Past Approach Research Articles

Eco-Development Response to Climate Change and the Isostatic Uplift of Southwestern Finland

To date, care for our planet is mainly focused on the remediation of climate change induced by the huge amount of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses and its precursors. Transforming fossil combustion to more sustainable energy worldwide is a wellknown example. In contrast, what is little known is that the environment shaped by humans is also challenged by relatively fast geological dynamical phenomena such as the isostatic uplift of Fennoscandia, parts of Canada and northwestern Russia. Due to this uplift, the archipelago along the coast of southwestern Finland and Sweden changes rapidly to mainland. This phenomenon deeply affects both nature as well as the environment, resulting in the relocation of human activities. Here, we interpret the on-ground observed regression of the Gulf of Bothnia on the coasts of southwestern Finland and its implications on countryside activities in the framework of the eco-development paradigm. Furthermore, remotely sensed data on surface wetness confirms this sea regression and the silting-up of the nearby lakes that drain precipitation to the Gulf. We show that this eco-development paradigm may rebalance nature, environment, humans and culture and that it is a valid alternative against the past and present-day socioeconomical approach that has accelerated the change in the Earth’s climate.

Resilient architecture; a design approach to counter terrorism in building for safety of occupants

The intensity of fear of insecurity has increased in 21st century due to the frequency and global spread of terrorism. Homes, public infrastructures and utilities have been damaged; physical and psychological injuries inflicted; economic fortunes wrecked in a minute; many rendered homeless and lives lost as a result of terrorism and threats to terrorism. Historically, bombs and explosives have been a favourite tactic of terrorists, this is because ingredients for homemade bombs are effortlessly obtained in the open market, as are the techniques for its construction and also are easy and quick to execute. However, one area counter terrorism strategy has been universally identical is in architecture and urban planning. The aim of this paper is to reveal the need for a change in ideological approach to design by architects and planners in Nigeria in order to safeguard the environment. It discusses architectural design approach to counter terrorism in building for occupant’s safety and draws analogy from the defensive architecture of ancient times. The paramount theme is on terrorist attack with regards to explosive and bomb, the focus is on an approach that limits damage or mitigates damage rather than a blast-resistant approach. The study employed the use of case study research method with extensive review of literature of the past and present approach to counter terrorism. The result highlights some practical security design strategy that will improve occupant’s safety within a structure if incorporated in architectural designs. This will also facilitate evacuation efforts and enhance rescue endeavour in an unlikely incidence of terror attack. It concludes and advocate for a proactive design strategy for buildings in Nigeria.

Factors affecting fabric slipperiness

Fabric slipperiness is an important property whose impacts include clothing comfort, sports records and the medical or safety performance of anti-slip or slippery textile products. The characteristics of fabric slipperiness have been studied under limited conditions and with samples with regard to the fabric component. In this study, the MIU (average value of the friction coefficient), which is correlated with the slipperiness or non-slipperiness of fabrics, and MMD (fluctuations of the average frictional coefficient), which is correlated with the smoothness or roughness, were measured for more than 50 versatile fabrics by using the friction tester, KES-SE. As a result, it was found that the friction coefficient was mainly determined by the linearity of weave texture, the fuzziness of the fabric and the real contact area between fabrics and rubbed materials, which are proposed as new factors of fabric slipperiness; this approach contrasts with the past approach, which mainly relied on the fabric structure. The relation between MIU and each factor was not analyzed separately but instead analyzed from a new comprehensive and statistical point of view. This approach made it possible to obtain the practical contribution ratio of these factors for application in the design of new slippery or anti-slip textiles that are useful for our lives. On the other hand, the smoothness had nothing to do with those factors, rather, it was related to the three-foundation weave texture of the fabrics.

