Priorities

Introduction. Given dramatic changes in social, cultural priorities and values taking place across the globe today,
with all around changing strategic partners, it becomes apparent that comparative pedagogy desperately needs its
methods to be updated. Post modern research paradigm resources are running out. We need new data, approaches,
and methods to enhance the comparative analysis. The paper aims to propose rationale for new comparative pedagogy
avenues via expanding its subject fields.
Methodology. The methods employed show the author’s stand on updating scholarly knowledge in comparative
pedagogy. Within the frame of conventional historical approach this research relies on the diachronic and synchronic
analysis method, coupled with axiological and cultural approaches and complemented with the contextualization
method. The anthropological approach is based on the biographical method. The discursive approach was used
as a narrative in the form of commentary of authentic texts – their interpretation, the main source of knowledge in
comparative pedagogy.
Findings. Modern discourse of comparative research in education contains certain inconsistences which might be put
down to an inadequate analysis of upsides and downsides of foreign education system, which eventually restricts our
opportunities to rely on overseas experience. It is also true as concerns correlating values demonstrated by foreign
practices with national mentality and traditions, use of appropriate conceptual semantics and comparisons. Some
questions also arise about the limits of the author’s interpretation.
The ways of handling these issues were sought during the review of modern works devoted to the problems of
education in different social and cultural contexts. Most problems stem from the language, communication, cultural
codes, symbolic forms conveying identity, knowledge and values in Latin America, Middle East, South-East Asia, Africa
and some European countries.
Conclusion. Comparative pedagogy equipped with updated methods is presented in the paper as one of the up-todate research avenues in interdisciplinary humanities. It helps integrate national education systems allowing for their
ethnically and culturally specific differences. A comparative perspective enabled to look into foreign pedagogical
experience as another worldview based on historic, cultural, spiritual potential of these countries and their significance.
Comparative analysis opened door to a scholarly dialogue in the educational space to promote better understanding
and international cooperation.

aspects of language, improving robustness, creating new methods for rapid adaptation, better integrating speech and language with other communication modalities, giving speech and language components access to rich representations of the robot's current knowledge and state, making all components operate in real time, and improving research infrastructure and resources. Research and development that prioritizes these topics will, we believe, provide a solid foundation for the creation of speech-capable robots that are easy and effective for humans to work with.

Pristupanje Evropskoj uniji (EU) predstavlja značajan i složen proces za zemlje koje teže članstvu u ovom regionalnom savezu. Bosna i Hercegovina, kao jedna od država Zapadnog Balkana, suočava se s brojnim izazovima i zadacima u ostvarivanju ovog ambicioznog cilja. Kroz proces evropske integracije, Bosna i Hercegovina se obavezala na ispunjenje 14 prioriteta za pristupanje EU, koji obuhvataju širok spektar političkih, ekonomskih i socijalnih oblasti. Međutim, poseban fokus ovog istraživačkog rada je na 13. prioritetu, koji se odnosi na segment unapređenja zaštite i inkluzije raseljenih lica i povratnika. Ovaj prioritet ima duboko ukorijenjene implikacije za stabilnost i prosperitet Bosne i Hercegovine, budući da se država i dalje suočava s izazovima povezanim s poslijeratnim procesom povratka i integracije raseljenih lica. Kroz ovu analizu, nadamo se da će se dodatno osvijetliti izazovi i potencijali koji sto je pred Bosnom i Hercegovinom u procesu pristupanja EU, te su ponuđeni uvidi koji će pomoći u oblikovanju politika i akcija usmjerenih na postizanje održivog napretka prema punopravnom članstvu u Evropskoj uniji.

Environmental and conservation scientists are increasingly being asked to justify their work in terms of benefits to society. This article describes economic theory for conceptualizing the benefits from environmental research, and provides a framework for estimating those benefits. In particular we discuss the evaluation of environmental science that is intended to benefit society through informing policy decisions. The chain between environmental research and its benefits through policy change includes at least four links: the research itself, policy change, behavior change and environmental change. Each of these four stages presents challenges and entails time lags. If any link fails, the chain breaks. The standard economic model of supply and demand, which is used to quantify benefits from research into market goods, can be adapted for application to environmental goods. Improved conceptualization and measurement of benefits from environmental research would assist environmental scientists to: (1) select research topics that are likely to deliver large environmental benefits; (2) design their research in a way that will increase its relevance, usefulness and potential impact on policy and, ultimately, the environment; and (3) make the case for funding particular research proposals. It could assist research agencies or research funders to: prioritize proposed research; make a case for increased funding for environmental research; and identify obstacles to the translation of research into environmental impacts, allowing attention to be focused on addressing these bottlenecks. 3

We compare popular school choice mechanisms in terms of children's access to better schools (ABS) than their catchment area school, in districts with school stratification and where priority is given for residence in the catchment area of the school. In a large market model with two good schools and one bad school, we calculate worst-case and best-case bounds of the Boston Mechanism (BM). We find that both BM and DA convey a non-negligible risk that catchment area priority fully determines the final assignment regardless parents' preferences. Top-Trading Cycles is an alternative that provides more access to better schools than DA.

