Academic literature on the topic 'Restraint tools'
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Journal articles on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Hevener, Stacy, Barbara Rickabaugh, and Toby Marsh. "Using a Decision Wheel to Reduce Use of Restraints in a Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit." American Journal of Critical Care 25, no. 6 (November 1, 2016): 479–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2016929.
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Background Little information is available on the use of tools in intensive care units to help nurses determine when to restrain a patient. Patients in medical-surgical intensive care units are often restrained for their safety to prevent them from removing therapeutic devices. Research indicates that restraints do not necessarily prevent injuries or removal of devices by patients. Objectives To decrease use of restraints in a medical-surgical intensive care unit and to determine if a decision support tool is useful in helping bedside nurses determine whether or not to restrain a patient. Methods A quasi-experimental study design was used for this pilot study. Data were collected for each patient each shift indicating if therapeutic devices were removed and if restraints were used. An online educational activity supplemented by 1-on-1 discussion about proper use of restraints, alternatives, and use of a restraint decision tool was provided. Frequency of restraint use was determined. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to examine nurses’ perceptions of the decision support tool. Results Use of restraints was reduced 32%. No unplanned extubations or disruption of life-threatening therapeutic devices by unrestrained patients occurred. Conclusions With implementation of the decision support tool, nurses decreased their use of restraints yet maintained patients’ safety. A decision support tool may help nurses who are undecided or who need reassurance on their decision to restrain or not restrain a patient.
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Hintze, Bradley J., and Sean J. Johnson. "ResDe: a new tool for visual definition of distance restraints for crystallographic refinement." Journal of Applied Crystallography 43, no. 6 (October 20, 2010): 1540–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/s0021889810038689.
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Manually defined distance restraints can be useful during structure refinement, particularly in low-resolution refinement where the additional restraints are needed to maintain appropriate stereochemical geometry. A large number of restraints are often required when refining macromolecular structures. Currently, restraint definition requires manual editing of a text file, which can be a daunting task when working with a large number of restraints.ResDe(Restraint Definer) is a suite of Python-based tools that allows the user to quickly define and edit restraints using thePyMOLgraphical interface.
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Miranda Ruiz, E., A. Gonzalez, P. Samos, M. Bellsola, A. Sabate, J. Leon, M. A. Jerónimo, V. Pérez-Solà, L. M. Martin, and D. Corcoles. "Use of verbal de-escalation in reducing need for mechanical restraint in patients with psychotic disorders during non-voluntary transfers from home to the psychiatric emergency department." European Psychiatry 65, S1 (June 2022): S589. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.1509.
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Introduction Little is known about the need for mechanical restraint during non-voluntary transfers from patient’s homes to the psychiatric emergency department in patients diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Although there is no evidence of its efficacy, one of the main tools used for the reduction of mechanical restraints is verbal de-escalation training. Objectives The aim is to describe which symptoms predispose to mechanical restrain in patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia transferred in a non-voluntary manner from home to the psychiatric emergency department, and the effect on reducing mechanical restraints after receiving verbal de-escalation training. Methods All patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia who, after being visited by a home psychiatry team, have required non-voluntary transfer from their homes to the psychiatric emergency department were selected (N = 442). Results Young age, being male, having a poor adherence to treatment, higher scores for de following variables; Excitement, Grandiosity, Suspiciousness, Hostility, Abstract thinking, Motor tension, Uncooperativeness, Poor attention, Lack of insight and Poor impulse control as well as lower scores in motor retardation on the PANSS, are related to a higher frequency of mechanical restrain (P<0,005). Before the verbal de-escalation training, 43.9% of the transferred patients required mechanical restraint, after the training, the need for restraints was reduced to 25.5% (P<0.001). Conclusions Training in verbal de-escalation has allowed an important reduction in mechanical restraints in patients with schizophrenia who have required non-voluntary transfers from home to the psychiatric emergency department. Disclosure No significant relationships.
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Moody, Carly M., Georgia J. Mason, Cate E. Dewey, and Lee Niel. "Getting a grip: cats respond negatively to scruffing and clips." Veterinary Record 186, no. 12 (October 5, 2019): 385. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.105261.
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Use of scruffing and scruffing tools (eg, clipnosis clips) to immobilise cats is contentious, and cat handling guidelines vary in recommendations regarding these techniques. The current study examined whether cats show negative responses to the following restraint methods: (1) scruff (n=17), (2) clip application to the dorsal neck skin (n=16) and (3) full body (a known negative; n=19). Each cat was also handled with passive restraint (control) for comparison. During handling, cats were examined for behavioural (side/back ear positions, vocalisations, lip licking) and physiological (pupil dilation ratio, respiratory rate) responses. Full-body restrained cats showed more negative responses than passively restrained cats (respiratory rate: p=0.006, F3,37=4.31, p=0.01; ear p=0.002, F3,49=6.70, p=0.0007; pupil: p=0.007, F3,95=14.24, p=0.004; vocalisations: p=0.009, F3,49=4.85, p=0.005) and scruff-restrained cats (pupil: p=0.009; vocalisations: p=0.04). Clip restraint resulted in more negative responses than passive (pupil: p=0.01; vocalisations: p=0.007, ear p=0.02) and scruff restraint (pupil p=0.01; vocalisations: p=0.02). No differences were detected between full-body restraint, known to be aversive, and clip restraint. Full-body restraint and clip restraint resulted in the greatest number of negative responses, scruffing resulted in fewer negative responses and passive restraint showed the least number of responses. We therefore recommend against the use of full-body and clip restraint, and suggest that scruff restraint should be avoided when possible.
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Fitriyana, L., A. G. Dian, and F. Darwis. "Study Restraint Pressure of Membranes on Expansive Soil." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 971, no. 1 (January 1, 2022): 012028. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/971/1/012028.
