Academic literature on the topic 'Following your heart'

It's time for a pop quiz. you have ten minutes. (is your heart racing? take a deep breath.)What major events in American literature and American history took place in and around the following years?(1) 1789(2) 1800(3) 1820(4) 1830

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a form of idiopathic heart failure that develops most commonly in the last month of gestation or during the first five months post-partum. Here we present a case of successfully managed peripartum cardiomyopathy in a patient with preeclampsia with severe features with pulmonary oedema and intrauterine death of foetus. The patient was managed conservatively until stable along the lines of pulmonary oedema and preeclampsia with severe features keeping various other differentials in mind followed by which the diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy was suggested by echocardiography. Termination of pregnancy was conducted by caesarean section following which both mother and baby were discharged in stable conditions.

Dental and oral health is yours overall health and well-being are an essential part. Poor oral hygiene cavities and gums lead to diseases and are associated with heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Healthy teeth and maintaining the gums is a lifelong duty. Brushing, brushing and sugar intake if you quickly learn proper oral hygiene habits such as restraint, Expensive dental treatments and long-term health problems can be easily avoided. And may include the following: Keeping mouth and teeth clean to prevent. Dental care is the maintenance of healthy teeth; Oral hygiene is a dental problem in maintaining healthy teeth and gums, proper brushing, plaque removal, oral hygiene. A specialized tooth the office runs where you can brush your teeth for free and get a 20 percent discount on other dental related services. Tooth decay is caused by eating too many sweets and not brushing your teeth afterward. The dental hygienist assists the dentist in cleaning patients' teeth before doing any other work.

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death among men and women within the United States. Heart disease is an umbrella term for the following heart conditions: Angina Irregular heartbeats Heart attacks Heart failure Stroke This new 8-page publication of the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department describes the modifiable risk factors for heart disease and tips to reduce one’s risk for heart disease. Written by Elena B. Smith, Jodi Fitzgerald, Danielle Nelson, Madison Woodard, and Jeanette Andrade.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs426

Should you abandon your dream to pursue where your true talents lie? Is a lifetime following your dream to be a painter a successful life if it turns out you simply don’t have an eye for art? Where do our dreams come from? When should they be abandoned? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a young boy is in the government waiting room waiting to be assigned a new “dream.” He strikes up a conversation with other people in the waiting room. Some of them are anxious to get new dreams implanted into their brain as they have not found success. Others don’t want to let go of the failed dream they were originally assigned because they believe, in their heart of hearts, it is what they were born to do. The government is indifferent to the desires of the people. Society has needs, people have innate talents, and the government, as far as they are concerned, should focus on getting people to follow the dreams they are good at, as well as the dreams that are most needed by society. This story was the winner of the Fall 2020 After Dinner Conversation Writing Competition.

ABSTRACT Background: Several facets of daily life are impacted by mental health, including how you handle stress, think and feel, interact with people, and make decisions. It makes sense that having a mental health issue could make it more difficult to follow your diabetes treatment plan. Diabetes complications and untreated mental health concerns can both exacerbate each other’s effects. Depression is a medical condition that results in depressed feelings and frequently a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. It may interfere with your ability to manage your diabetes and perform effectively at work and at home. Your chance of developing diabetic complications including heart disease and nerve damage increases when you are unable to effectively manage your blood sugar levels. The daily routine traffic jams, family obligations, and daily diabetes care are all sources of stress. Methods: Articles searched from Pubmed central and other search engines for articles related to psychological therapeutic intervention. Results: Stress can manifest as an emotion, such as fear or rage, as a physical response, such as perspiration or a racing heart, or both. Blood sugar levels can be impacted as well because stress hormones cause blood sugar to fluctuate erratically and because stress from illness or injury can cause blood sugar to rise. Long-term stress might cause other health issues or exacerbate existing ones. The mind and body respond to stress by feeling anxious, which can include anxiety, fear, or tenseness. Anxiety is 20% more common among diabetics than among non-diabetics at some time in their lives. Conclusion: These overwhelming emotions, sometimes referred to as diabetes distress, might make you develop bad habits, stop monitoring your blood sugar, and even forget about scheduled doctor’s appointments. The majority of persons with diabetes experience it, frequently following years of effective control.