University-Business Cooperation (UBC) is an essential mechanism for advancing interests of business, universities and societies. To improve our understanding of the future of UBC research and practice, this study reports on a priority setting process comprising a two-stage research design. Qualitative research identifies a portfolio of six priority areas and 58 related topics. A quantitative step then evaluates the perceived future importance and current advancement of these topics. This approach contributes to shaping the future of UBC by identifying topics that require particular focus to maximise opportunities. The paper concludes with clear future directions for both UBC theory and practice.

The UK and Ireland, in common with most other European states, are in the middle of a period of rapid expansion in the number of marine protected areas (generally as Special Areas of Conservation, SACs, to meet the EU Habitats Directive). This level of activity will dominate the future of marine protected areas in Irish waters, presenting opportunities for marine conservation and potentially bringing wider benefits to society. The success of SACs is likely to depend heavily on the attitudes and engagement of people that use protected sites ('stakeholders'). This article reports on a stakeholder workshop where the potential benefits, achievement of potential and possible improvements in marine protected areas were discussed. A lack of baseline data and inefficient communication of existing information were felt to restrict the perceived success of some existing reserves. Improvements seem possible in legislative coherence, public engagement and in the science base. Resources for monitoring and managing protected areas are always likely to be stretched. Ways have to be found to make use of whatever data are available, potentially leading to public access web sites for each SAC where stakeholders can upload information. There appeared to be a broad consensus on many points in the day's discussions. In keeping with the workshop format, individual participants were invited to emphasize areas of omission, disagreement or consensus in comments that follow the main body of this article.

We extend the logical model of agency known as the KGP model, to support agents with normative concepts, based on the roles an agent plays and the obligations and prohibitions that result from playing these roles. The proposed framework illustrates how the resulting normative concepts, including the roles, can evolve dynamically during the lifetime of the agent. Furthermore, we illustrate how these concepts can be combined with the existing capabilities of KGP agents in order to plan for their goals, react to changes in the environment, and interact with other agents. Our approach gives an executable specification of normative concepts that can be used directly for prototyping applications.

We extend the logical model of agency known as the KGP model, to support agents with normative concepts, based on the roles an agent plays and the obligations and prohibitions that result from playing these roles. The proposed framework illustrates how the resulting normative concepts, including the roles, can evolve dynamically during the lifetime of the agent. Furthermore, we illustrate how these concepts can be combined with the existing capabilities of KGP agents in order to plan for their goals, react to changes in the environment, and interact with other agents. Our approach gives an executable specification of normative concepts that can be used directly for prototyping applications.

Objectives The aims of this study were to evaluate: owners' perceptions and priorities on the treatment and monitoring of feline diabetes mellitus (DM); the perceived effectiveness of the communication between veterinarians and clients regarding disease management; and the impact DM has on the owners' everyday lives and human-pet bonds. Methods An initial questionnaire, then an adapted second questionnaire, were available to owners of cats with DM on vetprofessionals.com. Results A total of 748 questionnaires were completed. At diagnosis, fewer than half of veterinarians discussed how to recognise unstable diabetes (46%) or home blood glucose monitoring (HBGM) (40%). Owners were disappointed that the importance of diet on diabetic remission/stabilisation and HBGM were not discussed. Only 49% of respondents were supervised by a veterinarian/veterinary nurse while first drawing up insulin and injecting their cat. Websites/online forums that owners found themselves were most useful when learning about their cat's diabetes (76% agreed). Over a third of cats (39%) were not fed a 'diabetic' diet but, impressively, 71% of owners used HBGM. Initial concerns about costs, boarding, the effect on their daily life and potential negative impact on the human-pet bond reduced significantly after initiating treatment (P <0.0001). Conclusions and relevance Caring for a diabetic cat requires significant owner commitment, plus support by the veterinary team for the owner and their cat. It is difficult to discuss all aspects of this complex disease with the owner in a single consultation; hence, it is important to involve the entire veterinary team in owner education and provide owners with informative material (eg, useful websites, printouts). Understanding owners' priorities, fears, and which monitoring methods have helped others, is paramount to achieve owner compliance and satisfaction, and so improve the health and welfare of diabetic cats. This study provides useful information on the management of feline DM, which can be instrumental in educating future owners.

