Academic literature on the topic 'Country Areas Program National Element'

ABSTRACT People rights enforcement is the duty of the executive officers from the function of government institutions in carrying out its duties and functions. Similarly, Agrarian Institution / BPN in serving the public in the land field of this country. Remembering its strategic program referred to, in the implementation of agrarian involves officials from the center to the following areas Governor, the Regent, Mayor, Head of sub district and villages officials. Besides to support the success of this activities, also involved the Agricultural Special Teams arrangement involve Opstib membership as a security element which at that time was very well respected in the main settlement of land disputes. PRONA. Prona is a program that can be categorized as a flagship program of Agrarian / BPN service to the people, because as an early breakthrough for the sake of upholding the rights on public land with the concept of fast, accurate and simple. As a national movement, this program is called flagship program remembering in this concept of specificity in service. Keywords: Land Certification, Prona, Scramble Image

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the work of the World Health Organization (WHO), begun a decade ago in Europe, in the field of health legislation. This program is the result of the interaction between two important factors: the trends in national health policy and legislation at the country level, and the implementation of the Health for All policy, which has been collectively adopted by the European Member States in various WHO fora.Health legislation has proved to be a valuable tool in supporting National Health Policies in European countries and a key element in international health activities. The paper will be presented in three main parts. The first examines the legislative implications of the Health for All policy and strategy. The second gives an overview of developments in health legislation in Europe, focusing on national achievements in three areas in which change is necessary to achieve Health for All: health care systems, the environment, and lifestyles. The third part gives an account of activities carried out by the Regional Office for Europe of WHO in the health legislation field, recalls the organization of the first WHO medium-term program in this field, and summarizes its four current subprograms on health policy, health situation, exchange of information, and training. The conclusion briefly outlines the prospects for further developments in Europe.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this article is to determine whether the problem of climate change has been included in the smart specialization programs as one that significantly determines the food security of a given region. Methodology: For this purpose an analysis of provincial programs/strategies for the development was made. The programs indicate areas of importance for the region (the desk research method was used, which is a research method involving the analysis of available data). Value Added: The starting point for the considerations taken in the article is the Strategy for smart and sustainable development, which sets out the objectives and priorities of the European Union for the years between 2010 and 2020 [EC, 2010]. In response to the above mentioned strategies, the Ministry of Development in Poland has distinguished National Smart Specializations (KIS) [Internet source A], their idea is to identify key sectors for the socio-economic development of the country and their financial support from EU funds (Smart Development Operational Program - POIR). The five sectors of smart specialization include agri-food, forestry and environmental bio-economy, which emphasize the importance of increasing the country’s food security and improving food quality. Regional Innovation Strategies (RSI) are the response to KIS. They distinguish the smart specializations of the region, and their assumptions and goals are to be appropriate for the characteristics of the region. One of the biggest challenges of today is the climate change, which significantly affects the productivity of the agricultural industry. The European Commission in the White Paper and in its subsequent regulations emphasized the need to support local, regional, national and EU activities which will increase readiness and ability to respond to the effects of climate change (EC, 2013). Is it true that in connection with the above, the issue of adaptation of climate change to agricultural, as one of the important elements conditioning food security of the country, was taken into account when creating the concept of smart specializations? They do not decisively affect adaptation activities in the country, individual regions and industries, but in principle they are intended to raise important and current issues for the development of the country, and climate change and its consequences are undoubtedly such an issue. Recommendations: The analysis of Most Voivodeship Development Strategies carried out shows lack the appropriate form. The scientific language and extensive documentation make it difficult to complete tasks, fail to reach the right recipient, and promote excessive bureaucracy. This is probably not conducive to the development of innovation, but only drives bureaucracy and generates unnecessary costs.

I will present a process by which many of the prehospital providers in this country are trying to organize effective and efficient response plans for major medical incidents which could in fact include a disaster response.Many people in the emergency medical services community, including myself, have been involved in a planning process for voluntary national EMS standards, the program being coordinated by the American Society of Testing & Materials (ASTM) F30 Emergency Medical Services Standards Committee. I chair a subtask group on Disaster Management. The committee has prepared a document containing elements, suggestions, processes and procedures from MCI/disaster response plans from EMS agencies around the country. These places include the cities of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. area, Phoenix, Arizona and other urban places. The intent of this task group is not to prepare a document as a rigid standard to cover every detail on an individual task response plan. Instead, the intent of our task group is to provide an overview of expectations of what an individual mass casualty plan should include; focusing on such topical areas as Incident Command Management, communications, triage, transportation, logistical support issues, mutual aid and ancillary support services and many other topical areas that agency planners must address in developing their respective operational response plans.

