Streamlining ITS planning : identifying common ITS needs : national ITS architecture

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure gives an overview of the National Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture. The objects of the program include: to aid in the purchase of compatible equipment and services; to guide multilevel efforts in implementing compat...

Save It or Spend It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrell, Louis R.

1999-01-01

Discusses principles for allocation of endowment funds by governing boards, including intergenerational equity, the inherent conflict between an institution's operating budget and its endowment, the importance of achieving financial integrity, and spending policies in volatile markets. Guidelines for board-reviewing policies are offered. (DB)

Sustainable IT and IT for Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhenhua

Energy and sustainability have become one of the most critical issues of our generation. While the abundant potential of renewable energy such as solar and wind provides a real opportunity for sustainability, their intermittency and uncertainty present a daunting operating challenge. This thesis aims to develop analytical models, deployable algorithms, and real systems to enable efficient integration of renewable energy into complex distributed systems with limited information. The first thrust of the thesis is to make IT systems more sustainable by facilitating the integration of renewable energy into these systems. IT represents the fastest growing sectors in energy usage and greenhouse gas pollution. Over the last decade there are dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of IT systems, but the efficiency improvements do not necessarily lead to reduction in energy consumption because more servers are demanded. Further, little effort has been put in making IT more sustainable, and most of the improvements are from improved "engineering" rather than improved "algorithms". In contrast, my work focuses on developing algorithms with rigorous theoretical analysis that improve the sustainability of IT. In particular, this thesis seeks to exploit the flexibilities of cloud workloads both (i) in time by scheduling delay-tolerant workloads and (ii) in space by routing requests to geographically diverse data centers. These opportunities allow data centers to adaptively respond to renewable availability, varying cooling efficiency, and fluctuating energy prices, while still meeting performance requirements. The design of the enabling algorithms is however very challenging because of limited information, non-smooth objective functions and the need for distributed control. Novel distributed algorithms are developed with theoretically provable guarantees to enable the "follow the renewables" routing. Moving from theory to practice, I helped HP design and implement

Rural ITS

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-04-01

Rural intelligent transportation systems (ITS) refers to that portion of the ITS program that focuses on travelers' and operators' needs in non-urbanized areas of the United States. As such, it involves interurban/interstate travel, small communities...

The First Interstellar Explorer: What should it do when it Arrives at its Destination?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, A.; Alkalai, L.

2017-12-01

Imagine that we have decided to embark on mankind's most ambitious project: a 40-year duration mission to visit a habitable-zone planet orbiting one of our nearest stellar neighbors. To plan our mission we must consider altogether 6 mission phases: I. Accelerate out of our Solar System; II. Survive Cruise to Proxima Centauri; III. Decelerate on Approach; IV. Adjust Trajectory for Close Encounter; V. Acquire Data; VI. Return Information to Earth. Most papers on this topic address only the first two phases. This paper addresses Phases III-VI - what would we want our interstellar spacecraft to do when it arrives at its destination, and how should it be configured when it gets there? Should the mission be a simple flyby, collecting data on the planetary system as it swings by in a few short days? Or should it attempt orbit insertion around the target star, so that it can spend longer in the system? Categories of information that we might want returned to Earth include: images; spectral signatures from the surface; detailed atmospheric composition; a moon count; the magnetosphere characteristics. These will only be of interest if we have not been able to discern this information remotely, i.e. observing from our own solar system during the 40 years it takes to arrive at the destination. This means that the questions we seek to answer may be refined en route from basic discovery questions to perhaps more process-oriented ones. This brings us to a central point of this paper - that the spacecraft that leaves our solar system will not be configured appropriately for mission Phases III-VI, especially given that those phases may occur nearly 40 years after solar system escape. The ability to reconfigure itself, perhaps even cannibalize itself, should be built into the design of an interstellar explorer from the start, which would allow us to send hardware and software upgrades that mirror technologies developed on Earth during the long cruise. Should the spacecraft carry a 3

Contextualized IT Education in Tanzania: Beyond Standard IT Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tedre, Matti; Bangu, Nicholas; Nyagava, Seth I.

2009-01-01

Tumaini University at Iringa, Tanzania, started a new B.Sc. program in IT in 2007. In the course of planning and implementation of the program, we found out that standard ACM/IEEE IT curricula are not adequate for an IT program in a poor, developing country. The standard curricula describe, in detail, the competences that IT specialists in…

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Spacecraft?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Observing the sky with the green filter of it panoramic camera, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit came across a surprise: a streak across the sky. The streak, seen in the middle of this mosaic of images taken by the navigation and panoramic cameras, was probably the brightest object in the sky at the time. Scientists theorize that the mystery line could be either a meteorite or one of seven out-of-commission spacecraft still orbiting Mars. Because the object appeared to move 4 degrees of an arc in 15 seconds it is probably not the Russian probes Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, or Phobos 2; or the American probes Mariner 9 or Viking 1. That leaves Viking 2, which has a polar orbit that would fit with the north-south orientation of the streak. In addition, only Viking 1 and 2 were left in orbits that could produce motion as fast as that seen by Spirit. Said Mark Lemmon, a rover team member from Texas A&M University, Texas, 'Is this the first image of a meteor on Mars, or an image of a spacecraft sent from another world during the dawn of our robotic space exploration program? We may never know, but we are still looking for clues'.

The inset shows only the panoramic image of the streak.

Variation: Use It or Misuse It--Replication and Its Variants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drummond, Gordon B.; Vowler, Sarah L.

2012-01-01

In this article, the authors talk about variation and how variation between measurements may be reduced if sampling is not random. They also talk about replication and its variants. A replicate is a repeated measurement from the same experimental unit. An experimental unit is the smallest part of an experiment or a study that can be subject to a…

Sexual Harassment: What It Is, Where It Is, and What to Do About It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weston, Ralph

1995-01-01

Reviews issues and relevant court decisions related to sexual harassment in the workplace. Focuses on definitions and types of sexual harassment, circumstances and institutional settings under which it occurs, its effects on an organization, and steps an organization might take to keep sexual harassment out of the workplace. (35 citations) (MAB)

It's Elemental!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diener, Lynn; Moore, John W.

2011-01-01

An understanding of the periodic table is central to the study of chemistry. So it is no surprise that it is included in the National Science Education Standards. But how can teachers get students excited about the periodic table? And how can teachers help them learn it in a way that challenges their critical-thinking skills? The authors'…

Disease Management: What Is It? Why Is It Necessary? How Will It Affect Me?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seifer, Frederic D.

2008-01-01

How does one "manage" a disease? For most patients, it feels like the disease manages them. It effects how a person feels, their energy level, healthcare expenditures, doctor appointments, longevity and, ultimately, the individual's quality of life. However, disease management turns the tables on disease and puts patients and their physicians in…

Close It, Sell It, or Lease It: What to Do with That Old School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Walter

Recommendations on leasing or selling a surplus school building that has been closed due to declining enrollment are offered. Questions which need to be addressed in deciding which option to pursue are presented including whether it would be better to use the building for community purposes than to lease or sell it. The advantages and…

If it Works, Will it Matter?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martin, Cheryl; Gerst, Kacy; Gould, Josh

Technical success is one thing, but commercial success is another. ARPA-E’s unique Technology-to-Market program was designed to help our awardees move their research out of the lab and into the market, accelerating the adoption of potentially game-changing technologies. The Technology-to-Market team is dedicated to the common goal of answering the fundamental question: if it works, will it matter? Featuring remarks from Cheryl Martin, ARPA-E’s Deputy Director for Commercialization, as well as interviews with three members of the Technology-to-Market team, this video demonstrates ARPA-E’s commitment to both the development and deployment of transformational energy technologies. The video also incorporates footage shotmore » on site with several ARPA-E awardees, much of which will be highlighted in other videos shown throughout the 2015 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.« less

The Research Funding Guidebook: Getting It, Managing It, and Renewing It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ries, Joanne B.; Leukefeld, Carl G.

This guide, intended primarily for new or inexperienced researchers, provides suggestions for obtaining and maintaining external funding from grants and contracts. It emphasizes that this effort requires considerable thought, ongoing planning, sound management, and clear decisions. The book uses the National Institutes of Health application and…

Computer Forensics: Is It the Next Hot IT Subject?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Victor G.; Revels, Ken

2006-01-01

Digital Forensics is not just the recovery of data or information from computer systems and their networks. It is not a procedure that can be accomplished by software alone, and most important, it is not something that can be accomplished by other than a trained IT forensic professional. Digital Forensics is an emerging science and was developed…

If it Works, Will it Matter?

ScienceCinema

Martin, Cheryl; Gerst, Kacy; Gould, Josh; Babinec, Sue

2018-05-11

Technical success is one thing, but commercial success is another. ARPA-E’s unique Technology-to-Market program was designed to help our awardees move their research out of the lab and into the market, accelerating the adoption of potentially game-changing technologies. The Technology-to-Market team is dedicated to the common goal of answering the fundamental question: if it works, will it matter? Featuring remarks from Cheryl Martin, ARPA-E’s Deputy Director for Commercialization, as well as interviews with three members of the Technology-to-Market team, this video demonstrates ARPA-E’s commitment to both the development and deployment of transformational energy technologies. The video also incorporates footage shot on site with several ARPA-E awardees, much of which will be highlighted in other videos shown throughout the 2015 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.

Authenticity: is it real or is it marketing?

PubMed

Weinberger, David

2008-03-01

Marty Echt, the new head of marketing at Hunsk Engines, is determined to bring the motorcycle maker back to its roots. He says it's not enough to project authenticity to customers--employees must personally subscribe to the brand's values. Should the company's CEO support Marty's "real deal" vision? Five experts comment on this fictional case study. Bruce Weindruch, the founder and CEO of the History Factory, says that an authenticity-based campaign can be effective--but only if it's truly drawn from history. Marketers like Marty often remember their organization's past in a golden haze. Weindruch recommends exploring old engineering drawings, ads, and product photos in order to understand what customers and employees really valued back in the day. Gillian Arnold, a consultant to luxury fashion and fine jewelry brands, thinks Marty's approach is right: People in key marketing posts must be passionate about their products and know them inside and out. She argues that the CEO needs to commit more fully to the new campaign and address the significant gap between the staff and the brand. James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II, the cofounders of Strategic Horizons, point out that Hunsk needs to manage customers' perceptions rather than trying to be a "real company" or forming a management team whose personal interests match the brand. People purchase a product if it conforms to their self-image; that alone determines the brand's authenticity. Glenn Brackett of Sweetgrass Rods, a maker of bamboo fly-fishing rods, says Marty seems to be one of the few people who understand Hunsk motorcycles. If employees bring blood, sweat, heart, and soul to a product, it will manifest that spirit, and customers will line up for it.

Rationing health care: what it is, what it is not, and why we cannot avoid it.

PubMed

Reinhardt, U E

1996-01-01

The word "rationing" has come to play a central role in the national health policy debate. Alas, it is also one of the most misunderstood of words. Its injection into the debate has generated far more heat than light. This chapter reviews the definition of "rationing" preferred by the profession that takes as its task the study of how individuals and society respond to and deal with scarcity, namely, the economics profession. It will be shown that economists usually consider all limits on the distribution of a scarce good or services to be "rationing," whether that limit takes the form of a price barrier or some method of non-price allocation--for example, queues or allocation by lottery. To make a distinction between allocation through freely competitive markets and other forms of resource allocation, economists distinguish between "price rationing" and "non-price rationing." This is a meaningful distinction. Adoption of the economist's definition of "rationing" would greatly clarify the national health policy debate. Next, the discussion turns to the controversial proposition, commonly made by most economists and a handful of their allies in the medical profession, that an economically efficient health care system will inevitably engage in the pervasive withholding of services that may be sought by patients and their physicians, and that it will do so to enhance the quality and efficiency of the health care system overall. If managed competition lives up to its current billing, it will entail rationing of precisely that sort. Unfortunately, the individualist tradition of the United States, as it expresses itself in the tort system, may seriously hinder managed competition from achieving its stated goal. Finally, this chapter offers some conjectures on the approach to rationing likely to be taken by the United States health care system in the twenty-first century. It is argued that, far from having been inconclusive, the most recent congressional debate on health

IT infusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, M. S.

2002-01-01

Infusing IT technology is a perennial challenge. The Technology Infusion and Maturity Assessment approach of Cornford & Hicks is shown applied to an example of IT infusion: moedl-based V&V of spacecraft software.

Creating IT agility.

PubMed

Glaser, John

2008-04-01

Seven steps healthcare organizations can take to improve IT agility are: Pay attention to the capabilities of IT applications. Establish short project phases. Stage the release of capital and new IT positions. Cross-train IT staff. Adopt technology standards. Shorten IT plan time horizons. Align IT with organizational strategies and priorities.

Silk-Its Mysteries, How It Is Made, and How It Is Used.

PubMed

Ebrahimi, Davoud; Tokareva, Olena; Rim, Nae Gyune; Wong, Joyce Y; Kaplan, David L; Buehler, Markus J

2015-10-12

This article reviews fundamental and applied aspects of silk-one of Nature's most intriguing materials in terms of its strength, toughness, and biological role-in its various forms, from protein molecules to webs and cocoons, in the context of mechanical and biological properties. A central question that will be explored is how the bridging of scales and the emergence of hierarchical structures are critical elements in achieving novel material properties, and how this knowledge can be explored in the design of synthetic materials. We review how the function of a material system at the macroscale can be derived from the interplay of fundamental molecular building blocks. Moreover, guidelines and approaches to current experimental and computational designs in the field of synthetic silklike materials are provided to assist the materials science community in engineering customized finetuned biomaterials for biomedical applications.

Writing It down--Writing It out--Writing It up: Researching Our Practice through Action Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Pete; Clarke, Davina M.

2007-01-01

What value is added for writer and reader by intentionally keeping personal learning part of public researching? When a practitioner attends conscientiously to "the relationship with their research," does it make a difference to their learning and researching? If it does, can this difference also make a difference to the reader...? This paper…

Austria; Its People and Its Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Merriam

This curriculum guide details a 10-week German language course on Austria for advanced high school students. It is intended to help students develop skills of listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing German; to add to their knowledge of German grammar and vocabulary; to acquaint them with Austrian history and culture, and to have…

The UK's National Programme for IT: Why was it dismantled?

PubMed

Justinia, Taghreed

2017-02-01

This paper discusses the UK's National Programme for IT (NPfIT), which was an ambitious programme launched in 2002 with an initial budget of some £6.2 billion. It attempted to implement a top-down digitization of healthcare in England's National Health Service (NHS). The core aim of the NPfIT was to bring the NHS' use of information technology into the 21st century, through the introduction of an integrated electronic patient record systems, and reforming the way that the NHS uses information, and hence to improve services and the quality of patient care. The initiative was not trusted by doctors and appeared to have no impact on patient safety. The project was marred by resistance due to the inappropriateness of a centralized authority making top-down decisions on behalf of local organizations. The NPfIT was officially dismantled in September 2011. Deemed the world's largest civil IT programme, its failure and ultimate demise sparked a lot of interest as to the reasons why. This paper summarises the underlying causes that lead to dismantling the NPfIT. At the forefront of those circumstances were the lack of adequate end user engagement, the absence of a phased change management approach, and underestimating the scale of the project.

Making ITS/CVO happen : Pennsylvania's ITS/CVO business plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-31

This business plan will be used to coordinate the deployment of CVO technologies in Pennsylvania. It provides a 'roadmap' for Pennsylvania's ITS/CVO program by defining broad goals and objectives, as well as specific projects, milestones, responsibil...

ITS1: a DNA barcode better than ITS2 in eukaryotes?

PubMed

Wang, Xin-Cun; Liu, Chang; Huang, Liang; Bengtsson-Palme, Johan; Chen, Haimei; Zhang, Jian-Hui; Cai, Dayong; Li, Jian-Qin

2015-05-01

A DNA barcode is a short piece of DNA sequence used for species determination and discovery. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS/ITS2) region has been proposed as the standard DNA barcode for fungi and seed plants and has been widely used in DNA barcoding analyses for other biological groups, for example algae, protists and animals. The ITS region consists of both ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Here, a large-scale meta-analysis was carried out to compare ITS1 and ITS2 from three aspects: PCR amplification, DNA sequencing and species discrimination, in terms of the presence of DNA barcoding gaps, species discrimination efficiency, sequence length distribution, GC content distribution and primer universality. In total, 85 345 sequence pairs in 10 major groups of eukaryotes, including ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, liverworts, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, monocotyledons, eudicotyledons, insects and fishes, covering 611 families, 3694 genera, and 19 060 species, were analysed. Using similarity-based methods, we calculated species discrimination efficiencies for ITS1 and ITS2 in all major groups, families and genera. Using Fisher's exact test, we found that ITS1 has significantly higher efficiencies than ITS2 in 17 of the 47 families and 20 of the 49 genera, which are sample-rich. By in silico PCR amplification evaluation, primer universality of the extensively applied ITS1 primers was found superior to that of ITS2 primers. Additionally, shorter length of amplification product and lower GC content was discovered to be two other advantages of ITS1 for sequencing. In summary, ITS1 represents a better DNA barcode than ITS2 for eukaryotic species. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From BPA to its analogues: Is it a safe journey?

PubMed

Usman, Afia; Ahmad, Masood

2016-09-01

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the most abundant synthetic chemicals in the world due to its uses in plastics. Its widespread exposure vis-a-vis low dose effects led to a reduction in its safety dose and imposition of ban on its use in infant feeding bottles. This restriction paved the way for the gradual market entry of its analogues. However, their structural similarity to BPA has put them under surveillance for endocrine disrupting potential. The application of these analogues is increasing and so are the studies reporting their toxicity. This review highlights the reasons which led to the ban of BPA and also reports the exposure and toxicological data available on its analogues. Hence, this compilation is expected to answer in a better way whether the replacement of BPA by these analogues is safer or more harmful? Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[Study on ITS sequences of Aconitum vilmorinianum and its medicinal adulterant].

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-nan; Du, Chun-hua; Fu, De-huan; Gao, Li; Zhou, Pei-jun; Wang, Li

2012-09-01

To analyze and compare the ITS sequences of Aconitum vilmorinianum and its medicinal adulterant Aconitum austroyunnanense. Total genomic DNA were extracted from sample materials by improved CTAB method, ITS sequences of samples were amplified using PCR systems, directly sequenced and analyzed using software DNAStar, ClustalX1.81 and MEGA 4.0. 299 consistent sites, 19 variable sites and 13 informative sites were found in ITS1 sequences, 162 consistent sites, 2 variable sites and 1 informative sites were found in 5.8S sequences, 217 consistent sites, 3 variable sites and 1 informative site were found in ITS2 sequences. Base transition and transversion was not found only in 5.8S sequences, 2 sites transition and 1 site transversion were found in ITS1 sequences, only 1 site transversion was found in ITS2 sequences comparting the ITS sequences data matrix. By analyzing the ITS sequences data matrix from 2 population of Aconitum vilmorinianum and 3 population of Aconitum austroyunnanense, we found a stable informative site at the 596th base in ITS2 sequences, in all the samples of Aconitum vilmorinianum the base was C, and in all the samples of Aconitum austroyunnanense the base was A. Aconitum vilmorinianum and Aconitum austroyunnanense can be identified by their characters of ITS sequences, and the variable sites in ITS1 sequences are more than in ITS2 sequences.

Engineering as a Life-Long Career: Its Meaning, Its Satisfactions, Its Difficulties.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-11-01

reached their career heights, are least likely of any group to be disappointed with their career success . It is Group 2 who evaluate their careers most...period, particularly if they do so relatively early, are most likely to reorient towards work, and most optimistic about their career success . These

Administrative IT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grayson, Katherine, Ed.

2006-01-01

When it comes to Administrative IT solutions and processes, best practices range across the spectrum. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), student information systems (SIS), and tech support are prominent and continuing areas of focus. But widespread change can also be accomplished via the implementation of campuswide document imaging and sharing,…

An Examination of the Correlative Effects of IT Outsourcing with IT Agility, IT Strategic Alignment and IT Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eichman, Bruce W.

2013-01-01

Organizational executives are concerned with the insufficient alignment of Information Technology (IT) investments to achieve computed based information systems effectiveness. Survey results of senior executives determined that in spite of applying enormous amounts of resources and energy attempting to prioritize and effectively align these…

IT security evaluation - “hybrid” approach and risk of its implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livshitz, I. I.; Neklyudov, A. V.; Lontsikh, P. A.

2018-05-01

It is relevant to evolve processes of evaluation of the IT security nowadays. Creating and application of the common evaluation approaches for an IT component, which are processed by the governmental and civil organizations, are still not solving problem. It is suggested to create a more precise and complex assessment tool for an IT security – the “hybrid” method of the IT security evaluation for a particular object, which is based on a range of adequate assessment tools.

[Molecular identification of astragali radix and its adulterants by ITS sequences].

PubMed

Cui, Zhan-Hu; Li, Yue; Yuan, Qing-Jun; Zhou, Li-She; Li, Min-Hui

2012-12-01

To explore a new method for identification Astragali Radix from its adulterants by using ITS sequence. Thirteen samples of the different Astragali Radix materials and 6 samples of the adulterants of the roots of Hedysarum polybotrys, Medicago sativa and Althaea rosea were collected. ITS sequence was amplified by PCR and sequenced unidirectionally. The interspecific K-2-P distances of Astragali Radix and its adulterants were calculated, and NJ tree and UPGMA tree were constructed by MEGA 4. ITS sequences were obtained from 19 samples respectively, there were Astragali Radix 646-650 bp, H. polybotrys 664 bp, Medicago sativa 659 bp, Althaea rosea 728 bp, which were registered in the GenBank. Phylogeny trees reconstruction using NJ and UPGMA analysis based on ITS nucleotide sequences can effectively distinguish Astragali Radix from adulterants. ITS sequence can be used to identify Astragali Radix from its adulterants successfully and is an efficient molecular marker for authentication of Astragali Radix and its adulterants.

It Worked There. Will It Work Here? Researching Teaching Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Andrew

2017-01-01

"It worked there. Will it work here?" We have to be able to identify the "it" in that aphoristic question. Classifications of teaching methods belong in the social realm, where human intentions play a fundamental role in how phenomena are categorized. The social realm is characterized with the help of John Searle. Social…

Public Administration: What is It, Why Teach It and Does It Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenwick, John; McMillan, Janice

2014-01-01

What is understood by "public administration" in the contemporary UK higher education setting? Is it still being taught and, if so, why? These questions initially appear to be fairly straightforward but any review of the topic quickly poses some rather more tricky areas of enquiry. This article will focus upon three central questions.…

Getting IT right.

PubMed

Feld, Charlie S; Stoddard, Donna B

2004-02-01

Modern information technology started four decades ago, yet in most major corporations, IT remains an expensive mess. This is partly because the relatively young and rapidly evolving practice of IT continues to be either grossly misunderstood or blindly ignored by top management. Senior managers know how to talk about finances because they all speak or understand the language of profit and loss and balance sheets. But when they allow themselves to be befuddled by IT discussions or bedazzled by three-letter acronyms, they shirk a critical responsibility. In this article, the authors say a systematic approach to understanding and executing IT can and should be implemented, and it should be organized along three interconnected principles: A Long-Term IT Renewal Plan Linked to Corporate Strategy. Such a plan focuses the entire IT group on the company's over-arching goals during a multiyear period, makes appropriate investments directed toward cutting costs in the near term, and generates a detailed blueprint for long-term systems rejuvenation and value creation. A Simplified, Unifying Corporate Technology Platform. Instead of relying on vertically oriented data silos that serve individual corporate units (HR, accounting, and so on), companies adopt a clean, horizontally oriented architecture designed to serve the whole organization. A Highly Functional, Performance-Oriented IT Organization. Instead of functioning as if it were different from the rest of the firm or as a loose confederation of tribes, the IT department works as a team and operates according to corporate performance standards. Getting IT right demands the same inspired leadership and superb execution that other parts of the business require. By sticking to the three central principles outlined in this article, companies can turn IT from a quagmire into a powerful weapon.

Sleep Health: Can We Define It? Does It Matter?

PubMed Central

Buysse, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Good sleep is essential to good health. Yet for most of its history, sleep medicine has focused on the definition, identification, and treatment of sleep problems. Sleep health is a term that is infrequently used and even less frequently defined. It is time for us to change this. Indeed, pressures in the research, clinical, and regulatory environments require that we do so. The health of populations is increasingly defined by positive attributes such as wellness, performance, and adaptation, and not merely by the absence of disease. Sleep health can be defined in such terms. Empirical data demonstrate several dimensions of sleep that are related to health outcomes, and that can be measured with self-report and objective methods. One suggested definition of sleep health and a description of self-report items for measuring it are provided as examples. The concept of sleep health synergizes with other health care agendas, such as empowering individuals and communities, improving population health, and reducing health care costs. Promoting sleep health also offers the field of sleep medicine new research and clinical opportunities. In this sense, defining sleep health is vital not only to the health of populations and individuals, but also to the health of sleep medicine itself. Citation: Buysse DJ. Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter? SLEEP 2014;37(1):9-17. PMID:24470692

Apprent-IT-Ships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norbury, Keith

2012-01-01

Helping students land tech jobs after graduation may be one of the most gratifying benefits of involving students in campus IT--but it's not the only one. Student workers can reduce IT costs and, equally important, they bring to the table a useful perspective: They are, after all, the IT department's constituents and can often provide insights…

Capital Equipment: How to Get It and Manage It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caernarven-Smith, Patricia

1994-01-01

Describes how technical communicators can learn to write capital equipment requests that specify the needed new equipment, show the benefits to the company from buying it, and recommend the way to account for it. Shows that to do so, they must learn some business basics and make friends outside their own departments. (SR)

It's the Curriculum, Stupid: There's Something Wrong with It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Dave F.

2006-01-01

If teachers and parents genuinely believe that it is educators' responsibility to prepare students for a life of "meeting employers' needs," then teachers have to better examine what it is that they choose to teach students. That is, what should be in the curriculum to ensure that students have the knowledge to prepare them for a life of…

"If It's Not in English, It's Not Worth Reading!"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durand, Charles Xavier

2006-01-01

A policy favouring one foreign language can only be imposed if measures are taken to make it accepted. Therefore, the development of perceptions about the policy takes on as much importance as the measures taken for promoting its use. This paper aims to demonstrate the cogency of this assertion particularly in the area of science and technology…

'The core': understanding it, and retraining its dysfunction.

PubMed

Key, Josephine

2013-10-01

"Core stability training" is popular in both the therapeutic and fitness industries but what is actually meant and understood by this concept? And does everyone need the same training approach? This paper examines the landscape of 'the core' and its control from both a clinical and research perspective. It attempts a comprehensive review of its healthy functional role and how this is commonly changed in people with spinal and pelvic girdle pain syndromes. The common clinically observable and palpable patterns of functional and structural change associated with 'problems with the core' have been relatively little described. This paper endeavors to do so, introducing a variant paradigm aimed at promoting the understanding and management of these altered patterns of 'core control'. Clinically, two basic subgroups emerge. In light of these, the predictable difficulties that each group finds in establishing the important fundamental elements of spino-pelvic 'core control' and how to best retrain these, are highlighted. The integrated model presented is applicable for practitioners re-educating movement in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, Pilates, Yoga or injury prevention within the fitness industry in general. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health: IT leader or laggard? A comparative assessment of IT maturity.

PubMed

England, Ian; Stewart, Don

2003-01-01

The health industry has acquired a reputation as lagging in the use of IT. This reputation is usually based upon the relatively narrow measure of comparative IT expenditure, often examined as a proportion of total revenue. This study has been undertaken to assess health's use of IT using a broader frame of reference. The health industry was compared to the banking industry, on the basis that the banking industry is widely perceived as a leading IT user. The research confirmed that in these two 'knowledge' industries, health is slower to adopt IT with an apparent lower maturity level. This was the case across a range of best practice management, procedural and cultural topics as well as in the level of resources applied to IT.

Is It Cheating if Everybody Does It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustafon, Chris

2004-01-01

A teacher brings you a paper he suspects is not the student's own work, and a google search confirms it was copied right off a web page. Intellectual honesty issues are impossible to duck in the library, but plagiarism lessons are often met with yawns and eye rolls from students.

What It Is and that It Is

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannatella, Howard

2012-01-01

The title of this paper comes from Aristotle's "Metaphysics." It appropriately captures how he understood art education. In what follows, a considerable amount of the author's thinking is indebted to Plato's and Aristotle's understanding of art education as mimetic education. On first view, an art mimetic educational approach may appear worryingly…

Philip Morris changes its name, but not its harmful practices.

PubMed

Myers, M L

2002-09-01

After spending more than $250 million on an advertising campaign to improve its name and reputation, Philip Morris has abruptly shifted course and decided instead to change its corporate name-to The Altria Group, Inc.

Using IT Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brobst, Jan; Council, Chip

2005-01-01

The discussion in this article is intended to provide an examination of why top management, IT management, and internal auditors should be interested in IT governance. Some aspects of IT management will be described including implementation, auditing, availability, security, and alignment. One governance framework, COBIT, will be utilized as a…

Integrated health care: it's time for it to blossom.

PubMed

Reddy, Sandeep

2016-09-01

Considering the grim scenario of burgeoning health-care costs and cost-cutting measures by the Australian Government, there is a clear case to invest and research into disciplines that will ensure sustainability of the public health system. There is evidence that integrated health care contributes to a cost-efficient and quality health system because of potential benefits like streamlined care for patients, efficient use of resources, a better cover of patients and improved patient safety. However, integrated health care as a notion is submerged in the disciplines of public health and primary care. In reality, it is a distinct concept acting as a bridge between primary and secondary care. This article argues it is time for the discipline of integrated health care to be recognised on its own and investment be driven into the establishment of integrated care centres.

IT Investment Guidelines in Taiwan's IT Industry under a Global Economic Downturn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cha, Un Un

2011-01-01

The current qualitative phenomenological study focused on how information technology (IT) leaders managed IT investment during the global economic downturn in the Taiwan IT industry. Organizations around the world spend billions of dollars on IT-related products and services every year. Determining an effective IT investment plan is a complex task…

NCLB: Fix It, Don't Nix It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butzin, Sarah M.

2007-01-01

As the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act comes up for reauthorization in Congress this year, everyone is taking sides. The detractors believe the law should be called "No School Left Standing" and fear that its real intent is to destroy public education. The supporters believe that NCLB has banished mediocrity and exposed the dirty little…

Information Technology (IT) Strategic Alignment: A Correlational Study between the Impact of IT Governance Structures and IT Strategic Alignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asante, Keith K.

2010-01-01

This dissertation explored the extent to which Information Technology (IT) strategic alignment are impacted by IT governance structures. The study discusses several strategic alignment and IT governance literature that presents a gap in the literature domain. Subsequent studies researched issues surrounding why organizations are not able to align…

Underneath It All

Science.gov Websites

It! What is Soil? Chip Off the Old Block Soil Forming Factors Matters of Life and Death Underneath It Soil 4 Toxic Soil 5 Wildfires and Mudslides >> Underneath It All Soils are the foundations on well do you know the world beneath your feet? Click here to take our Soil Quiz and find out! Copyright

Evaluation of IT security – genesis and its state-of-art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livshitz, I. I.; Neklyudov, A. V.; Lontsikh, P. A.

2018-05-01

It is topical to evolve processes of an evaluation of the IT security nowadays. Formation and application of common evaluation approaches to the IT component, which are processed by the governmental and civil organizations, are still not solving problem. Successful processing of the independent evaluation for conformity with a security standard is supposed to be the main criteria of a suitability of any IT component to be used in a trusted computer system. The solution of the mentioned-above problem is suggested through the localization of all research, development and producing processes in a national trusted area (digital sovereignty).

Conceptual IT model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaoudova, Kristina; Stanchev, Peter

2015-11-01

The business processes are the key asset for every organization. The design of the business process models is the foremost concern and target among an organization's functions. Business processes and their proper management are intensely dependent on the performance of software applications and technology solutions. The paper is attempt for definition of new Conceptual model of IT service provider, it could be examined as IT focused Enterprise model, part of Enterprise Architecture (EA) school.

It's Only Technology If It Happens after You Are Born

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Arthur; Dean, Diane R.

2013-01-01

A focus group of undergraduates at a university in the western US were asked how they were coping with the digital revolution, the tidal wave of new apps, devices, and communication choices. One student seemingly glibly dismissed the questions, saying, "It's only technology if it happens after you are born." In this regard, traditional…

I believe it, but I don't see it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmerman, Seth

2013-04-01

Since its discovery by Cantor in the 1870s, the one-to-one, onto function from the unit interval to the unit square has been a subject of continual interest. A corresponding function from the square to the interval, however, has rarely been considered, in spite of its unusual characteristics. This Classroom Note demonstrates how to create such a function, highlighting the counterintuitive nature of its continuities, discontinuities and slopes. This will likely be the first function whose graph students of multivariable calculus cannot visualize, and the particular results presented will surprise them. Nevertheless, guided by their instructor, using methods they have used in more standard contexts and helped by some brief hints in the text, they will be able to prove these results. While some familiarity with transfinite numbers and set concepts will enhance the experience, this is not strictly necessary. A goal is to give serious students a sense of participation in the investigation of such a function, knowing that they are not simply repeating work that others have done many times before.

Strategy for IT Security

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santiago, S. Scott; Moyles, Thomas J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This viewgraph presentation provides information on the importance of information technology (IT) security (ITS) to NASA's mission. Several points are made concerning the subject. In order for ITS to be successful, it must be supported by management. NASA, while required by law to keep the public informed of its pursuits, must take precautions due to possible IT-based incursions by computer hackers and other malignant persons. Fear is an excellent motivation for establishing and maintaining a robust ITS policy. The ways in which NASA ITS personnel continually increase security are manifold, however a great deal relies upon the active involvement of the entire NASA community.

Fomes annosus - what it is and how to recognize it

Treesearch

Paul V. Mook; Harold G. Eno

1961-01-01

The fungus Fomes annosus has caused a great deal of damage to coniferous forests and plantations in Europe. The disease caused by this fungus is now widespread in the United States. In the past few years we have become increasingly aware of its threat in the Northeast. It is particularly damaging to 20- to 30-year-old conifer plantations on formerly...

Sanitation Doesn't Cost, It Pays: Is It True and Can We Prove It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Marsha; McSwane, David

1994-01-01

This article describes an approach to substantiate the premise that good sanitation has economic benefits. It details the results of a research study conducted to measure the cost effectiveness of good sanitation in a retail food store meat department and found a 5.3% decrease in product reprocessing loss. (LZ)

[Molecular identification of Hibiscus syriacus and its adulterants using ITS2 barcode].

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Mei; Jin, Li-Na; Xiong, Yong-Xin; Wu, Lan; Chen, Ke-Li

2014-03-01

To identify Hibiscus syriacus and its adulterants using DNA barcoding technique. Nine samples of five species were PCR amplified and sequenced, and twelve samples were downloaded from the GenBank. The intra-specific and interspecific K2P distances were calculated, and neighbor-joining( NJ) tree was constructed by MEGA 5.0. The results showed the intra-specific genetic distances of Hibiscus syriacus were ranged from 0.009 to 0.056, which were far lower than inter-specific genetic distances between Hibiscus syriacus and its adulterants (0.236 - 0.301). Variable sites within Hibiscus syriacus ranged from 2 to 9 which were far less than the adulterants (45 - 52); Different samples of Hibiscus syriacus were gathered together and could be distinguished from its adulterants by NJ tree. ITS2 can discriminate Hibiscus syriacus from its adulterants correctly. The ITS2 region is an efficient barcode for authentication of Hibiscus syriacus and its adulterants.

It's hard work, but it's worth it: the task of keeping children adherent to isoniazid preventive therapy.

PubMed

Skinner, D; Hesseling, A C; Francis, C; Mandalakas, A M

2013-09-21

Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) offers children protection against tuberculosis (TB), but it has been difficult to implement, particularly in developing countries. To understand what encourages or inhibits children from adhering to IPT. In-depth interviews were conducted with two parents of children adherent to IPT and two staff members from three primary health care clinics in high TB prevalence communities. Themes explored were knowledge and attitudes towards IPT, problems in accessing and adhering to treatment, and community responses. Parents administering treatment valued it positively, realised their children's risk of TB, and were positive about the clinic. Nurses acknowledged that resistance to treatment remained, with some parents not wanting to acknowledge risk nor willing to make the effort for their children; there was also considerable misinformation about IPT. Clinic nurses acknowledged problems of staff shortages, lengthy waiting times and conflict between staff and community members. Adherence was affected by social problems, stigma about TB and its link to the human immunodeficiency virus, and the extended treatment period. Parents who maintained adherence to the IPT regimen showed that it was possible even in very difficult circumstances. Further effort is required to improve some of the clinic services, correct misinformation, reduce stigma and provide support to parents.

Framework for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Evaluation : ITS Integration Activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-08-01

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) represent a significant opportunity to improve the efficiency and safety of the surface transportation system. ITS includes technologies to support information processing, communications, surveillance and cont...

ITS system specification

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-21

The objective of the Polaris Project is to define an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architecture for the state of Minnesota. An architecture is a framework that defines how multiple ITS Components interrelate and contribute to the overall I...

ITS component specification

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-20

The objective of the Polaris Project is to define an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architecture for the state of Minnesota. An architecture is a framework that defines how multiple ITS Components interrelate and contribute to the overall I...

Dragging Its Foot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This animation shows the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity digging a hole in the ground at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The rover scraped its front right wheel back and forth across the surface six times by rotating its whole body in place. At the end of each sweep, the wheel changed the direction it was spinning to shove excess dirt out of the way. The resulting trench is about 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep.