Terrestrial tortoises are the most endangered group of vertebrates but they are still largely ignored for defining global conservation priorities. In this paper, we explored within a hierarchical framework the potential contribution of prioritization studies at the continental scale to the planning of local initiatives for the conservation of African tortoises at the regional level. First, we modeled the distribution of all the African tortoise species, we calculated three indicators of conservation priority (i.e. species richness, conservation value, and complementarity), and we carried out a gap analysis at continental scale. Second, we focused on the most important region for tortoise conservation and performed the same analyses at higher resolution. Finally, we compared the results from the two scales for understanding the degree to which they are complementary. Southern Africa emerged from the continental analysis as the most important region for tortoises. Within this area, the high-resolution analysis pointed out specific core sites for conservation. The relative degree of species protection was assessed similarly at the two different resolutions. Two species appeared particularly vulnerable at both scales. Priority indices calculated at high resolution were correlated to the values calculated for the corresponding cells at low resolution but the congruence was stronger for species richness. Our results suggest to integrate the calculation of conservation value and complementarity into a hierarchical framework driven by species richness. The advantages of large scale planning include its broad perspective on complementarity and the capability to identify regions with greatest conservation potential. In this light, continental analyses allow targeting fine scale studies toward regions with maximum priority. The regional analyses at fine scale allow planning conservation measure at a resolution similar to that required for the practical implementation, reducing the uncertainty associated with low resolution studies.

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

A statewide evaluation was conducted of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Deployment Plans in California. It found that all 12 plans covering the state will conform by April 8, 2005, with Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration ITS Architecture and Standards: Final Rule. Developing the plans greatly raised the knowledge and awareness of the potential benefits of integrated technology systems. Multiple layers of architecture have been identified, particularly in Southern California, where developments are most advanced. Experience with deployment of an interregional system of data exchange, Showcase, indicates that such systems require far more time and resources than could have been anticipated at the outset. Technology obsolescence and software documentation have become key issues that other regions will face as projects move from plans to major deployments. Funding the operation and maintenance of these systems is emerging as a major barrier to their successful implementation. So too is the need to educate senior management and elected officials about the infrastructure requirements of successful system integration. Funding the operations and maintenance and configuration management of systems will undoubtedly be the issue for focus in the next decade, as transportation professionals begin to fully understand the implications of the concept of regionally integrated ITS.

In this paper we present a queueing model for the performance analysis of Available Bit Rate (ABR) traffic in Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks. We consider a multi-channel service station with two types of customers, denoted by high priority and low priority customers. In principle, high priority customers have preemptive priority over low priority customers, except on a fixed number of channels that are reserved for low priority traffic. The arrivals occur according to two independent Poisson processes, and service times are assumed to be exponentially distributed. Each high priority customer requires a single server, whereas low priority customers are served in processor sharing fashion. We derive the joint distribution of the numbers of customers (of both types) in the system in steady state. Numerical results illustrate the effect of high priority traffic on the service performance of low priority traffic.

The rise in antimicrobial resistance has highlighted the importance of surgical site infection (SSI) prevention with effective surveillance strategies playing a key role in improving patient safety. This study maps national needs and priorities for SSI surveillance against current national surveillance activity. This study analysed SSI surveillance in NHS hospitals in England covering 23 surgical procedures. Data collected were: (i) annual number of procedures, (ii) SSI rates from national reports, (iii) national reporting requirement (mandatory, voluntary, not offered), (iv) priority ranking from a survey of 84 English NHS hospitals, (v) excess length of stay and costs from the literature. The relationships between estimated SSI burden, national surveillance activity, and hospital-reported priorities were explored with descriptive and univariate analyses. Among the 23 surgical categories analysed, top priority ranking by hospitals was associated only with current surveillance (r=0....

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

Ever since the tourism policies of Centre and North Eastern states came into existence there is a tremendous influx of foreign as well as domestic tourists paved the way for ripple effect of tourism development. The general and geo-physical factors of the states attracted not only tourists but also there is a better and adequate scope for establishing many handmade products like bamboo, wooden carving and other rural craft works. There are certain familiar craft works like wooden carving is only available in the whole part of India which attracts more foreign demand and also domestic. This paper attempt to give an elaborate picture of tourism and other related activities and how far it promotes the living habits of the people and also throw lights a clear-cut picture of the achievements of tourism policies took forward by the Govts. Hence it concludes how far the tourism and other sectors in these states attract more foreign exchange and revenue exchequer. These states are popularly called SEVEN SISTERS in India because of their own legendary, historical and other pilgrims’ attractive centres. The author suggested some recommendations in the light of the above foregoing discussion on tourism activities for further development in this paper.

