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Appropriate Design (appropriate + design)
Selected AbstractsAn integrated hydrological model for rain-induced landslide predictionEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 12 2002P. L. Wilkinson Abstract This paper describes an extension to the Combined Hydrology And Stability Model (CHASM) to fully include the effects of vegetation and slope plan topography on slope stability. The resultant physically based numerical model is designed to be applied to site-specific slopes in which a detailed assessment of unsaturated and saturated hydrology is required in relation to vegetation, topography and slope stability. Applications are made to the Hawke's Bay region in New Zealand where shallow-seated instability is strongly associated with spatial and temporal trends in vegetation cover types, and the Mid-Levels region in Hong Kong, an area subject to a variety of landslide mechanisms, some of which may be subject to strong topographic control. An improved understanding of process mechanism, afforded by the model, is critical for reliable and appropriate design of slope stabilization and remedial measures. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The European Charter of Fundamental Rights A Changed Political Opportunity Structure and its Normative ConsequencesEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001Christoph Engel The European Community is about to enlarge its de facto constitution by a fundamental rights charter. It is intended to become legally binding, at least in the long run. If it is, it will profoundly change the political opportunity structure between the Community and its Member States, among the Member States, among the organs of the Community and in relation to outside political actors. When assessing the new opportunities, one has to keep in mind the weak democratic legitimation of European policy making and its multi-level character. The article sketches the foreseeable effects and draws consequences from these insights for the dogmatics of the new fundamental rights, their relation to (other) primary Community law and to other fundamental rights codes. It ends with a view to open flanks that cannot be closed by the dogmatics of the freedoms themselves, but call for an appropriate design of the institutional framework. [source] The development and Reform of Social Security Pensions:The Approach of the International Labour OfficeINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 1 2000Colin Gillion The reform and the development of pension schemes are affected by the values society places on the provision of income security in old age and the resources it is prepared to allocate for the purpose. This paper examines those values and the issues arising from them. The objective is to propose reforms which will simultaneously provide full coverage with good governance, prevent poverty in old age, and result in indexed, guaranteed and reliable pensions for those onaverage incomes, all with minimum economic distortion or adverse economic effects. The question of the most appropriate design has to be weighed against these other factors, which will determine not only what is feasible and what is not, but also where the most desirable balance lies. The optimum structure would seem to involve a mix of defined benefit and defined contribution schemes. [source] Cost analysis of proton exchange membrane fuel cell systemsAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2008Ai-Jen Hung Abstract Tradeoff between capital cost and the operating cost can be seen in the design of proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems. The polarization curve indicates that operating in the region of lower current densities implies less operating cost (hydrogen fuel) and higher capital cost (larger membrane electrode assembly area). The opposite effects are observed when one operates in the region of higher current densities. Therefore, an appropriate design should take both factors into account and the optimality depends on the corresponding costs of hydrogen and membrane area. An analytical cost model is constructed to describe such an economic balance in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system. The objective function of the optimization is the total annual cost. Six scenarios are used to illustrate the optimal design based on the total annual cost as cost and materials factors fluctuate. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008 [source] Ward reduction of gastroschisis in a single stage without general anaesthesia may increase the risk of short-term morbidities: Results of a retrospective auditJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 6 2009Shripada C Rao Background: Ward reduction of gastroschisis in a single stage without the need for general inhalational anaesthesia (ward reduction) has been reported by some authors to be effective and safe. We introduced this practice to our neonatal unit 2 years ago. Aim: To compare the short-term outcomes of this new practice with the standard procedure of reduction under general anaesthesia (GA). Methods: Retrospective case series of all infants with gastroschisis between January 2004 and January 2008. Results: Twenty-seven infants were managed with the traditional approach and 11 infants underwent ward reduction without GA. Infants in the ward reduction group had an increased frequency for all the three major adverse events (ischemic necrosis of bowel: 27.3% vs. 3.7%, odds ratio (OR) 10.