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2015 Spring. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; The purpose of this study is to examine contributing factors of ATV injuries and deaths through application of the Agent-Host-Environment epidemiological model. By analyzing the associations between contributing factors and classifying these factors based on the model, appropriate intervention strategies may be identified. All US incident reports of ATV fatalities and injuries between 2011 and 2013 were obtained from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Each report was read and coded based on information available in the narrative incident report. Each coded variable was classified as relating to a section of the epidemiologic triangle: agent, host, or environment. Descriptive statistics were obtained for the coded variables and Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis was performed in order to identify associations between predictor variables. A total of 1,230 incident reports were obtained and, after data cleansing, a total 1,193 fatality reports remained. While only 12% of cases occurred on farms, the calculated incidence rate in the farming population (.62 per 100,000 population/year) is higher than the overall incident rate in the United States (.13 per 100,000 population/year). Descriptive statistics showed low helmet use (11.85% of fatal cases) and high use of alcohol and drugs (84.2% of fatal cases). The CHAID results showed significant associations between all types of variables: agent, host, and environment. The present study provides nationwide statistics on ATV fatalities, approaching risk factor analysis with regard to the agent-host-environment epidemiological model. The three aspects of the epidemiologic triangle each contribute, and build upon each other, to create the combination of risk factors that lead to a fatal event. By modeling and categorizing risk it is possible to develop targeted solutions to the root cause of the hazard. Through use of legislation and training, many host-related risk factors can be controlled, use of engineering controls can mitigate risk due to the agent and/or physical environment, and use of targeted marketing strategies and education may be able to limit risk due to the social environment.

AbstractThe aim of our work is to develop a generic conceptual agent-based model to formalize the interaction of vector and host given climate change. The model consists in creating a hypothetical example of a vector-host system. It simulates the vector's life cycle while considering interactions with hosts and the temperature. It is presented following the ODD protocol and based on parameters and processes to conceptualize the vector-host complexity. It could accommodate a broad spectrum of vector species and different biogeographic regions. Our model can be extended to more ecologically complex systems with multiple species and real-world landscape complexity to test different host and / or vector-targeted control strategies and identify practical approaches to managing vector population and movement patterns.

Currently, there are many intelligent agent models that provide a number of components or abstractions to solve different types of problems. However, few of them provide abstractions or concepts that allow considering how to deal with complex dynamic environments (an environment that changes continuously in terms of available resources, global behavioral rules, etc.). In this work, we propose two abstractions that provide the developer with a new way of modeling reactive agent capabilities in dynamic environments. The first abstraction focuses on how to process the environmental stimuli as events; the second abstraction specifies how to launch tasks in response to events, which is an approach that is based on event–condition–action rules. Moreover, we present an example that is based on a call center CBR-based application, and a performance evaluation of the proposal is also provided. ; This work was partially supported by MINECO/FEDER TIN2012-36586-C03-01 of the Spanish government. ; Aguero Medina, J.; Rebollo Pedruelo, M.; Carrascosa Casamayor, C.; Julian Inglada, VJ. (2015). Agent reactive capabilities in dynamic environments. Neurocomputing. 163:69-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2014.08.085 ; S ; 69 ; 75 ; 163

Front Matter -- Preface -- Contents -- Glossary -- Executive Summary -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Hormonally Active Agents -- 3 Exposures: Sources and Dynamics of Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment -- 4 Dosimetry -- 5 Effects on Reproduction and Development -- 6 Neurologic Effects -- 7 Immunologic Effects -- 8 HAAs and Carcinogenesis in Animals -- 9 HAAs and Carcinogenesis in Humans -- 10 Ecologic Effects -- 11 Screening and Monitoring -- References -- A Reproductive Effects Caused by Diethylstilbesterol -- B Biographical Information on the Committee on Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment -- ADDENDUM Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee -- Index.