The results of Caltrain's Rapid Rail Study are described. The purpose of the study was to develop a long-range strategic capital investment plan for the commuter railroad. The plan addressed rehabilitation, upgrades, and expansion projects. The study consisted of seven major steps: developing a future service strategy, an evaluation of existing conditions, identification of rehabilitation and upgrade projects, analysis of expansion projects, project prioritization, development of a financial plan, and development of recommendations. The study is interesting in that it combines basic rehabilitation and long-term planning to improve the efficiency of the planning and construction process. This, in turn, will help Caltrain maintain and improve service for customers with minimum disruption.

Environmental and conservation scientists are increasingly being asked to justify their work in terms of benefits to society. This article describes economic theory for conceptualizing the benefits from environmental research, and provides a framework for estimating those benefits. In particular we discuss the evaluation of environmental science that is intended to benefit society through informing policy decisions. The chain between environmental research and its benefits through policy change includes at least four links: the research itself, policy change, behavior change and environmental change. Each of these four stages presents challenges and entails time lags. If any link fails, the chain breaks. The standard economic model of supply and demand, which is used to quantify benefits from research into market goods, can be adapted for application to environmental goods. Improved conceptualization and measurement of benefits from environmental research would assist environmental scientists to: (1) select research topics that are likely to deliver large environmental benefits; (2) design their research in a way that will increase its relevance, usefulness and potential impact on policy and, ultimately, the environment; and (3) make the case for funding particular research proposals. It could assist research agencies or research funders to: prioritize proposed research; make a case for increased funding for environmental research; and identify obstacles to the translation of research into environmental impacts, allowing attention to be focused on addressing these bottlenecks. 3

El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer una guía de actuación del rol de autor de ciencia que garantice su población de forma adecuada. El método seguido fue la observación documental de normativas y procesos de evaluación de la ciencia en las universidades cubanas. Como resultados se sientan las pautas de prácticas efectivas de publicación a partir del uso adecuado de recursos y escenarios de publicación del autor universitario y del conocimiento de los procesos editoriales y de indexación de revistas científicas en bases de datos. Además, se exploran aspectos para la evaluación de este proceso dentro de una institución docente.

Objective: To describe the main characteristics of systematic reviews addressing questions of chronic disease and related risk factors for Indigenous Australians. Methods: We searched databases for systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed quality and extracted characteristics using pre-defined tools. Results: We identified 14 systematic reviews. Seven synthesised evidence about health intervention effectiveness; four addressed chronic disease or risk factor prevalence; and six conducted critical appraisal as per current best practice. Only three reported steps to align the review with standards for ethical research with Indigenous Australians and/or capture Indigenous-specific knowledge. Most called for more high-quality research. Conclusion: Systematic review is an under-utilised method for gathering evidence to inform chronic disease prevention and management for Indigenous Australians. Relevance of future systematic reviews could be improved by: 1) aligning questions with community priorities as well as decision maker needs; 2) involvement of, and leadership by, Indigenous researchers with relevant cultural and contextual knowledge; iii) use of critical appraisal tools that include traditional risk of bias assessment criteria and criteria that reflect Indigenous standards of appropriate research. Implications: Systematic review method guidance, tools and reporting standards are required to ensure alignment with ethical obligations and promote rigor and relevance.

Este trabajo presenta una metodología para la determinación de prioridades de investigación y su contextualización en un sistema territorial de salud. Se realizó una búsqueda de información sobre tendencias internacionales y nacionales, un análisis bibliométrico basado en co-ocurrencia de palabras, y se valoraron los pasos y herramientas a considerar en la propuesta a delinear. Las principales variables y sus relaciones se representaron en una red de co-ocurrencia que junto a los clusters y la cuantificación de la ocurrencia denotaron las etapas y los instrumentos más relevantes y, por ende, referentes para el diseño de la metodología. Se percibe que la priorización de la investigación es clave para definir políticas públicas, científicas o de ciencia, tecnología e innovación, para asignar recursos eficientemente y para diseñar planes de intervención. La metodología abarca estos preceptos y constituye un proceso sistemático de apoyo a la gestión de la ciencia y la innovación en salud.

