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School leaders worldwide face challenges in dealing with equity, inclusion, and coexistence because of various global forces. This quantitative study investigated the relationships between emotional intelligence dimensions (EIDs) and professional performance standards (PPS) of Abu Dhabi public school leaders dealing with the changing times of neoliberalism. The study used questionnaires and a scoring guide to measure the emotional intelligence and leadership attributes of 123 school leaders, who were the participants. A multi-structural level analysis tracked the correlation and association between school leaders' EIDs and PPS. The results indicated areas of EIDs requiring development to facilitate school improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Victorian Government Inquiry into wildfires that killed 173 people in 2009 has driven an Australian policy shift from self-evacuation or staying and defending a well-prepared property ('go or stay') to self-evacuation under catastrophic fire weather ('leave early'). The Inquiry also led to the establishment of national 'performance standards' for Private Fire Shelters (PFSs, that are also known as bunkers). Nonetheless, the incorporation of PFSs into national bushfire policy remains embryonic, with only Victoria having streamlined accreditation and planning approval processes. Arguments against PFSs include potentially engendering complacency about preparing dwellings to survive fire and encouraging risky behaviour in response to a fire threat. Counteracting these arguments is research that shows that residents without PFSs have low engagement with bushfire preparation and typically delay evacuation. In any case, because wildfire is unpredictable, it is accepted that self-evacuation plans must have fallback positions that include sheltering 'in place' from the bushfire, making properly used and well-maintained PFSs an important element of bushfire safety. A less discussed barrier to PFS uptake outside Victoria appears to hinge on a lack of clarity about obligations for their design, certification, and consistency with planning approvals. The escalating Australian fire crisis demands much greater research and development in legal frameworks, policy and planning processes for PFSs, as well as design and construction standards. Progress in enhancing Australian laws and policies on this issue may offer important opportunities for other jurisdictions that will experience similar challenges as climate change intensifies fire regimes around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy renovations of the building stock are a paramount objective of the European Union (EU) to combat climate change. A tool for renovation progress monitoring is energy performance certificate (EPC) labelling. The present study tested the effect of different EPC label classifications on a national database, which comprises ~25,000 EPC values from apartment buildings, detached houses, office buildings, and educational, commercial, and service buildings. Analysing the EPC classes labelling resulting from four different EU methods, we estimated the annual renovation rates, costs, energy savings, and CO2 emissions reduction that would affect the national building stock if each of them was adopted, to fulfil the European Climate Target Plan by the year 2033. The ISO 52003-1:2017 two-point and one-point methods determined a very uneven distribution of renovation rates, from 0.45% to ~9%. Conversely, the Directive 15% recently proposed in COM/2021/802 with uniform rates determined smaller differences and standard deviation, not pushing renovations above 3.70%, namely a rate that once fine-tuned can stimulate realistic, yet effective renovation campaigns. The major differences in renovation rates provided by the studied methods show the need for a harmonized strategy such as the Directive proposal to enable achievement of European targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's first Mars exploration mission, named Tianwen-1, landed on Mars on 15 May 2021. The Mars Surface Composition Detector (MarSCoDe) payload onboard the Zhurong rover applied the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique to acquire chemical compositions of Martian rocks and soils. The quantitative interpretation of MarSCoDe-LIBS spectra needs to establish a LIBS spectral database that requires plenty of terrestrial geological standards. In this work, we selected 316 terrestrial standards including igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, and ores, whose chemical compositions, rock types, and chemical weathering characteristics were comparable to those of Martian materials from previous orbital and in situ detections. These rocks were crushed, ground, and sieved into powders less than <38 μm and pressed into pellets to minimize heterogeneity at the scale of laser spot. The chemical compositions of these standards were independently measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Subsequently, the LIBS spectra of MAL standards were acquired using an established LIBS system at Shandong University (SDU-LIBS). In order to evaluate the performance of these standards in LIBS spectral interpretation, we established multivariate models using partial least squares (PLS) and least absolute shrinkage and selection (LASSO) algorithms to predict the abundance of major elements based on SDU-LIBS spectra. The root mean squared error (RMSE) values of these models are comparable to those of the published models for MarSCoDe, ChemCam, and SuperCam, suggesting these PLS and LASSO models work well. From our research, we can conclude that these 316 MAL targets are good candidates to acquire geochemistry information based on the LIBS technique. These targets could be regarded as geological standards to build a LIBS database using a prototype of MarSCoDe in the near future, which is critical to obtain accurate chemical compositions of Martian rocks and soils based on MarSCoDe-LIBS spectral data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the search for the necessary improvement of the quality and performance of social housing in Brazil, the work presents results of survey and characterization of projects of Housing Projects of Social Interest-EHIS filed and approved in the municipality of Indaiatuba-SP after the date of entry in force of the Housing Building Performance Standard ABNT NBR 15575: 2013. The projects were surveyed and characterized as to the income range of the residents, urban insertion of the enterprises, typologies of the buildings, construction systems adopted. The degree of compliance of the projects with NBR 15575 was then carried out, specifically with regard to the factors of Habitability called Functionality and Accessibility. Such research generates reflections and contributes to the professional training, mainly of architects and urban planners, regarding