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Abstract Type of deformation in expansive soil is lateral and vertical Laboratory expansion tests are often performed on rings with restrained, lateral movement so that horizontal, swelling deformation will not occur. The road damage in the highway between Purwodadi – Semarang (Begel village, Purwodadi) was identified because the soil is expansive. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify characteristics of its soil expansion, specifically the influence of pressure of membrane restraints on expansion of expansive soil. The expansion test was conducted on modified test tools. The axial expansion strain was measured using the dial gauge which was installed in parallel, vertical position while the lateral strain was measured using the caliper digital in order to identify any change in the diameter of sample with the variations of initial water content (wo), vertical pressure (pv) and membrane’s thickness (t). The test result show that the greater the (horizontal) lateral strain is, the greater the restraint pressure in the membranes will be. The restraint pressure in the membranes (ph) is closely related to factors that influence the expansion possibility such as vertical pressure (pv), initial height of test object (ho), initial water content (wo), and membrane’s thickness (t).
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Brown, Alan, Fei Long, Robert A. Nicholls, Jaan Toots, Paul Emsley, and Garib Murshudov. "Tools for macromolecular model building and refinement into electron cryo-microscopy reconstructions." Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography 71, no. 1 (January 1, 2015): 136–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/s1399004714021683.
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The recent rapid development of single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) now allows structures to be solved by this method at resolutions close to 3 Å. Here, a number of tools to facilitate the interpretation of EM reconstructions with stereochemically reasonable all-atom models are described. TheBALBESdatabase has been repurposed as a tool for identifying protein folds from density maps. Modifications toCoot, including new Jiggle Fit and morphing tools and improved handling of nucleic acids, enhance its functionality for interpreting EM maps.REFMAChas been modified for optimal fitting of atomic models into EM maps. As external structural information can enhance the reliability of the derived atomic models, stabilize refinement and reduce overfitting,ProSMARThas been extended to generate interatomic distance restraints from nucleic acid reference structures, and a new tool,LIBG, has been developed to generate nucleic acid base-pair and parallel-plane restraints. Furthermore, restraint generation has been integrated with visualization and editing inCoot, and these restraints have been applied to both real-space refinement inCootand reciprocal-space refinement inREFMAC.
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Moriarty, Nigel W., Dale E. Tronrud, Paul D. Adams, and P. Andrew Karplus. "A new default restraint library for the protein backbone inPhenix: a conformation-dependent geometry goes mainstream." Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology 72, no. 1 (January 1, 2016): 176–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/s2059798315022408.
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Chemical restraints are a fundamental part of crystallographic protein structure refinement. In response to mounting evidence that conventional restraints have shortcomings, it has previously been documented that using backbone restraints that depend on the protein backbone conformation helps to address these shortcomings and improves the performance of refinements [Moriartyet al.(2014),FEBS J.281, 4061–4071]. It is important that these improvements be made available to all in the protein crystallography community. Toward this end, a change in the default geometry library used byPhenixis described here. Tests are presented showing that this change will not generate increased numbers of outliers during validation, or deposition in the Protein Data Bank, during the transition period in which some validation tools still use the conventional restraint libraries.
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Jamroz, Kazimierz, Krzysztof Wilde, Marcin Budzyński, Łukasz Jeliński, Jacek Chróścielewski, Stanisław Burzyński, and Łukasz Pachocki. "Innovative Research Into Road Restraint Systems." Journal of KONBiN 49, no. 3 (October 1, 2019): 271–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jok-2019-0059.
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Abstract Key to understanding the needs and building road infrastructure management tools to prevent and mitigate run-off-road accidents is to identify hazards and their sources which are a result of wrong design, construction, installation and maintenance of road restraint systems [1]. Building such tools requires advanced studies with field tests, simulations and models [30]. Delivered under the Road Innovation programme, two research projects (ROSE and LifeROSE) are designed to help with that. The main aim of the projects is to develop a method to help with an optimal choice of road restraint systems.
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Nabuurs, Sander B., Chris A. E. M. Spronk, Gert Vriend, and Geerten W. Vuister. "Concepts and tools for NMR restraint analysis and validation." Concepts in Magnetic Resonance 22A, no. 2 (2004): 90–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cmr.a.20016.
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Acevedo-Nuevo, María, María Teresa González-Gil, and María Concepción Martin-Arribas. "Physical Restraint Use in Intensive Care Units: Exploring the Decision-Making Process and New Proposals. A Multimethod Study." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 22 (November 11, 2021): 11826. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211826.
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Aim: The general aim of this study was to explore the decision-making process followed by Intensive Care Unit (ICU) health professionals with respect to physical restraint (PR) administration and management, along with the factors that influence it. Method: A qual-quant multimethod design was sequenced in two stages: an initial stage following a qualitative methodology; and second, quantitative with a predominant descriptive approach. The multicenter study was undertaken at 17 ICUs belonging to 11 public hospitals in the Madrid region (Spain) across the period 2015 through 2019. The qualitative stage was performed from an interpretative phenomenological perspective. A total of eight discussion groups (DG) were held, with the participation of 23 nurses, 12 patient care nursing assistants, and seven physicians. Intentional purposive sampling was carried out. DG were tape-recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis of the latent content was performed. In the quantitative stage, we maintained a 96-h observation period at each ICU. Variables pertaining to general descriptive elements of each ICU, institutional pain-agitation/sedation-delirium (PAD) monitoring policies and elements linked to quality of PR use were recorded. A descriptive analysis was performed, and the relationship between the variables was analyzed. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Findings: A total of 1070 patients were observed, amounting to a median prevalence of PR use of 19.11% (min: 0%–max: 44.44%). The differences observed between ICUs could be explained by a difference in restraint conceptualization. The various actors involved jointly build up a health care culture and a conceptualization of the terms “safety-risk”, which determine decision-making about the use of restraints at each ICU. These shared meanings are the germ of beliefs, values, and rituals which, in this case, determine the greater or lesser use of restraints. There were different profiles of PR use among the units studied: preventive restraints versus “Zero” restraints. The differences corresponded to aspects such as: systematic use of tools for assessment of PAD; interpretation of patient behavior; the decision-making process, the significance attributed to patient safety and restraints; and the feelings generated by PR use. The restraint–free model requires an approach to safety from a holistic perspective, with the involvement of all team members and the family.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Al-Gburi, Majid. "Restraint in structures with young concrete : Tools and estimations for practical use." Licentiate thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Byggkonstruktion och -produktion, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-16816.