The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying the fresh soil at the bottom of the hole later today for clues to its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular site for trenching because previous data taken by the rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun.

This movie is composed of images taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.

It ain't what you do (it's the way that you do it).

PubMed

Aitken, Kenneth John

2013-08-01

Knowledge of the complexity of human communication comes from three main sources - (i) studies of the linguistics and neuropsychology of dysfunction after brain injury; (ii) studies of the development of social communication in infancy, and its dysfunction in developmental psychopathologies; and (iii) the evolutionary history of human communicative interaction. Together, these suggest the need for a broad, integrated theory of communication of which language forms a small but critical component.

Spirituality: Everyone has it, but what is it?

PubMed

Lepherd, Laurence

2015-10-01

Spirituality has been the subject of discussion over many years, yet understanding its nature, and usefulness during illness, can be elusive. Nurses and other health-care practitioners can often be in the position to help patients discuss spiritual matters because of their direct contact on a frequent basis, but might not feel confident to do so because the subject can appear to be overly complex. This paper summarizes some of the essential elements of spirituality as synthesized from literature that refers to it. The literature draws attention to spirit as the core of a person's being, and the notion that spirituality comprises multiple dimensions that exist internally or become externally manifest through behaviours. The presence and use of spirituality can lead to such outcomes as peace of mind, self-fulfilment and alleviation of suffering. Underpinning all spirituality is the concept of transcendence where a person can be 'lifted up' above the challenges of illness. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Refactoring and Its Benefits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veerraju, R. P. S. P.; Rao, A. Srinivasa; Murali, G.

2010-10-26

Refactoring is a disciplined technique for restructuring an existing body of code, altering its internal structure without changing its external behavior. It improves internal code structure without altering its external functionality by transforming functions and rethinking algorithms. It is an iterative process. Refactoring include reducing scope, replacing complex instructions with simpler or built-in instructions, and combining multiple statements into one statement. By transforming the code with refactoring techniques it will be faster to change, execute, and download. It is an excellent best practice to adopt for programmers wanting to improve their productivity. Refactoring is similar to things like performance optimizations,more » which are also behavior- preserving transformations. It also helps us find bugs when we are trying to fix a bug in difficult-to-understand code. By cleaning things up, we make it easier to expose the bug. Refactoring improves the quality of application design and implementation. In general, three cases concerning refactoring. Iterative refactoring, Refactoring when is necessary, Not refactor.Mr. Martin Fowler identifies four key reasons to refractor. Refactoring improves the design of software, makes software easier to understand, helps us find bugs and also helps in executing the program faster. There is an additional benefit of refactoring. It changes the way a developer thinks about the implementation when not refactoring. There are the three types of refactorings. 1) Code refactoring: It often referred to simply as refactoring. This is the refactoring of programming source code. 2) Database refactoring: It is a simple change to a database schema that improves its design while retaining both its behavioral and informational semantics. 3) User interface (UI) refactoring: It is a simple change to the UI which retains its semantics. Finally, we conclude the benefits of Refactoring are: Improves the design of software, Makes

Refactoring and Its Benefits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veerraju, R. P. S. P.; Rao, A. Srinivasa; Murali, G.

2010-10-01

Refactoring is a disciplined technique for restructuring an existing body of code, altering its internal structure without changing its external behavior. It improves internal code structure without altering its external functionality by transforming functions and rethinking algorithms. It is an iterative process. Refactoring include reducing scope, replacing complex instructions with simpler or built-in instructions, and combining multiple statements into one statement. By transforming the code with refactoring techniques it will be faster to change, execute, and download. It is an excellent best practice to adopt for programmers wanting to improve their productivity. Refactoring is similar to things like performance optimizations, which are also behavior- preserving transformations. It also helps us find bugs when we are trying to fix a bug in difficult-to-understand code. By cleaning things up, we make it easier to expose the bug. Refactoring improves the quality of application design and implementation. In general, three cases concerning refactoring. Iterative refactoring, Refactoring when is necessary, Not refactor. Mr. Martin Fowler identifies four key reasons to refractor. Refactoring improves the design of software, makes software easier to understand, helps us find bugs and also helps in executing the program faster. There is an additional benefit of refactoring. It changes the way a developer thinks about the implementation when not refactoring. There are the three types of refactorings. 1) Code refactoring: It often referred to simply as refactoring. This is the refactoring of programming source code. 2) Database refactoring: It is a simple change to a database schema that improves its design while retaining both its behavioral and informational semantics. 3) User interface (UI) refactoring: It is a simple change to the UI which retains its semantics. Finally, we conclude the benefits of Refactoring are: Improves the design of software, Makes software

Catalase and its mysteries.

PubMed

Sepasi Tehrani, Hessam; Moosavi-Movahedi, Ali Akbar

2018-03-09

Catalase is one of the firsts in every realm of biological sciences. At the same time it also has a number of unusual features. It has one of the highest turnover numbers of all enzymes. It is essential for neutralizing the noxious hydrogen peroxide both in the nature and the various industries such as dairy, textile and pharmaceutics. It also has the merit of being one of the first protein crystals to be isolated. Ironically its three-dimensional structure was discerned some forty years later. However through the times this senile enzyme has continued to intrigue the scientists by surprising facts and phenomena, such as peculiar interweaving of subunits and remarkable thermal stability. It is also known for suicide inactivation by its own substrate. Catalase is known to be implicated in various medical scenarios and its levels have served as a marker in that capacity. It has even been incorporated into several pharmaceuticals. This review strives to clarify these perspectives. It also draws attention to the biophysical contributions offered by thermodynamics and kinetics in these discoveries. The ultimate aim of this review, however, is to state that the venerable catalase will continue to bewilder us with its mysteries well into the twenty-first century. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Moderating Effects of IT Training Programs: A Study of IT Flexibility Investments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plickebaum, Terry L.

2012-01-01

Information technology (IT) flexibility continues to grow in importance as organizations become increasingly dependent on IT in increasingly dynamic business environments. The contribution of IT infrastructure towards IT flexibility is fairly well understood and managed within organizations today. The contribution of IT personnel capabilities…

ITS technology adoption and observed market trends from ITS deployment tracking.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-03

This report examines the market dynamics and benefits associated with the deployment and diffusion of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies across the United States. For several ITS technologies, the current market structure, events t...

Math anxiety: who has it, why it develops, and how to guard against it.

PubMed

Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L

2012-08-01

Basic math skills are important for success in school and everyday life. Yet many people experience apprehension and fear when dealing with numerical information, termed math anxiety. Recently, researchers have started to probe the antecedents of math anxiety, revealing some surprising insights into its onset, risk factors, and remediation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility Assessment of ITS Deployment Analysis System (IDAS) for ITS Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-12-01

This study investigated the feasibility of utilizing the ITS Deployment Analysis System (IDAS) program version 2.2 as a tool for evaluating Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) deployment plans. Firstly, an online survey was conducted among metro...

ITS user services document

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-01-01

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) user services are surface transportation services that can be provided by some aspect of ITS. These ITS user services document what ITS should do from the user's perspective. A broad range of users are consider...

High pressure processing of fresh meat--is it worth it?

PubMed

Ma, Hanjun; Ledward, D A

2013-12-01

When subjected to high pressures at ambient temperatures, the shelf life of fresh meat is increased; however the meat takes on a cooked appearance as the actomyosin denatures at about 200MPa and the myoglobin denatures and/or co-precipitates with other proteins at about 400MPa. In addition, at pressures of 400MPa and above the unsaturated lipids in the meat become more susceptible to oxidation, probably due to the release of iron from complexes present in meat (haemosiderin and ferritin?) and/or changes in the lipid membrane. Thus, even if legislation allowed it, it is unlikely that many consumers would be prepared to buy such meat. However if pre-rigor meat is subjected to pressures of about 100-150MPa, below those necessary to cause colour changes, it becomes significantly more tender than its untreated counterpart and this may now be a commercially viable process, given the decreasing cost of high pressure rigs. When treated at 100-200MPa while the temperature is raised from ambient to around 60°C post-rigor meat also yields a tender product and this may also be a commercially attractive process to parts of the food industry, for example those involved in catering. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laser light: its nature and its action on the eye.

PubMed Central

Bessette, F M; Nguyen, L C

1989-01-01

Lasers produce a coherent, focused, monochromatic, high-energy form of light. Because laser surgery is more versatile and precise and is freer of complications than conventional surgery it has become widely accepted in ophthalmology over the past 10 years. Applications range from routine procedures in the fundus to recent, more delicate interventions in the cornea. The argon laser is the most widely used to treat extrafoveal chorioretinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy; it has also been used successfully to treat glaucoma by iridectomy or trabeculoplasty. The krypton red laser is the argon laser's counterpart in the treatment of subfoveal and pigment-epithelium-related diseases. Posterior capsulotomy is the most widespread and successful intervention with the neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet crystal laser; this laser is also used to cut vitreous traction bands and is increasingly used in iridectomy. Although the use of the excimer laser in corneal surgery is still largely investigational it has been shown to produce precise cuts in corneal layers for the correction of myopia or astigmatism. The variable-wavelength dye laser, capable of reaching a specific level in the retina or choroid, has offered exciting new developments, and it promises to soon be part of the ophthalmologist's armamentarium in the treatment of eye disease. PMID:2684379

Wearable electroencephalography. What is it, why is it needed, and what does it entail?

PubMed

Casson, Alexander; Yates, David; Smith, Shelagh; Duncan, John; Rodriguez-Villegas, Esther

2010-01-01

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a classic noninvasive method for measuring a person's brain waves and is used in a large number of fields: from epilepsy and sleep disorder diagnosis to brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Electrodes are placed on the scalp to detect the microvolt-sized signals that result from synchronized neuronal activity within the brain. Current long-term EEG monitoring is generally either carried out as an inpatient in combination with video recording and long cables to an amplifier and recording unit or is ambulatory. In the latter, the EEG recorder is portable but bulky, and in principle, the subject can go about their normal daily life during the recording. In practice, however, this is rarely the case. It is quite common for people undergoing ambulatory EEG monitoring to take time off work and stay at home rather than be seen in public with such a device. Wearable EEG is envisioned as the evolution of ambulatory EEG units from the bulky, limited lifetime devices available today to small devices present only on the head that can record EEG for days, weeks, or months at a time. Such miniaturized units could enable prolonged monitoring of chronic conditions such as epilepsy and greatly improve the end-user acceptance of BCI systems. In this article, we aim to provide a review and overview of wearable EEG technology, answering the questions: What is it, why is it needed, and what does it entail? We first investigate the requirements of portable EEG systems and then link these to the core applications of wearable EEG technology: epilepsy diagnosis, sleep disorder diagnosis, and BCIs. As a part of our review, we asked 21 neurologists (as a key user group) for their views on wearable EEG. This group highlighted that wearable EEG will be an essential future tool. Our descriptions here will focus mainly on epilepsy and the medical applications of wearable EEG, as this is the historical background of the EEG, our area of expertise, and a core

America’s Targeted Killing Policy: Is it Right? Is it Working?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Targeted Killing Policy: Is it Right? Is it Working? If another nation cannot or will not take action , we will. And it is an unfortunate fact that...to save many innocent lives we are sometimes obliged to take lives − the lives of terrorists who seek to murder fellow citizens. —John O. Brennan1...setting precedent for making targeted killing a routine tool of warfare and it should set a worthy example in order to prevent abuse by others. 2

How To Build It and Keep It Working.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, H. Richard

This book contains construction plans of exhibits that have been collected during more than 10 years, and notes for their maintenance, at the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Hands-On museum. It is a useful source of hard-to-find information for exhibit builders, science fair participants, science teachers, students, and home tinkerers. This collection…

Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter?

PubMed

Buysse, Daniel J

2014-01-01

Good sleep is essential to good health. Yet for most of its history, sleep medicine has focused on the definition, identification, and treatment of sleep problems. Sleep health is a term that is infrequently used and even less frequently defined. It is time for us to change this. Indeed, pressures in the research, clinical, and regulatory environments require that we do so. The health of populations is increasingly defined by positive attributes such as wellness, performance, and adaptation, and not merely by the absence of disease. Sleep health can be defined in such terms. Empirical data demonstrate several dimensions of sleep that are related to health outcomes, and that can be measured with self-report and objective methods. One suggested definition of sleep health and a description of self-report items for measuring it are provided as examples. The concept of sleep health synergizes with other health care agendas, such as empowering individuals and communities, improving population health, and reducing health care costs. Promoting sleep health also offers the field of sleep medicine new research and clinical opportunities. In this sense, defining sleep health is vital not only to the health of populations and individuals, but also to the health of sleep medicine itself.

Empathy and Its Discontents.

PubMed

Bloom, Paul

2017-01-01

What role does the experience of feeling what you think others are feeling - often known as 'empathy' - have in moral deliberation and moral action? Empathy has many fans and there is abundant evidence that it can motivate prosocial behavior. However, empathy is narrow in its focus, rendering it innumerate and subject to bias. It can motivate cruelty and aggression and lead to burnout and exhaustion. Compassion is distinct from empathy in its neural instantiation and its behavioral consequences and is a better prod to moral action, particularly in the modern world we live in. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Green IT Model for IT Departments in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albahlal, Abdulaziz

2016-01-01

Environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, non-sustainable energy, resource depletion, and recycling Information Technology (IT) devices considered the biggest glitches which are facing developed and developing countries. IT devices have become a critical issue due to the great amount of environmental damage caused by IT companies…

Madagascar: Heads It's a Continent, Tails It's an Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Wit, Maarten J.

Neither geologists nor biologists have a definition that is capable of classifying Madagascar unambiguously as an island or a continent; nor can they incorporate Malagasy natural history into a single model rooted in Africa or Asia. Madagascar is a microcosm of the larger continents, with a rock record that spans more than 3000 million years (Ma), during which it has been united episodically with, and divorced from, Asian and African connections. This is reflected in its Precambrian history of deep crustal tectonics and a Phanerozoic history of biodiversity that fluctuated between cosmopolitanism and parochialism. Both vicariance and dispersal events over the past 90 Ma have blended a unique endemism on Madagascar, now in decline following rapid extinctions that started about 2000 years ago.

It's Not Easy Being Green--or Is It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 2009

2009-01-01

Regardless of whether one's school is undergoing a major renovation or hasn't been touched since it was originally built decades ago, there are still ways to initiate change in one's school and community in a meaningful way--and that's exactly what two principals from southern Pennsylvania did. Last summer, in an effort to raise awareness for…

Look down from the Sky: Is It a Bird? Is It Superman? No, It's a Plane

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chick, Helen

2016-01-01

The plane problem is a real-world problem, presented without any suggestion as to how it might be solved. It arose unexpectedly as the author was messing around on the internet, not thinking about maths at all. She did not encounter the problem in a maths lesson, nor as homework in the middle of a unit on a particular topic, and so she had no…

Structural evolution of nrDNA ITS in Pinaceae and its phylogenetic implications.

PubMed

Kan, Xian-Zhao; Wang, Shan-Shan; Ding, Xin; Wang, Xiao-Quan

2007-08-01

Nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) has been considered as an important tool for inferring phylogenetic relationships at many taxonomic levels. In comparison with its fast concerted evolution in angiosperms, nrDNA is symbolized by slow concerted evolution and substantial ITS region length variation in gymnosperms, particularly in Pinaceae. Here we studied structure characteristics, including subrepeat composition, size, GC content and secondary structure, of nrDNA ITS regions of all Pinaceae genera. The results showed that the ITS regions of all taxa studied contained subrepeat units, ranging from 2 to 9 in number, and these units could be divided into two types, longer subrepeat (LSR) without the motif (5'-GGCCACCCTAGTC) and shorter subrepeat (SSR) with the motif. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the homology of some SSRs still can be recognized, providing important informations for the evolutionary history of nrDNA ITS and phylogeny of Pinaceae. In particular, the adjacent tandem SSRs are not more closely related to one another than they are to remote SSRs in some genera, which may imply that multiple structure variations such as recombination have occurred in the ITS1 region of these groups. This study also found that GC content in the ITS1 region is relevant to its sequence length and subrepeat number, and could provide some phylogenetic information, especially supporting the close relationships among Picea, Pinus, and Cathaya. Moreover, several characteristics of the secondary structure of Pinaceae ITS1 were found as follows: (1) the structure is dominated by several extended hairpins; (2) the configuration complexity is positively correlated with subrepeat number; (3) paired subrepeats often partially overlap at the conserved motif (5'-GGCCACCCTAGTC), and form a long stem, while other subrepeats fold onto itself, leaving part of the conserved motif exposed in hairpin loops.

2011 IT Expo

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-21

Stennis Space Center employees enjoyed an opportunity to learn about available and emerging information technology services during the seventh annual IT Expo in the Roy S. Estess Building on June 21. The expo featured exhibits on a variety of services and capabilities, including applications support, IT security, video production, audiovisual services and records management.

Second/Foreign Language Lexical Competence: Its Dimensions and Ways of Measuring It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choudhury, Anindya Syam

2015-01-01

Although it is a core component of a language user's overall linguistic competence, vocabulary has traditionally not received the kind of attention it deserved, being usually lumped with other kinds of competence till 1980s and 1990s when researchers started focusing on it with great interest. The present paper discusses what the notion of lexical…

SPECIAL PURPOSE IT DERAILED: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF UNIVERSAL IT LAWS AND POLICIES

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-26

Information Services Division ........................ 3 Figure 2: iNET Instrumentation Telemetry Ground Station...consolidate local Information Technology (IT) networks into an enterprise architecture to reduce costs and to increase security. Leadership coined this...IT network was established to link Air Force and contractor sites to seamlessly share program information . So when Air Force IT leadership tried to

Superior temporal sulcus--It's my area: or is it?

PubMed

Hein, Grit; Knight, Robert T

2008-12-01

The superior temporal sulcus (STS) is the chameleon of the human brain. Several research areas claim the STS as the host brain region for their particular behavior of interest. Some see it as one of the core structures for theory of mind. For others, it is the main region for audiovisual integration. It plays an important role in biological motion perception, but is also claimed to be essential for speech processing and processing of faces. We review the foci of activations in the STS from multiple functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, focusing on theory of mind, audiovisual integration, motion processing, speech processing, and face processing. The results indicate a differentiation of the STS region in an anterior portion, mainly involved in speech processing, and a posterior portion recruited by cognitive demands of all these different research areas. The latter finding argues against a strict functional subdivision of the STS. In line with anatomical evidence from tracer studies, we propose that the function of the STS varies depending on the nature of network coactivations with different regions in the frontal cortex and medial-temporal lobe. This view is more in keeping with the notion that the same brain region can support different cognitive operations depending on task-dependent network connections, emphasizing the role of network connectivity analysis in neuroimaging.

Seeing It through

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wren, Andrew; Spicer, Brad

2007-01-01

The use of surveillance cameras in schools is not new, but just about everything involved with the technology and the way it is used is new. Surveillance equipment once was a precautionary system, relegated to the corner, where it gathered dust until an incident took place, then administrators would painstakingly roll out the video to investigate…

Alcohol and Drug Treatment: How It Works, and How It Can Help You

MedlinePlus

Alcohol and Drug Treatment How It Works, And How It Can Help You „ With the Criminal Justice System „ With the Rest of Your Life U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ... worse sentence. Treatment is more than doing time. It is hard work, but it offers you much ...

Who Pays Student Workers Higher Wages, Central IT or Distributed IT?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stack, David

2009-01-01

In a time of scarce resources, it is counterproductive for an institution to artificially inflate student wages via internecine struggles between central IT services and similar, distributed services in university departments. The pressure to inflate student wages might be exacerbated by similar but opposite viewpoints on the part of supervisors,…

Sustained Silent Reading: Try It, You'll Like It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Cynthia

2000-01-01

Recommends Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in grades 2-12 to improve students' reading and to teach them to love to read. Outlines rules for SSR, and offers notes to the teacher on its implementation. (SR)

IT doesn't matter.

PubMed

Carr, Nicholas G

2003-05-01

As information technology has grown in power and ubiquity, companies have come to view it as ever more critical to their success; their heavy spending on hardware and software clearly reflects that assumption. Chief executives routinely talk about information technology's strategic value, about how they can use IT to gain a competitive edge. But scarcity, not ubiquity, makes a business resource truly strategic--and allows companies to use it for a sustained competitive advantage. You only gain an edge over rivals by doing something that they can't. IT is the latest in a series of broadly adopted technologies--think of the railroad or the electric generator--that have reshaped industry over the past two centuries. For a brief time, as they were being built into the infrastructure of commerce, these technologies created powerful opportunities for forward-looking companies. But as their availability increased and their costs decreased, they became commodity inputs. From a strategic standpoint, they became invisible; they no longer mattered. that's exactly what's happening to IT, and the implications are profound. In this article, HBR's editor-at-large Nicholas Carr suggests that IT management should, frankly, become boring. It should focus on reducing risks, not increasing opportunities. For example, companies need to pay more attention to ensuring network and data security. Even more important, they need to manage IT costs more aggressively. IT may not help you gain a strategic advantage, but it could easily put you at a cost disadvantage. If, like many executives, you've begun to take a more defensive posture toward IT, spending more frugally and thinking more pragmatically, you're already on the right course. The challenge will be to maintain that discipline when the business cycle strengthens.

The medication appropriateness index at 20: where it started, where it has been, and where it may be going.

PubMed

Hanlon, Joseph T; Schmader, Kenneth E

2013-11-01

Potentially inappropriate prescribing for older adults is a major public health concern. While there are multiple measures of potentially inappropriate prescribing, the medication appropriateness index (MAI) is one of the most common implicit approaches published in the scientific literature. The objective of this narrative review is to describe findings regarding the MAI's reliability, comparison of the MAI with other quality measures of potentially inappropriate prescribing, its predictive validity with important health outcomes, and its responsiveness to change within the framework of randomized controlled trials. A search restricted to English-language literature involving humans aged 65+ years from January 1992 to June 2013 was conducted using MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using the search term 'medication appropriateness index'. A manual search of the reference lists from identified articles and the authors' article files, book chapters, and recent reviews was conducted to identify additional articles. A total of 26 articles were identified for inclusion in this narrative review. The main findings were that the MAI has acceptable inter- and intra-rater reliability, it more frequently detects potentially inappropriate prescribing than a commonly used set of explicit criteria, it predicts adverse health outcomes, and it is able to demonstrate the positive impact of interventions to improve this public health problem. We conclude that the MAI may serve as a valuable tool for measuring potentially inappropriate prescribing in older adults.

Physician resilience: what it means, why it matters, and how to promote it.

PubMed

Epstein, Ronald M; Krasner, Michael S

2013-03-01

Resilience is the capacity to respond to stress in a healthy way such that goals are achieved at minimal psychological and physical cost; resilient individuals "bounce back" after challenges while also growing stronger. Resilience is a key to enhancing quality of care, quality of caring, and sustainability of the health care workforce. Yet, ways of identifying and promoting resilience have been elusive. Resilience depends on individual, community, and institutional factors. The study by Zwack and Schweitzer in this issue of Academic Medicine illustrates that individual factors of resilience include the capacity for mindfulness, self-monitoring, limit setting, and attitudes that promote constructive and healthy engagement with (rather than withdrawal from) the often-difficult challenges at work. Cultivating these specific skills, habits, and attitudes that promote resilience is possible for medical students and practicing clinicians alike. Resilience-promoting programs should also strive to build community among clinicians and other members of the health care workforce. Just as patient safety is the responsibility of communities of practice, so is clinician well-being and support. Finally, it is in the self-interest of health care institutions to support the efforts of all members of the health care workforce to enhance their capacity for resilience; it will increase quality of care while reducing errors, burnout, and attrition. Successful organizations outside of medicine offer insight about institutional structures and values that promote individual and collective resilience. This commentary proposes methods for enhancing individuals' resilience while building community, as well as directions for future interventions, research, and institutional involvement.

The technology acceptance model: its past and its future in health care.

PubMed

Holden, Richard J; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

2010-02-01

Increasing interest in end users' reactions to health information technology (IT) has elevated the importance of theories that predict and explain health IT acceptance and use. This paper reviews the application of one such theory, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), to health care. We reviewed 16 data sets analyzed in over 20 studies of clinicians using health IT for patient care. Studies differed greatly in samples and settings, health ITs studied, research models, relationships tested, and construct operationalization. Certain TAM relationships were consistently found to be significant, whereas others were inconsistent. Several key relationships were infrequently assessed. Findings show that TAM predicts a substantial portion of the use or acceptance of health IT, but that the theory may benefit from several additions and modifications. Aside from improved study quality, standardization, and theoretically motivated additions to the model, an important future direction for TAM is to adapt the model specifically to the health care context, using beliefs elicitation methods.

THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL: ITS PAST AND ITS FUTURE IN HEALTH CARE

PubMed Central

HOLDEN, RICHARD J.; KARSH, BEN-TZION

2009-01-01

Increasing interest in end users’ reactions to health information technology (IT) has elevated the importance of theories that predict and explain health IT acceptance and use. This paper reviews the application of one such theory, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), to health care. We reviewed 16 data sets analyzed in over 20 studies of clinicians using health IT for patient care. Studies differed greatly in samples and settings, health ITs studied, research models, relationships tested, and construct operationalization. Certain TAM relationships were consistently found to be significant, whereas others were inconsistent. Several key relationships were infrequently assessed. Findings show that TAM predicts a substantial portion of the use or acceptance of health IT, but that the theory may benefit from several additions and modifications. Aside from improved study quality, standardization, and theoretically motivated additions to the model, an important future direction for TAM is to adapt the model specifically to the health care context, using beliefs elicitation methods. PMID:19615467

Item Review and the Rearrangement Procedure: Its Process and Its Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papanastasiou, Elena C.

2005-01-01

Permitting item review is to the benefit of the examinees who typically increase their test scores with item review. However, testing companies do not prefer item review since it does not follow the logic on which adaptive tests are based, and since it is prone to cheating strategies. Consequently, item review is not permitted in many adaptive…

Lithium and cognitive enhancement: leave it or take it?

PubMed

Tsaltas, Eleftheria; Kontis, Dimitris; Boulougouris, Vasileios; Papadimitriou, George N

2009-01-01

Lithium is established as an effective treatment of acute mania, bipolar and unipolar depression and as prophylaxis against bipolar disorder. Accumulating evidence is also delineating a neuroprotective and neurotrophic role for lithium. However, its primary effects on cognitive functioning remain ambiguous. The aim of this paper is to review and combine the relevant translational studies, focusing on the putative cognitive enhancement properties of lithium, specifically on learning, memory, and attention. These properties are also discussed in reference to research demonstrating a protective action of lithium against cognitive deficits induced by various challenges to the nervous system, such as stress, trauma, neurodegenerative disorders, and psychiatric disorders. It is suggested on the basis of the evidence that the cognitive effects of lithium are best expressed and should, therefore, be sought under conditions of functional or biological challenge to the nervous system.

Mind of Its Own

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This animation shows the path the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit traveled during its 24-meter (78.7-foot) autonomous drive across the bumpy terrain at Gusev Crater, Mars, on the 39th day, or sol, of its mission. The colored data are from the rover's hazard-avoidance camera and have been reconstructed to show the topography of the land. Red areas indicate extremely hazardous terrain, and green patches denote safe, smooth ground. At the end of its drive, Spirit decided it was safer to back up then go forward. The rover is now positioned directly in front of its target, a rock dubbed Stone Council.

Louisiana ITS business plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-01

Seven Key ITS Application Goals emerged from the document review, key contact interviews and input from attendees at ITS committee meetings. They were to use the ITS applications to improve the overall safety of the transportation network, to improve...

National ITS architecture security

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-10-01

This Security Document presents an overview of security as it is represented in the National ITS Architecture and provides guidance for using the security-related parts of the National ITS Architecture. The objective of security, in the context of th...

Defining the E-Portfolio: What It Is and Why It Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenson, Jill D.; Treuer, Paul

2014-01-01

Despite the ever-growing number of institutions using the e-portfolio, educators do not agree on a common definition of it. The authors of this article define the e-portfolio and explain the unique nature of its use as a tool for documenting and managing one's own learning over a lifetime in ways that foster deep and continuous learning. Jill…

Powerpoint®: It's Not "Yes" or "No"--It's "When" and "How"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Lois A.; Papp, Raymond

2014-01-01

A great deal of research has been done on the use of PowerPoint in the classroom. Most of it has used student acceptance of PowerPoint as the measure of its effectiveness, and these results have overwhelmingly shown that students like PowerPoint. However, most studies measuring PowerPoint's impact on learning have not shown any benefit from its…

Making it safe, making it legal, and creating peace of mind.

PubMed

Strom, D J

2001-11-01

The job of a medical or academic radiation safety officer has three parts: keeping it safe, keeping it legal, and helping people feel that they are safe. Absence of peace-of-mind about radiation protection matters can create very real health effects, even when there is little or no radiation exposure involved. Frightened people may make decisions such as changing jobs (and losing health insurance), terminating a pregnancy, or moving, all of which impact health. Furthermore, frightened people who choose to stick with it may suffer from anxiety, stress, insomnia, and weight loss or even weight gain. Genuinely listening to the concerns of those who benefit from radiation safety services can help to provide peace-of-mind and minimize decisions that are risky to health.

Zip it!

PubMed

Conde, Crystal

2012-07-01

When it comes to enforcing HIPAA data security and privacy standards, the federal government means business. In fact, the government is conducting a national pilot program to audit 150 physicians and others that HIPAA covers as the first phase of a concerted effort to crack down on HIPAA violations.

Whistleblowing: Don’t Encourage It, Prevent It

PubMed Central

MacDougall, D. Robert

2016-01-01

In a recent article, Mannion and Davies argue that there are a multitude of ways in which organizations (such as the National Health Service [NHS]) can deal with wrongdoing or ethical problems, including the formation of policies that encourage and protect would-be whistleblowers. However, it is important to distinguish internal reporting about wrongdoing from whistleblowing proper, because the two are morally quite different and should not be dealt with in the same way. This article argues that we should not understand the authors’ conclusions to apply to "whistleblowing" proper, because their recommended approach would be both unfeasible and undesirable for addressing whistleblowing defined in this way. PMID:26927590

International ocean services: Is it time - will it ever be time?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, Geoffrey

1992-01-01

Considering the objectives of the Ocean Data Climate Workshop this week and trying to select a related, but not too technical subject, I decided to look at the services needed for ocean clients. I thought that it would make an interesting theme to consider how the acceptance of international ocean services is progressing over the years. Or is it? Are we closer to having a global observing system than we were twenty years ago? If so, what has changed between then and now? What is different between the efforts of twenty years or so ago to get the Integrated Global Ocean Stations System (IGOSS) off the ground and the present attempts to establish the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)? Is there a window of opportunity now that didn't exist then? If it doesn't happen now, a legitimate question could well be asked.... Will it ever happen? At least on historical topics I am on firm ground, having been attending IOC meetings for many years, in fact, it was in 1970 that I attended my first IGOSS meeting and a couple of years later I started what was to become regular attendances at the IOC Governing Body sessions. Despite the numbing effect of sitting through IOC related meetings for a total of what must add up to two or three years, I can still defend the IOC as an essential intergovernmental body for the oceans. One can accept the value of medicine, but one doesn't have to enjoy the taste.

The "let-it-grow" treatment for timber -- Is it economically worthwhile?

Treesearch

David P. Worley; David P. Worley

1970-01-01

One way to treay a timber stand is to ignore it--simply let it grow. This treatment will in time produce usable timber. And this is how many small woodlands in the Northeast are treated today. The question is: How well does this treatment work in returning a profit to the owner? As a guide for forest managers, the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station has made an...

Fracking in Tight Shales: What Is It, What Does It Accomplish, and What Are Its Consequences?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norris, J. Quinn; Turcotte, Donald L.; Moores, Eldridge M.; Brodsky, Emily E.; Rundle, John B.

2016-06-01

Fracking is a popular term referring to hydraulic fracturing when it is used to extract hydrocarbons. We distinguish between low-volume traditional fracking and the high-volume modern fracking used to recover large volumes of hydrocarbons from shales. Shales are fine-grained rocks with low granular permeabilities. During the formation of oil and gas, large fluid pressures are generated. These pressures result in natural fracking, and the resulting fracture permeability allows oil and gas to escape, reducing the fluid pressures. These fractures may subsequently be sealed by mineral deposition, resulting in tight shale formations. The objective of modern fracking is to reopen these fractures and/or create new fractures on a wide range of scales. Modern fracking has had a major impact on the availability of oil and gas globally; however, there are serious environmental objections to modern fracking, which should be weighed carefully against its benefits.

Making It Safe, Making It Legal, and Creating Peace of Mind

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strom, Daniel J.

2001-11-01

The job of a medical or academic radiation safety officer has three parts: keeping it safe, keeping it legal, and helping people feel that they are safe. Absence of peace-of-mind about radiation protection matters can create very real health effects, even when there is little or no radiation exposure involved. Frightened people may make decisions such as changing jobs (and losing health insurance), terminating a pregnancy, or moving, all of which impact health. Furthermore, frightened people who choose to stick with it may suffer from anxiety, stress, insomnia, and weight loss or even weight gain. Genuinely listening to the concernsmore » of those who benefit from radiation safety services can help to provide peace-of-mind and minimize decisions that are risky to health.« less

The cable catapult - Putting it there and keeping it there

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forward, Robert L.; Conley, Buford R.; Stanek, Clay; Ramsey, William

1992-01-01

The cable catapult is the previously proposed method of using long space tethers for high speed interplanetary transport. A long conductive multistrand cable would be connected to a power supply and pointed in the desired direction. A linear motor would pull itself along the powered cable strands and launch a payload capsule toward a distant planet, where it would be caught and decelerated by another cable catapult positioned there. In this paper it is shown how cable catapults can be used to transport themselves to a distant planet and keep themselves in position near the planet despite the tendency of the payload capsule momentum transfer to push them apart.

The cable catapult - Putting it there and keeping it there

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forward, Robert L.; Conley, Buford R.; Stanek, Clay; Ramsey, William

1992-07-01

The cable catapult is the previously proposed method of using long space tethers for high speed interplanetary transport. A long conductive multistrand cable would be connected to a power supply and pointed in the desired direction. A linear motor would pull itself along the powered cable strands and launch a payload capsule toward a distant planet, where it would be caught and decelerated by another cable catapult positioned there. In this paper it is shown how cable catapults can be used to transport themselves to a distant planet and keep themselves in position near the planet despite the tendency of the payload capsule momentum transfer to push them apart.

It's Tradition!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogens, Eva M.; Padilla, Christine

2012-01-01

Making ice cream! Dissecting a cow's eye! Spinning glasses of water without spilling a drop! Investigating fingerprints! These are just samples of what elementary children did at the Jersey City Public Schools very first districtwide "Family Science Night." Although there was some stress in preparing for the evening, it turned out to be a…

ITS system specification. Appendix C, data flows by function for ITS services

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The objective of the Polaris Project is to define an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architecture for the state of Minnesota. An architecture is a framework that defines how multiple ITS Components interrelate and contribute to the overall I...

Going behind IT's Back

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffhauser, Dian

2013-01-01

The pendulum of technology control in higher education has swung away from central IT toward the users. It has become easier for individuals and departments to find their own computing solutions via mobile apps, the cloud, BYOD, web services, and other means. As a result, IT can often find itself out of the loop in certain technology decisions.…

Negligible senescence: how will we know it when we see it?

PubMed

Heward, Christopher B

2006-01-01

The recent public claim that "SENS is a practical, foreseeable approach to curing aging" has stirred considerable controversy among bio-gerontologists. Testing this hypothesis will not only require precise definitions for the somewhat subjective terms "practical," "foreseeable," and "curing," it will require a precise definition of the term "aging." To facilitate proper experimental design, this definition must focus on the nature of aging itself, not its causes or consequences. Aging in mammals is a process that begins early in adult life and continues steadily thereafter until death. It is manifested by a decline in the functional capacity (or, more precisely, reserve capacity) of a variety of vital physiologic systems leading to increasing risk of morbidity and mortality over time. Aging, however, cannot be measured by simply monitoring morbidity and/or mortality. Aging can only be measured by monitoring the decline of global functional capacity itself. This, in turn, will require an operational definition of aging expressed as a rate function (i.e., it will have units expressing aging as an overall rate of functional change per unit time). Widespread acceptance of such global indexes of aging rate in animal models and humans will greatly facilitate research activity specifically designed to increase the understanding of aging mechanisms and antiaging interventions.

"Time: What Is It that It Can Be Measured?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raju, C. K.

2006-01-01

Experiments with the simple pendulum are easy, but its motion is nevertheless confounded with simple harmonic motion. However, refined theoretical models of the pendulum can, today, be easily taught using software like CALCODE. Similarly, the cycloidal pendulum is isochronous only in simplified theory. But what "are" theoretically equal intervals…

It's Not the Law--It's the Implementation That Matters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vergon, Chuck; Broderick, Lauren

This short report--part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002--discusses implementation of inclusion policy. Specifically, it reports on a study of administrative strategies and organizational processes that promote policy implementation and achievement of the objectives…

It's Not about the Tool, It's about the Ideology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amory, A.