the valorization of the current regulatory context in the theme of housing in the city and of decent housing as a fundamental human right. The knowledge base generated on EHIS projects can support future evaluations to verify performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entity relation extraction is a fundamental task to detect a list of triplets, including two entities and the semantic relations between them. An overlapping relationship has caused the low performance of standard entity relation extraction in fishery in recent years. In this study, a novel entity relation extraction was proposed in fishery using the dual attention mechanism. First, a sentence classification and labeling strategy were selected to solve the difficulty in labeling overlapping relations in fishery standard texts. Second, an extraction model of standard entity relationship was established using a combination of dual attention, and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers-Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory-Conditional Random Field (BERT-BiLSTM-CRF). Five components were included from the bottom to top: BERT layer, BiLSTM layer, word attention mechanism, sentence attention, and CRF output layer. In the pre-trained BERT model, the dual-layer two-way conversion and decoding were used to automatically learn sentence features for the vector representation. In the BiLSTM model, the context feature of the target entity was learned from the BERT output. The word and sentence level attention was utilized to optimize the weight of target words and sentences in the paragraph, including the noise removal, and the accuracy of relationship extraction. The CRF decoder was used to represent the output of the attention layer in the form of sequence tags. Finally, a comparative experiment was designed to verify the effectiveness of the model. The results show that better overall performance was achieved in the entity relationship extraction using the dual attention on the fishery standard interaction (DLOU-FSI) dataset, where the accuracy, recall, and F1 value were 92.67%, 92.31%, and 92.49%, respectively. The overlapping relations were effectively solved in the extraction of fishery standard relations. In addition, the recognition accuracy rates in the seven relation categories were all higher than others. The accuracy rate, recall rate, and F1 value were greatly improved by more than 90% in the quotation relationship, regulation, release, proposal, drafting, and centralization. Nevertheless, the recall rate of the improved model was dropped slightly in the comparison test. The reason was that there was a sparse distribution of sentence samples in the related category of comparative relations. In the DLOU-FSI corpus, each standard text of fishery contained only 0-3 comparison relation triples, less than 1% of the total number of all relational triples. As such, the comprehensive relationship features were necessary to learn for the higher recognition in the relationship extraction task. In addition, the quality of corpus was determined on the extraction of fishery standard text relations. The higher quality and the more accurate recognition of the model were achieved, as the deep learning model was trained to learn more data. There was also a critical value, after which the model cannot be greatly improved. In the case of a model adaptation, the test data can be effectively expanded to increase the number and diversity of samples for a better overall effect of relationship extraction. This finding can lay a significant foundation for the construction of fishery standard knowledge graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toilet revolution has become one important part of a rural revitalization strategy in China, aiming to effectively reduce the incidence rate of fecal oral diseases, while to ensure the health-care level and quality of human beings. Since 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, has taken active actions to vigorously promote the rural toilet revolution and achieved positive effects. However, some situation, like “poor construction, not working well and improper use” of rural toilets, still occurs in some rural areas. The main reason is a lack of a standard system for the toilet modernization and utilization of excrement, further to improve the hygiene of toilets facilities in rural areas. Therefore, this study first summarized the 22 national and industry standards system that were directly related to rural toilet construction and excrement disposal in China. It was found that the number of existing standards was seriously insufficient, indicating the standard system has not been well-established for the rural toilet construction and excrement disposal in China. As such, this study aims to establish a three-dimensional structure diagram of rural toilet construction and excrement disposal, using the system engineering technology method, including levels (basic standards, general standards, special standards), sequence (product equipment standards, engineering construction standards, technical method standards, operation management standards, safety and health standards), category (rural household toilet standards, fecal sewage centralized treatment center standards, other standards). An optimal level of special standard was further determined, according to the basic established principles of a standard system for rural toilet construction and excrement disposal. The key content of a standard system construction was proposed to fill the research gaps in the basic national standards, and the general standards system, as well as in the special standards. Four recommendations were also proposed during this time: 1) To organize a special standardization working group or professional committee as soon as possible to systematically implement the policy of the toilet revolution; 2) To strengthen the fundamental research on the various advanced international standards systems; 3) To speed up the preparation of urgently needed standards systems; 4) To encourage the local governments to actively prepare the local standards system, in order to provide for the rural toilet revolution in China. The standard system of toilet modernization and utilization of excrement in rural areas can provide an important means to guide the renovation of toilet and the utilization of excrement as resources, further to standardize development of the modern industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on standardization is a dynamic and continuous process, including standard development and revision, publication and implementation, consulting and interpretation, comments, and effectiveness evaluation, etc. Topics icnlude the publication of national food safety standards is not the end of standard work, and the termination of standard formulation process periodically and the onset of evaluation process dominantly.