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One of the widespread issues in concrete structures is cracks occurring at early age. Cracks that appear in the young concrete may cause early start of corrosion of rebars or early penetration of harmful liquids or gases into the concrete body. These situations could result in reduced service life and in significantly increased maintenance cost of structures. Therefore it is important for construction companies to avoid these cracks. Restraint represents one of the main sources of thermal and shrinkage stresses at early age concrete. Paper I, deals with both the compensation plane method, CPM, and local restraint method, LRM, as alternative methods studying crack risks for early age concrete. It is shown that CPM can be used both for cooling and heating, but basic LRM cannot be applied to heating. This paper presents an improved equivalent restraint method, ERM, which easily can be applied both for usage of heating and cooling for general structures. Restraint curves are given for two different infrastructures, one founded on frictional materials and another on rock. Such curves might be directly applied in design using LRM and ERM.In Paper II, existing restraint curves have been applied to the method of artificial neural networks (ANN) to model restraint in the wall for the typical structure wall-on-slab. It has been proven that ANN is capable of modeling the restraint with good accuracy. The usage of the neural network has been demonstrated to give a clear picture of the relative importance of the input parameters. Further, it is shown that the results from the neural network can be represented by a series of basic weight and response functions. Thus, the results can easily be made available to any engineer without use of complicated software.Paper III, discusses the influence of five casting sequences for the typical structure slab-on-ground. The aim is to map restraints from adjacent structures for a number of possible casting sequences, and to identify the sequence with the lowest restraint. The paper covers both continuous and jumped casting sequences, which include one, two and three contact edges. The result shows that the best casting sequence is the continuous technique with one contact edge.Godkänd; 2014; 20140623 (majali); Nedanstående person kommer att hålla licentiatseminarium för avläggande av teknologie licentiatexamen. Namn: Majid Al-Gburi Ämne: Konstruktionsteknik/Structural Engineering Uppsats: Restraint in Structures with Young Concrete - Tools and Estimations for Practical Use Examinator: Professor Jan-Erik Jonasson, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Diskutant: Ph.D, Consulting Engineer Carsten Vogt, Projektengagemang, Anläggningsunderhåll, Stockholm Tid: Måndag den 1 september 2014 kl 10.00 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet
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Rudhe, Julia. "Mechanical restraint in psychiatric healthcare facilities : A helpful tool, or torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in disguise?" Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Juridiska institutionen, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-195116.
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The use of mechanical restraint is a common practice in psychiatric care, often defended by medical necessity but seldom questioned from a human rights perspective. The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate under which circumstances mechanical restraint by bed through belt fixation could amount to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Persons with psychosocial disabilities are in a particularly vulnerable situation and as the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is the most comprehensive rights framework for this group, it has been discussed whether the CRPD sets out additional safeguards in relation to restraint. A legal doctrinal approach is the basic methodology used in order to outline the current international and European legal framework on torture and other ill-treatment and disability rights. A survivor-controlled research methodology has been applied and to amplify other voices of persons with firsthand experience of being mechanically restrained, interviews have been conducted with persons from Sweden and Spain. Healthcare professionals have also been interviewed. A feminist perspective on the law is applied. Different international conventions and bodies of the United Nations have diverse interpretations on what acts or omissions that amount to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, although there is an aim and will to streamline the conventions. It is clear that the use of mechanical restraint can create such intense mental or physical suffering required to reach the common criterion of seriousness. However, some people do not experience the required levels of suffering for it to be considered torture, meaning that it might not amount to torture but rather other ill-treatment. The threshold for being considered torture according to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) seems to be somewhat higher than that of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). In this thesis it was found that the most critical element for this is the requirement of intent. Intent can however be implied under certain circumstances if the practice is of discriminatory nature. If a person has a psychosocial disability, intent might be presumed if States do not provide appropriate health care. In the case of girls and women, intent might also be presumed since they seem to have a higher risk of getting restrained for unlawful reasons. The main conclusion in this thesis is that mechanical restraint by bed through belt fixation could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment according to the UNCAT, ICCPR and ECHR.
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Camacho, Zarco Aldo Roman. "Paramagnetic tools for the structural analysis of high molecular weight proteins." Doctoral thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0028-866B-E.
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Majd, Christine Sudabeh. "Tools to Assist Restrained Eaters: A Query Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory Approach." Thesis, 2018. https://doi.org/10.7916/D8C82NWG.
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For chronic dieters, modern food environments make it very difficult to always behave inline with health goals. Approximately 45 million Americans report never fully being off a diet because they fail to reach their weight loss goals. These individuals are colloquially known as chronic dieters but in the food behavior and literature, these people are known as Restrained Eaters. Restrained Eaters are known for the vacillation between food restraint and disinhibition. Past research has demonstrated that one way to keep Restrained Eaters from reach disinhibition is to prevent or weaken their involuntary physical and cognitive responses to external food cues. In a series of three lab studies, this dissertation tests two novel approaches to influencing the behavior of Restrained Eaters when faced with a hedonic food item. The focus of Study 1 is on using Query Theory to test whether there is an effect of endowment on decision and whether thoughts predict decision. We found a significant effect of endowment on the decision of Restrained and Unrestrained Eaters. Study 2 also uses Query Theory but reverse the natural order in which participants generated thoughts and whether that had an effect on decision. In Study 2, we found changing the natural order of thoughts can reverse the effect of endowment. Studies 3 and 4 reanalyze the data from Studies 1 and 2 using Regulatory Focus Theory. In this reanalysis, we found thoughts coded using regulatory focus also predicted behavior. We use the results from this reanalysis to justify Study 5, which is a test of regulatory focus inductions on decision. We found no significant effect of regulatory focus inductions on the decision of Restrained or Unrestrained Eaters. This research aims to develop interventions that will help Restrained Eaters make decisions that are not overshadowed by external cues or instant gratification, giving them a better chance to reach a sought out goal.
