International Workshops Research Articles

Effective Components on Cash-based Intervention to Affected People by Natural Disasters Using Information and Communication Technology in Iran

Rescue and relief organizations start their operations from the first moments after the occurrence of a disaster. Moreover, they set up emergency accommodation camps after the emergency period to deliver aid and health packages with standard content based on the general needs of the affected people. However, if a family has infants, children, elderly, or sick members, these packages will not be able to meet their needs. Cash donations instead of goods respect the human dignity of the affected people after the emergency period and result in the recovery of the families and the economy of the region. Usage of information technology for this purpose leads to speed, accuracy, and transparency in the implementation of the above-mentioned method. Given the differences between the situation in Iran and the international community, the present study aimed to find localized components that affect the provision of cash-based interventions to the affected people by natural disasters using information and communications technology. METHODS: This mixed method research was performed in two stages; meta-synthesis was used in the first stage and Fuzzy Delphi was used in the second stage to extract the domestic components of the cash-based interventions. The statistical population in the meta-synthesis stage was the local and international journals as well as the performance reports of international aid agencies published during 2004-2019. Finally, through sample selection and systematic selection based on the defined keywords, 71 out of 388 studies were selected for the purposes of the research. In the second stage, the statistical population consisted of executive directors of local aid agencies and crisis management instructors at universities and international workshops. Eventually, 14 experts were selected judgmentally who participated in three Delphi rounds. FINDINGS: In the first stage, 18 components in four categories were determined using the seven-step model of Sandelowski and Barroso. In the first round of Delphi, one component was omitted and six other components were added according to the opinions of the experts. However, in the second and third rounds, all the components were approved by them without any further changes. According to the obtained Kendall’s rank correlation coefficient which was about 0.703, the local components were agreed upon by the selected experts. CONCLUSION: The determined local components that affect the process of transferring cash-based interventions to the affected people by natural disasters using information and communications technology consisted of 23 components that were screened and confirmed by the experts. These components can be used as a basis for the development of a process model for the systematic electronic transfer of money to the affected people by natural disasters in Iran after the emergency response period.

COVID-19 special issue: Intelligent solutions for computer communication-assisted infectious disease diagnosis.

COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 19) is an infectious disease which is having a significant health and economic impact across the world. The primary source for the transmission of the disease, its detection and treatment methods are still unknown. Hence, a scientific response to this new corona virus is being hampered by a lack of knowledge on how it spreads, possible prevention measures and vaccinations, which all need to be investigated further. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer communication networks have a role to play, especially Machine Learning (ML) due to its learning-from samples capability and applicability over distributed computer systems and networks. Such intelligent techniques have the potential to achieve an effective diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar infectious diseases, potentially surpassing current physicians' capability, according to recent reports, due to their ability to analyse vast numbers of possibilities and exchange findings in real time. Current computer communication infrastructures include smart devices having the sensing and data routing capabilities to communicate with each other using various protocols, potentially allowing disease updates to be accessed anytime from anywhere, and on which innovative ML-powered services could be developed. Due to their advanced technical capabilities, intelligent communication paradigms are making their way into the detection and treatment of COVID-19 and similar diseases: crisis reaction and coordination, open or private infrastructure control, and urban monitoring and treatment systems, are all examples of medical diagnosis areas in which intelligent communication systems may play an important role very soon. This Special Issue aims to solicit original research which contributes to the state of the art on the application of ML techniques to the problem of computer communication-assisted diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases: we are interested in the latest theoretical developments, real-world applications and future perspectives on this topic. This Special Issue will bring together a broad multidisciplinary Expert Systems community, aiming to integrate ideas, theories, models and techniques from across different disciplines on intelligent solutions/systems, to inform how cognitive systems in Next Generation Networks (NGN) should be designed, developed, and evaluated while exchanging and processing critical health information. The topics of interests include, but are not limited to • Deep Learning for the medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Neural Network for medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Integration of Image Progressing and ML for medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Integration of Computer Communication and ML for medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Use cases of computer-assisted detection systems for COVID-19 and similar diseases. • COVID-19 patient care and treatment using ML-oriented systems. • Emerging networks solutions for improved medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Intelligent hardware solutions for medical diagnosis of COVID-19 and similar diseases. • Effective use of computer communication and ML for solving open medical problems. • Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and ML solutions for medical diagnosis. Prof. Fadi Al-Turjman, Near East University, Nicosia. Prof. Ahmed E. Kamal, Iowa State University, USA. Assoc. Prof. Fabrizio Granelli University of Trento, Italy. Prof. Dr. Fadi Al-Turjman received his Ph.D. in computer science from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 2011. He is a full professor and a research center director at Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus. Prof. Al-Turjman is a leading authority in the areas of smart/intelligent, wireless, and mobile networks' architectures, protocols, deployments, and performance evaluation. His publication history spans over 250 publications in journals, conferences, patents, books, and book chapters, in addition to numerous keynotes and plenary talks at flagship venues. He has authored and edited more than 25 books about cognition, security, and wireless sensor networks' deployments in smart environments, published by Taylor and Francis, Elsevier, and Springer. He has received several recognitions and best papers' awards at top international conferences. He also received the prestigious Best Research Paper Award from Elsevier Computer Communications Journal for the period 2015-2018, in addition to the Top Researcher Award for 2018 at Antalya Bilim University, Turkey. Prof. Al-Turjman has led a number of international symposia and workshops in flagship communication society conferences. Currently, he serves as an associate editor and the lead guest editor for several well-reputed journals, including the IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials (IF 22.9) and the Elsevier Sustainable Cities and Society (IF 4.7).