Selection of CMIP5 multi-model ensemble for the projection of spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in peninsular Malaysia

This study uses a multi-model ensemble (MME) for the assessment of the spatial and temporal variations of rainfall in peninsular Malaysia under climate change scenarios. The past performance approach was used for the selection of GCM ensemble from a pool of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) GCMs. The performances of four bias correction methods, namely, scaling, gamma quantile mapping, generalized quantile mapping, and power transformation were assessed to select the most suitable method for the downscaling of daily rainfall of selected GCMs based on APHRODITE rainfall at a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°. The downscaling model was used for the projections of daily rainfall for the period 2010–2099 for four representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios, namely, RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5. Random forest regression algorithm was used to develop the multi-model ensemble (MME) mean of GCM-projected rainfall for different RCPs in order to show the changes in rainfall for three future periods, 2010–2039, 2040–2069, and 2070–2099. The results revealed four GCMs, BCC-CSM1.1(M), CCSM4, CSIRO-Mk3.6.0, and HadGEM2-ES as the most suitable GCMs for the projection of daily rainfall of peninsular Malaysia. The power transformation was found as the most suitable method for the correction of biases in GCM daily rainfall. The MME mean of projected rainfall showed the increase in rainfall in peninsular Malaysia for all the scenarios and future periods. The maximum increase in annual rainfall was projected by 15.72% during 2070–2099 for RCP8.5. The variability of future rainfall was also found to increase along with mean rainfall. The increase in rainfall variability was projected by 26.15% for RCP8.5 during 2070–2099. The spatial pattern of rainfall changes revealed more variability in future rainfall in the northeast where frequency of hydro-climatic disasters is higher compared to other regions. The results indicate the possible increase in hydro-climatic disaster in peninsular Malaysia due to climate change.

Dismantling Babel: creation of a universal calibration for honey bee waggle dance decoding

Noisy animal communication presents a unique challenge for biologists interpreting a produced signal precisely and accurately. One past approach has been to reduce noise. Lately, with the advance of quantitative tools, an alternative is to use the noise to improve model predictions. Here we take the latter approach to improve our ability to recover honey bee ( Apis mellifera spp.) foraging locations, in particular the distance at which they forage, from observed waggle dance communications, which encode the vector from the hive to the forage. This vector gives both the distance from the hive to the forage, which is encoded in dance duration, and the direction from the hive to the forage, which is encoded in the angle that the bee makes while dancing. We analysed the waggle dances from individually marked honey bees ( N = 859 dances from 85 bees from 3 hives) that foraged at multiple known locations to determine a distance-to-duration calibration. Next we compared this calibration to a previously published calibration, which demonstrated that while their slopes were similar ( P = 0.82), their intercepts differed ( P N = 84) (performance comparison: P = 0.36) and second with a linear discriminant analysis, which failed to assign dances to their originating population. Both results confirm that the universal calibration may be used, irrespective of landscape or subspecies. Therefore, by allowing noise to be part of our analysis, the usability of our calibration is broadened for use in future settings.

What is the best strategy program to acquire video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy technique?

I would like to thank Konge et al . (1) for the interest and comment about my article. I take this opportunity to voice our point of view on the need of the specific video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomies training program, whose methods focused on the different opinions of surgeons. While in the past VATS approach represented only the smallest part of total lobectomies, today this is around 90% of total interventions in high-volume centers. The new generations of surgeons are faced with the necessity to quickly acquire the mastery of this technique, with the best planning which still arouses debate and controversy among experienced colleagues.

Past Approach to the Protection of the Common Environmental Area of Europe

It is an important policy in the European Union because it’s horizontal application in all the European policies. The beginning of this policy was already in the 70,s but the ambitions did not meet the really and hence its influence was reduced. The central point of the policy was the interdependence of economic progress and protection of the environment.