Abstract Chapter 37 sets the stage for the following three chapters by describing how exercise is measured, and how it is defined. Measures of heart rate, calorie expenditure, and maximum oxygen use are described. Then, whether exercise is defined as a planned activity with the purpose of improving or maintaining health, or simply as any form of physical activity is considered. Readers are encouraged to lead an active life, even if it does not include what people normally call exercise. A study example from the author’s lab, showing that those who do more housework have larger brains, is used as an example.

Abstract Prenatal testing for abnormalities is carried out much less often from 23 weeks of pregnancy until delivery. At this stage, testing is aimed at identifying problems with your baby’s growth or following up a problem that was identified earlier on. The two main forms of prenatal testing that are done late in pregnancy are checking your baby’s heart rate, and an ultrasound examination. Occasionally amniocentesis and magnetic resonance imaging are performed.

Following the recommendations and using the knowledge in this book will help you to navigate your journey successfully. Your child will make progress and you will value and enjoy every new milestone. You will experience unconditional love and patience. You will have great joy in your life. You will love your child for his or her unique personality and perspective on life. Your child is different, but not “less.” Embracing your child’s differences will open your heart and mind to new possibilities and pathways. If your child has not been diagnosed officially yet, you must have your child evaluated as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment will help to significantly improve your child’s prognosis and future. You must understand the negative effects of your child’s autism on your whole family and how to avoid them as much as possible. Surround yourself with people who “get you” and your family. You need support. Fight the urge to isolate yourself and your family. Create and maintain a healthy marriage. Explore all treatment avenues, such as medications, therapies, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments as appropriate. Do not be afraid to consider medications. Find a provider you trust who is an expert with ASD. For your child to be successful, you need to become very familiar with the educational system and be an advocate for your child at school. You also need to be adept with legal issues of guardianship and other long-term planning issues such as the special needs trust. Lastly, you need to find acceptance and may need to explore issues of spirituality and religion. Since my daughter’s diagnosis 10 years ago, I have found great joy in raising her. I appreciate and love her for who she is every day. My family would not be complete without her. Not a day goes by that she does not make me laugh. She has given my life great purpose and fulfillment, and I have no doubt that you feel the same about your child. I am amazed at the progress she has made.

Abstract I agree with Anthony Appiah that ‘a world of cultural and social variety’ is ‘an essential precondition for the self-creation that is the heart of an individual human life’. But I am not sure about his next sentence: ‘And all of this, remember, is the working out of the notion that we are creatures equal in dignity.’ In a liberal cosmopolitan global society of the sort Appiah and I both hope for, all human beings will be treated as having dignity. But I do not see much point in saying that they are now, before such a society has been achieved, all equal in dignity. This doubt is a result of my more general suspicion of arguments of the form ‘We ought to seek to establish a utopia of the following sort, because such-and-such is presently the truth about us.’ My attitude is: let’s try to figure out what kind of utopia we want, and let the truths about us be whatever we have to believe in order to work together for its creation. To put it crudely, let your view of human dignity fall out from your politics; don’t milk your politics out of such a view.

Following credentialing, the retaining attorney asks open-ended questions designed to draw the expert out about the nature of his or her opinions. Rather than cross examination’s restrictive “isn’t it true . . .” questions, which are designed to be answered with a yes or no, the questions on direct examination invite the expert to expand, “How did you conduct your evaluation?” The questions the attorney asks on direct and the answers the expert gives form the heart of this chapter. While some attorneys have a clear vision for how they would like to draw the expert’s opinions out, most rely on the expert to collaborate with them to structure the series of questions they will ask on direct. This prearranged strategy includes the sequence and goals of the overall narrative and where to insert breaks to move the narrative forward in the form of questions. The goal is not just to present the information in an organized fashion; an important component of strong direct testimony is organizing the information into a narrative that is compelling and engaging and holds jurors’ attention so they can access information critical to performing their role of deciding the case.