Best Practices in Physics-based Fault Rupture Models for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Nuclear Installations: Issues and Challenges Towards Full Seismic Risk Analysis

In recent years the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been closely following and supporting the use of physics-based rupture models for ground motion prediction (e.g. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG–9 and Safety Report Series No. 85) as well as for fault displacement prediction (IAEA-TECDOC, in preparation), respectively for applications in Seismic Hazard Analysis (SHA) and Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis (FDHA) for nuclear installations. Further strengthening of this effort and dissemination in practices for SHA, FDHA and engineering issues have been done through different international working group activities, being the most outstanding two international workshops on Best Practices in Physics-based Fault Rupture Models for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Nuclear Installations (BestPSHANI) in 2015 and 2018. A PAGEOPH topical volume for the BestPSHANI 2015 was published in Dalguer et al. (Pure Appl Geophys 174:3325–3329, 2017). Now, in this PAGEOPH topical volume we collect several articles from the BestPSHANI 2018 workshop as well as several new contributions. The issue also covers further topics on the assessments of engineering issues that rely on ground motion estimates for the evaluation of structures oriented to full seismic risk analysis. A total of twenty-nine papers have been selected covering topics ranging from the seismological aspects of earthquake source studies, ground motion and fault displacement modeling to the engineering application of simulated ground motion for the analysis of soil structure interaction, structural response and fragility curve analysis for the quantification of seismic vulnerability of structures and their seismic performance. Collectively, the seismological papers discuss several current issues of source characterization and ground motion prediction for SHA, highlighting the usefulness of physics-based models for future applications in practice. The engineering papers describe methodologies to develop integral models from source-to-structures that consider the developments of synthetic seismograms as input for structural response and fragility curves estimation for seismic vulnerability assessment. Therefore, this issue contents advanced seismological and engineering resources that might be useful to scientists, engineers, students and practitioners involved in all aspects of SHA, FDHA and vulnerability analysis of engineering structures for seismic risk.