2007-01-01

While it is often argued that technology could act as a change agent and transform educational practices, individuals, communities, government and society holding their own ideological beliefs limit such a liberalisation of the educational system. To show that the use of educational technology is part of a dialectical struggle this article…

EDITORIAL: Advanced fractions? or use it or lose it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobson, Ken

1997-09-01

Honorary Editor Peter Gill is a member of the mathematics department at King's College London and teaches basic mathematics to university students who have started degree courses in such fields as chemistry, engineering and physics. In his talk to the IoP Education Group Annual Conference in Leeds (see Phys. Educ. 32 208) he remarked that the most significant indicators of later mathematical competence within their subject areas were confidence at using fractions and in analysing and interpreting graphs. It may or may not come as a surprise to readers that nowadays many universities have instituted such `remedial mathematics' courses for first-year undergraduates, or that many of their students have difficulty with handling fractions. I'd guess that physics teachers at all levels tend to find it hard to understand why other people find such basic maths difficult. They would themselves have little problem with adding 1/3 to 1/5 to get 8/15. But when did they last have to do this - for real, I mean? In the real world both teachers and their students are far more likely to be faced with adding 33% to 20%, say, which is a much easier task. Adding another 12% to get the total of 65% would stretch few of us, even first-year undergraduates of chemistry and engineering. But adding 3/25 to 8/15 to get (and here I turn to paper and pencil) -19/75 requires a competence in mathematics that took Peter Gill several weeks to instil in his students. So what use are `fractions'? Of course, percentages are fractions too, and the world of commerce and high finance uses these almost exclusively to quote and use interest rates and calculate VAT (it is easier to add 17.5% than 7/40ths after all). Primary school pupils are taught good old-fashioned fractions still, and are still no doubt expected, with almost inhuman generosity, to share out an imaginary cake into equal-sized pieces. Whether they actually put any of this mathematics into practice I doubt. A good rule of thumb for the

Evaluation of Kentucky's "Buckle Up Kentucky : It's the Law & It's Enforced" campaign.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-08-01

The objective of this report was to document the results of the "Buckle Up Kentucky: It's the Law & It's Enforced" campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The campaign...

Teacher Burnout: Is It Real? Can We Prevent It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Paul M.

Excessive, prolonged stress can alter the body's normal physiologic function. If adequate coping mechanisms are not instituted, this extreme state can lead to burnout. Burnout can be experienced with physical, intellectual, social, psycho-emotional, and spiritual adaptations. It has been estimated that up to 40 percent of U.S. teachers will not be…

IT product competition Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiu-Lian; Zhou, Lei; Shi, Jian-Jun; Wang, Yong-Li; Feng, Ai-Xia; He, Da-Ren

2008-03-01

Along with the technical development, the IT product competition becomes increasingly fierce in recent years. The factories, which produce the same IT product, have to improve continuously their own product quality for taking a large piece of cake in the product sale market. We suggest using a complex network description for the IT product competition. In the network the factories are defined as nodes, and two nodes are connected by a link if they produce a common IT product. The edge represents the sale competition relationship. 2121 factories and 265 products have been investigated. Some statistical properties, such as the degree distribution, node strength distribution, assortativity, and node degree correlation have been empirically obtained.

Depression: What It Is and How to Deal With It: A Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartigan, Kevin J.; Weiskott, Gerald N.

This manual is designed to help counseling personnel understand and deal with depression. It begins by defining depression (the "common cold of psychopathology") and listing a number of typical symptoms, giving mild, moderate and severe manifestations. It then offers seven different treatment approaches or theories. Directly or indirectly, these…

Giant Intrahepatic Portal Vein Aneurysm: Leave it or Treat it?

PubMed

Shrivastava, Amit; Rampal, Jagdeesh S; Nageshwar Reddy, D

2017-03-01

Portal vein aneurysm (PVA) is a rare vascular dilatation of the portal vein. It is a rare vascular anomaly representing less than 3% of all visceral aneurysms and is not well understood. Usually, PVA are incidental findings, are asymptomatic, and clinical symptoms are proportionally related to size. Patients present with nonspecific epigastric pain or gastrointestinal bleeding with underlying portal hypertension. PVA may be associated with various complications such as biliary tract compression, portal vein thrombosis/rupture, duodenal compression, gastrointestinal bleeding, and inferior vena cava obstruction. Differential diagnoses of portal vein aneurysms are solid, cystic, and hypervascular abdominal masses, and it is important that the radiologists be aware of their multi-modality appearance; hence, the aim of this article was to provide an overview of the available literature to better simplify various aspects of this rare entity and diagnostic appearance on different modality with available treatment options. In our case, a 55-year-old male patient came to the gastroenterology OPD for further management of pancreatitis with portal hypertension and biliary obstruction with plastic stents in CBD and PD for the same. In this article, we have reported a case of largest intrahepatic portal vein aneurysm and its management by endovascular technique. As per our knowledge, this is the largest intrahepatic portal vein aneurysm and first case where the endovascular technique was used for the treatment of the same.

It's Not Only about Technology, It's about People: Interpersonal skills as a Part of the IT Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colomo-Palacios, Ricardo; Casado-Lumbreras, Cristina; García-Crespo, Ángel; Gómez-Berbís, Juan Miguel

The importance of what have been termed the "soft skills" for the professional development of IT professionals is beyond any doubt. Taking account of this circumstance, the objective of the current research may be phrased as two separate questions. In the first place, determining the importance which IT related degree students place on these types of competencies for their professional future. In the second place, the importance which the development of the mentioned competencies has been given during their studies. The realization of an empirical study has fulfilled the two objectives described. The results demonstrate, on the one side, the moderate relevance which students assign to interpersonal competencies, especially emotional competencies, in contrast to the international curricular recommendations and studies concerning labor markets. On the other hand, the results indicate the scarce emphasis which lecturers have placed on the development of such competencies.

Polarization Bremsstrahlung: what is it and why haven't we seen it?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quarles, C. A.

1997-10-01

Normal bremsstrahlung (NB) is the radiation by a charged particle when deflected in the Coulomb field of a target atom. This process has been studied in some detail since identification of the continuous x-ray spectrum early in this century. Since the early 1980's it has been possible, mainly due to the work of R. H. Pratt and co-workers, to obtain good theoretical predictions for NB for a wide range of incident electron energies and target atomic numbers. In the early 1980's, a second, distinct and competing process which has come to be called polarization bremsstrahlung (PB) was proposed by M. Ya. Amusia and others. PB is the radiation by a polarizable target due to the changing dipole moment induced by the passing charged projectile. It was argued that in some cases, especially for photon energies near the target atom absorption edges, PB would dominate over NB. Only recently, however, with the calculations of A. Korol and his co-workers has it been possible to consider what PB may look like over the whole range of the photon spectrum observed in a typical bremsstrahlung experiment. This paper will discuss, from the point of view of an experimentalist, what is involved in looking for the PB effect, why perhaps it has not been convincingly detected in bremsstrahlung experiments to date, and what the prospects are for its future observation.

[Fungal lycopene: the biotechnology of its production and prospects for its application in medicine].

PubMed

Feofilova, E P; Tereshina, V M; Memorskaia, A S; Dul'kin, L M; Goncharov, N G

2006-01-01

This article deals with the lycopene of mycelial fungi. It pays special attention to its physical and chemical properties, occurrence in nature, biological functions, and the biotechnology of lycopene production. Data are presented concerning the medically important properties of lycopene and the drug Mycolycopene prepared on its basis. Its prospective use in the therapy of prostate cancers is discussed.

Human Consciousness: Where Is It From and What Is It for

PubMed Central

Kotchoubey, Boris

2018-01-01

Consciousness is not a process in the brain but a kind of behavior that, of course, is controlled by the brain like any other behavior. Human consciousness emerges on the interface between three components of animal behavior: communication, play, and the use of tools. These three components interact on the basis of anticipatory behavioral control, which is common for all complex forms of animal life. All three do not exclusively distinguish our close relatives, i.e., primates, but are broadly presented among various species of mammals, birds, and even cephalopods; however, their particular combination in humans is unique. The interaction between communication and play yields symbolic games, most importantly language; the interaction between symbols and tools results in human praxis. Taken together, this gives rise to a mechanism that allows a creature, instead of performing controlling actions overtly, to play forward the corresponding behavioral options in a “second reality” of objectively (by means of tools) grounded symbolic systems. The theory possesses the following properties: (1) It is anti-reductionist and anti-eliminativist, and yet, human consciousness is considered as a purely natural (biological) phenomenon. (2) It avoids epiphenomenalism and indicates in which conditions human consciousness has evolutionary advantages, and in which it may even be disadvantageous. (3) It allows to easily explain the most typical features of consciousness, such as objectivity, seriality and limited resources, the relationship between consciousness and explicit memory, the feeling of conscious agency, etc. PMID:29740366

Human Consciousness: Where Is It From and What Is It for.

PubMed

Kotchoubey, Boris

2018-01-01

Consciousness is not a process in the brain but a kind of behavior that, of course, is controlled by the brain like any other behavior. Human consciousness emerges on the interface between three components of animal behavior: communication, play, and the use of tools. These three components interact on the basis of anticipatory behavioral control, which is common for all complex forms of animal life. All three do not exclusively distinguish our close relatives, i.e., primates, but are broadly presented among various species of mammals, birds, and even cephalopods; however, their particular combination in humans is unique. The interaction between communication and play yields symbolic games, most importantly language; the interaction between symbols and tools results in human praxis. Taken together, this gives rise to a mechanism that allows a creature, instead of performing controlling actions overtly, to play forward the corresponding behavioral options in a "second reality" of objectively (by means of tools) grounded symbolic systems. The theory possesses the following properties: (1) It is anti-reductionist and anti-eliminativist, and yet, human consciousness is considered as a purely natural (biological) phenomenon. (2) It avoids epiphenomenalism and indicates in which conditions human consciousness has evolutionary advantages, and in which it may even be disadvantageous. (3) It allows to easily explain the most typical features of consciousness, such as objectivity, seriality and limited resources, the relationship between consciousness and explicit memory, the feeling of conscious agency, etc.

Analysing spectroscopically the propagation of a CME from its source on the disk to its impact as it propagates outwards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harra, Louise K.; Doschek, G. A.; Matthews, Sarah A.; De Pontieu, Bart; Long, David

We analyse a complex coronal mass ejection observed by Hinode, SDO and IRIS. SDO AIA shows that the eruption occurs between several active regions with flaring occurring in all of them. Hinode EIS observed one of the flaring active regions that shows a fast outwards propagation which is related to the CME lifting off. The eruption is then observed as it propagates away from the Sun, pushing the existing post-flare loops downwards as it goes. Spectroscopic observations are made during this time with IRIS measuring the impact that this CME front has as it pushes the loops downwards. Strong enhancements in the cool Mg II emission at these locations that show complex dynamics. We discuss these new observations in context of CME models.

The Index Medicus: Why It Works and When It Doesn't *

PubMed Central

Jackson, Mary F.

1966-01-01

A user study of the Index Medicus done at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center included responses from a group of sixty researchers, clinicians, residents, and interns. An analysis of the questionnaire shows that, while all respondents use the Index Medicus, most use it to search for a specific subject or a specific author reference. Comments received were critical of the delay from the time of journal publication until the appearance of its citation in Index Medicus. Suggestions were offered concerning the type of publication most of the respondents would prefer. PMID:5921472

Using IT to Assess IT: Towards Greater Authenticity in Summative Performance Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newhouse, C. Paul

2011-01-01

An applied Information Technology (IT) course that is assessed using pen and paper may sound incongruous but it is symptomatic of the state of high-stakes assessment in jurisdictions such as Western Australia. Whereas technology has permeated most aspects of modern life, including schooling, and more has been demanded of education systems in terms…

[Regulation on EGFR function via its interacting proteins and its potential application].

PubMed

Zheng, Jun-Fang; Chen, Hui-Min; He, Jun-Qi

2013-12-01

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is imptortant for cell activities, oncogenesis and cell migration, and EGFR inhibitor can treat cancer efficiently, but its side effects, for example, in skin, limited its usage. On the other hand, EGFR interacting proteins may also lead to oncogenesis and its interacting protein as drug targets can avoid cutaneous side effect, which implies possibly a better outcome and life quality of cancer patients. For the multiple EGFR interaction proteins, B1R enhances Erk/MAPK signaling, while PTPN12, Kek1, CEACAM1 and NHERF repress Erk/MAPK signaling. CaM may alter charge of EGFR juxamembrane domain and regulate activation of PI3K/Akt and PLC-gamma/PKC. STAT1, STAT5b are widely thought to be activated by EGFR, while there is unexpectedly inhibiting sequence within EGFR to repress the activity of STATs. LRIG1 and ACK1 enhance the internalization and degration of EGFR, while NHERF and HIP1 repress it. In this article, proteins interacting with EGFR, their interacting sites and their regulation on EGFR signal transduction will be reviewed.

IT Employer and Graduate Assessments Regarding Preparedness in Skills of IT College Graduates Offered Employment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldrop, Gerry L.

2017-01-01

Securing employment poses a significant problem for information technology (IT) college and university graduates. An overarching purpose of this research was to inform IT faculty, IT hiring managers and IT graduates of which 42 critical IT skills best predict the offering of jobs to graduates and how long it takes graduates to receive such offers.…

Shaw University Regains Its Momentum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicklin, Julie L.

1994-01-01

Shaw University (North Carolina), a black institution near closing in 1986, has reorganized its finances and remade its image under a new president. It has since renovated buildings, lowered its debt, operated on a balanced budget for five years, built a substantial endowment, doubled its enrollment, and provided regular faculty raises. (MSE)

ITS strategic deployment plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-04-01

The purpose of this Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Deployment Study is to identify : where and how ITS technologies can be applied to improve the safety, efficiency and capacity of : the Cleveland regional transportation network. The general...

Colorado River and its utilization

USGS Publications Warehouse

La Rue, Eugene Clyde; Grover, Nathan C.

1916-01-01

The region traversed by the Colorado and its tributaries is for many reasons of intense interest to the people of the United States. Here was the home of that forgotten people of which there is almost no record except the hieroglyphics on the rocks, the ruins of their irrigation systems, and the cliff dwellings by which they are most widely known; here were Spanish missions whose history extends back nearly to the days of Balboa and Cortez; here is the Grand Canyon, whose sublimity was first fully disclosed by Maj. Powell and his associates, who navigated it from end to end in 1869 and 1872; here are the greatest known natural bridges, so remote and inaccessible that they have only recently been discovered; here is the mighty river and its tributaries, as yet largely undeveloped, affording possibilities of extensive use for water power in its many canyons and for irrigation in its desert valleys, which need only the life-giving water to make them productive and valuable. We are interested in its mysteries, its traditions, its history, and its possible future; in the fascination of its deserts, whose immensity awes us; in the grandeur of its mountains, from the highest peaks of the Rockies on the east to the beauties of the Uinta and Wasatch mountains on the west; in the wonders of its canyons, perhaps the most famous in the world; in the range of its climate, from its short and cold summer season in Wyoming, where frosts may occur in every month of the year, to the subtropical temperatures of the valleys of Arizona, where the growing season never ends.

25 CFR 514.7 - What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year? 514.7 Section 514.7 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GENERAL PROVISIONS FEES § 514.7 What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year? If a gaming operation changes its fiscal year, it shall notify the Commissio...

25 CFR 514.7 - What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year? 514.7 Section 514.7 Indians NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GENERAL PROVISIONS FEES § 514.7 What should a tribe do if it changes its fiscal year? If a gaming operation changes its fiscal year, it shall notify the Commissio...

Cytogenetic biodosimetry: what it is and how we do it.

PubMed

Wong, K F; Siu, Lisa L P; Ainsbury, E; Moquet, J

2013-04-01

Dicentric assay is the international gold standard for cytogenetic biodosimetry after radiation exposure, despite being very labour-intensive, time-consuming, and highly expertise-dependent. It involves the identification of centromeres and structure of solid-stained chromosomes and the enumeration of dicentric chromosomes in a large number of first-division metaphases of cultured T lymphocytes. The dicentric yield is used to estimate the radiation exposure dosage according to a statistically derived and predetermined dose-response curve. It can be used for population triage after large-scale accidental over-exposure to ionising radiation or with a view to making clinical decisions for individual patients receiving substantial radiation. In this report, we describe our experience in the establishment of a cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. This was part of the contingency plan for emergency measures against radiation accidents at nuclear power stations.

Cosmic Rays Astrophysics: The Discipline, Its Scope, and Its Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barghouty, A. F.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation gives an overview of the discipline surrounding cosmic ray astrophysics. It includes information on recent assertions surrounding cosmic rays, exposure levels, and a short history with specific information on the origin, acceleration, transport, and modulation of cosmic rays.

Health IT for Patient Safety and Improving the Safety of Health IT.

PubMed

Magrabi, Farah; Ong, Mei-Sing; Coiera, Enrico

2016-01-01

Alongside their benefits health IT applications can pose new risks to patient safety. Problems with IT have been linked to many different types of clinical errors including prescribing and administration of medications; as well as wrong-patient, wrong-site errors, and delays in procedures. There is also growing concern about the risks of data breach and cyber-security. IT-related clinical errors have their origins in processes undertaken to design, build, implement and use software systems in a broader sociotechnical context. Safety can be improved with greater standardization of clinical software and by improving the quality of processes at different points in the technology life cycle, spanning design, build, implementation and use in clinical settings. Oversight processes can be set up at a regional or national level to ensure that clinical software systems meet specific standards. Certification and regulation are two mechanisms to improve oversight. In the absence of clear standards, guidelines are useful to promote safe design and implementation practices. Processes to identify and mitigate hazards can be formalised via a safety management system. Minimizing new patient safety risks is critical to realizing the benefits of IT.

'Acupuncture for antenatal depression: It's worth giving it a go' - A qualitative study.

PubMed

Ormsby, Simone M; Dahlen, Hannah G; Ee, Carolyn C; Keedle, Hazel; Smith, Caroline A

2018-06-01

Treatment strategies for the management of antenatal depression are limited by varied and often modest response rates, unpleasant medication side effects and uncertainty regarding foetal safety. Consequently, many pregnant women experiencing depression seek alternative non-pharmaceutical options. Acupuncture may provide a safe and potentially effective additional treatment, however further investigation is required. In this qualitative study, we explored the views of health professionals regarding the possible incorporation of acupuncture into mainstream care. Two separate focus groups were run with 16 midwives. In-depth interviews were conducted with two maternity service managers and nine doctors (3 obstetricians, 2 psychiatrists and 4 general practitioners). Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were generally positive about acupuncture and open to its possible inclusion in conventional care, on the proviso that it was safe and could be shown to be effective. The overarching theme to emerge was 'acupuncture for antenatal depression: it's worth giving it a go', which participants concluded after considering 'the dilemma of mental health' treatment during the antenatal period and the additional limitations this presented, along with the belief that 'if it doesn't do any harm, I'm not against it'. Practical considerations regarding potential 'barriers' and facilitators' to implementation were additionally explored in 'making it mainstream', whereby the different 'philosophical beliefs' held by participants were seen to influence perspectives. Participants expressed an overall positive attitude towards the possible inclusion of acupuncture into mainstream care for antenatal depression, suggesting various hospital barriers could be overcome with further safety and effectiveness evidence. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is It Worth It? - the Economics of Reusable Space Transportation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, Richard

2016-01-01

Over the past several decades billions of dollars have been invested by governments and private companies in the pursuit of lower cost access to space through earth-to-orbit (ETO) space transportation systems. Much of that investment has been focused on the development and operation of various forms of reusable transportation systems. From the Space Shuttle to current efforts by private commercial companies, the overarching belief of those making such investments has been that reusing system elements will be cheaper than utilizing expendable systems that involve throwing away costly engines, avionics, and other hardware with each flight. However, the view that reusable systems are ultimately a "better" approach to providing ETO transportation is not held universally by major stakeholders within the space transportation industry. While the technical feasibility of at least some degree of reusability has been demonstrated, there continues to be a sometimes lively debate over the merits and drawbacks of reusable versus expendable systems from an economic perspective. In summary, is it worth it? Based on our many years of direct involvement with the business aspects of several expendable and reusable transportation systems, it appears to us that much of the discussion surrounding reusability is hindered by a failure to clearly define and understand the financial and other metrics by which the financial "goodness" of a reusable or expandable approach is measured. As stakeholders, the different users and suppliers of space transportation have a varied set of criteria for determining the relative economic viability of alternative strategies, including reusability. Many different metrics have been used to measure the affordability of space transportation, such as dollars per payload pound (kilogram) to orbit, cost per flight, life cycle cost, net present value/internal rate of return, and many others. This paper will examine the key considerations that influence

The "Internet of Things": What It Is and What It Means for Libraries.

PubMed

Hoy, Matthew B

2015-01-01

The "Internet of Things" is a popular buzzword but a poorly understood concept. In short, it refers to everyday objects that can sense the environment around them and communicate that data to other objects and services via the Internet. This column will briefly explain what the Internet of Things is and how it might be useful for libraries. It will also discuss some of the problems with and objections to this technology. A list of currently available Internet of Things examples is also included.

Asset tracking: what it is and whether it's right for you.

PubMed

2006-10-01

This Guidance Article examines asset tracking technology, reviewing what it is, how it works, and how it can be applied in the healthcare setting to help hospitals better manage medical equipment. The article also offers guidance to help healthcare facilities determine whether (or when) they should consider investing in asset tracking technology. Asset tracking refers to the ability to detect, identify, and locate assets-infusion pumps, wheelchairs, or just about any other object or device--at any time, as well as to record the physical locations of those assets over time. Though already commonplace in some industries, tracking technology is still relatively new to healthcare. As a result, the systems, the companies that supply them, and even the applications for which they can be used are still evolving. While some healthcare facilities could see almost immediate benefits from implementing an asset tracking system now, others would benefit from waiting a little while for the marketplace to develop further. This article provides information to help hospitals determine which option will be best for them. For facilities that choose to start the system selection process now, we outline factors that should be considered.

It's not football.

PubMed

Ryan, G

1998-01-01

Today I am as happy as I could ever be. I have created a lot out of very little, I have worked full time, played full time, got full-time friends, full-time independence, had full-time love and am lucky enough to be with my new full-time love who helps me a great deal both physically and mentally. It is definitely no fun coughing until your chest is sore in the morning, afternoon and evening. Having wringing night-sweats from cepacia. Wanting to sleep more than Mr Sleep from Sleepland. Taking tablets the size of which sunk the Belgrano. Finding time for physiotherapy, eating the right meals, playing on my Playstation. Depression has got through on previous occasions, but not for long, and it has never resulted in anything more than a 'wake up and smell the coffee' call from myself. Having CF is no ball game (otherwise it would be called football or something!), but I have had a lot of fun and will continue to do so for however long. Two years, five years, 20 years--who's to say, not me. We could all have the same left, I just hope that everyone has as much fun.

Reaction rate theory: What it was, where is it today, and where is it going?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollak, Eli; Talkner, Peter

2005-06-01

A brief history is presented, outlining the development of rate theory during the past century. Starting from Arrhenius [Z. Phys. Chem. 4, 226 (1889)], we follow especially the formulation of transition state theory by Wigner [Z. Phys. Chem. Abt. B 19, 203 (1932)] and Eyring [J. Chem. Phys. 3, 107 (1935)]. Transition state theory (TST) made it possible to obtain quick estimates for reaction rates for a broad variety of processes even during the days when sophisticated computers were not available. Arrhenius' suggestion that a transition state exists which is intermediate between reactants and products was central to the development of rate theory. Although Wigner gave an abstract definition of the transition state as a surface of minimal unidirectional flux, it took almost half of a century until the transition state was precisely defined by Pechukas [Dynamics of Molecular Collisions B, edited by W. H. Miller (Plenum, New York, 1976)], but even this only in the realm of classical mechanics. Eyring, considered by many to be the father of TST, never resolved the question as to the definition of the activation energy for which Arrhenius became famous. In 1978, Chandler [J. Chem. Phys. 68, 2959 (1978)] finally showed that especially when considering condensed phases, the activation energy is a free energy, it is the barrier height in the potential of mean force felt by the reacting system. Parallel to the development of rate theory in the chemistry community, Kramers published in 1940 [Physica (Amsterdam) 7, 284 (1940)] a seminal paper on the relation between Einstein's theory of Brownian motion [Einstein, Ann. Phys. 17, 549 (1905)] and rate theory. Kramers' paper provided a solution for the effect of friction on reaction rates but left us also with some challenges. He could not derive a uniform expression for the rate, valid for all values of the friction coefficient, known as the Kramers turnover problem. He also did not establish the connection between his approach

The brain disease model of addiction: is it supported by the evidence and has it delivered on its promises?

PubMed

Hall, Wayne; Carter, Adrian; Forlini, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Since 1997 the US National Institute on Drug Abuse has advocated a brain disease model of addiction (BDMA). We assess the strength of evidence for the BDMA in animals, neuroimaging studies of people with addiction, and current research on the role of genetics in addiction. We critically assess claims about the medical and social benefits of use of the BDMA because the social implications are often implied as a reason to accept this model. Furthermore, we argue that the BDMA is not supported by animal and neuroimaging evidence to the extent its advocates suggest; it has not helped to deliver more effective treatments for addiction; and its effect on public policies toward drugs and people with addiction has been modest. The focus of the BDMA is on disordered neurobiology in a minority of severely addicted individuals, which undermines the implementation of effective and cost-effective policies at the population level to discourage people from smoking tobacco and drinking heavily. The pursuit of high technology direct brain interventions to cure addiction when most individuals with addiction do not have access to effective psychosocial and drug treatments is questionable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demographic compensation among populations: what is it, how does it arise and what are its implications?

PubMed

Villellas, Jesús; Doak, Daniel F; García, María B; Morris, William F

2015-09-10

Most species are exposed to significant environmental gradients across their ranges, but vital rates (survival, growth, reproduction and recruitment) need not respond in the same direction to those gradients. Opposing vital rate trends across environments, a phenomenon that has been loosely called 'demographic compensation', may allow species to occupy larger geographical ranges and alter their responses to climate change. Yet the term has never been precisely defined, nor has its existence or strength been assessed for multiple species. Here, we provide a rigorous definition, and use it to develop a strong test for demographic compensation. By applying the test to data from 26 published, multi-population demographic studies of plants, we show that demographic compensation commonly occurs. We also investigate the mechanisms by which this phenomenon arises by assessing which demographic processes and life stages are most often involved. In addition, we quantify the effect of demographic compensation on variation in population growth rates across environmental gradients, a potentially important determinant of the size of a species' geographical range. Finally, we discuss the implications of demographic compensation for the responses of single populations and species' ranges to temporal environmental variation and to ongoing environmental trends, e.g. due to climate change. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

It's not what you do but how you do it: tips for the manager.

PubMed

Shearer, R A; Davidhizar, R

1994-12-01

Effectively relating to others is critical at the managerial level. At this level it is not so much what you do that counts but how you do it. It is your manner of focusing on others and the effective feelings you evoke that will influence your ultimate success as a manager.

EDITORIAL: Is it a bird? Is it a plane...?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobson, Ken

1997-11-01

Honorary Editor Neither. But what exactly is Physics Education? What is its role? Such questions exercised the combined wit and wisdom of the Editorial Board at its recent meeting in October. Some facts. Among the core readership of the journal are teachers of physics in UK secondary schools, nearly all of whom teach A-level physics. Many of these who are not already Institute of Physics members benefit from a reduced subscription via membership of the Institute of Physics Schools and Colleges Affiliation Scheme or the Association for Science Education. But some readers worldwide subscribe at the full annual individual rate. In addition the journal is bought by over a thousand institutions (colleges, universities, schools) - and most of these are abroad, in North America especially. A typical issue shows a broad geographical spread of authors. Less than half of the papers submitted for publication come from the UK, the rest come from our foreign readership, with the USA in the lead. Each issue contains about eleven papers - currently we receive an average of ten articles a month, of which about 60% are ultimately published. This creditable figure hides the fact that 90% of UK submissions are accepted, whilst two thirds of 'foreign' articles are rejected by the referees. Linguistic fluency is significant here, of course. But some are rejected because they are seen as too limited in their appeal to our readers; often there is too much physics and not enough education. These decisions are made by the referees, who are all members of the Editorial Board. The main topic of discussion at the October Board meeting was whether the journal does satisfy the needs of its readership. It was generally agreed that the main question referees and editors should ask themselves is: Will this article/issue help to improve the teaching and learning of physics? We were worried that there is not enough in the journal that teachers can use in their everyday tasks of planning or

Rearchitecting IT: Simplify. Simplify

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panettieri, Joseph C.

2006-01-01

Simplifying and securing an IT infrastructure is not easy. It frequently requires rethinking years of hardware and software investments, and a gradual migration to modern systems. Even so, writes the author, universities can take six practical steps to success: (1) Audit software infrastructure; (2) Evaluate current applications; (3) Centralize…

Whose Problem Is It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansfield, Deborah; And Others

"Whose Problem Is It" is a workshop for middle level students that encourages their participation, input, and ownership in accomplishing change in the middle level school policies, program and procedure. The workshop revolves around making the school environment a happy, healthy, and productive place for learning. It consists of…

It Begins with a Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunner, Judy; Lewis, Dennis

2010-01-01

The First Amendment does not protect a bully when it comes to vulgar or intimidating language. When the language or behavior interferes with another student's educational opportunities--whether it is done inside or outside of school--it is not protected by freedom of speech or expression, and it should be addressed by school officials.…

Evaluation of Kentucky's "Buckle Up Kentucky : It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2007 campaign.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-08-01

The objective of this report was to document the results of the "Buckle Up Kentucky: It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2007 campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The cam...

Evaluation of Kentucky's "Buckle Up Kentucky : It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2004 campaign.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-07-01

The objective of this report was to document the results of the "Buckle Up Kentucky: It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2004 campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The cam...

Evaluation of Kentucky's "Buckle Up Kentucky : It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2006 campaign.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-07-01

The objective of this report was to document the results of the "Buckle Up Kentucky: It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2006 campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The cam...

Evaluation of Kentucky's "Buckle Up Kentucky : It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2005 campaign.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-07-01

The objective of this report was to document the results of the "Buckle Up Kentucky: It's the Law & It's Enforced" 2005 campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The cam...

Making It Real

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCartney, Robert; Tenenberg, Josh

2008-01-01

Some have proposed that realistic problem situations are better for learning. This issue contains two articles that examine the effects of "making it real" in computer architecture and human-computer interaction.

Leadership: Who Needs It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronn, Peter

2003-01-01

Critique focuses on the discourse of leadership as a vehicle for representing organizational practice. Identifies a series of conceptual inadequacies, such as difficulties in distinguishing leadership from management. Embedded in each criticism is a claim that, if leadership is to retain its conceptual and practical utility, then it has to be…

Phylogenetic Information Content of Copepoda Ribosomal DNA Repeat Units: ITS1 and ITS2 Impact

PubMed Central

Zagoskin, Maxim V.; Lazareva, Valentina I.; Grishanin, Andrey K.; Mukha, Dmitry V.

2014-01-01

The utility of various regions of the ribosomal repeat unit for phylogenetic analysis was examined in 16 species representing four families, nine genera, and two orders of the subclass Copepoda (Crustacea). Fragments approximately 2000 bp in length containing the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) 18S and 28S gene fragments, the 5.8S gene, and the internal transcribed spacer regions I and II (ITS1 and ITS2) were amplified and analyzed. The DAMBE (Data Analysis in Molecular Biology and Evolution) software was used to analyze the saturation of nucleotide substitutions; this test revealed the suitability of both the 28S gene fragment and the ITS1/ITS2 rDNA regions for the reconstruction of phylogenetic trees. Distance (minimum evolution) and probabilistic (maximum likelihood, Bayesian) analyses of the data revealed that the 28S rDNA and the ITS1 and ITS2 regions are informative markers for inferring phylogenetic relationships among families of copepods and within the Cyclopidae family and associated genera. Split-graph analysis of concatenated ITS1/ITS2 rDNA regions of cyclopoid copepods suggested that the Mesocyclops, Thermocyclops, and Macrocyclops genera share complex evolutionary relationships. This study revealed that the ITS1 and ITS2 regions potentially represent different phylogenetic signals. PMID:25215300

University Planning: Who Needs It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curl, Sam E.

In order for the university to regain public confidence and survive as a vital force that makes decisions relevant to the problems of today and tomorrow, it has no alternative but to reexamine with commitment its purpose for being as well as to identify, clarify, and articulate its mission, goals, and objectives in order to chart its own course…

Laser-based additive manufacturing: where it has been, where it needs to go

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Khershed P.

2014-03-01

It is no secret that the laser was the driver for additive manufacturing (AM) of 3D objects since such objects were first demonstrated in the mid-1980s. A myriad of techniques utilizing the directed energy of lasers were invented. Lasers are used to selectively sinter or fuse incremental layers in powder-beds, melt streaming powder following a programmed path, and polymerize photopolymers in a liquid vat layer-by-layer. The laser is an energy source of choice for repair of damaged components, for manufacture of new or replacement parts, and for rapid prototyping of concept designs. Lasers enable microstructure gradients and heterogeneous structures designed to exhibit unique properties and behavior. Laserbased additive manufacturing has been successful in producing relatively simple near net-shape metallic parts saving material and cost, but requiring finish-machining and in repair and refurbishment of worn components. It has been routinely used to produce polymer parts. These capabilities have been widely recognized as evidenced by the explosion in interest in AM technology, nationally. These successes are, however, tempered by challenges facing practitioners such as process and part qualification and verification, which are needed to bring AM as a true manufacturing technology. The ONR manufacturing science program, in collaboration with other agencies, invested in basic R&D in AM since its beginnings. It continues to invest, currently focusing on developing cyber-enabled manufacturing systems for AM. It is believed that such computation, communication and control approaches will help in validating AM and moving it to the factory floor along side CNC machines.

It wasn't Witchcraft--It was Huntington Disease!

PubMed

Penaranda, Eribeth; Garcia, Angel; Montgomery, Lisa

2011-01-01

Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal-dominant, incurable, progressive disorder that manifests with chorea and behavioral and cognitive impairment. The disease usually occurs during the fourth or fifth decade of life; however, it may present at any age. Clinical suspicion is confirmed by genetic testing. Death occurs, on average, 15 to 20 years after the onset of symptoms. Here we report about a Hispanic woman and her family who were affected by the disease; this case illustrates the role of cultural values and beliefs in the decision-making process, as well as the importance of the physician's cultural competency in fostering a trusting relationship that may lessen the burden of catastrophic diseases on individuals, families, and society at-large.

It Makes You Think

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harden, Helen

2009-01-01

This article provides an overview of the "It Makes You Think" resource. The lessons provided by this resource show how students can learn about the global dimension through science. The "It Makes You Think" resource contains ten topics: (1) Metals in jewellery worldwide; (2) Global food market; (3) The worldwide travels of…

It's all just mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tegmark, Max

2014-02-01

The world can be described using mathematical equations and numbers, but why does maths do it so well? In his new book Our Mathematical Universe, a section of which is abridged and edited here, Max Tegmark makes the radical proposal that our reality isn't just described by mathematics - it is mathematics.

Researching IT in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, M. J.; Niederhauser, D. S.; Castillo, N.; McDougall, A. B.; Sakamoto, T.; Roesvik, S.

2013-01-01

Many regions around the world are experiencing a gradual paradigm shift away from information technology (IT) use that complements traditional teaching and towards embedded IT use in E-learning that is ubiquitous and pervasive. This has been conceptualized in this article using a framework depicting the affects of these shifts on learning…

The Occupational Safety and Health Act: Its Goals and Its Achievements. Evaluative Studies Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Robert Stewart

The safety and health mandate of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is examined in reference to its effectiveness in reducing injuries and its consistency with the goal of promoting general welfare. Chapter 1 describes the essential features of the act and its administration to date, and analyzes the mandate as revealed by legislative…

Knowledge and Its Enemies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruk, Miroslav

2007-01-01

As libraries are the physical manifestations of knowledge, some refection about the concept of knowledge would not be unjustified. In modern societies, knowledge plays such a central role that it requires some effort and imagination to understand on what grounds knowledge could be rejected. Karl Popper wrote about the open society and its enemies.…

"Is College Worth It?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adam, Michelle

2012-01-01

The Pew Research Center asked an important question earlier this year when it embarked on an ambitious project called Is College Worth It?: College Presidents, Public Assess Value, Quality and Mission of Higher Education. While most today believe that getting a good education is key to success in the society, this report revealed surprising issues…

ITS physical architecture.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-04-01

The Physical Architecture identifies the physical subsystems and, architecture flows between subsystems that will implement the processes and support the data flows of the ITS Logical Architecture. The Physical Architecture further identifies the sys...

Stick-to-it riblets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demeis, Richard

1988-01-01

The development and advantages of riblet tape are described with particular reference to its application to the Stars and Stripes racing yacht. Research on aircraft is then touched on, with particular attention given to the test flight of a T-33 with one smooth and one grooved plastic film section on its wings in 1985; and the NASA-Langley test of a Learjet with films of two different groove depths (0.003 and 0.0013 in.). It is projected that the expected overall drag reduction would be 3-4 percent for an airliner at 35,000-40,000 ft at Mach 0.75 using riblets about 0.002 in. deep and across on areas with a constant flow angle.

Stonehenge and its Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggles, Clive L. N.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Stonehenge polarized academic opinion between those (mainly astronomers) who claimed it demonstrated great astronomical sophistication and those (mainly archaeologists) who denied it had anything to do with astronomy apart from the solstitial alignment of its main axis. Now, several decades later, links to the annual passage of the sun are generally recognized as an essential part of the function and meaning not only of Stonehenge but also of several other nearby monuments, giving us important insights into beliefs and actions relating to the seasonal cycle by the prehistoric communities who populated this chalkland landscape in the third millennium BC Links to the moon remain more debatable.

It's Too Hot! It's Too Cold!--Understanding How Heat Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roman, Harry T.