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72, 159.6; need for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) more than 60 days: 18% vs. 3.7%, OR 4.13, 95% CI: 0.28, 61.55; and unplanned return to theatre: 27.3% vs. 7.4%, OR 3.88, 95% CI: 0.44, 34.08), although none of these events reached statistical significance. There were no significant differences between the groups for the outcomes of time to reach full feeds, duration of hospital stay and number of days on antibiotics. Conclusions: These results raise concerns over the role of ward reduction of gastroschisis in a single sitting without the use of GA. Randomised trials with appropriate design and sample size are needed before embracing this method as a standard practice. [source] Mesostructured Silica for Optical Functionality, Nanomachines, and Drug DeliveryJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 2009Yaroslav Klichko Silica thin films and nanoparticles prepared using sol,gel chemistry are derivatized with active molecules to generate new functional materials. The mild conditions associated with sol,gel processing allow for the incorporation of a range of dopants including organic or inorganic dyes, biomolecules, surfactants, and molecular machines. Silica nanoparticles embedded with inorganic nanocrystals, and films containing living cells have also been synthesized. Silica templated with surfactants to create mesostructure contains physically and chemically different regions that can be selectively derivatized using defined techniques to create dynamic materials. Using two different techniques, donor,acceptor pairs can be doped into separated regions simultaneously and photo-induced electron transfer between the molecules can be measured. Mesoporous silica materials are also useful supports for molecular machines. Machines including snap-tops and nanoimpellers that are designed to control the release of guest molecules trapped within the pores are described. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are promising materials for drug delivery and other biomedical applications because they are nontoxic and can be taken up by living cells. Through appropriate design and synthesis, multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticles for sophisticated bio-applications are created. [source] Copper-filled macroporous Si and cavity underneath for microchannel heat sink technologyPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 11 2008F. Zacharatos Abstract Thermal management in ICs becomes essential as integration density and total power consumption increase. The use of microchannels in high power density electronics cooling is a well-known technique for heat transfer. In this work we developed Cu-filled macroporous Si channels with a Cu-filled cavity underneath, which may be used as heat sinks in high power density electronics cooling. Macroporous Si is formed by electrochemical dissolution of bulk Si, while pore filling with copper is achieved by electro-deposition. Using appropriate design, the resulting composite material may be fabricated on selected areas on the silicon substrate for use as heat sink on Si. The surface area is defined by patterning. The macroporous Si structure is composed of either randomly distributed pores or pores arranged in two-dimensional (2-D) arrays, fabricated by pre-patterning the Si surface before anodization so as to form pore initiation pits. The pore size in this work was 5,m, while the porous layer and the cavity underneath had both a thickness of 40 ,m. Copper deposition proceeds first by filling the micro-cavity underneath the porous layer. This is achieved by linearly increasing the applied potential during electro-deposition. After full Cu-filling of the cavity, pore filling starts from the bottom of each pore and proceeds laterally, while no nucleation takes place on pore wall. In this way, homogeneous copper wires within pores may be fabricated. The Cu/Si composite material is appropriate for forming channels with improved heat transfer within the Si wafer. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Adaptation and Organizational Connectedness in Corporate Radical Innovation Programs,THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2009Donna Kelley This research examines how established companies organize programs for fostering technology-based radical innovation. It addresses conflicts revealed in the innovation literature concerning the appropriate design of the strategic, structural, and process components of these programs. In developing innovation strategies, managers must balance the desire for strategic clarity with the need to allow for creativity and exploration. They must structure programs that ensure innovations benefit from the organization's resources while minimizing the numerous constraints that can impede these unconventional activities. Additionally, though they may favor management processes that provide accountability and effective resource allocation, managers must also ensure these do not restrict the flexibility required for successful innovation. The study is a longitudinal, comparative case analysis of interviews with managers involved in innovation programs in 12 industry-leading multinational corporations. Site visits at each company were followed by biannual interviews with key managers in each company. A total of 81 follow-up interviews were conducted over a three-year period. These interviews were aimed at identifying the changes and progress in the programs over time and internal and external impacts on the organization's innovation activity. The analysis reveals (1) distinct but evolving objectives that maintain a logical strategic connection, (2) adaptive structures that shift and transform but preserve relationships with the broader organization, and (3) flexible processes that are understandable beyond the innovation program and are