Transforming the Productivity of People in the Built Environment: Emergence of a Digital Competency Management Ecosystem

This chapter explores how we create and support a digitally enabled, agile, competent, and ultimately, productive workforce and determines the key research questions that need to be addressed if Digital Built Britain (DBB) is to provide return on investment and succeed as the catalyst for evolving the manner in which we conceive, plan, design, construct, operate, and interact with the built environment. The proposed vision is a digital competency management ecosystem where interdependent stakeholders are incentivised to work together in coopetition to create, capture, infer, interpret, specify, integrate, accredit, apply, use, monitor, and evolve competence as a working (data) asset. This needs to be in a consistent, objective, explicit, and scalable manner, with end2end transparency and traceability for all stakeholders that overcome the challenges of competency management. Moreover, a core element must be an ecosystem organised around digital infrastructure of competency frameworks and other knowledge sources of competence, so that competency frameworks are in digital operation and dynamic context

Transforming the productivity of people in the built environment : emergence of a digital competency management ecosystem

This chapter explores how we create and support a digitally enabled, agile, competent, and ultimately, productive workforce and determines the key research questions that need to be addressed if Digital Built Britain (DBB) is to provide return on investment and succeed as the catalyst for evolving the manner in which we conceive, plan, design, construct, operate, and interact with the built environment. The proposed vision is a digital competency management ecosystem where interdependent stakeholders are incentivised to work together in coopetition to create, capture, infer, interpret, specify, integrate, accredit, apply, use, monitor, and evolve competence as a working (data) asset. This needs to be in a consistent, objective, explicit, and scalable manner, with end2end transparency and traceability for all stakeholders that overcome the challenges of competency management. Moreover, a core element must be an ecosystem organised around digital infrastructure of competency frameworks and other knowledge sources of competence, so that competency frameworks are in digital operation and dynamic context

Le pluralisme politique à l’épreuve de la vie privée : entre normes et pratiques

L’espace des relations interpersonnelles et privées, en tant qu’espace de politisation et d’expression des choix politiques, est peu connu. C’est à une meilleure connaissance du « citoyen privé » et de la « politisation intime » que cet article veut contribuer, en étudiant les ressemblances et les divergences idéologiques au sein du cercle des proches. Présentant les résultats d’une enquête quantitative et représentative de la population française inédite, « Famille, amour et politique », réalisée par le CEVIPOF, il examine la filiation, la conjugalité, et l’amitié et montre les interactions et les transactions qui opèrent entre le système des normes et le système des affects des individus. La famille apparaît plus hétérogame politiquement tandis que le couple et le cercle des amis sont plus homogames. Toutefois, c’est le niveau de politisation des individus qui est en dernière instance le plus déterminant. Une affiliation politique affirmée, et tout particulièrement à gauche, ainsi qu’un intérêt marqué pour la politique, renforcent toujours l’homogamie politique au sein du cercle des proches, dans les principes comme dans les faits. Plus largement, l’article ouvre une réflexion sur l’espace de la vie privée en tant que terrain d’expérience des conditions de la pluralité démocratique.Little is known of the role played by private interpersonal relationships in politicization and the expression of political choices. This article aims to improve our understanding of “private citizens” and “personal politicization” through a study of ideological similarities and divergences within family and friendship circles. The analysis, based on findings from an unprecedented quantitative representative French population survey by the CEVIPOF (Center for the study of French political life) entitled “Famille, amour et politique” [Family, love and politics], examines filiation, conjugality and friendship, showing the interactions and transactions that take place between the system of norms and the system of individual feelings. Families appear more heterogamous politically, while couples and friendship circles are more homogamous. However, individuals’ level of politicization is ultimately the most determinant factor. Having a strong political affiliation, particularly on the left of the political spectrum, and a strong interest in politics always strengthens intra-circle political homogamy in terms of both principles and actions. At a more general level, the article reflects on the sphere of private life as a field for the development of conditions of democratic pluralism

Epidemiological and Epizootiological Situation on Anthrax in 2014, and Prognosis for 2015

Presented are the results of analysis of epidemiological and epizootiological situation on anthrax across the Russian Federation and around the world in 2014. Anthrax morbidity rates in Russia have increased as compared to the previous year, but have not exceeded the range of annual variations within the past decade. Three foci of animal infection have been detected here. Unfavorable, as regards anthrax, situation has developed in the CIS countries and the territories beyond. In Europe the cases of deliveries of meat and meat products contaminated with anthrax agent to retail store network have taken place. 1 to 20 cases of anthrax among the population are forecasted in Russia for 2015

Anthrax: Epidemiological and Epizootiological Situation in 2015, Prognosis for 2016

Outlined are the results of assessment of epidemiological and epizootiological situation on anthrax across the globe in 2015. Three human cases of cutaneous anthrax were registered in the Russian Federation. Detected were two epizootic foci with three cases of live-stock animal disease. 1-20 cases of anthrax in humans are forecasted in the Russian Federation in 2016. Adverse as regards anthrax situation is created in a number of near and far abroad counties. The highest morbidity rates among animals and humans are reported from Asian and African countries. Discussed are the results of investigation into the blunder of the US Department of Defense laboratory system, resulted in distribution of ineffectively decontaminated samples of anthrax agent to the US laboratories, as well as of other states within the past twenty years