The MRCP PACES respiratory station offers an opportunity to demonstrate a slick examination technique that is performed on practically all patients. Respiratory diseases, after cardiovascular and musculoskeletal complaints, are the third most common cause for presentation to either the Emergency Department or the general practitioner (GP) and remains proof of the concept that ‘common things are common’. Respiratory disease can be generally divided into 3 major categories: airways, parenchymal and pleural disease. We have aimed to structure the following chapter to reflect this. Certain ‘high-yield’ or ‘favourites’ that recur in the PACES examination are covered in this section. During PACES, examiners assess your ability to both elicit and then correctly interpret physical signs. A general sense exists that a decision to pass or fail a candidate rests on an aura of competence (or incompetence!) during the clinical performance. In essence, the examiners are looking for you to demonstrate correct techniques whilst eliciting the signs and logical thinking when interpreting them. Therefore, eliciting the physical signs is only the first step; the interpretation and presentation are equally, if not more, important. With this in mind, the following useful general points should be considered: • The respiratory examination does not need to be a lengthy one. Start at the peripheries with the hands and then move to the back (unless specifically advised otherwise by your examiners). Traditionally the physical examination starts with the anterior chest but it is perfectly acceptable to do the back first then return to the front (most signs and clues to the diagnosis e.g. scars, will be detected by examining the posterior chest). • A 6-minute period is allowed for the examination portion of the station and it is our advice to spend the first 2 minutes examining the patient from a general perspective (including full inspection, hands and face) then the second 2 minutes on the posterior chest and the final 2 minutes on the anterior chest. As time is limited, palpate for features of pulmonary hypertension or right-sided heart failure at the anterior chest, before moving to the respiratory signs.

Abstract To Hildegard, refulgent pearl, Bertolf, poor servant of Christ and unworthy abbot of St. Eucharius, with a prayer that, dedicated to virginity, she be pleasing to the Bridegroom of virgins. We have heard of and fully believe in the fame of your virtue, nay not just the fame but the real virtue that is active in your fragile vessel [cf II Cor 4.7] of divine piety. We heard and fully believed, and immediately we knew that the following prophecy was fulfilled in you: “It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke,” et cetera [Lam 3.27]. Indeed, you have far exceeded your sex by having surpassed with manly spirit that which we were afraid even to approach, and you have made it such a part of your calling that you can say with the Apostle, “Our conversation is in heaven” [Phil 3.20].

The following Wednesday, when Mr and Mrs Hackit were seated comfortably by their bright hearth, enjoying the long afternoon afforded by an early dinner, Rachel, the housemaid, came in and said,— ‘If you please ’m, the shepherd says, have you heard as Mrs Barton’s wuss,...

Music can and does exist without notation. In fact, its existence predates what we have come to accept as traditional music notation. Many musical traditions have thrived for centuries without any kind of formal codified symbol system to make musical replication easier. Music has existed, and often still exists, as an aurally transmitted art form. The same can’t be said for computers. Though the tongue-in-cheek Hart and Lieberman quote at the beginning of the chapter gets to the heart of the aural and intuitive nature of music’s origins, computer code relies on complex mathematics built, amazingly, on the seemingly simple 1s and 0s of binary arithmetic. Yet just as with music, there are tools and applications that your students can use to express themselves without even thinking about the underlying mathematics. For many of your students, the act of creating, whether it’s making music or developing web content, is accomplished intuitively, without formal training and knowledge of the “tools of the trade”: musical notation and computer code. Sherry Turkle asserts that “today’s children are growing up in the computer culture; all the rest of us are at best its naturalized citizens”. Following that line of reasoning a bit further, let’s assume for a moment that for your students music and computers are ingrained components of their culture. As is sometimes the case, however, the formal acquisition of these tools can often serve as a barrier to further understanding rather than the gateway this knowledge is meant to serve: impeding rather than enabling the creative process. Gardner feels that formal musical training can “be the beginning of the end of most children’s musical development” (p. 38). He believes “the challenge of musical education is to respect and build upon the young child’s own skills and understanding of music rather than impose a curriculum designed largely for adults” (p. 38). Bamberger’s research with college students suggests that students of any age possess musical instincts that, in the proper environment, can be developed and nurtured.