In Poland, the first studies using mosses as indicators of the heavy metal air pollution level were carried out in national parks already in the 1970s. They were continued later in 10-year intervals. In 1990, when Poland join the European Heavy Metals Deposition Program, the entire area of the country was included in such research. Moss surveys were repeated at five-year intervals, to varying degrees. Pleurozium schreberi samples were collected from 150 (1990) to over 300 sites (1995 and 2015) throughout the country, either in selected regions diversified in terms of both the level of industrialization and urbanization (2001 and 2015), or only in national parks (2005). On a small scale, changes in the level of heavy metals were recorded in the period from 1975 to 2014 in the Niepołomice Forest located near Kraków. Concentrations of ten heavy metals were constantly monitored. Additionally, in some moss surveys, other elements or compounds, such as 137cesium, PAHs and nitrogen were analyzed. During the 1990s, in all of Europe, there was a significant decrease in the level of heavy metals. In Poland, the spatial patterns of metal accumulation in mosses were similar throughout the entire study period: The southern part of the country, more industrialized and densely populated, is still the most polluted, and the northeastern part belongs to the cleanest regions. In the Niepołomice Forest, emissions from the big steel mill and from the Kraków agglomeration had the greatest impact on pollution from the 1970s to the 1990s, but lately the impact of local emission sources is more visible. Compared to other European countries, Poland and neighboring countries of Central Europe are at the forefront of the most polluted areas in Europe.

Rural development in an integral part of regional development and national development as an effort to improve the quality of community’s life. The implementation of this rural development program is very important in the context of national development because rural areas occupy the largest portion in the entire country. The purpose of this study was to find out the village budget management sourced from the state budget in order to realize rural community development based on rural development in the perspective of Nawa Cita and the role of the village government in running the Nawa Cita program on peripheral community development on village government budget management based on people’s interest in order to realize equitable development. This study used a qualitative approach in order to investigate and understand the phenomena such as what happens, why it happens, and how it happens while understanding a social situation, events, and interaction roles. Data collection was carried out by conducting interview with the Head of BPMPD Department of Cirebon Regency, the Head of BPMPD Department of Kuningan Regency, the Head of BPMPD Department of Majalengka Regency and the Head of BPMPD Department of Indramayu Regency and all village heads in Cirebon, Indramayu, Majalengka, and Kuningan Regions. As well as the data were obtained from the documents in regency, disctrict, and village. The result of this study showed that village as the frontline of the development has strategic role in the success of the Nawa Cita Program. The village budget management is based on the principle of transparency, accountability, participatory, efficient, effective, orderly and budgetary discipline by paying attention to the justice principles, propriety and benefits for the village community. The implementation of activities in the APBD is carried out by the implementing team consisting of the elements from village apparatus and community institutions and supervised by the BPD, at the end of each fiscal year the Village Head has the obligation to submit a village government management report (LPPD) to the regional head through sub-district head and submit information to the LPPD to the BPD.

The concept of digital transformation, which refers to the use of strategically managed digital technologies to achieve various economic and social goals, is increasingly visible in various development programs of the European Union and Latvia. The aim of the digital transformation is to create a society, economy and public administration that purposefully uses the existing and creates new opportunities of digital technologies, improving the quality of life for every individual and society as well, raising the competitiveness of the country and economy. The National Development Plan of Latvia for 2021-2027 also identifies the further development of digitalization as a pervasive element for all sectors, especially in such areas as innovation and science, education, health care, inclusive society and labor market, infrastructure, regional development, security, as well as also environment and energy. In order to do this, the “Digital Transformation Guidelines for 2021-2027” have been developed, which set out the goals, directions and tasks of the digital transformation policy. One of the basic conditions for digital transformation is a digitally skilled society. To develop the rural environment, including through digital solutions, an initiative supported by the European Commission – ‘Smart Villages’, has been in place since 2016. It is a relatively new concept in EU policy-making and includes a vision for the future of rural areas. ‘Smart’, in the sense of this concept, means the development of new forms of cooperation – between farmers and other entrepreneurs in rural areas, between municipalities, the private and public sectors, and cooperation takes place from the bottom up and from the top down. Smart village strategies can ensure that the digital needs, priorities and capabilities of the rural population are addressed at local level and can help to link these core activities to national and regional digital strategies. The aim of the research is to study the development opportunities of smart villages and their potential in the process of digital transformation of the rural environment. The study carried out an analysis of the rural and regional policies, as well as digital transformation strategic documents. The article also examines examples of the use of digital solutions in smart villages in European countries. The study concludes that the introduction of the concept of smart villages is an effective tool for digital transformation in rural areas, both processes have a common goal and tasks, the most important of which is to take actions to prevent working-age persons from leaving local areas, moving to the capital city Riga or leaving Latvia.