2012-01-01

Engineers often measure temperature for a wide variety of applications and assessments. This article describes how STEM educators can use thermometers or temperature sensors to help students understand how heat disperses through fluids, both air and water. It also provides hands-on learning about air and water heating systems. (Contains 4 figures.)

IT Software Development and IT Operations Strategic Alignment: An Agile DevOps Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Michael

2017-01-01

Information Technology (IT) departments that include development and operations are essential to develop software that meet customer needs. DevOps is a term originally constructed from software development and IT operations. DevOps includes the collaboration of all stakeholders such as software engineers and systems administrators involved in the…

Cervical Dysplasia: Is It Cancer?

MedlinePlus

... showed cervical dysplasia. What does that mean? Is it cancer? Answers from Shannon K. Laughlin-Tommaso, M. ... or glandular cells. Dysplasia could go away on its own. Or, rarely, it could develop into cancer. ...

Rural ITS toolbox

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-11-01

This document identifies successful rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects and statewide applications. These applications are referred to as "tools" and include those in the process of being tested prior to full deployment. The tools...

ITS evaluation results.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-10-01

This Users Guide provides details of the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS). It provides information to assist transportation planners and others who need comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the United St...

Extreme Makeover: IT Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffhauser, Dian

2011-01-01

Air-traffic controller might be a relaxing second career for anyone who's coordinated IT operations at a large research university. Just ask administrators at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As at most big universities, IT operations on the academic side are decentralized on a major scale. When a faculty member in one of Michigan's 19…

Academic Freedom: What It Is, What It Isn't, and How to Tell the Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downs, Donald A.

2009-01-01

Although the term academic freedom is tossed about almost with abandon, many people do not know exactly what it means. This paper defines academic freedom, explains to whom it applies, and places it in its historical, institutional, and legal contexts. This paper also offers guidelines for deciding when and where the protection of academic freedom…

Its All Action, Its All Learning: Action Learning in SMEs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Jean; Thorpe, Richard; Anderson, Lisa; Gold, Jeff

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to argue that action learning (AL) may provide a means of successfully developing small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach: The literature around SME learning suggests a number of processes are important for SME learning which similarity, it is argued, are encompassed in AL. AL may…

'Deal with It. Name It': the diagnostic moment in film.

PubMed

Jutel, Thierry; Jutel, Annemarie

2017-09-01

The moment a serious diagnosis is announced creates an important crisis for a patient, as it shifts their sense of self and of their future potential. This essay discusses the creative representation and use of this diagnostic moment in film narratives. Using Still Alice , A Late Quartet , Wit and Cléo from 5 to 7 as examples, we describe how each of these uses the diagnostic moment in relation to narrative construction and characterisation in recognisable ways. We associate the diagnostic moment with certain narrative and visual devices that are frequently implemented in films as means for character development, and for managing the audience's empathy. This is the case whether or not the diagnosis is contested or accepted, and whether the diagnostic moment is the frame for the narrative, or a closing device. By analysing its representation in film, we emphasise the cultural significance of diagnosis as a life-transforming event. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Eek! It's Eczema!

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Eczema KidsHealth / For Kids / Eczema What's in this article? ... need to worry. It's just eczema. What Is Eczema? Eczema (say: EK-zeh-ma) is also called ...

Dioptric power: its nature and its representation in three- and four-dimensional space.

PubMed

Harris, W F

1997-06-01

Dioptric power expressed in the familiar three-component form of sphere, cylinder, and axis is unsuited to mathematical and statistical treatments; there is a particular class of power that cannot be represented in the familiar form; and it is possible that sphere, cylinder, and axis will prove inadequate in future clinical and research applications in optometry and ophthalmology. Dioptric power expressed as the four-component dioptric power matrix, however, overcomes these shortcomings. The intention in this paper is to provide a definitive statement on the nature, function, and mathematical representation of dioptric power in terms of the matrix and within the limitations of paraxial or linear optics. The approach is universal in the sense that its point of departure is not power of the familiar form (that is, of thin systems) but of systems in general (thick or thin). Familiar types of power are then seen within the context of power in general. Dioptric power is defined, for systems that may be thick and astigmatic, in terms of the ray transfer matrix. A functional definition is presented for dioptric power and its components: it defines the additive contribution of incident position to emergent direction of a ray passing through the system. For systems that are thin (or thin-equivalent) it becomes possible to describe an alternative and more familiar function; for such systems dioptric power can be regarded as the increase in reduced surface curvature of a wavefront brought about by the system as the wavefront passes through it. The curvital and torsional components of the power are explored in some detail. Dioptric power, at its most general, defines a four-dimensional inner product space called dioptric power space. The familiar types of power define a three-dimensional subspace called symmetric dioptric power space. For completeness a one-dimensional antisymmetric power space is also defined: it is orthogonal in four dimensions to symmetric dioptric power

Cinnamic Acid and Its Derivatives: Mechanisms for Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Its Complications.

PubMed

Adisakwattana, Sirichai

2017-02-21

With recent insight into the development of dietary supplements and functional foods, search of effective phytochemical compounds and their mechanisms involved in prevention and management of diabetes and its complications are now being assessed. Cinnamic acid and its derivatives occur naturally in high levels of plant-based foods. Among various biological activities, cinnamic acid and its derivatives are associated with a beneficial influence on diabetes and its complications. The aim of the review is to summarize the potential mechanisms of these compounds for prevention and management of diabetes and its complications. Based on several in vitro studies and animal models, cinnamic acid and its derivatives act on different mechanism of actions, including stimulation of insulin secretion, improvement of pancreatic β-cell functionality, inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis, enhanced glucose uptake, increased insulin signaling pathway, delay of carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, and inhibition of protein glycation and insulin fibrillation. However, due to the limited intestinal absorption being a result of low bioavailability of cinnamic acid and its derivatives, current improvement efforts with entrapping into solid and liquid particles are highlighted. Further human clinical studies are needed to clarify the effects of cinnamic acid and its derivatives in diabetic patients.

Concerning the Spiritual in Art and Its Education: Postmodern-Romanticism and Its Discontents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jagodzinski, Jan

2013-01-01

This commentary addresses the holistic-spiritualistic movement in art and its education. In many respects it may be for naught, but questions should be raised in a time of ecological terrorism and climate breakdown of a dying Earth. Belief as opposed to knowledge is always a question of ideology--that is, the "imaginary relationship" of…

ITS risk analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-06-01

Risk analysis plays a key role in the implementation of an architecture. Early definition of the situations, processes, or events that have the potential for impeding the implementation of key elements of the ITS National Architecture is a critical e...

Do-It-Yourself Metrics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klubeck, Martin; Langthorne, Michael; Padgett, Don

2006-01-01

Something new is on the horizon, and depending on one's role on campus, it might be storm clouds or a cleansing shower. Either way, no matter how hard one tries to avoid it, sooner rather than later he/she will have to deal with metrics. Metrics do not have to cause fear and resistance. Metrics can, and should, be a powerful tool for improvement.…

Big Data - What is it and why it matters.

PubMed

Tattersall, Andy; Grant, Maria J

2016-06-01

Big data, like MOOCs, altmetrics and open access, is a term that has been commonplace in the library community for some time yet, despite its prevalence, many in the library and information sector remain unsure of the relationship between big data and their roles. This editorial explores what big data could mean for the day-to-day practice of health library and information workers, presenting examples of big data in action, considering the ethics of accessing big data sets and the potential for new roles for library and information workers. © 2016 Health Libraries Group.

Miami Valley ITS : early deployment plan : final ITS strategic deployment plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This report presents the Strategic Deployment Plan for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in Clark, Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties, Ohio (the Miami Valley). The report summarizes the steps that were performed in preparing the Strat...

Was it poisoning?

PubMed

Flanagan, R J

The aim of post-mortem toxicology is to help establish the role that drugs or other poisons played in a death, or in events immediately before death. If self-poisoning is suspected then the diagnosis may be straightforward and all that may be required is confirmation of the agents involved. If the cause of death is not immediately obvious, however, then suspicion of possible poisoning is of course crucial. Blood sampling (needle aspiration, peripheral vein, e.g. femoral, ideally after proximal ligation) before opening the body, minimises the risk of sample contamination with, for example, gut contents or urine. The site of blood sampling should always be recorded. Other specimens (stomach contents, urine, liver, vitreous humor) may also be valuable and may be needed to corroborate unexpected or unusual findings in the absence of other evidence. The availability of ante-mortem specimens should not preclude post-mortem sampling. Appropriate sample preservation, transport, and storage are mandatory. Interpretation of post-mortem toxicology must take into account what is known of the clinical pharmacology, including pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of the agent(s) in question, the circumstances under which death occurred including the possible mechanism(s) of exposure, and other factors such as the sample(s) analysed and the analytical methods used. It was thought that concentrations of poisons measured in blood obtained at autopsy reflected the situation peri-mortem. However, we now know that changes may occur in the composition of body fluids, even peripheral blood, after death. Such changes are likely to be greater with centrally-acting drugs such as clozapine with large volumes of distribution, and may perhaps be minimised by prompt refrigeration of the body and performing the autopsy quickly. Better training in analytical toxicology is needed for pathologists and others who may be called upon to interpret toxicological data for the Courts. Undue reliance on

YORP: Its origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paddack, Stephen; Rubincam, David P.

2015-11-01

It’s all about photons and their behavior. Yarkovsky (1844-1902) did not have the knowledge we have today about photons and radiation pressure. Nevertheless, he published a pamphlet in 1901 that small rotating celestial bodies could absorb sunlight and reradiate it as heat after a delay, resulting in possible orbital changes, setting the stage for radiation effects in celestial mechanics. Yarkovsly’s work remained obscure until Öpik recalled having read Yarkovsky’s pamphlet. Öpik brought Yarkovsky’s idea to the attention of John A. O’Keefe in the late 1960s. O’Keefe, the mentor for two aspiring PhD students, Paddack and Rubincam, told them about Yarkovsky. In 1968 Paddack postulated that the reflection of sunlight off of small, irregularly shaped celestial bodies could have a significant effect on their spin rates. He referred to this as a windmill effect. Paddack and O’Keefe tested the idea of windmill shapes causing spin by dropping crushed stones with irregular shapes into a swimming pool and watching them twirl. Paddack then mimicked the space environment by placing windmill-shaped artificial objects and tektites in a vacuum chamber on an almost frictionless bearing and spinning them up with a strong source of light, conclusively showing the relation of shape to spin. Earlier in 1954 Radzievskii wrote about the effects radiation pressure on variations in the albedo of small celestial bodies as a means of changing their spin rates. The uniform color of Paddack’s test bodies ruled out Radzievskii’s effect as the cause for the observed spin-up. The Yarkovsky effect was minimized because the test object had a coating of vapor-deposited aluminum with a very high albedo and consequently did not heat up. In 2000 Rubincam applied Paddack’s idea to small asteroids and called it the YORP effect (YORP = Yarkovsky-O’Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack), to give it a catchy name and sell the idea. In 2007 results were published in Science about the observed

Regional ITS architecture development : a case study : Southern California ITS priority corridor : building a framework for regional ITS integration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

This is one of seven studies exploring processes for developing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architectures for regional, statewide, or commercial vehicle applications. This study was prepared for a broad-based, non-technical audience. The...

Statewide ITS architecture development : a case study : Arizona's rural statewide ITS architecture : building a framework for statewide ITS integration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

This is one of seven studies exploring processes for developing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) architectures for regional, statewide, or commercial vehicle applications. This study was prepared for a broad-based, non-technical audience. In ...

Statewide ITS Architecture Development : A Case Study. Arizona's Rural Statewide ITS Architecture : Building a Framework for Statewide ITS Integration.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

We have scanned the country and brought together the collective wisdom and expertise of transportation professionals implementing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) projects across the United States. This information will prove helpful as you s...

Build It Yourself.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundt, John C.; Matt, John

2001-01-01

As serving as its own contractor, a small district in western Montana saved money, had better control over the project, and inspired public confidence. Major advantages were cost savings, controlling the pace of construction, and the ability to cope with change orders. (MLF)

Cinnamic Acid and Its Derivatives: Mechanisms for Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Its Complications

PubMed Central

Adisakwattana, Sirichai

2017-01-01

With recent insight into the development of dietary supplements and functional foods, search of effective phytochemical compounds and their mechanisms involved in prevention and management of diabetes and its complications are now being assessed. Cinnamic acid and its derivatives occur naturally in high levels of plant-based foods. Among various biological activities, cinnamic acid and its derivatives are associated with a beneficial influence on diabetes and its complications. The aim of the review is to summarize the potential mechanisms of these compounds for prevention and management of diabetes and its complications. Based on several in vitro studies and animal models, cinnamic acid and its derivatives act on different mechanism of actions, including stimulation of insulin secretion, improvement of pancreatic β-cell functionality, inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis, enhanced glucose uptake, increased insulin signaling pathway, delay of carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, and inhibition of protein glycation and insulin fibrillation. However, due to the limited intestinal absorption being a result of low bioavailability of cinnamic acid and its derivatives, current improvement efforts with entrapping into solid and liquid particles are highlighted. Further human clinical studies are needed to clarify the effects of cinnamic acid and its derivatives in diabetic patients. PMID:28230764

Today's Higher Education IT Workforce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bichsel, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

The professionals making up the current higher education IT workforce have been asked to adjust to a culture of increased IT consumerization, more sourcing options, broader interest in IT's transformative potential, and decreased resources. Disruptions that include the bring-your-own-everything era, cloud computing, new management practices,…

Wiggling Its Way to Discovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This image shows the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's view from its new location inside the shallow depression dubbed 'Laguna Hollow.' To get a better look at the soil making up the hollow, Spirit drove forward a bit, wiggled its wheels, then turned and backed up. The result - a scrape on the floor and a clod of dirt stuck on one of Spirit's wheels - told scientists that the soil is sticky and reminiscent of that observed at the airbag drag mark nicknamed 'Magic Carpet.' Spirit will further investigate this disturbed patch of soil with its robotic arm beginning today (Feb. 19, 2004). It will also dig a trench at 'Laguna Hollow' with one of its wheels. This fish-eye image was taken by the rover's hazard-avoidance camera.

USDOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) ITS strategic plan, 2015-2019.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

This document constitutes the Intelligent Transportation Systems Strategic Plan covering the years 2015 to 2019; it builds on the progress of the 2010-2014 plan and presents a wide array of technical, policy, institutional, and organizational concept...

The Car: Its Parts and What Makes It GOooo. Book One. Project Drive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zook, Doris; And Others

This Project Drive booklet titled The Car: Its Parts and What Makes It Go is one of eight booklets designed for intermediate-level English-as-a-second-language students and low-level adult basic education/basic reading students. The goal of the booklet is to aid the student in developing the oral and sight vocabulary necessary for a basic driver…

Affirmative Action: Is it Fair?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dworkin, Ronald

2000-01-01

Addresses the fairness of affirmative action, suggesting it will be unfortunate if the Supreme Court reverses its ruling, because dramatic evidence of its value in elite higher education has just become available. After discussing legal rulings, the paper concludes that affirmative action makes the eventual economic and social structure of…

Top-Ten IT Issues: 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agee, Anne Scrivener; Yang, Catherine

2009-01-01

This article presents the top-ten IT-related issues in terms of strategic importance to the institution, as revealed by the tenth annual EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey. These IT-related issues include: (1) Funding IT; (2) Administrative/ERP Information Systems; (3) Security; (4) Infrastructure/Cyberinfrastructure; (5) Teaching and Learning with…

Sugar pine and its hybrids

Treesearch

W. B. Critchfield; B. B. Kinloch

1986-01-01

Unlike most white pines, sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) is severely restricted in its ability to hybridize with other species. It has not been successfully crossed with any other North American white pine, nor with those Eurasian white pines it most closely resembles. Crosses with the dissimilar P. koraiensis and P....

Investing in a healthy lifestyle strategy: is it worth it?

PubMed

Benmarhnia, Tarik; Dionne, Pierre-Alexandre; Tchouaket, Éric; Fansi, Alvine K; Brousselle, Astrid

2017-01-01

In Quebec, various actors fund activities aimed at increasing physical activity, improving eating habits and reducing smoking. The objective was to evaluate how effective does the healthy lifestyle habits promotion (HLHP) strategy need to be to make to offset its costs. First, we built the logic model of the HLHP strategy. We then assessed the strategy's total cost as well as the direct health care expenditures associated with lifestyle-related risk factors (smoking, physical inactivity, insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables, obesity and overweight). Finally, we estimated the break-even point beyond which the economic benefits of the HLHP strategy would outweigh its costs. The HLHP strategy cost for 2010-2011 was estimated at $110 million. Direct healthcare expenditures associated with lifestyle-related risk factors were estimated at $4.161 billion. We estimated that 47 % of these expenditures were attributable to these risk factors. We concluded that the HLHP strategy cost corresponded to 5.6 % of the annual healthcare expenditures attributable to these risk factors. This study compared the economic value of HLHP activities against healthcare expenditures associated with targeted risk factors.

A Study on Students Acquisition of IT Knowledge and Its Implication on M-Learning.

PubMed

Balavivekanandhan, A; Arulchelvan, S

2015-01-01

The boom in mobile technology has seen a dramatic rise in its usage. This has led to usage of mobiles even in the academic context for further learning. Although the advantages of m-learning (mobile learning) are visible, studies are required to address the aspects that shape its virtual expectations. The acceptance of mobile technology relies mostly on how the students feel about mobile technology fitting into their requirements. Yet, in spite of the significance in the potential of m-learning, research studies have only inadequate data to identify the factors that influence their decision to adapt the mobile technology for the purpose of learning. To deal with this space, the present study was undertaken to correlate the IT skills of students with their impact on their acceptance of m-learning. The research study found that the perceived usability along with the usefulness of m-learning impacts the association between IT expertise and the objective of learners' acceptance of m-learning. A survey of 892 students from Engineering, Arts, and Science Colleges found that IT skills influence student's acquisition of m-learning technology. Specialized and advanced skills in mobile technology along with basic skills play a significant role in influencing a student to accept m-learning. But no specific substantiation has been established to support the statement that highly developed IT skills have influenced the students to accept m-learning.

UNITEC SENS-IT

EPA Science Inventory

The UniTec Sens-It is a small gas-sensing device that can measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This sensor is used to measure VOCs in applications such as urban air quality, roadside pollution, and (solid waste) landfill monitoring. This operating procedure explains what yo...

Didactical Engineering in France; An Insider's and an Outsider's View on Its Foundations, Its Practice and Its Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Margolinas, Claire; Drijvers, Paul

2015-01-01

The notion of didactical engineering has influenced and characterized contemporary research in mathematics education in France to an important extent. In this paper, we address the following from an insider's and an outsider's perspective: (1) the way this notion is theoretically grounded, (2) the kinds of design research practices it has led to…

Aspartame and Its Analogues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlova, L. A.; Komarova, T. V.; Davidovich, Yurii A.; Rogozhin, S. V.

1981-04-01

The results of studies on the biochemistry of the sweet taste are briefly reviewed. The methods of synthesis of "aspartame" — a sweet dipeptide — are considered, its structural analogues are described, and quantitative estimates are made of the degree of sweetness relative to sucrose. Attention is concentrated mainly on problems of the relation between the structure of the substance and its taste in the series of aspartyl derivatives. The bibliography includes 118 references.

Come and get IT.

PubMed

Robeznieks, Andis; DoBias, Matthew

2010-07-19

With the release of final rules on meaningful use, the race is on for hospitals to invest in IT systems that meet the new criteria. But some, while praising the plan, see a big flaw: Some hospitals with multiple campuses that operate under one Medicare provider number will receive less money than multiple-hospital systems with a comparable bed count. "It's about a $25 million hit to Montefiore," says Montefiore Medical Center CEO Steven Safyer.

China English: Its Distinctive Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Wei-dong; Dai, Wei-ping

2011-01-01

This paper attempts to expound that China English boasting its own distinctive features on the levels of phonology, words, sentences and discourse has been playing an irreplaceable role in intercultural activities, though still in its infancy and in the process of developing and perfecting itself, and it now makes every effort to move towards…

Penis captivus--did it occur?

PubMed Central

Taylor, F K

1979-01-01

The symptom of penis captivus during sexual intercourse has had a largely hearsay existence in medical history, and rumour has embellished the drama of its occurrence. It is not entirely mythical, however. It seems to have been a symptom of great rarity in former times and to have vanished perhaps completely in this century. PMID:509182

A Study on Students Acquisition of IT Knowledge and Its Implication on M-Learning

PubMed Central

Balavivekanandhan, A.; Arulchelvan, S.

2015-01-01

The boom in mobile technology has seen a dramatic rise in its usage. This has led to usage of mobiles even in the academic context for further learning. Although the advantages of m-learning (mobile learning) are visible, studies are required to address the aspects that shape its virtual expectations. The acceptance of mobile technology relies mostly on how the students feel about mobile technology fitting into their requirements. Yet, in spite of the significance in the potential of m-learning, research studies have only inadequate data to identify the factors that influence their decision to adapt the mobile technology for the purpose of learning. To deal with this space, the present study was undertaken to correlate the IT skills of students with their impact on their acceptance of m-learning. The research study found that the perceived usability along with the usefulness of m-learning impacts the association between IT expertise and the objective of learners' acceptance of m-learning. A survey of 892 students from Engineering, Arts, and Science Colleges found that IT skills influence student's acquisition of m-learning technology. Specialized and advanced skills in mobile technology along with basic skills play a significant role in influencing a student to accept m-learning. But no specific substantiation has been established to support the statement that highly developed IT skills have influenced the students to accept m-learning. PMID:26576451

Military Food Inspection: Its History and Its Effect on Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-15

inspections. Establishments include commercial food plants such as animal slaughter houses, milk plants, bakeries , ice cream plants, and warehouses...establishments had never been checked for sanitation. Local bakeries had no concept of sanitation. The fresh fruits and vegetables being purchased from the Saigon... franchise in Vietnam. The approved ice needed to be identified by some means. The veterinary service planned to identify it by adding an approved Food

Making It Stick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewers, Justin

2009-01-01

It seems to happen every day. A meeting is called to outline a new strategy or sales plan. Down go the lights and up goes the PowerPoint. Strange phrases appear--"unlocking shareholder value," "technology-focused innovation," "maximizing utility." Lists of numbers come and go. Bullet point by bullet point, the…

Losing it.

PubMed

Coutu, Diane L

2004-04-01

"It's worse than I thought.... She's completely lost her mind," says Harry Beecham, the CEO of blue chip management consultancy Pierce and Company. The perplexed executive was in a hotel suite with his wife in Amsterdam, the latest stop on his regular trek to dozens of Pierce offices worldwide. In his hand was a sheaf of paper--the same message sent over and over again by his star employee and protégée Katharina Waldburg. The end of the world is coming, she warned. "Someone is going to die." Harry wouldn't have expected this sort of behavior from Katharina. After graduating with distinction from Oxford, she made a name for herself by single-handedly building Pierce's organizational behavior practice. At 27, she's poised to become the youngest partner ever elected at the firm. But Harry can't ignore the faxes in his hand. Or the stream-of-consciousness e-mails Katharina's been sending to one of the directors in Pierce's Berlin office--mostly gibberish but potentially disastrous to Katharina's reputation if they ever got out. Harry also can't dismiss reports from Roland Fuoroli, manager of the Berlin office, of a vicious verbal exchange Katharina had with him, or of an "over the top" lunch date Katharina had with one of Pierce's clients in which she was explaining the alphabet's role in the creation of the universe. Harry is planning to talk to Katharina when he gets to Berlin. What should he say? And will it be too late? Four commentators offer their advice in this fictional case study. They are Kay Redfield Jamison, a professor of psychiatry and a coauthor of Manic-Depressive Illness; David E. Meen, a former director at McKinsey & Company; Norman Pearlstine, the editor in chief at Time Incorporated; and Richard Primus, an assistant law professor at the University of Michigan.

No Launch Before Its Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Bill

2004-01-01

Aura is an Earth-observing satellite developed to help us study the quality of the air we breathe. It will look at the state of the ozone and the atmospheric composition in regards to the Earth's changing climate. I headed to California on July 5, 2004. The plan was that the satellite would launch on the tenth, but we had a few problems getting it off. This was the fifty-ninth launch of my career, and it was also a little different than most of my previous launches. Most of the time it's weather that postpones a launch; there aren't usually that many technical issues this late in the game. This time. however, we had several problems, equally split between the launch vehicle and the spacecraft. I remember a member of the crew asking me, 'Is this normal?' And in my experience, it wasn't.

Trends in der IT-Sicherheit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckert, Claudia

Ich möchte Ihnen einen Überblick geben über Trends, Challenges, offene Fragestellungen sowie Lösungsansätze aus dem Bereich der IT-Sicherheit. Meine Vorredner haben mir schon eine wunderbare Basis dafür geschaffen, indem sie wichtige Trends im Bereich IT bereits angesprochen haben. Deshalb werde ich auf diese Trends, nämlich das Internet of Things and Services nur noch einmal kurz eingehen, um daran dann die IT-Sicherheitsthemen, die sich aus diesen IT-Trends ergeben, zu skizzieren und anschließend Lösungen vorstellen, die insbesondere im Forschungsumfeld entwickelt werden, aber schon reif sind, auch in die unternehmerische Praxis übernommen zu werden.

The Standing of Vocational Education: Sources of Its Societal Esteem and Implications for Its Enactment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billett, Stephen

2014-01-01

The standing of vocational education is salient for how it is perceived by those who sponsor, participate in and work within it and how its provisions are supported and administered. Yet, this standing continues to be intractably low, compared with other education sectors, more so in some countries than others. The consequences for this low…

Standardizing psycho-medical torture during the War on Terror: Why it happened, how it happened, and why it didn't work.

PubMed

Balfe, Myles

2016-12-01

After 9/11/2001 the United States launched a global War on Terror. As part of this War, terrorism suspects were detained by the U.S. military and by the C.I.A. It is now widely recognized that the United States tortured a number of these detainees in the context of its 'enhanced interrogation' programme. This article examines how and why U.S. organizations developed standards that allowed healthcare professionals to become involved in torture; why the standards developed by U.S. security institutions failed to control the actions of enhanced interrogation personnel on the ground; and what the role of standards were in stopping the enhanced interrogation initiative. The article concludes by discussing the general lessons that the enhanced interrogation programme has for social science research on standards, namely that individuals can experience ambivalence when caught between competing organizational and professional standards and that it might be inherently difficult to successfully enact certain protocols when these relate to deviant or destructive acts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating water quality -- is it important, how can it be determined and how can it be used?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leahy, P. P.

2015-12-01

Freshwater is critical to sustaining all life on Earth yet most humans take this resource for granted and often consider it a free good. However, in water-poor areas, the availability of clean drinking water limits economic development, negatively impacts human health and causes significant social instability. This was a driver for the Millennium Development Goals to include providing clean water to the developing world. Unlike other resources, another commodity cannot be substituted for water. In mineral resources, substitution is common depending on the use, for example, aluminum for steel in automotive bodies. In energy, humans can, in some instances, use natural gas instead of coal for electricity generation. Given the critical nature of freshwater for human existence, it is important that the resource be evaluated in economic terms. Although efforts to assess the value of the availability of freshwater have been developed, they are not commonly used. Water quality is also a major economic factor in availability of water resources. Quality can be prohibitively expensive to bring to acceptable standards and can easily be contaminated by human activities. Determining an economic and social value on both the availability and quality of water resources is a challenge that the hydrologic community must address at local, regional and national and even global scales to support informed policy and decision-making.

It's Power, Stupid!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Mary W.

1994-01-01

Sexual harassment is abuse of power. It should be prohibited in colleges and universities, not through constraints on academic freedom such as speech codes, but through enforcement of standards of ethical professional conduct. Faculty have an ethical obligation not to engage in harassment and to hold colleagues accountable if they do so. (MSE)

Counting It Twice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schattschneider, Doris

1991-01-01

Provided are examples from many domains of mathematics that illustrate the Fubini Principle in its discrete version: the value of a summation over a rectangular array is independent of the order of summation. Included are: counting using partitions as in proof by pictures, combinatorial arguments, indirect counting as in the inclusion-exclusion…

45 CFR 2508.5 - When does the Corporation publish its notice of its system of records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false When does the Corporation publish its notice of its system of records? 2508.5 Section 2508.5 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare... When does the Corporation publish its notice of its system of records? The Corporation shall publish...

Gender, empowerment, and health: what is it? How does it work?

PubMed

Ehrhardt, Anke A; Sawires, Sharif; McGovern, Terry; Peacock, Dean; Weston, Mark

2009-07-01

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic has progressed, the role of gender inequality in its transmission has become increasingly apparent. Nearly half of those living with the virus worldwide are women, and women's subordination to men increases their risk of infection and makes it harder for them to access treatment once infected. Men, too, suffer from harmful gender norms-the expectation that they will behave in ways that heighten their risk of HIV infection and that they will be cavalier about seeking health care increases their vulnerability to the disease. In the Middle East and North Africa, HIV infection rates are low, but changing gender norms have the potential to accelerate the spread of the disease if gender inequality is not addressed. Improving women's education, workforce participation, and social and political opportunities is crucial to strengthening health in the region. Work with men to shift gender imbalances is a further important task for the region's policy-makers and civil society groups.

Gender, Empowerment, and Health: What Is It? How Does It Work?

PubMed Central

Ehrhardt, Anke A.; Sawires, Sharif; McGovern, Terry; Peacock, Dean; Weston, Mark

2011-01-01

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic has progressed, the role of gender inequality in its transmission has become increasingly apparent. Nearly half of those living with the virus worldwide are women, and women's subordination to men increases their risk of infection and makes it harder for them to access treatment once infected. Men, too, suffer from harmful gender norms-the expectation that they will behave in ways that heighten their risk of HIV infection and that they will be cavalier about seeking health care increases their vulnerability to the disease. In the Middle East and North Africa, HIV infection rates are low, but changing gender norms have the potential to accelerate the spread of the disease if gender inequality is not addressed. Improving women's education, workforce participation, and social and political opportunities is crucial to strengthening health in the region. Work with men to shift gender imbalances is a further important task for the region's policymakers and civil society groups. PMID:19553784

CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP): Why it's Useful and How it Works

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Tim

2003-01-01

Reliable delivery of data products is often required across space links. For example, a NASA mission will require reliable delivery of images produced by an on-board detector. Many missions have their own (unique) way of accomplishing this, requiring custom software. Many missions also require manual operations (e.g. the telemetry receiver software keeps track of what data is missing, and a person manually inputs the appropriate commands to request retransmissions). The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) developed the CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP) specifically for this situation. CFDP is an international standard communication protocol that provides reliable delivery of data products. It is designed for use across space links. It will work well if run over the widely used CCSDS Telemetry and Telecommand protocols. However, it can be run over any protocol, and will work well as long as the underlying protocol delivers a reasonable portion of the data. The CFDP receiver will autonomously determine what data is missing, and request retransmissions as needed. The CFDP sender will autonomously perform the requested transmissions. When the entire data product is delivered, the CFDP receiver will let the CFDP sender know that the transaction has completed successfully. The result is that custom software becomes standard, and manual operations become autonomous. This paper will consider various ways of achieving reliable file delivery, explain why CFDP is the optimal choice for use over space links, explain how the core protocol works, and give some guidance on how to best utilize CFDP within various mission scenarios. It will also touch on additional features of CFDP, as well as other uses for CFDP (e.g. the loading of on-board memory and tables).

Mix It Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasquez-Mireles, Selina; West, Sandra

2007-01-01

A correlated science lesson is characterized as an integrated science lesson in that it may incorporate traditionally integrated activities and use math as a tool. However, a correlated math-science lesson also: (1) has the pertinent math and science objectives aligned with state standards; and (2) teaches parallel science and math ideas equally.…

The Emergence of Environmental Health Literacy—From Its Roots to Its Future Potential

PubMed Central

Finn, Symma; O’Fallon, Liam

2015-01-01

Background: Environmental health literacy (EHL) is coalescing into a new subdiscipline that combines key principles and procedural elements from the fields of risk communication, health literacy, environmental health sciences (EHS), communications research, and safety culture. These disciplines have contributed unique expertise and perspectives to the development of EHL. Since 1992, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has contributed to the evolution of EHL and now seeks to stimulate its scientific advancement and rigor. Objectives: The principal objective of this article is to stimulate a conversation on, and advance research in, EHL. Discussion: In this article, we propose a definition of and conceptual framework for EHL, describe EHL in its social and historical context, identify the complementary fields and domains where EHL is being defined and implemented, and outline a research agenda. Extensive reviews of web and literature searches indicate that the concept of EHL is evolving rapidly, as are the definitions of its scope and inquiry. Although several authors have outlined different frameworks, we believe that a more nuanced model based on Bloom’s taxonomy is better suited to EHL and to future research in this area. Conclusions: We posit that EHL can potentially benefit the conduct and outcomes of community-engaged and health disparities EHS research and can ensure that the translation of research findings will lead to greater understanding of specific risks, reduction of exposures, and improvement of health outcomes for individuals and communities. We provide four recommendations to advance work in EHL. Citation: Finn S, O’Fallon L. 2017. The emergence of environmental health literacy—from its roots to its future potential. Environ Health Perspect 125:495–501; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409337 PMID:26126293

Telomerase and its extracurricular activities.

PubMed

Jaiswal, Rishi Kumar; Kumar, Pramod; Yadava, Pramod Kumar

2013-12-01

The classical activity of telomerase is to synthesize telomeric repeats and thus maintain telomere length, which in turn ensures chromosome stability and cellular proliferation. However, there is growing evidence that implicates telomerase in many other functions that are independent of TERC being used as its template. Telomerase has an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity in the mitochondria. Other than viral RdRPs, it is the only RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that has been identified in mammals. It also plays a role in the Wnt signaling pathway by acting as a transcriptional modulator. Telomerase acts as a reverse transcriptase independent of its core subunit, TERC. Studies indicate that telomerase is also involved in apoptosis and DNA repair.

Campus Climate Neutrality--Yes We Can! It's a Big Challenge, but Here's How to Do It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Walter

2009-01-01

Everyone knows climate change is real, it's happening quickly, its risks are great, and it is not too late to do something about it. Indicative of change is the fact that as of early 2009 over 600 colleges and universities have pledged to achieve climate neutrality through the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Presidents…

A Qualitative Descriptive Case Study of the Requirements of the IT Industry for Entry-Level IT Positions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feuerherm, Todd Michael

2009-01-01

This qualitative descriptive case study explored the requirements of the IT industry for education, IT certification, and work experience for entry-level IT professionals. Research has shown a growing problem where IT graduates were not able to meet the requirements for entry-level IT jobs. IT enrollment has decreased considerably over the past…

Progress: Its Glories and Pitfalls.

PubMed

Callahan, Daniel

2018-03-01

Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and linguist at Harvard and a savant of big ideas, is one of the latest to take on the idea of progress. He does it under the aegis of "enlightenment," which comes down to a kind of holy trinity of reason, science, and humanism. His new book, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, is ambitious and cantankerous and heady with hope. On the whole, Pinker makes a good case for the benefits of progress, but with an overdose of feel-good prose. His greatest failure comes in exaggerating the threats to science and in avoiding some problems altogether. He ignores its complexity, its shadows, its creation of new problems raised by its solutions to old ones. Pinker has a particular animus against bioethics, and he misses what has been, I would argue, at the heart of bioethics from its beginning fifty or so years ago. Bioethics was prompted by a new class of medical dilemmas that require a difficult balancing of harms and benefits. Most of them are still with us, and most of them are the result of the progress of postwar medical research and fast-changing clinical practices. © 2018 The Hastings Center.

Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT)--its history and its limitations.

PubMed

Budd, Grahame M

2008-01-01

Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is nowadays the most widely used index of heat stress, yet many users appear to be unaware of its history and its limitations. HISTORY OF WBGT: WBGT was invented and first used during the 1950s as one element in a successful campaign to control serious outbreaks of heat illness in training camps of the United States Army and Marine Corps. Control measures based on air temperature and humidity, and applied to all trainees alike, had proved effective but had entailed excessive compliance costs in the form of lost training time. New control measures introduced in 1956 further reduced heat illness and also lost fewer training hours. Crucial innovations were (1) replacing the temperature and humidity measurements with WBGT, which additionally responds to sun and wind, (2) using epidemiologic analyses of casualty records to identify hazardous levels of WBGT and vulnerable trainees, and (3) protecting the most vulnerable trainees by suspending drill at lower levels of WBGT, and by improving their heat tolerance in special conditioning platoons. This campaign has considerable relevance to the prevention of heat illness in sport. LIMITATIONS OF WBGT: WBGT's most serious limitation is that environments at a given level of the index are more stressful when the evaporation of sweat is restricted (by high humidity or low air movement) than when evaporation is free. As with all indices that integrate elements of the thermal environment, interpretation of the observed levels of WBGT requires careful evaluation of people's activity, clothing, and many other factors, all of which can introduce large errors into any predictions of adverse effects. Moreover, the accuracy of WBGT is being eroded by measurement errors associated with the omission of the globe temperature, with non-standard instrumentation, and with unsatisfactory calibration procedures. Because of the above limitations WBGT can provide only a general guide to the likelihood of adverse

Making It Happen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horwedel, Dina M.

2007-01-01

It was not too long ago that the primary lifetime expectations for women included getting married and having children. These traditions were--and in many regards continue to be--more entrenched in the Latino community, but things are changing. Latinas who earn a degree are no longer the exception. In fact, more Latinas earn doctoral degrees today…

Piecing It Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickstrom, Megan H.

2014-01-01

Any of the key concepts that students need to know about area measurement are covered in the third-grade expectations detailed in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010). However, making sense of area measurement is not always an easy task for students; it takes time. Researchers have found that young children often…

Sharing the IT pain.

