EDITORIAL (VSI) New Research on Water, Waste and Energy Management, with Special Focus on Antibiotics and Priority Pollutants

2021 ◽  
pp. 111582
Author(s):  
Avelino Núñez-Delgado ◽  
Joaquín R. Dominguez ◽  
Yaoyu Zhou ◽  
Marco Race ◽  
José L. Domingo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Management ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Priority Pollutants ◽  
New Research ◽  
Water Waste

Human-Factors Design for Public Information Technology

2008 ◽  
pp. 650-661
Author(s):  
Vincent E. Lasnik
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
It Systems ◽  
Knowledge Age ◽  
Design Function ◽  
And Performance ◽  
New Research

This chapter examines the realm of human-factors design for public information technology in the rapidly evolving postmodern knowledge age of the 21st century, with special focus on how new research and development into human cognition, perception, and performance capabilities is changing the design function for IT systems and products. Many “one size fits all” IT designs are neither adaptive nor adaptable—promulgating a top-down technological imperialism penetrating every aspect of their use. The communication, collaboration, and interaction infrastructure of IT organizations thus remains acutely challenged with enduring problems of usability, learnability, accessibility, and adaptability. As the function and form of products undergo increasingly rigorous scrutiny, one important design goal is emerging as a paramount priority: improving the usability of products, tools, and systems for all stakeholders across the enterprise. It is therefore important to briefly describe emerging human-factor design knowledge and practices applicable to organizations that invent, incubate, innovate, prototype, and drive the creation and application of public IT. The findings here suggest the most effective strategies to manage and augment user-centered design (UCD) endeavors across a wide array of public IT products and organizations.

scholarly journals The Future is Bright for Evolutionary Morphology and Biomechanics in the Era of Big Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha M Muñoz ◽  
Samantha A Price
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Evolutionary Morphology ◽  
The Future ◽  
Important Note ◽  
New Research

Abstract In recent years, the fields of evolutionary biomechanics and morphology have developed into a deeply quantitative and integrative science, resulting in a much richer understanding of how structural relationships shape macroevolutionary patterns. This issue highlights new research at the conceptual and experimental cutting edge, with a special focus on applying big data approaches to classic questions in form–function evolution. As this issue illustrates, new technologies and analytical tools are facilitating the integration of biomechanics, functional morphology, and phylogenetic comparative methods to catalyze a new, more integrative discipline. Although we are at the cusp of the big data generation of organismal biology, the field is nonetheless still data-limited. This data bottleneck is primarily due to the rate-limiting steps of digitizing specimens, recording and tracking organismal movements, and extracting patterns from massive datasets. Automation and machine-learning approaches hold great promise to help data generation keep pace with ideas. As a final and important note, almost all the research presented in this issue relied on specimens—totaling the tens of thousands—provided by museum collections. Without collection, curation, and conservation of museum specimens, the future of the field is much less bright.

Emotional and interpersonal deficits in alcohol-dependen A neuroscience perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (S3) ◽  
pp. 533-533
Author(s):  
P. Maurage
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Social Abilities ◽  
First Results ◽  
Psychiatric State ◽  
New Research

The cerebral and cognitive consequences of alcohol-dependence have been widely explored during the last decades, but the emotional and interpersonal alterations associated with this psychiatric state have only been described recently. In view of the implication of these deficits in relapse after detoxification and of their omnipresence in clinical settings, there is an urgent need to further study these affective and social deficits presented by alcohol-dependent individuals. The present communication aims at offering a summary of the available empirical results on this topic and at underlining the usefulness of a multidisciplinary neuroscience approach to better understand these alterations. The initial studies, focusing on emotion decoding abilities, will first be described as they clearly established that alcohol-dependence is associated with a massive deficit in the identification of the emotional content of faces. The causal link between emotional alterations and alcohol-related problems will also be evoked, with a special focus on recent studies exploring the roots of alcohol-dependence. We will then show how more recent studies have capitalized on these first results to further explore affective and social abilities in alcohol-dependence, leading to the current development of a new research field: the affective and social neurosciences of alcohol-dependence, which combines neuroscience approaches by integrating neuropsychological, electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. Finally, we will identify the main fundamental and clinical perspectives in this field, and we will particularly insist on: (1) the need to take the emotional and social impairments into account in the new theoretical models of addictive states and; (2) the urgency to develop neuropsychological programs specifically dedicated to the rehabilitation of these deficits.