Books on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Majd, Christine Sudabeh. Tools to Assist Restrained Eaters: A Query Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory Approach. [New York, N.Y.?]: [publisher not identified], 2018.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Revitalizing the U.S. machine tool industry : report to the Honorable Helen Delich Bentley, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C: The Office, 1990.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Strategy needed to better monitor and enforce trade agreements : report to the chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C. (P.O. Box 37050, Washington 20013): The Office, 2000.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: U.S. firms' views on Customs' protection of intellectual property rights : report to selected Congressional subcommittees. Washington, D.C: The Office, 1986.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Strategy needed to better monitor and enforce trade agreements : report to the Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C. (P.O. Box 37050, Washington, D.C. 20013): The Office, 2000.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Critical issues remain in deterring conflict diamond trade : report to congressional requesters. Washington, D.C. (441 G St., NW, Washington 20548): GAO, 2002.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: U.S. Customs and Border Protection faces challenges in addressing illegal textile transshipment : report to congressional committees. Washington, D.C: GAO, 2004.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: U.S. business access to certain foreign state-of-the-art technology : report to the honorable Lloyd Bentsen, U.S. Senate. Washington, D.C: GAO, 1991.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Intensifying free trade negotiating agenda calls for better allocation of staff and resources : report to congressional requesters. Washington, D.C. (441 G St., NW, Room LM, Washington 20548): GAO, [2004], 2004.
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Office, General Accounting. International trade: Advisory committee system should be updated to better serve U.S. policy needs : report to the ranking minority member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate. Washington, D.C. (441 G St., NW, Room LM, Washington 20548): The Office, 2002.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Lachmayer, Konrad. "Formalism and judicial self-restraint as tools against populism?" In Populist Challenges to Constitutional Interpretation in Europe and Beyond, 75–94. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. | Series: Comparative constitutional change: Routledge, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003148944-7.
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Lucey, Mary Catherine. "Restraint of trade doctrine: a traditional tool fit for the modern economy?" In Essays in Memory of Professor Jill Poole, 164–77. Abingdon, Oxon [UK] ; New York, NY: Informa Law from Routledge, 2018.: Informa Law from Routledge, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315122236-11.
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Bolkhovitina, Elena N., Iuliia V. Ugarova, and Iurii V. Gorbunov. "Professional Standards as a Tool to Provide for Economic Safety of Businesses and Restraints to Their Implementation." In Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research, 203–10. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75483-9_21.
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Belonick, Paul. "Tiberius Gracchus." In Restraint, Conflict, and the Fall of the Roman Republic, 83—C4.N61. Oxford University PressNew York, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197662663.003.0005.
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Abstract Chapter 4 reexamines the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus in the light of the restraint norms, showing how Gracchus’ quarrel with his colleague and Gracchus’ murder were, paradoxically, products of the restraint values and set in motion long-term changes to the values’ operation. It argues that by using the restraint values as interpretive tools we can hone in on why this tribunate ushered in unprecedented bloodshed: two groups of aristocrats (or, in the end, one aristocrat alone and a group of aristocratic opponents) each appealed to traditional restraint values in unprecedentedly irreconcilable ways, or appeared unrestrainable in unprecedented ways. The conflict was particularly unjudgable and intractable because Tiberius ushered a novel wedge into Roman politics: the idea that, perhaps, the Senate as a whole or in great part need not be heeded because the senators were collectively stricken with greed, intemperantia, and immoderation, and were thus morally and normatively incapable of acting as a proper judge of his behavior, and thus unworthy of deference, while the People (the theoretical highest power in the Republic) might instead act as sole judge. Violence was the unprecedented solution to this impasse between tradition-based views.
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Edelman, R. David. "Evaluating Deterrence." In Rethinking Cyber Warfare, 87–126. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197509715.003.0006.
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Abstract Chapter 3 asks whether cyberattack capabilities, as tools of deterrence, might play a role in keeping the peace, even without featuring into war. It is oriented around three key questions. In seeking to restrain state use of cyberattacks, will states: self-restrain if cyberattacks are of limited deterrent value; be deterred from acquiring or using cyberattack capabilities by other states doing the same; and deterred from acquiring or using them by other states’ more traditional (noncyber) capabilities? An introductory section defines the notion of deterrence and situates it within the theories of international relations into which it features prominently. The chapter then argues four key points to address these questions. First, it outlines the general criteria required for states to make rational deterrence calculations. Second, laid against those criteria, it argues that cyberattack capabilities meet very few of them given the complex aspects of observing and attributing them, making them poor instruments of deterrence. Third, it argues that there are substantial difficulties in deterring cyberattacks with other cyberattack capabilities (in-kind deterrence), but that—like any other unfriendly acts—states can be effectively deterred from using them in other ways (most obviously threat of military reprisal). The credibility of that threat of military reprisal is, however, presently contested, leaving states unable to amass the information necessary to make full, rationalist deterrence calculations. Those engaged in the project of restraint thus find little to practically bind states—but also a paradox in explaining their present behavior accumulating cyberattack capabilities. This enigma demands a reconceptualization of how deterrence activities are taking place with respect to cyberattacks.