PubMed

Haugh, R

2001-08-01

Outsourcing info tech is too appealing a temptation for many hospitals to pass up. Information technology is costly, complex, prone to breakdowns and ever-changing. Many hospitals already outsource part of their IT operation, but there appears to be a trend toward outsourcing entire departments. Recently, a number of deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars were announced by some of the nation's largest systems and outsourcing companies. While outsourcing is the best alternative for certain operations, for others it may just be a trade-off between a short-term headache and long-term pain.

Entertainment-Education: Where Has It Been? Where Is It Going? Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singhal, Arvind; Brown, William J.

A study examined the promises and limitations of the entertainment-education strategy used in development communication and charted some future directions for this approach. The approach began in the 1970s with the recognition that mass media has its limitations in fostering national development; a more participatory development theory emerged…

Openness to Experience Rather than Overexcitabilities: Call It Like It Is

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vuyk, M. Alexandra; Krieshok, Thomas S.; Kerr, Barbara A.

2016-01-01

Openness to experience is a personality factor in the five-factor model of personality, and it is composed of six facets. Facets of openness appear conceptually analogous to overexcitabilities (OEs), which are displays of inner energy guiding individuals toward advanced potential according to the theory of positive disintegration. This study…

Louisiana CVO/ITS business plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-06-01

Louisianas CVO / ITS Business Plan provides a long-term strategic vision and implementation program for meeting Louisianas Commercial Vehicle Operations / Intelligent Transportation Systems (CVO / ITS) needs. Commercial Vehicle Operations - CVO...

Retrofitting LID Practices into Existing Neighborhoods: Is It Worth It?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Timothy J.; Liu, Yaoze; Carroll, Natalie J.; Ahiablame, Laurent M.; Engel, Bernard A.

2016-04-01

Low-impact development (LID) practices are gaining popularity as an approach to manage stormwater close to the source. LID practices reduce infrastructure requirements and help maintain hydrologic processes similar to predevelopment conditions. Studies have shown LID practices to be effective in reducing runoff and improving water quality. However, little has been done to aid decision makers in selecting the most effective practices for their needs and budgets. The long-term hydrologic impact assessment LID model was applied to four neighborhoods in Lafayette, Indiana using readily available data sources to compare LID practices by analyzing runoff volumes, implementation cost, and the approximate period needed to achieve payback on the investment. Depending on the LID practice and adoption level, 10-70 % reductions in runoff volumes could be achieved. The cost per cubic meter of runoff reduction was highly variable depending on the LID practice and the land use to which it was applied, ranging from around 3 to almost 600. In some cases the savings from reduced runoff volumes paid back the LID practice cost with interest in less than 3 years, while in other cases it was not possible to generate a payback. Decision makers need this information to establish realistic goals and make informed decisions regarding LID practices before moving into detailed designs, thereby saving time and resources.

College Remediation: What It Is, What It Costs, What's At Stake.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phipps, Ronald

This examination of remedial instruction in institutions of higher education provides an analysis of the functions and purposes of remediation; a discussion of the types of remediation, who participates, and how well it serves them; an examination of the financial costs of remediation; an appraisal of the economic and social consequences of not…

Plaque: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It

MedlinePlus

... by using a cotton swab to smear green food coloring on your teeth. The red or green color left on the teeth will show you where there is still plaque—and where you have to brush again to remove it. Stain ... germs and food particles between teeth. Rinse. Holding floss. Using floss ...

Composition Theory: Taking It Apart and Putting It Back Together Again.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sydow, Debbie L.

Despite the fact that social constructivism is accepted as the guiding theory in Composition, that this theory is the field's theoretical center of gravity, it does not account for, nor explain, the entire writing process. Two major challenges to social constructivism must also be considered in theoretical discussions: (1) the cognitive dimension…

Wikipedia: How It Works and How It Can Work for You

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nix, Elizabeth M.

2010-01-01

Many history professors have been reluctant to authorize students to use Wikipedia in their classwork because they do not fully trust the open source encyclopedia. But as increasing numbers of scholars and teachers work with Wikipedia, its influence becomes undeniable. In this article, the author describes how Wikipedia works and how she made…

A Multidisciplinary Education Framework That Exploits IT Undergraduates to Eliminating Lack of IT Skills in Non-IT Graduate Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elçi, Alev; Amca, Hasan

2005-01-01

Due to the lack of necessary Computing and Information Technology (IT) skills, education in many disciplines, such as, Communication and Media Studies, Education and Economy were said, not to have produced the results demanded by the related industries. Here, we suggest an effective and economically feasible educational framework where the…

The Future (If Any) of IT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Lynn, M.

2004-01-01

IT organizations are still here. Why? This question is not about survival of IT as a whole but rather about survival of central IT organizations and their share of the institutional IT pie. IT as a whole will certainly survive, perhaps at even greater institutional overall cost. Decentralization only stimulates appetites for more. And woe to the…

Nebraska : ITS/CVO business plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-08-01

Nebraskas citizens, businesses, and visitors will benefit from the application of ITS to the states transportation system. ITS will become fully integrated into Nebraskas transportation strategies for the enhancement of safety, mobility, com...

Women in IT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campus Technology, 2011

2011-01-01

Today, female students outnumber males on campus, earn a higher number of BA degrees, and surpass men in completing advanced degrees. So there is a certain irony in the fact that executive roles on campus are still dominated by men--and IT is no exception. "Campus Technology" asked three women (Pam McQuesten, Dana Hoover, and Jill Albin-Hill)…

Keep it Simple

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiley, H. S.

2010-05-01

Creating a story for a particular audience is one of the most difficult tasks for anyone to learn. This is true for scientists and writers as well as any creative artist who tries to understand the complexity of the world and explain it to other people. Telling a good story always takes skill. Telling a popular story, however, requires simplification.

Recess--It's Indispensable!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarrett, Olga; Waite-Stupiansky, Sandra

2009-01-01

The demise of recess in many elementary schools--and of outdoor play in general--is an issue of great concern to many members of the Play, Policy, and Practice Interest Forum. Most people remember recess as an important part of the school day. It was a time to be outdoors; to organize games; to play on the swings, slides, and other playground…

Pass It Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovely, Gail; Moberly, Deb

2012-01-01

The "passback" effect is an intentional use of the device as pacifier to keep the kids quiet and occupied so that the parents can focus on driving or shopping, or making it painlessly through a trans-continental flight. Schools have had their own version of the passback method for years, putting a computer or two in the back of the room and…

Is it turquoise + fuchsia = purple or is it turquoise + fuchsia = blue?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beretta, Giordano B.; Moroney, Nathan M.

2011-01-01

The first step in communicating color is to name it. The second step is color semiotics. The third step is introducing structure in the set of colors. In color education at all levels, this structure often takes the form of formulæ, like red + green = yellow, or turquoise + red = black. In recent times, Johannes Itten's color theory and its associated color wheel have been very influential, mostly through its impact on Bauhaus, although a number of color order systems and circles have been introduced over the centuries. Students get confused when they are trying to formulate the color name arithmetic using the structure of color order systems and concepts like complementary colors and opponent colors. Suddenly turquoise + fuchsia = purple instead of blue; purple and violet become blurred, and finally the student's head explodes under the epistemological pressures of Itten, Albers, Goethe, Runge, Newton, da Vinci, and all the other monsters of color structure. In this contribution we propose a systematic presentation of structure in color, from color theories to color naming. We start from the concept of color perception introduced by da Vinci and work ourselves through color measurement, color formation, and color naming, to develop the basis for a robust system based on table lookup and interpolation. One source of confusion is that color naming has been quite loose in color theory, where for example red can be used interchangeably with fuchsia, and blue with turquoise. Furthermore, common color terms are intermingled with technical colorant terms, for example cyan and aqua or fuchsia and magenta. We present the evolution of a few color terms, some of which have experienced a radical transition over the centuries, and describe an experiment showing the robustness of crowd-sourcing for color naming.

Creative Reading: What It Is, How To Do It, and Why.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padgett, Ron

This book aims to enlarge the possibilities of reading by suggesting ways to make reading more imaginative and by encouraging a new attitude toward the act of reading. The book discusses the mystery of learning to read, the physiology and psychology of reading, the ongoing contests between various methods of instruction. It guides readers through…

Don't Take It Personal, It's Just Our Bad Ass Ways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chun, Cynthia Kelley

2005-01-01

As teachers, an important part of planning curriculum is considering the relevance of what they teach their students. The author believes that project-based learning that integrates technology, language arts, and critical media literacy can be a powerful tool for learning. Not only does this kind of work connect students to the curriculum, it also…

ITS evaluation -- phase 3 (2010)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-05-01

This report documents the results of applying a previously developed, standardized approach for : evaluating intelligent transportation systems (ITS) projects to 17 ITS earmark projects. The evaluation : approach was based on a questionnaire to inves...

Chemical action: what is it, and why does it really matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koolage, W. John; Hall, Ralph

2011-04-01

Nanotechnology, as with many technologies before it, places a strain on existing legislation and poses a challenge to all administrative agencies tasked with regulating technology-based products. It is easy to see how statutory schemes become outdated, as our ability to understand and affect the world progresses. In this article, we address the regulatory problems that nanotechnology posses for the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) classification structure for "drugs" and "devices." The last major modification to these terms was in 1976, with the enactment of the Medical Device Amendments. There are serious practical differences for a classification as a drug or device in terms of time to market and research. Drugs are classified, primarily, as acting by "chemical action." We lay out some legal, philosophic, and scientific tools that serve to provide a useful, as well as legally and scientifically faithful, distinction between drugs and devices for the purpose of regulatory classification. These issues we raise are worth the consideration of anyone who is interested in the regulation of nano-products or other novel technologies.

Data collection in IMS: It's not as easy as it looks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Dennis M.; Maswadeh, Waleed; Shoff, Donald B.; Harden, Charles S.; Snyder, A. Peter

1995-01-01

Data collection in Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) is not as easy an endeavor as it appears. Despite the advent of high speed personal computers and fast analog-to-digital converters (ADC's), care must be taken to ensure that reliable data are obtained in a timely fashion. This is especially true in hyphenated techniques, e.g. GC-IMS, where the amount of data increases dramatically when gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) data is being collected. Using the Graseby GC-IMS, with a gate repetition rate of 33 Hz, it is theoretically possible to collect 33 spectra per second. This collection rate is not realistically obtained due to a number of factors. Among these factors are inaccuracy of the timing signal from the IMS, the necessity to store the data, disk input/output limitations, disk operating system limitations, and program overhead. Taking these factors into account, we have achieved a data collection rate of 20 spectra per second. This paper will describe these problems, demonstrate the practical effects these problems present, and present methods for minimizing these effects.

Space Debris & its Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaushal, Sourabh; Arora, Nishant

2012-07-01

Space debris has become a growing concern in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can be highly damaging to functioning satellites and can also produce even more space debris in the process. Some spacecraft, like the International Space Station, are now armored to deal with this hazard but armor and mitigation measures can be prohibitively costly when trying to protect satellites or human spaceflight vehicles like the shuttle. This paper describes the current orbital debris environment, outline its main sources, and identify mitigation measures to reduce orbital debris growth by controlling these sources. We studied the literature on the topic Space Debris. We have proposed some methods to solve this problem of space debris. We have also highlighted the shortcomings of already proposed methods by space experts and we have proposed some modification in those methods. Some of them can be very effective in the process of mitigation of space debris, but some of them need some modification. Recently proposed methods by space experts are maneuver, shielding of space elevator with the foil, vaporizing or redirecting of space debris back to earth with the help of laser, use of aerogel as a protective layer, construction of large junkyards around international space station, use of electrodynamics tether & the latest method proposed is the use of nano satellites in the clearing of the space debris. Limitations of the already proposed methods are as follows: - Maneuvering can't be the final solution to our problem as it is the act of self-defence. - Shielding can't be done on the parts like solar panels and optical devices. - Vaporizing or redirecting of space debris can affect the human life on earth if it is not done in proper manner. - Aerogel has a threshold limit up to which it can bear (resist) the impact of collision. - Large junkyards can be effective only for large sized debris. In this paper we propose: A. The Use of Nano Tubes by creating a mesh

A Review of Empathy, Its Importance, and Its Teaching in Surgical Training.

PubMed

Han, Jing L; Pappas, Theodore N

There has been much discussion in the medical literature about the importance of empathy and physician communication style in medical practice. Empathy has been shown to have a very real positive effect on patient outcomes. Most of the existing literature speaks to its role in medical education, with relatively little empiric study about empathy in the surgical setting. Review of empathy and its importance as it pertains to the surgeon-patient relationship and improving patient outcomes, and the need for increased education in empathy during surgical training. The published, peer-reviewed literature on patient-physician and patient-surgeon communication, medical student and resident education in empathy, and empathy research was reviewed. PubMed was queried for MESH terms including "empathy," "training," "education," "surgery," "resident," and "communication." There is evidence of a decline in empathy that begins during the clinical years of medical school, which continues throughout residency training. Surgeons are particularly susceptible to this decline as by-product of the nature of their work, and the current lack of formalised training in empathic patient communication poses a unique problem to surgical residents. The literature suggests that empathy training is warranted and should be incorporated into surgical residencies through didactics, role-playing and simulations, and apprenticeship to empathic attending role models. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Transthyretin: it's miracle function and pathogenesis].

PubMed

Ando, Yukio

2009-03-01

Transthyretin (TTR) was previously called prealbumin because the band it formed on agarose gel electrophoresis at pH 8.6 was at the prealbumin position. However, it has been well documented that TTR of rodents does not show a prealbumin position on electrophoresis. Now, its name describes its function, binding to retinol binding protein (RBP) and T4. The serum concentration of the protein is 20-40 mg/dl, and TTR forms a tetramer. The plasma half life of the protein is 1.9 days. TTR is synthesized by the liver, retina, pancreas, and choroid plexus. In cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), it is the second most abundant protein, and is considered as an important protein in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, depression, and lead intoxication. In addition, TTR is a tryptophan-rich protein, it is used as one of the nutrition assessment proteins, it acts as an anti acute phase protein, and its plasma concentration decreases during inflammation and bacterial infection. Since TTR is a highly amyloidogenic protein because it contains a beta-sheet structure, it becomes a precursor protein in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy(FAP). Moreover, TTR plays important roles in various CNS disorders, diabetes melitus, and lipid metabolism.

The missing piece in the 'use it or lose it' puzzle: is inhibition regulated by activity or does it act on its own accord?

PubMed

Sun, Qian-Quan

2007-01-01

We have gained enormous insight into the mechanisms underlying both activity-dependent and (to a lesser degree) -independent plasticity of excitatory synapses. Recently, cortical inhibition has been shown to play a vital role in the formation of critical periods for sensory plasticity. As such, sculpting of neuronal circuits by inhibition may be a common mechanism by which activity organizes or reorganizes brain circuits. Disturbances in the balance of excitation and inhibition in the neocortex provoke abnormal activities, such as epileptic seizures and abnormal cortical development. However, both the process of experience-dependent postnatal maturation of neocortical inhibitory networks and its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Mechanisms that match excitation and inhibition are central to achieving balanced function at the level of individual circuits. The goal of this review is to reinforce our understanding of the mechanisms by which developing inhibitory networks are able to adapt to sensory inputs, and to maintain their balance with developing excitatory networks. Discussion is centered on the following questions related to experience-dependent plasticity of neocortical inhibitory networks: 1) What are the roles of GABAergic inhibition in the postnatal maturation of neocortical circuits? 2) Does the maturation of neocortical inhibitory circuits proceed in an activity-dependent manner or do they develop independently of sensory inputs? 3) Does activity regulate inhibitory networks in the same way it regulates excitatory networks? 4) What are the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the activity-dependent maturation of inhibitory networks? 5) What are the functional advantages of experience-dependent plasticity of inhibitory networks to network processing in sensory cortices?

ITS horizon scan : the societal, technical, and environmental trends that will influence ITS research and deployment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-06-01

Evaluation of the intelligent transportation system (ITS) Architecture was one of the key components of the ITS National Architecture program. Evaluation of the architecture served three purposes: (1) It lead to more informed decision on how best to ...

ITS strategic plan for Texas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

The purpose of this research was to provide a framework to guide the development and deployment of an : integrated statewide program for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). ITS is a critical component of the : transportation infrastructure that...

Structuralism and Its Heuristic Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Ruth M.

1984-01-01

The author defines structuralism (a method for modeling and analyzing event systems in a space-time framework), traces its origins to the work of J. Piaget and M. Fourcault, and discusses its implications for learning. (CL)

South Dakota ITS/CVO business plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

This report defines an ITS/CVO program for the State of South Dakota. It is a Business Plan to guide the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology for improving commercial vehicle operations (CVO) in South Dakota. This ITS/CVO...

Bodily moral disgust: what it is, how it is different from anger, and why it is an unreasoned emotion.

PubMed

Russell, Pascale Sophie; Giner-Sorolla, Roger

2013-03-01

With the recent upswing in research interest on the moral implications of disgust, there has been uncertainty about what kind of situations elicit moral disgust and whether disgust is a rational or irrational player in moral decision making. We first outline the benefits of distinguishing between bodily violations (e.g., sexual taboos, such as pedophilia and incest) and nonbodily violations (e.g., deception or betrayal) when examining moral disgust. We review findings from our lab and others' showing that, although many existing studies do not control for anger when studying disgust, disgust at nonbodily violations is often associated with anger and hard to separate from it, while bodily violations more consistently predict disgust independently of anger. Building on this distinction, we present further empirical evidence that moral disgust, in the context of bodily violations, is a relatively primitively appraised moral emotion compared to others such as anger, and also that it is less flexible and less prone to external justifications. Our review and results underscore the need to distinguish between the different consequences of moral emotions. © 2013 American Psychological Association

cry1Aa lacks stability elements at its 5'-UTR but integrity of its transcription terminator is critical to prevent decay of its transcript.

PubMed

Ramírez-Prado, Jorge Humberto; Martínez-Márquez, Eva Isabel; Olmedo-Alvarez, Gabriela

2006-07-01

We analyzed the influence of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the Bacillus thuringiensis cry1Aa on its mRNA stability. Although the cry1Aa gene has a stable transcript (8 min), its 5' UTR did not provide stability to the reporter gene uidA. Stability of cry1Aa could be increased to 40 min by addition of an SP82 stability element at the 5' UTR, suggesting that once the 5' and 3' ends were protected initiation of decay could be effectively blocked. We generated mutations in the transcription terminator and found that changes that reduced the stability of the stem, a larger loop, or elimination of the U-trail sharply decreased the half-life of the transcript. Therefore, unlike some stable bacterial transcripts, cry1Aa lacks special features at the end 5' to prevent decay, but its terminator is the main determinant of its stability.

Measuring ITS deployment and integration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

A consistent and simple methodology was developed to assess both the level of deployment of individual ITS elements and the level of integration between these elements. This method is based on the metropolitan ITS infrastructure, a blueprint defined ...

Rural transit ITS best practices

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-03-01

The overall objective of this Best Practices in Rural Transit ITS project was to identify operational best practices and related technology for applying ITS to rural transit. The project team assembled information gathered through case studies to pro...

Mind's historicity: its hidden history.

PubMed

Pizarroso, Noemí

2013-02-01

Whereas psychological research can hardly accept the idea of a changing psychological architecture, mind's historicity seems to be commonplace among historians of psychology, at least in recent decades. Attempts to promote a convergence between psychology and history have always existed, though mainly in the margins of both disciplines. Among these attempts, there is a tradition in French psychology that remains quite marginal even to the history of the discipline and is practically unknown out of the French context. Our goal is to introduce this approach, through the work of its main architect, Ignace Meyerson, to an English speaking reader, in the light of current pleas for historicity. Developed within the core of the discipline of psychology, though in dialogue with many others disciplines, Meyerson's historical psychology appears to be more ambitious than other attempts, as it aims at studying psychological activity itself, beyond the history of its conceptualizations. It is concerned not with the analysis of fragmented, isolated, and mechanistic behaviors or cognitive process, but with the study of mind in its functioning through the multiple and changing fields of experience where human beings are involved.

ITS procurement : analysis and recommendations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-01-01

Virginia has met with a variety of difficulties and delays in its procurement of intelligent transportation systems, components, and studies. The Fastoll Automatic Toll System was initiated in 1987, and construction has still not begun. It has been t...

It's Not All About Calories

Cancer.gov

Losing weight is about balancing calories in (food and drink) with calories out (exercise). Sounds simple, right? But if it were that simple, you and the millions of other women struggling with their weight probably would have figured it out.

"Zea"-Because It's There

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamberlain, Eric

1983-03-01

The Subject is a long standing symbiotic relationship between Zea and the movies. As usual the impossible was required - to attain cinema release quality films with dramatic interpretation - at the same time using Hy-speed macro photographic techniques. The subject was not to be recognizable until the end of the film - some four minutes long. Zea is explosive, it reacts to heat and is extremely difficult to predict when it will explode, which left little time for the focus, stop down and shooting. Using a Hy-cam at 5,000 pictures per second - a 400 ft. roll of 7247 raw stock, left but a brief three seconds for synchronization. To add to the confusion, two co-directors, a cameraman, plus equipment, were jammed into a 2 x 2m space. To achieve reasonable resolution for theatrical showing, 400,000 foot/candles of light were needed. This was achieved. The film was edited and music from Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia" recorded at St. Martins-in-the-Fields, London was added. The result was sent to the Cannes Film Festival, where it was given the Jury Award.

Smoking and attitudes towards it and its cessation among dental students in Latvia.

PubMed

Virtanen, Jorma I; Filppula, Maarit; Maldupa, Ilze; Patja, Kristiina

2015-08-01

The prevalence of smoking is higher in Latvia than in most EU countries. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge of dental students in Latvia about the effects of smoking on oral health and their attitudes toward smoking and its cessation. A cross-sectional survey among all the dental students in Latvia was conducted in 2011. Students at the Riga Stradins University were asked to participate in this anonymous, voluntary survey. The questionnaire included items concerned with the students' own smoking habits, their knowledge of smoking as an addiction and its health effects and their attitudes towards its prevention and cessation in a dental setting. The response rate was 87% (173/200). The Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for the statistical analyses. About one quarter of the students (24%) were daily or occasional smokers and almost half of the male students (46%) had smoked at least 100-times in their lifetime. The students revealed a lack of knowledge about the addictive nature of smoking, in that about half of the students did not consider smoking physically or socially addictive. About one fifth (21.4%) didn't consider environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) harmful to one's health. Although the students' awareness of smoking improved during their studies, the most significant factor related to their knowledge was their own smoking history (OR=2.7; p=0.021). Smoking was frequent among undergraduate dental students and they lacked knowledge of its addictiveness. More emphasis ought to be placed on education with regard to smoking and on cessation services.

ITS standards : lessons learned from deployment : raising ITS standards IQ with a public sector workshop

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

This document contains information about a Public Sector Workshop held in Minnesota that focused on increasing the awareness of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) standards. It gives an overview of how the workshop proceeded, which topics were ...

The Thistle Field - Analysis of its past performance and optimisation of its future development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bayat, M.G.; Tehrani, D.H.

1985-01-01

The Thistle Field geology and its reservoir performance over the past six years have been reviewed. The latest reservoir simulation study of the field, covering the performance history-matching, and the conclusions of various prediction cases are reported. The special features of PORES, Britoil in-house 3D 3-phase fully implicit numerical simulator and its modeling aids as applied to the Thistle Field are presented.

Therapeutic misconception in clinical trials: fighting against it and living with it.

PubMed

Dal-Ré, R; Morell, F; Tejedor, J C; Gracia, D

2014-11-01

A clinical trial seeks information for the benefit of future patients and not necessarily for those who participate in the study. However, there are patients who believe that they will receive a direct therapeutic benefit by participating in a clinical trial, the so-called «therapeutic misconception». In this article, we describe the nature and extent of therapeutic misconception, which researchers can also experience. Its presence is especially important in phase 1 oncology trials and those with placebo group. To limit its occurrence, investigators have to ensure that participant information sheet are well written and to establish an effective and transparent discussion during the process of obtaining informed consent so that patients understand all aspects of their participation in the research and appreciate what this participation entails. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

GreenIT Service Level Agreements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Laszewski, Gregor; Wang, Lizhe

In this paper we are introducing a framework towards the inclusion of Green IT metrics as part of service level agreements for future Grids and Clouds. As part of this effort we need to revisit Green IT metrics and proxies that we consider optimizing against in order to develop GreenIT as a Services (GaaS) that can be reused as part of a Software as a Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure Infrastructureas a service (IaaS) framework. We report on some of our ongoing efforts and demonstrate how we already achieve impact on the environment with our services.

Has Bedside Teaching Had Its Day?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qureshi, Zeshan; Maxwell, Simon

2012-01-01

Though a diverse array of teaching methods is now available, bedside teaching is arguably the most favoured. Students like it because it is patient-centred, and it includes a high proportion of relevant skills. It is on the decline, coinciding with declining clinical skills of junior doctors. Several factors might account for this: busier…

The Groningen Protocol: what is it, how do the Dutch use it, and do we use it here?

PubMed

Catlin, Anita; Novakovich, Renee

2008-01-01

In this article, a sensitive, complex and provocative issue is discussed. It will undoubtedly stimulate a variety of opinions. What do you think? Post your comments about this topic on the Pediatric Nursing Web site and read what others have to say as well. Visit our homepage at www.pediatricnursing.net and click on "Discussions." The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pediatric Nursing or the publisher.

PLAN-IT: Knowledge-Based Mission Sequencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biefeld, Eric W.

1987-02-01

Mission sequencing consumes a large amount of time and manpower during a space exploration effort. Plan-It is a knowledge-based approach to assist in mission sequencing. Plan-It uses a combined frame and blackboard architecture. This paper reports on the approach implemented by Plan-It and the current applications of Plan-It for sequencing at NASA.

Feeling It Is How I Understand It: Found Poetry as Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, Jackie

2011-01-01

This paper tells the story of a researcher's analysis process that became a journey to an unfamiliar place and, ultimately, to a new way of conceiving analysis and a new way of seeing--at least, new to the author as researcher. The study was an analysis of interview data gleaned from a series of conversations about what it is to be a musician. She…

GEOSPATIAL IT/IM QA CHECKLIST

EPA Science Inventory

Quality assurance (QA) of information technology (IT) and Information Management (IM) systems help to ensure that the end product is of known quality and integrity. As the complexity of IT & IM processes increase, so does the need for regular QA evaluation.

The areas revi...

EDITORIAL: STAM celebrates its 10th anniversary STAM celebrates its 10th anniversary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ushioda, Sukekatsu

2010-02-01

I would like to extend my warmest greetings to the readers and staff of Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM), on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. Launched in 2000, STAM marks this year an important milestone in its history. This is a great occasion to celebrate. STAM was founded by Tsuyoshi Masumoto in collaboration with Teruo Kishi and Toyonobu Yoshida as a world-class resource for the materials science community. It was initially supported by several materials research societies and was published as a regular peer-reviewed journal. Significant changes occurred in 2008, when the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) became solely responsible for all the costs of maintaining the journal. STAM was transformed into an open-access journal published by NIMS in partnership with IOP Publishing. As a result, the publication charges were waived and the entire STAM content, including all back issues, became freely accessible through the IOP Publishing website. The transition has made STAM more competitive and successful in global publication communities, with innovative ideas and approaches. The journal has also changed its publication strategy, aiming to publish a limited number of high-quality articles covering the frontiers of materials science. Special emphasis has been placed on reviews and focus issues, providing recent summaries of hot materials science topics. Publication has become electronic only; however, selected issues are printed and freely distributed at major international scientific events. The Editorial Board has been expanded to include leading experts from all over the world and, together with the Editorial Office, the board members are doing their best to transform STAM into a leading materials science journal. These efforts are paying off, as shown by the rapidly increasing number of article downloads and citations in 2009. I believe that the STAM audience can not only deepen their knowledge in their own specialties but

Baby Sling: Is It Safe?

MedlinePlus

Healthy Lifestyle Infant and toddler health Is it safe to hold a baby in a baby sling? Answers from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. A baby sling — a one-shouldered baby ... sling's weight minimum before placing your newborn in it. Keep your baby's airways unobstructed. Make sure your ...

I'll Never Do It Again

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clift, Elayne

2009-01-01

While online teaching may be the wave of the future, it is not for this author, who writes "I trained for it, I tried it, and I'll never do it again." An instructor with years of experience successfully teaching in collegiate classrooms, she says online teaching does not compare. So she will chalk up her first and only venture to experience and…

Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (or Is It Soap?)

MedlinePlus

... of product. Firms sometimes violate the law by marketing a cosmetic with a drug claim or by marketing a drug as if it were a cosmetic, ... that FDA approve a pharmaceutical for sale and marketing in the United States. FDA only approves an ...

Economics and the Framework: What It Is, and What It Is Not.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cueba, Ron

1989-01-01

Examines the economics course description in California's History-Social Science Framework (1988), discussing each of its five sections: fundamental economic concepts; comparative economic systems; microeconomics; macroeconomics; and international economics. Identifies economic skills students must learn and presents a game that teaches about…

[Protein carbamylation: what it is and why it concerns nephrologists].

PubMed

De Simone, Emanuele; Di Micco, Lucia; La Manna, Gaetano; Di Iorio, Biagio

2018-05-01

Spontaneous urea dissociation in water solution is a prominent source of protein carbamylation in our body. Protein carbamylation is a well-known phenomenon since early seventies. Some years ago, much interest in the diagnostic power of carbamylated protein arouse. Recently the target of the researches focused on its potential cardiovascular pathogenicity. Some authors claimed that this could be a reason for higher cardiovascular mortality in uremic patients. Nutritional therapy, amino acids supplementation and intensive dialysis regimen are some of the therapeutic tools tested to lower the carbamylation burst in this population. Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.

Black Phosphorus and its Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Choi, Jane Ru; Yong, Kar Wey; Choi, Jean Yu; Nilghaz, Azadeh; Lin, Yang; Xu, Jie; Lu, Xiaonan

2018-01-01

Black phosphorus (BP), also known as phosphorene, has attracted recent scientific attention since its first successful exfoliation in 2014 owing to its unique structure and properties. In particular, its exceptional attributes, such as the excellent optical and mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and electron-transfer capacity, contribute to its increasing demand as an alternative to graphene-based materials in biomedical applications. Although the outlook of this material seems promising, its practical applications are still highly challenging. In this review article, we discuss the unique properties of BP, which make it a potential platform for biomedical applications compared to other 2D materials, including graphene, molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), tungsten diselenide (WSe2) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). We then introduce various synthesis methods of BP and review its latest progress in biomedical applications, such as biosensing, drug delivery, photoacoustic imaging and cancer therapies (i.e., photothermal and photodynamic therapies). Lastly, the existing challenges and future perspective of BP in biomedical applications are briefly discussed. PMID:29463996

Dual Kidney Transplantation: Is It Worth It?

PubMed

Snanoudj, Renaud; Timsit, Marc-Olivier; Rabant, Marion; Tinel, Claire; Lazareth, Hélène; Lamhaut, Lionel; Martinez, Frank; Legendre, Christophe

2017-03-01

Use of expanded criteria donor (ECD) kidneys, which are associated with a reduced graft survival rate, has become widely adopted in elderly recipients in an old-to-old allocation system. However, the results are frequently unsatisfactory, and a high proportion of these ECD kidneys are discarded. Dual kidney transplantation (DKT) is an underused way to expand the pool of ECD kidneys and to rapidly transplant elderly patients with satisfactory results because of the transplantation of double the nephronic mass. In this overview, we summarize the results of the main studies on DKT. DKT suffers from a prejudice of heaviness and is considered to be useless by transplant centers that do not perform it. The literature is often biased by the heterogeneity of the criteria leading to a DKT and the common refusal of kidneys that are judged too marginal. In fact, we show that when strictly allocated according to reliable clinical or histological scores, dual and single ECD transplantations yield similar results in terms of patient and graft survival rates despite significant differences in donors' characteristics. DKTs are not associated with a higher proportion of surgical complications, except in some studies showing thrombosis of 1 of the 2 grafts. The benefits of dual transplantation are particularly evident for kidneys coming from most ECDs. There is still a need for more studies to find the best allocation criteria that would permit transplantation to the highest number of patients with similar outcomes in recipients of single and dual ECD kidneys.

Honeynet Learning: Discovering IT Security

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Moral Talabis, Mark Ryan

2007-01-01

Learning IT Security in a classroom setting has often been a frustrating endeavor for both instructors and students alike. From our experience, traditional instructional methods like direct instruction and lectures though widely used and effective in most other areas have significant shortcomings when applied in IT security learning. In this…

Altruism: Its characteristics and evolution

PubMed Central

Darlington, P. J.

1978-01-01

Altruism is a group phenomenon in which some genes or individuals, which must be presumed to be selfish, benefit others at cost to themselves. The presumption of selfishness and the fact of altruism are reconciled by kin-group selection and by reciprocal altruism. Kin-group selection is clearly visible only in special cases; its role even among social insects may be overestimated; it is probably usually inhibited by competition. However, reciprocal altruism is ubiquitous. All altruism is: (i) potentially reciprocal; (ii) potentially profitable to altruists as well as to recipients; (iii) environmentally determined, usually by position of individuals in group or environmental situations; and (iv) a net-gain lottery. These generalizations are illustrated by four idealized cases; the difficulty of applying them to real cases is illustrated by alarm-calling in groups of birds. Although altruism is a group phenomenon, it evolves by individual selection, by processes equivalent to co-evolutions. Its evolution is: (i) opposed by competition; (ii) costly, complex, and slow, and tending to produce an imprecise flexible altruism rather than a precisely detailed one; and (iii) supplemented by group selection (differential extinction of groups). That altruism in human beings conforms to these generalizations is a good working hypothesis. However, analysis does not “take the altruism out of (human) altruism.” Humans do not calculate it, but behave altruistically because they have human altruistic emotions. PMID:272654

Engineering Encounters: Engineer It, Learn It--Science and Engineering Practices in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lachapelle, Cathy P.; Sargianis, Kristin; Cunningham, Christine M.

2013-01-01

Engineering is prominently included in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Achieve Inc. 2013), as it was in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012). The National Research Council, authors of the "Framework," write, "Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences (physical…

Propaganda and Collective Behavior: Who Is Doing It, How Does It Affect Us, and What Can We Do about It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tesar, Jennifer E.; Doppen, Frans H.

2006-01-01

The authors present activities that help students understand collective behavior in historical and contemporary settings. This topic is particularly appropriate for social studies content areas such as sociology, psychology, American history, and world history, yet it can also be included in the curriculum of other subject areas, such as language…

Too Many Executives Today Just Don't Get It! And What Will It Take to "Get It" in Higher Education"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, Richard L.; And Others

1990-01-01

It is proposed that too many executives, in industry and higher education, don't yet understand the need to transform their organizations to survive in the information economy. The executive must engage in the process of creating opportunities to strategically apply information technology. Five campus information technology managers respond. (MSE)

On Dumbing It Down | Poster

Cancer.gov

To be gratuitously loquacious will probably obfuscate. Huh? Oh, sorry. Let me try that again. The unnecessary use of flowery language is likely to confuse the listener and interfere with understanding. Was that dumbing the message down? I don’t think so—it took a few more words, but it was probably clearer.

The Rising Frequency of IT Blackouts Indicates the Increasing Relevance of IT Emergency Concepts to Ensure Patient Safety.

PubMed

Sax, Ulrich; Lipprandt, M; Röhrig, R

2016-11-10

As many medical workflows depend vastly on IT support, great demands are placed on the availability and accuracy of the applications involved. The cases of IT failure through ransomware at the beginning of 2016 are impressive examples of the dependence of clinical processes on IT. Although IT risk management attempts to reduce the risk of IT blackouts, the probability of partial/total data loss, or even worse, data falsification, is not zero. The objective of this paper is to present the state of the art with respect to strategies, processes, and governance to deal with the failure of IT systems. This article is conducted as a narrative review. Worst case scenarios are needed, dealing with methods as to how to survive the downtime of clinical systems, for example through alternative workflows. These workflows have to be trained regularly. We categorize the most important types of IT system failure, assess the usefulness of classic counter measures, and state that most risk management approaches fall short on exactly this matter. To ensure that continuous, evidence-based improvements to the recommendations for IT emergency concepts are made, it is essential that IT blackouts and IT disasters are reported, analyzed, and critically discussed. This requires changing from a culture of shame and blame to one of error and safety in healthcare IT. This change is finding its way into other disciplines in medicine. In addition, systematically planned and analyzed simulations of IT disaster may assist in IT emergency concept development.

Biohydrology - it has its uses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lichner, L.; Hallett, P. D.; Drongová, Z.; Czachor, H.; Kovacik, L.

2012-04-01

. Vegetation retards infiltration by the help of soil water repellency. In hot and dry spells, the soil covered with vegetation had the water drop penetration time up to 10000-times that of pure sand. Sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity in these areas were only 4% and 2% those of pure sand, respectively. Moreover, water applied on all planted and/or crusted surfaces was redistributed to the series of micro-catchments, which acted as runon and runoff zones and flowed As a result, preferential flow was revealed during dye tracer experiments. The original stages of succession were studied in the laboratory, where coccal and filamentous green algae were grown on sterile pure sand as monoalgal and bialgal crusts. The growth of Klebsormidium subtile crust resulted in an increase in water drop penetration time of the dried crusts up to 14-times that of the pure sand and a decrease in the water sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity up to 10% and 9% those of the pure sand, respectively. A greater impact of K. subtile on the shifts in hydraulic behaviour can result in better prevention of its pools of nutrients from leaching, and thus, in easier vegetation establishment and development on the crust.

