Offshore Employment and Occupational Health and Safety Issues

In Canada responsibility for regulating labour relations, employment and occupational health and safety matters is shared between the federal and provincial governments. In this paper the author describes the complexities of the legislative regime governing the Nova Scotia offshore. Specifically, he looks at section 157 of the Nova Scotia Accord Act (Canada), certification of workers offshore, and occupational health and safety legislation

The validity of weighted scoring evaluation techniques applied to design: studies in the appraisal of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems for office buildings.

The common weighted scoring evaluation technique is presented by the design methods literature and by many practical guides as being an appropriate method for appraising different design solutions, however there are few critical assessments of the assumptions inherent in the method and no serious attempts to evaluate the validity of the technique as applied in a design context. This thesis presents a series of empirical studies and theoretical reviews which examine, in a logical sequence, aspects of the validity of weighted scoring techniques in the context of early stage heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system design for office buildings. The nature of the HVAC design process is investigated, and in parallel with this a theoretical critique of the weighted scoring method as described in the design methods literature is conducted. It is found that the common approach to weighted scoring is invalid, raising concern over the indiscriminate use of such decision aids. However, a theoretically correct interpretation known as Multi-Attribute Value Theory (MAVT) is possible. It is also found that the method is not applicable to the selection of HVAC systems in general, but may be considered reasonably valid in more restricted tasks such as air conditioning system selection for a specific area in a building. While the MAVT models developed are judged to be reasonably valid, it is argued that their usefulness is debatable. If all the information on which to base the decision is available and the decision maker is reasonably skilled then MAVT will only improve decision making at the margin where the penalty for a wrong decision is less significant

Electric road vehicles for island communities : a study of the potential for introduction in the Scottish islands

The advent of high-performance, traffic-compatible, electric road vehicles (EVs) has brought with it an increasing range of uses and this study is concerned with evaluating the suitability of EVs for a hitherto unresearched application for this emerging technology, namely the island communities of Lewis and Harris. The stimulus for the renewed research and development of EVs has resulted largely from concerns about future energy supply, particularly of oil, and environmental conditions. An assessment of the state-of-the-art of EV technology and of traction battery systems in particular is presented. A strategy for development, commercialisation and diffusion is outlined which recognises the nature of the technology and its likely diffusion process. Market segments, such as island communities, which are suitable for early introduction must be identified. The islands of Scotland were chosen for investigation because of their current patterns of transport. The assessment of potential for EV introduction focuses on the requirements of a personal means of transport in terms of factors such as operating performance, utility, reliability, ability to refuel adequately, safety of operation and disposal, economic advantage and acceptability to motorists. Various relationships are established between the state of EV technology and the potential for introduction in the islands. A practical methodology for assessment which adopts a holistic approach is constructed. This is designed to be generally applicable to other similar EV assessments. The methodology employs a series of purpose-built computer simulation models and data collection techniques in order to model real life situations and systems as closely as possible, facilitating the evaluation of market potential and identification of barriers to EV introduction in the islands

Demonstration of adaptive overcurrent protection using IEC 61850 communications

This paper contains a description of an adaptive protection scheme that has been implemented and demonstrated in a hardware in the loop simulation environment using commercially available protection hardware and IEC 61850 communications.The implementation is based on an actual 11kV system which includes distributed generation and network automation. IEC 61850 communications offers several benefits for the implementation of adaptive protection, but also presents some limitations which are discussed in the paper. An alternative approach to overcome a number of the limitations is also presented

Reducing Disproportional Discipline Referrals for African American Male Students at The Elementary Level

The National Center for Educational Statistics documents that most teachers in urban/city schools are White, female teachers. Differences in communication styles, culture and involvement can have a negative impact on the educational experiences of minority and male students. However, there are White, female teachers who can demonstrate the ability to engage their students that have helped to the reduce the disciplinary disparity in their schools. This study focuses on answering the overarching question, what dispositional characteristics/qualities, instructional methods, environmental parameters and classroom management techniques do White, female teachers perceive contribute to lower classroom disciplinary referrals for African American males in the elementary classroom? to answer this question, three separate interviews were conducted with each participant utilizing an established protocol, two classroom observations were conducted of each participant utilizing an observation protocol and reviewing three years of discipline data for each participant. Findings revealed students need to be actively involved in the educational process. Settings need to be structured and procedures established that allow students to demonstrate independence. Teachers need to engage parents by providing opportunities for communication through various means. There needs to be a common vocabulary that transcends cultural differences and personal bias and experiences. Lastly, teacher preparation programs need to provide students with courses that speak to the cultural and socioeconomic differences within society that are reflected in the urban/city school environment and opportunities to engage in hands-on learning opportunities within urban/city school settings with cooperative teachers

It\u27s A Grand Old Flag To Fight For

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/2896/thumbnail.jp

A protocol for a systematic review of clinical guidelines and published systematic reviews on the early detection of oral cancer

Background: The predicted increase in incidence of oral cavity cancer (OCC) coupled with high mortality and poor prognosis – particularly when diagnosed at a late/advanced stage – highlights the need for prevention and early detection/screening to reverse these trends. Dental healthcare professionals in primary care settings have a pivotal role in this effort. Aim: The aim of this protocol is to detail the process for assessing the evidence for the best practice and methods of early detection/screening for OCC in primary care dental settings by undertaking a systematic review of global clinical guidelines and published systematic reviews. Method: Searches for clinical guidelines and systematic reviews will be conducted in the following databases: Cochrane library, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Ovid), Excerpta Medical dataBASE, PubMed, Turning Research into Practice, SCOPUS and Web of Science Core Collection. Our search will extend to include Google Scholar and international professional organizations/associations websites. In addition, we will handsearch the bibliographies and undertake citation searches of the selected papers. Quality appraisal will be undertaken using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation version II instrument for the clinical guidelines and both A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews and Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews tools for the systematic reviews. A narrative synthesis approach will be used to assess the evidence of extracted data, primarily taking account of quality appraisal and recency of publication. Discussion: The synthesis of evidence will determine best practice for OCC early detection/screening by primary care dental healthcare professionals and will evaluate the relationship between clinical guidelines and the evidence base available from systematic reviews in this area

Payment for multiple forest benefits alters the effect of tree disease on optimal forest rotation length

Forests deliver multiple benefits both to their owners and to wider society. However, a wave of forest pests and pathogens is threatening this worldwide. In this paper we examine the effect of disease on the optimal rotation length of a single-aged, single rotation forest when a payment for non-timber benefits, which is offered to private forest owners to partly internalise the social values of forest management, is included. Using a generalisable bioeconomic framework we show how this payment counteracts the negative economic effect of disease by increasing the optimal rotation length, and under some restrictive conditions, even makes it optimal to never harvest the forest. The analysis shows a range of complex interactions between factors including the rate of spread of infection and the impact of disease on the value of harvested timber and non-timber benefits. A key result is that the effect of disease on the optimal rotation length is dependent on whether the disease affects the timber benefit only compared to when it affects both timber and non-timber benefits. Our framework can be extended to incorporate multiple ecosystem services delivered by forests and details of how disease can affect their production, thus facilitating a wide range of applications