69 75 163 ; Senia ; Currently, there are many intelligent agent models that provide a number of components or abstractions to solve different types of problems. However, few of them provide abstractions or concepts that allow considering how to deal with complex dynamic environments (an environment that changes continuously in terms of available resources, global behavioral rules, etc.). In this work, we propose two abstractions that provide the developer with a new way of modeling reactive agent capabilities in dynamic environments. The first abstraction focuses on how to process the environmental stimuli as events; the second abstraction specifies how to launch tasks in response to events, which is an approach that is based on event–condition–action rules. Moreover, we present an example that is based on a call center CBR-based application, and a performance evaluation of the proposal is also provided. This work was partially supported by MINECO/FEDER TIN2012-36586-C03-01 of the Spanish government. ; Aguero Medina, J.; Rebollo Pedruelo, M.; Carrascosa Casamayor, C.; Julian Inglada, VJ. (2015). Agent reactive capabilities in dynamic environments. Neurocomputing. 163:69-75. doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2014.08.085

This study, with two parts, investigated host environment and host communication factors in Hong Kong ethnic minority members' cross-cultural adaptation. Study I examined host receptivity, host conformity pressure, host communication competence (HCC), and host communication satisfaction as predictors of satisfaction with life self-reported by Hong Kongers of south-/south-east Asian origin ( n = 195). Results showed that host receptivity and host communication satisfaction contributed significantly to satisfaction with life. Study II was a partial replication of Study I with a broader sample ( n = 140). Hierarchical multiple regressions replicated the earlier findings that host receptivity did and host conformity pressure did not predict satisfaction with life in the same direction. MANOVA of high and low HCC groups yielded significant main effects on host receptivity, host conformity pressure, host communication satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Missteps and mistakes: lessons learned from real-world incidents / Peter Emanuel -- Getting started: planning the sample mission / Mark Durno, Myles Bartos, and Jack Kelly -- Sampling teams / Daniel Martin and Anthony Intrepido -- The role of sampling in the phases of a biological event: fact and fiction in an airport scenario / Matt Gillen -- Surface sampling / Anne Busher, Judith Noble-Wang, and Laura Rose -- Indoor and outdoor air sampling / Kristin Omberg and Linda Stetzenbach -- Environmental samples as evidence: labeling and documentation at a crime scene / Steven Drielak -- Sample packaging and transport: biosafety from cradle to grave / Nick Cirino and David Cook -- Laboratory resources / Jason W. Roos and Christina Egan -- Environmental sampling today: advances since the 2001 anthrax attacks / Dorothy Canter.

Cloud computing is one of the frontier technologies, which over the last decade has gained a widespread commercial and educational user base. OpenStack is one of the popular open source cloud management platforms for establishing a private or public Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IAAS) cloud. Although OpenStack started with very few core modules, it now houses nearly 38 modules and is quite complex. Such a complex software bundle is bound to have an impact on the underlying hardware utilization of the host system. The objective is to monitor the usage of system resources by OpenStack on commodity hardware. This paper analyzes the effect of OpenStack on the host machine's hardware. An extensive empirical evaluation has been done on different types of hardware, at different virtualization levels and with different flavours of operating systems comparing the CPU utilization, memory consumption, disk I/O, network, and I/O requests. OpenStack was deployed using Devstack on a single node. The novel aspect of this work is monitoring the resource usage by OpenStack without creating virtual machines on commodity hardware. From the analysis of data, it is observed that standalone machine with Ubuntu server operating system is the least effected by OpenStack and thereby has more available resources for computation of user workloads. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2020-01246 Full Text: PDF

As our cities age, a large number of spatial structures experience physical change. A better understanding of what this process may entail and the agents involved in it can extend the knowledge of practitioners, activists, and policy experts regarding the resilience of our domestic building stock and cities. Awan et al. (2013) explain that agents are not entirely free from societal and spatial constraints; instead, they are characterised by intent, shaped by their own visions and actions, and context, the spatial and social structures of which they are part and which they negotiate. This article discusses the intent and context of the agents involved in the construction and transformation of the Cité Ouvrière in Mulhouse in Eastern France from the mid-19th century to date. With 1,253 houses built for the workers of the Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie (DMC) textile factory between 1853 and 1897, Cité Ouvrière was the largest and most successful employer-constructed housing scheme of its time, setting an example for many other European company towns. Through this exceptional case study, the article identifies the levels at which spatial agents operate, the means they use to instigate change, their dynamic relations, and the ways these are influenced by the wider historical context while influencing the making and evolution of the built form. Using historical and archival documents, it amounts to recognise an interplay of individuals and public and private groups, who have been responsible for taking decisions at different scales - the city, the neighbourhood, and the houses - and have instigated changes of different effect - from more localised to more aggregate.