How Does Enceladus do it?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, D. J.

2006-12-01

Tidal heating is surely central to understanding the remarkable observations of Enceladus (Porco et al, 2006; Spencer et al, 2006) because: (a) It can set this body apart from others of similar or larger radius and composition; (b) It can break symmetry more strongly than mere thermal convection; (c) It introduces a complex temporal aspect to the response ;(d) It allows for the possibility of a non-monotonic history on longer timescales. In a "global" (and inadequate) view of tidal heating, the imaginary part of the Love number for Enceladus can vary by as much a six orders of magnitude depending on assumptions made, but localized heating may matter more (cf. the great Bolivian earthquake; Kanamori et al Science Vol. 279. 839 842 , 1998; or a model of tidal heating that involves lubricated blocks). The North-South asymmetry is not then puzzling. A full understanding also requires consideration of radiogenic heating (to "prime the pump") and composition. Ammonia may be good for getting things started (because it allows onset of melting) but might be irrelevant or even undesirable for how venting works now; carbon dioxide (or some other relatively insoluble component) may be irrelevant at first but important now. The tidal heating and energy budget does necessarily implicate the silicate component (except in the context of particular choices of ice rheology; something that we clearly do not know well enough). Any ongoing role of the silicates may perhaps be the chemistry question: Is there anything in the composition of expelled material that demands present day temperatures well in excess of the melting point of water? This talk may not answer the questions (especially the title!), but it may provide a framework for assessing the merits of different alternatives.

Putting Skill in Its Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryson, Jane

2015-01-01

This article argues that a focus on human capability and its development can be used to rethink the high skills policy visions favoured over recent decades. The article briefly summarises the increasing concerns with government policy formulas which have adopted a narrow focus such that skill and its accreditation is regarded as the outcome rather…

Economic Evaluation of Health IT.

PubMed

Luzi, Daniela; Pecoraro, Fabrizio; Tamburis, Oscar

2016-01-01

Economic evaluation in health care supports decision makers in prioritizing interventions and maximizing the available limited resources for social benefits. Health Information Technology (health IT) constitutes a promising strategy to improve the quality and delivery of health care. However, to determine whether the appropriate health IT solution has been selected in a specific health context, its impact on the clinical and organizational process, on costs, on user satisfaction as well as on patient outcomes, a rigorous and multidimensional evaluation analysis is necessary. Starting from the principles of evaluation introduced since the mid-1980s within the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) guidelines, this contribution provides an overview of the main challenging issues related to the complex task of performing an economic evaluation of health IT. A set of necessary key principles to deliver a proper design and implementation of a multidimensional economic evaluation study is described, focusing in particular on the classification of costs and outcomes as well as on the type of economic analysis to be performed. A case study is eventually described to show how the key principles introduced are applied.

What Is It? Elementary Abstraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Von Sossan, Joanne

2010-01-01

Abstraction can be hard for older students to understand, and it usually involves simplifying or rearranging natural objects to meet the needs of the artist, whether it be for organization or expression. But, in reality, that is what young artists do when they draw from life. They do not have enough experience--and sometimes the patience--to see…

It's All in the Vase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skophammer, Karen

2011-01-01

Creativity--where does it come from? When nurturing creativity, it is necessary to have an open mind. By nurturing a creative mind, one finds that artists' ideas flow freely, so students need to look deeper into the artworks, the artists' lives, and what was behind the inspiration for the work. Imagining themselves as one of the artists they have…

The Rising Frequency of IT Blackouts Indicates the Increasing Relevance of IT Emergency Concepts to Ensure Patient Safety

PubMed Central

Sax, U.; Lipprandt, M.

2016-01-01

Summary Introduction As many medical workflows depend vastly on IT support, great demands are placed on the availability and accuracy of the applications involved. The cases of IT failure through ransomware at the beginning of 2016 are impressive examples of the dependence of clinical processes on IT. Although IT risk management attempts to reduce the risk of IT blackouts, the probability of partial/total data loss, or even worse, data falsification, is not zero. The objective of this paper is to present the state of the art with respect to strategies, processes, and governance to deal with the failure of IT systems. Methods This article is conducted as a narrative review. Results Worst case scenarios are needed, dealing with methods as to how to survive the downtime of clinical systems, for example through alternative workflows. These workflows have to be trained regularly. We categorize the most important types of IT system failure, assess the usefulness of classic counter measures, and state that most risk management approaches fall short on exactly this matter. Conclusion To ensure that continuous, evidence-based improvements to the recommendations for IT emergency concepts are made, it is essential that IT blackouts and IT disasters are reported, analyzed, and critically discussed. This requires changing from a culture of shame and blame to one of error and safety in healthcare IT. This change is finding its way into other disciplines in medicine. In addition, systematically planned and analyzed simulations of IT disaster may assist in IT emergency concept development. PMID:27830241

ITS benefits : data needs, update 2000

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-29

The purpose of this report is to summarize and highlight where gaps or limited knowledge exists concerning the benefits of ITS services. It concentrates on the areas of metropolitan and rural ITS services, and is intended to point out where additiona...

ITS benefits : 2003 data needs survey

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-09-01

The 2003 Data Needs survey was the first to use a series of web-based survey forms to allow ITS : stakeholders to provide input regarding ITS evaluation priorities. Survey participants were asked : to rate ITS application areas based on their assessm...

ITS Architecture Wants And Needs Analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-05-24

THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT IS TO SERVE AS A GUIDE IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS) WITHIN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. IT IDENTIFIES KEY ITS OPPORTUNITY AREAS BASED ON THE RESULTS OF STATEWIDE MARKET RESEARCH, ...

Students absorb it better.

PubMed

Poppe, P; Aller Atucha, L M

1992-12-01

Despite 15 years of public sector efforts to provide sex education and information to Mexico's youths, information is virtually nonexistent. This fact is most alarming when one considers that those aged 15-19 years comprise almost 1/3 of the population of Mexico. 16.5 years is the average age of 1st sexual intercourse, 1/3 of the youths use contraception during 1st sexual encounter, and 1/6 of sexually active youths use contraceptives. 24% of births in 1989 were to women under age 20. There is great demand among youths and teachers for sex education. 22 animated sex education films which address this demand are described. "The Blue Pigeon" is generally targeted to those aged 11-16. It helps teachers describe the key elements of human sexuality and the physiological changes of puberty and adolescence. Though criticized by parents, health authorities, and a group of teachers and professors, The Blue Pigeon is well-received by students and teachers and educators who use it. The film serves as a useful, easily understood educational support tool. "Music for Two" is targeted to youths over age 15 in urban and suburban areas and may be suitable for young adults and couples. This film discusses factors involved in choosing a mate. It informs while promoting attitudinal change about sexuality and communication within couples. Field experiences with the 2 films are briefly presented.

DETERMINATION ROXARSONE AND ITS ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Roxarsone (3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenyl-arsonic acid) is one of the most widely used growthpromoting and disease-controlling feed additives in the United States. Most broiler chickens are fed roxarsone to promote weight gain and control parasites. Most of the roxarsone is believed to be excreted unchanged, and the resulting arsenic-containing waste is commonly recycled as fertilizer. Once in the environment, roxarsone can easily degrade into much more mobile and toxic arsenic (As) species. While HPLC coupled to ICP-MS has been used for the determination of As species including roxarsone degradation products, it is limited in its resolution. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has the advantages of simple hardware and high efficiency. When coupled with ICP-MS for detection, CE-ICP-MS can provide a sensitive, highly selective method for the determination of roxarsone and its transformation products. The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and application of state-of the-art technologies to meet the needs of the public, Office of Water, and ORD in the area of Water Quality. Located In the subtasks are the various research projects being performed in support of this Task and more in-depth coverage of each project. Briefly, each project's objective is stated below.Subtask 1: To integrate state-of-the-art technologies (polar organic chemical integrative samplers, advanced solid-phase extraction methodologies with liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spec

How-To-Do-It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Biology Teacher, 1976

1976-01-01

Presented are four how-to-do-it projects including: an environmental education museum, developing chick embryos in plastic bags, construction of an arthropod holding device, and safety planning for beach field trips. (SL)

National ITS Program Plan Executive Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-03-01

THE PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL ITS PROGRAM PLAN IS TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS) IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS FIRST EDITION OF THE PLAN WAS A JOINT EFFORT OF ITS AMERICA AND THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMEN...

ITS National Architecture -- Rural Issues Workshop

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-06-15

THE PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP IS TO BRING TOGETHER A DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN HOW THE NATIONAL ITS ARCHITECTURE IS ADDRESSING ISSUES THAT IMPACT IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS IN RURAL AREAS (AND TO WHAT DEGREE IT ADDRESSES THEM). : THE TWO-DAY AGEN...

Intercity passenger rail : Amtrak needs to improve its decision making process for its route and service proposals

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-04-01

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) is the nation's intercity passenger rail operator. In recent years, facing the continuing deterioration of its financial condition and its attempt to eliminate its need for federal operating assist...

IN MY OPINION: `Yeah, I think I understand it, but what's it all for?'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornwall, Malcolm G.

2000-07-01

Physics can appear to be a remote, esoteric and irrelevant subject - and not only to the `person in the street' but to many of those learning it at school and, even, at university. Despite the efforts of many curriculum mongers to relate physics to its achievements and applications in everyday life, it is still perceived by many as an elitist subject fit ultimately only for nerdish geniuses. Of course, physics is an esoteric subject whose theories are remote from our immediate experience. But, equally, you and I know that the modern world is largely a product of the applications of physics to satisfying our needs and demands. An emphasis on the relevance of physics to the everyday world is, in my experience, a powerful motivator for the struggling learner. Physics, I contend, should be presented as a powerful tool for controlling and improving our world, as well as an intellectual discipline. Most modern textbooks do indeed present our subject with more than a passing reference to applications, but usually in a relatively peripheral way (though Louis Bloomfield's text, How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life (Wiley, 1996), and the associated website, is a thoroughgoing example of a rare genre). Some recent British `college level' curricula, such as the Institute of Physics 16-19 initiative (Ogborn J 1997 Phys. Educ. 32 422) may succeed in making the relevance of the subject graphically clear to the learner. A few university curricula, too, emphasize applied physics, recognizing the eventual employment areas of the majority of their graduates. At the very least, all physics courses should encourage students to explore the ways in which the theories they are learning are applied in the `real world', as well as in the rarefied world of academic research. This journal has over the last decade published several `special issues' devoted to technologies that depend crucially on the application of physics to the demands of everyday life - Optics and lasers

Recognition of Prior Learning: The Tensions between Its Inclusive Intentions and Constraints on Its Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Linda; Ralphs, Alan; Harris, Judy

2017-01-01

This article provides some insight into the constraints on the potential of recognition of prior learning (RPL) to widen access to educational qualifications. Its focus is on a conceptual framework that emerged from a South African study of RPL practices across four different learning contexts. Working from a social realist perspective, it argues…

Instructional Clarity and Organization: It's Not New or Fancy, but It Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blaich, Charles; Wise, Kathleen; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Roksa, Josipa

2016-01-01

In higher education it is sometimes hard to ignore the doom and gloom combination of shrinking budgets and expanding accountability. Education is also in the midst of a conversation about teaching and learning that encompasses a range of innovative pedagogies, assessments, and high impact practices. Organizations such as the Association of…

Neoclassical Theory and Its Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaing, Ker-Chung

2015-11-20

The grant entitled Neoclassical Theory and Its Applications started on January 15 2001 and ended on April 14 2015. The main goal of the project is to develop neoclassical theory to understand tokamak physics, and employ it to model current experimental observations and future thermonuclear fusion reactors. The PI had published more than 50 papers in refereed journals during the funding period.

Top 10 IT Issues, 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp, John S.; DeBlois, Peter B.

2007-01-01

The EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee, whose members review and recommend the set of IT issues to be presented each year, conducted a Web-based survey in December 2006 to identify the five of thirty-one IT issues in each of four areas: (1) issues that are critical for strategic success; (2) issues that are expected to increase in significance; (3)…

It Top-10 Issues 2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewey, Barbara I.; DeBlois, Peter B.

2006-01-01

The EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee, whose members review and recommend the set of IT issues to be presented each year, conducted a Web-based survey in December 2005 to identify the five of thirty-one IT issues in each of four areas: (1) issues that are critical for strategic success; (2) issues that are expected to increase in significance; (3)…

Novel photonics polymer and its application in IT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koike, Yasuhiro

2003-07-01

In the field of LANs, transmission systems based on a multimode silica fiber network is heading towards capacities of Gb/s. We have proposed a low-loss, high-bandwidth and large-core graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI POF) in data-com. area. We sill show that GI POF enables to virtually eliminate the "modal noise" problem cased by the medium-core silica fibers. Therefore, stable high-speed data transmission is realized by GI POF rather than silica fibers. Furthermore, advent of perfluorinated (PF) polymer based GI POF network can support higher transmission than silica fibers network because of the small material dispersion of PF polymer compared with silica. In addition, we proposed a "highly scattering optical transmission (HSOT) polymer" and applied it to a light guide plate of a liquid crystal display (LCD) backlight. The advanced HSOT polymer backlight that was proposed using the HSOT designing simulation program demonstrated approximately three times higher luminance than the conventional flat-type HSOT backlight of 14.1-inch diagonal because of the microscopic prism structures at the bottom of the advanced HSOT light guide plate. The HSOT polymer containing the optimized heterogeneous structures produced homogeneous scattered light with forward directivity and sufficient color uniformity.

International ITS Program Assessment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-08-01

THIS PAPER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE AN UPDATED COMPARISON OF WORLDWIDE ACTIVITIES IN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS) AND TO RECOMMEND A STRATEGY FOR CONTINUING INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM ASSESSMENT FOR DISCUSSION AT THE BENEFITS, EVALUATION AND COSTS (BE...

Gamification: what it is and why it matters to digital health behavior change developers.

PubMed

Cugelman, Brian

2013-12-12

This editorial provides a behavioral science view on gamification and health behavior change, describes its principles and mechanisms, and reviews some of the evidence for its efficacy. Furthermore, this editorial explores the relation between gamification and behavior change frameworks used in the health sciences and shows how gamification principles are closely related to principles that have been proven to work in health behavior change technology. Finally, this editorial provides criteria that can be used to assess when gamification provides a potentially promising framework for digital health interventions.

Understanding climatological, instantaneous and reference VTEC maps, its variability, its relation to STEC and its assimilation by VTEC models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orus, R.; Prieto-Cerdeira, R.

2012-12-01

As the next Solar Maximum peak is approaching, forecasted for the late 2013, it is a good opportunity to study the ionospheric behaviour in such conditions and how this behaviour can be estimated and corrected by existing climatological models - e.g.. NeQuick, International Reference Ionosphere (IRI)- , as well as, GNSS driven models, such as Klobuchar, NeQuick Galileo, SBAS MOPS (EGNOS and WAAS corrections) and Near Real Time Global Ionospheric Maps (GIM) or regional Maps computed by different institutions. In this framework, technology advances allow to increase the computational and radio frequency channels capabilities of low-cost receivers embedded in handheld devices (such mobile phones, pads, trekking clocks, photo-cameras, etc). This may enable the active use of received ionospheric data or correction parameters from different data sources. The study is centred in understanding the ionosphere but focusing on its impact on the position error for low-cost single-frequency receivers. This study tests optimal ways to take advantage of a big amount of Real or Near Real Time ionospheric information and the way to combine various corrections in order to reach a better navigation solution. In this context, the use of real time estimation vTEC data coming from EGNOS or WAAS or near real time GIMs are used to feed the standard GPS single-frequency ionospheric correction models (Klobuchar) and get enhanced Ionospheric corrections with minor changes on the navigation software. This is done by using a Taylor expansion over the 8 coefficients send by GPS. Moreover, the same datasets are used to assimilate it in NeQuick, for broadcast coefficients, as well as, for grid assimilation. As a side product, electron density profiles in Near Real Time could be estimated with data assimilated from different ionospheric sources. Finally, the ionospheric delay estimation for multi-constellation receivers could take benefit from a common and more accurate ionospheric model being

Legal Language: What Is It and What Can We Do about It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charrow, Veda R.; Crandall, JoAnn

Legal language is discussed in the context of concern about the comprehensibility of consumer documents and the trend toward simplification of the language used in these documents. Specific features of legal language and its functions within the legal community and society are identified. As a primary tool of the legal profession, legal language…

It's an Interesting Article!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tracy, Karen

1993-01-01

It is argued that the combination of research methods used in Drummond and Hopper's article in this issue, "Back Channels Revisited," is appropriate. Factors that make for good social science research are discussed. (eight references) (LB)

Bullying: It's Not OK

MedlinePlus

... Prevention Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Bullying: It's Not OK Page Content Article Body Bullying ... are shy, and generally feel helpless. Facts About Bullying Both girls and boys can be bullies. Bullies ...

Mononucleosis: Can It Recur?

MedlinePlus

... M. Steckelberg, M.D. Most people who have infectious mononucleosis, or mono, get it only once. Rarely, however, ... Accessed Oct. 26, 2015. Aronson MD, et al. Infectious mononucleosis in adults and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/ ...

Food reward. What it is and how to measure it.

PubMed

Rogers, Peter J; Hardman, Charlotte A

2015-07-01

We investigated the contribution of hunger and food liking to food reward, and the relationship between food reward and food intake. We defined liking as the pleasantness of taste of food in the mouth, and food reward as the momentary value of a food to the individual at the time of ingestion. Liking and food reward were measured, respectively, by ratings of the pleasantness of the taste of a mouthful, and ratings of desire to eat a portion, of the food in question. Hunger, which we view as primarily the absence of fullness, was rated without food being present. Study 1 provided evidence that hunger and liking contribute independently to food reward, with little effect of hunger on liking. Food intake reduced liking and reward value more for the eaten food than uneaten foods. The results were ambiguous as to whether this food-specific decline in reward value ('sensory-specific satiety') involved a decrease in 'wanting' in addition to the decrease in liking. Studies 2 and 3 compared desire to eat ratings with work-for-food and pay-for-food measures of food reward, and found desire to eat to be equal or superior in respect of effects of hunger and liking, and superior in predicting ad libitum food intake. A further general observation was that in making ratings of food liking participants may confuse the pleasantness of the taste of food with the pleasantness of eating it. The latter, which some call 'palatability,' decreases more with eating because it is significantly affected by hunger/fullness. Together, our results demonstrate the validity of ratings of desire to eat a portion of a tasted food as a measure of food reward and as a predictor of food intake. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Next Space Race is in IT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alger, George; Santiago, S. Scott (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The next Space Race will be in the economic applications from space and science technology. As NASA science and technology has global application; IT is global, economics is global; surely there are great untapped potentials in finding the IT links of commonality among these three. The Economics of IT will continue to depend upon solution providers creating new methods that capitalize on linking information and information centers with the applications community for business and economic functions.. New and innovative IT vendors whose increased efforts to apply evolving technologies and principles that power the e-business revolution are now seeing the business of government being transformed in a similar fashion. NASA will be a prime example of IT transformation. Potential benefits of e-government are identical to the benefits of e-commerce, which start from value derived from capabilities and assets. The capability and asset wealth of NASA technology and data mass scattered through hundreds of archives will one day provide incredible economic benefit across international and corporate boundaries. Yet the ability to economically benefit from bridging the gap between capability to billable service has yet to find it's first major market. Ultimately the role of government, science, and technology linking to the business world will find greater dependence from this increasingly common ground of IT solutions and technologies. Therefore the future role of the IT industry may be as much administrative as technical, ultimately of critical importance furthering the role of science into application.

Gamification: What It Is and Why It Matters to Digital Health Behavior Change Developers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

This editorial provides a behavioral science view on gamification and health behavior change, describes its principles and mechanisms, and reviews some of the evidence for its efficacy. Furthermore, this editorial explores the relation between gamification and behavior change frameworks used in the health sciences and shows how gamification principles are closely related to principles that have been proven to work in health behavior change technology. Finally, this editorial provides criteria that can be used to assess when gamification provides a potentially promising framework for digital health interventions. PMID:25658754

I Want It, You've Got It - Effectively Connect Users to Geospatial Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, C. E.

2012-12-01

How do users of scientific data find what they need? How do they know where to look, what to look for, how to evaluate, and - if they find the right resource - then how to get it? When the data is of a geospatial nature, other factors also come into play - is the data in a format/projection compatible with other data being used, does the user have access to tools that can analyze and display the data to adequately evaluate it, and does the user have knowledge on how to manage that access - especially if the data is being exposed by web services. Supporting users to connect them to geospatial data in a continually evolving technological climate is a challenge that reaches deeply into all levels of data management. In this talk, we will discuss specific challenges in how users discover and access resources, and how Esri has evolved solutions over time to more effectively connect users to what they need. Some of the challenges - and current solutions - that will be discussed are: balancing a straightforward user experience with rich functionality, providing simple descriptions while maintaining complete metadata, enabling data access to work with an organization's content while being compatible with other organizations' access mechanisms, and the ability to publish data once yet share it in many venues.

Ten Reasons for IT Educators to Be Early Adopters of IT Innovations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillard, Sharlett; Bailey, Denice; Nolan, Ernest

2008-01-01

Professionals in the information technology field are bombarded with an incessant stream of innovations in hardware and software as well as practices, methods, and techniques. IT educators are among the first targets in the market and must decide if and when to adopt these innovations in their instruction of students and professional endeavors.…

Trust: A Master Teacher's Perspective on Why It Is Important: How to Build It and Its Implications for MBE Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Andrea, Katherine Clunis

2013-01-01

Teaching is an interaction. It is a relationship between my students and myself. For successful interactions to take place there needs to be trust. In order for my students to be successful I have to be successful as well. My students and I have to have a variety of interactions. These interactions build trust, which leads to bonding. I believe…

Material Interface Reconstruction in VisIt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meredith, J S

In this paper, we first survey a variety of approaches to material interface reconstruction and their applicability to visualization, and we investigate the details of the current reconstruction algorithm in the VisIt scientific analysis and visualization tool. We then provide a novel implementation of the original VisIt algorithm that makes use of a wide range of the finite element zoo during reconstruction. This approach results in dramatic improvements in quality and performance without sacrificing the strengths of the VisIt algorithm as it relates to visualization.

Scombroid syndrome: it seems to be fish allergy but... it isn't.

PubMed

Ridolo, Erminia; Martignago, Irene; Senna, Gianenrico; Ricci, Giorgio

2016-10-01

Scombroid poisoning is a frequent cause of admission in emergency department. In everyday clinical practice, it can be difficult to discriminate between scombroid syndrome and fish allergy. The aim of this review is to provide the clinician some instruments to make a correct differential diagnosis. In the last few years, a better characterization of scombroid syndrome occurred, in particular regarding its possible severe presentations. Two cases of Kounis syndrome secondary to scombroid syndrome have been described and in these cases a differential diagnosis in patients with this clinical presentation can be even more difficult. Finally, in term of diagnosis, the useful role of serum tryptase was recently consolidated. Scombroid syndrome is a histamine-induced reaction because of the ingestion of histamine-contaminated fish, whereas fish allergy is an IgE-mediated reaction. Clinical presentation can be similar and for this reason scombroid syndrome is often misdiagnosed. The differences lie in pathogenic mechanisms, possible outcome, therapy, and prevention measures. Moreover, some laboratory tests are helpful to discriminate between the two diseases.

Episiotomy and its relationship to various clinical variables that influence its performance

PubMed Central

Ballesteros-Meseguer, Carmen; Carrillo-García, César; Meseguer-de-Pedro, Mariano; Canteras-Jordana, Manuel; Martínez-Roche, Mª Emilia

2016-01-01

Objective: to understand the episiotomy rate and its relationship with various clinical variables. Method: a descriptive, cross-sectional, analytic study of 12,093 births in a tertiary hospital. Variables: Parity, gestational age, start of labor, use of epidural analgesia, oxytocin usage, position during fetal explusion, weight of neonate, and completion of birth. The analysis was performed with SPSS 19.0. Results: the global percentage of episiotomies was 50%. The clinical variables that presented a significant association were primiparity (RR=2.98), gestational age >41 weeks (RR=1.2), augmented or induced labor (RR=1.33), epidural analgesia use (RR=1,95), oxytocin use (RR=1.58), lithotomy position during fetal expulsion (RR=6.4), and instrumentation (RR=1.84). Furthermore, maternal age ≥35 years (RR=0.85) and neonatal weight <2500 g (RR=0.8) were associated with a lower incidence of episiotomy. Conclusions: episiotomy is dependent on obstetric interventions performed during labor. If we wish to reduce the episiotomy rate, it will be necessary to bear in mind these risk factors when establishing policies for reducing this procedure. PMID:27224064

Evo-devo: Hydra raises its Noggin.

PubMed

Chandramore, Kalpana; Ghaskadbi, Surendra

2011-08-01

Noggin, along with other secreted bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) inhibitors, plays a crucial role in neural induction and neural tube patterning as well as in somitogenesis, cardiac morphogenesis and formation of the skeleton in vertebrates. The BMP signalling pathway is one of the seven fundamental pathways that drive embryonic development and pattern formation in animals. Understanding its evolutionary origin and role in pattern formation is, therefore, important to evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). We have studied the evolutionary origin of BMP-Noggin antagonism in hydra, which is a powerful diploblastic model to study evolution of pattern-forming mechanisms because of the unusual cellular dynamics during its pattern formation and its remarkable ability to regenerate. We cloned and characterized the noggin gene from hydra and found it to exhibit considerable similarity with its orthologues at the amino acid level. Microinjection of hydra Noggin mRNA led to duplication of the dorsoventral axis in Xenopus embryos, demonstrating its functional conservation across the taxa. Our data, along with those of others, indicate that the evolutionarily conserved antagonism between BMP and its inhibitors predates bilateral divergence. This article reviews the various roles of Noggin in different organisms and some of our recent work on hydra Noggin in the context of evolution of developmental signalling pathways.

Taeniasis and its socio-economic implication in Awassa town and its surroundings, Southern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Abunna, F; Tilahun, G; Megersa, B; Regassa, A

2007-10-01

The study was conducted between October 2005 and April 2006 in Awassa town and its surroundings to investigate the status of T. saginata taeniasis, its socio-economic importance and potential risk factors. Questionnaire survey was conducted on 120 volunteer individuals selected at random. Additionally, retrospective study on taenicidal drugs inventories at 12 pharmaceutical shops was conducted. T. saginata taeniasis was a wide spread problem in the town and its surroundings with overall prevalence of 64.2% (77 out of 120) and maximum infection frequencies of five times per year. The prevalence of taeniasis was significantly varied between religion, occupation, raw meat consumption and use of spices with raw meat. Accordingly, Christian communities (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 1.20-22.50), high-risk groups (OR = 4.05, 95% CI = 1.27-12.93), raw meat consumers (OR = 7.9, 95% CI = 2.46-5.66), and spices users (OR = 11.6, 95% CI = 2.85-47.28) had higher likelihood of acquiring taeniasis than Muslim communities, low risk groups, cooked meat eaters and non-spices users, respectively. Conversely, prevalence was not varied between sex, age, marital status and educational backgrounds of the respondents. Respondents' preferences to available taenicidal drugs had strong linear relationship with drug dose sold (R2 = 0.92), and showed that Niclosamide (46.8%) was the drug of first choice while Praziquantel (13%) was the least preferred drug. The taenicidal drug doses and treatment cost from 2002 to 2005 were estimated to be 4,913,346 adult doses and 820,343 USD (7,219,021 Eth. Birr as per rate of 2006). Taeniasis was a wide spread problem with higher prevalence and frequent infections in the town and its surroundings. Sociocultural conditions and occupation were the major risk factors for the occurrence of the disease. Hence, owing to its public health and economic importance, taeniasis deserves serious attention in order to safeguard the public health.

Information Sharing for IT Security Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Rodney J.

2008-01-01

Information sharing is a core value for information technology (IT) security professionals. It is also a familiar concept for those who work at institutions of higher education because of their long history of collaboration and openness. Information sharing has become part of the national fabric as IT security professionals attempt to secure cyber…

Report: EPA Needs to Reexamine How It Defines Its Payment Recapture Audit Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #11-P-0362, July 19, 2011. EPA makes numerous efforts to recapture improper payments, but does not consider its activities to be a formal payment recapture audit program, as defined by OMB guidance.

Sugar maple: its characteristics and potentials

Treesearch

Ralph D. Nyland

1999-01-01

Sugar maple dominates the northern hardwood forest, but grows over a broader geographic area. Conditions of soil and climate largely limit its distribution, and account for its less continuous cover along fringes of the range. Sugar maple regenerates readily following a wide range of overstory treatments. Success depends upon its status as advance regeneration,...

Smoking, Labor, & Delivery: It's Complicated

Cancer.gov

You probably have mixed feelings about going into labor. On one hand, bringing a new life into the world is really exciting. On the other, it can be really scary to have a baby, especially if this is your first child. Unfortunately, it can be even scarier if you smoke. Research shows that smoking during pregnancy can lead to serious complications for you and your baby during labor and delivery.

What Does It Mean to Know?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirch, Susan A.; Stetsenko, Anna

2012-01-01

What do people mean when they say they "know" something in science? It usually means they did an investigation and expended considerable intellectual effort to build a useful explanatory model. It means they are confident about an explanation, believe others should trust what they say, and believe that their claim is testable. It means they can…

It's All about the Teacher: Why That "Truth" Might Not Be All That It Seems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shires, Lorna

2017-01-01

This article explores the contextual detail behind a widely used quotation about the differing impact of teachers. It finds that it originates from a single paper in the USA, and that it is unclear how the quotation arises from a very specific data set from a very specific context.

The CST: Its Achievements and Its Connection to the Light Cone

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gross, Franz

since its inception in 1969, I have reviewed applications of the Covariant Spectator Theory (CST). The applications I discuss here include calculations of NN scattering, 3N bound states, electro- magnetic form factors of few-nucleon systems, and the recent successes in describing the dynamical generation of quark mass and the meson spectrum using a chirially invariant quark-antiquark interaction that includes confinement. Furthermore I will discuss the common origin of the Light Cone technique and the CST, which dates back to the 1970's.

The CST: Its Achievements and Its Connection to the Light Cone

DOE PAGES

Gross, Franz

2017-01-19

since its inception in 1969, I have reviewed applications of the Covariant Spectator Theory (CST). The applications I discuss here include calculations of NN scattering, 3N bound states, electro- magnetic form factors of few-nucleon systems, and the recent successes in describing the dynamical generation of quark mass and the meson spectrum using a chirially invariant quark-antiquark interaction that includes confinement. Furthermore I will discuss the common origin of the Light Cone technique and the CST, which dates back to the 1970's.

It is all about Phase and it is not Star Trek

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, Robert W.; Grimes, David; Barnum, Timothy J.; Coy, Stephen; Zhou, Yan

2016-06-01

The marriage of chirped pulse millimeter-wave spectroscopy with a buffer gas cooled molecular beam source has yielded an increase in spectral velocity (number of resolution elements per unit time) of a factor of one million! But it gets even better. Essential information is encoded not just in the frequencies of the transitions, but also in the relative intensities and especially phases of the transitions. Transitions between Rydberg states of atoms and molecules are an ideal test ground for techniques that fully exploit these newly accessible observables.

Non-concerted ITS evolution in Mammillaria (Cactaceae).

PubMed

Harpke, Doerte; Peterson, Angela

2006-12-01

Molecular studies of 21 species of the large Cactaceae genus Mammillaria representing a variety of intrageneric taxonomic levels revealed a high degree of intra-individual polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2). Only a few of these ITS copies belong to apparently functional genes, whereas most are probably non-functional (pseudogenes). As a multiple gene family, the ITS region is subjected to concerted evolution. However, the high degree of intra-individual polymorphism of up to 36% in ITS1 and up to 35% in ITS2 suggests a non-concerted evolution of these loci in Mammillaria. Conserved angiosperm motifs of ITS1 and ITS2 were compared between genomic and cDNA ITS clones of Mammillaria. Some of these motifs (e.g., ITS1 motif 1, 'TGGT' within ITS2) in combination with the determination of GC-content, length comparisons of the spacers and ITS2 secondary structure (helices II and III) are helpful in the identification of pseudogene rDNA regions.

25 CFR 162.521 - May a lessee incorporate its WEEL analyses into its WSR lease analyses?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... LAND AND WATER LEASES AND PERMITS Wind and Solar Resource Leases Weels § 162.521 May a lessee incorporate its WEEL analyses into its WSR lease analyses? Any analyses a lessee uses to bring a WEEL activity...

25 CFR 162.521 - May a lessee incorporate its WEEL analyses into its WSR lease analyses?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... LAND AND WATER LEASES AND PERMITS Wind and Solar Resource Leases Weels § 162.521 May a lessee incorporate its WEEL analyses into its WSR lease analyses? Any analyses a lessee uses to bring a WEEL activity...

An Overview on Radiotherapy: From Its History to Its Current Applications in Dermatology

PubMed Central

Gianfaldoni, Serena; Gianfaldoni, Roberto; Wollina, Uwe; Lotti, Jacopo; Tchernev, Georgi; Lotti, Torello

2017-01-01

For more than a century, radiotherapy has been an effective treatment for oncologic patients. The Authors report a brief history of the radiation therapy and its actual indication for the treatments of cutaneous malignant diseases. PMID:28785349

Paroxetine and its uses in psychiatry.

PubMed

Bell, C; Nutt, D

1999-05-01

Paroxetine is one of the specific serotonin-reuptake inhibitor antidepressants which is used in a variety of psychiatric disorders. It has recently gained considerable publicity because of its use in social anxiety disorder and its subsequent labelling by the media as a 'lifestyle drug'. This review summarizes current indications for paroxetine and outlines doses and duration of treatment for each condition.

Pet avoidance in allergy cases: Is it possible to implement it?

PubMed

Sánchez, Jorge; Díez, Susana; Cardona, Ricardo

2015-01-01

Among allergic patients, pet avoidance is commonly recommended. It is difficult for patients to accomplish this because of their emotional attachment to the pets, and its effectiveness is controversial. To explore the applicability and effectiveness of pet avoidance measures among sensitized patients. We evaluated 288 patients with asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and/or dermatitis using skin prick test to measure their sensitization to cats, dogs and other animals to which they were exposed. Exposure to animals was evaluated in each patient (pets at home, frequent indirect exposure or no exposure). In those patients sensitized to animals some avoidance measures, such as removing pets from home and preventing indirect exposure, were recommended. On the following two appointments, we evaluated patients' fulfillment of these recommendations. Sensitization to cats, dogs and birds was high (9%, 48%, 14%, respectively), as well as direct and indirect exposure (30%, 46%, 24%, respectively). Most patients denied contact with other animals (horses, hamsters, rabbits or cows), and sensitization to them was low. During the follow-up of patients sensitized to their pets at home (n=50), most of them refused to remove them from their house due to emotional attachment, and only two followed this recommendation. High exposure to animals could explain the frequency of sensitization to pets in this population. However, emotional attachment and prevalent indirect exposure to animals among sensitized patients make avoidance recommendations impractical or impossible to achieve.

Intelligence in the brain: a theory of how it works and how to build it.

PubMed

Werbos, Paul J

2009-04-01

This paper presents a theory of how general-purpose learning-based intelligence is achieved in the mammal brain, and how we can replicate it. It reviews four generations of ever more powerful general-purpose learning designs in Adaptive, Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP), which includes reinforcement learning as a special case. It reviews empirical results which fit the theory, and suggests important new directions for research, within the scope of NSF's recent initiative on Cognitive Optimization and Prediction. The appendices suggest possible connections to the realms of human subjective experience, comparative cognitive neuroscience, and new challenges in electric power. The major challenge before us today in mathematical neural networks is to replicate the "mouse level", but the paper does contain a few thoughts about building, understanding and nourishing levels of general intelligence beyond the mouse.

Pornography use: who uses it and how it is associated with couple outcomes.

PubMed

Poulsen, Franklin O; Busby, Dean M; Galovan, Adam M

2013-01-01

Very little is known about how pornography use is related to the quality of committed relationships. This study examined associations among pornography use, the meaning people attach to its use, sexual quality, and relationship satisfaction. It also looked at factors that discriminate between those who use pornography and those who do not. Participants were couples (N = 617 couples) who were either married or cohabiting at the time the data were gathered. Overall results from this study indicated substantial gender differences in terms of use profiles, as well as pornography's association with relationship factors. Specifically, male pornography use was negatively associated with both male and female sexual quality, whereas female pornography use was positively associated with female sexual quality. The study also found that meaning explained a relatively small part of the relationship between pornography use and sexual quality.

A case for intelligent transportation system (ITS) telecommunications analysis : Maryland State Highway Administration's ITS telecommunications study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

In the fall of 1995 the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) decided to take a closer : look at how to build an affordable ITS network to support its growing Chesapeake Highway Advisories for Routing Traffic (CHART) program. In doing so, the ...

NATO’s Changing its Posture Against Russia from Assurance to Deterrence: Does it Matter

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-06

the West, raising fears of a resurgent Russia intent on regaining its former dominance in Eastern Europe. Over the last two years, the North...to purchase 52 F-35 fighters, replace its submarine fleet, purchase new surveillance aircraft, upgrade tank units, and acquire new anti-aircraft...for an additional $2 billion to purchase armored personnel carriers, artillery, anti-tank weapons and air defense systems.19 NATO’s posture change

CDA hones its marketing message.

