COMPASS Project Research Articles

COMPASS Project: a Cluster Randomized Intervention Trial by Community Pharmacists’ for Lifestyle Support for Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Japan

COMPASS Project: a Cluster Randomized Intervention Trial by Community Pharmacists’ for Lifestyle Support for Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Japan H. Okada, Y. Nakagawa, M. Onda, K. Fukuoka, N. Sakane, Department of Preventive Medicine, Clinical Research Institute for Endocrine and Metabolic disease, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, Japan, Polon Company, Kobe, Japan, Clinical Laboratory of Pharmacy, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka, Japan, Nihon Chouzai Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

New businesses for small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the Renewable Energy Sources (RES)

The development of renewable energy producers in rural areas creates new job opportunities for the countryside population. The decentralized manner of renewable energy in small cities is one of the ways how to meet the rural and small scale energy needs in a reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable way. In 2010, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague has finished the participation in the European IEE project RES COMPASS. In mutual cooperation, with seven partners from the Great Britain, France, Spain, Greek and Finland, the University has been involved in the extensive research concerning the impact of the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) on the future European labour market. The RES COMPASS project meets the objectives expressed by the New Skills for New Jobs Initiative of the EU and stressed also other initiatives, namely the Green Jobs Initiative, the UNEP initiative as well as the requirements of the International Trade Union Confederation and the International Organization of Employers in 2008. The RES COMPASS programme strategy was based on the implementation steps in three mutually supportive components: The first component Comparative analysis of the methods of identification of skill needs on the future labour market based on the renewable energy sources was concerned in the young generation of the today’s students. The second component Career Orientation test was developed as a tool for the potential young people thinking about a future career in the emerging area of renewable energy. The third component focused on the future business opportunities for small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the RES sector. The paper informs about findings of the third component New businesses for SMEs in the RES. Realistic possibilities of the development of SMEs appear to exist in the provision of more complex services reacting to (1) needs of more rapid renovation of the morally depreciated devices, (2) interest of inhabitants and producers in the installations of at least two different autonomous alternative energy sources, (3) creation of informal groups of users who will share various energy sources, (4) need to support the installation of energy devices with other measures – energy audits and projects.

Adaptation of alcohol and drug screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to a department of intercollegiate athletics: The COMPASS project

Objective: To develop and implement an intervention for problem alcohol and substance use among student athletes at a large Midwestern department of intercollegiate athletics in the USA, by use of screening, a brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) and motivational interviewing (MI). This paper outlines the development of the protocol, the way in which athletic staff members were trained to conduct SBIRT/MI interventions with student athletes who screened positive on the ASSIST screening tool, and the initial fidelity assessment used to demonstrate levels of athletic-staff learning and retention of the process. Design: The developmental phase of the project used focus groups. Athletic staff members were trained by a clinical psychologist, during two face-to-face sessions. The recorded practice sessions with student actors were assessed for adherence to project protocols and MI principles. Setting: This study was conducted at a large Midwestern university in the USA. Method: Four focus groups were held with a total of 29 individuals from distinct segments of the athletics department. Five athletic staff members were trained in SBIRT/MI. Each staff member completed between 4–8 practice sessions with student actors, which were later assessed for implementation fidelity. Results: In pilot testing with student actors, staff achieved “good” (µ ≥ 1.5 on a scale of 0–2) performance ratings on the majority of protocols and displayed mixed, but generally positive abilities to utilize MI techniques while avoiding MI-inconsistent behaviors. Conclusion: A relatively short training sequence can adequately prepare non-clinical staff members in an athletics department to be ready to deliver a SBIRT/MI-driven protocol to any future at-risk student-athletes identified by drug and alcohol screening.

Provision and need of HIV/AIDS services in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, 2010.

