding jump length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hong; Li, Guo-Hua

2016-11-01

Anomalous (or non-Fickian) transport behaviors of particles have been widely observed in complex porous media. To capture the energy-dependent characteristics of non-Fickian transport of a particle in flow fields, in the present paper a generalized continuous time random walk model whose waiting time probability distribution depends on the preceding jump length is introduced, and the corresponding master equation in Fourier-Laplace space for the distribution of particles is derived. As examples, two generalized advection-dispersion equations for Gaussian distribution and lévy flight with the probability density function of waiting time being quadratic dependent on the preceding jump length are obtained by applying the derived master equation. Project supported by the Foundation for Young Key Teachers of Chengdu University of Technology, China (Grant No. KYGG201414) and the Opening Foundation of Geomathematics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, China (Grant No. scsxdz2013009).

A Biotic Game Design Project for Integrated Life Science and Engineering Education

PubMed Central

Denisin, Aleksandra K.; Rensi, Stefano; Sanchez, Gabriel N.; Quake, Stephen R.; Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar H.

2015-01-01

Engaging, hands-on design experiences are key for formal and informal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Robotic and video game design challenges have been particularly effective in stimulating student interest, but equivalent experiences for the life sciences are not as developed. Here we present the concept of a "biotic game design project" to motivate student learning at the interface of life sciences and device engineering (as part of a cornerstone bioengineering devices course). We provide all course material and also present efforts in adapting the project's complexity to serve other time frames, age groups, learning focuses, and budgets. Students self-reported that they found the biotic game project fun and motivating, resulting in increased effort. Hence this type of design project could generate excitement and educational impact similar to robotics and video games. PMID:25807212

A biotic game design project for integrated life science and engineering education.

PubMed

Cira, Nate J; Chung, Alice M; Denisin, Aleksandra K; Rensi, Stefano; Sanchez, Gabriel N; Quake, Stephen R; Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar H

2015-03-01

Engaging, hands-on design experiences are key for formal and informal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Robotic and video game design challenges have been particularly effective in stimulating student interest, but equivalent experiences for the life sciences are not as developed. Here we present the concept of a "biotic game design project" to motivate student learning at the interface of life sciences and device engineering (as part of a cornerstone bioengineering devices course). We provide all course material and also present efforts in adapting the project's complexity to serve other time frames, age groups, learning focuses, and budgets. Students self-reported that they found the biotic game project fun and motivating, resulting in increased effort. Hence this type of design project could generate excitement and educational impact similar to robotics and video games.

Monogamy relations of quantum entanglement for partially coherently superposed states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xian

2017-12-01

Not Available Project partially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFB1000902), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61232015, 61472412, and 61621003), the Beijing Science and Technology Project (2016), Tsinghua-Tencent-AMSS-Joint Project (2016), and the Key Laboratory of Mathematics Mechanization Project: Quantum Computing and Quantum Information Processing.

Success in health information exchange projects: solving the implementation puzzle.

PubMed

Sicotte, Claude; Paré, Guy

2010-04-01

Interest in health information exchange (HIE), defined as the use of information technology to support the electronic transfer of clinical information across health care organizations, continues to grow among those pursuing greater patient safety and health care accessibility and efficiency. In this paper, we present the results of a longitudinal multiple-case study of two large-scale HIE implementation projects carried out in real time over 3-year and 2-year periods in Québec, Canada. Data were primarily collected through semi-structured interviews (n=52) with key informants, namely implementation team members and targeted users. These were supplemented with non-participants observation of team meetings and by the analysis of organizational documents. The cross-case comparison was particularly relevant given that project circumstances led to contrasting outcomes: while one project failed, the other was a success. A risk management analysis was performed taking a process view in order to capture the complexity of project implementations as evolving phenomena that are affected by interdependent pre-existing and emergent risks that tend to change over time. The longitudinal case analysis clearly demonstrates that the risk factors were closely intertwined. Systematic ripple effects from one risk factor to another were observed. This risk interdependence evolved dynamically over time, with a snowball effect that rendered a change of path progressively more difficult as time passed. The results of the cross-case analysis demonstrate a direct relationship between the quality of an implementation strategy and project outcomes. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

15 MW HArdware-in-the-loop Grid Simulation Project

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

Rigas, Nikolaos; Fox, John Curtiss; Collins, Randy

2014-10-31

The 15MW Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) Grid Simulator project was to (1) design, (2) construct and (3) commission a state-of-the-art grid integration testing facility for testing of multi-megawatt devices through a ‘shared facility’ model open to all innovators to promote the rapid introduction of new technology in the energy market to lower the cost of energy delivered. The 15 MW HIL Grid Simulator project now serves as the cornerstone of the Duke Energy Electric Grid Research, Innovation and Development (eGRID) Center. This project leveraged the 24 kV utility interconnection and electrical infrastructure of the US DOE EERE funded WTDTF project at themore » Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, SC. Additionally, the project has spurred interest from other technology sectors, including large PV inverter and energy storage testing and several leading edge research proposals dealing with smart grid technologies, grid modernization and grid cyber security. The key components of the project are the power amplifier units capable of providing up to 20MW of defined power to the research grid. The project has also developed a one of a kind solution to performing fault ride-through testing by combining a reactive divider network and a large power converter into a hybrid method. This unique hybrid method of performing fault ride-through analysis will allow for the research team at the eGRID Center to investigate the complex differences between the alternative methods of performing fault ride-through evaluations and will ultimately further the science behind this testing. With the final goal of being able to perform HIL experiments and demonstration projects, the eGRID team undertook a significant challenge with respect to developing a control system that is capable of communicating with several different pieces of equipment with different communication protocols in real-time. The eGRID team developed a custom fiber optical network that is based upon FPGA hardware that allows for communication between the key real-time interfaces and reduces the latency between these interfaces to acceptable levels for HIL experiments.« less

Meeting the challenges of bringing a new base facility operation model to Gemini Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitta, Atsuko; Arriagada, Gustavo; Adamson, A. J.; Cordova, Martin; Nunez, Arturo; Serio, Andrew; Kleinman, Scot

2016-08-01

The aim of the Gemini Observatory's Base Facilities Project is to provide the capabilities to perform routine night time operations with both telescopes and their instruments from their respective base facilities without anyone present at the summit. Tightening budget constraints prompted this project as both a means to save money and an opportunity to move toward increasing remote operations in the future. We successfully moved Gemini North nighttime operation to our base facility in Hawaii in Nov., 2015. This is the first 8mclass telescope to completely move night time operations to base facility. We are currently working on implementing BFO to Gemini South. Key challenges for this project include: (1) This is a schedule driven project. We have to implement the new capabilities by the end of 2015 for Gemini North and end of 2016 for Gemini South. (2) The resources are limited and shared with operations which has the higher priority than our project. (3) Managing parallel work within the project. (4) Testing, commissioning and introducing new tools to operational systems without adding significant disruptions to nightly operations. (5) Staff buying to the new operational model. (6) The staff involved in the project are spread on two locations separated by 10,000km, seven time zones away from each other. To overcome these challenges, we applied two principles: "Bare Minimum" and "Gradual Descent". As a result, we successfully completed the project ahead of schedule at Gemini North Telescope. I will discuss how we managed the cultural and human aspects of the project through these concepts. The other management aspects will be presented by Gustavo Arriagada [2], the Project Manager of this project. For technical details, please see presentations from Andrew Serio [3] and Martin Cordova [4].

The Classroom Space Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verbickas, Sarah

2002-01-01

Introduces the Classroom Space project aimed at revitalizing science education at Key Stages 3 and 4 by using exciting examples from Space Science and Astronomy to illustrate key science concepts. (Author/YDS)

ARTEMIS: a collaborative framework for health care.

PubMed Central

Reddy, R.; Jagannathan, V.; Srinivas, K.; Karinthi, R.; Reddy, S. M.; Gollapudy, C.; Friedman, S.

1993-01-01

Patient centered healthcare delivery is an inherently collaborative process. This involves a wide range of individuals and organizations with diverse perspectives: primary care physicians, hospital administrators, labs, clinics, and insurance. The key to cost reduction and quality improvement in health care is effective management of this collaborative process. The use of multi-media collaboration technology can facilitate timely delivery of patient care and reduce cost at the same time. During the last five years, the Concurrent Engineering Research Center (CERC), under the sponsorship of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, recently renamed ARPA) developed a number of generic key subsystems of a comprehensive collaboration environment. These subsystems are intended to overcome the barriers that inhibit the collaborative process. Three subsystems developed under this program include: MONET (Meeting On the Net)--to provide consultation over a computer network, ISS (Information Sharing Server)--to provide access to multi-media information, and PCB (Project Coordination Board)--to better coordinate focussed activities. These systems have been integrated into an open environment to enable collaborative processes. This environment is being used to create a wide-area (geographically distributed) research testbed under DARPA sponsorship, ARTEMIS (Advance Research Testbed for Medical Informatics) to explore the collaborative health care processes. We believe this technology will play a key role in the current national thrust to reengineer the present health-care delivery system. PMID:8130536

Multiple R&D projects scheduling optimization with improved particle swarm algorithm.

PubMed

Liu, Mengqi; Shan, Miyuan; Wu, Juan

2014-01-01

For most enterprises, in order to win the initiative in the fierce competition of market, a key step is to improve their R&D ability to meet the various demands of customers more timely and less costly. This paper discusses the features of multiple R&D environments in large make-to-order enterprises under constrained human resource and budget, and puts forward a multi-project scheduling model during a certain period. Furthermore, we make some improvements to existed particle swarm algorithm and apply the one developed here to the resource-constrained multi-project scheduling model for a simulation experiment. Simultaneously, the feasibility of model and the validity of algorithm are proved in the experiment.

Governance and management dynamics of landscape restoration at multiple scales: Learning from successful environmental managers in Sweden.

PubMed

Dawson, Lucas; Elbakidze, Marine; Angelstam, Per; Gordon, Johanna

2017-07-15

Due to a long history of intensive land and water use, habitat networks for biodiversity conservation are generally degraded in Sweden. Landscape restoration (LR) is an important strategy for achieving representative and functional green infrastructures. However, outcomes of LR efforts are poorly studied, particularly the dynamics of LR governance and management. We apply systems thinking methods to a series of LR case studies to analyse the causal structures underlying LR governance and management in Sweden. We show that these structures appear to comprise of an interlinked system of at least three sets of drivers and four core processes. This system exhibits many characteristics of a transformative change towards an integrated, adaptive approach to governance and management. Key challenges for Swedish LR projects relate to institutional and regulatory flexibility, the timely availability of sufficient funds, and the management of learning and knowledge production processes. In response, successful project leaders develop several key strategies to manage complexity and risk, and enhance perceptions of the attractiveness of LR projects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using quality improvement methods to optimize resources and maximize productivity in an anesthesia screening and consultation clinic.

PubMed

Varughese, Anna M; Hagerman, Nancy; Townsend, Mari E

2013-07-01

The anesthesia preoperative screening and evaluation of a patient prior to surgery is a critical element in the safe and effective delivery of anesthesia care. In this era of increased focus on cost containment, many anesthesia practices are looking for ways to maximize productivity while maintaining the quality of the preoperative evaluation process by harnessing and optimizing all available resources. We sought to develop a Nurse Practitioner-assisted Preoperative Anesthesia Screening process using quality improvement methods with the goal of maintaining the quality of the screening process, while at the same time redirecting anesthesiologists time for the provision of nonoperating room (OR) anesthesia. The Nurse practitioner (NP) time (approximately 10 h per week) directed to this project was gained as a result of an earlier resource utilization improvement project within the Department of Anesthesia. The goal of this improvement project was to increase the proportion of patient anesthesia screens conducted by NPs to 50% within 6 months. After discussion with key stakeholders of the process, a multidisciplinary improvement team identified a set of operational factors (key drivers) believed to be important to the success of the preoperative anesthesia screening process. These included the development of dedicated NP time for daily screening, NP competency and confidence with the screening process, effective mentoring by anesthesiologists, standardization of screening process, and communication with stakeholders of the process, that is, surgeons. These key drivers focused on the development of several interventions such as (i) NP education in the preoperative anesthesia screening for consultation process by a series of didactic lectures conducted by anesthesiologists, and NP's shadowing an anesthesiologist during the screening process, (ii) Anesthesiologist mentoring and assessment of NP screenings using the dual screening process whereby both anesthesiologists and NP conducted the screening process independently and results were compared and discussed, (iii) Examination and re-adjustment of NP schedules to provide time for daily screening while preserving other responsibilities, and (iv) Standardization through the development of guidelines for the preoperative screening process. Measures recorded included the percentage of patient anesthesia screens conducted by NP, the percentage of dual screens with MD and NP agreement regarding the screening decision, and the average times taken for the anesthesiologist and NP screening process. After implementation of these interventions, the percentage of successful NP-assisted anesthesia consultation screenings increased from 0% to 65% over a period of 6 months. The Anesthesiologists' time redirected to non-OR anesthesia averaged at least 8 h a week. The percentage of dual screens with agreement on the screening decision was 96% (goal >95%). The overall average time taken for a NP screen was 8.2 min vs 4.5 min for an anesthesiologist screen. The overall average operating room delays and cancelations for cases on the day of surgery remained the same. By applying quality improvement methods, we identified key drivers for the institution of an NP-assisted preoperative screening process and successfully implemented this process while redirecting anesthesiologists' time for the provision of non-OR anesthesia. This project was instrumental in improving the matching of provider skills with clinical need while maintaining superior outcomes at the lowest possible cost. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The effects of time-varying observation errors on semi-empirical sea-level projections

DOE PAGES

Ruckert, Kelsey L.; Guan, Yawen; Bakker, Alexander M. R.; ...

2016-11-30

Sea-level rise is a key driver of projected flooding risks. The design of strategies to manage these risks often hinges on projections that inform decision-makers about the surrounding uncertainties. Producing semi-empirical sea-level projections is difficult, for example, due to the complexity of the error structure of the observations, such as time-varying (heteroskedastic) observation errors and autocorrelation of the data-model residuals. This raises the question of how neglecting the error structure impacts hindcasts and projections. Here, we quantify this effect on sea-level projections and parameter distributions by using a simple semi-empirical sea-level model. Specifically, we compare three model-fitting methods: a frequentistmore » bootstrap as well as a Bayesian inversion with and without considering heteroskedastic residuals. All methods produce comparable hindcasts, but the parametric distributions and projections differ considerably based on methodological choices. In conclusion, our results show that the differences based on the methodological choices are enhanced in the upper tail projections. For example, the Bayesian inversion accounting for heteroskedasticity increases the sea-level anomaly with a 1% probability of being equaled or exceeded in the year 2050 by about 34% and about 40% in the year 2100 compared to a frequentist bootstrap. These results indicate that neglecting known properties of the observation errors and the data-model residuals can lead to low-biased sea-level projections.« less

The effects of time-varying observation errors on semi-empirical sea-level projections

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

Ruckert, Kelsey L.; Guan, Yawen; Bakker, Alexander M. R.

Sea-level rise is a key driver of projected flooding risks. The design of strategies to manage these risks often hinges on projections that inform decision-makers about the surrounding uncertainties. Producing semi-empirical sea-level projections is difficult, for example, due to the complexity of the error structure of the observations, such as time-varying (heteroskedastic) observation errors and autocorrelation of the data-model residuals. This raises the question of how neglecting the error structure impacts hindcasts and projections. Here, we quantify this effect on sea-level projections and parameter distributions by using a simple semi-empirical sea-level model. Specifically, we compare three model-fitting methods: a frequentistmore » bootstrap as well as a Bayesian inversion with and without considering heteroskedastic residuals. All methods produce comparable hindcasts, but the parametric distributions and projections differ considerably based on methodological choices. In conclusion, our results show that the differences based on the methodological choices are enhanced in the upper tail projections. For example, the Bayesian inversion accounting for heteroskedasticity increases the sea-level anomaly with a 1% probability of being equaled or exceeded in the year 2050 by about 34% and about 40% in the year 2100 compared to a frequentist bootstrap. These results indicate that neglecting known properties of the observation errors and the data-model residuals can lead to low-biased sea-level projections.« less

Concept Design of Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Free, James M.; Motil, Susan M.; Kortes, Trudy F.; Meyer, Michael L.; taylor, William J.

2012-01-01

NASA is in the planning and investigation process of developing innovative paths for human space exploration that strengthen the capability to extend human and robotic presence beyond low Earth orbit and throughout the solar system. NASA is establishing the foundations to enable humans to safely reach multiple potential destinations, including the Moon, asteroids, Lagrange points, and Mars and its environs through technology and capability development. To achieve access to these destinations within a reasonable flight time will require the use of high performance cryogenic propulsion systems. Therefore NASA is examining mission concepts for a Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Flight Demonstration which will test and validate key capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements such as large cryogenic propulsion stages and propellant depots. The CPST project will perform key ground testing in fiscal year 2012 and execute project formulation and implementation leading to a flight demonstration in 2017.

Polar Magnetic Field Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Christopher T.; Hoffman, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

At this writing we have received all the CDROMs for the grant period. We have completed generating our timing tables past September 20, 2001. The calibration of the instrument has been checked for the entire mission up to the end of December 2000 and the key parameters provided to the project until the end of December 2000. These data are available to other experimenters over the web at http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/forms/polar/. High resolution spun data, 8 samples per see, have been created up to November, 2000 and have been made available to the community over the world wide web. This is a new data set that was a major effort this year. Our near term plans are to continue to provide key parameter data to the Polar project with the highest possible speed and to continue to reduce all high resolution magnetometer data and provide these data to the scientific community over the web.

Title I ESEA Projects: Digest of Annual Evaluations. Supplementary Edition 1977-1978. A historical summary, by the Department of Federal Evaluation Resources, of the key findings reported in the annual evaluations of each project. Report #7827.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philadelphia School District, PA. Office of Research and Evaluation.

This supplement provides a historical summary, for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania schools, of the key findings in the Annual Evaluations of each Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I project since 1975. The 1977-1978 management information, the key findings for 1975-1976 and 1976-1977, as well as the preliminary findings for 1977-1978 are…

Mobile-Based Nutrition and Child Health Monitoring to Inform Program Development: An Experience From Liberia.

PubMed

Guyon, Agnes; Bock, Ariella; Buback, Laura; Knittel, Barbara

2016-12-23

Implementing complex nutrition and other public health projects and tracking nutrition interventions, such as women's diet and supplementation and infant and young child feeding practices, requires reliable routine data to identify potential program gaps and to monitor trends in behaviors in real time. However, current monitoring and evaluation practices generally do not create an environment for this real-time tracking. This article describes the development and application of a mobile-based nutrition and health monitoring system, which collected monitoring data on project activities, women's nutrition, and infant and young child feeding practices in real time. The Liberia Agricultural Upgrading Nutrition and Child Health (LAUNCH) project implemented a nutrition and health monitoring system between April 2012 and June 2014. The LAUNCH project analyzed project monitoring and outcome data from the system and shared selected behavioral and programmatic indicators with program managers through a short report, which later evolved into a visual data dashboard, during program-update meetings. The project designed protocols to ensure representativeness of program participants. LAUNCH made programmatic adjustments in response to findings from the monitoring system; these changes were then reflected in subsequent quarterly trends, indicating that the availability of timely data allowed for the project to react quickly to issues and adapt the program appropriately. Such issues included lack of participation in community groups and insufficient numbers of food distribution points. Likewise, the system captured trends in key outcome indicators such as breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, linking them to project activities and external factors including seasonal changes and national health campaigns. Digital data collection platforms can play a vital role in improving routine programmatic functions. Fixed gathering locations such as food distribution points represent an opportunity to easily access program participants and enable managers to identify strengths and weaknesses in project implementation. For programs that track individuals over time, a mobile tool combined with a strong database can greatly improve efficiency and data visibility and reduce resource leakages. © Guyon et al.

Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN) - Terminology Consensus Project process and outcome.

PubMed

Tremblay, Mark S; Aubert, Salomé; Barnes, Joel D; Saunders, Travis J; Carson, Valerie; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E; Chastin, Sebastien F M; Altenburg, Teatske M; Chinapaw, Mai J M

2017-06-10

The prominence of sedentary behavior research in health science has grown rapidly. With this growth there is increasing urgency for clear, common and accepted terminology and definitions. Such standardization is difficult to achieve, especially across multi-disciplinary researchers, practitioners, and industries. The Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN) undertook a Terminology Consensus Project to address this need. First, a literature review was completed to identify key terms in sedentary behavior research. These key terms were then reviewed and modified by a Steering Committee formed by SBRN. Next, SBRN members were invited to contribute to this project and interested participants reviewed and provided feedback on the proposed list of terms and draft definitions through an online survey. Finally, a conceptual model and consensus definitions (including caveats and examples for all age groups and functional abilities) were finalized based on the feedback received from the 87 SBRN member participants who responded to the original invitation and survey. Consensus definitions for the terms physical inactivity, stationary behavior, sedentary behavior, standing, screen time, non-screen-based sedentary time, sitting, reclining, lying, sedentary behavior pattern, as well as how the terms bouts, breaks, and interruptions should be used in this context are provided. It is hoped that the definitions resulting from this comprehensive, transparent, and broad-based participatory process will result in standardized terminology that is widely supported and adopted, thereby advancing future research, interventions, policies, and practices related to sedentary behaviors.

Automatic scheduling of outages of nuclear power plants with time windows. Final report, January-December 1995

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

Gomes, C.

This report describes a successful project for transference of advanced AI technology into the domain of planning of outages of nuclear power plants as part of DOD`s dual-use program. ROMAN (Rome Lab Outage Manager) is the prototype system that was developed as a result of this project. ROMAN`s main innovation compared to the current state-of-the-art of outage management tools is its capability to automatically enforce safety constraints during the planning and scheduling phase. Another innovative aspect of ROMAN is the generation of more robust schedules that are feasible over time windows. In other words, ROMAN generates a family of schedulesmore » by assigning time intervals as start times to activities rather than single start times, without affecting the overall duration of the project. ROMAN uses a constraint satisfaction paradigm combining a global search tactic with constraint propagation. The derivation of very specialized representations for the constraints to perform efficient propagation is a key aspect for the generation of very fast schedules - constraints are compiled into the code, which is a novel aspect of our work using an automatic programming system, KIDS.« less

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soave, K.; Dean, A.; Yang, G.; Solli, E.; Dattels, C.; Wallace, K.; Boesel, A.; Steiger, C.; Buie, A.

2010-12-01

The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of the project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and the requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students identify and count key invertebrate and algae species along two permanent transects (A and B) and using randomly determined points within a permanent 100 m2 area, three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring). Using the data collected since 2004, we will compare population densities, seasonal abundance and long-term population trends of key algal and invertebrate species, including Tegula funebralis. Future analyses and investigations will include intertidal abiotic factors (including water temperature and human foot-traffic) to enhance insights into the workings of the Duxbury Reef ecosystem, in particular, the high intertidal zone which experiences the greatest amount of human impacts.

Proposing a Managerial Model to Higher Education Sector: Lifelong Educational Experiences of Overseas Students on Impediments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erden, Ali

2017-01-01

Lifelong education is a process including positive and negative experiences at the same time. Negative experiences mostly appear as impediments to the overseas students. They need to overcome impediments they experience throughout their education. The paper discussed the key findings of a two-year research project for identifying the impediments…

Teaching Einsteinian Physics at Schools: Part 1, Models and Analogies for Relativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Tejinder; Blair, David; Moschilla, John; Stannard, Warren; Zadnik, Marjan

2017-01-01

The Einstein-First project aims to change the paradigm of school science teaching through the introduction of modern Einsteinian concepts of space and time, gravity and quanta at an early age. These concepts are rarely taught to school students despite their central importance to modern science and technology. The key to implementing the…

Deep groundwater mediates streamflow response to climate warming in the Oregon Cascades

Treesearch

Christina Tague; Gordon Grant; Mike Farrell; Janet Choate; Anne Jefferson

2008-01-01

Recent studies predict that projected climate change will lead to significant reductions in summer streamflow in the mountainous regions of the Western United States. Hydrologic modeling directed at quantifying these potential changes has focused on the magnitude and timing of spring snowmelt as the key control on the spatial temporal pattern of summer streamflow. We...

Jumping on the STEM Bandwagon: How Middle Grades Students and Teachers Can Benefit from STEM Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesseig, Kristin; Slavit, David; Nelson, Tamara Holmlund

2017-01-01

Given the current emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and its key attributes, middle school is an optimal time to implement STEM-based curricula. However, the interdisciplinary and open-ended nature of STEM projects often makes implementation difficult. In this article, we describe a professional development…

Transforming Classrooms into Learning Studios: What Does It Take to Make Classrooms a Living Space?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aslan, Sinem; Reigeluth, Charles M.; Mete, Sinem Emine

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors start with a description of the learner-centered paradigm of education. The key tenets of the paradigm are outlined as: Competency-based student progress, competency-based student assessment and records, personal learning plans, project-based learning, just-in-time instructional support, student as self-directed…

A Systematic Review of Developing Team Competencies in Information Systems Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figl, Kathrin

2010-01-01

The ability to work effectively in teams has been a key competence for information systems engineers for a long time. Gradually, more attention is being paid to developing this generic competence as part of academic curricula, resulting in two questions: how to best promote team competencies and how to implement team projects successfully. These…

Renewable Energy Marketplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghadimian, Vachik

The renewable energy sector is evolving, and today, renewable energy has become a viable alternative for many facilities. Because this sector is in its infancy stage, lack of experience has resulted in failing solar projects. This project involves the design and implementation of a functioning web application that streamlines and automates the planning, risk assessment and financing of a solar development project. The three key stakeholders, the host facility, solar installer and financier are seamlessly integrated into a single marketplace. By designing a project development workflow, projects are vetted early on and terminated if deemed infeasible, saving time and resources. By risk assessing the project using the proposed scoring model, one can inherit more confident investors. The project scoring model also serves as a debt rating system, where investors can measure the risk/rewards. The platform will also serve as a communication medium between the three stakeholders. Besides storing documents like engineering drawings, permits, etc., the platform auto-generates all necessary transactional documents, legal documents and agreements among the three stakeholders.

Layoff Time Training: A Key to Upgrading Workforce Utilization and EEOC Affirmative Action. A Case Study in the Northern California Canning Industry. R & D Monograph 61.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aller, Curtis C.; And Others

An experimental and demonstration project was conducted over a five-year period in California to test the concept of lay-off time training to enable workers to qualify for promotion and increase their earnings. The canning industry was found to be a suitable area for this type of training since it had annual lay-offs followed by assured recalls to…

Developing hand therapy skills in Bangladesh: experiences of Australian volunteers.

PubMed

O'Brien, Lisa; Hardman, Alison

2014-01-01

Bangladesh is a developing country whose health system is highly dependent on project funding from foreign countries. Interplast Australia & New Zealand have supported volunteer hand therapists to provide training to local staff in the management of hand injuries and burns since 2006. We aimed to explore and describe the volunteers' own experience and provide recommendations for future therapy capacity building projects in developing countries. This qualitative study involved nine volunteer therapists, who attended a focus group to discuss their experiences, including the key milestones, challenges, and progress achieved. The two authors analyzed transcripts independently and emergent themes were discussed and identified by consensus. Overall the experience was extremely positive and rewarding for volunteers. Key learnings and challenges encountered in this project were cultural differences in learning styles, the need to adapt our approach to 2 facilitate sustainable local solutions, attrition of skilled local staff, and concerns regarding volunteer health and safety. Recommendations for similar projects include allowing adequate time for in-country scoping and planning, coordination and pooling of resources, and the use of strategies that encourage the shift to confident local ownership of ongoing learning and skill development. Volunteering in a health capacity building program in developing countries can be a challenging but immensely rewarding experience. Programs designed to meet the health demands in developing countries should emphasize adequate training of professionals in the use of transferable, sustainable and cost effective techniques. Time spent in the scoping and planning phase is crucial, as is coordination of efforts and pooling of resources. 2C. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IPMA Standard Competence Scope in Project Management Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartoška, Jan; Flégl, Martin; Jarkovská, Martina

2012-01-01

The authors of the paper endeavoured to find out key competences in IPMA standard for educational approaches in project management. These key competences may be used as a basis for project management university courses. An incidence matrix was set up, containing relations between IPMA competences described in IPMA competence baseline. Further,…

Key Recommendations from the MedtecHTA Project.

PubMed

Tarricone, Rosanna; Torbica, Aleksandra; Drummond, Michael

2017-02-01

There are particular characteristics of Medical Devices, such as the device-user interaction, the incremental nature of innovation and the broader organizational impact that lead to additional challenges for health technology assessment (HTA). The project explored key aspects of the conduct and methods of HTA for MDs. Systematic reviews and original research studies were conducted to determine improvements in processes and methods that could enhance the potential for HTA and optimize the diffusion of MDs. Regulatory processes for MDs should be more closely aligned, the HTA evaluative framework should be harmonized and processes for conditional coverage and evidence development should be used. The methods for HTA should consider MDs as complex interventions, require the establishment of high quality registries, consider an iterative approach to the evaluation over time, recognize and allow for the particular characteristics of devices and use appropriate approaches for confounder adjustment in comparative effectiveness studies. To optimize the diffusion, a common classification should be developed across countries in order to facilitate international comparisons, factors driving diffusion should be explored in HTA reports and physicians' personal goals and motivation should be better understood. The key recommendations of the MedtecHTA project should improve the conduct and use of HTA for MDs. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An international comparison of PPP in road projects and prospects for Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onaka, Takafumi; Morichi, Sigeru; Inoue, Satoshi; Hibino, Naohiko

Japanese PFI Law was enacted in Japan in 1999. In these eleven years almost all PFI projects were for buildings, while the infrastructure projects were only about 5% in total. Regarding to the road projects that have been managed by the government, there are various bottlenecks for the implementation of PFI. The purposes of this paper are firstly to investigate the time series trend of the PPP projects in the wor ld, secondly to make international comparative study of the PPP-related institutions, and thirdly to propose the desirable improvements of the Japanese institution in many countries. The key issues of the proposal are the support systems for the risk management by the government which squares the rationale and transparence and the deregulation. Finally introduction of PFI scheme into the toll roads which managed by the public corporations of local governments are proposed as a first step in Japan.

Natural neural projection dynamics underlying social behavior

PubMed Central

Gunaydin, Lisa A.; Grosenick, Logan; Finkelstein, Joel C.; Kauvar, Isaac V.; Fenno, Lief E.; Adhikari, Avishek; Lammel, Stephan; Mirzabekov, Julie J.; Airan, Raag D.; Zalocusky, Kelly A.; Tye, Kay M.; Anikeeva, Polina; Malenka, Robert C.; Deisseroth, Karl

2014-01-01

Social interaction is a complex behavior essential for many species, and is impaired in major neuropsychiatric disorders. Pharmacological studies have implicated certain neurotransmitter systems in social behavior, but circuit-level understanding of endogenous neural activity during social interaction is lacking. We therefore developed and applied a new methodology, termed fiber photometry, to optically record natural neural activity in genetically- and connectivity-defined projections to elucidate the real-time role of specified pathways in mammalian behavior. Fiber photometry revealed that activity dynamics of a ventral tegmental area (VTA)-to-nucleus accumbens (NAc) projection could encode and predict key features of social but not novel-object interaction. Consistent with this observation, optogenetic control of cells specifically contributing to this projection was sufficient to modulate social behavior, which was mediated by type-1 dopamine receptor signaling downstream in the NAc. Direct observation of projection-specific activity in this way captures a fundamental and previously inaccessible dimension of circuit dynamics. PMID:24949967

Using Discrete Event Simulation to predict KPI's at a Projected Emergency Room.

PubMed

Concha, Pablo; Neriz, Liliana; Parada, Danilo; Ramis, Francisco

2015-01-01

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a powerful factor in the design of clinical facilities. DES enables facilities to be built or adapted to achieve the expected Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) such as average waiting times according to acuity, average stay times and others. Our computational model was built and validated using expert judgment and supporting statistical data. One scenario studied resulted in a 50% decrease in the average cycle time of patients compared to the original model, mainly by modifying the patient's attention model.

Status of the Planet Formation Imager (PFI) concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, Michael J.; Monnier, John D.; Kraus, Stefan; Isella, Andrea; Minardi, Stefano; Petrov, Romain; ten Brummelaar, Theo; Young, John; Vasisht, Gautam; Mozurkewich, David; Rinehart, Stephen; Michael, Ernest A.; van Belle, Gerard; Woillez, Julien

2016-08-01

The Planet Formation Imager (PFI) project aims to image the period of planet assembly directly, resolving structures as small as a giant planet's Hill sphere. These images will be required in order to determine the key mechanisms for planet formation at the time when processes of grain growth, protoplanet assembly, magnetic fields, disk/planet dynamical interactions and complex radiative transfer all interact - making some planetary systems habitable and others inhospitable. We will present the overall vision for the PFI concept, focusing on the key technologies and requirements that are needed to achieve the science goals. Based on these key requirements, we will define a cost envelope range for the design and highlight where the largest uncertainties lie at this conceptual stage.

Principles for the formation of an effective concept of multifunctional high-rise construction investment projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beliakov, Sergei

2018-03-01

Investment projects of high-rise construction have a number of features that determine specific risks and additional opportunities that require analysis and accounting in the formation of an effective project concept. The most significant features of high-rise construction include long construction time, complexity of technical and technological solutions, complexity of decisions on the organization of construction and operation, high cost of construction and operation, complexity in determining the ratio of areas designed to accommodate different functional areas, when organizing and coordinating the operation of the facility, with internal zoning. Taking into account the specificity of high-rise construction, among the factors determining the effectiveness of projects, it is advisable to consider as key factors: organizational, technological and investment factors. Within the framework of the article, the author singled out key particular functions for each group of factors under consideration, and also developed a system of principles for the formation of an effective concept of multifunctional high-rise construction investment projects, including the principle of logistic efficiency, the principle of optimal functional zoning, the principle of efficiency of equipment use, the principle of optimizing technological processes, the principle maximization of income, the principle of fund management, the principle of risk management . The model of formation of an effective concept of investment projects of multifunctional high-rise construction developed by the author can contribute to the development of methodological tools in the field of managing the implementation of high-rise construction projects, taking into account their specificity in the current economic conditions.

Microstructural Quantification, Property Prediction, and Stochastic Reconstruction of Heterogeneous Materials Using Limited X-Ray Tomography Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hechao

An accurate knowledge of the complex microstructure of a heterogeneous material is crucial for quantitative structure-property relations establishment and its performance prediction and optimization. X-ray tomography has provided a non-destructive means for microstructure characterization in both 3D and 4D (i.e., structural evolution over time). Traditional reconstruction algorithms like filtered-back-projection (FBP) method or algebraic reconstruction techniques (ART) require huge number of tomographic projections and segmentation process before conducting microstructural quantification. This can be quite time consuming and computationally intensive. In this thesis, a novel procedure is first presented that allows one to directly extract key structural information in forms of spatial correlation functions from limited x-ray tomography data. The key component of the procedure is the computation of a "probability map", which provides the probability of an arbitrary point in the material system belonging to specific phase. The correlation functions of interest are then readily computed from the probability map. Using effective medium theory, accurate predictions of physical properties (e.g., elastic moduli) can be obtained. Secondly, a stochastic optimization procedure that enables one to accurately reconstruct material microstructure from a small number of x-ray tomographic projections (e.g., 20 - 40) is presented. Moreover, a stochastic procedure for multi-modal data fusion is proposed, where both X-ray projections and correlation functions computed from limited 2D optical images are fused to accurately reconstruct complex heterogeneous materials in 3D. This multi-modal reconstruction algorithm is proved to be able to integrate the complementary data to perform an excellent optimization procedure, which indicates its high efficiency in using limited structural information. Finally, the accuracy of the stochastic reconstruction procedure using limited X-ray projection data is ascertained by analyzing the microstructural degeneracy and the roughness of energy landscape associated with different number of projections. Ground-state degeneracy of a microstructure is found to decrease with increasing number of projections, which indicates a higher probability that the reconstructed configurations match the actual microstructure. The roughness of energy landscape can also provide information about the complexity and convergence behavior of the reconstruction for given microstructures and projection number.

Projecting the future of an alpine ungulate under climate change scenarios.

PubMed

White, Kevin S; Gregovich, David P; Levi, Taal

2018-03-01

Climate change represents a primary threat to species persistence and biodiversity at a global scale. Cold adapted alpine species are especially sensitive to climate change and can offer key "early warning signs" about deleterious effects of predicted change. Among mountain ungulates, survival, a key determinant of demographic performance, may be influenced by future climate in complex, and possibly opposing ways. Demographic data collected from 447 mountain goats in 10 coastal Alaska, USA, populations over a 37-year time span indicated that survival is highest during low snowfall winters and cool summers. However, general circulation models (GCMs) predict future increase in summer temperature and decline in winter snowfall. To disentangle how these opposing climate-driven effects influence mountain goat populations, we developed an age-structured population model to project mountain goat population trajectories for 10 different GCM/emissions scenarios relevant for coastal Alaska. Projected increases in summer temperature had stronger negative effects on population trajectories than the positive demographic effects of reduced winter snowfall. In 5 of the 10 GCM/representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios, the net effect of projected climate change was extinction over a 70-year time window (2015-2085); smaller initial populations were more likely to go extinct faster than larger populations. Using a resource selection modeling approach, we determined that distributional shifts to higher elevation (i.e., "thermoneutral") summer range was unlikely to be a viable behavioral adaptation strategy; due to the conical shape of mountains, summer range was expected to decline by 17%-86% for 7 of the 10 GCM/RCP scenarios. Projected declines of mountain goat populations are driven by climate-linked bottom-up mechanisms and may have wide ranging implications for alpine ecosystems. These analyses elucidate how projected climate change can negatively alter population dynamics of a sentinel alpine species and provide insight into how demographic modeling can be used to assess risk to species persistence. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

77 FR 39489 - Notice of Public Meetings for the Naval Air Station Key West Airfield Operations Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... via the U.S. Postal Service to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, NAS Key West Air... the project Web site ( http://www.keywesteis.com ). All statements, oral or written, submitted during... Engineering Command Southeast, NAS Key West Air Operations EIS Project Manager, P.O. Box 30, Building 903, NAS...

34 CFR 607.21 - What are the selection criteria for planning grants?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Management. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan to manage the project... implement the project; and (4) The planning process is likely to achieve its intended results. (b) Key... in the project based on the extent to which— (1) The past experience and training of key personnel...

Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project TPACK Survey: Summary of the Key Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finger, Glenn; Jamieson-Proctor, Romina; Cavanagh, Rob; Albion, Peter; Grimbeek, Peter; Bond, Trevor; Fitzgerald, Robert; Romeo, Geoff; Lloyd, Margaret

2013-01-01

This paper presents a summary of the key findings of the TTF TPACK Survey developed and administered for the Teaching the Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project implemented in 2011. The TTF Project, funded by an Australian Government ICT Innovation Fund grant, involved all 39 Australian Higher Education Institutions which provide initial teacher…

77 FR 43275 - Extension of Public Comment Period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Naval Air...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, NAS Key West Air Operations EIS Project Manager, P.O. Box 30... Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, NAS Key West Air Operations EIS Project Manager, P.O. Box 30, Building 903, NAS Jacksonville, FL 32212 or electronically via the project Web site ( http://www.keywesteis...

34 CFR 607.21 - What are the selection criteria for planning grants?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Management. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan to manage the project... implement the project; and (4) The planning process is likely to achieve its intended results. (b) Key... in the project based on the extent to which— (1) The past experience and training of key personnel...

34 CFR 607.21 - What are the selection criteria for planning grants?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Management. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan to manage the project... implement the project; and (4) The planning process is likely to achieve its intended results. (b) Key... in the project based on the extent to which— (1) The past experience and training of key personnel...

34 CFR 607.21 - What are the selection criteria for planning grants?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Management. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan to manage the project... implement the project; and (4) The planning process is likely to achieve its intended results. (b) Key... in the project based on the extent to which— (1) The past experience and training of key personnel...

34 CFR 607.21 - What are the selection criteria for planning grants?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Management. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan to manage the project... implement the project; and (4) The planning process is likely to achieve its intended results. (b) Key... in the project based on the extent to which— (1) The past experience and training of key personnel...

Student and Staff Perceptions of Key Aspects of Computer Science Engineering Capstone Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olarte, Juan José; Dominguez, César; Jaime, Arturo; Garcia-Izquierdo, Francisco José

2016-01-01

In carrying out their capstone projects, students use knowledge and skills acquired throughout their degree program to create a product or provide a technical service. An assigned advisor guides the students and supervises the work, and a committee assesses the projects. This study compares student and staff perceptions of key aspects of…

Export Odyssey: An Exposition and Analytical Review of Literature Concerning an Undergraduate Student Project in International Marketing on Key Teaching-Learning Dimensions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Nicholas C.

2001-01-01

Describes Export Odyssey (EO), a structured, Internet-intensive, team-based undergraduate student project in international marketing. Presents an analytical review of articles in the literature that relate to three key teaching-learning dimensions of student projects (experiential versus non-experiential active learning, team-based versus…

Video time encoding machines.

PubMed

Lazar, Aurel A; Pnevmatikakis, Eftychios A

2011-03-01

We investigate architectures for time encoding and time decoding of visual stimuli such as natural and synthetic video streams (movies, animation). The architecture for time encoding is akin to models of the early visual system. It consists of a bank of filters in cascade with single-input multi-output neural circuits. Neuron firing is based on either a threshold-and-fire or an integrate-and-fire spiking mechanism with feedback. We show that analog information is represented by the neural circuits as projections on a set of band-limited functions determined by the spike sequence. Under Nyquist-type and frame conditions, the encoded signal can be recovered from these projections with arbitrary precision. For the video time encoding machine architecture, we demonstrate that band-limited video streams of finite energy can be faithfully recovered from the spike trains and provide a stable algorithm for perfect recovery. The key condition for recovery calls for the number of neurons in the population to be above a threshold value.

Video Time Encoding Machines

PubMed Central

Lazar, Aurel A.; Pnevmatikakis, Eftychios A.

2013-01-01

We investigate architectures for time encoding and time decoding of visual stimuli such as natural and synthetic video streams (movies, animation). The architecture for time encoding is akin to models of the early visual system. It consists of a bank of filters in cascade with single-input multi-output neural circuits. Neuron firing is based on either a threshold-and-fire or an integrate-and-fire spiking mechanism with feedback. We show that analog information is represented by the neural circuits as projections on a set of band-limited functions determined by the spike sequence. Under Nyquist-type and frame conditions, the encoded signal can be recovered from these projections with arbitrary precision. For the video time encoding machine architecture, we demonstrate that band-limited video streams of finite energy can be faithfully recovered from the spike trains and provide a stable algorithm for perfect recovery. The key condition for recovery calls for the number of neurons in the population to be above a threshold value. PMID:21296708

NASA/DOE automotive Stirling engine project: Overview 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beremand, D. G.; Shaltens, R. K.

1986-01-01

The DOE/NASA Automotive Stirling Engine Project is reviewed and its technical progress and status are presented. Key technologies in materials, seals, and piston rings are progressing well. Seven first-generation engines, and modifications thereto, have accumulated over 15,000 hr of test time, including 1100hr of in-vehicle testing. Results indicate good progress toward the program goals. The first second-generation engine is now undergoing initial testing. It is expected that the program goal of a 30-percent improvement in fuel economy will be achieved in tests of a second-generation engine in a Celebrity vehicle.

DOE/NASA automotive Stirling engine project - Overview 86

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beremand, D. G.; Shaltens, R. K.

1986-01-01

The DOE/NASA Automotive Stirling Engine Project is reviewed and its technical progress and status are presented. Key technologies in materials, seals, and piston rings are progressing well. Seven first-generation engines, and modifications thereto, have accumulated over 15,000 hr of test time, including 1100 hr of in-vehicle testing. Results indicate good progress toward the program goals. The first second-generation engine is now undergoing initial testing. It is expected that the program goal of a 30-percent improvement in fuel economy will be achieved in tests of a second-generation engine in a Celebrity vehicle.

Final Report - High Performance, Durable, Low Cost Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Transportation Applications

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

Steinbach, Andrew

2017-05-31

The primary project objective was development of improved polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) which address the key DOE barriers of performance, durability and cost. Additional project objectives were to address commercialization barriers specific to MEAs comprising 3M nanostructured thin film (NSTF) electrodes, including a larger-than-acceptable sensitivity to operating conditions, an unexplained loss of rated power capability with operating time, and slow break-in conditioning. Significant progress was made against each of these barriers, and most DOE 2020 targets were met or substantially approached.

Advanced automation in space shuttle mission control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heindel, Troy A.; Rasmussen, Arthur N.; Mcfarland, Robert Z.

1991-01-01

The Real Time Data System (RTDS) Project was undertaken in 1987 to introduce new concepts and technologies for advanced automation into the Mission Control Center environment at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project's emphasis is on producing advanced near-operational prototype systems that are developed using a rapid, interactive method and are used by flight controllers during actual Shuttle missions. In most cases the prototype applications have been of such quality and utility that they have been converted to production status. A key ingredient has been an integrated team of software engineers and flight controllers working together to quickly evolve the demonstration systems.

Key management and encryption under the bounded storage model.

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

Draelos, Timothy John; Neumann, William Douglas; Lanzone, Andrew J.

2005-11-01

There are several engineering obstacles that need to be solved before key management and encryption under the bounded storage model can be realized. One of the critical obstacles hindering its adoption is the construction of a scheme that achieves reliable communication in the event that timing synchronization errors occur. One of the main accomplishments of this project was the development of a new scheme that solves this problem. We show in general that there exist message encoding techniques under the bounded storage model that provide an arbitrarily small probability of transmission error. We compute the maximum capacity of this channelmore » using the unsynchronized key-expansion as side-channel information at the decoder and provide tight lower bounds for a particular class of key-expansion functions that are pseudo-invariant to timing errors. Using our results in combination with Dziembowski et al. [11] encryption scheme we can construct a scheme that solves the timing synchronization error problem. In addition to this work we conducted a detailed case study of current and future storage technologies. We analyzed the cost, capacity, and storage data rate of various technologies, so that precise security parameters can be developed for bounded storage encryption schemes. This will provide an invaluable tool for developing these schemes in practice.« less

Public Engagement for the U.S. Rosetta Project using Interactive Multimedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, H.; Graham, S.; Alexander, C. J.

2009-12-01

The U.S. Rosetta Project is NASA contribution to the International Rosetta Mission. The mission is a long-duration mission to explore a comet and escort the nucleus from deep space around the Sun and for a portion of its outbound trajectory. The Rosetta stone, the symbol of the mission, is the inspiration for the mission’s name. As stated on by the European Space Agency, Rosetta is expected to provide the keys to the primordial solar system the way the original Rosetta Stone provided a key to ancient language. Four interactives serve as key components of the website portion of the project's public engagement efforts. This first is a presentation of the mission timeline using an interactive that resembles an iTunes front page. The second is a presentation of the space between Earth (Jupiter) and the next star (Proxima Centauri), in which the comet home of the Kuiper Belt with several of the planet-sized object embedded there, the Heliosphere, the comet home of the Oort Cloud, and other interstellar clouds are presented. The third is a presentation of ancient languages (still under development) - space terminology translated into Native American languages as part of the project's outreach to the Native American community. In the fourth interactive we have taken the relatively sophisticated scientific comet environment model, one that was produced on a super computer, and worked the output into 'representations' of how a comet changes as it moves around the Sun, with definitions of the scientific regions that evolve. Still under development, this interactive is expected to be a key component of explaining to the public what the instruments expect to measure and encounter as the target changes in time. A fifth animated component is addressed to informal education with younger audience members in the form of cartoon characters and their adventures on a comet. In this talk we will showcase these pieces and discuss how these interactives are intended for teaching and learning in (mostly informal) education. Work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was supported by NASA. The Rosetta mission is a cooperative project of NASA and the European Space Agency.

Integrated response toward HIV: a health promotion case study from China.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhen; Wang, Debin; Yang, Sen; Duan, Mingyue; Bu, Pengbin; Green, Andrew; Zhang, Xuejun

2011-06-01

Integrated HIV response refers to a formalized, collaborative process among organizations in communities with HIV at-risk populations. It is a both comprehensive and flexible scheme, which may include community-based environment promotion, skill coalition, fund linkage, human resource collaboration and service system jointly for both HIV prevention and control. It enables decisions and actions responds over time. In 1997, the Chinese government developed a 10-year HIV project supported by World Bank Loan (H9-HIV/AIDS/STIs). It was the first integrated STI/HIV intervention project in China and provides a unique opportunity to explore the long-term comprehensive STI/HIV intervention in a low-middle income country setting. Significant outcomes were identified as development and promotion of the national strategic plan and its ongoing implementation; positive knowledge, behavioral and STI/HIV prevalence rate change; and valuable experiences for managing integrated HIV/STI intervention projects. Essential factors for the success of the project and the key tasks for the next step were identified and included well-designed intervention in rural and low economic regions, unified program evaluation framework and real-time information collection and assessment.

Key challenges in the development and implementation of telehealth projects.

PubMed

Joseph, Victor; West, Robert M; Shickle, Darren; Keen, Justin; Clamp, Susan

2011-01-01

A literature review was carried out to identify the key challenges in the implementation of telehealth. This was followed by a survey of organisations in England involved in telehealth projects in order to understand the challenges they faced. Ten of the 13 health or local authority organisations surveyed had telehealth projects and three were at the planning stage. The analysis revealed seven key challenges facing implementers of telehealth in England. Based on the findings from the literature review and the survey, a model was constructed and a checklist drawn up. The model contained the following elements: identifying issues, needs and partners; producing a strategy; securing funding; implementing changes; and monitoring and evaluating a telehealth project. The checklist was validated by using key informants from the organisations originally surveyed. The checklist may be useful to guide telehealth development and implementation in the future.

A comparative study on first-time and experienced project-based learning students in an engineering design module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chua, K. J.

2014-09-01

This study aims to compare and evaluate the learning ability and performance differences between two groups of students undergoing project-based learning (PjBL), with one group having prior PjBL experience, while the other group is being freshly exposed to PjBL. More specifically, it examines if there are significant differences in knowledge score, problem-solving ability, and eventual project-deliverable outcomes between the two sets of students. Performances were compared via qualitative and quantitative analyses. Key findings have indicated a significant increase in fundamental formative knowledge; enhanced problem-solving abilities; and production of better performing artefacts with regard to the set of design skills between experienced and first-time PjBL groups. This study also highlighted that experienced PjBL students have less conflicts within their groups, and are more receptive to PjBL compared to first-time PjBL students. Results from this study provide a starting point for educators to seek new learning/facilitating strategies that are relevant based on the experience and learning styles of students.

Defining competency-based evaluation objectives in family medicine

PubMed Central

Lawrence, Kathrine; Allen, Tim; Brailovsky, Carlos; Crichton, Tom; Bethune, Cheri; Donoff, Michel; Laughlin, Tom; Wetmore, Stephen; Carpentier, Marie-Pierre; Visser, Shaun

2011-01-01

Abstract Objective To develop key features for priority topics previously identified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada that, together with skill dimensions and phases of the clinical encounter, broadly describe competence in family medicine. Design Modified nominal group methodology, which was used to develop key features for each priority topic through an iterative process. Setting The College of Family Physicians of Canada. Participants An expert group of 7 family physicians and 1 educational consultant, all of whom had experience in assessing competence in family medicine. Group members represented the Canadian family medicine context with respect to region, sex, language, community type, and experience. Methods The group used a modified Delphi process to derive a detailed operational definition of competence, using multiple iterations until consensus was achieved for the items under discussion. The group met 3 to 4 times a year from 2000 to 2007. Main findings The group analyzed 99 topics and generated 773 key features. There were 2 to 20 (average 7.8) key features per topic; 63% of the key features focused on the diagnostic phase of the clinical encounter. Conclusion This project expands previous descriptions of the process of generating key features for assessment, and removes this process from the context of written examinations. A key-features analysis of topics focuses on higher-order cognitive processes of clinical competence. The project did not define all the skill dimensions of competence to the same degree, but it clearly identified those requiring further definition. This work generates part of a discipline-specific, competency-based definition of family medicine for assessment purposes. It limits the domain for assessment purposes, which is an advantage for the teaching and assessment of learners. A validation study on the content of this work would ensure that it truly reflects competence in family medicine. PMID:21998245

Student experiences with an international public health exchange project.