The purpose of the study in this article is to identify and analyze the potential economic effect from the implementation of comprehensive programs for the development of small historical settlements in Russia. At the present stage of the economic development of our country, in the economic system of these settlements a whole range of problems arises, which are in many ways common to all small towns. The key ones are the massive closure of uncompetitive enterprises, unemployment, mass migration of people to large cities, infrastructural decline and a general decline in population standards of life. In the case of small historical settlements, this situation is also fraught with the loss of the valuable objects of historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia.The article outlines shortly the main measures, currently used by the executive authorities of the Russian Federation to revitalize the economy of small historical settlements. In particular, the preparation by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Concept on the development of historical settlements, supporting and promoting cultural and tourist opportunities, and developing the economy cultural heritage is mentioned. Within the framework of this Concept, it is planned to implement comprehensive programs for the development of small cities and historical settlements; those programs should take into account all aspects of the functioning of such settlements as socio-economic systems. Issues of economic efficiency of such projects are among the most important for making decisions on implementation. This article analyzes the potential economic effects of the implementation of the project for the creation of the tourist and recreation cluster “Kasimovskiy” (town of Kasimov, Ryazan Region). This project is considered by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation as a pilot in the program for the implementation of the above-mentioned Concept. The economic effect analysis (results of which are shown in this article), was carried out in the context of various income and cost items of the city budget, using the methods of budget planning and financial analysis, and is based on a system of coefficients developed by the expert method.The analysis shows a significant economic effect of the program implementation in a number of areas – in particular, in the elements of the national economy, tax structure, social security system and housing and communal services, as well as in the sphere of employment of the population and subsidized structure. At the same time, it is important to bear in mind that since the implementation of the program implies a widespread use of the mechanism of municipal-private partnerships, the relationship between the costs of budgets at various levels and the economic effect identified should be the focus of a separate case study.

Abstract Vrancea County, through its specific physical-geographical region of Romania is replete with natural elements with unique value. The diversity of species and natural habitats, the high density of large carnivores are the main reasons that led to the establishment of protected natural areas. As regards the Natura 2000 European network, in the county were declared a number of 11 Sites of Community Importance and Sites of Special Protection 3 as a reconfirmation of the value of biodiversity. These have given rise to some touristic activities becoming tourist attraction places for nature lovers. The presence of tourists in a protected area can threaten the environment, but if tourism is managed according to sustainability principles can bring a number of benefits to both the environment and local communities. From this point of view, Vrancea stays at tourist underdevelopment, so economical, due to poor promotion nationally and underinvestment. Thanks to the initiative of associations and relevant organizations were implemented European sustainable development programs that have had a real impact on protected areas in Vrancea County. The results obtained have resulted in actions for biodiversity conservation, tourism planning of the territory and contribute to increased quality of life for local communities. These projects are proof that this region of the country presents all the strengths to develop ecotourism plan.

ABSTRACT A commonsense approach is proposed for the provision of guidance to developing countries engaged in the formulation of national oil spill response systems. Key to the concept is the development of the system by the country's own professionals with the help of an international assistance team (IAT). The membership of the IAT is custom designed to suit the culture and technical needs of each country. The international assistance team provides the training necessary to the professionals from the receiving country who will draft the national response policy and oversee the drafting of the national contingency plan. The IAT then enters into a partnership with this core group to complete the remaining response system development. The involvement of the IAT decreases as the program progresses towards self-sufficiency. The program's goal is to develop a sustainable response system. The planning process will follow already established, internationally accepted practices such as risk assessment and identification of sensitive areas to protect. In cases where the identified risks and sensitive areas necessitate a larger system than the country can sustain, bilateral and regional agreements will be sought to guarantee rapid assistance in the event of a spill. The program is compatible with the concept of “twinning,” where a developed country enters into partnership with a developing country, thereby increasing the sustainable level of response.