A new year can be a time of reflection and an opportunity to take stock of wider developments affecting companies and the communities and societies in which they operate when reviewing policies and priorities.  Directors and boards face a combination of looming inter-related challenges, global risks and existential threats. These require collective action from a planetary perspective in which companies will need to play a part if this it to be successful. Areas of reflection covered are recognising realities, embracing a bigger picture, addressing multiple challenges, reading the road ahead, widening directorial perspectives, recognising vulnerabilities and being ahead of the wave, doing more with less, taking difficult decisions, reviewing purpose, strategy and priorities, and approaching thresholds and collective responsibilities. Anticipating and addressing inter-related challenges, global risks and existential threats from a planetary perspective could lead to public-private action and, for early mover companies, global collaborative advantage.

Ever since the tourism policies of Centre and North Eastern states came into existence there is a tremendous influx of foreign as well as domestic tourists paved the way for ripple effect of tourism development. The general and geo-physical factors of the states attracted not only tourists but also there is a better and adequate scope for establishing many handmade products like bamboo, wooden carving and other rural craft works. There are certain familiar craft works like wooden carving is only available in the whole part of India which attracts more foreign demand and also domestic. This paper attempt to give an elaborate picture of tourism and other related activities and how far it promotes the living habits of the people and also throw lights a clear-cut picture of the achievements of tourism policies took forward by the Govts. Hence it concludes how far the tourism and other sectors in these states attract more foreign exchange and revenue exchequer. These states are popularly called SEVEN SISTERS in India because of their own legendary, historical and other pilgrims’ attractive centres. The author suggested some recommendations in the light of the above foregoing discussion on tourism activities for further development in this paper.

In Ephesians 5:16, the Apostle Paul challenges Christians to “redeem the time.” What did he mean? How do we actually do that? How can time be redeemed? The Greeks understood time as Chronos, the unforgiving, uncompromising tyrant of humanity.  How is time even redeemable? And so we need to take the time to understand the time Paul was talking about.

El analisis de dominio considera que la evaluacion de la ciencia debe realizarse a partir del conocimiento de las practicas sociales de los cientificos. Asi, se pueden estudiar dominios de conocimiento como comunidades discursivas consistentes en un conjunto de actores sociales, quienes comparten una vision del mundo y presentan determinadas estructuras individuales de conocimiento. El enfoque bibliometrico ha mostrado su utilidad como metodo y herramienta para el analisis de dominio. En particular, el analisis de dominio institucional, ha sido definido como un tipo de estudio bibliometrico que permite representar, de forma muy aproximada, el perfil investigador de una determinada institucion. La presente investigacion pretende estudiar, desde esta perspectiva, algunas de las entidades que desarrollan actividad cientifica en la provincia Camaguey: Universidad de Camaguey (UC), Centro de Ingenieria Genetica y Biotecnologia (CIGB),  Centro Meteorologico Provincial (CMP). Para ello se ...

Objectives: Long-term paired associative stimulation (PAS) is a non-invasive combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation and leads to improved hand motor function in individuals with incomplete traumatic tetraplegia. Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can also be induced by neurological diseases. We tested a similar long-term PAS approach in patients with non-traumatic neurological SCI. Methods: In this case series, five patients with non-traumatic tetraplegia received PAS to the weaker upper limb 3 to 5 times per week for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated by manual muscle testing (MMT) before and immediately after the therapy and at the 1-and 6-month follow-ups. Patients were also evaluated for spasticity, hand mechanical and digital dynamometry, pinch test and Box and Block test. Results: MMT values of all patients improved at all post-PAS evaluations. The mean ± standard error MMT increase was 1.44 ± 0.37 points (p = 0.043) immediately after PAS, 1.57 ± 0.4 points (p = 0.043) at the 1-month follow-up and 1.71 ± 0.47 points (p = 0.043) at the 6-month follow-up. The pinch test, digital dynamometry and Box and Block test results also improved in all patients. Conclusions: Long-term PAS may be a safe and effective treatment for improving hand function in patients with non-traumatic tetraplegia. Significance: This is the first report demonstrating the therapeutic potential of PAS for neurological SCI.