PubMed

Critchley, Kim A; Richardson, Eileen; Aarts, Clara; Campbell, Barbara; Hemmingway, Ann; Koskinen, Liisa; Mitchell, Maureen P; Nordstrom, Pam

2009-01-01

With growing interconnectivity of healthcare systems worldwide and increased immigration, inappropriate cultural and role assumptions are often seen when cultures clash within a country or when there is practice across country boundaries in times of disaster and during international travel. To increase students' multicultural awareness and work experiences abroad, the authors describe a 7-school, 5-country international student exchange project. The authors also share the students' evaluations of their experiences as they are challenged to erase boundaries and embrace nursing across countries. Participating faculty describe the process, challenges, and keys to success found in creating and living this international project. Students involved in the exchange process evaluate the learning opportunities and challenges and the joy of coming together as newfound colleagues and friends.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Molecular ions in protostellar shock L1157-B1 (Podio+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podio, L.; Lefloch, B.; Ceccarelli, C.; Codella, C.; Bachiller, R.

2014-03-01

The ascii files contain the line spectra shown in Figure 2 of the paper. The spectra are obtained with the IRAM-30m and Herschel/HIFI. The IRAM-30m data are part of the ASAI Large Programme. The Herschel/HIFI data are from the Guaranteed Time Key Project CHESS. (2 data files).

Keys to Creating a Successful Online Course for Do-It-Yourselfers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeder, Craig

2010-01-01

Instructors all around the country are creating online courses for the first time. Yet a standardized format and structure for online courses has not yet emerged. So, for many who are facing this task, it feels like a do-it-yourself project, especially for those who are working in organizations that cannot offer much in the way of guidance and…

Gandhian Education in Bali: Globalisations and Cultural Diversity in a Time of Fundamentalisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamatea, Laurence

2006-01-01

The paper presents findings from a research project undertaken at the Taman Rama Gandhi School in Bali during the first anniversary week of the Bali Bombings in 2003. It explores the school's response to four key components of Gandhi's model of Basic Education ("Nai Talim") and shows that the claimed curriculum is framed by two…

TTI CM/AQ evaluation model user`s guide and workshop training materials. Interim research report, September 1993-August 1996

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

NONE

1995-08-01

The TTI CM/AQ Evaluation Model evaluates potential projects based on the following criteria: eligibility, travel impacts, emission impacts, and cost-effectiveness. To compare independent projects within a region during the decision process for CM/AQ funding, each project evaluated with this model is given an overall score based on the project`s effects for the criteria listed above. Training workshops were held by TTI in the first quarter of 1995 to teach metropolitan planning organization, state department of transportation, and regional air quality organization staff how to use this model. Basics of sketch-planning applications were also taught. The DRCOG and TTI CM/AQ Evaluationmore » Models represent significant steps toward the development of analytical methodologies for selecting projects for CM/AQ funding. Because the needs of nonattainment and attainment areas change over time, this model is particularly useful as key evaluation criteria can be modified to reflect the changing needs of a metropolitan area.« less

Building Geographic Information System Capacity in Local Health Departments: Lessons From a North Carolina Project

PubMed Central

Miranda, Marie Lynn; Silva, Jennifer M.; Overstreet Galeano, M. Alicia; Brown, Jeffrey P.; Campbell, Douglas S.; Coley, Evelyn; Cowan, Christopher S.; Harvell, Dianne; Lassiter, Jenny; Parks, Jerry L.; Sandelé, Wanda

2005-01-01

State government, university, and local health department (LHD) partners collaborated to build the geographic information system (GIS) capacity of 5 LHDs in North Carolina. Project elements included procuring hardware and software, conducting individualized and group training, developing data layers, guiding the project development process, coordinating participation in technical conferences, providing ongoing project consultation, and evaluating project milestones. The project provided health department personnel with the skills and resources required to use sophisticated information management systems, particularly those that address spatial dimensions of public health practice. This capacity-building project helped LHDs incorporate GIS technology into daily operations, resulting in improved time and cost efficiency. Keys to success included (1) methods training rooted in problems specific to the LHD, (2) required project identification by LHD staff with associated timelines for development, (3) ongoing technical support as staff returned to home offices after training, (4) subgrants to LHDs to ease hardware and software resource constraints, (5) networks of relationships among LHDs and other professional GIS users, and (6) senior LHD leadership who supported the professional development activities being undertaken by staff. PMID:16257950

Physical activity and sedentary behaviours in youth: issues and controversies.

PubMed

Biddle, Stuart J; Gorely, Trish; Marshall, Simon J; Murdey, Ian; Cameron, Noel

2004-01-01

There is growing concern over the effects of sedentary lifestyles on the health of young people. Recent rapid increases in juvenile obesity have received a great deal of attention in the scientific and popular press and have been attributed partly to television viewing, computer games and other sedentary behaviours. These are thought to compete with physical activity. There is a 'moral panic' concerning the 'couch kids' culture in modern western society. Project STIL (Sedentary Teenagers and Inactive Lifestyles) at Loughborough University is investigating 'what young people do' and focuses on active and inactive pursuits chosen in their leisure time. The following issues are addressed in this paper with specific reference to young people: how do we define 'sedentary behaviour' and do key sedentary behaviours displace physical activity? Are key sedentary behaviours obesogenic? What are the secular trends for children and youth for TV viewing? Our results for young people suggest that: 1. TV viewing and video-game playing are largely uncorrelated with physical activity, suggesting that there is time for both 2. meta-analytic findings show that body fatness is not related in any clinically meaningful way with key sedentary behaviours 3. although more children and youth have greater access to TVs than in previous generations, the amount of TV watched per head has not changed for 40 years. Preliminary findings from Project STIL suggest that inactivity is more complex that we sometimes think. Indeed, measures of 'couch potato-ism', such as TV viewing, may be inappropriate markers of inactivity.

Thinking Big for 25 Years: Astronomy Camp Research Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooper, Eric Jon; McCarthy, D. W.; Benecchi, S. D.; Henry, T. J.; Kirkpatrick, J. D.; Kulesa, C.; Oey, M. S.; Regester, J.; Schlingman, W. M.; Camp Staff, Astronomy

2013-01-01

Astronomy Camp is a deep immersion educational adventure for teenagers and adults in southern Arizona that is entering its 25th year of existence. The Camp Director (McCarthy) is the winner of the 2012 AAS Education Prize. A general overview of the program is given in an accompanying contribution (McCarthy et al.). In this presentation we describe some of the research projects conducted by Astronomy Camp participants over the years. Many of the Camps contain a strong project-oriented emphasis, which reaches its pinnacle in the Advanced Camps for teenagers. High school students from around the world participate in a microcosm of the full arc of astronomy research. They plan their own projects before the start of Camp, and the staff provide a series of "key projects." Early in the Camp the students submit observing proposals to utilize time on telescopes. (The block of observing time is secured in advance by the staff.) The participants collect, reduce and analyze astronomical data with the help of staff, and they present the results to their peers on the last night of Camp, all in a span of eight days. The Camps provide research grade telescopes and instruments, in addition to amateur telescopes. Some of the Camps occur on Kitt Peak, where we use an ensemble of telescopes: the 2.3-meter (University of Arizona) with a spectrograph; the WIYN 0.9-meter; the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope; and the 12-meter millimeter wave telescope. Additionally the Camp has one night on the 10-meter Submillimeter Telescope on Mt. Graham. Campers use these resources to study stars, galaxies, AGN, transiting planets, molecular clouds, etc. Some of the camper-initiated projects have led to very high level performances in prestigious international competitions, such as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The key projects often contribute to published astronomical research (e.g., Benecchi et al. 2010, Icarus, 207, 978). Many former Campers have received Ph.D. degrees in astronomy and other sciences and are now faculty members, a current Hubble Fellow, the PI of a facility class instrument on an 11-meter telescope (SALT), etc.

Creation of Audiovisual Presentations as a Tool to Develop Key Competences in Secondary-School Students. A Case Study in Science Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ezquerra, Ángel; Manso, Javier; Burgos, Mª Esther; Hallabrin, Carla

2014-01-01

New curricular plans based on key competences create the need for new educational proposals that allow their development. This article describes a proposal to develop key competences through project-based learning. The project's objective is the creation of a digital video. The following study was carried out with students in their final two years…

Listening to the Deep-Ocean Environment (LIDO): an ESONET Initiative for the Real-Time Monitoring of Geohazards and Marine Ambient Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

André, Michel; Favali, Paolo; Piatteli, Paolo; Miranda, Jorge; Waldmann, Christoph; Esonet Lido Demonstration Mission Team

2010-05-01

Understanding the link between natural and anthropogenic processes is essential for predicting the magnitude and impact of future changes of the natural balance of the oceans. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in the assessment and monitoring of these changes. ESONET is a European Network of Excellence of deep-sea observatories that includes 55 partners belonging to 14 countries. ESONET NoE is providing data on key parameters from the subsurface down to the seafloor at representative locations that transmit them to shore. The strategies of deployment, data sampling, technological development, standardisation and data management are being integrated with projects dealing with the spatial and near surface time series. LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean environment) is one of these projects and proposes to establish a first nucleus of a regional network of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories contributing to the coordination of high quality research in the ESONET NoE by allowing the real-time long-term monitoring of Geohazards and Marine Ambient Noise in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic waters. Specific activities address the long-term monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis and the characterisation of ambient noise, marine mammal sounds and anthropogenic sources. The objective of this demonstration mission will be achieved through the extension of the present capabilities of the observatories working in the ESONET key-sites of Eastern Sicily (NEMO-SN1) and of the Gulf of Cadiz (GEOSTAR configured for NEAREST pilot experiment) by installing new sensor equipments related to Bioacoustics and Geohazards, as well as by implementing international standard methods in data acquisition and management.

Decadal Time Scale change in terrestrial plant communities in North American arctic and alpine tundra: A contribution to the International Polar Year Back to the Future Project (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tweedie, C. E.; Ebert-May, D.; Hollister, R. D.; Johnson, D. R.; Lara, M. J.; Villarreal, S.; Spasojevic, M.; Webber, P.

2010-12-01

The International Polar Year-Back to the Future (IPY-BTF) is an endorsed International Polar Year project (IPY project #214). The overarching goal of this program is to determine how key structural and functional characteristics of high latitude/altitude terrestrial ecosystems have changed over the past 25 or more years and assess if such trajectories of change are likely to continue in the future. By rescuing data, revisiting, re-sampling historic research sites and assessing environmental change over time, we aim to provide greater understanding of how tundra is changing and what the possible drivers of these changes are. Resampling of sites established by Patrick J. Webber between 1964 and 1975 in northern Baffin Island, Northern Alaska and in the Rocky Mountains form a key contribution to the BTF project. Here we report on resampling efforts at each of these locations and initial results of a synthesis effort that finds similarities and differences in change between sites. Results suggest that although shifts in plant community composition are detectable at each location, the magnitude and direction of change differ among locations. Vegetation shifts along soil moisture gradients is apparent at most of the sites resampled. Interestingly, however, wet communities seem to have changed more than dry communities in the Arctic locations, while plant communities at the alpine site appear to be becoming more distinct regardless of soil moisture status. Ecosystem function studies performed in conjunction with plant community change suggest that there has been an increase in plant productivity at most sites resampled, especially in wet and mesic land cover types.

Uncertainty and extreme events in future climate and hydrologic projections for the Pacific Northwest: providing a basis for vulnerability and core/corridor assessments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Littell, Jeremy S.; Mauger, Guillaume S.; Salathe, Eric P.; Hamlet, Alan F.; Lee, Se-Yeun; Stumbaugh, Matt R.; Elsner, Marketa; Norheim, Robert; Lutz, Eric R.; Mantua, Nathan J.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this project was to (1) provide an internally-consistent set of downscaled projections across the Western U.S., (2) include information about projection uncertainty, and (3) assess projected changes of hydrologic extremes. These objectives were designed to address decision support needs for climate adaptation and resource management actions. Specifically, understanding of uncertainty in climate projections – in particular for extreme events – is currently a key scientific and management barrier to adaptation planning and vulnerability assessment. The new dataset fills in the Northwest domain to cover a key gap in the previous dataset, adds additional projections (both from other global climate models and a comparison with dynamical downscaling) and includes an assessment of changes to flow and soil moisture extremes. This new information can be used to assess variations in impacts across the landscape, uncertainty in projections, and how these differ as a function of region, variable, and time period. In this project, existing University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (UW CIG) products were extended to develop a comprehensive data archive that accounts (in a reigorous and physically based way) for climate model uncertainty in future climate and hydrologic scenarios. These products can be used to determine likely impacts on vegetation and aquatic habitat in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region, including WA, OR, ID, northwest MT to the continental divide, northern CA, NV, UT, and the Columbia Basin portion of western WY New data series and summaries produced for this project include: 1) extreme statistics for surface hydrology (e.g. frequency of soil moisture and summer water deficit) and streamflow (e.g. the 100-year flood, extreme 7-day low flows with a 10-year recurrence interval); 2) snowpack vulnerability as indicated by the ratio of April 1 snow water to cool-season precipitation; and, 3) uncertainty analyses for multiple climate scenarios.

Achieving mask order processing automation, interoperability and standardization based on P10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, B.; Filies, O.; Sadran, D.; Tissier, Michel; Albin, D.; Stavroulakis, S.; Voyiatzis, E.

2007-02-01

Last year the MUSCLE (Masks through User's Supply Chain: Leadership by Excellence) project was presented. Here is the project advancement. A key process in mask supply chain management is the exchange of technical information for ordering masks. This process is large, complex, company specific and error prone, and leads to longer cycle times and higher costs due to missing or wrong inputs. Its automation and standardization could produce significant benefits. We need to agree on the standard for mandatory and optional parameters, and also a common way to describe parameters when ordering. A system was created to improve the performance in terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as cycle time and cost of production. This tool allows us to evaluate and measure the effect of factors, as well as the effect of implementing the improvements of the complete project. Next, a benchmark study and a gap analysis were performed. These studies show the feasibility of standardization, as there is a large overlap in requirements. We see that the SEMI P10 standard needs enhancements. A format supporting the standard is required, and XML offers the ability to describe P10 in a flexible way. Beyond using XML for P10, the semantics of the mask order should also be addressed. A system design and requirements for a reference implementation for a P10 based management system are presented, covering a mechanism for the evolution and for version management and a design for P10 editing and data validation.

Le management des projets scientifiques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrier, Françoise

2000-12-01

We describe in this paper a new approach for the management of scientific projects. This approach is the result of a long reflexion carried out within the MQDP (Methodology and Quality in the Project Development) group of INSU-CNRS, and continued with Guy Serra. Our reflexion was initiated with the study of the so-called `North-American Paradigm' which was, initially considered as the only relevant management model. Through our active participation in several astrophysical projects we realized that this model could not be applied to our laboratories without major modifications. Therefore, step-by-step, we have constructed our own methodology, using to the fullest human potential resources existing in our research field, their habits and skills. We have also participated in various working groups in industrial and scientific organisms for the benefits of CNRS. The management model presented here is based on a systemic and complex approach. This approach lets us describe the multiple aspects of a scientific project specially taking into account the human dimension. The project system model includes three major interconnected systems, immersed within an influencing and influenced environment: the `System to be Realized' which defines scientific and technical tasks leading to the scientific goals, the `Realizing System' which describes procedures, processes and organization, and the `Actors' System' which implements and boosts all the processes. Each one exists only through a series of successive models, elaborated at predefined dates of the project called `key-points'. These systems evolve with time and under often-unpredictable circumstances and the models have to take it into account. At these key-points, each model is compared to reality and the difference between the predicted and realized tasks is evaluated in order to define the data for the next model. This model can be applied to any kind of projects.

Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development summarizes key project development issues, addresses how to overcome major hurdles, and provides a curated directory of project development resources.

Supporting the Future Air Traffic Control Projection Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davison, Hayley J.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

2002-01-01

In air traffic control, projecting what the air traffic situation will be over the next 30 seconds to 30 minutes is a key process in identifying conflicts that may arise so that evasive action can be taken upon discovery of these conflicts. A series of field visits in the Boston and New York terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities and in the oceanic air traffic control facilities in New York and Reykjavik, Iceland were conducted to investigate the projection process in two different ATC domains. The results from the site visits suggest that two types of projection are currently used in ATC tasks, depending on the type of separation minima and/or traffic restriction and information display used by the controller. As technologies improve and procedures change, care should be taken by designers to support projection through displays, automation, and procedures. It is critical to prevent time/space mismatches between interfaces and restrictions. Existing structure in traffic dynamics could be utilized to provide controllers with useful behavioral models on which to build projections. Subtle structure that the controllers are unable to internalize could be incorporated into an ATC projection aid.

Projects without a purpose: Why a top down strategy to resilience matters

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

Kingery, Kristine M.; Fowler, Kimberly M.; Harrove

Energy resilience is a key focus of the current administration and Department of Defense (DoD) leaders, and is in the title of every energy conference session. Most case studies and success stories focus on resilience projects hardening systems or microgriding critical infrastructure. Some case studies focus on unique financing approaches to bring private sector innovation and increased investment to military installations. Many times, what initially look like innovative resilience projects, end as isolated systems or stranded infrastructure. This article will explore how the DoD can make greater strides advancing resilience objectives and ultimately developing projects that support installation mission readinessmore » by first focusing on top down strategies. The Army established energy and water security/resilience requirements, developed a comprehensive measurement framework, is evolving integrated planning approaches in collaboration with local communities, and is supporting project development activities across third-party and appropriated programs. The Army’s multi-year strategic energy and water security planning activities can provide helpful guidance to both the lifecycle of programs or individual projects, and ensure resilience projects both have and achieve a purpose.« less

Key factors of successful JIT integration with IBS - An overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asri, Mohammad Azwanie Naim Mohammad; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Nadarajan, Santhirasegaran

2016-08-01

The Just-In-Time (JIT) philosophy has been used for many decades to increase productivity through waste elimination process. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge by addressing the transportation and material delivery activities in Industrialized Building System (IBS) and integrating JIT to improve the performance of those activities. The literature review has been conducted through relevant database. It was found that there is a need for more holistic approach to be adopted to integrate JIT in IBS project. This paper discusses the key success factors for effective integration between JIT and IBS in the context of transportation and material delivery activities.

The timing of adoption of positron emission tomography: a real options approach.

PubMed

Pertile, Paolo; Torri, Emanuele; Flor, Luciano; Tardivo, Stefano

2009-09-01

This paper presents the economic evaluation from a hospital's perspective of the investment in positron emission tomography, adopting a real options approach. The installation of this equipment requires a major capital outlay, while uncertainty on several key variables is substantial. The value of several timing strategies, including sequential investment, is determined taking into account that future decisions will be based on the information available at that time. The results show that adopting this approach may have an impact on the timing of investment, because postponing the investment may be optimal even when the Expected Net Present Value of the project is positive.

Project 5322 Mid-Term Report: Key Eco-Hydrological Parameters Retrieval And Land Data Assimilation System Development In A Typical Inland River Basin Of Chinas Arid Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faivre, R.; Colin, J.; Menenti, M.; Lindenbergh, R.; Van Den Bergh, L.; Yu, H.; Jia, L.; Xin, L.

2010-10-01

Improving the understanding and the monitoring of high elevation regions hydrology is of major relevance from both societal and environmental points of view for many Asian countries, in particular in terms of flood and drought, but also in terms of food security in a chang- ing environment. Satellite and airborne remote sensing technologies are of utmost for such a challenge. Exist- ing imaging spectro-radiometers, radars, microwave ra- diometers and backscatter LIDAR provide a very com- prehensive suite of measurements over a wide rage of wavelengths, time frequencies and spatial resolu- tions. It is however needed to devise new algorithms to convert these radiometric measurements into useful eco-hydrological quantitative parameters for hydrologi- cal modeling and water management. The DRAGON II project entitled Key Eco-Hydrological Parameters Re- trieval and Land Data Assimilation System Development in a Typical Inland River Basin of Chinas Arid Region (ID 5322) aims at improving the monitoring, understand- ing, and predictability of hydrological and ecological pro- cesses at catchment scale, and promote the applicability of quantitative remote sensing in watershed science. Ex- isting Earth Observation platforms provided by the Euro- pean Space Agency as well as prototype airborne systems developed in China - ENVISAT/AATSR, ALOS/PRISM and PALSAR, Airborne LIDAR - are used and combined to retrieve advanced land surface physical properties over high elevation arid regions of China. The existing syn- ergies between this project, the CEOP-AEGIS project (FP7) and the WATER project (CAS) provide incentives for innovative studies. The investigations presented in the following report focus on the development of advanced and innovative methodologies and algorithms to monitor both the state and the trend of key eco-hydrological vari- ables: 3D vegetation properties, land surface evaporation, glacier mass balance and drought indicators.

Using Narrative Fiction as a Means of Assessing and Learning in a History of Social Welfare Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Jonathan; Farmer, Harry

2018-01-01

This article describes a narrative development project undertaken by students on a History of Social Welfare module at a British university. Students were asked to choose a character, setting and story from a range of scenarios and time periods that reflected many of the key areas covered in lecture and seminar classes. The narrative was not…

Differentiation in Key Learning Areas for Gifted Students in Regular Classes: A Project for Primary School Teachers in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen, Mantak; Chan, Serene; Chan, Cheri; Fung, Dennis C. L.; Cheung, Wai Ming; Kwan, Tammy; Leung, Frederick K. S.

2018-01-01

Gifted students usually require much less time spent in practising and revising basic skills; instead, they benefit greatly from opportunities to work through the curriculum at a faster pace (acceleration). Teachers currently working with mixed-ability classes do not always find it easy to differentiate their teaching approach in this way, so…

Raccoons of North and Middle America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldman, Edward A.; Jackson, Hartley H.T.

1950-01-01

Dr. E. W. Nelson became keenly interested in the raccoons, as shown by his work on those inhabiting the Florida Keys (1930a).' During the same time and in the following year new subspecies were described jointly by Nelson and the writer in preparation for a revision of the group; but other projects claimed attention and our collaboration could not be carried beyond this preliminary stage

The past, present and future of cyber-physical systems: a focus on models.

PubMed

Lee, Edward A

2015-02-26

This paper is about better engineering of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) through better models. Deterministic models have historically proven extremely useful and arguably form the kingpin of the industrial revolution and the digital and information technology revolutions. Key deterministic models that have proven successful include differential equations, synchronous digital logic and single-threaded imperative programs. Cyber-physical systems, however, combine these models in such a way that determinism is not preserved. Two projects show that deterministic CPS models with faithful physical realizations are possible and practical. The first project is PRET, which shows that the timing precision of synchronous digital logic can be practically made available at the software level of abstraction. The second project is Ptides (programming temporally-integrated distributed embedded systems), which shows that deterministic models for distributed cyber-physical systems have practical faithful realizations. These projects are existence proofs that deterministic CPS models are possible and practical.

The role of steering groups and project workers in NDUs.

PubMed

Christian, S

In light of the challenges that many nursing development units (NDUs) have faced during the past four years, this paper assesses the usefulness, as perceived by their clinical leaders, of support structures that had to be in place to secure NDU status. The structures assessed were a steering group and the allocation of a project worker by the King's Fund. Well organised steering groups offer unique opportunities to the NDUs to gain access to the knowledge and expertise of key figures, marketing the NDU and ensuring the project progresses to plan. Influential project workers were found to support the clinical leader and NDU staff, act as an external advocate and provide a global knowledge of nursing developments. This is the second of two papers reporting on a Department of Health-funded review of NDUs. The first appeared in Nursing Times on November 20.

The Past, Present and Future of Cyber-Physical Systems: A Focus on Models

PubMed Central

Lee, Edward A.

2015-01-01

This paper is about better engineering of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) through better models. Deterministic models have historically proven extremely useful and arguably form the kingpin of the industrial revolution and the digital and information technology revolutions. Key deterministic models that have proven successful include differential equations, synchronous digital logic and single-threaded imperative programs. Cyber-physical systems, however, combine these models in such a way that determinism is not preserved. Two projects show that deterministic CPS models with faithful physical realizations are possible and practical. The first project is PRET, which shows that the timing precision of synchronous digital logic can be practically made available at the software level of abstraction. The second project is Ptides (programming temporally-integrated distributed embedded systems), which shows that deterministic models for distributed cyber-physical systems have practical faithful realizations. These projects are existence proofs that deterministic CPS models are possible and practical. PMID:25730486

De-mystifying earned value management for ground based astronomy projects, large and small

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norton, Timothy; Brennan, Patricia; Mueller, Mark

2014-08-01

The scale and complexity of today's ground based astronomy projects have justifiably required Principal Investigator's and their project teams to adopt more disciplined management processes and tools in order to achieve timely and accurate quantification of the progress and relative health of their projects. Earned Value Management (EVM) is one such tool. Developed decades ago and used extensively in the defense and construction industries, and now a requirement of NASA projects greater than $20M; EVM has gained a foothold in ground-based astronomy projects. The intent of this paper is to de-mystify EVM by discussing the fundamentals of project management, explaining how EVM fits with existing principles, and describing key concepts every project can use to implement their own EVM system. This paper also discusses pitfalls to avoid during implementation and obstacles to its success. The authors report on their organization's most recent experience implementing EVM for the GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) project. G-CLEF is a fiber-fed, optical echelle spectrograph that has been selected as a first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), planned for construction at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert region.

The NANOGrav Observing Program: Automation and Reproducibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazier, Adam; Cordes, James; Demorest, Paul; Dolch, Timothy; Ferdman, Robert; Garver-Daniels, Nathaniel; Hawkins, Steven; Lam, Michael Timothy; Lazio, T. Joseph W.

2018-01-01

The NANOGrav Observing Program is a decades-long search for gravitational waves using pulsar timing which relies, for its sensitivity, on large data sets from observations of many pulsars. These are constructed through an intensive, long-term observing campaign. The nature of the program requires automation in the transfer and archiving of the large volume of raw telescope data, the calibration of those data, and making these resulting data products—required for diagnostic and data exploration purposes—available to NANOGrav members. Reproducibility of results is a key goal in this project, and essential to its success; it requires treating the software itself as a data product of the research, while ensuring easy access by, and collaboration between, members of NANOGrav, the International Pulsar Timing Array consortium (of which NANOGrav is a key member), as well as the wider astronomy community and the public.

The Productive Ward: releasing Time to Care(™)--what we can learn from the literature for implementation.

PubMed

White, Mark; Wells, John Sg; Butterworth, Tony

2014-10-01

This paper reviews the Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care™ literature, identifying and discussing the key characteristics that may contribute to successful implementation. It is 5 years since the official UK launch of the Productive Ward, and the Republic of Ireland commenced a phased, national implementation programme in 2011. Thus it is timely to reflect on the implementation lessons learned to date and described in the literature. Using taxonomic mapping, this paper evaluates the current state of the literature that pertains to Productive Ward implementation experience; success factors; reports, and assessments. Seven common contextual characteristics were identified: robust and engaging communication; enabling and empowering roles; appropriate training; project planning and management; leadership; corporate/management engagement and support; and financial and human resource commitment. The key characteristics identified have a direct impact on the implementation of the Productive Ward. The interplay between these key characteristics and how this interplay influences successful implementation of the Productive Ward warrants further research. Acknowledging and embracing the seven characteristics during implementation will positively improve the progress and success of the initiatives implementation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Change blindness in pigeons (Columba livia): the effects of change salience and timing

PubMed Central

Herbranson, Walter T.

2015-01-01

Change blindness is a well-established phenomenon in humans, in which plainly visible changes in the environment go unnoticed. Recently a parallel change blindness phenomenon has been demonstrated in pigeons. The reported experiment follows up on this finding by investigating whether change salience affects change blindness in pigeons the same way it affects change blindness in humans. Birds viewed alternating displays of randomly generated lines back-projected onto three response keys, with one or more line features on a single key differing between consecutive displays. Change salience was manipulated by varying the number of line features that changed on the critical response key. Results indicated that change blindness is reduced if a change is made more salient, and this matches previous human results. Furthermore, accuracy patterns indicate that pigeons’ effective search area expanded over the course of a trial to encompass a larger portion of the stimulus environment. Thus, the data indicate two important aspects of temporal cognition. First, the timing of a change has a profound influence on whether or not that change will be perceived. Second, pigeons appear to engage in a serial search for changes, in which additional time is required to search additional locations. PMID:26284021

From shared care to disease management: key-influencing factors.

PubMed

Eijkelberg, I M; Spreeuwenberg, C; Mur-Veeman, I M; Wolffenbuttel, B H

2001-01-01

In order to improve the quality of care of chronically ill patients the traditional boundaries between primary and secondary care are questioned. To demolish these boundaries so-called 'shared care' projects have been initiated in which different ways of substitution of care are applied. When these projects end, disease management may offer a solution to expand the achieved co-operation between primary and secondary care. Answering the question: What key factors influence the development and implementation of shared care projects from a management perspective and how are they linked? The theoretical framework is based on the concept of the learning organisation. Reference point is a multiple case study that finally becomes a single case study. Data are collected by means of triangulation. The studied cases concern two interrelated Dutch shared care projects for type 2 diabetic patients, that in the end proceed as one disease management project. In these cases the predominant key-influencing factors appear to be the project management, commitment and local context, respectively. The factor project management directly links the latter two, albeit managing both appear prerequisites to its success. In practice this implies managing the factors' interdependency by the application of change strategies and tactics in a committed and skillful way. Project management, as the most important and active key factor, is advised to cope with the interrelationships of the influencing factors in a gradually more fundamental way by using strategies and tactics that enable learning processes. Then small-scale shared care projects may change into a disease management network at a large scale, which may yield the future blueprint to proceed.

Firm Fixed Price and Cost Plus Fixed Fee Construction Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

The second goal was to establish key performance indicators ( KPIs ) that could be used to measure project success. An extensive literature review of...projects are dependent on the outcome of several overarching critical success factors (CSFs) and also specific key performance indicators ( KPIs ). The...capability, participant teamwork, and environmental factors can be identified and accounted. KPIs are suggested to evaluate actual project

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked sub-picosecond Yb:LuAG ceramic laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jiang-Feng; Liu, Kai; Jiang, Li; Wang, Jun-Li; Yang, Yu; Wang, Hui-Bo; Gao, Zi-Ye; Xie, Teng-Fei; Chao-Yu, Li; Pan, Yu-Bai; Wei, Zhi-Yi

2017-05-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Major Scientific Instruments Development Project of China (Grant No. 2012YQ120047), the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFB0402105), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61205130 and 61575212), and the Key Research Project of the Frontier Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDB-SSW-JSC022).

Detecting Shielded Special Nuclear Materials Using Multi-Dimensional Neutron Source and Detector Geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santarius, John; Navarro, Marcos; Michalak, Matthew; Fancher, Aaron; Kulcinski, Gerald; Bonomo, Richard

2016-10-01

A newly initiated research project will be described that investigates methods for detecting shielded special nuclear materials by combining multi-dimensional neutron sources, forward/adjoint calculations modeling neutron and gamma transport, and sparse data analysis of detector signals. The key tasks for this project are: (1) developing a radiation transport capability for use in optimizing adaptive-geometry, inertial-electrostatic confinement (IEC) neutron source/detector configurations for neutron pulses distributed in space and/or phased in time; (2) creating distributed-geometry, gas-target, IEC fusion neutron sources; (3) applying sparse data and noise reduction algorithms, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and wavelet transform analysis, to enhance detection fidelity; and (4) educating graduate and undergraduate students. Funded by DHS DNDO Project 2015-DN-077-ARI095.

Developer view of the CSP evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvajal, Javier López; Barea, Jose M.; Barragan, Jose; Altmann, Thomas

2017-06-01

This paper briefly describes the history of CSP up to the present times and also gives some views about what could be expected in the near future for the industry. It also points out the relevance of the TES system as a key and gives some ideas regarding the innovations that could be expected in the coming CSP projects. Although currently, tower technology capacity under operation is less than 15% of the total CSP capacity in the world, solar tower, with molten salt most likely, might be the predominant technology in the medium run for electricity generation. In addition, other different concepts will be more commonly projected in order to increase dispatchability or renewable energy contribution in the electric system as hybridization with other technologies like PV or as part of desalination projects.

Analyzing compound and project progress through multi-objective-based compound quality assessment.

PubMed

Nissink, J Willem M; Degorce, Sébastien

2013-05-01

Compound-quality scoring methods designed to evaluate multiple drug properties concurrently are useful to analyze and prioritize output from drug-design efforts. However, formalized multiparameter optimization approaches are not widely used in drug design. We rank molecules synthesized in drug-discovery projects using simple and aggregated desirability functions reflecting medicinal chemistry 'rules'. Our quality score deals transparently with missing data, a key requirement in drug-hunting projects where data availability is often limited. We further estimate confidence in the interpretation of such a compound-quality measure. Scores and associated confidences provide systematic insight in the quality of emerging chemical equity. Tracking quality of synthetic output over time yields valuable insight into the progress of drug-design teams, with potential applications in risk and resource management of a drug portfolio.

Astrobee: Developing a Free Flying Robot for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bualat, Maria; Barlow, Jonathan; Fong, Terrence; Provencher, Christopher; Smith, Trey; Zuniga, Allison

2015-01-01

Astronaut time will always be in short supply, consumables (e.g., oxygen) will always be limited, and some work will not be feasible, or productive, for astronauts to do manually. Free flyers offer significant potential to perform a great variety of tasks, include routine, repetitive or simple but long-duration work, such as conducting environment surveys, taking sensor readings or monitoring crew activities. The "Astrobee" project is developing a new free flying robot system suitable for performing Intravehicular Activity (IVA) work on the International Space Station (ISS). This paper will describe the Astrobee project objectives, initial design, concept of operations, and key challenges.

How Do The EV Project Participants Feel about Charging Their EV at Home?

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

Francfort, James E.

Key Observations from the Survey of the EV Project Participants; In June 2013, 72% of EV Project participants were very satisfied with their home charging experience; 21% of participants relied totally on home charging for all of their charging needs; Volt owners relied more on home charging than Leaf owners, who reported more use of away-from-home charging; 74% of participants reported that they plug in their plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) every time they park at home. Others plugged in as they determined necessary to support their driving needs; 40% of participants reported that they would not have or are unsuremore » that in June 2013 whether they would have purchased an alternating current (AC) Level 2 electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for home charging if it had not been provided by The EV Project; and 61% of participants reported that The EV Project incentive was very important or important in their decision to obtain a PEV.« less

Composting projects under the Clean Development Mechanism: Sustainable contribution to mitigate climate change

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

Rogger, Cyrill; Beaurain, Francois; Schmidt, Tobias S., E-mail: tobiasschmidt@ethz.ch

2011-01-15

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and at the same time to assist these countries in sustainable development. While composting as a suitable mitigation option in the waste sector can clearly contribute to the former goal there are indications that high rents can also be achieved regarding the latter. In this article composting is compared with other CDM project types inside and outside the waste sector with regards to both project numbers and contribution to sustainable development. It is found that, despite the high number of waste projects,more » composting is underrepresented and a major reason for this fact is identified. Based on a multi-criteria analysis it is shown that composting has a higher potential for contribution to sustainable development than most other best in class projects. As these contributions can only be assured if certain requirements are followed, eight key obligations are presented.« less

Crossing the river: Developing a strategy to support understanding of uncertainty within probabilistic climate projections.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton, P.; Lamb, R.

2010-09-01

The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) was established by government in 1997 to support the UK's engagement with becoming better adapted to a changing climate. As the lead organisation in the UK on climate change adaptation, UKCIP oversaw the development of the UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) which were launched in June 2009 providing, for the first time, probabilistic climate projections for the UK. As with previous generations of UKCIP climate scenarios, they were freely accessible and intended for a whole spectrum of users, from technical experts to a lay audience. . Prior to the launch of UKCP09 it was acknowledged that users would need support in understanding key concepts, such as the uncertainty inherent in the projections, to be able to use them appropriately. The user support strategy was therefore developed. It is founded on robust pedagogical principles and draws on the latest thinking on public understanding of science (PUS) that places the user at the centre of the communication process. The adopted approach first identifies profiles of the key users of the climate projections and the ways in which they would use and access the data. Based on these profiles it is possible to identify a range of mechanisms that allow the user to engage with understanding the projections in different ways and situations including lectures, workshops and online learning. Within this blended strategy an exercise was developed specifically to support users' understanding of the concept of uncertainty within the probabilistic climate projections. The ‘Crossing the River' exercise encourages the participants to actively consider the nature of information they are using, and how it could be applied in a specific decision. Reflection and discussion are key elements in supporting the users' understanding of the concept and allowing them to apply the principles in the exercise to their own context. Their reflection is facilitated through a range of mechanisms that provide social and personal spaces and is guided by the communicator. The exercise has been used successfully with a broad range of users (from government officers to environmental managers) in groups ranging from small community events to large corporate conferences. Feedback has shown that the majority of people who completed the exercise had a better understanding of the concept of uncertainty within the probabilistic climate projections as a result. We are now working to create an online version that can be freely accessed by users along with other resources that develop understanding of other key concepts associated with UKCP09 and the broader climate change adaptation agenda. This paper evaluates the development and application of the user support strategy and provides a practical illustration of how it can be used within a face-to-face group setting and also as an online resource.

CosmoQuest:Using Data Validation for More Than Just Data Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehan, C.; Gay, P.

2016-12-01

It is often taken for granted that different scientists completing the same task (e.g. mapping geologic features) will get the same results, and data validation is often skipped or under-utilized due to time and funding constraints. Robbins et. al (2014), however, demonstrated that this is a needed step, as large variation can exist even among collaborating team members completing straight-forward tasks like marking craters. Data Validation should be much more than a simple post-project verification of results. The CosmoQuest virtual research facility employs regular data-validation for a variety of benefits, including real-time user feedback, real-time tracking to observe user activity while it's happening, and using pre-solved data to analyze users' progress and to help them retain skills. Some creativity in this area can drastically improve project results. We discuss methods of validating data in citizen science projects and outline the variety of uses for validation, which, when used properly, improves the scientific output of the project and the user experience for the citizens doing the work. More than just a tool for scientists, validation can assist users in both learning and retaining important information and skills, improving the quality and quantity of data gathered. Real-time analysis of user data can give key information in the effectiveness of the project that a broad glance would miss, and properly presenting that analysis is vital. Training users to validate their own data, or the data of others, can significantly improve the accuracy of misinformed or novice users.

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

Zhu, Charles

In the 2nd quarter of 2012, a program was formally initiated at Delta Products to develop smart-grid-enabled Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) product for residential use. The project was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under award DE-OE0000590. Delta products was the prime contractor to DOE during the three year duration of the project. In addition to Delta Products, several additional supplier-partners were engaged in this research and development (R&D) program, including Detroit Edison DTE, Mercedes Benz Research and Development North America, and kVA. This report summarizes the program and describes the key research outcomes ofmore » the program. A technical history of the project activities is provided, which describes the key steps taken in the research and the findings made at successive stages in the multi-stage work. The evolution of an EVSE prototype system is described in detail, culminating in prototypes shipped to Department of Energy Laboratories for final qualification. After the program history is reviewed, the key attributes of the resulting EVSE are described in terms of functionality, performance, and cost. The results clearly demonstrate the ability of this EVSE to meet or exceed DOE's targets for this program, including: construction of a working product-intent prototype of a smart-grid-enabled EVSE, with suitable connectivity to grid management and home-energy management systems, revenue-grade metering, and related technical functions; and cost reduction of 50% or more compared to typical market priced EVSEs at the time of DOE's funding opportunity announcement (FOA), which was released in mid 2011. In addition to meeting all the program goals, the program was completed within the original budget and timeline established at the time of the award. The summary program budget and timeline, comparing plan versus actual values, is provided for reference, along with several supporting explanatory notes. Technical information relating to the product design and test results are contained in the appendices to this report.« less

Twenty years of research on water management issues in the Danube Macro-region - past developments and future directions.

PubMed

Feldbacher, Eva; Paun, Mihaela; Reckendorfer, Walter; Sidoroff, Manuela; Stanica, Adrian; Strimbu, Bogdan; Tusa, Iris; Vulturescu, Viorel; Hein, Thomas

2016-12-01

The Danube River-Danube Delta-Black Sea (DBS) region has witnessed major political, social and economic changes during the past three decades, which have profoundly affected the riverine, coastal and marine systems, their water management situation and the development of related research programmes. We reviewed the research activities in the DBS system of the past twenty years to determine the main funding bodies and to assess key research areas and how they varied over time and geographic region. As data basis we used a metadatabase filled with 478 projects addressing environmental and water management issues in the Danube River Basin, covering also the Danube Delta and the north-western Black Sea. As overall outcome extensive research efforts in the field of water management could be proven for the past two decades, despite the tumultuous times of political and economic transformations. One of the main findings was that EU funded projects played a key role for the development of transboundary research collaboration and were also the scientifically most productive one's. Historically, nutrient pollution was the main problem addressed, shifting to pollution in a broader sense and hydromorphological alterations in recent years. The newly arising challenges of climate change impacts and sediment management became important research questions in the last years, too. Most research was performed in the thematic field of navigation, followed by restoration and biodiversity issues. To meet all of the already identified and newly emerging challenges in the DBS System, cross-border and integrated (river-delta-sea) research activities are of major importance and have to be further promoted. We thus suggest drawing up a regional DBS Research Agenda linked to key challenges in water management to strengthen research collaboration and advance targeted scientific projects, an approach fostering also the scientific capacity in the region. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing forest influences on torrential hazards and risks: IRSTEA mission within the European H2020 project NAIAD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piton, Guillaume; Tacnet, Jean Marc; Berger, Frédéric; Curt, Corinne; Curt, Thomas; Arnaud, Patrick

2017-04-01

NAIAD (NAture Insurance value: Assessment and Demonstration) is a H2020 European project gathering 23 partners interested in ecosystems services related to water. The project more specifically links nature services to the assurance world and aims to operationalise "Natural Assurance Schemes", defined as a range of schemes to internalise the value of ecosystems services, e.g., the buffering role of river systems against water risks, in insurance policies. It is based on an assessment methodology that includes the physical, socio-cultural and valuation aspects of ecosystems services in relation to water, adapted to the institutional frame to align economic incentives and financial flows. Within the NAIAD projet, IRSTEA will more specifically try to highlight the role of mountain forests in torrential flood hazards and risks. The forest eventually acts on hydrology by buffering part of the rainwater. Vegetation has also a key role in soil conservation by curtailing primary sediment production in the hillslopes. Conversely, woody debris dramatically aggravate hazards by clogging bridges and key protections structures as open check dams. Finally this dual role may change in time due to the forest vulnerability to climatic, biologic or physical changes, e.g. after a wildfire. The first project step will be an extensive literature review on all these effects. Secondly indicators describing the torrential systems will be proposed and link to variably pronounced influence of forest. In a third time, case studies will be undertaken. The dramatic flood that occur in the region of Nice in summer 2015 (20 fatalities) will probably be used as a benchmark test. Several scenarios of alternative forest and river managements under varying climate forcing will be tested later. Complete torrential risk assessment studies will be performed on several sites within this project, with and without the forest influences in order to highlight its role. Numerous check dams have been built in headwaters to facilitate reforestation in the past, their influence on the torrential flood triggering (e.g., sediment supply) and transfer (e.g., debris flow propagation) will be assessed. The effectiveness of protections structures as debris basins and woody debris traps will be studied. They are supposed to be key solutions to the drawbacks of woody debris jams resulting from forest standing in catchments, other effects on hydrology and sediment production being quite positive. The issue of uncertainty and its propagation along the whole chain of analysis will be subject to a special effort in our work. The NAIAD project just beginning in 2017, we propose to present the research steps and data treatment chains that are planned to be used along the project. More results and the case studies being under progress.

How the bioanalytical scientist plays a key role in interdisciplinary project teams in the development of biotherapeutics - a reflection of the European Bioanalysis Forum.

PubMed

Dudal, Sherri; Staack, Roland F; Stoellner, Daniela; Fjording, Marianne Scheel; Vieser, Eva; Pascual, Marie-Hélène; Brudny-Kloeppel, Margarete; Golob, Michaela

2014-05-01

The bioanalytical scientist plays a key role in the project team for the drug development of biotherapeutics from the discovery to the marketing phase. Information from the project team members is required for assay development and sample analysis during the discovery, preclinical and clinical phases of the project and input is needed from the bioanalytical scientist to help data interpretation. The European Bioanalysis Forum target team 20 discussed many of the gaps in information and communication between the bioanalytical scientist and project team members as a base for providing a perspective on the bioanalytical scientist's role and interactions within the project team.

Development potential of Intermittent Combustion (I.C.) aircraft engines for commuter transport applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, E. A.

1982-01-01

An update on general aviation (g/a) and commuter aircraft propulsion research effort is reviewed. The following topics are discussed: on several advanced intermittent combustion engines emphasizing lightweight diesels and rotary stratified charge engines. The current state-of-the-art is evaluated for lightweight, aircraft suitable versions of each engine. This information is used to project the engine characteristics that can be expected on near-term and long-term time horizons. The key enabling technology requirements are identified for each engine on the long-term time horizon.

The Herschel ATLAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eales, S.; Dunne, L.; Clements, D.; Cooray, A.; De Zotti, G.; Dye, S.; Ivison, R.; Jarvis, M.; Lagache, G.; Maddox, S.;

Opportunities for New Insights on the Life-Course Risks and Outcomes of Cognitive Decline in the Kavli HUMAN Project.

PubMed

Langa, Kenneth M; Cutler, David

2015-09-01

The Kavli HUMAN Project (KHP) will provide groundbreaking insights into how biological, medical, and social factors interact and impact the risks for cognitive decline from birth through older age. It will richly measure the effect of cognitive decline on the ability to perform key activities of daily living. In addition, due to its family focus, the KHP will measure the impact on family members, including the amount of time that family members spend providing care to older adults with dementia. It will also clarify the division of caregiving duties among family members and the effects on caregivers' work, family life, and balance thereof. At the same time, for care that the family cannot provide, it will clarify the extent to which cognitive decline impacts healthcare utilization and end-of-life decision making.

Engineering the LISA Project: Systems Engineering Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Jordan P.

2006-01-01

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a joint NASA/ESA mission to detect and measure gravitational waves with periods from 1 s to 10000 s. The systems engineering challenges of developing a giant interferometer, 5 million kilometers on a side, an: numerous. Some of the key challenges are presented in this paper. The organizational challenges imposed by sharing the engineering function between three centers (ESA ESTEC, NASA GSFC, and JPL) across nine time zones are addressed. The issues and approaches to allocation of the acceleration noise and measurement sensitivity budget terms across a traditionally decomposed system are discussed. Additionally, using LISA to detect gravitational waves for the first time presents significant data analysis challenges, many of which drive the project system design. The approach to understanding the implications of science data analysis on the system is also addressed.

Decisions by Finnish Medical Research Ethics Committees: A Nationwide Study of Process and Outcomes.

PubMed

Hemminki, Elina; Virtanen, Jorma I; Regushevskaya, Elena

2015-10-01

Review by research ethics committees (RECs) is the key in medical research regulation. Data from meeting notes and project summaries were abstracted from all projects submitted in 2002 (n = 1,004) and 2007 (n = 1,045) to the official medical RECs in Finland. Data from consecutive submissions were combined per project. When comparing RECs, logistic regression was used to adjust for application characteristics. The number of projects handled varied notably by REC. In the first handling, 85% of applications in 2002 and 77% in 2007 were approved, while 13% and 20% were tabled. For 61% of the projects, the review time was <30 days, 16% had >89 days, and 6% had 6 months or longer. The variation by REC in approval rates, number of handlings, or long review times was not explained by project characteristics. In the last handling, 94% of the projects in both years were approved or concluded not to need a statement from that REC. The most common reason for tabling or not approving an application was patient autonomy, usually centered on the patient leaflet. The next most common reasons were requests for further information and dissatisfaction with the scientific aspects of the project. The reasons classified as "ethics" in the narrow sense were rare. The REC focus was to assure that researchers follow the various rules on medical research and to improve the quality of research and project documents. REC considerations could be divided into decisions based on ethics and recommendations covering other aspects. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Comparative Study on Emerging Electric Vehicle Technology Assessments

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

Ford, Jonathan; Khowailed, Gannate; Blackburn, Julia

2011-03-01

Numerous organizations have published reports in recent years that investigate the ever changing world of electric vehicle (EV) technologies and their potential effects on society. Specifically, projections have been made on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with these vehicles and how they compare to conventional vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Similar projections have been made on the volumes of oil that these vehicles can displace by consuming large amounts of grid electricity instead of petroleum-based fuels. Finally, the projected rate that these new vehicle fleets will enter the market varies significantly among organizations. New ideas, technologies, and possibilities aremore » introduced often, and projected values are likely to be refined as industry announcements continue to be made. As a result, over time, a multitude of projections for GHG emissions, oil displacement, and market penetration associated with various EV technologies has resulted in a wide range of possible future outcomes. This leaves the reader with two key questions: (1) Why does such a collective range in projected values exist in these reports? (2) What assumptions have the greatest impact on the outcomes presented in these reports? Since it is impractical for an average reader to review and interpret all the various vehicle technology reports published to date, Sentech Inc. and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have conducted a comparative study to make these interpretations. The primary objective of this comparative study is to present a snapshot of all major projections made on GHG emissions, oil displacement, or market penetration rates of EV technologies. From the extensive data found in relevant publications, the key assumptions that drive each report's analysis are identified and 'apples-to-apples' comparisons between all major report conclusions are attempted. The general approach that was taken in this comparative study is comprised of six primary steps: (1) Search Relevant Literature - An extensive search of recent analyses that address the environmental impacts, market penetration rates, and oil displacement potential of various EV technologies was conducted; (2) Consolidate Studies - Upon completion of the literature search, a list of analyses that have sufficient data for comparison and that should be included in the study was compiled; (3) Identify Key Assumptions - Disparity in conclusions very likely originates from disparity in simple assumptions. In order to compare 'apples-to-apples,' key assumptions were identified in each study to provide the basis for comparing analyses; (4) Extract Information - Each selected report was reviewed, and information on key assumptions and data points was extracted; (5) Overlay Data Points - Visual representations of the comprehensive conclusions were prepared to identify general trends and outliers; and (6) Draw Final Conclusions - Once all comparisons are made to the greatest possible extent, the final conclusions were draw on what major factors lead to the variation in results among studies.« less

National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center project accomplishments: highlights

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holl, Sally

2011-01-01

The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) has invested more than $20M since 2008 to put cutting-edge climate science research in the hands of resource managers across the Nation. With NCCWSC support, more than 25 cooperative research initiatives led by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and technical staff are advancing our understanding of habitats and species to provide guidance to managers in the face of a changing climate. Projects focus on quantifying and predicting interactions between climate, habitats, species, and other natural resources such as water. Spatial scales of the projects range from the continent of North America, to a regional scale such as the Pacific Northwest United States, to a landscape scale such as the Florida Everglades. Time scales range from the outset of the 20th century to the end of the 21st century. Projects often lead to workshops, presentations, publications and the creation of new websites, computer models, and data visualization tools. Partnership-building is also a key focus of the NCCWSC-supported projects. New and on-going cooperative partnerships have been forged and strengthened with resource managers and scientists at Federal, tribal, state, local, academic, and non-governmental organizations. USGS scientists work closely with resource managers to produce timely and relevant results that can assist managers and policy makers in current resource management decisions. This fact sheet highlights accomplishments of five NCCWSC projects.