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Spieker, Luke Dimitrios. "Disrupting the Federal Balance?" In EU Values Before the Court of Justice, 265—C13N141. Oxford University PressOxford, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198876717.003.0014.
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Abstract This chapter deals with the impact of an activated Article 2 TEU on the Union’s federal balance. For one, the judicial enforcement of EU values in the Member States might be perceived as exceeding the Union’s competences or as affecting the Member States’ constitutional identities. Moreover, enforcing a uniform understanding of Article 2 TEU values might be normatively undesirable from a pluralist perspective and practically unattainable, considering the diversity among the Member States. Even if most of these objections can be refuted, they call for caution, especially when the provision’s Verbund dimension is concerned. The chapter examines various tools enabling judicial self-restraint, such as a minimalist reading of Article 2 TEU, the use of presumptions, and judicial deference. The latter includes not only a decentralized review leaving the final say on Article 2 TEU violations to referring courts but also a margin of appreciation doctrine.
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Edelman, R. David. "Defining and Studying Restraint." In Rethinking Cyber Warfare, 53–84. Oxford University PressNew York, NY, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197509715.003.0004.
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Abstract Chapter 2 explains why restraint is the focus of such a study, and how it will go about considering restraint’s role in state decision-making and ultimately international politics. As broad as the concept is, it is certainly not the only force shaping contemporary international relations; nor are cyberattacks the only tool borne of computing that merit restraint. But, as the subsequent chapters will continue to argue, it is the most important force we may have to bring about the most important change to the status quo. It argues why it is important to focus on restraint; defines what is meant here by the concept and its manifestations, explains how abstract notions of restraint shape actual state decision-making, and provides some insights into its operation. The chapter concludes by connecting this discussion to the oft-cited discourse on cyber norms, and addressing several important critiques, before previewing the rest of the book’s arguments in-depth.
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Viana, Michelângelo Mazzardo Marques. "Development of Academic Library Automation in Brazil." In Robots in Academic Libraries, 128–56. IGI Global, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-3938-6.ch008.
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The automation of university libraries in Brazil underwent a restraint of trade on computers and software, which took place in the country between 1980 and 1990, restricting the initial use of automation systems. However, they were often developed in creative ways: systems and applications were created and used in various universities, some as free software, others based on the ISIS platform from Unesco, in addition to using modern foreign systems, which only occurred in the 1990’s. This chapter provides a historical overview of the development of automation in the country’s university libraries, from the moment in which Brazilian researchers began to disseminate information technology, creating an automation culture in higher education institutions. Many people and institutions have also contributed to promoting and implementing automation in university libraries. This paper is on future perspectives of academic library automation in Brazil with discovery tools, next generation cloud-based systems and library automation equipment. Some possible future developments are also presented.
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"Marketing and Brand Development." In The Science and Commerce of Whisky, 218–54. 2nd ed. The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/9781788015387-00218.
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Management theory has talked of the ‘four Ps’ of marketing since 1960: product, price, promotion and place. As will hopefully become clear in this chapter, each of these Ps embraces a series of more or less loosely related disciplines with a multitude of specialist tasks and sub-tasks. The summary of the four Ps is expressed in the brand positioning statement, which attempts to capture the values, features and benefits of the brand which, in theory, is used to guide all proposed marketing activity. However, in practice, many brands exhibit highly variable regional behaviour and cultural factors. Other marketing tools include visitor centres for trade, media and consumer visitors and use of internet and social media with their potentially enormous impact. Practitioners should note, however, that the advertising and promotion of all forms of beverage alcohol is one of the most strictly regulated forms of marketing, and responsible marketing requires restraint and maturity from all parties.
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"Government Tools and Assistive Tools." In Moving From R&D Development to Production and Sales in Start-Up Companies, 97–115. IGI Global, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-5685-6.ch007.
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The understanding of the difficulties in overcoming the gap, with the importance of maturing TSUs into complete firms, makes the involvement of the government in assisting the transition important. General aspects of the conditions and restraints on government support are presented followed by the reasons for government involvement. The main need for government support, to overcome market failure, is presented and explained as is the importance of the TSU economically and socially. The requirements in terms of learning and developing capabilities as well as the difference between the needs of internal actions and out-sourcing is clarified. The difference between financial and non-financial support is explained, as are the differences between general support (e.g., standardization) and firm specific support. Some of the specific tools (e.g., beta-site support, marketing entry support tools) are presented. Their types and purposes are described in general, with a reference to other sources for those interested in reading more.
Conference papers on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Shuliang Zhao, Guorui Jiang, Tiyun Huang, and Xiaoyan Yang. "The deception detection and restraint in multi-agent system." In 17th IEEE International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI'05). IEEE, 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ictai.2005.120.
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Fu, Yan, and Ruichen Jin. "Occupant Restraint System Design Under Uncertainty Using Analytical Uncertainty Propagation Via Metamodels." In ASME 2005 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. ASMEDC, 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2005-85489.
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The effectiveness of using Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools to support design decisions is often hindered by the enormous computational demand of complex analysis models, especially when uncertainty is considered. Approximations of analysis models, also known as “metamodels”, are widely used to replace analysis models for optimization under uncertainty. However, due to the inherent nonlinearity in occupant responses during a crash event and relatively large numbers of uncertain variables and responses, naive application of metamodeling techniques can yield misleading results with little or no warning from the algorithms which generate the metamodels. Furthermore, in order to improve the quality of metamodels, a relatively large number of design of experiments (DOE) and comparatively expensive metamodeling techniques, such as Kriging or radial basis function (RBF), are necessary. Thus, sampling-based methods, e.g. Monte Carlo simulations, for obtaining the statistical quantities of system responses during the optimization loop may still be inefficient even for these metamodels. In recent years, analytical uncertainty propagation via metamodels is proposed by Chen et al. 2004, which provides analytical formulation of mean and variance evaluations via a variety of metamodeling techniques to reduce the computational time and improve the convergence behavior of optimization under uncertainty. An occupant restraint system design problem is used as an example to test the applicability of this method.