Educational change can be defined as a systematic, sustained effort at change in learning conditions and other related internal conditions in one or more schools, with the ultimate aim of accomplishing goals more effectively (Miles 1987). One project designed to bring about educational change was the Country Areas Program National Element (NATCAP) distance education by telematics project, funded by the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training. It was designed to increase curriculum options to students in schools in the western region of New South Wales. All curriculum was delivered through the telematic delivery. This project formed the basis of the research for this thesis. The aim of the study was to examine the roles of change agents and determine who enacted the roles through the process of implementing the NATCAP distance education by telematics project in western New South Wales. Telematics refers to the transmission of signals usually generated in a computer circuit board over distance. It involves using computers, facsimile machines, modems and telephones. Through audio visual links students in western New South Wales can engage in lessons delivered by teachers located in the Australian Capital Territory. This was achieved through a pilot distance education via telematics project conducted in 1991 which was expanded in 1992-1995 to include students in six rural schools. The students were located in both Catholic and Government schools in four rural town in New South Wales. The NATCAP distance education project was administered by the Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and a project manager was appointed to facilitate the implementation of the new project. The question of who enacted the roles of change agents through the process of implementing the distance education project in 1992-1995 became the focus of the study. Change is a process that involves the phases of initiation, implementation and adoption according to Fullan (1991b). There are a number of factors that affect implementation including teachers, principals and outside agencies (Fullan 1991b). The initiative of change does not occur, however without an advocate or change agents. Havelock (1973) has identified four roles of a change agent which are described as the catalyst, the solution giver, the process helper and the resource link. Though the examination of the literature the question of who enacted the roles of the change agents through the process of implementing the NATCAP distance education project was refined and clarified. The qualitative research method, with the researcher as an active participant in the process, was the approach which enabled the research question of this thesis to be examined. The researcher was the project manager for the NATCAP distance education project and was placed in a central position to explore the question of who enacted the roles of the change agents through the process of implementing distance education by telematics. Three research instruments, two questionnaires and a semi-structured interview, were used to gather data based on the perceptions of the six participating school principals. This data ensured that the information gathered by the researcher as an active participant was reliable and valid. The results of the first questionnaire, which examined the role of the project manager as a change agent, indicated that the manager was a catalyst, facilitating the introduction of the new method of teaching and learning. The results also indicated that the roles of the solution giver and the resource link were also enacted by the project manager according to the majority of principals who responded to the questionnaire. The role of the process helper, involved in problem-solving, monitoring and reviewing, was also a part of the project manager's role as a change agent according to all the respondents. The results of the second questionnaire which examined the three phases of implementing change indicated that all six schools involved in the NATCAP distance education project were involved in the initiation stage of implementation. This was achieved by trialing the telematic mode for teaching and learning in each school. All six schools moved into the second stage. This developed into the implementation of Indonesian language and culture lessons, Art/Design and Remedial and Extension Mathematics classes. For two schools the implementation stage included the introduction of the Year 11 and 12 curriculum. The project progressed into the third stage, continuation, for five out of the six schools. One school did not move from the implementation to the continuation stage. As a result of the data collected through the examination of the factors that affect implementation it was stated that the principals enacted a role of resource providers and in some cases on the spot support for teachers. In the schools administered by the New South Wales Department of School Education the cluster director was also a resource provider. In some schools the principal was also a "teacher" actively involved in the implementation of the NATCAP distance education project. The project manager, cluster director (where applicable), principal, assistant principals and teachers were listed as being involved in the identification of needs. Need was identified as the most important factor which affected the change. As a result of the data collected and the interpretations made relating to the findings of this research a number of conclusions were drawn. Educational change goes through a process involving three phases from the initial introduction of the innovation to the initial use and then full implementation as part of the school practice. Change involves a change agency, not one agent of change but a team of change agents or a change agency. The change agency includes the project manager, the principal, assistant principal, teachers and cluster directors (where applicable). The agency enacts the roles of catalyst, solution giver, resource link and process helper. Implementation requires an agent of change from within the school and an agent of change from without of the school working together as part of the change agency. This can be seen by examining the factors affecting implementation. Need, practicality, clarity, complexity and quality all affect implementation of an innovation and all required an agent of change from without and agent of change from within the school to identify each factor and address it. The key personnel affecting implementation are the project manager and cluster directors (where applicable) from the external level and the principal and the teachers from the local level. These key personnel are factors which affect implementation and belong to the change agency. The leadership role of the principal impacts on the degree of implementation of the initiative. Teacher involvement through observation, exchanging ideas, team-teaching and collegiality is required to bring about full implementation of the change. Clustering schools to form learning networks where schools share ideas, knowledge and resources enhances the possibility of initiatives becoming implemented. Schools in the cluster should not only include those in the same education system, schools should go outside their system for new ideas. In the NATCAP distance education by telematics project there were four schools administrated by the NSW Department of School Education and two schools administered by the Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn who formed a NATCAP cluster. Together these schools implemented the new method of teaching and learning called telematics. They brought about change in the learning conditions and extended the curriculum.