Using quality improvement methods to reduce clear fluid fasting times in children on a preoperative ward.

PubMed

Newton, Richard J G; Stuart, Grant M; Willdridge, Daniel J; Thomas, Mark

2017-08-01

We applied quality improvement (QI) methodology to identify the different aspects of why children fasted for prolonged periods in our institution. Our aim was for 75% of all children to be fasted for clear fluid for less than 4 hours. Prolonged fasting in children can increase thirst and irritability and have adverse effects on haemodynamic stability on induction. By reducing this, children may be less irritable, more comfortable and more physiologically stable, improving the preoperative experience for both children and carers. We conducted a QI project from January 2014 until August 2016 at a large tertiary pediatric teaching hospital. Baseline data and the magnitude of the problem were obtained from pilot studies. This allowed us to build a key driver diagram, a process map and conduct a failure mode and effects analysis. Using a framework of Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles our key interventions primarily focused on reducing confusion over procedure start times, giving parents accurate information, empowering staff and reducing variation by allowing children to drink on arrival (up to one hour) before surgery. Prior to this project, using the 6,4,2 fasting rule for solids, breast milk, and clear fluids, respectively, 19% of children were fasted for fluid for less than 4 hours, mean fluid fasting time was 6.3 hours (SD 4.48). At the conclusion 72% of patients received a drink within 4 hours, mean fluid fasting reduced to 3.1 hours (SD 2.33). The secondary measures of aspiration (4.14:10 000) and cancellations have not increased since starting this project. By using established QI methodology we reduced the mean fluid fasting time for day admissions at our hospital to 3.1 hours and increased the proportion of children fasting for less than 4 hours from 19% to 72%. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Performance Evaluation and Software Design for EVA Robotic Assistant Stereo Vision Heads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DiPaolo, Daniel

2003-01-01

The purpose of this project was to aid the EVA Robotic Assistant project by evaluating and designing the necessary interfaces for two stereo vision heads - the TracLabs Biclops pan-tilt-verge head, and the Helpmate Zebra pan-tilt-verge head. The first half of the project consisted of designing the necessary software interface so that the other modules of the EVA Robotic Assistant had proper access to all of the functionalities offered by each of the stereovision heads. This half took most of the project time, due to a lack of ready-made CORBA drivers for either of the heads. Once this was overcome, the evaluation stage of the project began. The second half of the project was to take these interfaces and to evaluate each of the stereo vision heads in terms of usefulness to the project. In the key project areas such as stability and reliability, the Zebra pan-tilt-verge head came out on top. However, the Biclops did have many more advantages over the Zebra, such as: lower power consumption, faster communications, and a simpler, cleaner API. Overall, the Biclops pan-tilt-verge head outperformed the Zebra pan-tilt-verge head.

SET-bullying: presentation of a collaborative project and discussion of its internal and external validity.

PubMed

Chalamandaris, Alexandros-Georgios; Wilmet-Dramaix, Michèle; Eslea, Mike; Ertesvåg, Sigrun Karin; Piette, Danielle

2016-04-12

Since the early 1980s, several school based anti-bullying interventions (SBABI) have been implemented and evaluated in different countries. Some meta-analyses have also drawn conclusions on the effectiveness of SBABIs. However, the relationship between time and effectiveness of SBABIs has not been fully studied. For this aim, a collaborative project, SET-Bullying, is established by researchers from Greece, Belgium, Norway and United Kingdom. Its primary objective is to further understand and statistically model the relationship between the time and the sustainability of the effectiveness of SBABI. The secondary objective of SET-Bullying is to assess the possibility of predicting the medium-term or long-term effectiveness using as key information the prior measurement and the short-term effectiveness of the intervention. Researchers and owners of potentially eligible databases were asked to participate in this effort. Two studies have contributed data for the purpose of SET-Bullying. This paper summarizes the main characteristics of the participating studies and provides a high level overview of the collaborative project. It also discusses on the extent to which both study and project characteristics may pose threats to the expected internal and external validity of the potential outcomes of the project. Despite these threats, this work represents the first effort to understand the impact of time on the observed effectiveness of SBABIs and assess its predictability, which would allow for better planning, implementation and evaluation of SBABIs.

The uncertainty of crop yield projections is reduced by improved temperature response functions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing the accuracy of crop productivity estimates is a key Increasing the accuracy of crop productivity estimates is a key element in planning adaptation strategies to ensure global food security under climate change. Process-based crop models are effective means to project climate impact on cr...

Sex on premises venue (SOPV) health promotion project in response to sustained increases in HIV notifications.

PubMed

Mullens, Amy B; Staunton, Shaun; Debattista, Joseph; Hamernik, Elisabeth; Gill, Darren

2009-03-01

Due to increases in HIV notifications in Queensland, a health promotion outreach project was developed with sex on premises venues (SOPV) in Brisbane. A health promotion officer (HPO) promoted safer sex behaviours among SOPV patrons over 14 months, including providing information, counselling and skills to enhance safer sexual behaviours and providing referrals. Surveys were introduced to facilitate discussions regarding HIV/sexually transmissible infections, testing and safer sex practices. The project demonstrated feasibility within this highly sexualised environment, and was enhanced by careful monitoring and revising the procedure to improve patron/staff responses to the project. The introduction of a survey instrument was a significant contributor to the project's effectiveness, providing opportunities for patrons to discuss a variety of key sexual health issues. This initiative reflected effective partnering between the Health Department, a community HIV/lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organisation and private industry. Despite initial difficulties, the presence of a health worker within an SOPV was acceptable to patrons and allowed for brief interventions to be conducted. This project was deemed effective for a limited time period and within certain constraints.

On coarse projective integration for atomic deposition in amorphous systems

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

Chuang, Claire Y., E-mail: yungc@seas.upenn.edu, E-mail: meister@unm.edu, E-mail: zepedaruiz1@llnl.gov; Sinno, Talid, E-mail: talid@seas.upenn.edu; Han, Sang M., E-mail: yungc@seas.upenn.edu, E-mail: meister@unm.edu, E-mail: zepedaruiz1@llnl.gov

2015-10-07

Direct molecular dynamics simulation of atomic deposition under realistic conditions is notoriously challenging because of the wide range of time scales that must be captured. Numerous simulation approaches have been proposed to address the problem, often requiring a compromise between model fidelity, algorithmic complexity, and computational efficiency. Coarse projective integration, an example application of the “equation-free” framework, offers an attractive balance between these constraints. Here, periodically applied, short atomistic simulations are employed to compute time derivatives of slowly evolving coarse variables that are then used to numerically integrate differential equations over relatively large time intervals. A key obstacle to themore » application of this technique in realistic settings is the “lifting” operation in which a valid atomistic configuration is recreated from knowledge of the coarse variables. Using Ge deposition on amorphous SiO{sub 2} substrates as an example application, we present a scheme for lifting realistic atomistic configurations comprised of collections of Ge islands on amorphous SiO{sub 2} using only a few measures of the island size distribution. The approach is shown to provide accurate initial configurations to restart molecular dynamics simulations at arbitrary points in time, enabling the application of coarse projective integration for this morphologically complex system.« less

Using Six Sigma methodology to reduce patient transfer times from floor to critical-care beds.

PubMed

Silich, Stephan J; Wetz, Robert V; Riebling, Nancy; Coleman, Christine; Khoueiry, Georges; Abi Rafeh, Nidal; Bagon, Emma; Szerszen, Anita

2012-01-01

In response to concerns regarding delays in transferring critically ill patients to intensive care units (ICU), a quality improvement project, using the Six Sigma process, was undertaken to correct issues leading to transfer delay. To test the efficacy of a Six Sigma intervention to reduce transfer time and establish a patient transfer process that would effectively enhance communication between hospital caregivers and improve the continuum of care for patients. The project was conducted at a 714-bed tertiary care hospital in Staten Island, New York. A Six Sigma multidisciplinary team was assembled to assess areas that needed improvement, manage the intervention, and analyze the results. The Six Sigma process identified eight key steps in the transfer of patients from general medical floors to critical care areas. Preintervention data and a root-cause analysis helped to establish the goal transfer-time limits of 3 h for any individual transfer and 90 min for the average of all transfers. The Six Sigma approach is a problem-solving methodology that resulted in almost a 60% reduction in patient transfer time from a general medical floor to a critical care area. The Six Sigma process is a feasible method for implementing healthcare related quality of care projects, especially those that are complex. © 2011 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Soliton structures in the (1+1)-dimensional Ginzburg–Landau equation with a parity-time-symmetric potential in ultrafast optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenyi; Ma, Guoli; Yu, Weitian; Zhang, Yujia; Liu, Mengli; Yang, Chunyu; Liu, Wenjun

2018-03-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11674036), the Beijing Youth Top-notch Talent Support Program, China (Grant No. 2017000026833ZK08), and the Fund of State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications) (Grant Nos. IPOC2016ZT04 and IPOC2017ZZ05).

How Can Online Observation Support the Assessment and Feedback, on Classroom Performance, to Trainee Teachers at a Distance and in Real Time?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyke, Martin; Harding, Alan; Liddon, Sue

2008-01-01

This article reports the key findings of a project commissioned in 2005 by the UK Department for Education and Skills to consider the use of synchronous digital video for observation, feedback and assessment of teaching practice in post-compulsory education and training. A protocol for the remote observation of teaching is presented that was…

Rogue Waves in the (2+1)-Dimensional Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation with a Parity-Time-Symmetric Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yun-Kai; Li, Biao

2017-01-01

Not Available Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11271211, 11275072 and 11435005, the Ningbo Natural Science Foundation under Grant No 2015A610159, the Opening Project of Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline of Physics Sciences in Ningbo University under Grant No xkzw11502, and the K. C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University.

Designing ecological climate change impact assessments to reflect key climatic drivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sofaer, Helen R.; Barsugli, Joseph J.; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Abatzoglou, John T.; Talbert, Marian; Miller, Brian W.; Morisette, Jeffrey T.

2017-01-01

Identifying the climatic drivers of an ecological system is a key step in assessing its vulnerability to climate change. The climatic dimensions to which a species or system is most sensitive – such as means or extremes – can guide methodological decisions for projections of ecological impacts and vulnerabilities. However, scientific workflows for combining climate projections with ecological models have received little explicit attention. We review Global Climate Model (GCM) performance along different dimensions of change and compare frameworks for integrating GCM output into ecological models. In systems sensitive to climatological means, it is straightforward to base ecological impact assessments on mean projected changes from several GCMs. Ecological systems sensitive to climatic extremes may benefit from what we term the ‘model space’ approach: a comparison of ecological projections based on simulated climate from historical and future time periods. This approach leverages the experimental framework used in climate modeling, in which historical climate simulations serve as controls for future projections. Moreover, it can capture projected changes in the intensity and frequency of climatic extremes, rather than assuming that future means will determine future extremes. Given the recent emphasis on the ecological impacts of climatic extremes, the strategies we describe will be applicable across species and systems. We also highlight practical considerations for the selection of climate models and data products, emphasizing that the spatial resolution of the climate change signal is generally coarser than the grid cell size of downscaled climate model output. Our review illustrates how an understanding of how climate model outputs are derived and downscaled can improve the selection and application of climatic data used in ecological modeling.

Designing ecological climate change impact assessments to reflect key climatic drivers.

PubMed

Sofaer, Helen R; Barsugli, Joseph J; Jarnevich, Catherine S; Abatzoglou, John T; Talbert, Marian K; Miller, Brian W; Morisette, Jeffrey T

2017-07-01

Identifying the climatic drivers of an ecological system is a key step in assessing its vulnerability to climate change. The climatic dimensions to which a species or system is most sensitive - such as means or extremes - can guide methodological decisions for projections of ecological impacts and vulnerabilities. However, scientific workflows for combining climate projections with ecological models have received little explicit attention. We review Global Climate Model (GCM) performance along different dimensions of change and compare frameworks for integrating GCM output into ecological models. In systems sensitive to climatological means, it is straightforward to base ecological impact assessments on mean projected changes from several GCMs. Ecological systems sensitive to climatic extremes may benefit from what we term the 'model space' approach: a comparison of ecological projections based on simulated climate from historical and future time periods. This approach leverages the experimental framework used in climate modeling, in which historical climate simulations serve as controls for future projections. Moreover, it can capture projected changes in the intensity and frequency of climatic extremes, rather than assuming that future means will determine future extremes. Given the recent emphasis on the ecological impacts of climatic extremes, the strategies we describe will be applicable across species and systems. We also highlight practical considerations for the selection of climate models and data products, emphasizing that the spatial resolution of the climate change signal is generally coarser than the grid cell size of downscaled climate model output. Our review illustrates how an understanding of how climate model outputs are derived and downscaled can improve the selection and application of climatic data used in ecological modeling. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A systematic quality assessment of Environmental Impact Statements in the oil and gas industry.

PubMed

Anifowose, B; Lawler, D M; van der Horst, D; Chapman, L

2016-12-01

The global economy relies heavily on oil and gas resources. However, hydrocarbon exploitation projects can cause significant impacts on the environment. But despite the production of numerous Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) to identify/mitigate such impacts, no study has specifically assessed the quality of EISs for both onshore and offshore oil and gas projects, with tested hypotheses. To address this research gap, our paper, for the first time, develops a modified Lee and Colley evaluation model to assess the quality of 19 sampled oil and gas project EISs produced from 1998 to 2008 in Nigeria. Our findings show that Project Description and Communication of Results are the main areas of strength. However, Environmental Impact Prediction, and Project Decommissioning, were among the key areas requiring attention. A key finding, though, is that Mann-Whitney tests suggest that there is no evidence that the quality of EISs for the latter period (2004-2008) is higher than that of the earlier period (1998-2004). We suggest that periodic systematic review of the quality of submitted/approved EISs (c. every 3-5years) should be established to monitor trends in EIS quality and identify strong and weak areas. This would help to drive continual improvement in both the EIA processes and the resultant EISs of technical engineering projects. Such reviews have the potential to illuminate some of the underlying problems of, and solutions to, oil and gas exploration, production and transportation, and their related environmental impacts. This suggested change would also be useful internationally, including for the burgeoning exploration and production of unconventional hydrocarbon resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Canadian pharmacy practice residents' projects: publication rates and study characteristics.

PubMed

Hung, Michelle; Duffett, Mark

2013-03-01

Research projects are a key component of pharmacy residents' education. Projects represent both a large investment of effort for each resident (up to 10 weeks over the residency year) and a large body of research (given that there are currently over 150 residency positions in Canada annually). Publication of results is a vital part of the dissemination of information gleaned from these projects. To determine the publication rate for research projects performed under the auspices of accredited English-language hospital pharmacy residency programs in Canada and to describe the study characteristics of residency projects performed in Ontario from 1999/2000 to 2008/2009. Lists of residents and project titles for the period of interest were obtained from residency coordinators. PubMed, CINAHL, the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, and Google were searched for evidence of publication of each project identified, as an abstract or presentation at a meeting, a letter to the editor, or a full-text manuscript. The library holdings of the University of Toronto were reviewed to determine study characteristics of the Ontario residency projects. For the objective of this study relating to publication rate, 518 projects were included. The overall publication rate was 32.2% (60 [35.9%] as abstracts and 107 [64.1%] as full-text manuscripts). Publication in pharmacy-specific journals (66 [61.7%] of 107 full-text manuscripts) was more frequent than publication in non-pharmacy-specific journals. The publication rate of projects as full-text manuscripts remained stable over time. Of the 202 Ontario residency projects archived in the University of Toronto's library, most were cohort studies (83 [41.1%]), and the most common topic was efficacy and/or safety of a medication (46 [22.8%]). Most hospital pharmacy residents' projects were unpublished, and the publication rate of projects as full-text manuscripts has not increased over time. Most projects were observational studies. Increasing publication rates and creating a central database or repository of residency projects would increase the dissemination and accessibility of residents' research.

Success in large high-technology projects: What really works?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crosby, P.

2014-08-01

Despite a plethora of tools, technologies and management systems, successful execution of big science and engineering projects remains problematic. The sheer scale of globally funded projects such as the Large Hadron Collider and the Square Kilometre Array telescope means that lack of project success can impact both on national budgets, and collaborative reputations. In this paper, I explore data from contemporary literature alongside field research from several current high-technology projects in Europe and Australia, and reveal common `pressure points' that are shown to be key influencers of project control and success. I discuss the how mega-science projects sit between being merely complicated, and chaotic, and explain the importance of understanding multiple dimensions of project complexity. Project manager/leader traits are briefly discussed, including capability to govern and control such enterprises. Project structures are examined, including the challenge of collaborations. I show that early attention to building project resilience, curbing optimism, and risk alertness can help prepare large high-tech projects against threats, and why project managers need to understand aspects of `the silent power of time'. Mission assurance is advanced as a critical success function, alongside the deployment of task forces and new combinations of contingency plans. I argue for increased project control through industrial-style project reviews, and show how post-project reviews are an under-used, yet invaluable avenue of personal and organisational improvement. Lastly, I discuss the avoidance of project amnesia through effective capture of project knowledge, and transfer of lessons-learned to subsequent programs and projects.

From shared care to disease management: key-influencing factors

PubMed Central

Eijkelberg, Irmgard M.J.G.; Spreeuwenberg, Cor; Mur-Veeman, Ingrid M.; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H.R.

2001-01-01

Abstract Background In order to improve the quality of care of chronically ill patients the traditional boundaries between primary and secondary care are questioned. To demolish these boundaries so-called ‘shared care’ projects have been initiated in which different ways of substitution of care are applied. When these projects end, disease management may offer a solution to expand the achieved co-operation between primary and secondary care. Objective Answering the question: What key factors influence the development and implementation of shared care projects from a management perspective and how are they linked? Theory The theoretical framework is based on the concept of the learning organisation. Design Reference point is a multiple case study that finally becomes a single case study. Data are collected by means of triangulation. The studied cases concern two interrelated Dutch shared care projects for type 2 diabetic patients, that in the end proceed as one disease management project. Results In these cases the predominant key-influencing factors appear to be the project management, commitment and local context, respectively. The factor project management directly links the latter two, albeit managing both appear prerequisites to its success. In practice this implies managing the factors' interdependency by the application of change strategies and tactics in a committed and skilful way. Conclusion Project management, as the most important and active key factor, is advised to cope with the interrelationships of the influencing factors in a gradually more fundamental way by using strategies and tactics that enable learning processes. Then small-scale shared care projects may change into a disease management network at a large scale, which may yield the future blueprint to proceed. PMID:16896415

Trends in Health Disparities, Health Inequity, and Social Determinants of Health Research: A 17-Year Analysis of NINR, NCI, NHLBI, and NIMHD Funding.

PubMed

Kneipp, Shawn M; Schwartz, Todd A; Drevdahl, Denise J; Canales, Mary K; Santacroce, Sheila; Santos, Hudson P; Anderson, Ruth

The theoretical landscape of health disparities research now emphasizes health inequities and the role that social determinants of health (SDOH) play in creating and perpetuating them. Whether National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding patterns reflect this theoretical shift is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the National Institute of Nursing Research's (NINR) funding for research focused on health disparities, health inequities, and SDOH, relative to other key NIH institutes. Data on 32,968 projects funded by NINR, the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) during the years 2000 through 2016 were downloaded from NIH RePORTER; those with health disparities, health inequity, or SDOH terms used in the abstract were identified. Descriptive statistics and a general linear model approach were used to assess differences in cumulative project counts and funding proportions, and funding trends over time. Overall, funding for health disparities projects was 14-19 times greater than for health inequity and SDOH projects and was more concentrated in centers and institutional training than in individual research projects. NINR's proportion of funding for disparities projects was consistently greater than that of the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, but not for inequities and SDOH projects. NIMHD's proportion of funding for disparities, and inequities and SDOH projects (combined) was 2-30 times greater than that of other institutes. Over the 16-year period, funding for disparities, inequity, and SDOH projects each increased (all ps < .05); however, growth in inequities and SDOH funding was not evident in more recent years. Funding for projects focused on health equities and the SDOH lag behind theoretical shifts in the broader health disparities research arena. With the exception of NIMHD, there is a disconnect between funding for projects with a disparities orientation in institutional training and center projects relative to individual research projects. These trends have implications for nurse scientists seeking NIH funding to support health equity-oriented research.

Management aspects of Gemini's base facility operations project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arriagada, Gustavo; Nitta, Atsuko; Adamson, A. J.; Nunez, Arturo; Serio, Andrew; Cordova, Martin

2016-08-01

Gemini's Base Facilities Operations (BFO) Project provided the capabilities to perform routine nighttime operations without anyone on the summit. The expected benefits were to achieve money savings and to become an enabler of the future development of remote operations. The project was executed using a tailored version of Prince2 project management methodology. It was schedule driven and managing it demanded flexibility and creativity to produce what was needed, taking into consideration all the constraints present at the time: Time available to implement BFO at Gemini North (GN), two years. The project had to be done in a matrix resources environment. There were only three resources assigned exclusively to BFO. The implementation of new capabilities had to be done without disrupting operations. And we needed to succeed, introducing the new operational model that implied Telescope and instrumentation Operators (Science Operations Specialists - SOS) relying on technology to assess summit conditions. To meet schedule we created a large number of concurrent smaller projects called Work Packages (WP). To be reassured that we would successfully implement BFO, we initially spent a good portion of time and effort, collecting and learning about user's needs. This was done through close interaction with SOSs, Observers, Engineers and Technicians. Once we had a clear understanding of the requirements, we took the approach of implementing the "bare minimum" necessary technology that would meet them and that would be maintainable in the long term. Another key element was the introduction of the "gradual descent" concept. In this, we increasingly provided tools to the SOSs and Observers to prevent them from going outside the control room during nighttime operations, giving them the opportunity of familiarizing themselves with the new tools over a time span of several months. Also, by using these tools at an early stage, Engineers and Technicians had more time for debugging, problem fixing and systems usage and servicing training as well.

The use of mode of action information in risk assessment: quantitative key events/dose-response framework for modeling the dose-response for key events.

PubMed

Simon, Ted W; Simons, S Stoney; Preston, R Julian; Boobis, Alan R; Cohen, Samuel M; Doerrer, Nancy G; Fenner-Crisp, Penelope A; McMullin, Tami S; McQueen, Charlene A; Rowlands, J Craig

2014-08-01

The HESI RISK21 project formed the Dose-Response/Mode-of-Action Subteam to develop strategies for using all available data (in vitro, in vivo, and in silico) to advance the next-generation of chemical risk assessments. A goal of the Subteam is to enhance the existing Mode of Action/Human Relevance Framework and Key Events/Dose Response Framework (KEDRF) to make the best use of quantitative dose-response and timing information for Key Events (KEs). The resulting Quantitative Key Events/Dose-Response Framework (Q-KEDRF) provides a structured quantitative approach for systematic examination of the dose-response and timing of KEs resulting from a dose of a bioactive agent that causes a potential adverse outcome. Two concepts are described as aids to increasing the understanding of mode of action-Associative Events and Modulating Factors. These concepts are illustrated in two case studies; 1) cholinesterase inhibition by the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which illustrates the necessity of considering quantitative dose-response information when assessing the effect of a Modulating Factor, that is, enzyme polymorphisms in humans, and 2) estrogen-induced uterotrophic responses in rodents, which demonstrate how quantitative dose-response modeling for KE, the understanding of temporal relationships between KEs and a counterfactual examination of hypothesized KEs can determine whether they are Associative Events or true KEs.

Establishing the ACORN National Practitioner Database: Strategies to Recruit Practitioners to a National Practice-Based Research Network.

PubMed

Adams, Jon; Steel, Amie; Moore, Craig; Amorin-Woods, Lyndon; Sibbritt, David

2016-10-01

The purpose of this paper is to report on the recruitment and promotion strategies employed by the Australian Chiropractic Research Network (ACORN) project aimed at helping recruit a substantial national sample of participants and to describe the features of our practice-based research network (PBRN) design that may provide key insights to others looking to establish a similar network or draw on the ACORN project to conduct sub-studies. The ACORN project followed a multifaceted recruitment and promotion strategy drawing on distinct branding, a practitioner-focused promotion campaign, and a strategically designed questionnaire and distribution/recruitment approach to attract sufficient participation from the ranks of registered chiropractors across Australia. From the 4684 chiropractors registered at the time of recruitment, the project achieved a database response rate of 36% (n = 1680), resulting in a large, nationally representative sample across age, gender, and location. This sample constitutes the largest proportional coverage of participants from any voluntary national PBRN across any single health care profession. It does appear that a number of key promotional and recruitment features of the ACORN project may have helped establish the high response rate for the PBRN, which constitutes an important sustainable resource for future national and international efforts to grow the chiropractic evidence base and research capacity. Further rigorous enquiry is needed to help evaluate the direct contribution of specific promotional and recruitment strategies in attaining high response rates from practitioner populations who may be invited to participate in future PBRNs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Key outcomes and addressing remaining challenges--perspectives from a final evaluation of the China GAVI project.

PubMed

Yang, Weizhong; Liang, Xiaofeng; Cui, Fuqiang; Li, Li; Hadler, Stephen C; Hutin, Yvan J; Kane, Mark; Wang, Yu

2013-12-27

During the China GAVI project, implemented between 2002 and 2010, more than 25 million children received hepatitis B vaccine with the support of project, and the vaccine proved to be safe and effective. With careful consideration for project savings, China and GAVI continually adjusted the budget, additionally allowing the project to spend operational funds to support demonstration projects to improve timely birth dose (TBD), conduct training of EPI staff, and to monitor the project impact. Results from the final evaluation indicated the achievement of key outcomes. As a result of government co-investment, human resources at county level engaged in hepatitis B vaccination increased from 29 per county on average in 2002 to 66 in 2009. All project counties funded by the GAVI project use auto-disable syringes for hepatitis B vaccination and other vaccines. Surveyed hepatitis B vaccine coverage increased from 71% in 2002 to 93% in 2009 among infants. The HBsAg prevalence declined from 9.67% in 1992 to 0.96% in 2006 among children under 5 years of age. However, several important issues remain: (1) China still accounts for the largest annual number of perinatal HBV infections (estimated 84,121) in the WHO WPR region; (2) China still lacks a clear national policy for safe injection of vaccines; (3) vaccination of high risk adults and protection of health care workers are still not implemented; (4) hepatitis B surveillance needs to be refined to more accurately monitor acute hepatitis B; and (5) a program for treatment of persons with chronic HBV infection is needed. Recommendations for future hepatitis B control include: using the lessons learned from the China GAVI project for future introductions of new vaccines; addressing unmet needs with a second generation hepatitis B program to reach every infant, including screening mothers, and providing HBIG for infants born to HBsAg positive mothers; expanding vaccination to high risk adults; addressing remaining unsafe injection issues; and improving monitoring of acute hepatitis B. This paper describes findings and discusses perspectives from a final project evaluation, a national stratified validated cross-sectional survey done in October 2010. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of BIM technology in construction bidding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

wei, Li

2017-12-01

bidding is a very important step of construction project. For the owners, bidding is the key link of selecting the best construction plan and saving the project cost to the maximum extent. For Construction Corporation, it is the key to show their construction technology which can improve the probability of winning the bid. this paper researches on the application of BIM technology in bidding process of construction project in detail, and discussesthe application of BIM technology in construction field comprehensively.

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soave, K.; Dean, A.; Darakananda, K.; Ball, O.; Butti, C.; Yang, G.; Vetter, M.; Grimaldi, Z.

2009-12-01

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA Kathy Soave, Amy Dean, Olivia Ball, Karin Darakananda, Matt Vetter, Grant Yang, Charlotte Butti, Zoe Grimaldi The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of the project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and the requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students identify and count key invertebrate and algae species along two permanent transects (A and B) and using randomly determined points within a permanent 100 m2 area, three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring). Using the data collected since 2004, we will analyze the population densities, seasonal abundance and long-term population trends of key algal and invertebrate species. Future analyses and investigations will include intertidal abiotic factors (including water temperature and human foot-traffic) to enhance insights into the workings of the Duxbury Reef ecosystem, in particular, the high intertidal zone which experiences the greatest amount of human impacts. Kathy Soave The Branson School 39 Fernhill Rd. Ross, CA 94957 (415) 454-3612 x 323 Amy Dean Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386 San Francisco, CA 94129, 415-561-6625 x 303 AGU Sponsor, Ines Cifuentes, AGU membership number 10189667

The development of health care data warehouses to support data mining.

PubMed

Lyman, Jason A; Scully, Kenneth; Harrison, James H

2008-03-01

Clinical data warehouses offer tremendous benefits as a foundation for data mining. By serving as a source for comprehensive clinical and demographic information on large patient populations, they streamline knowledge discovery efforts by providing standard and efficient mechanisms to replace time-consuming and expensive original data collection, organization, and processing. Building effective data warehouses requires knowledge of and attention to key issues in database design, data acquisition and processing, and data access and security. In this article, the authors provide an operational and technical definition of data warehouses, present examples of data mining projects enabled by existing data warehouses, and describe key issues and challenges related to warehouse development and implementation.

Health system strengthening: a qualitative evaluation of implementation experience and lessons learned across five African countries.

PubMed

Rwabukwisi, Felix Cyamatare; Bawah, Ayaga A; Gimbel, Sarah; Phillips, James F; Mutale, Wilbroad; Drobac, Peter

2017-12-21

Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa will require substantial improvements in the coverage and performance of primary health care delivery systems. Projects supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's (DDCF) African Health Initiative (AHI) created public-private-academic and community partnerships in five African countries to implement and evaluate district-level health system strengthening interventions. In this study, we captured common implementation experiences and lessons learned to understand core elements of successful health systems interventions. We used qualitative data from key informant interviews and annual progress reports from the five Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects funded through AHI in Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Four major overarching lessons were highlighted. First, variety and inclusiveness of concerned key players (public, academic and private) are necessary to address complex health system issues at all levels. Second, a learning culture that promotes evidence creation and ability to efficiently adapt were key in order to meet changing contextual needs. Third, inclusion of strong implementation science tools and strategies allowed informed and measured learning processes and efficient dissemination of best practices. Fourth, five to seven years was the minimum time frame necessary to effectively implement complex health system strengthening interventions and generate the evidence base needed to advocate for sustainable change for the PHIT partnership projects. The AHI experience has raised remaining, if not overlooked, challenges and potential solutions to address complex health systems strengthening intervention designs and implementation issues, while aiming to measurably accomplish sustainable positive change in dynamic, learning, and varied contexts.

Modeling of microbial induced corrosion on metallic pipelines resulting from biomethane and the integrity impact of biomethane on non-metallic pipelines.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

The objective of this project is to understand key elements related to promoting the successful delivery of : biomethane into natural gas pipeline networks. This project focuses on two key areas of concern: : 1. The effect of microbial induced corros...

State Legislative Leaders: Keys to Effective Legislation for Children and Families. A Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

State Legislative Leaders Foundation, Centerville, MA.

In 1993, the State Legislative Leaders Foundation launched a research project, "State Legislative Leaders: Keys To Effective Legislation for Children and Families." This report documents the findings of the project involving 177 of the most influential Republican and Democratic state legislature leaders from all 50 states. For more than…

ISO Key Project: Exploring the Full Range of Quasar/AGN Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Belinda J.

1997-01-01

The ISOPHOT team have developed new recommendations for observing faint sources with ISHPOHT which involve small rasters rather than chopping. This was finalized around Feb 1997 and following this we re-designed the observations for the remainder of our observing time. We had put our program on hold in September when it became clear that chopped observations had major problems. The revised program, which included re-observation at long wavelengths using rasters for a number of high-priority targets and re-specification of new observations of others, was released in April 1997. The latest prediction for the satellite lifetime has extended its life until April 1998. Our project has been allocated a 15% increase in our observing time as a result of this life extension. We are currently working on setting priorities in order to determine which targets to include in this additional time. This will help to offset some of the targets lost due to the significant decrease in detector sensitivity over pre-flight predictions.

Direct write of microlens array using digital projection photopolymerization

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

Lu Yi; Chen Shaochen

Microlens array is a key element in the field of information processing, optoelectronics, and integrated optics. Many existing fabrication processes remain expensive and complicated even though relatively low-cost replication processes have been developed. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of microlens arrays through projection photopolymerization using a digital micromirror device (DMD) as a dynamic photomask. The DMD projects grayscale images, which are designed in a computer, onto a photocurable resin. The resin is then solidified with its thickness determined by a grayscale ultraviolet light and exposure time. Therefore, various geometries can be formed in a single-step, massively parallel fashion. We presentmore » microlens arrays made of acrylate-based polymer precursor. The physical and optical characteristics of the resulting lenses suggest that this fabrication technique is potentially suitable for applications in integrated optics.« less

Agile Project Management for e-Learning Developments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doherty, Iain

2010-01-01

We outline the project management tactics that we developed in praxis in order to manage elearning projects and show how our tactics were enhanced through implementing project management techniques from a formal project management methodology. Two key factors have contributed to our project management success. The first is maintaining a clear…

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.

Requirements, techniques, and costs for contaminant removal from landfill gas.

PubMed

Kuhn, John N; Elwell, Anthony C; Elsayed, Nada H; Joseph, Babu

2017-05-01

Waste-to-energy projects are an increasingly prominent component of future energy portfolios. Landfill gas (LFG)-to-energy (LFGTE) projects are particularly important as they address greenhouse gas emissions. Contaminants in LFG may hamper these projects both from environmental and economic standpoints. The purpose of this review is to highlight key aspects (LFG composition ranges, LFG flowrates, and allowable tolerances for LFGTE technologies, performance and costs for contaminant removal by adsorption). Removal of key contaminants, H 2 S and siloxanes, by adsorption are surveyed in terms of adsorption capacities and regeneration abilities. Based on the open literature, costing analyses are tabulated and discussed. The findings indicate economics of contaminant removal depend heavily on the feed concentrations of contaminants, allowable tolerances for the LFGTE technology, and the current market for the product. Key trends, identification of challenges, and general purification guidelines for purifying LFG for energy projects are also discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Intelligence Applied to the ALMA Software Integration Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zambrano, M.; Recabarren, C.; González, V.; Hoffstadt, A.; Soto, R.; Shen, T.-C.

2012-09-01

Software quality assurance and planning of an astronomy project is a complex task, specially if it is a distributed collaborative project such as ALMA, where the development centers are spread across the globe. When you execute a software project there is much valuable information about this process itself that you might be able to collect. One of the ways you can receive this input is via an issue tracking system that will gather the problem reports relative to software bugs captured during the testing of the software, during the integration of the different components or even worst, problems occurred during production time. Usually, there is little time spent on analyzing them but with some multidimensional processing you can extract valuable information from them and it might help you on the long term planning and resources allocation. We present an analysis of the information collected at ALMA from a collection of key unbiased indicators. We describe here the extraction, transformation and load process and how the data was processed. The main goal is to assess a software process and get insights from this information.

POD/DEIM reduced-order strategies for efficient four dimensional variational data assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ştefănescu, R.; Sandu, A.; Navon, I. M.

2015-08-01

This work studies reduced order modeling (ROM) approaches to speed up the solution of variational data assimilation problems with large scale nonlinear dynamical models. It is shown that a key requirement for a successful reduced order solution is that reduced order Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions accurately represent their full order counterparts. In particular, accurate reduced order approximations are needed for the forward and adjoint dynamical models, as well as for the reduced gradient. New strategies to construct reduced order based are developed for proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) ROM data assimilation using both Galerkin and Petrov-Galerkin projections. For the first time POD, tensorial POD, and discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM) are employed to develop reduced data assimilation systems for a geophysical flow model, namely, the two dimensional shallow water equations. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical framework for Galerkin projection. In the case of Petrov-Galerkin projection, stabilization strategies must be considered for the reduced order models. The new reduced order shallow water data assimilation system provides analyses similar to those produced by the full resolution data assimilation system in one tenth of the computational time.

Fuel Aging in Storage and Transportation (FAST): Accelerated Characterization and Performance Assessment of the Used Nuclear Fuel Storage System

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

McDeavitt, Sean

2016-08-02

This Integrated Research Project (IRP) was established to characterize key limiting phenomena related to the performance of used nuclear fuel (UNF) storage systems. This was an applied engineering project with a specific application in view (i.e., UNF dry storage). The completed tasks made use of a mixture of basic science and engineering methods. The overall objective was to create, or enable the creation of, predictive tools in the form of observation methods, phenomenological models, and databases that will enable the design, installation, and licensing of dry UNF storage systems that will be capable of containing UNF for extended period ofmore » time.« less

The role of simulation in the development and flight test of the HiMAT vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, M. B.; Schilling, L. J.

1984-01-01

Real time simulations have been essential in the flight test program of the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) remotely piloted research vehicle at NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility. The HiMAT project makes extensive use of simulations in design, development, and qualification for flight, pilot training, and flight planning. Four distinct simulations, each with varying amounts of hardware in the loop, were developed for the HiMAT project. The use of simulations in detecting anomalous behavior of the flight software and hardware at the various stages of development, verification, and validation has been the key to flight qualification of the HiMAT vehicle.

U.S. Virgin Islands Transportation Petroleum Reduction Plan

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

Johnson, C.

2011-09-01

This NREL technical report determines a way for USVI to meet its petroleum reduction goal in the transportation sector. It does so first by estimating current petroleum use and key statistics and characteristics of USVI transportation. It then breaks the goal down into subordinate goals and estimates the petroleum impacts of these goals with a wedge analysis. These goals focus on reducing vehicle miles, improving fuel economy, improving traffic flow, using electric vehicles, using biodiesel and renewable diesel, and using 10% ethanol in gasoline. The final section of the report suggests specific projects to achieve the goals, and ranks themore » projects according to cost, petroleum reduction, time frame, and popularity.« less

The seven habits of highly effective project managers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, Mark; Summers, Richard

2016-08-01

Why do some astronomy projects succeed, while others fail? There are obviously many different factors that can and do influence the outcome of any given project, but one of the most prevalent characteristics among successful projects is the combined skills and qualifications of the project manager (PM) at their helms. But this begs an obvious question: what exactly makes a project manager "skilled and qualified?" Asked another way, are there common traits, philosophies, and/or techniques that the most successful PMs share, and if so, what are they? The short answer is yes, the majority successful engineering project managers have significant skills, habits, and character traits in common. The longer answer is there are at least seven of these key traits, or "habits" that many successful PMs share and, more importantly, implement within their respective projects. This paper presents these key factors, including thoughts on scope and quality management, cost and schedule control, project team structures, risk management strategies, stakeholder management, and general project execution.

An Integrated Data-Driven Strategy for Safe-by-Design Nanoparticles: The FP7 MODERN Project.

PubMed

Brehm, Martin; Kafka, Alexander; Bamler, Markus; Kühne, Ralph; Schüürmann, Gerrit; Sikk, Lauri; Burk, Jaanus; Burk, Peeter; Tamm, Tarmo; Tämm, Kaido; Pokhrel, Suman; Mädler, Lutz; Kahru, Anne; Aruoja, Villem; Sihtmäe, Mariliis; Scott-Fordsmand, Janeck; Sorensen, Peter B; Escorihuela, Laura; Roca, Carlos P; Fernández, Alberto; Giralt, Francesc; Rallo, Robert

2017-01-01

The development and implementation of safe-by-design strategies is key for the safe development of future generations of nanotechnology enabled products. The safety testing of the huge variety of nanomaterials that can be synthetized is unfeasible due to time and cost constraints. Computational modeling facilitates the implementation of alternative testing strategies in a time and cost effective way. The development of predictive nanotoxicology models requires the use of high quality experimental data on the structure, physicochemical properties and bioactivity of nanomaterials. The FP7 Project MODERN has developed and evaluated the main components of a computational framework for the evaluation of the environmental and health impacts of nanoparticles. This chapter describes each of the elements of the framework including aspects related to data generation, management and integration; development of nanodescriptors; establishment of nanostructure-activity relationships; identification of nanoparticle categories; hazard ranking and risk assessment.

Impact of Operating Context on the Use of Structure in Air Traffic Controller Cognitive Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davison, Hayley J.; Histon, Jonathan M.; Ragnarsdottir, Margret Dora; Major, Laura M.; Hansman, R. John

2004-01-01

This paper investigates the influence of structure on air traffic controllers cognitive processes in the TRACON, En Route, and Oceanic environments. Radar data and voice command analyses were conducted to support hypotheses generated through observations and interviews conducted at the various facilities. Three general types of structure-based abstractions (standard flows, groupings, and critical points) have been identified as being used in each context, though the details of their application varied in accordance with the constraints of the particular operational environment. Projection emerged as a key cognitive process aided by the structure-based abstractions, and there appears to be a significant difference between how time-based versus spatial-based projection is performed by controllers. It is recommended that consideration be given to the value provided by the structure-based abstractions to the controller as well as to maintain consistency between the type (time or spatial) of information support provided to the controller.

Listening to the Deep: live monitoring of ocean noise and cetacean acoustic signals.

PubMed

André, M; van der Schaar, M; Zaugg, S; Houégnigan, L; Sánchez, A M; Castell, J V

2011-01-01

The development and broad use of passive acoustic monitoring techniques have the potential to help assessing the large-scale influence of artificial noise on marine organisms and ecosystems. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in understanding these recent acoustic changes. LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment) is an international project that is allowing the real-time long-term monitoring of marine ambient noise as well as marine mammal sounds at cabled and standalone observatories. Here, we present the overall development of the project and the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques to provide the scientific community with real-time data at large spatial and temporal scales. Special attention is given to the extraction and identification of high frequency cetacean echolocation signals given the relevance of detecting target species, e.g. beaked whales, in mitigation processes, e.g. during military exercises. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Health information technology and implementation science: partners in progress in the VHA.

PubMed

Hynes, Denise M; Whittier, Erika R; Owens, Arika

2013-03-01

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) has demonstrated how implementation science can enhance the quality of health care. During this time an increasing number of implementation research projects have developed or utilized health information technology (HIT) innovations to leverage the VA's electronic health record and information systems. To describe the HIT approaches used and to characterize the facilitators and barriers to progress within implementation research projects in the VA QUERI program. Nine case studies were selected from among 88 projects and represented 8 of 14 HIT categories identified. Each case study included key informants whose roles on the project were principal investigator, implementation science and informatics development. We conducted documentation analysis and semistructured in-person interviews with key informants for each of the 9 case studies. We used qualitative analysis software to identify and thematically code information and interview responses. : Thematic analyses revealed 3 domains or pathways critical to progression through the QUERI steps. These pathways addressed: (1) compliance and collaboration with information technology policies and procedures; (2) operating within organizational policies and building collaborations with end users, clinicians, and administrators; and (3) obtaining and maintaining research resources and approvals. Sustained efforts in HIT innovation and in implementation science in the Veterans Health Administration demonstrates the interdependencies of these initiatives and the critical pathways that can contribute to progress. Other health care quality improvement efforts that rely on HIT can learn from the Veterans Health Administration experience.

Negative Refraction in Rare-Earth Doped Crystals

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-09

practical implications. The key challenge in observing negative refraction in the optical region of the spectrum is the weakness of the magnetic response...Our central experimental result during this project has been the first observation of Rabi flopping of a magnetic dipole transition in the optical...is a major result; we have shown for the firs time that an electron can interact sufficiently strongly with the magnetic field of a light wave and

Modelling obesity trends in Australia: unravelling the past and predicting the future.

PubMed

Hayes, A J; Lung, T W C; Bauman, A; Howard, K

2017-01-01

Modelling is increasingly being used to predict the epidemiology of obesity progression and its consequences. The aims of this study were: (a) to present and validate a model for prediction of obesity among Australian adults and (b) to use the model to project the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity by 2025. Individual level simulation combined with survey estimation techniques to model changing population body mass index (BMI) distribution over time. The model input population was derived from a nationally representative survey in 1995, representing over 12 million adults. Simulations were run for 30 years. The model was validated retrospectively and then used to predict obesity and severe obesity by 2025 among different aged cohorts and at a whole population level. The changing BMI distribution over time was well predicted by the model and projected prevalence of weight status groups agreed with population level data in 2008, 2012 and 2014.The model predicts more growth in obesity among younger than older adult cohorts. Projections at a whole population level, were that healthy weight will decline, overweight will remain steady, but obesity and severe obesity prevalence will continue to increase beyond 2016. Adult obesity prevalence was projected to increase from 19% in 1995 to 35% by 2025. Severe obesity (BMI>35), which was only around 5% in 1995, was projected to be 13% by 2025, two to three times the 1995 levels. The projected rise in obesity severe obesity will have more substantial cost and healthcare system implications than in previous decades. Having a robust epidemiological model is key to predicting these long-term costs and health outcomes into the future.

"State of the Nation": A Discussion of Some of the Project's Key Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Earley, Peter

2010-01-01

This paper considers several of the key findings of the State of the Nation research. Specific reference is made to three areas--impact evaluation, strategic leadership of professional development, and barriers and constraints to effective CPD practice--which are considered with reference to findings from the other TDA-funded projects conducted at…

The Development of Thai Learners' Key Competencies by Project-Based Learning Using ICT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soparat, Sasithorn; Arnold, Savitree Rochanasmita; Klaysom, Saowadee

2015-01-01

This research aimed to study the use of Project-based Learning using ICT (PBL using ICT) to develop learners' five key competencies based on Thai Basic Education Curriculum 2008, which consists of 1) communication capability 2) thinking capability 3) problem solving capability 4) capability in applying life skills and 5) capability in…

Student ownership of projects in an upper-division optics laboratory course: A multiple case study of successful experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-12-01

We investigate students' sense of ownership of multiweek final projects in an upper-division optics lab course. Using a multiple case study approach, we describe three student projects in detail. Within-case analyses focused on identifying key issues in each project, and constructing chronological descriptions of those events. Cross-case analysis focused on identifying emergent themes with respect to five dimensions of project ownership: student agency, instructor mentorship, peer collaboration, interest and value, and affective responses. Our within- and cross-case analyses yielded three major findings. First, coupling division of labor with collective brainstorming can help balance student agency, instructor mentorship, and peer collaboration. Second, students' interest in the project and perceptions of its value can increase over time; initial student interest in the project topic is not a necessary condition for student ownership of the project. Third, student ownership is characterized by a wide range of emotions that fluctuate as students alternate between extended periods of struggle and moments of success while working on their projects. These findings not only extend the literature on student ownership into a new educational domain—namely, upper-division physics labs—they also have concrete implications for the design of experimental physics projects in courses for which student ownership is a desired learning outcome. We describe the course and projects in sufficient detail that others can adapt our results to their particular contexts.

Assessing the Relationship between Ethical Project Management and Information Technology Project Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Byron Winter

2010-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between ethical project management and information technology (IT) project success. The success of IT projects is important for organizational success, but the rate of IT projects is historically low, costing billions of dollars annually. Using four key ethical variables…

Research to Real Life, 2006: Innovations in Deaf-Blindness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leslie, Gail, Ed.

2006-01-01

This publication presents several projects that support children who are deaf-blind. These projects are: (1) Learning To Learn; (2) Project SALUTE; (3) Project SPARKLE; (4) Bringing It All Back Home; (5) Project PRIIDE; and (6) Including Students With Deafblindness In Large Scale Assessment Systems. Each project lists components, key practices,…

Towards Improving our Understanding on the Retrievals of Key Parameters Characterising Land Surface Interactions from Space: Introduction & First Results from the PREMIER-EO Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, Gareth; North, Matthew R.; Petropoulos, George P.; Srivastava, Prashant K.; Hodges, Crona

2015-04-01

Acquiring accurate information on the spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture content (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET) is of key importance to extend our understanding of the Earth system's physical processes, and is also required in a wide range of multi-disciplinary research studies and applications. The utility and applicability of Earth Observation (EO) technology provides an economically feasible solution to derive continuous spatio-temporal estimates of key parameters characterising land surface interactions, including ET as well as SM. Such information is of key value to practitioners, decision makers and scientists alike. The PREMIER-EO project recently funded by High Performance Computing Wales (HPCW) is a research initiative directed towards the development of a better understanding of EO technology's present ability to derive operational estimations of surface fluxes and SM. Moreover, the project aims at addressing knowledge gaps related to the operational estimation of such parameters, and thus contribute towards current ongoing global efforts towards enhancing the accuracy of those products. In this presentation we introduce the PREMIER-EO project, providing a detailed overview of the research aims and objectives for the 1 year duration of the project's implementation. Subsequently, we make available the initial results of the work carried out herein, in particular, related to an all-inclusive and robust evaluation of the accuracy of existing operational products of ET and SM from different ecosystems globally. The research outcomes of this project, once completed, will provide an important contribution towards addressing the knowledge gaps related to the operational estimation of ET and SM. This project results will also support efforts ongoing globally towards the operational development of related products using technologically advanced EO instruments which were launched recently or planned be launched in the next 1-2 years. Key Words: PREMIER-EO, HPC Wales, Soil Moisture, Evapotranspiration, , Earth Observation

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broad, C.; Soave, K.; Ericson, W.; Raabe, B.; Glazer, R.; Ahuatzi, A.; Pereira, M.; Rainsford, A.

2013-12-01

The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of this student-run project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and the requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students identify and count key invertebrate and algae species along two permanent transects and, using randomly determined points, within two permanent 100 m2 areas, three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring). Using the data collected since 2004, we will once again compare population densities, seasonal abundance and long-term population trends of key algal and invertebrate species, including Tegula funebralis, Anthopluera elegantissima and Fucus spp. We will continue to closely monitor algal population densities in within our site in light of the November 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill that leaked heavy bunker fuel into intertidal habitats around the SF Bay. Future analyses and investigations will include intertidal abiotic factors (including water temperature and human foot-traffic) to enhance insights into the workings of the Duxbury Reef ecosystem, in particular, the high and mid-intertidal zones experiencing the greatest amount of human impacts.

How to Grow Project Scientists: A Systematic Approach to Developing Project Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kea, Howard

2011-01-01

The Project Manager is one of the key individuals that can determine the success or failure of a project. NASA is fully committed to the training and development of Project Managers across the agency to ensure that highly capable individuals are equipped with the competencies and experience to successfully lead a project. An equally critical position is that of the Project Scientist. The Project Scientist provides the scientific leadership necessary for the scientific success of a project by insuring that the mission meets or exceeds the scientific requirements. Traditionally, NASA Goddard project scientists were appointed and approved by the Center Science Director based on their knowledge, experience, and other qualifications. However the process to obtain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities was not documented or done in a systematic way. NASA Goddard's current Science Director, Nicholas White saw the need to create a pipeline for developing new projects scientists, and appointed a team to develop a process for training potential project scientists. The team members were Dr. Harley Thronson, Chair, Dr. Howard Kea, Mr. Mark Goldman, DACUM facilitator and the late Dr. Michael VanSteenberg. The DACUM process, an occupational analysis and evaluation system, was used to produce a picture of the project scientist's duties, tasks, knowledge, and skills. The output resulted in a 3-Day introductory course detailing all the required knowledge, skills and abilities a scientist must develop over time to be qualified for selections as a Project Scientist.

[Principles and methodology for ecological rehabilitation and security pattern design in key project construction].