Unsettling decolonizing geographies

AbstractGeographers have long reflected on our discipline's colonial history. Both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous geographers have discussed ways of engaging Indigenous geographies and sought new ways of opening and expanding spaces for Indigenous peoples and Indigenous ways of knowing and being in our discipline. Like many social scientists, geographers name and frame this work in different ways; of late, decolonizing concepts and practices are increasingly deployed. As documented by especially Indigenous scholars, however, the discipline has yet to achieve much semblance of decolonization. This paper takes as a starting point that, despite good intentions, efforts at decolonizing geography are inherently limited because colonization continues to structure the field of geography and the academy more broadly. We begin by placing ourselves in conversations about Indigenous geographies and colonial violence, using this placement as a jumping off point for discussing ways geographers past and present approach decolonization. We pay particular attention to ways theories and articulations about decolonization may be falling short. Second, we offer a critical analysis of decolonization in relation to settler colonial power, including theories and praxes of engaging Indigeneity and Indigenous peoples and places. We discuss Indigenous geographies, what they mean, and to whom they have those meanings. We then turn to Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous ways of being and living in the world, problematizing how within more purely conceptual realms and often by non‐Indigenous peoples and geographers, these can be uncoupled or disconnected from ways decolonization is circulated and lived. We conclude with cautions and suggestions, based especially on provocations of Indigenous scholars, about ways geographers might unsettle our work in ongoing efforts toward decolonizing our discipline.

Robust mixed performance switching control for uncertain discrete switched systems with time delay

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the problem of H2 and H∞ mixed switching control of uncertain discrete switched systems with time delay is considered via a switching signal design. New Lyapunov functional and Wirtinger inequality are used to guarantee the mixed performance for discrete switched time-delay system. The number of using LMI variables is less than our past proposed approach. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to show the improvement of the developed results.

Viscoelastic modeling of the fusion of multicellular tumor spheroids in growth phase

Background. Since several decades, the experiments have highlighted the analogy of fusing cell aggregates with liquid droplets. The physical macroscopic models have been derived under incompressible assumptions. The aim of this paper is to provide a 3D model of growing spheroids, which is more relevant regarding embryo cell aggregates or tumor cell spheroids.Methods. We extend the past approach to a compressible 3D framework in order to account for the tumor spheroid growth. We exhibit the crucial importance of the effective surface tension, and of the inner pressure of the spheroid to describe precisely the fusion. The experimental data were obtained on spheroids of colon carcinoma human cells (HCT116 cell line). After 3 or 6 days of culture, two identical spheroids were transferred in one well and their fusion was monitored by live videomicroscopy acquisition each 2 h during 72 h. From these images the neck radius and the diameter of the assembly of the fusing spheroids are extracted.Results. The numerical model is fitted with the experiments. It is worth noting that the time evolution of both neck radius and spheroid diameter are quantitatively obtained. The interesting feature lies in the fact that such measurements characterise the macroscopic rheological properties of the tumor spheroids.Conclusions. The experimental determination of the kinetics of neck radius and overall diameter during spheroids fusion characterises the rheological properties of the spheroids. The consistency of the model is shown by fitting the model with two different experiments, enhancing the importance of both surface tension and cell proliferation.General significance. The paper sheds new light on the macroscopic rheological properties of tumor spheroids. It emphasizes the role of the surface tension and the inner pressure in the fusion of growing spheroid. Under geometrical assumptions, the model reduces to a 2–parameter differential equation fit with experimental measurements. The 3–D partial differential system makes it possible to study the fusion of spheroids in non-symmetrical or more general frameworks.

Advances in non-gray radiation calculation in combusting environments using a modified reference approach

The radiative heat transfer should be calculated very accurately in many combustion domains. This work uses the spectral-line based weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (SLW) model to calculate the radiation heat transfer in a model furnace representing a combustion field with high temperature gradient variations. The past researchers have commonly implemented the reference approach in the SLW model. However, the reference approach produces error because of enforcing a reference temperature to perform the non-gray radiation heat transfer calculations in non-isothermal domains. In this work, we implement a modified reference approach, which reduces such errors in non-gray gas calculations. We show that the SLW model results in more accurate radiation source term and radiative heat transfer calculations if it is incorporated with the current modified reference approach instead of coupling with the past common reference approach.