The Inqadh regime sought to make not just religious Sudanese, but Sudan religious, by attending to the unique qualities of the physical space into which it intervened, and not just to the people who populated it. While in rural areas the regime often used blunt force to establish its Islamic state, at the urban center it engaged in a much more nuanced project, one increasingly tuned to the challenges and opportunities that such a space posed to the project of Islamic state-building. Recognizing that national belonging on an Islamic basis could not be cultivated by law and education alone, the regime turned to artistic forms in order to develop the affective qualities it deemed necessary to the foundation of its state. This chapter discusses one such project, a poetry revival program that the government encouraged and funded. It traces its itinerary as it intervened into the existing poetic and religious landscapes extant in Sudan.

This paper presents findings emerging from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The aim of I-Corps is to aid in transitioning academic research into commercialized technology. Through this program, the authors developed and tested hypotheses in search of a sustainable and scalable business model for a potential future company. An element of the rigorous I-Corps curriculum included 133 interviews with emergency manager practitioners from around the country to determine the root of their immediate problems. The unbiased feedback from the industry professionals determined the outcome of our hypotheses, while validating our proposed business model.

The Australian Catholic University (ACU National at www.acu.edu.au) is a public university funded by the Australian Government. There are six campuses across the country, located in Brisbane, Queensland; North Sydney, New South Wales; Strathfield, New South Wales; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT); Ballarat, Victoria; and Melbourne, Victoria. The university serves a total of approximately 27,000 students, including both full- and part-time students, and those enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Through fostering and advancing knowledge in education, health, commerce, the humanities, science and technology, and the creative arts, ACU National seeks to make specific and targeted contributions to its local, national, and international communities. The university explicitly engages the social, ethical, and religious dimensions of the questions it faces in teaching, research, and service. In its endeavors, it is guided by a fundamental concern for social justice, equity, and inclusivity. The university is open to all, irrespective of religious belief or background. ACU National opened its doors in 1991 following the amalgamation of four Catholic tertiary institutions in eastern Australia. The institutions that merged to form the university had their origins in the mid-17th century when religious orders and institutes became involved in the preparation of teachers for Catholic schools and, later, nurses for Catholic hospitals. As a result of a series of amalgamations, relocations, transfers of responsibilities, and diocesan initiatives, more than twenty historical entities have contributed to the creation of ACU National. Today, ACU National operates within a rapidly changing educational and industrial context. Student numbers are increasing, areas of teaching and learning have changed and expanded, e-learning plays an important role, and there is greater emphasis on research. In its 2005–2009 Strategic Plan, the university commits to the adoption of quality teaching, an internationalized curriculum, as well as the cultivation of generic skills in students, to meet the challenges of the dynamic university and information environment (ACU National, 2008). The Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) Program at ACU Canberra Situated in Australia’s capital city, the Canberra campus is one of the smallest campuses of ACU National, where there are approximately 800 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate students studying to be primary or secondary school teachers through the School of Education (ACT). Other programs offered at this campus include nursing, theology, social work, arts, and religious education. A new model of pre-service secondary teacher education commenced with the introduction of the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) program at this campus in 2005. It marked an innovative collaboration between the university and a cohort of experienced secondary school teachers in the ACT and its surrounding region. This partnership was forged to allow student teachers undertaking the program to be inducted into the teaching profession with the cooperation of leading practitioners from schools in and around the ACT. In the preparation of novices for the teaching profession, an enduring challenge is to create learning experiences capable of transforming practice, and to instill in the novices an array of professional skills, attributes, and competencies (Putnam & Borko, 2000). Another dimension of the beginning teacher experience is the need to bridge theory and practice, and to apply pedagogical content knowledge in real-life classroom practice. During the one-year Graduate Diploma program, the student teachers undertake two four-week block practicum placements, during which they have the opportunity to observe exemplary lessons, as well as to commence teaching. The goals of the practicum include improving participants’ access to innovative pedagogy and educational theory, helping them situate their own prior knowledge regarding pedagogy, and assisting them in reflecting on and evaluating their own practice. Each student teacher is paired with a more experienced teacher based at the school where he/she is placed, who serves as a supervisor and mentor. In 2007, a new dimension to the teaching practicum was added to facilitate online peer mentoring among the pre-service teachers at the Canberra campus of ACU National, and provide them with opportunities to reflect on teaching prior to entering full-time employment at a school. The creation of an online community to facilitate this mentorship and professional development process forms the context for the present case study. While on their practicum, students used social software in the form of collaborative web logging (blogging) and threaded voice discussion tools that were integrated into the university’s course management system (CMS), to share and reflect on their experiences, identify critical incidents, and invite comment on their responses and reactions from peers.