PubMed

Chen, Li-Ding; Lu, Yi-He; Tian, Hui-Ying; Shi, Qian

2007-03-01

Global ecological security becomes increasingly important with the intensive human activities. The function of ecological security is influenced by human activities, and in return, the efficiency of human activities will also be affected by the patterns of regional ecological security. Since the 1990s, China has initiated the construction of key projects "Yangtze Three Gorges Dam", "Qinghai-Tibet Railway", "West-to-East Gas Pipeline", "West-to-East Electricity Transmission" and "South-to-North Water Transfer" , etc. The interaction between these projects and regional ecological security has particularly attracted the attention of Chinese government. It is not only important for the regional environmental protection, but also of significance for the smoothly implementation of various projects aimed to develop an ecological rehabilitation system and to design a regional ecological security pattern. This paper made a systematic analysis on the types and characteristics of key project construction and their effects on the environment, and on the basis of this, brought forward the basic principles and methodology for ecological rehabilitation and security pattern design in this construction. It was considered that the following issues should be addressed in the implementation of a key project: 1) analysis and evaluation of current regional ecological environment, 2) evaluation of anthropogenic disturbances and their ecological risk, 3) regional ecological rehabilitation and security pattern design, 4) scenario analysis of environmental benefits of regional ecological security pattern, 5) re-optimization of regional ecological system framework, and 6) establishment of regional ecosystem management plan.

Determinants of sustainability in solid waste management--the Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Indonesia.

PubMed

Zurbrügg, Christian; Gfrerer, Margareth; Ashadi, Henki; Brenner, Werner; Küper, David

2012-11-01

According to most experts, integrated and sustainable solid waste management should not only be given top priority, but must go beyond technical aspects to include various key elements of sustainability to ensure success of any solid waste project. Aside from project sustainable impacts, the overall enabling environment is the key feature determining performance and success of an integrated and affordable solid waste system. This paper describes a project-specific approach to assess typical success or failure factors. A questionnaire-based assessment method covers issues of: (i) social mobilisation and acceptance (social element), (ii) stakeholder, legal and institutional arrangements comprising roles, responsibilities and management functions (institutional element); (iii) financial and operational requirements, as well as cost recovery mechanisms (economic element). The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Bali, Indonesia was analysed using this integrated assessment method. The results clearly identified chief characteristics, key factors to consider when planning country wide replication but also major barriers and obstacles which must be overcome to ensure project sustainability. The Gianyar project consists of a composting unit processing 60 tons of municipal waste per day from 500,000 inhabitants, including manual waste segregation and subsequent composting of the biodegradable organic fraction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NCAP projection displays: key issues for commercialization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Akira; Jones, Philip J.

1992-06-01

Recently there has been much interest in a new polymer nematic dispersion technology, often called as NCAP, PDLC, PNLC, LCPC, etc., since projection displays using this technology have been shown to produce much brighter display images than projectors using conventional twisted nematic (TN) lightvalves. For commercializing projection displays based on this polymer nematic dispersion technology, the new materials must not only meet various electro- optic requirements, e.g., operational voltage, `off-state'' scattering angle, voltage holding ratio and hysteresis, but must also be stable over the lifetime of the product. This paper reports recent progress in the development of NCAP based projection displays and discusses some of the key commercialization issues.

Involvement of the US Department of Defense in Civilian Assistance, Part I: a quantitative description of the projects funded by the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Program.

PubMed

Bourdeaux, Margaret Ellis; Lawry, Lynn; Bonventre, Eugene V; Burkle, Frederick M

2010-03-01

To review the history and goals of the US Department of Defense's largest civilian assistance program, the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid Program and to describe the number, geographic regions, years, key words, countries, and types of projects carried out under this program since 2001. Using the program's central database, we reviewed all approved projects since 2001 and tabulated them by year, combatant command, country, and key word. We also reviewed the project descriptions of projects funded between January 1, 2006, and February 9, 2008, and examined how their activities varied by combatant command and year. Of the 5395 projects in the database, 2097 were funded. Projects took place in more than 90 countries, with Southern, Pacific, and Africa Command hosting the greatest number. The most common types of projects were school, health, disaster response, and water infrastructure construction, and disaster-response training. The "global war on terror" was the key word most frequently tagged to project descriptions. Project descriptions lacked stated goals as well as implementation and coordination strategies with potential partners, and did not report outcome or impact indicators. The geographic reach of the program is vast and projects take place in a wide variety of public sectors. Yet their security and civilian assistance value remains unclear given the lack of stated project goals, implementation strategies, or measures of effectiveness. To facilitate transparency and policy discussion, we recommend project proposals include hypotheses as to how they will enhance US security, their relevance to the public sector they address, and outcome and impact indicators that can assess their value and effectiveness.

The NOVA project: maximizing beam time efficiency through synergistic analyses of SRμCT data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmelzle, Sebastian; Heethoff, Michael; Heuveline, Vincent; Lösel, Philipp; Becker, Jürgen; Beckmann, Felix; Schluenzen, Frank; Hammel, Jörg U.; Kopmann, Andreas; Mexner, Wolfgang; Vogelgesang, Matthias; Jerome, Nicholas Tan; Betz, Oliver; Beutel, Rolf; Wipfler, Benjamin; Blanke, Alexander; Harzsch, Steffen; Hörnig, Marie; Baumbach, Tilo; van de Kamp, Thomas

2017-09-01

Beamtime and resulting SRμCT data are a valuable resource for researchers of a broad scientific community in life sciences. Most research groups, however, are only interested in a specific organ and use only a fraction of their data. The rest of the data usually remains untapped. By using a new collaborative approach, the NOVA project (Network for Online Visualization and synergistic Analysis of tomographic data) aims to demonstrate, that more efficient use of the valuable beam time is possible by coordinated research on different organ systems. The biological partners in the project cover different scientific aspects and thus serve as model community for the collaborative approach. As proof of principle, different aspects of insect head morphology will be investigated (e.g., biomechanics of the mouthparts, and neurobiology with the topology of sensory areas). This effort is accomplished by development of advanced analysis tools for the ever-increasing quantity of tomographic datasets. In the preceding project ASTOR, we already successfully demonstrated considerable progress in semi-automatic segmentation and classification of internal structures. Further improvement of these methods is essential for an efficient use of beam time and will be refined in the current NOVAproject. Significant enhancements are also planned at PETRA III beamline p05 to provide all possible contrast modalities in x-ray imaging optimized to biological samples, on the reconstruction algorithms, and the tools for subsequent analyses and management of the data. All improvements made on key technologies within this project will in the long-term be equally beneficial for all users of tomography instrumentations.

Where do the Field Plots Belong? A Multiple-Constraint Sampling Design for the BigFoot Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, R. E.; Cohen, W. B.; Kirschbaum, A. A.; Gower, S. T.

2002-12-01

A key component of a MODIS validation project is effective characterization of biophysical measures on the ground. Fine-grain ecological field measurements must be placed strategically to capture variability at the scale of the MODIS imagery. Here we describe the BigFoot project's revised sampling scheme, designed to simultaneously meet three important goals: capture landscape variability, avoid spatial autocorrelation between field plots, and minimize time and expense of field sampling. A stochastic process places plots in clumped constellations to reduce field sampling costs, while minimizing spatial autocorrelation. This stochastic process is repeated, creating several hundred realizations of plot constellations. Each constellation is scored and ranked according to its ability to match landscape variability in several Landsat-based spectral indices, and its ability to minimize field sampling costs. We show how this approach has recently been used to place sample plots at the BigFoot project's two newest study areas, one in a desert system and one in a tundra system. We also contrast this sampling approach to that already used at the four prior BigFoot project sites.

Disadvantaged persons' participation in health promotion projects: some structural dimensions.

PubMed

Boyce, W F

2001-05-01

A structural perspective was used in studying community participation of disadvantaged groups (poor women, street youth, and disabled persons) in health promotion projects. Five community projects in the Canadian Health Promotion Contribution Program were examined in a comparative case study utilizing in-depth interviews, documents, and secondary sources. Analysis revealed relatively low numbers and restricted range of participants, difficulties in recruiting and maintaining participants, declining rates of active participation over time, and limited target group influence and power. This paper reports on the relationship between various dimensions of structure (social-cultural, organizational, political-legal-economic) and the community participation process. Participation was influenced by structural factors such as bureaucratic rules and regulators, perceived minority group rights and relations, agency reputations and responsibilities, available resources, and organizational roles. Control of projects by target group members, rather than by service agencies, was an important overall organizational structural factor which allowed community members to achieve influence in projects. The study concludes that a conceptual model based on structural factors is useful in explaining how key factors from federal and local levels can restrict or facilitate the community participation process.

Effectiveness of Circle of Life, an HIV-Preventive Intervention for American Indian Middle School Youths: A Group Randomized Trial in a Northern Plains Tribe

PubMed Central

Whitesell, Nancy Rumbaugh; Keane, Ellen M.; Desserich, Jennifer A.; Giago, Cindy; Sam, Angela; Mitchell, Christina M.

2014-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the effectiveness of Circle of Life (COL), an HIV-preventive intervention developed specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) middle school youths. Methods. By partnering with a tribal community, we conducted a longitudinal wait-listed group randomized trial with 635 seventh and eighth graders in 13 schools of a Northern Plains tribe. We surveyed participants at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months from 2006 to 2007. Results. COL was found to increase HIV knowledge in the short term, but had no effect on sexual activity compared with those who did not receive it. However, COL was found to be effective for delaying the onset of sexual activity, with the greatest reduction in risk occurring for those receiving COL at early ages. Conclusions. Community partnership was key to successful project design, implementation, and analysis. The project confirmed the importance of the timing of interventions in early adolescence. COL may be a key resource for reducing sexual risk among AI/AN youths. PMID:24754555

A success paradigm for project managers in the aerospace industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Barry Jon

Within the aerospace industry, project managers traditionally have been selected based on their technical competency. While this may lead to brilliant technical solutions to customer requirements, a lack of management ability can result in failed programs that over-run on cost, are late to critical path schedules, fail to fully utilize the diversity of talent available within the program team, and otherwise disappoint key stakeholders. This research study identifies the key competencies that a project manager should possess in order to successfully lead and manage a project in the aerospace industry. The research attempts to show evidence that within the aerospace industry, it is perceived that management competency is more important to project management success than only technical competence.

Sustainable Seas Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soave, K. S.; Dean, A.; Gusman, V.; McCracken, K.; Solli, S.; Storm, E.; Placeholder, P.

2007-12-01

The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of the project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal ecology, interpretation and monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students conduct two baseline-monitoring surveys three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring) to identify and count key invertebrate and algae species. Seasonal abundance of the algae species Mastocarpus and Fucus revealed lower populations in the spring monitoring events. Turban snails, Tegula funebralis, also showed dramatic population variation with respect to tidal zone. One of our project goals is to monitor this area long enough to obtain trends and to begin to connect these patterns to contributing factors (specific weather events, anthropogenic impacts, etc). Replicate counts of all species are regularly performed. Replicate counts for invertebrate and algae species within the same quadrat along the permanent transects revealed a very small amount of variability, giving us confidence that our monitoring program is providing reliable data. The Branson School 39 Fernhill Rd. Ross, CA 94957 (415) 454-3612 x 323 Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386 San Francisco, CA 94129, 415-561-6625 x 303

Developing a stochastic traffic volume prediction model for public-private partnership projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phong, Nguyen Thanh; Likhitruangsilp, Veerasak; Onishi, Masamitsu

2017-11-01

Transportation projects require an enormous amount of capital investment resulting from their tremendous size, complexity, and risk. Due to the limitation of public finances, the private sector is invited to participate in transportation project development. The private sector can entirely or partially invest in transportation projects in the form of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme, which has been an attractive option for several developing countries, including Vietnam. There are many factors affecting the success of PPP projects. The accurate prediction of traffic volume is considered one of the key success factors of PPP transportation projects. However, only few research works investigated how to predict traffic volume over a long period of time. Moreover, conventional traffic volume forecasting methods are usually based on deterministic models which predict a single value of traffic volume but do not consider risk and uncertainty. This knowledge gap makes it difficult for concessionaires to estimate PPP transportation project revenues accurately. The objective of this paper is to develop a probabilistic traffic volume prediction model. First, traffic volumes were estimated following the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) process. Monte Carlo technique is then applied to simulate different scenarios. The results show that this stochastic approach can systematically analyze variations in the traffic volume and yield more reliable estimates for PPP projects.

Identifying Key Issues and Potential Solutions for Integrated Arrival, Departure, Surface Operations by Surveying Stakeholder Preferences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aponso, Bimal; Coppenbarger, Richard A.; Jung, Yoon; Quon, Leighton; Lohr, Gary; O’Connor, Neil; Engelland, Shawn

2015-01-01

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) collaborates with the FAA and industry to provide concepts and technologies that enhance the transition to the next-generation air-traffic management system (NextGen). To facilitate this collaboration, ARMD has a series of Airspace Technology Demonstration (ATD) sub-projects that develop, demonstrate, and transitions NASA technologies and concepts for implementation in the National Airspace System (NAS). The second of these sub-projects, ATD-2, is focused on the potential benefits to NAS stakeholders of integrated arrival, departure, surface (IADS) operations. To determine the project objectives and assess the benefits of a potential solution, NASA surveyed NAS stakeholders to understand the existing issues in arrival, departure, and surface operations, and the perceived benefits of better integrating these operations. NASA surveyed a broad cross-section of stakeholders representing the airlines, airports, air-navigation service providers, and industry providers of NAS tools. The survey indicated that improving the predictability of flight times (schedules) could improve efficiency in arrival, departure, and surface operations. Stakeholders also mentioned the need for better strategic and tactical information on traffic constraints as well as better information sharing and a coupled collaborative planning process that allows stakeholders to coordinate IADS operations. To assess the impact of a potential solution, NASA sketched an initial departure scheduling concept and assessed its viability by surveying a select group of stakeholders for a second time. The objective of the departure scheduler was to enable flights to move continuously from gate to cruise with minimal interruption in a busy metroplex airspace environment using strategic and tactical scheduling enhanced by collaborative planning between airlines and service providers. The stakeholders agreed that this departure concept could improve schedule predictability and suggested several key attributes that were necessary to make the concept successful. The goals and objectives of the planned ATD-2 sub-project will incorporate the results of this stakeholder feedback.

Molecular Dynamics of Hot Dense Plasmas: New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graziani, Frank

2011-10-01

We describe the status of a new time-dependent simulation capability for hot dense plasmas. The backbone of this multi-institutional computational and experimental effort--the Cimarron Project--is the massively parallel molecular dynamics (MD) code ``ddcMD''. The project's focus is material conditions such as exist in inertial confinement fusion experiments, and in many stellar interiors: high temperatures, high densities, significant electromagnetic fields, mixtures of high- and low- Zelements, and non-Maxwellian particle distributions. Of particular importance is our ability to incorporate into this classical MD code key atomic, radiative, and nuclear processes, so that their interacting effects under non-ideal plasma conditions can be investigated. This talk summarizes progress in computational methodology, discusses strengths and weaknesses of quantum statistical potentials as effective interactions for MD, explains the model used for quantum events possibly occurring in a collision and highlights some significant results obtained to date. We describe the status of a new time-dependent simulation capability for hot dense plasmas. The backbone of this multi-institutional computational and experimental effort--the Cimarron Project--is the massively parallel molecular dynamics (MD) code ``ddcMD''. The project's focus is material conditions such as exist in inertial confinement fusion experiments, and in many stellar interiors: high temperatures, high densities, significant electromagnetic fields, mixtures of high- and low- Zelements, and non-Maxwellian particle distributions. Of particular importance is our ability to incorporate into this classical MD code key atomic, radiative, and nuclear processes, so that their interacting effects under non-ideal plasma conditions can be investigated. This talk summarizes progress in computational methodology, discusses strengths and weaknesses of quantum statistical potentials as effective interactions for MD, explains the model used for quantum events possibly occurring in a collision and highlights some significant results obtained to date. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Mars Pathfinder mission operations concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturms, Francis M., Jr.; Dias, William C.; Nakata, Albert Y.; Tai, Wallace S.

1994-01-01

The Mars Pathfinder Project plans a December 1996 launch of a single spacecraft. After jettisoning a cruise stage, an entry body containing a lander and microrover will directly enter the Mars atmosphere and parachute to a hard landing near the sub-solar latitude of 15 degrees North in July 1997. Primary surface operations last for 30 days. Cost estimates for Pathfinder ground systems development and operations are not only lower in absolute dollars, but also are a lower percentage of total project costs than in past planetary missions. Operations teams will be smaller and fewer than typical flight projects. Operations scenarios have been developed early in the project and are being used to guide operations implementation and flight system design. Recovery of key engineering data from entry, descent, and landing is a top mission priority. These data will be recorded for playback after landing. Real-time tracking of a modified carrier signal through this phase can provide important insight into the spacecraft performance during entry, descent, and landing in the event recorded data is never recovered. Surface scenarios are dominated by microrover activity and lander imaging during 7 hours of the Mars day from 0700 to 1400 local solar time. Efficient uplink and downlink processes have been designed to command the lander and microrover each Mars day.

Key Decision Record Creation and Approval Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hebert, Barrt; Messer, Elizabeth A.; Albasini, Colby; Le, Thang; ORourke, William, Sr.; Stiglets, Tim; Strain, Ted

2012-01-01

Retaining good key decision records is critical to ensuring the success of a project or operation. Having adequately documented decisions with supporting documents and rationale can greatly reduce the amount of rework or reinvention over a project's, vehicle's, or facility's lifecycle. Stennis Space Center developed and uses a software tool that automates the Key Decision Record (KDR) process for its engineering and test projects. It provides the ability for a user to log key decisions that are made during the course of a project. By customizing Parametric Technology Corporation's (PTC) Windchill product, the team was able to log all information about a decision, and electronically route that information for approval. Customizing the Windchill product allowed the team to directly connect these decisions to the engineering data that it might affect and notify data owners of the decision. The user interface was created in JSP and Javascript, within the OOTB (Out of the Box) Windchill product, allowing users to create KDRs. Not only does this interface allow users to create and track KDRs, but it also plugs directly into the OOTB ability to associate these decision records with other relevant engineering data such as drawings, designs, models, requirements, or specifications

Inspiring the Next Generation of Engineers and Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tambara, Kevin

2013-04-01

Students are usually not excited about abstract concepts, and teachers struggle to inject "pizzazz" into many of their lessons. K-12 teachers need opportunities and the associated pedagogical training to bring meaningful and authentic learning to their students. The professional educator community needs to develop a learning environment which connects desired content knowledge with science and engineering practices that students need to be successful future technology leaders. Furthermore, this environment must foster student exploration and discovery by encouraging them to use their natural creativity with newly acquired technical skills to complete assigned projects. These practices are explicitly listed in the US "Next Generation Science Standards" document that is due for final publication in the very near future. Education in America must unleash students' desires to create and make with their hands, using their intellect, and growing academic knowledge. In this submission I will share various student projects that I have created and implemented for middle and high school. For each project, students were required to learn and implement engineering best practices while designing, building, and testing prototype models, according to pre-assigned teacher specifications. As in all real-world engineering projects, students were required to analyze test data, re-design their models accordingly, and iterate the design process several times to meet specifications. Another key component to successful projects is collaboration between student team members. All my students come to realize that nothing of major significance is ever accomplished alone, that is, without the support of a team. I will highlight several projects that illustrate key engineering practices as well as lessons learned, for both student and teacher. Projects presented will include: magnetically levitated vehicles (maglev) races, solar-powered and mousetrap-powered cars and boats, Popsicle stick catapults and bridges, egg drop "lunar landers", egg-passenger car crashes, cardboard boat races (with human passengers), and working roller coasters made with only paper and tape. Each project requires minimal, low-cost materials commonly found at home or in local stores. I will share the most common student misperceptions about inquiry and problem-solving I have observed while working alongside my students during these projects.

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

Agol, Dorice, E-mail: d.agol@uea.a.c.uk; Latawiec, Agnieszka E., E-mail: a.latawiec@iis-rio.org; Opole University of Technology, Department of Production Engineering and Logistics, Luboszycka 5, 45-036 Opole

There has been an increased interest in using sustainability indicators for evaluating the impacts of development and conservation projects. Past and recent experiences have shown that sustainability indicators can be powerful tools for measuring the outcomes of various interventions, when used appropriately and adequately. Currently, there is a range of methods for applying sustainability indicators for project impact evaluation at the environment–development interface. At the same time, a number of challenges persist which have implication for impact evaluation processes especially in developing countries. We highlight some key and recurrent challenges, using three cases from Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil. In thismore » study, we have conducted a comparative analysis across multiple projects from the three countries, which aimed to conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods. The assessments of these projects were designed to evaluate their positive, negative, short-term, long term, direct and indirect impacts. We have identified a set of commonly used sustainability indicators to evaluate the projects and have discussed opportunities and challenges associated with their application. Our analysis shows that impact evaluation processes present good opportunities for applying sustainability indicators. On the other hand, we find that project proponents (e.g. managers, evaluators, donors/funders) face challenges with establishing full impacts of interventions and that these are rooted in monitoring and evaluation processes, lack of evidence-based impacts, difficulties of measuring certain outcomes and concerns over scale of a range of impacts. We outline key lessons learnt from the multiple cases and propose ways to overcome common problems. Results from our analysis demonstrate practical experiences of applying sustainability indicators in developing countries context where there are different prevailing socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. The knowledge derived from this study may therefore be useful to a wider range of audience who are concerned with sustainable integration of development and environmental conservation. - Highlights: • Sustainability indicators are increasingly used for evaluating project impacts. • Lessons learnt are based on case studies from Africa, Asia and South America. • Similar challenges when assessing impacts of development and conservation projects • Need for pragmatic solutions to overcome challenges when assessing project impacts.« less

Interface Management for a NASA Flight Project Using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vipavetz, Kevin; Shull, Thomas A.; Infeld, Samatha; Price, Jim

2016-01-01

The goal of interface management is to identify, define, control, and verify interfaces; ensure compatibility; provide an efficient system development; be on time and within budget; while meeting stakeholder requirements. This paper will present a successful seven-step approach to interface management used in several NASA flight projects. The seven-step approach using Model Based Systems Engineering will be illustrated by interface examples from the Materials International Space Station Experiment-X (MISSE-X) project. The MISSE-X was being developed as an International Space Station (ISS) external platform for space environmental studies, designed to advance the technology readiness of materials and devices critical for future space exploration. Emphasis will be given to best practices covering key areas such as interface definition, writing good interface requirements, utilizing interface working groups, developing and controlling interface documents, handling interface agreements, the use of shadow documents, the importance of interface requirement ownership, interface verification, and product transition.

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

Steven Larson MD

This project funded since 1986 serves as a core project for cancer research throughout MSKCC, producing key radiotracers as well as basic knowledge about thel physics of radiation decay and imaging, for nuclear medicine applications to cancer diagnosis and therapy. In recent years this research application has broadened to include experiments intended to lead to an improved understanding of cancer biology and into the discovery and testing of new cancer drugs. Advances in immune based radiotargeting form the basis for this project. Both antibody and cellular based immune targeting methods have been explored. The multi-step targeting methodologies (MST) developed bymore » NeoRex (Seattle,Washington), have been adapted for use with positron emitting isotopes and PET allowing the quantification and optimization of targeted delivery. In addition, novel methods for radiolabeling immune T-cells with PET tracers have advanced our ability to track these cells of prolonged period of time.« less

Cell Assembly Dynamics of Sparsely-Connected Inhibitory Networks: A Simple Model for the Collective Activity of Striatal Projection Neurons.

PubMed

Angulo-Garcia, David; Berke, Joshua D; Torcini, Alessandro

2016-02-01

Striatal projection neurons form a sparsely-connected inhibitory network, and this arrangement may be essential for the appropriate temporal organization of behavior. Here we show that a simplified, sparse inhibitory network of Leaky-Integrate-and-Fire neurons can reproduce some key features of striatal population activity, as observed in brain slices. In particular we develop a new metric to determine the conditions under which sparse inhibitory networks form anti-correlated cell assemblies with time-varying activity of individual cells. We find that under these conditions the network displays an input-specific sequence of cell assembly switching, that effectively discriminates similar inputs. Our results support the proposal that GABAergic connections between striatal projection neurons allow stimulus-selective, temporally-extended sequential activation of cell assemblies. Furthermore, we help to show how altered intrastriatal GABAergic signaling may produce aberrant network-level information processing in disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

Exploring the Earth's crust: history and results of controlled-source seismology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prodehl, Claus; Mooney, Walter D.

2012-01-01

This volume contains a comprehensive, worldwide history of seismological studies of the Earth’s crust using controlled sources from 1850 to 2005. Essentially all major seismic projects on land and the most important oceanic projects are covered. The time period 1850 to 1939 is presented as a general synthesis, and from 1940 onward the history and results are presented in separate chapters for each decade, with the material organized by geographical region. Each chapter highlights the major advances achieved during that decade in terms of data acquisition, processing technology, and interpretation methods. For all major seismic projects, the authors provide specific details on field observations, interpreted crustal cross sections, and key references. They conclude with global and continental-scale maps of all field measurements and interpreted Moho contours. An accompanying DVD contains important out-of-print publications and an extensive collection of controlled-source data, location maps, and crustal cross sections.

Integrated design and management of complex and fast track projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancini, Dario

2003-02-01

Modern scientific and technological projects are increasingly in competition over scientific aims, technological innovation, performance, time and cost. They require a dedicated and innovative organization able to satisfy contemporarily various technical and logistic constraints imposed by the final user, and guarantee the satisfaction of technical specifications, identified on the basis of scientific aims. In order to satisfy all the above, the management has to be strategically innovative and intuitive, by removing, first of all, the bottlenecks that are pointed out, usually only at the end of the projects, as the causes of general dissatisfaction. More than 30 years spent working on complex multidisciplinary systems and 20 years of formative experience in managing contemporarily both scientific, technological and industrial projects have given the author the possibility to study, test and validate strategies for parallel project management and integrated design, merged in a sort of unique optimized task, using the newly-coined word "Technomethodology". The paper highlights useful information to be taken into consideration during project organization to minimize the program deviations from the expected goals and describe some of the basic meanings of this new advanced method that is the key for parallel successful management of multiple and interdisciplinary activities.

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

Danko, George L

To increase understanding of the energy extraction capacity of Enhanced Geothermal System(s) (EGS), a numerical model development and application project is completed. The general objective of the project is to develop and apply a new, data-coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical-Chemical (T-H-M-C) model in which the four internal components can be freely selected from existing simulation software without merging and cross-combining a diverse set of computational codes. Eight tasks are completed during the project period. The results are reported in five publications, an MS thesis, twelve quarterly, and two annual reports to DOE. Two US patents have also been issued during the project period,more » with one patent application originated prior to the start of the project. The “Multiphase Physical Transport Modeling Method and Modeling System” (U.S. Patent 8,396,693 B2, 2013), a key element in the GHE sub-model solution, is successfully used for EGS studies. The “Geothermal Energy Extraction System and Method" invention (U.S. Patent 8,430,166 B2, 2013) originates from the time of project performance, describing a new fluid flow control solution. The new, coupled T-H-M-C numerical model will help analyzing and designing new, efficient EGS systems.« less

Art and theatre for health in rural Cambodia.

PubMed

Nguon, Chea; Dysoley, Lek; Davoeung, Chan; Sovann, Yok; Sanann, Nou; Sareth, Ma; Kunthea, Pich; Vuth, San; Sovann, Kem; Kol, Kayna; Heng, Chhouen; Sary, Rouen; Peto, Thomas J; Tripura, Rupam; Lim, Renly; Cheah, Phaik Yeong

2018-01-01

This article describes our experience using art and theatre to engage rural communities in western Cambodia to understand malaria and support malaria control and elimination. The project was a pilot science-arts initiative to supplement existing engagement activities conducted by local authorities. In 2016, the project was conducted in 20 villages, involved 300 community members and was attended by more than 8000 people. Key health messages were to use insecticide-treated bed-nets and repellents, febrile people should attend village malaria workers, and to raise awareness about the risk of forest-acquired malaria. Building on the experience and lessons learnt in the year prior, the 2017 project which was conducted in 15 villages involved 600 community members and attracted more than 12,000 people. In addition to the malaria theme, upon discussion with local health authorities, secondary theme (infant vaccination) was added to the 2017 project. We learnt the following lessons from our experience in Cambodia: involving local people including children from the beginning of the project and throughout the process is important; messages should be kept simple; it is necessary to take into consideration practical issues such as location and timing of the activities; and that the project should offer something unique to communities.

Time to act: crossing borders in global AIDS prevention.

PubMed

Convisser, J; Thuermer, K

1993-01-01

After 9 months of market research and collaboration among local health officials, businesses, politicians, and teenagers, Population Services International (PSI) launched Project ACTION in Portland, Oregon on December 1, 1992. It is the first PSI project in the United States concerned with prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in American youth. PSI has conducted 23 projects worldwide over the last 20 years that were based on social marketing (the utilization of commercial marketing techniques to promote healthy behavior). The objective of the project is promotion of safe sex practices, especially the use of condoms, among sexually active youth, aged 12-21. The Mass Media and Condom Social Marketing project of PSI in Zaire was used as a model for Project ACTION. Techniques used include mass marketing campaigns, point of purchase promotion, improvement of access to key products among target populations, and adjustment of purchase price to create a market. The target populations include adolescents who use drugs, are involved with the juvenile justice system, are pregnant, have a problem home environment, are homeless or live on the street, are chronically absent from school, or have a history of sexually transmitted disease.

Crystallization Process of Superlattice-Like Sb/SiO2 Thin Films for Phase Change Memory Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiao-Qin; Zhang, Rui; Hu, Yi-Feng; Lai, Tian-Shu; Zhang, Jian-Hao; Zou, Hua; Song, Zhi-Tang

2018-05-01

Not Available Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11774438, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province under Grant No BK20151172, the Changzhou Science and Technology Bureau under Grant No CJ20160028, the Qing Lan Project, the Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials under Grant No SKL2017-04, and the Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices and Integrated Technology of Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Spectral Characteristics of Laser-Induced Graphite Plasma in Ambient Air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinmei; Zheng, Peichao; Liu, Hongdi; Fang, Liang

2016-11-01

An experimental setup of laser-induced graphite plasma was built and the spectral characteristics and properties of graphite plasma were studied. From the temporal behavior of graphite plasma, the duration of CN partials (B2 Σ+ → X2 Σ+) emission was two times longer than that of atomic carbon, and all intensities reached the maximum during the early stage from 0.2 μs to 0.8 μs. The electron temperature decreased from 11807 K to 8755 K, the vibration temperature decreased from 8973 K to 6472 K, and the rotational temperature decreased from 7288 K to 4491 K with the delay time, respectively. The effect of the laser energy was also studied, and it was found that the thresholds and spectral characteristics of CN molecular and C atomic spectroscopy presented great differences. At lower laser energies, the electron excited temperature, the electron density, the vibrational temperature and rotational temperature of CN partials increased rapidly. At higher laser energies, the increasing of electron excited temperature and electron density slow down, and the vibrational temperature and rotational temperature even trend to saturation due to plasma shielding and dissociation of CN molecules. The relationship among the three kinds of temperatures was Telec>Tvib>Trot at the same time. The electron density of the graphite plasma was in the order of 1017 cm-3 and 1018 cm-3. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61205149), Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars of State Education Ministry, Science Research Funds of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (KJ1500436), Scientific and Technological Talents Training Project of Chongqing (CSTC2013kjrc-qnrc40002), Key Project of Foundation and Advanced Technology Research Project of Chongqing (CSTC2015jcyjB0358), Visiting Scholarship of State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment & System Security and New Technology (2007DA10512714409)

Overcoming organizational, cultural and technological barriers in a cluster of European Research Infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmi, Ari; Brus, Magdalena; Laj, Paolo; Kutsch, Werner

2017-04-01

European Research Infrastructures (RIs) in the ESFRI roadmap are major international organizations, with established user bases and highly developed products. However, particularly in the environmental sciences, there are many global challenges which individual disciplinary RIs are not suited to answer by themselves. This need of interoperability, together with the requirements for e.g. better cost efficiency, better data management and societal impact, have created a need for common cluster projects to help the RIs develop together. This paper is based on experiences from working in the FP7 ENVRI cluster project and on managing the ongoing H2020 ENVRIplus (www.envriplus.eu) project. The cluster project, even seen as useful for many aspects by the RIs, is still challenging to manage. Many cultural, organizational and technological challenges persist and need to be addressed. In the ENVRI community, there are more than 20 RIs, representing wide variety of geosciences, from solid earth and deep sea observatories to high atmosphere radars. This variety in the disciplines covered is also represented in the different scientific practices and cultures in the Consortium. Even more challenging is the difference in working culture between the Technical expert work packages (often mainly driven by IT specialists) and the RI operatives with science background. The ENVRI and ENVRIplus projects have brought many experiences worth sharing to the project management community, particularly in very heterogeneous and multidisciplinary communities. Some of the key lessons learned can be summarized: 1) Engagement from the beginning is crucial, taking the user communities (in this case, the RIs inside the Consortium) into the planning process and all the way to the product updates reduces the risk of misfit products and failure in implementation, however, there must be... 2) ... follow through in engagement, building agile teams if needed. Even if the RIs (clients) are a part of the planning process, they are often limited in personnel resources and thus there is always a risk of losing connection. This needs to be checked from the project management level, including e.g. preparation of deliverables, etc. to avoid need of later corrections. Some help comes from including actual PMs in the project plan to the user community involvement (i.e. in ENVRIplus the RIs get direct PMs to engage in the technical development), but this alone is not enough to ensure the connection; 3) Outreach, even inside the consortium is crucial. Informing others on the activities in a major project is important and many tools are needed for such activities. Passive methods, such as email lists, newsletters, videos and plenary talks in meetings are useful, but nothing seems to be as effective as physical meeting; 4) Concentrating physical meeting time, is a tool to make sure that the information flow in a large project is manageable and to ensure that all the key people are available. In ENVRIplus, there are twice a year organized ENVRIweek, where all project partners and stakeholders join in a week-long conference. This has additional challenges though, particularly in organizing parallel sessions with attendance conflicts. One key outreach success has been lightning talks in the evenings on project advances, followed by poster session with refreshments; 5) Regular virtual meetings are needed for working teams, and these need to be followed regularly by the Project Management; 6) Proper document management and other virtual tools are crucial to the success. Particular attention should be paid to ease of use, and standardization of tools, as not all project participants use these tools often; 7) Concentrated outreach activities (e.g. common ENVRI booth in EGU) make sure that the project and the community will have necessary visibility, and they help in.. 8) ...Building a community which is one of the key advances in ENVRI: A community makes it far easier to find peer support, and build successful collaboration.

The Manufacture of W-UO2 Fuel Elements for NTP Using the Hot Isostatic Pressing Consolidation Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broadway, Jeramie; Hickman, Robert; Mireles, Omar

2012-01-01

NTP is attractive for space exploration because: (1) Higher Isp than traditional chemical rockets (2)Shorter trip times (3) Reduced propellant mass (4) Increased payload. Lack of qualified fuel material is a key risk (cost, schedule, and performance). Development of stable fuel form is a critical path, long lead activity. Goals of this project are: Mature CERMET and Graphite based fuel materials and Develop and demonstrate critical technologies and capabilities.

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Program Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindenmoyer, Alan; Horkachuck, Mike; Shotwell, Gwynne; Manners, Bruce; Culbertson, Frank

2015-01-01

This report has been developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Risk Management team in close coordination with the COTS Program. This document provides a point-in-time, cumulative, summary of actionable key lessons learned derived from the design project. Lessons learned invariably address challenges and risks and the way in which these areas have been addressed. Accordingly the risk management thread is woven throughout the document.

The Rise of China: Redefining War in the 21st Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

Hegemony, Africa, Cold War, Cyber Attack, Deficit 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF...FORMAT: Strategy Research Project DATE: 22 March 2012 WORD COUNT: 5,825 PAGES: 30 KEY TERMS: Debt, Security, Hegemony, Africa, Cold War, Cyber ...significantly increasing economic aid. But it’s hard to buy affection; such ‘ friendship ’ does not stand the test of difficult times.”42 The United

A Design Study for Quick Strike Reconnaissance/Reconnaissance Reporting Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

Engineer: Ronald B. Haynes (IRRO) Copies available in DDC . ’*■ KEY WORDS (Conllnut on ranfM »id* (/ n*c»«ary and Idmnllly by block number... CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (("),.„ D.I, Bm.rvd) 40 60% mmmmm tu ’~mmmmmmmm~~-’ rfÜk UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGEfWun...include the following: Systems time and date Operators name Project/mission identification Classification Organisation. (3) Station Release

Soil Carbon Residence Time in the Arctic - Potential Drivers of Past and Future Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntzinger, D. N.; Fisher, J.; Schwalm, C. R.; Hayes, D. J.; Stofferahn, E.; Hantson, W.; Schaefer, K. M.; Fang, Y.; Michalak, A. M.; Wei, Y.

2017-12-01

Carbon residence time is one of the most important factors controlling carbon cycling in ecosystems. Residence time depends on carbon allocation and conversion among various carbon pools and the rate of organic matter decomposition; all of which rely on environmental conditions, primarily temperature and soil moisture. As a result, residence time is an emergent property of models and a strong determinant of terrestrial carbon storage capacity. However, residence time is poorly constrained in process-based models due, in part, to the lack of data with which to benchmark global-scale models in order to guide model improvements and, ultimately, reduce uncertainty in model projections. Here we focus on improving the understanding of the drivers to observed and simulated carbon residence time in the Arctic-Boreal region (ABR). Carbon-cycling in the ABR represents one of the largest sources of uncertainty in historical and future projections of land-atmosphere carbon dynamics. This uncertainty is depicted in the large spread of terrestrial biospheric model (TBM) estimates of carbon flux and ecosystem carbon pool size in this region. Recent efforts, such as the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), have increased the availability of spatially explicit in-situ and remotely sensed carbon and ecosystem focused data products in the ABR. Together with simulations from Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP), we use these observations to evaluate the ability of models to capture soil carbon stocks and changes in the ABR. Specifically, we compare simulated versus observed soil carbon residence times in order to evaluate the functional response and sensitivity of modeled soil carbon stocks to changes in key environmental drivers. Understanding how simulated carbon residence time compares with observations and what drives these differences is critical for improving projections of changing carbon dynamics in the ABR and globally.

Get People Talking: Sharing Tsunami Science Beyond the Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, S.; Jones, L.; Miller, K.; Wilson, R. I.; Bahng, B.; Borrero, J. C.; Brosnan, D. M.; Burkett, E. R.; Bwarie, J.; Campbell, N. M.; Geist, E. L.; Johnson, L.; Kirby, S. H.; Knight, W. R.; Long, K.; Lynett, P. J.; Nicolsky, D.; Oglesby, D. D.; Barberopoulou, A.; Perry, S. C.; Plumlee, G. S.; Porter, K.; Real, C. R.; Ritchie, L.; Ryan, K. J.; Suleimani, E.; Thio, H. K.; Titov, V. V.; Wein, A. M.; Whitmore, P.; Wood, N. J.

2016-12-01

The SAFRR Tsunami Scenario, a collaborative product between the USGS, NOAA, the California Geological Survey, Cal OES and other agencies and institutions, modeled the potential implications of a plausible tsunami caused by a hypothetical magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the Alaskan Peninsula. A multi-disciplinary team of researchers and practitioners looked at what such an event could mean to the coastal residents, visitors, infrastructure, economy, and environment in California. The intended users were those responsible for making mitigation decisions before and those who need to make rapid decisions during future tsunamis. The Tsunami Scenario process was evaluated by the University of Colorado's Natural Hazards Center; it was the first time that a USGS scenario of that scale was formally and systematically evaluated by an external party. The scenario was published as a USGS Open-File Report (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1170/) and as a fact sheet. The report's website received over 1 million hits in the first year, demonstrating that the project received a great deal of attention. To make sure the information was accessible to the key users, we also held a series of regional workshops. These workshops brought together project scientists with emergency managers, maritime authorities, first responders, elected officials and staffers, the business sector, state agencies, local media, scientific partners, and special districts such as utilities. Each workshop had about 10 SAFRR project participants and an audience of about 40-100 potential users. The half-day workshops began with presentations on the scenario results and also included significant time for facilitated discussions to identify practical problems and propose solutions to mitigate the hazards. Two of the key lessons learned included: a) recognizing the value of having scenario developers personally present the scenario to user groups and b) stimulating dialogue among the practitioners to solve problems.

Advanced process control framework initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Tom; Nettles, Steve

1997-01-01

The semiconductor industry, one the world's most fiercely competitive industries, is driven by increasingly complex process technologies and global competition to improve cycle time, quality, and process flexibility. Due to the complexity of these problems, current process control techniques are generally nonautomated, time-consuming, reactive, nonadaptive, and focused on individual fabrication tools and processes. As the semiconductor industry moves into higher density processes, radical new approaches are required. To address the need for advanced factory-level process control in this environment, Honeywell, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and SEMATECH formed the Advanced Process Control Framework Initiative (APCFI) joint research project. The project defines and demonstrates an Advanced Process Control (APC) approach based on SEMATECH's Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Framework. Its scope includes the coordination of Manufacturing Execution Systems, process control tools, and wafer fabrication equipment to provide necessary process control capabilities. Moreover, it takes advantage of the CIM Framework to integrate and coordinate applications from other suppliers that provide services necessary for the overall system to function. This presentation discusses the key concept of model-based process control that differentiates the APC Framework. This major improvement over current methods enables new systematic process control by linking the knowledge of key process settings to desired product characteristics that reside in models created with commercial model development tools The unique framework-based approach facilitates integration of commercial tools and reuse of their data by tying them together in an object-based structure. The presentation also explores the perspective of each organization's involvement in the APCFI project. Each has complementary goals and expertise to contribute; Honeywell represents the supplier viewpoint, AMD represents the user with 'real customer requirements', and SEMATECH provides a consensus-building organization that widely disseminates technology to suppliers and users in the semiconductor industry that face similar equipment and factory control systems challenges.

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soave, K.; Dean, A.; Weigel, S.; Redman, K.; Darakananda, D.; Fuller, C.; Gusman, V.; Hirschfeld, Z.; Kornfeld, H.; Picchi, K.

2006-12-01

The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of the project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal ecology, interpretation and monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students conduct two baseline-monitoring surveys three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring) to identify and count key invertebrate and algae species. During six seasons of monitoring (2000-2006), the density of black turban snails, Tegula funebralis, showed seasonal abundance variation with respect to tidal zonation. Most algae species had consistently lower densities in the more accessible northern (A) transects than the southern (B) transects. To test the reliability of the student counts, replicate counts of all species are always performed. Replicate counts for invertebrate and algae species within the same quadrat along the permanent transects revealed a very small amount of variability, giving us confidence that our monitoring program is providing reliable data.

Work Keys USA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Work Keys USA, 1998

1998-01-01

"Work Keys" is a comprehensive program for assessing and teaching workplace skills. This serial "special issue" features 18 first-hand reports on Work Keys projects in action in states across North America. They show how the Work Keys is helping businesses and educators solve the challenge of building a world-class work force.…

The Project Manager Who Saved His Country

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baniszewski, John

2008-01-01

George Meade defeated Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest military leaders of all time. How did he do it? By using the skills he had learned as a project manager and outperforming Lee in all aspects of project management. Most project managers are familiar with the Project Management Institute's "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK), which identifies the skills and knowledge crucial to successful project management. Project managers need to make sure that all the elements of a project work together. They must develop and execute plans and coordinate changes to those plans. A project manager must define the scope of the work, break it into manageable pieces, verify and control what work is being done, and make sure that the work being done is essential to the project. Every project manager knows the challenges of schedule and the value of schedule slack. Project managers must get the resources they need and use them effectively. Project managers get the people they need and use their talents to achieve mission success. Projects generate huge amounts of information. A key to project success is getting sufficient and accurate information to the people who need it when they need it. Project managers must identify and quantify the risks that jeopardize project success and make plans for dealing with them. Studying Meade and Lee's performances at Gettysburg can help modern project managers appreciate, develop, and use the skills they need to be good project managers. The circumstances may be different, but the basic principles are the same. This dramatic event in American history shows how the skills of project management can be used in almost any situation. Former project manager George Meade used those skills to change the tide of the Civil War.

Underestimation of Project Costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2015-01-01

Large projects almost always exceed their budgets. Estimating cost is difficult and estimated costs are usually too low. Three different reasons are suggested: bad luck, overoptimism, and deliberate underestimation. Project management can usually point to project difficulty and complexity, technical uncertainty, stakeholder conflicts, scope changes, unforeseen events, and other not really unpredictable bad luck. Project planning is usually over-optimistic, so the likelihood and impact of bad luck is systematically underestimated. Project plans reflect optimism and hope for success in a supposedly unique new effort rather than rational expectations based on historical data. Past project problems are claimed to be irrelevant because "This time it's different." Some bad luck is inevitable and reasonable optimism is understandable, but deliberate deception must be condemned. In a competitive environment, project planners and advocates often deliberately underestimate costs to help gain project approval and funding. Project benefits, cost savings, and probability of success are exaggerated and key risks ignored. Project advocates have incentives to distort information and conceal difficulties from project approvers. One naively suggested cure is more openness, honesty, and group adherence to shared overall goals. A more realistic alternative is threatening overrun projects with cancellation. Neither approach seems to solve the problem. A better method to avoid the delusions of over-optimism and the deceptions of biased advocacy is to base the project cost estimate on the actual costs of a large group of similar projects. Over optimism and deception can continue beyond the planning phase and into project execution. Hard milestones based on verified tests and demonstrations can provide a reality check.

A semi-symmetric image encryption scheme based on the function projective synchronization of two hyperchaotic systems

PubMed Central

Li, Jinqing; Qi, Hui; Cong, Ligang; Yang, Huamin

2017-01-01

Both symmetric and asymmetric color image encryption have advantages and disadvantages. In order to combine their advantages and try to overcome their disadvantages, chaos synchronization is used to avoid the key transmission for the proposed semi-symmetric image encryption scheme. Our scheme is a hybrid chaotic encryption algorithm, and it consists of a scrambling stage and a diffusion stage. The control law and the update rule of function projective synchronization between the 3-cell quantum cellular neural networks (QCNN) response system and the 6th-order cellular neural network (CNN) drive system are formulated. Since the function projective synchronization is used to synchronize the response system and drive system, Alice and Bob got the key by two different chaotic systems independently and avoid the key transmission by some extra security links, which prevents security key leakage during the transmission. Both numerical simulations and security analyses such as information entropy analysis, differential attack are conducted to verify the feasibility, security, and efficiency of the proposed scheme. PMID:28910349

Astronomy Remote Observing Research Projects of US High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadooka, M.; Meech, K. J.

2006-08-01

In order to address the challenging climate for promoting astronomy education in the high schools we have used astronomy projects to give students authentic research experiences in order to encourage their pursuit of science and technology careers. Initially, we conducted teacher workshops to develop a cadre of teachers who have been instrumental in recruiting students to work on projects. Once identified, these students have been motivated to conduct astronomy research projects with appropriate guidance. Some have worked on these projects during non-school hours and others through a research course. The goal has been for students to meet the objectives of inquiry-based learning, a major US National Science Standard. Case studies will be described using event-based learning with the NASA Deep Impact mission. Hawaii students became active participants investigating comet properties through the NASA Deep Impact mission. The Deep Impact Education and Public Outreach group developed materials which were used by our students. After learning how to use image processing software, these students obtained Comet 9P/ Tempel 1 images in real time from the remote observing Faulkes Telescope North located on Haleakala, Maui for their projects. Besides conducting event-based projects which are time critical, Oregon students have worked on galaxies and sunspots projects. For variable star research, they used images obtained from the remote observing offline mode of Lowell Telescope located in Flagstaff, Arizona. Essential to these projects has been consistent follow-up required for honing skills in observing, image processing, analysis, and communication of project results through Science Fair entries. Key to our success has been the network of professional and amateur astronomers and educators collaborating in a multiplicity of ways to mentor our students. This work-in-progress and process will be shared on how to inspire students to pursue careers in science and technology with these projects.

Canadian Pharmacy Practice Residents’ Projects: Publication Rates and Study Characteristics

PubMed Central

Hung, Michelle; Duffett, Mark

2013-01-01

Background: Research projects are a key component of pharmacy residents’ education. Projects represent both a large investment of effort for each resident (up to 10 weeks over the residency year) and a large body of research (given that there are currently over 150 residency positions in Canada annually). Publication of results is a vital part of the dissemination of information gleaned from these projects. Objectives: To determine the publication rate for research projects performed under the auspices of accredited English-language hospital pharmacy residency programs in Canada and to describe the study characteristics of residency projects performed in Ontario from 1999/2000 to 2008/2009. Methods: Lists of residents and project titles for the period of interest were obtained from residency coordinators. PubMed, CINAHL, the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, and Google were searched for evidence of publication of each project identified, as an abstract or presentation at a meeting, a letter to the editor, or a full-text manuscript. The library holdings of the University of Toronto were reviewed to determine study characteristics of the Ontario residency projects. Results: For the objective of this study relating to publication rate, 518 projects were included. The overall publication rate was 32.2% (60 [35.9%] as abstracts and 107 [64.1%] as full-text manuscripts). Publication in pharmacy-specific journals (66 [61.7%] of 107 full-text manuscripts) was more frequent than publication in non-pharmacy-specific journals. The publication rate of projects as full-text manuscripts remained stable over time. Of the 202 Ontario residency projects archived in the University of Toronto’s library, most were cohort studies (83 [41.1%]), and the most common topic was efficacy and/or safety of a medication (46 [22.8%]). Conclusions: Most hospital pharmacy residents’ projects were unpublished, and the publication rate of projects as full-text manuscripts has not increased over time. Most projects were observational studies. Increasing publication rates and creating a central database or repository of residency projects would increase the dissemination and accessibility of residents’ research. PMID:23616672

Importance of Requirements Analysis & Traceability to Improve Software Quality and Reduce Cost and Risk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kapoor, Manju M.; Mehta, Manju

2010-01-01

The goal of this paper is to emphasize the importance of developing complete and unambiguous requirements early in the project cycle (prior to Preliminary Design Phase). Having a complete set of requirements early in the project cycle allows sufficient time to generate a traceability matrix. Requirements traceability and analysis are the key elements in improving verification and validation process, and thus overall software quality. Traceability can be most beneficial when the system changes. If changes are made to high-level requirements it implies that low-level requirements need to be modified. Traceability ensures that requirements are appropriately and efficiently verified at various levels whereas analysis ensures that a rightly interpreted set of requirements is produced.

National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) JSC Summer Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dowdy, Forrest Ryan

2014-01-01

This project optimized the calorie content in a breakfast meal replacement bar for the Advanced Food Technology group. Use of multivariable optimization yielded the highest weight savings possible while simultaneously matching NASA Human Standards nutritional guidelines. The scope of this research included the study of shelf-life indicators such as water activity, moisture content, and texture analysis. Key metrics indicate higher protein content, higher caloric density, and greater mass savings as a result of the reformulation process. The optimization performed for this study demonstrated wide application to other food bars in the Advanced Food Technology portfolio. Recommendations for future work include shelf life studies on bar hardening and overall acceptability data over increased time frames and temperature fluctuation scenarios.

Science on Spacelab. [astronomy, high energy astrophysics, life sciences, and solar, atmospheric and space physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmerling, E. R.

1977-01-01

Spacelab was developed by the European Space Agency for the conduction of scientific and technological experiments in space. Spacelab can be taken into earth orbit by the Space Shuttle and returned to earth after a period of 1-3 weeks. The Spacelab modular system of pallets, pressurized modules, and racks can contain large payloads with high power and telemetry requirements. A working group has defined the 'Atmospheres, Magnetospheres, and Plasmas-in-Space' project. The project objectives include the absolute measurement of solar flux in a number of carefully selected bands at the same time at which atmospheric measurements are made. NASA is committed to the concept that the scientist is to play a key role in its scientific programs.