modifiable, both for the context and in response to learning over time. This suggests that programs introducing high uncertainty and risk into mature corporate environments are highly flexible systems that maintain organizational connectedness as they evolve. For academics, this implies a need to understand the evolution of innovation programs as an adaptive learning process that, regardless of form and purpose, preserves its connection to the traditional organization. For practitioners, it highlights the importance of considering the process, strategic, and structural connections to the broader organization when designing innovation programs and suggests the need for feedback mechanisms to help adapt these elements over time. [source] Seasonal changes in distribution of Hector's dolphin at Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: implications for protected area designAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2010William Rayment Abstract 1.The efficacy of protected areas for wildlife management is largely dependent on appropriate design. It is therefore crucial that the distribution of target species is well understood. 2.The Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary (BPMMS) was designed to protect Hector's dolphins from bycatch in gillnets. However, the Banks Peninsula dolphin population is likely to be still declining, partly due to continued bycatch outside the boundaries of the BPMMS. 3.A three year series of aerial line-transect surveys around Banks Peninsula was carried out to investigate seasonal changes in distribution of Hector's dolphins out to 20 nautical miles (37,km) from the coast. 4.Dolphin sightings were concentrated close to shore in shallow water in summer, but were more evenly distributed throughout the study area in winter. A greater proportion of dolphins were sighted outside the 4 nautical miles (7.4,km) offshore boundary of the BPMMS in winter (mean=56%) than in summer (mean=19%) (G=88.25, df=1, P<0.001). 5.Partial Mantel tests revealed the effects of distance offshore and depth on dolphin occurrence while controlling for spatial autocorrelation and multicollinearity within the data. Distance offshore had the strongest and most consistent effect on dolphin presence, while depth had a strong effect in summer only. 6.It is proposed that restrictions on gillnetting around Banks Peninsula must be extended in order to reduce bycatch of Hector's dolphins to a sustainable level, and that a new offshore boundary of the BPMMS would be best defined by distance from the coast. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Statistical aspects of design and validation of microtitre-plate-based linear and non-linear parallel in vitro bioassaysBIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Hanne Zimmermann Abstract Assay validation was performed using four consecutive experiments with the related statistical evaluation. A cell-based assay on microtitre plates measured repeatedly within 1 day and on consecutive days was chosen as the model. The following problems were addressed: (i) choosing an appropriate design on a plate to avoid heterogeneities, (ii) quantification of all sources of variability and (iii) selecting between linear and non-linear parallel line assays. A mixed model was used with the random factors: rows, columns and plates and fixed effect factors with either linear or non-linear parallel line models. [source] The importance of experimental design in detecting the effects of protection measures on fish in Mediterranean MPAsAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 6 2002P. Guidetti Abstract 1.Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are currently proliferating in the Mediterranean Sea. The assessment of their role in the protection and recovery of overexploited fish populations, however, is not yet completely supported by an adequate body of scientific evidence. This is in part because the number of studies that unambiguously assess changes induced by protection is limited. 2.Sampling to detect and measure the expected effects of protection on commercial fish (e.g. increase in mean abundance and size) is made difficult by intrinsic natural spatial and temporal variability. Ideally, temporal replication before and after the establishment of MPAs is necessary for estimating the average conditions in time. Spatial replication of control locations, on the other hand, is essential to prevent confusion in interpreting a difference between protected and unprotected locations. Until now, the basic requirements for appropriate experimental designs in MPAs were seldom satisfied, especially in the Mediterranean region. 3.In the present paper, an ideal experimental design aimed at overcoming many of the confounding influences that could result in misinterpretations of the results is considered, with a discussion of implications of applying less and less appropriate designs because of pragmatic constraints. Experimental design should thus be adapted to each individual MPA under study on the basis of the specific constraints that researchers face (e.g. ,before' (i.e. pre-designation) data are lacking; there is a single or more than one protected locations). 4.The issues related to MPAs, chiefly in the Mediterranean region, need to be considered to enable the identification of unambiguous hypotheses prior to sampling, based on clear logical structures. The importance of appropriate sampling and the subsequent interpretation of data would progressively reduce the degree of uncertainty of environmental analyses about the effects of MPAs on fish, with important implications for their management and further proliferation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||