Socio-economic benefits of using space technologies to monitor and respond to earthquakes

Earthquakes represent a major hazard for populations around the world, causing frequent loss of life,human suffering and enormous damage to homes, other buildings and infrastructure. The Technology Resources forEarthquake Monitoring and Response (TREMOR) Team of 36 space professionals analysed this problem over thecourse of the International Space University Summer Session Program and published their recommendations in the formof a report. The TREMOR Team proposes a series of space- and ground-based systems to provide improved capabilityto manage earthquakes. The first proposed system is a prototype earthquake early-warning system that improves theexisting knowledge of earthquake precursors and addresses the potential of these phenomena. Thus, the system willat first enable the definitive assessment of whether reliable earthquake early warning is possible through precursormonitoring. Should the answer be affirmative, the system itself would then form the basis of an operational earlywarningsystem. To achieve these goals, the authors propose a multi-variable approach in which the system will combine,integrate and process precursor data from space- and ground-based seismic monitoring systems (already existing andnew proposed systems) and data from a variety of related sources (e.g. historical databases, space weather data, faultmaps). The second proposed system, the prototype earthquake simulation and response system, coordinates the maincomponents of the response phase to reduce the time delays of response operations, increase the level of precisionin the data collected, facilitate communication amongst teams, enhance rescue and aid capabilities and so forth. It isbased in part on an earthquake simulator that will provide pre-event (if early warning is proven feasible) and post-eventdamage assessment and detailed data of the affected areas to corresponding disaster management actors by means of ageographic information system (GIS) interface. This is coupled with proposed mobile satellite communication hubs toprovide links between response teams. Business- and policy-based implementation strategies for these proposals, suchas the establishment of a non-governmental organisation to develop and operate the systems, are included.

The Handheld Library: Developments at the Rector Gabriel Ferraté Library, UPC

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the mobile services developed by the Rector Gabriel Ferraté Library (BRGF) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC Barcelona Tech) in Barcelona, Spain.We hope this paper will be of use to other libraries exploring new technologies for communicating and delivering their services to users at a time when mobile services are an emerging topic in librarianship and information science literature. By setting out the successive steps involved in the as yet unfinished process of building our mobile services portfolio, we aim to offer a detailed picture of the mobile services and features offered by a university library from a case study perspective.The main topics to be discussed include:- The BRGF’s mobile website, including the information available, its interactivecapabilities and the services it provides to its users.- The mobile-friendly version of UPCommons (the UPC Library Service’s institutionalrepositories).- The UPC Library Service’s mobile OPAC.- The mobile version of u-win (BRGF’s videogame service).- The use of QR codes to deliver information to mobile devices.- Text message notifications.Additional topics for discussion include:- The library’s organisation and the organisational concepts that underpin andmake possible its technological developments (including mobile).- BRGF’s concern regarding the reduction of investment in the development of mobile services.- The criteria and tools used to guide the library’s decisions regarding thedesign and orientation of current and future mobile services.- How mobile services can help to improve the image of the library as a leadingtechnology site.- Selected mobile features that BRGF plans to offer in the near future.Ultimately, this paper aims to delineate the effectiveness and potential of deliveringlibrary services by the preferred means of communication of a new generation of studentsand teachers.

New reference tables and user-friendly Internet application for predicted heart weights.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of normal heart weight ranges is important information for pathologists. Comparing the measured heart weight to reference values is one of the key elements used to determine if the heart is pathological, as heart weight increases in many cardiac pathologies. The current reference tables are old and in need of an update. AIMS: The purposes of this study are to establish new reference tables for normal heart weights in the local population and to determine the best predictive factor for normal heart weight. We also aim to provide technical support to calculate the predictive normal heart weight. METHODS: The reference values are based on retrospective analysis of adult Caucasian autopsy cases without any obvious pathology that were collected at the University Centre of Legal Medicine in Lausanne from 2007 to 2011. We selected 288 cases. The mean age was 39.2 years. There were 118 men and 170 women. Regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship of heart weight to body weight, body height, body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA). RESULTS: The heart weight increased along with an increase in all the parameters studied. The mean heart weight was greater in men than in women at a similar body weight. BSA was determined to be the best predictor for normal heart weight. New reference tables for predicted heart weights are presented as a web application that enable the comparison of heart weights observed at autopsy with the reference values. CONCLUSIONS: The reference tables for heart weight and other organs should be systematically updated and adapted for the local population. Web access and smartphone applications for the predicted heart weight represent important investigational tools.

Informe sobre la I International Conference on Multidisciplinary Information Sciences and Technologies - InSciT2006 (Mèrida, 25, 26, 27 i 28 d'octubre de 2006)

Podeu consultar la versió en castellà a http://hdl.handle.net/2445/8955

Informe sobre la I International Conference on Multidisciplinary Information Sciences and Technologies - InSciT2006 (Mérida, 25, 26, 27 y 28 de octubre de 2006)

Podeu consultar la versió en català a http://hdl.handle.net/2445/8954

Systemic and pulmonary vascular dysfunction in children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies.