Objective: To identify research priorities in the management, epidemiology, outcome and underlying causes of sepsis and septic shock. Design: A consensus committee of 16 international experts representing the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Society of Critical Care Medicine was convened at the annual meetings of both societies. Subgroups had teleconference and electronic-based discussion. The entire committee iteratively developed the entire document and recommendations. Methods: Each committee member independently gave their top five priorities for sepsis research. A total of 88 suggestions (ESM 1-supplemental table 1) were grouped into categories by the committee co-chairs, leading to the formation of seven subgroups: infection, fluids and vasoactive agents, adjunctive therapy, administration/epidemiology, scoring/identification, post-intensive care unit, and basic/translational science. Each subgroup had teleconferences to go over each priority followed by formal voting within each subgroup. The entire committee also voted on top priorities across all subgroups except for basic/translational science. Results: The Surviving Sepsis Research Committee provides 26 priorities for sepsis and septic shock. Of these, the top six clinical priorities were identified and include the following questions: (1) can targeted/personalized/precision medicine approaches determine which therapies will work for which patients at which times?; (2) what are ideal endpoints for volume resuscitation and how should volume resuscitation be titrated?; (3) should rapid diagnostic tests be implemented in clinical practice?; (4) should empiric antibiotic combination therapy be used in sepsis or septic shock?; (5) what are the predictors of sepsis long-term morbidity and mortality?; and (6) what information identifies organ dysfunction? Conclusions: While the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines give multiple recommendations on the treatment of sepsis, significant knowledge gaps remain, both in bedside issues directly applicable to clinicians, as well as understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development and progression of sepsis. The priorities identified represent a roadmap for research in sepsis and septic shock.

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

Wetlands are often vital physical and social components of a country’s natural capital, as well as providers of ecosystem services to local and national communities. We performed a network analysis to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for sustainable development in iconic wetlands and wetlandscapes around the world. The analysis was based on the information and perceptions on 45 wetlandscapes worldwide by 49 wetland researchers of the Global Wetland Ecohydrological Network (GWEN). We identified three 2030 Agenda targets of high priority across the wetlandscapes needed to achieve sustainable development: Target 6.3—“Improve water quality”; 2.4—“Sustainable food production”; and 12.2—“Sustainable management of resources”. Moreover, we found specific feedback mechanisms and synergies between SDG targets in the context of wetlands. The most consistent reinforcing interactions were the influence of Target 12.2 on 8.4—“Efficient resource consumption”; and that of Targe...

Recommendations are presented for developing or redeveloping railway station areas by creating synergy between both identities of a station—as a node in a transport network and as an urban location. Station users want a reliable, safe, fast, easy, comfortable, and pleasant experience in transferring to different transport modes. Besides speed and safety, quality in the sense of comfort and experience are added values. Focusing on the traveler’s appreciation of faster travel leads to three strategies that can add value—( a) acceleration: making individual trips faster and eliminating hassle in transferring to other transport modes; ( b) concentration: concentrating origins and destinations near stations and improving the station environment; ( c) enhancement: adding facilities that enhance the comfort and experience of transfer points. To create this synergy, a station should be divided into three areas. First, travel-related services should be located at the center of transfer point...

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

Las tecnologías inalámbricas son una buena elección para trabajar en ambientes industriales, donde es necesario interconectar sistemas móviles o bien se desea evitar el cableado de sensores y controladores en planta. Sin embargo estas tecnologías presentan problemas de confiabilidad y temporizado inherentes a las características de los canales de radio, a los mecanismos de acceso al medio, etc. El estándar 802.11e provee dos alternativas de acceso al medio (EDCA y HCCA) con cuatro niveles de Calidad de Servicio (QoS) diferenciados. Este trabajo propone un mecanismo de control de acceso al medio, denominado WRTMAC (Control de Acceso al Medio Inalámbrico para Tiempo Real), desarrollado a partir del esquema EDCA del estándar 802.11e, optimizado empleando clases de prioridades. El manejo de los espacios entre tramas para arbitraje (AIFS) fue modificado a fin de que el tiempo de respuesta de la red sea predecible. Esto provee un mecanismo de control de acceso al medio (MAC) libre de colisiones en redes inalámbricas. Se presenta además una comparativa de WRTMAC con respecto a EDCA, simulado en ns-2.

