scholarly journals Overview of Kenyan Government Initiatives in Slum Upgrading: The Case of KENSUP and KISIP Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-59
Author(s):  
Dániel Solymári ◽  
Janet Mangera ◽  
Ráhel Czirják ◽  
István Tarrósy
Keyword(s):  
Review Process ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Slum Upgrading ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Successes And Failures

The goal of this paper is to explore the slum upgrading processes: the implementation of the Kenyan KENSUP project, associated successes and failures, and to draw possible lessons that can be learned from the initiative. The study utilized field work desk reviews to gather relevant information regarding slum upgrade processes in Kenya. The criteria used in the review process entailed exploring the context in which the KENSUP upgrading project was implemented, focusing on the legal frameworks, process of implementation, achievements, results, setbacks and failures in the processes in order to draw lessons for future programmes.

scholarly journals FDAAA TrialsTracker: A live informatics tool to monitor compliance with FDA requirements to report clinical trial results

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. DeVito ◽  
Seb Bacon ◽  
Ben Goldacre
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Reporting Requirements ◽  
Practical Support ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Results Reporting ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Clinical Trial Results

AbstractIntroductionNon-publication of clinical trials results is an ongoing issue. In 2016 the US government updated the results reporting requirements to ClinicalTrials.gov for trials covered under the FDA Amendments Act 2007. We set out to develop and deliver an online tool which publicly monitors compliance with these reporting requirements, facilitates open public audit, and promotes accountability.MethodsWe conducted a review of the relevant legislation to extract the requirements on reporting results. Specific areas of the statutes were operationalized in code based on the results of our policy review, publicly available data from ClinicalTrials.gov, and communications with ClinicalTrials.gov staff. We developed methods to identify trials required to report results, using publicly available registry data; to incorporate additional relevant information such as key dates and trial sponsors; and to determine when each trial became due. This data was then used to construct a live tracking website.ResultsThere were a number of administrative and technical hurdles to successful operationalization of our tracker. Decisions and assumptions related to overcoming these issues are detailed along with clarifications directly from ClinicalTrials.gov. The FDAAA TrialsTracker was successfully launched in February 2018 and provides users with an overview of results reporting compliance.DiscussionClinical trials continue to go unreported despite numerous guidelines, commitments, and legal frameworks intended to address this issue. In the absence of formal sanctions from the FDA and others, we argue tools such as ours - providing live data on trial reporting - can improve accountability and performance. In addition, our service helps sponsors identify their own individual trials that have not yet reported results: we therefore offer positive practical support for sponsors who wish to ensure that all their completed trials have reported.

scholarly journals Lost Identity: Transgender Persons Inside Indian Prisons

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arijeet Ghosh ◽  
◽  
Madhurima Dhanuka ◽  
Sai Bourothu ◽  
Fernando Lannes Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Making ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Transgender Persons ◽  
Consultative Process ◽  
Right To Information ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Information Requests

This report sheds light on challenges faced by Transgender persons in Indian prisons. The report analyses the international and legal frameworks in the country which provide the foundation for policy formulations with regard to confinement of LGBT+ persons, with particular reference to the Transgender community. This report also documents the responses received to right to information requests filed to prison headquarters across the country, which in addition to providing the number of Transgender prisoners in Indian prisons between 1st May 2018 to 30th April 2019, also provides relevant information on compliance within prisons with existing legal frameworks relevant to protecting the rights of Transgender persons in prisons, especially in terms of recognition of a third gender, allocation of wards, search procedures, efforts towards capacity building of prison administrators etc. The finalisation of this report has involved an intense consultative process with individuals and experts, including representatives from the community, community-based organisations as well as researcher and academicians working on this issue. This report aims to enhance the understanding of these issues among stakeholders such as prison administrators, judicial officers, lawyers, legal service providers as well as other non-state actors. It is aimed at better informed policy making, and ensuring that decisions made with respect to LGBTI+ persons in prisons recognize and are sensitive of their rights and special needs.