Sri Lanka’s power crisis presents considerable challenges and opportunities as attempts are made to electrify the remaining 30% of non-grid connected areas and generate reliable power in a sustainable manner. Fifty percent of the energy needs in the country are being met with biomass, 70% of these are domestic rural users. Meeting Sri Lanka’s ever-growing electricity demand with fossil fuel imports is siphoning off 30% of export earnings annually. Biomass based electricity generation, commonly referred to as dendro power, has emerged as the most sustainable option in Sri Lanka to meet spiking demand. The Sri Lankan government’s Inter-Ministerial Working Committee (IMWC) on Electricity Generation from Biomass through Dendro Thermal Technology has developed a dendro thermal program whose salient feature is to add 100 MW of dendro capacity to the grid by 2010. Energy plantations of the woody plant, Gliricidia sepium, would extend over 200,000 hectares of land currently considered to be waste cropland. Income opportunities are expected for 100,000 families if the program is successful. Dendro, as a carbon-neutral source, offers a dual-purpose vehicle for rural citizens to be benefited with income and energy. The dendro program aims to supply grid, off-grid, rural industrial and household energy. This national program could result in significant environmental benefits, opportunities for poverty alleviation and support mechanisms for traditional rural industries. This report is a summary of IMWC’s Dendro Thermal Program, focusing on income avenues and economic impacts.

One of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) current areas of research within its rail integrity research program includes investigating the defect growth behavior of modern rail steels. The modern rail steel research is a collaboration among several organizations: Thornton-Tomasetti, Arcelor-Mittal, Lehigh University, Harvard University, and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe). A companion paper to this one will describe the results of recently-completed mechanical testing, fracture toughness testing, fatigue crack growth rate calculations, and residual stress field characterizations performed in Phase I of this research. The behaviors measured in Phase I were examined under laboratory conditions. The effects of the service load environment, including thermal loads, track support conditions, wheel loading, internal defect position and geometry will also need to be investigated for their effects on defect growth. A candidate approach that can be used to investigate these effects is to employ the finite element (FE) method to simulate a variety of conditions. Several of the types of measurements made in Phase I, such as residual stress distribution, serve as inputs to an FE model. Additional inputs, such as the wheel load and support conditions on the rail would be defined based on typical values encountered in the railroad environment. Stress intensity factors can be calculated around each simulated crack front for a given combination of material inputs, load conditions, and defect geometry. These stress intensity factors can then be used to estimate the fatigue crack growth rate under the given conditions. The modeling approach described above can result in a model that contains several complicated behaviors, including wheel-rail contact, discrete rail supports, and modeling techniques allowing the calculation of stress intensity factors. Further, several of these behaviors require specialized meshing techniques or analysis procedures. Thus, it is essential that the credibility of the model be established through a process of model validation. This paper lays out a framework for examining individual modeling techniques employed in the model, using a “building block” approach. Rather than trying to assess the entire model of a wheel on a discretely-supported rail containing an internal defect against a test measurement of the same conditions, the model is broken down into several key behaviors that must be verified. These distinct model behaviors, such as the method of discrete support, are then individually compared to known results to develop confidence in the simulation’s ability to produce physically-realistic results. In this way, confidence can be developed in the overall, complete model by developing confidence in several of the distinct modeling techniques that are employed in the overall model. The modeling techniques described in this paper include modeling the discretely-supported rail under a wheel load, modeling the internal defect as a crack, and using a submodeling technique to combine areas of coarse and fine mesh in a computationally-efficient manner.