• Retrofits will be required in 65–85% of covered buildings in most cities. • Heavy (>35%) or deep (>50% savings) energy retrofits will be required in most buildings. • Meeting BPS targets will produce considerable (25–45%) total savings for each city. • Most of the total savings can be achieved by improving a small number of buildings. • Simple payback periods for implementing required retrofits are between 10 and 20 years. Building performance standards (BPS) are a promising policy tool for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings, and have become increasingly popular among major U.S. cities and elsewhere globally. Assessing the scope and extent of the investment required by BPS is critical for shaping their design and preparing jurisdictions for the effort ahead. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of achieving BPS targets. Municipal benchmarking data for three property types—offices, multifamily housing, and K-12 schools—in 10 U.S. cities was analyzed and compared to the site energy use intensity (EUI) targets in ASHRAE Standard 100–2018. The results show that BPS are a high effort, high reward policy tool with 65–85% of benchmarked buildings not meeting the target and median required reductions of around 30–40% leading to a total energy use reduction of 25–45% for most cities and property types. Median simple payback periods for implementing the required retrofits were estimated between 10 and 20 years. However, the results also show that the majority of BPS savings could be achieved by retrofitting a small number of buildings and these policies could be better tailored to minimize the retrofit effort and maximize the environmental rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

controversial, including where captive and freeranging aquatic mammal welfare are of concern. An assessor's value preferences, attitudes, personal experience and societal values are examples of factors that inform how animal welfare is evaluated. While there is not a single measure of animal welfare that is universally accepted, assessments of the welfare of aquatic mammals can be fruitful if informed by tried and true standards and indicators. Animal welfare is best viewed within context and relative to opportunities for improvement, although some animal welfare concerns may clearly be dichotomized as "good" or "bad" via animal welfare assessment tools. Tools used for assessing animal welfare can be grouped into general categories, including behavioral indicators, physiological indicators, engineering standards, and performance standards. Mellor's Five Domains Model provides a framework for integrating multiple indicators and standards; however, while there are generally agreed upon concepts of animal welfare, such as sufficient quality and quantity of food, assessor's values (belief systems) impact their perceptions of animal welfare. This can cause intractable disagreements that can be understood through Fraser's Three Orientations Model in which function-, feeling- and natural lives-based values of animal welfare are distinguished. Still, discordance among these values can remain and can be amplified by differences in desired outcomes and how to achieve these outcomes. Tension between values confounds the resolution of tradeoffs that inevitably exist between differing animal management options such as resolution of the tension between captive individual and population-level welfare concerns for social species. Additional contextual challenges for addressing aquatic mammal welfare include assessment of welfare in different captive settings, increased attention to the affective states of animals, and the welfare of free-ranging aquatic mammals. Resolution of aquatic mammal welfare challenges ultimately depends upon stakeholder's personal relationships and a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. This dialogue must be focused on optimally addressing animal needs for a particular set of circumstances by using animal- based measures based on the animal's perspective rather than the advancement of a set viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Building policies must be rooted in a good understanding of the targeted population. • Building performance standards may benefit from creating databases of weather files. • A thermal performance analysis should consider multiple key performance indicators. • Building performance policies should address the thermal resilience of buildings. This paper presents the main challenges faced and lessons learned when developing a new method to assess the thermal performance of residential buildings for the recently updated Brazilian building performance standard, NBR 15575–1:2021. It touches on subjects related to the representation of occupant behavior, climate, and thermal acceptability in building performance simulation, as well as the use of reference models, key performance indicators, and performance levels in policies. NBR 15575 provides a thorough procedure to analyze thermal performance, allowing buildings to be assessed while in passive operation mode and also accounting for energy needs when active operation is necessary. Multiple key performance indicators are introduced to provide a comprehensive evaluation. The main difficulty found was dealing with