EVALUATION OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EPIZOOTIOLOGICAL SITUATION ON ANTHRAX IN 2016, THE FORECAST FOR 2017

The results of analysis of epidemiological and epizootiological situation on anthrax in the world in 2016 are presented. In the Russian Federation 36 human cases of anthrax are registered. Epizooties are noted in 3 federal districts. Anthrax in humans was detected in neighboring countries of Central Asia, in a number of Asian and African countries. Epizootic foci are identified throughout with prevalence in the countries of Africa and Asia, where anthrax cases among wild animals were also revealed. The unstable situation on anthrax is forecasted in 2017 in the Russian Federation and neighboring countries

Epidemiological and Epizootiological Situation on Anthrax in 2017, Forecast for 2018

The situation on anthrax in the Russian Federation is characterized as unstable. This is due to a large number of soil foci, incomplete registration and coverage of farm animals that undergo vaccination against anthrax, reduction in the scope of the planned specific immunization of contingents under occupational risk of infection in a number of the country’s regions. Cases of anthrax among animals and humans were not registered in the Russian Federation in 2017. Adverse situation on anthrax was reported in 4 neighboring countries. High incidence rates of antrax in animals and humans was noted in African and Asian countries. Infection of people occurred as a result of contact with sick and dead animals in the process of slaughter and cutting carcasses, eating contaminated meat. Anthrax morbidity rates of animals and humans in the Russian Federation in 2018 will be determined by the extent to which complex of preventive measures is completed; and if implemented to the maximum scale, will be limited to single cases

Experimental Peroxidase Conjugate for Detection of Specific Antibodies to Anthrax Agent in Enzyme Immunoassay

Anthrax poses a pressing issue for veterinary medicine and public health in many countries, including the Russian Federation, which necessitates the improvement and development of new, sensitive and specific diagnostic tools.The aim of the work was to create an experimental peroxidase conjugate for the detection of specific antibodies to the anthrax pathogen and to optimize the conditions for performing enzyme immunoassay (ELISA).Materials and methods. The peroxidase conjugate was constructed using horseradish peroxidase and Staphylococcus aureus protein A (Sigma-Aldrich, USA). Bacterial antigens isolated from strains of Bacillus anthracis 55ΔTPA-1Spo, B. anthracis Sterne 34 F2 were used as sensitizing agents. The developed experimental batches of the conjugate were tested in ELISA for the ability to bind antibodies in the blood sera of anthrax patients and vaccinated individuals. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the method were calculated using the built-in functions of the ROCR software package.Results and discussion. The peroxidase conjugate to detect specific antibodies to the anthrax pathogen in the study of clinical material has been developed; conditions for the ELISA performance have been optimized. To interpret the results of the study, a threshold value of the positivity coefficient was used, below which the result was considered negative, and at an equal or higher value, positive. The test demonstrated significant differences in the “positivity coefficient” indicator for the “Healthy”/“Sick” and “Healthy”/“Vaccinated” groups, while the differences between the “Sick”/“Vaccinated” groups were statistically insignificant. The maximum accuracy of the method was observed at blood serum dilutions of 1:250 and 1:500. 100 % intra-run, run-to-run and series-to-series reproducibility has been established for all positive samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the experimental peroxidase conjugates were 100 and 95.8 %, respectively, and the accuracy was 97.6 %

Analysis of the Anthrax Morbidity Rate in the Russian Federation in 2011, and Prognosis for 2012

Carried out is the analysis of epidemiological situation on anthrax in 2011, both in the Russian Federation and around the world. The results of the analysis bear evidence of the fact that in the constituent units of the federal districts of Southern Russia and Siberia anthrax morbidity in humans will be retained at the annual average level (characteristic of the recent decade) - ranging from 1 to 20 cases of the disease

How is Democracy Applied within the EU: Combining Elements of Traditional and Innovative Democratic Practice

The EU represents a new and complex political system which, according to numerous social scholars, suffers from the so-called democratic deficit. The basic argument behind this claim is that citizens lack control of the EU because, within its political system, national parliaments of member states possess only limited powers which have not been adequately compensated through steady empowerment of the European parliament (EP). Starting from this notion, the paper will explore the application of various concepts of democracy within the political system of the EU. First and foremost, it will analyse representative democracy in the EU, which stands as a foundation of all contemporary democratic systems. However, the paper will not stop at representative democracy, but it will also look at participatory, direct and deliberative democracy as applied within the political system of the EU. These concepts of democracy can only be viewed in relation and as an addition to representative democracy, but their application is very important for the EU due to limited possibilities for developing representative democracy at the supranational level. The paper will argue that, with regard to participatory and deliberative democracy, the EU can be viewed in many respects as a showcase for the national level, because it successfully developed various mechanisms related to implementation of these concepts. Particular attention will be paid to the Lisbon Treaty, which clarified many uncertainties that previously burdened the application of democracy within the EU. It will be argued that with the Lisbon Treaty the classic argument about the EU’s democratic deficit lost some of its appeal, because this treaty transformed the EP from secondary to equal participant in the EU’s legislative process