In the following, I will attempt to show how some of the uncanny materialities in Nosferatu work towards a destabilisation of the anthropocentric perspective in what is essentially a narrative of the death of the human. The opening titles of the film oscillate between realism – thenarrative claims to be a recording of the mass deaths in Wisborg in the year 1838 and the monstrous supernatural, but the text also draws attention to the film’s own power of (de)materialisation: as the second title card claims, just speaking the word ‘Nosferatu’ can make ‘the pictures oflife fade to shadow’ and call ‘haunting dreams’ to ‘climb forth from your heart and feed on your blood’. However, while I would agree that the vampire becomes shadow, the reverse argument is also true: the specific materiality in and of the vampire film imbues the shadows with a sense of material reality.Nosferatu introduces a number of objects that hark back to Dracula and/or point forward to other adaptations of the same material. Mirrors, portraits (both Murnau’s Count Orlok and Francis Ford Coppola’s Count Dracula, for instance, admire a portrait of Ellen/Mina) and written documents play an important role, as do various writing materials used in different ways to convey important information, produce a sense of authenticity, as well as create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Rather than catalogue multiple objects here, I would like to focus on the function of materiality in the film by presenting some of the most strikingexamples – including printed materials and devices and beginning with an exploration of the materiality of the vampiric body and its connection to the materiality of blood and earth.

While the deep learning techniques promote the rapid development of the speech enhancement (SE) community, most schemes only pursue the performance in a black-box manner and lack adequate model interpretability. Inspired by Taylor's approximation theory, we propose an interpretable decoupling-style SE framework, which disentangles the complex spectrum recovery into two separate optimization problems i.e., magnitude and complex residual estimation. Specifically, serving as the 0th-order term in Taylor's series, a filter network is delicately devised to suppress the noise component only in the magnitude domain and obtain a coarse spectrum. To refine the phase distribution, we estimate the sparse complex residual, which is defined as the difference between target and coarse spectra, and measures the phase gap. In this study, we formulate the residual component as the combination of various high-order Taylor terms and propose a lightweight trainable module to replace the complicated derivative operator between adjacent terms. Finally, following Taylor's formula, we can reconstruct the target spectrum by the superimposition between 0th-order and high-order terms. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets show that our framework achieves state-of-the-art performance over previous competing baselines in various evaluation metrics. The source code is available at https://github.com/Andong-Li-speech/TaylorSENet.

The purpose of this paper is to present both theoretical and practical aspects related to student’s test anxiety. The role of this paper is to inform the teachers about haw the word” test” should be used in the school context and to highlight the aspects of anxiety and everything that lies behind this rich subject. The main objective underlying this paper is the detailed analysis of what anxiety means and haw it manifests itself among the students. The paper is structured of 3 chapters, two of them presenting the theoretical part and one practical part. In the first part called, Theoretical Approach” the paper aims to analyse the following: anxiety, anxiety theories and contemporary theories and implications of anxiety towards the test. In the second chapter called, Anxiety and stress towards tests” the paper focuses on the following aspects: anxiety about test, anxiety disorders and their effects on personality development, the role of tests in education children of primary school, blocking anxiety and recovering from failure, affectivity and perfectionism. In the third chapter named, the research methodology” I will try to analyse haw children are affected during the assessment and haw high their level of anxiety is when they are faced with these situations. Also, in performing the processing and interpretation of the data from this research, the statistical method was used. Thus, after centralizing the results of the students participating in the study, we reached the following conclusions: during the tests some of students trembled their hands, often students forget what they have learned or have problems in remembering. Many students do not give 100% performance when undergoing tests because they are stressed, became anxious and they block. The teacher has to teach children that the role of testing is to figure out where you went wrong or what needs to be improved. From study the material needed for this paper I was able to discover what each child (even myself) felt and lived when he heard the word, test”.