To determine the need for HIV/AIDS service provision in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM), especially in municipal areas. The Foundation for Professional Development initiated the Compass Project. Using a questionnaire, data were collected during May - June 2010 from organisations providing HIV/AIDS services in the CTMM (organisational information and types of HIV/AIDS services). The need for HIV counselling and testing (HCT), antiretroviral treatment (ART), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and care for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) was estimated using data from various sources. A total of 447 service providers was included in the study: 72.3% non-governmental organisations (NGOs); 18.1% in the public sector; 5.1% in the private sector; and 4.5% faith-based organisations. The majority of the prevention- (70.2%) and support-related services (77.4%) were provided by NGOs, while the majority of treatment-related services originated from the public sector (57.3%). Service need estimates included: HCT - 1 435 438 adults aged 15 - 49 years (11 127/service provider); total ART - 75 211 adults aged 15+ years (1 213/service provider); ART initiation - 30 713 adults aged 15+ years (495/service provider); PMTCT-HCT - 30 092 pregnant women (510/service provider); PMTCT-ART - 7 734 HIV+ pregnant women (221/service provider); and OVC care - 54 590 children (258/service provider). Service gaps remain in the provision of HCT, PMTCT-ART and OVC care. ART provision must be increased, in light of new treatment guidelines from the Department of Health.

International Comparisons of Sports participation in European Countries: an Update of the COMPASS Project

This paper looks back to an international comparative study of sports participation in seven European countries that was carried out in the late 1990s, COMPASS 1999. The original COMPASS study used data from the 1995-1997 period. This paper reviews the COMPASS framework and results, considers what new evidence is available to update the original COMPASS results, and considers what changes would be needed to the COMPASS approach if a new comparative study were undertaken today. Finally, the paper attempts to find explanations for the European pattern of sports participation revealed.

Recent results and future challenges for large scale particle-in-cell simulations of plasma-based accelerator concepts

The concept and designs of plasma-based advanced accelerators for high energy physics and photon science are modelled in the SciDAC COMPASS project with a suite of Particle-In-Cell codes and simulation techniques including the full electromagnetic model, the envelope model, the boosted frame approach and the quasi-static model. In this paper, we report the progress of the development of these models and techniques and present recent results achieved with large-scale parallel PIC simulations. The simulation needs for modelling the plasma-based advanced accelerator at the energy frontier is discussed and a path towards this goal is outlined.

The development of MDDS-COMPASS. Compatibility of plasters with salt loaded substrates

The use of expert systems in building practice and more specifically a system meant to mitigate the effects of decay and damage to buildings belonging to the cultural heritage is a quite recent development. MDDS, the Masonry Damage Diagnostic System, is an expert system developed for the diagnosis of damage to ancient masonry structures. The principles of this system, dating back to 1995, were used as a basis for a new system focusing attention on damage to plasters due to salts. This development took place in the framework of the EU COMPASS project. The project focused on salt damage to plasters in historic buildings. The main aim of the project was to provide end-users with guidelines for decision support, including diagnostic support and support in planning of interventions. The new System is called Monument Damage Diagnostic System.

Design and optimization of large accelerator systems through high-fidelity electromagnetic simulations

SciDAC-1, with its support for the ‘Advanced Computing for 21st Century Accelerator Science and Technology’ project, witnessed dramatic advances in electromagnetic (EM) simulations for the design and optimization of important accelerators across the Office of Science. In SciDAC2, EM simulations continue to play an important role in the ‘Community Petascale Project for Accelerator Science and Simulation’ (ComPASS), through close collaborations with SciDAC Centers and Insitutes in computational science. Existing codes will be improved and new multi-physics tools will be developed to model large accelerator systems with unprecedented realism and high accuracy using computing resources at petascale. These tools aim at targeting the most challenging problems facing the ComPASS project. Supported by advances in computational science research, they have been successfully applied to the International Linear Collider and the Large Hadron Collider in high energy physics, the JLab 12-GeV Upgrade in nuclear physics, and the Spallation Neutron Source and the Linac Coherent Light Source in basic energy sciences.

British Museum’s smart idea

The British Museum in London has adopted smart card technology to assist service delivery and enhance the visitor experience. As part of its Compass project, the museum is using a smart card purse and print management system to store, print and pay for print-outs and photocopies on 50 Compass workstations, which give access to 5000 on-line artefacts. This is a short news story only. Visit www.compseconline.com for the latest computer security news.