LAWCHA and the Future of Global Labor History

Like other national labor history associations, the Labor and Working- Class History Association (LAWCHA) has experienced the shifting tides of globalization in labor history, both intellectually and organizationally. Many of us try to situate our scholarship in a transnational and comparative context in ways that highlight the forces of global capitalism, the transnational migration of workers over centuries, the historical patterns of international labor organization and solidarity, and the responses of workers to the restructuring of a global economy under neoliberal regimes. The invigorating effects on our field have been notable as historians and scholars in a range of disciplines have created common ground for collaborative investigations, organized conferences, published collections of essays or documentary sources, and realigned journals to reflect these transnational shifts.It must be pointed out that transnational investigations and international collaborations are not new in the field of labor history or in labor activism and organization. However, we are without question in a new era, because these developments are now quickened by enhanced social media communication capacities and the wider exchange of information and ideas. At the same time, global crises facing working people spawned by new forms of labor exploitation, precariousness of work, attacks on the right to unionize, climate change, right- wing repression, and increasing levels of mass migration have motivated academics and activists to adopt new approaches to studying and organizing workers.LAWCHA has come to embody some of these developments. From its earliest days, our journal, LABOR: Studies in Working- Class History, has provided a vehicle for transnational studies in the Americas and, in recent years, has cast a wider global net. We have seen international participation in LAWCHA annual conferences grow from 2013 in New York through 2017 in Seattle and 2019 in Durham, North Carolina, along with rising numbers of conference panels and plenaries devoted to comparative and transnational history and contemporary international labor activism. LAWCHA collaborated with the Australian Association for the Study of Labour History to mount an international conference in Sydney in 2015 on comparative US and Australian labor history, the fruits of which were subsequently published in 2018 in a volume of essays titled Frontiers of Labor: Comparative Histories of the United States and Australia. LAWCHA’s website continues to highlight the ongoing work of other labor history organizations internationally and news of labor struggles around the world.LAWCHA’s Global Affairs Committee, established in 2013, has reorganized in the past year, added new members, and defined an ambitious agenda for the coming year. We plan to enhance the visibility of global labor history and activism on the committee page of LAWCHA’s website (www.lawcha.org/committee-portal/global-affairs-committee/); we have thrown support to two international conferences—one commemorating the International Labour Organization’s anniversary and another on global labor migration; committee members are committed to contributing short articles, reviews, and opinion pieces to LAWCHA’s Labor Online; and we have conducted a wide- ranging survey of LAWCHA members that points to important avenues for future work in the field.The global affairs survey yielded interesting and provocative results. About one- fourth of LAWCHA members (110) responded to the survey. Over 40 percent of the respondents had belonged to LAWCHA for fewer than five years, suggesting a younger cohort of members. A substantial majority indicated interests in research, teaching, and labor activism with a transnational focus and geographical interests literally spanning the globe. While most had not regularly visited the LAWCHA Global Affairs Committee web page, strong majorities indicated interest in seeing reports on recent transnational scholarship and labor activism. They also faithfully read Labor Online. Many agreed to get more involved by attending international conferences and workshops and contributing short reports and essays on international themes. Most tellingly, the survey respondents offered wide- ranging suggestions for future focus and organization, from actively building transnational connections and collaborations between scholars and activists, especially those in Latin America, to creating more inclusive panels at the annual meetings, making greater use of social media tools like Facebook and Instagram to strengthen international ties, and diversifying leadership of the organization to reflect international interests.The path forward—toward an organization with stronger international ties that reflect the proliferating transnational and comparative interests of LAWCHA members—is clearly illuminated by the views expressed by current members and by their burgeoning scholarship and activism in the field. We encourage you to share news of your own scholarship and activism with a global focus, contribute reports and opinion pieces to Labor Online, and volunteer your energies to help us enhance LAWCHA’s global activity and visibility.