diversity. Given the vast scale of Brazil's territory, a high variation in culture, climate and construction techniques is expected, thus requiring a compromise between detail and scalability. There are still many opportunities for improvement, especially regarding the representation of occupants, and adjustments of the characteristics of reference models to promote high thermal performance, considering the diverse climates, regional practices, and economic needs. This paper might help researchers and other stakeholders to develop and improve other local standards and protocols, especially for warm climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is a significant source of GHG emissions and has great potential for emission reductions. The effectiveness of building energy codes on energy savings and emission mitigation is of a primary concern to policy makers, but uncertainty in cost and benefit in different regions complicates code selection and implementation. The impacts of a specific building energy standard vary depending on the heating system's thermal efficiency and the heating fuel's carbon intensity. This paper examines the GHG emissions due to space heating for new construction single-detached households in Canada under different building energy codes and enforcement scenarios. The two codes considered are the BC step code and Passive House criteria. Three scenarios are examined reflecting different levels of stringency of standards between 2020 and 2032. The results show both BC step code and passive house criteria can help mitigate the space heating GHG emissions. There is no significant difference between the BC step code and the passive house criteria from the perspective of GHG emission reduction in the province of British Columbia; however, when implemented nationwide, the passive house criteria is 12% more effective in abating space heating GHG emissions than the most stringent level (i.e. Step 5) of BC step code. • Passive House criteria are more effective in reducing the space heating GHG emissions than BC Step Code does in Canada. • BC Step Code and Passive House criteria can save space heating GHG emissions of new single-houses by 77% and 89%, respectively. • Building performance standards are less impactful in regions where fuel carbon intensity is low. • No notable difference is found between BC Step Code and Passive House criteria in GHG emission reduction per unit area in BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes CAARC standard tall building as example to investigate the effects of corner chamfers on the aerodynamic performance of tall buildings. Five rigid tall building models including CAARC standard tall building as benchmark model and four corner chamfered models with different modification rates from 5% to 20% are tested for pressure measurements in a boundary layer wind tunnel. Based on the experimental results, wind pressure coefficients, local wind force coefficients, base moment coefficients and their power spectral densities from the five models are compared and discussed. The results show that the aerodynamic performance of the tall building models can be effectively improved as the corner chamfer rate increases. The correlation factors for base moment coefficients and power spectral densities are proposed to assess the aerodynamic performance improvement. This paper aims to provide useful information for the wind-resistant optimal design of rectangular tall buildings. • Aerodynamic performances of tall building models with various corner chamfers are investigated. • Wind pressure coefficients, local wind force coefficients, base moment coefficients and spectra are analyzed. • Correlation factors for base moment coefficients and spectra are proposed. • Providing useful information for optimal design of tall buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In analyses of urban environments, city-level sustainability assessments standards have received a lot of attention. Many countries, particularly in the developed world, have developed the standards to measure the performance of neighborhoods, districts, and cities in achieving sustainable development goals. In this study, four standards from China and the United States were selected and analyzed within the scope of green and sustainable development. China's new Assessment Standard for Green Eco-districts (ASGE) targets to support China's New-type Urbanization Plan from the conceptual stage to the concrete implementation. LEED® rating systems are one of the important references for the development of ASGE. By comparing ASGE with the advanced standards it draws from, this study aimed to evaluate ASGE's work in adapting to China's national conditions; pointing out the strengths and weaknesses and proposing improvements. The study results indicate that the rating systems of ASGE are in line with China's national conditions, and that some non-technical indicators are forward-looking, but that there is still room for improvement in terms of implementation paths, weight assignment, number of indicators, and index system. Based on these explorations, this study provides suggestions for aspects of principles and methods that could be used for the construction of similar standards in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]