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Wang, Kevin H. C., and King H. Yang. "The Development of a Finite Element Human Thorax Model." In ASME 1998 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1998. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/imece1998-0080.
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Abstract Auto safety has become the second most important issue when making the decision to purchase a vehicle. Unfortunately, research in this field has been greatly hindered by the lack of available tools. Specifically, crash dummies used to design crash energy management and restraint systems are not very human-like. Because testing of cadavers, which is needed to obtain human injury tolerance data, is very expensive to conduct, an alternative is to develop and validate a numerical model for the evaluation of vehicle crashworthiness. The purpose of this study is to develop a finite element model of the 50th percentile male human thorax.
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Fredj, Abdelfettah, Aaron Dinovitzer, Geoff Vignal, and Sanjay Tiku. "Pipeline Mechanical Damage Excavation Process Review and Recommendations." In 2014 10th International Pipeline Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/ipc2014-33618.
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In order to perform pipeline maintenance it is often necessary to excavate the pipeline. To support excavation safety, the pipeline condition and other factors that can promote failure are considered in establishing a safe excavation process. For pipelines that include mechanical damage features, consideration must be given to the response of the pipe during the excavation process. The combination of previously developed and validated mechanical damage and soil structure interaction numerical simulation techniques have been used to simulate the response of operating pipelines to the excavation process. This paper presents a preliminary overview of the application of these numerical simulation tools to establish a safe excavation process for pipeline systems with mechanical damage features characterized by in-line-inspection tool data. The research work described in this paper considers a range of mechanical damage feature geometries, restraint conditions, burial/excavation conditions, pipe geometries and materials, and internal pressures. As a result of applying this work, preliminary excavation procedure and further research recommendations are made to support mechanical damage maintenance programs.
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Olivares, Gerardo, Domenic Barsotti, Paul Hooijdonk, Luis Gomez, Vincent Robinson, and Michiel Unger. "Integrated Occupant Safety for Urban Air Mobility Applications." In Vertical Flight Society 77th Annual Forum & Technology Display. The Vertical Flight Society, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.4050/f-0077-2021-16755.
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Occupant Safety must be an integral part of the overall technical and management processes associated with the design, development, and operation of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) systems. Nowadays the crashworthiness design for aerospace applications under 14 CFR §§ *.561 and *.562 only address the dynamic response of the seat and restraint system during emergency landing conditions. In order to improve the survivability rate of occupants an integrated safety approach is required during the design, development, and operation of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) systems. In this paper, a typical Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) under two loading conditions as per 14 CFR §§ 27.727(a) and 27.562(b)(1) is evaluated. For this, a multibody model was developed and optimized using adaptive multivariable optimization algorithms. The results show that multibody and optimization tools in combination with robust design methodologies can significantly reduce the development and certification efforts for eVTOL vehicles.
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Abbiati, Giuseppe, Zili Zhang, Andrea Franza, Lars Vabbersgaard Andersen, and Hans Henning Stutz. "A Computational Framework for Integrated Analysis and Hybrid Testing of Mooring Line Foundations." In ASME 2022 41st International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/omae2022-79853.
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Abstract Positional restraint of floating structures is achieved using mooring systems anchored to the seafloor. Design and risk assessment of these systems is challenging due to variability in wave, wind loading, ground conditions leading to uncertainty in the load-displacement behaviour of mooring line foundations for design. Accordingly, new simulation tools shall be able to support risk-informed integrated analysis of the floating structure as a system of interacting components subjected to realistic dynamic excitation. Also, all components of the floating structure simulation model shall be supported by experimental validation. In response to this need, this paper presents a computational framework for simulating the dynamic response of floating structures up to two second-order hydrodynamic loading. The framework utilizes the finite-element method and supports both integrated analysis and hybrid testing with focus on mooring line foundations. Computational efficiency is the driving criterion for tailoring the fidelity of the element library. Results of an ideal case study are used to test computational efficiency.
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Dotson, Rhett, Chris Holliday, Luis Torres, and Damien Hagan. "An Authoritative Comparison of Remaining Life Assessments for Pipeline Dents." In 2018 12th International Pipeline Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/ipc2018-78247.
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A significant amount of effort has been expended in the area of advancing pipeline dent remaining life assessment methods beginning in the late 1980s and extending to the current day. Initial research efforts were primarily empirical in nature while more recent research efforts have incorporated finite element modelling. Coupled with advancements in assessment techniques, the capabilities of advanced in-line inspection (ILI) tools have increased to a point where they can provide consistent, reliable information that is suitable for dent assessments. As a result of these advancements in assessment models and ILI tools, operators can now perform remaining life assessments using ILI data, and a multitude of remaining life assessment models are available, including solutions from the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG), Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), American Petroleum Institute (API), and finite-element based approaches. In addition to these remaining life assessments, many operators routinely perform strain-based assessments based on guidance from ASME B31.8. To date, there have been few studies comparing the various assessment methods on large numbers of dents, and as a result, significant questions persist as to the conservatism inherent in each method. In addition, the EPRG and PRCI methods are largely based on full-scale testing and finite-element models performed with idealized indenter shapes while actual pipeline dents typically exhibit complex shapes and interactions between multiple dents. Each model also has limitations and advantages that are discussed in this paper, such as ease of use and how pipeline geometry and weld association are considered. This paper provides a robust comparison of selected dent assessment methodologies on 220 actual dents from a 24-inch pipeline with depths ranging from 0.6–4.5% OD, and 32 dents from a 30-inch line with depths ranging from 1–2.5% OD. The assessment includes both top and bottom of line dents and investigates the influence of restraint on remaining life. The results presented in the paper are based on high-resolution ILI caliper data collected during two in-line inspections. Furthermore, the paper provides statistical comparisons between strain and remaining life methodologies and also between the various remaining life assessments. The paper also provides a comparison of the restraint parameter from the PRCI model with calculated stress concentration factors from finite-element models. The paper provides a first of its kind comparison of the various methods and discusses how the work may be extended to other pipe diameters and wall thicknesses.