Conference reports

In this installment of the conference report column, Diego Calvanese, Paul Fodor, and Marco Montali report on RuleML+RR 2019, the Third International Joint Conference on Rules and Reasoning. RuleML+RR is the leading international joint conference in the field of rule-based reasoning. This event took place in Bolzano, Italy in September 16--19, 2019. As Diego, Paul, and Marco describe in their detailed report, RuleML+RR 2019 was held as part of BRAIN 2019 (the Bolzano Rules and Artificial Intelligence Summit) and included a series of sub-events, tutorials, and invited keynotes. I am most grateful to Diego, Paul, and Marco for their contribution. I look forward to receiving your reports and/or personal impressions on conferences and scientific meetings broadly related to SIGLOG. In these times of limited international travel, reports on virtual conferences and workshops would be most welcome. Ideas and suggestions for future installments of the column are also most welcome.

The Past, Present, and Future of Orthopedic Education: Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 global pandemic has upended nearly every medical discipline, dramatically impacted patient care and has had far-reaching effects on surgeon education. In many areas of the country, elective orthopedic surgery has completely stopped to ensure that resources are available for the critically ill and to minimize the spread of disease. COVID-19 is forcing many around the world to re-evaluate existing processes and organizations and adapt to carry out business, of which medicine and education are not immune. Most national and international orthopedic conferences, training programs, and workshops have been postponed or canceled, and we are now critically evaluating the delivery of education to our colleagues as well as residents and fellows. This article describes the evolution of orthopedic education and significant paradigm shifts necessary to continue to teach ourselves and the future leaders of our noble profession.

Preface: The 1st International Conference on Genetic Resources and Agricultural Biotechnology: “Information system and exchanges of genetic resources for effective crop improvement”

The First International Conference on Genetic Resources and Agricultural Biotechnology (The 1st ICGRB) was held in IPB International Convention Center on 20–21 August 2018, Bogor, Indonesia. The theme of the conference was “Information system and exchanges of genetic resources for effective crop improvement”. This conference facilitated the share and exchange of ideas, information and achievements on the management and utilization of plant genetic resources supported by biotechnology among researchers and academicians. This 1st ICGRB was also expected to result in bright ideas that will trigger international collaboration to resolve global agricultural challenges, in particular Indonesian challenge toward a sustainable bio-industry agriculture. Twelve invited speakers (Indonesia, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Iran, USA, UK, South Korea and Singapore) shared their knowledge and experience with interactive discussion. In addition to Indonesian scientists, this event was successfully attracted approximately 150 participants coming from around seven countries joined in the plenary and parallel sessions as well as two consecutive international workshops. A total of 80 oral presentations on many crops with varied research areas were delivered in the conference by participating scientists. This conference was very useful in promoting and enhancing the applied technologies and related regulations on genetic resources exchange for crop improvement.

Advancing Africa’s Great Lakes research and academic potential: Answering the call for harmonized, long-term, collaborative networks and partnerships

The African Great Lakes (AGL) have rich fisheries and are renowned “biodiversity hotspots”. Consequently the AGL and the ecosystem services they provide, underpin the welfare and livelihoods of over 50 million people across 10 countries. Despite the recognized importance of the AGL, these vital ecosystems and their livelihood support systems are threatened by numerous anthropogenic stressors at local, regional, and global scales. Past and continued efforts to address critical challenges on these lakes are often short-term, parochial, disparate, and uncoordinated resulting in a lack of comprehensive and comparable scientific data and inadequate resources to influence evidence-based policy. Over the past two decades, several international workshops, conferences and scientific publications have identified the need for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and harmonization of research and management as key elements to enhance conservation efforts in the AGL. In this commentary, we introduce the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE), which aims to strengthen research and provide the scientific evidence needed to make informed decisions related to sustainable fisheries and aquatic resource management in the AGL. To do this, ACARE will administer a highly collaborative network of experts with three long-term goals: (1) strengthen global and regional research partnerships; (2) establish transboundary and inter-jurisdictional lake advisory groups; and (3) build capacity of freshwater scientists through experiential education and public engagement.

