Rock masses stresses investigation based on overcoring with CSIRO cell test and 3D finite element modeling in Aqabat Al-Sulbat Road at Aseer Province, Saudi Arabia: Numerical approach

Rock masses slopes stability is a real problem and represents an important concern in Aseer Province, in order to avoid rock fall process on the main roads. For this reason, it is necessary to explore, inspect, investigate, and understand the natural stresses within these rock masses taking into a consideration the third dimension. In this sense, the state of stresses within the rock masses depends on the characteristics of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) cell and the dimension of the overcoring hole. Furthermore, in order to achieve the 3D modeling, the characteristics of the rock masses mentioned before are introduced in the model using “Surfrac” program written in Pascal and FORTRAN, coupled with “Abaqus” software to simulate the stresses matrix in the model. As a result, the main findings of this research are summarized in three points: the first is dealing with the CSIRO cell itself, where the direction of the gauge is important during the measurement of stresses; in fact, the perpendicular gauges work better than those parallel to the hole axis. The second is evident from the model that the direction of hole must be perpendicular to the dip direction of the rock layers, allowing giving better results compared to others. The third is the selection of the measurement site requiring involving the regional stresses of the study area according to geological investigation. Finally, it is interesting to carry out geophysical exploration in the site to understand the local tectonic movement of rock masses. Moreover, a detailed map can highlight the main fractures and faults network and overlap them with the most important projects deployed in Aseer province for maintenance and monitoring.

Impact of Climate Change on Maize and Pigeonpea Yields in Semi-Arid Kenya

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of climate change on intercrops of maize and improved pigeonpea varieties developed. Future climate data for Katumani were downscaled from the National Meteorological Research Centre (CNRM) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) climate models using the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) version 4.2. Both models predicted that Katumani will be warmer by 2°C and wetter by 11% by 2100. Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model version 7.3 was used to assess the impact of both increase in temperature and rainfall on maize and pigeonpea yield in Katumani. Maize crop will increase by 141–-150% and 10–-23 % in 2050 and 2100, respectively. Intercropping maize with pigeonpea will give mixed maize yield results. Pigeonpea yields will decline by 10–20 and 4–9% by 2100 under CSIRO and CNRM models, respectively. Intercropping short and medium duration pigeonpea varieties with maize will reduce pigeonpea yields by 60–80 and 70–90% under the CSIRO and CNRM model, respectively. There is a need to develop heat and waterlogging-tolerant pigeonpea varieties to help farmers adapt to climate change and to protect the huge pigeonpea export market currently enjoyed by Kenya.

Review of "The science of communicating science by Craig Cormick," Cormick, C. (2019). The science of communicating science. CSIRO publishing

The Science of Communicating Science by Dr. Craig Cormick is a lively introduction to the foundational principles of science communications, particularly those oriented towards the public. Dr. Craig Cormick is a well-known science communicator and former president of the Australian Science Communicators, a network of science communicators and journalists. Cormick has also written over 30 books of fiction and non-fiction---in addition to academic articles---and has worked with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), which incidentally also published his textbook. The Science of Communicating Science operates on the premise that science communication is a complex process requiring extensive and time-consuming interdisciplinary research. Cormick's textbook aims to simplify the learning process by distilling well over 400 sources into a compact volume so that novice science communicators may learn important skills for informing and empowering the public by telling engaging stories, fostering interdisciplinary skills, and understanding the audience.

Karakteristik dan Sebaran Sampah Terdampar di Kawasan Pesisir Taman Nasional Bali Barat

The existence of marine debris can be a threat to marine ecosystems. Several studies have shown that marine debris can cause death of marine organisms and a degradation of ecosystems. The West Bali National Park (TNBB) is a conservation area in Bali that is also susceptible to be affected by marine debris pollution, due to its high population and anthropogenic activity in the area. Bali generates about 4.281 tons of waste per day, where 11% of it ends up in the ocean. Therefore, research about marine debris in TNBB is important. The purpose of this research is to find out the characteristics and distribution of stranded marine debris in the TNBB coastal area. This research was conducted in February 2020 at 23 stations by the shoreline. Marine debris data collection was carried out by adapting the method developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Global Plastic Pollution Project. Marine debris exists along the coastline with the concentration range between 0.05 – 28.47 items/m2 with the average of 4.29 items/m2. As much as 92.3% of waste were plastic, dominated by three major debris classes, including soft plastic (44.8%), foam (30.8%), and hard plastic (12.4%). Marine debris in the area has various sizes and shapes. As much as 57.9% of debris at TNBB were whole items and the rest of it were fragment items. Marine debris size at TNBB tend to have a big relative size, i.e. between 8-16 cm (32%). Generally, marine debris at TNBB were mostly daily consumer items. Therefore, public awareness play an important role to decrease the amount of marine debris on the TNBB coastal area.

