The Future of ECVAM: A Personal Perspective

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 239-241
Author(s):  
Michael Balls

Progress made in the practical application of the validation process is summarised, and some of the remaining problems are considered. Highlights of the first ten years of ECVAM are reviewed, and ECVAM's activities as a route of communication on the Three Rs are discussed. Finally, some suggestions are made for maintaining ECVAM's momentum in the future, especially in relation to the challenge and opportunity for alternative methods afforded by the new EU Chemicals Policy.

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 207-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman B.W.M. Koëter

A personal view is presented on progress made during the last 25 years in applying the Three Rs ( reduction, refinement, replacement) to animal testing in regulatory toxicology, with an emphasis on “good moments” (for example, international workshops on the principles and practical application of the validation process and on regulatory acceptance) and “not-so-good moments” (for example, the time taken to accept alternatives to the LD50 test and to accept in vitro tests for skin absorption as OECD Test Guidelines). The importance of dialogue and cooperation between international coordinating centres and scientific activities at the national level is stressed, as exemplified by the work of ECVAM during its first decade.


2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 185-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Botham

ECVAM's initiatives in validation have received significant support from the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC), especially through the provision of reference chemical data banks, which contain peer-reviewed, high-quality in vivo data on commercially available chemical substances. Chemicals have been selected from these ECETOC data banks for validation studies on alternative methods for skin corrosion and irritation and for eye irritation and, in addition, an ECETOC task force peer-reviewed the selection and classification, on the basis of in vivo data, of chemicals used in the validation of three alternative methods for developmental toxicity. More recently, ECVAM and ECETOC have been pursuing parallel initiatives on the proposed new EU chemicals policy, with the common goals of ensuring that industry and European Commission resources are used to investigate only those chemicals that pose a significant risk to human health and the environment, and that the Policy requires that any testing that is necessary follows the Three Rs principles of reduction, refinement and replacement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Arman Syah Putra

The problem raised in this research is the implementation of ERP (Electronic Road Price) which will be applied in several street corners of the capital of Jakarta, many pros and cons that will occur in its application, ranging from its licensing to its application in the field, socialization to users the road in the capital is very important to do because it will directly intersect with motorized motorists in the capital of Jakarta, in its application also must be considered using what tools are best placed in every corner of the capital to help smooth the system to be applied, in this research the author will provide suggestions and frameworks so that the implementation of the ERP system (Electronic Road Price) can be carried out right away, with the suggestions that have been made are expected to influence the policies that will be made in terms of ERP (Electronic Road Price) in the future.


Author(s):  
Thomas N. Sherratt ◽  
David M. Wilkinson

Why do we age? Why cooperate? Why do so many species engage in sex? Why do the tropics have so many species? When did humans start to affect world climate? This book provides an introduction to a range of fundamental questions that have taxed evolutionary biologists and ecologists for decades. Some of the phenomena discussed are, on first reflection, simply puzzling to understand from an evolutionary perspective, whilst others have direct implications for the future of the planet. All of the questions posed have at least a partial solution, all have seen exciting breakthroughs in recent years, yet many of the explanations continue to be hotly debated. Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution is a curiosity-driven book, written in an accessible way so as to appeal to a broad audience. It is very deliberately not a formal text book, but something designed to transmit the excitement and breadth of the field by discussing a number of major questions in ecology and evolution and how they have been answered. This is a book aimed at informing and inspiring anybody with an interest in ecology and evolution. It reveals to the reader the immense scope of the field, its fundamental importance, and the exciting breakthroughs that have been made in recent years.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (18) ◽  
pp. 1840001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Li ◽  
Zhong-Can Ou-Yang ◽  
Yao-Gen Shu

Kinesin is a two-headed linear motor for intracellular transport. It can walk a long distance in a hand-over-hand manner along the track before detaching (i.e., high processivity), and it consumes one ATP molecule for each step (i.e., tight mechanochemical coupling). The mechanisms of the coordination of its two heads and the mechanochemical coupling are the central issues of numerous researches. A few advances have been made in recent decades, thanks to the development of single-molecule technologies and molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we review some progress of the studies on the kinematics, energetics, coordination mechanism, mechanochemical mechanism of kinesin. We also present a personal perspective on the future studies of kinesin.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf K. Eckhoff