Implementation of Judgments: Practical Insights from Civil Society

Abstract This practice note takes a complementary look at the implementation of court judgments regarding human rights, interrogating the perspectives and lived experience of independent stakeholders, among them victims of human rights violations, advocates, litigators, legislators, judges, and other civil society representatives. It draws on the Open Society Justice Initiative’s Strategic Litigation Impacts inquiry, a partner-led, multi-year comparative socio-legal study based on hundreds of semi-structured interviews and legal analysis of 11 diverse countries, eight international conferences and workshops, and four thematic reports examining various areas of rights: Roma and desegregation of education; indigenous peoples’ land rights; equal access to quality education; and torture in custody. The experience of these stakeholders prompts and responds to government action and inaction, offering a rough mirror image from a civil society perspective.

Revisiting the bacterial mutagenicity assays: Report by a workgroup of the International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT)

The International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) meets every four years to obtain consensus on unresolved issues associated with genotoxicity testing. At the 2017 IWGT meeting in Tokyo, four sub-groups addressed issues associated with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guideline TG471, which describes the use of bacterial reverse-mutation tests. The strains sub-group analyzed test data from >10,000 chemicals, tested additional chemicals, and concluded that some strains listed in TG471 are unnecessary because they detected fewer mutagens than other strains that the guideline describes as equivalent. Thus, they concluded that a smaller panel of strains would suffice to detect most mutagens. The laboratory proficiency sub-group recommended (a) establishing strain cell banks, (b) developing bacterial growth protocols that optimize assay sensitivity, and (c) testing “proficiency compounds” to gain assay experience and establish historical positive and control databases. The sub-group on criteria for assay evaluation recommended that laboratories (a) track positive and negative control data; (b) develop acceptability criteria for positive and negative controls; (c) optimize dose-spacing and the number of analyzable doses when there is evidence of toxicity; (d) use a combination of three criteria to evaluate results: a dose-related increase in revertants, a clear increase in revertants in at least one dose relative to the concurrent negative control, and at least one dose that produced an increase in revertants above control limits established by the laboratory from historical negative controls; and (e) establish experimental designs to resolve unclear results. The in silico sub-group summarized in silico utility as a tool in genotoxicity assessment but made no specific recommendations for TG471. Thus, the workgroup identified issues that could be addressed if TG471 is revised. The companion papers (a) provide evidence-based approaches, (b) recommend priorities, and (c) give examples of clearly defined terms to support revision of TG471.

The Hannes Meyer Seminars at the Bauhaus Dessau (1980–1986) as a Contact Zone for Finnish and East German Architects

This article charts transnational exchanges between East German and Finnish architects in the development of adaptive housing solutions for urban sites. It focuses on the Hannes Meyer Seminars – a series of annual international design workshops held at the Bauhaus Dessau from 1980 to 1986 – as a contact zone. The seminars challenged dominant forms of mass housing, and put forth alternative models to suit historic contexts. These exchanges went beyond previous (one-directional) material and technical exports that stretched back as far as the mid-1950s. As a result of the policy of détente in the early 1970s, relations between Finland and the GDR began to form an ever more complex and entangled network, with greater emphasis on knowledge transfer and collaboration. Formal agreements on ‘scientific and technical cooperation’ thus provided the framework for the intensification of contacts between design schools such as the College for Architecture and Civil Engineering (HAB, Hochschule für Architektur und Bauwesen) in Weimar and the Technical University Tampere. This opened a dialogue about contextual design (the adaptation of industrialised housing to the different needs and lifestyles of individual users), as well as historic settings, new tools such as CAD/CAM, sociological and historical research, and the discourse of postmodernism.

Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry

Since 2008, the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology (EJLST) has published a special issue on “Fats and oils as renewable feedstock for the chemical industry,” first yearly and since 2016 biannually. These issues were edited by Michael (Mike) Meier and Jürgen O. Metzger and based on the respective international workshops organized initially in Emden and then in Karlsruhe/Germany. Mike Meier had to withdraw as editor of this series and thus also this present special issue, due to conflicting new editorial appointments. Ursula Biermann, a member of the scientific committee of the workshop since 2013, followed him as co-editor. In the nine previous special issues, 102 manuscripts were published, giving an excellent insight into the hot as well as classical topics of oleochemistry. Apart from more classical applications of oleochemicals, for example, detergents, personal care, and lubricants, the increasing use of fatty acid derivatives and of glycerol for the synthesis of renewable monomers and polymers is the most remarkable and a permanent topic over the years. Additionally, an increasing interest in the application of established as well as new catalytic reactions on oleochemicals can be observed. Metathesis, especially cross-metathesis of oleochemicals, was reported in many papers over the years, as well as hydroformylation and hydroaminomethylation. The isomerizing methoxycarbonylation of unsaturated fatty esters is most fascinating and was first presented on the 2nd Workshop in 2009 by Cole-Hamilton,1 followed by studies of many research groups since then. The application of the effective and simple thiol–ene addition reaction to the double bonds of fatty compound for their functionalization and polymerization has equally attracted much attention. The oxidative cleavage of unsaturated fatty acids, though a classical topic, has obtained renewed interest. Efficient catalytic ways for this important reaction are necessary to substitute the non-sustainable ozone cleavage. Glycerol has become available in large amounts because of the increasing biodiesel production and novel transformations and uses have been studied and reported over the years. Biotechnological conversions of fatty compounds to value-added compounds were reported in many papers. New fatty compounds, that is, cardanol from cashew nut shell liquid with aromatic structure, have received much interest. This is the 10th special issue covering 12 selected contributions2, 3 to the 10th Workshop on Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry, which took place from March 17 to 19, 2019, in Karlsruhe, Germany, organized by abiosus e.V. in cooperation with the Agency of Renewable Resources (FNR), Germany. Thirty lectures and forty posters provided once more an update on the newest developments in the field of fats and oils as renewable feedstock for the chemical industry, demonstrating the advances made in the field. Oleochemistry remains a very active field of research, providing important contributions for a sustainable development. Eventually, we would like to invite you to participate in the 11th Workshop on Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry from March 7 to 9, 2021. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to participate. We are looking forward to exciting and fruitful discussion with you, the fats and oils community. The program and additional information will be available in September 2020 (http://www.abiosus.org/meetings.html.de). Ursula Biermann Jürgen O. Metzger Ursula Biermann studied food chemistry in Hannover and Munich. She received her doctorate at the Technische Universität München in 1979 under W. Grosch, Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Lebensmittelchemie, Garching. Since 1987, she has been a research fellow at the Institute of Chemistry of the Universität Oldenburg under J. O. Metzger, where she worked on the synthesis of novel fatty compounds using natural oils and fats as chemical raw materials. The main focus of her studies lies in Lewis-acid-induced, radical, and thermal addition reactions to the C,C-double bond of unsaturated fatty compounds. Jürgen O. Metzger studied chemistry at the universities of Tübingen, Erlangen, Berlin, and Hamburg, Germany. He received his Ph.D. under the supervision of H. Sinn in 1970 at the University of Hamburg, and completed his habilitation in 1983. In 1991, he was appointed professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, and he retired in 2006. He is chairman of abiosus e.V., a non-profit association for the advancement of research on renewable raw materials. His research areas include sustainability in chemistry, environmentally benign organic synthesis, renewable raw materials, radical chemistry, and mass spectrometry.

Либерализм против этатизма (на пути к либерализму ХХI в.)