DEMAND VS SUPPLY PROGRAM KESEHATAN REMAJA DI PUSKESMAS TANAH KALIKEDINDING SURABAYA

Adolescence is a period of transition from children to adulthood. In thetransitional period, adolescents often face very complex and difficult issues totackle on their own. Since 2003, Ministry of Health (Kementerian Kesehatan) has developed a model of health services that is competing with Health Care service for Youth (PKPR). Puskesmas Tanah Kalikedinding has promotive and preventive activities especially related to adolescents. PKPR is certainly basedon every need and demand of teenage cadres around Tanah Kalikedinding area.The purpose of this study is to identify the needs and expectations of adolescentcadres on youth health programs. This research past descriptive research usingqualitative approach. The research subjects consist of peer educator of Rumah Remaja, one of innovative program of Puskesmas Tanah Kalikedinding which referto adolescent reproductive health, Adolescent Posyandu cadres, adolescentcadres in Al-Fitroh Pesantren and UKS cadres at SMAN 19 Surabaya. The number of informants used in this study are 6 persons. Data collection was obtained directly from the study sites using in-depth interview techniques and focus groupdiscussions (FGDs) conducted by researchers with related adolescent peer. The results showed that adolescents need activities that always provide innovation, activities are not only curative but more on activities that are promotive and preventive such as counseling teenage health, education,and socialization.Keyword: adolescent, program, health, need, expectation

A preliminary study on music as a tool of nationalistic education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss nationalistic education in Hong Kong from a cultural perspective. It highlights the challenges faced by the Hong Kong Government and the growing antagonism and mistrust between the young generation and the government. The paper reviews the cultural policies adopted by the Western Zhou, Han and Tang dynasties in ancient China.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a historical approach by reviewing the policies in music and culture in the Chinese history and argues for the adoption of a soft approach to nationalistic education in Hong Kong.FindingsResults show that being inclusive toward diverse cultures, trusting and valuing people’s voices and accepting differences of opinion are effective policies that were adopted by the respective dynasties. The results shed light on the possibility of nurturing nationalism through education in music and culture.Research limitations/implicationsThe historical examples mentioned in this paper are only selected periods of the Chinese history. Thus, the survey could not be taken as a comprehensive review.Practical implicationsThis paper reviews the policies concerning music and culture in ancient China and argues for transferring the soft approach of predecessors toward these subjects as part of the nationalistic education of Hong Kong.Social implicationsThe results shown should be considered seriously by the Hong Kong Government as an effective substitute policy for the past stringent approach of implementing national education in Hong Kong. Nationalistic education focusing on music and culture is a common root for all Chinese and should be used in future to build up trust and common values between China and Hong Kong.Originality/valueThe originality of this research lies in its dealing with nationalism and national education, recommending a soft approach to education viewed through the prisms of music and culture.

Comprehensive Studies on Rarefied Jet and Jet Impingement Flows with Gaskinetic Methods

AbstractThis paper presents comprehensive studies on two closely related problems of high speed collisionless gaseous jet from a circular exit and impinging on an inclined rectangular flat plate, where the plate surface can be diffuse or specular reflective. Gaskinetic theories are adopted to study the problems, and several crucial geometry-location and velocity-direction relations are used. The final complete results include flowfield properties such as density, velocity components, temperature and pressure, and impingement surface properties such as coefficients of pressure, shear stress and heat flux. Also included are the averaged coefficients for pressure, friction, heat flux, moment over the whole plate, and the averaged distance from the moment center to the plate center. The final results include complex but accurate integrations involving the geometry and specific speed ratios, inclination angle, and the temperature ratio. Several numerical simulations with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method validate these analytical results, and the results are essentially identical. Exponential, trigonometric, and error functions are embedded in the solutions. The results illustrate that the past simple cosine function approach is rather crude, and should be used cautiously. The gaskinetic method and processes are heuristic and can be used to investigate other external high Knudsen number impingement flow problems, including the flowfield and surface properties for high Knudsen number jet from an exit and flat plate of arbitrary shapes. The results are expected to find many engineering applications.

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: New Trends and Directions-A Year in Review.