Building a generalized distributed system model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.

1992-01-01

The key elements in the second year (1991-92) of our project are: (1) implementation of the distributed system prototype; (2) successful passing of the candidacy examination and a PhD proposal acceptance by the funded student; (3) design of storage efficient schemes for replicated distributed systems; and (4) modeling of gracefully degrading reliable computing systems. In the third year of the project (1992-93), we propose to: (1) complete the testing of the prototype; (2) enhance the functionality of the modules by enabling the experimentation with more complex protocols; (3) use the prototype to verify the theoretically predicted performance of locking protocols, etc.; and (4) work on issues related to real-time distributed systems. This should result in efficient protocols for these systems.

Providing Decision-Relevant Information for a State Climate Change Action Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wake, C.; Frades, M.; Hurtt, G. C.; Magnusson, M.; Gittell, R.; Skoglund, C.; Morin, J.

2008-12-01

Carbon Solutions New England (CSNE), a public-private partnership formed to promote collective action to achieve a low carbon society, has been working with the Governor appointed New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force (NHCCTF) to support the development of a state Climate Change Action Plan. CSNE's role has been to quantify the potential carbon emissions reduction, implementation costs, and cost savings at three distinct time periods (2012, 2025, 2050) for a range of strategies identified by the Task Force. These strategies were developed for several sectors (transportation and land use, electricity generation and use, building energy use, and agriculture, forestry, and waste).New Hampshire's existing and projected economic and population growth are well above the regional average, creating additional challenges for the state to meet regional emission reduction targets. However, by pursuing an ambitious suite of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies, New Hampshire may be able to continue growing while reducing emissions at a rate close to 3% per year up to 2025. This suite includes efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings, a renewable portfolio standard for electricity generation, avoiding forested land conversion, fuel economy gains in new vehicles, and a reduction in vehicle miles traveled. Most (over 80%) of these emission reduction strategies are projected to provide net economic savings in 2025.A collaborative and iterative process was developed among the key partners in the project. The foundation for the project's success included: a diverse analysis team with leadership that was committed to the project, an open source analysis approach, weekly meetings and frequent communication among the partners, interim reporting of analysis, and an established and trusting relationship among the partners, in part due to collaboration on previous projects.To develop decision-relevant information for the Task Force, CSNE addressed several challenges, including: allocating the emission reduction and economic impacts of local- to state-scale mitigation strategies that are in reality integrated on regional and/or national scales; incorporating changes to the details of the strategies over time; identifying and quantifying key variables; choosing appropriate levels of detail for over 100 strategies within the limited analysis timeframe; integrating individual strategies into a coherent whole; and structuring data presentation to maximize transparency of analysis without confusing or overwhelming decision makers.

An Approach to Tailoring Major Technical Reviews Based on Project Characteristics and Stakeholder Interests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richstein, Alan B.; Nolte, Jerome T.; Pfarr, Barbara B.

2004-01-01

There are numerous technical reviews that occur throughout the systems engineering process life cycle. Many are well known by project managers and stakeholders such as developers and end users, an example of much is the critical design review (CDR). This major milestone for a large, complex new project may last two or more days, include an extensive agenda of topics, and entail hundreds of hours of developer time to prepare presentation materials and associated documents. Additionally, the weeks of schedule spent on review preparation is at least partly at the expense of other work. This paper suggests an approach for tailoring technical reviews, based on the project characteristics and the project manager s identification of the key stakeholders and understanding of their most important issues and considerations. With this insight the project manager can communicate to, manage expectations oc and establish formal agreement with the stakeholders as to which reviews, and at what depth, are most appropriate to achieve project success. The authors, coming from diverse organizations and backgrounds, have drawn on their personal experiences and summarized the best practices of their own organizations to create a common framework to provide guidance on the adaptation of design reviews to other system engineers.

The California Baseline Methane Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duren, R. M.; Thorpe, A. K.; Hopkins, F. M.; Rafiq, T.; Bue, B. D.; Prasad, K.; Mccubbin, I.; Miller, C. E.

2017-12-01

The California Baseline Methane Survey is the first systematic, statewide assessment of methane point source emissions. The objectives are to reduce uncertainty in the state's methane budget and to identify emission mitigation priorities for state and local agencies, utilities and facility owners. The project combines remote sensing of large areas with airborne imaging spectroscopy and spatially resolved bottom-up data sets to detect, quantify and attribute emissions from diverse sectors including agriculture, waste management, oil and gas production and the natural gas supply chain. Phase 1 of the project surveyed nearly 180,000 individual facilities and infrastructure components across California in 2016 - achieving completeness rates ranging from 20% to 100% per emission sector at < 5 meters spatial resolution. Additionally, intensive studies of key areas and sectors were performed to assess source persistence and variability at times scales ranging from minutes to months. Phase 2 of the project continues with additional data collection in Spring and Fall 2017. We describe the survey design and measurement, modeling and analysis methods. We present initial findings regarding the spatial, temporal and sectoral distribution of methane point source emissions in California and their estimated contribution to the state's total methane budget. We provide case-studies and lessons learned about key sectors including examples where super-emitters were identified and mitigated. We summarize challenges and recommendations for future methane research, inventories and mitigation guidance within and beyond California.

Quantifying economic benefits for rail infrastructure projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

This project identifies metrics for measuring the benefit of rail infrastructure projects for key : stakeholders. It is important that stakeholders with an interest in community economic development play an active : role in the development of the rai...

RANT Building Upgrade Pre-Proposal Meeting

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

Thompson, Melinda Ann; Meadows, Darren W.; Rodriguez, Roger R.

This presentation is designed to provide an overview of the project scope and RFP; discuss interfaces for the construction project; highlight key expectations and deliverables from the subcontractor; and address questions and provide clarification of the project scope.

Technology Infusion Strategy: Beginning with a Pilot Project is the Key.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, John

1996-01-01

Presents an effective way to start a technological revolution in schools by beginning with a single exciting project that incorporates new technologies and then letting interest in the project prompt others to action. (JRH)

Impact of a Community Gardening Project on Vegetable Intake, Food Security and Family Relationships: A Community-based Participatory Research Study

PubMed Central

Carney, Patricia A.; Hamada, Janet L.; Rdesinski, Rebecca; Sprager, Lorena; Nichols, Katelyn R.; Liu, Betty Y.; Pelayo, Joel; Sanchez, Maria Antonia; Shannon, Jacklien

2013-01-01

Purpose To describe the impact of a community gardening project on vegetable intake, food security and family relationships. Methods This community-based participatory research project used popular education techniques to support and educate Hispanic farm worker families in planting and maintaining organic gardens. Measures included a pre- post gardening survey, key informant interviews and observations made at community-based gardening meetings to assess food security, safety and family relationships. Results Thirty-eight families enrolled in the study during the pre-garden time period, and four more families enrolled in the study during the post-garden period, for a total of 42 families enrolled in the 2009 gardening season. Of the families enrolled during the pre-gardening time period there were 163 household members. The mean age of the interviewee was 44.0, ranging from 21 to 78 years of age. The median number of occupants in a household was 4.0 (range: 2 to 8), Frequency of adult vegetable intake of “Several time a day” increased from 18.2% to 84.8%, (p < 0.001) and frequency of children’s vegetable intake of “Several time a day” increased from 24.0% to 64.0%, (p = 0.003). Before the gardening season, the sum of the frequencies of “Sometimes” and “Frequently” worrying in the past month that food would run out before money was available to buy more was 31.2% and the sum of these frequencies dropped to 3.1% during the post garden period, (p = 0.006). The frequency of skipping meals due to lack of money was not statistically significantly different before and after the gardening season for either adults or children. Analysis of text responses and key informant interviews revealed that physical and mental health benefits were reported as well as economic and family health benefits from the gardening study, primarily because the families often worked in their gardens together. Conclusions A community gardening program can reduce food insecurity, improve dietary intake and strengthen family relationships. PMID:22194063

A Comprehensive Careers Cluster Curriculum Model. Health Occupations Cluster Curriculum Project and Health-Care Aide Curriculum Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bortz, Richard F.

To prepare learning materials for health careers programs at the secondary level, the developmental phase of two curriculum projects--the Health Occupations Cluster Curriculum Project and Health-Care Aide Curriculum Project--utilized a model which incorporated a key factor analysis technique. Entitled "A Comprehensive Careers Cluster Curriculum…

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

Eto, Joseph H.; Parashar, Manu; Lewis, Nancy Jo

The Real Time System Operations (RTSO) 2006-2007 project focused on two parallel technical tasks: (1) Real-Time Applications of Phasors for Monitoring, Alarming and Control; and (2) Real-Time Voltage Security Assessment (RTVSA) Prototype Tool. The overall goal of the phasor applications project was to accelerate adoption and foster greater use of new, more accurate, time-synchronized phasor measurements by conducting research and prototyping applications on California ISO's phasor platform - Real-Time Dynamics Monitoring System (RTDMS) -- that provide previously unavailable information on the dynamic stability of the grid. Feasibility assessment studies were conducted on potential application of this technology for small-signal stabilitymore » monitoring, validating/improving existing stability nomograms, conducting frequency response analysis, and obtaining real-time sensitivity information on key metrics to assess grid stress. Based on study findings, prototype applications for real-time visualization and alarming, small-signal stability monitoring, measurement based sensitivity analysis and frequency response assessment were developed, factory- and field-tested at the California ISO and at BPA. The goal of the RTVSA project was to provide California ISO with a prototype voltage security assessment tool that runs in real time within California ISO?s new reliability and congestion management system. CERTS conducted a technical assessment of appropriate algorithms, developed a prototype incorporating state-of-art algorithms (such as the continuation power flow, direct method, boundary orbiting method, and hyperplanes) into a framework most suitable for an operations environment. Based on study findings, a functional specification was prepared, which the California ISO has since used to procure a production-quality tool that is now a part of a suite of advanced computational tools that is used by California ISO for reliability and congestion management.« less

Texas Hydrogen Education Final Scientific/Technical Report

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

Hitchcock, David; Bullock, Dan

2011-06-30

The Texas Hydrogen Education project builds on past interest in hydrogen and fuel cells to help create better informed leaders and stakeholders and thereby improve decision making and planning for inclusion of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies as energy alternatives in Texas. In past years in Texas, there was considerable interest and activities about hydrogen and fuel cells (2000-­2004). During that time, the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) created a fuel cell consortium and a fuel cell testing lab. Prior to 2008, interest and activities had declined substantially. In 2008, in cooperation with the Texas H2 Coalition and the Statemore » Energy Conservation Office, HARC conducted a planning process to create the Texas Hydrogen Roadmap. It was apparent from analysis conducted during the course of this process that while Texas has hydrogen and fuel cell advantages, there was little program and project activity as compared with other key states. Outreach and education through the provision of informational materials and organizing meetings was seen as an effective way of reaching decision makers in Texas. Previous hydrogen projects in Texas had identified the five major urban regions for program and project development. This geographic targeting approach was adopted for this project. The project successfully conducted the five proposed workshops in four of the target metropolitan areas: San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and the Dallas-­Ft. Worth area. In addition, eight outreach events were included to further inform state and local government leaders on the basics of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The project achieved its primary objectives of developing communication with target audiences and assembling credible and consistent outreach and education materials. The major lessons learned include: (1) DOE’s Clean Cities programs are a key conduit to target transportation audiences, (2) real-­world fuel cell applications (fuel cell buses, fuel cell fork lifts, and hydrogen fueling) are effective for engaging target audiences, and (3) a clear path forward is needed for state and local agencies interested in project implementation (funding, financing, preliminary design, technical assistance, etc.).« less

Data publication - policies and procedures from the PREPARDE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callaghan, Sarah; Murphy, Fiona; Tedds, Jonathan; Kunze, John; Lawrence, Rebecca; Mayernik, , Matthew S.; Whyte, Angus; Roberts, Timothy

2013-04-01

Data are widely acknowledged as a first class scientific output. Increases in researchers' abilities to create data need to be matched by corresponding infrastructures for them to manage and share their data. At the same time, the quality and persistence of the datasets need to be ensured, providing the dataset creators with the recognition they deserve for their efforts. Formal publication of data takes advantage of the processes and procedures already in place to publish academic articles about scientific results, enabling data to be reviewed and more broadly disseminated. Data are vastly more varied in format than papers, and so the policies required to manage and publish data must take into account the complexities associated with different data types, scientific fields, licensing rules etc. The Peer REview for Publication & Accreditation of Research Data in the Earth sciences (PREPARDE) project is JISC- and NERC-funded, and aims to investigate the policies and procedures required for the formal publication of research data. The project is investigating the whole workflow of data publication, from ingestion into a data repository, through to formal publication in a data journal. To limit the scope of the project, the focus is primarily on the policies required for the Royal Meteorological Society and Wiley's Geoscience Data Journal, though members of the project team include representatives from the life sciences (F1000Research), and will generalise the policies to other disciplines. PREPARDE addresses key issues arising in the data publication paradigm, such as: what criteria are needed for a repository to be considered objectively trustworthy; how does one peer-review a dataset; and how can datasets and journal publications be effectively cross-linked for the benefit of the wider research community and the completeness of the scientific record? To answer these questions, the project is hosting workshops addressing these issues, with interactions from key stakeholders, including data and repository managers, researchers, funders and publishers. The results of these workshops will be presented and further comment and interaction sought from interested parties.

Stories From the Field: The Use of Information and Communication Technologies to Address the Health Needs of Underserved Populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Farach, Nasim; Faba, Gladys; Julian, Soroya; Mejía, Felipe; Cabieses, Báltica; D'Agostino, Marcelo; Cortinois, Andrea A

2015-01-01

As their availability grew exponentially in the last 20 years, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in health has been widely espoused, with many emphasizing their potential to decrease health inequities. Nonetheless, there is scarce availability of information regarding ICT as tools to further equity in health, specifically in Latin American and Caribbean settings. Our aim was to identify initiatives that used ICT to address the health needs of underserved populations in Latin America and Caribbean. Among these projects, explore the rationale behind the selection of ICT as a key component, probe perceptions regarding contributions to health equity, and describe the challenges faced during implementation. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study. Interviews were completed via Skype or face-to-face meetings using a semistructured interview guide. Following participant consent, interviews were audio recorded and verbatim transcriptions were developed. All transcriptions were coded using ATLASti7 software. The text was analyzed for patterns, shared themes, and diverging opinions. Emerging findings were reviewed by all interviewers and shared with participants for feedback. We interviewed representatives from eight organizations in six Latin American and Caribbean countries that prominently employed ICT in health communication, advocacy, or surveillance projects. ICT expanded project's geographic coverage, increased their reach into marginalized or hard-to-reach groups, and allowed real-time data collection. Perceptions of contributions to health equity resided mainly in the provision of health information and linkage to health services to members of groups experiencing greater morbidity because of poverty, remote place of residence, lack of relevant public programs, and/or stigma and discrimination, and in more timely responses by authorities to the health needs of these groups as a result of the increased availability of strategic information on morbidity and its social determinants. Most projects faced initial resistance to implementation because of lack of precedents. Their financial and technical sustainability was threatened by reliance on external funding and weak transitional structures amidst key staff changes. Projects often experienced challenges in establishing meaningful communication with target audience members, mainly because of divergent motivations behind ICT use between projects and its target audience and the lack of access or familiarity with ICT among the most underserved members of such audiences. ICT can benefit projects focusing on the health needs of underserved populations by expanding the breadth and depth of target audience coverage and improving data management. Most projects tended to be small, short-term pilot interventions with limited engagement with the formal health sector and did not include health equity as an explicit component. Collaborative projects with government institutions, particularly those with health surveillance objectives, seemed to be the most optimistic about long-term sustainability.

Renewable Energy Development in Indian Country: A Handbook for Tribes

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

MacCourt, D. C.

2010-06-01

This handbook is designed to be an accessible reference for those who are new to tribal energy project development or seek a refresher on key development issues as they navigate the project development process. It builds upon the wealth of feedback and experiences shared by tribal and other participants in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's tribal energy training sessions to provide tribal leaders, tribal economic and energy enterprises, and those supporting them with a general overview of the renewable energy project development process as well as detailed guidance on the following: how to structure a renewable energy project transaction tomore » protect tribal interests, with an emphasis on joint project development efforts undertaken with nontribal parties; key energy development agreements, including power sale agreements, transmission and interconnection agreements, and land leases; and ways tribes can finance renewable energy projects, including the sources of funding or financing that may be available, the types of investors that may be available, and federal tax incentives for renewable energy projects.« less

Research and development of improved geothermal well logging techniques, tools and components (current projects, goals and status). Final report

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

Lamers, M.D.

One of the key needs in the advancement of geothermal energy is availability of adequate subsurface measurements to aid the reservoir engineer in the development and operation of geothermal wells. Some current projects being sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy's Division of Geothermal Energy pertaining to the development of improved well logging techniques, tools and components are described. An attempt is made to show how these projects contribute to improvement of geothermal logging technology in forming key elements of the overall program goals.

Systems Engineering Lessons Learned from Solar Array Structures and Mechanisms Deployment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vipavetz, Kevin; Kraft, Thomas

2013-01-01

This report has been developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Risk Management team in close coordination with the Engineering Directorate at LaRC. This document provides a point-in-time, cumulative, summary of actionable key lessons learned derived from the design project. Lessons learned invariably address challenges and risks and the way in which these areas have been addressed. Accordingly the risk management thread is woven throughout the document.

Status of GDL - GNU Data Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulais, A.; Schellens, M.; Gales, J.; Arabas, S.; Boquien, M.; Chanial, P.; Messmer, P.; Fillmore, D.; Poplawski, O.; Maret, S.; Marchal, G.; Galmiche, N.; Mermet, T.

2010-12-01

Gnu Data Language (GDL) is an open-source interpreted language aimed at numerical data analysis and visualisation. It is a free implementation of the Interactive Data Language (IDL) widely used in Astronomy. GDL has a full syntax compatibility with IDL, and includes a large set of library routines targeting advanced matrix manipulation, plotting, time-series and image analysis, mapping, and data input/output including numerous scientific data formats. We will present the current status of the project, the key accomplishments, and the weaknesses - areas where contributions are welcome!

A Novel Mechanism for the Pathogenesis of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Resulting from Early Exposure to Ultraviolet Light

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

follow through next year, as the poor breeding of transgenic mice thwarted our efforts for a timely conclusion of this project. KEY RESEARCH...the epidermis during the early stages of skin tumor promotion. 7) We demonstrated using our K14mTmG transgenic mice that a low but significant...together with the use of two transgenic mice that are already available including two UV experiments, and a skin grafting experiment. The rationale

Information Technology to Help Drive Business Innovation and Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso, Igor Aguilar; Verdún, José Carrillo; Caro, Edmundo Tovar

This paper outlines how information technology (IT) can help to drive business innovation and growth. Today innovation is a key to properly managing business growth from all angles. IT governance is responsible for managing and aligning IT with the business objectives; managing strategic demand through the projects portfolio or managing operational demand through the services portfolio. IT portfolios offer the possibility of finding new opportunities to make changes and improve through innovation, enabling savings in capital expenditure and the company's IT operations staff time.

Recent Results from ArgoNeuT and Status of MicroBooNE

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

Szelc, Andrzej

2015-07-10

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detectors hold the key to answering the outstanding questions about the role of neutrinos in the Standard Model of Particle physics and beyond. Their fine granularity combined with calorimetric capabilities allows for precision measurements that answering these questions will require. Here, we discuss the recent results from the ArgoNeuT experiment as well as the status and prospects for MicroBooNE, both a part of the US-based LArTPC neutrino program.

The National Security Council Reform Project: Foundational Proposal for the Next Administration

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-23

going. For 500 years, we lived under Westphalian nation-state systems . But globalization has eroded borders. For the first time this world’s people are...Council system , a subject to which I have given a good deal of thought over many years. It broadly reflects my views and those of others that have...Security Council system is the key to strategic coherence and thoughtful execution of national policy. Thus this report. This report focuses on three

Modeling daily soil salinity dynamics in response to agricultural and environmental changes in coastal Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payo, Andrés.; Lázár, Attila N.; Clarke, Derek; Nicholls, Robert J.; Bricheno, Lucy; Mashfiqus, Salehin; Haque, Anisul

2017-05-01

Understanding the dynamics of salt movement in the soil is a prerequisite for devising appropriate management strategies for land productivity of coastal regions, especially low-lying delta regions, which support many millions of farmers around the world. At present, there are no numerical models able to resolve soil salinity at regional scale and at daily time steps. In this research, we develop a novel holistic approach to simulate soil salinization comprising an emulator-based soil salt and water balance calculated at daily time steps. The method is demonstrated for the agriculture areas of coastal Bangladesh (˜20,000 km2). This shows that we can reproduce the dynamics of soil salinity under multiple land uses, including rice crops, combined shrimp and rice farming, as well as non-rice crops. The model also reproduced well the observed spatial soil salinity for the year 2009. Using this approach, we have projected the soil salinity for three different climate ensembles, including relative sea-level rise for the year 2050. Projected soil salinity changes are significantly smaller than other reported projections. The results suggest that inter-season weather variability is a key driver of salinization of agriculture soils at coastal Bangladesh.

POD/DEIM reduced-order strategies for efficient four dimensional variational data assimilation

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

Ştefănescu, R., E-mail: rstefane@vt.edu; Sandu, A., E-mail: sandu@cs.vt.edu; Navon, I.M., E-mail: inavon@fsu.edu

2015-08-15

This work studies reduced order modeling (ROM) approaches to speed up the solution of variational data assimilation problems with large scale nonlinear dynamical models. It is shown that a key requirement for a successful reduced order solution is that reduced order Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions accurately represent their full order counterparts. In particular, accurate reduced order approximations are needed for the forward and adjoint dynamical models, as well as for the reduced gradient. New strategies to construct reduced order based are developed for proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) ROM data assimilation using both Galerkin and Petrov–Galerkin projections. For the first time POD, tensorialmore » POD, and discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM) are employed to develop reduced data assimilation systems for a geophysical flow model, namely, the two dimensional shallow water equations. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical framework for Galerkin projection. In the case of Petrov–Galerkin projection, stabilization strategies must be considered for the reduced order models. The new reduced order shallow water data assimilation system provides analyses similar to those produced by the full resolution data assimilation system in one tenth of the computational time.« less

The SERENDIP piggyback SETI project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lampton, M.; Bowyer, S.; Werthimer, D.; Donnelly, C.; Herrick, W.

1992-01-01

The SERENDIP project is an ongoing program of monitoring and processing broadband radio signals acquired by existing radio astronomy observatories. SERENDIP operates in a piggyback mode: it makes use of whatever observing plan (sequence of frequencies, sky coordinates, and polarizations) is under way at its host observatory. Moreover, the SERENDIP data acquisition system, once installed, operates autonomously. This approach makes it possible to obtain large amounts of high quality observing time in a manner that is economical and that does not adversely affect ongoing radio astronomy survey work. The SERENDIP II system has been installed at the NRAO 300-foot telescope at Green Bank, West Virginia, and has operated there for several thousand hours. In this report, we summarize our findings from these observations and describe the present status of the project. Two key elements of SERENDIP are the automated data acquisition system that uses adaptive thresholds and logs only statistically significant peaks in the real-time power spectra, and the subsequent off-line analysis programs that identify and reject a variety of interference signals. Several specific correlations have been identified that offer promise. At present, the development and testing of these interference rejection algorithms is the main thrust of our work.

The SERENDIP piggyback SETI project.

PubMed

Lampton, M; Bowyer, S; Werthimer, D; Donnelly, C; Herrick, W

1992-01-01

The SERENDIP project is an ongoing program of monitoring and processing broadband radio signals acquired by existing radio astronomy observatories. SERENDIP operates in a piggyback mode: it makes use of whatever observing plan (sequence of frequencies, sky coordinates, and polarizations) is under way at its host observatory. Moreover, the SERENDIP data acquisition system, once installed, operates autonomously. This approach makes it possible to obtain large amounts of high quality observing time in a manner that is economical and that does not adversely affect ongoing radio astronomy survey work. The SERENDIP II system has been installed at the NRAO 300-foot telescope at Green Bank, West Virginia, and has operated there for several thousand hours. In this report, we summarize our findings from these observations and describe the present status of the project. Two key elements of SERENDIP are the automated data acquisition system that uses adaptive thresholds and logs only statistically significant peaks in the real-time power spectra, and the subsequent off-line analysis programs that identify and reject a variety of interference signals. Several specific correlations have been identified that offer promise. At present, the development and testing of these interference rejection algorithms is the main thrust of our work.

Lessons Learned from Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in Spain's Healthcare Services

PubMed Central

Carnicero, J.; Rojas, D.

2010-01-01

Background Spain’s health services have undertaken a number of important projects aimed at the creation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) through the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into patient care practices. The objective of this endeavor is to improve care quality and efficiency and increase responsiveness to the population's needs and demands. Between 2006-2009 over 300 million Euro were invested in projects of this type. Objective To better understand the success criteria, the difficulties encountered and certain issues that must be kept in mind to ensure successful implementation of ICT projects in health organizations, based on Spain's experiences in this field. Methods The projects' results are analyzed using the criteria of compliance with the expected scope, cost and time frame. Results The results can be considered satisfactory in primary care facilities, where almost 90% of Spain's general practitioners, pediatricians and primary care nurses are using electronic health record (EHR) systems. In hospitals EHR implementation is more uneven. Over 40% of Spanish primary care centers and 42% of pharmacies are using electronic prescription (the information system that connects the physician to the dispensing pharmacy and the dispensing pharmacy to the payer). Discussion All of Spain’s health services are currently carrying out projects involving ICT application in healthcare, and a priori the benefits of ICT are not questioned. However, the costs and time frames required for these projects are clearly surpassing initial expectations, while the benefits perceived by both professionals and institutions remain limited. This situation may be due in part to the absence of a project management culture in the health services, which has led them to pay insufficient attention to the main difficulties and key issues related to the implementation of EHR. PMID:23616846

Alternative Designs for Evaluating Workplace Literacy Programs. Conference Proceedings and Commissioned Papers at the "Design Guidance for Evaluating Workplace Literacy Programs" Work Group Conference (Washington, D.C. April 13, 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Triangle Inst., Research Triangle Park, NC.

This document contains the five papers presented at a meeting at which key issues in evaluating workplace literacy programs were discussed. In "Key Components of Workplace Liteacy Projects and Definitions of Project 'Modules,'" Judith A. Alamprese describes the context for evaluating the National Extension Program, components of workplace literacy…

Air Reserve Component: Key to the Air Force’s Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

REPORT TYPE STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT .33 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Air Reserve Component: Key to the Air Force’s...b. ABSTRACT UU c. THIS PAGE UU 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT...RAND Corporation, Prepared for the Office of Secretary of Defense, 2008), XV. 64 T.X. Hammes, "Offshore Control: A Proposed Strategy ," Infinity

The life cycle of a genome project: perspectives and guidelines inspired by insect genome projects.

PubMed

Papanicolaou, Alexie

2016-01-01

Many research programs on non-model species biology have been empowered by genomics. In turn, genomics is underpinned by a reference sequence and ancillary information created by so-called "genome projects". The most reliable genome projects are the ones created as part of an active research program and designed to address specific questions but their life extends past publication. In this opinion paper I outline four key insights that have facilitated maintaining genomic communities: the key role of computational capability, the iterative process of building genomic resources, the value of community participation and the importance of manual curation. Taken together, these ideas can and do ensure the longevity of genome projects and the growing non-model species community can use them to focus a discussion with regards to its future genomic infrastructure.

System verification and validation: a fundamental systems engineering task

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansorge, Wolfgang R.

2004-09-01

Systems Engineering (SE) is the discipline in a project management team, which transfers the user's operational needs and justifications for an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) -or any other telescope-- into a set of validated required system performance characteristics. Subsequently transferring these validated required system performance characteris-tics into a validated system configuration, and eventually into the assembled, integrated telescope system with verified performance characteristics and provided it with "objective evidence that the particular requirements for the specified intended use are fulfilled". The latter is the ISO Standard 8402 definition for "Validation". This presentation describes the verification and validation processes of an ELT Project and outlines the key role System Engineering plays in these processes throughout all project phases. If these processes are implemented correctly into the project execution and are started at the proper time, namely at the very beginning of the project, and if all capabilities of experienced system engineers are used, the project costs and the life-cycle costs of the telescope system can be reduced between 25 and 50 %. The intention of this article is, to motivate and encourage project managers of astronomical telescopes and scientific instruments to involve the entire spectrum of Systems Engineering capabilities performed by trained and experienced SYSTEM engineers for the benefit of the project by explaining them the importance of Systems Engineering in the AIV and validation processes.

Impact of choice of future climate change projection on growth chamber experimental outcomes: a preliminary study in potato.

PubMed

Leisner, Courtney P; Wood, Joshua C; Vaillancourt, Brieanne; Tang, Ying; Douches, Dave S; Robin Buell, C; Winkler, Julie A

2018-04-01

Understanding the impacts of climate change on agriculture is essential to ensure adequate future food production. Controlled growth experiments provide an effective tool for assessing the complex effects of climate change. However, a review of the use of climate projections in 57 previously published controlled growth studies found that none considered within-season variations in projected future temperature change, and few considered regional differences in future warming. A fixed, often arbitrary, temperature perturbation typically was applied for the entire growing season. This study investigates the utility of employing more complex climate change scenarios in growth chamber experiments. A case study in potato was performed using three dynamically downscaled climate change projections for the mid-twenty-first century that differ in terms of the timing during the growing season of the largest projected temperature changes. The climate projections were used in growth chamber experiments for four elite potato cultivars commonly planted in Michigan's major potato growing region. The choice of climate projection had a significant influence on the sign and magnitude of the projected changes in aboveground biomass and total tuber count, whereas all projections suggested an increase in total tuber weight and a decrease in specific gravity, a key market quality trait for potato, by mid-century. These results demonstrate that the use of more complex climate projections that extend beyond a simple incremental change can provide additional insights into the future impacts of climate change on crop production and the accompanying uncertainty.

Habitat Demonstration Unit Project Leadership and Management Strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Kriss J.

2011-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led multi-center Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) project leadership and management strategies. The HDU project team constructed and tested an analog prototype lunar surface habitat/laboratory called the Pressurized Excursion Module (PEM) during 2010. The prototype unit subsystems were integrated in a short amount of time, utilizing a tiger team approach that brought together over 20 habitation-related technologies and innovations from a variety of NASA centers. This paper describes the leadership and management strategies as well as lessons learned pertaining to leading and managing a multi-center diverse team in a rapid prototype environment. The PEM configuration went from a paper design to an operational surface habitat demonstration unit in less than 12 months. The HDU project is part of the strategic plan from the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Directorate Integration Office (DIO) and the Exploration Mission Systems Office (EMSO) to test destination elements in analog environments. The 2011 HDU-Deep Space Habitat (DSH) configuration will build upon the PEM work, and emphasize validity of crew operations (remote working and living), EVA operations, mission operations, logistics operations, and science operations that might be required in a deep space context for Near Earth Object (NEO) exploration mission architectures. The 2011 HDU-DSH will be field-tested during the 2011 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (DRaTS) field tests. The HDU project is a "technology-pull" project that integrates technologies and innovations from multiple NASA centers. This project will repurpose the HDU 2010 demo unit that was field tested in the 2010 DRaTS, adding habitation functionality to the prototype unit. This paper will describe the strategy of establishing a multi-center project management team that put in place the key multi-center leadership skills and disciplines to enable a successful tiger team approach. Advocacy was established with key stakeholders and NASA Headquarters (HQ) by defining a strategic vision, mission, goals and objectives for the project and team. As a technology-pull testbed capability the HDU project was able to collaborate and leverage the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) and individual NASA center investments which capitalized on their respective center core competencies and skills. This approach enable the leveraging of over $7.5m of value to create an operational habitat demonstration unit 2010 PEM configuration.

32 CFR 104.6 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... necessary experience to qualify for key senior leadership positions shall be used judiciously, and the necessary experience and projected key leadership positions fully documented. This authority shall not be...

Predictors of Success for Electronic Health Record Implementation in Small Physician Practices

PubMed Central

Ancker, J.S.; Singh, M.P.; Thomas, R.; Edwards, A.; Snyder, A.; Kashyap, A.; Kaushal, R.

2013-01-01

Background The federal government is promoting adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) through financial incentives for EHR use and implementation support provided by regional extension centers. Small practices have been slow to adopt EHRs. Objectives Our objective was to measure time to EHR implementation and identify factors associated with successful implementation in small practices receiving financial incentives and implementation support. This study is unique in exploiting quantitative implementation time data collected prospectively as part of routine project management. Methods This mixed-methods study includes interviews of key informants and a cohort study of 544 practices that had worked with the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP), a publicly funded organization that since 2007 has subsidized EHRs and provided implementation support similar to that supplied by the new regional extension centers. Data from a project management database were used for a cohort study to assess time to implementation and predictors of implementation success. Results Four hundred and thirty practices (79%) implemented EHRs within the analysis period, with a median project time of 24.7 weeks (95% CI: 23.3 – 26.4). Factors associated with implementation success were: fewer providers, practice sites, and patients; fewer Medicaid and uninsured patients; having previous experience with scheduling software; enrolling in 2010 rather than earlier; and selecting an integrated EHR plus practice management product rather than two products. Interviews identified positive attitude toward EHRs, resources, and centralized leadership as additional practice-level predictors of success. Conclusions A local initiative similar to current federal programs successfully implemented EHRs in primary care practices by offsetting software costs and providing implementation assistance. Nevertheless, implementation success was affected by practice size and other characteristics, suggesting that the federal programs can reduce barriers to EHR implementation but may not eliminate them. PMID:23650484

A New Look at Data Usage by Using Metadata Attributes as Indicators of Data Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Won, Young-In; Wanchoo, Lalit; Behnke, Jeanne

2016-01-01

This study reviews the key metrics (users, distributed volume, and files) in multiple ways to gain an understanding of the significance of the metadata. Characterizing the usability of data by key metadata elements, such as discipline and study area, will assist in understanding how the user needs have evolved over time. The data usage pattern based on product level provides insight into the level of data quality. In addition, the data metrics by various services, such as the Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP) and subsets, address how these services have extended the usage of data. Over-all, this study presents the usage of data and metadata by metrics analyses, which may assist data centers in better supporting the needs of the users.

Statistical Inference and Simulation with StatKey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Anne

2016-01-01

While looking for an inexpensive technology package to help students in statistics classes, the author found StatKey, a free Web-based app. Not only is StatKey useful for students' year-end projects, but it is also valuable for helping students learn fundamental content such as the central limit theorem. Using StatKey, students can engage in…

Baseline projections for Latin America: base-year assumptions, key drivers and greenhouse emissions

DOE PAGES

van Ruijven, Bas J.; Daenzer, Katie; Fisher-Vanden, Karen; ...

2016-02-14

This article provides an overview of the base-year assumptions and core baseline projections for the set of models participating in the LAMP and CLIMACAP projects. Here we present the range in core baseline projections for Latin America, and identify key differences between model projections including how these projections compare to historic trends. We find relatively large differences across models in base year assumptions related to population, GDP, energy and CO 2 emissions due to the use of different data sources, but also conclude that this does not influence the range of projections. We find that population and GDP projections acrossmore » models span a broad range, comparable to the range represented by the set of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). Kaya-factor decomposition indicates that the set of core baseline scenarios mirrors trends experienced over the past decades. Emissions in Latin America are projected to rise as result of GDP and population growth and a minor shift in the energy mix toward fossil fuels. Most scenarios assume a somewhat higher GDP growth than historically observed and continued decline of population growth. Minor changes in energy intensity or energy mix are projected over the next few decades.« less

Real-time 3D measurement based on structured light illumination considering camera lens distortion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Shijie; Chen, Qian; Zuo, Chao; Sun, Jiasong; Yu, ShiLing

2014-12-01

Optical three-dimensional (3-D) profilometry is gaining increasing attention for its simplicity, flexibility, high accuracy, and non-contact nature. Recent advances in imaging sensors and digital projection technology further its progress in high-speed, real-time applications, enabling 3-D shapes reconstruction of moving objects and dynamic scenes. In traditional 3-D measurement system where the processing time is not a key factor, camera lens distortion correction is performed directly. However, for the time-critical high-speed applications, the time-consuming correction algorithm is inappropriate to be performed directly during the real-time process. To cope with this issue, here we present a novel high-speed real-time 3-D coordinates measuring technique based on fringe projection with the consideration of the camera lens distortion. A pixel mapping relation between a distorted image and a corrected one is pre-determined and stored in computer memory for real-time fringe correction. And a method of lookup table (LUT) is introduced as well for fast data processing. Our experimental results reveal that the measurement error of the in-plane coordinates has been reduced by one order of magnitude and the accuracy of the out-plane coordinate been tripled after the distortions being eliminated. Moreover, owing to the merit of the LUT, the 3-D reconstruction can be achieved at 92.34 frames per second.

A Study of Technical Engineering Peer Reviews at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, Lawrence P.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Bell, David G.

2003-01-01

This report describes the state of practices of design reviews at NASA and research into what can be done to improve peer review practices. There are many types of reviews at NASA: required and not, formalized and informal, programmatic and technical. Standing project formal reviews such as the Preliminary Design Review and Critical Design Review are a required part of every project and mission development. However, the technical, engineering peer reviews that support teams' work on such projects are informal, some times ad hoc, and inconsistent across the organization. The goal of this work is to identify best practices and lessons learned from NASA's experience, supported by academic research and methodologies to ultimately improve the process. This research has determined that the organization, composition, scope, and approach of the reviews impact their success. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) can identify key areas of concern before or in the reviews. Product definition tools like the Project Priority Matrix, engineering-focused Customer Value Chain Analysis (CVCA), and project or system-based Quality Function Deployment (QFD) help prioritize resources in reviews. The use of information technology and structured design methodologies can strengthen the engineering peer review process to help NASA work towards error-proofing the design process.

Lessons Learned From the Environmental Public Health Tracking Sub-County Data Pilot Project.

PubMed

Werner, Angela K; Strosnider, Heather; Kassinger, Craig; Shin, Mikyong

2017-12-07

Small area data are key to better understanding the complex relationships between environmental health, health outcomes, and risk factors at a local level. In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) conducted the Sub-County Data Pilot Project with grantees to consider integration of sub-county data into the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network). The Tracking Program and grantees developed sub-county-level data for several data sets during this pilot project, working to standardize processes for submitting data and creating required geographies. Grantees documented challenges they encountered during the pilot project and documented decisions. This article covers the challenges revealed during the project. It includes insights into geocoding, aggregation, population estimates, and data stability and provides recommendations for moving forward. National standards for generating, analyzing, and sharing sub-county data should be established to build a system of sub-county data that allow for comparison of outcomes, geographies, and time. Increasing the availability and accessibility of small area data will not only enhance the Tracking Network's capabilities but also contribute to an improved understanding of environmental health and informed decision making at a local level.

Environmental Variability in the Florida Keys: Impacts on Coral Reef Resilience and Health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto, I. M.; Muller-Karger, F. E.

2005-12-01

Environmental variability contributes to both mass mortality and resilience in tropical coral reef communities. We assess variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color in the Florida Keys using satellite imagery, and provide insight into how this variability is associated with locations of resilient coral communities (those unaffected by or able to recover from major events). The project tests the hypothesis that areas with historically low environmental variability promote lower levels of coral reef resilience. Time series of SST from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors and ocean color derived quantities (e.g., turbidity and chlorophyll) from the Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS) are being constructed over the entire Florida Keys region for a period of twelve and nine years, respectively. These data will be compared with historical coral cover data derived from Landsat imagery (1984-2002). Improved understanding of the causes of coral reef decline or resilience will help protect and manage these natural treasures.

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

No, author

This report summarizes the outcome of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contract DE-OE0000543, requesting the design of a Cryptographic Key Management System (CKMS) for the secure management of cryptographic keys for the energy sector infrastructure. Prime contractor Sypris Electronics, in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Valicore Technologies, and Purdue University's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) and Smart Meter Integration Laboratory (SMIL), has designed, developed and evaluated the CKMS solution. We provide an overview of the project in Section 3, review the core contributions of all contractors inmore » Section 4, and discuss bene ts to the DOE in Section 5. In Section 6 we describe the technical construction of the CKMS solution, and review its key contributions in Section 6.9. Section 7 describes the evaluation and demonstration of the CKMS solution in different environments. We summarize the key project objectives in Section 8, list publications resulting from the project in Section 9, and conclude with a discussion on commercialization in Section 10 and future work in Section 11.« less

Disaster Monitoring and Emergency Response Services in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J.; Han, X.; Zhou, Y.; Yue, P.; Wang, X.; Lu, J.; Jiang, W.; Li, J.; Tang, H.; Wang, F.; Li, X.; Fan, J.

2018-04-01

The Disaster Monitoring and Emergency Response Service(DIMERS) project was kicked off in 2017 in China, with the purpose to improve timely responsive service of the institutions involved in the management of natural disasters and man-made emergency situations with the timely and high-quality products derived from Space-based, Air-based and the in-situ Earth observation. The project team brought together a group of top universities and research institutions in the field of Earth observations as well as the operational institute in typical disaster services at national level. The project will bridge the scientific research and the response services of massive catastrophe in order to improve the emergency response capability of China and provide scientific and technological support for the implementation of the national emergency response strategy. In response to the call for proposal of "Earth Observation and Navigation" of 2017 National Key R&D Program of China, Professor Wu Jianjun, the deputy chairman of Faculty of Geographical Science of Beijing Normal University, submitted the Disaster Monitoring and Emergency Response Service (DIMERS) project, jointly with the experts and scholars from Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, China Institute of Earthquake Forecasting of China Earthquake Administration and China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Science. After two round evaluations, the proposal was funded by Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

Downscaling wind and wavefields for 21st century coastal flood hazard projections in a region of complex terrain

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Neill, Andrea; Erikson, Li; Barnard, Patrick

2017-01-01

While global climate models (GCMs) provide useful projections of near-surface wind vectors into the 21st century, resolution is not sufficient enough for use in regional wave modeling. Statistically downscaled GCM projections from Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogues provide daily averaged near-surface winds at an appropriate spatial resolution for wave modeling within the orographically complex region of San Francisco Bay, but greater resolution in time is needed to capture the peak of storm events. Short-duration high wind speeds, on the order of hours, are usually excluded in statistically downscaled climate models and are of key importance in wave and subsequent coastal flood modeling. Here we present a temporal downscaling approach, similar to constructed analogues, for near-surface winds suitable for use in local wave models and evaluate changes in wind and wave conditions for the 21st century. Reconstructed hindcast winds (1975–2004) recreate important extreme wind values within San Francisco Bay. A computationally efficient method for simulating wave heights over long time periods was used to screen for extreme events. Wave hindcasts show resultant maximum wave heights of 2.2 m possible within the Bay. Changes in extreme over-water wind speeds suggest contrasting trends within the different regions of San Francisco Bay, but 21th century projections show little change in the overall magnitude of extreme winds and locally generated waves.

PRA and Conceptual Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeMott, Diana; Fuqua, Bryan; Wilson, Paul

2013-01-01

Once a project obtains approval, decision makers have to consider a variety of alternative paths for completing the project and meeting the project objectives. How decisions are made involves a variety of elements including: cost, experience, current technology, ideologies, politics, future needs and desires, capabilities, manpower, timing, available information, and for many ventures management needs to assess the elements of risk versus reward. The use of high level Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Models during conceptual design phases provides management with additional information during the decision making process regarding the risk potential for proposed operations and design prototypes. The methodology can be used as a tool to: 1) allow trade studies to compare alternatives based on risk, 2) determine which elements (equipment, process or operational parameters) drives the risk, and 3) provide information to mitigate or eliminate risks early in the conceptual design to lower costs. Creating system models using conceptual design proposals and generic key systems based on what is known today can provide an understanding of the magnitudes of proposed systems and operational risks and facilitates trade study comparisons early in the decision making process. Identifying the "best" way to achieve the desired results is difficult, and generally occurs based on limited information. PRA provides a tool for decision makers to explore how some decisions will affect risk before the project is committed to that path, which can ultimately save time and money.

Starting a hospital-based home health agency: Part II--Key success factors.

PubMed

Montgomery, P

1993-09-01

In Part II of a three-part series, the financial, technological and legislative issues of a hospital-based home health-agency are discussed. Beginning a home healthcare service requires intensive research to answer key environmental and operational questions--need, competition, financial projections, initial start-up costs and the impact of delayed depreciation. Assessments involving technology, staffing, legislative and regulatory issues can help project service volume, productivity and cost-control.

Determinants of sustainability in solid waste management - The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Indonesia

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

Zurbruegg, Christian, E-mail: zurbrugg@eawag.ch; Gfrerer, Margareth, E-mail: margareth.gfrerer@gmx.net; Ashadi, Henki, E-mail: henki@eng.ui.ac.id

2012-11-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Our assessment tool helps evaluate success factors in solid waste projects. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Success of the composting plant in Indonesia is linked to its community integration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Appropriate technology is not a main determining success factor for sustainability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Structured assessment of 'best practices' can enhance replication in other cities. - Abstract: According to most experts, integrated and sustainable solid waste management should not only be given top priority, but must go beyond technical aspects to include various key elements of sustainability to ensure success of any solid waste project. Aside from project sustainable impacts, the overall enabling environmentmore » is the key feature determining performance and success of an integrated and affordable solid waste system. This paper describes a project-specific approach to assess typical success or failure factors. A questionnaire-based assessment method covers issues of: (i) social mobilisation and acceptance (social element), (ii) stakeholder, legal and institutional arrangements comprising roles, responsibilities and management functions (institutional element); (iii) financial and operational requirements, as well as cost recovery mechanisms (economic element). The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Bali, Indonesia was analysed using this integrated assessment method. The results clearly identified chief characteristics, key factors to consider when planning country wide replication but also major barriers and obstacles which must be overcome to ensure project sustainability. The Gianyar project consists of a composting unit processing 60 tons of municipal waste per day from 500,000 inhabitants, including manual waste segregation and subsequent composting of the biodegradable organic fraction.« less

Gemini base facility operations environmental monitoring: key systems and tools for the remote operator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordova, Martin; Serio, Andrew; Meza, Francisco; Arriagada, Gustavo; Swett, Hector; Ball, Jesse; Collins, Paul; Masuda, Neal; Fuentes, Javier

2016-07-01

In 2014 Gemini Observatory started the base facility operations (BFO) project. The project's goal was to provide the ability to operate the two Gemini telescopes from their base facilities (respectively Hilo, HI at Gemini North, and La Serena, Chile at Gemini South). BFO was identified as a key project for Gemini's transition program, as it created an opportunity to reduce operational costs. In November 2015, the Gemini North telescope started operating from the base facility in Hilo, Hawaii. In order to provide the remote operator the tools to work from the base, many of the activities that were normally performed by the night staff at the summit were replaced with new systems and tools. This paper describes some of the key systems and tools implemented for environmental monitoring, and the design used in the implementation at the Gemini North telescope.

CALINX (California Information Exchange): a multi-stakeholder statewide initiative to improve healthcare information flows.

PubMed

Hopkins, D S; Oswald, N; McCaffrey, K; Bressler, S; Davidson, N; Vela, L

2000-01-01

Given the diffusion of responsibilities for gathering and reporting healthcare information in a managed care environment, California stakeholders are taking concrete steps to break the deadlock on data and information flows that has characterized the industry for some time. The California Information Exchange (CALINX) was established to facilitate the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards in California and to create trust for data exchange between trading partners, without which data exchange still will not occur. Strategic directions are set by the chief executives of key associations and organizations representing purchasers, plans, providers, and consumers. Multi-stakeholder workgroups have produced detailed data guidelines for the HIPAA standards along with rules for exchange of key data sets between trading partners. These rules address frequency, timeliness, and accuracy of data submission. Both the data guidelines and the rules have been tested in live demonstration projects, and the results of these projects have been reported to substantiate the business case for implementation. Further incentives are being built into contracts between purchasers and plans, and between plans and providers. CALINX is currently promoting widespread adoption of the data guidelines and rules for exchange with all members of the industry.

Affordable Development and Demonstration of a Small NTR engine and Stage: A Preliminary NASA, DOE, and Industry Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borowski, S. K.; Sefcik, R. J.; Fittje, J. E.; McCurdy, D. R.; Qualls, A. L.; Schnitzler, B. G; Werner, J.; Weitzberg, A.; Joyner, C. R.

2015-01-01

In FY'11, Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) was identified as a key propulsion option under the Advanced In-Space Propulsion (AISP) component of NASA's Exploration Technology Development and Demonstration (ETDD) program A strategy was outlined by GRC and NASA HQ that included 2 key elements -"Foundational Technology Development" followed by specific "Technology Demonstration" projects. The "Technology Demonstration "element proposed ground technology demonstration (GTD) testing in the early 2020's, followed by a flight technology demonstration (FTD) mission by approx. 2025. In order to reduce development costs, the demonstration projects would focus on developing a small, low thrust (approx. 7.5 -16.5 klb(f)) engine that utilizes a "common" fuel element design scalable to the higher thrust (approx. 25 klb(f)) engines used in NASA's Mars DRA 5.0 study(NASA-SP-2009-566). Besides reducing development costs and allowing utilization of existing, flight proven engine hard-ware (e.g., hydrogen pumps and nozzles), small, lower thrust ground and flight demonstration engines can validate the technology and offer improved capability -increased payloads and decreased transit times -valued for robotic science missions identified in NASA's Decadal Study.

The BGAN extension programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, Juan J.; Trachtman, Eyal; Richharia, Madhavendra

2005-11-01

Mobile satellite telecommunications systems have undergone an enormous evolution in the last decades, with the interest in having advanced telecommunications services available on demand, anywhere and at any time, leading to incredible advances. The demand for braodband data is therefore rapidly gathering pace, but current solutions are finding it increasingly difficult to combine large bandwidth with ubiquitous coverage, reliability and portability. The BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) system, designed to operate with the Inmarsat-4 satellites, provides breakthrough services that meet all of these requirements. It will enable broadband connection on the move, delivering all the key tools of the modern office. Recognising the great impact that Inmarsat's BGAN system will have on the European satellite communications industry, and the benefits that it will bring to a wide range of European industries, in 2003 ESA initiated the "BGAN Extension" project. Its primary goals are to provide the full range of BGAN services to truly mobile platforms, operating in aeronautical, vehicular and maritime environments, and to introduce a multicast service capability. The project is supported by the ARTES Programme which establishes a collaboration agreement between ESA, Inmarsat and a group of key industrial and academic institutions which includes EMS, Logica, Nera and the University of Surrey (UK).

A New Analytic-Adaptive Model for EGS Assessment, Development and Management Support

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

Danko, George L

To increase understanding of the energy extraction capacity of Enhanced Geothermal System(s) (EGS), a numerical model development and application project is completed. The general objective of the project is to develop and apply a new, data-coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical-Chemical (T-H-M-C) model in which the four internal components can be freely selected from existing simulation software without merging and cross-combining a diverse set of computational codes. Eight tasks are completed during the project period. The results are reported in five publications, an MS thesis, twelve quarterly, and two annual reports to DOE. Two US patents have also been issued during the project period,more » with one patent application originated prior to the start of the project. The “Multiphase Physical Transport Modeling Method and Modeling System” (U.S. Patent 8,396,693 B2, 2013), a key element in the GHE sub-model solution, is successfully used for EGS studies. The “Geothermal Energy Extraction System and Method" invention (U.S. Patent 8,430,166 B2, 2013) originates from the time of project performance, describing a new fluid flow control solution. The new, coupled T-H-M-C numerical model will help analyzing and designing new, efficient EGS systems.« less

Final report for the Integrated and Robust Security Infrastructure (IRSI) laboratory directed research and development project

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

Hutchinson, R.L.; Hamilton, V.A.; Istrail, G.G.