Towards harmonising risk-informed decision making: the ARAMIS and compass projects

Abstract This paper briefly presents the motivation and objectives of two current projects in the area of harmonisation of risk-informed decision making in which the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) is involved: ARAMIS (Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for IndustrieS) and Compass for Risk Management. ARAMIS will be launched at the end of 2001 under the 5th EU framework research program and the Compass project is currently considered for submission under the 6th program. The scope of application is accidental risks from the chemical process industries of the “Seveso type” (i.e. industries that fall under the legal requirements of the EU “Seveso II Directive” 96/82/EC—ARAMIS) and accidental risks from technologies in general (Compass).

Migration to C++: Efficiency problems

C++ is now very popular programming language; in COMPASS project, its use is obligatory. It is usually believed, that this language produces very effective programs. In this paper we demonstrate, that this is not always true, and give some examples of the frequent efficiency pitfals. The most simple examples are choosen.

The spin structure of the nucleon

The spin structure of the nucleon has been extensively studied using deep inelastic polarized electron and muon scattering on polarized targets at CERN, DESY and SLAC. The data agree with the Bjorken Sum Rule, a fundamental prediction of QCD. A small fraction, about 20%, of the nucleon spin seem to be carried by the quarks. However, this conclusion, may result from neglecting the contribution of the gluon spins. Future experiments will try to measure the unknown gluon polarization. The COMPASS project at CERN is discussed.

Strategic planning for small and medium-sized enterprises: The COMPASS project

The paper introduces a methodology and a set of software tools designed to support the definition and implementation of enterprise strategies particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs . The COMPASS method and tools support a stepwise refinement of basic strategic options and a simulation-based evaluation taking into account the objectives the SME has given itself. They assist in the derivation of detailed project plans, and they help monitoring the success of the chosen strategy. Inexperienced users can taken advantage of the built-in knowledge and experience in the field of strategic planning which reflects the actual state of the art in economic science. The paper describes the method and tools which were developed in the ESPRIT project 6617 COMPASS, and discusses their strong and weak points in the light of experience gained during test applications in three SMEs.

Maintainability techniques in developing large expert systems

The production of understandable and maintainable expert systems using the current generation of multiparadigm development tools is addressed. This issue is discussed in the context of COMPASS, a large and complex expert system that helps maintain an electronic telephone exchange. As part of the work on COMPASS, several techniques to aid maintainability were developed and successfully implemented. Some of the techniques were new, others were derived from traditional software engineering but modified to fit the rapid prototyping approach of expert system building. An overview of the COMPASS project is presented, software problem areas are identified, solutions adopted in the final system are described and how these solutions can be generalized is discussed. >

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Headaches: All About Them Dr. Alvin and Virginia Silverstein Math Klooz: Addition‐1‐ Whole Numbers Math Klooz: Subtraction‐1‐ Whole Numbers Math Klooz: Multiplication‐1‐ Whole Numbers Susan Nenadic An Insect's Body Joanna Cole Vegetable Growing Handbook Second Edition Westport, Connecticut The AVI PUBLISHING COMPANY INC, 1984 Walter E. Splittstoesser, Ph.D. Environmental effects of energy systems: The OECD Compass project Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development Science Instruction in the Middle and Secondary Schools Collette, Alfred, T., and Chiappetta, Eugene L. Flying Giants of Long Ago John Kaufman Using a Microcomputer in the Classroom Gary G. Bitter Ruth A. Camuse

Environmental effects of energy systems: The OECD COMPASS project

Energy and environment are complementary goals of industrial society. The OECD COMPASS project recognises the need for comprehensive information and assessment of the environmental implications of energy strategies and systems, not just energy sources, for effective policymaking in both energy and environmental fields. Energy systems are viewed from the end-use perspective in comparing the environmental effects of different trends and strategies in energy use. This paper discusses methodological criteria for effective assesstment in the environmental field, and some applications to the environmental implications of energy use in space heating and cooling, involving three case studies in different OECD countries. Some conclusions are drawn concerning energy-environment policy, in particular concerning the role of comparative assessment techniques in policymaking.