Tissue engineering (TE) is continuously evolving assimilating inputs from adjacent scientific areas and their technological advances, including nanotechnology developments that have been spawning the range of available options for the precise manipulation and control of cells and cellular environments. Simultaneously, with the maturation of the field, TE has a growing and marked impact in other fields, such as cancer and other diseases research, enabling tri-dimensional (3D) tumor/tissue models of increased complexity that more closely resemble living tissue dynamics, playing a decisive role in the development of new and improved therapies. Nevertheless, TE is still struggling with translational issues. On this matter, the advent of personalized and precision medicine has opened new perspectives, particularly with the striking evolutions enabled by 3D bioprinting technologies. Based on a modified methodology grounded in the past years' approach, we have identified and reviewed some of the most high-impact publications on the topics that are revolutionizing TE and helping to define the future directions of the field, namely: (1) New trends in TE: Personalized/precision regenerative medicine and 3D bioprinting, (2) Contributions of TE to other fields: microfabricated tissue-engineered 3D models for cancer and other diseases research, and (3) Diagnostic and theranostic tools: monitoring and real-time control of TE systems.

An Improved Electron Pre-Sheath Model for TSS-1R Current Enhancement Computations

This report presents improvements of investigations on the Tethered Satellite System (TSS)-1R electron current enhancement due to magnetic limited collections. New analytical expressions are obtained for the potential and temperature changes across the pre-sheath. The mathematical treatments in this work are more rigorous than one past approach. More experimental measurements collected in the ionosphere during the TSS-1R mission are adopted for validations. The relations developed in this work offer two bounding curves for these data points quite successfully; the average of these two curves is close to the curve-fitting results for the measurements; and an average of 2.95 times larger than the Parker-Murphy theory is revealed. The results indicate that including the pre-sheath analysis is important to compute the electron current enhancement due to magnetic limitations.

Shot Peening Modeling and Simulation for RCS Assessment

The application of shot peening to components and structures induces residual compressive stresses (RCS) on the surface. It has also been identified that fatigue, corrosion fatigue (CF) and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) are lifted by RCS. However, failures still occur in local areas of shot peened components under service conditions at stresses below the yield strength of the material. This calls for a real assessment of the distribution of stresses in the shot peened component for enhanced prediction of induced RCS. This report is the first part of an ongoing research aimed at establishing a simplified methodology for a realistic simulation of the shot peening process and the accompanying residual stress by combined DEM-FEM approach. In this paper, the authors have replaced the transient analysis used in past DEM-FEM approach with a simpler static structural analysis. The results obtained are validated with similar experimental results available in literature. This will serve as a reliable tool for more accurate analysis/prediction of the service life of shot peened components and for enhancement of shot peening application as a life-extension remedy to critical engineering components.

Aligning Aspirations with Inspirations: Address of the 2015-2016 President to the Opening General Session at the AACP Annual Meeting