Thermal control is a major constraint in spacecraft development as increased demand on electronics performance requires large heat dissipation from smaller surfaces which has led to increased challenges for thermal control. Spray cooling has a great amount of application in industrial processes as a heat removal method. It is thought to be the future in thermal management systems in space because of its capability for ‘close’ and accurate control of heat removal. Spray cooling is based on phase change heat transfer generating high heat transfer rates for low superheats. This last term is used to describe the difference in temperature between the heated surface and the cooling fluid. When the temperature of the surface to be cooled rises above the saturation temperature of the fluid splashed to the surface, a phase change occurs at the solid liquid interface during the boiling regime. However, the most interesting phase (regime) is the nucleating boiling where the critical heat flux, CHF, is reached. The CHF is then achieved due to the vapor generation is such as great that the liquid cannot still be in contact with the surface. Thus the heat is transferred through the vapor if there is not enough cold fluid. The thermal conductivity of vapor is lower and so the efficient of the cooling process. This turns out in a decrease on heat flux. Nowadays it is being taken more into account nanofluids as a technique capable of enhancing heat transfer. Nanofluids, a mix of nano-size particles in a base fluid, have been found to have a very high thermal conductivity as compared to the base fluid. In You et al., 2003; Kim et al., 2004a; Moreno et al., 2005 water was used with various Al2O3 particle concentration in a flat plate nucleate pool boiling system. They came across with no change in the heat transfer coefficient but a dramatic enhancement in CHF. They also found that high concentrations can degrade nucleate boiling. The aim of this project is study the effects of spray cooling with suspended nano-particles as an enhanced method for heat transfer removal. The working fluid was water with different concentrations of alumina-oxide particles added. The alumina oxide particles were supplied by Nanophase Technologies (Nano Tek® Alumina Oxide AL-01000-003-025) which had a mean diameter of 60 nm. Three different concentrations were used and the following: .5 g/L, 1 g/L, 2 g/L. Since clumping of particles can affect the heat transfer properties of the droplets, the solution was placed on inside an ultrasonic bath and left there for at least 24 hrs and immediately used in the experiments. Two nozzles were used in this experiment to study a wide range of sauter diameter of droplets. The experiment was carried out using three experimental techniques which looked into different characteristics of spray cooling. In the first mode, the fluid was sprayed onto a copper block heater surface while it was imaged with a high speed camera and synchronized with a high speed Nd-YAG laser. 9 thermocouples were positioned inside the copper block heater, as seen on Figure 1, to measure critical heat flux, while a camera was used to record different impact properties and the influence of nano-particles. Some of these properties were pool buildup size, spread, and duration of pool. For the second imaging technique, the spray on the heated surface was also considered to be an impinging jet, so to visualize the flow of this jet and how the heated surface affected it, PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) was used in the study. A third imaging technique was used to study the droplet behavior when in contact with a heated surface. A transparent glass heater made of aluminum silicate glass and coated with an ITO (indium tin oxide) film was used as the heater. The size of the drops had an average diameter of 2.38 mm. When compared to the copper block study, this method allows images to be taken from directly below the clear glass heater. Furthermore, these images allow for a clear edge detection of drops as they spread on the surface and what characteristics they develop when the droplets have different concentrations of nanoparticles, as seen on Figure 2. The experiment used a pulsed laser to provide the background illumination. This project is a continuing research project.