1997-11-01

This report describes the results of a Sandia-funded laboratory-directed research and development project titled {open_quotes}Integrated and Robust Security Infrastructure{close_quotes} (IRSI). IRSI was to provide a broad range of commercial-grade security services to any software application. IRSI has two primary goals: application transparency and manageable public key infrastructure. IRSI must provide its security services to any application without the need to modify the application to invoke the security services. Public key mechanisms are well suited for a network with many end users and systems. There are many issues that make it difficult to deploy and manage a public key infrastructure. IRSImore » addressed some of these issues to create a more manageable public key infrastructure.« less

Strengthening the capacity for health promotion in South Africa through international collaboration.

PubMed

Van den Broucke, Stephan; Jooste, Heila; Tlali, Maki; Moodley, Vimla; Van Zyl, Greer; Nyamwaya, David; Tang, Kwok-Cho

2010-06-01

This paper describes a project to strengthen the capacity for health promotion in two Provinces in South Africa. The project draws on the key health promotion capacity dimensions of partnership and networking, infrastructure, problem-solving capacity, and knowledge transfer. The project was carried out in a partnership between the Provinces, the Ministry of Health of South Africa, the government of Flanders, Belgium, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project aimed to: (i) integrate health promotion into national, Provincial and district level health policy plans (ii) strengthen the health promotion capacity in the two Provinces; and (iii) support the development of tools to monitor and evaluate health promotion interventions. Starting from a situation analysis and identification of priority health issues and existing actions in each Province, capacity-building workshops were organized for senior participants from various sectors. Community-based health promotion interventions were then planned and implemented in both Provinces. A systematic evaluation of the project involving an internal audit of project activities and results based on document analysis, site visits, focus groups and interviews with key persons demonstrated that stakeholders in both Provinces saw an increase of capacity in terms of networking, knowledge transfer, problem solving, and to a lesser extent infrastructure. Health promotion had been well integrated in the Provincial health plans, and roll-out processes with local stakeholders had started after the conclusion of the project. The development of tools for monitoring and evaluation of health promotion was less well achieved. The project illustrates how capacities to deliver health promotion interventions in a developing country can be enhanced through international collaboration. The conceptual model of capacity building that served as a basis for the project provided a useful framework to plan, identify and assess the key components of health promotion capacity in an African context.

Automatic speech recognition and training for severely dysarthric users of assistive technology: the STARDUST project.

PubMed

Parker, Mark; Cunningham, Stuart; Enderby, Pam; Hawley, Mark; Green, Phil

2006-01-01

The STARDUST project developed robust computer speech recognizers for use by eight people with severe dysarthria and concomitant physical disability to access assistive technologies. Independent computer speech recognizers trained with normal speech are of limited functional use by those with severe dysarthria due to limited and inconsistent proximity to "normal" articulatory patterns. Severe dysarthric output may also be characterized by a small mass of distinguishable phonetic tokens making the acoustic differentiation of target words difficult. Speaker dependent computer speech recognition using Hidden Markov Models was achieved by the identification of robust phonetic elements within the individual speaker output patterns. A new system of speech training using computer generated visual and auditory feedback reduced the inconsistent production of key phonetic tokens over time.

MIGHTEE: The MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, A. Russ; Jarvis, Matt

2017-05-01

The MeerKAT telescope is the precursor of the Square Kilometre Array mid-frequency dish array to be deployed later this decade on the African continent. MIGHTEE is one of the MeerKAT large survey projects designed to pathfind SKA key science in cosmology and galaxy evolution. Through a tiered radio continuum deep imaging project including several fields totaling 20 square degrees to microJy sensitivities and an ultra-deep image of a single 1 square degree field of view, MIGHTEE will explore dark matter and large scale structure, the evolution of galaxies, including AGN activity and star formation as a function of cosmic time and environment, the emergence and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies, and the magnetic counter part to large scale structure of the universe.

A pilot project to detect and forecast harmful algal blooms in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

PubMed

Fisher, William S; Malone, Thomas C; Giattina, James D

2003-01-01

More timely access to data and information on the initiation, evolution and effects of harmful algal blooms can reduce adverse impacts on valued natural resources and human health. To achieve this in the northern Gulf of Mexico, a pilot project was initiated to develop a user-driven, end-to-end (measurements to applications) observing system. A key strategy of the project is to coordinate existing state, federal and academic programs at an unprecedented level of collaboration and partnership. Resource managers charged with protection of public health and aquatic resources require immediate notice of algal events and a forecast of when, where and what adverse effects will likely occur. Further, managers require integrated analyses and interpretations, rather than raw data, to make effective decisions. Consequently, a functional observing system must collect and transform diverse measurements into usable forecasts. Data needed to support development of forecasts will include such properties as sea surface temperature, winds, currents and waves; precipitation and freshwater flows with related discharges of sediment and nutrients; salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll concentrations (in vivo fluorescence); and remotely-sensed spatial images of sea surface chlorophyll concentrations. These data will be provided via a mixture of discrete and autonomous in situ sensing with near real-time data telemetry, and remote sensing from space (SeaWiFS), aircraft (hyperspectral imagery) or land (high-frequency radar). With calibration across these platforms, the project will ultimately provide a 4-dimensional visualization of harmful algae events in a time frame suitable to resource managers.

Lessons learned from national food fortification projects: experiences from Morocco, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

PubMed

Wirth, James P; Laillou, Arnaud; Rohner, Fabian; Northrop-Clewes, Christine A; Macdonald, Barbara; Moench-Pfanner, Regina

2012-12-01

Fortification of staple foods has been repeatedly recommended as an effective approach to reduce micronutrient deficiencies. With the increased number of fortification projects globally, there is a need to share practical lessons learned relating to their implementation and responses to project-related and external challenges. To document the achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and management responses associated with national fortification projects in Morocco, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. Independent end-of-project evaluations conducted for each project served as the primary data source and contain the history of and project activities undertaken for, each fortification project. Other sources, including national policy documents, project reports from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and other stakeholders, industry assessments, and peer-reviewed articles, were used to document the current responses to challenges and future project plans. All projects had key achievements related to the development of fortification standards and the procurement of equipment for participating industry partners. Mandatory fortification of wheat flour was a key success in Morocco and Uzbekistan. Ensuring the quality of fortified foods was a common challenge experienced across the projects, as were shifts in consumption patterns and market structures. Adjustments were made to the projects' design to address the challenges faced. National fortification projects are dynamic and must be continually modified in response to specific performance issues and broader shifts in market structure and consumption patterns.

Strengthening TB infection control in specialized health facilities in Romania--using a participatory approach.

PubMed

Turusbekova, N; Popa, C; Dragos, M; van der Werf, M J; Dinca, I

2016-02-01

In 2012, the tuberculosis (TB) notification rate among Romanian TB facility doctors and nurses was 7.2 times higher than in the general population. This indicates that transmission is ongoing inside TB facilities and that TB infection control measures are insufficient. To help prevent nosocomial TB transmission a project was implemented that aimed at providing nationwide tailor-made technical assistance in TB infection control (TB-IC) in TB treatment facilities, including the development of TB infection control plans. The objective of the present article is to describe the implementation of the project and to discuss successes and challenges. The project was an implementation study using two methods of evaluation: (1) a cross sectional questionnaire study; and (2) collection of information, during the training, on challenges related to infection control and to the project implementation. The project team developed a TB facility infection control (TB-IC) plan template, together with the Romanian experts. The template was discussed and agreed upon with the experts at a meeting and thereafter distributed by email to all TB facilities. Afterwards, a training of trainers (TOT) seminar was organized which included the provision of information about different training methods, as well as information about TB-IC. The TOT was followed by training for key TB-IC providers. Information about use of the TB-IC template was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire sent to all participants of the expert meeting and the training (42 people). Additionally, non-systematized discussions were held on broader challenges in TB-IC implementation during the training. Within the project 42 key TB-IC service providers were trained in TB-IC, including 9 who were trained at a TOT seminar. The trainees were specialists working at the national level, such as country TB coordinators, or at the TB facility level: TB doctors, epidemiologists, laboratory specialists and maintenance engineers. Out of 42 key TB-IC service providers who were trained, only eighteen responded to the questionnaire (no reminders were sent). Out of these, 14 had used the TB-IC plan template after the project team disseminated it to them by email. The remaining four TB-IC service providers indicated that they were planning to use the template to develop or update their facility TB-IC plans. Related to the use of TB-IC plan template, the following broader challenges in TB-IC were identified: a lack of authority of the individuals responsible for TB-IC to implement the TB-IC measures, lack of training among facility epidemiologists on TB, underdeveloped system for reporting TB in healthcare workers, difficulties with triage of the TB suspects, and poor facility infrastructure hampering implementation of TB-IC measures. Implementing TB-IC plans in Romanian health care facilities proved to be challenging, mainly due to the fact that the national infection control plan for TB was not yet adopted at the time of project implementation, and therefore there was neither a regulatory framework to support TB facility-IC planning nor any related budget allocations for the implementation of the facilities' TB-IC plans. Nonetheless, most respondents who answered the questionnaire (18 of 42 responded) indicated that they had started using the TB-IC plan template, which represents a full package of infection control measures that, when implemented effectively and in its entirety, may be expected to reduce nosocomial transmission. The study's limitations are: very low survey response rate, thus there is a likelihood of responder bias. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Using Coworker Observations to Promote Accountability for Disrespectful and Unsafe Behaviors by Physicians and Advanced Practice Professionals.

PubMed

Webb, Lynn E; Dmochowski, Roger R; Moore, Ilene N; Pichert, James W; Catron, Thomas F; Troyer, Michelle; Martinez, William; Cooper, William O; Hickson, Gerald B

2016-04-01

Health care team members are well positioned to observe disrespectful and unsafe conduct-behaviors known to undermine team function. Based on experience in sharing patient complaints with physicians who subsequently achieved decreased complaints and malpractice risk, Vanderbilt University Medical Center developed and assessed the feasibility of the Co-Worker Observation Reporting System(SM) (CORS (SM)) for addressing coworkers' reported concerns. VUMC leaders used a "Project Bundle" readiness assessment, which entailed identification and development of key people, organizational supports, and systems. Methods involved gaining leadership buy-in, recruiting and training key individuals, aligning the project with organizational values and policies, promoting reporting, monitoring reports, and employing a tiered intervention process to address reported coworker concerns. Peer messengers shared coworker reports with the physicians and advanced practice professionals associated with at least one report 84% of the time. Since CORS inception, 3% of the medical staff was associated with a pattern of CORS reports, and 71% of recipients of pattern-related interventions were not named in any subsequent reports in a one-year follow-up period. Systematic monitoring of documented co-worker observations about unprofessional conduct and sharing that information with involved professionals are feasible. Feasibility requires organizationwide implementation; co-workers willing and able to share respectful, nonjudgmental, timely feedback designed initially to encourage self-reflection; and leadership committed to be more directive if needed. Follow-up surveillance indicates that the majority of professionals "self-regulate" after receiving CORS data.

Habitat Demonstration Unit Project: Leadership and Management Strategies for a Rapid Prototyping Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Kriss J.; Toup, Larry; Gill, Tracy; Tri, Terry; Howe, Scott; Smitherman, David

2011-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led multi-center Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) project leadership and management strategies being used by the NASA HDU team for a rapid prototyping project. The HDU project team constructed and tested an analog prototype lunar surface habitat/laboratory called the Pressurized Excursion Module (PEM) during 2010. The prototype unit subsystems were integrated in a short amount of time, utilizing a tiger team rapid prototyping approach that brought together over 20 habitation-related technologies and innovations from a variety of NASA centers. This paper describes the leadership and management strategies as well as lessons learned pertaining to leading and managing a multi-center diverse team in a rapid prototype environment. The PEM configuration went from a paper design to an operational surface habitat demonstration unit in less than 12 months. The HDU project is part of the strategic plan from the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Directorate Integration Office (DIO) and the Exploration Mission Systems Office (EMSO) to test destination elements in analog environments. The 2011 HDU-Deep Space Habitat (DSH) configuration will build upon the PEM work, and emphasize validity of crew operations (remote working and living), EVA operations, mission operations, logistics operations, and science operations that might be required in a deep space context for Near Earth Object (NEO) exploration mission architectures. The 2011 HDU-DSH will be field-tested during the 2011 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (DRaTS) field tests. The HDU project is a "technology-pull" project that integrates technologies and innovations from multiple NASA centers. This project will repurpose the HDU 2010 demo unit that was field tested in the 2010 DRaTS, adding habitation functionality to the prototype unit. This paper will describe the strategy of establishing a multi-center project management team that put in place the key multi-center leadership skills and disciplines to enable a successful tiger team approach. Advocacy was established with key stakeholders and NASA Headquarters (HQ) by defining a strategic vision, mission, goals and objectives for the project and team. As a technology-pull testbed capability the HDU project was able to collaborate and leverage the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) and individual NASA center investments which capitalized on their respective center core competencies and skills. This approach enable the leveraging of over $7.5m of value to create an operational habitat demonstration unit 2010 PEM configuration.

iThesis: Polly's project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conti, Alvaro

2013-01-01

This paper outlines an attempt to loosen the existing role and structure of the traditional "thesis" as the key undergraduate learning instrument within universities in Thailand. It does so by describing an exemplary project -- Polly's project - that uses technology to facilitate an exit from the "regulatory space" in which…

Allocation of control rights in the PPP Project: a cooperative game model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunhua; Feng, Jingchun; Yang, Shengtao

2017-06-01

Reasonable allocation of control rights is the key to the success of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. PPP are services or ventures which are financed and operated through cooperation between governmental and private sector actors and which involve reasonable control rights sharing between these two partners. After professional firm with capital and technology as a shareholder participating in PPP project firms, the PPP project is diversified in participants and input resources. Meanwhile the allocation of control rights of PPP project tends to be complicated. According to the diversification of participants and input resources of PPP projects, the key participants are divided into professional firms and pure investors. Based on the cost of repurchase of different input resources in markets, the cooperative game relationship between these two parties is analyzed, on the basis of which the allocation model of the cooperative game for control rights is constructed to ensure optimum allocation ration of control rights and verify the share of control rights in proportion to the cost of repurchase.

Project visual analysis for the Allegheny National Forest

Treesearch

Gary W. Kell

1979-01-01

The Project Visual Analysis is a landscape assessment procedure involving forest vegetative manipulation. A logical step by step analysis leads the user to a specific set of landscape management guidelines to be used as an aid in designing a project or in evaluating whether the proposed project impacts will meet visual objectives. Key elements within the procedure are...

Inspire: The Quest for a Coherent Curriculum through a Performing Arts-Focused Curriculum Integration Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlisle, Katie

2011-01-01

The author reports on the formation of a performing arts-focused curriculum integration project, in which key components of curriculum integration were employed within a project-focus involving the performing arts of music, theater, and dance. The project occurred within a curricular community partnership between a public school and nearby…

Sustainable Seas Student Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boesel, A.; Soave, K.; Dean, A.; Grimaldi, Z.; Buie, A.; Dattels, C.; Steiger, C.; Wallace, K.; Salmi, I.; Tillapaugh, J.

2011-12-01

Kathy Soave, Amy Dean, Alexa Boesel, Andrew Buie, Celia Dattels, Zoe Grimaldi, Isabella Salmi, Cameryn Steiger, Joey Tillapaugh, Kathleen Wallace The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of this student-run project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and the requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students identify and count key invertebrate and algae species along two permanent transects and, using randomly determined points, within a permanent 100 m2 area, three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring). Using the data collected since 2004, we will once again compare population densities, seasonal abundance and long-term population trends of key algal and invertebrate species, including Tegula funebralis and Anthopluera elegantissima. Future analyses and investigations will include intertidal abiotic factors (including water temperature and human foot-traffic) to enhance insights into the workings of the Duxbury Reef ecosystem, in particular, the high and mid-intertidal zones experiencing the greatest amount of human impacts. Kathy Soave The Branson School 39 Fernhill Rd. Ross, CA 94957 (415) 454-3612 x 323 Amy Dean Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386 San Francisco, CA 94129, 415-561-6625 x 303 AGU Sponsor, Jennifer Saltzman, AGU membership number 10579665

Parthiv Kurup | NREL

Science.gov Websites

generation Focus on CSP, and projects in Wind, Geothermal and Hydropower Business Development e.g. customer interaction, solution of key Customer problems, scope development of projects and helping the

The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black belt: a proof of concept project.

PubMed

Savage, Robert M; Dillon, Jacqueline M; Hammel, Jacinda C; Lewis, Tonia C; Johnson, Natasha C; Barlow, Lafon M; Brooms, Molly M; Moore, Patricia M; Parker, Henry E; Rodney, Kanini Z

2013-02-01

The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black was a demonstration of concept project. This paper is a descriptive and qualitative overview of this 2.5 year project. Limited key project results are reported here. Located in the rural Black Belt region of Alabama this coalition had several key aims: to develop a collaboration between primary care and mental health care through co-location of services; use of video-conferencing capability to provide mental health services more efficiently; enhanced training in rural healthcare; and development of stigma reduction campaigns along with other coalition partner specific initiatives. Co-location and telepsychiatry implementation produced the major challenges and resulting adaptations to original aims. Despite many challenges these new service patterns were put into place and appear to be sustainable.

Establishing a faith-based organisation nursing school within a national primary health care programme in rural Tanzania: an auto-ethnographic case study.

PubMed

Bischoff, Alexander

2016-01-01

In 2007, the Tanzanian government called for improvements in its primary health care services. Part of this initiative was to accelerate the training rate for nurses qualified to work in rural areas. The aim of this study was to reflect on the issues experienced whilst establishing and implementing a faith-based organisation (FBO) nursing school and make recommendations for other similar initiatives. This paper describes an auto-ethnographic case study design to identify the key difficulties involved with establishing and implementing a new nursing school, and which factors helped the project achieve its goals. Six themes emerged from the experiences that shaped the course of the project: 1) Motivation can be sustained if the rationale of the project is in line with its aims. Indeed, the project's primary health care focus was to strengthen the nursing workforce and build a public-private partnership with an FBO. All these were strengths, which helped in the midst of all the uncertainties. 2) Communication was an important and often underrated factor for all types of development projects. 3) Managing the unknown and 4) managing expectations characterised the project inception. Almost all themes had to do with 5) handling conflicts. With so many participants having their own agendas, tensions were unavoidable. A final theme was 6) the need to adjust to ever-changing targets. This retrospective auto-ethnographic manuscript serves as a small-scale case study, to illustrate how issues that can be generalised to other settings can be deconstructed to demonstrate how they influence health development projects in developing countries. From this narrative of experiences, key recommendations include the following: 1) Find the right ratio of stakeholders, participants, and agendas, and do not overload the project; 2) Be alert and communicate as much as possible with staff and do not ignore issues hoping they will solve themselves; 3) Think flexibly and do not stubbornly stick to original plans that might not be working; 4) Be realistic and do not romanticise. Embarking on such a project was a timely response to the Tanzanian's government call for strengthening Primary Health Care and for rapidly accelerating the training of nurses able to work in rural areas.

Establishing a faith-based organisation nursing school within a national primary health care programme in rural Tanzania: an auto-ethnographic case study

PubMed Central

Bischoff, Alexander

2016-01-01

Background In 2007, the Tanzanian government called for improvements in its primary health care services. Part of this initiative was to accelerate the training rate for nurses qualified to work in rural areas. The aim of this study was to reflect on the issues experienced whilst establishing and implementing a faith-based organisation (FBO) nursing school and make recommendations for other similar initiatives. Design This paper describes an auto-ethnographic case study design to identify the key difficulties involved with establishing and implementing a new nursing school, and which factors helped the project achieve its goals. Results Six themes emerged from the experiences that shaped the course of the project: 1) Motivation can be sustained if the rationale of the project is in line with its aims. Indeed, the project's primary health care focus was to strengthen the nursing workforce and build a public–private partnership with an FBO. All these were strengths, which helped in the midst of all the uncertainties. 2) Communication was an important and often underrated factor for all types of development projects. 3) Managing the unknown and 4) managing expectations characterised the project inception. Almost all themes had to do with 5) handling conflicts. With so many participants having their own agendas, tensions were unavoidable. A final theme was 6) the need to adjust to ever-changing targets. Conclusions This retrospective auto-ethnographic manuscript serves as a small-scale case study, to illustrate how issues that can be generalised to other settings can be deconstructed to demonstrate how they influence health development projects in developing countries. From this narrative of experiences, key recommendations include the following: 1) Find the right ratio of stakeholders, participants, and agendas, and do not overload the project; 2) Be alert and communicate as much as possible with staff and do not ignore issues hoping they will solve themselves; 3) Think flexibly and do not stubbornly stick to original plans that might not be working; 4) Be realistic and do not romanticise. Embarking on such a project was a timely response to the Tanzanian's government call for strengthening Primary Health Care and for rapidly accelerating the training of nurses able to work in rural areas. PMID:27238652

Integration and timing of basic and clinical sciences education.

PubMed

Bandiera, Glen; Boucher, Andree; Neville, Alan; Kuper, Ayelet; Hodges, Brian

2013-05-01

Medical education has traditionally been compartmentalized into basic and clinical sciences, with the latter being viewed as the skillful application of the former. Over time, the relevance of basic sciences has become defined by their role in supporting clinical problem solving rather than being, of themselves, a defining knowledge base of physicians. As part of the national Future of Medical Education in Canada (FMEC MD) project, a comprehensive empirical environmental scan identified the timing and integration of basic sciences as a key pressing issue for medical education. Using the literature review, key informant interviews, stakeholder meetings, and subsequent consultation forums from the FMEC project, this paper details the empirical basis for focusing on the role of basic science, the evidentiary foundations for current practices, and the implications for medical education. Despite a dearth of definitive relevant studies, opinions about how best to integrate the sciences remain strong. Resource allocation, political power, educational philosophy, and the shift from a knowledge-based to a problem-solving profession all influence the debate. There was little disagreement that both sciences are important, that many traditional models emphasized deep understanding of limited basic science disciplines at the expense of other relevant content such as social sciences, or that teaching the sciences contemporaneously rather than sequentially has theoretical and practical merit. Innovations in integrated curriculum design have occurred internationally. Less clear are the appropriate balance of the sciences, the best integration model, and solutions to the political and practical challenges of integrated curricula. New curricula tend to emphasize integration, development of more diverse physician competencies, and preparation of physicians to adapt to evolving technology and patients' expectations. Refocusing the basic/clinical dichotomy to a foundational/applied model may yield benefits in training widely competent future physicians.

INCREASE: Innovation and Networking for the integration of Coastal Radars into European mArine SErvices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mader, Julien; Rubio, Anna; Asensio Igoa, Jose Luis; Corgnati, Lorenzo; Mantovani, Carlo; Griffa, Annalisa; Gorringe, Patrick; Alba, Marco; Novellino, Antonio

2017-04-01

High Frequency radar (HFR) is a land-based remote sensing instrument offering a unique insight to coastal ocean variability, by providing synoptic, high frequency and high resolution data at the ocean atmosphere interface. HFRs have become invaluable tools in the field of operational oceanography for measuring surface currents, waves and winds, with direct applications in different sectors and an unprecedented potential for the integrated management of the coastal zone. To further the use of HFRs into the Copernicus Marine environment monitoring service, CMEMS, is becoming crucial to ensure the improved management of several related key issues such as Marine Safety, Marine Resources, Coastal & Marine Environment, Weather, Climate & Seasonal Forecast. In this context, INCREASE (Innovation and Networking for the integration of Coastal Radars into European mArine SErvices) project aims to set the necessary developments towards the integration of the existing European HFR operational systems into the CMEMS, following five main objectives: (i) Define and implement a common data and metadata model for HFR real-time data; (ii) Provide HFR quality controlled real-time surface currents and key derived products; (iii) Set the basis for the management of historical data and methodologies for advanced delayed mode quality-control techniques; (iv) Advance the use of HFR data for improving CMEMS numerical modelling systems; and (v) Enable an HFR European operational node to ensure the link with operational CMEMS. In cooperation with other ongoing initiatives (like the EuroGOOS HFR Task Team and the European project JERICO_NEXT), INCREASE has already set up the data management infrastructure to manage and make discoverable and accessible near real time data from 30 systems in Europe. This paper presents the achieved results and available products and features.

[Analysis and research of brain-computer interface experiments for imaging left-right hands movement].

PubMed

Wu, Yazhou; He, Qinghua; Huang, Hua; Zhang, Ling; Zhuo, Yu; Xie, Qi; Wu, Baoming

2008-10-01

This is a research carried out to explore a pragmatic way of BCI based imaging movement, i. e. to extract the feature of EEG for reflecting different thinking by searching suitable methods of signal extraction and recognition algorithm processing, to boost the recognition rate of communication for BCI system, and finally to establish a substantial theory and experimental support for BCI application. In this paper, different mental tasks for imaging left-right hands movement from 6 subjects were studied in three different time sections (hint keying at 2s, 1s and 0s after appearance of arrow). Then we used wavelet analysis and Feed-forward Back-propagation Neural Network (BP-NN) method for processing and analyzing the experimental data of off-line. Delay time delta t2, delta t1 and delta t0 for all subjects in the three different time sections were analyzed. There was significant difference between delta to and delta t2 or delta t1 (P<0.05), but no significant difference was noted between delta t2 and delta t1 (P>0.05). The average results of recognition rate were 65%, 86.67% and 72%, respectively. There were obviously different features for imaging left-right hands movement about 0.5-1s before actual movement; these features displayed significant difference. We got higher recognition rate of communication under the hint keying at about 1s after the appearance of arrow. These showed the feasibility of using the feature signals extracted from the project as the external control signals for BCI system, and demon strated that the project provided new ideas and methods for feature extraction and classification of mental tasks for BCI.

Handbook of Techniques and Guides for the Study of the San Francisco Bay-Delta-Estuary Complex, Part 5. Keys to the Freshwater and Anadromous Fishes of California.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimsey, J. B.; Fisk, Leonard O.

1960-01-01

This key to freshwater and anadromous fishes of California is included as the fifth of a series of guides being produced by Project MER (Marine Ecology Research). This project is part of the effort to improve environmental education in the San Francisco Bay Area schools by gathering and organizing data on the ecological character of the San…

Organizing Asian Pacific Islanders in an urban community to reduce HIV risk: a case study.

PubMed

Loue, S; Lloyd, L S; Phoombour, E

1996-10-01

We present a case study of community organization efforts within the Asian Pacific Islander communities of San Diego County to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. We utilized a five-phase process to implement the strategies of locality development, social planning, and social action: community analysis, program design and initiation, program implementation, program maintenance and consolidation, and program reassessment. An evaluation of the process indicates that there were increases over time in the project's activities as well as in the levels of interagency connectedness. This is one of the few reported efforts to organize Asian Pacific Islander groups to address HIV transmission. Key elements that led to the successful organization of the original project into a tax-exempt nonprofit entity (the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project) were emphasis on community ownership, reliance on group consensus, use of "gatekeepers" to access communities, simultaneous multilevel programming, and service to the community as a "coordinating" entity.

Qualitative research and the profound grasp of the obvious.

PubMed Central

Hurley, R E

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the value of promoting coexistent and complementary relationships between qualitative and quantitative research methods as illustrated by presentations made by four respected health services researchers who described their experiences in multi-method projects. DATA SOURCES: Presentations and publications related to the four research projects, which described key substantive and methodological areas that had been addressed with qualitative techniques. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sponsor interest in timely, insightful, and reality-anchored evidence has provided a strong base of support for the incorporation of qualitative methods into major contemporary policy research studies. In addition, many issues may be suitable for study only with qualitative methods because of their complexity, their emergent nature, or because of the need to revisit and reexamine previously untested assumptions. CONCLUSION: Experiences from the four projects, as well as from other recent health services studies with major qualitative components, support the assertion that the interests of sponsors in the policy realm and pressure from them suppress some of the traditional tensions and antagonisms between qualitative and quantitative methods. PMID:10591276

Methods used and lessons learnt in conducting document reviews of medical and allied health curricula - a key step in curriculum evaluation.

PubMed

Rohwer, Anke; Schoonees, Anel; Young, Taryn

2014-11-02

This paper describes the process, our experience and the lessons learnt in doing document reviews of health science curricula. Since we could not find relevant literature to guide us on how to approach these reviews, we feel that sharing our experience would benefit researchers embarking on similar projects. We followed a rigorous, transparent, pre-specified approach that included the preparation of a protocol, a pre-piloted data extraction form and coding schedule. Data were extracted, analysed and synthesised. Quality checks were included at all stages of the process. The main lessons we learnt related to time and project management, continuous quality assurance, selecting the software that meets the needs of the project, involving experts as needed and disseminating the findings to relevant stakeholders. A complete curriculum evaluation comprises, apart from a document review, interviews with students and lecturers to assess the learnt and taught curricula respectively. Rigorous methods must be used to ensure an objective assessment.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array: Exploring the Very-high-energy Sky from ESO's Paranal Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, W.

2017-06-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a next-generation observatory for ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, using the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique to detect and reconstruct gamma-ray induced air showers. The CTA project is planning to deploy 19 telescopes on its northern La Palma site, and 99 telescopes on its southern site at Paranal, covering the 20 GeV to 300 TeV energy domain and offering vastly improved performance compared to currently operating Cherenkov telescopes. The combination of three different telescope sizes (23-, 12- and 4-metre) allows cost-effective coverage of the wide energy range. CTA will be operated as a user facility, dividing observation time between a guest observer programme and large Key Science Projects (KSPs), and the data will be made public after a one-year proprietary period. The history of the project, the implementation of the arrays, and some of the major science goals and KSPs, are briefly summarised.

Evaluation of Health Equity Impact of Structural Policies: Overview of Research Methods Used in the SOPHIE Project.

PubMed

Kunst, Anton E

2017-07-01

This article briefly assesses the research methods that were applied in the SOPHIE project to evaluate the impact of structural policies on population health and health inequalities. The evaluation of structural policies is one of the key methodological challenges in today's public health. The experience in the SOPHIE project was that mixed methods are essential to identify, understand, and predict the health impact of structural policies. On the one hand, quantitative studies that included spatial comparisons or time trend analyses, preferably in a quasi-experimental design, showed that some structural policies were associated with improved population health and smaller health inequalities. On the other hand, qualitative studies, often inspired by realist approaches, were important to understand how these policies could have achieved the observed impact and why they would succeed in some settings but fail in others. This review ends with five recommendations for future studies that aim to evaluate, understand, and predict how health inequalities can be reduced through structural policies.

Computer Training for Entrepreneurial Meteorologists.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koval, Joseph P.; Young, George S.

2001-05-01

Computer applications of increasing diversity form a growing part of the undergraduate education of meteorologists in the early twenty-first century. The advent of the Internet economy, as well as a waning demand for traditional forecasters brought about by better numerical models and statistical forecasting techniques has greatly increased the need for operational and commercial meteorologists to acquire computer skills beyond the traditional techniques of numerical analysis and applied statistics. Specifically, students with the skills to develop data distribution products are in high demand in the private sector job market. Meeting these demands requires greater breadth, depth, and efficiency in computer instruction. The authors suggest that computer instruction for undergraduate meteorologists should include three key elements: a data distribution focus, emphasis on the techniques required to learn computer programming on an as-needed basis, and a project orientation to promote management skills and support student morale. In an exploration of this approach, the authors have reinvented the Applications of Computers to Meteorology course in the Department of Meteorology at The Pennsylvania State University to teach computer programming within the framework of an Internet product development cycle. Because the computer skills required for data distribution programming change rapidly, specific languages are valuable for only a limited time. A key goal of this course was therefore to help students learn how to retrain efficiently as technologies evolve. The crux of the course was a semester-long project during which students developed an Internet data distribution product. As project management skills are also important in the job market, the course teamed students in groups of four for this product development project. The success, failures, and lessons learned from this experiment are discussed and conclusions drawn concerning undergraduate instructional methods for computer applications in meteorology.

Problems with the application of hydrogeological science to regulation of Australian mining projects: Carmichael Mine and Doongmabulla Springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currell, Matthew J.; Werner, Adrian D.; McGrath, Chris; Webb, John A.; Berkman, Michael

2017-05-01

Understanding and managing impacts from mining on groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and other groundwater users requires development of defensible science supported by adequate field data. This usually leads to the creation of predictive models and analysis of the likely impacts of mining and their accompanying uncertainties. The identification, monitoring and management of impacts on GDEs are often a key component of mine approvals, which need to consider and attempt to minimise the risks that negative impacts may arise. Here we examine a case study where approval for a large mining project in Australia (Carmichael Coal Mine) was challenged in court on the basis that it may result in more extensive impacts on a GDE (Doongmabulla Springs) of high ecological and cultural significance than predicted by the proponent. We show that throughout the environmental assessment and approval process, significant data gaps and scientific uncertainties remained unresolved. Evidence shows that the assumed conceptual hydrogeological model for the springs could be incorrect, and that at least one alternative conceptualisation (that the springs are dependent on a deep fault) is consistent with the available field data. Assumptions made about changes to spring flow as a consequence of mine-induced drawdown also appear problematic, with significant implications for the spring-fed wetlands. Despite the large scale of the project, it appears that critical scientific data required to resolve uncertainties and construct robust models of the springs' relationship to the groundwater system were lacking at the time of approval, contributing to uncertainty and conflict. For this reason, we recommend changes to the approval process that would require a higher standard of scientific information to be collected and reviewed, particularly in relation to key environmental assets during the environmental impact assessment process in future projects.

Systems engineering implementation in the preliminary design phase of the Giant Magellan Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maiten, J.; Johns, M.; Trancho, G.; Sawyer, D.; Mady, P.

2012-09-01

Like many telescope projects today, the 24.5-meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is truly a complex system. The primary and secondary mirrors of the GMT are segmented and actuated to support two operating modes: natural seeing and adaptive optics. GMT is a general-purpose telescope supporting multiple science instruments operated in those modes. GMT is a large, diverse collaboration and development includes geographically distributed teams. The need to implement good systems engineering processes for managing the development of systems like GMT becomes imperative. The management of the requirements flow down from the science requirements to the component level requirements is an inherently difficult task in itself. The interfaces must also be negotiated so that the interactions between subsystems and assemblies are well defined and controlled. This paper will provide an overview of the systems engineering processes and tools implemented for the GMT project during the preliminary design phase. This will include requirements management, documentation and configuration control, interface development and technical risk management. Because of the complexity of the GMT system and the distributed team, using web-accessible tools for collaboration is vital. To accomplish this GMTO has selected three tools: Cognition Cockpit, Xerox Docushare, and Solidworks Enterprise Product Data Management (EPDM). Key to this is the use of Cockpit for managing and documenting the product tree, architecture, error budget, requirements, interfaces, and risks. Additionally, drawing management is accomplished using an EPDM vault. Docushare, a documentation and configuration management tool is used to manage workflow of documents and drawings for the GMT project. These tools electronically facilitate collaboration in real time, enabling the GMT team to track, trace and report on key project metrics and design parameters.

A conceptual framework for hydropeaking mitigation.

PubMed

Bruder, Andreas; Tonolla, Diego; Schweizer, Steffen P; Vollenweider, Stefan; Langhans, Simone D; Wüest, Alfred

2016-10-15

Hydropower plants are an important source of renewable energy. In the near future, high-head storage hydropower plants will gain further importance as a key element of large-scale electricity production systems. However, these power plants can cause hydropeaking which is characterized by intense unnatural discharge fluctuations in downstream river reaches. Consequences on environmental conditions in these sections are diverse and include changes to the hydrology, hydraulics and sediment regime on very short time scales. These altered conditions affect river ecosystems and biota, for instance due to drift and stranding of fishes and invertebrates. Several structural and operational measures exist to mitigate hydropeaking and the adverse effects on ecosystems, but estimating and predicting their ecological benefit remains challenging. We developed a conceptual framework to support the ecological evaluation of hydropeaking mitigation measures based on current mitigation projects in Switzerland and the scientific literature. We refined this framework with an international panel of hydropeaking experts. The framework is based on a set of indicators, which covers all hydrological phases of hydropeaking and the most important affected abiotic and biotic processes. Effects of mitigation measures on these indicators can be predicted quantitatively using prediction tools such as discharge scenarios and numerical habitat models. Our framework allows a comparison of hydropeaking effects among alternative mitigation measures, to the pre-mitigation situation, and to reference river sections. We further identified key issues that should be addressed to increase the efficiency of current and future projects. They include the spatial and temporal context of mitigation projects, the interactions of river morphology with hydropeaking effects, and the role of appropriate monitoring to evaluate the success of mitigation projects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE's Tribal Energy Program Offers Resources

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

Douglas C. MacCourt, Chair, Indian Law Practice, Ater Wynne LLP

2010-06-01

This handbook is an accessible reference for those who are new to tribal energy project development or who seek a refresher on key development issues as they navigate the project development process. Building upon the wealth of feedback and experiences shared by tribal and other participants in tribal energy workshops conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, it is designed to provide tribal leaders, tribal economic and energy enterprises, and those supporting them with a general overview of the renewable energy project development process. It includes information on how to structure a renewable energy project transaction to protect tribal interests,more » with an emphasis on joint project development efforts undertaken with nontribal parties; a general overview of key energy development agreements, including power sale agreements, transmission and interconnection agreements, and land leases; and a detailed discussion of ways tribes can finance renewable energy projects, the sources of funding or financing that may be available, the types of investors that may be available, and federal tax incentives for renewable energy projects. The guide also includes a glossary of some of the most commonly used technical terms.« less

Managing the Development of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irace, William; Cutri, Roc; Duval, Valerie; Eisenhardt, Peter; Elwell, John; Greanias, George; Heinrichsen, Ingolf; Howard, Joan; Liu, Feng-Chuan; Royer, Donald;

Managing IT service management implementation complexity: from the perspective of the Warfield Version of systems science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Jiangping; Jones, James D.

2013-11-01

The Warfield version of systems science supports a wide variety of application areas, and is useful to practitioners who use the work program of complexity (WPOC) tool. In this article, WPOC is applied to information technology service management (ITSM) for managing the complexity of projects. In discussing the application of WPOC to ITSM, we discuss several steps of WPOC. The discovery step of WPOC consists of a description process and a diagnosis process. During the description process, 52 risk factors are identified, which are then narrowed to 20 key risk factors. All of this is done by interviews and surveys. Root risk factors (the most basic risk factors) consist of 11 kinds of common 'mindbugs' which are selected from an interpretive structural model. This is achieved by empirical analysis of 25 kinds of mindbugs. (A lesser aim of this research is to affirm that these mindbugs developed from a Western mindset have corresponding relevance in a completely different culture: the Peoples Republic of China.) During the diagnosis process, the relationships among the root risk factors in the implementation of the ITSM project are identified. The resolution step of WPOC consists of a design process and an implementation process. During the design process, issues related to the ITSM application are compared to both e-Government operation and maintenance, and software process improvement. The ITSM knowledge support structure is also designed at this time. During the implementation process, 10 keys to the successful implementation of ITSM projects are identified.

Managing distributed software development in the Virtual Astronomical Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Janet D.; Plante, Raymond L.; Boneventura, Nina; Busko, Ivo; Cresitello-Dittmar, Mark; D'Abrusco, Raffaele; Doe, Stephen; Ebert, Rick; Laurino, Omar; Pevunova, Olga; Refsdal, Brian; Thomas, Brian

2012-09-01

The U.S. Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO) is a product-driven organization that provides new scientific research capabilities to the astronomical community. Software development for the VAO follows a lightweight framework that guides development of science applications and infrastructure. Challenges to be overcome include distributed development teams, part-time efforts, and highly constrained schedules. We describe the process we followed to conquer these challenges while developing Iris, the VAO application for analysis of 1-D astronomical spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Iris was successfully built and released in less than a year with a team distributed across four institutions. The project followed existing International Virtual Observatory Alliance inter-operability standards for spectral data and contributed a SED library as a by-product of the project. We emphasize lessons learned that will be folded into future development efforts. In our experience, a well-defined process that provides guidelines to ensure the project is cohesive and stays on track is key to success. Internal product deliveries with a planned test and feedback loop are critical. Release candidates are measured against use cases established early in the process, and provide the opportunity to assess priorities and make course corrections during development. Also key is the participation of a stakeholder such as a lead scientist who manages the technical questions, advises on priorities, and is actively involved as a lead tester. Finally, frequent scheduled communications (for example a bi-weekly tele-conference) assure issues are resolved quickly and the team is working toward a common vision.

Language Preservation: the Language of Science as a bridge to the Native American Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, C. J.; Martin, M.; Grant, G.

2009-12-01

Many Native American communities recognize that the retention of their language, and the need to make the language relevant to the technological age we live in, represents one of their largest and most urgent challenges. Almost 70 percent of Navajos speak their tribal language in the home, and 25 per cent do not know English very well. In contrast, only 30 percent of Native Americans as a whole speak their own tribal language in the home. For the Cherokee and the Chippewa, less than 10 percent speak the native language in the home. And for the Navajo, the number of first graders who solely speak English is almost four times higher than it was in 1970. The U.S. Rosetta Project is the NASA contribution to the International Rosetta Mission. The Rosetta stone is the inspiration for the mission’s name. As outlined by the European Space Agency, Rosetta is expected to provide the keys to the primordial solar system the way the original Rosetta Stone provided a key to ancient language. The concept of ancient language as a key provides a theme for this NASA project’s outreach to Native American communities anxious for ways to enhance and improve the numbers of native speakers. In this talk we will present a concept for building on native language as it relates to STEM concepts. In 2009, a student from the Dine Nation interpreted 28 NASA terms for his senior project at Chinle High School in Chinle, AZ. These terms included such words as space telescope, weather satellite, space suit, and the planets including Neptune and Uranus. This work represents a foundation for continued work between NASA and the Navajo Nation. Following approval by the tribal elders, the U.S. Rosetta project would host the newly translated Navajo words on a web-site, and provide translation into both Navajo and English. A clickable map would allow the user to move through all the words, see Native artwork related to the word, and hear audio translation. Extension to very remote teachers in the Navajo Nation, those who teach in Navajo and have little access to contemporary computer technology, is a mid-term goal. Tie-ins with existing Native American Astronomy projects such as Sharing the Skies with be presented. The project is expected to be expanded into other Native communities such as Cherokee, Crow, and Hawaiian. Work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was supported by NASA. The Rosetta mission is a cooperative project of NASA and the European Space Agency.

Connecting today's climates to future climate analogs to facilitate movement of species under climate change.

PubMed

Littlefield, Caitlin E; McRae, Brad H; Michalak, Julia L; Lawler, Joshua J; Carroll, Carlos

2017-12-01

Increasing connectivity is an important strategy for facilitating species range shifts and maintaining biodiversity in the face of climate change. To date, however, few researchers have included future climate projections in efforts to prioritize areas for increasing connectivity. We identified key areas likely to facilitate climate-induced species' movement across western North America. Using historical climate data sets and future climate projections, we mapped potential species' movement routes that link current climate conditions to analogous climate conditions in the future (i.e., future climate analogs) with a novel moving-window analysis based on electrical circuit theory. In addition to tracing shifting climates, the approach accounted for landscape permeability and empirically derived species' dispersal capabilities. We compared connectivity maps generated with our climate-change-informed approach with maps of connectivity based solely on the degree of human modification of the landscape. Including future climate projections in connectivity models substantially shifted and constrained priority areas for movement to a smaller proportion of the landscape than when climate projections were not considered. Potential movement, measured as current flow, decreased in all ecoregions when climate projections were included, particularly when dispersal was limited, which made climate analogs inaccessible. Many areas emerged as important for connectivity only when climate change was modeled in 2 time steps rather than in a single time step. Our results illustrate that movement routes needed to track changing climatic conditions may differ from those that connect present-day landscapes. Incorporating future climate projections into connectivity modeling is an important step toward facilitating successful species movement and population persistence in a changing climate. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Marky: a tool supporting annotation consistency in multi-user and iterative document annotation projects.

PubMed

Pérez-Pérez, Martín; Glez-Peña, Daniel; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; Lourenço, Anália

2015-02-01

Document annotation is a key task in the development of Text Mining methods and applications. High quality annotated corpora are invaluable, but their preparation requires a considerable amount of resources and time. Although the existing annotation tools offer good user interaction interfaces to domain experts, project management and quality control abilities are still limited. Therefore, the current work introduces Marky, a new Web-based document annotation tool equipped to manage multi-user and iterative projects, and to evaluate annotation quality throughout the project life cycle. At the core, Marky is a Web application based on the open source CakePHP framework. User interface relies on HTML5 and CSS3 technologies. Rangy library assists in browser-independent implementation of common DOM range and selection tasks, and Ajax and JQuery technologies are used to enhance user-system interaction. Marky grants solid management of inter- and intra-annotator work. Most notably, its annotation tracking system supports systematic and on-demand agreement analysis and annotation amendment. Each annotator may work over documents as usual, but all the annotations made are saved by the tracking system and may be further compared. So, the project administrator is able to evaluate annotation consistency among annotators and across rounds of annotation, while annotators are able to reject or amend subsets of annotations made in previous rounds. As a side effect, the tracking system minimises resource and time consumption. Marky is a novel environment for managing multi-user and iterative document annotation projects. Compared to other tools, Marky offers a similar visually intuitive annotation experience while providing unique means to minimise annotation effort and enforce annotation quality, and therefore corpus consistency. Marky is freely available for non-commercial use at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/marky. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using the integrated nurse leadership program to reduce sepsis mortality.

PubMed

Kliger, Julie; Singer, Sara J; Hoffman, Frank H

2015-06-01

The Integrated Nurse Leadership Program (INLP) is a collaborative improvement model focused on developing practical leadership skills of nurses and other frontline clinicians to lead quality improvement efforts. Sepsis is a major challenge to treat because it arises unpredictably and can progress rapidly. Nine San Francisco Bay Area hospitals participated in a 22-month INLP Sepsis Mortality Reduction Project to improve sepsis detection and management. The INLP focused on developing leadership and process improvement skills of nurses and other frontline clinicians. Teams of trained clinicians then implemented three strategies to improve early identification and timely treatment of sepsis: (1) sepsis screening of all patients, with diagnostic testing according to protocol; (2) timely treatment on the basis of key elements of Early Goal-Directed Therapy (EGDT); and (3) ongoing data review. Each hospital agreed to pursue the goal of reducing sepsis mortality by 15% by the end of the project. In the data collection period (baseline, July-December 2008 and project completion, January-June 2011), team members showed strong improvement in perceived leadership skills, team effectiveness, and ability to improve care quality. During this period, sepsis mortality for eight of the participating hospitals (Hospital 9 joined the project six months after it began) decreased by 43.7%-from 28% in the baseline period to 16% at project completion. Sepsis mortality rates trended downward for all hospitals, significantly decreasing (p<.05 at one hospital, p<.01 for four hospitals). In addition to improvement in safety culture and management of septic patients, hospitals participating in the INLP Sepsis Mortality Reduction Project achieved reductions in sepsis mortality during the study period and sustained reductions for more than one year later. The INLP model can be readily applied beyond sepsis management and mortality to other quality problems.

Diversity in research projects - A key to success?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henkel, Daniela; Eisenhauer, Anton; Taubner, Isabelle

2017-04-01

According to demographers, psychologists, sociologists and economists diverse groups, which are groups of different race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, are more innovative than homogeneous groups. This is also true for groups working together in research collaborations and international cooperation involving a culturally and functionally diverse mix of individuals who have to be integrated into an effective unit - a project team. If the goal is scientific excellence, diversity should be an essential ingredient to conduct science on high level productivity, quality and innovation. Effective teamwork is a key to project success and prime responsibilities of the project manager. Therefore, the project manager has to take into consideration different characteristics such as cultures, languages, and different values related to individual project partners. Here we show how diversity can affect the performance of a research project. Furthermore, the presentation indicates skills and abilities which are required for the management in order to deal also with the challenges of diversity in research projects. The presentation is based on insights experienced in the context of an Innovative Training Network (ITN) project within Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European HORIZON 2020 program and TRION a Collaborative Research Project in the Framework of the Trilateral Program of the German Research Foundation.

Electronic medical records in humanitarian emergencies - the development of an Ebola clinical information and patient management system.

PubMed

Jobanputra, Kiran; Greig, Jane; Shankar, Ganesh; Perakslis, Eric; Kremer, Ronald; Achar, Jay; Gayton, Ivan

2016-01-01

By November 2015, the West Africa Ebola epidemic had caused 28598 infections and 11299 deaths in the three countries most affected. The outbreak required rapid innovation and adaptation. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) scaled up its usual 20-30 bed Ebola management centres (EMCs) to 100-300 beds with over 300 workers in some settings. This brought challenges in patient and clinical data management resulting from the difficulties of working safely with high numbers of Ebola patients. We describe a project MSF established with software developers and the Google Social Impact Team to develop context-adapted tools to address the challenges of recording Ebola clinical information. We share the outcomes and key lessons learned in innovating rapidly under pressure in difficult environmental conditions. Information on adoption, maintenance, and data quality was gathered through review of project documentation, discussions with field staff and key project stakeholders, and analysis of tablet data. In March 2015, a full prototype was deployed in Magburaka EMC, Sierra Leone. Inpatient data were captured on 204 clinical interactions with 34 patients from 5 March until 10 April 2015. Data continued to also be recorded on paper charts, creating theoretically identical record "pairs" on paper and tablet. 83 record pairs for 33 patients with 22 data items (temperature and symptoms) per pair were analysed. The overall Kappa coefficient for agreement between sources was 0.62, but reduced to 0.59 when rare bleeding symptoms were excluded, indicating moderate to good agreement. The time taken to deliver the product was more than that anticipated by MSF (7 months versus 6 weeks). Deployment of the tablet coincided with a dramatic drop in patient numbers and thus had little impact on patient care. We have identified lessons specific to humanitarian-technology collaborative projects and propose a framework for emergency humanitarian innovation. Time and effort is required to bridge differences in organisational culture between the technology and humanitarian worlds. This investment is essential for establishing a shared vision on deliverables, urgency, and ownership of product.

CONSORT to community: translation of an RCT to a large-scale community intervention and learnings from evaluation of the upscaled program.

PubMed

Moores, Carly Jane; Miller, Jacqueline; Perry, Rebecca Anne; Chan, Lily Lai Hang; Daniels, Lynne Allison; Vidgen, Helen Anna; Magarey, Anthea Margaret

2017-11-29

Translation encompasses the continuum from clinical efficacy to widespread adoption within the healthcare service and ultimately routine clinical practice. The Parenting, Eating and Activity for Child Health (PEACH™) program has previously demonstrated clinical effectiveness in the management of child obesity, and has been recently implemented as a large-scale community intervention in Queensland, Australia. This paper aims to describe the translation of the evaluation framework from a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to large-scale community intervention (PEACH™ QLD). Tensions between RCT paradigm and implementation research will be discussed along with lived evaluation challenges, responses to overcome these, and key learnings for future evaluation conducted at scale. The translation of evaluation from PEACH™ RCT to the large-scale community intervention PEACH™ QLD is described. While the CONSORT Statement was used to report findings from two previous RCTs, the REAIM framework was more suitable for the evaluation of upscaled delivery of the PEACH™ program. Evaluation of PEACH™ QLD was undertaken during the project delivery period from 2013 to 2016. Experiential learnings from conducting the evaluation of PEACH™ QLD to the described evaluation framework are presented for the purposes of informing the future evaluation of upscaled programs. Evaluation changes in response to real-time changes in the delivery of the PEACH™ QLD Project were necessary at stages during the project term. Key evaluation challenges encountered included the collection of complete evaluation data from a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce and the systematic collection of process evaluation data in real time to support program changes during the project. Evaluation of large-scale community interventions in the real world is challenging and divergent from RCTs which are rigourously evaluated within a more tightly-controlled clinical research setting. Constructs explored in an RCT are inadequate in describing the enablers and barriers of upscaled community program implementation. Methods for data collection, analysis and reporting also require consideration. We present a number of experiential reflections and suggestions for the successful evaluation of future upscaled community programs which are scarcely reported in the literature. PEACH™ QLD was retrospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 28 February 2017 (ACTRN12617000315314).