scholarly journals Use of the “error controlˮ system by Maria Montessori method in didactic materials for the formation of elemental mathematical imaginations

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Maria Burher ◽  
◽  
Іhor Вushchak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Error Control ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Mathematical Development ◽  
Maria Montessori ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
New Research

The article describes one of the Montessori methods known as the system of “error controlˮ in educational materials used for the formation of mathematical concepts in preschool education. The topic is relevant, because at the development of preschool education a special focus is on the logical and mathematical development of children. Mathematical knowledge and skills are the main factors necessary for knowledge of the world around us and life in it. The main educational tasks for the development of mathematical concepts are: the sensory development, logical and mathematical concepts developent, mathematical actions performed by children (arithmetics, measurement, the simplest calculations). Therefore, the logical and mathematical development of children is one of the key elements in the education of personality. The article describes issues of inaccessibility of didactic Montessori materials in Ukrainian preschool education, lack of research in this area, incorrect use of methods of encouragement and evaluation in preschool education. The emphasis of the article is that the method of Maria Montessori is quite popular in the educational space, thus there is a need for new research of the principles of education and training, in particular “the error controlˮ. It gives children the opportunity to independently control their actions and evaluate the result. Each activity of children in educational institutions should be evaluated by a teacher or independently by the children themselves. This concept is known as self-assessment, when students independently assess their activities and capabilities. Formative assessment is described as interactive assessment of the level of students’ knowledge. Montessori materials for the development of students’ math competence are helpful in practical actions and contribute to the development of independence and the ability of co-leadership. The formation of self-assessment ability is a priority in preparing the child for school. Thus, the use of the formative assessment at preschool education is one of the key elements in ensuring education quality. Keywords: Maria Montessori, error control, self-assessment, assessment methods, formative assessment.

scholarly journals The Ca2+ Sensor Calcineurin B–Like Protein 10 in Plants: Emerging New Crucial Roles for Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix A. Plasencia ◽  
Yanira Estrada ◽  
Francisco B. Flores ◽  
Ana Ortíz-Atienza ◽  
Rafael Lozano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Stress ◽  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Master Regulator ◽  
Calcineurin B ◽  
New Research

Ca2+ is a second messenger that mediates plant responses to abiotic stress; Ca2+ signals need to be decoded by Ca2+ sensors that translate the signal into physiological, metabolic, and molecular responses. Recent research regarding the Ca2+ sensor CALCINEURIN B-LIKE PROTEIN 10 (CBL10) has resulted in important advances in understanding the function of this signaling component during abiotic stress tolerance. Under saline conditions, CBL10 function was initially understood to be linked to regulation of Na+ homeostasis, protecting plant shoots from salt stress. During this process, CBL10 interacts with the CBL-interacting protein kinase 24 (CIPK24, SOS2), this interaction being localized at both the plasma and vacuolar (tonoplast) membranes. Interestingly, recent studies have exposed that CBL10 is a regulator not only of Na+ homeostasis but also of Ca2+ under salt stress, regulating Ca2+ fluxes in vacuoles, and also at the plasma membrane. This review summarizes new research regarding functions of CBL10 in plant stress tolerance, predominantly salt stress, as this is the most commonly studied abiotic stress associated with the function of this regulator. Special focus has been placed on some aspects that are still unclear. We also pay particular attention on the proven versatility of CBL10 to activate (in a CIPK-dependent manner) or repress (by direct interaction) downstream targets, in different subcellular locations. These in turn appear to be the link through which CBL10 could be a key master regulator of stress signaling in plants and also a crucial participant in fruit development and quality, as disruption of CBL10 results in inadequate Ca2+ partitioning in plants and fruit. New emerging roles associated with other abiotic stresses in addition to salt stress, such as drought, flooding, and K+ deficiency, are also addressed in this review. Finally, we provide an outline of recent advances in identification of potential targets of CBL10, as CBL10/CIPKs complexes and as CBL10 direct interactions. The aim is to showcase new research regarding this master regulator of abiotic stress tolerance that may be essential to the maintenance of crop productivity under abiotic stress. This is particularly pertinent when considering the scenario of a projected increase in extreme environmental conditions due to climate change.