In the 20th century, liberalism stood up in a fight against two authoritarian (totalitarian) regimes – the nazi one and the communist one. This lead to conclusion on the “end of history” – the end of the world competition in common forms. It took little time to make sure that sharp turns of historical processes are unpredictable, etatist (authoritarian, statist) regimes are diverse, and liberalism has to argue for its historically superior role in a dispute with them over and over again. In some cases, and in some ways, authoritarian regimes have proven to be more effective than liberal ones. This was discussed by qualified experts at international workshops held in Moscow in 2017–2018. Following these discussions, a book was published in 2019. The proceeding of the dispute is represented in this article. The liberal strategy has been searching for a synthesis of freedom and equality for more than a century. However, in practice, their organic convergence is problematic. It is difficult to balance the aims of liberals and socialists, and therefore, to define possibilities and limits of a dialogue between them. Social state is one of the main ideas that liberal parties bring to elections. But it is hard to compile with material and administrative resources concentration in state hands. Nations are a reality of the modern world. Building and developing civil nations within the borders of one state (and particularly of interstate formations) is the task that has no vivid and familiar solutions. The same as the problem of nation-state sovereignty (the apologetic attitude to which has become widespread) has no simple and unambiguous solution. The apparent success of illiberal (and in some countries – anti-liberal) methods of partial modernization is one of the most сruel surprises sprung on the liberal doctrine and policy by modern world processes. All this makes the promotion of liberal values in Europe and Russia very challenging.

Short Comments on the Application of Criteria for Identifying Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

In 2008, the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted seven criteria for identifying ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) for biodiversity conservation. Nine international workshops were held in which 209 areas and 38 potential areas were identified as meeting the EBSA criteria. This study analyzes the 209 identified areas and reveals that the use of the seven criteria in different workshops differed, so their scores are therefore not quantifiable. Furthermore, descriptions specific to criteria regarding areas having “special importance for the life-history stages of species” accounted for only 1.44% of the overall descriptions. Most descriptions regarding “vulnerability, fragility, sensitivity, or slow recovery” were almost contributed by the “importance of threatened, endangered, or declining species and/or habitats”. These three criteria were based on scientific evidences and have been widely accepted by the public. Therefore, we would suggest the criteria of “special importance for the life-history stages of species” and the criteria of “vulnerability, fragility, sensitivity, or slow recovery” need further investigation for biodiversity conservation.

МІЖНАРОДНИЙ ПРОЄКТ «EURASIAN PEACE STUDIES EXCHANGE NETWORK»

У статті представлено основні результати міжнародної діяльності науковців та аспірантів Інституту соціальної та політичної психології НАПН України в межах трирічного міжнародного проєкту «Eurasian Peace Studies Exchange Network». Розкрито зміст і результати роботи трьох сезонних шкіл, які по суті були навчальними інтенсивами для магістрантів та аспірантів університетів-партнерів. Показано внесок, зроблений представниками делегації, зокрема через організацію однієї з літніх шкіл, міжнародного круглого столу, проведені лекції, майстер-класи, практичні заняття, отриманий досвід і знання в процесі міжнародного стажування.

Reliability and applicability of modern numerical analyses of dams

Relevance. At present the application of numerical analyses to real problems of dam engineering has suffered at times from the gaps between the specialists of mathematical modeling and dam engineers and managers. The first group usually includes information system specialists because they are able to develop the computer models to their full potential. The professionals belonging to the second group often prefer to revert to traditional methods of calculation and empirical methods based on their proven experience. The aim of the work - based on recommendations of International workshops seminars, organized by the ICOLD Committee on Computational Aspects of Dam Analysis and Design, help dam engineers to interact with mathematical modeling specialists and to work with them without language barriers or gaps in knowledge. In this relation the assessment of reliability and applicability of numerical analyses of dams allows engineers to develop the optimal dam design. Methods. Assessment of the reliability of numerical methods of analyses of dam behavior was based on data of 10 International benchmark-workshop seminars, organized by the Committee in Italy (1991 and 1992), France (1994 and 2009), Spain (1996), USA (1999), Austria (2001), Romania (2003), China (2005), Russia (2007), in which specialists of these countries also took part.