Climate Benchmark Missions: CLARREO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wielicki, Bruce A.; Young, David F.

2010-01-01

CLARREO (Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory) is one of the four Tier 1 missions recommended by the recent NRC decadal survey report on Earth Science and Applications from Space (NRC, 2007). The CLARREO mission addresses the need to rigorously observe climate change on decade time scales and to use decadal change observations as the most critical method to determine the accuracy of climate change projections such as those used in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4). A rigorously known accuracy of both decadal change observations as well as climate projections is critical in order to enable sound policy decisions. The CLARREO mission accomplishes this critical objective through highly accurate and SI traceable decadal change observations sensitive to many of the key uncertainties in climate radiative forcings, responses, and feedbacks that in turn drive uncertainty in current climate model projections. The same uncertainties also lead to uncertainty in attribution of climate change to anthropogenic forcing. The CLARREO breakthrough in decadal climate change observations is to achieve the required levels of accuracy and traceability to SI standards for a set of observations sensitive to a wide range of key decadal change variables. These accuracy levels are determined both by the projected decadal changes as well as by the background natural variability that such signals must be detected against. The accuracy for decadal change traceability to SI standards includes uncertainties of calibration, sampling, and analysis methods. Unlike most other missions, all of the CLARREO requirements are judged not by instantaneous accuracy, but instead by accuracy in large time/space scale average decadal changes. Given the focus on decadal climate change, the NRC Decadal Survey concluded that the single most critical issue for decadal change observations was their lack of accuracy and low confidence in observing the small but critical climate change signals. CLARREO is the recommended attack on this challenge, and builds on the last decade of climate observation advances in the Earth Observing System as well as metrological advances at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and other standards laboratories.

AOP: An R Package For Sufficient Causal Analysis in Pathway ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Summary: How can I quickly find the key events in a pathway that I need to monitor to predict that a/an beneficial/adverse event/outcome will occur? This is a key question when using signaling pathways for drug/chemical screening in pharma-cology, toxicology and risk assessment. By identifying these sufficient causal key events, we have fewer events to monitor for a pathway, thereby decreasing assay costs and time, while maximizing the value of the information. I have developed the “aop” package which uses backdoor analysis of causal net-works to identify these minimal sets of key events that are suf-ficient for making causal predictions. Availability and Implementation: The source and binary are available online through the Bioconductor project (http://www.bioconductor.org/) as an R package titled “aop”. The R/Bioconductor package runs within the R statistical envi-ronment. The package has functions that can take pathways (as directed graphs) formatted as a Cytoscape JSON file as input, or pathways can be represented as directed graphs us-ing the R/Bioconductor “graph” package. The “aop” package has functions that can perform backdoor analysis to identify the minimal set of key events for making causal predictions.Contact: burgoon.lyle@epa.gov This paper describes an R/Bioconductor package that was developed to facilitate the identification of key events within an AOP that are the minimal set of sufficient key events that need to be tested/monit

Two Project Methods: Preliminary Observations on the Similarities and Differences between William Heard Kilpatrick's Project Method and John Dewey's Problem-Solving Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutinen, Ari

2013-01-01

The project method became a famous teaching method when William Heard Kilpatrick published his article "Project Method" in 1918. The key idea in Kilpatrick's project method is to try to explain how pupils learn things when they work in projects toward different common objects. The same idea of pupils learning by work or action in an…

Factors promoting sustainability of education innovations: a comparison of faculty perceptions and existing frameworks.

PubMed

Loh, Lawrence C; Friedman, Stacey R; Burdick, William P

2013-01-01

Health professions education uses innovative projects to promote faculty development and institution change. Faculty perceptions of the factors that promote project sustainability affect how faculty conceptualize and implement their innovations, which influences whether and how they plan for sustainability. This paper compares educators' perceptions of factors that influence sustainability in innovative projects with factors identified in project sustainability literature, to identify areas of convergence and divergence. Using questionnaires, faculty development fellowship participants from Brazil and India shared their perceptions on factors influencing their project's sustainability. An analysis framework was developed from existing project sustainability literature; faculty responses were then coded through an iterative process. Key sustainability themes identified by faculty included project-level factors related to project design, stakeholder support, monitoring and evaluation, and project outcomes. Identified context level factors were related to institutional and governmental support as well as self-motivation and peer support. Availability of resources and funding were identified as relevant at both the project and context levels. Project-level factors were more often cited than context-level factors as key to ensuring sustainability. Faculty development efforts in health professions education should employ strategies to target these themes in promoting innovation sustainability. These include preengagement with institutional leaders, alignment with public sector goals, strategic diffusion of information, project expansion and transferability, capacity building in monitoring and evaluation, and creation of a community of educators for information exchange and support.

Environmental Cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park Year One - Execution with Certainty SM - 13120

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

Schubert, A.L.

2013-07-01

On August 1, 2011, URS - CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) began its five-year, $1.4 billion cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), located on the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. UCOR will close out cleanup operations that began in 1998 under a previous contract. When the Contract Base scope of work [1] is completed in 2016, the K-25 gaseous diffusion building will have been demolished and all waste dispositioned, demolition will have started on the K-27 gaseous diffusion building, all contact-handled and remote-handled transuranic waste in inventory (approximately 500 cubic meters) will havemore » been transferred to the Transuranic Waste Processing Center, previously designated 'No-Path-To-Disposition Waste' will have been dispositioned to the extent possible, and UCOR will have managed DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)- owned facilities at ETTP, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the Y-12 National Security Complex in a safe and cost-effective manner. Since assuming its responsibilities as the ETTP cleanup contractor, UCOR has completed its life-cycle Performance Measurement Baseline; received its Earned Value Management System (EVMS) certification; advanced the deactivation and demolition (D and D) of the K-25 gaseous diffusion building; recovered and completed the Tank W-1A and K-1070-B Burial Ground remediation projects; characterized, packaged, and shipped contact-handled transuranic waste to the Transuranic Waste Processing Center; disposed of more than 90,000 cubic yards of cleanup waste while managing the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF); and provided operations, surveillance, and maintenance activities at DOE EM facilities at ETTP, ORNL, and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Project performance as of December 31, 2012 has been excellent: - Cost Performance Index - 1.06; - Schedule Performance Index - 1.02. At the same time, since safety is the foundation of all cleanup work, UCOR's safety record goes hand in hand with its excellent project performance. Through calendar year 2012, UCOR's recordable injury rate was 0.33, and the company has worked close to 4 million hours without a lost work day injury. UCOR's safety record is one of the best in the DOE EM Complex. This performance was due, in large part, to the people and processes URS and CH2M HILL, the parent companies of UCOR, brought to the project. Key approaches included: - Selected and deployed experienced staff in key leadership positions throughout the organization; - Approached 'Transition' as the 'true' beginning of the cleanup project - kicking off a number of project initiatives such as Partnering, PMB development, D and D Plan execution, etc. - Established a project baseline for performance measurement and obtained EVMS certification in record time; - Determined material differences and changed conditions that warranted contract change - then quickly addressed these changes with the DOE client; - Aligned the project and the contract within one year - also done in record time; - Implemented Safety Trained Supervisor and Safety Conscious Work Environment Programs, and kicked off the pursuit of certification under DOE's Voluntary Protection Program. (authors)« less

The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freedman, W. L.

1994-12-01

One of the major unresolved problems in observational cosmology is the determination of the Hubble Constant, (H_0). The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale aims to provide a measure of H_0 to an accuracy of 10%. Historically the route to H_0 has been plagued by systematic errors; hence there is no quick and easy route to a believeable value of H_0. Achieving plausible error limits of 10% requires careful attention to eliminating potential sources of systematic error. The strategy adopted by the Key Project team is threefold: First, to discover Cepheids in spiral galaxies located in the field and in small groups that are suitable for the calibration of several independent secondary methods. Second, to make direct Cepheid measurements of 3 spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster and 2 members of the Fornax cluster. Third, to provide a check on the the Cepheid distance scale via independent distance estimates to nearby galaxies, and in addition, to undertake an empirical test of the sensitivity of the zero point of the Cepheid PL relation to heavy-element abundances. First results from the HST Key Project will be presented. We have now determined Cepheid distances to 4 galaxies using the HST: these are the nearby galaxies M81 and M101, the edge-on galaxy NGC 925, and the face-on spiral galaxy M100 in the Virgo cluster. Recently we have measured a Cepheid distance for M100 of 17 +/- 2 Mpc, which yields a value of H_0 = 80 +/- 17 km/sec/Mpc. This work was carried out in collaboration with the other members of the HST Key Project team, R. Kennicutt, J. Mould, F. Bresolin, S. Faber, L. Ferrarese, H. Ford, J. Graham, J. Gunn, M. Han, P. Harding, J. Hoessel, R. Hill, J. Huchra, S. Hughes, G. Illingworth, D. Kelson, B. Madore, R. Phelps, A. Saha, N. Silbermann, P. Stetson, and A. Turner.

Fuel properties to enable lifted-flame combustion

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

Kurtz, Eric

The Fuel Properties to Enable Lifted-Flame Combustion project responded directly to solicitation DE-FOA-0000239 AOI 1A, Fuels and Lubricants for Advanced Combustion Regimes. This subtopic was intended to encompass clean and highly-efficient, liquid-fueled combustion engines to achieve extremely low engine-out nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) as a target and similar efficiency as state-of-the-art direct injection diesel engines. The intent of this project was to identify how fuel properties can be used to achieve controllable Leaner Lifted Flame Combustion (LLFC) with low NOx and PM emissions. Specifically, this project was expected to identify and test key fuel properties to enablemore » LLFC and their compatibility with current fuel systems and to enhance combustion models to capture the effect of fuel properties on advanced combustion. Successful demonstration of LLFC may reduce the need for after treatment devices, thereby reducing costs and improving thermal efficiency. The project team consisted of key technical personnel from Ford Motor Company (FMC), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Each partner had key roles in achieving project objectives. FMC investigated fuel properties relating to LLFC and sooting tendency. Together, FMC and UW developed and integrated 3D combustion models to capture fuel property combustion effects. FMC used these modeling results to develop a combustion system and define fuel properties to support a single-cylinder demonstration of fuel-enabled LLFC. UW investigated modeling the flame characteristics and emissions behavior of different fuels, including those with different cetane number and oxygen content. SNL led spray combustion experiments to quantify the effect of key fuel properties on combustion characteristics critical for LLFC, as well as single cylinder optical engine experiments to improve fundamental understanding of flame lift-off, generate model validation data, and demonstrate LLFC concurrent with FMC efforts. Additionally, LLNL was added to the project during the second year to develop a detailed kinetic mechanism for a key oxygenate to support CFD modeling. Successful completion of this project allowed the team to enhance fundamental understanding of LLFC, improve the state of current combustion models and increase understanding of desired fuel properties. This knowledge also improves our knowledge of how cost effective and environmentally friendly renewable fuels can assist in helping meet future emission and greenhouse gas regulations.« less

The social impacts of dams: A new framework for scholarly analysis

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

Kirchherr, Julian, E-mail: julian.kirchherr@sant.ox.ac.uk; Charles, Katrina J., E-mail: katrina.charles@ouce.ox.ac.uk

No commonly used framework exists in the scholarly study of the social impacts of dams. This hinders comparisons of analyses and thus the accumulation of knowledge. The aim of this paper is to unify scholarly understanding of dams' social impacts via the analysis and aggregation of the various frameworks currently used in the scholarly literature. For this purpose, we have systematically analyzed and aggregated 27 frameworks employed by academics analyzing dams' social impacts (found in a set of 217 articles). A key finding of the analysis is that currently used frameworks are often not specific to dams and thus omitmore » key impacts associated with them. The result of our analysis and aggregation is a new framework for scholarly analysis (which we call ‘matrix framework’) specifically on dams' social impacts, with space, time and value as its key dimensions as well as infrastructure, community and livelihood as its key components. Building on the scholarly understanding of this topic enables us to conceptualize the inherently complex and multidimensional issues of dams' social impacts in a holistic manner. If commonly employed in academia (and possibly in practice), this framework would enable more transparent assessment and comparison of projects.« less

Planning a multi-site, complex intervention for homeless people with mental illness: the relationships between the national team and local sites in Canada's At Home/Chez Soi project.

PubMed

Nelson, Geoffrey; Macnaughton, Eric; Goering, Paula; Dudley, Michael; O'Campo, Patricia; Patterson, Michelle; Piat, Myra; Prévost, Natasha; Strehlau, Verena; Vallée, Catherine

2013-06-01

This research focused on the relationships between a national team and five project sites across Canada in planning a complex, community intervention for homeless people with mental illness called At Home/Chez Soi, which is based on the Housing First model. The research addressed two questions: (a) what are the challenges in planning? and (b) what factors that helped or hindered moving project planning forward? Using qualitative methods, 149 national, provincial, and local stakeholders participated in key informant or focus group interviews. We found that planning entails not only intervention and research tasks, but also relational processes that occur within an ecology of time, local context, and values. More specifically, the relationships between the national team and the project sites can be conceptualized as a collaborative process in which national and local partners bring different agendas to the planning process and must therefore listen to, negotiate, discuss, and compromise with one another. A collaborative process that involves power-sharing and having project coordinators at each site helped to bridge the differences between these two stakeholder groups, to find common ground, and to accomplish planning tasks within a compressed time frame. While local context and culture pushed towards unique adaptations of Housing First, the principles of the Housing First model provided a foundation for a common approach across sites and interventions. The implications of the findings for future planning and research of multi-site, complex, community interventions are noted.

A Reflection on the Effects of the 985 Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ying, Cheng

2011-01-01

China's 985 Project, which came after the 211 Project, is a key program of the Chinese government to create world-class universities and high-level research universities. The central government invested a total of RMB32.9 billion in special funds for phase I (1999-2001) and phase II (2004-2007) of the project, assisting thirty-nine universities.…

Student Ownership of Projects in an Upper-Division Optics Laboratory Course: A Multiple Case Study of Successful Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-01-01

We investigate students' sense of ownership of multiweek final projects in an upper-division optics lab course. Using a multiple case study approach, we describe three student projects in detail. Within-case analyses focused on identifying key issues in each project, and constructing chronological descriptions of those events. Cross-case analysis…

Project nurse manager: an intrapreneurial role.

PubMed

Risner, P B; Anderson, M L

1994-01-01

Nurse intrapreneurs are the key to innovation and cost-effective health care in the 1990s. A project nurse manager, acting as a liaison between service departments, can provide the vision and insight for the successful outcome of such projects as product evaluation, unit renovation, and the development of a new facility. The role, benefits, and outcomes of one project nurse manager are described.

Key Questions in Building Defect Prediction Models in Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramler, Rudolf; Wolfmaier, Klaus; Stauder, Erwin; Kossak, Felix; Natschläger, Thomas

The information about which modules of a future version of a software system are defect-prone is a valuable planning aid for quality managers and testers. Defect prediction promises to indicate these defect-prone modules. However, constructing effective defect prediction models in an industrial setting involves a number of key questions. In this paper we discuss ten key questions identified in context of establishing defect prediction in a large software development project. Seven consecutive versions of the software system have been used to construct and validate defect prediction models for system test planning. Furthermore, the paper presents initial empirical results from the studied project and, by this means, contributes answers to the identified questions.

An overview of large wind turbine tests by electric utilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vachon, W. A.; Schiff, D.

1982-01-01

A summary of recent plants and experiences on current large wind turbine (WT) tests being conducted by electric utilities is provided. The test programs discussed do not include federal research and development (R&D) programs, many of which are also being conducted in conjunction with electric utilities. The information presented is being assembled in a project, funded by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the objective of which is to provide electric utilities with timely summaries of test performance on key large wind turbines. A summary of key tests, test instrumentation, and recent results and plans is given. During the past year, many of the utility test programs initiated have encountered test difficulties that required specific WT design changes. However, test results to date continue to indicate that long-term machine performance and cost-effectiveness are achievable.

SMART SKINS - A Development Roadmap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lochocki, Joseph M.

1990-02-01

The Air Force Project Forecast II identified a number of key technology initiatives for development. This paper addresses one such initiative, PT-16, Smart Skins. The concept of the Smart Skin is introduced by briefly highlighting its attributes and potential advantages over standard avionics packaging and maintenance, and then goes on to describe some of the key ingredients necessary for its development. Problem areas are brought out along with some of the required trades that must be made. Finally, a time phased development roadmap is introduced which shows Calspan's proposed sequence of technology development programs that can, in combination, lead to first functional Smart Skins implementations in narrowband form in the late 1990's and in wideband form in first decade of the twenty - first century. A Smart Skins implementation in integral aircraft skin structure form will take at least until 2010.

Review of Marmasoma White with lectotype designation of M. sumptuosum White and an identification key to the Australasian/Oceanian genera of Ecliminae (Diptera, Bombyliidae).

PubMed

Rodrigues, Paula Fernanda Motta; McAlister, Erica; Lamas, Carlos José Einicker

2017-02-15

The bombyliid genus Marmasoma White is restricted to Australia. Marmasoma sumptuosum White, the only known species of the genus, is studied and a lectotype and paralectotypes are designated. Based on the type series and on additional material, a redescription of the species is presented and the main characters of the external morphology of adults are illustrated and photographed, including male and female genitalia. In addition, the remarkable aedeagus of M. sumptuosum, unique among all Ecliminae species by the presence of serrated projections on its apical portion, is described and photographed in detail for the first time. An identification key to the Australasian/Oceanian genera of Ecliminae and a distribution map with the known geographic records of Marmasoma are also included.

Forest biomass-based energy

Treesearch

Janaki R. R. Alavalapati; Pankaj Lal; Andres Susaeta; Robert C. Abt; David N. Wear

2013-01-01

Key FindingsHarvesting woody biomass for use as bioenergy is projected to range from 170 million to 336 million green tons by 2050, an increase of 54 to 113 percent over current levels.Consumption projections for forest biomass-based energy, which are based on Energy Information Administration projections, have a high level of...

Chapter 7 - Mapping potential vegetation type for the LANDFIRE Prototype Project

Treesearch

Tracey S. Frescino; Matthew G. Rollins

2006-01-01

Mapped potential vegetation functioned as a key component in the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Prototype Project (LANDFIRE Prototype Project). Disturbance regimes, vegetation response and succession, and wildland fuel dynamics across landscapes are controlled by patterns of the environmental factors (biophysical settings) that entrain the...

DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR THE ABATEMENT OF NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSIONS USING REBURN TECHNOLOGY FOR COGENERATION PLANTS IN TAIWAN

EPA Science Inventory

The report summarizes the key technical results of a joint demonstration project between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration. The project demonstrated that coal reburning can be used to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) emiss...

Multiple Intelligences: Curriculum and Assessment Project. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyland, Aine, Ed.

2011-01-01

The "Multiple Intelligences, Curriculum and Assessment Project" at University College Cork was a collaborative project carried out between 1995 and 1999. The key research question focused on whether Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences could be applied to, and enhance, aspects of curriculum and assessment at primary and…

Project PARTnership: Instructional Kit. A Model Program for Encouraging Self-Determination through Access to the Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Carolyn DeMeyer, Ed.; McKinney, David D., Ed.

This instructional kit outlines procedures for implementing Project PARTnership, a program for teaching students with disabilities greater self-determination skills through specifically designed arts experiences. An introductory section describes key project activities, including establishing a site steering committee comprised of teachers,…

Status of high temperature superconductor cable and fault current limiter projects at American Superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maguire, J. F.; Yuan, J.

2009-10-01

This paper will describe the status of three key programs currently underway at American Superconductor Corp. The first program is the LIPA project which is a transmission voltage high temperature superconducting cable program, with funding support from the US Department of Energy. The 600 m cable, capable of carrying 574 MVA, was successfully installed and commissioned in LIPA grid on April 22, 2008. An overview of the project, system level design details and operational data will be provided. In addition, the status of the newly awarded LIPA II project will be described. The second program is Project Hydra, with funding support from the US Department of Homeland Security, to design, develop and demonstrate an HTS cable with fault current limiting functionality. The cable is 300 m long and is being designed to carry 96 MVA at a distribution level voltage of 13.8 kV. The cable will be permanently installed and energized in Manhattan, New York in 2010. The initial status of Project Hydra will be presented. The final program to be discussed is a transmission voltage, high temperature superconducting fault current limiter funded by the US DOE. The project encompasses the design, construction and test of a 115 kV FCL for power transmission within a time frame of 4-5 years. Installation and testing are planned for a Southern California Edison substation. A project overview and progress under the first phase will be reported.

The makeover of the Lakeshore General Hospital laboratories.

PubMed

Estioko-Taimuri, Teresa

2006-01-31

This article describes the expansion and reorganization of a moderate-sized Canadian laboratory from Day One to "Live Day." The key factors to the success of this project were organized planning by the laboratory staff and the introduction of core lab theories, team building, and organized training sessions. The successful makeover resulted in improved turnaround time for STAT tests, especially those coming from the Emergency Unit. The efforts of the laboratory personnel toward the improvement of laboratory services, in spite of budget, human resources constraints, and resistance to change, are addressed.

Optoelectronic Infrastructure for Radio Frequency and Optical Phased Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cai, Jianhong

2015-01-01

Optoelectronic integrated circuits offer radiation-hardened solutions for satellite systems in addition to improved size, weight, power, and bandwidth characteristics. ODIS, Inc., has developed optoelectronic integrated circuit technology for sensing and data transfer in phased arrays. The technology applies integrated components (lasers, amplifiers, modulators, detectors, and optical waveguide switches) to a radio frequency (RF) array with true time delay for beamsteering. Optical beamsteering is achieved by controlling the current in a two-dimensional (2D) array. In this project, ODIS integrated key components to produce common RF-optical aperture operation.

The Roots of Beowulf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, James R.

2014-01-01

The first Beowulf Linux commodity cluster was constructed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 1994 and its origins are a part of the folklore of high-end computing. In fact, the conditions within Goddard that brought the idea into being were shaped by rich historical roots, strategic pressures brought on by the ramp up of the Federal High-Performance Computing and Communications Program, growth of the open software movement, microprocessor performance trends, and the vision of key technologists. This multifaceted story is told here for the first time from the point of view of NASA project management.

Updated Italian checklist of Soldier Flies (Diptera, Stratiomyidae).

PubMed

Mason, Franco

2013-01-01

An updated checklist for Stratiomyidae of Italy is presented. Previous knowledge and information are put together in a comprehensive way, integrated also with results obtained by sampling with Malaise traps in some of the test areas of the LIFE+ project ManFor C.BD. At the time of writing, with 91 known species, the Italian fauna of Stratiomyidae is the richest in Europe. Neopachygaster meromelas (Dufour, 1841) and Zabrachia minutissima (Zetterstedt, 1838) are new to the Italian fauna. A comprehensive key to the European species of Chorisops Rondani, 1856 is given.

Updated Italian checklist of Soldier Flies (Diptera, Stratiomyidae)

PubMed Central

Mason, Franco

2013-01-01

Abstract An updated checklist for Stratiomyidae of Italy is presented. Previous knowledge and information are put together in a comprehensive way, integrated also with results obtained by sampling with Malaise traps in some of the test areas of the LIFE+ project ManFor C.BD. At the time of writing, with 91 known species, the Italian fauna of Stratiomyidae is the richest in Europe. Neopachygaster meromelas (Dufour, 1841) and Zabrachia minutissima (Zetterstedt, 1838) are new to the Italian fauna. A comprehensive key to the European species of Chorisops Rondani, 1856 is given. PMID:24146573

Influence of moderate-to-strong anisotropic non-Kolmogorov turbulence on intensity fluctuations of a Gaussian–Schell model beam in marine atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Mingjian; Guo, Lixin; Li, Jiangting

2018-05-01

Not Available Project supported by the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power Laser Technology (Grant No. SKL2016KF05), the Key Industrial Innovation Chain Project in Industrial Domain, China (Grant No. 2017ZDCXL-GY-06-02), the Huawei Innovation Research Program, China (Grant No. HO2017050001AG), and the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61621005).

Characteristics of photonic nanojets from two-layer dielectric hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yunyue; Liu, Xianchao; Li, Ling; Chen, Weidong; Chen, Yan; Huang, Yuerong; Xie, Zhengwei

2017-10-01

Not Available Project supported by State Key Laboratory of Optical Technologies on Nano-Fabrication and Micro-Engineering, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, China (Grant No. 16ZA0047); the State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yansan University, China (Grant No. 201509); and the Large Precision Instruments Open Project Foundation of Sichuan Normal University, China (Grant Nos. DJ2015-57, DJ2015-58, DJ2015-60, DJ2016-58, and DJ2016-59).

CARMENES: management of a schedule-driven project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Vargas, M. L.; Caballero, J.; Pérez-Calpena, A.; Amado, Pedro; Seifert, Walter; Azzaro, Marco; Mandel, Holger; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Ribas, Ignasi; Reiners, Ansgar; Guenther, Eike; Gesa, Lluís.; Galadí, David; Aceituno, Jesús

2016-08-01

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Échelle Spectrographs) is an instrument consistent in two ultra-stable high resolution (R 82,000) spectrographs covering simultaneously the visible (0.5 - 1.0μm) and near-IR (1.0 - 1.7μm) ranges to provide high-accuracy radial-velocity measurements (˜1 m/s) thanks to the long-term stability. CARMENES was the initiative of a consortium of eleven German and Spanish institutions. CARMENES has been built for the 3.5m telescope at the Centro Astronómico Hipano- Alemán (CAHA), Calar Alto Observatory (Almería, Spain) and is currently in operation. CAHA is jointly operated by the Max-Planck-Society (MPG) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The project received the green light in October 2010 and in February 2013 passed a Final Design Review. Six months later, the MPG and CSIC, the observatory's owners, made an independent evaluation concluding that CARMENES had to be ready for operations at the end of 2015. Since then, fulfilling the calendar was the driver of all project decisions. Moreover, the observatory's survival was linked to the instrument's success: should the instrument fail, the observatory would be closed. On the contrary, the instrument's success would give unique capabilities to the Observatory for Big Science. Such a challenge became to be our private Olympic Games: we had to be on time. This decision definitively impacted on the project dynamics, there was no room for a delay. The deadline, December 31st, 2015, was controlled by a strict tracking of the critical path; calendar deviations were corrected with risky decisions while fast tracking or even crashing methods were applied. The management scenario was far from optimum: most key people in the project shared their time with other duties; the observatory funding cuts; the budget was tight and distributed among the 11 partner centers with their own different rules, etc. Despite these difficulties, the close coordination among the project manager, the system engineer and the work package managers, the hard work of the whole team, and the support from the observatory were our best bets. Two frenetic years after the calendar decision, we had manufactured, integrated and tested the two spectrographs and we were commissioning the instrument. The instrument first light took place on November, 9th, 2015 and CARMENES entered in operation at the end of December 2015. This paper describes the keys to success.

Enhancement and creation of secondary channel habitat: Review of project performance across a range of project types and settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epstein, J.; Lind, P.

2017-12-01

Secondary channels provide critical off-channel habitat for key life stages of aquatic species. In many systems, interruption of natural processes via anthropogenic influences have reduced the quantity of secondary channel habitat and have impaired the processes that help form and maintain them. Creation and enhancement of secondary channels is therefore a key component of stream rehabilitation, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where the focus has been on enhancement of habitat for ESA-listed salmonids. Secondary channel enhancement varies widely in scope, scale, and approach depending on species requirements, hydrology/hydraulics, geomorphologic setting, sediment dynamics, and human constraints. This presentation will review case studies from numerous secondary channel projects constructed over the last 20 years by different entities and in different settings. Lessons learned will be discussed that help to understand project performance and inform future project design. A variety of secondary channel project types will be reviewed, including mainstem flow splits, year-round flow through, seasonally activated, backwater alcove, natural groundwater-fed, and engineered groundwater-fed (i.e. groundwater collection galleries). Projects will be discussed that span a range of project construction intensities, such as full excavation of side channels, select excavation to increase flow, or utilizing mainstem structures to activate channels. Different configurations for connecting to the main channel, and their relative performance, will also be presented. A variety of connection types will be discussed including stabilized channel entrance, free-formed entrance, using bar apex jams to split flows, using `bleeder' jams to limit secondary channel flow, and obstructing the main channel to divert flows into secondary channels. The performance and longevity of projects will be discussed, particularly with respect to the response to sediment mobilizing events. Lessons learned from design, construction, and monitoring will be synthesized to share what worked and what didn't, and what key elements a practitioner should think about as part of enhancement project design.

Analyzing extreme sea levels for broad-scale impact and adaptation studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahl, T.; Haigh, I. D.; Nicholls, R. J.; Arns, A.; Dangendorf, S.; Hinkel, J.; Slangen, A.

2017-12-01

Coastal impact and adaptation assessments require detailed knowledge on extreme sea levels (ESL), because increasing damage due to extreme events is one of the major consequences of sea-level rise (SLR) and climate change. Over the last few decades, substantial research efforts have been directed towards improved understanding of past and future SLR; different scenarios were developed with process-based or semi-empirical models and used for coastal impact studies at various temporal and spatial scales to guide coastal management and adaptation efforts. Uncertainties in future SLR are typically accounted for by analyzing the impacts associated with a range of scenarios and model ensembles. ESL distributions are then displaced vertically according to the SLR scenarios under the inherent assumption that we have perfect knowledge on the statistics of extremes. However, there is still a limited understanding of present-day ESL which is largely ignored in most impact and adaptation analyses. The two key uncertainties stem from: (1) numerical models that are used to generate long time series of storm surge water levels, and (2) statistical models used for determining present-day ESL exceedance probabilities. There is no universally accepted approach to obtain such values for broad-scale flood risk assessments and while substantial research has explored SLR uncertainties, we quantify, for the first time globally, key uncertainties in ESL estimates. We find that contemporary ESL uncertainties exceed those from SLR projections and, assuming that we meet the Paris agreement, the projected SLR itself by the end of the century. Our results highlight the necessity to further improve our understanding of uncertainties in ESL estimates through (1) continued improvement of numerical and statistical models to simulate and analyze coastal water levels and (2) exploit the rich observational database and continue data archeology to obtain longer time series and remove model bias. Finally, ESL uncertainties need to be integrated with SLR uncertainties. Otherwise, important improvements in providing more robust SLR projections are of less benefit for broad-scale impact and adaptation studies and decision processes.

Stories From the Field: The Use of Information and Communication Technologies to Address the Health Needs of Underserved Populations in Latin America and the Caribbean

PubMed Central

Faba, Gladys; Julian, Soroya; Mejía, Felipe; Cabieses, Báltica; D'Agostino, Marcelo; Cortinois, Andrea A

2015-01-01

Background As their availability grew exponentially in the last 20 years, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in health has been widely espoused, with many emphasizing their potential to decrease health inequities. Nonetheless, there is scarce availability of information regarding ICT as tools to further equity in health, specifically in Latin American and Caribbean settings. Objective Our aim was to identify initiatives that used ICT to address the health needs of underserved populations in Latin America and Caribbean. Among these projects, explore the rationale behind the selection of ICT as a key component, probe perceptions regarding contributions to health equity, and describe the challenges faced during implementation. Methods We conducted an exploratory qualitative study. Interviews were completed via Skype or face-to-face meetings using a semistructured interview guide. Following participant consent, interviews were audio recorded and verbatim transcriptions were developed. All transcriptions were coded using ATLASti7 software. The text was analyzed for patterns, shared themes, and diverging opinions. Emerging findings were reviewed by all interviewers and shared with participants for feedback. Results We interviewed representatives from eight organizations in six Latin American and Caribbean countries that prominently employed ICT in health communication, advocacy, or surveillance projects. ICT expanded project's geographic coverage, increased their reach into marginalized or hard-to-reach groups, and allowed real-time data collection. Perceptions of contributions to health equity resided mainly in the provision of health information and linkage to health services to members of groups experiencing greater morbidity because of poverty, remote place of residence, lack of relevant public programs, and/or stigma and discrimination, and in more timely responses by authorities to the health needs of these groups as a result of the increased availability of strategic information on morbidity and its social determinants. Most projects faced initial resistance to implementation because of lack of precedents. Their financial and technical sustainability was threatened by reliance on external funding and weak transitional structures amidst key staff changes. Projects often experienced challenges in establishing meaningful communication with target audience members, mainly because of divergent motivations behind ICT use between projects and its target audience and the lack of access or familiarity with ICT among the most underserved members of such audiences. Conclusions ICT can benefit projects focusing on the health needs of underserved populations by expanding the breadth and depth of target audience coverage and improving data management. Most projects tended to be small, short-term pilot interventions with limited engagement with the formal health sector and did not include health equity as an explicit component. Collaborative projects with government institutions, particularly those with health surveillance objectives, seemed to be the most optimistic about long-term sustainability. PMID:27227124

Collaborating with Youth to Inform and Develop Tools for Psychotropic Decision Making

PubMed Central

Murphy, Andrea; Gardner, David; Kutcher, Stan; Davidson, Simon; Manion, Ian

2010-01-01

Introduction: Youth oriented and informed resources designed to support psychopharmacotherapeutic decision-making are essentially unavailable. This article outlines the approach taken to design such resources, the product that resulted from the approach taken, and the lessons learned from the process. Methods: A project team with psychopharmacology expertise was assembled. The project team reviewed best practices regarding medication educational materials and related tools to support decisions. Collaboration with key stakeholders who were thought of as primary end-users and target groups occurred. A graphic designer and a plain language consultant were also retained. Results: Through an iterative and collaborative process over approximately 6 months, Med Ed and Med Ed Passport were developed. Literature and input from key stakeholders, in particular youth, was instrumental to the development of the tools and materials within Med Ed. A training program utilizing a train-the-trainer model was developed to facilitate the implementation of Med Ed in Ontario, which is currently ongoing. Conclusion: An evidence-informed process that includes youth and key stakeholder engagement is required for developing tools to support in psychopharmacotherapeutic decision-making. The development process fostered an environment of reciprocity between the project team and key stakeholders. PMID:21037916

Heterogeneity in geographical trends of HIV epidemics among key populations in Pakistan: a mathematical modeling study of survey data.

PubMed

Melesse, Dessalegn Y; Shafer, Leigh Anne; Emmanuel, Faran; Reza, Tahira; Achakzai, Baseer K; Furqan, Sofia; Blanchard, James F

2018-06-01

Assessing patterns and trends in new infections is key to better understanding of HIV epidemics, and is best done through monitoring changes in incidence over time. In this study, we examined disparities in geographical trends of HIV epidemics among people who inject drugs (PWIDs), female sex workers (FSWs) and hijra /transgender/male sex workers (H/MSWs), in Pakistan. The UNAIDS Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) mathematical model was used to explore geographical trends in HIV epidemics. Four rounds of mapping and surveillance data collected among key populations (KPs) across 20 cities in Pakistan between 2005-2011 was used for modeling. Empirical estimates of HIV prevalence of each KP in each city were used to fit the model to estimate prevalence and incidence over time. HIV incidence among PWIDs in Pakistan reached its peak in 2011, estimated at 45.3 per 1000 person-years. Incidence was projected to continue to rise from 18.9 in 2015 to 24.3 in 2020 among H/MSWs and from 3.2 in 2015 to 6.3 in 2020 among FSWs. The number of people living with HIV in Pakistan was estimated to steadily increase through at least 2020. HIV incidence peak among PWIDs ranged from 16.2 in 1997 in Quetta to 71.0 in 2010 in Faisalabad (per 1000 person-years). Incidence among H/MSWs may continue to rise through 2020 in all the cities, except in Larkana where it peaked in the early 2000s. In 2015, model estimated incidence among FSWs was 8.1 in Karachi, 6.6 in Larkana, 2.0 in Sukkur and 1.2 in Lahore (per 1000 person-years). There exists significant geographical heterogeneity in patterns and trends of HIV sub-epidemics in Pakistan. Focused interventions and service delivery approaches, different by KP and city, are recommended.

Heterogeneity in geographical trends of HIV epidemics among key populations in Pakistan: a mathematical modeling study of survey data

PubMed Central

Melesse, Dessalegn Y; Shafer, Leigh Anne; Emmanuel, Faran; Reza, Tahira; Achakzai, Baseer K; Furqan, Sofia; Blanchard, James F

2018-01-01

Background Assessing patterns and trends in new infections is key to better understanding of HIV epidemics, and is best done through monitoring changes in incidence over time. In this study, we examined disparities in geographical trends of HIV epidemics among people who inject drugs (PWIDs), female sex workers (FSWs) and hijra/transgender/male sex workers (H/MSWs), in Pakistan. Methods The UNAIDS Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) mathematical model was used to explore geographical trends in HIV epidemics. Four rounds of mapping and surveillance data collected among key populations (KPs) across 20 cities in Pakistan between 2005-2011 was used for modeling. Empirical estimates of HIV prevalence of each KP in each city were used to fit the model to estimate prevalence and incidence over time. Results HIV incidence among PWIDs in Pakistan reached its peak in 2011, estimated at 45.3 per 1000 person-years. Incidence was projected to continue to rise from 18.9 in 2015 to 24.3 in 2020 among H/MSWs and from 3.2 in 2015 to 6.3 in 2020 among FSWs. The number of people living with HIV in Pakistan was estimated to steadily increase through at least 2020. HIV incidence peak among PWIDs ranged from 16.2 in 1997 in Quetta to 71.0 in 2010 in Faisalabad (per 1000 person-years). Incidence among H/MSWs may continue to rise through 2020 in all the cities, except in Larkana where it peaked in the early 2000s. In 2015, model estimated incidence among FSWs was 8.1 in Karachi, 6.6 in Larkana, 2.0 in Sukkur and 1.2 in Lahore (per 1000 person-years). Conclusions There exists significant geographical heterogeneity in patterns and trends of HIV sub-epidemics in Pakistan. Focused interventions and service delivery approaches, different by KP and city, are recommended. PMID:29770215

CLARREO Cornerstone of the Earth Observing System: Measuring Decadal Change Through Accurate Emitted Infrared and Reflected Solar Spectra and Radio Occultation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandford, Stephen P.

2010-01-01

The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) is one of four Tier 1 missions recommended by the recent NRC Decadal Survey report on Earth Science and Applications from Space (NRC, 2007). The CLARREO mission addresses the need to provide accurate, broadly acknowledged climate records that are used to enable validated long-term climate projections that become the foundation for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society. The CLARREO mission accomplishes this critical objective through rigorous SI traceable decadal change observations that are sensitive to many of the key uncertainties in climate radiative forcings, responses, and feedbacks that in turn drive uncertainty in current climate model projections. These same uncertainties also lead to uncertainty in attribution of climate change to anthropogenic forcing. For the first time CLARREO will make highly accurate, global, SI-traceable decadal change observations sensitive to the most critical, but least understood, climate forcings, responses, and feedbacks. The CLARREO breakthrough is to achieve the required levels of accuracy and traceability to SI standards for a set of observations sensitive to a wide range of key decadal change variables. The required accuracy levels are determined so that climate trend signals can be detected against a background of naturally occurring variability. Climate system natural variability therefore determines what level of accuracy is overkill, and what level is critical to obtain. In this sense, the CLARREO mission requirements are considered optimal from a science value perspective. The accuracy for decadal change traceability to SI standards includes uncertainties associated with instrument calibration, satellite orbit sampling, and analysis methods. Unlike most space missions, the CLARREO requirements are driven not by the instantaneous accuracy of the measurements, but by accuracy in the large time/space scale averages that are key to understanding decadal changes.

The life cycle of a genome project: perspectives and guidelines inspired by insect genome projects

PubMed Central

Papanicolaou, Alexie

2016-01-01

Many research programs on non-model species biology have been empowered by genomics. In turn, genomics is underpinned by a reference sequence and ancillary information created by so-called “genome projects”. The most reliable genome projects are the ones created as part of an active research program and designed to address specific questions but their life extends past publication. In this opinion paper I outline four key insights that have facilitated maintaining genomic communities: the key role of computational capability, the iterative process of building genomic resources, the value of community participation and the importance of manual curation. Taken together, these ideas can and do ensure the longevity of genome projects and the growing non-model species community can use them to focus a discussion with regards to its future genomic infrastructure. PMID:27006757

Implementing an interprofessional first-year teamwork project: some key reflections.

PubMed

McNaughton, Susan Maree

2013-09-01

Implementing an interprofessional teamwork project for first-year students presents pedagogical and practical challenges. While transferable skills and attributes are important, engagement of students with limited professional experience in teamwork depends on relevance to current learning needs. This report outlines principles learned from planning and implementing a teamwork project for an interprofessional health administration and service development course. Practising interprofessional teamwork as leaders and teachers, aligning with previous, current and future teamwork content and processes and responding to student feedback and achievement have been the key factors in shaping the project over three semesters. Face-to-face and online interprofessional teamwork learning has necessitated developing resources that support self-direction, using familiar technology and providing enabling physical environments. Implications for first-year interprofessional teamwork are that structured well-resourced processes, responsiveness and alignment of learning all improve student outcomes.

On Coarse Projective Integration for Atomic Deposition in Amorphous Systems

DOE PAGES

Chuang, Claire Y.; Han, Sang M.; Zepeda-Ruiz, Luis A.; ...

2015-10-02

Direct molecular dynamics simulation of atomic deposition under realistic conditions is notoriously challenging because of the wide range of timescales that must be captured. Numerous simulation approaches have been proposed to address the problem, often requiring a compromise between model fidelity, algorithmic complexity and computational efficiency. Coarse projective integration, an example application of the ‘equation-free’ framework, offers an attractive balance between these constraints. Here, periodically applied, short atomistic simulations are employed to compute gradients of slowly-evolving coarse variables that are then used to numerically integrate differential equations over relatively large time intervals. A key obstacle to the application of thismore » technique in realistic settings is the ‘lifting’ operation in which a valid atomistic configuration is recreated from knowledge of the coarse variables. Using Ge deposition on amorphous SiO 2 substrates as an example application, we present a scheme for lifting realistic atomistic configurations comprised of collections of Ge islands on amorphous SiO 2 using only a few measures of the island size distribution. In conclusion, the approach is shown to provide accurate initial configurations to restart molecular dynamics simulations at arbitrary points in time, enabling the application of coarse projective integration for this morphologically complex system.« less

On gestation periods of creative work: an interface of Doig's art and science.

PubMed

Erren, Thomas C

2010-01-01

This article is meant for, but not confined to, younger scientists who may have a series of ideas, hypotheses and projects--be they small or big--and might grapple with the objective to pursue and complete at least some, and preferably most, work in due course. And yet, the very generation, development and completion of numerous projects takes gestation periods which can be long and painful. Importantly, this simple but important truth is valid for any creative process, be it in the sciences or in the arts. With reference to luminaries like Max Perutz and George Wald, more general interfaces between science and the arts are identified. With reference to how some of Peter Doig's paintings evolve over long times and to how John Eccles and Isaac Newton worked, extended gestation periods as a key similarity of creative work by both artists and scientists are exemplified and vindicated. It is concluded that long gestation periods of creative work should be viewed as the expectation rather than the exception. Importantly, the evolutionary and somewhat intuitive commitment to several projects at the same, and often extended, periods of time can be a recipe for revolutionary results fostered by the required variation and diversity of thinking and cross-fertilization of--seemingly--unrelated themes and fields.

Web based visualization of large climate data sets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alder, Jay R.; Hostetler, Steven W.

2015-01-01

We have implemented the USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV), which is an easy-to-use web application that displays future projections from global climate models over the United States at the state, county and watershed scales. We incorporate the NASA NEX-DCP30 statistically downscaled temperature and precipitation for 30 global climate models being used in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and hydrologic variables we simulated using a simple water-balance model. Our application summarizes very large, complex data sets at scales relevant to resource managers and citizens and makes climate-change projection information accessible to users of varying skill levels. Tens of terabytes of high-resolution climate and water-balance data are distilled to compact binary format summary files that are used in the application. To alleviate slow response times under high loads, we developed a map caching technique that reduces the time it takes to generate maps by several orders of magnitude. The reduced access time scales to >500 concurrent users. We provide code examples that demonstrate key aspects of data processing, data exporting/importing and the caching technique used in the NCCV.

Web Monitoring of EOS Front-End Ground Operations, Science Downlinks and Level 0 Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordier, Guy R.; Wilkinson, Chris; McLemore, Bruce

2008-01-01

This paper addresses the efforts undertaken and the technology deployed to aggregate and distribute the metadata characterizing the real-time operations associated with NASA Earth Observing Systems (EOS) high-rate front-end systems and the science data collected at multiple ground stations and forwarded to the Goddard Space Flight Center for level 0 processing. Station operators, mission project management personnel, spacecraft flight operations personnel and data end-users for various EOS missions can retrieve the information at any time from any location having access to the internet. The users are distributed and the EOS systems are distributed but the centralized metadata accessed via an external web server provide an effective global and detailed view of the enterprise-wide events as they are happening. The data-driven architecture and the implementation of applied middleware technology, open source database, open source monitoring tools, and external web server converge nicely to fulfill the various needs of the enterprise. The timeliness and content of the information provided are key to making timely and correct decisions which reduce project risk and enhance overall customer satisfaction. The authors discuss security measures employed to limit access of data to authorized users only.

EMSODEV and EPOS-IP: key findings for effective management of EU research infrastructure projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materia, Paola; Bozzoli, Sabrina; Beranzoli, Laura; Cocco, Massimo; Favali, Paolo; Freda, Carmela; Sangianantoni, Agata

2017-04-01

EMSO (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory, http://www.emso-eu.org) and EPOS (European Plate Observing System, https://www.epos-ip.org) are pan-European Research Infrastructures (RIs) in the ESFRI 2016 Roadmap. EMSO has recently become an ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium), whilst EPOS application is in progress. Both ERICs will be hosted in Italy and the "Representing Entity" is INGV. EMSO consists of oceanic environment observation systems spanning from the Arctic through the Atlantic and Mediterranean, to the Black Sea for long-term, high-resolution, real-time monitoring of natural and man-induced processes such as hazards, climate, and marine ecosystems changes to study their evolution and interconnections. EPOS aims at creating a pan-European infrastructure for solid Earth science to support a safe and sustainable society. EPOS will enable innovative multidisciplinary research for a better understanding of Earth's physical and chemical processes controlling earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ground instability, tsunami, and all those processes driving tectonics and Earth's surface dynamics. Following the conclusion of their Preparatory Phases the two RIs are now in their Implementation Phase still supported by the EC through the EMSODEV and EPOS-IP projects, both run by dedicated Project Management Offices at INGV with sound experience in EU projects. EMSODEV (H2020 project, 2015-2018) involves 11 partners and 9 associate partners and aims at improving the harmonization among the EMSO ERIC observation systems through the realization of EMSO Generic Instrument Modules (EGIMs), and a Data Management Platform (DMP) to implement interoperability and standardization. The DMP will provide access to data from all EMSO nodes, providing a unified, homogeneous, infrastructure-scale and user-oriented platform integrated with the increased measurement capabilities and functions provided by the EGIMs. EPOS IP (H2020 project, 2015-2019) is a project of 47 partners, 6 associate partners and several international organizations for a total of 25 countries involved. EPOS IP is a key step in EPOS' mission of a pan-European Earth science integrated platform. It will deliver not only a suite of domain-specific and multidisciplinary data and services in one platform, but also the legal, governance and financial frameworks to ensure the infrastructure future operation and sustainability (EPOS ERIC). INGV experience over the years indicates that effective management of EU RIs projects should contain 5 basic elements: 1.Defined life cycle and milestones: Map of phases, deliverables, key milestones and sufficiency criteria for each group involved in the project using project management tools and software. 2.Shared organization, systems, roles: Defined roles for team members and responsibilities for functional managers are crucial. Similarly, a system of communication and team involvement is essential to success. Leadership and interpersonal/organizational skills are also important. 3.Quality assurance: Quality dimension should be aligned to the project objectives and specific criteria should be identified for each phase of the project. 4.Tracking and variance analysis: Regular reports and periodic meetings of the teams are crucial to identify when things are off target. Schedule slips, cost overruns, open issues, new risks and problems must be dealt with as early as possible. 5.Impact assessment by monitoring the achievement of results and socio-economic impact.

Charting the Course: Life Cycle Management of Mars Mission Digital Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reiz, Julie M.

2003-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the life cycle management of MER Project information. This process was an essential key to the successful launch of the MER Project rovers. Incorporating digital information archive requirements early in the project life cycle resulted in: Design of an information system that included archive metadata, Reduced the risk of information loss through in-process appraisal, Easier transfer of project information to institutional online archive and Project appreciation for preserving information for reuse by future projects

Developing longitudinal qualitative designs: lessons learned and recommendations for health services research.

PubMed

Calman, Lynn; Brunton, Lisa; Molassiotis, Alex

2013-02-06

Longitudinal qualitative methods are becoming increasingly used in the health service research, but the method and challenges particular to health care settings are not well described in the literature.We reflect on the strategies used in a longitudinal qualitative study to explore the experience of symptoms in cancer patients and their carers, following participants from diagnosis for twelve months; we highlight ethical, practical, theoretical and methodological issues that need to be considered and addressed from the outset of a longitudinal qualitative study. Key considerations in undertaking longitudinal qualitative projects in health research, include the use of theory, utilizing multiple methods of analysis and giving consideration to the practical and ethical issues at an early stage. These can include issues of time and timing; data collection processes; changing the topic guide over time; recruitment considerations; retention of staff; issues around confidentiality; effects of project on staff and patients, and analyzing data within and across time. As longitudinal qualitative methods are becoming increasingly used in health services research, the methodological and practical challenges particular to health care settings need more robust approaches and conceptual improvement. We provide recommendations for the use of such designs. We have a particular focus on cancer patients, so this paper will have particular relevance for researchers interested in chronic and life limiting conditions.

Implementing Effective Mission Systems Engineering Practices During Early Project Formulation Phases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moton, Tryshanda

2016-01-01

Developing and implementing a plan for a NASA space mission can be a complicated process. The needs, goals, and objectives of any proposed mission or technology must be assessed early in the Project Life Cycle. The key to successful development of a space mission or flight project is the inclusion of systems engineering in early project formulation, namely during Pre-phase A, Phase A, and Phase B of the NASA Project Life Cycle. When a space mission or new technology is in pre-development, or "pre-Formulation", feasibility must be determined based on cost, schedule, and risk. Inclusion of system engineering during project formulation is key because in addition to assessing feasibility, design concepts are developed and alternatives to design concepts are evaluated. Lack of systems engineering involvement early in the project formulation can result in increased risks later in the implementation and operations phases of the project. One proven method for effective systems engineering practice during the pre-Formulation Phase is the use of a mission conceptual design or technology development laboratory, such as the Mission Design Lab (MDL) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This paper will review the engineering process practiced routinely in the MDL for successful mission or project development during the pre-Formulation Phase.

Citizen science participation in research in the environmental sciences: key factors related to projects' success and longevity.