Colleagues. Welcome to the 2016 AACP Annual Meeting. We have literally gone coast to coast since we last met in Maryland in 2015. It has been quite a remarkable year for the Association. My goal is to provide perspective on our work over the past year, and I will have a little time at the second general session for a lighter reflection on lessons learned and expressions of appreciation. There are four primary opportunities at the Annual Meeting to hear about the major initiatives of the Association including this address, the President-elect's address and the Treasurer's report at the first House of Delegates, and the CEO's report at the second House session. I encourage you to attend both House of Delegates sessions. At National Harbor in 2015, I had explained my focus on Capitalizing on Foundations in Citizenship. (1) I almost took past president Cindy Raehl's approach to create no new charges, but instead decided to focus on timely, foundational areas for AACP. By capitalizing, we are building long-term assets, and we gain by turning pharmacy education into an advantage as we prepare pharmacists and scholars for the future, leveraging all our stakeholders. Our AACP foundation stands on our values, principles, and collective enterprise. We support our new proposed mission to advance pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice and service, in partnership with members and stakeholders, to improve health for all. I think of citizenship in the broadest manner. A citizen is a member of a community. We may be citizens of our country, but we are also citizens of our schools, our profession, and our organizations. A citizen belongs and is vested with privileges and duties. We are called to action where we live, work, volunteer, and vote especially this election year. Here is a recent example of AACP citizenship. Last fall, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced its commitment to address opioid abuse and heroin use. AACP needed a specific statement of educational policy to support our communications with ONDCP. AACP staff developed three statements of commitment with comments from the Pharmacy Practice Section and the Substance Abuse Education and Assistance and Public Health Special Interest Groups. The AACP Board of Directors took the unusual step to approve the policy in February, with a vote at the upcoming House of Delegates as required in the bylaws. AACP is taking an active role in supporting this initiative with approximately 100 schools/colleges and counting stepping up for the local efforts. We capitalized on our network, supported by the work of volunteers and partners, to engage as citizens in our communities. On the screens you will see a photo from opioid response training at my school in May where I was certified along with many students. I care about this because I remain convinced that my husband John, a Navy veteran with disabilities, died from an untended opioid overdose as he sought help and care through Veterans Affairs and local providers. It looks like disaster training, because it is. And we need to be prepared. One of my favorite memories of my presidential year was the Standing Committees and Board of Directors meetings last November in Toronto. We were in Canada because Toronto is recruiting AACP for a future annual meeting. After reviewing the lists of AACP committee volunteers and working extensively with staff on assignments and letters of acceptance, I was delighted to see the talented, enthusiastic committee members in person as they began their important work. As I rotated among the meeting rooms, I knew their dedication would pay dividends to AACP. President-elect Joseph DiPiro and the Strategic Planning Committee have met the challenge to draft a bold and aspirational strategic plan which will be voted upon by the House of Delegates at its second session. The committee also created a refined mission and vision to guide and inspire us. …

Biomonitoring with macroinvertebrate communities in Italy: What happened to our past and what is the future?

This paper reviews the history and development of biological water quality assessment using macroinvertebrates in Italy. Italy was one of the first European countries to officially adopt a biomonitoring system based on benthic invertebrates, the Indice Biotico Esteso (IBE). After the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC, this method was replaced by the “Standardisation of River Classifications_Intercalibration Common Metrics” (STAR_ICM) index, which met the new requirements. As this method has been employed for some years, it could be useful to take a provisional stock and to provide some suggestions to ameliorate the current biomonitoring approach, also trying to minimize the break with past practices and better harmonize the history of biomonitoring in Italy. One of the most evident difference between past and current approach is related to the amount of time and effort required in the application of the two methods. STAR_ICMi is a scientifically rigorous and modern method, but much more time-consuming and challenging in both field and laboratory efforts. This fact has various disturbing practical repercussions, i.e., the environmental agencies have generally reduced the number of sampling stations routinely monitored during the year. The aim of our work is to propose some operational changes that would help to simplify and expedite the monitoring process. In particular, regarding fieldwork, we focus on the time and effort required for macroinvertebrate collection, while for laboratory activity we suggest a reshaping of the requested taxonomic detail. Moreover, in this way the data provided by the new approach could be compared with the long time series available from the previous application of IBE.

Germany and United Nations peacekeeping: the cautiously evolving contributor

ABSTRACTThis article examines Germany’s past, present and future approach to UN peacekeeping, particularly in the context of a potential ‘European return to UN Peacekeeping’ and the country’s recent commitment to contribute to the Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). By applying a conceptual framework for assessing facilitating and inhibiting factors related to Germany’s past and current participation in UN peacekeeping operation, the article argues that core reasons for German troop contributions range from bilateral partnerships and multilateral pressures, to the role of individual policy entrepreneurs and inter-organizational aspects. Yet, Germany’s culture of restraint and public scepticism towards military operations act as important inhibiting factors. Most crucially, Germany has since the early 1990s pursued an instrumentalist approach to UN peacekeeping in order to strengthen its international profile within a discourse of ‘assuming more responsibility’, to advance ‘normalization’ in security affairs and to enhance internal political and external bilateral security cooperation schemes. Germany’s recent commitment to MINUSMA and its discourse will not result in a ‘big bang’ return to UN peacekeeping, but rather to selective commitments on a carefully assessed case-by-case basis.