Abstract The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored a series of full-scale dynamic shell impact tests on railroad tank cars. For each shell impact test a pre-test finite element (FE) model is created to predict the overall force-time or force-displacement histories of the impactor, puncture/non-puncture outcomes of the impacted tank shell, global motions of the tank car, internal pressures within the tank, and the energy absorbed by the tank during the impact. While qualitative comparisons (e.g. the shapes of the indentation) and quantitative comparisons (e.g. peak impact forces) have been made between tests and simulations, there are currently no standards or guidelines on how to compare the simulation results with the test results, or what measurable level of agreement would be an acceptable demonstration of model validation. It is desirable that a framework for model validation, including well-defined criteria for comparison, be developed or adopted if FE analysis is to be used without companion full-scale shell impact testing for future tank car development. One of the challenges to developing model validation criteria and procedures for tank car shell puncture is the number of complex behaviors encountered in this problem, and the variety of approaches that could be used in simulating these behaviors. The FE models used to simulate tank car shell impacts include several complex behaviors, which increase the level of uncertainty in simulation results, including dynamic impacts, non-linear steel material behavior, two-phase (water and air) fluid-structure interaction, and contact between rigid and deformable bodies. Approaches to model validation employed in other areas of transportation where validation procedures have been documented are applied to railroad tank car dynamic shell impact FE simulation results. This work compares and contrasts two model validation programs: Roadside Safety Verification and Validation Program (RSVVP) and Correlation and Analysis Plus (CORA). RSVVP and CORA are used to apply validation metrics and ratings specified by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 22-24 (NCHRP 22-24) and ISO/TS 18571:2014 respectively. The validation methods are applied to recently-completed shell impact tests on two different types of railroad tank cars sponsored by the FRA. Additionally, this paper includes discussion on model validation difficulties unique to dynamic impacts involving puncture.

<p>Mobility is one of the most challenging fundamentals of rural livelihood in the Himalayan hills and mountains. More than 8500 trail bridges, comprising an overall span-length of about 650 kilometers have been constructed to date, saving millions of walking hours for people living in the rural Himalayan areas. Previously, crossing rivers was dangerous and sometimes impossible, especially in the rainy season. These bridges created vital connections which enabled children to go to school and people to access public services and visit medical centers and sanctuaries. They also boost local economic output by reducing the effort required to run local farms, gather crops and visit regional markets.</p><p>Fig. 1:The struggles and dangers of crossing a river and its solution</p><p>Swiss technical assistance for rural trail bridges started in the early sixties with the construction of a few suspension bridges in the hill areas of Nepal. In 1964 the Nepalese Government established the Suspension Bridge Division (SBD), and starting in 1972 the Swiss Government began providing continuous technical and financial assistance. Similarly, the Public Works Department in Bhutan initiated a country wide trail bridge construction program in 1971 for which assistance was provided from 1985-2010. Exchanges of experiences between these programs created a collaborative environment where new ideas could be evaluated and tested in the field. After SBD initially developed the basic technical norms, design parameters and standard designs suitable for long-span bridges, demand for simpler shorter span bridges rose tremendously. This prompted the program to develop “community executable bridge designs” adapted to the local skills and materials while conforming to established engineering standards. As a result, cost-effective, easy to implement technologies and community-based approaches were developed, which have been replicated in numerous countries leading to multiple successful partnerships in international development cooperation.</p><p>The purpose of this paper is to highlight the following outcomes of the trail bridge-program:</p><ul><li><p>Standardized cost-effective trail bridge designs based on local capabilities and bridge-building techniques</p></li><li><p>Published of manuals, technical drawings and teaching resources for design, construction and fabrication</p></li><li><p>Engaged local communities in the construction, operation and maintenance of trail bridges</p></li><li><p>Compiled comprehensive trail bridge directory for planning, monitoring and maintenance</p></li><li><p>Established Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) with institutional frameworks at national and local level</p></li><li><p>‘South-South Cooperation’ with Bhutan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Laos, Burundi, Honduras, Guatemala</p></li></ul>