PubMed

Cunha, Davi G F; Marques, Jonatas F; Resende, Juliana C DE; Falco, Patrícia B DE; Souza, Chrislaine M DE; Loiselle, Steven A

2017-01-01

The potential impacts of citizen science initiatives are increasing across the globe, albeit in an imbalanced manner. In general, there is a strong element of trial and error in most projects, and the comparison of best practices and project structure between different initiatives remains difficult. In Brazil, the participation of volunteers in environmental research is limited. Identifying the factors related to citizen science projects' success and longevity within a global perspective can contribute for consolidating such practices in the country. In this study, we explore past and present projects, including a case study in Brazil, to identify the spatial and temporal trends of citizen science programs as well as their best practices and challenges. We performed a bibliographic search using Google Scholar and considered results from 2005-2014. Although these results are subjective due to the Google Scholar's algorithm and ranking criteria, we highlighted factors to compare projects across geographical and disciplinary areas and identified key matches between project proponents and participants, project goals and local priorities, participant profiles and engagement, scientific methods and funding. This approach is a useful starting point for future citizen science projects, allowing for a systematic analysis of potential inconsistencies and shortcomings in this emerging field.

Fall 2016 Solicitation Projects Website Info

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

Diachin, L.

Spark-ignition engines are the backbone behind people transportation around the world. The efficiency of spark-ignition engines is limited in practice by variations between engine cycles and cylinders within an engine that result from the manufacturing processes/tolerances. These variations impact knock limits and dilution tolerance, which results in more conservative settings for design and calibration settings, such as compression ratio, valve timing, and exhaust gas recirculation rates. Engine variations also have a significant impact on emissions generation, which can have a secondary impact on efficiency. A deeper understanding of the relative importance of these variations and their interactions on the chargemore » preparation process can guide future decisions on machining tolerances and control strategies. This project will develop simulation tools and methodology to include the effects of some key manufacturing tolerances and their impact on engine performance and emissions.« less

The early development of neutron diffraction: Science in the wings of the Manhattan Project

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

Mason, Thom; Gawne, Timothy J; Nagler, Stephen E

2012-01-01

Although neutron diffraction was first observed using radioactive decay sources shortly after the discovery of the neutron, it was only with the availability of higher intensity neutron beams from the first nuclear reactors, constructed as part of the Manhattan project, that systematic investigation of Bragg scattering became possible. Remarkably, at a time when the war effort was singularly focused on the development of the atomic bomb, groups working at Oak Ridge and Chicago carried out key measurements and recognized the future utility of neutron diffraction quite independent of its contributions to the measurements of nuclear cross sections. Ernest O. Wollan,more » Lyle B. Borst, and Walter H. Zinn were all able to observe neutron diffraction in 1944 using the X-10 graphite reactor and the CP-3 heavy water reactor.« less

Thermostatic Radiator Valve Evaluation

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

Dentz, J.; Ansanelli, E.

2015-01-01

A large stock of multifamily buildings in the Northeast and Midwest are heated by steam distribution systems. Losses from these systems are typically high and a significant number of apartments are overheated much of the time. Thermostatically controlled radiator valves (TRVs) are one potential strategy to combat this problem, but have not been widely accepted by the residential retrofit market. In this project, the ARIES team sought to better understand the current usage of TRVs by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old TRVs as amore » means of controlling space temperatures and reducing heating fuel consumption. The project included a survey of industry professionals, a field experiment comparing old and new TRVs, and cost-benefit modeling analysis using BEopt™ (Building Energy Optimization software).« less

Research 0n Incentive Mechanism of General Contractor and Subcontractors Dynamic Alliance in Construction Project Based on Team Cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Honglian; Sun, Aihua; Liu, Quanru; Chen, Zhiyi

2018-03-01

It is the key of motivating sub-contractors working hard and mutual cooperation, ensuring implementation overall goal of the project that to design rational incentive mechanism for general contractor. Based on the principal-agency theory, the subcontractor efforts is divided into two parts, one for individual efforts, another helping other subcontractors, team Cooperation incentive models of multiple subcontractors are set up, incentive schemes and intensities are also given. The results show that the general contractor may provide individual and team motivation incentives when subcontractors working independently, not affecting each other in time and space; otherwise, the general contractor may only provide individual incentive to entice teams collaboration between subcontractors and helping each other. The conclusions can provide a reference for the subcontract design of general and sub-contractor dynamic alliances.

TU-G-BRCD-01: Will the High Cost of Proton Therapy Facilities Limit the Availability of Proton Therapy Treatment?

PubMed

Maughan, R

2012-06-01

The potential dose distribution advantages associated with proton therapy, and particularly with pencil beam scanning (PBS) techniques, have lead to considerable interest in this modality in recent years. However, the large capital expenditure necessary for such a project requires careful financial consideration and business planning. The complexity of the beam delivery systems impacts the capital expenditure and the PBS only systems presently being advocated can reduce these costs. Also several manufacturers are considering "one-room" facilities as less expensive alternatives to multi-room facilities. This presentation includes a brief introduction to beam delivery options (passive scattering, uniform and modulated scanning) and some of the new technologies proposed for providing less expensive proton therapy systems. Based on current experience, data on proton therapy center start-up costs, running costs and the financial challenges associated with making this highly conformal therapy more widely available will be discussed. Issues associated with proton therapy implementation that are key to project success include strong project management, vendor cooperation and collaboration, staff recruitment and training. Time management during facility start up is a major concern, particularly in multi-room systems, where time must be shared between continuing vendor system validation, verification and acceptance testing, and user commissioning and patient treatments. The challenges associated with facility operation during this period and beyond are discussed, focusing on how standardization of process, downtime and smart scheduling can influence operational efficiency. 1. To understand the available choices for proton therapy facilities, the different beam delivery systems and the financial implications associated with these choices. 2. To understand the key elements necessary for successfully implementing a proton therapy program. 3. To understand the challenges associated with on-going facility management to achieve an efficient fully operational system. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

National Marine Sanctuaries as Sentinel Sites for a Demonstration Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavez, F.; Montes, E.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Gittings, S.; Canonico, G.; Kavanaugh, M.; Iken, K.; Miller, R. J.; Duffy, J. E.; Miloslavich, P.

2016-12-01

The U.S. Federal government (NOAA, NASA, BOEM, and the Smithsonian Institution), academic researchers, and private partners in the U.S. and around the world are working on the design and implementation of a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON). The program is being coordinated internationally with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO BON) and two key Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) programs, namely the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). The goal is to monitor changes in marine biodiversity within various geographic settings. In the U.S., demonstration projects include four National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS): Florida Keys, Monterey Bay, Flower Garden Banks, and Channel Islands. The Smithsonian is implementing several programs around the world under the Marine Global Earth Observatory (MarineGEO) partnership, directed by the Smithsonian's Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network (TMON). The overarching goal is to observe and understand life, from microbes to whales, in different coastal and continental shelf habitats, and its role in maintaining resilient ecosystems. The project also seeks to determine biodiversity baselines in these ecosystems based on time-series observations to assess changes in populations and overall biodiversity over time. Efforts are being made to engage with various countries in the Americas to participate in an MBON Pole to Pole in the Americas initiative proposed by Mexico. We are looking to have other regions organized to conduct similar planning efforts. The present MBON pilot projects encompass a range of marine environments, including deep sea, continental shelves, and coastal habitats including estuaries, wetlands, and coral reefs. The MBON will facilitate and enable regional biodiversity assessments, and contributes to addressing several U.N. Sustainable Development Goals to conserve and sustainably use marine resources, and provide a means for countries to address targets and goals defined under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Stirling Engine Dynamic System Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakis, Christopher G.

2004-01-01

The Thermo-Mechanical systems branch at the Glenn Research Center focuses a large amount time on Stirling engines. These engines will be used on missions where solar power is inefficient, especially in deep space. I work with Tim Regan and Ed Lewandowski who are currently developing and validating a mathematical model for the Stirling engines. This model incorporates all aspects of the system including, mechanical, electrical and thermodynamic components. Modeling is done through Simplorer, a program capable of running simulations of the model. Once created and then proven to be accurate, a model is used for developing new ideas for engine design. My largest specific project involves varying key parameters in the model and quantifying the results. This can all be done relatively trouble-free with the help of Simplorer. Once the model is complete, Simplorer will do all the necessary calculations. The more complicated part of this project is determining which parameters to vary. Finding key parameters depends on the potential for a value to be independently altered in the design. For example, a change in one dimension may lead to a proportional change to the rest of the model, and no real progress is made. Also, the ability for a changed value to have a substantial impact on the outputs of the system is important. Results will be condensed into graphs and tables with the purpose of better communication and understanding of the data. With the changing of these parameters, a more optimal design can be created without having to purchase or build any models. Also, hours and hours of results can be simulated in minutes. In the long run, using mathematical models can save time and money. Along with this project, I have many other smaller assignments throughout the summer. My main goal is to assist in the processes of model development, validation and testing.

The BACnet Campus Challenge - Part 1

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

Masica, Ken; Tom, Steve

Here, the BACnet protocol was designed to achieve interoperability among building automation vendors and evolve over time to include new functionality as well as support new communication technologies such as the Ethernet and IP protocols as they became prevalent and economical in the market place. For large multi-building, multi-vendor campus environments, standardizing on the BACnet protocol as an implementation strategy can be a key component in meeting the challenge of an interoperable, flexible, and scalable building automation system. The interoperability of BACnet is especially important when large campuses with legacy equipment have DDC upgrades to facilities performed over different timemore » frames and use different contractors that install equipment from different vendors under the guidance of different campus HVAC project managers. In these circumstances, BACnet can serve as a common foundation for interoperability when potential variability exists in approaches to the design-build process by numerous parties over time. Likewise, BACnet support for a range of networking protocols and technologies can be a key strategy for achieving flexible and scalable automation systems as campuses and enterprises expand networking infrastructures using standard interoperable protocols like IP and Ethernet.« less

The BACnet Campus Challenge - Part 1

DOE PAGES

Masica, Ken; Tom, Steve

2015-12-01

Here, the BACnet protocol was designed to achieve interoperability among building automation vendors and evolve over time to include new functionality as well as support new communication technologies such as the Ethernet and IP protocols as they became prevalent and economical in the market place. For large multi-building, multi-vendor campus environments, standardizing on the BACnet protocol as an implementation strategy can be a key component in meeting the challenge of an interoperable, flexible, and scalable building automation system. The interoperability of BACnet is especially important when large campuses with legacy equipment have DDC upgrades to facilities performed over different timemore » frames and use different contractors that install equipment from different vendors under the guidance of different campus HVAC project managers. In these circumstances, BACnet can serve as a common foundation for interoperability when potential variability exists in approaches to the design-build process by numerous parties over time. Likewise, BACnet support for a range of networking protocols and technologies can be a key strategy for achieving flexible and scalable automation systems as campuses and enterprises expand networking infrastructures using standard interoperable protocols like IP and Ethernet.« less

Natural photosystems from an engineer's perspective: length, time, and energy scales of charge and energy transfer.

PubMed

Noy, Dror

2008-01-01

The vast structural and functional information database of photosynthetic enzymes includes, in addition to detailed kinetic records from decades of research on physical processes and chemical reaction-pathways, a variety of high and medium resolution crystal structures of key photosynthetic enzymes. Here, it is examined from an engineer's point of view with the long-term goal of reproducing the key features of natural photosystems in novel biological and non-biological solar-energy conversion systems. This survey reveals that the basic physics of the transfer processes, namely, the time constraints imposed by the rates of incoming photon flux and the various decay processes allow for a large degree of tolerance in the engineering parameters. Furthermore, the requirements to guarantee energy and electron transfer rates that yield high efficiency in natural photosystems are largely met by control of distance between chromophores and redox cofactors. This underlines a critical challenge for projected de novo designed constructions, that is, the control of spatial organization of cofactor molecules within dense array of different cofactors, some well within 1 nm from each other.

Linking land-use projections and forest fragmentation analysis.

Treesearch

Andrew J. Plantinga; Ralph J. Alig; Henry Eichman; David J. Lewis

2007-01-01

An econometric model of private land-use decisions is used to project land use to 2030 for each county in the continental United States. On a national scale, forest area is projected to increase overall between 0.1 and 0.2 percent per year between now and 2030. However, forest area is projected to decrease in a majority of regions, including the key forestry regions of...

Impact of a community gardening project on vegetable intake, food security and family relationships: a community-based participatory research study.

PubMed

Carney, Patricia A; Hamada, Janet L; Rdesinski, Rebecca; Sprager, Lorena; Nichols, Katelyn R; Liu, Betty Y; Pelayo, Joel; Sanchez, Maria Antonia; Shannon, Jacklien

2012-08-01

This community-based participatory research project used popular education techniques to support and educate Hispanic farmworker families in planting and maintaining organic gardens. Measures included a pre- post gardening survey, key informant interviews and observations made at community-based gardening meetings to assess food security, safety and family relationships. Thirty-eight families enrolled in the study during the pre-garden time period, and four more families enrolled in the study during the post-garden period, for a total of 42 families enrolled in the 2009 gardening season. Of the families enrolled during the pre-gardening time period there were 163 household members. The mean age of the interviewee was 44.0, ranging from 21 to 78 years of age. The median number of occupants in a household was 4.0 (range: 2-8), Frequency of adult vegetable intake of "Several time a day" increased from 18.2 to 84.8%, (P < 0.001) and frequency of children's vegetable intake of "Several time a day" increased from 24.0 to 64.0%, (P = 0.003). Before the gardening season, the sum of the frequencies of "Sometimes" and "Frequently" worrying in the past month that food would run out before money was available to buy more was 31.2% and the sum of these frequencies dropped to 3.1% during the post garden period, (P = 0.006). The frequency of skipping meals due to lack of money was not statistically significantly different before and after the gardening season for either adults or children. Analysis of text responses and key informant interviews revealed that physical and mental health benefits were reported as well as economic and family health benefits from the gardening study, primarily because the families often worked in their gardens together. A community gardening program can reduce food insecurity, improve dietary intake and strengthen family relationships.

Effects of sea level rise, land subsidence, bathymetric change and typhoon tracks on storm flooding in the coastal areas of Shanghai.

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Yi, Si; Li, Mengya; Wang, Lei; Song, Chengcheng

2018-04-15

We compared the effects of three key environmental factors of coastal flooding: sea level rise (SLR), land subsidence (LS) and bathymetric change (BC) in the coastal areas of Shanghai. We use the hydrological simulation model MIKE 21 to simulate flood magnitudes under multiple scenarios created from combinations of the key environmental factors projected to year 2030 and 2050. Historical typhoons (TC9711, TC8114, TC0012, TC0205 and TC1109), which caused extremely high surges and considerable losses, were selected as reference tracks to generate potential typhoon events that would make landfalls in Shanghai (SHLD), in the north of Zhejiang (ZNLD) and moving northwards in the offshore area of Shanghai (MNS) under those scenarios. The model results provided assessment of impact of single and compound effects of the three factors (SLR, LS and BC) on coastal flooding in Shanghai for the next few decades. Model simulation showed that by the year 2030, the magnitude of storm flooding will increase due to the environmental changes defined by SLR, LS, and BC. Particularly, the compound scenario of the three factors will generate coastal floods that are 3.1, 2.7, and 1.9 times greater than the single factor change scenarios by, respectively, SLR, LS, and BC. Even more drastically, in 2050, the compound impact of the three factors would be 8.5, 7.5, and 23.4 times of the single factors. It indicates that the impact of environmental changes is not simple addition of the effects from individual factors, but rather multiple times greater of that when the projection time is longer. We also found for short-term scenarios, the bathymetry change is the most important factor for the changes in coastal flooding; and for long-term scenarios, sea level rise and land subsidence are the major factors that coastal flood prevention and management should address. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Panebianco, S.; Dore, D.; Giomataris, I.

Time Projection Chambers are widely used since many years for tracking and identification of charged particles in high energy physics. We present a new R and D project to investigate the feasibility of a Micromegas TPC for low energy heavy ions detection. Two physics cases are relevant for this project. The first is the study of the nuclear fission of actinides by measuring the fission fragments properties (mass, nuclear charge, kinetic energy) that will be performed at different installations and in particular at the NFS facility to be built in the framework of the SPIRAL2 project in GANIL. The secondmore » physics case is the study of heavy ion reactions, like ({alpha},{gamma}), ({alpha},p), ({alpha},n) and all the inverse reactions in the energy range between 1.5 and 3 AMeV using both stable and radioactive beams. These reactions have a key role in p process in nuclear astrophysics to explain the synthesis of heavy proton-rich nuclei. Within the project, a large effort is devoted to Monte-Carlo simulations and a detailed benchmark of different simulation codes on the energy loss and range in gas of heavy ions at low energy has been performed. A new approach for simulating the ion charge state evolution in GEANT4 is also presented. Finally, preliminary results of an experimental test campaign on prototype are discussed.« less

Adaptive restoration of river terrace vegetation through iterative experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dela Cruz, Michelle P.; Beauchamp, Vanessa B.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Decker, Cheryl E.; O’Neil, Aviva

2014-01-01

Restoration projects can involve a high degree of uncertainty and risk, which can ultimately result in failure. An adaptive restoration approach can reduce uncertainty through controlled, replicated experiments designed to test specific hypotheses and alternative management approaches. Key components of adaptive restoration include willingness of project managers to accept the risk inherent in experimentation, interest of researchers, availability of funding for experimentation and monitoring, and ability to restore sites as iterative experiments where results from early efforts can inform the design of later phases. This paper highlights an ongoing adaptive restoration project at Zion National Park (ZNP), aimed at reducing the cover of exotic annual Bromus on riparian terraces, and revegetating these areas with native plant species. Rather than using a trial-and-error approach, ZNP staff partnered with academic, government, and private-sector collaborators to conduct small-scale experiments to explicitly address uncertainties concerning biomass removal of annual bromes, herbicide application rates and timing, and effective seeding methods for native species. Adaptive restoration has succeeded at ZNP because managers accept the risk inherent in experimentation and ZNP personnel are committed to continue these projects over a several-year period. Techniques that result in exotic annual Bromus removal and restoration of native plant species at ZNP can be used as a starting point for adaptive restoration projects elsewhere in the region.

Understanding the Manager of the Project Front-End

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulenburg, Gerald M.; Imprescia, Cliff (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Historical data and new findings from interviews with managers of major National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) projects confirm literature reports about the criticality of the front-end phase of project development, where systems engineering plays such a key role. Recent research into the management of ten contemporary NASA projects, combined with personal experience of the author in NASA, provide some insight into the relevance and importance of the project manager in this initial part of the project life cycle. The research findings provide evidence of similar approaches taken by the NASA project manager.

Multinary diamond-like chalcogenides for promising thermoelectric application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dan; Bai, Hong-Chang; Li, Zhi-Liang; Wang, Jiang-Long; Fu, Guang-Sheng; Wang, Shu-Fang

2018-04-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51372064 and 61704044) and the Key Project of the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (Grant No. E2017201227).

Simulation of investment returns of toll projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

This research develops a methodological framework to illustrate key stages in applying the simulation of investment returns of toll projects, acting as an example process of helping agencies conduct numerical risk analysis by taking certain uncertain...

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Aurora Solar Energy Project |

Science.gov Websites

development Start Year: 2020 Do you have more information, corrections, or comments? Background Technology : 495,000 MWh/yr (Expected) Contact(s): Webmaster Solar Key References: Fact sheet Break Ground: 2018 Start

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Tamarugal Solar Energy Project |

Science.gov Websites

Gross: 450.0 MW Status: Under development Start Year: 2021 Do you have more information, corrections, or Key References: Fact sheet Break Ground: 2018 Start Production: 2021 Participants Developer(s): Solar

An overview of the SeaWiFS project and strategies for producing a climate research quality global ocean bio-optical time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClain, Charles R.; Feldman, Gene C.; Hooker, Stanford B.

2004-01-01

The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project Office was formally initiated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990. Seven years later, the sensor was launched by Orbital Sciences Corporation under a data-buy contract to provide 5 years of science quality data for global ocean biogeochemistry research. To date, the SeaWiFS program has greatly exceeded the mission goals established over a decade ago in terms of data quality, data accessibility and usability, ocean community infrastructure development, cost efficiency, and community service. The SeaWiFS Project Office and its collaborators in the scientific community have made substantial contributions in the areas of satellite calibration, product validation, near-real time data access, field data collection, protocol development, in situ instrumentation technology, operational data system development, and desktop level-0 to level-3 processing software. One important aspect of the SeaWiFS program is the high level of science community cooperation and participation. This article summarizes the key activities and approaches the SeaWiFS Project Office pursued to define, achieve, and maintain the mission objectives. These achievements have enabled the user community to publish a large and growing volume of research such as those contributed to this special volume of Deep-Sea Research. Finally, some examples of major geophysical events (oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial) captured by SeaWiFS are presented to demonstrate the versatility of the sensor.

13. GROOVED FOOTING (CONSTRUCTION KEY) EXTENDING ABOVE CEMENT FLOOR IN ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. GROOVED FOOTING (CONSTRUCTION KEY) EXTENDING ABOVE CEMENT FLOOR IN FIRST UNLINED SECTION BEYOND SOUTH PORTAL. - Salinas River Project, Cuesta Tunnel, Southeast of U.S. 101, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, CA

Decision making guidelines for mining historic landfill sites in Flanders.

PubMed

Winterstetter, A; Wille, E; Nagels, P; Fellner, J

2018-04-20

This study aims at showing how the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) can help to classify potential landfill mining projects with different levels of maturity, from exploration to production, under technical, socio-economic and project-planning aspects. Taking the example of three former landfill sites in Flanders general decision making guidelines regarding the future management of old landfills are provided. Using the ECLAR methodology for the evaluation (E) and classification (CL) of anthropogenic resources (AR), the individual projects, where clean land and/or materials are recovered, are mapped under the three-dimensional UNFC system. The Bornem project, yields a negative Net Present Value (NPV) of -17 Mio € (-44 €/t of excavated waste), i.e. the project is currently not economically viable. In case of changing key parameters the landfill has, however, reasonable prospects for future economic extraction. The Turnhout land development turned out to be economically viable with a NPV of 361,000 € (8 €/t of excavated waste). The Zuienkerke remediation project is at a too early stage to determine its socioeconomic viability. The main focus to compare and prioritize potential landfill mining projects in Flanders should be on (1) site specific conditions (e.g. landfill's composition, land prices), (2) project related factors (e.g. remediation required vs. resource/land recovery, selected technologies and project set-ups, private vs. public evaluation perspective) and (3) the timing of mining, considering future development of costs, prices, laws, available data and information. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ice_Sheets_CCI: Essential Climate Variables for the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, R.; Sørensen, L. S.; Khan, A.; Aas, C.; Evansberget, D.; Adalsteinsdottir, G.; Mottram, R.; Andersen, S. B.; Ahlstrøm, A.; Dall, J.; Kusk, A.; Merryman, J.; Hvidberg, C.; Khvorostovsky, K.; Nagler, T.; Rott, H.; Scharrer, M.; Shepard, A.; Ticconi, F.; Engdahl, M.

2012-04-01

As part of the ESA Climate Change Initiative (www.esa-cci.org) a long-term project "ice_sheets_cci" started January 1, 2012, in addition to the existing 11 projects already generating Essential Climate Variables (ECV) for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). The "ice_sheets_cci" goal is to generate a consistent, long-term and timely set of key climate parameters for the Greenland ice sheet, to maximize the impact of European satellite data on climate research, from missions such as ERS, Envisat and the future Sentinel satellites. The climate parameters to be provided, at first in a research context, and in the longer perspective by a routine production system, would be grids of Greenland ice sheet elevation changes from radar altimetry, ice velocity from repeat-pass SAR data, as well as time series of marine-terminating glacier calving front locations and grounding lines for floating-front glaciers. The ice_sheets_cci project will involve a broad interaction of the relevant cryosphere and climate communities, first through user consultations and specifications, and later in 2012 optional participation in "best" algorithm selection activities, where prototype climate parameter variables for selected regions and time frames will be produced and validated using an objective set of criteria ("Round-Robin intercomparison"). This comparative algorithm selection activity will be completely open, and we invite all interested scientific groups with relevant experience to participate. The results of the "Round Robin" exercise will form the algorithmic basis for the future ECV production system. First prototype results will be generated and validated by early 2014. The poster will show the planned outline of the project and some early prototype results.

Introduction to Financial Projection Models. Business Management Instructional Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pomeroy, Robert W., III

This guidebook and teacher's guide accompany a personal computer software program and introduce the key elements of financial projection modeling to project the financial statements of an industrial enterprise. The student will then build a model on an electronic spreadsheet. The guidebook teaches the purpose of a financial model and the steps…

Research Information Management: How the Library Can Contribute to the Campus Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Annette

2018-01-01

This article describes a project undertaken as part of a cross-campus strategic planning effort. The project documented current campus practices and systems in use for collecting, analyzing and reporting key research metrics. The project identified organizational issues around siloed data collection and lack of clarity on data stewards, data…

The Biodiversity Community Action Project: An STS Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aidin, Amirshokoohi; Mahsa, Kazempour

2010-01-01

The Biodiversity Community Action Project is a stimulating and vigorous project that allows students to gain an in-depth understanding of the interconnection between organisms and their environments as well as the connection of science to their lives and society. It addresses key content standards in the National Science Education Standards and…

2016-17 KASB Enrollment Projection Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Ted

2017-01-01

This report presents the findings from the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB's) 2016-17 Enrollment Projections for the state of Kansas as a whole, and also provides instructions on how these projections can be accessed at the district level. Key Findings include: (1) Total headcount enrollment will see modest increases from 2016-17 through…

Explorations in Early Childhood Education: The Mount Druitt Early Childhood Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braithwaite, John; And Others

This book concerns the Mt. Druitt Early Childhood Project, which was developed to provide quality educational programs for disadvantaged children living in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. In order to set the subsequent discussion in broader perspective, chapter 1 addresses several key issues influencing project development. Chapter 2…

Performance enhancement of ZnO nanowires/PbS quantum dot depleted bulk heterojunction solar cells with an ultrathin Al2O3 interlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Shuaipu; Wang, Yinglin; Li, Meiying; Su, Wei; An, Meiqi; Zhang, Xintong; Liu, Yichun

2018-01-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 91233204, 51372036, and 51602047), the Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant No. 113020A), and the 111 Project, China (Grant No. B13013).

Building a Creative Ecosystem: The Young Designers on Location Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Dan; Howe, Alan; Haywood, Susan

2004-01-01

This article reports on findings from a research project designed to explore ways in which creativity can be fostered through interactions between selected children, particular environments, materials, techniques and key adults. The Young Designers on Location (YDoL) project was funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts…

Efficient Project Delivery Using Lean Principles - An Indian Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovvuri, P. Ramachandra Reddy; Sawhney, Anil; Ahuja, Ritu; Sreekumar, Aiswarya

2016-03-01

Construction industry in India is growing at a rapid pace. Along with this growth, the industry is facing numerous challenges that are making delivery of projects inefficient. Experts believe that capacity constraints in the industry need to be addressed immediately. Government has recommended `introduction of efficient technologies and modern management techniques' to increase the productivity of the industry. In this context, lean principles can act as a lever to make project delivery more efficient and provide the much needed impetus to the Indian construction sector. Around the globe lean principles are showing positive results on the projects. Project teams are reporting improvements in construction time, cost and quality along with softer benefits of enhanced collaboration, coordination and trust in project teams. Can adoption of lean principles provide similar benefits in the Indian construction sector? This research was conducted to answer this question. Using an action research approach a key lean construction tool called Last Planner System (LPS) was tested on a large Indian construction project. The work described in this work investigates the improvements achieved in project delivery by adopting LPS in Indian construction sector. Comparison in pre- and post-implementation data demonstrates increase in the certainty of work-flow and improves schedule compliance. This is measured through a simple LPS metric called percent plan complete. Explicit improvements in schedule performance are seen during 8 week LPS implementation along with implicit improvements in coordination, collaboration and trust in the project team. This work reports the findings of LPS implementation on the case study project outlining the barriers and drivers to adoption, strategies needed to ensure successful implementation and roadmap for implementation. Based on the findings the authors envision that lean construction can make project delivery more efficient in India.

The K-8 Aeronautics Internet Testbook: Project Plan-Year 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pallis, Jani Macari

1997-01-01

The Project Plan - Year 3 includes: the major tasks and milestones, the assignment of tasks, and the key personnel assigned to each task, a description of the milestone and major task, and the deliverables for the project. Milestones have project numbers ending in "0.0", such as "25.0.0 Phase III Development". Major tasks under that milestone begin with the same first number such as, "25.0.1 Develop Future Of Aeronautics". The assignment of tasks included in the Year 3 project plan contains the names of the key personnel responsible for the task and others participating on the task. Although the PI has the overall and ultimately responsible for all the tasks and milestones, the name of the first individual on a task or milestone is the person responsible for that task. Other names listed under that task will be participating on the task. Since there are two individuals at Cislunar Aerospace, Inc. with the name "J. Pallis", the principal investigator, Jani Macari Pallis is designated as PI in the Project Plan and James Pallis is designated as J. Pallis.

Seven Key Principles of Program and Project Success: A Best Practices Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilardo, Vincent J.; Korte, John J.; Dankhoff, Walter; Langan, Kevin; Branscome, Darrell R.; Fragola, Joseph R.; Dugal, Dale J.; Gormley, Thomas J.; Hammond, Walter E.; Hollopeter, James J.;

Art and mental health in Samoa.

PubMed

Ryan, Brigid; Goding, Margaret; Fenner, Patricia; Percival, Steven; Percival, Wendy; Latai, Leua; Petaia, Lisi; Pulotu-Endemann, Fuimaono Karl; Parkin, Ian; Tuitama, George; Ng, Chee

2015-12-01

To pilot an art and mental health project with Samoan and Australian stakeholders. The aim of this project was to provide a voice through the medium of art for people experiencing mental illness, and to improve the public understanding in Samoa of mental illness and trauma. Over 12 months, a series of innovative workshops were held with Samoan and Australian stakeholders, followed by an art exhibition. These workshops developed strategies to support the promotion and understanding of mental health in Samoa. Key stakeholders from both art making and mental health services were engaged in activities to explore the possibility of collaboration in the Apia community. The project was able to identify the existing resources and community support for the arts and mental health projects, to design a series of activities aimed to promote and maintain health in the community, and to pilot these programs with five key organizations. This project demonstrates the potential for art and mental health projects to contribute to both improving mental health and to lowering the personal and social costs of mental ill health for communities in Samoa. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

CAWSES Related Projects in Japan : Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research ügBasic Study of Space Weather Predictionüh and CHAIN (Continuous H Alpha Imaging Network)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, K.; Kurokawa, H.

The Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research of the Ministry of Education Science Sports Technology and Culture of Japan The Basic Study of Space Weather Prediction PI K Shibata Kyoto Univ has started in 2005 as 5 years projects with total budget 446Myen The purpose of this project is to develop a physical model of solar-terrestrial phenomena and space storms as a basis of space weather prediction by resolving fundamental physics of key phenomena from solar flares and coronal mass ejections to magnetospheric storms under international cooperation program CAWSES Climate and Weather of the Sun-Earth System Continuous H Alpha Imaging Network CHAIN Project led by H Kurokawa is a key project in this space weather study enabling continuous H alpha full Sun observations by connecting many solar telescopes in many countries through internet which provides the basis of the study of space weather prediction

Advanced solar dynamic space power systems perspectives, requirements and technology needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dustin, M. O.; Savino, J. M.; Lacy, D. E.; Migra, R. P.; Juhasz, A. J.; Coles, C. E.

1986-01-01

Projected NASA, Civil, Commercial, and Military missions will require space power systems of increased versatility and power levels. The Advanced Solar Dynamic (ASD) Power systems offer the potential for efficient, lightweight, survivable, relatively compact, long-lived space power systems applicable to a wide range of power levels (3 to 300 kWe), and a wide variety of orbits. The successful development of these systems could satisfy the power needs for a wide variety of these projected missions. Thus, the NASA Lewis Research Center has embarked upon an aggressive ASD reserach project under the direction of NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (DAST). The project is being implemented through a combination of in-house and contracted efforts. Key elements of this project are missions analysis to determine the power systems requirements, systems analysis to identify the most attractive ASD power systems to meet these requirements, and to guide the technology development efforts, and technology development of key components.

Building the U.S. First Offshore Wind Farm-Applying EBM Approaches to Successfully Address Offshore Energy, Commercial Fisheries, and Recreational Boating interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipsky, A.

2016-12-01

In August 2015 construction commenced on the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind energy project in the U.S. This pilot-scale offshore energy project, located 18 miles offshore of the Rhode Island mainland, was sited through a comprehensive ocean planning process. As the project progressed into design and construction, our team utilized potent ecosystem based management approaches to great advantage to address the human and resource interactions that existed in the project area. These practices have included designing and executing collaborative long-term monitoring ventures to fill key science gaps and reconcile fisheries concerns, establishing effective industry to industry engagement, and developing durable multi-sector agreements. This presentation will describe the specific EBM approaches used after the planning process was completed to bring the project to construction; highlighting where key aspects of the National Ocean Policy goals and principles have been successfully applied.

Building the U.S. First Offshore Wind Farm-Applying EBM Approaches to Successfully Address Offshore Energy, Commercial Fisheries, and Recreational Boating interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipsky, A.

2016-02-01

In August 2015 construction commenced on the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind energy project in the U.S. This pilot-scale offshore energy project, located 18 miles offshore of the Rhode Island mainland, was sited through a comprehensive ocean planning process. As the project progressed into design and construction, our team utilized potent ecosystem based management approaches to great advantage to address the human and resource interactions that existed in the project area. These practices have included designing and executing collaborative long-term monitoring ventures to fill key science gaps and reconcile fisheries concerns, establishing effective industry to industry engagement, and developing durable multi-sector agreements. This presentation will describe the specific EBM approaches used after the planning process was completed to bring the project to construction; highlighting where key aspects of the National Ocean Policy goals and principles have been successfully applied.

Participatory forest management in Ethiopia: learning from pilot projects.

PubMed

Ameha, Aklilu; Larsen, H O; Lemenih, Mulugeta

2014-04-01

Different arrangements of decentralized forest management have been promoted as alternatives to centralized and top down approaches to halt tropical deforestation and forest degradation. Ethiopia is one of the countries piloting one of these approaches. To inform future programs and projects it is essential to learn from existing pilots and experiences. This paper analyses five of the pilot participatory forest management (PFM) programs undertaken in Ethiopia. The study is based on the Forest User Group (FUG) members' analyses of the programs using selected outcome variables: forest income, change in forest conditions, forest ownership feelings and effectiveness of FUGs as forest managing institutions. These variables were assessed at three points in time-before the introduction of PFM, during the project implementation and after the projects ended. Data were collected using group discussions, key informant interviews and transect walks through the PFM forests. The results show that in all of the five cases the state of the forest is perceived to have improved with the introduction of PFM, and in four of the cases the improvement was maintained after projects ended. Regulated access to the forests following introduction of PFM was not perceived to have affected forest income negatively. There are, however, serious concerns about the institutional effectiveness of the FUGs after projects ended, and this may affect the success of the PFM approach in the longer term.

Seaworthy Quantum Key Distribution Design and Validation (SEAKEY)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-10

Contractor Address: 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Title of the Project: Seaworthy Quantum Key Distribution Design and Validation (SEAKEY...Technologies Kathryn Carson Program Manager Quantum Information Processing 2 | P a g e Approved for public release; distribution is...we have continued work calculating the key rates achievable parametrically with receiver performance. In addition, we describe the initial designs

Holistic Understanding in Geography Education (HUGE)--An Alternative Approach to Curriculum Development and Learning at Key Stage 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renshaw, Simon; Wood, Phil

2011-01-01

This article reports the results of a small-scale curriculum development project focusing on two of the seven "key concepts" identified in the revised Key Stage 3 (KS3) National Curriculum programme of study for geography, introduced into schools in 2007. The study used "interdependence" and "physical processes" as…

The LTDP ALTS Project: Contributing to the Continued Understanding and Exploitation of the ATSR Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, Hannah; Done, Fay; Casadio, Stefano; Mackin, Stephen; Dinelli, Bianca Maria; Castelli, Elisa

2016-08-01

The long time-series of observations made by the Along Track Scanning Radiometers (ATSR) missions represents a valuable resource for a wide range of research and EO applications.With the advent of ESA's Long-TermData Preservation (LTDP) programme, thought has turned to the preservation and improved understanding of such long time-series, to support their continued exploitation in both existing and new areas of research, bringing the possibility of improving the existing data set and to inform and contribute towards future missions. For this reason, the 'Long Term Stability of the ATSR Instrument Series: SWIR Calibration, Cloud Masking and SAA' project, commonly known as the ATSR Long Term Stability (or ALTS) project, is designed to explore the key characteristics of the data set and new and innovative ways of enhancing and exploiting it.Work has focussed on: A new approach to the assessment of Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) channel calibration.; Developmentof a new method for Total Column Water Vapour (TCWV) retrieval.; Study of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA).; Radiative Transfer (RT) modelling for ATSR.; Providing AATSR observations with their location in the original instrument grid.; Strategies for the retrieval and archiving of historical ATSR documentation.; Study of TCWV retrieval over land; Development of new methods for cloud masking This paper provides an overview of these activities and illustrates the importance of preserving and understanding 'old' data for continued use in the future.

The PLX- α project: demonstrating the viability of spherically imploding plasma liners as an MIF driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, S. C.; Witherspoon, F. D.; Cassibry, J. T.; Gilmore, M.; Samulyak, R.; Stoltz, P.; the PLX-α Team

2015-11-01

Under ARPA-E's ALPHA program, the Plasma Liner Experiment-ALPHA (PLX- α) project aims to demonstrate the viability and scalability of spherically imploding plasma liners as a standoff, high-implosion-velocity magneto-inertial-fusion (MIF) driver that is potentially compatible with both low- and high- β targets. The project has three major objectives: (a) advancing existing contoured-gap coaxial-gun technology to achieve higher operational reliability/precision and better control/reproducibility of plasma-jet properties and profiles; (2) conducting ~ π / 2 -solid-angle plasma-liner experiments with 9 guns to demonstrate (along with extrapolations from modeling) that the jet-merging process leads to Mach-number degradation and liner uniformity that are acceptable for MIF; and (3) conducting 4 π experiments with up to 60 guns to demonstrate the formation of an imploding spherical plasma liner for the first time, and to provide empirical ram-pressure and uniformity scaling data for benchmarking our codes and informing us whether the scalings justify further development beyond ALPHA. This talk will provide an overview of the PLX- α project as well as key research results to date. Supported by ARPA-E's ALPHA program; original PLX construction supported by DOE Fusion Energy Sciences.

A review and assessment of non-governmental organization-based STD/AIDS education and prevention projects for marginalized groups.

PubMed

Crane, S F; Carswell, J W

1992-06-01

A review of projects run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in primarily developing countries, which have aimed to provide STD/AIDS education and prevention skills to various marginalized groups, reveals that past quantitative and formative research has failed to identify key programmatic factors which lead to more successful project implementation and sustainability. In observations, interviews with field staff, visits to program sites and information drawn from the literature, a variety of methods to reach a wide range of groups such as men who have sex with men, prostitutes, clients of prostitutes, prisoners, street children, migrant workers and refugees are explored. Factors found to facilitate project success include the following: at least one full-time committed staff member; respectful treatment and appropriate motivation of the target group; suitable and sufficient equipment and supplies (particularly condoms); planning ahead for the participation of HIV-positive individuals and ways to meet their needs; focusing on qualitative rather than quantitative evaluation; planning in advance beyond a 9 or 12 month 'model'. Despite some evidence that marginalized groups can be successfully motivated to practise safer sex through prevention education, long-term behaviour change still presents major challenges--even when specific conditions are met.

LLL2: an international global level questionnaire on toothbrushing and use of fluoride toothpaste.

PubMed

Llodra, Juan Carlos; Phantumvanit, Prathip; Bourgeois, Denis M; Horn, Virginie

2014-10-01

To determine the evolution of toothbrushing frequency and use of fluoridetoothpaste in the FDI-Unilever partnership Live.Learn.Laugh. phase 2 programme using a self-reported questionnaire. The study was conducted in 23 countries. The key focus of this partnership was to educate people about the benefits of twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste and to support people in adopting this important oral health behaviour. The partnership offers a choice of four project options to the local partnership team of the National Dental Association and local Unilever-operating companies. A self-report questionnaire was used in all participating subjects in local projects to evaluate the brushing frequency, the brushing timing and the use of fluoride toothpaste. After implementation of the project interventions, a clear improvement in the reported frequency of brushing twice a day, regardless of the type of project, was observed. Subjects also increased day and night brushing and the use of fluoride toothpaste. The strategy of using mothers to increase healthy behaviours in oral health achieved the greatest increase in twice-daily toothbrushing, followed by the intervention in schools. © 2014 FDI World Dental Federation.

The Value Added National Project. Technical Report: Primary 4. Value-Added Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tymms, Peter

This is the fourth in a series of technical reports that have dealt with issues surrounding the possibility of national value-added systems for primary schools in England. The main focus has been on the relative progress made by students between the ends of Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2). The analysis has indicated that the strength of…

Spatial Patterns and Temperature Predictions of Tuna Fatty Acids: Tracing Essential Nutrients and Changes in Primary Producers

PubMed Central

Pethybridge, Heidi R.; Parrish, Christopher C.; Morrongiello, John; Young, Jock W.; Farley, Jessica H.; Gunasekera, Rasanthi M.; Nichols, Peter D.

2015-01-01

Fatty acids are among the least understood nutrients in marine environments, despite their profile as key energy components of food webs and that they are essential to all life forms. Presented here is a novel approach to predict the spatial-temporal distributions of fatty acids in marine resources using generalized additive mixed models. Fatty acid tracers (FAT) of key primary producers, nutritional condition indices and concentrations of two essential long-chain (≥C20) omega-3 fatty acids (EFA) measured in muscle of albacore tuna, Thunnus alalunga, sampled in the south-west Pacific Ocean were response variables. Predictive variables were: location, time, sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (Chla), and phytoplankton biomass at time of catch and curved fork length. The best model fit for all fatty acid parameters included fish length and SST. The first oceanographic contour maps of EFA and FAT (FATscapes) were produced and demonstrated clear geographical gradients in the study region. Predicted changes in all fatty acid parameters reflected shifts in the size-structure of dominant primary producers. Model projections show that the supply and availability of EFA are likely to be negatively affected by increases in SST especially in temperate waters where a 12% reduction in both total fatty acid content and EFA proportions are predicted. Such changes will have large implications for the availability of energy and associated health benefits to high-order consumers. Results convey new concerns on impacts of projected climate change on fish-derived EFA in marine systems. PMID:26135308

Bypassing and tightening of an underground water retention system in permeable karst: case study of the hydropower plant (HPP) Bribin, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudella, Peter; Loges, Iryna; Mutschler, Thomas; Eiche, Elisabeth; Ruppert, Julia; Neumann, Thomas

2016-09-01

In the framework of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) joint research project in the karst area of Gunung Kidul, Province of Yogyakarta Special Region on the Java Island, Indonesia, an underground hydropower driven water extraction facility in the cave "Bribin" was developed using pump-as-turbine-driven systems for freshwater supply of the rural area. As numerous other caves in the Gunung Kidul area, Bribin is part of a ramified system of all-season water-bearing subterraneous rivers and natural caves in karstic limestone. The elliptic cross section of the cave was completely closed with a concrete barrage, thus creating a year-round underground retention volume with an operational storage level of approx. 15 m. This contribution highlights the geotechnical and geohydraulic challenges handled within the sub-project "Short-time and long-time behaviour of karst rock surrounding pressure-bearing underground water-retaining structures". One key to the feasibility of an artificial water retention scheme in a natural cave is to ensure the mechanical stability of the cave roof and sidewalls. The necessary geotechnical investigations are described. Another key to the effectiveness of such a water retention concept is the control and minimization of "lost" seepage water bypassing the barrage structure through the karst rock mass. Measures to monitor and to explain the seepage phenomena are presented as well as grouting efforts to minimize them. The limitations of improving the overall tightness will be discussed. Interpretation includes the use of analytical and numerical methods.

Acceleration in U.S. Mean Sea Level? A New Insight using Improved Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Phil J.

2016-08-01

The detection of acceleration in mean sea level around the data-rich margins of the United States has been a keen endeavour of sea-level researchers following the seminal work of Bruce Douglas in 1992. Over the past decade, such investigations have taken on greater prominence given mean sea level remains a key proxy by which to measure a changing climate system. The physics-based climate projection models are forecasting that the current global average rate of mean sea-level rise (≈3 mm/y) might climb to rates in the range of 10020 mm/y by 2100. Most research in this area has centred on reconciling current rates of rise with the significant accelerations required to meet the forecast projections of climate models. The analysis in this paper is based on a recently developed analytical package titled "msltrend," specifically designed to enhance estimates of trend, real-time velocity and acceleration in the relative mean sea-level signal derived from long annual average ocean-water-level time series. Key findings are that at the 95% confidence level, no consistent or substantial evidence (yet) exists that recent rates of rise are higher or abnormal in the context of the historical records available for the United States, nor does any evidence exist that geocentric rates of rise are above the global average. It is likely that a further 20 years of data will identify whether recent increases east of Galveston and along the east coast are evidence of the onset of climate change induced acceleration.

Altair Lunar Lander Development Status: Enabling Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laurini, Kathleen C.; Connolly, John F.

2009-01-01

As a critical part of the NASA Constellation Program lunar transportation architecture, the Altair lunar lander will return humans to the moon and enable a sustained program of lunar exploration. The Altair is to deliver up to four crew to the surface of the moon and return them to low lunar orbit at the completion of their mission. Altair will also be used to deliver large cargo elements to the lunar surface, enabling the buildup of an outpost. The Altair Project initialized its design using a "minimum functionality" approach that identified critical functionality required to meet a minimum set of Altair requirements. The Altair team then performed several analysis cycles using risk-informed design to selectively add back components and functionality to increase the vehicle's safety and reliability. The analysis cycle results were captured in a reference Altair design. This design was reviewed at the Constellation Lunar Capabilities Concept Review, a Mission Concept Review, where key driving requirements were confirmed and the Altair Project was given authorization to began Phase A project formulation. A key objective of Phase A is to revisit the Altair vehicle configuration, to better optimize it to complete its broad range of crew and cargo delivery missions. Industry was invited to partner with NASA early in the design to provide their insights regarding Altair configuration and key engineering challenges. NASA intends to continue to seek industry involvement in project formulation activities. This paper will update the international coimmunity on the status of the Altair Project as it addresses the challenges of project formulation, including optinuzing a vehicle configuration based on the work of the NASA Altair Project team, industry inputs and the plans going forward in designing the Altair lunar lander.

Advanced Mirror & Modelling Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Effinger, Michael; Stahl, H. Philip; Abplanalp, Laura; Maffett, Steven; Egerman, Robert; Eng, Ron; Arnold, William; Mosier, Gary; Blaurock, Carl

2014-01-01

The 2020 Decadal technology survey is starting in 2018. Technology on the shelf at that time will help guide selection to future low risk and low cost missions. The Advanced Mirror Technology Development (AMTD) team has identified development priorities based on science goals and engineering requirements for Ultraviolet Optical near-Infrared (UVOIR) missions in order to contribute to the selection process. One key development identified was lightweight mirror fabrication and testing. A monolithic, stacked, deep core mirror was fused and replicated twice to achieve the desired radius of curvature. It was subsequently successfully polished and tested. A recently awarded second phase to the AMTD project will develop larger mirrors to demonstrate the lateral scaling of the deep core mirror technology. Another key development was rapid modeling for the mirror. One model focused on generating optical and structural model results in minutes instead of months. Many variables could be accounted for regarding the core, face plate and back structure details. A portion of a spacecraft model was also developed. The spacecraft model incorporated direct integration to transform optical path difference to Point Spread Function (PSF) and between PSF to modulation transfer function. The second phase to the project will take the results of the rapid mirror modeler and integrate them into the rapid spacecraft modeler.

Health risks of climate change in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region.

PubMed

Bowen, Kathryn J; Ebi, Kristie L

2017-09-01

Countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region are particularly vulnerable to a changing climate. Changes in extreme weather events, undernutrition and the spread of infectious diseases are projected to increase the number of deaths due to climate change by 2030, indicating the need to strengthen activities for adaptation and mitigation. With support from the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia and others, countries have started to include climate change as a key consideration in their national public health policies. Further efforts are needed to develop evidence-based responses; garner the necessary support from partner ministries; and access funding for activities related to health and climate change. National action plans for climate change generally identify health as one of their priorities; however, limited information is available on implementation processes, including which ministries and departments would be involved; the time frame; stakeholder responsibilities; and how the projects would be financed. While progress is being made, efforts are needed to increase the capacity of health systems to manage the health risks of climate change in South-East Asia, if population health is to be protected and strengthened while addressing changing weather and climate patterns. Enhancing the resilience of health systems is key to ensuring a sustainable path to improved planetary and population health.

Cross-modal project prioritization : a TPCB peer exchange.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-01

This report highlights key recommendations and best practices identified at the peer exchange on Cross-Modal Project Prioritization, held on December 16 and 17, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina. This event was sponsored by the Transportation Planning...

Methods for improving bicycle sharing system balance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-02

Many cities have developed bicycle sharing systems. This project points out that a key element in their : success and sustainability is an understanding of the spatial patterns of supply and demand. This project : tackles the rebalancing issue whe...

An economic analysis methodology for project evaluation and programming.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

Economic analysis is a critical component of a comprehensive project or program evaluation methodology that considers all key : quantitative and qualitative impacts of highway investments. It allows highway agencies to identify, quantify, and value t...

Crowd science user contribution patterns and their implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauermann, Henry; Franzoni, Chiara

2015-01-01

Scientific research performed with the involvement of the broader public (the crowd) attracts increasing attention from scientists and policy makers. A key premise is that project organizers may be able to draw on underused human resources to advance research at relatively low cost. Despite a growing number of examples, systematic research on the effort contributions volunteers are willing to make to crowd science projects is lacking. Analyzing data on seven different projects, we quantify the financial value volunteers can bring by comparing their unpaid contributions with counterfactual costs in traditional or online labor markets. The volume of total contributions is substantial, although some projects are much more successful in attracting effort than others. Moreover, contributions received by projects are very uneven across time-a tendency toward declining activity is interrupted by spikes typically resulting from outreach efforts or media attention. Analyzing user-level data, we find that most contributors participate only once and with little effort, leaving a relatively small share of users who return responsible for most of the work. Although top contributor status is earned primarily through higher levels of effort, top contributors also tend to work faster. This speed advantage develops over multiple sessions, suggesting that it reflects learning rather than inherent differences in skills. Our findings inform recent discussions about potential benefits from crowd science, suggest that involving the crowd may be more effective for some kinds of projects than others, provide guidance for project managers, and raise important questions for future research.

Crowd science user contribution patterns and their implications.

PubMed

Sauermann, Henry; Franzoni, Chiara

2015-01-20

Scientific research performed with the involvement of the broader public (the crowd) attracts increasing attention from scientists and policy makers. A key premise is that project organizers may be able to draw on underused human resources to advance research at relatively low cost. Despite a growing number of examples, systematic research on the effort contributions volunteers are willing to make to crowd science projects is lacking. Analyzing data on seven different projects, we quantify the financial value volunteers can bring by comparing their unpaid contributions with counterfactual costs in traditional or online labor markets. The volume of total contributions is substantial, although some projects are much more successful in attracting effort than others. Moreover, contributions received by projects are very uneven across time--a tendency toward declining activity is interrupted by spikes typically resulting from outreach efforts or media attention. Analyzing user-level data, we find that most contributors participate only once and with little effort, leaving a relatively small share of users who return responsible for most of the work. Although top contributor status is earned primarily through higher levels of effort, top contributors also tend to work faster. This speed advantage develops over multiple sessions, suggesting that it reflects learning rather than inherent differences in skills. Our findings inform recent discussions about potential benefits from crowd science, suggest that involving the crowd may be more effective for some kinds of projects than others, provide guidance for project managers, and raise important questions for future research.