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

Oikeuspoliittinen tutkimuslaitos ja Suomen ympäristökeskus tiedottavat: Vaikutusten arviointi puutteellista lainvalmistelussa Vaikutusten arviointia pidetään keskeisenä asiana, kun tehdään merkittäviä yhteiskunnallisia päätöksiä. Lainvalmistelussa vaikutusten arviointi kulkee kuitenkin enemmin sivujuonteena kuin systemaattisena prosessin osana. Tämä havaittiin Oikeuspoliittisen tutkimuslaitoksen ja Suomen ympäristökeskuksen juuri valmistuneessa tutkimuksesta. Tutkimusta varten haastateltiin kokeneita lainvalmistelijoita ja sidosryhmätoimijoita kolmelta hallinnonalalta (ympäristö-, oikeus-ja sosiaali-ja terveysala). Lisäksi haastatteluja tehtiin kolmesta lakihankkeesta. Poliittisella ohjauksella ja aikataululla eniten merkitystä "Keskeisiksi lainsäädäntöhankkeiden raameja määrittäviksi tekijöiksi havaittiin poliittiset linjaukset ja hankkeelle annettu aikataulu. Tiukka ohjaus ja kiireinen aikataulu heikentävät vaikutusarvioinnin merkitystä valmisteluprosessissa", tutkimusjohtaja Kati Rantala Oikeuspoliittisesta tutkimuslaitoksesta kertoo. Myös sillä on merkitystä, miten lainsäädäntöaloite on saanut alkunsa. Esimerkiksi Euroopan unionista lähtöisin olevissa hankkeissa vaikutusten arviointiin ei kiinnitetä yhtä paljon huomiota siksi, että velvoitteet on pantava täytäntöön joka tapauksessa. Piilevä poliittinen ohjaus harvinaista Joskus arvioinnin lopputulos voi vaikuttaa siihen, miten arviointia hyödynnetään. Jos lopputulos on erisuuntainen poliittisen tahtotilan kanssa, arviointi voi jäädä hyödyntämättä. "Tällainen piilevä ohjaus poliittista tahtotilaa tukevaksi on kuitenkin tutkimuksemme mukaan yleisesti ottaen harvinaista. Tärkeintä, on että vaikutukset esitellään tiiviisti, selkeästi ja havainnollisesti, jolloin niitä on helpompi hyödyntää valmistelussa", erikoistutkija Petrus Kautto Suomen ympäristökeskuksesta toteaa. Tiedon tuottajina valtion tutkimuslaitoksiin ja yliopistoihin luotetaan konsultteja ja sidosryhmiä enemmän.

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment & Outcomes, Prognosis & ARTICLE HISTORY

There has been growing interest in Europe in the development of integrated transport strategies, in which individual policy instruments are combined to complement one another and to achieve improved performance against a given set of policy objectives. This paper applies an optimization procedure to identify optimal strategies for packages of transport policy instruments without, and then with, constraints on finance and targets for global warming and safety. Some exploratory tests have also been carried out on land use strategies, and they are reported here in brief. Results demonstrate that the methodology is robust and can be applied with different transport models and with constraints applied both to policy instruments and to objectives. All optimal strategies found involved substantial reductions in fare levels throughout the study area. Where it was not possible to change fares, the strategies were substantially less effective when measured against the objectives. Most optimal strategies involved increases in public transport frequencies, although their scale varied between cities. All optimal strategies included peakperiod cordon charges to enter the city center, though the optimal level varied between cities. Financially constrained strategies were found to involve smaller fare reductions and higher cordon charges; in some cases frequency increases were smaller. These constrained optima still performed well; the greatest reduction in benefit was only 15%. The net present value of the benefit generated was about €2,000M (€1 = $1.20 US, 2005) in Edinburgh and more than €4,000M in Leeds, United Kingdom. The impact of transport strategies on land use was small, and development constraints had to be used to reverse urban sprawl.

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The paper discusses the origins and emerging ideas of smart specialization, and in particular its translation from a non-spatial concept to an explicitly spatial and regional concept. This discussion is then set in the context of debates regarding the nature, rationale, and role of modern innovation policy, and the governance and institutional issues arising are then examined. We extend this discussion to discuss the experience of these issues in EU regions, and the arguments are then broadened to the potential lessons for other parts of the world which are aiming to enhance their innovation potential.

The mobile cellular systems are expected to support multiple services with guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS). But, the ability of wireless systems to accommodate expected growth of traffic load and broadband services is limited by available radio frequency spectrum. Call Admission Control (CAC) is one of the resource management functions, which regulates network access to ensure QoS provisioning. However, the decision for CAC is very challenging issue due to user mobility, limited radio spectrum, and multimedia traffic characteristics. To deal with these problems, we implemented a Fuzzy Admission Control System (FACS). We compared the performance of FACS with Shadow Cluster Concept (SCC). In another work, we extended FACS by considering the priority of the ongoing connections. We called this system FACS-P. As priority parameter, we considered only one parameter (service request). In this work, we improve our previous system by adding different priorities. We call this system FACS-MP. We evaluate and compare the performance of implemented systems by simulations. From the simulations results, we conclude that the FACS-MP can differentiate better different services compared with previous systems.