Early Medieval Fortifications near Rome

1964 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-122
Author(s):  
A. W. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
North Central ◽  
The North ◽  
Key Sites ◽  
Natural Decay ◽  
Work Done

The few scholars who have specialised upon military architecture in Italy have, very naturally, concentrated their attention on the spectacular work of the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, chiefly in Apulia and Sicily, to a lesser extent in the North; Central Italy as a whole, has been neglected, and particularly the neighbourhood of Rome. There alone can the unimpressive fortresses of the early middle ages be seen in abundance, most of them untouched except by natural decay, because they were not rebuilt when their obsolescence became recognised, but abandoned—in a large number of instances, so documents imply, during the fourteenth century. This article is an attempt to trace the course of local development down to 1300, as shown mainly at certain key-sites. The argument rests on a basis of combined archaeological and documentary evidence; the former is limited by the amount of field-work done by my predecessors or by myself, the latter I have derived entirely from the regional historians of the past hundred years. Investigation of sites not yet reported, and of documents not yet searched for relevant information, should eventually lead to a more precise chronology than is now feasible.

scholarly journals A study into the practice of reporting software engineering experiments

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Revoredo ◽  
Djordje Djurica ◽  
Jan Mendling
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Experimental Software Engineering ◽  
Experimental Software ◽  
Time Period

AbstractIt has been argued that reporting software engineering experiments in a standardized way helps researchers find relevant information, understand how experiments were conducted and assess the validity of their results. Various guidelines have been proposed specifically for software engineering experiments. The benefits of such guidelines have often been emphasized, but the actual uptake and practice of reporting have not yet been investigated since the introduction of many of the more recent guidelines. In this research, we utilize a mixed-method study design including sequence analysis techniques for evaluating to which extent papers follow such guidelines. Our study focuses on the four most prominent software engineering journals and the time period from 2000 to 2020. Our results show that many experimental papers miss information suggested by guidelines, that no de facto standard sequence for reporting exists, and that many papers do not cite any guidelines. We discuss these findings and implications for the discipline of experimental software engineering focusing on the review process and the potential to refine and extend guidelines, among others, to account for theory explicitly.

scholarly journals Combining Remote Sensing with Webdata and Machine Learning to Support Humanitarian Relief Work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Kersten ◽  
Malin Kopitzsch ◽  
Jan Bongard ◽  
Friederike Klan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Information Gaps

<p>Gathering, analyzing and disseminating up-to-date information related to incidents and disasters is key to disaster management and relief. Satellite imagery, geo-information, and in-situ data are the mainly used information sources to support decision making. However, limitations in data timeliness as well as in spatial and temporal resolution lead to systematic information gaps in current well-established satellite-based workflows. Citizen observations spread through social media channels, like Twitter, as well as freely available webdata, like WikiData or the GDELT database, are promising complementary sources of relevant information that might be utilized to fill these information gaps and to support in-situ data acquisition. Practical examples for this are impact assessments based on social media eyewitness reports, and the utilization of this information for the early tasking of satellite or drone-based image acquisitions.</p><p>The great potential, for instance of social media data analysis in crisis response, was investigated and demonstrated in various related research works. However, the barriers of utilizing webdata and appropriate information extraction methods for decision support in real-world scenarios are still high, for instance due to information overload, varying surrounding conditions, or issues related to limited field work infrastructures, trustworthiness, and legal aspects.</p><p>Within the current DLR research project "Data4Human", demand driven data services for humanitarian aid are developed. Among others, one project goal is to investigate the practical benefit of augmenting existing workflows of the involved partners (German Red Cross, World Food Programme, and Humanitarian Open Street Map) with social media (Twitter) and real-time global event database (GDELT) data. In this contribution, the general concepts, ideas and corresponding methods for webdata analysis are presented. State-of-the-art deep learning models are utilized to filter, classify and cluster the data to automatically identify potentially crisis-related data, to assess impacts, and to summarize and characterize the course of events, respectively. We present first practical findings and analysis results for the 2019 cyclones Idai and Kenneth.</p>

scholarly journals Rediseño, Montaje y Estandarización Operativa del Secador Solar de Semillas en la Hacienda La Cosmopolitana

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Miguel Casabianca ◽  
Víctor Alfonso Velandia C. ◽  
Didier Jean Paul Roldán Olarte ◽  
Natalia Bermúdez Pinzón ◽  
Cristian Rocha león ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
High Potential ◽  
Heat Distribution ◽  
Solar Dryer ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
Temperature Variable ◽  
Standardization Process ◽  
Temperature Time