scholarly journals Elimination of Micropollutants in Activated Sludge Reactors with a Special Focus on the Effect of Biomass Concentration

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hatoum ◽  
Potier ◽  
Roques-Carmes ◽  
Lemaitre ◽  
Hamieh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Rate Constants ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biomass Concentration ◽  
Order Rate Constant ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
New Research ◽  
Activated Sludge Systems

This study aimed to investigate the effects of sludge retention time (SRT), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and biomass concentration (CTSS) in activated sludge systems on removal of various micropollutants (MPs), covering a wide spectrum of biodegradability. The influence of biomass concentration on the classical pseudo-first-order rate constant was verified. Results showed that the removal rate constants were affected by both the HRT and SRT. The enhancement of the SRT increased the removal of all the MPs except for two macrolide antibiotics. Application of a higher HRT also improved MP removal, as was expected from the measured removal rate constants. More interesting, our results indicated that, logically, the increase of biomass concentration (expressed as total suspended solids CTSS) from 3 to 5 gTSS L−1 significantly enhanced the removal rate of the highly and moderately degradable compounds. Conversely, a further increase to 8 gTSS L−1 produced only an unexpected moderate effect, showing that the rate was not proportional to biomass concentration, contrary to what is generally postulated. Therefore, the use of classical kinetic models is questionable, since they do not cover the entire range of boundary conditions in activated sludge systems. This work opens new research paths and suggests potential improvements to processes.

Understanding organisations for a post-growth era: contributions from an epistemic analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Ramos-Mejía ◽  
Sebastián Dueñas-Ocampo ◽  
Isabella Gomati de la Vega
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Social Imaginary ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
New Research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to uncover the ways in which companies either reproduce or challenge the growth-based roots of the social imaginary, in order to inform the degrowth debate at the firm level.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers an epistemic analysis of the ways companies organise, revealing underlying conceptions of organisations' identities and their corresponding ways of organising.FindingsThe epistemic analysis derives four conceptual findings allowing the authors to suggest ways of organising in a socio-environmental future not driven by economic growth. The paper suggests new research avenues to study alternative worldviews in organisations.Originality/valueThis paper creatively contributes to the discussion about alternatives to the current unsustainable economy with a special focus on the micro level, where businesses act as a vital driving force for economic growth.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Cellular Networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 4504-4510
Author(s):  
N. C. Eli-Chukwu ◽  
J. M. Aloh ◽  
C. O. Ezeagwu
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Cellular Networks ◽  
Mobile Networks ◽  
Cellular Network ◽  
Chaotic Behavior ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
New Research

Mobile technology has made communication easier and faster. People communicate in a matter of picoseconds, with little or no inhibition, regardless of their distance or location. Mobile networks are rapidly expanding all over the world. The demand led to the evolution of different technologies to meet with traffic challenges. Challenges are still evident as the cellular network system faces dynamic and chaotic behavior that needs to be resolved intelligently without human intervention. The current paper presents the state of the art of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing the performance of cellular networks. This paper summarizes the AI concept and reviews its applications in cellular network design, operations, and optimization. A special focus is laid on the advantages and disadvantages of AI application and a holistic study of the challenges is undertaken in order to give new research directions.

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