PubMed

Jones, D G

1998-07-01

This article discusses the many tacks CDA has taken with its marketing campaigns over the years. The keys to success have been reasonable goals and sufficient funds to make an impact. The current campaign, while underfunded due to budget constraints, carries on the successful theme of positioning CDA and its member dentists as the trusted sources of dental information for consumers, legislators, and health care decision-makers. An accompanying article discusses the proposed ADA national marketing campaign.

Yawning and its physiological significance

PubMed Central

Gupta, Sharat; Mittal, Shallu

2013-01-01

Although yawning is a commonly witnessed human behavior, yet it has not been taught in much detail in medical schools because, until the date, no particular physiological significance has been associated with it. It is characterized by opening up of mouth which is accompanied by a long inspiration, with a brief interruption of ventilation and followed by a short expiration. Since time immemorial, yawning has been associated with drowsiness and boredom. However, this age old belief is all set to change as the results of some newer studies have pointed out that yawning might be a way by which our body is trying to accomplish some more meaningful goals. In this review, we have tried to put together some of the important functions that have been proposed by a few authors, with the hope that this article will stimulate the interest of newer researchers in this hitherto unexplored field. PMID:23776833

Putting It All Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Virginia B.

2017-01-01

The first case study from the Aspen Institute's National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) shows how schools and educators enhance learning when they teach a curriculum that simultaneously builds students' social, emotional, and academic understanding. "Putting It All Together" discusses how an integrative…

Emergy and Its Importance

EPA Science Inventory

Emergy is an important quantity needed for public policy analysis that is based on a complex methodology. The intent of this Environmental Research Brief is to define emergy and its importance in a manner that is accessible to everyone with at least a high school education. Emer...

If it ain't broke, don't price fix it: the OFT and the PPRS.

PubMed

Towse, Adrian

2007-07-01

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Report on the UK Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) recommends that when the current five-year PPRS expires in 2010 it be replaced with 'value-based pricing' which involves pre-launch centralised government price setting based on a cost-per-QALY threshold plus periodic ex post reviews. I examine the validity of the OFTs criticisms of the existing PPRS, review its proposals and propose an alternative way forward. I conclude that PPRS has performed well as a procurement bargain between industry and the UK government. It does not, however, incentivise efficient relative prices. That is not its job. I identify a number of problems with the OFT proposals. I recommend that key elements of a reformed UK pharmaceutical environment for 2010 should include an expanded role for HTA but with companies retaining freedom to set prices at launch; HTA use targeted via a contingent value of information approach; a retained backstop PPRS, perhaps moving to an RPI-X type control; the use of risk sharing and non-linear pricing arrangements; measures to ensure more effective therapeutic switching at local level; and measures to improve the take up of cost-effective treatments. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Methanex sticks to its knitting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morris, G.D.L.

1997-04-30

Methanex was created just six years ago by the breakup of Ocelot Industries (Calgary, AB), a conglomerate with too many different business and too much debt. Those demons have since been banished, but management remains obsessive about focused, low-cost operations and a squeaky-clean balance sheet. The results show in a company that is generally admired, occasionally resented, and always speculated about. The top two questions are what it will do with its cash hoard,more » $$413 million as of first-quarter 1997, and when it will diversify. Pierre Choquette, who became president in December 1994, hears the questions often but says he is more amused by them than irritated, because the answers are so obvious. {open_quotes}We review the situation at every board meeting, but usually we prefer to have the liquid assets - it gives you a lot of advantages - and to reinvest in the core business,{close_quotes} says Choquette. {open_quotes}We paid $$275 million for our second plant in Chile, which we just completed, and the third one now under construction will cost about $300 million. I sit on a nonchemical company`s board, and we wonder at every downturn, {open_quote}How are we going to survive?{close_quote} [Having a cushion] is a lot nicer.{close_quotes}« less

IT Infrastructure Components for Biobanking.

PubMed

Prokosch, H U; Beck, A; Ganslandt, T; Hummel, M; Kiehntopf, M; Sax, U; Uckert, F; Semler, S

2010-01-01

Within translational research projects in the recent years large biobanks have been established, mostly supported by homegrown, proprietary software solutions. No general requirements for biobanking IT infrastructures have been published yet. This paper presents an exemplary biobanking IT architecture, a requirements specification for a biorepository management tool and exemplary illustrations of three major types of requirements. We have pursued a comprehensive literature review for biobanking IT solutions and established an interdisciplinary expert panel for creating the requirements specification. The exemplary illustrations were derived from a requirements analysis within two university hospitals. The requirements specification comprises a catalog with more than 130 detailed requirements grouped into 3 major categories and 20 subcategories. Special attention is given to multitenancy capabilities in order to support the project-specific definition of varying research and bio-banking contexts, the definition of workflows to track sample processing, sample transportation and sample storage and the automated integration of preanalytic handling and storage robots. IT support for biobanking projects can be based on a federated architectural framework comprising primary data sources for clinical annotations, a pseudonymization service, a clinical data warehouse with a flexible and user-friendly query interface and a biorepository management system. Flexibility and scalability of all such components are vital since large medical facilities such as university hospitals will have to support biobanking for varying monocentric and multicentric research scenarios and multiple medical clients.

Racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination, its antecedents, and its effect on job-related outcomes.

PubMed

Bergman, Mindy E; Palmieri, Patrick A; Drasgow, Fritz; Ormerod, Alayne J

2012-01-01

A general model of workplace prejudice acts, their antecedents, and their consequences is proposed and examined in the context of racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination (REHD). Antecedents proposed and tested here include context and climate, whereas consequences proposed and tested here include work, supervisor, and opportunity satisfaction and turnover intentions. The theoretical model is first tested and cross-validated in two ethnically diverse subsamples (approximately 2,000 each). Then, hierarchical multigroup modeling was conducted to determine whether the relationships among REHD, its antecedents, and its outcomes are equivalent across five racial/ethnic groups (N = 1,000 per group) in the U.S. military. This addresses the issue of differential exposure (i.e., varying amounts of stressors across groups) versus differential vulnerability (i.e., discrepant impact of a stressor on outcomes across groups) across racial/ethnic groups. Consistent with expectations, results suggest that although racial/ethnic groups differ in their mean exposure to REHD, the relationships among REHD and its outcomes are the same across race/ethnicity, supporting the differential exposure view. In addition, the results show some differences between antecedents and REHD across race/ethnicity.

FcγRIII in ITP: it ain't over 'til it's over.

PubMed

McCrae, Keith R

2016-01-07

In this issue of Blood, Yu et al describe a novel anti–Fcγ receptor III (FcγRIII)-albumin fusion protein that inhibits the development of thrombocytopenia in a murine model of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).1 The unique aspect of this protein is that it blocks FcγRIII-mediated uptake of antibody-coated platelets without activating FcγRIII and the associated inflammatory response.

Seismic-Acoustic Hybrid Sensor & Its Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-02-25

Most evidence shows that termites communicate primarily by secreting chemicals called pheromones . Each colony develops its own characteristic odor...Instrumenting the Wall Plate with the Hybrid Sensor The seismic-acoustic sensor is designed to play a role in the housing industry as a termite detector...Taking advantage of the sensor’s flexibility to mold to its environment, the device is used in its extended mode for termite detection. Which means

The Washington Biologists' Field Club : Its members and its history (1900-2006)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perry, M.C.

2007-01-01

This book is based on the interesting one-hundred-plus-year history of the Club and its members. Plummers Island and the historic cabin on the Island have served as a common meeting area where the Club members have conducted research and held many social activities for over a century. The history has been written and revised over the years by members, and the biographical sketches also have been collected and written by the members. The Club was formed in 1900 and incorporated as a society in 1901 for scientists in the Washington, D.C., area. In recent years the Club has sponsored research by many non-member local scientists with grants totaling over $305,000. The cumulative total of 267 members represents all branches of natural science, with a strong emphasis on biology as the Club name indicates. In addition to the biologists there have been famous naturalists (e.g., John Burroughs), high-level administrators (e.g., Ira Gabrielson), and well-known artists (e.g., Roger Tory Peterson). Most members have been biological scientists, working for agencies in the Washington, D.C., area, who have published many articles and books dealing with biology and related subjects. The book is publIshed mainly for the benefit of the living Club members and for relatives of the deceased members. The members hope that the book will find its way into libraries across the country and that in the future, persons interested in some of the pioneer scientists, in the various professional areas of science, can obtain biographical information from a well-documented source. Most of the 542 illustrations of the members, cabin, and the Island have not been published previously. It is hopeful that the biographical sketches, pictures, and other information presented in this book can generate new information for future publications and for the website of the Washington Biologists' Field Club, which is updated frequently.

Regional ITS architecture development : a case study : Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee ITS Priority Corridor : building a framework for tri-state ITS corridor integration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-11-01

The FHWA has commissioned this study to determine if there are fleet management needs that can be met through public sector involvement in the development of ITS systems. As part of this examination, this technical memorandum responds to Tasks A, B, ...

Experimental evidence for curcumin and its analogs for management of diabetes mellitus and its associated complications.

PubMed

Rivera-Mancía, Susana; Lozada-García, María Concepción; Pedraza-Chaverri, José

2015-06-05

Diabetes mellitus is a serious world health problem and one of the most studied diseases; a major concern about its treatment is that β-cell mass and functionality is hard to restore. In addition, it is frequently associated with severe complications, such as diabetic nephropathy and cardiomyopathy. The anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic properties of curcumin have made it a promising molecule for the treatment of this pathology; however, its solubility and bioavailability problems are still the subject of multiple studies. To cope with those difficulties, several approaches have been evaluated, such as the development of pharmaceutical formulations and curcumin analogs. This review discusses some of the studied therapeutic targets for curcumin in diabetes as well as the structural characteristics and targets of its analogs. The shortening of the central seven-carbon chain of curcumin has given rise to compounds without glucose-lowering effects but potentially useful for the treatment of diabetes complications; whereas preserving this chain retains the glucose-lowering properties. Most of the analogs discussed here have been recently synthesized and tested in animal models of type 1 diabetes; more studies in models of type 2 diabetes are needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source Book on Plutonium and Its Decontamination

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-09-24

Energy Commisjsion Policy The AEC is the foremoacst regulator of the use of radioactive materials in this country. It derives this power from the...Congress and furthers Its responsibilities in two ways; first, through its licensin~g power and second, by regulation of the activities of its contractors...biological hazard. Plutonium- 239 is of interest because of its abundance in weapons and Pu-238 because of its use in power sources. Half lives for the two

ITS technology at highway-rail intersections : putting it to the test : proceedings from the ITS Joint Program Office Highway-Rail Intersection Evaluation Workshop May 6 & 7, 1999

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-19

This document serves as the proceedings form an evaluation workshop that focused on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications at highway and rail crossings. Reports delivered contain information from seven U.S. sites where ITS technologie...

Philosophy, medicine and its technologies.

PubMed Central

Almond, B

1988-01-01

There is a need to bring ethics and medical practice closer together, despite the risk and problems this may involve. Deontological ethics may promote sanctity of life considerations against the quality of life considerations favoured by consequentialists or utilitarians; while talk of respect for life and the value of life may point to more qualified ethical positions. This paper argues for a respect-for-life position, dismissing a utilitarian cost-benefit outlook as too simplistic; but an unqualified fixed principles approach is also ruled out, both because of its unacceptable consequences in individual cases and also because of its reliance on the slippery slope argument which, it is argued, is logically and psychologically deficient. The case of genetic engineering provides an example in which the notion of respect may operate, but in which broad general principles also apply. A cautious conservatism towards accepted principles is recommended in the development of medical technologies. PMID:3236344

Pleural liquid and its exchanges.

PubMed

Agostoni, Emilio; Zocchi, Luciano

2007-12-15

After an account on morphological features of visceral and parietal pleura, mechanical coupling between lung and chest wall is outlined. Volume of pleural liquid is considered along with its thickness in various regions, and its composition. Pleural liquid pressure (P(liq)) and pressure exerted by lung recoil in various species and postures are then compared, and the vertical gradient of P(liq) considered. Implications of lower P(liq) in the lung zone than in the costo-phrenic sinus at iso-height are pointed out. Mesothelial permeability to H(2)O, Cl(-), Na(+), mannitol, sucrose, inulin, albumin, and various size dextrans is provided, along with paracellular "pore" radius of mesothelium. Pleural liquid is produced by filtration from parietal pleura capillaries according to Starling forces. It is removed by absorption in visceral pleura capillaries according to Starling forces (at least in some species), lymphatic drainage through stomata of parietal mesothelium (essential to remove cells, particles, and large macromolecules), solute-coupled liquid absorption, and transcytosis through mesothelium.

Philosophy, medicine and its technologies.

PubMed

Almond, B

1988-12-01

There is a need to bring ethics and medical practice closer together, despite the risk and problems this may involve. Deontological ethics may promote sanctity of life considerations against the quality of life considerations favoured by consequentialists or utilitarians; while talk of respect for life and the value of life may point to more qualified ethical positions. This paper argues for a respect-for-life position, dismissing a utilitarian cost-benefit outlook as too simplistic; but an unqualified fixed principles approach is also ruled out, both because of its unacceptable consequences in individual cases and also because of its reliance on the slippery slope argument which, it is argued, is logically and psychologically deficient. The case of genetic engineering provides an example in which the notion of respect may operate, but in which broad general principles also apply. A cautious conservatism towards accepted principles is recommended in the development of medical technologies.

Building IT capability in health-care organizations.

PubMed

Khatri, Naresh

2006-05-01

While computer technology has revolutionized industries such as banking and airlines, it has done little for health care so far. Most of the health-care organizations continue the early-computer-era practice of buying the latest technology without knowing how it might effectively be employed in achieving business goals. By investing merely in information technology (IT) rather than in IT capabilities they acquire IT components--primarily hardware, software, and vendor-provided services--which they do not understand and, as a result, are not capable of fully utilizing for achieving organizational objectives. In the absence of internal IT capabilities, health-care organizations have relied heavily on the fragmented IT vendor market in which vendors do not offer an open architecture, and are unwilling to offer electronic interfaces that would make their 'closed' systems compatible with those of other vendors. They are hamstrung as a result because they have implemented so many different technologies and databases that information stays in silos. Health systems can meet this challenge by developing internal IT capabilities that would allow them to seamlessly integrate clinical and business IT systems and develop innovative uses of IT. This paper develops a comprehensive conception of IT capability grounded in the resource-based theory of the firm as a remedy to the woes of IT investments in health care.

What is policy and where do we look for it when we want to research it?

PubMed

Crammond, Brad; Carey, Gemma

2017-04-01

Public health researchers are increasingly concerned with achieving 'upstream' change to achieve reductions in the global burden of disease and health inequalities. Consequently, understanding policy and how to change it has become a central goal of public health. Yet conceptualisation of what constitutes policy and where it can be found is very limited within this field. Our glossary demonstrates that policy is many headed. It is located in a vast array of documents, discussions dialogues and actions which can be captured variously by formal and informal forms of documentation and observation. Effectively understanding policy and its relevance for public health requires an awareness of the full range of places and contexts in which policy work happens and policy documents are produced. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

[Quality management: its use in nursing].

PubMed

Antunes, A V; Trevizan, M A

2000-01-01

The Quality Management has been used and it is a reality in the hospitals. Thus the authors comment about its importance for Nursing and analyse its utilization in a Nursing Service of a private hospital, with purpose to evaluate the implementation form, nurses' involvement and the Deming' Principles application. Data show that the implementation has brought good results, nurses are engaged in the process and the Deming's Principles have been utilized, adequate or inadequately.

Artificial Intelligence and Its Importance in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilmann, Martha J.

Artificial intelligence, or the study of ideas that enable computers to be intelligent, is discussed in terms of what it is, what it has done, what it can do, and how it may affect the teaching of tomorrow. An extensive overview of artificial intelligence examines its goals and applications and types of artificial intelligence including (1) expert…

Jan did it.

PubMed

Persson, P B

2018-06-16

Four-wheel drive means being stuck in an even more remote place. It is so difficult to push or pull in any direction, sweat drips by the liter, yet the wheel moves by the μm, just to slide back into stuck position. The same can happen to journals. Something may not work as intended, or the scientific environment changes and strategic decisions must be made to reestablish past glory. Acta Physiologica experienced hard times, as Scandinavian authors no longer took for granted publishing in their small, but beautiful, society owned journal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

EMACS Manual for ITS Users

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-08

its piovible major modes. ’Ilu: majur modes available include Fundamnentai mode. Text mntde (which IiNIACS %tarts out in). Iisp motJe. PASCAl. nmide...are ini Atom Word mode and in I isp mode, all thie word commands iegard an entire iIsp atom as a single %%ord. See section 22.1 Jklimom Modesi. page...MACS will necr refumse to insert themn. While this feature was intended primaril i foir iIsp . it can be used just ais Well for any other langumage

ITS Standards Advisory : Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

ITS Standards Advisories provide the transportation community with information and guidance on key activities related to ITS standards, with each Advisory focusing on a single ITS application and its corresponding standards. This advisory focuses on ...

Experience and Its Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youqing, Chen

2006-01-01

Experience is an activity that arouses emotions and generates meanings based on vivid sensation and profound comprehension. It is emotional, meaningful, and personal, playing a key role in the course of forming and developing one's qualities. The psychological process of experience generation consists of such links as sensing things, arousing…

Literature and Its Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Alan M., Ed.

1984-01-01

This theme issue of the "Virginia English Bulletin" focuses on "Literature and Its Teaching." The 15 major articles are: "Response to Literature" (Robert C. Small and Ruth Fisher); "The Power of a Good Book" (Gayle Sterrett); "Some Plain Truths about Teaching English" (Coalition of English Associations); "Introducing High School Students to…

Amiens and Its Cathedral.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinkworth, Peter; Scott, Paul

1997-01-01

Introduces a place of mathematics using a town called Amiens and its Cathedral whose overall floor plan was based on the Greek cross using proportions matching that of the ideal human body, the figures in the shape of an octagram or star octagon, and the symbols in the design. (ASK)

Playing It by Ear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Rich

2004-01-01

This article profiles the Fabulous Leopard Percussionists and its creator, Dianne Downs, a teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Louisville. Dianne Downs' ensemble has earned her Kentucky's highest arts education award among other accolades. The Leopards, which was named for the class mascot, consist of Downs' elementary students. When…

Communication Runs through It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landrum, Tom S.

2012-01-01

Effective writing is every bit as important in alumni and development communications as it is in the public affairs shop. A poorly written donor proposal, awkward or grammatically incorrect thank-you letter, and ambiguous, jargon-filled copy have no place in a professional advancement operation. Good communication is especially important for…

FMC: Expanding its chemical universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, A.

1992-12-23

With a portfolio ranging from defense systems to gold to food machinery - the source of its name - FMC Corp. (Chicago) ranks as a diversified conglomerate. The company's industrial chemicals operation consists of alkali chemicals, chiefly soda ash and derivatives: peroxygen chemicals, made up of hydrogen peroxide and other peroxygens; and phosphorus chemicals. FMC has about a 30% market share in each of these three. It also includes the Foret (Barcelona) division, part of FMC Europe. Moving lithium into FMC's specialties group reflects the R D-intensive nature of many lithium compounds, explains F. Wyman Morgan, director/group technology for themore » chemical product and specialty chemicals groups. FMC is also involved in collaborative research programs to develop lithium-based batteries and fuel cells. We have a decentralized business-oriented R D focus, Morgan says. The main thrusts in lithium are in developing organolithiums for drug synthesis. FMC also has a major industrial lithium business; it recently added a new butyl lithium unit in Texas and is looking to expand production through the development of lithium deposits in Latin America. But lithium is growing fastest in the downstream areas, says W. Reginald Hall, v.p. and group manager/specialty chemicals group. It has an unbelievable range of uses, he says, including catalytic applications in the pharmaceuticals industry. We are working on lithium compounds that allow you to drop a functional organic group into a molecule in a reliable way.« less

Preventing Ice Before it Forms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

In the late 1990s, a team of engineers at Ames Research Center invented an anti-icing fluid to keep ice from building up on airplane wings. Ice on wings can be a serious safety hazard, especially during takeoff, when a sheet of ice the thickness of a compact disc can reduce lift by 25 percent or more. The typical approach to clearing off the ice is to use a deicing solution once the ice has built up. The fluid created by the Ames team, though, when applied to a dry surface, prevents the ice from even forming a surface bond, which saves deicing time and money, while also preventing excessive use of chemical solvents. If, however, the solution is not applied before ice forms, it also serves as a traditional deicing formula. The formula contains propylene glycol, which has a very low freezing point, and a thickener, which helps the fluid adhere to the surface. Ice gathers on top of the formula, and then it can be wiped off with little effort. This thickening agent, a pseudo-plastic, sprays on as a liquid, like lemonade, gels like a lemon sherbet, turns back to a liquid when wiped, and then gels again into its sherbet consistency when left to solidify. The sherbet-gel stage is especially important when the formula is sprayed onto a vertical or steeped surface, as it clings better than a liquid would.

IT Infrastructure Components for Biobanking

PubMed Central

Prokosch, H.U.; Beck, A.; Ganslandt, T.; Hummel, M.; Kiehntopf, M.; Sax, U.; Ückert, F.; Semler, S.

2010-01-01

Objective Within translational research projects in the recent years large biobanks have been established, mostly supported by homegrown, proprietary software solutions. No general requirements for biobanking IT infrastructures have been published yet. This paper presents an exemplary biobanking IT architecture, a requirements specification for a biorepository management tool and exemplary illustrations of three major types of requirements. Methods We have pursued a comprehensive literature review for biobanking IT solutions and established an interdisciplinary expert panel for creating the requirements specification. The exemplary illustrations were derived from a requirements analysis within two university hospitals. Results The requirements specification comprises a catalog with more than 130 detailed requirements grouped into 3 major categories and 20 subcategories. Special attention is given to multitenancy capabilities in order to support the project-specific definition of varying research and bio-banking contexts, the definition of workflows to track sample processing, sample transportation and sample storage and the automated integration of preanalytic handling and storage robots. Conclusion IT support for biobanking projects can be based on a federated architectural framework comprising primary data sources for clinical annotations, a pseudonymization service, a clinical data warehouse with a flexible and user-friendly query interface and a biorepository management system. Flexibility and scalability of all such components are vital since large medical facilities such as university hospitals will have to support biobanking for varying monocentric and multicentric research scenarios and multiple medical clients. PMID:23616851

The precautionary principle: is it safe.

PubMed

Gignon, Maxime; Ganry, Olivier; Jardé, Olivier; Manaouil, Cécile

2013-06-01

The precautionary principle is generally acknowledged to be a powerful tool for protecting health but it was originally invoked by policy makers for dealing with environmental issues. In the 1990s, the principle was incorporated into many legislative and regulatory texts in international law. One can consider that the precautionary principle has turned into "precautionism" necessary to prove to the people, taking account of risk in decisions. There is now a risk that these abuses will deprive the principle of its meaning and value. When pushed to its limits, the precautionary principle can even be dangerous when applied to the healthcare field. This is why a critical analysis of the principle is necessary. Through the literature, it sometimes seems to deviate somehow from the essence of the precautionary principle as it is commonly used in relation to health. We believe that educational work is necessary to familiarize professionals, policy makers and public opinion of the precautionary principle and avoid confusion. We propose a critical analysis of the use and misuse of the precautionary principle.

TIRGO and its instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baffa, Carlo; Gennari, Sandro; Hunt, Leslie K.; Lisi, Franco; Tofani, Gianni; Vanzi, Leonardo

1995-09-01

We describe the general characteristics of the TIRGO infrared telescope, located on Gornergrat (Switzerland), and its most recent instrumentation. This telescope is specifically designed for infrared astronomical observations. Two newly designed instruments are presented: the imaging camera Arnica and the long-slit spectrometer LonGSp, both based on two-dimensional array detectors.

It's All about Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2007

2007-01-01

Setting high expectations, promoting academic excellence, encouraging students to set their sights on postsecondary education--administrators and teachers are quite familiar with these ideas and their use within the school setting. Although each of these ideas is important to what secondary education is and should be, it is somehow hard to imagine…

Is It a Cheetah?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolan, Stephanie S.

This paper uses the metaphor of a cheetah to describe the potential of gifted children. Environmental influences that inhibit or encourage the development of speed and agility in the cheetah are described to encourage schools to provide gifted children with a challenging school environment that provides lively mental prey. It warns that unless…

Current IT Issues, 2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spicer, Donald Z.; Deblois, Peter B.

2004-01-01

This article features the EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey. Administered by the EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee, whose members review and recommend the set of issues to be presented each year, the survey identifies the issues that leaders in higher education information technology see as their most critical IT challenges. The Top-Ten current IT…

Simulation: What Is It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laktasic, Stanley G.

Simulation is the duplication of the essential characteristics of a task or situation. It represents three elements of the teaching-learning process: (1) stimulus situation; (2) response; and (3) feedback. The uses of simulation may fall into one of three general categories: research--the generation of information about an operational or proposed…

Tag! You're It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Justine

2007-01-01

This article describes the latest skirmish in the war between security and privacy concerns that is escalating as technological advances open up all sorts of new possibilities for school districts, both for better and, if misused, for worse. Brittan Elementary School in Sutter, California, had the best intentions when it implemented a radio…

It's the Little Things

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2007-01-01

Information technology (IT) departments are ruled by a kind of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: The big-tech stuff--the operating systems, the networks, the data centers--gets the priority, food-and-shelter attention, while upgrading the backup power supplies, evaluating new projector mounts, and taming that rat's nest of classroom cords fall…

Its All about Power

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffhauser, Dian

2008-01-01

Data loss from life's little power calamities may be the most common form of IT disaster any campus can face. According to a 2007 industry association survey(www.connect.educause.edu/library/ecar/shelterfromthestormitandb/41174), 82 percent of higher education institutions reporting a disruptive occurrence in the five years prior to the study…

The Gendered Nose and its Lack: "Medieval" Nose-Cutting and its Modern Manifestations.

PubMed

Skinner, Patricia

2014-01-01

Time magazine's cover photograph in August 2010 of a noseless Afghan woman beside the emotive strap line, "What happens if we leave Afghanistan," fuelled debate about the "medieval" practices of the Taliban, whose local commander had instructed her husband to take her nose and ears. Press reports attributed the violence to the Pashtun tradition that a dishonored husband "lost his nose." This equation of nose-cutting with tradition begs questions not only about the Orientalist lens of the western press when viewing Afghanistan, but also about the assumption that the word "medieval" can function as a label for such practices. A study of medieval nose-cutting suggests that its identification as an "eastern" practice should be challenged. Rather clearer is its connection with patriarchal values of authority and honor: the victims of such punishment have not always been women, but this is nevertheless a gendered punishment of the powerless by the powerful.

Evaluation report for ITS for voluntary emission reduction : an ITS operational test for real-time vehicle emissions detection

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-05-01

The Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Operation Test Project was designed to assess the potential of ITS to support cleaner air by providing real-time vehicle tailpipe emissions information (carbon monoxide levels) to the driving public. It made...

ITS concepts for rural corridor management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-09-01

The Arizona Department of Transportations (ADOT) SPR-570: Rural ITS Progress Study - Arizona 2004 provided : 20 key recommendations for improved utilization of the rural ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) infrastructure. : Two years later, i...

Standards Participation Guidance : ITS Standards Program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-04-15

The Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) focuses on research projects, exploratory studies and deployment support for the intelligent transportation system. The ITS Architecture and Standards Programs are foundational to t...

Adaptation: Denver College Uses Its Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Thomas M.

1977-01-01

Illustrates how the Community College of Denver successfully adapts to changing needs by structuring its curricula to prepare graduates for the specific conditions of its community and by providing needed community services. (JG)

Aloe vera: It's effect on gingivitis

PubMed Central

Ajmera, Neha; Chatterjee, Anirban; Goyal, Vikas

2013-01-01

Objective: Aloe vera is the oldest medicinal plant that has maintained its popularity over the course of time. It is widely known for its medicinal uses in wound healing, as an analgesic, and for its anti-inflammatory properties. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory property of aloe vera mouthwash on plaque-induced gingivitis. Materials and Methods: Forty-five patients who were diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis were included in the study. They were divided into three groups with fifteen patients in each group. Group 1 was asked to rinse with 10 ml of aloe vera mouthwash twice daily for three months. Group 2 were treated with scaling only. Group 3 patients were asked to rinse with aloe vera mouthwash and scaling was done. The clinical changes were evaluated with Loe and Silness gingival index (1963) and Muhlemann and Son's Sulcus bleeding index (1971) at baseline, after one month and three months, respectively. Results: The data obtained was compared statistically. The paired ‘t’ test was done for intragroup comparison and one-way analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey test was used for intergroup comparison. The data was obtained at the baseline, end of first month, and end of the third month. The result suggested reduction in gingival inflammation in all the three groups, but it was more in the aloe vera mouthwash and scaling group. Hence, it was concluded that aloe vera had a significant anti-inflammatory property. Thus, it can be used as an adjunct to mechanical therapy for treating plaque-induced gingivitis. PMID:24174720

How Mars lost its atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zahnle, Kevin

1992-01-01

There is a widespread suspicion that Mars thin atmosphere is in some way attributable to the planet's size. Another possibility is that the atmosphere was never degassed or outgassed in the first place. I prefer escape. Hydrodynamic escape (vigorous thermal escape) and impact erosion (expulsion of atmosphere by impacts) are two processes that should have been operative early. Although in principle hydrodynamic escape could have shrunk Mars atmosphere a hundredfold while leaving the composition of the remnant atmosphere nearly unaltered, very high escape fluxes are required. The implicated escape mechanism must have been efficient, nearly non-fractionating, and vastly more potent for Mars than for Earth or Venus. Impact erosion is an appealing candidate. Noble gases are the obvious first test. Noble gases are the most volatile elements and so are the most likely to have been affected by impact erosion and the easiest to address quantitatively. Xenon in particular imposes three constraints on how Mars lost its atmosphere: (1) the very low abundance of nonradiogenic Xe abundance of nonradiogenic Xe compared to Earth, Venus, and likely meteoritic sources; (2) its nonradiogenic isotopes distinct from likely meteoritic sources; and (3) the relatively high absolute abundance of radiogenic daughter of the extinct radionuclide I-129 (half-life 17 Myr). In impact erosion, the first two become constraints on the composition, mass distribution, and orbital elements of the impactors. The third requires that Mars lost its nonradiogenic Xe early, probably before it was 100 Myr old. Impact erosion can explain Mars by any of three stories. (1) Mars in unlikely. In a sort of planetary brinkmanship, impact erosion almost removed the entire atmosphere but was arrested just in time. (2) Martian noble gases are cometary and cometary Xe is as isotopically mass fractionated as Martian and terrestrial Xe. This is most easily accomplished if a relatively thick geochemically controlled CO2

ITS data management system : year one activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-08-01

This report documents research conducted in the development of an ITS data management system, hereafter referred to as ITS DataLink. The objective of the ITS DataLink system is to retain, manage, share, and analyze ITS data for a variety of tra...

Anchorage regional ITS architecture : summary report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-10-14

The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) initiated the development of a regional Intelligent : Transportation System (ITS) architecture to manage implementation of a range of technologies that will improve transportation within the municipality. ITS is th...

Reputation and its risks.

PubMed

Eccles, Robert G; Newquist, Scott C; Schatz, Roland

2007-02-01

Regulators, industry groups, consultants, and individual companies have developed elaborate guidelines over the years for assessing and managing risks in a wide range of areas, from commodity prices to natural disasters. Yet they have all but ignored reputational risk, mostly because they aren't sure how to define or measure it. That's a big problem, say the authors. Because so much market value comes from hard-to-assess intangible assets like brand equity and intellectual capital, organizations are especially vulnerable to anything that damages their reputations. Moreover, companies with strong positive reputations attract better talent and are perceived as providing more value in their products and services, which often allows them to charge a premium. Their customers are more loyal and buy broader ranges of products and services. Since the market believes that such companies will deliver sustained earnings and future growth, they have higher price-earnings multiples and market values and lower costs of capital. Most companies, however, do an inadequate job of managing their reputations in general and the risks to their reputations in particular. They tend to focus their energies on handling the threats to their reputations that have already surfaced. That is not risk management; it is crisis management--a reactive approach aimed at limiting the damage. The authors provide a framework for actively managing reputational risk. They introduce three factors (the reputation-reality gap, changing beliefs and expectations, and weak internal coordination) that affect the level of such risks and then explore several ways to sufficiently quantify and control those factors. The process outlined in this article will help managers do a better job of assessing existing and potential threats to their companies' reputations and deciding whether to accept a particular risk or take actions to avoid or mitigate it.

Engagement: It's about Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Nancy H.; Anderson, Sharon; Payne, Jack; Foster, David E.

2004-01-01

"It's about Them" was introduced by David Hardesty to call attention to the central focus of effective public engagement. The seven-part test of engagement set forth by the Kellogg Commission is examined within the context of the cooperative extension system. The impacts of the changes that will shape American society in the early…

Technology for hearing loss--as We Know it, and as We Dream it.

PubMed

Clark, Jackie L; Swanepoel, De Wet

2014-09-01

Worldwide demand for accessible hearing health technology continues to increase while the numbers of hearing healthcare specialists are grossly inadequate to meet this demand. Proliferation of innovative technology and the advent of greater access to global connectivity are providing an opportunity to identify and harness new resources that may change current audiological service delivery methods to maximize access, efficiency and impact. By searching through the most current literature and engaging in discussions with industry experts, it is possible to identify avenues that could increase services to those who have hearing loss with innovative healthcare technology. This article aims to review the current state as well as future trends of hearing health technology by addressing: Technology as We Know it; and Technology as We Dream it. Some of the newer technologies we have recently witnessed include: micro processors; personalized computing devices (e.g. smartphones); web-based applications; an expanding clinical repertoire with integrated test equipment; and globalization of telecommunications that opens the door to telehealth; and self-fitting of hearing aids. Yet, innovation continues scaffolding on recent successes with innovations for hearing healthcare expected to increase into the future. As technology and connectivity continue to evolve so should the practice of audiology adapt to the global needs by capitalizing on these advances to optimize service delivery access and sustainability. Capital investment in equipment will be dramatically reduced with smaller, lighter, less costly and more portable equipment. Individuals who live in remote regions with little or no hearing healthcare access can undergo valid assessments by a professional via telehealth. Web-based applications allow clinicians to expand their repertoire and reach of services.

MedlinePlus Connect: How it Works

MedlinePlus

... it looks depends on how it is implemented. Web Application The Web application returns a formatted response ... for more examples of Web Application response pages. Web Service The MedlinePlus Connect REST-based Web service ...

Ejection Fraction: What Does It Measure?

MedlinePlus

... does the term "ejection fraction" mean? What does it measure? Answers from Rekha Mankad, M.D. Ejection fraction ... percentage of blood leaving your heart each time it contracts. During each heartbeat pumping cycle, the heart ...

How-to-Do-It. Community Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stencel, John E.

1990-01-01

Described is a project in which students find a living population in their community and either study it in the field or bring it into the laboratory for study. Seven example projects are suggested. (CW)

Fifteen Years of Publication: "Leadership and Policy in Schools" and Its Scholarly Contribution since Its Foundation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oplatka, Izhar

2017-01-01

The purpose of the current article is to reflect systematically on articles published in Leadership and Policy in Schools (LPS) since its foundation in 2002 to the present time (2016). Based on qualitative content analysis of the journal's articles, it was found that "LPS" has published articles about clear and demarcated areas of study,…

A passerine spreads its tail to facilitate a rapid recovery of its body posture during hovering

PubMed Central

Su, Jian-Yuan; Ting, Shang-Chieh; Chang, Yu-Hung; Yang, Jing-Tang

2012-01-01

We demonstrate experimentally that a passerine exploits tail spreading to intercept the downward flow induced by its wings to facilitate the recovery of its posture. The periodic spreading of its tail by the White-eye bird exhibits a phase correlation with both wingstroke motion and body oscillation during hovering flight. During a downstroke, a White-eye's body undergoes a remarkable pitch-down motion, with the tail undergoing an upward swing. This pitch-down motion becomes appropriately suppressed at the end of the downstroke; the bird's body posture then recovers gradually to its original status. Employing digital particle-image velocimetry, we show that the strong downward flow induced by downstroking the wings serves as an external jet flow impinging upon the tail, providing a depressing force on the tail to counteract the pitch-down motion of the bird's body. Spreading of the tail enhances a rapid recovery of the body posture because increased forces are experienced. The maximum force experienced by a spread tail is approximately 2.6 times that of a non-spread tail. PMID:22258552

A passerine spreads its tail to facilitate a rapid recovery of its body posture during hovering.

PubMed

Su, Jian-Yuan; Ting, Shang-Chieh; Chang, Yu-Hung; Yang, Jing-Tang

2012-07-07

We demonstrate experimentally that a passerine exploits tail spreading to intercept the downward flow induced by its wings to facilitate the recovery of its posture. The periodic spreading of its tail by the White-eye bird exhibits a phase correlation with both wingstroke motion and body oscillation during hovering flight. During a downstroke, a White-eye's body undergoes a remarkable pitch-down motion, with the tail undergoing an upward swing. This pitch-down motion becomes appropriately suppressed at the end of the downstroke; the bird's body posture then recovers gradually to its original status. Employing digital particle-image velocimetry, we show that the strong downward flow induced by downstroking the wings serves as an external jet flow impinging upon the tail, providing a depressing force on the tail to counteract the pitch-down motion of the bird's body. Spreading of the tail enhances a rapid recovery of the body posture because increased forces are experienced. The maximum force experienced by a spread tail is approximately 2.6 times that of a non-spread tail.