BACKGROUND: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) involves the manipulation of early embryos at a time when they may be particularly vulnerable to external disturbances. Environmental influences during the embryonic and fetal development influence the individual's susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, raising concerns about the potential consequences of ART on the long-term health of the offspring. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed systemic (flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, pulse-wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness) and pulmonary (pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude by Doppler echocardiography) vascular function in 65 healthy children born after ART and 57 control children. Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery was 25% smaller in ART than in control children (6.7±1.6% versus 8.6±1.7%; P<0.0001), whereas endothelium-independent vasodilation was similar in the 2 groups. Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity was significantly (P<0.001) faster and carotid intima-media thickness was significantly (P<0.0001) greater in children conceived by ART than in control children. The systolic pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude (3450 m) was 30% higher (P<0.001) in ART than in control children. Vascular function was normal in children conceived naturally during hormonal stimulation of ovulation and in siblings of ART children who were conceived naturally. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy children conceived by ART display generalized vascular dysfunction. This problem does not appear to be related to parental factors but to the ART procedure itself. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00837642.

La médecine ambulatoire youth-friendly. [Youth-friendly outpatient care].

Ambulatory pediatric and family medicine takes care of adolescent patients, most of whom regularly consult a physician. Consultations with young people involve issues specifically related to their age. Regarding health care systems and physicians, adolescents' expectations vary from those of adults, not so much in terms of the issues discussed but in terms of the priorities that they give to them. Confidential interviews are not always proposed but are highly appreciated, as are certain personal qualities on the part of the caregivers such as honesty, respect, and friendliness. Finally, easy access to care together with the continuity of care are essential. Prevention of risk behaviors by screening and health education is clearly insufficient. This issue could be approached during the consultation through a psychosocial history. This is a good opportunity to discuss sensitive issues that adolescents seldom bring up themselves. More systematic prevention would probably decrease youth morbidity and mortality, which are both closely related to risk behaviors. To meet these expectations and special health care needs, the World Health Organization has developed the concept of youth-friendly health services. This concept can be applied in both a specialized adolescence center and a pediatric or family practice. Youth-friendly services are still rarely evaluated but seem to bring a clear benefit in terms of patient satisfaction and access to care.

Field Data Acquisition Technologies for Iowa Transportation Agencies, HR-366 August 1994

This report describes the results of the research project investigating the use of advanced field data acquisition technologies for lowa transponation agencies. The objectives of the research project were to (1) research and evaluate current data acquisition technologies for field data collection, manipulation, and reporting; (2) identify the current field data collection approach and the interest level in applying current technologies within Iowa transportation agencies; and (3) summarize findings, prioritize technology needs, and provide recommendations regarding suitable applications for future development. A steering committee consisting oretate, city, and county transportation officials provided guidance during this project. Technologies considered in this study included (1) data storage (bar coding, radio frequency identification, touch buttons, magnetic stripes, and video logging); (2) data recognition (voice recognition and optical character recognition); (3) field referencing systems (global positioning systems [GPS] and geographic information systems [GIs]); (4) data transmission (radio frequency data communications and electronic data interchange); and (5) portable computers (pen-based computers). The literature review revealed that many of these technologies could have useful applications in the transponation industry. A survey was developed to explain current data collection methods and identify the interest in using advanced field data collection technologies. Surveys were sent out to county and city engineers and state representatives responsible for certain programs (e.g., maintenance management and construction management). Results showed that almost all field data are collected using manual approaches and are hand-carried to the office where they are either entered into a computer or manually stored. A lack of standardization was apparent for the type of software applications used by each agency--even the types of forms used to manually collect data differed by agency. Furthermore, interest in using advanced field data collection technologies depended upon the technology, program (e.g.. pavement or sign management), and agency type (e.g., state, city, or county). The state and larger cities and counties seemed to be interested in using several of the technologies, whereas smaller agencies appeared to have very little interest in using advanced techniques to capture data. A more thorough analysis of the survey results is provided in the report. Recommendations are made to enhance the use of advanced field data acquisition technologies in Iowa transportation agencies: (1) Appoint a statewide task group to coordinate the effort to automate field data collection and reporting within the Iowa transportation agencies. Subgroups representing the cities, counties, and state should be formed with oversight provided by the statewide task group. (2) Educate employees so that they become familiar with the various field data acquisition technologies.