Right from the early days of the process industries, continuous efforts have been made to develop and improve measures for prevention and mitigation of dust explosions in these industries. Nevertheless this hazard continues to threaten industries that manufacture, use and/or handle powders and dusts of a wide range of combustible materials. To improve methods for predicting explosion development in real industrial plant has been one major challenge. Hence, during the last years comprehensive numerical simulation codes, for addressing this problem, have been developed. Progress has also been made in other areas, for example, ignition source prevention. The importance of adopting inherently safer process design, by building on firm knowledge in powder science and technology, and of systematic education/training of personnel, is also emphasized.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Gilmour

Ever since the Charter of the United Nations was signed in 1945, human rights have constituted one of its three pillars, along with peace and development. As noted in a dictum coined during the World Summit of 2005: “There can be no peace without development, no development without peace, and neither without respect for human rights.” But while progress has been made in all three domains, it is with respect to human rights that the organization's performance has experienced some of its greatest shortcomings. Not coincidentally, the human rights pillar receives only a fraction of the resources enjoyed by the other two—a mere 3 percent of the general budget.


2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1, 2 & 3) ◽  
pp. 2007
Author(s):  
John D. Whyte

This article examines the future of section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the notwithstanding clause)1 — specifically, its po- litical future. It explores whether it is a consti- tutional instrument which is likely to be used in the future by legislatures or by Parliament.2 The article is premised on the idea that popular po- litical notions about political and constitutional legitimacy, while often formed by the constitu- tional text, sometimes evolve independently of the text. When this happens, these new concep- tions of legitimacy will constrain the exercise of constitutional powers no matter how clearly the powers are conferred by the text. From this per- spective, this article argues that in an apparent regime of entrenched rights, such as Canada’s, the legislative suspension of rights will be re- garded as less reflective of the constituted order — and, hence, less legitimate — than will hav- ing legislatures insist that their choices should prevail over constitutional rights in some cir- cumstances.


Author(s):  
Jerry Rau ◽  
Mike Kirkwood

Pressure testing of pipelines has been around in some form or another since the 1950s1–14. In its earliest form, operators used inert gases such as Nitrogen or even air to test for pipeline integrity. However, with the significant increases in pipeline pressures and inherent safety issues with a pressurized gas, the switch to using water happened in the late 1960’s15–17. Hydrostatic tests (referred to as hydrotests) have been used since then to set and reset the Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) for pipelines but as other technologies develop and gain acceptance will hydrotesting still play a key role in pipeline integrity in the years ahead? Currently, hydrotesting is a topic for the impending US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Proposed New Rule Making (PNRM)18. Under the NPRM, hydrotesting is required to verify MAOP on pre-1970s US “grandfathered” pipelines, as well as on pipelines of any age with incomplete or missing testing record and include a high level test with a “spike” in pressure. But hydrotesting may not be the only method. Alternative methods and new technologies — used alone or used in combination with hydrotesting — may help provide a more comprehensive way for operators to identify and address potential problems before they become a significant threat. This paper explores both sides of the argument. Before In-Line Inspection (ILI) technology was even available, hydrotesting was the absolute means of the proof of integrity. However, hydrotesting is under scrutiny for many reasons that this paper explores. ILI was introduced in the 1960’s with the first commercially available Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) tools that presented the industry with an alternative. Currently there are a huge array of available technologies on an ILI tool and so is the role of the hydrotest over? The paper looks at the benefits of the hydrotest and these are presented and balanced against available ILI technology. Furthermore, as pipelines are being developed in even more harsh environments such as deepwater developments, the actual logistics of performing a hydrotest become more challenging. The paper will also look at both applications onshore and offshore where regulators have accepted waivers to a hydrotest using alternative methods of proving integrity. The paper concludes with the current use and needs for hydrotesting, the regulatory viewpoint, the alternatives and also what the future developments need to focus on and how technology may be improved to provide at least a supplement if not a replacement to this means of integrity assurance.


1982 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 203-205
Author(s):  
A. Fernandez ◽  
M.C. Lortet ◽  
F. Spite

AbstractThe confusing situation of the nomenclature of the astronomical objects led us to build, as a first step, a dictionary of the designations presently used. The future publication of this work is supported by Commission 5 of IAU. A brief description of this dictionary, as well as a sample of it, is given here. The designations (acronyms) will be given, together with the format, the total number of objects, the type of objects, the code for the complete bibliographical reference, the signification of acronym… Nomenclature for X and γ-ray sources, designations by constellations and descriptive designations will be dealt with as well. Good compilations are a considerable help in nomenclature problems; every effort should be made in order of : 1) urging specialists to build compilations 2) announce compilations in progress to Astronomical Data Centers and to the present authors.


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