When designing and implementing evidence-based programs for children with an autism spectrum disorder, the intervention priorities of parents are important criteria. Although studies in developed countries have explored parents' intervention priorities, there is a paucity of this kind of research in developing countries. This research explores the intervention priorities of 207 Iranian parents for their children with autism in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Participants with children between 2 to 21 years of age were asked to rate their intervention priorities from among 10 main categories. In addition, correlations between children's difficulties and parental intervention priorities were examined. The results indicate that building social communication skills was the highest intervention priority for parents of Iranian children with autism, a contrast to typical current service provision in Iran. The results also substantiated that presence of social communication difficulties and challenging behaviors in children are typically correlated with parents' intervention priorities. 1. Introduction The intervention priorities of parentsof children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are important: understanding these and incorporating them into treatment and support programs is likely to increase parental acceptance, participation and satisfaction, and these factors are likely to lead to better outcomes for children. However, the priorities of parents in developing and developed countries may differ. This research seeks to understand the treatment priorities of parents in Iran, and to compare these with parental priorities reported in similar studies completed in developed countries. A secondary aim is exploring whether there is a correlation between parents' intervention priorities and their child's ability level. Autism Spectrum Disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders that can be diagnosed by documenting difficulties in social communication skills and the existence of repetitive and stereotypical behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The most recent research literature indicates that the prevalence of ASD is increasing in most countries (Hill, Zuckerman, & Fombonne, 2015; Pellicano, Dinsmore, & Charman, 2014). This increase in prevalence is not believed to reflect a rise in incidence, but is instead derived from increased awareness and availability of diagnostic services (Rice et al., 2012). In Iran, the first study about the prevalence of ASD reported a rate of 6.26 in 10,000 (Samadi, Mahmoodizadeh, & McConkey, 2012), but a more recent study indicates that prevalence has reached 95.2 in 10,000 (Samadi & McConkey, 2015). Parents and professionals try hard to find more effective and evidence-based interventions for their children or clients with ASDs

Environmental and conservation scientists are increasingly being asked to justify their work in terms of benefits to society. This article describes economic theory for conceptualizing the benefits from environmental research, and provides a framework for estimating those benefits. In particular we discuss the evaluation of environmental science that is intended to benefit society through informing policy decisions. The chain between environmental research and its benefits through policy change includes at least four links: the research itself, policy change, behavior change and environmental change. Each of these four stages presents challenges and entails time lags. If any link fails, the chain breaks. The standard economic model of supply and demand, which is used to quantify benefits from research into market goods, can be adapted for application to environmental goods. Improved conceptualization and measurement of benefits from environmental research would assist environmental scientists to: (1) select research topics that are likely to deliver large environmental benefits; (2) design their research in a way that will increase its relevance, usefulness and potential impact on policy and, ultimately, the environment; and (3) make the case for funding particular research proposals. It could assist research agencies or research funders to: prioritize proposed research; make a case for increased funding for environmental research; and identify obstacles to the translation of research into environmental impacts, allowing attention to be focused on addressing these bottlenecks. 3

The objective of this study was to assess the priorities of patients with epilepsy and their caring physicians with reference to the timing and severity of the disease. Methods: This is a national survey in which patients with epilepsy followed in 21 Italian epilepsy centers, and their caring physicians were asked to fill anonymous questionnaires to collect data on different aspects of the disease and their needs and priorities in its management. The collected information included demographics, clinical profile and diagnosis, treatment and outcome of epilepsy. The questions were designed to understand the expectations of the patients and their caring physicians and verify the degree of concordance between patient and doctor. The study population was divided in six prognostic categories: (1) Newly diagnosed epilepsy; (2) Absence of seizures for at least 2 years; (3) Absence of seizures for at least 1 year or occasional seizures; (4) Nondrug-resistant recurrent seizures; (5) drug-resistant seizures; (6) surgical candidate. Results: Of the 787 patients enrolled, 432 were women and 355 men aged 15 to 88 years (median 41 years). Disease duration ranged from 6 months to 75 years. The sample included 53 patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy, 283 without seizures for at least 2 years, 162 seizure-free for at least 1 year or with occasional seizures, 123 with nondrug-resistant recurrent seizures, 128 with drug-resistant seizures, and 38 surgical candidates. Significant differences were found between patients and physicians in terms of priorities and needs with reference to the management of the disease. While physicians tend to prioritize the information on the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy depending on timing and severity, patients focus on the search of the cause, the side effects of drugs, and the effects of any new treatment on the control of seizures regardless of the prognostic category. In addition, physicians tend to undervalue the communication of specific information, like the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) or the existence of lay associations, which might be of special interest for selected categories of patients. Significance: Differences between patients with epilepsy and their caring physicians in terms of needs and priorities and suboptimal communication call for the implementation of programs aimed at addressing the factors deemed most relevant by patients and caregivers for the management of the disease.