Complexity of learning causes at all stages of development of human society, the search for new methods, new tools, new resources for relevant efficiency in education. Until now developed new theories and methods developed by educators and psychologists were reformed and modernized education systems of the countries have adapted curriculum learning goals were always set new directions in scientific research. Over time, changes in all scientific theories, methods and techniques of investigation of development of human knowledge that influence the overall development of human society. To achieve development and efficiency in life, one must continually adapt to the changes of knowledge. In education, particularly learning and improvement, the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve pedagogical theories and psychological forces pupils / students, teachers, parents and professionals to adapt to these changes. What do pupils and students? What do teachers and parents? What do experts? What are governments? An Example. INTIME Project (1999-2001). "The mission of INTIME is to help educators improve student learning at all levels (PK thru University work) and in all content areas. We work with PK thru 12th grade teachers and university faculty to accomplish this mission. We use contemporary technology, high quality conceptual models, online streaming videos, case studies and probing questions analysis to help educators learn the skills necessary for improving student learning". Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model: A Model (by William P. Callahan and Thomas J. Switzer, College of Education, University of Northern): o COMPUTER: means for forming a new vision of education, research and innovation. o TECHNOLOGY: mediator of quality education. o STUDENTS: active participants in their own learning process. Computer Aided Learning Many educational projects that use computer and software are the result of complex ideas and exploratory actions immediately after 2000. Already there were many changes in education by supporting it with systems, programs and applications, including the development of IDD shape (Open Distance Learning). At that time - the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 technology, the terms "e-Learning" and "Educational Software" appeared more often in various articles, studies, reports, etc.. Today, some experts in e-learning and educational software actually admit that at the time concepts were not clear and do not understand the context of their use in education and training. After 10 years, by following some step-difficult-sometimes even e-Learning products and educational software incorporates not only expertise in informatics and IT professionals, especially teachers and teaching scenarios for learning: IAC (Computer Aided Training). Systemic approach to learning and teaching strategy Computer assisted learning systems approach to training enables a new vision that psycho-pedagogy one theorized in recent years, but which becomes operative when teaching strategy is combined with multimedia technologies. While in training designed as a system can be determined: for the system (training objectives), the processes by which it is achieved for (type of activities, learning situations in which students must participate to achieve the targets) and the results that they want to reach (translated into effective procurement categories of students), educational software design allows even cover the main elements of the system, helping to optimize the learning process. News trends New trends in education highlights the need for a teaching tool that involves both players learning process: teachers and students.Changing the paradigm shift from learning and knowledge acquisition in the development of skills, values and attitudes necessary focus on training activities and voluntary dominant active participation of students to the needs, interests and their learning profiles. Differentiated Instruction and its contextualization is particularly useful support in using computers in the classroom. The Power of Learning "Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding." William Arthur Ward Knowledge and lifelong learning frees you from ignorance and superficiality. Today, technology and software resources help business efficiency and a better job in this regard. "Educational content it should encourage students to create their own knowledge by experiment, not by learning a text by heart." Radu Jugureanu The responsibility for education is nowadays shared: collaborative demarches and adequate commitment from all stakeholders is very much increasing the effects of education as a whole, oriented towards preparing competitive human resources equipped with competences for the 21st Century: cooperation, communication, critical thinking, creativity, innovation. In the United States and also in UNESCO strategies these are referred to as the 21st Century Skills. The European Union in the Lisbon framework outlines eight domains of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. These 21st Century Skills are critically important to support the challenges of the modern workplace and its dynamic and the rapidly changing knowledge society. There is a growing and widely accepted understanding that a different set of skills need to be developed by our students in our school systems. Highly structured and disciplined schooling systems do not necessarily prepare students well for the dynamics and challenges of the 21st century workplace and society. For Dr. Howard Gardner (American Psychologist and Educator), intelligence is (Building the 21st-Century Mind: www.howardgardner.com, Gardner, 2009): o the ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture; o a set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life; o the potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves gathering new knowledge. Skills are critically important to support the challenges of the modern workplace and its dynamic and the rapidly changing knowledge society. There is a growing and widely accepted understanding that a different set of skills need to be developed by our students in our school systems. Highly structured and disciplined schooling systems do not necessarily prepare students well for the dynamics and challenges of the 21st century workplace and society. More self-motivated, individualized, group and collaborative learning processes, supported by ICT will contribute significantly to the preparation of a more agile modern workforce (Hamilton, & O'Duffy 2009).