<p>El desarrollo de este proyecto plantea la estandarización operativa de un secador solar ubicado en la Hacienda La Cosmopolitana. Durante el trabajo en campo se observó que la estandarización del proceso es esencial para el correcto funcionamiento del secador, ya que en este se produce el secado de semillas del cacao, producto de gran importancia para la Hacienda. Para lograr que este proceso sea eficiente, fue necesario realizar el registro de variables esenciales como temperatura y humedad en un periodo de tiempo y así poder abstraer información relevante del comportamiento climatológico en esa zona junto a la bibliografía respectiva. La temperatura y humedad se midieron con un dispositivo diseñado para tal fin y se comparó la información suministrada con un dispositivo (para la variable temperatura) mediante un termómetro de máximo y mínimo. De acuerdo al estado inicial en que se encontró el secador, se rediseño el mismo con el fin aprovechar mejor el espacio, dar una mejor distribución del calor, controlar la humedad y estandarizar el proceso.</p><p>Abstract</p><p>During the development of this project we want to obtain an operational standardization of solar dryer that is located in the Hacienda La Cosmopolitan. During field work we found that the standardization process is required, especially with respect to the seed´s drying from cocoa, looking like high potential economic benefits product. To make this activity efficient, registration was necessary, variables such as temperature, time and humidity over a period of time one day to be able to abstract relevant information of climate behavior in that area. The temperature and humidity were measured with a device designed for that purpose and the information provided by the device in the temperature variable is corroborated by a maximum and minimum thermometer. According to the dryer´s state, it was redesigned in order to maximize space, provide better heat distribution, control humidity and standardize the process.</p>

scholarly journals Application of small unamanned aerial systems in logistics and planning

2019 ◽  
pp. 149-163
Author(s):  
Nenad Šurjanac ◽  
Natalija Momirović ◽  
Marija Milosavljević ◽  
Sonja Braunović ◽  
Milan Kabiljo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Systems ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Computer Data ◽  
Digital Formats ◽  
Aerial Systems

The application of modern technologies makes it easy to collect, process, present, and apply data for logistics in hard to reach areas. Proper delivery of equipment, personnel, and materials directly affects the quality of work. The need for precise and real information about the condition of the terrain and the conditions of the environment has always existed since this knowledge enables proper planning, forecasting and task performing in the field. Improvement in the digital industry enables fast and easy transfer of unchanged digital data from the field to the information processing centers, which consequently improves decision making and planning processes. New workflows made proper logistics even more important because it increased the precision of field work and better anticipation of previously unforeseen circumstances. Work on hard to reach areas, with large slopes, non-existent and/or non-persistent infrastructure, and different degree of vegetation coverage requires precise planning and organization of works, in order to minimize the number of unforeseen situations and make the most expeditious workflows. This paper presents the practical application of small unmanned aerial systems for collecting a large amount of data in a short time, the processing of the data, and the production of relevant information for decision making. There are two most important aspects of this paper. First one is fast, easy, safe and precise collection of large amounts of data which is an alternative to the traditional methods. The second is computer data processing, which enables a fast and automatic transformation of raw data into relevant information in digital formats that are suitable for further processing and easily accessible to decision makers. This work shows that it is possible to record quickly and in detail a large area, and obtain real, current, accurate and high-fidelity information about each point of terrain, with high precision and reliability

scholarly journals FDA Should Re-evaluate mRNA Vaccine Risks and Consider Previously Neglected Evidence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqing Wu
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Approval Process ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
Application Data ◽  
Functional Capacities