Female adolescents' views on a youth-friendly clinic

Rapport de synthèse : La satisfaction des patients concernant leur prise en charge fait maintenant partie intégrante de la qualité des soins. Elle a été évaluée à maintes reprises chez des patients adultes ou pédiatriques, mais rarement chez des patients adolescents. Les attentes des adolescents par rapport aux services de soins ont par contre été souvent étudiées et certains facteurs semblent particulièrement importants. Parmi ceux-ci, citons la confidentialité, le respect, l'honnêteté, l'écoute, l'accès aux soins ou le fait d'avoir des informations compréhensibles. L'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé a développé le concept de 'Youth-friendly health services' pour répondre aux besoins et attentes particuliers des adolescents. Il est basé sur sept principes : l'accessibilité, l'équité, l'efficience, l'efficacité, le fait d'être approprié et compréhensible. Notre objectif était d'évaluer la satisfaction des adolescentes consultant dans une clinique multidisciplinaire pour adolescents basée sur le modèle 'Youth-friendly health services' et de déterminer les facteurs qui y sont associés. Nous avons fait une enquête transversale dans une clinique pour adolescents à Lausanne entre mars et mai 2008 moyennant un questionnaire anonyme auto-administré. Tous les patients qui avaient consulté au moins une fois auparavant étaient éligibles. Nous avons ensuite éliminé les garçons, en très petit nombre et donc de faible valeur statistique. Trois cents onze patientes âgées de 12 à 22 ans ont été inclues dans l'étude. Nous avons effectué des analyses bivariées pour comparer les patientes satisfaites et non satisfaites puis avons construit un modèle log- linéaire afin de déterminer les facteurs directement ou indirectement liés à la satisfaction des patientes. Nonante-quatre pourcent des patientes étaient satisfaites. Les facteurs significativement associés à la satisfaction des adolescentes étaient les suivants : Les jeunes filles se sentaient plus écoutées en ce qui concerne leurs plaintes, et avaient plus l'impression que le soignant les comprenait. Elles avaient aussi moins changé de soignant durant le suivi, avaient plus l'impression d'avoir bénéficié du traitement adéquat et pensaient avoir plus suivi les conseils du soignant. Le modèle log-linéaire que nous avons effectué a mis en avant quatre facteurs directement liés à la satisfaction des patientes, qui sont la continuité des soins, le résultat de la prise en charge, l'adhérence au traitement et le sentiment d'être comprise par le soignant. Ces résultats mettent en avant l'importance de la relation interpersonnelle entre le soignant et le patient, mais rendent aussi attentif à des aspects qui pourraient être améliorés, en ce qui concerne par exemple la continuité des soins. En effet, une clinique comme la nôtre fait partie d'un hôpital de formation et le tournus fréquent des soignants est inévitable. Les changements de médecins et autres soignants devraient alors être préparés et expliqués aux patients avec la plus grande attention. L'adhérence au traitement semble être fortement liée à la satisfaction des patients, mais la nature de notre étude ne permet pas de conclure à une relation de cause à effet. Nous pouvons tout de même supposer qu'elle est une conséquence de la satisfaction des patients. Enfin, la confidentialité et l'accès aux soins souvent cités comme essentiels à la satisfaction des patients dans la littérature étaient secondaires dans notre étude. En conclusion, la satisfaction des adolescentes était principalement basée sur une relation de confiance de longue durée avec leurs soignants. Les pédiatres occupent une place privilégiée pour répondre à ces besoins parce qu'ils connaissent leurs patients depuis l'enfance. Ils devraient cependant garder à l'esprit que la relation avec le patient change au moment de l'adolescence et que les jeunes sont très sensibles à la relation de confiance interpersonnelle qu'ils ont avec leur médecin.

De la conception à la pratique Reconfiguration d'un dispositif de formation des enseignants aux technologies de l'information et de la communication.

Constatant que la formation des enseignants aux technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) pose des problèmes spécifiques, cet article a pour but d'engager une réflexion sur ce thème. Nos réflexions s'appuient sur une expérience de formation réalisée dans 23 écoles professionnelles suisses engagées dans un programme national de soutien à l'utilisation pédagogique des TIC. L'article décrit la manière dont le dispositif de formation prévu a été mis en pratique, les difficultés auxquelles il a donné lieu et les réponses que les acteurs ont élaborées pour faire face à ces difficultés. Nous montrons qu'une analyse du déroulement effectif d'un dispositif de formation et des transformations qu'il subit constitue un élément essentiel pour orienter les futures actions de formation et penser la place des apprenants dans un dispositif de formation.

Comprehensive Bridge Deck Deterioration Mapping of Nine Bridges by Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies Final Report, January 2011

The primary objective of this research was to demonstrate the benefits of NDT technologies for effectively detecting and characterizing deterioration in bridge decks. In particular, the objectives were to demonstrate the capabilities of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and impact echo (IE), and to evaluate and describe the condition of nine bridge decks proposed by Iowa DOT. The first part of the report provides a detailed review of the most important deterioration processes in concrete decks, followed by a discussion of the five NDT technologies utilized in this project. In addition to GPR and IE methods, three other technologies were utilized, namely: half-cell (HC) potential, electrical resistivity (ER), and ultrasonic surface waves (USW) method. The review includes a description of the principles of operation, field implementation, data analysis, and interpretation; information regarding their advantages and limitations in bridge deck evaluations and condition monitoring are also implicitly provided.. The second part of the report provides descriptions and bridge deck evaluation results from the nine bridges. The results of the NDT surveys are described in terms of condition assessment maps and are compared with the observations obtained from the recovered cores or conducted bridge deck rehabilitation. Results from this study confirm that the used technologies can provide detailed and accurate information about a certain type of deterioration, electrochemical environment, or defect. However, they also show that a comprehensive condition assessment of bridge decks can be achieved only through a complementary use of multiple technologies at this stage,. Recommendations are provided for the optimum implementation of NDT technologies for the condition assessment and monitoring of bridge decks.