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Tiku, Sanjay, Amin Eshraghi, Vlad Semiga, Luis Torres, and Mark Piazza. "Improved Pipeline Dent Integrity Management." In 2016 11th International Pipeline Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/ipc2016-64530.
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Pipeline dents can be developed from the pipe resting on rock, a third party machinery strike, rock strikes during backfilling, amongst other causes. The long-term integrity of a dented pipeline segment depends upon parameters including pipe geometry, indenter shape, dent depth, indenter support, secondary features, and pipeline operating pressure history at and following indentation. US DoT and other standards include dent repair and remediation criteria broadly based upon dent depth, dent location (top or bottom side), pressure cycling (liquid or gas), and dent interaction with secondary features (weld, corrosion, cracks). These criteria are simple and easily applied, however, they may not direct maintenance appropriately and be overly conservative or, in some cases, unconservative. Previous IPC papers have discussed the full-scale dent fatigue testing and dent modelling efforts to support integrity management criteria development by collecting material and structural response during dent formation and pressure loading. The present paper will present the results of this extensive dent structural and fatigue life numerical simulation program using a validated finite element (FE) analysis process. The paper describes the numerical simulation technique, as well as, the development of the novel engineering tool for integrity management, eliminating the need for numerical simulation of individual dent features to assess the relative integrity threat they pose. The development of the engineering tool presented in this paper considers the dent formation, re-rounding and through life response to pressure fluctuations to evaluate the fatigue life of dent features. The results of these analyses are used to develop fatigue life trends based on dent shape, restraint condition and operating pressure. These trends were used to develop models to predict dent relative severity and life based upon ILI inspection dent shape data for single peak dents. Dent shape has also been used to determine the restraint condition of a dent and its influence on the dent feature fatigue life. The tools were developed to address many of the uncertainties inherent in existing regulatory repair and remediation criteria. Current and future applications of the integrity assessment model are described along with recommendations for further development and testing to support pipeline integrity management, industry guidelines and standards. The results of this research will be of use in improving integrity management decisions and support further development of industry guides and standards. As such the information presented in this paper will be of interest to pipeline operators, integrity management specialists, in-line inspection (ILI) organizations and regulators. The recommendations presented in this paper may be used to influence the direction of pipeline standards in their direction in the disposition of dent features.
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Burgert, Florens, Anton Caspar Boehme, Marisa Schirmer, Niklas Steireif, and Susanne Mütze Niewöhner. "Implementation Strategies for Intelligent Systems to Support Manufacturing Planning: Recommended Actions to Avoid Failure." In 14th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2023). AHFE International, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1003511.
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In many manufacturing enterprises, manufacturing planning for the production of complex components is carried out by using CAM systems (CAM: Computer-Aided Manufacturing) (Bi and Wang, 2020). The increasing complexity and individualization of components, tools and machines lead to new requirements for manufacturing planning and CAM systems (Suhl and Isenberg, 2019; Jayasekara et al., 2019). Providers of CAx systems and researchers are currently working on the further development of conventional support systems by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) applications (e.g. Dripke et al., 2017).AI-based, intelligent support systems are intended to enable employees to perform the increasingly complex process of manufacturing planning quickly and efficiently (cf. Burgert et al., 2022). At the same time, studies in Germany (e.g. Lundborg and Gull, 2021; Merkel-Kiss and von Garrel, 2022) indicate that available AI-based systems are generally rather used with restraint, especially by SMEs, or not used effectively, e.g., due to acceptance issues. Since a successful implementation of these systems requires appropriate strategies (Kletti, 2007; cf. Bellantuono et al., 2021; cf. Kovrigin and Vasiliev, 2020), insufficient implementation strategies could be a reason for the restraint. However, existing implementation strategies within the application context of manufacturing planning do not specifically focus on intelligent support systems, but rather on conventional digital ones in general. This paper addresses the research question of how to design an implementation strategy for intelligent support systems for manufacturing planning to ensure a successful implementation for the long term.First, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify success factors and corresponding recommendations for action in the context of implementation strategies for digital support systems in manufacturing. The recommendations for action were aggregated into 27 recommendations within the categories organization, people, technology, and data. Second, 31 experts with experience in implementing support systems in a corporate context were asked to assess the importance of these recommendations for action for the successful implementation of intelligent support systems for manufacturing planning in an online questionnaire. The questionnaire also included the assignment of the recommendations for action to five phases of a generic implementation model. Additional suggestions based on the participants' own professional experience could be added.In this paper, the methodological approaches and the results of the literature review as well as the empirical study within the context of intelligent support systems for manufacturing planning are presented. The results show, e.g., that most of the recommendations concern the interaction with the employees affected. Furthermore, many of the recommended actions are important for most or even all phases of an implementation process. Finally, the resulting recommendations for action concerning the implementation of intelligent support systems for manufacturing planning and related limitations are discussed.
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Fredj, Abdelfettah, and Aaron Dinovitzer. "Simulation of the Response of Buried Pipelines to Slope Movement Using 3D Continuum Modeling." In 2012 9th International Pipeline Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/ipc2012-90437.