The successes and lessons of a Dutch University Hospitals’ eHealth program: an Evaluation Study Protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND University Hospitals (UHs) are key players in contributing to a sustainable health care system. In the Netherlands the eight UHs joined forces from 2016 till 2018 within the Citrien fund (CF) - program eHealth to develop sustainable eHealth solutions by carrying out 32 research projects. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to develop an evaluation study protocol that would be capable of evaluating the first Dutch University Hospitals eHealth program in depth. METHODS To develop the protocol three consecutive steps were carried out: 1) a rapid review to find suitable eHealth evaluation frameworks and eHealth project progress indicators, 2) assessment of the selected eHealth evaluation frameworks to determine the most suitable framework to evaluate CF - program eHealth, and 3) development of a mixed-methods study to evaluate eHealth project progress indicators in relation to the 32 eHealth research projects. RESULTS The ‘Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) framework for evaluating telehealth trials or programs’ was deemed most suitable for evaluating CF - program eHealth. The aspects planning, needs assessment, policy/organization, technology, ethics, legal, and finance, were considered useful indicators for monitoring the progress of an eHealth project, and therefore incorporated into the survey. CONCLUSIONS The developed evaluation study protocol will be used to evaluate the first Dutch University Hospitals’ eHealth program, the CF – program eHealth, and therewith contribute to maximizing successful uptake of eHealth solutions. Also, the selected set of eHealth project performance indicators could be used by researchers or policymakers to securely monitor the progress of eHealth projects.

Building a SAR-Enabled Data Cube Capability in Australia Using SAR Analysis Ready Data

A research alliance between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and Geoscience Australia was established in relation to Digital Earth Australia, to develop a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-enabled Data Cube capability for Australia. This project has been developing SAR analysis ready data (ARD) products, including normalized radar backscatter (gamma nought, γ0), eigenvector-based dual-polarization decomposition and interferometric coherence, all generated from the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-1 interferometric wide swath mode data available on the Copernicus Australasia Regional Data Hub. These are produced using the open source ESA SNAP toolbox. The processing workflows are described, along with a comparison of the γ0 backscatter and interferometric coherence ARD produced using SNAP and the proprietary software GAMMA. This comparison also evaluates the effects on γ0 backscatter due to variations related to: Near- and far-range look angles; SNAP’s default Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM and a refined Australia-wide DEM; as well as terrain. The agreement between SNAP and GAMMA is generally good, but also presents some systematic geometric and radiometric differences. The difference between SNAP’s default SRTM DEM and the refined DEM showed a small geometric shift along the radar view direction. The systematic geometric and radiometric issues detected can however be expected to have negligible effects on analysis, provided products from the two processors and two DEMs are used separately and not mixed within the same analysis. The results lead to the conclusion that the SNAP toolbox is suitable for producing the Sentinel-1 ARD products.

Orthodox Soil Science versus Alternative Philosophies: A Clash of Cultures in a Modern Context

In Australia, orthodox soil scientists dealing with land management and alternative practitioners who promote ‘regenerative agriculture’ have not been communicating and engaging effectively with each other. Over many years, scientists in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), state departments and universities have made significant achievements in mapping soil distribution, describing soil behaviour and identifying key soil properties and processes that are fundamental to healthy soil function. However, many alternative practitioners are dismissive of these achievements and highly critical of orthodox soil science. Yet many of the tools of soil science are essential to conduct evidence-based research towards elucidating how and why the exceptional results claimed by some alternative practitioners are achieved. We stress the importance of effective engagement and communication among all parties to resolve this ‘clash of cultures’.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Statistics and Probability, Vol. 7, No. 2

International Journal of Statistics and Probability wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated.Many authors, regardless of whether International Journal of Statistics and Probability publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers.Reviewers for Volume 7, Number 2 Bibi Abdelouahab, University Mentouri Constantine, AlgeriaCarolyn Huston, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), AustraliaLuiz Ricardo Nakamura, University of Sao Paulo, BrazilMohieddine Rahmouni, University of Tunis, TunisiaPablo José Moya Fernández, Universidad de Granada, SpainPhilip Westgate, University of Kentucky, USASajid Ali, Quaid-i-Azam University, PakistanShatrunjai Pratap Singh, John Hancock Financial Services, USASubhradev Sen, Alliance University, IndiaTomás R. Cotos-Yáñez, University of Vigo, SpainVyacheslav Abramov, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Wendy SmithOn behalf of,The Editorial Board of International Journal of Statistics and ProbabilityCanadian Center of Science and Education

The Unequal Partnership

In this chapter, we will discuss the unequal partnership between industry and academy when dealing with IP and its usage. The main parameters towards economic growth when dealing with knowledge creation and market introduction of said knowledge relate, to knowledge management and protection are mentioned. These issues refer to the ability of the academy to research all, but often the permission to commercialize only part (FTO), and the ability of the industry to commercialize combined with its limitations on research (Porath, 2010). Among other topics to be discussed are the knowledge gap between basic research and applied research, and the role of translational research. The role of basic research institutes, the role of industrial research organization (regional or national), and the competition between such institutes and the alternative, the R&D support program.