Finite element method (FEM) numerical simulations of heat transfer for high-temperature regimes often require modeling of grey-body enclosure radiation where enclosure geometry definitions are obtained as part of the model grid generation process. Owing to the expense of solving the radiation problem, typical FEM approaches loosely couple the radiative transfer solution as boundary conditions to a standard conduction formulation. When the problem at hand is thermal-mechanical and relative motion occurs between enclosure surfaces, the simulation code is tasked with providing a means of updating the original enclosure surface geometry to reflect the deformed configuration. While this scenario is manageable for contiguously meshed discretizations, the difficulty of updating enclosure geometry is greatly increased when the model admits sliding. Here the analysis code must employ both mechanical and thermal contact, relying heavily on geometric search and contact constraints to enforce closure for the conduction formulation. General purpose large-deformation FEM structural codes employ surface contact utilities to provide geometric search and contact constraint definitions. This paper describes an ongoing effort to leverage contact utilities for solving the enclosure radiation problem in deforming and sliding mesh scenarios while having minimal impact to a traditional modeling approach. The current effort is divided into two areas, enclosure definitions and thermal contact, but the primary focus here is on enabling use of contact to provide definition of the enclosure. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on simple enclosure radiation models using SNL Sierra Mechanics Dash contact utilities and the Chaparral enclosure radiation library with Sierra Mechanics Structural and Thermal application codes. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored a series of full-scale dynamic shell impact tests to railroad tank cars. Currently, there are no required finite element (FE) model validation criteria or procedures in the field of railroad tank car puncture testing and simulation. Within the shell impact testing program sponsored by FRA, comparisons made between test measurements and simulation results have included the overall force-time or force-indentation histories, the puncture/non-puncture outcomes, the rigid body motions of the tank car, the internal pressures within the lading, and the energy absorbed by the tank during the impact. While qualitative comparisons (e.g. the shapes of the indentation) and quantitative comparisons (e.g. peak impact forces) have been made between tests and simulations, there are currently no requirements or guidelines on which specific behaviors should be compared, or what measurable level of agreement would be acceptable demonstration of model validation. It is desirable that a framework for model validation, including well-defined criteria for comparison, be developed or adopted if simulation is to be used without companion shell impact testing for future tank car development. One of the challenges to developing model validation criteria and procedures for tank car shell puncture is the number of complex behaviors encountered in this problem, and the variety of approaches that could be used in simulating these behaviors. The FE models used to simulate tank car shell impacts include several complex behaviors, each of which can introduce uncertainty into the overall response of the model. These behaviors include dynamic impacts, non-linear steel material behavior, including ductile tearing, two-phase (water and air) fluid-structure interaction, and contact between rigid and deformable bodies. Several candidate qualitative and quantitative comparisons of test measurements and simulations results are discussed in this paper. They are applied to two recently-completed shell impact tests of railroad tank cars sponsored by FRA. For each test, companion FE simulation was performed by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. The process of FE model development, including material characterization, is discussed in detail for each FE model. For each test, the test objectives, procedures, and key instrumentation are summarized. For each set of test and simulations, several corresponding results are compared between the test measurements and the simulation results. Additionally, this paper includes discussion of approaches to model validation employed in other industries or areas of transportation where similar modeling aspects have been encountered.

Like other crop improvement programs, a key prerequisite for the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (CRP GLDC) to generate large-scale impact is large-scale adoption. Hence, evidencing the breadth and depth of such adoption is both of intrinsic interest and important for estimating downstream impacts, such as improved food and nutritional security, income, resilience, and soil health. While various GLDC adoption studies have been undertaken, a recent effort to systematically review these studies and synthesize the results is lacking. We undertook such a review, identifying 69 studies and 35 independent country crop combinations (CCCs). To generate aggregated and updated estimates of GLDC improved varietal adoption, we devised and applied a procedure to estimate national cropping areas under such varieties and, in turn, the number of adopting households. Estimates derived from household surveys and expert opinion solicitation are treated with higher and lower levels of confidence, respectively. As of 2019, we estimate from higher confidence studies that improved GLDC crops were cultivated on 15.37 million hectares of land by 17.64 million households in CRP GLDC’s 13 priority countries. With the inclusion of lower confidence studies, these numbers increase to 32 and 44.64 million, respectively. We are further confident that the program exceeded its adoption target of 8.9 million newly adopting households from 2011, particularly when likely spillovers vis-à-vis non-surveyed areas, non-priority countries, and non-priority crops in priority countries are considered.