After examining both the substantive evidence and approval process used by FDA’s in approving the mRAN vaccines, I showed that due to routine suppression of critical discoveries by leading medical publishers and limitations in FDA’s approval process, FDA could consider only flawed and self-serving findings in context of flawed medical theories in favor of the approval. As reflected in the brief for FDA advisory committee, FDA did not consider fatal flaws in clinical trials, the symptom-based research methods, interference affects of many factors on vaccine benefits/risks, and potential long-term side effects. While off-target expression of mRNA vaccines were known evils in mRNA vaccines, FDA did not consider. It did not address three critical problems responsible for erratic expression: coating variations among mRAN molecules, differences in local hydrodynamic properties in each person, and the massive differences in influencing variables among different persons. By relying on cherry-picked, self-servicing, and deeply flawed application data and flawed contextual knowledge promoted by leading medical publishers, FDA would not see plainly predictable acute personal injuries and expected latent side effects on some people and missed obvious dangers to fetuses, babies, and people with diminished vital functional capacities. Given the fact that the vaccines are imposed on the population, defectiveness of the vaccines can cause the worst catastrophes, FDA must change its review process to overcome biases and suppression practiced by vaccines sponsors and leading medical journals. A workable process must include proactively seeking and considering any relevant information from any source and conducting expanded analysis without being constrained by flawed research models. By using an improved review process, FDA could not have found that mRNA vaccines are effective and safe. I urge FDA to re-valuate mRNA use licenses for the sake of billions of human beings.

scholarly journals Towards Multiscale and Multisource Remote Sensing Mineral Exploration Using RPAS: A Case study in the Lofdal Carbonatite-Hosted REE Deposit, Namibia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 2500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Booysen ◽  
Zimmermann ◽  
Lorenz ◽  
Gloaguen ◽  
Nex ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Hyperspectral Data ◽  
Multiscale Approach ◽  
Carbonatite Complex ◽  
Lithological Mapping ◽  
Aircraft System ◽  
Difficult Terrain

Traditional exploration techniques usually rely on extensive field work supported by geophysical ground surveying. However, this approach can be limited by several factors such as field accessibility, financial cost, area size, climate, and public disapproval. We recommend the use of multiscale hyperspectral remote sensing to mitigate the disadvantages of traditional exploration techniques. The proposed workflow analyzes a possible target at different levels of spatial detail. This method is particularly beneficial in inaccessible and remote areas with little infrastructure, because it allows for a systematic, dense and generally noninvasive surveying. After a satellite regional reconnaissance, a target is characterized in more detail by plane-based hyperspectral mapping. Subsequently, Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS)-mounted hyperspectral sensors are deployed on selected regions of interest to provide a higher level of spatial detail. All hyperspectral data are corrected for radiometric and geometric distortions. End-member modeling and classification techniques are used for rapid and accurate lithological mapping. Validation is performed via field spectroscopy and portable XRF as well as laboratory geochemical and spectral analyses. The resulting spectral data products quickly provide relevant information on outcropping lithologies for the field teams. We show that the multiscale approach allows defining the promising areas that are further refined using RPAS-based hyperspectral imaging. We further argue that the addition of RPAS-based hyperspectral data can improve the detail of field mapping in mineral exploration, by bridging the resolution gap between airplane- and ground-based data. RPAS-based measurements can supplement and direct geological observation rapidly in the field and therefore allow better integration with in situ ground investigations. We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach at the Lofdal Carbonatite Complex in Namibia, which has been previously subjected to rare earth elements exploration. The deposit is located in a remote environment and characterized by difficult terrain which limits ground surveys.

Perfecting the methods of monitoring the buildings and structures deformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 958 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Yu.N. Kornilov ◽  
O.S. Tsareva
Keyword(s):  
Coordinate System ◽  
Displacement Vector ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Application Point ◽  
Displacement Vectors

The authors present the peculiarities of evaluating the parameters (module, direction and coordinates of the application point) of the displacement vector of the object’s deformation mark, its stabilitydegree is to be evaluated, and on this basis technologies simplifying the processes of performing field work necessary to obtain relevant information are discussed. Various options to implementpolar spatial intersection during observations from fixed stations are considered. In particular, if there aren’t any connecting marks between the instrument’s standing points, it is proposed to use a remote target or measure directional angles (magnetic azimuths) of reference directions. Methods for obtaining the coordinates and displacement vectors of deformation marks in the same coordinate system are considered, depending on the implementation of the polar spatial intersection. An example of implementing the proposed observation methodology on the example of the Hydrocorpus-1 building located at 29 Polytechnicheskaya st., St. Petersburg, Russia is presented. The results obtained indicate the correctness of the proposed methodology.

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