Outreach in the era of big data with the Pierre Auger Observatory

AbstractThe Pierre Auger Observatory, built to study the physics of astroparticles, has expanded its endeavours in outreach and education. Since its inception, the collaboration has been informing the general public about its discoveries. From creating a visitor center in Malargüe, Argentina, to providing talks for different audiences, science fairs for students, international measurement workshops, and making compilations of the scientific contributions of women in different countries throughout history, we share the passion for science with the population. The collaboration processes a huge amount of data and requires a large storage capacity. However, 10% of this data is made available to the general public in a useable format. The collaboration developed special masterclasses aimed at high school students, providing the software that can be used to analyse the public data set. In addition, a summary of the different outreach activities performed by the members of the Pierre Auger Collaboration will be presented.

Impact of an Educational Program on Pediatric Nurses Knowledge Regarding Non-Pharmacological Pain Management in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Background: Newborns in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) can be exposed to many painful procedures and treatments. Aim: This study was to improve nurses’ practice regarding non-pharmacological management of pain in newborns in neonatal intensive care units. Subjects and Method: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. The subjects of the study consists of all the nurses working in the NICUs in Port Said hospitals (N=40) affiliated to the Ministry of Health, including El-Nasr general hospital, Port Said general hospital, Port Fouad general hospital and El-Tadamon health insurance hospital. The data were collected using a observational checklists Conclusion: the nurses had statistically significant improvements in applying non-pharmacological pain management during painful procedures in newborns included; venous and arterial puncture, cannulation and umbilical catheter insertion. However, there were inadequate total scores regarding nurses' practice. Recommendation: continuous training courses should be provided to nurses in order to keep their practice regarding non-pharmacological pain management up to date. Also, nurses should be encouraged to attend national and international conferences and workshops about non-pharmacological management for newborns

Impact of an Educational Program on Pediatric Nurses’ Practice Regarding Non-Pharmacological Pain Management in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Background: Newborns in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) can be exposed to many painful procedures and treatments. Aim: This study was to improve nurses’ practice regarding non-pharmacological management of pain in newborns in neonatal intensive care units. Subjects and Method: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. The subjects of the study consists of all the nurses working in the NICUs in Port Said hospitals (N=40) affiliated to the Ministry of Health, including El-Nasr general hospital, Port Said general hospital, Port Fouad general hospital and El-Tadamon health insurance hospital. The data were collected using a observational checklists Conclusion: the nurses had statistically significant improvements in applying non-pharmacological pain management during painful procedures in newborns included; venous and arterial puncture, cannulation and umbilical catheter insertion. However, there were inadequate total scores regarding nurses' practice. Recommendation: continuous training courses should be provided to nurses in order to keep their practice regarding non-pharmacological pain management up to date. Also, nurses should be encouraged to attend national and international conferences and workshops about non-pharmacological management for newborns

Gathering Expert Opinions for Social Robots\u2019 Ethical, Legal, and Societal Concerns: Findings from Four International Workshops

Social robots, those that exhibit personality and communicate with us using high-level dialogue and natural cues, will soon be part of our daily lives. In this paper, we gather expert opinions from different international workshops exploring ethical, legal, and social (ELS) concerns associated with social robots. In contrast to literature that looks at specific challenges, often from a certain disciplinary angle, our contribution to the literature provides an overview of the ELS discussions in a holistic fashion, shaped by active deliberation with a multitude of experts across four workshops held between 2015 and 2017 held in major international workshops (ERF, NewFriends, JSAI-isAI). It also explores pathways to address the identified challenges. Our contribution is in line with the latest European robot regulatory initiatives but covers an area of research that the latest AI and robot governance strategies have scarcely covered. Specifically, we highlight challenges to the use of social robots from a user perspective, including issues such as privacy, autonomy, and the dehumanization of interactions; or from a worker perspective, including issues such as the possible replacement of jobs through robots. The paper also compiles the recommendations to these ELS issues the experts deem appropriate to mitigate compounding risks. By then contrasting these challenges and solutions with recent AI and robot regulatory strategies, we hope to inform the policy debate and set the scene for further research.