ITS strategic deployment plan : executive summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-02-27

The Salt Lake Valley ITS Early Deployment Planning Study-Phase II prepared the framework to deploy candidate Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) projects that address Salt Lake Valleys transportation needs. A planning process was used that inc...

25 CFR 292.9 - How does a tribe show that it lost its government-to-government relationship?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... relationship for purposes of § 292.7, it must show that its government-to-government relationship was... relationship; or (c) Congressional restoration legislation that recognizes the existence of the previous...

IT-based Physics Education in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Keum-Hwi; Kim, Jin-Seung; Song, Hi-Sung

2001-04-01

Up to the mid-nineties, Korean education could be characterized by quantitative expansion, in line with the industrial development, and physics education was no exception. However, the rapid change in technology and international relations led to an ongoing educational reform for qualitative improvement. It strives for customer-oriented education, program divesification, and IT-rich training to prepare people for the future. This paper summarizes the current status of IT-based physics education with emphasis on collaborative effort recently initiated in the Korean physics community.

But when was it painted?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundstad, E.; Woll, G.

2009-04-01

The Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway, is dedicated to the visual works of the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944). Edvard Munch was a symbolist, expressionist painter and printmaker from Oslo, Norway. He was regarded as the pioneer of the amazing Expressionist movement. His art work from the late 1800's is the most well known, but his later work is gradually attracting more attention and is quite an inspiration of many of today's artists. The Munch Museum catalogue for 2008 contains about 1700 paintings of which virtually very few have a precise date. Even when the artist has written the year on the painting itself, there may be a significant uncertainty about this date, and partly due to unclear writing making it difficult to interpret the numbers. This means that other sources need to be applied to verify an accurate date. The climatologist at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute can help dating paintings of Munch. E. g. the painting "Standing Woman with Arms Folded". The painting shows a woman in front of a hill with much snow. The location is almost certainty Grimsrød on Jeløya, a property Munch began renting on March 1, 1913. Jeløya is an island at the southeastcoast of Norway near the town Moss. Jeløya has usually not so much snow because it is near by the sea and windy. The last digit in the date is unclear and has been read as both '3' and '5'. The woman in the portrait, Ingeborg Kaurin, was Munch's model up to the beginning of 1915, so both dates are possible. The year written on the painting has been read as both 1913 and 1915, and since 1974 it has usually been interpreted as 1913 (Stenersensamlingen's catalogue 1974). In the project "But when was it painted?" disclose that it could be another year. One way to reconsider when a painting was painted is to study geophysical characteristics and consider historical observations of snow. The method that is used here is to study daily meteorological snow data from this period from the

Evaluating High School IT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Brett A.

2004-01-01

Since its inception in 1997, Cisco's curriculum has entered thousands of high schools across the U.S. and around the world for two reasons: (1) Cisco has a large portion of the computer networking market, and thus has the resources for and interest in developing high school academies; and (2) high school curriculum development teams recognize the…

But Is It Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Mike; Salehjee, Saima; Essex, Jane

2017-01-01

Early years science education is not science, but a curricular construction designed to induct young children into a range of ideas and practices related to the natural world. While inquiry-based learning is an important approach to this, it is not of itself unique to science and there are a range of logico-mathematical constructions that come…

It's so hard to be fair.

PubMed

Brockner, Joel

2006-03-01

When employees believe they are being treated fairly-when they feel heard, when they understand how and why important decisions are made, and when they believe they are respected-their companies will benefit. Research shows that practicing process fairness reduces legal costs from wrongful-termination suits, lowers employee turnover, helps generate support for new strategic initiatives, and fosters a culture that promotes innovation. What's more, it costs little financially to implement Yet few companies practice it consistently. Joel Brockner examines this paradox, exploring psychological and other reasons that cause managers to resist embracing process fairness. The fact that it's relatively inexpensive to implement, for instance, may be why some numbers-oriented executives undervalue it. Many managers believe that they practice process fairness, but 360-degree feedback tells another story. Some corporate policies actually undermine it--such as when the legal department won't let managers fully explain decisions for fear that disclosure could expose the firm to lawsuits. And, frequently, managers simply follow the all-too-human tendency to avoid uncomfortable situations. But the good news is that organizations can take concrete steps to promote greater process fairness. Many studies have shown that training programs make a big difference, and the author describes the most effective format. In addition, warning your managers that they may experience negative emotions when practicing fair process will help prepare them to cope with those feelings. Finally, role modeling fair process on the executive level will help spread the practice throughout the organization. The fact is, process fairness is the responsibility of all executives, at all levels and in all functions; it cannot be delegated to HR. The sooner managers realize that and work to make it a company norm, the better off the organization will be.

ITS professional capacity building program reports

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a baseline assessment of perceived ITS training and education needs. This three-part report documents the PCB needs of current transportation professionals in the context of ITS Metropolitan Infrastructure dep...

23 CFR 940.9 - Regional ITS architecture.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Regional ITS architecture. 940.9 Section 940.9 Highways... INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND STANDARDS § 940.9 Regional ITS architecture. (a) A regional ITS architecture shall be developed to guide the development of ITS projects and programs and be...

Is Expressivism Dead? Reconsidering Its Romantic Roots and Its Relation to Social Constructionism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fishman, Stephen M.; McCarthy, Lucille Parkinson

1992-01-01

Defends expressivism as a philosophy of composition against attack. Argues on historical grounds that it was the social reform dimension of German romanticism that inspired expressivism. Presents one of the author's classes as one that is committed both to the mastery of philosophic method and to the development of student voices. (RS)

23 CFR 940.9 - Regional ITS architecture.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Architecture shall be used as a resource in the development of the regional ITS architecture. The regional ITS... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Regional ITS architecture. 940.9 Section 940.9 Highways... INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND STANDARDS § 940.9 Regional ITS architecture. (a) A regional...

Improving Business-IT Alignment through Business Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Chingmei

2010-01-01

The business and Information Technology (IT) alignment issue has become one of the Top-10 IT management issues since 1980. IT has continually strived to achieve alignment with business goals and objectives. These IT efforts include ERP implementation to benefit from the best practices; data center consolidation and server virtualization to keep…

An Exoplanet Spinning Up Its Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-11-01

We know that the large masses of stars govern the orbits of the planets that circle them but a large, close-in planet can also influence the rotation of its host star. A recently discovered, unusual hot Jupiter may be causing its star to spin faster than it should.Exotic PlanetsHot Jupiters are gas giants of roughly Jupiters size that orbit close in to their host stars. Though these planets are easy to detect their large sizes and frequent transits mean surveys have a good chance of catching them we havent found many of them, suggesting that planetary systems containing hot Jupiters are fairly unusual.The period-folded light curve of HATS-18, revealing the transit of the hot Jupiter HATS-18b. The period is P=0.8378 days. [Penev et al. 2016]Studying this exotic population of planets, however, can help us to better understand how gas giants form and evolve in planetary systems. New observations of hot Jupiters may also reveal how stars and close-in planets interact through radiation, gravity, and magnetic fields.The recent discovery of a transiting hot Jupiter a little over 2000 light-years away therefore presents an exciting opportunity!A Speeding GiantThe discovery of HATS-18b, a planet of roughly 2 times Jupiters mass and 1.3 times its radius, was announced in a study led by Kaloyan Penev (Princeton University). The planet was discovered using the HATSouth transit survey network, which includes instruments in Chile, Namibia, and Australia, and follow-up photometry and spectroscopy was conducted at a variety of ground-based observatories.HATS-18bs properties are particularly unusual: this hot Jupiter is zipping around its host star which is very similar to the Sun at the incredible pace of one orbit every 0.84 days. HATS-18bs orbit is more than 20 times closer to its host star than Mercurys is to the Sun, bringing it so close it nearly grazes the stars surface!Size of the planetary orbit relative to the stellar radius as a function of the stellar rotation period

Identification of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) and its adulterants by a DNA-barcoding approach based on the ITS sequence.

PubMed

Chen, Jin-Jin; Zhao, Qing-Sheng; Liu, Yi-Lan; Zha, Sheng-Hua; Zhao, Bing

2015-09-01

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is an herbaceous plant that grows in high plateaus and has been used as both food and folk medicine for centuries because of its benefits to human health. In the present study, ITS (internal transcribed spacer) sequences of forty-three maca samples, collected from different regions or vendors, were amplified and analyzed. The ITS sequences of nineteen potential adulterants of maca were also collected and analyzed. The results indicated that the ITS sequence of maca was consistent in all samples and unique when compared with its adulterants. Therefore, this DNA-barcoding approach based on the ITS sequence can be used for the molecular identification of maca and its adulterants. Copyright © 2015 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Buy It Now and Pay for It Later: An Experimental Study of Student Credit Card Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagerstrom, Asle; Hantula, Donald A.

2013-01-01

Credit card debt is of increasing concern among college students, but reasons for it are not well understood. In a simulated shopping experiment based on a hyperbolic discounted utility model, 21 participants could either save money for a new model of their favorite mobile phone brand and get it in the future or buy the product on credit and get…

Observation of Teaching and Learning in Adult Education: How To Prepare for It, How To Do It and How To Manage It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewens, David

This booklet is the second in a series of publications written for the United Kingdom adult and community learning (ACL) sector to assist it in improving quality. An introduction covers the rationale for observing teaching and learning in a self-assessment context. Chapter 1 concentrates on the practicalities and processes of observing teaching…

What Is the Internet, Who Is Running It and How Is It Used?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eschbach, Darel

The Internet, for the purposes of this discussion, refers to the network that has the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) as its backbone. For this paper, internet is the larger connection of networks that provides a minimum basic connection for electronic mail. The network is made up of many segments structured in a multitiered hierarchy…

Do-It-Yourself Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Beth

2010-01-01

Self-service is a hit. From gas stations to banks to grocery stores--it has become table stakes for retailers who aim to satisfy an increasingly independent consumer. Libraries are no exception, and, in fact, with their card catalog past, they may well have been in the vanguard in enabling customers to find what they want on their own. Card…

Economics: It's Your Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billings, Henry

This document is a text for teaching economics. The book is divided into seven units. Unit 1 is called "What is Economics?" Its seven chapters discuss economics and scarcity, money, the role of the consumer, the role of the producer, capitalism and the free enterprise system, and the circular flow of the economy. The second unit is "How the United…

Massive Young Star and its Cradle

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-14

This star-forming region, captured by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, is dominated by the bright, young star IRAS 13481-6124; it is the first massive baby star for which astronomers could obtain a detailed look at the dusty disk closely encircling it.

Discolored Semen: What Does It Mean?

MedlinePlus

... it mean? Should I be concerned about discolored semen? Answers from Todd B. Nippoldt, M.D. Semen is normally a whitish-gray color. It's usually ... within 30 minutes. Changes in the appearance of semen might be temporary and not a health concern. ...

The mysterious Spotted Green Pigeon and its relation to the Dodo and its kindred.

PubMed

Heupink, Tim H; van Grouw, Hein; Lambert, David M

2014-07-16

The closely related and extinct Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and Rodrigues Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), both in the subfamily Raphinae, are members of a clade of morphologically very diverse pigeons. Genetic analyses have revealed that the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is the closest living relative of these birds, thereby highlighting their ancestors' remarkable migration and morphological evolution. The Spotted Green Pigeon (Caloenas maculata) was described in 1783 and showed some similarities to the Nicobar Pigeon. Soon however the taxon fell into obscurity, as it was regarded as simply an abnormal form of the Nicobar Pigeon. The relationship between both taxa has occasionally been questioned, leading some ornithologists to suggest that the two may in fact be different taxa. Today only one of the original two specimens survives and nothing is known about the origin of the taxon. Due to its potential close relationship, the Spotted Green Pigeon may hold clues to the historical migration, isolation and morphological evolution of the Dodo and its kindred. We use ancient DNA methodologies to investigate the phylogeny and authenticity of the Spotted Green Pigeon. A novel extraction method with the ability to retain and purify heavily fragmented DNA is used to investigate two feathers from the sole surviving specimen. Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses reveal that the Spotted Green Pigeon is a unique lineage and together with the Nicobar Pigeon, is basal to the Dodo and Rodrigues Solitaire. The distance observed for the Spotted Green Pigeon and Nicobar Pigeon is larger than that observed within other Pigeon species, indicating that the Spotted Green pigeon is a unique taxon, thereby also indicating it is a genuine addition to the list of extinct species. The phylogenetic placement of the Spotted Green Pigeon indicates that the ancestors of both Caloenas and therefore Raphinae displayed and shared the following traits: ability of flight, semi

The mysterious Spotted Green Pigeon and its relation to the Dodo and its kindred

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The closely related and extinct Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and Rodrigues Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), both in the subfamily Raphinae, are members of a clade of morphologically very diverse pigeons. Genetic analyses have revealed that the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is the closest living relative of these birds, thereby highlighting their ancestors’ remarkable migration and morphological evolution. The Spotted Green Pigeon (Caloenas maculata) was described in 1783 and showed some similarities to the Nicobar Pigeon. Soon however the taxon fell into obscurity, as it was regarded as simply an abnormal form of the Nicobar Pigeon. The relationship between both taxa has occasionally been questioned, leading some ornithologists to suggest that the two may in fact be different taxa. Today only one of the original two specimens survives and nothing is known about the origin of the taxon. Due to its potential close relationship, the Spotted Green Pigeon may hold clues to the historical migration, isolation and morphological evolution of the Dodo and its kindred. Results We use ancient DNA methodologies to investigate the phylogeny and authenticity of the Spotted Green Pigeon. A novel extraction method with the ability to retain and purify heavily fragmented DNA is used to investigate two feathers from the sole surviving specimen. Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses reveal that the Spotted Green Pigeon is a unique lineage and together with the Nicobar Pigeon, is basal to the Dodo and Rodrigues Solitaire. Conclusions The distance observed for the Spotted Green Pigeon and Nicobar Pigeon is larger than that observed within other Pigeon species, indicating that the Spotted Green pigeon is a unique taxon, thereby also indicating it is a genuine addition to the list of extinct species. The phylogenetic placement of the Spotted Green Pigeon indicates that the ancestors of both Caloenas and therefore Raphinae displayed and shared the following traits

It Is Tough and Tiring but It Works--Children's Experiences of Undergoing Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Engvall, Gunn; Ångström-Brännström, Charlotte; Mullaney, Tara; Nilsson, Kristina; Wickart-Johansson, Gun; Svärd, Anna-Maja; Nyholm, Tufve; Lindh, Jack; Lindh, Viveca

2016-01-01

Approximately 300 children ages 0 to 18 are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year, and 80 to 90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment. The aim was to describe children's experiences of preparing for and undergoing radiotherapy, and furthermore to describe children's suggestions for improvement. Thirteen children between the ages of 5 and 15 with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed five categories: positive and negative experiences with hospital stays and practical arrangements; age-appropriate information, communication, and guidance to various degrees; struggle with emotions; use of distraction and other suitable coping strategies; and children's suggestions for improvement during radiotherapy. An overarching theme emerged: "It is tough and tiring but it works". Some key areas were: explanatory visits, the need for information and communication, being afraid, discomfort and suffering, the need for media distraction, dealing with emotions, and the need for support. A systematic, family-centered preparation program could possible help families prepare and individualized distraction during radiotherapy could contribute to reducing distress. Further studies with interventions could clarify successful programs.

Phobos' gravity field and its influence on its orbit and physical librations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borderies, N.; Yoder, C. F.

1990-01-01

A model describing the physical libration in longitude and latitude for Phobos is derived. The major effect is the well-known longitude variation with the anomalistic orbital period and amplitude. Several additional meter-sized periodic librations in longitude exist. The latitude variation is dominated by the forced precession of Phobos' figure axis with the precession of Phobos' orbital plane. The contribution of Phobos' topography to its gravity field is estimated using the control network model of Duxbury and Callahan (1989).

It's the information!

PubMed

Ward, Ryan D; Gallistel, C R; Balsam, Peter D

2013-05-01

Learning in conditioning protocols has long been thought to depend on temporal contiguity between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. This conceptualization has led to a preponderance of associative models of conditioning. We suggest that trial-based associative models that posit contiguity as the primary principle underlying learning are flawed, and provide a brief review of an alternative, information theoretic approach to conditioning. The information that a CS conveys about the timing of the next US can be derived from the temporal parameters of a conditioning protocol. According to this view, a CS will support conditioned responding if, and only if, it reduces uncertainty about the timing of the next US. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trypanosoma cruzi: adaptation to its vectors and its hosts

PubMed Central

Noireau, François; Diosque, Patricio; Jansen, Ana Maria

2009-01-01

American trypanosomiasis is a parasitic zoonosis that occurs throughout Latin America. The etiological agent, Trypanosoma cruzi, is able to infect almost all tissues of its mammalian hosts and spreads in the environment in multifarious transmission cycles that may or not be connected. This biological plasticity, which is probably the result of the considerable heterogeneity of the taxon, exemplifies a successful adaptation of a parasite resulting in distinct outcomes of infection and a complex epidemiological pattern. In the 1990s, most endemic countries strengthened national control programs to interrupt the transmission of this parasite to humans. However, many obstacles remain to the effective control of the disease. Current knowledge of the different components involved in elaborate system that is American trypanosomiasis (the protozoan parasite T. cruzi, vectors Triatominae and the many reservoirs of infection), as well as the interactions existing within the system, is still incomplete. The Triatominae probably evolve from predatory reduvids in response to the availability of vertebrate food source. However, the basic mechanisms of adaptation of some of them to artificial ecotopes remain poorly understood. Nevertheless, these adaptations seem to be associated with a behavioral plasticity, a reduction in the genetic repertoire and increasing developmental instability. PMID:19250627

Desire thinking: what is it and what drives it?

PubMed

Caselli, Gabriele; Spada, Marcantonio M

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the construct of desire thinking and test a metacognitive model of desire thinking and craving, based on the work of Spada, Caselli and Wells (2012; 2013), which aims to explain the perseveration of desire thinking. We conducted two studies involving four clinical samples (total N = 493) and a community sample (N = 494) presenting with different addictive behaviors. The relationships among variables were examined by testing the fit of path models within each sample. In the model presented it was proposed that positive metacognitions about desire thinking are associated with, in turn, imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration, marking the activation of desire thinking. Verbal perseveration is then associated to negative metacognitions about desire thinking and craving denoting the pathological escalation of desire thinking. Finally, a direct association between positive metacognitions about desire thinking and negative metacognitions about desire thinking would mark those occasions where target-achieving behaviour runs as an automatized schemata without the experience of craving. Results indicated a good model fit in the clinical sample and a variation in the model structure in the community sample. These findings provide further support for the application of metacognitive theory to desire thinking and craving in addictive behaviors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

School engagement: what it is and why it is important for positive youth development.

PubMed

Li, Yibing

2011-01-01

The observation that too many students are disengaged from school has inspired interest in the concept of school engagement. However, the growing excitement about school engagement is tempered by numerous conceptual and measurement issues. In this chapter, I briefly reviewed the history of the study of school engagement, summarized some prominent theoretical perspectives in the school engagement literature, discussed why it is important to understand the mechanism through which school engagement promotes positive youth development, and made recommendations on future research directions for this topic. Specifically, I called for a better understanding of and the nuances within the school engagement construct, advocated for the development of school engagement measures with sound psychometric property, and encouraged methodological innovations that can be used to understand the development of school engagement and its implications to positive youth development.

Distributed multitasking ITS with PVM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, W.C.; Halbleib, J.A. Sr.

1995-12-31

Advances in computer hardware and communication software have made it possible to perform parallel-processing computing on a collection of desktop workstations. For many applications, multitasking on a cluster of high-performance workstations has achieved performance comparable to or better than that on a traditional supercomputer. From the point of view of cost-effectiveness, it also allows users to exploit available but unused computational resources and thus achieve a higher performance-to-cost ratio. Monte Carlo calculations are inherently parallelizable because the individual particle trajectories can be generated independently with minimum need for interprocessor communication. Furthermore, the number of particle histories that can be generatedmore » in a given amount of wall-clock time is nearly proportional to the number of processors in the cluster. This is an important fact because the inherent statistical uncertainty in any Monte Carlo result decreases as the number of histories increases. For these reasons, researchers have expended considerable effort to take advantage of different parallel architectures for a variety of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes, often with excellent results. The initial interest in this work was sparked by the multitasking capability of the MCNP code on a cluster of workstations using the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) software. On a 16-machine IBM RS/6000 cluster, it has been demonstrated that MCNP runs ten times as fast as on a single-processor CRAY YMP. In this paper, we summarize the implementation of a similar multitasking capability for the coupled electronphoton transport code system, the Integrated TIGER Series (ITS), and the evaluation of two load-balancing schemes for homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.« less

Distributed multitasking ITS with PVM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, W.C.; Halbleib, J.A. Sr.

1995-02-01

Advances of computer hardware and communication software have made it possible to perform parallel-processing computing on a collection of desktop workstations. For many applications, multitasking on a cluster of high-performance workstations has achieved performance comparable or better than that on a traditional supercomputer. From the point of view of cost-effectiveness, it also allows users to exploit available but unused computational resources, and thus achieve a higher performance-to-cost ratio. Monte Carlo calculations are inherently parallelizable because the individual particle trajectories can be generated independently with minimum need for interprocessor communication. Furthermore, the number of particle histories that can be generated inmore » a given amount of wall-clock time is nearly proportional to the number of processors in the cluster. This is an important fact because the inherent statistical uncertainty in any Monte Carlo result decreases as the number of histories increases. For these reasons, researchers have expended considerable effort to take advantage of different parallel architectures for a variety of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes, often with excellent results. The initial interest in this work was sparked by the multitasking capability of MCNP on a cluster of workstations using the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) software. On a 16-machine IBM RS/6000 cluster, it has been demonstrated that MCNP runs ten times as fast as on a single-processor CRAY YMP. In this paper, we summarize the implementation of a similar multitasking capability for the coupled electron/photon transport code system, the Integrated TIGER Series (ITS), and the evaluation of two load balancing schemes for homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.« less

When medicine rediscovered its social roots.

PubMed

Fathalla, M F

2000-01-01

This article reviews the 1952 paper by Dugald Baird on preventive medicine in obstetrics, and comments on its significance from a modern day perspective. It notes that the paper is a public health classic in the sense that it attempts to bring back the social perspective to the practice of medicine. It also highlights the impact of social factors on the health of mothers and children and gives voice to women's perceptions of modern medical practice. Over the past few decades, it has been shown that poverty is not an insurmountable barrier to health when the policies are right; that gender is a health determinant; and that improvement in perinatal health needs more than improvement in socioeconomic conditions. In view of such, there is evidence that most health professionals are willing to concede that a major proportion of ill health results from socioeconomic factors and that there are limitations to what modern medicine can achieve without social interventions. However, there is no consensus discerned on the implication of these facts for the health profession. The need for the profession to study the effect on health of actions taken or not taken outside the health sector and to disseminate this information is highlighted.

Air Pollution and Its Control, Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sproull, Wayne T.

A concise appraisal of our contemporary status and future prospects with regard to air pollution and its control are offered in this text for concerned laymen. What air pollution is, how it endangers health, the cost of controlling it, what is being done about it now, and what should be done are some of the basic questions considered. Topics cover…

Identification and its vicissitudes.

PubMed

Etchegoyen, R H

1985-01-01

This paper attempts to understand the vicissitudes of identification within the co-ordinates of narcissism and the object relation. Firstly the dialectic pair primary identification/secondary identification are studied, and primary narcissism is suggested as the hypothesis which best explains them. The complex identification processes in the primary scene are considered next and the importance of the introjection of the oedipal parents for the formation of the superego is underlined. The importance of the structuring function of the introjection and projection mechanisms becomes embodied in the concept of projective identification, which comes to question the postulate of primary narcissism. The theory of projective-introjective identification is an extremely powerful instrument for explaining phenomena, however it obliges one to accept that the first introjections are radically different from the others. They have nothing to do with mourning but rather with primitive mechanisms which question the subject/object polarity and, so this author believes, spring basically from envy. Lastly, it is maintained that envy and libido are factors of a dialectic from which the object relation and the earliest processes of identification, previous to the Oedipus complex, proceed at one and the same time.

[Impact factor, its variants and its influence in academic promotion].

PubMed

Puche, Rodolfo C

2011-01-01

Bibliometrics is a set of methods used to study or measure texts and information. While bibliometric methods are most often used in the field of library and information science, bibliometrics variables have wide applications in other areas. One popular bibliometric variable is Garfield's Impact Factor (IF). IF is used to explore the impact of a given field, the impact of a set of researchers, or the impact of a particular paper. This variable is used to assess academic output and it is believed to affect adversely the traditional approach and assessment of scientific research. In our country, the members of the evaluation committees of intensive research institutions, e.g. the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) use IF to assess the quality of research. This article revises the exponential growth of bibliometrics and attempts to expose the overall dissatisfaction with the analytical quality of IF. Such dissatisfaction is expressed in the number of investigations attempting to obtain a better variable of improved analytical quality.

IT Governance and the Public Sector: A Survey of Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge of Federal Public Sector IT Employees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, David P.

2013-01-01

IT governance has become an important topic as both public and private organizations struggle to meet the challenge of aligning complex IT systems with operational needs. Without effective IT governance, organizations fail to gain strategic benefits that come by the proper strategic alignment of IT resources with the larger organizational mission.…

25 CFR 900.228 - Is an Indian tribe or tribal organization entitled to interest if it wins its claim?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... interest if it wins its claim? 900.228 Section 900.228 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE... SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT Post-Award Contract Disputes § 900.228 Is an Indian tribe or tribal organization entitled to interest if it wins its claim? Yes. If an Indian tribe or...

The norepinephrine transporter and its regulation.

PubMed

Mandela, Prashant; Ordway, Gregory A

2006-04-01

For many years, the norepinephrine transporter (NET) was considered a 'static' protein that contributed to the termination of the action of norepinephrine in the synapse of noradrenergic neurons. The concept that the NET is dynamically regulated, adjusting noradrenergic transmission by changing its function and/or expression, was considered initially in the mid 1980s. Since that time, a plethora of studies demonstrate that the NET is regulated by several intracellular and extracellular signaling molecules, and that phosphorylation of the NET is a major pathway regulating its cell surface expression and thereby its function. The NET is a target of action of a number of drugs that are used long-term therapeutically or abused chronically. This has driven numerous investigations of how the NET and its function are regulated by long-term exposure to drugs. While repeated exposure to many drugs has been shown to affect NET function and expression, the intracellular mechanisms for these effects remains elusive.

What does it mean to be green?

PubMed

Kleiner, A

1991-01-01

Today a company is not considered environmentalist unless it moves beyond mere compliance with government regulations to behavior its competitors, and even customers, do not expect. How should it set its agenda? Author Art Kleiner proposes that, to be green, a company must ask three questions: What products should we bring to market? How much disclosure of pollution information should we support? And how can we reduce waste at its source? These questions can't be answered, Kleiner says, unless managers insist on sustainable growth. In this sense, a big investment in environmentalism is like a big one in R&D--both presuppose patient capital and managerial maturity. What are green products? Kleiner cautions against giving in to misinformed public opinion--as McDonald's did in giving up its styrene "clamshells," which were more recyclable than the composite papers it switched to. Rather, companies should rely on literature that analyzes the product life cycle. As for public disclosure, the benefits may be unexpected. Federal legislation requiring companies to report the emission of potentially hazardous waste to a central data bank has not made environmentalists attack them. Rather, it has forced companies to learn what chemicals they inadvertently produce and how much--knowledge that helps them improve production processes. Sharing it helps ecological researchers study the combined effects of plant emissions. As for pollution prevention, Kleiner notes the analogy to quality and observes that it is better to design harmful waste products out of the system than catch them at the end of the line.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Credit where It's Due

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillis, Finbar

2004-01-01

Credit can be used to recognise all kinds of achievements. But there are no short cuts to doing it properly. Perhaps the clever thing to do is to take the best of practice in using credit, to observe closely how credit impacts on the reform of all education in the UK, and learn from these experiences. As the notion of credit gains currency across…

Learning in the thick of it.

PubMed

Darling, Marilyn; Parry, Charles; Moore, Joseph

2005-01-01

The U.S. Army's Opposing Force (OPFOR) is a 2,500-member brigade whose job is to help prepare soldiers for combat. Created to be the meanest, toughest foe that soldiers will ever face, OPFOR engages units-in-training in a variety of mock campaigns under a wide range of conditions. Every month, a fresh brigade of more than 4,000 soldiers takes on this standing enemy. OPFOR, which is stationed in the California desert, always has the home-court advantage. But the force being trained--called BLU FOR--is numerically and technologically superior. It possesses more resources and better, more available data. It is made up of experienced soldiers. And it knows just what to expect, because OPFOR shares its methods from previous campaigns with BLUFOR's commanders. In short, each BLUFOR brigade is given practically every edge. Yet OPFOR almost always wins. Underlying OPFOR's consistent success is the way it uses the after-action review (AAR), a method for extracting lessons from one event or project and applying them to others. AAR meetings became a popular business tool after Shell Oil began experimenting with them in 1998. Most corporate AARs, however, are faint echoes of the rigorous reviews performed by OPFOR. Companies tend to treat the process as a pro-forma wrap-up, drawing lessons from an action but rarely learning them. OPFOR's AARs, by contrast, generate raw material that is fed back into the execution cycle. And while OPFOR's reviews extract numerous lessons, the brigade does not consider a lesson to be learned until it is successfully applied and validated. It might not make sense for companies to adopt OPFOR's AAR processes in their entirety, but four fundamentals are mandatory: Lessons must benefit the team that extracts them. The AAR process must start atthe beginning of the activity. Lessons must link explicitly to future actions. And leaders must hold everyone, especially themselves, accountable for learning.

On Realizing It's Worse than I Thought

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Entin, David

2009-01-01

It didn't end with an acceptance letter in the mail. That was the highlight of the high school to college transition, but it wasn't the finish line, far from it. In this essay, the author describes his feelings on transitioning from high school to college. He finally sees that the process is worse than he thought. Because it's not another step in…

"Let It Rest:" Reflecting on Instructional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontichiaro, Kristin

2011-01-01

Top Chef is one of America's top food television shows. In one episode, lead judge Tom Colicchio, chef and restaurant owner, chides a contestant for hurriedly slicing a piece of meat as soon as it had emerged from the oven. The meat was fully cooked, but the competitor had not "let it rest," or let it steep in its own juices outside the oven for…

Tailoring Professional Development for IT Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haile, Christine E.; Trubitt, Lisa

2007-01-01

Professional development has become an increasingly important topic among information technology (IT) professionals in higher education, but what does it mean to engage in professional development activities? How does an institution create an initiative that meets broad organizational goals while taking into account the specific needs of the…

Connecticut ITS/CVO business plan : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-06-01

This document describes: goals and objectives for Connecticut ITS/CVO deployment; current regulatory structure and activities; envisioned process changes enabled by ITS/CVO technologies; how motor carriers perceive the value of ITS/CVO services; bene...

Solution characterization of the extracellular region of CD147 and its interaction with its enzyme ligand cyclophilin-A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schlegel, Jennifer; Redzic, Jasmina S.; Porter, Christopher

2009-08-21

The CD147 receptor plays an integral role in numerous diseases by stimulating the expression of several protein families and serving as the receptor for extracellular cyclophilins, however, neither CD147 nor its interactions with its cyclophilin ligands have been well characterized in solution. CD147 is a unique protein in that it can function both at the cell membrane and after being released from cells where it continues to retain activity. Thus, the CD147 receptor functions through at least two mechanisms that include both cyclophilin-independent and cyclophilin-dependent modes of action. In regard to CD147 cyclophilin-independent activity, CD147 homophilic interactions are thought tomore » underlie its activity. In regard to CD147 cyclophilin-dependent activity, cyclophilin/CD147 interactions may represent a novel means of signaling since cyclophilins are also peptidyl-prolyl isomerases.« less

U.S. Strategic Communication: Getting It Right

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-12

effort quickly revealed that selling Coca - Cola is easier than changing perceptions and attitudes.9 Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and... advertising , while others see it as a way to communicate values and ideals. And, it is inadequately funded to perform its mission. The U.S. Government can...mundane advertising efforts. Indeed, the administration’s initial reliance on marketing executive Charlotte Beers for its early public diplomacy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to I&T

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Michael R.

1999-01-01

With over two dozen missions since the first in 1986, the Hitchhiker project has a reputation for providing quick-reaction, low-cost flight services for Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP) customers. Despite the successes, several potential improvements in customer payload integration and test (I&T) deserve consideration. This paper presents suggestions to Hitchhiker customers on how to help make the I&T process run smoother. Included are: customer requirements and interface definition, pre-integration test and evaluation, configuration management, I&T overview and planning, problem mitigation, and organizational communication. In this era of limited flight opportunities and new ISO-based requirements, issues such as these have become more important than ever.

COPASI and its applications in biotechnology.

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Hoops, Stefan; Klahn, Brian; Kummer, Ursula; Mendes, Pedro; Pahle, Jürgen; Sahle, Sven

2017-11-10

COPASI is software used for the creation, modification, simulation and computational analysis of kinetic models in various fields. It is open-source, available for all major platforms and provides a user-friendly graphical user interface, but is also controllable via the command line and scripting languages. These are likely reasons for its wide acceptance. We begin this review with a short introduction describing the general approaches and techniques used in computational modeling in the biosciences. Next we introduce the COPASI package, and its capabilities, before looking at typical applications of COPASI in biotechnology. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cheating. Who Does It Really Hurt?

PubMed

Peterson, Debra A

2015-01-01

It is easy enough to proclaim that cheating is wrong and to explain it as yet another example of trends in this country elevating the big bluff or the apparently sincere apology as means of getting off. The question is what should a professional do when witnessing what appears to be a colleague's unethical behavior? A scenario is analyzed where a dental student observes what appears to be cheating on an examination. Important steps in the process include diagnosing the moral culture of the school, determining who else might have witnessed the event and what they might do about it, and being willing to accept personal responsibility for any action taken.

Autonomously Organized and Funded IT Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichol, Bruce

2004-01-01

Central IT organizations under stress often cannot offer a high level of service to groups with above-average support needs. An example of such a group would be a well-funded, research-oriented computer science department. Several factors contribute to the increased demand on IT organizations. Given the availability of relatively…

Ten years' experience conducting the Aging Game workshop: was it worth it?

PubMed

Pacala, James T; Boult, Chad; Hepburn, Ken

2006-01-01

In the Aging Game, medical students experience simulated physical, sensory, and cognitive deficits that are associated with disability from chronic diseases. Since 1994, the University of Minnesota has presented an innovative version of the Aging Game as part of the curriculum in a required clinical clerkship. The experiences conducting the Aging Game over the past decade were reviewed, focusing on the resources necessary to produce it and on its worth as an educational tool. Because many of the reusable props were obtained free as donations, start-up material costs were calculated at 530 dollars. Personnel necessary for each half-day presentation of the Aging Game included two faculty and a minimum of five nonfaculty serving as facilitators; a staff coordinator was also essential. Quantitative student evaluations (N=673) exhibited mean ratings of 1.41, 1.35, and 1.40 (1=excellent) for overall value, teaching effectiveness, and quality of a postsimulation discussion. Written student comments regarding the strengths of the Aging Game centered on three major themes: mode of learning, especially using role playing and simulating deficits (total of 192 comments); attitudinal change, specifically raising awareness and stimulating reflection on the experiences of disabled older adults (121 comments); and educational value, particularly the Aging Game's capacity for creating a memorable impression (56 comments). Despite consuming significant personnel resources, the Minnesota version of the Aging Game is an effective tool for stimulating long-lasting awareness and understanding of key issues related to aging and geriatrics.

Learn It, Lab It, Love It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alleman-Brooks, Janet E.

1981-01-01

Notes how laboratory experiences can help elementary school social studies pupils understand concepts such as cultural awareness, career education, advertising techniques, map and globe skills, music, transportation, and landforms. For each concept, information is presented on objectives, activities within a laboratory setting, and evaluation…

Stopping light in its tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eggleton, B. J.; Martijn de Sterke, C.; Slusher, R. E.; Krug, Peter A.; Sipe, J. E.

1996-12-01

To control the speed of a light pulse without absorbing its photons, or distorting its shape, is a challenging problem. However, this has been accomplished using fiber gratings, as part of a joint research program of the University of Sydney, the Australian Photonics Research Centre, Lucent Technologies, and the University of Toronto. The gratings are written in the optical fiber's core by directing a UV beam onto it via a periodic phase mask. Through a photochemical process still not well-understood, the periodic intensity pattern burns a permanent index of refraction change in the core.1-2 In our experiments, we use gratings with a period of about 350 nm chosen to reflect light at 1.05 u m and a length of 5.5 cm.3 Because the grating has over 150,000 periods, an index change of only 0.0003 is sufficient to limit the transmission to less than 30 dB on resonance. Essentially no light is transmitted by such a grating at the Bragg resonance; yet a nanometer away, light propagates through as if the grating were absent. As we tune away from resonance, the light's group velocity increases from zero to c/n (where c is the speed of light in a vacuum and n=1.46 is the refractive index of the core of the fiber), leading to a dispersion about 100,000 times larger than that of bare fiber. Gratings can thus slow down a pulse of light, but at the price of tearing it apart.4 At high light intensities a nonlinearly, with the index of refraction increasing with intensity.5 In the center of the pulse, where the intensity is the highest, the index is thus raised the most. Since regions of high index attract light, the nonlinearity acts as a "glue," counteracting the strong dispersive effects of the grating.

National ITS architecture transit guidelines : executive summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

This booklet is intended for transit board members and senior management. It provides general information on ITS and the National ITS Architecture with respect to transit, and highlights the benefits of each. Section 2 briefly discusses the Intermoda...