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Pipeline integrity is affected by the action of external soil loads in addition to internal fluid pressure. External soil loads can be generated by landslides or at sites subject to ground subsidence, heave or seismic effects. Under these varied conditions of ground movement potential pipeline safety involves constraints on design and operations. The design processes includes developing an understanding of strains that could be imposed on the pipe (strain demand) and strain limits that the pipe can withstand without failure. The ability to predict the pipeline load, stress or strains state in the presence of soil restraint and/or soil displacement induced loading is not well described in design standards or codes of practice. This paper describes the ongoing work involved in a study investigating the mechanical behavior of buried pipelines interacting with active landslides. Detailed pipe-soil interaction analyses were completed with a 3D continuum SPH method. This paper describes the LS-DYNA numerical modeling process, previously developed by the authors, which was refined and applied to site-specific conditions. To illustrate the performance of the modeling process to consider a translational slide, additional numerical model validation was completed and is described in this paper. These comparisons illustrate that good agreement was observed between the modeling results and experimental full scale trial results. Sample results of the application of the validated 3D continuum modeling process are presented. These results are being used to develop generalized trends in pipeline response to slope movements. The paper describes both the progress achieved to date and the future potential for simplified engineering design tools to assess the load or deformation capacity requirements of buried pipelines exposed to different types of slope movement.
Reports on the topic "Restraint tools"
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Rana, Arnav, Sanjay Tiku, and Aaron Dinovitzer. PR-214-203806-R01 Improve Dent-Cracking Assessment Methods. Chantilly, Virginia: Pipeline Research Council International, Inc. (PRCI), June 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.55274/r0012227.
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This work was funded in part, under the Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Department of Transportation, or the U.S. Government. This project builds on mechanical damage (MD) assessment and management tools, developed on behalf of Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), American Petroleum Institute (API), other research organizations and individual pipeline operators and were included in API RP 1183. These include dent shape, restraint condition and interacting feature characterization; operational maximum and cyclic internal pressure characterization, screening tools defining non-injurious dent shapes based on pipe size and operating condition, failure pressure and fatigue assessment tools for dents with/without interacting features (e.g., corrosion, welds, gouges) in the restrained and unrestrained condition, and direction on available remedial action and repair techniques. In completing this development, areas for improvement were identified. The current project enhances previously developed tools being adopted in an industry recommended practice (API RP 1183) for pipeline MD integrity assessment and management considering: - Enhancement of indentation crack formation strain estimation, - Understanding the role of ILI measurement accuracy on dent integrity assessment, and - Quantification of assessment method conservatism to support safety factor definition. Safety factors (Modeling bias) defined in the present study and evaluated for different fatigue life estimation approaches in the present work refer to the conservatism inherent in different in different fatigue life models and is represented as the ratio of experimental lives to predicted lives.
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Ohad, Nir, and Robert Fischer. Regulation of Fertilization-Independent Endosperm Development by Polycomb Proteins. United States Department of Agriculture, January 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.32747/2004.7695869.bard.
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Arabidopsis mutants that we have isolated, encode for fertilization-independent endosperm (fie), fertilization-independent seed2 (fis2) and medea (mea) genes, act in the female gametophyte and allow endosperm to develop without fertilization when mutated. We cloned the FIE and MEA genes and showed that they encode WD and SET domain polycomb (Pc G) proteins, respectively. Homologous proteins of FIE and MEA in other organisms are known to regulate gene transcription by modulating chromatin structure. Based on our results, we proposed a model whereby both FIE and MEA interact to suppress transcription of regulatory genes. These genes are transcribed only at proper developmental stages, as in the central cell of the female gametophyte after fertilization, thus activating endosperm development. To test our model, the following questions were addressed: What is the Composition and Function of the Polycomb Complex? Molecular, biochemical, genetic and genomic approaches were offered to identify members of the complex, analyze their interactions, and understand their function. What is the Temporal and Spatial Pattern of Polycomb Proteins Accumulation? The use of transgenic plants expressing tagged FIE and MEA polypeptides as well as specific antibodies were proposed to localize the endogenous polycomb complex. How is Polycomb Protein Activity Controlled? To understand the molecular mechanism controlling the accumulation of FIE protein, transgenic plants as well as molecular approaches were proposed to determine whether FIE is regulated at the translational or posttranslational levels. The objectives of our research program have been accomplished and the results obtained exceeded our expectation. Our results reveal that fie and mea mutations cause parent-of-origin effects on seed development by distinct mechanisms (Publication 1). Moreover our data show that FIE has additional functions besides controlling the development of the female gametophyte. Using transgenic lines in which FIE was not expressed or the protein level was reduced during different developmental stages enabled us for the first time to explore FIE function during sporophyte development (Publication 2 and 3). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that FIE, a single copy gene in the Arabidopsis genome, represses multiple developmental pathways (i.e., endosperm, embryogenesis, shot formation and flowering). Furthermore, we identified FIE target genes, including key transcription factors known to promote flowering (AG and LFY) as well as shoot and leaf formation (KNAT1) (Publication 2 and 3), thus demonstrating that in plants, as in mammals and insects, PcG proteins control expression of homeobox genes. Using the Yeast two hybrid system and pull-down assays we demonstrated that FIE protein interact with MEA via the N-terminal region (Publication 1). Moreover, CURLY LEAF protein, an additional member of the SET domain family interacts with FIE as well. The overlapping expression patterns of FIE, with ether MEA or CLF and their common mutant phenotypes, demonstrate the versatility of FIE function. FIE association with different SET domain polycomb proteins, results in differential regulation of gene expression throughout the plant life cycle (Publication 3). In vitro interaction assays we have recently performed demonstrated that FIE interacts with the cell cycle regulatory component Retinobalsoma protein (pRb) (Publication 4). These results illuminate the potential mechanism by which FIE may restrain embryo sac central cell division, at least partly, through interaction with, and suppression of pRb-regulated genes. The results of this program generated new information about the initiation of reproductive development and expanded our understanding of how PcG proteins regulate developmental programs along the plant life cycle. The tools and information obtained in this program will lead to novel strategies which will allow to mange crop plants and to increase crop production.