As research continues into how fire department interventions affect fire dynamics in the modern fire environment, questions continue to arise on the impact and implications of interior versus exterior fire attack on both occupant survivability and firefighter safety. This knowledge gap and lack of previous research into the impact of fire streams has driven the need for further research into fire department interventions at structure fires with a focus on hose streams and suppression tactics. As the third report in the project “Impact of Fire Attack Utilizing Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival”, this report expands upon the fire research conducted to date by analyzing how firefighting tactics, specifically suppression methods, affect the thermal exposure and survivability of both building occupants and firefighters in residential structures. • Part I: Water Distribution • Part II: Air Entrainment • Part III: Full-Scale Residential Fire Experiments. This report evaluates fire attack in residential structures through twenty-six full-scale structure fire experiments. Two fire attack methods, interior and transitional, were preformed at UL’s large fire lab in Northbrook, IL, in a single-story 1,600 ft2 ranch test structure utilizing three different ventilation configurations. To determine conditions within the test structure it was instrumented for temperature, pressure, gas velocity, heat flux, gas concentration, and moisture content. Ad- ditionally, to provide information on occupant burn injuries, five sets of instrumented pig skin were located in pre-determined locations in the structure. The results were analyzed to determine consistent themes in the data. These themes were evaluated in conjunction with a panel of fire service experts to develop 18 tactical considerations for fire ground operations. As you review the following tactical considerations it is important to utilize both these research results and your per- sonal experience to develop your department’s polices and implement these considerations during structural firefighting.

In the context of climate change and the environmental and energy constraints we face, it is essential to develop methods to encourage the implementation of efficient solutions for building renovation. One of the objectives of the European PRELUDE project [1] is to develop a "Building Renovation Roadmap"(BRR) aimed at facilitating decision-making to foster the most efficient refurbishment actions, the implementation of innovative solutions and the promotion of renewable energy sources in the renovation process of existing buildings. In this context, Estia is working on the development of inference rules that will make it possible. On the basis of a diagnosis such as the Energy Performance Certificate, it will help establishing a list of priority actions. The dynamics that drive this project permit to decrease the subjectivity of a human decisions making scheme. While simulation generates digital technical data, interpretation requires the translation of this data into natural language. The purpose is to automate the translation of the results to provide advice and facilitate decision-making. In medicine, the diagnostic phase is a process by which a disease is identified by its symptoms. Similarly, the idea of the process is to target the faulty elements potentially responsible for poor performance and to propose remedial solutions. The system is based on the development of fuzzy logic rules [2],[3]. This choice was made to be able to manipulate notions of membership with truth levels between 0 and 1, and to deliver messages in a linguistic form, understandable by non-specialist users. For example, if performance is low and parameter x is unfavourable, the algorithm can gives an incentive to improve the parameter such as: "you COULD, SHOULD or MUST change parameter x". Regarding energy performance analysis, the following domains are addressed: heating, domestic hot water, cooling, lighting. Regarding the parameters, the analysis covers the following topics: Characteristics of the building envelope. and of the technical installations (heat production-distribution, ventilation system, electric lighting, etc.). This paper describes the methodology used, lists the fields studied and outlines the expected outcomes of the project.